Author's Note: This will be a Jackunzel and Mericcup story, but relationships will not be explored until Year 4: The Frozen Core.
War between Berk and the Outcasts could never falter. The sky blazed with fire and lightning as large beasts soared over the flammable structures on Berk. Lives were at risk. Though the Outcasts had lost a noticeable amount of dragons by the Ministry, their next card turned the tides. Unlike other occasions, it seemed like the Outcasts wanted to win this day.
Their approach to the island was expected, yet odd. The way the ships arrived without any deployed dragons but instead the Berserker Tribe's fleet tailing created a scenario worth investigating. Chief Stoick the Vast allowed the armada to reach the docks with no defence executed.
The entire tribe of Berkians watched from the cliffside to see what their enemies wanted. With the Berserkers and Outcasts together, bad news was only to be expected. The Chief was on his own at the docks, standing proud and tall as the protector of the land. His dragon joined up with him after that, growling defensively as the leaders of the two clans exited their ships.
The clouds parted and revealed the sun, which was still barely heating up the island for the summer. It was a rare occurrence to even see the sun on this island, but the Vikings still called it home, and so did their dragons. The sea was bluer than ever and the glint on the Berserker's metal helmet was caught in Stoick's eyes.
"Oswald the Agreeable must have shined it for this day," he thought.
When his vision cleared, he could see it was not the man he was expecting. The Viking next to the Outcast leader, Alvin the Treacherous, was none other than Dagur Vestarson, son of Oswald.
"This isn't what I expected. What is the meaning of all this? First, a peaceful arrival to this island and now the Berserkers' leader isn't here." Stoick folded his arms, demanding an explanation. He was still in no position to be this courageous. Being the only one at the docks with his dragon and having an entire fleet of outsiders aiming their sights on him should've made him reconsider his approach before this meeting.
"Well, Stoick, the years are always changing, and so do leaders!" remarked Alvin in a light-hearted manner. But his tone changed after a short chuckle. "You know what else changes? The law."
"Couldn't agree more," replied Stoick. "That still doesn't explain why you've arrived with the Berserker Tribe. Unless you've decided to start a treaty as we are with the Berserkers."
"The opposite, Stoick, the opposite. We've come to offer your tribe a proposal. While we've heard Berk agreeing to the laws set up by the Ministry, we're here to change your minds."
Dagur took out a knife and began spinning it during the talk. He soon stepped in to contribute to the meeting. "You heard that the Berserkers lost all their dragons to the Ministry. But nothing was done. My father was weak, so now I'm in charge. I'm offering a truce between all three tribes—under one condition."
"And what will that be?" asked Stoick.
"You will go against the Ministry. Unregister your dragons and fight with us to take down that wretched government! Together we'll be able to get our dragons back, and peace will finally come to Berk. Isn't that what you wanted?" asked Dagur while throwing the knife on the wooden deck.
"No, I will not take part in such a reckless attempt to take down the Ministry. They're the reason why any of our islands remain standing since Year X. It is not Berk's problem. Your dragons were taken away and that's that. All this was your doing. Taking over land and shedding blood was not by Berk, but by your tribe. So of course the Wizengamot didn't prosecute Berk when we registered our dragons."
"You're willing to watch your village burn by the hands of the Ministry?" threatened Alvin.
"It isn't the Ministry I'm worried about. It is what you plan to do now that our truce with the Berserkers is finally over."
Alvin drew his sword and Dagur had another knife ready in his hand, slowly approaching Stoick as an attempt to force him to agree with their plans. Stoick did nothing to evade the danger. Instead, his dragon steadily moved in between them, guarding his owner. The two Vikings then charged to get past the Thunderdrum, but its sonic roar pushed them further to where their ships were. They didn't bother to claim back their weapons, which clattered against the wood after the impact. They instead retreated back to their ships, leaving ever so slowly until they disappeared at the horizon.
"You'll get what's coming, Stoick. Mark my words. Berk will fall!" Dagur warned.
Stoick already knew how he'd handle that situation. The two tribes had little to no tamed dragons left. The wild ones the Outcasts unleashed on them all those years were hard to capture unless they used their dragons—which was impossible at the moment. Stoick also considered that magic was extremely faint at Berk, so Dagur could not use any of it against him. Gothi, the village elder, was also standing on watch with the rest of the village. Her skills were beyond others and she was able to perform spells at a mediocre level here on Berk. If the problem escalated, Gothi was going to save the day.
If Gothi were to fail, they had their final line of defence, which was a long kept secret of Berk. Only a select few knew of it since it was last used almost a century ago.
"Good job, Thornado." Stoick praised and petted his blue dragon. Selecting a dragon for Stoick was difficult as he was too controlling over them, demanding results almost immediately when he was Hiccup's age. A lot of people gave up for Stoick and never expected him to tame one. It was to be expected from a Squib anyway.
But Stoick's friends never gave up on him. They searched far and wide with their own dragons, in search of the perfect match for Stoick, their future leader. Their efforts were almost wasted, for Stoick was too stubborn to cooperate with the dragons, until one of his friends, Valka, found a wild Thunderdrum. At first, their meeting did not go so well as Stoick demanded it to become his. This enraged the dragon, motivating it to follow them back to Berk to wreak havoc.
Stoick was able to pacify the dragon, but it still remained bitter towards Stoick. The two were replicas of one another. They were both too stubborn to change their ways, hoping to bring misery on each other. It was only until Berk was attacked that they both had a common enemy and banded together, making them one of the strongest fighters on Berk.
Air circulated in the room, like time passing by. The endless cycle was painful to experience. Rapunzel had spent the summer living by herself with Pascal. Sure her friends had visited every now and then, but during the times by herself felt like an eternity. Her room was unpacked the minute she arrived, showing how busy she had to keep herself without losing her mind. There were times when she had stared out the window—like she did at her old home—and analysed basically everything she spotted.
On one of the days, Rapunzel watched the path from the window and guessed how each person lived their lives, how clean, disorganised, happy, sad, energetic, and weary they were. She predicted their jobs and hobbies, and if they were in a relationship. It was then when she had spotted a vessel of emptiness. The boy appeared as if his soul was a void, absorbing all the light that had surrounded him. He was travelling with another male, and she recognised them both. It was John and Xander. That was when Rapunzel decided to greet them, even though she had millions of opportunities to do so. It was also a good moment to ask them where Yang was and why John was at Diagon Alley, most likely because he was after books since school was beginning in a few weeks.
Now there was one week remaining, and Rapunzel felt as if she had bothered the others enough. Hiccup, Merida, and Jack visited her a few times already, but now it became less frequent. Jack visited the most, but ever since that law by the Ministry involving Floo powder came into place, his access became limited. They still stuck to writing to each other, recounting their weeks, including both the eventful and insignificant moments. It would seem like Jack's life hadn't returned back to normal even though he left Hogwarts. His life before Hogwarts was left behind after the accident.
Rapunzel's belongings were already packed and ready for Hogwarts, as she was impatient. She missed the school routine badly. There wasn't anything precious Rapunzel had at her old home; she had brought them with her to Hogwarts during her second year. It wasn't like her mother was going to return it to her let alone buy something nice for her anyway.
Another method battling boredom was reading and painting—although she ran out of subject matters. There was plenty to read through, as libraries in Diagon Alley were abundant with textbooks and novels. So many great stories of adventures and self-development she had read, and she wondered when hers was going to begin. She was now ahead of many students as she challenged herself to read the textbooks set for this year. Although memorising the information wasn't essential because once the professors reiterate the information, she'd be familiar with it.
She also looked forward to the electives she had chosen last year to study this year. Her thirst to know more about the Muggle world drove her to select Muggle Studies. She wasn't sure what the others picked, except that Merida avoided Muggle Studies as she had lived in the Muggle world for some time now. Her second and final preference was Arithmancy even though many students avoided it. She would've chosen Care of Magical Creatures, but she supposed she knew enough about the animals from both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. She was great with them anyway and Pascal was proof.
Rapunzel remembered the time she went to the pet store at Diagon Alley. There were so many exotic species of reptiles and birds. Of course, she brought Pascal along with her as she assumed all the animals would be tame and have no intentions to harm her chameleon. The owner was young and told Rapunzel that she left Hogwarts a few years ago. She would've been in her sixth year if she stayed. While Pascal was getting acquainted with the animals, Rapunzel told stories of her time at Hogwarts, especially when the White Death's Curse was present. The owner, Natalia, was glad she left the school now.
A sentence then stood out to Rapunzel during her conversation with Natalia. The conversation started off being about Hogwarts but changed into being about animals and pets.
Pets aren't really pets. They're friends and normally the unexpected encounters are the ones that matter the most. If you keep searching for the right one, then you'll be blinded by prejudice and judgement. But if you never really try, then you'll never see who's making an effort for you.
"It didn't only apply exclusively to animals," Rapunzel thought. She then wondered how Hiccup was going with the whole shenanigan about choosing a dragon his age. She wanted to tell him to be patient, but the others were already getting their own dragons, tempting Hiccup to become anxious about himself.
It was a while since Rapunzel went to the pet store, so she guessed today was going to be spent there. She scooped up Pascal, who was more than eager to see his new friends.
It was back to peace when the older Vikings made their way down to the docks, making sure the armada of Berserkers and Outcasts didn't return. They began packing their ships to set sail into the ocean, resupplying their stock of fish for the dragons.
Hiccup and the others remained on the cliff's edge, discussing what would happen if Dagur and Alvin succeeded. The outcome wouldn't affect Hogwarts at all when they thought about it. They knew Professor Lunar had to obey the rules set by the Ministry, but last year his actions proved that he thought otherwise, which was what led to those new laws.
"What good is it for the Ministry to force us to register anyway?" asked Snotlout.
"They obviously did it to target Alvin the Treacherous. He can't register unless he faces his consequences for his crimes, same with the Berserkers." Astrid replied.
"That's what we think," said Hiccup. "The Ministry still haven't declared the real reason why."
"What do you mean, Hiccup?" asked Fishlegs.
"Yeah, what do you mean? You're sounding a lot like the Berserkers last year at Hogwarts." Snotlout remarked even though he was the one who questioned the Ministry's motives.
"I mean that it's strange how they made those rules. I still don't see how it benefits them. And there are rumours that they've been capturing dragons in the wild, even though nobody owns them."
Gothi's presence disturbed them all. By now she would've left back to her hut located on one of the highest peaks on Berk. She owned no dragon large enough to carry her up there. Instead, she relied on Apparition, which was an archaic skill used frequently before Year X. Hiccup only witnessed it last year by Gothel, the only person known to have performed it other than Gothi. He also heard a student's father teleporting them to Hogsmeade instead of taking the train, but he couldn't recall who told him that.
"What's the matter, Gothi?" asked Hiccup. The old woman did not reply. She squinted into the distance and aimed her staff to the sky, firing a jet of red. The propelled spell reached high enough for everyone to see, before exploding with an alarming sound.
All the Vikings stopped their activities and watched the crimson sky. They all immediately returned back to the docks with their dragons, abandoning the boats. Hiccup focussed to see what the big deal was for Gothi to signal danger. Until the red glare disappeared, Hiccup was able to see what was approaching.
A swarm of dragons were on their way to Berk, and he couldn't tell what species they were. Their roars were heard like a faint hum. The students did not leave as they were too curious to see how the battle would play out. These dragons were not a single type, but rather a large variety, meaning they all had to prepare everything a dragon was weak to. Normally the Outcasts sent one type, which was slightly easy to counter. It must have been their determination to make them send all kinds and the fact that the Berserkers might have contributed to this.
Fires were shot from the first group of dragons. Their flames arched towards the island, aimed nowhere in particular. The fireballs rained onto the Vikings who were blocking it with their shields. The children were still safe, but the second group of dragons accelerated to them. They were Whispering Deaths.
The Whispering Deaths crashed on the side of the cliff, boring a tunnel underneath the students. They could already feel the ground shaking as cracks formed and grew. The portion the children stood on began crumbling down and they were soon about to fall into the ocean or onto jagged rocks.
Hiccup attempted to grab onto something, but nothing was close by. There weren't any dragons coming to save them and there were no loose branches to stop them. Hiccup then saw Gothi falling with them, showing no emotion while crossing her arms, supposedly displeased with such a minor inconvenience. She whipped out her staff and created a blue mist that covered the ones falling including herself. Their fall was slowing down as when the mist disappeared, they were above the wooden path that connected the cliff to the docks.
Gothi then apparated herself away from the battle, as she never took part in the violence. It was for the best since they'd be in trouble if she were to mysteriously vanish from the island.
Astrid made sure everyone was safe before heading back to the top of the cliff. The sloped walkway was strong for all Vikings to walk atop. They watched as new dragons started attacking the adults.
A burst on both sides broke through the cliff's edge and a Whispering Death emerged from each hole. Its destruction destroyed the walkway, which fell and landed on another walkway. These dragons were somehow a lot more intelligent than they used to be.
"Everyone off!" ordered Astrid. The others did as she instructed and quickly jumped off onto the other walkway. The wooden walkway they previously stood on then slid off and fell into the water.
"Where are our dragons when we need them?!" complained Tuffnut as he started becoming dramatic over the situation. With a portion of the path destroyed, there was no way back up.
He received a punch across his jaw from his twin sister. "Gobber put them in cages so they'd get to Hogwarts tonight, genius!" she jeered.
"Is that so? I think Gobber forgot to lock you up too." Tuffnut and Ruffnut began fighting with each other by flailing their arms onto one another.
"Why don't I put you in one?" Ruffnut commented.
A group of Gronkles came to them, but they were Berk's dragons, here to help. To their relief, they hopped onto one until there was Hiccup left.
"Hurry, Hiccup!" called Astrid, but she saw the boy hesitating. He was afraid to get on the dragon, even if it was between life and death. Astrid had to hurry before more dragons came to them. "Hiccup! Look at me. Don't look anywhere else."
Hiccup tried, but couldn't do anything to take another step forward to the dragon. He was trembling, which was uncommon. He couldn't calm himself down. Hiccup hoped this fear would disappear one day, especially at this age when he was supposed to have his own dragon. He couldn't face Astrid anymore, not even while her hand was reaching out to him. He turned and ignored her voice, running down the path to find another way up, no matter how dangerous it was.
At least he wasn't going to be alone. The older and stronger Vikings were down there handling the dragons—even though they were outmatched. There were countless alternative paths to get back up to Berk, and Hiccup aimed to head around into the wilderness, where he'd scale back up. He'd done it many times when exploring beyond the forest, but he made sure to stay close as the further he was, the more likely he'd encounter a dragon.
Another explosion of rubble appeared in front of Hiccup and caused him to fall. Until the raining stones stopped, he opened his eyes to see another Whispering Death.
"Oh come on. Why is it always you?!" complained Hiccup. The Whispering Death's rotating jaws begin reflecting a bit of light, where the main source came from the dragon's throat. It was about to breathe its fire to burn Hiccup to ashes.
A blur ran past the dragon, knocking it to the ground. Hiccup slowly ran around it, seeing that his father saved his life by hitting the dragon to redirect its fire. Stoick wrestled the dragon with his arms and kept the dragon's mouth clamped shut.
An arm went around Hiccup's waist and picked him up like he weighed nothing. Gobber was instructed to keep Hiccup safe during the attacks, and today was no exception.
"What are you doing? The walkway is broken. There's no way back up but through the forest!"
"Aye, we already know that. Gothi's back to fix it," said Gobber.
"Gothi? But she just left." Hiccup didn't know why Gothi had to confuse them like that, leaving and coming back at the wrong time. Maybe she was too old.
They got to the wreckage and saw Gothi on the other side, waving her staff and forcing the broken wood to mend itself. There was a small group of Terrible Terrors, minuscule dragons that were basically nothing but an annoyance to the Vikings. They weren't particularly deadly to Hiccup, so he had considered getting one, but he'd be the only one to have one other than Gothi. His reputation to fall—even lower than how it was now.
The Terrible Terrors were strongest in groups, firing their smaller breaths to dragons that were about to interfere with Gothi while she did her magic. Gobber and Hiccup crossed it and met up with the others who had dismounted the Gronkles.
Hiccup admired how powerful Gothi was. She was probably extremely talented and a strong fighter during Year X since she claimed she was present at the time. Her magic had reached impossible limits that her loss of magic at Berk was nothing compared to other Vikings.
"Man, it'll be great to be able to use magic here on Berk." Hiccup commented.
"It's not so helpful during the raids," said Astrid. "I tried a spell last year, but it was weakened. Even if it was how it was meant to be at Hogwarts, a dragon's scale would be able to block it. You remember when Snotlout was in detention near Christmas?"
Hiccup nodded and saw Snotlout's pink face, embarrassed that Astrid brought up a humiliating event for him.
"What about Core Magic. It worked, didn't it?" asked Hiccup.
"It does, but only Xander can do that," said Snotlout. "Don't forget that raw power is what brings a dragon to its place."
"Yeah, your raw power was sure working on the Monstrous Nightmare," said Tuffnut.
"Hey! I was holding back on it. The next time I see it will be different though. It'll be sorry for messing with a Jorgenson."
"I've asked Gothi, Hiccup," said Gobber. "The professors all said that that boy's Core Magic is new to them. Never have they seen it cast as a spell except from the Sorting Wand. Unless they ask the boy how it was done, others wouldn't be able to cast it."
"And nobody's asking?" questioned Astrid.
"Lunar told us to stay out of it, as they were trained by an unknown source. They are most likely dangerous and best to be kept clear of." Gobber said.
Hiccup then noticed the fake expression on Gobber. He was hiding something from them. Hiccup also picked up on the fact that Gobber said 'they' instead of 'he'.
"But don't worry Hiccup. Maybe when you're a hundred years older, you'll be as strong as Gothi," joked Gobber, only to receive a whack on his head from Gothi's staff.
Among the slight laughter of the students, Astrid lowered her head, deep in thought. She could see it in Hiccup's face. Hiccup was hiding too much from Gobber. He knew more about Xander and Yang than she thought. Instead of staying on the sidelines this year, Astrid was going to do whatever she can to help out. She knew Flynn Rider and some Ravenclaws were up to something too. They were usually pumped to go study in a private classroom.
Hiccup's job wasn't over yet, while the other young teenagers left to protect the buildings. He either had to head to the foundry—which was still in repairs after the Whispering Death destroyed half of it over a year ago—or help Gobber load his ship at another dock which was safer.
Hiccup didn't want to be at the foundry for a while after that day, so he chose the latter. Helping Gobber carry the small cages of Terrible Terrors for Care of Magical Creatures was slightly daunting, but knowing they were in cages brought him to ease.
"You know… You've got to be able to face your fears, Hiccup."
"I know, Gobber." Hiccup replied ruefully.
"It's not because you need a dragon right now, Hiccup. You're doing Care of Magical Creatures this year, and when you start school next week, it'll be obvious to the others doing that class as well. Dagur and those students Lunar's keeping an eye on are also doing that class. Once they see you like that, they'll pick on you, and Stoick wouldn't want to hear what happened to his son."
"I know," repeated Hiccup. "Those other students you're talking about is Xander and Yang, right?"
Gobber nodded. "I've also heard rumours that you and your friends have been interacting with them. While I'm sure you, Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel aren't dangerous, I think you need to choose carefully of whom to trust. The damage will affect mainly your friends rather than yourself."