So… this is what happens when you are on a writing frenzy and listen to Really Slow Motion: I finish another chapter within two days after updating XD

(If you don't know who Really Slow Motion is… they are a hybrid instrumental music group whose music's used in trailers such as Pan, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, and Captain America: the Winter Soldier. I believe the songs that are used in the trailers are: Sun and Stars, Mercury Rises, and Gender, and they are f*king amazing!)

This chapter isn't focused purely on Hiccup and Astrid, as the other chapters have bee. However, I wanted to show more on the OC I made for this story: Finna Haddock.

For some reason, I really like Finna. At first, I only created her because 1) if I ever write a prequel to this story, I need someone to fill the "Astrid" role, so Finna was created, and 2) I saw Valka and Stoick having at least one more child after Hiccup, if they ever had the chance.

Now… I'm completely in love with her. She's the first OC I've made for HTTYD (aside from Kari in A Father's Love… although, come to think of it... they both are quite similar). And… I might have gotten inspiration from Dragonbow117 to ship Eret and Finna… Thanks a lot :P)

(Dragonbow, if you're reading this… I do not blame you… I really like this ship for some reason, too XD)

Alright, enough talk. Here's the next chapter :)


Souls of Dragons

Chapter Eight: The Fear for a Single Man

Finna didn't expect to get lost.

Sure… she didn't have the navigational gift as her father, or the instincts of her brother and mother, but she still could hold her ground. Well… as long as it didn't involve trying to navigate through the tundra known as the Barbaric Archipelago. Finna shivered, as the winds blew against her face. I'm just happy Hiccup's not here to gloat.

She glanced to both ends of her dragon. Nope. Nothing. Only frozen wastelands of huge icebergs, and nothing else. Oh, there were some glaciers – wait, glaciers are literally another word for icebergs! – and the odd Woolly Howl that begged Blizzard to come and join in their fun.

"C'mon, girl. I thought you were supposed to be the navigator here," Finna moaned.

The Woolly Howl merely groaned.

Finna shook her head. There was no use in talking to the dragon – she never came close to learning that dragon-dung language, unlike her brother. She groaned to herself. Hiccup this, Hiccup that; it's always about Hiccup now, isn't it? Ever since the War ended, it seemed though that she couldn't keep up with anyone. Even the twins knew a lot about their dragon, a Hideous Zippleback, than she knew about hers.

Especially this new female, the Valkyrie, knew about each species of dragons (probably). She could easily tame a Deadly Naddar, and those dragons were hard to train, because of their pride. If some random Valkyrie could train a dragon, what did that mean for Finna?

It made her feel –

No. Finna shook her head. A Haddock does not feel sorry for herself, Finna reminded herself. She was the daughter of Stoick the Vast and Valka the Gentle: stubbornness was practically in her blood! Not to mention the thousands of years' worth of Haddock stubbornness that came with it. She raised her head. I'm not going to allow some crazy-ass Valkyrie make me think otherwise.

"You know what, Bliz?" Finna asked. The dragon grunted, which Finna understood as permission to continue. "I give myself good pep talks. And why shouldn't I? I have the best dragon in the world-" she stroke the dragon's head affectionately, "the best teachers, the best parents, and yes - the best brother."

Blizzard cooed, as to say, "Best dragon, more importantly, right?"

"Yes, Blizzard. You're my favourite dragon," Finna confirmed, with a smile on her face. She looked around herself again. "I would appreciate it if we could find ourselves back to Berk, though." She stayed silent. "Or… we wait until Hiccup and Heather finish talking with the Valkyrie, because she may kick them off the island for Hiccup annoying her."

That would be hilarious, she admitted to herself.

With a quick tug at the reins, Finna guided Blizzard to the closest glacier and set up a small seat for herself. She also took out some wood from the dragon's saddle pouch. Blizzard blew a quick flame on the fire, and bounded for the water to catch fish. Soon, rider and dragon had enough fish to satisfy them for the rest of the day.

Finna looked up at the sky, as she took a bite of her second fish. "Geeze, it's gonna be dark soon," she mused. And she was correct: the sky was turning pick, with the sun stretching its colours over the fading blue sky. "And shouldn't those nerds be here?"

Blizzard slurped on her fish noisily, and grunted with uncertainty.

"Come on, Bliz. They might have gotten home already," Finna insisted, pulling on the dragon's wings. Blizzard groaned lazily as Finna shoved snow over the small fire and hopped on the dragon's back.

They didn't leave very far when they heard a familiar voice:

"Dragon! Get it, lads!"

Finna pulled Blizzard's reins quickly, and looked down. Below her, in the water, were the men that were trying to capture them. Finna groaned, as a net missed her and Blizzard. Great. It's that Eret son of Eret guy.

"What's the big idea?!" Finna shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Did your mother ever teach you to never hit a woman?!"

The tattooed man looked up at them with a distasteful smile. "Oi, so you're here without your little Night Fury rider?" he sneered. "I would have thought you didn't have the guts to make it out here alone."

Finna frowned. "Those are some big words coming from a gutless dragon trapper, Erect-"

"It's Eret!" the man corrected. "And there's no way you're getting away from us again, little girl!" The men on the ship all grunted in agreement.

"So there's…" Finna pointed to each of the men one by one "… ten of you and only one of me?" Finna asked. "Oh, what's a poor girl to do?" her voice went a little high, as though she was sounding worried.

Then, she smirked. "Wait. I know exactly what to do. Blizzard: snowball!"

Before the men could react, Blizzard fired up a huge ice ball from her mouth and shot it at the ship. Finna pulled the reins sideways, missing another net heading her way. However, the dragon's fireball hit the side of the ship, covering the men in snow.

Finna couldn't help but laugh as she watched Eret try to pull his men out of the pile. Gods, he has to be the most clueless man I have ever met. Blizzard seemed to chuckle as well, releasing a low murmur with a smile. Finna guided the dragon closer to the ship, and the two friends watched as Eret literally dug out Teeny.

"So much for being macho men," Finna taunted, with a grin.

Eret directed his attention to her, and frowned. "You-" he stepped closer to her, but missed a piece of ice and slipped –"Gods, get this snow off my ship!"

Finna held her sides. Gods, she hadn't laughed this hard since she found Snotlout in a ten foot hole not ten miles away from Berk. "For being professional trappers, I would have expected a bit more… professionalism."

Eret pulled his sword out and got closer to Finna. "Listen here, little girl. I want you and your sniveling pet gone from here. Even if Drago doesn't have your dragon, at least you're as good as dead in this wilderness."

"Dead?" Finna repeated. She straightened herself up. "You listen, Eret son of Eret. If you knew anything about dragons, it's that they can hunt for fish and provide heat. If anyone's as good as dead out here, it's you." She folded her arms. "I guess you know nothing, then, Eret son of Eret."

The tattooed man pinched his mouth together. "I'd cut your heart out right here if I didn't value a girl's life more that her tongue." He smirked. "Or better yet… how about I cut out your tongue to silence your stupid mouth once and for all?"

"Gladly," Finna smirked. "Just… tell me who this Drago man is, and I'll leave you be."

Teeny stood up, finally, and was joined by the other men. "Uh… Eret? I don't think we should tell her where Drago is, or he might kill us."

"I wasn't going to tell her," Eret turned his head to face Teeny. He glanced back at Finna. "Why do you want to know about Drago?" he asked, suspiciously.

Finna shrugged. "Well… he seems like he wants my dragon for some reason." She leaned in closer, so that her face was barely a foot away from Eret's. "And… any man that can catch a dragon must be in high favours with this man, eh?"

Eret raised an eyebrow. "What game are you playing, little girl?"

"Okay, first of all: I'm seventeen, I'm old enough to be your wife," Finna stated. "Second, I am not playing any games. If this Drago guy wants my dragon… then I need a reference to go by when I give him Blizzard, right?" she asked.

The man stayed silent, for a few moments. It seemed that Finna might have stumped him, at least for the time being. Finna probably should have felt bad for stumping him, but the look of utter stupidity was a joy for her, and she loved seeing him struggle to understand the simplest plan. Like trying to explain a brothel to a holy man, Finna thought.

"Drago Bludvist doesn't take orders from anyone," Eret finally said. "In fact, he squishes orders under his boot, then kills anyone who tries to order him around." With a quick swipe, he grabbed Finna's arm. "You'd be killed on sight for such an order."

Blizzard immediately snapped her teeth at Eret.

"Careful, Blizzard hates it when someone touches me," Finna warned.

Eret seemed to have gotten the message, since he started to back away. Finna took this opportunity to guide Blizzard to the decks of the ship.

"You know, if you had your own dragon, it'll be a more pleasant experience," Finna explained. She patted Blizzard. "I know my brother is not much to look at, but he taught us that dragons are not just salvages." Blizzard nuzzled against Finna. "Once you gain a dragon's loyalty, there is nothing she wouldn't do for you."

Eret glanced squarely at Finna. "You're insane, you know that?"

"I do know that," Finna agreed, "but take my word for it."

The men stared at Eret, waiting for his next orders. However, Eret was still a loss for words. Finna sighed. Men. Too thick of skulls to get any point across. She took this opportunity to climb on the back of her dragon and take off.

She ignored the shouts from the boat, as she ascended to the sky. The past few minutes felt like a rush of water splashing against her, and she immediately felt cold (and not from the elevated atmosphere). During that entire time she spoke to Eret, she could barely form any coherent thoughts: she didn't mean to bump into Eret, and she didn't intend to boast herself with him. And why does it bother me that I couldn't convince him? She wondered. There are plenty of people out in the Archipelago who still aren't on the bandwagon for dragons.

She shook her head. It's nothing, Finna.

But there was still one thing she couldn't get out of her mind:

Who is Drago Bludvist, and what does he want with our dragons?


Hiccup sighed, as he smelt the air around him. Ah. Home sweet home.

The fresh smells of mutton and fish filled the atmosphere, and Hiccup's mouth was starting to water. He felt that he hadn't eaten in days – or even weeks, for that matter – and he couldn't wait to join the Great Hall for the meal. And I finally can have one minute that doesn't involve crazy Valkyries and marriages.

The clouds were thick, despite the sun starting to set. Hiccup wasn't entirely positive, but he assumed that the thick clouds were actually smoke coming from the fires to cook the mutton and fish for the evening's meals. It always happened like this, and it only made Hiccup's stomach growl louder than before.

"So… what do we do when we land?" Heather asked. "Your dad's bound to ask questions, and what are we supposed to tell him?"

Hiccup sighed. "I'm not sure." Truthfully, he had almost forgotten about the arrangements until he entered Berk's atmosphere. And what was he supposed to tell his father? He couldn't tell him about the Valkyrie (although his mother knew already, but Hiccup knew she wouldn't tell him), or even about the insane dragon trappers that crossed their way.

Stoick wouldn't have reacted well to that news in the least bit.

"Hey… do you think Finna told him about the Valkyrie?" Heather suddenly asked.

Crap. "I'm not sure," Hiccup admitted. "If she was mad, then she might have said something."

He glanced down at the island, which was now in their view. The smoke had finally disappeared, and Hiccup noticed the people down on the island. From his view, he couldn't see his parents, but he figured everyone was preparing dinner, since the population of Berk were heading for the largest building on the island: the Great Hall.

"Well, here's hoping Finna kept her mouth shut," Hiccup prayed.


"Ah! My son has returned!" Stoick shouted.

Hiccup ignored the looks from the other Hairy Hooligans as he hopped off Toothless. He tried to glance around them, trying to find his sister (where the Hell was she?), without being conspicuous. Heather followed closely behind him, with her bag on her shoulder.

Stoick patted his arm. "So… how was your little adventure?" he asked, pulling Hiccup closer to him. "Do you think you two got a little…" Stoick raised an eyebrow. "…closer?"

"You do realize she's two feet away from us," Hiccup said, glancing around him. Where is Finna?

"Oh, son. Don't be too worried about that." They stopped by the Great Hall, where a large man with a thick black coat took Heather inside the building. "Is it true that you and Heather are considering the marriage?"

Hiccup sighed. "Dad, there's something you need to know-"

"Hiccup, if you did anything that might've jeopardized this deal-" Stoick's voice boomed.

"No! It's what Heather, Finna and I found," Hiccup explained, pulling away from his father. "You see, we were flying, and we ran into these trappers-"

"Speaking of Finna," Stoick interrupted, "where is she?"

Hiccup stopped. He was angry that his father was still interrupting him, and that he never listened, after all these years. Could he not get one word out to Stoick without being interrupted?

But there was one thing that relinquished his anger: "Wait. Finna hasn't come back yet?" he asked.

Oh gods.

Stoick's face went into immediate fear. Hiccup would have said that his own face displayed the same level of fear as his father, but he couldn't tell. Finna had never been one to sway too far from Berk, unless she was accompanied by one of the Dragon Riders or Hiccup. She, despite her stubborn behaviour, knew her way around the Barbaric Archipelago. Well, she boasted that she knew.

"Where the Hell is your sister?" Stoick demanded.

"I thought she would have been home by now," Hiccup insisted.

"She said she'd be with you and Heather the entire time when she left here," Stoick said, with a low whisper. "You know her: she's as stubborn as your mother. She wouldn't listen when I told her that you and Heather wanted some alone time."

Hiccup cringed. "Dad, I never said we needed alone time-"

"-And she said something about Heather wanting some rock thing for her Magnet opus-"

"-Magnum Opus," Hiccup corrected.

"-So I assumed that maybe she could go, to keep an eye on you and Heather, to make sure that neither one of you decided to do anything inappropriate."

Hiccup groaned, and held his hands up in frustration. "Dad, Heather and I are not doing anything inappropriate!"

Stoick sighed. "Fine. I'll take your word for it, son." He then glared at Hiccup. "But you better go and find your sister. If she's not back by nightfall, then both of you are grounded."

Hiccup gaped. "Wait, me too? Come on, Dad! You know how much Toothless loves to fly in the morning, and he can't fly without me!"

"Then," the Chief of Berk shrugged casually, "you better go find your sister soon." And with that, he left his son to curse the gods above in Asgard, and joined the Hairy Hooligans inside to feast on mutton and fish.

Toothless moaned, as Hiccup stood there in bewilderment.

"Great. I haven't gotten through with Dad, and I have to find my incompetent sister before nightfall," Hiccup groaned. "Not to mention that I have a Valkyrie woman who, I'm pretty sure, wants to kill me for somehow enslaving her dragons."

Hiccup sighed once again. "Does that sound ridiculous?" he asked Toothless.

The dragon merely tilted his head, and smiled a toothless grin.

"Thanks, bud," Hiccup pat Toothless on the head with affection. "At least you know I'm not insane." He adjusted Toothless' saddle, and hopped on it. "C'mon, bud. We need to go find Finn before we both get grounded-"

"HICCUP!"

The young man looked at Toothless, curiously. "What the Hell was that?" he asked. He looked up to the sky and gasped. "Finna?"

A familiar-looking dragon with scales that looked like fur came flying down, closer and closer to Berk. As the dragon came flying in, Hiccup recognized the familiar dragon as the only Woolly Howl that he had seen in a long time, rode by his auburn-haired sister.

The Woolly Howl landed not four feet from Toothless and Hiccup, and she fell down panting. Finna hopped off Blizzard, and rubbed the dragon's head. She ran over to Hiccup, and also began to pant. Hiccup didn't know if was from lack of exercise or a message that she needed to tell her brother.

"Hiccup! I- I think our dragons are in d-danger!" Finna panted. She leaned down, and put her head to the ground. "I- I spoke to Eret, and he mentioned someone named-"

Hiccup pulled her up. "Wait, why did you see Eret again? I thought we both agreed that he was just some crazy trapper."

Finna shook her head. "I might have accidentally ran into him, but that isn't the point!" she insisted. "He's working for some guy named Drago Bludvist, and he wants all our dragons for some reason."

Hiccup frowned. Not many things scared his younger sister. In fact, Finna was quite fearless when it came to opponents. Heck, she was able to stand up to Alvin and Dagur alone, and they were considered terrors for young children. But if this man scares her-

"We'll tell Dad," he assured her, as he helped her up. "He'll know what to do with this…Dargo Bluddyfist guy."

I hope, was his only thought.


Hiccup found his father sitting beside Beardhead and Gobber, drinking ale. The three men seemed to have joined in a drinking game, because they were banging their mugs against the table near the doors of the Great Hall, and there were other men cheering them on. Hiccup noticed Heather had joined with the Dragon Riders at a table not too far, and they were watching the parents compete.

Valka, on the other hand, was with some of the other women and speaking respectfully with them. A Terrible Terror had joined them, and she was petting it as it climbed on her shoulder and begged for food. Some of the other women giggled as it panted for a piece of fish. She laughed as well, and fed the starving Terrible Terror a piece of her fish.

She looked up and noticed Hiccup helping Finna inside, and immediately stood up. Valka's motherly instincts went for Finna, and she hugged her.

"My gods, Finna! I thought you were missing! When your father told me you hadn't returned with Hiccup and Heather, I feared the worse-"

Finna pulled away from Valka. "Mom, I'm okay, but we need to talk to Dad."

Valka nodded, and released her daughter. However, she went and hugged her son. It was a brief hug, but Hiccup enjoyed his mother's embrace. It was soft, and gentle (like she was… when she wasn't being stubborn…).

"Did you find the Valkyrie?" she asked, pulling away from her son.

Hiccup nodded. He had almost forgotten about the Valkyrie. "She… she wasn't very happy to see me." He chuckled. "Although, she had some questions for me." Finna smiled as well. "Oh, and she hates Finna, too."

"She thought I was going to attack her," Finna admitted.

"Why am I not surprised?" Valka asked, with a shake of her head.

"But I didn't!" Finna insisted.

Hiccup laughed. "Because charging at a feral woman isn't considered attacking," he said, emphasis on the word attacking. "Oh, and calling her a crazy bitch probably impressed her right up, too."

Finna smirked, but Valka smacked her daughter's shoulder. "Finnawena Valahamara Haddock, what did I tell you about swearing?"

"That the gods do not like it, and I may not get in Valhalla if I keep swearing," Finna recited with a monotone voice, which caused Hiccup to laugh. "Mom, do you think I'm a little too old to be told not to swear?"

Valka folded her arms. "Yes, but you never listen, do you?"

Hiccup couldn't help but smile. The way Valka smirked at Finna told him that she wasn't being serious. Hmm… is this where I got my humor from?

With a shake of his head, he pulled Finna toward the loudest table in the Great Hall. The men were still shouting at the two remaining men drinking full cups of ale, and it looked as though Stoick and Beardhead were the last remaining challengers (Hiccup figured Gobber lost, just by how the blacksmith was snoring on the floor with beer spilled on him).

"Dad?" Hiccup interrupted.

Stoick was inches from what seemed like his seventh flask when he turned around to face his son. "Oi, Hiccup! You got yer sister home okay!" He stood up and raised Hiccup's hand. "To my son, the Pride of Berk, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!"

The men at the table, even Beardhead, raised their mugs and cheered.

"Uh… what exactly did I do?" Hiccup whispered to Stoick.

Stoick laughed. Hiccup could smell the taste of beer and ale from his breath. "Isn't my son hilarious? He knows to make his old man laugh, don't ye?"

Hiccup pulled his hand out of his father's grasp. "Dad, there's something you need to know." With some encouragement, he pulled Stoick from the table. He made his father, as drunk as he appeared, face him. "Dad, there's a man who's wants to take our dragons."

Stoick looked serious for a moment, but then laughed. "Oh, you're funny, Hiccup! You know that Dagur is locked up, and Alvin's been reformed." He patted his son's shoulder. "For a moment, I thought you were going to mention some warlord-"

"Dad, who's Dargo…" Hiccup thought for a second, "...Bluddy-fist?"

"It's Drago Bludvist," Finna corrected.

Stoick suddenly grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and stared at his son with the most serious tone Hiccup had ever seen on his father. The older man's eyes fixated on Hiccup's eyes, and for the first time in years, Hiccup feared for his own safety from his father.

"Drago Bludvist… are you sure?" he asked, in a very serious tone.

Hiccup nodded. "Yea… Finna said a man was trapping dragons for him-" He raised an eyebrow. "Wait… you know this man?"

Stoick glanced at Valka, whose face was equally as serious. "Val, we need to get everyone to head for the shelter." He faced the group of Hairy Hooligans meeting in the Great Hall, who were laughing and eating with their families. "If Drago has dragons… then the Gods help us."

Hiccup gaped, as Valka joined beside her husband. "Wait! Why, what's the matter, Dad?" he asked. Finna stared at her brother in equal confusion.

Stoick turned back around to face his children. "I must prepare you for war."


Alright, how was that for a cliffhanger? XD

What's going to happen? Now, keep in mind that I'm trying hard not to follow too closely to HTTYD2 (although you guys may not be totally convinced by now XD).

See you guys soon :)