Here it is! I want to thank wanna-play-a-game, my new beta reader! Thanks dude! ... or girl.

Irene's POV

And the time has come, ladies and gentlemen, for the final exam of this year's dragon training!

The entire village of Berk is gathered around the arena, fighting for a good view of the ring. Literally.

I'm standing near the entrance, wanting to be close so I can help Hiccup and Toothless when the time comes. Astrid left to talk to Hiccup a few minutes before, after I teased her a little about worrying for her boyfriend. When am I ever gonna find another chance like this? I gotta milk it for all it's worth!

"Well, I can show my face in public again!" said Stoick, starting his speech.

"With that face of yours? Nah." I mutter to no one. I really need to stop talking to myself.

"If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Hiccup would have gone from being, well, Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training... I would've tied him to mast and shipped them off for fear they've gone mad!"

Harsh.

"But now here we are. No one's more surprised...", dramatic pause, "... or more proud than I am. Today my boy becomes a Viking. Today he becomes one of us!"

Well, there goes having a brain. And seeing your toes. And- okay, I better stop here.

Hiccup enters the ring, wearing his helmet on his head. The crowd cheers for him and the teens shout something lost in the wind. He adjusts his shield and chooses a small dagger.

"I'm ready" he says, trying to sound confident. He doesn't do a good job on that though.

The cage's doors open. After a moment of silence, the Monstrous Nightmare appears, covered in fire. It roars loudly and climbs on the metal cage surrounding the ring, hissing and firing at the Vikings cheering for Hiccup to kill it.

The Nightmare spots Hiccup and walks up to him slowly, putting out his flames. Everyone grows silent, not wanting to miss a moment of the fight. The Nightmare gets closer and closer and Hiccup drops his shield and dagger.

Murmurs rise from the audience, wondering what the heck is Hiccup doing. Hiccup holds out his hand and thanks to the fact that no one is talking, you can hear him saying "It's okay, it's okay."

The Nightmare doesn't move, but just stands there, looking at Hiccup's helmet. The symbol of his Viking-ness.

He takes off his helmet and looks at it, like his thinking about his choices. With a deep breath, he makes his decision.

He throws it aside.

"I'm not one of them."

Hiccup's POV

That's it. No turning back now.

"Stop the fight !" I hear dad yelling but I don't move.

"No. I need you all to see this. They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."

The Monstrous Nightmare get closer and closer. There's only an inch left when-

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!"

Dad yells. The Nightmare's pupils turn to slits and she snaps at my arm. She lights herself on fire again and attacks. I scream and run as fast as my feet can carry me.

I run, trying to avoid the Nightmare, but I don't have anywhere to run in here with doors closed.

"Ahhhh!" I scream when I'm almost roasted alive. I try to reach the weapons rack to arm myself, but the Nightmare destroys it. And there
goes my last chance.

"Hiccup!" I hear Astrid screaming my name and next thing I know, she has thrown a hammer at the Monstrous Nightmare, who starts chasing her instead.

"This way!" yells dad. Astrid runs and passes through. I'm almost there when the Nightmare fires at the door. Surprised, I jump backwards and the Nightmare traps me between its claws. It takes a deep breath, ready to blast my head off.

I've heard from older Vikings that, when they were close to dying, they saw their whole life flashing before of their eyes. But I don't see my life. But all I see is a black dragon, with green cat-like eyes, flashing a toothless smile.

"Night Fury! Get down!"

There's a piercing scream and the Nightmare is no longer above me. Toothless is here, fighting against her. He kicks her off and stands between us, snarling and growling.

No nononono... This is bad! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy I'm not a pile of ashes, but this is dangerous! The only reason why they're not attacking Toothless already is because they're too shocked. But when that stops... We need to get out of here. Now!

"Alright, Toothless, go. Get out of here!" I say, trying to push him away but he doesn't move.

"Night Fury!" Vikings jump into the ring, ready to... Oh, boy. I try to get Toothless to leave, but he just stays there, keeping the Nightmare away.

"Go! Go!" I yell, but Toothless doesn't listen.

"Take it alive!"

Dad grabs an axe and rushes into the ring.

"Dad! No! He won't hurt you!"

He doesn't listen. Toothless spots him running towards us, his axe in hand and rushes at him, knocking down several Vikings in the meantime.

"No, don't! Oh, you're only making it worse!"

Dad raises his axe to attack. Toothless pounces on him.

"Toothless STOP!"

He pins dad down. He inhales and-

"NO!"

Toothless stops and looks at me confused.

"Get him!" yells someone. A Vikings pushes Toothless off of dad and they all pounce on him, pinning him down.

I try to help him but Astrid and Irene hold me back. Astrid is looking the other way but Irene holds me from my left arm, her hands shaking, glaring at
the Vikings with tears in her eyes.

"No! Please... just don't hurt him. Please, don't hurt him."

Dad stands up, fuming. A Vikings offers him an axe and he eyes Toothless. No... dad, please, no...

"Put him with the others" he says, pushing the axe aside.

I'm pushed into the Great Hall. Everything is dark, the torches on the walls un-lit.

"I should have known. I should have seen the signs" Dad mutters.

"Dad."

"We had a deal!" he yells. He sighs heavily and continues walking.

"I know we did... but that was before... Oh, this is all so messed up."

Why... Why can't this be fake, just a bad dream I have because I ate too much?

"So everything in the ring? A trick? A lie?" he says, stomping towards me.

"I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please... just don't hurt Toothless."

"The dragon? That's what you're worried about?! Not the people you almost killed?!" he yells, outrageous.

"He was just protecting me. He's not dangerous!"

Why can you not see it, why?

"They've killed hundreds of us!"

"AND WE'VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM!"

Why can't you just open up your eyes and see what's right in front of you?

Dad is taken back. Maybe he'll understand if I explain him.

"They're defending themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring back enough food they'll be eaten themselves. There's something else on their island dad... It's dragon like-"

"Their island?" Dad asks, like he's not sure he heard right. "So you've been to the nest."

Oops. Too much information.

"Did I say nest?"

Dad... I've never seen him like this. He looks... like he's ready to go to war. A mad gleam in his eye and an air that scares enemies away.

"Where is it? How did you find it?!"

"No... I-I didn't, Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the nest."

Dad freezes. I can see realization hitting him, an idea forming in his mind. He heads for the door.

"Oh no. Dad, no. No." I chase after him panicked. I can't let him go there. I can't.

"Dad. It's not what you think. You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen."

He doesn't listen. I grab his arm, trying to stop with everything I got, but nothing.

"Dad, please. I promise you, you can't win this one."

Nothing.

"No. Dad, no. For once in your life, WILL YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME?!"

Dad pushes me off, throwing me to the floor. Did he just...?

"You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking. You're not my son."

He turns around, banging the door on his way out.

N-no... No, it can't be... Why... why?