"I Do.... NOT!!"

Chapter 1: Injured

                        .....Astrid's POV ......

"Gahh!!! Stupid! Slimy! Little- son of a half grown yak!!!" I yelled, my anger exploding like gronkle fire.

I hurled my axe across the room and stomped towards it, intent on destroying anything that dared oppose me. Why was I so mad? Oh, my father just arranged a match for me... with Snotlout! They had set the wedding date and every other important detail without my knowledge. In my opinion, Snotlout is the stupidest, most insensitive boy on Berk, but since the chief's son disappeared years ago, he's the second best option. Not that the chief's son was a good option either. He was a scrawny boy... couldn't even swing an axe, but at least he wasn't mean and stupid like Snotlout. We had been good friends, he only survived part of warrior training thanks to my extra help after classes.

My name is Astrid Hoffersen, I live on Berk, the Viking's home of 7 generations. I'm almost 16- give or take a few days, so I'm old enough to fight dragons with my parents. As long as I can remember, we vikings have been at war with the dragons. They come 4 times a year and carry off the best yaks, sheep, and sometimes a stubborn viking or two, but this year... it's been rough. Last night was the fourth attack so far, and it's not even winter!

I yanked my axe from the scared, pockmarked support beam it was lodged in, this time aiming for the door handle, then stopped moments before I let it fly. My little brother, Boreal squeezed through the door and then stared up at me. "You're angry." He said, I sighed and put my axe down.

"With good reason. Apparently I have to marry Snotlout, but I don't like him at all. I'm not ready for a relationship!" I complained, then began stoking the fire for breakfast. Boreal brought me the basket of fish from the morning's catch and sat down next to me, mesmerized by the now dancing flames.

"Why dont they let you choose? That doesn't sound fair." Boreal asked.

"If only it were that simple... But since the chief trusts me most to carry on the role of chief- as a chieftess, I have to find a chief. Not that the chief would be in charge. Snotlout would get us all killed if he gave the orders," I explained.

Just then, the dreaded sound of our village gong began to toll. Vikings yelling, "Dragon attack! Arm yerselves!!" Sounded right outside our door, as well as thumping feet and clanging metal.

     "Boreal! Safe Hut now!!" I yelled, and took his hand. We grabbed our axes and raced out the door, watching the skies above for   reptilian pests. 

     "Alright, go go go!!" I told Boreal pushing him ahead of me to the great Hall. Underneath was a stone and earth fortified vault, where all the children hid during these attacks. We'd nearly reached the Great Hall when a massive dragon with crab like pincers and huge white tusks crashed to the ground in front of us! I shoved Boreal aside and swung my axe to finish the beast off before it could scramble back up, and then heard Snotlout laughing to my right. "Snotlout! Snotlout! oi oi oi!! Bet ya didn't see that coming Astrid! I have brought down-" my axe connected with the beasts head and it let out a piercing shriek, unlike any dragon noise I'd ever heard. 

     I stumbled back and pulled my crying brother along behind me as the
beast scrambled up, blood trickling from it's axe wound and now spitting green acid and chasing us. Snotlout let out a very unmanly shriek and ran the other way, so I screamed, "Snotlout you coward!!" As Boreal and I dove to miss the stinger tipped tail of the now enraged dragon. I threw my little brother at the closing doors of the Great Hall, desperately hoping he'd make it in before the dragon finished me. Just as Gobber reached out to Boreal, another ugly dragon with the same stinger tail and pincer legs swooped out of nowhere and knocked Gobber aside with a pincer, then landed behind Boreal and I. We scrambled back, then stood back to back with our axes raised. Boreal whimpered and asked, "Are we gonna die?" 

     I gripped my axe handle tighter, a plan forming in my mind. 

     "You're not going to die, Boreal. Stay close," I hissed. 

     I pulled Boreal in front of me and dove straight for the belly of the dragon in front of us, then shoved Boreal all the way under and screamed for him to run. The dragon hissed and opened it's jaws to seize me, but not before I jammed my axe in its mouth and flipped over the other dragon, just moments away from eating me. The ugly creatures smacked heads as I ran in the direction Boreal had gone, hoping another dragon hadn't got to him first.

     Just as I rounded the corner of the blacksmith's shop, my worst fear came true. A black dragon swooped down and picked up my little brother by his arms. Boreal and I both screamed as I hurled my axe hard, just barely clipping the agile monster's head. The axe continued its trajectory over the nearby cliff as the dragon roared, white teeth flashing, and darted away, still holding my little brother. 

     "BOREAL!!!" I screamed, desperation flooding through me, then raced after my brother. I pulled an abandoned axe from the side of the blacksmith's shop as I went, but when I reached the edge of Berk's cliffs, my brother and the dragon carrying him were too far away for me to jump, and I knew that Boreal wouldn't survive the frigid water if the dragon dropped him. I collapsed to my knees and sobbed. Boreal was my brother! I was supposed to make sure he stayed safe... But now he was gone, and it was my fault. I clenched my fists and forced myself to think. If that dragon went to the same place as all the others, maybe I could follow the dragons back... without being seen, and get to my brother before he was eaten. But I couldn't wait that long! Suddenly, I had another idea. 

     There was a crazy contraption Hiccup made before he disappeared, he showed me how it worked years ago, and it seemed like the best option at this point. I couldn't throw the nets far enough, but that contraption could. I ran back to the blacksmith's shop and began looking through abandoned tools, weapons, and numerous contraptions until I finally found the one Hiccup made years ago. 

     I pulled it from the wall, choking on the dust that came with it, and ran back out into the pale morning sky, still full of the usual  dragon species and the ugly dragons who attacked my brother and I. I rushed past vikings fighting for their lives and parked the contraption on the cliff, watching for the black dragon. It was  flying low, over the dark trees, so I took the shot. Hopefully a fall from that height would only hurt Boreal, and give me a chance to get to him first. I yanked on the lever, which opened the contraption with a twang and trained the bulls eye on the black dragon, then pulled the trigger. Moments later, I yelled for joy as the black dragon jerked in the air and nose dived. Maybe I could save my brother after all! Just then, a chilling growl sounded behind me. I gulped and turned around, staring into the yellow eyes of a monstrous nightmare! 

     "Oh shoot..." I whispered, slowly backing away. The dragon lunged toward me and I rolled under it's belly, then scrambled to my feet and ran back towards the Great Hall, the monstrous nightmare clicking along behind me.

       I screamed and dropped just as monstrous nightmare fire shot over my head, then rolled to the side. The beast lunged again, this time to fast for me to move, and snatched my left leg. I gasped and lifted my axe to strike, but the dragon whipped its tail around and knocked it from my hand.  I screamed as the pain in my leg shot through my body, then the dragon took off, my leg caught in it's teeth. "HELP!!!" I screamed, and wrapped my arms around the dragon's snout to relieve some of the pain in my leg, then closed my eyes, thinking hard. 

     I knew I had one throwing knife left in my boot, but it would do no good if I didn't stab in the right place. I slowly reached an arm down to my boot, wincing at the pain in my leg. Once I felt the cold metal in my hand, I took a deep breath and then brought the knife up and down into my captor's snout. The dragon shrieked, opening it's jaws in the process and releasing me. I screamed, free falling to the trees below and yelped as my body smacked into the tree canopy, heading faster and faster to certain death. I looked frantically for a branch to grab, then caught a flimsy one moments later. My arms popped painfully as my fingers found a grip and stopped me mid fall, feet away from the hard ground.

       I gasped and dropped the rest of the way to the ground, then limped to the nearest tree trunk. I heard a roar overhead and dropped to my knees, then quickly scrambled behind a large rock, my heart racing. As the sounds of the forest began to penetrate my ears and calm my racing heart, I looked down at my leg, now throbbing painfully and realized I was bleeding heavily.

     "Stupid dragon..." I mumbled, as I ripped some of my underskirt to tie around the worst part. I never finished though, because a wave of weakness washed over me. I slumped against the rock and fought to keep my eyes open... but it was useless.