Hiccup was thankful for Toothless's presence. It was the only thing keeping him from dying of boredom. He sat, as he had for the past twelve hours, at Heather's bedside in his own room, watching over the sleeping girl for some sign that she would soon awake. It was already well into the next day, the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky as the minutes trickled by. Hiccup had expected Heather to wake that morning – after which he and the others planned to move her from Stoick's hut to the cells beneath the Great Hall – but the day was nearly over and she hadn't so much as twitched.

Boredom was a constant during his long, monotonous watch. Hiccup passed the time by working on several sketches – most of which lay as crumpled wads strewn across his floor – and speaking with Toothless, but he couldn't stop his heel from bouncing against the ground as he fought the urge to abandon his post and climb into Toothless's saddle. The nightfury seemed to share his sentiments, if the way he constantly circled the cramped space was any indication.

Again Toothless crooned, catching the end of Hiccup's sleeve between his teeth and giving the dragon rider a light tug. Offering his dragon an apologetic smile and a light scratch on the chin, Hiccup said, "Sorry bud. Not yet."

The nightfury huffed, fixing his rider with the draconic equivalent of a pout which did nothing to prompt his rider into motion but did earn him an extra scratch behind the head-fin.

A slight rapping drew the pair's attention to the top of the stairwell and as they turned to the noise they were met with the sight of Jack ascending the stairs, a steaming bowl of stew in his free hand and an apologetic smile on his face.

"Hungry?"

"Starving," Hiccup replied as he snapped his notebook shut and tucked it inside of his vest.

He accepted the bowl gratefully as Jack handed it to him, immediately lifting it to his lips and drinking down a large gulp of the thick liquid. For the first time all day his attention was drawn from the spy in his bed and a smile graced his lips as he watched Baby Tooth wrestle her way out of Jack's purse to greet Toothless.

"How are things at the academy?"

"Oh, the usual," the spirit replied as he joined his companion in greeting Hiccup's. He knelt at the dragon's side, balancing his staff upright on its end before placing both hands on the underside of the nightfury's jaw. Toothless crooned as Jack began scratching. "The twins tried to set all of us on fire. Snotlout was being a jerk. Fishlegs talked. And talked. And talked." He shot Hiccup a halfhearted glare as the brunette chuckled. "Oh, and Astrid thought up an exciting new training exercise."

"Oh Tyr, I can't wait to hear this."

"Hand-to-claw combat."

"...You're kidding me."

"I kid you not, good sir."

"She did not seriously try to make you do that."

"Oh, she didn't try," Jack chuckled. "Luckily for 'Legs, Meatlug went easy on him. And Barf-and-Belch actually kept the twins from beating each other up."

"Dare I ask about Snotlout and Hookfang?" Hiccup asked before taking another swallow of stew.

"Eh, about the same as usual."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Figures."

"So how did your day go?"

With a dry laugh, Hiccup replied, "Oh, about as exciting as-"

"I was talking to Toothless," Jack interrupted with a playful smirk, Baby Tooth sniggering maliciously as he did.

"You're hilarious," Hiccup deadpanned as he fixed Jack with a dry look. The spirit merely chuckled at his reaction and Hiccup felt his expression softening as Jack laughed. Out of everyone, Jack had been the most affected by Heather's betrayal the previous night, and seeing the smile returned to his friend's face brought one to Hiccup's as well.

((Boooooooooored!)) Toothless whined, oblivious to his rider's internal turmoil. ((Closed-in-prison-predator-girl-sleep-sleep-sleep-lie-still-Hiccup-bored-me-bored-need-air-need-sun!))

"I know buddy," Jack whispered soothingly.

Baby Tooth trilled, perching atop the nightfury's head and running her pin-sized hands over a single one of Toothless's scales. Jack mimicked the motion further back on the nightfury's skull. The twin sensations soothed Toothless, rendering him calmer than he had been all day.

"So how is she?" Jack asked, eyes remaining firmly locked on Toothless as he spoke. "Heather, I mean."

Moments ago Hiccup had been watching the interaction between Jack and his dragon with a fond look. His expression fell as he turned back to Heather.

"She hasn't woken up yet," he answered, unable to keep from his voice the touch of concern she didn't really deserve. "I think something could really be wrong with her."

"We still don't know how long the fearling's been feeding from her. It could have left her weak."

Hiccup hummed, but said nothing. His fingers tightened on the wooden bowl as he stared at the figure sleeping in his bed. Uncharacteristic anger burned in his chest as he watched her lie there peacefully, thinking about how she'd taken advantage of their goodwill and trust. The anger, however, didn't completely outweigh his confusion or desire to know the whole story.

After all, despite all of the rumors and horror stories he'd heard about the Outcasts, he'd not once heard of them having children among them.

It was possible, he supposed, for a girl to be born to the tribe, but all of the Outcast warriors he had seen were men and they hardly seemed to be the nurturing type. And if Heather wasn't one of their tribe, that left more questions such as where was she from and why was she working with them? How had she, specifically, ended up tasked with spying on Berk and what was in it for her?

Then there was the matter of the fearling. Jack himself had said that it was well fed and that it could've been feeding from Heather for a long time. Why was it drawn to her? What was she so afraid of?

"Hey, Hic?"

Hiccup turned to Jack, snapped from his thoughts once more. Finally the spirit was looking at him, pale brows furrowed in concern.

"That word she used before... What was it? Sei- seiðmaðr?" Jack stumbled over the pronunciation. Even with the Gift of Tongues the word didn't translate, and Jack could only guess the reason why. "What does it mean?"

A lump formed in Hiccup's throat.

"It's a word... that describes someone who uses magic," he explained somewhat hesitantly. "Specifically, a seiðmaðr is a man who practices it."

"Oh." Hiccup's explanation left him just as confused as before. He still didn't understand why the word couldn't translate, nor why Hiccup seemed so uncomfortable discussing it. Baby Tooth trilled, placing one of her hands atop his consolingly. "Is it an insult?"

"Not exactly," Hiccup explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's just that... men aren't supposed to use magic. We're supposed to use our own hands, and abilities and… Well, men who use magic are… weak."

With every word out of his mouth, Hiccup felt increasingly more petty and stupid and by the end of it like a total hypocrite. It wasn't like he was a paragon of masculinity, after all.

Jack processed Hiccup's words slowly, exchanging a dry look with Baby Tooth. The frost fairy was scowling, her irritation and indigence leaking into Jack's emotions. Or maybe those were his own.

"Right, that makes total sense." Jack's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, Jack silently absorbing this new information and Hiccup struggling to piece together a way to salvage this conversation.

"B-but, that doesn't really apply to someone like you, right? Because you're not... uh..." Suddenly Hiccup just wished he had kept his mouth shut.

"Because I'm not human?"

Jack was only staring at him with a raised brow, but Baby Tooth was openly glaring. Had they not been staring at him so intently Hiccup would've begun bashing his head on the nearest hard surface.

"But everyone here thinks I'm human," Jack mused aloud, derailing the lanky viking's train of thought. "What would they do if they found out? About the magic, I mean."

"It... depends I guess," Hiccup replied, running his thumbs over the rough surface of the bowl in his hands. The stew was lukewarm now, the steam no longer rising from the bowl. "Some people are willing to, uh, put up with seiðmaðrs because of how powerful they are. They can do things like control weather or predict the future. Some people are scared of them for the same reason." His fingers were tightening unconsciously around the bowl. "In most places seiðmaðrs are just barely tolerated, and in the worst instances they could be outright executed..."

Hiccup hesitated, a hot lump forming in the back of his throat. The unreadable expression on Jack's face had his stomach tying itself into knots. Jack's hand had stilled atop Toothless's head, the other reaching unconsciously for the staff at his side. The nightfury crooned softly and Baby Tooth attempted to soothe him with gentle, loving emotions.

The bowl clicked as Hiccup set it down atop his desk. Standing abruptly, he took to Jack's side, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Jack jolted, the sudden touch taking him by surprise.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to you," Hiccup assured him. Jack's eyes snapped to Hiccup's face, taking in the quiet, firm resolve in his eyes as Hiccup gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "I promise."

Jack blinked, eyes going wide as though Hiccup had suddenly started speaking another language. Which shouldn't have mattered, considering.

"I'm not worried about that," Jack assured Hiccup. With a faint sigh he said, "I know I'm not exactly discrete, but I can take care of myself just fine."

"But-"

Hiccup was interrupted as a silver and blue blur shot towards his face, Baby Tooth not allowing him to get a word in edgewise as she shook her pea-sized fists at him and shouted something he was better off not understanding in hummingbird. A surprised shout flew past Hiccup's lips as he jumped back, legs hitting his chair and sending him toppling backwards into his desk. The whole desk shook with the impact, the bowl of stew on its surface upsetting and flying over the edge where it landed on Hiccup's head with a wet schlop. Hiccup lay there, stunned, as the lukewarm stew dripped from his hair and soaked his tunic while Baby Tooth just snickered at him.

"Oh Manny," Jack cried, leaping to his feet and rushing to Hiccup's side. "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so," Hiccup replied as Toothless lumbered to his other side. The nightfury hummed low in his throat before swiping the side of Hiccup's face with his broad, forked tongue.

"Oh, good," Jack replied. Seconds afterwards he burst out laughing.

"Your concern is heartwarming," Hiccup drawled as he plucked the bowl from atop his head and pulled himself to his feet, swiping at the thick stew and nightfury saliva coating the side of his face with the back of his sleeve.

"Oh come on, I asked if you were okay before I laughed," Jack argued. "Here, you go get cleaned up. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Heather. Maybe you can take Toothless for a fly while you're out."

Hiccup's eyes lit up at the idea and turning to his companion he found the nightfury staring at him with perked head-fins and pleading eyes.

"You wouldn't mind staying here for a while?" Hiccup asked, turning back to Jack.

"Of course not," Jack replied, catching his staff with the top of his foot and kicking it upwards towards his hand. He swung it over his shoulder and offered Hiccup a smirk. "When else was I going to get a chance to snoop?"

"Please don't."

Jack's smirk turned into a cheeky grin as Baby Tooth rubbed her palms together conspiratorially.

"Why? You hiding something?"

"Jack I'm serious."

The spirit chuckled and offered Hiccup a playful punch. Hiccup couldn't help comparing it to one of Astrid's. Jack's punch had been considerably lighter. He didn't even feel the urge to rub his arm.

"Relax, kiddo, I'm joking." Using the hooked end of his staff Jack caught the back of Hiccup's upturned chair and righted it before spinning on his heel, plopped down in it, and waving off the brunette. "Go, have fun. Give Toothless a chance to stretch his wings."

Toothless caught the end of Hiccup's green tunic between his teeth, tugging him towards the stairs as he waved his tail playfully.

"We'll try not to take too long," Hiccup assured Jack as he allowed himself to be pulled out of the room.

"Have fun you two!" Jack called after the pair as they disappeared down the stairs.

He remained where he was until he was sure they were really gone, Baby Tooth landing on his shoulder to join him in his vigil. The moment they heard the door of the hut swing open and then clatter shut downstairs Jack was on his feet, eyes narrowed as he stared at the ebony-haired girl lying in Hiccup's bed.

"You can stop faking it now," he snapped. "I know you're awake."

For a moment longer Heather remained still. Just as Jack had begun contemplating freezing her hair, however, an exasperated sigh slipped past her lips and her eyes fluttered open.

"How did you know?" the spy asked as she pulled herself upright.

"I have a friend who's a, uh... A sleep expert, I guess you could call him. He taught me a few tricks."

Baby Tooth chirped in affirmation, drawing Heather's gaze. She had previously been staring at her hands.

"I guess you didn't meet Baby Tooth yesterday," Jack mused aloud. "Heather, Baby Tooth. Baby Tooth, Heather."

The frost fairy hissed a word she definitely hadn't learned from Jack.

"Baby Tooth," Jack hissed, earning a pout from his companion.

"So, you really are magic," Heather breathed, tone disbelieving. Jack nodded.

"Yeah." He perched on the end of the bed, eyes still on Heather. "But you already knew that. Why did you lie to those Outcasts last night?"

Heather glared at him. "What makes you think I lied?"

Jack glared right back.

"Unless Astrid saw someone else sneaking around the village the other night. Look, I know you were spying on me and Astrid that night, which means you probably also saw me fly off right after, right?" Hesitantly, Heather nodded. "So why didn't you tell the Outcasts that?"

Heather's eyes were back on her hands, which had gone white with how tightly she was clenching them in the sheets. She started when suddenly one of Jack's hands covered her own, his cool skin brushing against hers delicately.

"Heather," he pressed, "The others want to lock you up the moment they find out you're awake. I'm willing to listen to your side of the story. I don't think you actually wanted to hurt anyone, but you have to talk to me."

Still, Heather refused to speak. With a resigned sigh, Jack withdrew his hand, pulling himself to his feet.

"Fine, have it your way." Turning his back on her, he threw his staff across his shoulders and strode towards the stairs.

"Alvin has my parents."

Jack froze mid-stride. Turning to face Heather, he found the spy still staring at her hands, though she looked nominally less composed than before. Her eyes were swimming and her lower lip was caught between her teeth.

"What about the pirates?"

"There were never any pirates. It was always Alvin and his Outcasts." Finally Heather drew her eyes up. "Those odd jobs I used to do? Buying and selling information. I was good at it, and I could do it while working my main job at the tavern."

Cautiously, Jack approached Heather, not interrupting or pressing for her to continue, just listening.

"Bashem is right in the path between a lot of islands in the archipelago, so my tavern got patrons from a lot of different tribes. It was pretty easy for me to get information from the sailors, especially when they got drunk. Usually all I had to do was ask one or two casual questions and bat my eyes and they would tell me just about anything. Then I just went to a rival tribe with the information and they'd give me some trade goods or livestock or sometimes even gold in exchange.

"I did occasional small jobs for the Outcasts, from time to time. Nothing major, usually just telling them when the richest merchant ships were leaving and where they were going. They didn't pay very much, but they had a lot of requests so it added up. A couple of weeks ago Savage approached me with an offer: Alvin's weight in gold if I would go to Berk and collect information on a seiðmaðr with white hair."

"Me," Jack murmered, mostly to himself. Baby Tooth glowered at Heather from her perch on Jack's shoulder. Fury-hatred-protectiveness rolled off of her in waves. Jack did his best not to let her emotions into his voice. "So you said yes?"

"I said no," Heather corrected. "They thought they could use you to control the dragons. The Outcasts are bad enough now; they'd be much, much worse on dragon-back."

Jack nodded both in understanding and agreement.

"Savage came back a few more times, but my answer was always the same. Then, a few days ago, my parents brought me with them on a fishing trip."

"And the Outcasts attacked you while you were out at sea," Jack finished. Heather nodded. She drew her knees up to her chest and lowered her head.

"I just wanted to help them." Heather's voice began to warble. "I thought if I didn't tell them anything they wouldn't get in trouble, but now Mom and Dad are... They're..." Tremors wracked Heather's frame as she buried her face in her arms. "It's my fault. Th-they're dead and it's all my f-f-fault."

"Whoa, whoa, hey." Jack sat down on the bed next to Heather, placing one hand on her shoulder consolingly. "You don't know that. They could be out there still."

Heather shook her head furiously.

"A-Alvin said h-he'd k-k-kill my parents if he didn't get w-what he wanted," she forced out between sobs. "S-Savage'll be n-nearly back to Outc-cast Island b-b-by now."

Baby Tooth chirped, turning to Jack just as he had been turning to her. They exchanged a look, a plan forming between them without the need for words.

'Good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them.'

"Don't worry," he said as he offered Heather's shoulder a light squeeze. "We're not going to let that happen." Heather's shoulders did not still, nor did her tears stop falling. She did manage to lift her head from her arms, catching Jack's gaze with bleary, tear-filled eyes. "I think... We might have an idea," Jack continued, earning an affirmative tweet from Baby Tooth. "Do you think you can meet me on the beach tonight?"


After being confined indoors for nearly an entire day, both Hiccup and Toothless had a lot of pent up energy to burn. Once they were in the air they became a blur. They weaved through the village like an obstacle course before taking to the open sea, riding close enough to the ocean surface to feel the stinging spray of saltwater as they raced with pods of thunderdrums just beneath the waves. When they grew bored of that they shot straight up into the sky where they performed complex acrobatic maneuvers in the clouds, Hiccup whooping and hollering while Toothless roared, ((Toothless-Hiccup-strongest-fastest-forever-fly-go-go-go!))

By the time the sun had started sinking beneath the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, Hiccup and Toothless still hadn't completely burned all of their excess energy.

Eventually, though, Hiccup decided that they should return to the academy and check on the other riders. The wind ripped through his tunic and hair as they shot towards the ring, Toothless's tongue flapping at the side of his mouth.

The roar of flames greeted the pair as they touched down outside of the academy gate and Hiccup feared a training accident. When he heard the hiss of steam followed by Fishlegs's taunting, "Quit whining, Snotlout!" he immediately calmed.

"Hey guys," Hiccup greeted as he stepped down into the ring. Behind him Toothless crooned and immediately Stormfly and Astrid dropped down beside the pair, the nadderhead squawking in greeting. "What's going on here?"

"Training exercises," Astrid replied, gesturing to the charred remains of the catapult Snotlout had previously been manning.

"Oh, yeah, Jack mentioned that. How did hand-to-claw combat go?"

The rest of the riders visibly winced while Astrid merely shrugged.

"Not too terrible, although Fishlegs' form needs some work."

"What form?" Snotlout scoffed. "The form of a dead yak, you mean?"

"Hey! I heard that!" Fishlegs snapped, Meatlug letting out a guttural noise that may have either been a growl or a yawn.

Astrid let out a low hum as she dismounted Stormfly. The nadderhead shook as her rider's weight disappeared from the saddle, her quills peeking out from beneath the gold and blue scales on her tail. Astrid's mouth was open to say something more when suddenly a red-orange glow lit up the arena from behind her. Astrid whirled around, Stormfly's head snapping to the side to get a good look while Hiccup and Toothless exchanged exasperated sighs.

"Snotlout, would you quit fooling around!?" Astrid scolded as she took in the sight of Snotlout's rampaging dragon. Hookfang was coated in flames, snarling and spitting at the nearby zippleback while Barf-and-Belch's riders snickered.

Snotlout was sitting a few feet away from his dragon, legs sprawled underneath him as he nursed his bruised bottom with one hand.

"It wasn't me. It was them!" he hissed, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the twins.

"Uh, sorry!" Ruffnut did not look sorry. The halfhearted apology had been uttered through a smirk and her brother was still snickering.

"Yeah, we're still working out the kinks," Tuffnut managed to get out through barely stifled laughter.

Hookfang let out an agitated roar and released a spurt of flame against the wall. He left a scorch mark the size of a gronkle as he whipped his still flaming tail back and forth, coming dangerously close to knocking Fishlegs and Meatlug out of the air.

"Can you calm him down?" Astrid snapped as she gestured to the rampaging dragon. Snotlout rolled his eyes as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Fine. Whatever." Snotlout charged at his dragon.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, not sure what he was expecting his cousin to do. He certainly didn't expect Snotlout to grab a hold of the flaming dragon's horns and bend them roughly to the ground. For a moment he was prepared to tell Snotlout off for hurting the monstrous nightmare, but Hookfang seemed relaxed, happy even. The flames died instantly and his muscles went slack. A low hum rose from his throat as his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.

"Figured that one out yesterday," Snotlout bragged as the climbed into the subdued dragon's saddle. "He likes it."

"Wait, wait, wait. He likes having his horns bent to the ground?" Fishlegs asked, raising one eyebrow skeptically. Ruffnut interrupted before Snotlout got a chance to answer.

"Tuffnut does."

Tuffnut turned to face his sister. "I do?"

Before anyone had a chance to process Ruffnut flew from her saddle and tackled her brother to the ground. She grabbed ahold of the horns on his helmet and pressed his face against the floor of the arena, her knees digging roughly into his back.

"Oh yeah, that does feel kind of nice," Tuffnut drawled. "The dirt's soft."

"Well, it's nice to know my students spent their free time productively setting each other on fire and shoving each other into the ground," Hiccup joked. Astrid shot him a look that was half-annoyed but also half-amused.

"And what did you do with your free time, oh great Dragon Master?"

"What do you think?" Toothless huffed as though to repeat the brunette's sarcastic response. "I tried to work on some new saddle designs for Toothless while we were cooped up, but most of my ideas didn't turn out too well. I'm thinking about shortening the connecting rod, though."

"Mm-hmm." Astrid nodded, but she didn't really understand. "And what about Little Miss Innocent? Is she still asleep?"

"She was last I checked." Hiccup offered the blonde a shrug. "I left her with Jack and Baby Tooth a couple of hours ago."

The sun was sinking lower and lower now. Casting her gaze to the sky, Astrid could see the pale light of the half-moon peeking out from behind wispy, twilight-painted clouds.

"We should probably be getting back to check on them." Astrid placed one foot on Stormfly's stirrup, hefting herself up onto the saddle in one smooth motion. "And I think these mutton-heads have had enough training for today."

"I agree!" Fishlegs chimed in, raising his bandaged hand. Meatlug licked it apologetically.


The secluded beach where Heather had met with the Outcasts the previous night looked no less ominous under the light of the moon than it had in total darkness. The scene she found herself in was eerily familiar; she was wet, cold, waiting alone in the dark for someone she wasn't sure would come. Casting her gaze downwards, Heather again took in the sight of the cover of the Book of Dragons. The tome in her hands seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment.

The crash of waves against the sand was the only sound Heather heard for a long while. It reminded her of home, and brought forth a familiar ache in her chest.

'He hasn't left,' she tried to assure herself. She remained still, stoic, staring out into the open sea without letting her anxiety spill into her expression. 'Just be patient. You haven't been waiting as long as you think you have. He'll be here any moment now. We're going to save them. Mom and Dad...'

Heather jumped, heart hammering in her rib cage, as she caught a high-pitched trilling sound from somewhere in the darkness behind her. Even as she spun to face the pine woods to her rear, however, she recognized the sound as the hum of Baby Tooth's wings and knew she'd overreacted. Though as this realization came to her, so did the realization that this sound was accompanied by another, unfamiliar one. It sounded almost like wind-chimes at first, high, almost musical, but without rhythm and out of time with the breezy gusts that had been pulling at her clothes all night.

"Hello?" she called. "Jack, is that you?"

Silence fell. For a moment Heather was prepared to blame an overactive imagination when suddenly the light breeze became a gale, shaking pine needles from the trees and kicking up the sand from the beach. Through barely parted eyes Heather saw a misshapen figure drop from the sky, landing only a few feet from her, and as the wind stilled and the moonlight revealed the figure's features a scream ripped itself from her throat.

Baby Tooth winced as Heather began to shriek. The raven-haired girl backpedaled so suddenly that her foot caught on a bit of driftwood and she fell backwards into the sand, the tome flying from her grasp.

"Whoa, whoa, Heather! Calm down, it's only me!" Jack's voice cried from beneath the icicle-adorned face of the creature. Instantly Heather's scream ceased, her already wide eyes going wider.

"Jack? How..."

She trailed off as Jack offered her his hand. As she grabbed it and allowed the frost spirit to pull her to her feet she could feel a thin sheen of ice coating his skin, tapering off into claw-like points over his fingers.

Jack's face was completely hidden beneath what appeared to be a mask made entirely of ice. A thorny crest sprouted from the red wood over the eyes, spreading upwards and protruding over the edges of the mask where they transformed into sharp, wicked horns reminiscent of Hookfang's. The lower half of the mask was covered in overlapping crystalline plates that descended beneath the line of the mask to cover his chin and neck. The mask's original red color was hardly even visible thanks to the sparse lighting and the thick layers of ice and frost; it looked near-pitch, or, in the fleeting moments when the clouds shifted and the moon lit the area proper, like a very dark purple.

Jack had also covered the soft wolf-skin that was draped over his shoulders. The wolf's ears had been hidden beneath a pair of thick, segmented horns that curled over the back of the hood and helped to keep it in place. Dagger-like icicles sprouting from the fur clinked together musically with every slight breeze and with every movement Jack made.

His staff had similarly been transformed. Where before only a thin sheen of frost had decorated it, now needle-like spikes of ice spiraled down the length, parting only where Jack's hand wrapped around the wood. At the unbent end of the staff these needles tapered off into one long, wicked blade, giving Jack's staff the appearance of a bizarre spear.

"Y-you look like a frost giant!" Heather exclaimed as she willed her heart to stop beating.

"Um, thank you?" Jack spun his staff, and for a moment Heather could see the friendly, gentle boy from the previous day beneath the monster's cloak. "Hopefully the Outcasts think the same thing."

Heather mm-hmmed affirmatively as she bent and groped along the sand for the book.

"There's one more thing." Heather looked up and jolted as Jack suddenly threw something to her. She barely caught the coil of rope as it smacked into her chest. Behind her Jack stepped into water, far enough that his feet were completely submerged with each swell. Heather turned and stared at the snow spirit, clutching the book in one hand and the coil of rope in the other and not understanding why she had either. "Try not to scream this time, all right? It took me a while to recruit this guy."

Nodding mutely, Heather brushed the wet sand from the cover of the Book of Dragons. She placed the rope coil on top of the book and clutched both to her breast as she watched Jack turn his back on her once more, Baby Tooth hovering over his shoulder. For a moment Heather could swear she saw the frost fairy turn to her and smirk mischievously.

Again Jack began to speak, his voice low enough now that Heather was unable to make out what he was saying. At first she assumed he was speaking to Baby Tooth. A few moments later, however, she caught sight of something shifting beneath the water several feet out. The water began to swell and part as a long, snake-like head rose from beneath it. Two huge, pearly eyes blinked at Heather from the top of a long, narrow head with a bulbous sack-like chin. The creature's mouth parted in a low hiss, steam rising from between rows of needle-like fangs.

"...That is a scauldron."

"Mmmhh, yep."

Heather stared at the dragon for a moment longer. "I think I need to sit down for a minute."

Baby Tooth rolled her eyes and began tweeting at the girl.

"Only for a minute. We need to get to Outcast Island fast."

Heather didn't sit, but she did turn her back to Jack and the dragon. She forced herself to breathe deeply and evenly as she wrapped her head around the fact that Jack had randomly recruited a scauldron to help them on what was sure to be a suicide mission. When she felt she could speak calmly again she whirled around.

"Why a scauldron?"

"Well, I can't really carry you all the way to Outcast Island, and I figured someone would probably notice if we dropped in out of the sky."

The scauldron stared at Heather curiously curiously. For a moment the ebony-haired girl feared that he was wondering what she might taste like.

'Don't be ridiculous, dragons don't eat people, they eat fish, Hiccup and the others said so, they don't eat people, dragons eat fish, dragons don't eat people, dragons eat fish, don't eat people eat fish don't eat people-'

A jolt raced through her body and she jumped back as the scauldron moved towards her.

"Whoa, hey now, don't be afraid," Jack said gently as the scauldron brought his face close to Heather's. The dragon's lipless mouth parted slightly, revealing rows of wicked teeth and doing nothing to calm Heather's rapidly pounding heart. "He's just getting to know you."

The scauldron's nostrils flared, pulling loose strands of black hair towards his muzzle as he took in her scent. The sensation tickled, and despite herself Heather let out a nervous laugh.

"Hold out your hand," Jack urged.

Heather, unable to think to do much else, complied. She held out her palm towards the scauldron and kept it there, just a few inches from the dragon's muzzle. Jack and Baby Tooth watched, enthralled, as the scauldron stared at Heather contemplatively. For a moment time seemed to slow, then the dragon closed the distance, pressing his muzzle to Heather's outstretched hand.

At first Heather was frozen in shock, but as realization dawned and the scauldron pulled back a slow, silly grin began to spread across her face. She pressed her other hand against the scauldron's chin and began to stroke it gently.

"Hey. Hi there... Spout. Are you ready to help us save my parents?"

The newly-named dragon huffed and then drew back, pushing off of the sand with his powerful fins until he was floating freely several feet from the beach.

"The sooner we go, the better," Jack reminded Heather as he held out his hand to her. Heather accepted his hand a bit nervously, not for the fact that he still looked rather intimidating draped in icicles as he was, but because Baby Tooth was glaring venomously at her over Jack's shoulder.

She clutched the book to her chest as the Wind wrapped around the two of them and Jack lifted her several feet into the air, swiftly and gently guiding her to Spout. The sea-dragon watched as Jack lowered Heather gently onto his back between powerful, wing-like fins and when he felt the girl's weight settle he turned growled out, ((Me-go-fast-fast-fast-strong-hold-tight-wingless-careful-hold-safe.))

"Hold on tight," Jack translated from the air above their heads. "Spout's going to go fast."

Heather was quick to comply. She pressed herself down flat against Spout's back, and with a little struggle managed to loop the rope around his neck a few times before fastening it securely to her belt.

"Are you ready?" Jack called. Heather made sure her grip on the book was steady before nodding. "All right, let's go!"

Spout rocketed out into open sea, back skimming the surface of the water as Jack and Baby Tooth flanked him overhead.


Night had already fallen by the time Astrid and Hiccup made it back to the village. Guided by the light of the stars and moon overhead, the pair touched down outside of Hiccup's hut. Hiccup's shoulders were aching from the brimming basket of fish slung over them, and finally he felt tired enough to actually return to his room. Hopefully, he thought, he would be able to collapse in his bed after he fed Toothless.

Thornado was lounging at the base of the steps just outside of the hut and hummed in greeting as the two riders and their dragons approached. Atop his head Wodensfang was perched. The blue scaled terror exchanged chittering sounds with Stormfly and Toothless and let out a stream of satisfied smoke when Astrid offered him a scratch on the underside of his chin.

"So that's where you went, Wodensfang," she said.

Thornado's wooden feeding trough was filled with fresh fish bones, but Astrid doubted that the chief thought of Wodensfang when feeding his thunderdrum. Without asking permission – or earning more than a halfhearted protest from Hiccup – she flipped open the basket on his shoulders, selected a juicy-looking salmon from the top, and tossed it to the terror who leaped from his perch to catch it mid-air and then swallow it in one gulp.

"There ya go."

"You wanna come in?" Hiccup offered. "I bet Jack's dying of boredom by now."

"Sure." Placing her hands on the underside of Stormfly's chin, Astrid pressed her forehead to the nadder's beak and said, "You wait out here, girl. I'll just be a few minutes."

Stormfly crooned and when Astrid pulled away she settled down into the grass next to the Thornado and Wodensfang, Toothless following his rider inside. When she and Hiccup closed the door behind them the three dragons were exchanging animated growls, squawks, and chirps.

A fire was already roaring in the pit when the two teens entered the house with Toothless, and Stoick the Vast was lounging nearby in an armchair, boots discarded, helm slightly askew, and a series of light snores whistling through his nostrils. Crooning, Toothless tried to approach the viking chief, but Hiccup grabbed hold of Toothless's saddle and tugged him towards the stairs.

"This way, bud," he whispered. "Let's let Dad sleep."

Hiccup led Astrid and Toothless up the stairs as silently as he could with the wood creaking beneath their feet.

"Jack?" he whispered hoarsely as he made it to the top of the stairs. "Jack, we're ba-"

Hiccup froze. His bed was unoccupied, as was the seat next to it. Toothless bounded across the room, placing his front paws on top of the wooden frame of Hiccup's bed and pressing his muzzle to the furs to sniff curiously.

"Heather must have woken up while you were out," Astrid suggested halfheartedly. "Jack probably brought her to the holding cells." It sounded wrong, even to her, but no one in the room could quite place why. Astrid shrugged her paranoia off as a side-effect of her previous encounter with the fearling.

"Probably," Hiccup agreed as he set the basket of fish down next to Toothless's bed.

Immediately the dragon leaped atop the slate, shoving his muzzle into the open basket and swallowing huge mouthfuls at a time. Hiccup smiled, giving the nightfury a light scratch behind one of his head-fins before making his way over to his bed. He flopped down on the pile of furs atop the wooden frame, feeling several small pops along his spine as he did.

Squeezing his eyes tight, he complained, "Urgh, remind me to never stay inside all day ever again. Ever."

With a light chuckle, Astrid replied, "I'll be sure to do that."

She stooped, scooping up one of the crumpled wads of paper Hiccup hadn't bothered to clean up earlier that day. Carefully she unfurled it, revealing a half-formed sketch that was most certainly not the saddle design Hiccup had claimed to be working on.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup didn't move from where he lay on his bed, nor did he so much as open his eyes. "Mhm?"

"Is this supposed to be Jack?"

Instantly Hiccup was upright, eyes wide.

"Wow, this is really detailed," Astrid mused while Hiccup sputtered and blushed. "Why did you throw it away?"

"It wasn't coming out right," Hiccup half-lied as he pulled himself to his feet.

In truth, Hiccup hadn't even meant for that drawing to be of Jack. He'd begun with the intention of drawing Wodensfang, but his mind wandered and before he knew it he'd drawn the snow spirit. Again. Silently, Hiccup prayed to the gods that Astrid wouldm't investigate each and every discarded drawing on the floor.

"Wait, another one?"

Apparently the only god that was listening was Loki.

"Jack, Jack, Baby Tooth, and... Oh, look! Another drawing of Jack!"

"Okay, that's enough of that!" Hiccup cried as he snatched the drawings out of Astrid's hands.

e tried to hide the flush on his face as he crumpled the drawings into one large wad, ignoring Astrid's perked brow and Toothless's mocking goff goff goff. Dropping to his knees, he tossed the paper wad under his bed, scooping up the remaining discarded pages Astrid had yet to get her hands on and shoving them after the first.

"I was tired and bored and couldn't decide on anything else to draw, and why am I even explaining this? Just don't-"

Hiccup froze, eyes going wide. Astrid was still staring at him, arms crossed, hips tilted to the side and brow perked. "Hiccup?"

"The Book of Dragons." Hiccup's voice was barely a whisper. Still on his knees he turned to face Astrid and Toothless, an expression of horror on his face. "It's..."

Dread hit Astrid like a lightning bolt.


The pounding of reptilian wings against the ocean wind nearly matched the pounding of Hiccup's heartbeat. His severed leg ached from the constant adjustments he was making to the position of Toothless's artificial tail fin to compensate for the unsteady air currents. Toothless trilled both to comfort his other rider and to urge the other dragons to fly faster. Despite the wind, he knew that he and his rider could be going much faster than they were. Only Stormfly was keeping up with little difficulty.

"I still don't get it," Fishlegs called from somewhere over Hiccup's shoulder. "Heather was in bad shape, and alone. And Jack is magic. How could she have kidnapped him?"

"Maybe she wasn't alone," Astrid suggested. Her voice was much closer than Fishlegs'. "Maybe those Outcasts from yesterday came back, or maybe she had someone else on the island helping her."

"Or maybe," Snotlout growled, "I was right and that guy was a traitor all along."

"Snotlout..." Astrid warned.

"You know what? I bet that he kidnapped Heather and dragged her off somewhere so he could eat her-"

Without another warning Astrid directed Stormfly to glide, upside-down, over Hookfang and Snotlout and before the burly youth got a chance to finish his sentence she plowed her fist into the side of his head, knocking his helmet askew and earning snickers from the twins.

"No... No, I don't think any of that's what happened," Hiccup said as he reviewed the events of the past two days in his head. There was still something they were missing, some vital piece of information. Toothless crooned once more and Hiccup leaned forward, placing his hand on top of the nightfury's head.

"Are we even sure they're on Outcast island?" Fishlegs asked. Hiccup had to admit, it was a valid concern.

"Uh, where else would they be?" Tuffnut asked.

"At the bottom of the ocean," his sister offered jokingly... Hiccup hoped. "In a dragon's stomach, on top of a volcano-"

"Okay," Hiccup interrupted, glaring at the twins over his shoulder, "This is not helping at all."

The twins continued to snicker as Hiccup turned his back on them once more, glaring out into the moon-lit sea ahead of him. A squawk to his left drew his attention.

"Don't worry Hiccup," Astrid assured him. "We'll find them before anything happens."

Hiccup nodded, but looked unconvinced.

"Besides, Jack's got Baby Tooth with him," she continued, a slight smirk pulling at her lips. "As long as she's around nothing's going to hurt Jack."

Despite himself, Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah..."

Astrid was right, of course. Baby Tooth was absolutely devoted to Jack, the same way Toothless was devoted to Hiccup. Though tiny, she was also quite fierce, and she had magic of her own.

Which only led Hiccup to ponder more. Baby Tooth was a lot stronger than she looked, and Jack was no pushover either. So how had Heather managed to take them? The only answer Hiccup found himself able to come up with was that Heather hadn't taken them and that they left willingly. From there his train of thought devolved into a downward spiral of questions, theories – most of them unpleasant – and half-formed fears, and with each paranoid idea he shot down Hiccup found himself realizing something even more frightening than any of the imaginary scenarios he was creating for himself.

He knew next to nothing about Jack Frost.

Realization hit him like a tidal wave and nearly left him winded. He'd met Jack over a month ago now but hardly knew anything about the white-haired spirit; not where he lived, not whether or not he had any living family, not even how he'd ended up in Berk. How could he begin to guess at Jack's intentions when he knew nothing about him?

Then, for one horrible second, Hiccup began to wonder if Snotlout had been right; not that he thought Jack was a human-eater, but what if he was some kind of monster, a dangerous creature like the ones from the sagas that used human lives as playthings? What if he was a trickster, like Loki, or worse?

Toothless's crooning snapped Hiccup abruptly from his thoughts. As the real world came back into focus he found his dragon staring back at him with gentle, lipid eyes and instantly Hiccup was reminded of that night a few weeks prior, following their encounter with the blue oleanders.

Guilt punched Hiccup in the stomach.

Why was he doubting Jack? Okay, so he didn't know much about the white-haired boy's history but he knew enough about Jack himself to know he would never betray them. He was kind. He was playful and sometimes mischievous, but never malicious. He was clever and inquisitive and more than a bit childish. Sometimes he seemed lonely. Sometimes he seemed lost. Never once, however, had Hiccup seen him do anything remotely cruel or malevolent.

So maybe he had no idea why Jack had left with Heather without telling anyone, but he did know that Jack must have had a good reason behind it.

In the distance he could see a dark, menacing silhouette rising from the ocean. As the riders and their dragons neared the shape it transformed into an island composed of sharp, jagged grey stone. Blackened trees dotted the otherwise barren land and flocks of wild dragons filled the air overhead.

"There it is," Hiccup announced. "Outcast Island."


The Outcasts lived, for the most part, underground, carving their homes, their shops, their dungeons, and just about everything else into a winding labyrinth beneath the earth. With the wild dragons completely overrunning the surface, they were left without much of a choice. Heather crept along these tunnels as silently as she could. This was not her element. Her form of spying involved being seen and heard. Skulking about in the dark was new to her, and completely and utterly terrifying. The only small comfort was the constant presence hovering over her shoulder.

She could hear echoing growls through the man-made caves, along with the far off pounding of armor-clad feet against the stone. At one point she saw a massive shadow of a man appear in the tunnel just ahead of her and had only a few seconds to throw herself into a slight crevice in the uneven walls before a burly Outcast warrior turned the corner, followed not long after by two smaller fellows.

"Hurry up men!" the larger one had cried as he barreled down the tunnel. "We're under attack!"

"We're always under attack," one of the smaller ones protested as he struggled to keep up.

"Not like this," the third shouted. "It's a jötunn! A frost giant!"

After that the three of them had rounded another corner, stampeding down the tunnels and out of sight as they made their way up to the surface, where Jack was waiting for them. Heather released the breath she had been holding and Baby Tooth tugged at the front of her tunic, urging her onward. The spy nodded and ran down the now-vacated tunnel, heart pounding ever-more frantically in her ears.

Her fingers dug into the cover of the Book of Dragons. A last resort, Jack had called it, just in case she got caught and needed something to bargain with. Of course, Jack's intention was to ensure that she did not get caught. The idea was to not allow the Outcasts to see the book's contents.

All of this so far was Jack's plan; draped in his cloak of icicles, Jack had begun creating a commotion on the surface. Much to Heather's bewilderment, Jack outright refused to kill any of the vikings, though she was sure he could've done so easily. He surprised some of the guards, chucked snowballs at them, created patches of ice under their feet, and darted away when they chased after him with swords and axes drawn. Some he trapped in blocks of ice, leaving only their faces exposed so that they wouldn't suffocate. More and more Outcasts were called to the surface as Jack's antics continued, leaving the tunnels relatively empty. Baby Tooth he'd left at Heather's side for the human girl's protection. Baby Tooth had protested vehemently in her twittering language, but Jack wouldn't hear it. Eventually the frost fairy had acquiesced, and Heather had watched, bemused, as she chirped something at him and he replied with, 'I love you too,' before placing an air-light kiss on the silver feather adorning her forehead and sending the two of them off.

The Outcasts' tunnels were unfamiliar to Heather. She'd stumbled upon the dungeons mostly by accident, and all of the cells she'd seen thus far were empty. It was hardly surprising to see them at all; the Outcasts were one of the most prevalent tribes involved in the slave trade in the archipelago. But why were so many of them empty? Heather could only begin to guess.

When she suddenly came across a massive chamber lined with rows upon rows of cells, all of them filled with snarling, vicious, wild dragons, the answer slammed into her stomach and she suddenly felt bile creeping up her throat. Bones and flecks of dried blood and scraps of leather and dyed wool littered the floors of the cages and the moment she entered the room the dragons began throwing themselves at the bars and gnashing their teeth at her. Wild dragons, free dragons ate fish; when pushed to the brink of starvation, however, one couldn't afford to be picky.

Tears stung at her eyes which she swiped away furiously. 'No,' she scolded herself. 'Mom and Dad are still alive. I know they are. They have to be. I just need to find them and we can go home and everything will be fine, just like Jack said.'

Baby Tooth chirped, once again spurring Heather onward.

The two of them continued to travel deeper and deeper into the tunnels. The only lighting came from very widely spaced torches, casting long shadows that made Heather's heart pound, but provided enough cover to duck into should anyone come to check on the dragons. No one did, however, and longer Heather was down here and the further she and Baby Tooth descended into the earth the more nervous she became. With her free hand Heather tugged at her braid, fighting off the urge to look over her shoulder once more. She was unable to shake the impression of eyes following her; not the dragons' eyes, which were hungry and desperate and scared, just like she was, but someone else, something else. It felt evil, and sent shivers up her spine.

"I wish we had a map of this place," Heather commented in an attempt to ward off the near-stifling silence. "I have no idea how we're going to get out again."

Baby Tooth twittered at her, gesturing with her tiny hands and nodding furiously.

'We'll find our way back out,' Heather imagined her saying. 'Just stick close to me.'

Heather nodded and allowed the frost fairy to lead her through the tunnels.

The next chamber they entered was nearly identical to the first, but these cells were all empty. Also unlike the first chamber the moment Heather stepped into the open space the smell of fresh, fertile earth hit her. She staggered forward, almost drunk on the impossible scent; there was no fertile earth on Outcast Island. Yet as she ventured further into the chamber she realized that the smell was not the only strange thing about the room. The air felt warm. Cracks in the stone seemed to breathe. Even the cells – dark and spike-clad as they were – were made more inviting by the presence of thick, healthy tree roots breaking through the stone and nearly covering the walls.

"What is this place?" Heather wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer.

An answer came. "Well, you're in my home, dearie!"

Baby Tooth and Heather yelped in unison as they whirled towards the voice that had called to them seemingly from nowhere. Cackling laughter echoed from the largest cell in the very back of the room.

"Oh, don't be frightened dearies! I don't bite!"

Heather exchanged a nervous glance with Baby Tooth, receiving a shrug in response. Finding no harm in it, Heather approached the cell tentatively. The gate was much larger than those lining the rest of the room, and looked almost grand in comparison. Rather than being welded of broken spears, the bars of the cage were formed into intricate, swirling loops and as she got closer Heather realized that they were not metal at all, but instead some sort of black wood.

'Probably Loki tree,' Heather thought as she peered between the bars. In the shadows of the cell she could just make out the hunched form of an old woman draped in a grey woolen cloak sitting contentedly on the swelling bulge of a massive tree root. In one of her thin, knobbly hands she held an unfinished carving from which the rough shape of a bear was slowly emerging. With the other she held a small, thin blade which she deftly used to slice off chips of wood from the carving and smooth out the harsh angles and corners.

The woman was grey-haired, with bulging eyes and a prominent, hooked nose. A few wispy grey hairs sprouted from her chin and her ears sagged from the weight of the heavy wooden ornaments dangling from them. When she finally looked up from her carving and smiled at Heather the young girl could see she was missing several teeth.

"Well then, dearie, don't stand there all day, I have a lot of whittling to do you know!"

Heather blinked. "Um, I'm sorry?"

"You're here to pick up that special order, right?" With a huff the old woman set aside her carving atop another tree root and hopped to her feet. Wooden beads clacked together on the multiple necklaces swinging from around her neck as she hobbled over to to the cell door and, with only a light tug, swung the door open, inwards. "Come in, come in, I have your product right here."

"M-my product?" Heather turned to Baby Tooth for help, but the frost fairy could only offer her a shrug. Heather stepped inside the cell, eyeing the woman suspiciously as she began to dig through a wooden chest pushed against the far wall of the cell. "Ma'am, you must be mistaken. I didn't order anything from you."

The woman cackled.

"Oh, of course you didn't! It was that young freckle-faced lad!" The woman began to pull out random trinkets – most of them bear themed – and toss them haphazardly over her shoulder. "Placed an order quite some time ago for pickup. Said a young girl would be fetching it for him. What was the name again? Cough? Wheezy?"

"Hiccup?"

"That's the one!" The woman crowed triumphantly. "Young Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. Ah! Here it is!"

From a velvet chord wrapped around her spidery fingers the old woman held aloft a wooden pendant.

"How do you know Hiccup?" Heather asked as the old woman shuffled over to her.

She accepted the pendant with little choice when the old woman shoved it into her free hand and despite the strangeness of the situation found herself admiring the beautiful carving on the front. Two prancing dragons faced each other, claws bared, wings extended and flames spurting from their open maws. Their long, intricate tails curved along the outside of the pendant, the right dragon's tail curving along the top and the left dragon's tail curving along the bottom. When the tails reached the exact top and bottom of the pendant they curved sharply and met perfectly in the center.

"I wanted it to be bears. So much more elegant," the old woman huffed. "But, well, the lad insisted." Suddenly Heather found herself being whirled around and shoved none too gently towards the exit. "Now shoo! Off you go! Business concluded!"

"Wait!"

The old woman didn't wait. Abruptly Heather was shoved out of the cell. She whirled around, prepared to demand answers, but was met with... nothing.

No cell, just a blank wall.

The air was cold and stagnant again, and the tree roots had vanished.

She and Baby Tooth were alone again in the barren Outcast prison.

Heather and Baby Tooth both exchanged bewildered looks. Breath did not come easily to Heather as she wondered whether she had just had a vision or she was going insane. As she looked down at her palm, however, she found the pendant clasped so tightly in her hand that her nails were turning white.

Relaxing her grip she asked, "What do you think it's for?"

Baby Tooth twittered, shrugging noncommittally as though to say, 'How would I know?'

Frowning, the ebony-haired girl continued to study the pendant. She ran her fingers over the surface of the wood. It felt smooth, with only slight protrusions where the carved dragons danced. It was a little smaller than her palm and heavier than it looked. Heather raised a slender brow, bouncing the pendant a little in her hand to test the weight.

"It's heavy," she commented. Tucking the book underneath one arm, she attempted to pry the pendant open. Her nails scrabbled over the wood, but she could find no seam, no opening. "How do you..." she grumbled, failing to pry open the pendant. "What is this... Ugh!"

Giving into her frustration, Heather slumped back against the now smooth wall. She slid down into a sitting position, letting the book land on the floor beside her with a dull thud.

"This is hopeless," she half-muttered, half-sobbed. "I'll never find them." She glared down at the pendant. "Useless seiðkonur..."

Baby Tooth trilled, hovering close to Heather's face. The raven-haired girl didn't notice; her gaze was still trained on the pendant. Wings humming, Baby Tooth floated towards the carving. Something about it felt familiar. It reeked of magic, the kind that was very old and very powerful. Suspicion crept into the frost fairy's gut and, after only a slight pause, she reached for the pendant.

The moment her skin made contact with the wood the magic sprung to life.

A startled gasp slipped past Heather's lips as the twin dragons suddenly began to glow with golden light. Baby Tooth twittered excitedly when the carvings came alive, maws parting in a soundless roar and tails intertwining with one another. A seam suddenly appeared between them, bisecting the amulet. When Heather hesitated a moment too long Baby Tooth rested her tiny hands on her fingers and nodded encouragingly. Heather nodded back, and then opened the amulet.

"It's a... compass."

A golden needle woven of intricate knots spun atop the center of a moon-colored dial. At the very top of the dial, in place of the rune symbolizing North, was a seven-pointed star that seemed to glow and pulse in time with her heartbeat. Across the pale yellow backdrop painted images of wolves, dragons, and, of course, bears ran in an endless cycle; quite literally. The tiny figures moved as fluidly as water, leaving in their wake wispy ribbons of mist.

"It's... beautiful," Heather mused as she pulled herself to her feet. "But how's this going to help us? Why did Hiccup order it from that seiðkonur?" After a slight pause, during which Heather and Baby Tooth exchanged curious looks, she continued, "Who was that woman and how did Hiccup know her?"

Baby Tooth chirped as Heather continued to examine the compass. The needle was still spinning aimlessly. The stupid thing was broken! It figured that the one being in this place who could possibly help her would give her a broken compass. What she needed was a way to find her parents!

As though responding to her thoughts, the needle's spinning slowed. It wobbled and danced and then froze, pointing back down the tunnel they'd come from. Excited twittering flew from Baby Tooth's mouth and her wings buzzed restlessly. She began to gesture wildly down the tunnel and suddenly a crazy thought occurred to Heather.

"Wait, is this a magic compass? Will it take me to Mom and Dad?"

Baby Tooth chirped and then gave Heather a firm nod. Without another sound Heather fastened the velvet cord around her neck. Hastily she scooped up the discarded book and then, checking the compass one more time, she took off running down the tunnel towards her parents.


The Outcasts were in a panic. Even from the backs of their dragons high above the island, the Riders of Berk could see that. Snow and ice covered the ground and coated the vikings' weapons and armor, in some cases thick enough that the vikings wearing them were immobilized. Outcasts hurled insults and curses at the open air and at each other. Most disturbing of all, Hiccup thought, were the grotesque ice sculptures that littered the surface of the island.

"Well, we know Jack is here," Astrid shouted over the wind. "And I guess we know where the fearling came from too."

Hiccup nodded, eyes trained on one particularly large shadow-monster frozen mid-lunge.

"All right gang," he cried to the other dragon riders. "Ruff 'n' Tuff, take the North side of the island. 'Legs, 'Lout, take the West side. Astrid, you take the East side and I'll check the South side. Keep out of the Outcasts' sight as much as you can until you spot Jack or Heather. If you spot either of them, let the rest of us know. Don't do anything on your own."

"Got it," Astrid cried.

"Can do," Fishlegs repeated.

The riders flew off separated into their assigned directions. With Toothless's speed and dark scales, staying unnoticed was easy, especially with the thick fog that perpetually surrounded Outcast Island and blotted out the moon and stars. Unfortunately it also made spotting a single person rather difficult. Most of the Outcasts carried torches, giving away their positions, but the surface of Outcast Island was craggy, with deep pits and winding paths cut through the stone and only a few sparse buildings, most of them clustered around the harbor and protected with thick, wooden spikes. There was plenty of cover for one to hide in. With a frustrated growl, Hiccup directed Toothless to fly closer to land.

The Outcasts' cries became more distinct as the pair neared the island. Several times Hiccup feared they'd been spotted only to find the Outcasts swinging their weapons at the frozen fearlings, shattering the ice and releasing the monsters from their prisons. The fearlings shrieked and writhed as they were freed, but the Outcasts paid them no mind in favor of glowering at the shattered ice at their feet. Hiccup watched, stupefied, when one large creature slithered through the air in circles around a pair of bickering Outcasts before slithering off into the shadows.

Toothless growled, muzzle crinkling as he glared at the yellow-eyed monsters. Hiccup said nothing but placed one hand consolingly on his partner's head, silencing him.

"They can't see them."

Suddenly Toothless turned sharply without warning, jolting Hiccup in the saddle and taking the lanky viking by surprise.

"Toothless?" he whispered, fearful that the enemy vikings would notice them. "What are you doing, bud?"

Toothless hummed and began to descend. Hiccup was about to yank on the saddle, to level them off, when he caught sight of what Toothless must have already noticed; a figure darted through the shadows, too small to be an Outcast, and too solid to be a fearling.

"Heather!" Hiccup exclaimed, clapping a hand over his mouth as soon as he did. Heather was sticking to the shadows, pressing herself against the rough, broken wall of stone whenever an Outcast came too close. From what Hiccup could tell the Outcasts hadn't yet noticed her as they barreled past.

'Why are you hiding?' he thought as he and Toothless descended.

Hiccup and Toothless landed at the top of the crag overlooking the ebony-haired girl's position. Hiccup pressed himself low against the saddle while the nightfury pressed his body low against the earth. Heather darted forward again, attempting to cross the space between two stone buildings without being seen. She didn't make it.

"Hey!"

Heather froze as an Outcast with a coarse, tangled beard and patchwork armor charged at her. Within a moment, however, she recovered use of her legs and spun around, prepared to sprint in the other direction, only to collide with another solid form.

"Well now," the second Outcast growled as he grabbed hold of Heather's braid with one hand and yanked the book from her grasp with the other. "Alvin's gonna be 'appy ta see this."

"Give that back!" Heather shouted, swiping for the book and coming up short. A pained hiss slipped past her teeth as the Outcast tugged sharply on her braid. The Outcast only laughed.

"Or what?"

FWEEET!

"OW!"

The Outcast's grip on both Heather and the book disappeared as Baby Tooth shot forward, jabbing her needle-like beak into his forehead. Heather dove for the book as the Outcast clapped his hands over the bright red spot in the center of his forehead.

"She's gettin' away!" the second Outcast growled as she began sprinting back in the direction from which she'd come, Baby Tooth in tow. He raced forward, grabbing a hold of his companion's beard and dragging him after. "Come on ya lout!"

"Toothless, plasma blast!"

The Outcasts halted in their tracks, throwing themselves to the ground as a ball of violet flame flew overhead and collided with a building. A bright light lit the area as the house collapsed into a pile of rubble and dust and sparks of dying embers, cutting off the path between Heather and the Outcasts. Heather stared, wide eyed, as Hiccup and Toothless dropped from the sky between her and the destroyed building.

"Hiccup..." Heather breathed, sounding even more afraid now than she had when the Outcasts had her.

Baby Tooth trilled, zipping from her side to float in front of Toothless who crooned in response and offered the frost fairy a toothless smile.

"Heather, what are you doing here? Where's Jack?" Hiccup demanded, trying not to sound angry but unable to keep his voice completely calm.

"He is... I was..." Heather took a fearful step back, fingers digging into the cover of the Book of Dragons as she clutched it like a security blanket.

"Why are you doing this?" Hiccup was unable to prevent his voice from rising. "Why are you helping the Outcasts of all people!? What did we ever do to you?"

"It's not like… You didn't..." Heather trailed off, the words stopping at her tongue.

Toothless growled and Heather flinched, a low sob escaping from her throat. The shadows around her swirled and danced, and behind her they came alive. Hiccup gasped as he watched a bloated, humanoid figure swathed in darkness swell up behind her, yellow slashes serving as eyes and a mouth and writhing, eel-like fingers reaching for Heather. Toothless continued to growl at the fearling, but as a result Heather only became more afraid. Baby Tooth squeaked and twittered and tugged at Hiccup's furry vest and suddenly Hiccup knew what he needed to do.

He lunged forward, wrapped his arms around Heather's shoulders, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay," he whispered to her as she stood, frozen, in his hold. "It's okay, I'm sorry I yelled."

Baby Tooth and Toothless exchanged a look. The nightfury warbled, earning a shrug from the frost fairy.

The fearling glowered at him and shrank back. Toothless lunged forward, baring his teeth and placing his front paws atop the smoldering pile of rubble as he snapped at it but the fearling disappeared off in search of a different meal, leaving curling tendrils of greasy smoke in its wake. Tentatively, Hiccup relaxed his hold and looked Heather in the eyes.

"Look, just... Just tell me what's going on, okay? Maybe I can help."

Heather nodded. Swiping away her tears, she began to quietly and quickly relay to Hiccup everything she had told Jack and everything that had happen since arriving on Outcast Island. When she told Hiccup about the seiðkonur his eyes widened in disbelief, but she showed him the compass, the star at the top rapidly flashing with intense white light, and he had no choice but to believe her.

When she finished Hiccup stared at her contemplatively, processing her story. After a long silence he finally spoke.

"All right. We're in." Toothless crooned as Hiccup climbed into the saddle. "The other riders are here too. We just need to go round them up and we can-"

"NO!" Heather cried, hand flying reflexively to her mouth and eyes darting back and forth as she searched for anyone who might have heard her outburst. Volume in check, she continued, "I'm so close now, I can't just go back." Holding up the compass she continued, "Look at how fast the light is flashing. I think that means my parents are close to here. I can't turn back now."

"Heather, this island is swarming with Outcasts. They would have heard that explosion," Hiccup reasoned. "And I don't think those two were waiting patiently on the other side of the house I destroyed for us to finish our conversation. I bet a lot more of them know we're here now."

"Which is why I have to hurry and find Mom and Dad!" Heather argued in a loud whisper. "If Alvin knows I'm coming for my parents he might move them or go ahead and kill them. I have to get to them before that happens!"

She had a point there. Still, Hiccup knew that they would need a lot more than just the two of them if they were going to take on the Outcasts and get her parents back. Stealth was no longer an option.

"Baby Tooth, can you go find Astrid and the others? Bring them back here as quickly as you can." The frost fairy narrowed her eyes at him, and for a moment Hiccup feared she might refuse, but much to his surprise she offered him a firm nod and a salute before zipping off into the night.

"Okay then, backup's on the way," Hiccup said as he helped Heather up onto the saddle behind him. "Hold on tight, this could get a little crazy." Toothless snorted, flashing his passengers a grin. "Come on Toothless, let's go."

With a proud, feral roar Toothless launched himself over the collapsed building and over the heads of the two Outcasts attempting uselessly to dig out the blocked road with their axes. Though nowhere near as fast on the ground as he was in the air, Toothless still outran and outmaneuvered the Outcast warriors with relative ease. His black, streamlined body was nearly invisible in the dark, taking the already frazzled men by surprise and disappearing over high crags and around tight corners before they had a chance to react. Using the compass as a guide, Heather continued to feed the pair instructions.

"There!" she cried suddenly, pointing to a deep depression in the stone.

The three of them barreled towards it, leaping over the heads of a frozen Outcast and fearling. As they did the outline of a dome-shaped cage – all harsh angles and bent metal and twisted spikes – emerged from the gloom. Inside the iron bars a smooth ring had been carved into the island, five more cells down in the pit surrounding the arena. A dragon training arena. A dragon slaying arena.

They did not need to make use of the gate; like the one on Berk, the dome-shaped cage surrounding the arena was attached to a system of pulley's and levers, its weight supported at the top by a thick chain that was currently holding it aloft. Without slowing, Toothless ducked under the suspended gate and dropped down into the arena, eyes narrowed into slits and teeth bared into a silent snarl. Unlike the arena on Berk, this one still reeked of dragon blood.

Using the dim light of the compass as a guide, Heather jumped down from Toothless's saddle. She handed Hiccup the book and began to approach the cells. The golden needle pointed resolutely on the one exactly opposite the gate. She came to a stop before the gate, and stared in disbelief.

It was empty.

The needle of the compass continued to point at the cell, even when she turned away from it. The star at the top pulsed impossibly fast, and it suddenly occurred to Heather what she might try.

She pointed the compass up.

The star stopped pulsing, its light becoming a steady glow.

Her eyes followed the direction of the needle, and her face went white.

"'Ello 'Eatheh," Alvin sneered, showing off his rotten teeth, "Fancy meetin' you 'ere."

With a frightened gasp, Heather backpedaled, nearly colliding with Toothless. On either side of Alvin one of his men stood, each of them holding a bloody, beaten prisoner. The prisoners were bound and gagged, and they slumped in their captors' holds, unable or unwilling to stand on their own. Heather paled.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Let them go, Alvin," Hiccup demanded, much to the Outcast's amusement.

"Or what? Ye'll set yer reptile on me?" Alvin nodded to his men and they produced their rusty blades, pressing them to the throats of Heather's parents. "Ye make one move I didn't ordeh ya too, and I'll 'ave the girl's parents gutted."

Heather flinched as though struck. Hiccup said nothing at all, though his partner did snarl at Alvin, wings flaring and claws digging into the stone. Satisfied smirk still painted on his face, Alvin leaped from the ledge with surprising agility for such a large man, landing directly across from Heather and Hiccup.

"Give the girl the book," Alvin ordered, drawing his sword and using it to gesture between the two teens. "And then you -" He jabbed the sword at Heather. "Bring it to me."

Hiccup's eyes flitted upwards to Heather's parents, to the Outcasts holding them, and to the shadowy figures emerging from the darkness behind the Outcasts. Turning his gaze back to Heather, he nodded resolutely and held the book out to her. She wordlessly accepted it with a resigned sigh.

The satisfied smirk never left Alvin's face. The darkness in the arena seemed to thicken as he snatched the book from Heather and the raven-haired girl couldn't get out of his reach fast enough. She scurried back to Hiccup's side, heart pounding.

"Now let Heather's parents – and us – go," Hiccup said through gritted teeth.

"I could," Alvin responded, admiring the cover of the Book of Dragons. "Or I could keep the book, and the kid who wrote it."

Toothless reacted before anyone else could. With a deafening scream, Toothless launched a ball of plasma at the Outcast Chieftain. Alvin threw himself to the ground, avoiding the projectile only narrowly and being pelted with rubble and scraps of iron as the cell behind him exploded.

"Men!" Alvin cried, receiving no answer.

Rising to his feet, the Outcast threw himself forward, sword raised above his head as he charged Hiccup and Toothless. Heather shrieked, leaping to the side while Toothless launched his third plasma ball at the Outcast. It struck the sword squarely, sending it flying from Alvin's grip. The blade hit the ground with a noisy clatter, the metal red-hot and hissing.

"Men!" Alvin snarled. "Kill the 'ostages!"

Again, Alvin received no reply from his warriors. Casting his eyes to the top of the ring, he was horrified to find that his men were both unconscious, held aloft in the twin jaws of a zippleback. Tuffnut and Ruffnut snickered to each other, exchanging fist bumps before they cracked their helmets together.

"It's over Alvin," Astrid growled as she and Stormfly stepped into view to the twins' right. Snotlout and Hookfang appeared on the other side, Heather's parents holding one another and sharing nervous looks from where they sat on the monstrous nightmare's back. "You lose, again."

The Outcast's body trembled, rage boiling beneath the surface. With a feral snarl he launched himself not at Hiccup and Toothless, but at Heather. He scooped up his sword, the blade still glowing orange but the hilt cool enough to handle, and swung it at the defenseless girl.

Heather screamed as the blade made contact.

"Heather!" Hiccup cried, spurring Toothless forward.

Heather collapsed against the wall of the arena, clutching her eye and sobbing. She could still feel the heat of the blade as Alvin held it inches from her face.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Alvin bellowed, stilling all of the dragon riders. Astrid glared venomously while Heather's mother had her hands clasped over her mouth, eyes wide in horror.

Fearlings swirled through the air overhead like sharks, invisible to all but the Riders of Berk. They moaned and writhed and fed on the fear everyone felt; Heather's, her parents,' the dragon riders,' and even Alvin's.

"You have the book, Alvin," Hiccup forced himself to speak calmly. "Let her go."

"Do ya want me ta take 'er otha eye?"

Hiccup shut up.

"Get off the dragon."

Hiccup complied, much to Toothless's displeasure. The nightfury whined as as Hiccup unlatched his prosthetic from the stirrup and slid off of the saddle, completely stone faced.

"Now pick a cage, any cage." Alvin chuckled to himself. "That'll be yer new home."

When Hiccup hesitated just the slightest bit, Alvin shifted the blade closer to Hiccup's face, causing her to whimper. Stiffly, Hiccup began to walk towards the nearest cell. Triumph twisted Alvin's features into an ugly grin.

The air felt cold. Snow began to fall. Alvin's blade hissed and sizzled with every fat cluster of snowflakes that landed and evaporated on it. Heather continued to sob quietly, clutching her warped, burned eye.

'I deserve it,' she thought. After all, her carelessness had gotten her parents captured and nearly killed, and now Alvin had Hiccup too. There was nothing she would be able to do now, magic compass or no. Overhead the fearlings cackled, relishing her fear and despair, but then she heard the faintest sound and her fear abated, leaving the fearlings disappointed. The sound high, almost musical – like wind-chimes.

A faint smile pulled at Heather's lips.

"Boo."

Alvin froze as an upside-down, inhuman face appeared inches from his own. Forgetting his hostage he swung the heated blade forward, narrowly missing the icicle adorned figure as it flipped through the air and landed gracefully on its feet beyond his reach. The ice-creature spun a spear in its clawed hands in a display of skill, stopping the weapon with the spear-tip pointed straight at Alvin's hooked nose.

"Frost giant," Alvin snarled, eyes glowing like coals as he took in the horned face and the cloak of dagger-like icicles.

Hiccup stared at Jack, unable to fully take in his new appearance. Hardly anything of Jack was left visible underneath all of the layers of frost and ice. He no longer looked human. It took another few seconds for Hiccup to realize that was probably the point.

Jack slid nimbly out of the way as Alvin swung his sword forward, the ice coating the soles of his feet allowing him to slide along the stone as though he were on his pond. Alvin followed up with a series of brutal swings, none of which connected. For several moments Hiccup watched, enthralled with the display. When the thrumming of tiny, insect-like wings appeared right next to his ear, however, and he turned to find Baby Tooth twittering and gesturing wildly to the other side of the arena, he was reminded of Heather. With Alvin's attention on Jack, Hiccup made his way as stealthily as he could along the wall towards the wounded girl.

Frustration and exertion colored Alvin's face an ugly red-purple. His opponent gave no indication of wearing down or tiring, and the frost giant remained eerily silent throughout the skirmish. Roaring and sending flecks of spittle flying everywhere, Alvin brought his sword down on the smaller figure, only to have his attack sidestepped once more. The glowing blade bit into the earth at his feet and before Alvin was able to pull it free the frost giant tapped the blade with the point of its spear. Instantly, with the crackling sound of crystals forming and hiss of steam, a thick layer of ice engulfed the blade and the stone beneath it.

Alvin grunted as he twisted and writhed and tried to pry the blade loose, but it was in vain. It may as well have been held by iron, or the earth itself – it would not budge. The frost giant stood there, just watching Alvin struggle and making no move to attack him. Though its face had no features, Alvin could imagine the smirk the creature was shooting him.

Temper boiling over, Alvin threw himself at the creature, who leaped straight up into the air over his head. He had only just turned around when a blast of frigid air struck him, propelling him into the wall. His back slammed into the stone harshly, held fast by the crackling ice that was climbing over his arms and legs. It was only a small consolation that the book was still tucked under his arm, now also trapped behind the ice.

The frost giant rushed the immobilized Outcast. Alvin braced himself, expecting the final blow, but as fast as the creature had been moving it was able to stop just short of Alvin, holding its spear poised so that the tip was barely a millimeter from his eye. Alvin did not blink for fear he would slice open his eyelid if he did. After a tense, pregnant silence the frost giant calmly drew his weapon back. Alvin watched as the creature turned its back and flew off through the night sky, pale moonlight reflecting off of the icicles.

Heather and the Riders of Berk were already long gone.


Heather had passed out again, either from exhaustion or pain or from some combination of both. Her mother held her against her chest, stroking her cheek lovingly and smoothing her hair. Astrid continued throwing disbelieving glances at the pair and at the straw-bearded man sitting on the rocky beach beside them. Even after seeing them, Astrid couldn't quite believe that they were real flesh and blood people. It had been so easy to label Heather as 'the bad guy,' she had never even considered what Heather's reasoning might be. She hadn't thought it would matter.

It was infinitely more difficult to see her as just the bad guy now that she was lying unconscious in her mother's arms, injured by the man she had been intending to betray them to. Alvin had struck her with the flat of the blade only, but the flesh over her brow and eye was twisted and mottled and Astrid was pretty sure she'd lost the eye.

The silence that fell over the group was uncomfortable, and Astrid decided she didn't like it. She wished someone would say something, but had no words herself. Suggesting they leave without Jack was out of the question, and making small talk in light of what had happened seemed inappropriate.

Finally, and to the collective relief of the group, a white-haired figure bounded over the rocks of the secluded stretch of beach where Baby Tooth had directed them to hide. Hiccup's head snapped up first, Astrid noticed, and his eyes lit up.

"Jack! You're all right!"

"That makes one of us," Jack replied grimly as he hopped down onto the stone. "How is she?"

Hiccup grimaced and looked back to Heather. Her mother continued to hold her protectively against her chest, and as Jack stepped into view she eyed the boy with suspicion. Jack had shed the skin of icicles and excess frost that transformed his cloak earlier, and the mask and hood hung at the back of his neck now. Neither of Heather's parents recognized him, he realized.

"She's alive," Hiccup replied. "That's all we know right now."

The Winter spirit nodded, twisting his shepherd's crook nervously in his hands.

"We should probably leave now," Fishlegs suggested. "This place gives me the creeps."

Fishlegs' eyes were to the sky, where what little moonlight was not blocked out by the clouds was instead smothered by the countless humanoid silhouettes mucking about in the air. So the Outcasts couldn't see them, but Fishlegs could. Huh. Hiccup wondered if Snotlout or the twins saw the same things.

"I agree," Hiccup said as he mounted Toothless. "Jack, do you want to-"

"I'm fine," Jack replied a bit too quickly. Blank-faced, Hiccup watched as Jack approached the water and let out a long, low whistle. The black surface of the water broke, sea foam spraying everywhere as Spout's long neck suddenly rose from the waves.

"You trained a scauldron?" Hiccup asked, staring at the sea-dragon incredulously.

"Not at all," Jack replied as he waded through the shallow water and stepped lightly onto Spout's back. "Heather did. I just watched."

Hiccup continued to stare at the scauldron. The dragon was staring at him curiously, its lips parted but not in any way that was meant to be threatening. It suddenly occurred to him that this dragon looked familiar.

"It's the same dragon from before, isn't it?" Hiccup asked. "The one who gave us its poison."

"He says it's nice to see you too," Jack replied with a low chuckle.

"Hey, if you're done catching up, can we go now?" Snotlout huffed.

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup replied, "Fine, yes, we can go. I hope you don't mind having some extra passengers."

Hookfang was, after all, the largest dragon next to Spout, but a scauldron was difficult enough to hold on to for a healthy, conscious person. Heather's mother wordlessly slid onto the saddle behind Snotlout, cradling her daughter against her, while her father took a seat on Meatlug's saddle behind Fishlegs. Spout pushed off of the shore and slid out into open water, and soon enough the dragons and their riders were racing back towards Berk, leaving Outcast Island far behind them.


Even after the sun rose and the ice began to melt, it took multiple men working at the ice with chisels for hours to get Alvin down. A few of them feared his wrath the moment he was free, thinking he would lash out and possibly kill one of them for allowing the teenagers to escape, but he did not.

The moment Alvin dropped down from the wall, landing on his knees on the stone, he began to cackle. Low at first, and then louder and then it was the deafening, uproarious laughter of a madman. In his hands he still held what he thought to be the key to training his own dragons. As his laughter died down he rose to his feet, still grinning, and flipped the cover of the book open. His right hand man watched as he stared at the first page, smile still stuck to his face, and then flipped to the next one, and the next one. With each page he flipped the smile fell from his face just a bit more and before Alvin had even made it through half of the book it was gone completely.

Suddenly an inhuman roar ripped itself from the Outcast Chief's throat and he snatched the pages from the book, ripping them furiously from the binding before he threw the book to the ground in a fit of rage. Unsatisfied, he snatched the hammer from the hands of one of his men and swung hard, catching him on the side of the head and sending him down with a spray of blood. The other Outcasts leaped back, letting their Chief work out his rage on the one unfortunate soul who happened to have been standing too close.

Savage, perplexed at Alvin's sudden fury, stooped and scooped up a handful of shredded pages. He inspected them carefully, turning them over in his hands, and bit back an incredulous laugh.

Heather had brought them the cover of the Book of Dragons only. The pages were blank.


(A/N: Urgh, FINALLY! Gah! This chapter took a lot longer to write than I intended. I feel like if this were a TV series, this chapter would be one of those hour-long specials. It's frickin' long. It doesn't really help that I started a lot later than I meant to. Anyways, I've been trying to do some research on Jokul Frosti, but as far as I can tell, that isn't a figure in Norse - or any other - mythology. The names Jokul and Frosti do show up, but as separate beings. Siblings in fact. I may or may not choose to use the full name anyway, or maybe I'll play with the idea of a second character called 'Frosti.' We'll see.)