A/N:...And here's something new. This story is dedicated to Inhonoredglory, who was a great inspiration. I own nothing. Enjoy.

The Time of Heroes

Ch. 1 The Dragon Slayer

"Don't be afraid."

Those words have whispered in his ears for the past sixteen years. At the time they were spoken marked three events; when he had shed tears for the first time in his life, the day he held his son for the first time, and when he had been truly, honestly afraid. He wasn't a man that scared easily, not even these strong winds, heavy rains, and monstrous waves could install fear into his stout heart.

For Beowulf, son of Ectheow, squalls in the open sea were just another obstacle to overcome but for a boy with bright red hair, green eyes, a leather band around his head and just the beginning of chin hair, what he was doing out here was a mystery.

"Wiglaf," Beowulf called. "You should be hunkering down by the mast, with the cargo."

"I'm getting soaked either way," Wiglaf called back, making his way towards the bow, grasping each rope for dear life lest he be lost to the waves. "Plus I don't think I would want to miss this."

"Nothing to see but the wind and the rain for now," Beowulf said, gesturing towards the surrounding storm. Wiglaf looked towards the sky, then back at Beowulf. "And there are no stars to navigate by," he said. "Do you fear we are lost, taken by the sea?"

"The sea is my mother!" Beowulf answered over the roar of the storm. "She'd never take me back to her murky womb." Wiglaf made it to the bow and stood beside Beowulf. "What does that mean for me?" he asked. "I think she'd be more than happy to meet her grandson." Beowulf laughed, putting a hand on Wiglaf's shoulder, "No, my son. Nothing will take you from me." Then he turned back to the sea and yelled, "NOT EVEN THIS DEMON'S TEMPEST!"

Wiglaf smiled, then turned to the men and yelled, "Who wants to live?" There was a resounding cry of "We do!" amongst the oarsmen. Beowulf smiled to himself, Wiglaf always had a way with the men. It would come in handy later when he becomes Chief. "Then row!" Wiglaf cried. "For Geatland! For your clan! For GLORY!"

::

The storm had damaged much of Berk but nothing that was beyond repair. In fact Hiccup was 'helping' his father, Stoick, in fixing the roof of their house. "So what's the damage?" Hiccup asked from at the bottom of the ladder. "Not too bad," Stoick answered, inspecting the roof. "The roof caved in a bit so that will have to be repaired."

"It's over my room, isn't it?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms. "So to speak," Stoick answered. "Well they say a little sun is suppose to be good for you," Hiccup joked. "Hiccup if your done making jokes," his father said. "Then perhaps you could head down to the forge and get me a few nails."

"And end this gripping conversation we're having?" "Hiccup," his father groaned. "Alright," he said, holding his arms up in defense. "I'm going." He turned to the large dragon that was dozing in the yard. "Come on Toothless," Hiccup said, waving his arm. The dragon perked up and followed Hiccup down the road towards the forge.

"There ye go," Gobber said, handing Hiccup a leather bag of nails. "Fifty fresh iron nails fer ya." "Thanks Gobber," Hiccup said, taking the bag. "My dad really appreciates this."

"He better," Gobber said, returning to sharpening an axe. 'Probably one of Astrid's,' Hiccup thought. "It's not like I have all day to work the forge," Gobber said. "I still have to clean the Academy, ye know." "Well when I'm done helping my dad," Hiccup said, throwing the bag over his shoulder. "I'll round up the gang and we'll give you a hand, so to speak." Gobber smiled, "Thanks lad, now off ye go. Finish helpin' yer dad and I'll see ye later."

"Thanks, Gobber," Hiccup waved as he walked back up the hill towards his house, with Toothless in tow.

"Hey, Hiccup," a voice called from behind him. "Hey, Astrid," Hiccup waved as she came up the road, carrying boards of lumber on her shoulder, coming to stand to Hiccup's right. "Hey, Toothless," she said, while giving the dragon a small wave. Toothless gave Astrid a nod at her in acknowledgment before lying down the ground, knowing that their conversations can go on.

"I see your house didn't escape the storm's wrath, either," indicating to the wood she was carrying. "Yeah," she said, readjusting the weight on her shoulder. "Whole roof nearly came off, so my dad's redoing the whole thing. You?"

"Just a convenient reason for my dad to add another hatch in the roof." Hiccup then puffed up his chest and did one of his imitations of his father. "You never know when something like this will come in handy, Hiccup. Say the island sinks into the ocean and we're trapped inside the house. Instead of drowning we can just climb out the ceiling."

Astrid smiled, "Very good. But you know if he ever sees you doing that, he'd probably. . . you know what I don't even want to think about it. It'd be horrible."

"You think so?" Hiccup asked with a smirk. "Then it must be good."Astrid smiled, "So after helping your dad, you got any plans later?" "I was hoping you and the others would help Gobber and I clean up the Academy," Hiccup said. Astrid's smile faded, "You really expect me to help you after that stunt you pulled last week during training." Hiccup gulped and felt heat rise to his cheeks. 'I was hoping you had forgotten about that,' Hiccup thought.

He swore by Odin's beard that it was an accident and he still felt bad about it. Astrid knew that and she used it to tease him. What had happen was that they were trying to determine who could get as low as they could to the water without touching it.

Astrid and Stormfly were up next and Hiccup was feeling mischievous that day. He urged Toothless forward and only meant to make her jump. Not have Stormfly reeling back and Astrid losing her balance and landing in the water. She was uninjured but she looked pretty mad when she came up. Hiccup had apologized fervently, but she didn't say a word to him the entire day.

But to be honest, she wasn't mad at him, she actually thought it was pretty funny but she thought Hiccup deserved a bit of punishment for the mean trick he pulled. "How many times do I have to apologize for that?" Hiccup asked. Astrid smirked and cocked one of her eyebrows.

Hiccup groaned, "What do you want me to say? That I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, am the scum of the earth. I am the lowliest of creatures, I am not even fit to wallow with the worms and-"

"What is that?" she cut him off. Hiccup gave her a confused look. "This is me giving you another heartfelt apology."

"Not that," she said, shaking her head. "That," She pointed behind him, out to sea. Hiccup turned, trying to see what Astrid was indicating to. He set the bag of nails on the ground and shielded his eyes with his hands from the midday sun, then he saw it. A small dot on the horizon. "That can't be one of ours." Astrid said aloud, setting the stack of boards on the ground. "Most of our ships were damaged in the storm."

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup agreed. "So who could it be?" A worried look crossed over Astrid's face. "Do you think it could be Alvin?" Hiccup turned to her and said, "Only one way to find out." Hiccup called over to Toothless and the dragon immediately perked up. "Okay, buddy," Hiccup said, stroking his ears. "Ready to go for a ride?" Toothless gave a grin and hummed something unintelligible, Hiccup returned the grin with a smile of his own, then climbed onto the saddle on Toothless' back, his prosthetic leg clicking into place. He then felt Astrid get on behind him and wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist. He felt the heat return to his cheeks and sheepishly asked, "Are you gong to be okay back there?"

"I'll be fine, "she whispered into his ear, her breath hot in his ear. "Just as long as you don't make me fall into the water again."

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Hiccup asked just as Toothless leaped into skies.

::

After the storm had passed, the clouds gave way to blue skies and a warm sun. With this fair weather, Beowulf had ordered the sail hoisted and gave his men some much needed rest. Beowulf lay in the middle of the deck, his head propped up against the mast and he was beginning to doze. Wiglaf was on his left, busying himself with another one of his wooden carvings. Unferth, his lieutenant, who was to his right, was going through the sea charts to determine their location.

"As far as I can determine," Unferth said. "The storm blew us off course by about fifteen miles East." "Is that bad?" Wiglaf asked sarcastically, not even looking from his work. "This could cost us another day to reach our destination," Unferth answered, not taking too kindly to Wiglaf's sarcasm. "Unferth," Beowulf said, his eyes still closed. "The boy meant no offense." "I meant a little," Wiglaf said. Beowulf gave a small chuckle. "My lord," Unferth said. "Another day at sea means another day of supplies gone."

"Do we not have enough?" Wiglaf asked, fully knowing the answer. "We do," answered Unferth. "But it makes the situation that much more difficult and puts more pressure on us."

"You worry to much," Wiglaf said. "As he should," Beowulf spoke up, propping himself up with his arm. "Wiglaf, if we didn't have someone to fuss over the things like supplies, then where would we be? Half-way home with no food or coin." "Thank you, my lord," Unferth said. "And Unferth," Beowulf said. "Wiglaf is just making fun. Don't take everything he says to heart." "Yes, my lord," Unferth said, with a nod. "Now if this 'lover's quarrel' has ended," Beowulf said, laying back down. "I would like to rest now."

He then interlaced his fingers over his chest and closed his eyes, his breathing became steady and he was asleep. Wiglaf and Unferth turned to each other, exchanged looks, then smiled. Despite appearances, Wiglaf liked Unferth and knew that the feeling was mutual. In truth he liked to bicker with Unferth for he knew that he would always put up a good argument and Wiglaf always enjoyed a good debate.

Hours passed, Unferth reviewed his charts, Beowulf slept in the warmth of the sun, and Wiglaf's block of wood had slowly turned into a small soldier the size of his thumb, complete with sword and shield. "How many does that make?" Unferth asked. "Seventeen," answered Wiglaf, placing the figure in his knapsack, with the others he has made. "How many more will you make?" he asked. "Until I feel I have enough," was Wiglaf's reply. Unferth nodded and went back to the charts. Wiglaf put his knife to another block a wood, intending to start anew, when suddenly the watchman at the bow cried, "Land, ho!".

This roused Beowulf from his sleep. He stood up and made for the bow, with Wiglaf and Unferth in tow. When they reached the watchman, they saw it: an island off in the distance. "Unferth?" Beowulf asked. "It's not on the charts," he answered with a shake of his head.

"Can we pass it?" Wiglaf asked. "We can," Unferth answered. "But it would be unwise."

"This island isn't on the charts, yet is close to our destination, and therefore can be used as a base of operations."

"How far are we from the lands of the North?" "When we left Geatland, we were about forty miles away. If we land on this island, then we should be twenty-five miles, maybe less." Unferth turned to Beowulf and said, "My lord this island could be filled with untapped resources. Food, fresh water, maybe even some medicinal herbs."

"Or could be populated with hostile natives," Wiglaf added. "That is a possibility," Unferth acknowledged. "But its nothing we haven't handled before." Beowulf stood silent for a moment, weighing his options. They could continue on, they had more than the necessary amount of supplies needed but the storm added more unknown variables.

If they go to the island, then there are four possible outcomes: The island is completely devoid of life but could still be used as a staging ground, the island is uninhabited but has fresh water and food, there are people living on the island and they are friendly, or there are people there and they are hostile. But even if they were hostile, its nothing that they couldn't overcome. He turned and viewed the dozens of ships behind his, the flagship. There were many ships of different designs and origins, reflecting the diverse force he was leading.

There were the drekars that were used by his people, the brothers Vainamoinen and Ilmarinen, their kinsmen, Lemminkainen, and Vercingetorix and his Celts. There were boats with flat bottoms and used a stern-mounted hanging central rudder called cogs that were used by Roland, his war captain, and his Paladins.

Then there was Iolaus of Marathon and Cicero with his Centurion Legionaries who used vessels called triremes. Ships with three decks stacked on top of each other to position more oarsmen and a bronze prow designed for ramming and sinking enemy ships.

Song Wu and his forces used strange ships known as junks. Instead of the rounded, smooth designs he had typically seen on ships; junks were more squared, even the sails. But its designed for carrying large amounts of cargo and that made them very valuable. Pratap, the leader of a tribe known as the Rajput, used small vessels usually used for trading that had been converted for war called Dhows.

Altogether, Beowulf's forces numbered in the tens of thousands and more were on the way. If landing on this island resulted in battle, which he hoped it didn't, he had the men and the resources to win. And then Beowulf made his decision, he turned to Unferth and his son, then to his thanes and cried, "To your oars, thanes!"

His men responded quickly and where in position in moments. "Fortune smiles on us, men! After a bitter night, fate has given us clear skies and a place for rest. Heave your oars and we will have a place for a few nights, then we will continue on our journey."

The men gave a resounding cry of acknowledgment. "But reserve some of your strength should this worse happen," he added somberly, before turning back to the bow. "Unferth," he said. "Signal the other ships to follow us to the island."

"It shall be done, my lord." Unferth said before bowing, then moving towards the stern.

Beowulf then moved to stand beside Wiglaf once more. "Get your blade, Wiglaf," Beowulf ordered. Wiglaf turned to him, surprised, and asked, "Do you think it will come to that?" Wiglaf had never been in battle, he was too young. In fact the only reason he ever even carried a sword as for sparring practice with with his father or, occasionally, Unferth.

"It never hurts to be prepared," he answered, starring off into the distance. He then turned to Wiglaf, his blue eyes soft and serene; Wiglaf had never seen him like this. "Go, Wiglaf," he whispered. Wiglaf then turned and went to his belongings. Beowulf then turned back to the island that was closer now. A cool breeze blew through his hair and tickled his cheek; then came a strong smell of roses. He then whispered, "Is that you...Bria?"

::

"Here are the nails," Stoick said, kneeling down on the ground, sifting through the leather bag of nails. "But where is Hiccup?" After Hiccup didn't return home, Stoick had gone looking for him. Halfway to Gobber's, Stoick had found a bag of nails and a stack of wooden boards. The nails were definitely from Hiccup but were did the boards come from? 'Gobber will know,' Stoick concluded.

He picked up the bag of nails, then the stack of boards. As he he stood up, a breeze came from behind, blowing a nearby rose bush, causing its loose petals to take flight. He watched the petals fly out to sea before making his way to Gobber's.

"The nails were for Hiccup," Gobber told Stoick. "And Astrid had the boards." "Well that explains were he went," Stoick said, rolling his eyes. "Running off to spend time with a girl." "Yeah," Gobber said, nodding. "Reminds me of you." "What you talking about?" Stoick asked, even though he knew full well what he meant. "Come on," Gobber said. "How many times did you sneak away from your dad to go see Valhallarama?"

A blush could barely be seen on Stoick's cheeks but it was there. "That's different," Stoick said. "The only difference," Gobber said. "Is that Hiccup probably hasn't snuck out at night yet." "Well have you seen them?" Stoick asked, purposely changing the subject. "Not at the same time," Gobber answered. "Probably went off flying," Stoick said, exasperated. "I thought we were passed this, Gobber. I thought we were starting to understand each other. I thought-"

"What is that?" Gobber asked, interrupting him. "I'm trying to tell you the problems I'm having with Hiccup." Stoick answered, confused as to why Gobber would asked that. "Not that," Gobber said, shacking his head. "That," he said, pointing behind Stoick, out to sea.

Stoick turned around and just of the horizon was a boat. "No one in their right mind would have sailed through that storm," Stoick asserted. "Then that must be someone not in their right mind." Gobber said. "Alvin?" Stoick asked. "I don't think even he's foolish enough to brave a storm like that," Gobber said. "Then who?" Stoick asked, more to himself. He looked around for a moment and wished that he knew where Hiccup was. He turned back to Gobber and said, "Go find Spitelout. Tell him to gather the others, we may have a fight on our hands.

::

As they neared the horizon, Hiccup and Astrid had discovered that the one ship turned into two ships, then three, then four, then ten. More and more came into view, until they spanned across the entire horizon line. A fleet like this easily dwarfed that of Berk's. "There must be dozens of them," Astrid said, looking in awe of all the ships. "Hundreds, even." She then turned to Hiccup and asked, "Where you do you think they're heading?" "After a storm like last night," Hiccup said. "They'd probably head to the nearest land to rest and resupply." "They must be heading for Berk then," Astrid concluded. Hiccup watched as the ships steadily began to pick up speed, the gap between them and Berk beginning to close.

"Look at those over there," Astrid said, pointing to strange looking ships on the left flank of the fleet. These were ships neither Hiccup nor Astrid had ever seen, some ships with multiple decks stacked on top of each other and others had strange squared sails. The possibility of this being Alvin the Treacherous, leader of the Outcasts, was becoming very unlikely. "Let's go in for a closer look, see who it really is," Astrid said. "Right," Hiccup nodded, before maneuvering Toothless to descend, heading towards the lead ship.

What Hiccup assumed was the flagship was a long drekar with a dark blue sail. As he neared the ship, he saw that the sail depicted a profile of a wolf in a circle a lighter blue than the sail, then his attention fell on the man at the bow. He was the only one who wasn't busying himself with some duty on the ship and Hiccup determined from the way he stood proudly at the bow, that he was the leader.

He was tall and muscular, from what Hiccup could tell from the distance he was at and the armor he was wearing. He wore the traditional mail shirt, with breastplate, cape, vambraces, dark blue trousers, faulds and leather boots. His hair and matching beard so blonde that it almost appeared white, and there was a piece of leather tied around his forehead. Before he could take in this man's appearance further, he turned to their direction and saw them. He stared at them briefly before shouting, "Dark Seeker!"

::

"Dark Seeker!" Beowulf shouted. Unferth, Wiglaf, and the few remaining thanes, brothers Eofor and Wulf, who were not rowing, moved to the bow to stand beside Beowulf. They immediately saw it: a black dragon that every warrior on that ship recognize, a Dark Seeker. Before Wiglaf was born, the land of the Geats was besieged much in the same way Berk had been. Dragons would routinely attack and decimate many villages, one in particular, however. That of the Waegmundings, Beowulf's clan.

Many types would attack and wouldn't be much of a problem but one stood out among the others, one was more feared then all the rest. Dark Seekers were among the deadliest of dragons, using the night sky to cloak their bodies. Many called it cowardice, using the darkness to strike when they are most vulnerable. Beowulf, however, thought it was brilliant; after all a dragon could never hold its ground in open combat against him. That was proven when he destroyed a Dark Seeker that plagued his land for many years that was known only as Grendel.

Eofor raised his bow and took aim. "Stay that arrow, Eofor," Beowulf ordered. His men turned to him, confused looks on their faces. "Look closely," Beowulf said, indicating towards the retreating dragon. They looked closer and even though they didn't have the extraordinary vision that their chief had, they were still able to make out two figures on the back of the dragon. "Are there... people on that dragon?" Wulf asked, not quite believing what he is seeing. "It appears so," Wiglaf said. "Who ever these people are," Beowulf said, still watching the dragon. "They've found a way to tame dragons." He turned to the others and said, "We may be in trouble." "Look on the bright side," Wiglaf said. "At least we know that its inhabited."

::

"That definitely wasn't Alvin," Astrid said, as Toothless sped away back towards Berk. "That's for sure," Hiccup agreed. "But who exactly were they?" Astrid asked. "No idea," Hiccup said. "But did you notice they didn't shoot even a single arrow at us?" "Are you saying they let us go?" Astrid asked. "It sure appears that way," Hiccup said. "Why would they do that?" Astrid asked. "I don't know." Hiccup answered.

"There must be a reason," Astrid asserted. "The smart thing would be to shoot us down." "Maybe they don't see us as the enemy," Hiccup suggested, hoping that these people intended no harm. "Or maybe they don't see us as a threat." Astrid added somberly.

That sentence made Hiccup shutter a bit. The man at the bow had looked at them so calmly, without a hint of fear in his face. What kind of a man would not see a Night Furry (or Dark Seeker as the man had put it) as a threat? 'A man who had seen and done a lot in his lifetime,' Hiccup concluded. "Toothless," Hiccup said. The dragon looked at him in acknowledgment. "I need you to go faster, buddy, okay?" Toothless gave a short nod then sped faster towards the island.

They landed just outside Hiccup's house and saw the mass of people heading towards docks. He scanned the crowd for any of his friends. "Fishlegs," Hiccup called. "Where's everyone going?" "Docks," Fishlegs answered. "Lot of ships heading this way."

"Where's my dad?" Hiccup asked. "Docks," Fishlegs repeated, then he blended in into the crowd and was gone. "We have to get to my dad," Hiccup said to Astrid. "Tell him what we saw." "Tell him what exactly?" Astrid asked. "He already knows they're coming." "But he doesn't know that this isn't Alvin or that they didn't shoot at us." Toothless then took flight and headed to the docks.

::

"If we are truly in danger," Eofor asked. "Then why did you have me hold my arrow." Beowulf looked at him and said, "Because they had a dragon and they didn't shoot first. Why would that be?" "They're scouts?" Wulf offered. "They were children," Beowulf said. "Probably not even as old as Wiglaf." "My lord," Unferth said. "Just because they didn't attack us doesn't mean that they mean us no harm. For all we know they could be gathering their full strength as we speak."

"What would you have me do, Unferth?" Beowulf asked. "Would you have me kill children now?" "I would have you do everything in your power to preserve your army," Unferth answered. Beowulf looked Unferth in the eye and asked, "Do you doubt me, Unferth?" Without a moments hesitation, Unferth answered, "I doubted you once before, my lord. I shall never do it again."

Beowulf raised an eyebrow. "Without good cause, my lord," Unferth added. Beowulf nodded. Experience had taught him that the actions of a commander should always be called into questioned every now and again. "Unferth," he addressed. "Signal the ships to hold back until I say so. We will scout the area ourselves." Unferth bowed and then made his way back to the stern.

"Wulf, Eofor," the two men nodded their acknowledgments. "Tell the other thanes to prepare themselves for battle." The brothers nodded and went about their business. "Wiglaf..." he said looking at his son. Wiglaf looked back at his father with large green eyes. Not since he was a child did he seem so small. "Be safe, Wiglaf." The boy nodded and went back to cargo hold, to gather his belongings.

If this island led his men to a fiery death, he would be the one out front when all Hel is unleashed. His left hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, "Hrunting, old friend," he whispered. "We may have some knife work need doing."

::

Stoick and Gobber stood over looking the docks. They watched as a drekar with a blue sail slowly moved into the harbor. "Dad," Stoick heard his son call from behind him. He turned and saw Hiccup and Astrid on top of Toothless sail over the crowd that had gathered. "Hiccup," he called. They landed right beside Stoick, where Astrid jumped off Toothless and Hiccup close behind her. "Where've you two been?" Gobber asked. "We were..." before Hiccup could finish he saw the position of the ship. "How could they have gotten this far?"

"Good sails and strong winds, I think," Gobber said. "Wait," Stoick said. "You went out there?" "We thought it might've been Alvin," Astrid said. "So we went out to see." "Well was it?" Stoick asked. "No," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "Its someone else." "Did you see any signs or markings that indicated as to who it was?" Stoick asked. "The sail of the lead ship had a wolf on it." Astrid said. Gobber stepped forward and asked, "A wolf? Are you sure?"

Both Hiccup and Astrid nodded. "Was it just a wolf's head or was it a full wolf?" Stoick asked. "Full wolf," Hiccup said. "Encased in a circle?" Gobber asked. Hiccup and Astrid turned to each other with raised eyebrows. "Yeah," Astrid said. "How did you know?" Gobber didn't answered. He turned to Stoick and said, "It couldn't be, could it? I mean its just a story."

"We'll see soon enough," Stoick said. Then he turned to Spitelout and said, "Keep the men here, I'll deal with this myself. If things go badly, use the dragons keep as many off the island as you can." Spitelout nodded. He then turned to Hiccup and said, "You and Gobber will accompany me." With that, he headed down to the docks, with Gobber and Hiccup in tow.

Stoick, Gobber, and Hiccup just made it to the end of the docks just as the boat laid off the port. "Hail!" cried one of the men in the boat, wearing a black cloak with blood-red trimming and matching tunic. "We wish to make port, will you allow it?" "I wish to know who asks for it before I give it," Stoick called back. "I'm Unferth and ask in the name of my lord and master," answered the man. "And who is your master?" Stoick asked. "Beowulf of Geatland," Unferth answered. "Ha!" Stoick laughed humorlessly. "Everyone knows that Beowulf is just a legend. A story to set an example of how to hunt dragons."

A second man came up from behind of Unferth, put his hand to his mouth and said, "Hail! I am Beowulf, son of Ectheow, and I am no story. We offer trade for friendship, will you allow it?" Stoick turned to Gobber. He silently nodded, Stoick turned back to the boat. "You may make port," Stoick called back. With permission given, the oarsmen began rowing the boat to the dock. When they neared, the oars on the port side were pulled in and a rope was thrown to the three Hooligans on the pier. Stoick and Gobber pulled the boat to the dock, while Hiccup tied it off.

As soon as the boat came to halt, Beowulf, Unferth, and a young man dressed similar to Beowulf, minus the armor, weapons, and cape, stepped off the boat onto the pier. Stoick and Beowulf stared at each other until Stoick said at last, "You're Beowulf." Beowulf nodded. Stoick released a breath he did not realize he was holding. "You're the Dragon Slayer..."