Thank you for all your support and kind words of advice. I need to warn you I'm about to run out of prepared chapters, so the updates will take a little longer after this. Also, this is a fairly lengthy saga so don't go expecting it to finish anytime soon. I've never had any creative writing training, and didn't actually do very well at English in school, so I'm happy to PM anyone who wants to redirect me in creating an interesting story. I just write want I want to read but I'm keen to learn and improve. That said...let's move on!

It was the next morning before Chief Hersker was able to catch up with Hiccup and Astrid at Brenda's house. They were still wearing their ratty clothes, preferring to put other necessities first such as camping gear and fully operational saddlery, but Brenda had kindly provided them with some old coats to keep them warm. The young couple were very glad for it in the frigid temperatures.

Especially today. A light dusting of snow had fallen overnight, along with Hiccup and Astrid's hopes.

They were downing a chunky bowl of stew that Brenda had left for them early that morning, when the Chief strolled into the warm cabin.

"Morning!" he called out cheerfully to the two.

"Morning Chief," they both returned.

Astrid added, "Brenda has stepped out to see the young Guttog lad. He's fallen ill overnight."

The Chief nodded. "Aye, she told me. No, it was you two I came to see."

Hiccup sat up in surprise, "Us, sir? Okay...uh, what can we help you with?"

Hersker took out a chair to sit on, and faced the two young people with a serious expression.

"I have a proposition for you," he declared. "As you may have noticed, the snow has already started."

Hiccup and Astrid stared glumly at the floor.

"I know you wanted to be gone by the first snow, but that ship has already sailed. I also know you are not yet ready to travel. Both of you are still too unwell to survive out there. You wouldn't last a week."

Hiccup winced at the blunt words, "Thank you for summing that up," he said dryly.

"No problems. Now Hiccup, I have to say I've never seen old Vard willing to work with anyone before, but he's willing to work with you. And Astrid... I've been very impressed with how hard you have worked, especially with the youngsters. They all love you, you know," continued Hersker.

Hiccup nodded solemnly. "Thank you for that. We appreciate the chance you've given us."

The Chief held his hand up to stop him. "Hold on...I want to offer you something that will be beneficial to all of us..."

He paused as Astrid and Hiccup glanced at each other in confusion.

"Why don't you two stay with us over winter? We'll make sure you have everything you need plus we'll help you with supplies and a boat for the trip home when the spring comes," he added quickly as he saw the worried looks on both their faces at the idea of staying even longer.

Hiccup spoke up. "With all due respect, sir, we appreciate the offer, but we've been away from home for a long time. Our families have no idea what happened to us, and they'll be worried sick about us. I know we're not well yet, but we're both fighters. We'll figure out a way to get home. We just need some more supplies. As soon as we have those, we could leave.

Hersker shook his head in reluctant admiration. "I know you're tough...you've made it this far, haven't you? But you are still nothing more than skin and bones right now. Vard tells me you almost collapsed in the forge yesterday." He pointed at Hiccup.

"And you..." he turned on Astrid next. "I can see your technique in the ring is very good. But you don't have the stamina to pull off a fight with a ten year old child." He stood up to leave. "At least think about it," he suggested mildly.

Hiccup could only nod. "Thank you sir. We will."

-oOo-

Stoick was feeling grumpy. After a week of non-stop flying with the four teenagers, his body was cramped and sore and so was his mind. He felt ready to pop some heads, and he wondered yet again, how Hiccup managed to chief this lot on his own.

He knew Hiccup had the potential to be a great Chief…he just needed to believe in himself a little more. Stoick had been training Hiccup for a while now, believing that when he finally did retire, he would be leaving Berk in capable hands. And Hiccup's time leading the small team of six on Dragon's Edge had only heightened the learning curve. His boy was strong, capable and smart as a tack. Despite the lad's untypical Viking appearance, Stoick couldn't be more proud of his son.

But every Chief required a strong support. For Hiccup, his support came from Astrid. She had proven herself as a warrior time and time again with her courage and determination. The two worked so well together, a great team. Every time they came back from the Edge, Stoick could see the change in both of them as they matured, reasoned, learned…and drew closer.

Stoick was no fool. He could see Astrid would be a fine Second in Command…and also Hiccup's future wife. This was a marriage he was looking forward to. As a Chief, he needed to ensure the next ruler was safe and ready. As a father, he needed his son home.

Now all he had to do was find them.

Fishlegs yelled something at him, bringing Stoick out of his reverie. Focusing ahead on what the husky lad was pointing at, Stoick sighed in relief. Finally. They had reached the port town where Johann had purchased the sword that Hiccup made. He hoped to find some answers here. The bitter cold was already causing problems for the dragon riders, and he knew they wouldn't have much time to find Hiccup and Astrid before having to return home.

Turning in his saddle, he indicated to the teens to land on a site just outside of the town. He didn't want to cause too much of a commotion straight away.

Stoick spotted the twins head-butting each other on their dragon and rolled his eyes. Okay…not too much of a dragon commotion. The twins on the other hand… were a whole other story.

Landing in the area they had selected, the riders were all keen to dismount after many hours of riding on dragon back. Groaning and stretching out their stiff muscles, the teens were soon keen for adventure.

Snotlout cracked his knuckles. "Let's go find this guy and force him to tell us where Hiccup is," he suggested with an eager grin.

The twins agreed, cackling and fist bumping each other. "We'll get Barf and Belch to blow him up if he doesn't want to talk," said Ruffnut, grinning evilly.

Stoick frowned, then huffed. "We're only going in to find out who sold Hiccup's sword to him….and that's all," he reminded them gruffly.

Snotlout's face fell. "Aww…I thought we were going to have some fun after all that riding," he whined.

Stoick cracked his neck as he sought to maintain control.

Fishlegs interrupted, "Shh…we want to find Hiccup and Astrid. Remember?"

Snotlout grumbled. "Of course I remember. I want to find them too. But we're awesome dragon riders and blowing things up is what we do best." The twins nodded their agreement.

Stoick tried to settle them down. "I have no doubt there will be plenty of that at some stage…just not right now."

The twins and Snotlout reluctantly decided to work with that statement, earning a relieved sigh from their Chief as he headed purposefully into town, teens in tow.

Stoick approached a man coming out of a mead hall. "Excuse me sir," he rumbled. "I'm looking for the owner of a gambling house."

The other man took a quick glance at the imposing figure of Stoick the Vast, and decided to hightail it out of there. Stoick was left flabbergasted at the response. "What was that all about?" he scratched his head.

"Probably something to do with you looking like you're about to tear down walls," said Tuffnut nonchalantly. "You know…start a turf war," he added.

Stoick was perplexed. "Why would I want to start a turf war? I only want information," he replied.

"Yeah, you know that…and we know that…but you don't look like that," said Ruffnut.

"Nonsense," the Chief huffed, rolling forward to ask another man. After about the tenth reaction in exactly the same way, Stoick reluctantly decided he had better change tactics.

"Okay…you two," he pointed at the twins. "Go find this guy, then come straight back here," he ordered.

"Yessss," said the twins as they high-fived each other. "Time to party. Don't worry Chief, we're expert detectives. We're on the case," they told him before they raced off into town.

Stoick went to shout a warning, but then decided not to bother. They were already gone.

Snotlout decided he didn't want to miss out on all the fun, so he dragged Fishlegs with him into another establishment, pretending to be rich and looking to gamble. He was soon thrown out, landing on his face. He grumbled as he picked himself up, Fishlegs sauntering out behind him, shaking his head.

It took another hour or so, but eventually the twins came back, the massive grins on their face giving them away. "We found the guy, Chief," they crowed happily. "He's this way."

The twins lead Stoick and the rest of the teens to a large, seedy looking building. The doors were currently shut as it was daytime. Most of their trading was done in the evenings when patrons were a lot looser with their gold coins.

Stoick pounded on the door. "Wake up!" he bellowed. "I need to talk with the owner."

A small window slid open on the door, revealing a pair of eyes and a nose. "Come back tonight for business hours," then slammed shut.

Stoick's frustration began to boil. He pounded on the door again. "I'm not here for gambling," he shouted. "I want to see the owner about a sword."

The small window slid open again. "Look…grudge matches are not held here. If you have a complaint, you can direct it to our complaints department." And the door slid shut again.

Stoick was now seeing red. He turned to the teens behind him. "Follow my lead," he told them.

Backing up a few paces, he pulled out his axe, expertly swinging it between his hands. Roaring his battle cry, he charged the heavy door with his axe held high, splintering the lock and smashing it open. The teens needed no further instructions and quickly flowed into the building behind their Chief. The guard on the other side was very surprised, his mouth hanging open at the unexpected intruders. He scrambled to pull out his weapon and rebuff the Vikings, but the twins were all over him, pinning him back against a post.

Stoick loomed over him with an angry expression. He growled, "Now where is the owner? Think carefully before you answer," he warned.

"Ummm….yes, sir…." the guard stammered. "He's….."

"….right here," another voice interrupted coldly. "I am Gamiel, the owner of this business. May I ask why you have so rudely broken into my establishment?"

Tuffnut sidled over, poking the man in the chest. "We'll ask the questions round here, if you don't mind."

Ruffnut came over to Gamiel's other side and poked the confused man in the ribs. "Yeah, we'll ask the questions."

Gamiel rose an eyebrow in disbelief, glancing between the two.

"Like, where were you on the night of Tuesday, three weeks and two days ago," questioned Tuff.

Snotlout added, "Dude, that would have been a Friday."

"Okay...where were you Friday night, three weeks and four days ago?"

Stoick face palmed when Gamiel frowned. "And what does that have to do with a sword?"

Tuff gave him a flat look. "Nothing...that's when my tuna fish sandwich disappeared."

Stoick interrupted sternly. "Thanks Tuff...I'll take it from here."

Gamiel seemed almost relieved to be dealing with the seven foot massive Viking over the lean madness of the twins.

Stoick spoke to the man in a voice that commanded attention. "You sold this sword to Johann. Can you tell me who gave it to you?" he asked, bringing Hiccup's creation forward for inspection.

Gamiel took the sword and checked it over thoroughly.

"I remember the sword. I haven't had too many of this caliber through here lately. But as for the name of the man who left it here as payment for his debts...I can't recall," he said.

At this, Snotlout and the twins pressed forward, their fierce countenance meant to frighten the man into loosening his tongue.

Gamiel gave them an unimpressed stare. "Really? You want to go down that road?" he asked drily. "Did you happen to notice where you were when you arrived? This is a port town...many sailors come to my business thinking they will make easy money. Instead they lose it all, then sail away...never to set foot on these shores again for a long time. I'm not going to remember every one of them, am I?" he said.

Stoick's face fell. "So you don't know where it came from?" he asked flatly.

Gamiel smiled thinly. "I didn't say that...I do keep records...which I was going to offer to you before being so rudely interrupted," he said with an obvious glare towards the three lunkheads who appeared completely unfazed.

Fishlegs, who had been standing quietly at the back the whole time, spoke up. "You have records? What kind of records? Would they give us more information?" he asked eagerly.

Gamiel grinned at the lad's fresh faced enthusiasm.

"Ahhh...someone who understands the value of diplomacy and organization," he said.

The remark went straight over the twins and Snotlout's heads, who shuddered instead.

Stoick sighed when Snotlout groaned in disgust, "Reading, writing...urghh..."

Gamiel ignored him and pointedly turned to Stoick and Fishlegs, "Come with me...but leave those three here."

"Gladly," muttered Stoick as the two bulky men followed Gamiel to his office.

A few minutes later, they had the name of the sailor and of his ship. Not that it made any difference. Both had sailed a long time ago. Gamiel had already informed them the sword had not been created in his town, after Stoick had told him the reason for their visit.

"Do you know where the ship had come from?" asked Fishlegs. "Maybe we can trace his path backwards?"

"Hmm...I do believe it was Gunnart. A few days sail from here." Gamiel showed them his map and the location of the town they were after.

"Got it!" said Fishlegs excitedly, as he consulted his own map. "Chief...we can be there in a few hours...er...days," he stumbled as they both noticed the suspicious look Gamiel was giving them at his slip up.

Stoick stood up hastily. "Right, right. Well, we'd best be off then. Er...sorry about the damage to your door," he apologized.

Gamiel waved his hand dismissively. "Happens often enough. Next time you come through this way...make an appointment first...and keep those twins away."

Stoick chuckled, "I will. Thank you for your time. I appreciate your help." He left, taking all four teens with him.

It wasn't long before all were safely seated on their dragons, heading for the town of Gunnart.

-oOo-

As before, Stoick led the teenagers towards a secluded area outside of town. They'd made sure to keep a low profile on the approach to the town. If Hiccup and Astrid were here, it was because they were delivered by a dragon hunting ship...presumably into a town where hunters were welcomed. They'd already seen evidence of discarded trapping equipment. They had also noticed a patch on the outskirts of town that had distinctive dragon like scorch marks.

After making sure their dragons were well hidden, Stoick led the others into town. Straight away, they could see Gunnart was a violent place to live, the suspicious glares they were receiving enough to warn them all to be careful. Well...some of them. The twins were itching to get involved into a fight, while Snotlout strutted ahead as if he owned the place. Fishlegs mainly stayed slightly cowered behind the huge bulk of his Chief.

"How will we know where to go?" he asked Stoick timidly.

"We'll go where any information can be found...in the mead hall," said Stoick grimly, aiming for the closest one. It was late in the afternoon, and they were already open for business.

Despite Stoick's efforts to enter quietly, the teens burst through the doors in a noisy and aggressive fashion.

"Right! Listen up all you low-life maggots," Snotlout shouted to the crowd, "We're looking for our friends Hiccup and Astrid. Tell us where they are, and we won't have to hurt you."

There was a moment's silence as all eyes turned to the newcomers...then turned away in total indifference.

"Hey!" yelled Snotlout indignantly, before his voice was muffled by a hand slapped over his mouth. "Mmph!"

"Shhh!" hissed Fishlegs in his ear. "This is not the way to do it!"

"Oh yeah? And who told you?" challenged Snotlout.

"Chief Stoick did," was the answer.

"Oh yeah? And who told him?" replied Snotlout, forgetting to engage his brain before opening his mouth.

The twins sniggered as Fishlegs face palmed, and Stoick's angry scowl suddenly loomed in front of him.

"Ohh..."

Stoick waved Fishlegs forward. He timidly approached the counter, where the bar man scowled at him. "What's your poison?" he asked gruffly.

"Poison? I don't want poison," said Fishlegs beginning to panic.

The man rolled his eyes. "What do you want to drink?"

"Oh...uh, I don't want a drink. I'm after a blacksmith," Fishlegs nervously told the man. "Umm, a blacksmith named Hiccup?" he asked.

The sound of something clattering to the ground behind the barman could be heard. The man turned to an unseen person, "Pick that up! I'm not paying you to make a mess," he growled. Turning back to Fishlegs the barman told him gruffly. "No blacksmith here except Overbite. Are you going to buy a drink or not?" The man gave Fishlegs such a menacing stare that the bulky teen yelped.

"Uh, no...I'll leave now, shall I?" he said, before turning to flee out the door, taking the others with him. They walked around to the side of the building, intending to stay out of earshot of anybody with ill intent.

"Well?" rumbled Stoick. "What did he say?"

Fishlegs shook his head. "He said they had no blacksmith except for someone named Overbite...I think."

Snotlout snorted. "Overbite? What kind of name is that?"

Ruffnut leaned towards her brother. "Says the man named after the effects of a bad cold." Tuff sniggered.

Stoick frowned, ignoring the comments. "Somebody has to know something about Hiccup and Astrid. We'll start with this blacksmith. If Hiccup made that sword here, that's where it would have happened."

"He won't tell you anything," came a new voice.

Stoick and the riders all swung around to find a young lad standing in the alley behind them.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" asked Stoick, eyeing off the smallish boy. He wore dirty and ragged clothes over his slim frame, his unkempt blonde hair hanging in front of his eyes.

"My name's Trygve," he told them bravely. His eyes kept casting furtively back towards the side door where he had obviously exited without permission.

Stoick kneeled in front of him, placing a giant hand gently on the bony shoulder. "Do you know Hiccup and Astrid?" he asked.

Trygve nodded.

The whole gang sucked their breath in. Finally! A positive result!

"Are they here?" Stoick asked.

The boy shook his head.

"What? Where are they?" demanded Snotlout, pushing in closer to the wide-eyed lad, and making him shrink back in fear.

"Woah...back up hot shot," said Ruffnut, pushing the sturdy man backwards. "Give the kid a chance before you threaten to remove his limbs."

The boy would have likely run there and then, but Stoick's hand kept him firmly planted.

Stoick glared at Snotlout before turning a kind eye to Trygve. "Were they here? Can you tell us what happened," he asked gently.

Trygve kept a wild eye on the glowering black haired teen as he nodded. "Dragon hunters captured them," he began, turning his attention back to Stoick. "They were sold as slaves."

Stoick's eyes narrowed in rage at this news, and his hand accidentally tightened its grip on the boy's shoulder. A muffled cry of pain brought his thoughts back. "Sorry lad. Please...tell us what happened to them."

Trygve took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Hiccup was working for the blacksmith and Astrid was working for the washerwoman. Her name is Squinty. But about two weeks ago, they escaped."

Stoick was both relieved and frustrated to hear this news. Relieved that the pair were alive and free. Frustrated that they had missed them and were still no closer to finding them.

"How did they escape?" Fishlegs asked, full of curiosity.

Trygve filled them in with the rest of the story, his voice filled with awe as he recollected the scene. "It was amazing! Hiccup set his sword on fire...I don't know how...and he sent them all running when anybody tried to catch them. Then he roared and Toothless and Stormfly came out, roaring and shooting flames everywhere...you should have seen it...Overbite tried to throw a mace at Hiccup but all the other dragons came out blasted it away. People were yelling 'Dragon Lord' and panicking. Hiccup tried to tell them about dragons, but nobody would listen, so he was like 'If you refuse to listen, you will pay the price'. Then the dragons blasted everything...it was incredible...then Hiccup and Astrid flew away," he finished simply.

Snotlout snorted. "Typical. He's always has to be so dramatic."

The twins complained, "Awww, we missed out on all the fun."

"Wait a moment," said Fishlegs after listening intently to what the boy had to say. "Do you know Toothless and Stormfly?"

The boy nodded. "I was on the dragon hunter's ship too. I used to be frightened of the dragons, and the hunters made me feed them every day. But Hiccup and Astrid told me that dragons are gentle and kind. He let me touch Toothless and Stormfly, and they were really nice! When the ship arrived in town, they tried to escape but it didn't work. Then I came back to find them, and I got caught too. I never saw them again until that last day. But I knew where they were because Overbite and Squinty's sons would come into the mead hall and complain about them."

Stoick jolted at the realisation that this boy was a slave too, just like Hiccup and Astrid had been.

"Do you have any family here?" he asked gently.

The boy's face fell. He shook his head. "No sir. I was taken from my parents about a year ago. I haven't seen them since."

"That's terrible," said Fishlegs loudly. "Chief, what can we do? We can't leave this boy here."

Stoick nodded somberly. "I agree... Lad, do you want to come with us? We can take you home if you like."

Trygve shook with the sudden emotions wracking his tiny body. His lower lip trembled and his eyes glistened, "Do ...do you mean that?" he whispered.

"Of course, son. Do you have anything to collect before we go?"

Trygve shook his head. "No...nothing."

Stoick stood up. "Shall we go then?"

Trygve nodded.

They had already moved away and were on their way back to the dragons when shouting could be heard behind them. The barman was yelling for Trygve but the lad held his head high, and continued to walk confidently with his new friends. He wasn't going to be beaten and cowed anymore.

He was free.

-oOo-

Later that same evening, Trygve was feeling overawed again. Stoick and the other dragon riders had introduced him to each of their dragons and now he was standing in the midst of all these curious beasts who were nudging him.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" said Fishlegs softly. He was giving Meatlug a rubdown and the round dragon was lapping up all the affection.

Trygve could only nod as Barf and Belch competed with each other for a pat from the newcomer.

"Hey Fishface…don't all the dragons move away for the winter?" asked Snotlout suddenly.

"Of course," said Fishlegs. "Everybody knows that."

"Even I know that. Do you need to go back to dragon school?" teased Tuffnut.

"No," snapped Snotlout. He pointed up into the twilight. "But somebody had better teach that dragon."

They all looked up to see a dragon shape flapping towards them.

"What in the world…." said Fishlegs, his voice trailing off in surprise.

They watched as the shape drew closer, till it finally landed a little outside of their circle.

Tuffnut was about to approach it when….

"Snapper!" cried Trygve, running to give the Snafflefang a hug. "You came back for me! I missed you so much, boy."

The others were all dumbfounded at the sight.

"This is your dragon?" asked the Chief in shock.

Trygve turned to nod shyly at them, all the while keeping close contact with the beast who was closely inspecting the boy.

"How did you…" started Snotlout, not able to finish his sentence.

"Hiccup helped me…on the ship," Trygve told them, still shy.

Stoick smiled. "Of course he did." It was the most obvious answer.

"Cool!" yelled the twins. "So you can ride a dragon too!"

The boy shook his head. "Hiccup told me about it, but we were captured before I could learn."

The size of the twins grins should have been illegal. "Well, we can teach you instead," they crowed joyfully.

Fishlegs, Snotlout and the Chief all face palmed. "This…is going to be painful," muttered Stoick.

-oOo-

Early the next morning, an ashen faced Trygve was hanging on grimly to the back of his Snafflefang, attempting to keep the scream of pure terror from ripping out of his throat as the twins argued over the finer 'techniques' of flying. They were flying close to the shoreline near their camp, over the open ocean.

Snotlout yelled at them, "You're teaching him all wrong. He needs to show Snapper who's boss."

At this statement, Hookfang narrowed his eyes and growled a warning to his rider.

Snotlout knew what was coming. "No Hooky! Noooo," he cried when his dragon let him know his displeasure by setting his pants on fire.

Trygve was astonished. He momentarily forgot his fear while he watched Snotlout leap off Hookfang into the water, splashing down into the ocean. Hookfang dived down after him, grabbing the sodden man out of the water, and flipping him back into the saddle.

"Wow!"

"Painful to watch, isn't it?" said Fishlegs, flying serenely beside Trygve.

The boy nodded, then went back to gripping tightly to the Snafflefang.

Fishlegs offered his words of advice, "Relax a little, Trygve. Snapper won't let you fall. Trust him. Lean forward and grip with your knees, and you'll learn to keep your balance."

Trygve nodded before focusing on his knees, clenching tightly around the Snafflefang's upper back.

"That's it," encouraged Fishlegs. "Now relax your shoulders back. You're all tightly hunched forward."

Trygve forced his shoulders to drop down. He breathed in and out slowly, attempting to steady his nerves.

"I can do this," he whispered to himself with a frown..

Snapper gave a soft growl in encouragement, his wings flapping steadily. Trygve found himself slipping to one side but before he had time to panic, Snapper tilted in the opposite direction, helping him to reseat himself.

"See? He knew before you were slipping before you did, and he helped you," said Fishlegs.

Trygve was astonished. It took him a moment to think about it, then a slow smile spread across his face. That little demonstration helped him to realise how intelligent Snapper was, and just how in tune with him the young Snafflefang was. It gave him a little more confidence in his ability to stay on while flying, and he relaxed. With this new outlook, he could now gaze around him, seeing the ground far below with a whole new perspective.

"This is great!" he shouted gleefully.

Stoick on the ground, heard the boy's exultations and smiled. He watched as the boy whooped and cheered, the other dragon riders joining in with him.

"Hiccup, look at what you have started," he smiled wistfully to himself.

He let the 'lesson' go on for a little longer, but he had a mission to complete and time was slipping by. He called them in.

-oOo-

Several hours later, Stoick and the teens were on dragon back again, but this time they were under hostile attack. Earlier, they had come into Gunnart to 'find' those responsible for holding Astrid and Hiccup as slaves and have a little 'chat'. Turns out they were met with a fair bit of resistance to that idea. Which the twins and Snotlout were quite happy about. Gave them plenty of reason to bring in their 'back up'...several loyal dragons who came roaring into town, ready to blast anyone who stood in the way between them and their riders. Of course, this brought about extra attention from the rest of the townsfolk, who still remembered quite vividly another recent altercation between dragon riders and the village.

The people were very keen to have them leave, but the twins didn't want to go without leaving a 'present'...a ring of green gas lit on fire, exploding in a fiery ball of flame causing many to leap backwards with singed brows and reddened faces. Several bolas and nets were hastily flung towards the trouble makers, but the gang expertly dodged the missiles, having evaded many of these in their time on the Edge.

Stoick simply rammed through it all, keeping Trygve close behind him. The young lad's eyes were wider than dinner plates as he watched the gang go through their moves, scattering Vikings in every direction as they purposely charged through the crowd, releasing green gas as they went. When the familiar 'spark, spark' sound of the lighting head was heard, bodies dived to the ground, covering their heads with their arms.

The twins and Snotlout were relentless in their attacks, till finally the combined cries of the crowd could be heard over the explosions, "Please leave!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut sniggered at those begging them to stop, and Snotlout was roaring with laughter. Fishlegs merely gave a satisfied smirk, and Stoick pulled his Rumblehorn up into a holding pattern over the town.

He spoke loudly with his deep voice, so that all present could hear his words.

"I am the Chief of Berk. Your actions have proved you are enemies of my tribe. My son Hiccup and his friend Astrid were kept captive by your people as slaves. He is a peaceful man...and you tried to destroy him and his dragons. Know this...if we hear of any more slaves, or trapped dragons here in this town, we will come back to destroy you all."

The fierce glare that Stoick held was visible to many, letting them know he had not spoken idle words.

The crowd promised to not have slaves or trapped dragons, begging Stoick and his warriors to leave. Stoick nodded, satisfied he had been heard. He indicated to his waiting riders to go. The others followed, even if Ruffnut and Tuffnut couldn't resist creating a final fire ball. Stoick could only sigh and shake his head.

When the small crew were far enough away from Gunnart, Stoick turned towards Fishlegs. His heart was heavy at not being able to find the pair he was after, but at least he could draw comfort from the knowledge Hiccup and Astrid were still alive and still flying. But now Stoick had a new mission...returning the young lad Trygve to his family at Fremar Village.

"Which direction are we aiming for?" he asked.

"South, south-east," was the answer.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"By my estimates, about two days, sir."

Stoick nodded and settled in for the long hours of flight time ahead.