It was my fifteenth birthday, and I was finally headed home. Even though it had only been a year it felt like a lifetime. The things I'd been through were mind-boggling to say the least. Not only did I find out that everything vikings knew about dragons was wrong, I bonded with one of the most feared dragons of all. I still laughed about traveling for so long with Toothless and not realizing what he was...

(Flashback)

After the first night things seemed to fall into place. I'll admit traveling with a dragon was the very last thing I ever expected to be doing, but here I am. I have no idea were he is taking me but he seems rather determined to get me there. I've decide to start calling him Toothless, because of his retractable teeth. He seemed to be amused by it. Every morning he makes me get on his back and we fly all day stopping to rest and get food. It took quite a while for him to get me on his back the first time- he finally had to just swoop under my legs and take off- and flying was amazing, after I got over the first scare. Every night he licks my wounds, and they are getting better much faster than normal. He seems to be going slower than he could for my sake, but I still wonder were we are going. I don't really get much of a choice, I secretly think if I didn't get on his back he'd carry me in his claws, but I trust him. I still have no idea what that connection we shared was, but I know he won't hurt me. I still haven't been able to figure out what kind of dragon he is though.

It had been over a week of constant travel, and I still had no idea where we were heading. Toothless seemed to be able to tell the rate at which my injuries are healing, because the better they got the farther we flew without stopping.

We had been flying for almost a whole day before he seemed ready to stop for the night. As soon as he landed I slid from his back and got started making camp. I was exhausted but knew that the moment I stopped moving I would likely crash for the night. I had just gotten the fire going when it happened. Out of nowhere a nightmare appeared. I backed up slowly, not really knowing what to do. I didn't have a weapon and Toothless was likely out fishing for our supper. It lunged its head at me, and even though I was able to dodge the worst of the blow its claws still got my arm. I cried out, as I landed on the arm that now had a big gash on the forearm. I tried to get up and run but the nightmare got in front of me, cutting me off from any escape. I backed up trying to come up with a plan that might actually work, when I heard a shrill whistle, the tell tale sign of a nightfury attack, then a purple blast hit the nightmare and Toothless swooped in and grabbed me. The whole thing lasted only a few minutes, but it seemed much longer. The only thought racing through my head was that, my best friend was not only a dragon, but the son of lightning and death itself, the legendary nightfury.

Looking back, the nightmare attack must have really freaked Toothless out, because after he swooped down and grabbed me, he didn't even stop to let me get on his back. We also flew faster than he ever had before. At the time I still had no idea that being bonded to a nightfury was actually only the beginning. What happened next is something I'll never forget...

(Flashback cont.)

As we get closer Toothless lets out a roar as if announcing our arrival. Suddenly he dives towards the ground and all I can do is close my eyes. When we get close enough, he drops me. As I open my eyes and look up I realize that I am suddenly surrounded by hundreds of nightfuries. I backed up till my back was completely against Toothless's neck with my head under his chin. The dragons seemed to be communicating, how and why I didn't know. Then a nightfury that was bigger than Toothless and seemed much older came towards me. He put his face right in mine and just looked into my eyes. I couldn't have looked away if I wanted to. He seemed to say something to Toothless, though because a minute later Toothless used his teeth to grab me by the scruff of my clothing and flew a short distance. Next thing I know I'm being dropped down a hole.

The hole was completely dark and felt like a curving and twisting slide, I felt like I even went upside down at one point. Then I slid right into a huge cavern, covered in all different colors of crystals. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I looked around my self in awe nearly forgetting about the rough landing to get there. As I looked around something in the center of the cavern caught my eye. In the center, on what looked like a pedestal made of pure diamonds a crystal unlike any other in the chamber seemed to levitate. The gem itself put all the others in the cavern to shame. I tried to look away, or even to back away from it; because there was no way this was any ordinary gem and I didn't want to cause or get into any more trouble if I could help it, but I couldn't move. The gem seemed to contain every color I had ever seen and many that I hadn't even known existed. The gem seemed to get brighter the longer I looked at it, and I could almost swear that it was calling me. Completely against my will my body started to move towards it. I reached out my hand and just as I touched it the crystal exploded and I felt something hit me on the forehead, right between my eyes. The last thing I remembered hearing before I blacked out was a relieved voice saying "Finally."

"Human... Human..." the voice kept calling me then suddenly I opened my eyes but the only one staring down at me was Toothless.

"Ughh, my head." I said as I sat up.

"You okay?" the same voice that woke me up asked.

"Yeah I think so just a head..." that's when I realized the 'voice' had come from Toothless.

"Did... did you just talk?" I asked still holding my head.

"Of course I did, who else is here?" he asked cocking his head to the side.

"I must be going crazy. I understand a dragon." I said still in a daze.

"Of course you understand dragons, it'd be kinda weird if you didn't you being a king and all." he said.

"Wait! King! Me!? King of what!?" I asked slightly hysterically.

"King of dragons, what else?" he said. I just sat there stunned, trying to comprehend this freaky situation I'd gotten myself into.

"My dad's gonna kill me..." was the only thought I could actually grasp.

After that things seemed to fall into place. The elder nightfury that had stared me down when I first got there came in and explained a bit more to me. Turned out the gem in the middle of the room was what the dragons referred to as the King's Crystal. Like the name suggests it picks the next king of all dragons. The reason nightfuries are so rarely seen isn't because they are on the verge of extinction, but rather its their job to protect the crystal until the next king is found. Apparently Toothless is what's known to the nightfuries as a seeker. He was born with the job of finding the next king, according to them, me.

The past two months had been spent learning all about dragon culture and what my responsibilities as their king was. After everything that had happened it felt almost surreal to be heading home. Honestly there was still a part of me that wonders why I'm even bothering, but it's still my home. I'm sure at least a few people are worried, not many but at least dad, Gobber, and maybe Gothi? Besides, with the knowledge I now have I need to go back to tell them the truth. If I end the war, maybe they'll accept me? Maybe Toothless is right and I'm just setting myself up for disappointment, but I can't just turn my back on them. I don't know what to expect, but one way or another this is something I can't just run away from.

We made it to berk right after nightfall, which was actually really good. After thinking about it I decided to see how things were, before deciding what to do, a wiser decision than I knew at the time...