Chapter Nine: The Hunt

For a moment, all was silent. Everyone was giving the note a great deal of thought and no one wanted to speak up for fear that Hiccup would round on them. He was dangerous when he was this desperate. Finally, Stoick strode forward and took the note out of Hiccup's hand. He read it again, his brow furrowed.

"This one isn't for me." he said, more to himself than to any of them. "I never kept any friendships hidden."

"I did once!" Tuffnut piped up, feeling a bit neglected in the conversation. The others turned to him, several with eyebrows raised as they silently encouraged him to continue the story. "I was ten and I had a pet frog but my mom told me I couldn't have her in the house. So I kept her under Ruff's bed. The next clue must be there!"

"Wait, is that why I kept hearing that weird croaking noise? You told me you were doing that in your sleep!" Ruffnut shouted, punching her brother on the arm.

"Not exactly love at first sight." Astrid wrinkled her nose.

"Says you! Her name was Stella and I was heartbroken when mom found her and made me let her go!" Tuffnut said dramatically.

"The note is not talking about your pet frog!" Hiccup said, his head in his hands.

Oh yeah? Who's it talking about then?" Tuffnut crossed his arms.

"Hiccup." said Astrid, her eyes boring into his. "The note is for Hiccup. Look to your left and you will be right. He's left handed. And we all know he's hidden a friendship."

Hiccup raised his eyes and locked them with Astrid. The entire group was confused at what she meant, but he stared back at her with a sudden spark of understanding in his eyes.

"The cove." he whispered, reaching out a hand to stroke Toothless' head. "The next clue is in the cove."

"Yeah right! What friendship did you hide? You and Astrid? Everyone knew about that!" Tuffnut chortled. "It's obviously meant for me."

"Toothless. I was hiding Toothless. Does no one remember... no, it doesn't matter. We need to go. Now!" Hiccup rambled, immediately mounting Toothless.

Everyone flew off to the cove except Stoick and Gobber. They faced each other for a few seconds.

"Now might be a good time to fill them in, Stoick." Gobber warned his friend.

"Now is the worst time to tell them. Trista is already getting into Hiccup's head. I tell them who she is, what she's done, and he'll never be able to think straight." Stoick swung a leg over Thornado.

"For the record," Gobber said as he got on his dragon, "I think you're making a mistake."

"Yes, you've made that quite clear in the past." Stoick held up a hand to get him to stop talking. "We need to focus on getting Adrianna back. Anything else is secondary."

But Stoick couldn't shake the feeling that Gobber might have been right. If he had been up front with Hiccup and Astrid from the beginning, would this have happened?

It had been one of the best days he'd ever had. Almost better than Hiccup's Welcoming Ceremony. He lost count of how many people had come to him to congratulate him on his new grandchildren. He felt like the gods were smiling down on him, giving him another chance to set everything right. His son looked like he had on the wedding day, sort of surprised that something this wonderful had actually happened. It was an expression he didn't get to see much.

After several hearty congratulations from villagers he didn't know very well, Stoick looked over at Hiccup holding his newborn son and smiled. Something about the way Hiccup held the baby assured him that his son would be a very good father. He gently rocked his body back and forth to make sure the baby slept on despite the confusion and the people pressing in on all sides. Stoick looked over at his daughter-in-law and immediately caught sight of his newborn granddaughter's eyes fluttering closed. She looked completely comfortable in her mother's arms. Stoick couldn't help but think that his grandchildren had the best parents in the world.

But who was that woman talking to Astrid? She looked vaguely familiar, like he'd seen her in a dream or in passing on the street. Or had he? She definitely gave off a distinct negative vibe either way. He watched as she snatched the newborn out of Astrid's arms and then returned her seconds later. Something was wrong.

And then it hit him. A surge of anger raised in his chest.

"Trista!" he called, stomping over and not caring that he was probably going to make a scene. "What the Hel are you doing here?"

Trista looked over at Stoick, a spark of familiar loathing popping up in her gray eyes. In an instant, he knew his hunch had been correct. She smiled and his stomach turned. She'd gotten her filthy hands on Adrianna. His eyes flitted over to his granddaughter and he was relieved to notice that she was sleeping deeply, apparently healthy. He quickly prayed that Trista hadn't gotten the opportunity to poison the baby girl.

"Why I was only congratulating your daughter-in-law." Trista replied, chuckling softly. "I meant no harm."

Stoick hoped that he could hold it together long enough to stop himself from killing his sister right then and there.

"Out. Get out NOW!" he bellowed, pointing to the door and beginning to tremble ever so slightly.

"Can't I say hello to my own grandniece?" Trista wouldn't stop laughing and it was beginning to send chills up and down his spine.

Stoick lost his cool, bolting forward and grabbing the woman's shoulders, trying not to break them in his massive hands. "I said OUT!"

The loud noises finally awoke Adrianna and she began to wail. Stoick didn't even glance over; he shoved Trista toward the door.

"Very well, very well!" Trista grumbled, her lips pursed as if she was holding back a few choice words. She turned to look at Astrid with an unfamiliar sparkle in her eyes, almost like she was enjoying this interaction immensely. "Enjoy her. She really is a lovely little girl."

That was enough. Stoick gave her another shove but this time she obediently walked forward, almost not needing the prompting at all. Once they had gotten outside, he loosened his hold slightly and turned her to face him.

"If you come near my grandchildren again, I will not hesitate to kill you." he whispered, enunciating every syllable so she wouldn't miss a thing.

"Oh isn't it about time to let go of these silly grudges?" she chortled, a look of abject hatred shining in her eyes.

Stoick very nearly choked on thin air. "Silly grudges? Was Hiccup a silly grudge?"

Trista laughed again and it was all Stoick could do to keep himself from striking her. "Oh I've never laid a hand on..."

"You know damn well who I'm talking about. Unless you've forgotten his namesake." he leaned in, his hold on her shoulders tightening.

Comprehension seemed to dawn on her."Oh... yes that was rather unfortunate."

"UNFORTUNATE?" Stoick shouted, not caring that his voice echoed all over the village, easily audible from the Great Hall. "No... no, get out of here before I kill you. I'm going to make sure you leave Berk and never come back!" he roughly shoved her toward several guards, who immediately grabbed her and began dragging her to the prison.

"I'm going, dear brother. I'm leaving." she said in a calm voice, almost as if she was merely discussing the weather. "You won't be seeing me here again."

"Make sure she doesn't escape. I'll come over at dark and banish her again myself." he told his guards before turning around to go back to his family.

Stoick stomped back into the Great Hall, feeling his body trembling. His face felt hot and he wouldn't have been surprised if it had turned red in his rage. He immediately sat down and put his head in his hands, wanting very much to be alone.

Hiccup never was very good at picking up on subtle social cues like this. "Who was she?" he asked, sounding quite concerned.

Stoick thought about telling his son why he had acted this way. Did Hiccup deserve to know? Or would he be better off not knowing anything? Stoick shook his head slightly.

"Stay away from her." he muttered into his hands.

"But..."

"The subject is closed, Hiccup!" Stoick exclaimed, patience dwindling by the second. "Now someone get me a drink!"

He didn't take his face out of his hands but he heard his son walk away and whisper something to Astrid. When he finally looked up, Hiccup, Astrid, and the twins were long gone. Gobber placed a tankard of mead in front of him and sat down across from him.

"I think you should've told him." He said quite seriously, pushing the drink toward his friend.

"I can't. Do you have any idea what that information would do to him? He already worries enough as it is and with two new children..."

"With two new children, he's going to want to protect them. And how can he when you won't be upfront about your past?" Gobber countered. "Have you considered that... you know, maybe Trista has caused enough trouble..."

"She's my sister!" Stoick slammed his fist against the table. "Do you really expect me to execute my own sister?"

"Is banishing her working?"

"For the last thirty years, it worked well enough!" Stoick took a deep breath and a large swig of the mead. "We send her far enough out, she won't be able to come back."

"I think you're making a mistake." Gobber leaned in. "What if she finds a way back? She's not right in the head. Years of solitude probably addled her brains beyond recognition. And you want to risk that coming after your grandchildren?"

"I will make absolute certain that she won't be able to find her way back. Meanwhile, I'll keep a close eye on them." Stoick took another gulp of mead, draining the tankard entirely. He then leaned back slightly, looking exhausted and, Gobber thought, quite a bit older. "I am serious about protecting my grandchildren, Gobber. They are the gods' second chance. Do you really think I'd let a madwoman like Trista get close to them under my watch?"

"Are they always going to be under your watch?" Gobber asked, leaning forward even more.

"Always." Stoick replied.

And he really did mean what he said. However, it was a few hours before he had made a firm decision regarding Trista and how he would make sure she wouldn't be able to find her way back. As the sun set, he sauntered over to the prison, filled with dread at seeing those cold gray eyes after all those years.

"Stoick the Vast." Trista said as he walked in, leaning against the bars in an unnervingly casual manner. "You know, I never thought I'd see you again."

"The feeling is mutual." Stoick replied, nodding to a guard.

As Trista was removed from the cell, she gave Stoick a smile that made his stomach turn. "Shame I have to be banished again. I was just beginning to remember how to get around. A lot has changed around here. Why, a few of the buildings look old! And dragons everywhere, tut tut, I'm surprised the man who killed a thousand dragons with his bare hands now allows them to be kept as pets. But to each his own I suppose." she let out another humorless chuckle. "I don't think it was you who integrated them, oh no... but your son... he seems the type, doesn't he?"

"Tie her up and put her on a boat. Be sure to blindfold her so she doesn't know where we're going. Then tie it to Thornado." he commanded the guard. "I'll fly her out as far as I can."

The guard nodded and in a few minutes, it was finished. Trista did not struggle against her bonds. Stoick gave her some food and a few supplies and then took off on his dragon. It was several hours before he decided that he was far enough out of the way to allow Trista to go free. He directed the boat to an island and untied her and his dragon.

"I'm doing this because you're my sister." he said to his hands as he untied her feet. "But it's the last favor I'll ever do for you. If I see you again, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

"Oh I understand completely." Trista said, holding her head high and stepping off the boat and onto the sandy beach of the island.

"Good." Stoick nodded and got back on his dragon. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Yes. I suppose it is. Goodbye, dear brother." Trista gave him a flippant wave with a wide smile on her face.

Thornado took off into the sky. Stoick didn't look back. He didn't think he could trust himself to let her live if he did. But there was no way she would ever make her way back to the island. The thought of this made him smile weakly and he began to think about going to Hiccup's house for some more time with his new grandchildren. The idea made him feel quite warm inside. Sure, Hiccup had softened him but it was at moments like these that he felt particularly grateful for the change of heart.

A few minutes later, Thornado nearly ran into what looked like an albino Deadly Nadder flying in the opposite direction. Stoick directed him to swerve out of its way, thinking that it was odd that a Nadder would be flying so far away from its pack...

All of a sudden, Stoick felt the very strong urge to punch something. Of course. How had he not realized it before? Trista had a dragon. It was how she was able to snatch Adrianna away so fast. And how she'd managed to get back to Berk. An albino Deadly Nadder, how had he never noticed it on the island before? Oh, she was clever. And to think he'd had the opportunity to stop it back then. Hel, he'd had the opportunity to execute her but he had shown her mercy...

Suddenly he had a very strong reason not to tell Hiccup or Astrid about his earlier dealings with Trista. He knew that it was only a matter of time before they needed the whole truth. He was certain they would never forgive him but if it meant saving his little granddaughter, it was worth the risk.

Xxx

It didn't take long to get to the cove. As the beach came in sight, Hiccup suddenly commanded his dragon to hover over the spot.

"It's written in the sand!" he called to his companions. "Easier to read from here!"

She has a twin brother
But there are two others
Who, back in their day,
Enjoyed their rough play
And a favorite spot
That they went to a lot.

They landed moments later to take a look at the hourglass. It had quite a bit more sand left than the last and was draining very slowly. Apparently they had solved the last riddle faster than expected. Hiccup wasn't sure whether this was good or bad. Would Trista become frustrated with them for their quick minds or would she relish the opportunity to make the game even harder? He had no frame of reference.

"So she's talking about more twins?" Ruffnut asked, her mind clearly at work. "Wow... do you know more twins?"

"Me? No. Other than us, I can't think of any!" Tuffnut exclaimed, an expression of pure confusion on his face.

"Oh Thor, you're impossible!" Astrid snapped. "She's talking about you! Did you have any favorite spots when you were kids?"

"Only about a million of them! This could take forever to figure out!" Ruffnut sat down on a nearby rock.

"Yeah. The one clue about us and it turns out to be an impossible riddle..." Tuffnut sat down next to his sister, who shoved him off seconds later.

"What about your dark, soggy alone place?" Fishlegs suggested, shuddering slightly at the name.

"Oh! Wait we went there a lot? I go there a lot..." Ruffnut gave Tuffnut a very suspicious glance.

"You go there a lot? It's my spot!"

"Leave the domestics out of it and let's go!" Hiccup shouted, swinging a leg over Toothless once more.

As the others flew off, Fishlegs began to have some issues with Meatlug's saddle. Astrid waved them off so she could stay behind and help.

"How are you doing?" he asked her once everyone else was out of earshot.

"Doesn't really matter. Hiccup's close to complete meltdown and if I don't keep it together, everything's going to fall apart." she said, untangling a few stitches with an unnervingly calm expression.

"Astrid, she's your daughter too..."

"The last time Hiccup lost control, I was giving birth on an island in the middle of the ocean twelve hours later!" she snapped. "Right now, it's about making sure he doesn't go nuts."

"But who's going to make sure you won't?" Fishlegs gently countered, putting a hand on Astrid's shoulder.

"I can take care of myself." she said, sighing deeply. "I think I fixed the problem. Now come on, we don't have a lot of time."

"They can wait for a second." Fishlegs said in a surprisingly firm voice. "If you aren't going to talk about it, let me do something for you."

"But we're running out of..."

Fishlegs didn't listen Astrid's objections as he raced forward and threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight. Astrid was shocked at this sudden affection but then, as the surprise wore off, she had to work very hard not to shed any tears. She slowly lifted her hands and placed them on Fishlegs' back. For a few seconds, she felt like she could relax a little bit, that she could share the part of the burden that only she carried with her friend. The extra pat on the back she received told her that he had gotten the message and that he was going to be the one to make sure she didn't lose control. In those few seconds, Astrid thanked the gods for sending her such a good friend. He finally let go and gave her a small smile in an attempt to continue to encourage her. It was incredible how such a small gesture of kindness could lift her spirits so much.

Choking back tears, she patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you. I did need that."

"I thought so. And thanks for the help with the saddle." he got on his dragon and waited for her to mount hers before flying off after the rest of the group.

The twins' favorite spot was pretty far outside the village. They immediately flew into the cave's entrance and spotted the rest of the group crowded around the next clue. Next to the parchment was an hourglass which was only drained halfway. They didn't appear to have been there for a very long time. Stoick handed Astrid a torch so she and Fishlegs could read the note themselves.

There's a place where fish live
But there's only one fin
And a once happy family
Resided within

"They're getting more cryptic." Hiccup muttered.

"That means you're getting close." Stoick gently took the note from Astrid's hand and read it over again.

There was a long silence as everyone mulled over the information in the note. Suddenly, Fishlegs' head shot up, his eyes wide.

"I know where it's leading." he said in a shaky voice. "And you're definitely not going to like it."