Some Fishbone

6

“NO!” Astrid tried to run to grab Hiccup as he was mercilessly dragged away.

Stoick walked up beside her, Valka following. “It's gonna be okay lass,” He rested a hand on her shoulder.

“YOU!” The blonde faced the chief, throwing his gentle hand off her shoulder. “YOU MADE HIM RUNAWAY! You didn't help him when he was at his lowest! He was picked on, abused, and you did nothing to help him! Some dad you are! You never taught him sword fighting or-or any weaponry! You know who did? ME! I taught him! You didn't think he could hold his own in the dragon training arena because you never took the time to teach him anything!” Astrid breathed. “IT WAS NO WONDER THAT HE RAN AWAY! YOU THOUGHT HE WAS JUST SOME FISHBONE! HE WAS MORE THAN A FISHBONE! HE WAS THE SMARTEST PERSON IN BERK! EVEN IF HE WAS AN IDIOT AT TIMES!” Astrid shouted. She was hurt, and angry. She wasn't entirely angry at the chief, but at Drago. She had to take her anger out on somebody though and that somebody just so happened to be the chief.

Astrid then ran. If she stayed any longer, some innocent bystander would have had an ear full of abuse shouted at them.

“Astrid…” Stoick mumbled, astonished by these words. The rest of the gang took after Astrid. The villagers had gaped at hearing that the rouge rider they had been trying to capture was just their long lost heir. “READY THE SHIPS!” Stoick then shouted. He was going to get his son back, one way or another.

X_X

“ASTRID!” Fishlegs shouted. “WAIT! Some of us have really short legs!” Fishlegs huffed as he tried to keep up with the rest of the gang.

Astrid set herself on a log not too far from the ocean where she could see Drago's bewilderbeast moving farther away. She sighed, looking out onto the shimmering sunset was like looking at a bowl of cold yak stew. Hiccup was gone once again, right when she got him back too. Life was cruel, wasn't it? One minute you're in peace and harmony the next your friend gets taken away by a maniacal war lord. Absently she picked a small flower that was withering away. The same could be said about her own life. Slowly the people she loves the most get taken away and her will to live gets closer to burning out.

“Funny isn't it?” She asked in a monotone voice when the others caught up to her. “We get Hiccup back and he gets taken away yet again.” She felt a hand pat her back in a sympathetic gesture. “Thanks.”

Snotlout looked at the blonde sitting in front of him. No way was his princess giving up. He had been at that point too once. There was no way that he was going to let her do the same. “Hey,” Astrid glanced up miserably at the four. “I'm not letting you give up. Weather you like it or not. We — mostly me — will find a way to get him back!” Snotlout looked proud of himself.

“You mean all of us,” Fishlegs corrected.

“Yeah, sure, whatever Fishface,” Snotlout waved him off.

“Astrid,” Fishlegs sat beside her. “Can you just explain why Hiccup's alive?”

“Yeah, why not,” She sat up straighter.

“You know, personally I'm not at all surprised that he's alive,” Ruffnut elbowed her twin. “Unlike somebody I know.”

“Tell me about it,” Tuff chimed in, unaware of who ‘somebody’ was. “Somebody is so clueless! Wait…” Tuff scratched his chin. “Hiccup's alive?”

“That means I win the Thorston bet,” Ruff wiggled her open palm in front of her brother. “You said he wasn't, i said he was. Pay up.”

“No I thought it was the other way around,” And that's when a classic Thorston twin squabble broke out.