Hiccup's Point of View
The moment Gothi turned her back and left the arena, I stood. My movements were calm, deliberate—full of that quiet confidence that made people nervous when they didn't understand it.
Astrid rose with me, falling into step without hesitation. We had barely moved two paces toward the exit when I heard the voice.
"Astrid."
Stoick's tone was commanding, clipped.
She froze beside me—instinct, habit. I saw it in the way her shoulders tensed, the flicker of that old obedience trying to rise.
"I need a word with you," Stoick called, loud enough for all to hear. "Alone."
I didn't even break stride.
I turned toward him fully, my expression cold as stone.
"That won't be happening," I said flatly.
The arena quieted again. Every breath, every shuffle, paused.
"If you have something to say," I continued, "you can say it in front of me."
Astrid looked at me, eyes wide, face flushed. Her blush wasn't embarrassment.
It was something else.
Warmth. Gratitude. Devotion.
"And Stoick..." I stepped forward, just enough to make sure everyone could hear, "you're not in charge of me. Or the people I care about."
His face darkened instantly.
His voice boomed. "You are on my island, boy. And so are your wife. Your child. Her. I am the Chief of Berk. That means I lead you all. I am in charge."
The air shifted.
The warmth of the arena bled out like someone had opened the sky and let winter crawl in.
A chilling silence.
My killing intent simmered just beneath my skin.
And everyone felt it.
Even the wind seemed to stop breathing.
"You command nothing," I said softly.
The cold made every word heavier.
Every syllable carried weight.
While I spoke, I reached out through the mind-link.
"Luna. Freya. Go to the forest. Now. We'll meet you soon."
Luna responded instantly, her voice smooth, sultry, and full of fire.
"As you wish... but when you get home, you better give me some alone time."
"I want to make out. That's your punishment for letting Astrid sit on your lap."
I chuckled aloud, the sound breaking the tension like a knife through glass.
"Fine with me, my love. I owe you anyway."
"Can't have my queen being needy."
"It's my duty to satisfy you, after all."
She purred back. "Damn right."
Above, I could see Luna standing with Freya, already on the move, no questions asked.
Good.
I turned my attention fully to Stoick now, the grin fading.
"If you ever try to assert some false dominance over me again," I said slowly, "I will challenge you."
He blinked.
"To a fight."
My voice dropped lower.
"To the death."
Gasps erupted in the stands.
Even Gobber looked like he'd swallowed his own tongue.
"And as you've heard," I continued, "I have no mercy left for Berk. Or its people."
My eyes locked with his.
"Especially you."
The arena was dead silent.
Only the wind, now picking up again, seemed willing to whisper.
"So," I finished coldly, "know your place... Chief."
Then I turned.
And walked away—Astrid at my side, loyal, silent, hers eyes burning with something wild.
And everyone watched.
And no one dared follow.
Scene Change – The Cove
Hiccup's Point of View
The tension of the arena still clung to my skin, faint and lingering like smoke after a fire.
But here... in the cove...
It was gone.
Sunlight filtered through the trees in soft beams, the grass warm beneath my back, and the only sounds were laughter—her laughter—and the rustle of wings.
Freya had somehow managed to wrangle Astrid, the Speed Stinger, and the Nadder into an improvised game of tag. The Timberjack lazily glided overhead like a mobile sunshade while the Scauldron bubbled contentedly in the nearby pool.
Astrid's voice rang out, playful and bright. "I demand the right to play with the most adorable being on the planet!"
Freya squealed in delight and dove behind the Nadder's tail. "You can't catch me! I have dragon bodyguards!"
"You bribed them with fish!" Astrid called back, laughing.
"Fair and honorable bribery!" Freya shot back.
The dragons—gods help them—were cooperating.
I didn't even need to look to know Luna was watching with that sly, calculating smile, pretending not to be amused while her daughter ruled a squad of war beasts like a queen with a flower crown.
I exhaled slowly, my eyes drifting closed.
The world could fall apart tomorrow.
But for now?
For now, this was enough.
Still, I couldn't help but smirk when I felt the soft brush of scales flicker into the link.
Veil.
Some poor fool—probably acting under Stoick's orders—had tried to tail us on the way back. Quiet. Careful. Trained, maybe.
Didn't matter.
Veil had noticed immediately.
And when I told her to "play with her new hunting toy," she had pounced like mist and teeth.
The man wouldn't be returning.
I didn't need to watch.
I trusted my shadow.
Still, the memory of his terrified scream echoing once through the cliffs?
Satisfying.
I snapped back to the present when warm hands pinned my wrists to the grass and the weight of a body settled atop mine.
Luna.
Straddling my waist, hair cascading down like a black waterfall around us, silver eyes burning with hunger.
I didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
Her lips crashed into mine with that possessive fire I had long since welcomed. Fangs grazed my bottom lip. Her claws didn't hurt—but they reminded me that she could.
And that I was hers.
Her tongue tasted like smoke and strawberries and every dangerous thing I loved.
My arms moved on instinct, slipping around her waist and pulling her closer, her hips pressing into mine as I whispered against her lips, "You're insatiable..."
She grinned. "You owe me."
"I know."
"And I'm collecting."
"I love days like this," I murmured, burying my face in her neck.
Luna purred.
And somewhere behind us, Astrid shouted, "No biting!"
Followed immediately by Freya's giggle: "You started it!"
I didn't laugh.
But I smiled.
Because today, everything was mine.
And tomorrow?
Berk would learn what it meant to lose everything.
—————————————————————————-
Sunset, The Cove
The sun had begun to dip behind the cliffs, casting golden light through the trees like fire laced with gold. The cove glowed, warm and soft, wrapped in twilight's arms.
Freya was still at it—giggling wildly as she rode on the Nadder's back, pointing dramatically at the Speed Stinger like she was issuing commands in a royal court. The dragons were too amused to pretend they weren't listening.
The same couldn't be said for Astrid.
She lay beside me now—limbs limp and heavy with exhaustion, her cheek resting against my shoulder, her breathing slow and even. Between me and Luna, her body molded comfortably to the grass, pressed between flame and shadow.
"Freya's energy," she mumbled, eyes barely open, "should be illegal..."
Luna chuckled softly. She was on her side, one arm slung loosely over Astrid's waist, claws gently tracing patterns against her hip. Her voice was low, velvet smooth. "She's half Night Fury. You're lucky she didn't start flying circles around you."
"Flying..." Astrid groaned. "Never again."
I smiled faintly, letting the silence settle. The kind of silence you didn't get often. The kind you wanted to preserve in amber and keep with you when war came.
Then, slowly, I sat up.
Astrid made a sleepy sound of protest, trying to tug me back down.
Luna blinked, lifting her head lazily. "Where are you going?"
I rose to my feet, brushing stray grass from my clothes, and looked out at the fading sun. "There's something I've neglected."
Luna tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
I paused, eyes flicking toward the cliff path leading back toward Berk.
"Gothi," I said quietly.
Luna didn't speak right away.
I kept my voice even. "She's always cared for me. When I was small. When I was broken. She did what no one else in this gods-forsaken village ever did."
I turned slightly, meeting Luna's gaze.
"She never looked at me like a disappointment."
Luna sat up fully now, her eyes softer than usual, no teasing, no smirk—just listening.
"She doesn't deserve what I'm going to do to this island," I said.
I could feel the weight of it, just saying it aloud. The finality.
"And I won't ask her to watch it burn."
Luna's voice was gentle. "So you're giving her a choice."
I nodded. "Yes. One she earned."
Astrid stirred between us, blinking her eyes open. "You're going to talk to her?"
I looked down at her and gave a faint smile. "I'm not Berk's heir. Not their tool. But she was the only one who ever saw me."
I stepped back, the shadows of the trees swallowing my frame. "I won't leave her to drown in the ashes without offering her a lifeboat."
Luna didn't argue.
She understood.
And as I left the cove, the fading light behind me, I knew this was the last mercy Berk would ever get.