Once they were outside, mother and son mounted their dragons and flew over the water. Soon all the dragons from the nest were behind them.
"Hey, I thought you said we were going to eat?" Hiccup asked curiously as he looked at the dragons.
Valka came to a stop. "Oh we are." She held up a hand, motioning for him to stop.
The water below them began to bubble and from its depths the Alpha emerged and as he went back down fish came pouring out of his mouth. In the matter of a second it was raining fish and dragons were flying everywhere, getting their catch.
Valka watched as Hiccup held on tightly to his saddle as Toothless caught as many fish as his mouth could fit. She laughed joyously at the two.
Once feeding time was over, the two of them landed their dragons on an ice stack. Hiccup took a carefully concealed book out of his leather chest armour and showed it to her.
"What is that?" Valka asked.
"This," Hiccup opened the book, "Is a map of all the islands Toothless and I have discovered in the past five and a half years."
He unfolded the map and began explaining each island that he had charted and named. Valka was inspired, she took her staff and began to draw all that she had seen in the past twenty years. Nearby, Toothless a large icicle in his mouth and was doodling something, she couldn't make out. She looked down at her son, who just shrugged.
Toothless finished his drawing and tried to drop the icicle that was now stuck to his tongue. Mother and son just laughed.
Hiccup laid as straight as he could and held on to his saddle while they floated above the sea in the massive winds that held them aloft. Valka smiled at the joy on her son's face as he looked her.
She started walking across the dragons wings. As she walked across Toothless' she ruffled her son's hair the best she could before jumping off and landing on Cloudjumper.
Together they flew upwards. Valka sat down and breathed in deeply. "When I'm up here, I don't even feel the cold. I just feel-"
"Free," Hiccup finished.
Valka stretched out her arms closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "This is what is to be a dragon, Hiccup."
Hiccup just shrugged as he unhooked his prosthetic leg from the stir-up attached to the Night Fury's saddle and pulled a small lever. "It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon." He stood up on the back of his dragon. "But can you fly?" Her son then jumped off and plummeted downwards.
Fearing that her son had lost his mind, she looked downwards just as he was pulling some kind of cords on his legs. Out of each pant leg popped out a flap that he grabbed with his hands. Her son was soaring through the air with Toothless trying to catch up to him.
She flew downwards just as he was turning over. She turned up right next him. They shared a smile as he turned over again. Her son's happiness soon turned into a fear as he headed for a rock. Toothless was after him and pumping his wings as hard as he could.
Valka watched as the two landed in the snow, both okay. Hiccup was jumping up down, excitedly. Toothless on the other hand just swung his tail under the rider, causing him to fall backwards. This made it clear that his son was an adrenaline junkie. He got off on doing stupid, dangerous stunts like the one he just pulled.
Valka landed nearby and rushed over to her son. She quickly started studying his flying invention. "Incredible."
Hiccup stuffed the flaps back into their pockets. "You're not so bad yourself."
She moved to where she was looking her son in the eyes, and placed her hand on his cheek. She quickly pulled it away, fearing rejection of touch. Hiccup stared at her, almost pleadingly, wanting something he had been robbed of for twenty long years.
Slowly Valka placed her hand on his cheek. Hiccup leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, cherishing the feeling.
"All this time you took after me," she stated as she pulled her hand back. "And where was I? I'm so sorry Hiccup. Can we start over? Will you give me another chance?" Valka wanted to be in her son's life more than anything. "I can teach you that I've learned these past twenty years."
Valka walked over to Toothless and pressed down on the back of his neck. "Like this." The Night Fury's spikes opened up.
"Wow," the twenty year old said in amazement.
"Now he can make those tight turns," she explained as the dragon happily closed and opened them repeatedly. He jumped over to his rider and repeated the motion.
"Did you know about this?" Hiccup asked looking down at his dragon.
Valka chuckled. "Every dragon has its secrets. And I will show them all to you. We'll unlock every mystery, and find every last species together, as mother and son."
Nearby Toothless was playing the snow, enjoying his new ability. Cloudjumper dumped the snow that was on his head, on to Toothless, who just shook it off.
Hiccup and Valka chuckled at the sight of the happy Night Fury. For a second she wonder just how close her son and the dragon actually were.
"This gift we share," she explained as she took her sons hands into her's. "It bonds us. This is who you are, son. Who we are. We will change the world for all dragons. We'll make it a better, safer place."
"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "I mean, that sounds amazing."
Happy, Valka let go of his hands and pulled him into a hug. For a few brief seconds she feared that he would not hug back, but he did. It was the greatest feeling in the world for both of them. They stayed in each other's arm for a moment before pulling away.
"Oh this is so great," Hiccup exclaimed as his lips broke into a grin. "Now you and I can go talk to Drago, together."
"What?" she chuckled, wondering what made her son think that he could talk sense into that madman. 'He's probably stubborn like his father.' she thought. "There's no talking to Drago."
"We have to," Hiccup insisted.
"No, we must protect our own," Valka stated, firmly, ending the discussion. "Come on. We should be getting back."