Life on the Edge

Queen's Rescue, Part 2

Three days.

It's been three days since they found Viggo's ship and the note Ragnar left them. It's been three days since they rushed to Sleipnir Island only to find they were too late because Viggo and his Hunters had already moved on.

None of them are happy with the situation, but Hiccup is almost a different matter entirely. His anger has hit a level they've never seen- a level that makes Stoick appear positively mellow in comparison.

As such, the other Riders engage in a silent argument as they fly through the air in search of any signs of Viggo and their missing friend. Eventually, Astrid rolls her eyes and makes a sharp gesture to make them stop.

"Hiccup?" she calls, nudging Stormfly's sides so she speeds up to fly beside Toothless.

"What?" he asks shortly.

"I think we should head back to the Edge for now," she tells him, entirely unsurprised by the frown it earns. "Flying around aimlessly isn't doing us any good. We need to think of a new plan."

Hiccup frowns harder and shakes his head. "You guys can go back."

"All of us," she emphasizes.

His jaw sets in a stubborn way any Viking recognizes. "I can't just-"

"-keep flying around aimlessly?" Astrid finishes with a pointed look. "Keep searching without any idea where to search next?"

"Well, what do you suggest I do, Astrid?" he asks, frustration obvious as Toothless gives a quiet growl beneath him. "I can't just give up."

Astrid rolls her eyes. "I'm not saying you should. I'm saying we should go back to the Edge, get a little rest, and try to come up with an actual plan to find Ragnar."

Hiccup knows she's right but that doesn't mean he has to like it. Still, at this point he's willing to do anything just to find Ragnar and bring him home. "Fine," he reluctantly agrees. "We'll go back to the Edge and take a few hours. That's it."

Sighs of relief sound from the others. They all know it's the best they'll get and, honestly, a few hours are better than nothing. It'll give them time to recharge and figure out a new strategy.

It's a quiet flight back to Dragon's Edge. They land in the training arena to see Stoick standing beside Skullcrusher. The chief left Gobber to keep an eye on things back on Berk while he helps the Riders anyway he can.

"Any luck?" Stoick asks as soon as they touch down. He sighs in defeat when Hiccup stomps past without a word. "That's a no then."

"That's a no, Chief," Fishlegs confirms.

Snotlout makes a frustrated sound and kicks a small rock across the arena. "It doesn't make any sense. How many bases can Viggo even have? I mean, seriously?"

"Enough that we still haven't found them," Heather says with a sigh. She hates that her time with the Dragon Hunters has been no help. "We'll just- we'll sleep for a couple of hours then try to figure out where to go next."

"We should take shifts," Astrid suggests.

Ruffnut gives her a confused look. "Uh, Astrid? Is now really the time to be thinking about patrol schedules?"

"I'm not," Astrid says with a scowl, "but somebody needs to keep an eye on Hiccup. Otherwise, he's gonna take off on his own to try and find Ragnar."

"Oh, yeah. Okay," Ruffnut says, trading a look with her brother as they both nod. "That makes way more sense."

"Definitely something he would do," he agrees.

Stoick holds up one hand to stop them. "You lot get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on Hiccup."