*Minor edit problem in last chapter. Arkin was 117 not 119. Mistake has been corrected*

Summers in the Mediterranean happened to be very hot and dry. The sun gave the Daypeaces strength and power, but too much was bad for anyone, even if, they were half dragon. The elders would find respite in underground caverns stocked with plenty of frozen ice to keep them up. Children who hadn't gone through puberty yet, stayed indoors or went to public baths/ or ocean to swim, to lower their temperatures. The remainder of the population let the sun enrich their bodies, storing power, before drinking lots of water or doing less vigorous activities to conserve energy.

On the hottest summer day, in mid-July; Nissa family, Captain Livis, and surprisingly Arkin, entered the cool Science Institute. King Aksel, along with a few Priestess and men of science, had something really important to show them all. Nobody knew what it was, only that Aksel had been working on it for years now, ever since Arkin was child. To reach a point where he'd be willing to show them his progress was a sign that something significant had occurred.

"My Dad's scientific studies are always the greatest. If he's working with magic does that mean its actual science or magic?" Arkin asked. He was jumping up the stairs three at a time, ignoring his uncle's warning to not do that. Arkin didn't listen as he tried to jump up backwards.

Ragner caught his nephew before he cracked his skull open. "What is the matter with you nephew? You're not a child, you should have to be told to be careful on stairways." Arkin grumbled angrily, as he pushed past the group, stomping up the stairs angrily. Ragnar shook his head and looked at his wife. "You're sister is holding him to close. She needs to let him go a little."

"You think, Aksel and I, haven't been trying to tell her that for the last three years? She still treats him like he's an 18 year old toddler instead of the 118 teen on the verge of young adulthood he is," Ola retorted snappishly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Rayna could be so stubborn sometimes! It had taken three months just to convince her that Arkin needed more free time for family, friends, and hobbies. Aksel almost turned in his crown, saying he rather be a full time scientist then a king, if his wife, wouldn't let him, see his own child. It was at that point that she let up a bit on her control over Arkin.

Even though the boy had gotten his freedom, the Prince treated it as joke a lot of the time. Rebellious didn't begin to describe his actions at times. Taking dangerous risks in sports activities. One time he tried to bait a passing sea serpent to chase him around the island. Thankfully, the creature ignored him and swam away. He'd been inventing strange creations he called pranks, such as fake slime or glowing eyes and hissing mouth that scared the servants witless. His time with the rest of the family depended on his mood. Last time Nissa had asked him to spar with her, she nearly tore her claws off by a dirty trick he pulled.

"I really hope Uncle Aksel's discovery has a positive effect on my cousin. Are all boys like this Mentor Livis? You mention before that people have to choose their own paths."

"Prince Arkin is a wonderful person and will be a good leader apprentice. Like you, he has a lot of expectations to live up to. While you have made mistakes, Arkin felt he couldn't. I'm sure the pressure of his private lessons and the isolation, are the source of his rebellious nature. He'll calm down in good time. Just be patient."

"I hope your right." She clenched her hand as a tiny pain went through her body. Ignoring it, everyone entered King Aksel's lab? Study? Office? Nobody really knew what to call his series of rooms at the Science Institute, so generally they just called it his science room. Once inside, it was clear why they had been invited. Once you got past the entrance in the next room was a medium sized Gateway!


The arch appeared to be constructed of different rocks fused together by dragon flame. The priestesses filled the carefully copied markings with magic as the rest of the scientists strategically placed the quartz crystals. King Aksel was leading the efforts telling everyone what to do. "Be careful with how much light we let in. Make sure the glass lenses are not cracked. We don't know what will happen if they are! Aria, please get the maps and instruments ready."

"Of course my King. I'll be right back."

King Aksel smiled wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. Arkin jumped his dad, nearly knocking him flat, on the floor. Aksel scolded his son, who settled down. "It's good to see you son. Do you like my project? It's taken several years, but I've finally finished my prototype Gateway."

Ragner nodded approvingly. "You've have a good eye for detail. It must have taken you years to gather and melt the stones in the precise configuration you needed." His brother in law nodded as he beckoned them closer. Each of his guests had questions about his project and what he was attempting to accomplish with this project. King Aksel went on about how ever since he was small boy he wanted to know about the Gateways, they used. "We still have much to learn about them. Who created them? Can they do more than just take us to different places? Is there a limit to the distance?"

"He's been asking those questions as long as I can remember," Arkin whispered to Nissa who giggled. Neither one wanted to admit they also had the same questions and many more. The King went on about how each year they learned a little more, but with this prototype, the hope was they could take a gigantic leap and gain a greater understanding in a shorter amount of time. "If the prototype Gateway holds up, we can do a variety of experiments gaining valuable knowledge. Today is the day we test to see if we can actually turn it on. Then we'll attempt to send something through and back."


"You invited us to see the show, how wonderful. I look forward to watching the testing old friend," Captain Livis stated. Aksel was pleased to hear that. They were directed to a series of seats behind a heavy built wall with a narrow window filled with clear glass. As they settle down, he noticed his apprentice clutching her hands again. By now he could read her body language, even subtle movements, perfectly. Her eyes held excitement yet at the same time they conveyed worry. Her eyebrows sank a few centimeters as she suppressed an urge to shiver. Subtly, he peeked into her head.

A little boat sinking into the ocean. Someone clinging to a piece of driftwood as the currents took it far away. A small island with a glimpse of a sharp class dragon and a boulder class trying to find each other.

Coming out of Nissa's mind, he saw her reaching for the mirror in her pocket, but stopped when she heard her uncle say the demonstration was about to begin. It was clear that something was wrong and she was hesitant to act on it. He remembered a conversation that he had with her a week ago.

Flashback

Captain Livis sat in his office finishing some paperwork to be filed. Mentor Anton, who trained Xena, had reached retirement age and was requesting to be discharged. He also asked that his former student be elevated to Mentor level and take on a student that year. Both of them had earned that right as he stamped his approval on the papers.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in. Oh Nissa, I didn't expect to see you so late. I'm glad that you're here though. Think you could take these to the Record Keepers on your way home?" The princess nodded, taking the file without question. "Is something the matter? You're not out this late usually."

The princess bit her lip. "Um, Mentor, for a few weeks now, I've been sharing dreams with my recruit. Something seems really wrong about them. His dreams seemed as if they were plans."

"Dreams are to help us figure out stuff, there's nothing wrong with that. I understand that these past few months have been difficult for you. I doubt there was anything wrong with your recruit's dreams."

Nissa had a look on her face that she did not think that was the issue. She was reaching for the mirror to show what she meant, but he told her to let it go. He didn't listen to her and dismissed her.

Flashback end.

She's been awfully quiet and hiding something since that night. What is it that she knows, that I do not? He wondered. Turning his gaze from his apprentice, he focused as King Aksel, started to explain the first test, seeing if they could turn the artificial Gateway on. For that, he asked his beloved wife, who had just appeared, to aid him in the task.


In the Barbaric Archipelago, on a small island halfway between Berk and the Queen's Nest, Hiccup had started a fire for himself. So far, his plans for running away, had not worked out as he hoped. "Stupid, useless, worthless. Of course, the Gods would be against me leaving. How else could they punish Dad?" Hiccup muttered to himself. At least he managed to keep a hold of tiny bag of supplies when his tiny ship went down.

Hiccup had gotten the inklings to run away about a month and half ago. He'd had been tinkering in the forge and finally finished his first invention. He had created a new dragon trap, to capture the pesky Terrible Terrors or the occasional Fireworm. It was metal cage, reinforced by several layers of metal, tree pulp, and some wax. There was an almost invisible trip wire in the cage, which he had baited with small bits of left over fish. After covering it up, the trap was set. All he needed was a dragon to spring the trap and bring the door slamming down.

It had almost worked! He had set the trap near the chicken coops, a favorite place for the Terrible Terrors, during the day. If there was a raid that night, he was sure he would catch something! Only it hadn't gone that way. Bucket had gotten his hand stuck in the trap when he was trying to find eggs. Bucket was fine once his hand was free. He had forgiven Hiccup. His dad did not and told him to get back to doing something useful.

The heir tried to do that. He kept improving and fixing his trap. There were mishaps along the way, but no one really got hurt and he only damaged one stupid outhouse! Then a week ago the worst thing happened. His invention worked! He managed to capture a single Terrible Terror in his trap. He'd been so thrilled.

Flashback

"Dad, look! Look I did it! I really did it!" Hiccup chirped excitedly. His dad had just finished talking with the others about repairs for the village and preparing for the next raid.

"Not now Hiccup. I have too much to do," Stoick said. He tried to walk away, when his son shoved something in his face. First glance, he saw another one of Hiccup's worthless contraptions only to hear a series of tiny roars. Peering closer, he saw a Terror trapped inside to his astonishment. Hiccup was beaming with pride. "Well done son. It's a nice first trophy. I'll help you skin it after you kill it."

"Kill…kill….kill it? I have never killed anything before! Maybe we can just release him?"

"Hiccup, you can't possibly be this stupid. Killing dragons is what we do. It's in your blood. The first time is the hardest, but it will get easier once you've done it a few times. Now let me show you how to sever the head."

Hiccup watched with frightened eyes as his dad opened the cage. The Terror was fighting for its life as Stoick squeezed it tightly, slowly cutting off its air supply. Hiccup trembled, as he drew his small dagger. "This is a bad dragon, bad dragons need to be killed. I can do this," he whispered to himself.

Stoick showed him where to start and used an empty hand to show Hiccup what to do. As Hiccup pressed the tip of his dagger to the Terror's neck, everything inside of him was telling him not to do this. Voices echoed in his mind telling him this wasn't right. A tiny drop of blood appeared on the tip of his blade. Seeing that drop of blood caused Hiccup to get woozy and he fainted immediately.

Flashback End

"It would have been better if I never woke up. Then Dad wouldn't be embarrassed, the village wouldn't be making fun of me, and the kids wouldn't beat me up more," he muttered as he started to cook some fish he packed. Tears streamed down his face as he choked back a sob. The worst part he dare not speak out loud.

The conversation he heard later that night between Stoick and Gobber. When his father called him a useless, stupid, worthless curse from the Gods. That he wished for a different heir who was actually a Viking instead of a mistake. Heartbroken, Hiccup had left the house and spent the night in the woods. The next morning, he started preparing to runaway so his Dad wouldn't be the laughing stock of the tribes, because his son fainted the first time he tried to kill a dragon.

"I'm lost, alone, and frightened. I have no one who cares about me. I'm such a fool to believe that someone cared about me. Magic, spirits, Nissa, ha! None of its real! If it was none of this would have happened!" Crying, he crawled into the small cave he found to think about what to do next.


On the opposite side of the island, danger was lurking about. The ground was shaking as trees went crashing straight into the ground. A little roar with a loud boom could be heard. Boars streaked away in fear as deadly eagles took off into the sky looking for a safer place to roost. A rolling fog appeared as it covered that side of the island. For now the danger seemed contained to a small natural sandpit, but how long would that last?

Back on Xanadu, Arkin had started to notice his cousin forced demeanor. She kept tugging on her tunic, around her breast area. Looking back at the experiment he felt a sense of awesomeness. After all, he designed the tools they were using as they tested the functionality of the prototype Gateway. His father had the biggest smile on his face.

"Excellent work everyone! We've already accomplished much more than I thought we would on the first day!" King Aksel exclaimed happily. "I had my doubts it would even turn on, but look at it!" The swirling portal inside stayed steady and showed no signs of dissipating soon. " High Priestess, what can you tell me about the symbols and flow of magic?"

"Your Majesty, my sisters and I have managed to decode a few more of the markings now that we can observe the flow of our own magic. It appears that the theory about the markings corresponding to ability to form coordinates is true," the High Priestess stated with reverence. Looking at, the markings that pulsed with magic and the data from the instruments, Aria placed a markers on several different maps.

King Aksel, ever the scientist, studied the map. Yes, they had confirmed that his portal had connected with a known one in the off the coast of what would one day be Portugal. His fellow scientist relayed the details about the use of the quartz crystals as they checked the lens and prepared for more testing.

As the testing continued, Arkin felt his attention being split between watching his father's dream come true with his mom assisting him, and his cousin. Her breathing was getting tighter and scales were appeared on her legs. That didn't make sense. It had been years since Nissa lost control of her inner dragon. What was going on?

"Are you planning on pulling a prank or do you want to be part of the testing?" Arkin asked, drawing his cousin into his mindscape. Today, it looked like the testing site, only with a hundreds of more prototypes floating around them. Arkin smirked jumping up into one portal and coming out another. It became a game watching him disappear and reappear. "Hey, maybe we can convince my Dad, this does seem like a lot of fun!"

Nissa tried to project happiness and fun, but she couldn't keep the edge of her worry from being projected. Before Arkin could ask, she pushed those thoughts away. "I'm not trying to prank your father, nor would I ruin his dream come true!" Again, she was holding back a bit of worry and fear.

"You don't lose control of your dragon for nothing."

"I'm just preparing for the worst! It would break Uncle Aksel's heart would shattered if something happened right now to the prototype. We don't know what could happen." Arkin thought about what she said as he brought his mindscape back to normal. His father was working with the unknown and something bad could happen. "Okay you have a right to be anxious and worried, but try not to show it to much okay?"

"Deal." Leaving their mindscape, the two cousins returned to watching the show. As they watched the testing continued, Nissa looked at the prototype anxiously, trying to keep still.


On Berk, Stoick couldn't keep still. Where could his precious son be? Why had he let his temper get the better of him? If he had just calmed down and talked to Hiccup, instead of letting his anger getting the better of him, maybe his son would still be here! "Valka, why do I keep failing you? I'm trying so hard to be the good father you wanted me to be. Instead, I failed, and now our son could be anywhere in the Archipelago."

Gobber handed his friend a cup of mead. "Don't lose hope Stoick, he may not look like much, but your son's a fighter. He'll survive no matter what it takes. I promise you, the scouts will find him and then everything will be okay, just you wait." Stoick nodded sadly praying to the Gods he was right.


The testing of the prototype Gateway had been put on hold, as everyone enjoyed their two hour lunch break in a nearby break area. The testing had been running smoothly. The Gateway had successfully connected to three other Gateways, adding a new one to their Gateway map. The queen and the priestess sat on one end of the table, as they worked together to understand a new symbol that appeared on one of the rocks.

King Aksel and Arkin chatted away, bouncing theories off one another as some of the scientist discussed building new equipment to help with the experiments. Ragner had his paper and slate out as he started drawing up a new lab where they could house the entire project for testing further down the line. Ola and Livis had struck up a conversation about the future use of the Gateway and how it would affect their field of professions decades down the road.

The Princess ate her meal slowly enjoying the flavor. Nissa kept sending warm, happy thoughts, towards her uncle, who glowed with pride. What he sent back surprised her. Gratitude. King Aksel felt gratitude and love for his entire family for supporting him in this endeavor. His happiness was contagious. Still, Nissa couldn't ignore her instincts. Something wasn't right, but she just didn't know what it was.

After excusing herself to use the restroom, she headed back to the lab to take a closer look at artificial Gateway. The portal was off and the dome in place to prevent any sunlight from getting in to ruin the experiment's conditions. Even off, the Gateway emitted power and grandness. "What secrets do you hold?"

"Do you actually expect a bunch of rock and crystal to answer you?" Arkin's cocky voice said. Startled, Nissa turned away from the Gateway, clasping her hands together. Her cousin's right eyebrow rose once more. "Something is really off with you today. Are you suffering from a sunstroke?"

Nissa was going to retort when that mysterious symbol that had appeared earlier on the Gateway started pulsating rainbow colors. Both cousins clutched their heads tightly, as the symbol, a cross between the Eye of Odin and the Daypeace Symbol, formed on their forehead. Both teens let out roars of distress as they felt their conscious mind slip away. Something or someone of great power had taken control of the young royals.

Hearing the ruckus, everyone raced back to the lab. Upon entering it, both Rayna and Ola, started having severe headaches as their wings sprouted out of their backs against their wishes. Their husbands stopped, trying to help their spouses. Captain Livis and the others started to run to the main testing site. Out of the doors came a powerful light dome spell, capturing the priestesses. Captain Livis managed to dodge all the fire; as blue and purple flames shot through the door. Judging by the down scientists expressions; he could easily guess at their dream material.

A pulse of magic spread across the lab, throughout the building, and down across the town, knocking out everyone still awake. Somehow Captain Livis managed to stay awake. Crawling across the floor, he managed to hide behind the observation screen. "That was Old Magic, from the time before the rebirth of the Twelve Elemental Dragons. Who, what, is going on?" He peered through the window watching the cousins.

Prince Arkin, had partially manifested and was realigning the quartz crystals. Satisfied, he crawled down and started pressing symbols in a pattern. It appeared he was mixing his light magic with the Old Magic coming from the Gateway. Princess Nissa was up in the catwalk rearranging the lens and heating them up, changing the lens colors with a few minerals. She rearranged the dome and flipped down to the ground standing next to her cousin. Both seemed to be in a trance.

Out of the portal a strange sound was heard. It was a great hum that touched Livis's soul. The markings on the young royals flashed brightly. As Arkin started to match the hum, Nissa gathered the light as formed a condensed sunbeam. Releasing the sun beam into the aperture, a pathway formed. Still humming, they both walked through the portal and disappearing from sight.

As soon as they left, Captain Livis came out of hiding and started checking the equipment. He wasn't a scientist yet his years as a Recruiter helped him pinpoint where the Gateway was sending them. "Not good, not good at all. I pray my apprentice can keep her and the prince alive until I can get there." The portal startled to fizzle and spark. He needed help and fast.


The young royals appeared in old cave. The temperature was extremely hot and the walls didn't appear steady. Coming out of their trance both realized at once they were not home. "What in the name of all our ancestors happened back there?" Arkin demanded. His loud voice caused a few rocks to fall towards them. Only his reflexes save him.

Shrugging sheepishly at Nissa's glare, he started heading towards the smell of fresh air. Coming out in the open, the two of them found themselves on the top of a little hill about a mile and a half from a cliff. It was much colder here and the sun's position was different. It appeared to be further ahead in the sky then back home, but Nissa's sense of time seemed off. Did the Gateway have the power to send people through time as well as space? It was a possibility that would have to wait until later. Switching to survival mode, she pulled out a sack from inside her tunic and started rummaging through it.

Arkin opened his mouth to make a smart remark. "Make a joke about my breasts and I swear I will kill you," Nissa snapped. Wisely, Arkin kept quiet. She tossed him his instruments asking him to see if he could pinpoint their location. She also gave him a spare red tunic, yak skin vest, wool pants, and lastly some shoes. "Get dressed and go. I'm going to start securing a safe camp for us."

Fifteen minutes later, Arkin was finished with his work. "I'm done bossy pants. Why don't you let me make camp? After all, I'm a guy. How hard can it be?" he laughed. He kept laughing and fooling around as his cousin double checked his notes and then her maps. Heart pulsing, she grabbed Arkin by the throat and told him to shout up.

"Don't argue with me! I know where we are! This island is known a Fire Trial Island! We're in the Barbaric Archipelago!" Her cousin stared at her in confusion as she let go of his neck and forced him to look at a map. "Here's where we are. This island is not safe. Exiled, rouge, and mad dragons come here to compete in competitions to live. Those few who can escape the Queen's call for short periods end up here, trying to avoid being called back. There are tons of dangerous animals and plants here, and the waters can carry terrible sickness. Vikings come here to prove themselves worthy of their family name to regain lost honor. Only a few have come back."

Arkin wondered if this place was so dangerous, why was a Gateway here? Neither knew the answer to that question. Perhaps that symbol that had appeared belonged to someone who had lived here long ago? The prince looked for signs of danger and spotted something carved in a nearby rock, that didn't appear to be there by natural means. "Um, what's that?"

"A claim stone I think. I've heard of them, but never actually seen one." Nissa knelt down reading the badly eroded runes. This island was claimed in the name of the Gods. Anyone who came here needed permission if they were human, beasts a search for sanctuary. The beasts may fight to stay alive, but if the fight became a grudge match, then they had to leave. Vikings could only stay three nights and kill one beast. Should they break the rules, a terrible curse would be placed on them. It was the bottom line that scared her. Children, those who remained untainted, who hadn't spilled blood or killed a dragon, could remain here indefinitely, only if the child refrained from starting an attack.

"Hiccup, he's here! I should have listened to my dreams sooner!" Nissa was furious with herself. Arkin didn't see the problem. From what he knew about the kid he wasn't the one to start a fight. "Relax cousin. We'll find the kid and take him to Berk or better yet just take him back to Xanadu with us. It would certainly save you the trouble of coming back here in eight and half years."

Nissa slapped him upside the head. Anger, frustration, and was that a hint of killing intent coming from her. Maybe it was time to curl up and obey. "You don't get it cousin! Hiccup won't have a choice, but to instigate an attack. He'll play defense as long as he can, until he accidentally starts a fight, then he's dead." She started marching off yelling at Arkin, he could finish setting up camp, or come with her to look for the boy. Either way was fine with her. A moment later, the two siblings headed out, Nissa leading the way.


On Xanadu, Livis had managed to arise a two scientists and free one priestess. The Royal Family fortunately enough, hadn't fallen asleep when the Old Magic hit. After Livis informed them of what he witnessed the King and his associates went over everything, trying to piece it all together. The priestess took a closer look at that symbol, studying the magic flow. After a few minutes she hopped down. "Your Majesty, after studying the symbol a bit closer, I was able to spot a small difference in the flow of magic. I believe this symbol represents two parathions' of Gods working as one."

Captain Livis nodded in agreement. The mark had appeared to be two symbols merged as one. After studying, the instruments readings and judging the Gateway's power levels, he concurred. After all, the only ones directly affected by the mark had been Tyra's direct descendants. His friend Livis came from a long line of prestigious Daypeaces. One of them could have had minor ties to the Royal Family, thus his ability to stay awake during the initial Old Magic attack.

Ragnrr sat at the table with the map of Gateway network frowning. He checked their time piece and the sun's position. He looked at the instruments last readings before asking one of the scientist about the Gateway's reading now. He shook his head trying to make sense of what he was reading it wasn't making any sense. "Brother Aksel? Is it possible that when the Gods took control of your prototype, they could manipulate in ways unseen before?"

His brother in law raised an eyebrow at the question. He'd never even considered the possibility that the Gods would interfere with his dream. Still, he couldn't rule out anything at this point. "Tell me what you have learned Ragnar." He walked over to the table looking at the data as his eyes widened to the size of mini fruit bowls. "Time dilation? The Gods not only moved them through space, but time?"

A wave of terror flashed through everyone upon hearing that. It was not only where, but when as well. A loud crack forced everyone to look at the Gateway. The stone arch had a large crack on the right side causing some of the arch to start falling apart. This was serious, the prototype wasn't meant to handle biological material, and now the Gateway was falling apart. King Aksel heart was breaking along with it.

His wife, back in control of her body, gave him comforting hug. He could always rebuild or study other Gateways, he couldn't replace their son. If the marker on the map was accurate, their son was in real danger. Her sister and brother in law had their worries about their daughter. At least she knew how to survive the dangerous Northern Lands. With few options, Captain Livis volunteered to rescue the children and bring them home. He would be on the clock having only to midnight there to get everyone back before the Gateway fell apart. He leaped through the portal into unknown danger as they all waited for his successful return.


On Fire Trial Island, the young royals made it out of the forest after encountering a pair of Golden Eagles that Arkin just had to make fun of by roasting their meal. "Did you really need to barbecue that fox to dust? Those talons hurt!"

"They tried to peck my eyes out!"

"Which wouldn't have happened, if you had not wandered into their hunt. I told you not go off on your own." Pulling out her magic mirror again, she checked it seeing Hiccup's dreams. He was trapped in a spiral of water and fire, with everybody laughing at him. He was calling her name. She tried to connect, but his fear was too strong. "Hang on little brother. Big sis is coming."

Arkin hadn't seen his cousin like this before. She was really worried and scared out of her wits. You wouldn't know it by looking at her, she was the perfect vision of a Recruiter. Everything she did had a purpose. The way she survey her surroundings and carried herself. Clipped to her belt was her mace in a protective sheath, ready to be used in a second. Nothing was going to stop her from completing her mission.

That's when the entire island shook, sand started following into newly made pits. Both cousins manifested their wings and hovered over the beach. Arkin pointed back towards the forest. There was maze of destruction crisscrossing the forest as blasts of fire and loud screeches came out of the fog. When the trees overlapped with the fog, a fight could be heard. The Prince held out his hand drawing the psychic essences from the air and into his mind.

"It's a grudge fight. An underground dragon with drilling rows of teeth, (Whispering Death), against a black dragon that breaths strange fire. I can tell what species, just it's a strike class." Nissa panicked. That fight was heading straight for Hiccup and she didn't know, when or if the Gods, would interfere to get rid of those dragons! "Come on! We have to hurry!" They flew down and fast not realizing that the sun was starting to set.

The shaking and roars woke Hiccup up. The small tunnel he was in was about to collapse. He dove out of the cave and rolled away from his campsite; just as a Whispering Death popped out of the tunnel he'd just been in. The nearly blind dragon roared in anger as it looked for its prey. Squinting in the dusk, the angered dragon spotted Hiccup. In its rage, the dragon flapped its weak wings to get height, readying its bullwhip like tail, to slice the child in two.


Just then something sparkly and super shiny blinded the Whispering Death. Taking advantage of its weakness, something or someone struck the dragon in a vulnerable spot, between the parts of the head that connected the rest of the body. A few more strategic hits and the Whispering Death lost interest in the human child, who was running away as fast as bird could fly. "Who dares to interfere with my fight?!"

"I do ugly!" Prince Arkin shouted. He had fully manifested into his dragon form, having grown a bit bigger since last year. His ears were flat as his eyes narrowed at the Whispering Death. "You want to pick a fight with a dragon fine. But a human hatchling is off limits! If you need an opponent so bad, then take me on for size mole face!"

Arkin had deliberately called the Whispering Death by the most insulting name to become its target. As predicted, the Boulder Class Dragon, couldn't stand it. It came after the prince, who blocked with his tail blade and used his ram style horns to draw first blood. The sun was gone now, replaced by stars, but no moon, for it was the start of the lunar cycle. With no choice, Arkin dove into a tunnel entrance hoping to stay ahead of the angered dragon. Behind him the whispering death shouted all kinds of death threats.

While this was going on, Nissa flew in the air, trying to spot Hiccup, from above. The boy had run into forest, getting hopelessly lost, in his panic. Please don't head towards the fog, please don't head to the fog she thought as she landed on a tree branch. Focusing all her attention on Hiccup, her Dragon Heart swept the entire island, finally pinpointing her brother's location. Hiccup had entered the fog, and worse, he was only forty feet from the strike class dragon, who clearly was looking for a fight. "Got to get to him in time."


"Why did I have to land on this island?! The Gods must really hate me!" Hiccup shouted out loud. He was in the fog bank and couldn't find his way out. The ground suddenly gave away, as he tumbled down a rocky hill. He screamed as the stones dug into his skin. He came to a stop in a small valley. Pain erupted from his left wrist. "Oww. Oww! Oww!" After spending time with Gothi, he could tell his wrist wasn't broken, just badly sprained. A loud roar echoed across the valley followed by almost silent footfalls coming his way. A blast of blue fire, plasma maybe? Emerge from the fog, dissolving it as a black shadow moved closer.

What type of danger is out there? I can't see anything its completely dark here! Ignore the pain, he tried to crawl back up the hill only to fall back down. The shadow was coming closer, claws raised. It took an experimental swipe, though in the darkness it was difficult to see if there was any damage. "Back off, leave me alone! I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want to go home!" Hiccup cried as the beast stood over him, not realizing that he had spoken Dragonese! The mysterious dragon's big green eyes widen in puzzlement and shock. What was this creature?

A sweet humming filled the air, the comforting rhythm of a mother dragon's protective growls. It also carried the air and authority of a pack leader, with the slight tempo of a queen or king dragon. The Strike class dragon listened and scampered off as Nissa slid down the incline. "Hiccup! Little brother are you okay?"

"Nissa? I thought…you're not real. I haven't…" Hiccup was getting dizzy and collapsed. Glowing, she saw Hiccup was more injured then he realized. His left leg appeared to be broken and that bump on the head could result in a concussion. Knowing he needed help, she started carrying the boy back to the cave.

Arkin, finally lost the Whispering Death. One minute it was there, the next it vanished. Returning to the world above, he flew into the air and above the tree line to get a better look. What he saw in the horizon filled him with dread. Looked like the Hooligan tribe had finally figure out where their Heir was. "Judging by their speed, they'll be here in about half an hour. We need to get going!" Taking off, he headed in the opposite direction towards the Gateway.

When he reached the entrance, he nearly got his head torn off by an angry Nadder. On the ground he saw Captain Livis defending an unconscious, injured, Nissa. Her body was curled protectively Hiccup's. The little boy was looking a little green. Probably poisoned by something. Switching to battle mode he joined Livis in the fight.

"Prince Arkin, hear my words! I can keep our kin at bay until the Gods interfere, but right now the injured need help! Your blood can keep them alive until help arrives! Now go!" Captain Livis ordered, as he plunged into the horde valiantly fighting to keep the others safe.

Arkin did as he was told returning to human form. His cousin had a huge gash in her belly with blood leaking out. Slicing his hand on the sliver of metal he used earlier, with some supplies from Nissa first aid kit, to fix her belly. He rubbed a paste on the gash to help it heal and gave her something for the pain. Turning to the boy, he was surprised by the boy's blood. It smelled like his, meaning they were the same type! That would make this easier as he mixed some of his blood, with an anti-toxin in the kit, curing him of the poison.

There was a death cry followed by a massive blast of Old Magic. Captain Livis was barely clinging to life, his body had so many injuries, it was a wonder he was able to stand. Reacting quickly, Arkin sent a signal to the Vikings to find the child as he dragged Nissa and Captain Livis back through the Gateway just as the God's Gateway was buried forever and the one on the lab shut down for good.


Hours later, family and friends gathered, in the waiting area of Healer Skerry's office. There was nothing that could be done for the brave and well liked leader of the Recruiters. Livis would die before the next sunrise. So while they could, each person said their goodbyes to their fallen comrade.

The Royals waited until the end to say their goodbyes. Livis breathing had gotten very shallow and his pallor near death. His Dragon Heart had shut down an hour ago. "It is…good…cough to be surrounded by cough friends in the end. Your Majesties, it was my greatest honor to serve you to the best of my abilities. Dowager Princess and Consort, I'm proud of what I taught your daughter."

Ola nodded, thanking him for helping build up Nissa confidence. Ragner stated that he had become a member of the family and would be remembered for a long time. Queen Rayna thanked him for dedication to his job and rescuing her son, as Aksel promised to carry out his final wish, having Nissa take his place one day as leader of the Recruiters.

He talked privately with the prince, giving him some much needed advice. That he was glad to sacrifice everything, including his life, to spend time or protect someone he loved. The prince promised to remember those words forever.

Nissa was the last to see him. "I'm so sorry Mentor Livis. This is entirely my fault. You should have never picked me as an apprentice. Then you wouldn't be dying." Tears streamed down her face as she thought about all the problems she always seemed to cause. She truly was a mistake.

He took her hand and squeezed it best he could. "Princess Nissa, we all make our own choices. While each of us has a destiny, it's up to us to follow our own path to get there. I don't want you to blame my death on yourself. I chose to go after you, because it was the right thing and you need my help. Promise me you'll always follow your own path." She promised him and also told him she continue her training, which he added that her recruitment of Hiccup was entirely up to her. She could do what she wanted with his full blessing, for he truly believed the two of them could change the world.

Nissa stayed with him until his soul was carried away by Helios and Tyra. She cried at the loss of her mentor, a friend, and confidant. She didn't know where to go from here. Her only comfort was knowing Hiccup was back where he belonged safe and sound. At least two people hadn't lost their lives.