AN: Helloooo all my dear readers! Just like to thank you all for reading. I hope you are enjoying this story so far. There is much more to come. (Much... much more.... insert evil giggle). I have some news for all of you. I will be heading to Europe for 3 weeks on Monday but do not fear the updates shall continue flowing!! I will be in a new timezone so it might be that they will be several hours later than usual.  For now I hope you will enjoy this chapter. 

~your lovely neighborhood writer

Chapter 7

Hiccup's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, sweat dripping down his forehead. It took him a moment to realize where he was and get his breathing under control. He stared at his hands curiously before finally looking around the room. He spots Astrid who was carefully observing him.

"How long was I out?" He asked her as she walked towards him.

"Almost an hour" Astrid said as she inspected the bruises which had now begun to rapidly heal. Hiccup noticed the pain receding as well and stood up to take a look in the mirror.

"It felt longer." He remarked before hearing Astrid's gasp.

Hiccup turned around and saw Astrid staring at him with wide eyes. "W....What's wrong?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nothing is wrong. I just didn't think your tattoo would take up your entire back or be so intricate." She told him and Hiccup opened his closet door to reveal a full length mirror to check for himself.

Checking his back was a bit hard with the narrow mirror but Hiccup's eyes widened when he finally saw the tattoo. Intertwining black lines formed the image of the dragon he had met on his back. It's wings were expanded and reached along Hiccup's shoulder blades while the tail curled slightly downward. Hiccup squinted as he looked in the mirror. There were small runes etched into the wings that he thought he recognized but reading them through a mirror was another task entirely.

"That dragon looks hot." Hiccup suddenly heard and he was snapped out of his musings and turned to Astrid who looked slightly embarrassed.

"That was Stormfly." She quickly explained. "I guess you can hear her now."

Hiccup nodded as he heard Toothless groan inside his head. "Well it seems like Toothless is either embarrassed or just shy." Hiccup said as Toothless let out a growl of indignation. Astrid quirked an eyebrow.

"You named him Toothless?" She asked. "Who names a dragon Toothless?"

Hiccup shrugged but his tattoo started glowing and next thing he knew a smaller version of the dragon he met was standing in the room. He had to admit this version was pretty cute.

"Exactly!" Toothless grumbled. "He even threatened to name me Fluffy!"

Astrid couldn't help it. She looked at the small dragon with the large green eyes and back to Hiccup who was facepalming, before doubling over in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA" Astrid couldn't take it anymore. She knew that the dragons could be summoned as a miniature version of themselves but this was just too cute.

"Are you done laughing now?" Toothless asked as he flapped his little wings and sat on the bed.

Astrid covered her mouth but did nod. "So what type of dragon are you?" She asked looking curiously at the little dragon on the bed.

"Do you not know simply by looking?" Toothless now asked looking bored.

"Bud, you told me that no one has actually ever seen your species before, so how would she know." Hiccup mumbled as he sat on the bed cross legged.

"Fair point" Toothless muttered before turning back to Astrid. "I'm sure you've heard of Night Furies." The dragon said and Astrid's eyes widened before she eagerly nodded.

"All I know that they are called the offspring of lightning and death. No one's ever actually seen one." Astrid said as she looked at a smug Toothless.

"Well now you have." Toothless stated proudly.

"It's just, I imagined that you would be..... Scarier." Astrid commented. "..... and bigger."

Toothless let out a huff at that and Hiccup could have sworn that the dragon rolled his eyes. "I don't need to be big and cause a lot of damage. I also have my reasons for coming to the human world."

"You mentioned that when we spoke." Hiccup stated. "What exactly are they?"

Toothless looked between Hiccup and Astrid. "Over the centuries more than a few dragons have been going missing." Toothless told them as their eyes widened. "There were reports of strange portals opening up in the Dragon realm."

"Wait, when did this start happening?" Astrid asked confused. "You need something extremely powerful to create any type of portal."

"And one of the most powerful objects is here on Midgard." Toothless stated as Astrid and Hiccup now understood.

"Odin's spear" Astrid whispered.

"Is that even powerful enough?" Hiccup now pondered. "Who could possibly wield it?"

"It should be powerful enough." Toothless stated and then they noticed that the color had drained from Astrid's face.

"Astrid are you alright?" Hiccup asked hesitantly.

Astrid's eyes snapped up and Hiccup could see raw fury in them. "That bastard is alive." Astrid growled angrily. "That traitorous son of a half troll eating munch bucket!!"

"Who?" Hiccup and Toothless both asked.

"The one who killed me." Astrid growled as her fists clenched. "I thought it was a remote possibility seeing that he got my amulet of life but now I know for sure."

".....Eh..." Hiccup mumbled not really sure how Astrid knew. She saw his confused look and decided to explain.

"When the wars were still at his peak and I was gathering soldiers for the upcoming battles, I was asked why I simply did not grant them all dragons. My general suggested amassing a dragon army to deal with the warring factions." Astrid sighed. "While it would end the wars that much faster it was a very bad idea in my opinion so I shot it down."

"Well I can see where you're going with that. Battle hardened soldiers armed with dragons seems a very bad thing." Hiccup said as Astrid nodded.

"Giving so many men those powers would lead to greater conflicts in the future. My general argued that those armed with dragons could conquer the world and unite it under one, but that would simply be trading one tyrant for another."

"So you are thinking this man is taking the dragons from their realm and amassing a dragon army?" Toothless now asked as he let out a little puff of smoke that must have been meant as a fireball. "But why now?! The dragons started disappearing 300 years ago. He would have had Odin's spear for a millennium longer."

"It actually does make sense if you think about it." Hiccup said more to himself as he pondered the situation. When he noticed both Toothless and Astrid were looking at him curiously he decided to explain. "If you are going to kidnap dragons then you're going to need very large spaces to house them all. Can't do that while being poor." He told them. "So amassing a fortune would be the first part of the plan. The second would be actually learning how to use the spear. I imagine it's not so easy to create interdimensional portals which could swallow dragons."

Toothless nodded at this and Astrid had to also agree. "You wouldn't amass an army if you didn't have provisions." She mumbled. "But that just makes it worse now. He had 3 centuries to gather dragons already and we have no clue when, let alone where, they will be unleashed upon Midgard."

"Well for now we can't do much." Hiccup mumbled. "We only have a suspicion and you are in no condition to fight yet. We will really need to find your other items."

"So what now?" Toothless asked as he started pawing Hiccup's pillow.

"I don't know. The Society is keeping us on the mansion grounds and there really isn't anything to do here." Hiccup told them as he picked up the little dragon and gave him a scratch.

"AAAh yes, right there, that hits the spot." Toothless happily cooed.

"Well I would like to know more about the future." Astrid said. "What was that metal chariot we were brought here with? Are there any more interesting modes of transportation?"

"Oh that's a car or in this case a van, and yes. I ride a bicycle to work."

"What is a bicycle?" Astrid now asked excited. "How do you ride one?"

"I could show you if you like." Hiccup suggested. "There are a couple in the garage."

"Then why not invite your friends as well?" Astrid now asked as she leaned forward looking very excited. "I heard those twins say about trying a trap with something called peanut butter. What did they mean? And what is this peanut butter they speak of?"

Hiccup blanched when he heard the twins were planning something again. It was too quiet in the mansion and he should have known that something was up.

"Okay, I just need to get dressed and get Toothless back into the tattoo." Hiccup said as Toothless then began to whine.

"But I don't want to!" Toothless whined and let Hiccup see two big green eyes staring at him innocently.

"And what if someone sees you?" Hiccup asked as he picked Toothless up.

"I'll go back but I want to sleep in this soft bed at night." Toothless bargained. "In return I'll teach you how to fight. You need to learn how to utilize all the powers I gave you the best that you can."

"Eh.... Toothless, I don't think my parents would appreciate a burned garden." Hiccup told the little dragon who snorted.

"We can practice in the dreamscape while you sleep." Toothless announced. "It won't be as effective as actual practice but at least your body will get an idea of what it is capable of now."

Astrid giggled as the two continued bickering. The sight was funny enough. Hiccup was holding the Night Fury at arms length while Toothless tried to blow little fireballs at Hiccup.

The little dragon eventually went back into the tattoo and Hiccup pulled the sweater back over his head. He then looked at Astrid and the plain white dress she had been given to wear.

"It might be a little difficult to ride with a dress." He told her.

"It's all I have for now. My armor was beyond repair and this is what they gave me. It will have to do." Astrid told him as they headed out of the room.

Hiccup and Astrid had finally managed to find the others and all agreed they could use some fresh air, Fishlegs the most apparently as he was fretting over his exhibit falling into the hands of someone else. The twins happily grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him along to the garage.

There were two bicycles in the garage which belonged to Hiccup's parents and he made a mental note to ask someone to retrieve his bike which he had left at the museum.

"This will be fun!" The twins exclaimed as they walked with the bikes to the large backyard.

"Why exactly am I here again?" Snotlout asked as he felt lazy today.

"Because everyone is tired of being cooped up." Ruffnut muttered.

"They even confiscated all our prank items!" Tuffnut wailed. "We had to start from scratch."

"Guys, can you please leave my house standing.... In one piece?" Hiccup seriously asked them.

"Eh... sure Hiccup, we were just gonna prank that Eret guy." Tuffnut mumbled as his sister gave a happy sigh.

"Oh those big manly biceps. Me likey." Ruffnut stated as Astrid gave her a confused look. Hiccup explained to her what was being said and she gave the twins even weirder looks.

"Hey Hiccup, can you ask.... Astrid, was it?" Ruffnut tried to confirm, as she and the others had overheard Hiccup calling her that in the van. When Hiccup nodded Ruffnut beamed and continued with her question. "So yeah, can you ask her what type of man she likes."

Hiccup looked at Ruffnut with wide eyes before he translated it. Astrid however cocked her head to the side questioningly. "Type?" she asked looking confused. Ruffnut seemed to have caught on and then started gesturing to the guys. Hiccup reluctantly translated what his crazy friend was explaining as Fishlegs sputtered, Snotlout looked miffed at being called short while Tuffnut rolled his eyes.

"Do you mean I get to choose?" Astrid now asked and everybody stopped to stare at her when Hiccup translated the question. Hiccup then asked for a bit more clarification and Astrid explained that it was the head of the household, usually the fathers, which arranged a suitable marriage for their daughters. Her parents had died in a raid and as an orphan she had little prospects. She never really gave it a thought as she lived the life of a warrior.

It took a moment for the others to let that sink in before Ruffnut said "Well, welcome to the 21st century! Where you are free to love whoever you want." Hiccup translated it and Astrid let out a giggle at his friend's antics.

Neither Hiccup or Astrid noticed that Ruffnut was watching them interact with each other as her lips twitched.

"Sis, what is with that weird smile?" Tuffnut asked not understanding his sister at times.

"Oh nothing much" Ruffnut said as she watched Hiccup help Astrid on the bike. However when Hiccup let go, Astrid and the bike fell sideways.

"I think we'll need to work on balance first." Snotlout mumbled as he watched Hiccup freak and quickly help Astrid up.

It took probably thirty minutes before Astrid felt comfortable on the bike to ask Hiccup to let go.

"But I'm not holding on anymore." Hiccup told her sheepishly as he walked beside her while she pedaled. Astrid looked at the handlebars and saw that Hiccup had placed his hands in his pockets. She blinked and then looked at Hiccup who was sporting a smirk before punching him playfully in the shoulder. This however caused Astrid to loose balance and she and the bike fell the opposite way.

Astrid couldn't stop laughing as she lay on the ground. Her white dress was now covered in mud but she didn't care.

"What is going on here?" Was suddenly heard and they all turned around to see Valka approaching. She gasped when she saw the state Astrid was in. "What in Thor's name were all of you doing?" She asked now.

"Teaching Astrid how to ride a bike." Hiccup told his mother as Astrid got up and dusted herself off. Valka gave the group an incredulous look.

"Why?" She then asked and Hiccup really wanted to roll his eyes.

"Because she asked." He told his mother plainly.

Valka then just nodded and told Hiccup "Could you go help your father set up for the party?"

"What party?" The group collectively asked.

"The Society has decided to throw Astrid" His mother tried the name that she had heard out "a party to welcome her. Dagur, Ryker and Viggo will accompany her to a few stores to get her some appropriate clothing."

"Shouldn't I be going with them then?" Hiccup asked. "She'll need a translator." He was worried about leaving Astrid alone with Dagur or the other two as they weren't the friendliest.

"Dagur can understand your friend." Valka stated. "They'll just be picking out a dress. We need some more help setting up here."

Ruffnut had guessed why Hiccup wanted to go along. "Mrs. Haddock, can I go too?" She asked, Valka was about to tell Ruffnut no when she added. "I need to pick up some feminine products, and I'm sure Astrid will need some as well. Would Dagur and the others really buy them for her?"

Valka let out a sigh but nodded nonetheless. Hiccup gave Ruffnut a confused look but all he got in return was a wink as Valka ushered them into the house.

Dagur, Ryker and Viggo looked less than pleased that Ruffnut was accompanying them but she used the same argument that she had used with Mrs. Haddock.

Hiccup and the others were directed to the mansion's ballroom, after Astrid and Ruffnut left, to find Stoick and Eret cleaning the place up a bit. The silverware needed polishing, the floor needed a bit of scrubbing as well as the windows and everybody got to work. The party would be taking place tomorrow night.

Meanwhile on a private jet somewhere over the ocean. "Miss, there is a call for you on the encrypted line." The flight attendant said as she handed the woman dressed in an impeccable beige business suite a phone.

"Hello" The woman said and a gruff voice answered from the other line.

"We have confirmation." The voice stated. "She's been revived and she has the Dragon ring. Can I count on you to deal with the problem?"

"Of course" The woman answered before listening to the other information which was provided. "Do you know if she has used the ring?" she then asked.

"She seems very reluctant to use it." The voice on the other side stated. "Our man informed us that she would not grant any power to The Society."

"Such a shame, leaving herself so defenseless." The woman muttered. "This will be over so soon then."

"Just get it done" The man on the other end of the line said as the call ended. The woman put the phone down and reached for her necklace, pulling it out of her suit to reveal half of a medallion. She looked at it for a moment before she murmured "Looks like I'll be seeing you again Astrid, you really should have stayed dead."

She called the attendant "Tell the captain to change course to Berk. I'll be meeting an old friend."