The Dragon Rider

Chapter 4 ~ We will take Berk

Back on the dragon trapper's ship, Merida was panicking, pacing around the deck as the crew members watched her, slightly worried about the state of their captain.

"Do we go back?" one of them asked nervously.

"We've nowhere to go!" Merida shouted to no one in particular. "Nothing to sell and no heads to call our own! If we don't turn up with dragons and fast -"

A whoosh, and Merida was snatched up by a rather familiar looking Deadly Nadder, heading away from the ship and off into unknown territories.

"Careful what you wish for!" Astrid smirked from on top of her dragon.

"What is this?!" Merida demanded of her captor.

"A kidnapping," Astrid smiled.

"Yay! Can she ride with me?" Tuffnut asked. "Can she? Can she?"

"You're going to show us the way to Drago," Astrid said. It felt more like a command than an offer that could be turned down.

"And help dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp?" Merida almost laughed at the ludicrousness of it. "Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged," the blonde grinned viciously. "Stormfly - drop!"

The dragon's claws opened and sent Merida hurtling down through the air with a scream. "Good girl! Stormfly, fetch!"

"ALL RIGHT! OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO!" Merida shrieked over the howling winds rushing around her. At the moment when it looked like she was just about to hit the sea, Stormfly grabbed her with those slightly ominous looking talons.

"Works every time," Astrid smirked, cracking her fingers.

After a while they arrived at Drago's camp thanks to Merida's directions who was dropped face down in the snow and then sat on by Stormfly.

"AAGH!" Merida shouted as best she could from beneath a dragon's backside. "Look, I got you here, now get this thing off of me!"

"Don't take a toy from a dragon," Astrid smirked, clutching her axe tight. "Don't you know anything?"

"No!" Merida snapped back at her. "You're going to get me free of this Thor-damn dragon, or I won't help you any further! You hear me?" Astrid shrugged and went to continue running. "You know," Merida shouted, making Astrid turn slowly, axe in hand, "the future chief of Berk didn't choose well, did he?"

"Stormfly, drop her," Astrid muttered through clenched teeth. Stormfly reluctantly let go of Merida who brushed herself free of the snow.

"Seriously though -" Merida was almost laughing, "you're pretty enough, but come on! I've never met someone so rude!"

"You seem very interested in Hiccup for someone who's only met him twice," Astrid smirked.

"Are you kidding me?" Merida cocked an eyebrow. "I work alone. I'm just saying -"

"Well I don't care," Astrid snapped. With that, she ran up the hill to meet the rest of the group. She met Fishlegs and whispered, "What's down there?"

"Large diameter bubbles," he muttered as he checked them against his classification cards, "massive lungs, cold water deep dweller; I'm thinking class five leviathan, maybe six..."

Unnoticed, Drago's men had crept up behind them and shot their dragons with tranquilisers. They hit the floor in a daze.

"Don't move!" one of them shouted. The group didn't intend to; they were being threatened at the point of a crossbow. They were led onto Drago's ship with everyone but Merida being handcuffed.