Alrightie, so this is the actual Chapter 6!

So… I found the USB, and my computer seems to be working now. :D

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your responses. I would love to make you all happy and do all of this, and I will try my best to incorporate these for the future.

I've noticed that the best move would be to follow with options 1 and 4, from what most of you have argued for. Option 2 and 3… yea, I can't see Heather and Hiccup getting married (it goes against how Hiccup feels about the arrangement), and Astrid would never side with Drago (because he goes against what Astrid believes in). However, I really enjoyed Mark Andrew and Dragonfan47 's ideas. It seems to mash up both options 1 and 4 together, and I am trying to incorporate those points here.

I hope you'll forgive me for the lost time, and hopefully this extra-long chapter will make up for it :)

Don't forget to review and tell me what you think :D

Souls of Dragons

Chapter 6: A Quest Full of Questions

"Hiccup, are we lost?"

"No, we are not lost."

"You said that an hour ago. We are definitely lost."

"We are not lost."

"Just admit it, Hiccup. We're lost."

"I just said we aren't lost."

"Then how come we haven't seen anything remotely close to a dragon nest?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, as he took out his map. "If we were lost, we would be out of the Archipelago. We're still in the perimeters of the area." He showed his sister the proximate are in which they were. "See? We are near the sanctuary."

Finna sighed. "No matter way you put it… we're still lost." Blizzard seemed to understand her, since she growled in an agreeing tone.

"Hiccup," Heather said, as she glided Windshear closer to Toothless. "Maybe we should stop for a moment. The dragons have been flying for hours, and we haven't found anything near close to this nest."

The thought of stopping troubled Hiccup. Especially since he knew where he first encountered the Valkyrie. It was near here, he was sure. The trees from below them on that distant island… the way the sun touched the clouds and changed their colours to orange. It was all familiar to him.

The man known as Eret seemed keen on sharing information about seeing the Valkyrie. And scared. "Was anyone else not convinced about this Eret fellow? It sounded like he needed dragons for something…"

Finna shrugged. "He's insane for sure. But I think he could take on the Valkyrie."

Heather laughed. "Did you refer to the dragon lady as the Valkyrie?"

"So what? It's growing on me." She flexed her arms. "Besides, I easily took down Snotlout, didn't I?"

Hiccup cringed. "But she-"

"Almost killed you twice, we get it," Finna repeated, while Heather giggled. "No offense, bro, but you could easily be taken down by this woman. You're not the strongest Viking on Berk."

Hiccup sighed. This wasn't the time to discuss with his sister about his lack of strength, especially in front of Heather. "If you saw how crazy she was… you'd think twice about how you greet her." He patted Toothless. "Then again, she was pretty concerned about her dragons."

"Any feral dragon lady would be," Heather admitted. The siblings stared at her with bewilderment, so Heather elaborated: "If she's had little human interaction, her instincts would mimic that of dragons. What she eats… how she thinks… She's going off by instinct, like a dragon. And perhaps she attacked you because you were new and you looked like a threat-"

"Hiccup, a threat?" Finna asked, trying not to laugh. "Maybe in your dreams."

Heather continued, ignoring Finna. "-I've heard people from other cultures talk about humans who were raised by wolves, and they were feral as well. Yet... they could never truly integrate back into human society. "

Hiccup sighed. Despite his better judgement, Heather did have a point. Maybe the Valkyrie wasn't as dangerous as he thought. He wasn't the best in combat, after all. He could never beat Snotlout, or Finna for that matter, in a two-handed fight. Hiccup sighed again. Perhaps she was only able to take me on because I'm a fishbone.

Hiccup was about to respond, but there was a strange noise from ahead.

It sounded like a shriek.

Hiccup grabbed onto Toothless' reins. He knew that sound from anywhere. Having an island of that type of dragon helped him understand, and recognize, that dragon shriek. He patted his dragon, to ease him. "Steady, bud," he whispered.

Heather and Finna looked at Hiccup, with fear evident on their faces.

"What is it?" Heather asked. "Do you think it's the Valkyrie?"

Hiccup didn't answer; he merely pointed above him.

There, flying ahead, was a Deadly Naddar.

It was striking similar to when he first encountered the Deadly Naddar. It stayed close to the clouds, and dared not to attack from behind its tail. It encircled around the group, over their heads, and spread its wings. It lowered down, and faced the three Dragon Riders. The dragon roared, and lifted its tail.

Hiccup knew this tactic, too. "Duck!" Hiccup shouted, moving Toothless.

Heather pulled Windshear away, while Blizzard roared and spun in the air. It was then that the Deadly Naddar's spikes retracted from its tail and were sent darting at their direction. Luckily, Hiccup's call caught them on guard, and they missed getting hit by sharp darts. The three dragons pulled back up, and faced the Deadly Naddar's direction.

It was then that Hiccup spotted the Valkyrie.

Just as she was when he first saw her, her face was covered with the mask that only revealed her bright blue eyes. However, this time, her hand held the infamous axe that he remembered almost getting killed from. On her back were arrows, hand crafted and sharp at the spikes from her dragon.

"Wait!" he shouted.

The Deadly Naddar stopped attacking, but it kept its distance from the small group of riders.

"We don't want any trouble!" he insisted, raising his hands up. Hiccup prayed, prayed, to the gods that this woman would listen to him. "We only wish to speak to you. We have a few questions for you, Valkyrie."

The woman lowered her stance, but only slightly.

"Have you heard of moonstone before?" Heather asked, abruptly. "It also is called Augite, if you know what it is…"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you doing?" he asked.

Heather waved her hand, to keep Hiccup quiet. Hiccup immediately stopped, but looked at Heather with curiosity. What is she up to?

Strangely enough... the woman nodded slowly.

This was enough to have Heather continue. "If it's alright, I wish to use a small amount. It's for my village. We're in desperate times right now, and the stones would help us." She bowed her head. "And my family."

The Valkyrie's stare, for a brief moment, softened. It might have been a trick of the sun, but it seemed as though the woman's eyes widened slightly. Something about the woman stirred, Hiccup noticed, when Heather mentioned family. He couldn't put his finger on it… but was it pity?

Perhaps she does have a heart…

There was a wave from the Valkyrie's hand, and she turned away. Her Deadly Naddar squawked in a fearful tone, but immediately stopped. The three Dragon Riders glanced at each other, and made a decision that would ultimately change their lives:

They followed the Valkyrie.

The flight was painfully quiet.

For hours, it seemed, the dragons were the only ones who made small noises. They would flap and caw, and even the Deadly Naddar seemed to try to look back (that is, before the Valkyrie forced its head away). It was extremely boring, and Finna almost fell asleep on top of Blizzard.

Hiccup couldn't help but stare at the strange creature that was flying the Deadly Naddar. The way she straddled her dragon… in a crouching position…She's not trying to gain mastery over the dragon… she's blending with the dragon. When people from other islands came to Berk with their horses… some of them rode their horses close, as to maximize the speed with their beast. Hiccup nodded to himself. No one rides a dragon like that…

Except me.

"Where are we going?" Heather asked.

Hiccup turned his attention to her.

The way her hair blew in the wind… it was beautiful. Relaxed. Free. Like her soul. Hiccup found himself almost smiling (not smiling, thank you). The wild, yet elegant black hair was pulled back in a braid, but it still seemed to dance in the wind beside him. Yes, in its simplicity... it was beautiful.

Hiccup shook his head. Stop! "Uh… I think we're heading for the nest."

"Are you sure?" she asked, unsure. Her voice was low and quiet, as though not to awaken a sleeping beast. Pretty close to not wanting to wake a monster, too, Hiccup figured. "She could… you know… send us somewhere to… die."

Another possibility, Hiccup agreed. He took a deep breath, not wanting to breathe too heavily. Figuratively and literally. "I doubt it. She's outnumbered, and she'll want to take us out face to face."

"Yea, and then what?" Finna asked, who suddenly flew closer to Heather and Hiccup (almost between them). "If she wants to take us on, she's going to be kissing my-"

"Finna, language!" Hiccup whispered.

"Axe, I was going to say axe," Finna insisted, and rolled her eyes. "Gods, you have a dirty mind, brother. Besides, she can't take on three highly trained Vikings. Even she would know that."

Hiccup didn't want to comment on the fact that his sister indirectly complimented him on his fighting skills (to which… he secretly did care about), but she did have a point. The Valkyrie would have been stupid to take on the three teens by herself. And where would she have taken them? The dragons from the sanctuary didn't seem agitated with Hiccup being there, so they wouldn't have helped her.

...Right?

Hiccup nodded. "Then we get on our dragons quickly if she tries to-"

"You Vikings are extremely loud when you whisper."

The three green-eyed humans stared up at where the Deadly Naddar was, and saw the Valkyrie was glaring at them. Her body was sitting up against the back of her dragon, and her arms were crossed over her chest, and it didn't help that she was frowning at them.

Hiccup didn't flinch, but he could not help but fear for his life. "We… are just being cautious."

"I'm not going to kill you," she said, as though Hiccup said something offensive.

Finna rolled her eyes. "Right. I'll believe that the day Snotlout's socks clear up."

"I don't break my promises," the Valkyrie insisted, interrupting Finna. "Only when it benefits me." She paused. "Since you three aren't threatening my family by looking for that moonstone, I think I could easily show you where it is, without trouble. And despite your so-called training, it would be pointless if I summoned some dragons to help me." She locked eyes with Hiccup, threateningly. "Even you, Dragon Master, wouldn't be able to control them."

With a blank stare, the Valkyrie stood back up and faced her dragon's direction. Her stance returned to its squatting position, completely blending with the dragon's scales. "We're coming in soon. If you touch a single dragon… you're all dead."

The comment caused all three of the Dragon Riders to cease their silence. Neither of them hesitated to dart their eyes down, as though they were being ridiculed by their mothers.

Finna glared at her brother. "Well, Fishbone… you sure picked a weird one."

Hiccup gulped this time. It wasn't at his sister's words, nor was it that he feared for his life. He had every right to fear for his life. Not only did the Valkyrie not trust him, there was no way in saying that she wouldn't kill the trio. Yea... she won't kill us now… but what about when we piss her off? Hiccup wondered.

But no. None of those scared him more than the Valkyrie's words repeating in his head:

Even you, Dragon Master, wouldn't be able to control them.

The humans were strange, Astrid had to admit.

Despite their chatty nature, especially when they were discussing how to escape, they immediately became quiet. Then again... they only did so, once she threatened them. She sighed heavily. Were humans usually that scared when threatened? At least with dragons, we know when to keep our mouths shut.

And the ones with different hair colours, as well. The Red Haired girl, who rode upon the Woolly Howl, kept her hands close to both the dragon and her strange weapon attached to her hip (Flametorch recalled this weapon as a... hammer). Her green eyes never looked at Flame's directly, as though she was a threat. But there was the casual death stare when Flame tried to glance at Dragon Master (was it out of protectiveness? She couldn't tell).

The Raven Haired one wasn't any less threatened. Not only did she remain incredibly close in proximity to the Night Fury through her Razorwhip, her eyes were bright with curiosity. And... they were familiar. The look of determination and anger, which Flame recognized every few seconds when she glanced back at the new company, was seen before. But not from her.

The ride home was long for her. She knew the trouble she would be in, once she had the chance to speak with Icespitter. He'd probably be mad... but he'll be happy to see Dragon Master.

"Stormfly!" nineteen year old Flame shouted.

The Deadly Nadder looked up from her sleep and yawned. "What is it?"

"There are some dragons in a nearby village," Flame explained. "If we act now, we can rescue them."

Stormfly grunted. "Flame, aren't you getting tired of this? You've been doing this for the past twelve winters. I think there are enough dragons here that are safe."

Flame grabbed her axe. "Why, so you can go back to sleep?" She sighed. "Well, if you won't, then I'll find someone who will help me."

"Suit yourself," Stormfly muttered, as she nestled back to her sleeping position.

The young human grunted. She only sad that, to make Stormfly jealous. Besides, no one would help her rescue those innocent dragons. Everyone thought she was crazy, especially since she did it behind the Bewilderbeast's back.

She thought for a moment.

A young Razorwhip walked up to her. "Flametorch, are you okay?"

Flame shook her head. "Yea... I'm okay." She suddenly smiled. "Hey... you want to help me with something?"

"Sure!" the Razorwhip said, with eager.

Flame shook her head. Why the Bewilderbeast wanted to see this man... she did not understand. This man, no a boy - was nothing how she imagined how a Dragon Master should appear. The man known as Eret, as terrible he was with capturing dragons... he could pass a better Dragon Master. Someone... who was the strongest of them all.

This boy doesn't seem to meet the criteria.

Stormfly squawked. "Don't be upset, Flame. I'm sure Icespitter will do away with the humans."

"I doubt it. This male... I think he's the Dragon Master he was speaking about," Flame explained. "Remember he said how he has the soul of a dragon?"

Stormfly nodded. "He may, but he hasn't lived with them as long as you have. You know better than anyone about dragons." The dragon purred. "If it makes you feel better," she said, "I think you're a great dragon."

Flame smiled, as she patted her sister's neck affectionately.

The dark sky was covered in fire.

Flame looked down, and spotted men in armor going through the small village. They carried axes and something that appeared to be thick pieces of wood in their thick hands. Their expressions were harsh and deadly. People ran in screams and fear as the men dragged the sticks, as Flame noticed held fire on top, over the town houses.

The fire ate at the houses, as they were made of wood, consuming them in their deadly red and yellow flames. The young human gulped, as innocent people ran crying and tried to escape the deadly enemy of the fire. Some civilians weren't as lucky, as they lit in colours.

Something stirred within Flame. Why would humans attack each other? Did they not protect each other? She tapped the Razorwhip's neck. "Do you see any dragons in danger?"

The sharp dragon shook her head. "Maybe we should help the... She gulped. "...the humans."

"Why?" Flame snapped. "They can defend themselves." She tried to ignore the small child who could not escape the sword of one of the men.

The Razorwhip snorted. With a quick movement, she changed her direction and dived into the village. The Razorwhip glanced down and roared.

"I am not going down there!" Flame hissed, pulling the dragon upward. "We came for the dragons, remember?"

"They may die!" the dragon insisted.

Flame noticed the hint of desperation in the dragon's hiss. Or... more of a whimper. Flame wasn't entirely sure, but it sounded that the dragon wanted to help the humans. It wasn't like the dragons to want to aid the humans… but Flame couldn't help them, right?

Flame sighed. "I'll find someone else." A Snafflefang grumbled beside them, and Flame hopped onto his back. She watched as the silver dragon dove down to the village.

The Snafflefang cooed under Flametorch. "I noticed Stormfly didn't go with you, so I followed you two."

Flame smiled. "Thanks."

Stormfly growled. "I wish those dragons would quit talking."

Flame shook her head, trying to forget that memory. It was the only time when... she tried to help a human. And she ended up losing one of her sisters to them. She hissed, silently, and only Stormfly heard her. It better not be for nothing, she huffed.

"What are they saying?" Flame asked, with a low voice.

Stormfly nudged her head, which told Flame to listen and stop talking. As so, Flame ceased her questions and attuned her hear to the dragons whom flew behind her:

"What's going to happen to us?" the Night Fury asked.

The next set of growls must have come from the Woolly Howl: "I think we're walking into a trap, blindfolded. There's no way this human's sparing any of us." Her growls were low and gruff, with the hint of boldness. Very common in Woolly Howls, Flame thought to herself.

"We shouldn't anger her," the Razorwhip insisted. "I know she's kind-hearted. She saved Heather, after all."

Flame's breathing stopped.

Heather...

Why did that name sound familiar?

Flame shook her head. There was no way she helped anyone, especially a human. The only ones she helped were dragons. There was never a time when she pitied a human, and she wanted to keep it that way. Well… there was that one time.

Perhaps the Razorwhip is bluffing...

But it made her think, nevertheless.

"Didn't you save her?" the Night Fury asked, confused.

"Technically, no," the Razorwhip admitted, "but she looked like she was in trouble. Flametorch insisted that we leave them, but I couldn't. I had to help them somehow."

"Flametorch?" the Night Fury asked, with a chuckle. "I have never heard a human with a dragon's name."

"She's a dragon, can you not tell?" the Razorwhip asked. The two other dragons stopped talking. "See? She understands our words, and she's lived with our kind for many winters."

Flame shook her head again. Now she knew why the dragon looked familiar... it had been strange that she never saw the Razorwhip since the cold winter. So... she'd been with this human the entire time. Which wasn't uncommon… at least, if the dragon had been with another herd. Yet… the dragon was with more humans the entire time.

More slavers, she thought bitterly.

Astrid glanced down, and noticed Terrible Terrors starting to hiss at them. Farther below were birds of various species, flying and following their instincts to fresh land and water. There was only one place Flametorch knew where such a place existed, and away from the preying eyes of the King. Good... They were close to it now, she could feel it.

"I... hate to be a downer... but this isn't the nest," the Dragon Master said.

Flame rotated her body once again, to face the dim-witted male. "I promised to show you where the rock laid. And I am keeping that promise."

It was at that moment when Stormfly returned. The human girl gratefully jumped off the Snafflefang's back and hid behind her sister, and embracing her with much delight. Yet, she kept herself posed, not wanting to show her sensitive side.

"Did you help the dragons?" Stormfly asked.

Flame shook her head. "I guess it wasn't meant to be." She patted her sister affectionately. "Besides, I think the Razorwhip has a new home now. She's gone to help the humans."

There was a surprising curl of hisses from the Deadly Naddar. "Why would she?"

Flame looked down, as the men took over the villages. There were now growing bodies of stilled humans, and it was beginning to look fearsome from her perspective. Even from the skies, she could already tell that the bodies were staring up at her with blank expressions. It was truly a gruesome sighed, but Flame didn't look away.

The man, who had lead the attacks, held a torch high over his head, shouting words of praise to his followers. The other Vikings hollered repeated cheers to him, and stomped amongst the bodies in the streets. Words were spoken, but Flame didn't listen.

She refused to.

However, there was another sight that was surprising: she saw the Razorwhip with a girl. Or…a female human. Flame couldn't tell much about the female, but she definitely noticed that the Razorwhip was allowing the human to ride her back, along with an older-looking male Viking.

"I cannot tell," Flame admitted, with a sad tone. "Humans are a strange species, indeed."

The island was soon near, and Stormfly circled the island to land.

There were many trees on the island, similar to the nest's island. The rather… big difference was the large catacomb of ice that surrounded the island's atmosphere for protection. Here… Flame felt secluded. Which was why she never came here often. But... it was here escape, when she didn't want to face the King.

Stormfly landed, where an apparent cave was. It was filled with dark minerals, hidden within the trees. It was hard to miss; from what Flame remembered coming here, there were stones that glowed bright in the night, by the light of the moon. Hmm… perhaps that is why it's called moonstone, she mused.

Flametorch jumped off Stormfly, attached the axe to her saddle, and walked over to the small cave. The rocks stood out of the cave slightly, spitting out in sharp crystals. The stones weren't shining at all, due to the midday lighting. Why would humans need moonstone to save their family? She wondered.

She turned back around, and saw the three humans jump off their dragons. The two females immediately gasped at the sight of the cave, and made strange giggles at the apparent beauty of the stones.

"Whoa! This is amazing!" the raven-haired girl exclaimed, as she walked over to the stones. The red-haired one followed in pursuit.

Flame jerked away from the two charging girls, with caution. Despite the many hours of flying, how could these humans have energy? She remembered her first time, to when she first flew on Stormfly's back, and recalled feeling… as though her stomach was going to drop. Unless… these humans have learned to tolerate the after effect of flying.

She glanced at the man's direction, with her hands crossed over her chest.

Already, she could tell that he wasn't trying any tricks on him. He had taken his strange firesword, and placed it on the ground. The dragon, knowing that his master was in no danger, left to play with the two remaining dragons. Now… the man was exposed, and had no reason to attack.

Astrid walked closer, so that she was in hearing distance to the boy.

"Now... you're going to answer some of my questions, Dragon Master."