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❛ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴇsɪ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ʀᴜғғɴᴜᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴀ
ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ꒱


❝ ACCORDING TO HICCUP,
WE DON'T EAT OUR ALLIES ❞

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Hiccup pulled Dany aside not long after she landed at the dragon training academy. She had barely dismounted from Drogon (who was stubbornly back in action. Although she would've liked to have him on flight rest longer, he'd refused by gently sweeping her up in his talons and taking to the skies, forcing her onto his back once he proved he'd recovered) when he'd come over and seized her wrist to lead her away from Astrid and Fishlegs. Still a little windswept, she felt her face flush at the unexpected contact— the warmth of his fingers, the ease at which he touched her (not that she minded terribly.) It was almost as if he'd been waiting all morning for her to arrive.

As soon as he'd put a bit of distance between them and the others, he turned to her— still holding onto her wrist. She was happy to see the bright gleam in his eyes which was so rare these days, making the emerald hue of them almost a spring green. She didn't have to wonder long about what excited him as he explained in a rush of breath: "I want you to lead the mission today."

Daenerys stared at him for a moment, not quite comprehending his words (it was still early in the morning, after all.) "What?"

Realizing that he might have jumped the gun in his excitement to share the brilliant idea he'd had, Hiccup backtracked to give her some context. "I was thinking we'd split up to do some reconnaissance on the Screaming Death— we don't want it surprising us again like it did last time, especially now that only one island stands between it and Berk. We'd cover more ground if we took two teams, and I want you to lead the other."

"Oh," the blonde said, finally understanding what he was getting at. But instead of sharing in his enthusiasm, she only felt uncertainty; Astrid had always led the second team whenever there had been a need to split the group up. She wasn't sure if she had the leadership skills to succeed— everyone listened to Astrid because they were scared of her. "Me? Really? Do you think I can?"

Hiccup's expression took on an impassioned, sort of intense look, like when he was fully committed to a project or believed in a cause. There was no hesitation in his voice as he replied, "I know you can." Then, reassuringly, he added, "we probably— hopefully— won't even see any action today. It's just to make sure things stay that way."

Dany felt her face heat up a little more at the conviction in his words, as if he had no doubt that she would do well. His confidence in her helped to bolster her own. She gave him a slight nod, still not feeling entirely up to the task. "I. . . I think I can do it. How are we splitting up?"

"You can have first pick," he offered immediately.

She frowned, glancing over at the group; by now the twins had arrived, too. Snotlout (as usual) was late. "That doesn't seem fair. Why don't you have second and third pick then? That way we can split up our more competent friends to make it even."

He smiled, amused by the bluntness with which she spoke. He had no doubt that if the twins and Snotlout could hear her, she'd still have phrased her words exactly the same way. "Deal. Who do you pick first?"

The Targaryen's gaze flicked back over to him, her features taking on a wry look. "Well, normally I'd pick you, but I guess that's out of the question. I'll take Astrid."

Although he should've been used to her honesty by now, it sometimes still caught him off guard, especially when she said something nice about him. Before the battle of the Red Death, he'd never been anyone's first choice (or second, or third.) But ever since he'd met Dany (which had been before he'd become a 'hero'), she unwaveringly chose him every single time.

He supposed that had been the beginning of why he liked her so much, and it had only grown from there. Her words pleased him so much that he didn't even mind when his choices (Fishlegs and the twins, since he knew she was nervous around them) stuck her with Snotlout.

🏹🏹🏹

"It looks like even the Fates are on my side that I get to be paired with my favorite girls," the Jorgenson said in what he obviously thought was a flirty tone. He threw an arm around Astrid's shoulders but kept his promise and didn't make a move to touch Dany. (Though his other arm did start to come to give her the same treatment, only to fall back down to his side again.)

Astrid jabbed her elbow into his stomach, making him wheeze and release her. She smiled warmly at Daenerys, feeling no ill will towards her for having to be stuck with Snotlout. (She would never wish Snotlout alone with anyone, much less her best friend. She'd make sure that the shorter Viking wouldn't bother Dany.) "You're going to do great, Dany," she reassured the blonde; they'd all been informed of Hiccup's plan during their morning meeting. "Where should we start?"

While the Targaryen tried to think about the best place to begin, Snotlout recovered from being winded and straightened. "I know— why don't we skip this whole mission thing and have lunch, just the three of us? I'm sure you girls are dying to dote on me hand and foot—"

Astrid took his arm (which had been lifting to try and touch her again) and yanked it behind his back, making him gasp out in pain, unable to finish his sentence. Dany sent her best friend an appreciative look as she replied uncertainly, "um. . . maybe we should start with Dragon Island?"

Rather than coming out as a statement, her voice rose in question at the end as she looked at Astrid for approval. The Hofferson released Snotlout and nodded, hefting her axe over her shoulder with her other hand. "Good idea. That's where we saw the Screaming Death last, so we better make sure it hasn't tried to come back."

The girls went over to mount their dragons. Snotlout had the misfortune of crossing in front of Drogon; the shorter Viking had never been his favorite, thanks to the boy's treatment of his mother. He huffed a breath of hot steam in the Jorgenson's face, causing him to yelp and jump about a foot away. The teen's eyes widened at the sight of sharp fangs dripping saliva so close to his person. Drogon lunged forward slightly and snapped his teeth (mostly) in devilish warning. Snotlout got the message and hurried off, seeking protection on Hookfang's back. If she hadn't already been on his back, Dany would've given her dragon a hug; although she'd known that she missed his presence, it was only made more apparent now that they were back together.

🏹🏹🏹

After they'd thoroughly searched their first stop, Astrid looked to Dany for direction. "Okay, nothing unusual on Dragon Island. You see anything?"

"Nothing," the blonde replied, nearly standing up on Drogon's back to see over his expansive wings. The water below them was calm, its waves gentle as they rippled towards the land. There were no strange dragons to be seen except for the odd Terror that sunbathed on a sea-stack. They reminded her of Rhaenys, who had been left at home now that Drogon was back to normal; it was almost as if her dragons had taken shifts in protecting her.

Snotlout, however, was not focused on the mission. Instead of scanning the area around them, he was gazing dreamily at the girls. He rode Hookfang with one arm leaning on the top of his dragon's head and his head resting against his palm. As they looked over at him, he winked. Scowling, Astrid snapped, "hey! The island is down there."

She pointed sharply towards the sea as if her words weren't indication enough. Unphased, Snotlout only adjusted his position so that his arms were folded on top of one of Hookfang's horns, which he then rested his chin on. "But your eyes are up here."

Astrid rolled her eyes skyward while Drogon let out an irritated growl, fed up by the boy's insolence. Even Stormfly voiced her distaste by snarling in agreement with the larger dragon. He continued to stare at the girls, making Dany very uncomfortable and Astrid short-tempered. "What? What is it?"

He shrugged, affecting nonchalance. "I just find it interesting that you two chose me to be your partner on the Screaming Death patrol, hmm? You even chose me over Hiccup, Daenerys. I don't think anyone saw that coming."

The Targaryen sighed, wishing that she could be with Hiccup's patrol. "If I could've gone with Hiccup, I would've," she told him shortly.

"But you didn't!" the Jorgenson said cheerfully. "You went with me instead. It's okay; you can tell me that you wanted us to be together. Alone."

While he'd been talking, he'd moved Hookfang closer to the Deadly Nadder. Even though she wasn't his mother, Drogon knew Astrid was Dany's best friend and equally disapproved of Snotlout. So, it wasn't a hard decision for him to launch himself forward, forcing himself between the pair. His wingspan caused the distance to increase quite a bit and the following gust of flame he let out (directed at the shorter Viking) made him move even further away.

"Not alone enough," Dany grumbled, using Drogon's bulk to shepherd Stormfly away from Hookfang. "Come on, Astrid. Let's go. . . somewhere else," she finished vaguely, not caring about her poor excuse to get away from Snotlout.

The Hofferson grinned and followed her. "I thought you'd never ask."

As the girls flew away from their annoying friend, Snotlout looked down at his Monstrous Nightmare. "I think they're diggin' me. What do you think?"

In response, Hookfang rippled his neck scales, causing his rider to lose his grip. Snotlout was flung upwards with a shout, only barely managing to catch his dragon's tail as he fell.

🏹🏹🏹

Once they'd made a complete circuit of their designated route, the trio flew to their meeting point— an outcrop of rocks on Berk's coast that was about halfway between their locations. The sun was high in the sky by the time they arrived and Dany was worried that Hiccup would already be waiting for them. Astrid had assured her that that was impossible; while Dany had the tendency to lose track of time occasionally, the brunet was known for completely missing every appointment he made.

She was relieved when the Hofferson turned out to be right and the rocks jutting out above the water were bare. They landed their dragons and dismounted to wait for their friends. But, as the minutes drew out to almost half an hour, it became clear that the chief's son wouldn't be making an appearance. Daenerys tried to not be disappointed (after all, this was her first big mission! Shouldn't he have at least tried to check in on her?)

Astrid scanned the sky for the telltale sign of a black dot and sighed when there was none. "Hiccup's late for another rendezvous. What a surprise."

"He'll come," Daenerys said defensively. "Just give him a little more time."

The blonde gave her a sympathetic look. "Your loyalty is honorable, but you know how he gets. We'll be here until nightfall if we wait for them. You don't see them, do you?"

This last question was directed at Snotlout, and she turned in anticipation of the boy's response— only to jerk back a second later when she realized that he was in her face. He grinned at her, oblivious to her disgust. "All I see is that we're alone. Again. Coincidence? Perhaps."

The girls exchanged an exasperated glance. Astrid demanded, "are you for real?"

"Oh, yeah," he breathed out as she began to walk away. He smirked, thinking that she was playing hard-to-get. "Maybe a little too real. Had to happen eventually, babe. Every week we face Berserkers, Outcasts, Screaming Deaths. The danger was bound to bring us together, Astrid. Or you, Daenerys. If you two want to fight over me, there's plenty of Snotlout to go around."

Dany put a hand over her mouth, turning to face Drogon so she wouldn't be tempted to throttle the short Viking. "I think I can taste my breakfast again."

Astrid gave the Targaryen a proud look, pleased that she wasn't holding back on the comments she would usually keep to herself. Then, she waved her hand dismissively. "You've been flying in the thin air again, haven't you?"

She unexpectedly whipped around as Snotlout grabbed her hand. He knelt before her on one knee, admiring her fingers. "Life: So fragile. Like your fin—"

Tired of his advances, Astrid twisted his arm into an unnatural angle, causing the boy to let out a shout of pain. Glaring down at him, she ground out, "and so's your arm. Let's go find Hiccup and find out what kind of trouble he's gotten into."

Dany leapt into motion, scrambling to get on Drogon's back. Once she was in place, her dragon growled low in his throat, breathing another puff of hot air on the Jorgenson. She could almost hear Drogon ask 'can I eat him, mother?' She patted the place between his shoulder blades regretfully. "I would let you do it in a heartbeat, but unfortunately he's our friend— and according to Hiccup, we don't eat our allies."

🏹🏹🏹

As it turned out, they were right— Hiccup had gotten into trouble on Changewing Island. When the trio arrived, their friends were facing off with the angry, red dragons. Ruffnut stood unsafely close to a Scauldron that had been beached, its wing pinned under a pile of rocks. Dany thought about warning the girl to get away, but the Scauldron seemed unusually calm in her presence and Ruffnut didn't appear to be in immediate danger.

Instead, she focused on the Changewings, who didn't hesitate in launching their attack. Hiccup had turned around just in time— thanks to Toothless' warning— to see one spit acid in his direction. The Night Fury nudged his rider out of the way as Drogon swooped down to engage the Changewing. He breathed fire in its direction. The red dragon launched itself towards Drogon, its mouth opening to spit acid— but it never got that far. The larger dragon's jaws clamped down on its neck and Drogon shook the Changewing fiercely until it fell limp in his grasp. Then, he tossed his opponent aside without another thought, already looking for his next target.

While Dany's dragon made his attack, Stormfly let out a stream of flame that cut the rest of the pack off from charging at their friends. Snotlout followed shortly after, adding to the wall of fire with a blast from Hookfang, calling out: "ha! One Snotlout surprise coming through!"

When they tried to swarm the Scauldron, Astrid and Dany intervened. Drogon created a dragon barrier to prevent them from getting closer, breathing more fire to make them keep their distance. Stormfly added her spine shots to make them reconsider an attack. Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, the Changewings backed down— at least for the time being. They turned tail and retreated to bolster their own group.

As they landed next to the other teens, Astrid gave them a stern look. "What have I told you guys about playing with wild Changewings?"

Hiccup gestured to where Ruffnut was calming the Scauldron down. "Uh, we're trying to keep them away from Scauldy."

Dany glanced at the tidal class dragon, thinking that it was a very unoriginal name; she wasn't surprised that the twins had come up with it. "Scauldy?"

The brunet shrugged. "Well, it was that or 'Scalding, Painful Death: The Dragon.'"

Tuffnut raised his hand, calling out proudly: "mine!"

Fishlegs stepped in front of the other boy, speaking urgently as he reminded them: "look, those Changewings are gonna be back with friends. Lots of them, so.. . ."

"So let's move these boulders," Hiccup finished, agreeing with him. "Ruff, you need to keep Scauldy focused on you, not us."

"Okay." She froze, realizing that Hiccup assumed she had experience that she actually didn't have. "Wait, how do I do that?"

Her brother, who wasn't bothering to help them at all and chose to sit on a rock nearby, suggested, "do your stupid Hiccup impression!"

Ruffnut brightened, regaining her confidence. "Oh, yeah. Good idea!" She pitched her voice so that it had a nasally tone to it and took most of her weight off her left foot. "Hello, nice dragon. You can be my friend. My leg fell off. All of the dragons are my friends."

Hiccup huffed at his friend's imitation of him, and he felt his face flush as Dany flew past, noting the glimpse he got of the amused smile on her face. "I do not sound like that!" he protested. "And, p.s., my leg didn't fall off. Try something else!"

"Like what?"

Barf and Belch had taken on their rider's laziness and rested their heads in the sand next to Tuffnut. He rested his own head on his hand, which was propped on his knee as he watched his sister. "Try one of those songs mom used to sing to you when you were little and were afraid of the dark."

She didn't appreciate his mocking tone and snapped back, "you were afraid of the dark, not me! I was afraid of you!"

"Just sing!"

Ruffnut placed her hands underneath Scauldy's head to help calm him as the other riders flew lower. He made sounds of alarm at their closeness, so she quickly took her brother's advice and began to sing: "hush little Viking, don't you cry, or the Berserker will stab you in the eye."

Despite her raspy voice, the Scauldron began to calm down. He lowered his head towards her, letting out a puff of hot air that made her flinch in surprise. She carried on resolutely: "don't let the enemy see you afraid, or he's gonna gut you with a rusty blade."

With the dragon distracted, the other teens flew down and began to remove the boulders from his wing. It was easiest for Drogon, of course, because he was the biggest— but his presence also seemed to make Scauldy the most uneasy, which was understandable. Dany decided that they should only take one trip so as to not risk Ruffnut's efforts backfiring on her. The younger Thorston continued with the lullaby: "if that dragon hears your moans, he's gonna mash up all your bones."

Scauldy let out a soft snarl at those lyrics and Ruffnut winced sympathetically. "Oh. . . sorry." She placed her hand on the lowest part of his face again to reassure him that they meant no harm. Her voice softened as she pet his drying scales in lights strokes. "I promise Scauldy, if you don't kill me, my friends and I will get you out to sea."

Since she'd done her part in removing the boulders from Scauldy's wing, Dany had the rare chance to see Ruffnut's softer side. She was impressed with the way the teen had handled a notoriously wild dragon, being brave enough to put her forehead right up against his snout. Even Daenerys, with all of her dragon expertise, probably wouldn't have risked being so close to a Scauldron (the first reason being that fire and water don't mix.) She thought if the twins were gentle like that more often, she would have a greater appreciation for them.

Ruffnut's song finished just in time for the last rock to be removed. The Scauldron noticed the lack of weight immediately. His eyes widened happily and he went to test out his wing— but it fell limply back to the ground. His roar of pain made Ruffnut take a step back as salty sea-breath blew her hair out of her face. His roar was so strong that it ended up knocking her off her feet entirely, causing her tumble some distance as a result.

"Oh no!" Fishlegs exclaimed, watching the movement of the dragon's wing from his vantage point on Meatlug's back.

"I see it too," Hiccup noted as he hovered on Toothless next to him. He flew to the ground to get a better look at it. "The wing is broken. Scauldy can't swim or fly."

Daenerys landed next to him and after a moment, joined him in examining the injury. Ruffnut frowned as she watched them, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "Wait, we did all this for nothing?"

It certainly seemed that way; Scauldy had been out in the sun so long that his scales were gray, dull and lifeless. He needed to get to water soon before he dried out completely, but he couldn't do that without his wing. Still, Ruffnut had really put herself out there in the short time Dany had seen the pair interact and she didn't want to disappoint her friend. Glancing at the rockslide, she thought that the boulders had come tumbling down in a direct fall— not rolling onto Scauldy's wing in a way that would cause more than one injury. She could see the fracture from where she stood and was reminded of other dragons who'd suffered in the same way, but had been able to seek help from her parents.

Looking up from her examination, she reassured the other girl: "it looks like a simple break. We might be able to fix it."

"With what?" Snotlout scoffed, "a giant dragon splint?"

The Targaryen jumped to her feet, brushing the sand off her palms before she pointed at the shorter Viking. "Exactly!"

He looked taken aback for a moment, then he shrugged off her statement. "I knew that, that's why I said it— because it was my idea."

As Astrid rolled her eyes at his bluster, Ruffnut groaned under the weight of Scauldy's head. "Any time, now!"

"All right, we're gonna need wood, the biggest pieces you can find," Dany told the others. "Drogon can help us carry whatever we find back here. Then we'll need something to secure the splint."

"We can use the rope from my shield, but we'll need more," Hiccup added, ducking around Toothless' head to locate his invention. "Bring any vines you can find."

🏹🏹🏹

It didn't take them long to find all of the necessary materials and they reconvened next to Scauldy. Dany took her role of being one half of the mission leaders to heart, finding comfort in the fact that she knew exactly what she was doing. She directed her friends on how to best arrange the splint while making sure to not cause Scauldy any more pain. While Drogon was useful for muscle and carrying things, he was a bit unwieldy for finer work, so she had Toothless and the twins' Zippleback bring the trunks in.

However, they hadn't estimated how many securing materials they needed. Dany worked with Fishlegs and Hiccup (as Astrid and Snotlout had gone on Changewing patrol) to tie them together, but the knots wouldn't stay put. The Ingerman frowned as it slipped free again. "Guys, I don't know if we have enough vines and rope."

"Well, this'll have to be enough."

Ruffnut was still preoccupied with the Scauldron, though her lullaby wasn't coming as easily as it had before. "Hurry up, guys, and fix that wing because I've run out of things to sing."

"I think it's going to work!" Dany said hopefully as Fishlegs tied the last knot.

"Comin' in hot!"

Hiccup sighed as Astrid and Snotlout came into view. "Well, this can't be good news."

Hookang's landing was rocky as the Jorgenson leaned over his dragon's horns, defeat written all over his face. "I don't understand women."

Astrid, as usual, was more focused on the information they had to share. "Changewings behind us, about five minutes out."

"How many?"

"Enough that they aren't bothering camouflaging themselves."

"Uh, Dany? Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked, turning to the pair.

Daenerys watched the larger boy anxiously, twining her fingers through the fur on her vest as the urge to jump in and do it herself made her skin itch— but she knew that she would only get in the way. "He got it!" she shouted back, excitedly— only for it to be followed up with, "it broke!"

"It won't reach! We need more rope!" Fishlegs said. The sound of wingbeats made them look up and he gasped at the sight of how many Changewings were approaching. "Oh, we're out of time!" He yelped as he hopped up onto Meatlug. "They're coming, they're coming!"

Dany ignored the panic in her friend's tone and tried to take his place, but Drogon's long shadow fell over her. He nudged her out of the way with his snout, a little further from the Scauldron and with his body between her and the Changewings. There was almost a sympathetic look to his orange eyes, but the message was clear: he wouldn't risk her safety; it was time to go.

Hiccup was telling the younger Thorston the same thing in a defeated sort of way: "Ruffnut, we. . . have to go."

Ruffnut threw her arms around Scauldy as best she could, standing her ground. "No! Can't we all lift Scauldy?"

"Even if we could, it wouldn't do any good," Hiccup told her regretfully, "the dragon can't swim."

She looked at her new friend again, placing her forehead to his snout once more. He let out a reassuring breath of steam, as if accepting his fate. The cries of the Changewings were getting closer and she still wouldn't move, prompting the brunet to insist, "Ruffnut."

"No!" she retorted furiously. "I am not leaving him here."

Even Tuffnut was unusually stern as he tried to keep his sister safe, urging her, "Look, sis. . ."

Scauldy's pupils narrowed as he heard the Changewings come ever closer. He nudged the blonde with his snout to let him go. Astrid kept her eyes on the forest, where the roars were coming from. "Whatever we're going to do, we have to do it now."

Torn, Ruffnut tugged on her braids as she looked around desperately for an idea. As she felt the thick strands of her hair in her hands, her eyes widened as inspiration suddenly hit her. "Wait! I have an idea."

🏹🏹🏹

They were able to get away just in time, thanks to Ruffnut sacrificing her hair for the Scauldron. Now when she flew on Barf, the shortened strands wisped in the wind, having been cropped close to her head. Dany rather admired her friend's selflessness; she was fond of her hair as well, but she knew that she would give up every single one of her silvery-blonde strands if Drogon needed them to get to safety. The sacrifice had been worth it, too, as Scauldy soared under them in the water, his scales green and glossy once more.

"Sorry about sticking you with Snotlout today," Hiccup said as he flew over next to the girls.

"It wasn't that bad," Astrid replied, a faint, mischievous smirk appearing on her lips. "Watch this." She turned toward Snotlout, who was flying oddly far away from her. "Hey, sweetie pie? Honey bunch? Snotty-kins?"

The Jorgenson shook his head, making a disgusted face as he leaned as far away from her as possible. "Would you stop it already? You are grossing me out."

Although he was amused, the brunet grimaced. "Yeah, you're kinda grossing me out, too."

🏹🏹🏹

Before they split up for the night, Hiccup pulled Dany aside once more, a little calmer than he had that morning. "So, how did leading your first mission go?"

"It was okay," Daenerys answered, not sounding super enthusiastic, but at least a little more comfortable than when he'd initially asked her. "But I think I'd rather have the twins next time than Snotlout."

While the boy in question was no longer in the arena (he'd left for home as soon as possible to escape Astrid's nicknames), Hiccup's gaze still flicked around as if he expected to see him. He became slightly more serious as his eyes returned to hers. "He didn't try anything, did he?"

"He's always trying things," she replied with a shrug. "I think he was a bit. . . bolder since you weren't there."

The brunet froze at that, his eyes widening at the implications of her statement. She couldn't know, could she? He'd never said anything! He didn't think he was being obvious— "Uh— what-what do you mean by that?"

She gave him a puzzled look in return, confused by where his alarm was coming from. "You and Astrid are the ones that tend to keep him in line, and since you weren't there— well, you know how he gets with her. Astrid did her best, but I think he needs more than one person to keep him in check."

Hiccup let out a breath of relief— she didn't know. "Honestly I'm not sure the twins are much better, but. . ."

"You saw how Ruffnut handled herself today," Dany pointed out. "I've never been their biggest fan— and I don't think I ever will be— but I'm starting to understand your 'why the twins are important members of the team' speech. If you put them in the right situation, then they can make a worthwhile contribution."

His expression softened at her explanation, pleased that his idea was working out as he'd hoped. While he'd put her in charge for mostly selfless reasons (he did want her to become more comfortable speaking her mind), there was a secondary motive that he didn't dare say aloud— he could barely acknowledge it to himself out of fear of jinxing it.

It was this: he wanted Dany to have practice leading their friends so that one day (in the distant future) she would have the skills to govern more than that— all of Berk, in fact— so she could become chieftess in her own right.