Shields and spears

〰〰〰𖠳 〰〰〰

𝔽ℝ𝕀𝔻𝔸 and Toothless soared through the sky, Frida clutching her notes on the stages of the wing as they navigated their flight. "Okay, bud. We're gonna take this nice and slow. Here we go. Here we go. Position... three... no, four," Frida muttered, her voice tinged with determination. Toothless adjusted his flight accordingly, gliding steadily as Frida scrutinized the wing. "Alright, it's go time. It's go time," she declared, urging Toothless onward. They dove down, the salty breeze of the ocean water caressing their faces as they skimmed above the waves. "Come on, buddy! Come on, buddy!" Frida encouraged, their flight taking them under a rocky archway. "Yes, it worked!" she exclaimed jubilantly before Toothless accidentally collided with a rock. "Sorry!" Frida apologized, attempting to evade the obstacles. As they regained control, Toothless swatted Frida on the cheek with his ear.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. Position four. Uh, three," Frida reassured him, adjusting the wing's position as they ascended. Toothless playfully stuck his tongue out as Frida chuckled in response. As they soared higher, the wind caught Frida's paper sheet, sending it fluttering away.

"The wind in my... cheat sheet! Stop!" Frida exclaimed, but Toothless couldn't hear her over the rushing wind. The harness for Frida came loose, and she tumbled off the saddle, prompting panic from both her and Toothless. "No! Oh, Thor! Oh, no!" Frida cried out as they both began to fall. "Alright, okay, you've gotta angle yourself!" she instructed, attempting to grab the saddle but struggling to maintain her grip. Toothless spun, trying to reach her, but his movements only added to their chaos. "Okay, no, no, no. Come back down towards me! Come to me..." Frida pleaded, but she was struck on the head by Toothless's tail. However, as they descended further, Frida managed to grab hold of the saddle and reattach the harness.

As they plummeted toward the rocks, Toothless spread his wings wide, narrowly avoiding a collision. Frida, determined to overcome the obstacle, tossed aside her cheat sheet, her expression one of fierce determination. Together, she and Toothless evaded the obstacles, their trust in each other guiding them safely through the ordeal. Frida cheered triumphantly as Toothless unleashed a fiery blast, their bond stronger than ever as they soared through the skies.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the tranquil scene, Frida and Toothless sat on a small island, their silhouettes outlined against the fading light. Toothless regurgitated a trout's face for Frida, offering it to her with a look of anticipation. "No, thanks. I'm good," Frida replied with a smile, declining the fish. Their peaceful moment was interrupted by the arrival of a group of Terrible Terrors, small dragons approaching them. Toothless growled protectively, clutching his pile of fish close as he observed two of the Terrors fighting over the trout's head. One of the little dragons attempted to sneakily take a fish from Toothless's pile, but he swiftly grabbed it back and devoured it, chuckling at the failed attempt.

Unfazed, Toothless defended himself as the Terror attempted to attack him, shooting a blast of fire into the little dragon's mouth. "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you? Here you go," Frida remarked, offering a fish to the singed Terror, who accepted it gratefully. The dragon then approached Frida, cuddling at her side and purring contentedly as she rubbed its scales. "Everything we know about you guys is wrong," Frida mused, her voice tinged with realization as she pondered the true nature of the dragons.

↟↟

As Frida lay her head on her table in the workshop, idly playing with her pencil, she was startled by the sudden appearance of her father, Stoick. "Dad!" she exclaimed, quickly attempting to hide her notes and prints for Toothless as she tried to act naturally. "You're back! Gobber's not here so..." Stoick squeezed through the door, his presence filling the room as he spoke, "I know. I came looking for you." Frida closed her notebook and tried to compose herself. "You did?" she responded, feigning innocence. Stoick looked at her sternly and spoke, "You've been keeping secrets." Frida's anxiety threatened to show as she questioned, "I have?" Stoick interrupted her, his tone firm, "Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" Frida stumbled over her words, attempting to deflect, "I-I don't know what you're..." Stoick cut her off, speaking plainly, "Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it. So... let's talk... about that dragon." Frida felt her heart sink as she became pale, sighing in defeat as she spoke, "Oh, gods. Dad, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to..." She was interrupted by her father's laughter, which confused her.

Nervously, she laughed along with him before asking, "You're not upset?" Stoick spoke, his tone lighthearted, "What?! I was hoping for this!" Frida, still puzzled, questioned, "Uh... You were?" Stoick replied, his pride evident, "And believe me, it only gets better! Wait till you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time! And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear! What a feeling!" He said proudly, playfully pushing Frida, but the force caused her to fall back into her bucket. He continued, "You really had me going there, daughter! All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen."

Frida looked at her father, feeling a mix of emotions, before looking down as she got up. Stoick continued, his tone softer now, "Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you. And all the while you were holding out on me! Oh, Thor Almighty!" He sighed happily before grabbing a chair and sitting in front of Frida, ready to continue their conversation, "With you doing so well in the ring... we finally have something to talk about."

That broke Frida's heart as she looked at her father, seeing the happiness and pride in his eyes. She struggled to hold back her tears, wanting to say something but finding herself unable to form the words. Stoick noticed the look in her eyes and spoke gently, "Here, I brought you something, to keep you safe in the ring." He handed her a helmet, and Frida managed a grateful smile, replying, "Wow. Thanks." Stoick continued, "Your mother would have wanted you to have it. It's half her breastplate. Matching set. It keeps her close, you know." Frida's eyes softened as she looked at her father, touched by his gesture.

"Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal," Stoick added, his voice filled with pride. Frida nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat, before placing the helmet on the table. She faked a yawn, trying to mask her emotions, and said, "I should really get to bed." Stoick rose from his seat, responding, "Yes, good. Okay, good talk." Frida quickly added, "I'll see you back at the house. Great." Stoick suggested, "We should do this again," to which Frida replied, "Thanks for stopping by... and for the breast hat." Stoick chuckled, "I hope you like the hat," before clearing his throat and saying, "Well... Yep. Good night." He left her alone, and Frida let out a sigh, feeling a mix of emotions as she looked down at the helmet on the table.

↟↟

The next morning arrived, and the Gronckle circled around the ring, searching for Astor and Frida. Behind a barricade, Frida wore her helmet, bracing herself for the challenge ahead. Astor pushed down her shield, gripping his battle axe tightly as he declared, "Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing." Frida responded with a dry smile, saying, "Please, by all means." She glanced up and noticed her father watching, her smile fading quickly into a nervous expression. Meanwhile, Astor hid behind the barricades, waiting for the dragon to pass. With determination, he lifted himself up and charged, yelling his battle cry. However, the Gronckle was lying down peacefully in front of Frida, seemingly unfazed.

Frida nervously smiled as Astor swung his axe around, frustrated. "No! No, daughter of a half-troll, rat-eating, munge-bucket!" Stoick intervened for the attention of the people, "Wait, wait." while Frida attempted to leave, saying, "So, later." But Gobber stopped her, grabbing her collar with his hook and placing her next to him, saying, "Not so fast." Frida tried to excuse herself, "I'm kind of late for..." However Astor, still agitated, interrupted demanding, "What?! Late for what, exactly?" pointing his axe at her throat. Seeing the fear and complex emotions in her eyes, his gaze softened, heremoved his axe still looking in her eyes confused to see so much emotions butno victory nor happiness at the moment. Stoick announced "Quietdown! The elder has decided." Gobber pointed first at Astor,but Gothi shook her head, Astor's disappointment was evident as Gobber pointed to Frida, who closed her eyes tightly . Gothi nodded approvingly as the crowd cheered. Gobber cheered, exclaiming, "You've done it, Frida! You get to kill the dragon!" The group celebrated, with Fishlegs lifting Frida onto his shoulder as Stoick proudly proclaimed, "That's my girl!" Astor's gaze softened as he noticed Frida's panic and seeing an anxiety attack happening in her eyes, feeling a pang of hurt in his heart seeing her like this. Frida sarcastically chimed in, "Yeah. Yes. I can't wait. I am so..."

↟↟

"...Leaving! We're leaving," Frida declared as she walked in the lake cove with a basket bag over her shoulder. "Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation. Forever," she muttered to herself, placing down the bag. Her attention was suddenly caught by a sound, and she saw Astor sharpening his axe with a rock as he sat on a nearby rock, which startled her. "What the?! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, surprised. Astor dropped the rock and turned his gaze towards her. "I want to know what's going on," he demanded, dropping down off the rock and walking towards her.

Frida began to walk back, feeling uneasy. "No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you. Start talking! Are you training with someone?" Astor's persistence made her nervous, and she laughed nervously as she continued to back away. Astor kept following her like a predator closing in on its prey. "Training?" she questioned, her laughter sounding forced. Astor grabbed her harness vest, making her stop. "It better not involve this," he warned. Frida attempted to explain, "I know this looks really bad, but you see..." She was cut off by a sound, causing Astor to release her and investigate.

Panic filled Frida as she babbled, "You're right. You're right. You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making outfits. So you got me." She stood in front of him, trying to stop his tracks, and grabbed his hand, holding it close to her. "It's time everyone knew. Drag me back, go ahead. Here we go." Astor's expression softened for a moment before he grabbed her wrist and bent her arm back, causing her to fall to the ground with a groan. As she sat up, rubbing her arm, she questioned, "Why would you do that?!" But before she could react, he knocked her back to the ground, "That's for the lies," before delivering a blow to her stomach. "And that's for everything else," he muttered, looking down at her. The sound of a dragon caught his attention, and Frida muttered, "Oh, man," just as Astor spotted Toothless. Gasping, he tackled Frida, who had just begun to stand up, back down to the ground. "Get down!"

〰〰〰𖠳 〰〰〰

By: SilverMist707

Please leave a vote and comment <3