Stoick the Vast woke with a start. It was not uncommon for him to wake up grasping for whatever weapon he had stashed under his pillow. It took him a half second for his senses to return to him, they were not experiencing a raid from a horde of dragon raiders. The peace had been around for almost four years now and yet it was still something he couldn't quite get used to. He sighed as he put his weapon away and he threw on his bear cloak (He slept in his armor, some habits are hard to break) and placed his familiar horned helm on top of his head as he walked out of his home and when he saw that the village had not faced some unknown disaster while in his sleep made him sigh in relief, this archipelago would always be dangerous and one could never know what kind of natural disaster could strike next.

The chief walked down the stairs to the village center, despite it being early fall he felt no need to cover up his arms even when there was still frost on the grass from the freezing overnight temperatures. Life began to spring up in his village again as the townsfolk started coming out of their houses slowly but surely. Now that the harvest was over many of the farmers were lending extra hands to help out with the other various jobs around Berk like fishing, herding, cutting timber and working the mines and quarry. With dragons now helping doing most of the heavy lifting production rates skyrocketed and when winter would come around there would be even less work to be done allowing many families to rest for days, sometimes for weeks on end as shifts for cutting lumber for firewood and working the mines and fishing where the only jobs left to do.

Stoick entered the great hall and walked over to see his friend Gobber passed out over his work (cleaning up the library) with various documents spread over the table he was sitting at, his empty tankard hand still attached.

"Gobber, Wake up you shoddy excuse of a viking" Stoick exclaimed as he lightly beat upon his battle brothers head to wake him up.

"Ghah!" the blacksmith shouted with a start as he back pedaled out of his seat and right onto his arse on the cold floor of the meade hall.

"Didn't your mum ever teach ya to leave sleeping vikings lie?"

"Only the ones who don't smell like old trolls, How is your little project coming along? Fishlegs is training all new potential riders with terrors and it's only a matter of time before they start climbing on whatever beast is near them and take to the sky, I want you and Hiccup to start finding a way to streamline the saddle making process before the young ones become bored out of their mind this winter."

"It's on my to-do list Stoick, but I have been rereading some of the entries by Hiccup Haddock the first, let me ask you Stoick, what do you know about him?

Stoick raised an eyebrow and started digging into his memory banks about what little he knew of his ancestors off the top of his head

"He was the patriarch of the Haddock clan, the first viking to step foot on Berk, decided that the dragons were nothing we vikings couldn't handle, and went on to become the first chief, why do you ask?"

"He wasn't the only viking in the archipelago at the time, there were the group of vikings that would become the Bogs as well as the Meatheads, the reason the alliance between our three tribes are the strongest is because we all set out into this archipelago at the same time Stoick! The other tribes came soon after."

"What are you getting at Gobber?"

"Your ancestor Hiccup owned a ship and took his clan with him and many clans also, but they were all funded by their Jarl, their king Berk the Bold! As a plan to expand his kingdom."

"What happened?"

"We came, we saw, we settled, we fought, and we never left. Hiccup couldn't send word back because unless it was an effort to run for their lives, any other attempt would have been foiled by the dragon raiders that lurked in the fog. The tribes that followed after were those that survived the fog looking for us! By coming here to see our fate tribes like the Uglythugs and the Beserkers became trapped here as well. Our kin on the mainland probably thinks we are dead."

Stroick nodded, all the tribes had worked hard to earn each other's respect, they were all equals, but to have a new person from the outside claim everything they worked centuries for would be cruel act of fate. Stoick sighed

"Just as well, I have no need for whatever Jarl Berk's successor has to offer. This is my home!"

That may very well be Stoick, but this is a time of peace and prosperity. How much more territory will Berk expand and claim? How much longer will it be before we begin to leave the archipelago and see what lies beyond. Only trader johann knows, and he is a little... out there."

Stoick nodded "We gather our strength and deal with it when it becomes a problem"

"But when will it be a problem Stoick? You may never have to deal with what lies beyond the borders, but what about Hiccup and whatever spawns he creates? What if another tribe acts first and reaps all the benefits?"

Stoick could list off all his weaknesses off on one hand and still have enough finger left over to strangle a bear, but one of them was anything regarding his legacy, Hiccup was chief among his priorities. He would not let his son shoulder anything he could not handle himself, and he sure as Hel would not shoulder the burden of whatever lies beyond the archipelago onto his son's shoulders. Surely there would be no harm in taking a peek at what lies beyond and blaze a easy to follow trail for his son to follow.

"Alright, alright. New plan: Me and Hiccup find whatever is left of Berk the Bold, do the whole diplomatic dance with whoever the new Jarl is, negotiate some trade deals, and hightail it back before the ice sets in. What do you think?"

"Remember the diplomatic part of it, I don't care how all high and mighty whoever is in charge there is, he or she will probably be replaced before too long so don't make us go to war just because some daffy Jarl thinks his cock is bigger than yours alright?"

"That is why I am bringing Hiccup along, he has a knack for tolerating that kind of thing, and I have knack for pulling his arse out of whatever trouble he manages to find himself into."

Hiccup was spending his afternoon in the academy all by is lonesome, with the exception of Toothless, again. The gang had managed to find other ways of spending their time now that there was peace on Berk, on both dragon and viking terms. Even Astrid spent more time training along side the Berk guard than flying with him and Toothless. His saddle had become a bit worn down after so much constant use so he took this time to make some quick repairs, already brainstorming new way to improve the saddle, as well as the tail, and his leg.

Hiccup could hear his father long before he could see him come down the academy entrance.

"Dad, what are you doing here? is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine son, or at least I hope it will be. Look a special job has come up that could shake up the archipelago pretty hard if not handled properly, it isn't a problem yet but I want to handle it before it becomes one, and I want you with me."

"Sure thing dad"

"I have Spitelout prepping the flagship, get your stuff together, we are leaving at noon."

"Why so soon?"

"I don't want to many details about the full scope of what is going on until this situation is defused, besides, we are vikings! got to be quick on your feet."

"Is toothless coming?"

"If he is bring the emergency tail, once we are out of the archipelago he has to remain up high in the air where he will be unnoticed unless it is safe or an emergency comes up."

"Wait, we are leaving the archipelago?"

"SHH!" He exclaimed, pressing a huge finger to his lip and covering his sons entire lower face with his large hand

"I will explain everything on the way, but for now get a move on!"

Hiccup nodded and He and Toothless flew over to his home and quickly packed away all the clothing he would need as well as a spare leg, parts for reapring Toothless's tail and saddle and his journal and charcoal pencil, his gronckle iron shield and sword and other odds and ends in about a quarter hour fury of packing shit into Toothless's saddle bags. He quickly donned his new riding gear and quickly left a note with chores Astrid and Fishlegs could do in their spare time while he was gone for however long.

Toothless and Hiccup flew over to the docks where Berks flagship the Sea beast was moored. A Drakkar she was fully armed and with the help of a few dragons she was fully provisioned for the voyage ahead. Hiccup, Gobber and Astrid had a hand in enhancing one of the few ships to survive the Red Deaths onslaught and refitted her with iron reinforced sides as well as a ice ram on her bow. The sudden activity didn't go unnoticed by the sleepy village and soon most of the people who where not working today, as well as the gang soon swarmed the docks with questions, Stoick defused the situation by saying quickly that Hiccup and himself had a quick errand to run and would return in a couple of weeks. Hiccup gave Astrid and Fishelegs the list he made as well as some last minute instructions. As they where about to cast off Hiccup volunteered to scout ahead with Toothless until they left the archipelago in case of a freak migration of dragons and Stoick agreed letting his energetic son burn some energy off flying his reptile before having to spend a better part of a week grounded.

Hiccup and Toothless soon left their home well to their rear as they flew south east, following the sun and dancing with the clouds Toothless let out a happy roar and Hiccup joined him. Foolishly thinking they where ready for what was to come.

These first couple of chapters are going to be a bit original and of my own creation, but for the most part it will losely follow the main storyline of Race to the Edge, Now I know you are cringing already and I do not blame you, i would too. BUT this is not going to be a retelling of RTTE with Elsa involved. so please do not let that scare you off, this is hopefully going to be about a shy princess being tossed head first into a world of crazy viking with inhuman strength and a whole host of dragon that will make probably traumatize her. please leave reviews!

cover art belongs to Authress on Deviantart and I do not own