Symphony of Shadows

49. Plan

A/N: Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Next chapter is out Sunday at 8pm ET:)

The night chilled his bones, but the adrenaline kept him warm. Hiccup and Astrid crouched behind a pile of boulders as they watched and waited for the dragon hunter ship with the blue sails. Hobblegrunt Island was mainly deserted, and her stomach turned at the likely reason there seemed to be no inhabitants. Either they were hunted to extinction or migrated—she hoped it was the latter.

Stormfly and Toothless were just as uneasy and refused to go any further than the sea stacks, so they'd only briefly scoped out the area. Astrid tugged at the beautifully crafted scale armor that Hiccup had just finished the other day. Granted, he'd only been able to stitch together the upper half of the suit in the short amount of time they had, but it was still a work of art. Hiccup had also worked on making a helmet for her, and upon her request, he modeled its shape after her beloved Deadly Nadder. He'd perfectly emulated Stormfly's crown of horns, and she'd almost tackled him with a kiss when she'd seen the final design. 

To say that Astrid loved it was an understatement.

Her favorite part was the burnt insignia on the inside of the armor over her heart. 

Always. ♡

She loved how Hiccup customized everything for her and went out of his way for the smallest details. Seeing it for the first time had made her teary-eyed, and she'd thrown her arms around him for the second time in ten minutes. She loved him so much it hurt to think of anything but him. 

But now they were about to face their first real challenge. Still, Astrid was beyond reassured that they would complete it successfully and escape without a problem. The actual issue lay with how they would approach Eret, the dragon hunter. Astrid and Hiccup had many discussions on what they would do with the crew leader. Hiccup suggested they string him out for the birds to peck at, but Astrid chastised him. If she could change, anyone could. They had to try. 

And if they failed, then she would be the first one to gut him before he laid a hand on another dragon.

A powerful gust of wind shook the trees back and forth as a chill swept through the night air. Astrid appreciated that her partial suit provided sufficient insulation and that she had worn navy wool pants. She'd thought about bringing a weapon now that Hiccup trusted her not to kill any of the dragons but figured hand-to-hand combat would be more fun. Astrid had gone too long without a proper fight and was looking forward to it. Especially since these bastards were trapping and killing creatures that were simply trying to survive. It hurt to think about Stormfly being scared and hunted down like vermin. 

Astrid would never let that happen.

Predictably, Eret's ship sailed into view, and she almost ran down to the docks in excitement. No, they would wait like they'd discussed and then attack. But they had to move quickly before Viggo's dragon vessel arrived, or they'd be obliterated.

Feeling a double tap on her shoulder—the signal to go—she ducked down and made sure she wouldn't be seen. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her backwards. Instead of protesting, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted up his mask so she could kiss him. It was a quick kiss, but she didn't want to have any regrets in case the ambush went south. 

Hiccup tightened his grip around her, and when she pulled back, he whispered, "I love you."

"Back at you, babe."

Astried smiled and readjusted his helmet as well as hers. It was time. With one last look, they parted ways, and she headed for the docks. Hiccup made his way to the edge of the cliff and took a running jump before gliding down to the front deck of the ship. Green gas followed him and, with a loud explosion, shot off with a bang.