Time for HTTYD 2! I have a couple of plans for this now that Ingrid and Hiccup are together and everyone's happy with their dragon buddies. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of the first chapter into the second movie!

Colorful Crayola Thanks, I hope you continue to be interested! I'm actually pretty proud of myself for having updated on schedule for so long now. I could never have said the same for my past stories :P.

Chapter 10: A Viking's Belief

Life for Vikings dramatically changed five years ago. From constructing weapons and catapults to fight dragons, food stables and perches were built for the comfort of the very beasts. Dragons soon became a means of scouting the island for village defense and were trained to hunt and fish. Berk has never been better now that dragons weren't a problem anymore. For once, the people didn't need to deal with fixing their houses the next morning after a raid. Although there was the occasional clumsy dragon or baby dragon causing accidents. So the Berkians set up a system with buckets of water prepared above buildings and with a pull of a rope, water doused the fire. Some dragon riders were part of a firefighting brigade, who carried buckets of water. Others flew around the village as look outs or went out to hunt. Beginning with Hiccup, all the young and first dragon riders were in charge of training their new residents.

Traditions weren't the only thing that changed, however.

Ingrid physically flinched at the way her mother rose her voice at her sibling. Her father stood beside her with arms crossed and occasionally backing up his wife in this argument. By memory, her mother had never seen this mad at Agatha. Ingrid was very positive about that claim because there has been one too many times where she has seen Agatha be lectured by their parents. It still always felt like Ingrid was the one getting the lecture though while Agatha held her ground, eyes glaring back at her parents, and defending herself even when it seemed she had no way of backing herself up. Her mother - with her beautiful auburn hair that Agatha shared - had a crease between her eyebrows and stared daggers with forest green eyes into Agatha's same forest green eyes. Her father glanced at Ingrid and gestured with tilt of his head to leave to her room. Black hair like Ingrid's but blue eyes that didn't possess the amber ring around the pupils like Ingrid's.

Ingrid held her ground at her parent's command, however, and her gaze traveled down to the ground as if she hadn't noticed him. She never left without her sister.

"I am fed up with your attitude! You cannot just run into the forest with your sister! What if a dragon finds you? Then what?" Her mother yelled with her hands on either side of her in fists. Agatha had the same posture. It was like a mirror only with different heights.

"Then I would have fought and killed it! That's what you have been training us for, right?! You don't care about anything else, right?!" Agatha screamed straight back, her voice raising more than their mother's if that was even possible. Ingrid tried blocking out the argument as always, standing from a distance from the three with her hands clasped in front of her and head hung down, staring at her fur boots. Some of her hair spilled passed her shoulders from their place over her back.

From her peripheral view around her boot, grass peeked from between the wooden floor until it engulfed and swallowed the floor. The voices between her family slipped away and was replaced with the gentle sounds of water lapping around gently and crickets under the night.

"Come over here, Iggy! The water's a little cold but it gets nice and warm," Agatha softly called out. Ingrid looked up and smiled weakly before sitting beside the girl at the pond before them and sliding off her boots to dip her feet in the water with her sister. Just as her sister had said, the water was a bit cold but in a minute or so, her feet became use to the temperature and she started swaying her feet back and forth gently.

"Are you sure it's safe to be here? It's night time..." Ingrid mumbled, nervously glancing around her at the cove the girls had found a few days ago. It was only accessible by going through this crevice up top. The large area was elevated low in the forest with an open view of the beautiful starry sky. It had a nice pond with a few fishes that Ingrid and Agatha would feed whenever they came by and rocks and trees around the place. It was a very cozy area and only they knew about it. The other village kids weren't allowed to adventure around the forest but a silly little rule wasn't stopping Agatha so it wasn't stopping Ingrid... kind of.

"Course it's fine. We've been here before, remember?" Agatha replied, leaning back on her elbows and craned her neck to look up at the sky without a care in the world. Agatha's auburn hair flowed down in waves like Ingrid's but was shorter than her's. Her choppy and slightly noticeable uneven bangs covered her forehead like a curtain. "Besides, I have my trusty sword and shield while you have your awesome bow. With the two of us, we could defeat an army of dragons if it came to it," Ingrid's sister softly spoke the last part.

Ingrid smiled at her, feeling like her sister was right in her false sense of worrying, then joined in the stargazing, leaning back on her elbows like her sister. She knew there was no way they would even beat one single dragon but Agatha had a confidence that if she were to say she was going to send lightening back to Thor, Ingrid would believe her without hesitation.

"Odin, the stars are so much brighter and numerous here..." Agatha whispered. Ingrid nodded beside her in agreement. Agatha sighed deeply and let herself fall completely on her back while her legs dangled into the water. When she noticed Ingrid stayed on her elbows, she pulled her down by her shoulder with her, making Ingrid squeal and Agatha giggle mischievously. Ingrid nudged her sister with a smirk and stared back up at the sky.

"Mom and dad are going to be so furious when we get back," Ingrid said with a slight chuckle. Afterwards, she frowned realizing it was not at all something funny.

Agatha shrugged, pulling her head up briefly to tuck her folding hands behind her head in a relaxing pose then spoke, "Meh, I'll take the blame for it. Not the first time I had to argue with them. Sooner or later, they'll just get tired and stop lecturing us anymore." Ingrid couldn't help the chuckle that passed her lips as her head shook at her sister.

Agatha heavily sighed and the corners of her lips turned into a frown, making Ingrid turn her head to her sister with a questioning look. Agatha glanced at Ingrid from the corner of her eyes and said, "Don't you just want to leave Berk sometimes?"

Ingrid snorted and turned her head back up to the skies as if it were a rhetorical question. "You're always asking that."

"But don't you?" Agatha asked then raised her hand up as if trying to touch the stars. "Berk is such a small island. Why do we have to wait so long until we can get on a ship and leave?"

"Even when we're old enough, we still would have to come back. What about mom and dad? They'll get so worried," Ingrid retorted in a soft voice, imagining their parents if one of them were ever to disappear. Agatha's hand dropped onto her stomach and she became quiet for a bit like she was in thought. "I... I would want to leave Berk too. At least to travel and come back," Ingrid murmured to herself, knowing Agatha would also hear.

Agatha chuckled lightly and nodded. "Just imagine... the wind in your hair and the smell of the salty ocean. Then the excitement of finding an island you've been been to and exploring it. Imagine even finding treasures," the red head spoke. It was like a fairy tale to Ingrid.

"Sounds more like Pirates than Vikings," Ingrid smirked lightly. Agatha has always been fascinated with how carefree Pirates were compared to Vikings.

Agatha gave her wild grin to Ingrid. "You must admit that they're pretty cool."

"Only you would be crazy enough to become a petty criminal, Aggie," Ingrid affectionately said with a giggle. Agatha stuck her tongue out toward her sister and they both laughed. "I bet Pirates don't even know what to do when they run into a dragon, so Vikings are cooler," Ingrid stated almost snobbishly.

Agatha scoffed and smacked Ingrid's foot with her own from underneath the water. "You would pee your pants whether you go up against a dragon or a kraken," she spat, furrowing her eyebrows with a smirk.

Ingrid kicked her back with her foot and spat right back, "Krakens aren't real, dummy. Just a legend to scare outsiders like us."

Agatha rolled her eyes and snorted. "This is why I would be an awesome Pirate, unlike you." Both sisters turned their heads to stare daggers at each other before they slowly broke out into laughter and a game of footsies.

This moment was so calming and perfect that Ingrid wished it would have lasted forever.

Forget about all the dragons that have been invading town more.

Forget about the responsibility as a Viking.

Forget about parents and rules.

Forget about the other kids in the village that completely ignored her as if she didn't exist.

Oh gosh, Agatha was rubbing off on her... Eventually they both stopped their play fighting as they slowly drifted off into a relaxing sleep. Ingrid's eyes fluttered shut and after a few moments, the smell of burning floated passed her nose. Ingrid sniffed, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion before her eyes fluttered open again. As if on cue, the sounds of screaming from the other Vikings and crackling of fire met her ears instead of the singing of the crickets in the forest. Roars of all types of dragons echoed in the sky. This wasn't the forest cove anymore.

Ingrid startlingly stood up from the dirt to see she was back in Berk without her sister beside her and her fur boots back on. Smoke encased Berk and traveled into Ingrid's lungs making her have to cover her mouth as a cough escaped. The girl searched around her in panic with alert watery eyes. Vikings ran desperately away from the dragons. Bodies that Ingrid could only assume to be... dead littered about the ground around her. Burnt pale faces, eyes wide open as if the fear they felt right before they met their end stayed etched onto their faces.

Never had Berk had so many casualties in a dragon raid. Most of the times, no casualties at all. But this was definitely not most times.

"Agatha?!" Ingrid yelled out before hacking again from the smoke. "Mom! Dad!" she yelled again as he voice broke. Her eyes were watery already from the smoke but when she started sniffling and tears spilled out, it was evident the smoke wasn't the only cause.

Shaking in her boots, she sprinted in the direction of her home, dodging other Vikings or hands that were attempting to drag her to safety. Not without her family. So many dragons swarmed the skies. There were even some that the village hardly ever saw raid them. What was so different about that day?!

A watch tower caught alight toppled over and before it crushed Ingrid, someone had tackled her backwards.

"Are you stupid?! Run to the Great Hall for refuge!" Astrid Hofferson yelled, standing up and forcefully took Ingrid up with her. She was pointing in the direction behind Ingrid but she immediately turned and ran around the flaming watch tower to possibly help others. If she was free to look for others then Ingrid was too. Determined, Ingrid also ran around the watch tower and continued toward her own home, praying she would find it empty. Hopefully her family was in the Great Hall and if not, she was more than positive that Agatha was also out here looking for her or helping other villagers. Most likely against their parents' wishes. They were going to give their parents heart attacks one day, Ingrid believed.

In the distance, passing torched houses and shops, the Grímsdóttir residence - her home - was in a better state than some of the other houses. It wasn't on fire but a wall on the side had crumbled and the roof fell in. At least in the current state, fixing it up wouldn't take so long as one completely enveloped in flames with ashes for furniture.

Ingrid forced her way inside to find her once cozy home destroyed by the wall the fell due to the neighboring house's wall on it. "Anyone here?!" Ingrid screamed and shortly afterwards coughing from the dust and smoke.

"INGRID!"

Ingrid whipped her head behind her and ran outside with wide eyes. She looked to her right passed the neighboring house with the wall that fell over their house's and saw something she wished she never had seen.

Agatha sat over their parents' bodies, bawling her eyes out and blood leaking from the side of her head. Soot and sweat covered her skin. Ingrid stood agape at the sight, unable to register what was before her.

Her mother was sprawled out with her back to the ground and head turned to the side with closed eyes. Blood leaked from the side of her mouth and a gash with ripped skin around the gash in the middle of her stomach. Her father just a few feet away seemed to have dragged himself to her on his dying breath due to the blood trail behind him. He was on his stomach and the side of his pale face was burnt as well as large claw scratches across his whole back.

Ingrid felt like screaming at the gruesome sight before her but all she could do was stare. Agatha wrapped her arms around herself as tears and moans flowed out of her. As if she was sending apologies and pleads to their parents to come back. While Ingrid was frozen in her spot, Agatha also paused staring in Ingrid's direction. She sniffled and slowly rose, picking up her mother's axe with her cautiously. Tears streaked down her cheeks and her eyes were bloodshot but mostly filled with rage.

Ingrid met Agatha's eyes and gasped as Agatha launched herself at her only to pass by her and with a scream, Agatha swung her axe at a dragon that was behind Ingrid. A Whispering Death roared in anger. It had dozens of teeth that rotated around its tunnel like mouth like a freakish drill. It had no legs but still had a body like a tail and wings that were the size of its head.

"Agatha, NO!" Ingrid screamed as the Whispering Death was millimeters from taking a bite out of her until a snakelike dragon zoomed right before Ingrid, Agatha disappearing from sight. Ingrid watched as Agatha was in the dragon's grasp, flying away into the sky and filling the air screaming Ingrid's name. Before Ingrid could even turn back to the Whispering Death, it fell down with a cry as a arrow stuck out of the side of its head then a net tossed over it to keep in from flying away. Two Vikings who were the ones responsible moved on to find other dragons they could capture or end. Surely a Whispering Death would be a great addition to the ones they already have caged up. Ingrid had other plans, however.

Ingrid felt a strange sensation filling her hearing the dragon's cry. She clenched her jaw as tears trailed down her cheek and dropped from her jawline. Her hands tightened into fists and felt her nails dig into her palms. How does it like it now? Now that it was close to death. It wasn't as fun, now was it? Ingrid breathed heavily as her shaking hands picked up her mother's axe at her feet. The Whispering Death attempted to breath fire but smoke only puffed out, not finding the strength to produce flames. Unable to fly away.

The metal of the axe handle felt extremely heavy and she had to use bother her hands to lift it off the ground. The cries of the Whispering Death had settled and closed its eyes to slip into consciousness or maybe just accepting death. The wound where the arrow pierced allowed for blood to seeping out and pool around the dragon. The girl lifted the axe over her head, her breath rapid and hands shaking. Had Ingrid acted sooner, she might had even been able to save the dragon instead of allowing it to lose so much blood or let it fly away. Wasn't this right, though? This was what Ingrid was raised to do. What all Vikings was taught and raised to do. To kill dragons. Yet a small voice in the back of her mind pleaded not to do it but she couldn't listen. Not after all this.

The dragon chose to kill like how Ingrid chose revenge.

Ingrid swung her axe down and the blade dug into the side of its head where the arrow had pierced. With a final cry of pain, its body slumped under the axe. Ingrid suddenly burst into tears and fell to her knees in front of the dragon's corpse. She squeezed her eyes shut and hung her head. Her hands laid limp on her lap as if afraid to use them any longer. She moaned and took sharp intakes of breath. Before long, rain began pouring over Berk, dousing out the flames around the village. At least the Gods felt pity over the villagers on this day. The dragons seemed to have flown away as if they grew bored of killing and bringing misery to the Berkians.

Ingrid didn't move from her spot the rest of the night until she passed out from exhaustion and Stoick the Vast himself carried the girl back to the Great Hall so she can rest along with the other currently homeless villagers.

With a start, Ingrid had opened her eyes and slightly jumped while sleeping on her side. She softly groaned and sat up in her bed as the moonlight from outside her window beside her bed shone in and illuminated her face. The 20 year old girl had grown her hair to flow down to her hips in gentle black waves. It was in a braid at that moment, though. Ingrid turned to the corner of her room where her dear dragon friend slept on a wide blanket with many pillows piled under her for comfort. Skyclaw had her head poking out from her wing and tilted her head at the girl in question to her waking up.

Ingrid smiled groggily at her and shook her head. "Sorry for waking you up, Sky. Go back to sleep - it was just a dream," Ingrid assured her. Skyclaw mewled gently in response and placed her head back on the pillows, her wings covering her body like a blanket.

Ingrid wished she could sleep as easily as her. The girl laid back onto the bed on her side again and pulled the blanket over her shoulder for warmth. Her eyes never left the night sky from her window. On nights like this, Ingrid can never help but think of where her sister was. That is, if she really was still alive.

Yeah, so that's why I bumped up the story's rating to T. Hopefully it wasn't too much for any of you guys but I felt like it was appropriate since the characters are now older and I may have enjoyed writing the gory bit ;P.

Anyway, I hope you all are okay with Ingrid's sister from what little you saw of her. Basically the opposite of Ingrid, really. See you all in the next chapter as we truly begin the story!