The Light Nadder Queen

Chapter 4 - Her Backstory

Astrid blinked, mentally noting the sudden stares she received as she repeated her words to herself. It took her a minute to realize her words and exactly what she said. She knew, that in a matter of seconds she'd be kicked out for being born and raised in a dragon killing village. Through, she also knew she'd have to tell her backstory, something she was hoping to psychically avoid altogether.

"You created it when you hiccuped for fighting a dragon?" Dak tried to figure out what she meant by her words.

"That wasn't supposed to come out. I swear to Thor, I'm a good Viking." Astrid pleaded with them.

"We know you're a good Viking." Leyla smiled at her. "But, if you're going to be our friend, then we need to know your past and what exactly your choice of words mean." she added.

Leyla sat down on the floor of the Rooster; the name they called their lighthouse that Duggard gave to them and their dragon family. Summer laid behind her with Aggro curled up next to Leyla's lap. Burple settled down on the floor with Cutter in his napping nest. Winger stayed behind Dak, who was leaning against the Swiftwing.

"I'll have you know, the village I'm from is a dragon killing village. My former tribesmen were at war with dragons and have been for three hundred years. I was born to be a Shield-maiden, an elite team of warriors that help protect the tribe and the Chief. But, the chief, Stoick despised dragons for a passion." Astrid started, sighing softly.

"What made Stoick despise dragons?" Dak blurted out.

"They killed the Chieftess, his wife. I don't remember much of that, only what I was told because I was a babe during it. Their son, Hiccup, was to be groomed to be the next chief as that was his birthright. But, fate twisted it into a different way." Astrid said.

"What kind of name is Hiccup?" Dak asked only for Winger to slap him with his tail and glare at him.

"Keep your questions for the end, Dak!" Leyla shouted at him.

"Hiccup didn't want to be Chief, he kept telling me so himself. Growing up, we were best friends who told each other everything and I would've stayed by his side but one day when I was little, Gobber, the blacksmith, came to my house with Stoick at his side. They told me my parents were killed and for a sympathy gift, Hiccup gave me my axe." Astrid said and pulled out her expertly crafted double bladed axe.

On the handle had the initials of HHIII written in faint black charcoal. She traced her thumb over the initials.

"Can I see?" Leyla asked her.

Astrid nodded, a bit hesitantly but handed the ten year old girl her precious axe. "Wow." she heard Leyla comment. "It's beautiful." she smiled.

"When we were fifteen, every teenager in the village got signed up for dragon training. Now, this isn't your dragon riding type of training. No, this training was for killing dragons. Hiccup, surprisingly, exceeded through training, getting the honor to kill a Monsterous Nightmare. They're were baddest dragon to kill, hot headed temper, body that gets light up like a blazing fire. I was so jealous of Hiccup getting that honor, that led to the creation of that phrase." she laughed at the end.

"I shouted that phrase at him and waved my axe around in anger. But, then, everything I knew about dragons changed when I met a dragon Hiccup had befriended. Ironically he looks like Luna just black as night and emerald green eyes with a red tail fin on the left side." Astrid rolled her eyes as Luna hung upside down by her tail, happily.

"So a black fury? No that doesn't sound right. Hmm, Dusk fury? Night fury?" Leyla started guessing on the type of a Fury the dragon Astrid mentioned was.

Astrid smiled. "The last one is right. Hiccup named his Night Fury," she laughed loudly, "Toothless for his retractable teeth. Luna and him came to Hiccup's rescue during the fight, fought against the Monsterous Nightmare with ease. Luna wrapped her tail around me protectively and growled at Toothless. In the end, Stoick banished me from Berk and I have no intention of going back." Astrid finished her story.

"Wow. We're so sorry Astrid." Leyla said as she stood up, walking over to Astrid and hugging her.

Dak, too, joined in after a second since he had to stretch his muscles.

"You're more than welcome to stay here, permanently." Leyla told her. "Dak and I don't mind." she smiled at her twin.

He smiled back at her and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, we totally don't mind." he said.

()()()()()()()

Astrid was gone and she was never coming back. An auburn haired Viking boy with emerald eyes sighed as he patted a giant black head.

"Toothless...we need to go after her." he announced. "She's all I have. I just...I just can't lose her. She's my world." he admitted.

"Even if we do go after Astrid, what makes you think we'll even find her?" Toothless asked.

The Night Fury knew his rider couldn't understand him but he also knew Hiccup had a genuine idea of what he was saying.

Hiccup nodded. "Hiccup?" a voice startled the two.

"Down here!" Hiccup hollered back.

A short black haired boy with light blue eyes slid down into the Cove, that was what Hiccup called his and Toothless's hangout.

"Look, Hiccup, she's gone. She's not coming back so get your act together and, I don't know, be Chief!" the boy shouted.

"I'm not Chief yet, Lout."Hiccup replied.

"It's either you take up Chief or I have to...and I really don't want it to come to that, cuz." Snotlout admitted. "Tell Uncle Stoick and my Dad I admitted that and I will tell them of your thing with him." he pointed to Toothless.

"Don't worry, Lout. I won't tell Dad or Spitelout." Hiccup rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"You'll find her, Hiccup. She's out there somewhere with two dragons at her side." Lout said, before he left the Cove.

"Yeah. I hope so." Hiccup muttered and stared at the empty saddle on the Night Fury. "Hmm..." he thought aloud.