Sjenna was thinking. She hated thinking, and she especially hated thinking about things she hated. Nevertheless, Sjenna had started to think about her sister. In particular, she was thinking about how Krista would probably be returning with their father to fight against the Berkians, when the time came. What Sjenna didn't want was for Krista to interfere with what she already had planned. Who she would go after first. Who would die.

First things first, Sjenna was going to kill that Astrid girl. That cow who thought she was better than everyone. Sjenna hated her. She wanted to be the one to end her, not her sister. Not that Krista knew about any of this. But once she came back and got caught up in the fighting, how could Krista know what Sjenna had planned?

I'll just have to tell father to keep her out of the way. Maybe I'll write a letter to him and tell him to keep Krista there. Would I have enough time to do that?

Sjenna figured she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Instead, she decided to take a walk around the village. It would give her an advantage to know where everything was and how to get to whatever she needed, come the battle. It would also be some useful information for the Askr Gotar if they knew where weapons and supplies were stored. Her thoughts wandered back to Krista.

Was Sjenna worried about what might happen to her sister? ...Not exactly. It wasn't that Sjenna wasn't worried, it was that she was just... indifferent. Krista was Krista, and she and Sjenna weren't exactly joined at the hip nowadays, like they used to be. Krista could deal with whatever was thrown at her, and Sjenna would do what she needed to do for herself. She was all grown up now too, wasn't she?

Sixteen years old - more than old enough to be married! And more than capable of taking care of herself. What did she need an older sister for, anyways? A sixteen-year-old didn't need an older sister to take care of her.

If she didn't need Krista at all, then what was a sister to her? She could die in the fight and Sjenna's life wouldn't be so different. One less person in her life to tell her what to do. That sounded appealing enough to her.

She shrugged off the thought and stood in front of her mirror to braid her hair. Then, after a final look at her reflection, she headed up to the main deck of the boat and down the gangplank to the docks.

First stop, the dragon training academy.

x

Krista was in her own room, also thinking about the war. Her father was still waiting for the letter from Outcast Island, and she was just trying to battle the anxiety it was giving her. Did she really want to kill those people on that island? They had welcomed her and Sjenna.

But now... now, she and her people were going to punish them. Punish them all for something that wasn't even their fault. It didn't seem fair. As she stared blankly at the book opened in front of her, her back aching from where she sat slouched on her bed, Krista called back the earliest memories she had of Berk.

There were people - nice people - they liked her, and they liked her father. Sjenna wasn't there, she was too young, waiting with their mother back home. Sjenna had only been about seven years old. Krista was around ten or eleven, she supposed, and thought herself a big tough warrior already. Their stay lasted about a week before... it happened.

She was being swept up in a woman's arms - not her mother's, but another woman's of the Askr Gotar, her old nursemaid, Hildi. She was carried back to the ship. They were leaving. Her mother didn't come with them. In fact, she never came back home at all.

Krista bit her lip and shoved it all away. The thoughts, the hurt, everything.

x

One. Two. Three. Four... four dragons. All were trained, all were deadly. But were there any others?

Sjenna watched the winged monsters take flight, their riders shouting at eachother and drilling eachother persistently.

It's pointless you idiots. If those are the only dragons you've trained, you've got another thing coming to you. I could just laugh at how stupid you all look right now, thinking four dragons are equal to a full-fledged army.

Sjenna smiled wickedly to herself and slinked by the academy entrance. She'd already visited the forge, where she caught a glimpse of the stock of weapons the Berkians were hoarding. Hardly anything compared to the armory back on Askr Ey.

Once they get the message that we mean war, they'll probably just surrender anyway. They can't possibly match us up in time. I still want to kill that shieldpig, though.

x

But it wasn't their fault.

It was only one person's fault. The hatred Krista had been keeping bottled up inside suddenly filled her back up. Did she even have a choice in the matter?

She slammed her book closed, shaking. She and her father both knew who was responsible for this, and she wanted that person gone. Not the other Berkians. But that one person? Sure. Her father could do it, or she could. And Sjenna? Sjenna was going to stay out of it. Sjenna could hitch a ride back to Outcast Island, for all Krista cared. Somewhere along the way, that girl had gone from happy and sweet to a horrendous thorn in her side. She was done playing mother to that spoiled brat. Krista was going to get her redemption. What was a sister to her, anyway?

x

Sweat was running heavy, pooling and dripping from both man's brows while the blunt edges of their swords clashed roughly together, hour after hour.

Reaching their third or fourth hour of sparring with a couple of single-handed swords, Bót stopped the practice fight for a one minute break. Hiccup put his sword down for a moment and bent to grab his knees with his hands. Both were ready to collapse from exhaustion onto the muddy ground. Hiccup brought up one of his hands to wipe off some of the perspiration that had gathered at his hairline.

"You heff thirty seconds before ve pick zen fight back up again."

"What?" Hiccup asked between breaths. The blacksmith, who was probably in better shape than Hiccup, only breathed hard for a few seconds before he returned to normal.

"We've been fighting for hours! Why can't we take a real break?"

Bót only shook his head, not an ounce of pity in his face.

"You sorry, sorry boy. You're not as skilled as I expected. And dat ess saying quite a lot, becuss I did not expect much. Slab!"

"Wh-wha...?"

"Slab! Means weak. As in, you are weak. Or, at least you act like so. Must listen, must learn!"

Hiccup scowled. "Uh, isn't that what I'm here for? You said you wanted me to be able to use a sword. Why do you need to criticize me when you're supposed to be teaching me?"

"Vat, you think zen fight ve have for four hours ess a game? Dat ess your practice! Dat ess part of zen lesson."

"Well I know that, I just mean-"

"- Ne! I do not care vat you mean. One more minute I giff you. Den ve fight more. Remember vat I tell you one hour ago, never over-extend and never get distracted! I see you ven you look around for dragon. Dragon is fine, is sleeping behind mina forge. Do not vorry about zen dragon, vorry about you."

With a sudden, swift movement Bót's sword found its way back into his hand and, with a roar worthy of a Viking war cry, he charged at Hiccup.

"Ack!" Hiccup ducked out of the blade's reach and rolled past Bót to the other side. He whipped his sword from its new sheath with about as much speed as his opponent had. A little sloppy, but at least his sword was in his hand, ready to defend.

"H-hey! That was a pretty low move!"

"Vat you expect vhen someone tries to kill you? You think zey vill show decency? Kindness? Nikoga ne!"

Hiccup, ignoring the continued harping in Bulgarian, only just restrained himself from giving a roll of his eyes. He was growing annoyed again, but he was in no position to set this man's quick temper off. Where was Akkeri when he needed her?

"But you're not trying to kill me, remember? And haven't you ever heard of a shield?" Hiccup asked with a huff. There was a snort from behind the forge. "Ah, shuttup Toothless!" Obviously the night fury had been watching the whole time.

Blade struck blade with a resounding ring. Hiccup was still trying to get himself off the ground and only just managed to deflect the blow Bót delivered from above.

"You say shield? Ha! No shield. You learn faster vithout shield."

"Great. Fantastic." Hiccup stumbled a bit as he picked himself back up. Bòt swung the gleaming sword close to his face. Too close. Hiccup backed up and parried, then dodged. Strike one two,dodge one two, get-your-arm-the-Hel-out-of-the-way one two. Then came a swipe that reached so close to Hiccup's face that he actually felt some of his sweat-soaked hair being shorn off at the tips. It was barely even a centimeter taken off, but the boy was so pissed that the harmless act drove him nearly mad.

"You son of a b-"

Block! one two, dodge! one two, Hiccup couldn't complete his sentence when that damned sword only swung faster and faster towards him.

Fifteen minutes came and went, and the two were getting sweatier and testier by the minute. Bót was still going strong, and Hiccup was in almost the same condition as he, but there was a little bit of pain in his left leg now. It wasn't good for him to be wearing the prosthetic for so long when he was putting so much force on it. Another strike from the blacksmith swished towards his head, making Hiccup drop to his knees. He swung up his sword in Bót's general direction but the other man swiped the blade away and swerved around him. Hiccup didn't feel like getting up. He didn't feel like fighting anymore, he was tired and ready to go back to his nice room and get some food.

So when Bót decided it would be a smart move to make a grab at Hiccup from behind with his free hand, Hiccup thrust his elbow out behind him. He felt it connect with what must have been the sternum and the man let out a grunt, taking a knee behind Hiccup, his sword forgotten in the dirt. Realizing what he'd done, Hiccup twisted around to face Bót.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry, I just sort of-"

"Again! Do dat again!"

"...What? What do you mean? I just elbowed you in the chest!"

"Da, da! You see, Hudde! Many forget the other part of sa fight. Zey forget zen other advantage dat any human vith common sense hess. You take zen opponent by sorprise ven using physical force other den sword. You use your body, vhatever you can to vin, and you heff advantage."

"But... isn't that sort of cheating? I mean, you know, dishonorable or something?"

Bót shook a finger at Hiccup. "Is only cheating ven opponent's back ess to you. If you take zem from behind, ven zey do not heff sword drawn, zen dat ess dishonorable."

"Well you didn't seem to have a problem with it a minute ago."

"Ey, you vill speak to me vith respect ven I teach you, da? My point ess, ven you are in midst of fight, use force. Use force, you vin. Now, try again!" The man grabbed Hiccup firmly by the wrist and hauled him up from the ground. Hiccup grumbled and planted his feet, ready for another round.

"Nashtrek!"

"On guard!"

x

They continued sparring for an hour. That was when Hiccup realized how low in the sky the sun had become. Was it really that late already?

"Uh... Bót? - Can- we- take- a- break- yet?"

In between words Hiccup tiredly blocked another and yet another swing from his... very skilled opponent. His own swordsman skills were improving... well, not drastically. But with Bót's coaching, all in the course of about five hours of hard, sweaty practice, he had gone from next to helpless with a blade, to exceptionally mediocre. He was sure that would improve with time.

Then, to Hiccup's ecstasy, another break was called.

Bót tossed his sword by the forge and sat down, his back against the wall. Hiccup did the same, taking a seat a yard or so away from the smithy. Both men ran their sleeves across their foreheads, like it was some sort of synchronized dance move.

Bót looked at Hiccup as he got his breath back, fanning himself with the oily rag he was using earlier that morning to polish up some smithing tools. He was huffing and puffing and looked ready for a drink of water.

"So, Hudde, improvement I see definitely. You think so too, yes?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah... I feel a lot better about fighting with a sword I guess. I mean, normally I use a knife or something, so I've never fought for this long or hard with a sword, ever. I guess I wasn't as good as I thought I was... Huh."

Bót dipped his head in approval. "But this iss good. You realize ven you are wrong about yourself and you vork to improve. Ess good quality to heff. Always vork to improve, Hudde, and you vill have many successes in life. Like Akkeri- She vorks so hard to speak dis French - is not easy, I know this, I have much trouble vith thissah language. But Akkeri, her French is good. Better than mine own, especially her accents." He smiled proudly to himself, and Hiccup admired how much the man took pride in having such a brilliant lady for a wife. "I always admire her for this," the smith murmured to himself. He picked at a thread hanging from the oily rag, before tossing it with his sword. Hiccup watched, curious about how this man - actually, why this man - had come all the way from Bulgaria to Normandy. And to work for Rollo, of all people.

"Listen, Bót..." Hiccup started, "how did you get here? You know, from Bulgaria?"

Bót lifted his head, a look of intent listening on his face while the boy continued.

"And where did Akkeri come into it all? I was... just sort of wondering. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Hiccup looked down at his hands, feeling a bit sheepish, like he was prying a little too far into this man's life. After all, this was a person he had only just met the night before, and not exactly on good terms.

"Ahh, so you vant to know how I started vorking for Rollo," Bót finally answered. "I vos just about to ask you how dat metal leg happened."

Hiccup flushed, but said nothing.

"Hm... Vith respect, I think I must say dat ess a story for a later time. But now I vill not ask you about sa leg either. Those stories vill be for, like I said, a later time. If, of course, you vill still be here ven dat time comes."

"Oh... I'm really sorry, but I don't think I will be."

Bót seemed to forget about his own state of exhaustion, eyes blinking rapidly while he stared at Hiccup, perplexed. "Vat are you meaning by dis?" Now it was Bot's turn to eye Hiccup curiously. Hiccup ran a hand through the back strands of his hair.

And here came the story again.

So, the two sat there next to the forge in the shade while Toothless lazed just behind the building, and Hiccup told Bót everything.

Krista and Sjenna, Gildiland and Hildi, the letter, the flight overseas, the islands, Western Francium, Charles the Stupid and Sir Grease-mand (which was how Hiccup would forever remember those two idiots). He even talked about Jean-Marc and the scroll he'd found in the library when he was in Francium.

Bót listened with genuine interest to every little detail. He smiled just a bit when Hiccup talked about Gerard and Celine, nodding in understanding when he heard of how eccentric they were. He furrowed his brow when Hiccup brought up the incident with the spy in the letter, and Hiccup thought about how anxious his father probably was right now.

The story grew darker still as it progressed from Berk all the way to Normandy. Just talking about it made Hiccup's own anxiety grow. He was definitely on crunch time now, yet here he was, waiting for hours upon hours to go to some royal dinner, just to find out if he had a shot at getting some help back to his home in time.

When he finished half an hour later, the two were silent again. Bót was pensive. Hiccup was tired. Suddenly a squeak sounded above them. The two looked up.

Another letter?

A Terrible Terror was flapping its tiny wings a few feet above Hiccup's head, a piece of parchment hanging from its leg. Hiccup stood up and took the dragon by the leg, causing it to yelp in protest. Hiccup shushed it and untied the letter. It said,

My son,

I have told everyone that Seljast is planning to go to war with us. It is risky right now for me to even send you this letter, but I need to know if you have found help. I assume you are in Normandy right now, and I hope you have persuaded the leader there to lend us an army. Please write back as soon as you are able.

- Chief Stoick the Vast

Hiccup read it over once, then let Bòt read it. As soon as the smith had finished, he handed the letter back to Hiccup.

"So this war... ess definitely going to happen?"

Hiccup shrugged from where he sat. "Don't see how it won't."

"And dis ess zen last chance you heff to help your people vin?"

"Yeah. Guess so."

Bót seemed confused, remarking, "You sound like you heff accepted dat you vill lose already."

"What? No I haven't! Why d'you think that?"

"You do not sound angry, or vorried, or determined to fight. Vhy do you act like you heff lost zen war before it hess even begun?"

"I-I'm not acting that way. I..." Hiccup wasn't sure what to do with his hands, or what to say in reply to such a query as this one. "I don't know how everything is going to turn out. I don't want to worry, and I don't want to be scared. I'm going to be chief one day, that's not how it's supposed to work. But if I acted like how I'm really feeling about this, I'd probably be sobbing my eyes out in front of you or something."

"You are afraid of doing dat?"

"I... I really don't know, to be honest."

Truth be told, Hiccup still felt better about getting help here in Normandy than when he was back in Francium, getting nowhere. He turned his father's letter over and got out a piece of charcoal from a pocket in his vest.

Dad,

Yes, I am in Normandy right now. Tonight I meet with the duke (he likes to be called king) Rollo, and he will tell me if he's decided to send troops back to Berk or not. I think I have a good feeling about this. King Charles was no help, but Rollo seems better. Once I'm finished in Normandy, I'll leave as quickly as I can. I'll probably need to make a stop in Scotland to rest since I'm up farther north now. As far as Rollo is concerned, I am hoping for the best. Don't worry.

- Hiccup

Then, with a sense of finality, Hiccup folded the parchment back up and tied it to the Terror's leg. The little dragon gave a last squeak before flapping away.

Hiccup sighed. Bót was about to say something else when the two of them heard a shout from across the courtyard.

"Sir Hudde! You and Pas Dents are allowed to enter the manor again, it's time for you both to get ready for zen dinner with king Rollo."

Hiccup and Bot gave each other a final look before Hiccup called back, "Great! I'll be in in about a minute." Then, brow furrowed, he added under his breath, "and he's not a king."

x

"Heyheyhey! Why did you do that?"

The thin layer of hair that had been sprouting on his face now lay on the ground, pathetic in such a small amount, shaved off by one of the servants who'd been sent to help get him ready for the dinner.

Hiccup looked at the minuscule amount of hair scattered at his feet, frowning in disappointment.

"If you can't grow a proper beard then don't even try. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, my dear."

Hiccup groaned as he was forced to put up with the tittering of the three women servants in the wash-chamber. The one who had swiped at his face with a razor was the oldest of the three, probably in her fifties and fairly heavy, with a severe underbite and sarcasm to match Hiccup's. Her name, if Hiccup could believe it, was Madame Sophia, a name normally reserved for nobility. A name that literally meant "wisdom."

Fitting. Hiccup thought. Wise, sure. Just not in a good way.

Hiccup's head was tilted backwards and his hair was rinsed thoroughly in a stone basin, then combed through.

He refused to have his hair tied back, so it was trimmed instead. His dirtied clothes had been taken to be washed, so he was also made to wear a large towel.

Sure, it was comfortable, but at the same time it was a little compromising to his dignity to be covered in nothing but a big, fluffy towel - in front of three older women, no less. He felt like an absolute child.

His hands were washed afterwards and his nails were cleaned and filed down. The women chattered and gossiped in their rapid French, undisturbed with leaving Hiccup out of the loop. His clothes (the newer ones), were brought back without a single mud stain in sight given directly to Hiccup.

He was allowed to change in a separate room, thank the gods. The dinner couldn't come soon enough.

Toothless, on the other hand, was taken to the courtyard to get cleaned up, too. The tiniest tear that was found in his prosthetic fin was sewn up, his claws were filed, his teeth (when he decided to reveal them) were cleaned, and his saddle was cleared of any dirt, but he didn't let the servants wash any part of him. He was readier than ever to get back to his friend.

x

Kollands stood ready to meet the dragon and his rider outside the dining hall, where the feast was about to begin. Toothless got there first, then Hiccup.

"Looking good, bud" Hiccup whispered. If Toothless could beam with pride, he most certainly would have.

Kollands cleared his throat. "Are the two of you ready to go in?" He asked, tapping his foot. Hiccup nodded.

"Let us go." Kollands motioned to the servants at the hall doors. They both bowed and each took a door, pulling them open with some effort. Kollands entered the hall first, then Hiccup. Hiccup stopped short before he could take so much as three steps into the room.

Wow...

A long table had been set up, laden with a beautiful silk cloth, shining plates and dinnerware. But that wasn't what made Hiccup stop. What made him pause was the amount of people who were already there, staring at him and Toothless. That would make anyone nervous. Both of them followed Kollands around the left side of the setup, and Hiccup tried to ignore the stares and gaping mouths that followed as he and Toothless processed to the table like they were some rugged breed of royalty. There was a large gap on the left side of the table, due to a lack of almost a third of the chairs. That would be Toothless's place. The first seat to the right of the gap was for Hiccup, he was sure, and the seat just next to his was also empty. All other seats were filled with awestruck nobles. Even the servants, who were placed randomly around the hall, looked like they could barely contain their amazement. The only people who looked unaffected by Toothless's magnificence were the guards by the doors, Kollands, and Rollo.

The duke was already seated at the head of the table. Kollands took his place just diagonal to him. From his seat, he inclined his head towards Hiccup and Toothless to sit. Still a little unsure with so many pairs of eyes on him, Hiccup took the seat about a third of the way down the table from Rollo, in the seat next to the gap. Toothless situated himself without trouble next to Hiccup in the open space, pretending to look regal. It was almost funnier than when he'd stuck his head through the forge doorway. But Hiccup didn't laugh. His heart was pounding. Berk's fate was going to be decided in just a few moments, and he was praying to every single god he had ever heard of. He even made some up, just in case.

The heavy voice of the duke pulled him from his thoughts.

"Before ah declare my offishull decision on the mattah of alliance with the Isle a' Berk, a toast! To sir Hudde Horrendous Haddock the second an' his dragon!"

"Uh, it's the third, actually" Hiccup answered warily. "But thank you, um, your highness."

Rollo gave Hiccup an irritated look but held up his goblet. "To our guests!"

A chorus of hear hears followed the toast, and everyone drank. Everyone besides Hiccup, who put his goblet down. As he glanced up from the table he noticed that Kollands was giving him an odd look. He probably realized that Hiccup noticed what he was doing, and the advisor quickly turned his attention back to the king. Rollo was speaking with one of the head war officers and seemed very interested in the conversation, so he was more than a little annoyed when Kollands leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Hiccup had a bad feeling...

Just then he felt a light tap on his elbow, and he looked to his right. It was Akkeri. She must have just entered and was sitting herself down in the chair at Hiccup's side. What did she want?

Had she tapped his shoulder on purpose, or was he just imagining things? Akkeri wasn't even looking at him. Even so, she looked like she was trying to tell him something. She said nothing, of course, but her body language spoke for itself.

The woman had gone very stiff. Hiccup noticed that her hairpiece was a little askew, her mousy hair even mousier, and her face was pink, like she had just been running. Her eyes darted from Hiccup to his goblet and back again. Hiccup scrunched his eyebrows and tilted his head, trying to figure out what she was trying to do.

The woman kept looking from Hiccup to his goblet of wine, trying not to stare directly at him, and gave the slightest shake of her head.

Then Hiccup understood.

It was poisoned.

::::

A/N

I know it's been a while, it's been busy.

p.s. the metal feather... not such a huge part of the plot? It seems like it came off in the beginning as a huge thing. It's sorta kinda important in a way, yes, but it's not the main part of the story (at all).

Thanks for reading!