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CHAPTER 1: SEND THE WARRIOR

The phone rang loudly through the office space. The man picked it up, scowling, and the ringing ceased.

"Hello, this is Stoick Haddock speaking."

Silence.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"If this is a joke, your device will be tracked."

The door opened, and a lanky teenager passed through, an image similar to his mother's. His dark hair was wild, his hazel eyes wide and intelligent, his sharp jaw slightly bruised from falling the day before.

He mouthed, Is now a bad time?

His father gave a small nod, but as soon as he placed his phone down, the device exploded, sending every person in there flying back.

"Chief Grimborne?"

The man looked up, cold blue eyes searing into the soldier's own. His posture was arrow straight, standing stiffly as he waited for a cue.

"At ease, Captain," the Chief ordered, looking up from the papers he'd been reading over. "What is it?"

"Sir, there has been a bombing at the Berkian Military Headquarters, Chief General Haddock's office. Eight are injured, and information on us has been obliterated in the destruction."

"Casualties?"

"The Chief and his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Nobody else was in the general vicinity. The bomb was activated at thirteen-hundred hours. The CCTV was damaged and we couldn't decipher anything else."

The Chief nodded thoughtfully. "Is the General alright?"

"He is in a coma as we speak."

"The son?"

"Shrapnel sliced his cheek, but unharmed." The soldier was close to the Chief, and as he saw the higher-ranking officer furrow his brow and bite his lip, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Well, the son is obviously vulnerable. He is now most likely targeted…" He pulled up a file on Haddock, Hiccup. "Student of Archi University, earning a degree in engineering… and could be used as leverage against the Chief."

"What should we do, sir?"

"Well, we could allow the ABI handle this, but since it is an attack on a high-ranking officer, the son is most likely a target."

"But you might have something else in mind…?"

He nodded. "Do you have the knowledge of The Valkyrie?"

The soldier's eyes widened. "Your...?" Though he was a high-ranking officer, his identity was unknown to those outside of their area, even in the military.

"Yes. I suspect you know how she gained the name 'Valkyrie', in place of her biological name, correct?"

"Yes sir." Memories of the defeated terrorists on the news flashed in his mind.

"She could act as a protector, but send us information. Knowing the enemy could allow us to defeat them."

"You mean…"

The Chief of the Reapers nodded.

"How long do you think you can hold her there?"

"We shall see."

"What if they discover her?"

"She's the Valkyrie. If they even have a doubt, she would get out of there."

The Captain frowned. "Surely they'd recognize her. The infamous Valkyrie—"

"Who had gone on her own, defeated multiple terrorists, assassinated many, and has only had training in the army Helheim, is a First Lieutenant, with only her half-brother as a companion, no personal connection to her father… at least by solid evidence."

"And Helheim would gladly send her in if the idea were in their brains." He tilted his head. "How will we do that?"

The Colonel smiled. "I have an idea. No matter, what, she is going to Berk."

She fell to the bed, rubbing her tired eyes.

Untying her braid, her blonde locks cascaded down her back and ended at her waist, her ice-blue eyes falling on her battle-axe. She picked it up, the feeling comforting in her scarred palms. On the blade was a signature.

"I miss you," she murmured, caressing the cool metal. There was two knocks on her barrack door and a loud voice.

"Lieutenant Valkyrie, you are needed by General Wing in her office now."

She sat up, adjusting her silver-camouflage cargo pants and shirt and placed her hair back in a braid, swiftly exiting the barrack within one minute.

She reached the office within minutes, only receiving a few stares from privates.

Good.

She knocked.

"Enter."

Wait.

That was not her General's voice.

"Lieutenant Valkyrie, I said, enter."

Hand on her dagger, she opened the door, heart racing. A man stood at the desk, well built and militant. She scowled.

"Where is the General?"

"You should worry about yourself," he said, voice rough. "I have a specific mission for you…"

College could not have gone worse.

Everybody looked at him differently, staring at him, whispering, and avoided him, as if he would explode.

Gritting his teeth as he heard a stupid pun about the explosion, he made his way to his class and tried to focus on the lecture… but the professor's words went in one ear and out the other, the words in the paper swam, and he couldn't concentrate. His mind was somewhere else.

Just seeing his father in a cast filled him with worry. His friend's uncle Bjorn the Boarish had fallen into a coma from a car accident, and he'd never woken up. And the explosion worsened his anxiety and paranoia.

When the class was dismissed, he bolted out, heading for Archipelago's Cafe, trying to get food he hadn't eaten in the past twenty-four hours.

I have to get this anxiety under control, he thought. Maybe I should go to training early today.

Though he was constantly wondering. How? Why? At that moment, how did they manage to activate the bomb? How did they get it in the office, out of anywhere? It could've been the mess hall, the training area, the gym, everywhere else except his office.

He knew his father was extremely powerful, but the danger of acquiring his rank as Chief suddenly became real to him.

He might lose his father.

No. He's way too stubborn to die. He never gives up. He always fights. He'd win. Right?

Lost in his own thoughts, he bumped into somebody outside of the cafe, and he was already muttering an apology when he met her eyes.

He didn't know whether to be scared or mesmerized. Her eyes were stormy, blue frost searing into his mind. At the same time, it was such a beautiful shade, but almost… broken.

"Uh-uh, I-I am so so sorry, my Thor, I'm an idiot, I'm sorry…" What was wrong with him? He didn't stutter! Ever since middle school, at least.

"You're Hiccup." It wasn't a question. Her voice was sharp, cold as the snow around them, giving away no emotion.

"Uh, yes, um… How do you know that?" She was beautiful. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a braid, small snowflakes caught on golden strands, shorter locks framing her pale face. She was only a couple inches shorter than him, but she was slim and strong, jeans, combat boots, and a deep red shirt protected her skin from the cold, as well as a navy blue coat.

But she tackled him. To the ground.

He saw stars as his head hit the asphalt, severely confused and dazed. She sat above him, two knives in her hands, sitting up and slicing one man's throat open.

She grabbed the Glock from the man's holster, strapping her knives in their sheaths.

"Stay still!" She ordered, before jumping to her feet.

She aimed closely at the attackers, using the garbage can nearby as a barrier, each time she pulled the trigger, the enemy went down.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned swiftly, hitting the attacker in the head with the butt of her gun, before shooting him twice in the chest.

Hiccup sat up, breathing hard, and turned to the person who'd just taken down several men within a minute. A crowd from the cafe had surrounded the two, and immediately recognized the blonde warrior. Whispers immediately spread, phones capturing pictures of the mysterious woman.

Somebody call Security.

Is that really her?

What is she doing here?

"What-what was— What just happened?"

She smiled, helping him up easily and smiling mirthlessly, tilting her head back the slightest bit to meet his eyes.

"I'm the Valkyrie. I'm your bodyguard."

"Wh—Hold on! What?!" His voice had risen an octave, his eyes wide with surprise.

"It was suggested to the Army of Helheim that I were to protect you after the bombing incident." It was flat, not giving him any assurance.

"Protect? Why would I need to be protected?!" He realized the stupidity of his words and tried to amend his sentence. His father had placed him in hand-to-hand combat training since he was twelve. "I mean, who would hurt me?" He amended carefully.

"Your father keeps his business private, doesn't he?" She guessed. "With his… situation, you are incredibly vulnerable. To any attack."

"Okay, I understand that, but our house is already rigged with security."

"Hiccup, you're missing the point," she said. "Everywhere you go, someone will try to attack you. Right here? They were Berserker Soldiers."

As hard as he tried, he wouldn't be able to get out of this one. He hated the feeling of being protected. He could take care of himself.

Your dad would want you to be protected.

"Okay," he said, swallowing his pride. "Let's go home."

"Stop."

The two turned to the voice. A heavily-built man came towards them, smartly dressed in his black suit. "I'm Agent Larcent. Valkyrie, correct?"

"Yes," she answered curtly. "Keep this situation secret. This man here is a target to all enemies of Berk..."

As she spoke, Hiccup's heard continued to accelerate. He was in danger. He might die. But he can take care of himself. Couldn't he? Gods, he was pathetic.

That's why she's here.

"Hiccup."

He swiftly turned his head to the infamous Valkyrie.

"We'll take my SUV to your house," she said, walking briskly towards the large car. The larger agent patted him on the back, nearly knocking the wiry man over.

"With her, you'll be fine," he said.

The car ride was silent, even though Hiccup had many more questions that shouldn't be asked. But he recognized her face, but couldn't really tell who she was. It wasn't from newspapers or outside information. It was a memory, as if he personally knew her.

"When did you join the military?" He asked cautiously, not knowing the sentimental value of anything that he might say.

Did her imagine her grip on the steering wheel tighten? "Why do you want to know?" She replied coldly.

He glanced her way. "I recognize you."

She sighed irritably, the first emotion he'd seen from her. "I have appeared on the news before, you have most likely seen me from there."

"No," he said, gazing out the window. The sky was settling into twilight, the trees and signs passing by in a blur. "In fact, you remind me of someone I used to know." When she raised an eyebrow, he continued. "When I was younger, there was this girl. I remember her name, it was divine beauty in Old Norse." Distant memories appeared in his mind. "She was tough, and strong. She was expelled for the rest of the year for attacking one of the kids who had bullied me. She was supposed to come back in sixth grade, but I never saw her again."

When he faced her again, she was pale as snow, knuckles white on the steering wheel, eyes filled with fury.

"Did I do some—"

"It would be better if you did not speak," she said, voice strained. "I must focus."

The rest of the trip was silent, with Hiccup fidgeting apprehensively and the bodyguard's gaze locked on the road.

What did I do? Shoot, was it my mentioning of that girl? Gods, what was that girl's name?

They pulled into the Haddock Hall driveway, which led to the large contemporary house. Immediately, she noticed several cameras as she took out the keys, turning the engine off.

She opened the door and slammed it with much more vigor than needed. Immediately, the front door to the house flew open, revealing the large shape of his godfather.

"'Iccup!" He wrapped his arms around his skinny frame, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. "Are ye okay? Were ye hurt?"

"I'm fine," he reassured him. He turned to his… companion? She was already at his side, hand outstretched.

"Good evening," she said, voice formal. "Hiccup was in a shoot-out. I am his bodyguard."

He placed his prosthetic hand on her shoulder. "Thank yeh, lass. Ma' name is Gobber." He motioned them to go inside. "Come in! It's freezing."

They entered the house, the familiar warmth of the home calming Hiccup as they approached the couch, where a laptop rested, as well as multiple files of papers haphazardly sorted into separate piles.

"I've bee' tryin' ta find out who bombed yer father's office," He said, then turned to the newcomer. "I don't mean tah be rude, but what're yeh doin' here, lass?"

Hiccup pursed his lips. "There was an agent that helped me after a shooting." He gestured to her. "She saved me."

She nodded. "I am from Helheim. Trained First Lieutenant and top of my class. Gobber, my only intention is that your son is safe and that no other military, especially soldiers of the Outcasts, the Berserkers, and the Reapers. They train harder than Helheim and will go through any procedure, go against any moral, and break anybody who could get in their way. They will not be able to get a hold of him." Except my intention isn't entirely true.

But they need to trust me. You've done this before, you can do it again.

Gobber sighed. "The ABI and AHS is already here twenty-four seven, and—"

"Three armies want Berk's technology," she said. "You have conquered many lands and have made many enemies. Hiccup is the son of the Chief. He is vulnerable and can be used as leverage. Greedy people will do whatever it takes to rule all of the Archipelago.

"My real name is Astrid." She revealed. A dog came down the stairs, dark as night and missing a leg. He excitedly went to Astrid, who gave him a small stroke on his head. "Who's this?"

"Toothless," Hiccup said, a small smile gracing his features as Toothless warmed up to a new human. "He's a cross between a labrador and a wolf. I've had him ever since eighth grade." He cocked his head, seeing Toothless lovingly bond with Astrid. "He's never done this with new people."

"I guess he likes me," Astrid said stiffly.

The door opened, revealing the same agent from the shooting, still in the same uniform.

"Larcent?" His voice was confused. "Ye already checked in."

"My apologies, Gobber," he said. "But I'm here to help the Valkyrie." He cleared his throat. "Hiccup, she will accompany you where you go. If you wish to leave, please bring her. She will take your class in university to ensure your safety."

Gobber glanced at her. "Ye study engineering?"

She smirked at Hiccup. "The government will provide me communication to our IT department and others. I am not here to learn."

Well, that… kind of makes sense, Hiccup thought. "But… why? I still don't get it. I'm a scrawny nerd! Who would want to go after me?"

Astrid locked her gaze with his. "Your father's high position of the Berk Army is as valuable as Thor's Mighty Hammer. He isn't a part of Berk's Army, but controls it. What happens when the enemy gains control of a new army?"

His eyes widened. "Chaos?"

She nodded. "Ragnarok. You are the son of the Chief. You will inherit the position once your father decides to retire or dies. I guess you have had lessons since you were young, correct?"

Hiccup nodded. "We fought over it. I wanted a normal life, he wanted me to take his position. So we comprimised. I'd take classes, but train much longer and study."

"He has taught you the most about technology and weapons, and any procedures and protocols."

"Why not capture anybody from our IT department?"

"Emotions are strengths and weaknesses to all." She said carefully. "So if you are captured, they will use you to rip any shred of knowledge your father has to any weapons out of your head, and use you as leverage. And both of you and thousands of others will end up dead." Everybody was staring in shock as realization sank in. "There are assassins, troops, and terrorists. You aren't safe.