Dark Valkyrie

One: The Prisoner

One: The Prisoner

Her heart was breaking as they arrowed down towards the Hunter base, knowing that he was stubborn and brave, knowing he wouldn't have told them what they wanted and fearing what they would have done to her Betrothed. Stormfly was trilling a warning and the other dragons were responding, rolling to avoid volleys of dragonroot arrows and firing back of their own accord. It never ceased to amaze her that the dragons often acted on their own accord where Hiccup and Toothless were concerned-and it drove home the bald fact that the dragons loved Hiccup as well. But not as much as Astrid Hofferson.

She leaned forward, her axe banging against her back as she rolled Stormfly and felt the agile Nadder avoid the arrows with ease, then launch the volley of lethal spines at the Hunters who dived for safety. As her hands tightened, there was no guilt at the two who fell back, the spines driven deep into their bodies, their life leaking over the deck. Astrid directed the Riders, seeing Heather and Windshear take out men on the raised wall, her silent fury effective. Snotlout was whooping and yelling as Hookfang swooped and fired and Astrid nodded to herself that, for once, he had his game face on. But then, it was his cousin and their leader and friend who was imprisoned inside the fortress,

Explosions sounded from her left as the twins flipped past a trio of ballistas and Astrid saw a couple of Hunters line up a net launcher at them. Instinctively, her hand slapped onto the back of Stormfly's head and a single spine shot forward, impaling the Hunter. He dropped backwards and didn't move as she flew down, leaping from her dragon as the others secured the area. Fishlegs and Heather landed by her and glanced at her as the others circled, keeping their exit free. Astrid nodded, her face grim because her heart was aching at the thought of Hiccup in this place. Brave, stubborn defiant Hiccup who put everyone else ahead of his own self, who believed being a leader meant self-sacrifice and leading from the front. And who would never surrender his friends or his dragon, no matter what it cost him.

Tense with every sense on edge, she pressed her body against the rock of the door frame and listened, trying to calm her breathing. She could still recall how they ended here...

oOo

The Fliers had swooped down, their furious Singetail mounts driving the Riders away from their latest attempts to stop their capture of dragons and even Hiccup was starting to lose hope that he could outfight them. But just as hope was waning, Johann had tipped them off that there was an auction of dragons happening in this remote corner of the Archipelago, distant even from the usual Northern Markets, on a small island where the people were strange and unfriendly and the men wore arm-guards, belts and boots made of dragon skin. Hiccup had insisted on going in with Heather, disguised as a prospective buyer-though not wearing any dragon skin clothing: even his devotion to dragons and desire to save them couldn't force him to wear such offensive items.

Of course, Heather had been far better and more pragmatic than he had undercover because Hiccup was a dreadful liar and relatively poor actor, and it was his ambiguity that had given them away in the end. Astrid and Fishlegs had been at the far end of the market when the sudden increase in the patrols had alerted them to a problem. Sharing glances, the two sped through and markets, ducking past stalls laden with dragon skin products and dragon-meat snacks before converging on the almost scrum of men who had surrounded the two disguised Riders.

A roar sounded as Toothless realised his Rider was in danger and the taller shape started, his head snapping round. Astrid glimpsed Hiccup's green eyes widen in shock and he lurched forward, his hands stretched out in front of his body.

"NO! Stay back, bud!" he shouted in concern, before jerking back as the point of a spear jabbed at his chest.

"I wouldn't move, if I were you," a familiar smooth voice said and Hiccup stiffened, his hand pushing Heather behind him.