Author's Note: Alright guys, I'm thinking we have maybe 2-3 chapters to go. Hope you've enjoyed the ride so far! Thanks as always. ~Bkw3rm


The next evening, Hiccup was musing over his notebook. His afternoon dragon-watching hadn't provided any extraordinary insights, so he was reviewing his notes to see if there was anything missing. He was deep in thought when he heard a throat clear. Hiccup jumped a mile. "Dad! Uh, when did you get back?"

"This afternoon." Stoick rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"Did you find the nest?"

"No." Stoick looked at his son. "But I have heard some interesting things about you in the dragon arena." He pulled up a chair. "I want to know everything. We finally have something to talk about!"

Hiccup hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. While he was proud of his successes in the arena, he was apprehensive of how his father would view them. What would his dad think if he knew that he was studying dragons to learn more about their weaknesses? He was silent for a long moment while Stoick waited expectantly. The silence grew and became more awkward. Suddenly, Stoick seemed to remember something. "Oh! I brought you something." He produced a Viking helmet and handed it to Hiccup. "This is for you. To keep you safe in the ring. It's, uh, half of your mother's breast plate. It's a matched set," pointing to his own helmet. "It keeps her close, you know."

Torn between feeling honored and majorly weirded out, Hiccup carefully placed the helmet beside him. "Dad, I haven't told you about how I got to be so good in the arena. Just… just hear me out, okay?" He took a deep breath and began. He excluded Mildew's involvement to avoid upsetting his father, but told him everything else. To his surprise, Stoick actually seemed to welcome his unconventional methods. He listened with fascination as Hiccup told him about the different dragon weaknesses he had learned to exploit, asking questions in all the right places, laughing at some of the mishaps Hiccup had encountered. They talked long into the evening. At the end of the night, Hiccup went to sleep feeling happier than he had in a long time. He and his father were finally connecting after all these years. His dad had even promised to be there the next day when Gothi the Elder would decide which teen would slay their first dragon in front of Berk. It was worth the nightmares of the dragon haunting him all night long.

The next morning, Astrid shoved past Hiccup as they entered the ring. "Stay out of my way, Hiccup," she threatened. "I'm winning this thing."

"I thought we were supposed to have each others' backs?" he questioned, just a little too innocently.

"I mean it Hiccup. You're not going to win this war with those tricks of yours. Berk needs a warrior who's willing to fight, not — tickle dragons or whatever you do!"

Hiccup leaned in suddenly, eyes blazing. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win this war, Astrid. I've spilled more blood than you ever have. I just need to prove it to Berk. That's why I'm winning today." As he stalked into the arena, he tossed over his shoulder, "Try to keep up."

Berk was out in full force at the arena. Bets were being placed on who would win, Astrid or Hiccup. Stoick was the loudest voice for Hiccup, and because of the chief's certainty, some Vikings actually switched their bet. The twins were even caught betting on Hiccup, much to Astrid's rage. "What?" Ruffnut asked. "He's better than you ever were." Hiccup caught the comment as he walked by and smirked broadly. He winked cockily at Astrid as the teens took their places. The dragon gate began to open. The Gronckle burst out of the cell, raging at the young people. Each did their best to defeat the dragon, but everyone knew the real battle was between Astrid and Hiccup. Astrid fought hard, not holding anything back. Her battle axe was ever at the ready, swinging and slicing through the air to deflect any attacks. Hiccup, on the other hand, was constantly distracting the beast with well aimed boulders. He was strategically guiding the dragon into a corner where it would be forced to land and he could render it unconscious.

Sure enough, the Gronckle fell into Hiccup's trap a few moments before Astrid struck. Hiccup could hear her cursing in the background. He paid her no mind though. He was looking up to the observation decks around the arena, Stoick looked so proud of him, he might burst. Hiccup could feel warmth building in his chest as he basked in his father's approval.

"All right, everybody, calm down," Stoick bellowed. "The Elder has made her decision!"

The audience immediately quieted. But the Elder's decision would never be known. In the hush that fell over the arena, a single sentry cried out loudly, "Outcasts and Berserkers on the horizon!"

The assembly was thrown into confusion. Everyone ran in different directions, mothers trying to corral young ones to safety, warriors rushing to the docks and the armory, and everyone else just trying to get out of the way. Stoick and Gobber by silent agreement grabbed some weapons and headed to the docks to meet the invaders.

The teens were left alone in the arena. Hiccup snuck away from the group as they debated what to do next. He knew he couldn't help his dad in a fight, but he had to know what was going on. He crouched on the hill leading down to the docks. The sentry had noticed the ships too late. They were too close for Berk to face them on the open water. The fight would have to be on land. Hiccup watched warily as the Outcasts' ship cast anchor in the harbor. The gangplank descended and a massive Viking stepped out onto Berk soil, followed closely by a rangy teen. Hiccup tensed as he recognized Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur, the soon-to-be chief of the Berserkers.

Alvin smirked widely at his gathered audience. "Good people of Berk!" he bellowed. "Dagur, chief of the Berserkers, and I have come to declare a truce!" On cue, Dagur sneered and snapped open a white flag. "I propose we band together and rid our islands of dragons for good! And what's more," he purred, pointing to the armada behind him "We now have the army to do it."


Hiccup was astonished at how quickly things moved after Alvin's announcement. The Great Hall was cleared for the war council that was to follow. As a "show of good faith", only a few of the Berserkers and Outcasts came on land. The rest stayed on the boats, ready to move out as soon as the chiefs had come to an agreeable plan of attack.

Hiccup had tried to reason with Stoick briefly before the meeting convened. Since he wasn't yet training to be chief and he wasn't officially considered a dragon warrior yet, he wouldn't be allowed to take part in the proceedings. "Dad, you can't seriously think of trusting him! He's called Alvin the Treacherous for a reason. He's definitely got something else up his sleeve."

"I know that, Hiccup. Don't forget, I know him better than most. But this is an opportunity we can't afford to miss. Alvin's already allied with Dagur. That gives him full use of the Berserker fleet. We can't lose against the dragons with odds like those. We just need a direction to point those boats in. Which is why I want to you to go back to your island and comb over every detail you know about those dragons."

Hiccup folded his arms. "Why does it feel like you're just trying to get rid of me rather than have me doing something useful here?"

Stoick rubbed his brow. "Hiccup, diplomacy has never been your strong suit. I doubt that's about to change now. But you have a way with the beasts that no other Viking has. You've gotten inside their heads! If anyone is going to find a clue that points to their nest, it'll be you." He rested his beefy hands on Hiccup's narrow shoulders, engulfing him. "I'm counting on you, son. Make me proud." He turned and strode into the Great Hall.

Hiccup stood there for a moment, considering his options. Then he raced down to the docks. Mildew would be in the council, offering his own insights on how to defeat the dragons, so he was on his own. He grabbed one of the lighter boats and set sail for the island, careful to avoid detection from the large Berserker fleet anchored offshore. No one on those boats noticed him, but Hiccup failed to take note of slim figure on shore watching him. The figure plotted Hiccup's course, then slipped into another boat in silent pursuit.

Hiccup tied the boat at his usual pillar. There would be no one to keep an eye it; he hoped that the sea would remain calm enough to the keep the boat intact. With one last glance in the direction of Berk, he made his way onto the island. The plateau was empty for the moment, but he was a little earlier than usual. He took the opportunity to examine the spots where the dragons usually rested. There wasn't too much that he could learn here that he didn't know already, he thought. He decided to look around a bit more. Hours passed as he examined every nook and cranny of the isolated cliffs. Some dragons did come and land, but not many. He drew some more conclusions due to the evidence the dragons left behind on the island, but nothing that would indicate where the nest was. Having exhausted his options on the island itself, he went back to observing the dragons.

Nothing new presented itself. The dragons were just being dragons, occasionally scrapping over a preferred spot in the sun or a comfortable rock, yawning and stretching their wings or legs. Then the wind shifted directions. A Nadder suddenly snapped its head up, pupils narrowing into the thinnest slits. It turned in Hiccups direction. He shrank down behind his perch more. He was covered in dragon musk, so he wasn't sure what had attracted the animal's attention. He wasn't about to take any chances though, so he gathered up his notebook and prepared to leave when the dragon turned away. The other dragons seemed agitated too now, snorting and stamping their feet. Hiccup was beginning to get nervous. He needed to get out of there, now. He backed up slowly so as not to draw their attention. None of them had spotted him yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

He bumped into something. Slowly he turned around, expecting to see a dragon preparing to finish him off. Instead, he looked into Dagur's mocking face. "Hey, Hiccup," he sneered loudly. "Whatcha doing?"

The dragons erupted into full throated roars at Dagur's comment. Having located a target, they charged. "No time for that now!" Hiccup shouted. "RUN!"