▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ sᴛᴏʀᴍʙᴏʀɴ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ-ᴇʏᴇᴅ
ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴ ꒱


❝ BESIDES, 'THE CAREFUL'
IS MY EPITHET. ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

Dany was breathless when they landed in the cove. Her face was flushed from the adrenaline of navigating Toothless between the sea-stacks and her heart was still pounding in her ears as she dismounted the Night Fury unsteadily. As Hiccup landed Drogon some feet away to give the big dragon enough space, she threw her arms around Toothless' neck.

"You're the best!" she exclaimed happily, feeling the warmth of the black dragon's scales against her cheek. "That was incredible! I've never flown like that before. It was amazing— you're amazing."

She continued to gush to Toothless happily, pulling away to scratch the dragon's throat. The Night Fury let out a pleased, warbling noise that told them how he was eating up her praise. "So graceful and magnificent! You are the most amazing dragon—"

Having dismounted Drogon, Hiccup watched the display with a slightly disbelieving look on his face, his arms crossed against his chest. "Uh, we're a bit jealous over here. You do know that Toothless is my dragon, right?"

"Of course I know that, and Drogon's great, but he knows he isn't the most agile. But don't worry— you're amazing, too." She paused, then smirked in amusement. "Do you want chin scratches as well?"

The brunet's face turned pink at her compliment before he tucked his chin against his chest. "No thanks, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" she asked, advancing on him with her hand outstretched.

"Y-yeah. Definitely sure," he said as he backed away from her— he didn't like her mischievous look at all, if growing up with the twins had taught him anything. He wasn't able to get far as his back hit Drogon's snout. When he whirled around in surprise, the dragon almost seemed to smile slyly at him, if a dragon could do that.

Dany took the boy by surprise, jumping on him when his back was turned. Caught off guard, her extra weight sent them both tumbling to the ground. They rolled around on the grass in a tangle of limbs and laughter as the blonde attempted to tickle him under his chin. They stopped by the edge of the lake with the boy landing on top of her, his hands on either side of her head.

Peals of giggles were still escaping her lips as she lay underneath him while they caught their breath. Dany went tense underneath him, her laughter dying away as she became uncomfortable, not used to having her personal space invaded like this— even by someone that she considered a friend. The boy also  seemed to realize the position they  were in immediately and he turned as red as a tomato while he  jerked away from her.

"Too close!" the blonde exclaimed, blurting out the first words that came to mind. Her violet eyes were very wide as she gazed up at him, not daring to move in case it made things even more awkward.

"I-I'm sorry," Hiccup stammered, his voice filled with embarrassment. He hastily got up, awkwardly brushing himself off as if trying to physically distance himself from the situation. "I didn't mean—to, uh, do. . . well, end up like. . ." he trailed off helplessly, staring at the ground.

She pushed herself into a standing position and brushed off her dress, grateful for the extra distance. They stood in a suddenly awkward silence as neither quite knew what to say next. Dany twined her fingers along the hem of her vest and chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to think of something to talk about. In the end, she decided to pretend to yawn and stretch. "Well, I think I'll call it a night. Um, good luck with dragon training tomorrow. That's when someone gets picked for the final challenge, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," the brunet said, still avoiding her gaze. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yea— yep! See you tomorrow!" the blonde replied hastily. She turned around and quickly made her way to Drogon, climbing up his side easily despite her bare feet. Once she was in position, the great dragon took off in a steady flap of his wings.

Unbeknownst to the girl, Hiccup's eyes stayed on her until Drogon blended into the night sky. His expression must have given away his feelings as Toothless nudged him teasingly, a dragon-y laugh escaping his throat. Despite only just recovering from his embarrassment, Hiccup felt his face heat up again as he glared at the Night Fury. "Shut up, I do not have a crush on her!"

It was then that he learned it was very possible for dragons to roll their eyes.

🏹🏹🏹

When Dany returned home that night, her thoughts were still on the dark-haired, green-eyed boy she'd left back in the cove. She liked his crooked smile and that he explained things in a way that didn't make her feel stupid— especially when he made a sarcastic comment that she didn't quite get. He made her feel as if a dragon had taken up residence in her stomach, one who woke and fluttered its wings whenever he talked about something that he was passion about, like inventing.

After she'd got off Drogon— who went to the nest he shared with his brothers— she twirled happily through the gate and up to the steps of the cottage. Her parents were finishing up dinner inside, a bowl of cooling soup set aside for her. Randolf raised a curious eyebrow at his daughter's entrance. "You're back late tonight. What kept you?"

Her parents had never set a curfew of any kind, so they weren't particularly upset about her missing dinner; it was a question that was merely asked out of interest. "I was with Hiccup," she replied, almost absentmindedly as she picked up her soup.

Ingrid— who had more faith in the boy being real than her husband— watched her closely. "And how is Hiccup today?"

"He's great," she said cheerfully as she took the empty chair on the third side of the table. "He flew Toothless for the first time and there were a few close calls, but no one died, so that's good. It was really fun to fly with someone else."

Her father let out an offended gasp and placed his hand on his chest. "What are we, spoiled yak milk?"

Dany rolled her eyes. "No, dad. It's just different flying with someone my own age— better, actually."

Although her words could have been misconstrued as rude or hurtful, her parents were used to her bluntness— in fact, they preferred the term honesty. The blonde always said what was on her mind, whether it was good or bad.

The older woman was reluctant to believe that a Viking could respect dragons, so she was still suspicious of Hiccup. "And the boy— he hasn't told anyone about the Night Fury?"

She shook her head. "His father left on a mission and the other teens basically hate him, so I don't think he has anyone to tell."

Ingrid's expression softened slightly with sympathy at that, so she dropped her questioning. Randolf still wasn't entirely appeased by his daughter's recount of her day, so he leaned forward with a serious look on his face. "Dany, we know how much you like to explore and have wanted to make friends, but we're also worried about your safety. You don't know how Vikings get when they have a dragon in their sights."

Dany sighed, stirring her spoon around in her soup as she rested her cheek on her hand. "I know, dad, but Hiccup is different. I've said before that he's not like the other Vikings. He understands dragons and wants to protect them, not hurt them. And Toothless is amazing— he's not like any dragon I've ever seen. They're both misunderstood."

Ingrid exchanged a glance with her husband, silently communicating their shared apprehension. They knew how headstrong their daughter could be, especially concerning dragons, and she'd never befriend someone— whether real or imaginary— who would actually pose a threat to her favorite animal. Finally, her father relented, knowing it was useless to argue the point any longer (Vikings were known for their stubbornness, after all.) "Dany, we trust you to make your own choices, but just promise us you'll be careful."

"Of course, Dad. I promise. And don't worry, Toothless and Drogon would never let anything happen to me or Hiccup. Besides," she added on a lighter note, "'the careful' is my epithet."

Randolf rolled his eyes as he corrected her teasingly: "no it's not. It's stormborn."

🏹🏹🏹

The next morning, Dany woke bright and early to be the first one at the cove. She'd come to think of the place as their spot, where she, Hiccup and their dragons could be friends without the Viking bias against the entire species. Kicking off her shoes, she took up her routine place by the lake. Her hands worked easily through the practiced motions of making a flower crown, which she placed on her head before she turned to her most recent attempt at carving a Night Fury.

As usual, Hiccup entered the clearing through the small gap in the boulders. However, an unwelcome change to their familiar pattern was the large basket that he was carrying with him, and the words that accompanied his arrival: ". . .leaving! We are so leaving! Pack it up. Looks like you and me are going on a little vacation. . . forever."

Dany felt her stomach drop at this, hurt welling up within her. Hiccup was leaving? Why? Did he not want to be her friend anymore? Was there something that went wrong at dragon training? She scrambled to her feet as the questions flooded her mind, the only thing she managed to blurt out in her horror was: "you're leaving?"

The brunet had the decency to look guilty as he jumped, startled by her unexpected demand. "Dany! I-I didn't expect you to be here!" His voice pitched slightly higher in panic as he tried— and failed— to hide the basket he'd brought with him. "Wh-what are you doing here so early?"

She crossed her arms, unamused by his reaction. "I'm always here this early. Why are you leaving?"

"Oh— well, uh. . . you see—" he began awkwardly, uncertain of how to explain his reasoning to her.

The girl eased up slightly at how uncomfortable he'd gotten. "Hiccup," she began, her voice significantly less harsh, "you know you can talk to me, right? If you need something I'll try to help you."

Hiccup sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he ran a tired hand over his face and through his hair. He'd clearly been up for most the night, planning something. "Well, as you know, the person who would kill the Monstrous Nightmare was picked yesterday." At her nod, he continued unwillingly, "and. . . it was me."

Her eyes went wide at his admission and her heart clenched in her chest. "Oh, Hiccup," was all she could say to that.

"So this is where you've been running off to every day." Another girl's words cut through the clearing before the boy could respond.

Dany's eyes slid past the boy to fall on the newcomer. She knew exactly who the girl was just by her appearance: blonde hair tied back in a braid, her axe strapped to her back, one hand resting on her hip and her blue eyes burning with barely tamed rage. Astrid Hofferson was every bit as beautifully fierce as Hiccup's besotted description had illustrated back when he'd told Dany about life in the village.

When he'd first talked about her, she thought that Astrid was lucky to have someone portray her like she was some sort of righteous Valkyrie, descended from Valhalla to grace the mortal plane. She hadn't known Hiccup as well back then, so his moonstruck eyes hadn't bothered her— she'd even been keen on helping him win the girl over despite her obvious dislike for him. Now, almost a month later, Dany had come to another decision: she didn't like Astrid one bit.

She didn't deserve Hiccup's admiration after treating him like yak dung for years. She thought that he should like someone else, someone who had always respected him and accepted who he was, no questions asked. Dany wasn't sure who that person was, but it certainly wasn't Astrid, who looked like she would happily push him off a cliff than sit next to him on one. Her eyes narrowed at the blonde, who was advancing on Hiccup and had hardly paid her any mind.

"Uh. . . um, what the— what are you doing here?" the boy stammered, taking a few steps back as she got closer.

"I want to know what's going on," Astrid replied steadily. She reached behind her and unsheathed her axe, turning it in her hand as she continued to walk towards him. "No one just gets as good as you do— especially you. Start talking! Are you training with someone?"

She didn't like how close Astrid's axe was to the brunet, so she thought that it was time to intervene. Dany had a very dragon-like mindset when it came to the people she cared about, especially because the number was so small. Hiccup was her friend now, which meant that he was under her protection. His safety was now her priority. Knowing that not all Vikings had Hiccup's open mind about dragons, she felt no remorse as she strung her bow and slid smoothly between them so that the point of her arrow poked against the other blonde's chest. "Yeah, he is. With me."

The Hofferson girl hardly looked intimidated by her actions. "And who are you? You must be a miracle worker to be able to teach him anything about dragons."

Dany straightened her shoulders and pointed her arrow unwaveringly at Astrid's chest. "My name is Daenerys Targaryen."

She smirked, feeling vindicated by the dawning horror on the other girl's face. "T-Targaryen, did you say?"

"That's right."

The blonde's eyes looked past her, hardening when they landed on Hiccup. "You're getting help from a Targaryen? You do know they're mad, right? Of course you of all people would find someone from that family! Do you know how many of the horror stories are true?"

"Would you like to find out?" Daenerys asked calmly, a faint smirk playing on her lips. She bared her teeth in a feral smile— a stark contrast to the delicate purple flower crown that circled her head. "I'll give you ten seconds to start running."

She heard a faint groan from behind her and she could picture Hiccup passing a hand over his face in exasperation. She then felt a warm but firm weight settle on her shoulder— a warning. "Dany, no. This isn't helping. Come on, just lower your weapon."

"I will when she does," she replied coolly.

Seeing as she wouldn't be helping him deescalate the situation, Hiccup stepped out from behind her— much to her annoyance— and put his hands up placatingly. "I know this looks really bad, but you see. . ."

Now that Dany was no longer standing between them, Astrid took the opportunity to yank the collar of the boy's leather vest, sending him to the ground. She ignored Dany's outraged shout and stepped over the boy. He scrambled to his feet as he tried to distract her.

"You're right, you're right, you're right," he said hurriedly. "I'm through with the lies. Dany has been helping me with dragon training, which I'm sure is against the rules. So, you've got me. It's time everyone knew." He placed her hand on the front of his clothes. "Drag me back, go ahead."

Astrid remained unbothered by his hasty excuses and used her grip on him to bend his arm so far backwards that the bones cracked. As he let out a cry of pain, an arrow thudded into the ground by her feet— a warning shot. The blonde whirled around, a new fury burning in her eyes. Dany refused to back down as she remained rooted in place, even as Astrid stalked towards her, her axe swinging.

"I may have not been chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, but I'd be doing Berk an even greater favor by ending the Targaryen madness once and for all. Do you know how much damage your family's name has done? Do you know how many people have been banished because of you?" the Hofferson girl stopped just in front of her, the curve of her axe up against her throat.

Even though the insults to her family name made her bristle with indignation, Daenerys remained calm as she had a weapon that held more weight than Astrid's anger.

"You know nothing about me, Astrid Hofferson," she replied evenly. Although it was exceptionally hard for her— especially around new people— she met the other girl's gaze as evenly as she could, refusing to be afraid of someone who was no better than a bully.

Dany's unaffected demeanor despite the imminent threat of death clearly unsettled Astrid, who was probably thoroughly convinced of her 'madness' by now. The reason for her unbothered reaction made itself clear in the next second when a low, rumbling growl sounded from nearby.

Hiccup, who had picked himself up from the grass, let out another frustrated groan. "Oh, man."

Astrid whirled around, gasping in the face of two dragons (for, now that Toothless could fly, Drogon's presence was more of companionship than a cause of distress.) The Night Fury looked like the larger dragon's much smaller shadow as they bared their teeth at the blonde who was threatening their mother. Drogon bared his long, sharp fangs, his mouth dripping with glistening saliva. His orange eyes glowed brighter as his wings began to unfurl, stretching impossibly wide.

His mere size was enough to send Astrid into a panic, while Toothless' more active approach of launching into an attack prompted her into action. She leapt towards Hiccup and wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him to the ground— again. The blonde got back to her feet with her axe at the ready. "Run, run!"

As she made to swing at the Night Fury, Dany mercilessly shoved her aside so she wouldn't hurt Toothless. Hiccup got in front of the girls and tried to calm the black dragon down. "No! It's okay! It's okay! She's a friend."

Daenerys scowled at the blonde and muttered, "she's no friend of mine."

She went over to Drogon, who was still obviously agitated. She ran her hand over her dragon's rough scales to calm both him and herself as Hiccup tried to smooth things over with Astrid.

"You just scared him."

Dany smiled at the echo of her first words to the brunet and felt slightly less bitter about Astrid's presence— until she opened her mouth to respond, anyway. "I scared him? Who is him?"

"Astrid, Toothless. And, well, Drogon." He gestured to the dragons. "Toothless, Drogon, this is Astrid."

A/n: don't worry! Astrid doesn't have any kind of feelings for Hiccup in this series— in fact, I plan to take things a slightly different route with her :). Also, Dany and Astrid will be BFFs eventually, but there is a stigma against the Targaryens and Dany is jealous of Astrid (even if she won't admit it), but once those things get cleared up in future chapters, they will get along great! As much as I like the jealousy trope, I wanted to try something that was a little less. . . traditional 😉.