Author's Note: Hello everyone :) I was pleasantly surprised at how soon I got reviews for this story. All positive ones too. A special shout out to Cloaked Glydr for being the first reviewer. Thank you for your support!

Well, here's the second chapter. I hope it's as good as the first.


Kidnapping and Ransom

As Hiccup ran through the village, his thoughts were primarily focused on getting a boat, reaching Dragon Island, finding Toothless and the other dragons, and bringing them back to Berk so they can help fight off the Outcasts. Luck, unfortunately, was not on his side. Just as Hiccup reached the docks, he spotted another Outcast boat docking and looked out at sea just in time to see the main ship blocking the exit to the open water. Seeing no other option, Hiccup hid himself along the rock wall and crept along there until he was sure he was in a blind spot. Once he was sure he would not be seen, Hiccup ran back to the village as fast as his legs would take him.

He had hoped to find another way off of Berk so he could get to Dragon Island. Upon reaching the village, Hiccup was greeted by the looming shadows of the Outcasts coming his way. He tried to turn and run away, only to gasp at the sight of more Outcasts coming the way he came. Hiccup frantically looked around for a place to hide until he found a the porch of someone's house and quickly crawled underneath. The Outcasts did not see him and continued making their way through the abandoned village.

Hiccup breathed nervously as he thought to himself, 'Great. Now what do I do? I have to get to Toothless somehow. But if the Outcasts spot me, I'm a goner.'

While Hiccup was hiding, Alvin and Savage looked over the remains of the armory. Alvin grinned as he picked up a bent sword and said with a laugh, "Looks like Stoick isn't as armed as we thought."

"From the looks of the armory, he's not armed at all," said Savage, also laughing.

As the Outcasts looked around the village for any inhabitants, Hiccup took the first chance he could to sneak out of his hiding place and find another one. While Hiccup hid behind another house, he saw that Alvin and Savage had found his house.

"Should I knock?" Alvin asked, "I mean, what's the proper etiquette in these situations?"

There was a short pause, as though waiting for an answer, and then Alvin kicked the door, breaking it. Hiccup, having seen that from his hiding place, felt really nervous for himself if he was caught; it he could break a door with one kick, imagine what damage he could do to a person. He started to wonder if he should have gone to the caves with the others.

"Seems about right," said Alvin to Savage. He then stepped inside and shouted, "Stoick! Show your face!"

Alvin turned his head left and right searching for Stoick. Unfortunately for him, his old enemy was no where to be found; the house was empty of any inhabitants.

Alvin growled and said, "The old coward's turned and run."

Hiccup heard that and glared at Alvin for saying that about his father; Stoick was by no means a coward, and one of these days Alvin was going to pay for calling him that! Hiccup then saw another Outcast walk inside his house. He figured the man had something that he wanted to report to Alvin and listened to what he had to say.

"Alvin, we spotted fresh tracks leading into the forest," the man said. Hiccup figured that must be his father and the others setting a trap. He nearly gasped at what he heard next, "I've heard reports of a big guy with a bucket on his head heading down to the beach."

"Oh no," Hiccup whispered to himself.

Alvin seemed to think this information over for a moment and then he said, "We'll split up into two groups." he pointed to four men and said, "You four head to the forest. The remaining men and myself will go to the beach. Savage, how many hostages do you suppose a Dragon Conqueror is worth?"

"I'd say seven or eight at least," Savage answered.

Unknown to Alvin or Savage, Hiccup was listening to their entire conversation and got ready to sneak away to warn Mulch and the others. Unfortunately, just as he was sneaking away, Hiccup bumped into something; actually, he bumped into someone . Hiccup looked up and saw that the person he bumped into was another Outcast. Hiccup tried to run away, but the Outcast swiftly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Let go of me!" Hiccup yelled, trying to pull his arm free.

"Not happening, kid," the Outcast said. He pulled his captive along with him and called to his leader, "Hey, Alvin! Look what I found hiding next to the house."

Alvin looked over at his man and saw that he had just captured Hiccup. Alvin smirked and said, "Well, what do we have here?"

Hiccup glared at Alvin, refusing to show fear, as said Outcast approached him. Alvin looked closely at Hiccup, as if examining him.

"Judging by the look of ya, I'd wadger you're Stoick's son," Alvin guessed, taking Hiccup by surprise. Alvin noticed Hiccup's shocked expression and smirked as he said, "Looks like I guessed right."

"How did you know?" Hiccup asked nervously.

"I'd heard from a reliable source that Stoick had a son that is a hiccup, who also happened to be named Hiccup," said Alvin, "That and you look like a combination of Stoick and a lady we both knew; Valka Jorgenson, younger sister of Spitelout. What beauty she was. Stoick didn't deserve her, you know."

"Leave my mother out of this!" Hiccup snapped and then tried charge at Alvin, only for the Outcast to hold him back.

Alvin then got a new idea. One that he thought would really guarantee his success. He could have Stoick bring him the Dragon Conqueror, and he now had the perfect bargaining chip.

"Change of plans, boys," said Alvin, "We'll have Stoick bring the Dragon Conqueror to us himself."

"You sure he'll do it?" an Outcast asked.

"He will when he hears we have his boy," said Alvin. He looked down at Hiccup and added, "Seven or eight villagers could get us the Dragon Conqueror, but one chiefs' son could guarantee we get him."

"You're absolutely right, Alvin," said Savage, "Let's send Stoick a message right away. I'm sure he must be worried sick about his precious child."

"My thoughts exactly, Savage," said Alvin, he then grabbed Hiccup's face and added, "And just imagine what he'll think when he hears that he's in the hands of the Outcasts."

Hiccup freed his face from Alvin's grasp and continued to glare at the Outcast leader. The man holding onto him then spoke up, "I'll bind the boy so he can't escape us while we wait here for his father and the Dragon Conqueror."

He got ready to lead the boy away and do just that when his leader stopped him. "Who said we were doing the trade here?" Alvin asked, "We're heading back to Outcast Island."

Hiccup's eyes widened in fear while another Outcast asked, "Why there, sir? Wouldn't it be just as easy to do it here?"

"You think I'm a fool?" Alvin asked, "This is Stoick's territory, so he has the advantage. He could have back up hiding in every corner of this village to get the boy back without giving us what we came for. I'd prefer to be the one who has the upper hand in this situation."

Hiccup then got an idea; if they were planning to take him away from Berk, he could use it to his advantage. However, he had to choose his words properly if he wanted to guarantee that he gets to Dragon Island and Toothless.; this may be his only chance, so he could not blow it.

"That might not be a good idea," said Hiccup.

Alvin looked at his hostage and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Taking me to Outcast Island might not be a good idea," said Hiccup, "My father would never agree to traveling to Outcast Island to make a trade. He would sooner lay seige to your island to take me back."

Alvin got in Hiccup's face and said, "You're bluffing."

"You know as well as I do that I'm not," said Hiccup, "The only sensible option is to meet at a neutral location. And I just so happen to know the perfect place."

"Oh yeah?" said Alvin, not sure whether or not to believe him, "Where?"

"There's an island not far from here that is unpopulated," said Hiccup, "We call it Dragon Island."

"Am I right to assume that the island got it's name because it's full of dragons?" Alvin asked.

"Pretty much," said Hiccup, who was starting to become worried that his plan would fail. And then, thinking quickly, "But there are a few places on the island that the dragons stay away from. I'm sure if we stay there everything will be okay."

Alvin pondered the boy's suggestion for a bit. And then he smiled and said, "That sounds perfect. Argo take the boy to the boat. We'll be along momentarily."

The man holding onto Hiccup, Argo, nodded and pulled the boy along with him to the docks. Alvin, Savage, and the rest of the men stayed behind to write the message to Stoick. Alvin even had the perfect way to deliver it to him. And all he had to do was make a trip to the beach.


Meanwhile, Mulch was doing his job and leading the people down to the beach to hide in the caves.

"Hurry now. The cave is just up ahead," said Mulch. He then did a head count and noticed that they were missing one person; Bucket. "Where's Bucket?"

Mulch looked worried until a little girl got his attention and said, "He went back to get my Lamby."

Mulch smacked himself in the forehead and said, "Oh for the love of..."

Mulch then proceeded to make his way back in the direction of the village to find Bucket; he had put Astrid and Snotlout in charge of leading the villagers the rest of the way. The whole way back, Mulch ranted about how frustrating it was to always have to keep track of Bucket and wishing he could have just done what he was told and forget about the Lamby. Finally, Mulch found Bucket with the little girl's stuffed lamb on his shoulder.

"Oh, Bucket, you had one job to do-bring up the rear," Mulch said in annoyance.

"But the little girl," said Bucket, "You should've seen her big blue eyes with the tears wellin' up."

"Ah, you're bucket's hard but your heart's soft. Come on, come on," said Mulch. He and Bucket were then made their way to the beach to catch up with the others and hide in the caves.

They had just reached the cave when Bucket said to Mulch, "Do you know where Stoick is?"

Mulch groaned and said, "We went over that already; Stoick and the other warriors went into the forest to take care of the Outcasts."

"Oh, too bad," said Bucket, "I was supposed to give him a message."

"A message?" Mulch asked, "From who?"

"On the way back, a big scary guy stopped and said to give Stoick this message," said Bucket, and then he handed Mulch a rolled up piece of paper.

Mulch took the paper, unrolled it, and read it silently. As he read it, Mulch's eyes went wide with fear. After he was finished, Mulch screamed at the top of his lungs, "Oh no!"

Right on cue, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins came rushing out of the cave; Astrid and Snotlout each holding a weapon, Alvin's old hatchet and Snotlout's first bludgeon. They looked concerned as they looked around the area.

"What happened, Mulch?!" Astrid asked, "Is it the Outcasts?"

"No, it's not the Outcasts," said Mulch, "But it's just as bad if not worse."

"I can't imagine anything being worse than an Outcast invasion," said Fishlegs.

"You might think differently when you read this," said Mulch, handing the husky boy the paper Bucket gave him.

Fishlegs took it and read it silently. When he was finished, Fishlegs screamed, "Oh Thor! What do we do? What do we do?!"

Mildew then stomped out of the cave and asked, "What's all the screaming about? I'm about to have a headache!"

"You're giving all of us a headache, Mildew," said Snotlout. His comment made the twins laugh.

Astrid picked up the paper and read it silently. Her eyes went wide as she said, "Oh no."

"What is it?" Snotlout asked.

Astrid looked at the others with scared face and said, "Alvin the Treacherous has Hiccup."

"What?!" the other dragon riders asked in shock.

"Alvin took him and left this message for Stoick," said Astrid.

"Oh no! Hiccup's been kidnapped?" Mildew said, faking fear. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sucks to be him."

He turned around and headed back into the cave, unaware that Astrid was shooting him a death glare. She prepared to charge at him with the hatchet, only to be stopped by Fishlegs.

"We can worry about him later," said Fishlegs, "Right now, we have to get to the forest, find Stoick, and give him the message. It's our only chance to save Hiccup."

Astrid took a calming breath and said, "You're right, Fishlegs. Mulch, you and Bucket stay here and watch over everyone else. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff, and Tuff, we're going to the forest to find Stoick."

Everyone nodded and split up to do their respective tasks. Inside, Astrid was praying to the gods that Hiccup was safe.


In the forest, Stoick and the warriors were hiding and waiting for Alvin and the Outcasts.

"When the Outcasts come into the forest looking for us, they'll have to come through here," said Gobber.

"Alright, aside from the few newer weapons that have been finished, what do we have?" Stoick asked.

"Aside from three new axes, two swords, and one mace I made, we have two frying pans, a rolling pin, and a kitchen knife," said Gobber.

The other warriors rolled their eyes, groaned, and smacked their foreheads, while Stoick asked in an annoyed tone, "And what are we supposed to do with those last four items when we find Alvin? Bake him a cake?"

"Well, a pie would be nice too. Who doesn't like pie?" Gobber said as he picked up the knife and twirled it around. He then threw it at a tree, causing the tree to split in half. Everyone stared in shock while Gobber said, "That could be useful."

Just as the warriors got ready to get into position to attack, Spitelout spotted movement in a nearby bush. Believing it to be an Outcast, Spitelout rushed towards the bush and tackled the being that was sneaking around in there. Stoick and the other warriors heard the sounds of a struggle and went to investigate. They arrived just in time to see Spitelout holding someone down.

"Spitelout! Spitelout! Oy! Oy! Oy!" Spitelout cheered. He looked over at his team expecting praise, only to be greeted with looks of annoyance; and two of anger and one of embarrassment. "What?"

Fergus Ingerman, a large male blonde Viking man, took a deep breath and said, as calmly as he could, "Spitelout, would kindly get off of my son?"

Spitelout seemed confused at first. And then he looked down and saw that he had just tackled... Fishlegs. "Oops," was all he could say. He got up off the boy and aloud his parents to look him over, while his wife punched him in the arm.

"Fishlegs!" a girl's voice called. Everyone looked from Spitelout in the direction of the voice and saw that the owner of the voice was Astrid, and she was running their way with the other dragon riders in tow. "What happened, Fishlegs? Are you alright?"

"He's fine, Astrid," said Spitelout.

"Spitelout tackled him," said Fishlegs' mother, Helga; a blonde Viking woman.

"Dad!" Snotlout said in embarrassment.

"I thought he was an Outcast," Spitelout defended.

"Always have to leap before you look? Eh, Spitelout?" said Astrid's father, Argyle Hofferson; he was a black haired Viking man with an athletic build.

"Shut up, Argyle," Spitelout muttered.

"Spitelout," a woman with long Chestnut hair scolded.

"Sorry, Cora," Spitelout said to his wife.

"What are you kids doing out here?" Stoick asked, "You're supposed to be in the caves."

"We know," said Astrid, "But it's an emergency."

"You kids are going back to that cave where it's safe," said Stoick, "Gobber, take them there."

"On it, Stoick," said Gobber.

The blacksmith/dragon dentist prepared to do his task when Fishlegs shouted, "But Hiccup's been kidnapped!"

This caused the adults to freeze. Their eyes went wide with shock at the news; no one more so than Stoick. Did they just hear the Ingerman boy correctly? Did he really just say Hiccup had been kidnapped?

"What?" Stoick asked.

"Alvin took him and left you a message," said Snotlout.

Astrid took the paper out of her pocket and read it out loud:

Stoick,

If you ever wanna see your son again, you must surrender the "Dragon Conqueror". Myself and a few of my men will be waiting on the east side of the island you and your people have deemed "Dragon Island". Be there tomorrow with the "Dragon Conqueror" and no one else and you get your son back. Any tricks and he dies. I'll be waiting, and so will Hiccup.

-Alvin the Treacherous

When Astrid was finished, Stoick balled his hands into fists and his eyes were filled with rage; Alvin had crossed the line! If he thinks he is getting away with taking Stoick's son, he is sadly mistaken.

"Alvin will pay dearly for this," Stoick said in a dark voice.

"But what was he talking about when he said, "Dragon Conqueror" in the letter?" Tuffnut asked.

The question snapped the chief out of his rage and made everyone else look in his direction.

"What?" Tuffnut asked, "I can't be the one who's curious about that."

Everyone thought about that carefully for a bit. Gobber broke the silence by saying, "Sounds like a person who controls dragons."

Fishlegs' head shot up and he added, "Or trains them."

Astrid's eyes widened in fear as she said, "Hiccup."

"But that doesn't make sense," said Ruffnut, "If Alvin was after Hiccup the whole time, why would he trade him after he caught him? He can't trade Hiccup for Hiccup. There's only one Hiccup."

"Unless he actually has a twin we don't know about," said Tuffnut.

Snotlout smacked himself in the forehead, groaned, and said, "He doesn't have a twin, you muttonheads. He's an only child."

"And it's possible that Alvin doesn't know Hiccup's the one he's looking for," said a blonde Viking woman named Rea Thorston, Ruffnut and Tuffnut's mother said. "If you think about it, when rumors are spread details get mixed up until it's hard to tell which ones are real and which are not. Odds are Alvin had no idea what the Dragon Conqueror looks like. However, he was able to figure out who's son Hiccup is and knew he would be an ideal bargaining chip."

"But if he wants the Dragon Conqueror, what do we do since his hostage is the Dragon Conqueror?" Snotlout asked.

"What do you think?" Stoick asked, "We rescue him."

"But he said for only you to go to the island with the Dragon Conqueror," said Astrid, "If you take anyone else, he'll kill Hiccup."

"That is why we will be taking two boats," said Stoick, "One will have myself and another Viking who will pretend to be the Dragon Conqueror, while the other will have Gobber, some catapults, and the Dragon Riders."

"What?!" Everyone asked in shock.

"Stoick, you can't be serious," said Helga, "Sending our children into battle against the Outcasts?"

"They will not be alone," said Stoick, "They will be riding their dragons."

This statement made the kids eyes widened in surprise. Their hearts were filled with hope and joy.

"Do you mean it, chief?" Fishlegs asked.

Stoick nodded and said, "I never should've sent them away in the first place. They're our only hope."

The kids cheered at the idea of seeing their dragons again. Fishlegs started to ramble on about how he could not wait to cuddle his Meatlug again while the twins went on about how anxious they were to start blowing things up with Barf and Belch again. Meanwhile, Stoick turned his attention to the other adults.

"Alright, I'll need a volunteer to act as a decoy Dragon Conqueror," said Stoick.

Spitelout immediately stepped forward and said, "I'm your man, Stoick."

Stoick thought about it for a bit and then said, "Yes. I suppose Alvin could buy this."

"What do you mean "he could" buy this? He will," said Spitelout, proudly.

Cora sighed at her husband and said, "What am I going to do with him?"

"You knew what you were getting into when agreed to marry him," said Rea, earning herself a look that said, "Touche'."

"Alright, here's the plan," said Stoick, "Spitelout and I will go to the east side of the island claiming him to be the Dragon Conqueror, while Gobber and the Dragon Riders head to the west side in another boat. While Spitelout and I are keeping Alvin busy, Astrid and the other riders will get their dragons. Once Hiccup is safe, that is when we all attack. The rest of you will remain here on Berk to protect and watch over the rest of the village."

Everyone took in the information and then Fishlegs spoke up, "That sounds like it could work."

"It also sounds a little risky," said Astrid, "If it's not too bold of me to say."

"I know it's risky, Astrid," said Stoick, "But it's the only plan we've got. I'll do anything to bring my son back home."

Everyone nodded and then prepared to do their respective tasks. To start with, they needed boulders to use in the catapults, so they began gathering those first. While they were gathering boulders, Cora noticed that her son looked upset; as though something was bothering him. Knowing that that was the case, Cora figured it might be best if she talked to him and find out what exactly was going on.

"What's wrong, Snotlout?" she asked in concern.

"What? Nothing. Nothing's wrong," said Snotlout, trying to sound tough, "Just eager to get to battle. Alvin the Treacherous won't know what hit him when the Jorgenson's show up. Especially when I arrive flying on the back of a Monstrous Nightmare."

Cora looked at her son skeptically and said, "Snotlout, you know you can't fool me. I'm your mother."

Snotlout let out a sigh and asked, "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Cora nodded her head and said, "I promise. Now, tell me what's wrong."

"It's just, there's so much riding on this mission," said Snotlout, "What if we fail? What if we don't save Hiccup? And the last thing we ever did was fight."

Understanding her son's worry, Cora lifted Snotlout's chin up and told him in a soothing tone, "Honey, listen, you and your friends are strong and brave; especially riding your dragons. You also have Stoick, Gobber, and your father to back you up. You will most definitely succeed and return home together. I believe in you, my child."

Snotlout smiled and said, "Thanks, mom."

"You're very welcome, Honey," said Cora, "Now run along and help the others collect rounds for those catapults."

"You got it," said Snotlout, and then he went to help his friends.

"Oh, Snotlout!" Cora called, making Snotlout stop and look back at her, "Never be afraid to tell others how you really feel. No matter what your father says. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you have a heart and feelings."

Snotlout nodded in acknowledgement and then went back to running to help his friends collect boulders. As he collected boulders, Snotlout made a mental note to work on doing what his mother asked of him. Deep down, he knew she was right, but it was hard to ignore everything his father taught him about being a warrior.

After everything was finished, the two groups go onto their respective boats and set sail. Their destination: Dragon Island. They only hoped their plan would work and they could save Hiccup.


Author's Note: In case anyone's wondering, I wanted to give an explanation as to how Hiccup and Snotlout are related. I'm a fan of Dannrose' stories and they have Valka as Spitelout's sister, so I figured that was as good an explanation as any. I hope the chapter was good. Be honest.