Tales of the Dragon Riders

Feeling free

Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout were waiting with their dragons on a small glacier. They had been waiting there for a while and no sign of them anywhere, and Astrid was beginning to grow worried. If Stoick and Gobber were just trying to get Hiccup and Heather back, it shouldn't have been taking this long.

"I don't like it," Astrid said at length. "They should've been back with Hiccup and Heather by now."

"I don't like it either!" Ruffnut complained, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Eret, Son of Eret was the man of my dreams. My everything!" She threw her head back dramatically as if it would somehow emphasise her words.

Snotlout looked hurt. "But, baby, I grew facial hair for you," he said, rubbing his chin, looking pained.

Fishlegs stepped up beside Snotlout with the same expression. "Me too," he said regretfully.

"What if Drago shot them down?" Astrid said, trying to get back to the original subject. "What if they need our help? We have to find them."

"Wait, wait, what?" Fishlegs asked quickly. "But Stoick said-"

"It doesn't matter what he said if they've all been captured!" Astrid shouted back. "Come on!" Stormfly spread her wings and launched herself into the sky, and soon afterwards, the other dragons followed in suit.

Eret's ship glided over the water, chunks of ice scattered across the ocean.

"Do we go back?" one of the trappers asked.

"We've nowhere to go!" Eret shot back, holding a block of his ice to his head where Gobber had hit him. "Nothing to sell! And no heads to call our own! If we don't turn up with dragons, and fast-"

Stormfly snatched him right off the deck of the ship, and almost instantly, Eret began screaming. Astrid smiled in satisfaction.

"Careful what you wish for!" She called down to him in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Eret, Son of Eret!" trappers shouted from the ship, but to no avail. They fired bolas and arrows at them, but nothing stopped the dragon riders, and they continued flying until the ship was out of sight.

"What is this!?" Eret demanded, scrambling to grab ahold of Stormfly's leg.

"A kidnapping." Astrid answered cheerily.

"Yay!" Ruffnut cheered, moving Barf closer so she grab grab Eret's arm. "Can he ride with me!?" Ruffnut asked excitedly. "Can he? Can he...?"

Tuffnut shied away from his sister, a look of pure disgust on his face. "Ugh!" he gagged as Astrid rolled her eyes. Tuffnut was just as dramatic as his sister.

"You're gonna show us the way to Drago," Astrid said to Eret, nodding in the direction of the sky as they went.

"And help Dragon Riders sneak into Drago's camp?" Eret gasped. He let go of Stormfly's leg so that the only thing keeping him in the air was Stormfly's claws wrapped around his arm and leg. "Just kill me now!" he said.

Astrid smirked knowjg he was going to say something like that. "That can be arranged," she assured him. "Stormfly, drop it." She commanded her dragon, and Stormfly was more than happy to oblige. Eret gasped, and Stormfly released the trapper, who soon began screaming.

"Good girl!" She said, rubbing her dragon's neck in congratulations. "Now, Stormfly, fetch!" she cheered. Stormfly chirped in agreement and soared downwards towards the falling dragon trapper.

"All right!" Eret screeched. "Okay! I'll take you to Drago!" He agrees.

Stormfly snatched him up again, just before Eret hit the water. Astrid cracked her knuckles, smiling in satisfaction. "Ha, works every time," she said smoothly.