Do not read unless you have already read HOW TO FIND A DRAGON.

I don't own How to Train Your Dragon.

Hey guys, here is the first chapter of WHERE DRAGONS LIVE. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

In the northern sky, there is a constellation called Draco, which is Latin for Dragon. This constellation has drawn humans into dreaming about incredible creatures and adventures. This very same constellation has watched over them as well, but Draco does not need to dream for as what it saw were the true tales of men and women from the old and new times. Looking down it never missed watching over a small island that had caught its attention a long time ago. It shone like a lonely star in the infinite sky.

**** PAST****

Hiccup had always felt as if he had some of the worst luck in the world, but this time he couldn't believe Thor was being serious. Of all times to throw him a thunderstorm this was unquestionably the worst. Hiccup tried to go around it, but the storm itself moved with him and towards him. At the end, he had to return to Berk. He was seriously tempted just to cut through the storm, but then remembered it hadn't felt nice at all when he got hit by lighting when he was younger. Now, he realized his own son had inherited that craziness from him. Astrid had been much more level headed of the two. How many years had it already been? He realized he was his father's age when they first started riding dragons. He suddenly felt terribly old.

At home, he washed his face in a basin Astrid had left for him in their room. When clean he looked into the surface and saw his reflection. His hair was about the same as when he was younger. Only once a long time ago he tried to grow his hair… he knew he had been young back then, but never again did he want someone to confuse him with a woman. Some of the ends in the back were actually braided by his wife. He had his goatee and much more recently added chin strap. He hated that he could never grow a full beard like his dad, but none the less everyone complimented the well shaped chin strap. Maybe, he should crop it a little…

Wait… he leaned closer into the water…

"Astrid!" he shouted before his wife rushed into the room.

"What is it?" she asked with an axe in hand looking for an attacker.

He rushed to her before tilting his head back and pointing to a spot on his goatee, "is that a grey hair?"

"You know how we could get rid of it?" asked Astrid innocently, though she tightened her hold on her axe handle.

"How?" he asked with eyes filled with worry.

"If we cut your whole head off!" she shouted making him stumble back, "there's nothing there Hiccup so don't get all middle age crisis on me"

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," she said but made a mental note to pull out the grey hair out when he fell asleep, "come on, dinner is ready"

Halla already sat at the table, and Hiccup could see she was trying to hold her laughter in check. She had heard them all the way from the kitchen.

"The storm should let up soon," Astrid said as they sat around the dinner table, "I will go with you"

"I want to go too!" said Halla hoping for a chance to see if they would reach Shikoba's land.

"Actually, I need you to stay," said Hiccup, "Gobber needs some help at the smithy and with your brother gone…"

Halla didn't say anything but both parents could tell she was not happy with the decision.

"You won't run after us, will you?" asked Astrid knowing her daughter well.

"I might," she said looking to the side. She was already making a list of things she would take with her.

Hiccup leaned forwards to take her small chin on his fingers before making her turn to look at him.

"I really need your help with this Halla," he said, "I promise you I will repay you for it"

"Would you teach me how to ride Toothless?" she asked.

Okay, he did not expect that, "okay. I will" he said leaning back to his chair

"Alright!" she shouted with a large grin. Both parents had a rather bad feeling about it, "Toothless you are mine!" she said to the dragon eating by the hearth.

Said dragon looked at her in shock before turning to glare at his rider with an expression that said 'what were you thinking?'

Hiccup offered a nervous smile back 'I have no idea'.

Even after dinner the thunderstorm kept going outside. He knew he would be able to catch up to Stein and Shikoba with Toothless if the storm didn't erase the whole trace.

"Sleep," said his wife as she snuggled closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her molding her into his body. He started to draw small circles on her back as he got lost in his thoughts again. He wondered if Odin wanted his son to follow Shikoba to his land. Slowly he drifted off into a worried sleep. He dreamt of a sheep trying to eat his goatee.

**** Very far away from Berk ****

"This is so awesome!" Stein shouted over the wind.

"Your mother will kill you," said Shikoba shaking his head, though he too was smiling.

"So be it!" Stein couldn't believe they had flown through a thunderstorm. He shouted at the top of his lungs. Shikoba soon followed him.

The two young men could see nothing but the sea, and they were being simply led by Pachua in the day and the stars in the night. They had no idea how long it would take them to reach Shikoba's land, but it couldn't be that long, right?

That thought kept ramming into their minds. Stein had been taught there was nothing but death towards the west. Only the great spawn Loki had given the world to eat and destroy the world sometime was supposed to be there. Yet, if Shikoba was actually from the west, from that vast land he had told him about, then he would be the first Viking to see it.

**** Hiccup & Astrid****

"We are almost out of water," she told him as they flew side to side.

Hiccup nodded with worry. It had almost been week since they had taken off in search of their son and Shikoba. If they had run out of supplies, they should have already turned back.

"We are not turning back, are we?" she asked.

"Not without Stein,"

"Good, he will wish he was never born when I get my hands on him"

"Not before me," said Hiccup before he caught the incredulous look his wife was giving him, "what? My back is killing me, and it isn't as if I can get up to walk on Toothless' back like you do on Stormfly's"

"Want me to ride him?" she asked, but she had already jumped into the black dragon's back.

"Knock yourself out," he said before they switched places, "Argh! I can't feel my leg!" he said, before he rubbed the appendage to return some feeling to it, "it's my fault, isn't?" he said with derision.

"You will have to be more specific," said Astrid with a smile, she couldn't help teasing him.

"That Stein decided to do this," he sighed, "I should have been more strict with him"

"Like your father tried to be with you? That would have worked so well," she said not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.

"Stein is nothing like I was," Hiccup said with a sigh.

"He is trying to do what he believes right," she told him shifting her body to look at him, "he learnt that from you"

"And that did so much good," he said thinking of Lugus.

"Stop beating yourself over that," she told him, "what is done, is done"

"I know, I know!" he said before he tried to stand on Toothless back, "I just can't stand the idea of him getting hurt"

"What did your father used to say?"

"We are Vikings, it's a professional hazard," he couldn't help rolling his eyes. It was now a family saying.

"Right," said Astrid with a sharp nod, "and Stein knows this as well as you and everyone else back home"

"But…"

"No buts," she said, "I am as worried as you Hiccup, but I also trust him"

Hiccup was at loss of how to respond to her. Since Stein had told him he didn't want to become the next chief, he hadn't felt sure he knew his son that well anymore. It was truly like the gap between his father and he. No matter how much they tried, there was always something in between them; their stubbornness probably, the same one that Stein had.

"How is your leg?" she asked after a long silence. She didn't like him brooding on his thoughts for too long.

"Better," he said as he sat with his back against hers.

"You must trust him," she told him hoping he remembered that his father didn't always trust him to do the right thing. Not too many did anymore, but she still remembered when he had just been a boy known as Hiccup the Useless.

****PRESENT ****

Some days it felt as if it had been just the day before, and others as if it had been a life away. When she opened her eyes that morning and felt strong arms around her, she felt it was one of those days where the past seemed so far away. She couldn't believe it had been four years since they defeated the White Death.

"It's too early," Ashton tightened his hold on her when he felt her move.

She leaned her forehead against his chest and closed her eyes. The scent of their love making was still attached to their skins. In that moment, she wished they could stay like that for always, but as the sun started to rise and its warmth invade the room she knew they would have to part. She had to get to an early meeting with the council, and he had to look over the patrols around the island. If they were lucky they would get to eat lunch together, but for sure they would share dinner in her house and then go for a ride with their dragons.

"Hagnes?" she heard her mother knock on her door, "we are going to be late"

"I will catch up!" she shouted back as she held a hand over Ashton's smiling mouth.

"See you there then," and then they listened to her go down the steps.

"Ugh! You licked me," she whispered harshly at her boyfriend before cleaning hand on his shoulder

"Couldn't help myself," he said before he pushed her down against the mattress with a smug smile, "don't you think your mom already realized I stay here just about every other night?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes, "but we don't need to make it awkward, now do we?" she pushed him off her before she stood up.

Ashton laid back and watched her go towards her bathroom. The burn scars on the right side of her body had gone from an angry pink to a more mocha tone. She no longer hid her body from him, and he was thankful for that. He loved her just as she was.

"Are you staring at my ass?" she asked when she reached the bathroom door.

"Yes I am" he said before getting up. She hurried to open the door to her bathroom and then rushed in closely followed by him. She was going to be so late.

**** The Council****

She made it to the council just as the breakfast was being served. After the council noticed her mother and her skipped breakfast, they made it a rule to have one there. She brushed her short hair back and offered a sheepish smile. Though she was the Chief, she was still the youngest in the whole room.

"Morning everyone," she said walking around the table. Some faces she had known since she was a child while others she had only seen glimpses of until a few years ago.

"Morning Chief,"

"Morning Ms. Haddock"

"Hagnes," said Anna, the oldest of the members of the council, and also head of education. She used to be Hagnes favorite literature teacher "Who exactly is this Dragon Council we heard about?"

"Yes, especially if you have called us here so early in the morning without an audience" another member said before they looked at the seats above them. Usually council meetings were held in public, but not this one as ordered by the young chief.

"So I guess we will eat and talk," she said taking the seat next to her mother.

She remembered when all she would worry about was getting by without being pushed or made fun of at school.

"The High Dragon Council," she said resignedly, "it's a long story"

Things were much simpler before, but she guessed they had also been a lot lonelier too.

"The High Dragon Council? I thought they were no more," said Gunnur. She was an old friend of the family, head of the Berk Museum, and director of the Dragon awareness program.

"So did I," she said before speaking to the whole council, "It's a committee formed by tribes from all over the world who are involved with dragons. Centuries ago, their main function was to advise each other regarding matters relating to the dragons. If they should be used for war, or how involved they should get with others that didn't have dragons, or how to breathe them, treat them and so on. They also passed general rules. One of them was that they would keep themselves apart from the rest of the world, just like we used to three hundred years ago"

"Do you think they are upset?" one member asked. They were one tribe surely they had many more dragons than them.

"It wasn't like we could seriously keep it quiet when the White Death woke up" Gunnur reminded them. No government was able to control everything, especially those considered natural disasters.

"Or when the dragons started waking up," Steinunn said.

"Are they dangerous?" someone asked

"I truly have no idea," Hagnes said, "the High Dragon Council used to be remarkably peaceful three hundred years ago, but they could have changed. Our tribe was of those that reinforced peaceful approaches. Our absence could have changed things quite a bit"

"What about the young man you captured, has he said anything?"

"Not much," she said with a slight frown before she attacked a slice of grapefruit, "he said his task was to deliver the message and the medallion, and from there just wait for the Dragon Council to arrive"

"What if we threaten to feed him to the dragons, he might talk then" said Gunnur with a grin.

"Gunnur!" Steinunn reprimanded her friend.

"What? Maybe he doesn't know our dragons don't like the taste of humans"

"He is familiar with dragons because he is from the Nahuan tribe," she told them, "their dragons are as big as ours, though slower, and they don't breathe fire"

"So we are not entirely helpless. We do have some information on them"

Before Hagnes could answer Gunnur's laughter thundered around them, "that's an understatement!" she said before pressing her lips to hold her laughter, "Every single dragon that the Chiefs of this island have seen since a thousand years ago have been studied and categorized into our Dragon Manuals, the existing seven volumes! Hagnes has read them all and can tell you exactly what we would be facing, isn't that right birdie?"

"We are not going to war just yet," she said fast, "we will meet them and see what they want"

****PAST ***

It was the beginning of a new day, and also the beginning of an adventure. Stein only felt excitement as they spotted land not too far ahead. He could hear the wild life ahead as they neared, also feel increasing heat. He understood why Shikoba wore so little when they found him. He started shedding some of his clothes and at once felt refreshed. Finally, they landed on a beautiful the beach.

"Oh land! I missed you so much!" cried Stein as he jumped off Ormarr's back and threw himself on the ground. He had already lost count of the days they had been flying without stop.

Shikoba only shook his head in misbelieve. He had missed the earth too, but he had missed his family and tribe even more. At once, he started on an old path his father, and his father before him had carved on the earth every summer with their steps. He couldn't help to show Nita the Pachua he now rode. Hopefully like this they would be able to keep any invaders from approaching them. Pachua's were guardians of nature, and known to be powerful. No man ever dared to go against them.

"It's so warm, how can you stand it?" Stein asked as they went through the old trail. The dragons followed close behind.

"Your home is too cold," Shikoba said congratulating himself on saying that correctly. He had been practicing with Stein all the way there as they had little to do while flying.

"You bet is cold!" laughed Stein, though he was too proud to admit he wouldn't mind a few more warmer days, "Berk is like no other"

"Thank the gods for that,"

The boys laughed before a scent caught their attention. Stein knew the scent quite well from the battles they had been fighting quite a few months ago, but it was too strong. His hand went immediately to the hilt of his sword in instinct. Shikoba didn't think twice and ran in the direction he knew well his home was towards. He could hear Stein calling after him as he and the dragons followed but at that moment nothing could stop him. When he broke into where his tribe used to be, he only saw grey ashes.

Stein didn't know what to do as he watched his friend crumble to his knees as he held his head with both hands and screamed his heart out. The sight was atrocious as much as the smell. The scent of burned flesh was overpowering.

"No! No! No!" screamed Shikoba as he dug his hands into the earth mixed with cold ashes, their homes were entirely gone, but there were stumps that were unmistakably once living breathing humans "no!"

Then a shadow covered him. He looked up and saw the Pachua shielding his view with its long snake like body and colorful wings as if trying to protect him from further pain. The dragon leaned forwards and created a cocoon around the young man just as a sob escaped his throat.

Stein sat against a tree as he tried to regain his breath. Ormarr crooned worriedly next to him. It was only until later that the Pachua released Shikoba. Stein watched as his friend took a shaky breath before walking into the dead tribe. He followed his memory and walked towards where he once knew his home had been. The grey ashes started to stick to him. He didn't even reach his home before he found his mother on the ground, face down and burnt almost beyond recognition. Her clothes were charred, but he could recognize her earrings which had blue feathers on them. He was the one to give them to her. He kneeled before her ready to turn her around before a hand stopped him. He looked up at a pale looking Stein who shook his head no.

"Let's give them a proper funeral," he said before he helped his friend to his feet. Though Shikoba was taller than him, he couldn't help to feel the man had shrunk.

Shikoba led him to a field where Stein noted several mounds of earth. At once the young man started to dig, the Pachua followed before Stein and Ormarr started to help. Once the first were ready the two young men started to pull the bodies towards their graves.

"His name was Isi, we were friends, but he liked to hunt alone," he said as the laid a young man about their age into one of them. Though badly burn, they were able to tell he had deep cuts in his body, "he was a brave warrior. I am sorry we can't give him the proper burial"

Stein was about to ask him, but the pain his friend showed kept him from doing so. He knew remarkably little of how they did things in Shikoba's land, but he guessed it wouldn't make his friend feel better to tell him. They carried more bodies as the dragons worked on the graves. Some they had to place on a blanket that survived the fire; otherwise they would fall apart when they picked them up.

"Her name was Fala," he said as they lay to rest an old woman, "she was a healer, and a teacher. She taught all children about good and wicked herbs"

Stein reached Shikoba's mother first. He wrapped her body neatly before Shikoba made it to him. He didn't say anything as he started to shed tears. He knew he would be bawling if it was him in his place. Stein realized then that he missed his mother and family terribly.

"Nita…" Stein watched him as he picked the body of a woman. He noticed a resemblance, "she was my sister"

Stein froze, and for a moment he saw in the back of his mind Halla smiling innocently at him.

"Oh sister…" Shikoba cradled her against his chest, staining it grey. His dear older sister was gone. He couldn't believe it. She who always made sure he didn't slack, but also helped him whenever she could. Even after her baby was born she still went to check on him. The baby... "Choctaw," he said before he started looking around, "Stein! Do you see a baby?"

"N…no," he said before he too looked around. He had seen children but no babies among the bodies.

Shikoba placed Nita's body down before he went to where her home used to be a searched the ashes. When nothing he went to check other remains. He remembered there had been least four babies in the tribe when he left, but none were to be found.

"Do you think they took them?" Stein asked him, though he didn't know who they were. The night started to draw around them.

Shikoba didn't answer because at that moment, he found something. He raised it to the light of the setting sun and traced the neat black feather attached to the end of an arrow. The feather was not of a nearby bird, but he had seen it before when he was a child.

"Shikopa! Wait!" Stein shouted as he followed his friend who carried the body of his sister to a newly dug grave.

"I will find him Nita," he said as he reached the grave, "I promise you"

Then he mounted Pucha. The feathered serpent was able to read at once what the boy wanted, so it took off towards the direction he wanted. Stein followed close behind, wondering if his father was close to reaching them. He hoped he was because he didn't know what to do for exception of following Shikopa.

****PRESENT****

Hagnes stood in the port as the ship started to close on their island. Kara crooned softly before nudging the hand of her rider. Hagnes patted her gently, but her eyes never left the ship. It was a week too early for them to arrive. She didn't like it at all. Around, volunteers stood guard waiting for the boat's arrival. Among them were her friends. She could see right away they were excited at the prospect of seeing the dragons of other lands. She admitted to herself she too was excited. As the ship came closer, she finally recognized the flag. It was a tribe that lived not that far away from them.

"The Anglii," she said at once thinking of the dragons that grew in their island. They came from an island close to Northern England and Ireland. They learnt to ride from an explorer from their tribe that settled there after a hundred years from Hiccup's time. That was how far the story went before the bloodshed started. When she saw the large cargo ship arrive her whole body tensed. The Berkerians and The Angliis still crashed in opinions back three hundred years ago, at times simply out of spite for each other. They shared a history that she was not proud of.

"Here he is," she heard Ashton say before he dragged Carlos, the messenger to stand before her, "explain yourself. Why are they here?"

"The Angliis?" he said in a curious tone, "no idea, though I suspect they want to gain your favor before anyone else. The others won't be happy about this"

"What do you mean?" she asked, but he only smiled smugly at her, "speak!"

"You got nothing to worry about Chief," he said, and Hagnes caught a hint of bitterness on his voice, "they all want you on their favor"

She didn't like the sound of that, "Ashton, come with me" she said before they got on their dragons, leaving Carlos in the care of Runi and Runa. They landed on the deck of the ship where at once at least a dozen guns were pointed at them. All of the men wore dark marine suits. They didn't match any coastal guard uniform that she knew of. Both Ashton and she stood their ground.

"Put your weapons down," she heard a male voice before the men did and then they parted to let him pass. A man almost six feet tall made his way to them followed by a boy of about ten years. The man had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and remarkably light skin even in comparison to the people of Berk who lived father north. He seemed to be in his mid thirties. They were able to tell right away the boy was his son as he had the same characteristics, for exception of his height and the surprised look he kept on Hagnes as they approached.

"Are you the chief of the Anglii?" she kept her tone firm as she regarded both analytically. She was glad that Carlos had at least slipped on telling her that the Dragon Council communicated mainly in English.

"Yes, my name is Oliver Miller. Is a pleasure finally to meet the legend in the flesh," he offered her a charming smile before extending his hand towards her. She got off Kara, followed closely by Ashton and went to shake hands with him.

"I wish I could say the same," she felt his grip falter, "Why are you here earlier than accorded?"

"For two simple reasons," he said with a spark in his eyes. Hagnes didn't like it at all; "The first to assist you with the preparations as the rest of the Dragon Council will have certain expectations regarding their welcoming and the second…" he stood to the side so they could see the boy who had been hiding behind his father, "so that my son Daniel finally got to meet you. He is a big admirer of yours"

The boy opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it before turning an intriguing shade of red.

"It's an honor to meet you Daniel," Hagnes said leaning down and stretched her hand forwards. He looked at her hand as if he had never seen one before clasping it with all his strength. Hagnes couldn't help to smile a little.

"The… the honor is all mi… mine," he said before he was caught by her green eyes.

"What do you mean by expectations?" Ashton said as Hagnes stood next to him again.

"And you are?" Oliver asked, trying and failing awfully at hiding his displeasure at being addressed by a man he didn't consider to be in his level.

Hagnes gave him a frosty look. At once, Oliver understood that he was meant to treat the man like an equal.

"Ashton Hofferson," he said with a sly smile, "I am part of Berk's security team, I need to know what you meant by expectations"

"We understand the tribe of Berk hasn't had been part of a meeting in about three hundred years, and as the chosen host…" Hagnes raised an eyebrow at hearing this, "I imagined that some assistance would be welcomed"

Hagnes had some basic ideas of what was expected at the meetings from the old records her family had kept, but she knew some things must had changed since then. She was for a moment in debate with herself as of what to do.

"We need more details," Hagnes told him before noting the sun was starting to set, "tomorrow morning we will talk" she said before she mounted Kara, "I will ask that neither you nor your crew leave the ship in the meanwhile. If you need anything, let the guards know. Good evening" and then she and Ashton took off not bothering to wait for a response.

"Father?" asked Daniel. He knew well his father hated to be told what to do.

"You heard the lady son;" he did his best to keep his temper in control "tomorrow we will talk"

When Oliver reached his room in the ship, he didn't waste a moment and made a call.

"She won't be easy to convince," he said over the phone, "we might have to resort to more underhanded methods"

**** To Be Continued ****

PLEASE REVIEW + FAVE + FOLLOW