The Dragon Rider

Chapter 5 ~ Let Me Return the Favour

Back at the dragon sanctuary, Hiccup was preparing Toothless to leave; as he worked he explained to the dragon,

"Well, bud, we can't wait around for Drago to attack this place. We've gotta find him first." His preparations were complete, and he nodded at the reptile. "Let's go."

Unnoticed by the pair of them, Hiccup's father had found them, sneaked in on his dragon, Skullcrusher, and clapped a hand over his son's mouth.

"Easy now," the chief said quietly; Hiccup shoved Stoick's hand away and said in part wonder, part hysteria,

"You kidding me? How'd you get in here?"

"Same way we're getting you out."

"We?!"

"All clear!" A very familiar voice of another one legged viking came from further ahead in the tunnels. Stoick followed, grumbling - "Toothless, come -" under his breath. Hiccup scampered along behind, knowing he needed to tell his father now about his new discovery.

"Ah, Dad! There's something you need to know!"

"Yeah, yeah, tell me on the way -"

"This isn't an on-the-way kind of update, actually..."

"I've heard enough, Hiccup."

"More of the, earth shattering development variety -"

"Yeah, just add it to the pile."

"Dad, unlike most surprises I spring on you, this one you'll like. I promise! You just have to handle it delicately, so.."

They'd caught up with Gobber now, who had stopped in his tracks. He turned to face the chief, walking past him and clapping him on the shoulder.

"Uh, you might want to take this one..."

Stoick drew his sword as a precaution and proceeded into the clearing surrounded by ice.

"Oh, Dad, can you put the sword away... please?"

Stoick caught sight of the figure silhouetted against the huge ice block and he dropped his sword from sheer shock. After all these years - how, how was this possible? How could she still be alive?

"I know what you're going to say, Stoick. How could I have done this? Stayed away all these years. And why didn't I come back to you? To our son. Well, what sign did I have that you could change, Stoick? That anyone on Berk could? I pleaded so many times to stop the fighting, to find another answer, but did any of you listen?"

As Valka continued to talk, Gobber turned to Hiccup and said -

"This is why I never married. This and, one other reason..."

He trailed off, leaving Hiccup slightly confused.

"I know that I left you to raise Hiccup alone... but I thought he'd be better off without me. And I was wrong, I see that now, but... oh stop being so stoic, Stoick! Go on... shout, scream, say something!"

By now Stoick had a palm cupping her cheek, so gentle it didn't seem right with his warrior-like personality. He took a breath, his voice hoarse but full of hope.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

Valka couldn't reply; she couldn't think. As Stoick leaned closer, she felt weaker; she lost grip of her staff and it slipped out of her grip slightly. All the same, she didn't fight it as her long lost husband kissed her, finally, after twenty long years apart. She thought she'd never see him again, it turns out she couldn't have been more wrong.

Meanwhile on Drago's ship, the group were tied and kept under close guard. In fact, they'd been condemned to walk the plank. Snotlout was complaining as usual.

"Could this day get any worse?"

"Uh, let me see. You'll jump into freezing cold water and then die from drowning," Tuffnut said, very sarcastically. Merida peered down into the murky grey waters below.

"Looks refreshing." She stepped aside, giving a fake smile to Astrid. "Please, you first. I insist."

Astrid stepped forward, her blue eyes blazing whilst Merida grinned.

"You are a steaming heap of dragon -"

"Duck."

Merida kicked the guards holding Astrid, making them drop their spears in shock. She swiftly knocked them out with a blow to the head and unchained herself with the blade and gave Astrid a fleeting grin.

"Warn the others!" a trapper shouted to the others and they began to run in the direction of the main quarters of the ship.

"Get 'em, you daughter of Fergus!" Tuffnut shouted to her, twisting in his chains.

Merida grabbed one of the unconscious trapper's tranquilliser blow guns and shot the remaining trappers, rendering them completely helpless.

"Okay, I love you again," Tuffnut said flirtily.

"So, are we going to save your dragons and get out of here or not?" Merida asked Astrid, who nodded. "Check every trap. They're here somewhere." While Merida ran on to check the other traps with the others, Astrid opened the nearest one by cranking the lever.She climbed through the small opening and found a very familiar Gronkle, chained up and looking up at her with despair in her eyes.

"Meatlug?"

"Anyone coming?" Merida asked Tuffnut as she opened the next trap.

"I don't know, you just keep doing what you're doing," Tuffnut replied. He was too busy staring at her cleavage to notice much else. Merida, however, noticed exactly what he was staring at and walked straight up to him and slapped him in the face, hard. Tuffnut could only watch as she climbed into the trap, rubbing the angry red mark where she'd slapped him.

In the trap, Merida had found Stormfly. She dropped down beside her, tentatively reaching out to the dragon. Merida wasn't used to this. Being friends with dragons was not something she was brought up to do at all, but now it was obvious her boss wasn't going to take her back, he'd left her to be killed after all.

"Thank you for saving my life." Merida said quietly to the dragon. Stormfly pushed her head into Merida's hand gently and she whispered to the dragon: "Now let me return the favour."