They say that even the best laid plans don't survive contact with the enemy. Thankfully, they hadn't met any, but their plans had been derailed all the same. Astrid scowled, not appreciating the delay. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, but Astrid Hofferson was not the most confident sailor. She just wanted to get it over with. Stoick shared those sentiments wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, Gobber was being even more obstinate than usual. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to explain why it just wasn't possible. Again.

'Gobber! You're the only smith we have, you have to be here for the raid. It's as simple as that. You're staying here, and I will try and get you some of that metal. Deal?'

'Stoick, you don't know yer tin from yer steel, how exactly do you expect to get the right stuff? And besides, when was the last time you let me leave this rock? I haven't been to Bog for a good score of years…'

'Exactly. The last time you were there, their forge was burned to the ground, along with half the village!'

'Ehh, 'twas a minor disagreement…'

'Gobber, Bertha swore a blood oath that she'd cut off your hand if she ever saw you near her village again.'

'And I've got plenty of wooden hands for her to smash. Now, are we sailing or are ye going ta stand there all day?'

With a somewhat surprising athleticism, Gobber vaulted onto the nearest ship and grinned impudently at his chief. Realising that he wasn't going to win this one, Stoick gave the order and they set off for Bog. He had a feeling it was going to be one of those trips.

Bertha and Cami stiffened immediately at his words. 'How long do we have?' 'Do we have time to get back to the village?'

'What? No, that's not what I meant. They're months away, maybe even years. That's why I haven't told you two anything about them, we have more pressing concerns. There's still a Queen to take care of, and other tribes to convince. Even the Bogs can't stand alone against them.'

Gesturing for them to take a seat, Hiccup turned back to the tailfin. As he worked to put the final pieces together he spoke to them over his shoulder.

'There's an army coming, led by a madman. He does not like dragons, he loathes them. He blames them for all that is wrong with the world, and plans to wipe them out. Along with anyone who sides with them' Shooting them a glance, they could see pain etched across his features.
'Unfortunately, he has already decided that the Vikings are in that category.'

'But why? How does he even know about Vikings and dragons? It's not been that long since we stopped, you know, killing them.'

As Bertha asked this, Cami saw Hiccup's shoulders slump, and he took a long second before answering. Each word was punctuated by a hammer blow as he pounded the tailfin into shape.

'Because… Because of me! It's my fault, and now the entire Archipelago is in danger.'

He turned to face them, defeat and pain so evident in his voice that Cami's heart sank to her boots. What he said next made it sink even further.

'I… We… I'm sorry.' He paused to scrub at the tears threatening from his eyes.

'I can't tell you, not yet. For now, let's just say that we both loved someone, and she died, and he blames me and the dragons for it. It pushed him over the edge, and he is utterly insane and utterly ruthless.'

Bertha decided to take pity on the lad, and stood up. 'Well, if they are as far away as you say, there is always the chance that they may never get here.' Raising her hand, she forestalled the argument on Hiccup's lips. 'There are million things that could happen. He could get sick, he could be killed in battle, he could even be poisoned by a rival. These things happen, so let's not fret just yet. For now, let's get you back to the village, you can't stay here if your supplies have been destroyed.'

Hiccup gave an affirmative nod. 'I'll pack a few tools, and we'll be ready to go.'

Gods but it felt good to fly. Bertha would never admit it, not even to herself, but she was starting to slow. She was starting to get older, and her joints hurt in the mornings. In the sky though, it was so different. Up here, flying with Spite, it didn't matter that her knee twinged when she was walking, or that her eyesight wasn't quite what it used to be. Up here, she was freed from the limits of her body and she felt almost young again. Chuckling to herself, she realised that she couldn't really blame her daughter for spending every possible moment up here, even if she would prefer her to start taking over more of the Chiefly duties. As though she had been called, Cami and Veil appeared. They'd be a good way from each other, each lost in their respective thoughts.

'Cami, can Hiccup really catch up with us? He did say it'd take him about an hour to finish up there.'

'You really haven't seen them fly together have you?' replied Cami with a cheeky grin.

'Are they really that good? I mean, I've seen our riders compete. Can they really be that much better?'

'Don't forget, they've been flying together for eight and a half years now. We've only known our dragons for six months…'

'I guess you're right.' Bertha was still unconvinced. After all, they were Bog Burglars, and even though Hiccup was a nice lad, he was still just a man.

They fell back into silence, just enjoying the flight. Chances for the two of them to just spend time together had grown increasingly rare over the years, with both of them growing busier with their own lives. Time passed quickly, and Bog soon hove into view. As it grew larger on the horizon, Cami moved to a comfortable speaking distance and said something rather troubling.

'Mum… Has anyone actually told Hiccup about the Hooligans visiting?'

Bertha went cold at the words. She had almost forgotten that Hiccup was technically a Hooligan. If they discovered that he'd been living with them it could mean war. As if they didn't have enough to deal with. She shared a desperate look with her daughter, neither one knowing what they could do.

Behind them, two black dots grew rapidly closer.

Okay, I'm sorry for the long delay. Don't forget about my other story called 'Wrath', which should be updated in a day or two.