Chapter Text
Astrid Hofferson.
The village screw up.
It was probably easy to draw the conclusion she wasn't very popular on her home island, Berk.
She was teased, bullied and excluded by other children. She couldn't fight very well. She preferred working in the Forge as Gobber's apprentice or on her inventions.
Her father looked down on her, disappointed with his only daughter. Her mother...well..her mother had died while giving birth to Astrid. She always frowned at that thought. Her mother died so she could live. Her father was devastated by his wife's death but he was keen on taking care of their child. Except it only seemed to pile on more weight on Astrid's shoulders. Being the only child of two great warriors. She blamed herself for her mother's death. No one ever said it but she knew they blamed her too and that they would rather have her mother instead of her.
All the other kids were dragon hungry, thrilled to start their dragon training and, one day, hopefully slaughter one themselves. Astrid was never like that, we've made that abundantly clear.
So, her life wasn't all that great. But there was one thing that made her excited to wake up every morning and run out her house.
Or rather, some one.
Her best friend, Hiccup Haddock III.
He was the chief's son, Stoick the Vast and was the heir to the throne. He was by far the warrior with the most potential on the small island, even if he was just five years old.
He went everywhere with his sword and yet, despite their differences, they were the most inseparable human individuals in all of Viking kind. They were friends ever since the day Hiccup helped her from some kids who were picking on her.
Astrid whimpered as the other children continued to make fun of her, pointing out her flaws.
"Look! The wimps gonna cry!" One cackled, holding their stomach in laughter. "You're not a Viking. Vikings are strong, fearless and kill dragons. You're not any of those. You're probably scared of your own shadow." The other mocked. Astrid felt like crawling up into a ball and hiding herself away forever. She'd leave forever and none would be the wiser. They'd probably throw a celebration.
"Leave her alone!" A voice said from behind her.
Astrid turned around to be faced with...the chief's son, Hiccup?
Why was he standing up for her? He was the complete opposite of her.
The third kid snorted. "Why should we?"
Hiccup reached behind him and pulled out his sword. The others widened their eyes in fear before scrambling away, running home. Astrid was left agape as she watched them sprint home to their mothers. She turned back to Hiccup. "I...I-I...uh-"
Hiccup chuckled. "Don't worry about it. They shouldn't have been saying those things about you."
Astrid smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Hiccup."
He nodded. "You're welcome...?"
She widened her eyes. "Oh! A-Astrid. Astrid Hofferson." She introduced. He put out his hand for her to shake, which she did happily. "Where are your friends?" Hiccup asked. Astrid kept quiet. "I don't have any." She whispered, barely audible but Hiccup caught it. Hiccup looked her up and down.
"You seem nice," He started.
"I'll be your friend."
They went everywhere together. They even held hands sometimes, despite them both being five years old. It was clear there was some sort of chemistry between them, even to a blind man. If Hiccup was somewhere, Astrid was with him and vise versa. They didn't care if there were whispers around the village, they just wanted to be with each other.
It's funny to think how much things can change in one night.
"Get to yer houses! It's another dragon attack!" A Viking yelled from the now on fire houses, sprinting away to avoid getting harmed.
Astrid whimpered when some parents rushed all the children up the stairs to the Great Hall. Hiccup heard her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't be scared. One day, we'll get to kill one ourselves and they won't get anywhere near us." Hiccup soothed, showing off a toothy grin. Astrid's tense shoulders immediately softened and she sighed in relief.
"Thank you." She whispered and he nodded. Suddenly, a dragon blast aimed right for the group of children, separating them into two. Astrid, Hiccup, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout got stuck on one side and the rest of the children and adults were on the other. Astrid started to panic.
They were blocked from getting to the Hall because the fire almost made a wall infront of them.
The ground continued to shake as it took each hit. Houses started to collapse. Screams could be heard, some battle cries and some pleas for help. "Find shelter! Anywhere! Just be safe!" One of the adult Vikings yelled from across, cupping their mouth with their hands.
Hiccup took Astrid's hand in his as they all searched desperately for a safe place to hide. For the first few minutes, they were in the open but thankfully they all had their weapons on them and fought back against the lease dangerous dragons.
Well, all except Astrid.
Instead she shielded herself away, continuing to find a spot for them to hide. She glanced back at the others to see Hiccup almost getting killed by a Gronkle.
She was about to scream his name when she watched him hit the Gronkle with his sword and shoo it away.
She relaxed, turning back around. She squinted her eyes before noticing a clear pathway to the side entrance of the Great Hall.
"Guys! Over there!" She gestured to the direction she was facing as the others stopped fighting to see what she meant. They caught up to where she was pointing at, Astrid and Hiccup running last. They couldn't make it to the door of the Hall but they stopped behind a large rock near it for a cover break. They panted heavily, catching their breaths but were still on high alert.
"Ugh, we wouldn't need to hide if Astrid the Useless over there had the guts to fight a dragon." Snotlout insulted.
Astrid hung her head, frowning. She wished she could be brave and strong like them...but she just wasn't. She had already accepted that but it didn't mean she liked it.
"Hey! Don't say that to her." Hiccup defended her. Astrid smiled gratefully at him.
However, they weren't done. Ruffnut scoffed. "Psh, why are you even friends with her? She's not a Viking. She's not a Berkian." She commented.
Astrid felt herself crumble once again but Hiccup was there to save her. He always was and she would be forever thankful for that.
"Shut up, Ruff. At least she's nice." He protested before looking back out from the side of the rock.
He gasped when he saw Silent Sven's prized black sheep....right under a Monstrous Nightmare. Sven loved that sheep like a baby. If anything happened to it he would be crushed.
Hiccup felt a sense of nobility wash over him like a tsunami as he grabbed his sword and ran towards the sheep about to be dragon dinner.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed. What was that muttonhead thinking? He hadn't even had proper dragon training yet. He was five for Thor's sake! But then again, even the toddler Vikings were as tough as stones and trained from a young age.
Astrid's father had given her an axe for her fourth birthday but she kept that in her wardrobe and only used it for sharpening her pencil. Needless to say, he was not happy.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine!" He reassured but Astrid knew better.
Astrid watched from behind the rock for a few minutes, flinching everytime time Hiccup just narrowly missed death. He turned around to pick up the sheep but he didn't see the dragon lift it's talons, about to strike. That was the last straw for Astrid. If someone didn't do something, he could get seriously hurt....or worse.
That thought pushed her metaphorically and literally. She sprinted to where he was, his back turned from the dreadful deed that was about to happen.
"Hiccup!" She warned. He instantly snapped his head up to see her coming to him. He worriedly extended his hands.
"Astrid!" He yelled back, not wanting her out in the open.
But it was too late.
To Astrid, everything was a blur.
Astrid pushed Hiccup out of the way and he tumbled to the ground, hunched down on his knees. Astrid ran to escape and join him but she felt something long and sharp trap her and lift her into the air.
Hiccup shook his head as he dusted himself off, standing up before turning around and realising what was happening. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of Astrid, his best friend, captured by the dragon. The Monstrous Nightmare flapped it's giant wings so that it was gaining altitude.
"ASTRID!" Hiccup screamed in a shrill voice, like it would break any second. His breathing quickened and he felt the world around him crumble into darkness as she flew further and further away from him. Tears started to cascade down both their cheeks. Astrid cried as she pushed and wriggled with all her might, desperate to be free and back on the ground.
As all this happened, the same dreaded thought went through both their minds. This was it. This was the last time they would see each other. They would never be together again and the thought tore Hiccup apart.
"Hiccup! Help! Help me, please!" She sobbed, begging to be released but it was no use. The dragon had already flown too high into the air. Hiccup jumped, stretching his arms as far as his skin would allow it to stretch, even though he knew it was impossible to reach her.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed once more, wanting nothing but to be in his arms, on the ground. Even if the villagers didn't like her, she wanted to go home. "No! Astrid!" He cried, reaching for her.
Gobber had been ordered to gather the children who had been separated and bring them back safely. He found the others behind the rock but then he noticed Hiccup standing all by himself in the middle of a dragon raid. He ran over to the small boy, ready to scold him but the second he saw his tears he stopped himself.
"Hiccup! What in Thor's name are you doin' out here?" Gobber questioned.
Hiccup ignored him, tears still falling rapidly from his eyes. "Astrid," He whimpered and Gobber's eyes trailed up to the frail girl in the huge dragon's grasp. He widened his eyes and his jaw dropped slightly before snapping into action.
"Great Odin's ghost..." He said to himself.
He caught a glimpse of Stoick battling with a Deadly Nadder in the distance beside him.
"Chief!" He called whilst Hiccup continued to bawl at the sight in front of him.
Stoick glanced up to where he heard the sound generate from and Gobber pointed worriedly at Astrid. The chief widened his eyes and started commanding all his men to fire at the dragon.
"Everybody aim fire on the Nightmare!" He boomed, the Vikings following his orders. Unfortunately, nobody was able to get the dragon down as it flew higher and higher.
"Hiccup!" Astrid pleaded. Hiccup hated himself then. Astrid was begging for him to help her, for him to save her but he couldn't do anything. He was losing his best friend and all he could do was watch.
"Astrid!" He sobbed, dropping the sword in his hand, landing on the ground with a metal clang.
The dragon started to fly away, making Astrid and her screams fade. All Hiccup could do was cry and blame himself as he stared at the disappearing speck in the dark sky. It should've been him who got taken away. It should've been him to suffer the wrath of a dragon. He should've been the one to die. Not her.
Despite the fact Astrid was long gone, the men kept firing. She may have been a mess of Viking but she was one of them. Stoick hung his head when he realised she was gone for good. He frowned and looked over and saw his son crying his heart out. He walked over slowly and sadly to Hiccup, not wanting to have to give him the truth but from the expression on his face, he already knew.
"Son..." The chief trailed off, not knowing what to say. He knew how much Astrid meant to Hiccup. He would always come home and when he would tell him about his day, Astrid's name came up for the most part of that conversation. And whenever he did talk about her, it was always with a dreamy look, as if he was amazed by everything she did. In fairness, he was. Hiccup had the same look on his face about Astrid as Stoick had about Valka.
Hiccup choked a sob before running into his father's arms. Stoick wrapped his large, muscly arms around the small boy's figure.
"Astrid..." He whimpered.
People started to notice the chief and his son hunched over by the edge of Berk. They were curious as to why they were crying.
Shortly, the dragons started to leave and the fighting finally came to an end. Some Berkians cheered but not Hiccup. The parents rushed to find their children, hoping they could thank Thor for keeping them safe.
Thankfully, they could. Except for one.
Edgar Hofferson.
"Chief! I can't find Astrid." He yelled. Stoick pulled away from the hug, Hiccup still clinging onto his figure.
"Thor of Almighty, that child will never stay still, always running away and wanting to work on her 'inventions'. Not once does she ever consider lifting up the axe." He complained, not sensing the mood from Hiccup and his dad.
Stoick flickered his gaze down, not willing to make eye contact.
"Astrid...is gone." He confessed.
Surprisingly, Edgar didn't seem to upset. Sure, he was sad but for someone who just lost their child, he wasn't that sad, which angered Hiccup. But he did widen his eyes. "What?"
He sighed. "I'm not really sure what happened, Hiccup does, but Astrid got taken by a Monstrous Nightmare. I tried everything I could. I'm so sorry."
Even if Edgar wasn't exactly proud of her, she was all he had left of his wife. She was his own flesh and blood after all.
Hiccup stood away from his father and took a guilty step towards Astrid's father.
"I'm sorry." He said, his voice cracking like a porcelain doll.
Word soon got around that Astrid Hofferson was dead. Taken away by a Monstrous Nightmare.
The entire village gathered in the Great Hall for her funeral. Since they didn't have a body, they couldn't do it traditionally with a boat. Stoick stood in the middle of the stage in front of the grieving Vikings. Hiccup was a few places away from him.
"Today we lost a Berkian. Astrid of House Hofferson." Stoick started and everyone bowed their heads.
Hiccup fought against his tears, trying to be strong, for Astrid. She would always go on about how she wanted to be strong, brave, just like him and the other Viking kids.
"Come on! Gobber said he saw it in the woods!" Hiccup said enthusiastically as he and Astrid stood at the entrance of the forest.
Astrid timidly twiddled with her fingers and bit her lip.
Hiccup noticed something was wrong. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
She flickered her eyes to meet his and he could see a few emotions in her blue orbs. Embarrassment was one for sure.
"I...I can't." She said quietly. Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean? Why not?"
She paused, debating whether she should tell him and risk the chance of him laughing at her.
"I...I'm scared." She admitted, expecting to see him teasing her, laughing and thinking how much of a wimp she was, but she was shocked to find that instead he had a warm smile spread across his freckled face.
"Well, don't be. I'll be with you and if a dragon comes, I'll protect you." He comforted.
However, Astrid still had a sad expression on her face. He frowned. "Why are you sad?" He asked.
Astrid sighed. "It's just...I wish I could be like you. Or everyone else. Vikings are strong, fearless and...I'm not that." She confessed.
Hiccup gently took her hand in his as he saw tears well up in her eyes. She looked at him.
"Well, I think you're better when you're not like us. You're different and in a good way. Remember when I told you that I was scared to kill dragons?" Astrid nodded.
"You helped me and comforted me. If I had said that to anyone else, they would've told me off or made fun of me. So, I hope you don't change."
Astrid grinned happily.
"In fact, I think you're the strongest of us all." He added.
Astrid gave him a look of disbelief. "You do?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You already accept who you are and you're not afraid to show it. You might not want to be that but I do." She smiled widely.
"Trust me, when you grow up, you're gonna be the strongest out of everyone here." He predicted.
Hiccup wiped his eyes quickly before sniffing quietly.
"Odin had taken her too soon. She was just a wee lass. She suffered a death she shouldn't have to at that age. Taken away by a dragon. That dragon took more than her life, he took away one of us. A Viking, an apprentice," He turned to Gobber who simply hung his head. "A daughter," Astrid's father seemed slightly morbid about the situation. He glanced over at Hiccup. "A friend."
Hiccup felt his battle against his tears become harder and harder as time went on.
"Astrid Hofferson may not have shown much bravery before but tonight, she was braver than all of us. She saved my son. If it weren't for her, my boy wouldn't be here right now and for that, she is the strongest Viking of us all regardless of her age or her size." Stoick continued.
"Because it's not about how big you are, how much muscle you possess, how old you are, how scary you are. Those aren't what make you a Viking. What makes you a Viking is how much you'd do to protect the ones you love. How far you'd travel just to see them. The lengths you'd go for to keep them safe whether it meant risking your own life or not. Astrid Hofferson proved that she is in fact a true Viking and we'll never forget her." He finished.
Everyone murmured a sad response. Stoick backed away a bit before walking over to Hiccup.
"Son," He stared. Hiccup looked up at his father through watery eyes. "I know you might not want to but would you like to say a few words? You know...for Astrid's sake."
Hiccup thought for a second before nodding. He walked to where his father originally stood. He kept his gaze on the ground.
"Astrid was my best friend. No one knew her like I did and know one knew me like she did. I went outside to help Sven's sheep but I didn't see the dragon coming behind me. Astrid did. She pushed me out of the way and the dragon took her instead. She saved me and for that, I promise to kill every dragon in my path. For Astrid." Hiccup walked off stage swiftly.
That was when everyone knew Hiccup would never be the same again.
~•~•~
Astrid kicked as the dragon carried her a deadly height above the water. She wiggled, trying to escape his grasp but it was no use. She'd have a better chance of running into Thor than that.
Despite Astrid's tears, she was confused. Why hadn't this dragon eaten her yet? Why hadn't he killed her? A dragon always goes for the kill.
You can imagine her surprise when the dragon did neither of those things and instead flew down so they were out of the clouds.
Astrid could see on the distance a giant ice mountain. Her arms started to hurt from being tightly held in the dragon's sharp claws.
The dragon flew in through an entrance of the mountain. It kept flying through multiple different tunnels until it reached a huge open area, full of thousands of dragons.
It was... beautiful.
Astrid thought she'd never use those words on a dragon but this...it was magnificent.
The moonlight shone through different areas of the mountain, making it absolutely breathtaking. There was a large column of ice in the middle which hundreds of dragons flew around.
Then, the Monstrous Nightmare did something unexpected.
It dropped her off on the ground...and flew away.
It...didn't kill her.
Astrid didn't have time to fully take in her situation because as soon as she turned around, she was face to face with...
A Night Fury.
The only one, to be exact.
Astrid was about to gasped, reaching to her side as she fumbled to pull out her small dagger. She held it in front of her defensively, the weapon shaking in her hold.
The dragon didn't seem to get angry. It stayed the same. It warbled, staring intriguingly at the knife. Astrid took a deep breath, ready to kill her first dragon but as she lifted the dagger, she couldn't bring it down.
She stared straight into the Night Fury's big, green eyes and she did something that she knew if her father saw it, he'd disown her.
She dropped the knife.
The dragon tilted it's head. Astrid inhaled deeply, making eye contact once more, before facing away and extending her hand.
The dragon moved it's head forward ever so slightly, hesitating but then pushing it's snout into the palm of her soft hand.
Astrid turned back around to see the dragon and it hit her.
They were wrong about dragons. Everything they knew about these 'beasts' was wrong. They weren't monsters. They were.. caring and gentle. Or, at least, this one was.
Astrid smiled widely, showing off her teeth.
The dragon tried to copy her and slowly gave her a gummy smile. Astrid raised a brow, baffled.
"Huh. Toothless." She pondered. "I could've sworn you had-" She was cut off by the dragon retracting his teeth.
"Teeth." She whispered.
She giggled when the dragon rolled over, wanting to get scratched on his belly. She did so as he warbled in content and happiness.
She giggled again but then she heard her stomach growl. The dragon suddenly sat upright, flying away. Astrid stood there confused until she saw him come back with a fish.
She took it from him, not believing what was happening.
"Sorry but I can't eat raw-" The dragon blew a soft puff of fire, frying the fish.
Astrid slowly brought the cooked fish up to her mouth and took a bite.
It was...pretty good.
She smiled at the dragon. "Thank you." He mimicked her expression. She gave him a soft rub under his chin.
"I think I'll call you... Toothless." She confirmed.
The dragon's eyes lit up, obviously happy with the name chosen for him.
"Hi, Toothless. I'm Astrid."