Greetings dear readers, of which there are an astonishingly increasing number, and welcome to chapter fourteen, where we see the conclusion of the most prickish cliffhanger in history (sorry!), the pseudo return of an old character, the actual return of a really old one, resolutions between friends, shamelessly ripping lines and concepts from Mad Max, and the arrival of a new OC! (Yes, it is what you think it is, I'm not actually that cruel.)

I am so sorry that it has taken me literally half a year to post a new chapter up here, but unfortunately Real Life decided to twist it's ugly fingers into my soul, and what with university, running a society and moving house, my hands have been ridiculously full.

But never fear! I have finally made myself write a new chapter, and here it is! The conclusion you have all been waiting for! I hope I have delivered well, and that the wait was worth it. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own no characters (except the ones I do), no places (except maybe Roma Nova) and no dragons (that I am aware of) that appear in this work. All belong to Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks Animations. So there.

Tomorrow's Child

Having your first child is always a daunting prospect, but for Hiccup, it was exceptionally so. His mind, the treacherous bastard of a thing it is, always wandered off towards memories generally involving explosions, sharp edges, industrial accidents, dragon training… in short, all the things that, with an infant in tow, would be bad. Very bad. Then his brain would remind him that these memories essentially made up his entire existence.

So when Astrid woke him up at two in the morning and told him to go and fetch Gothi and his mother with extreme urgency, the really good feeling of contentment that had been following him all day was suddenly and violently replaced with one of visceral panic. This was why he was in the Meade Hall, nursing a mug of, well, mead, with Eret – who for some reason was always awake at this time of night – trying to reassure him and Toothless being Toothless and sleeping happily, as if trying to poke fun at Hiccup's current emotional state.

"It'll be fine, lad." Eret said, taking a quaff from his own mug. "I'm sure that everything will go just fine." Hiccup could only nod, staring into the middle distance and taking a sip every so often, not realising his mug was in fact empty. Eret gave him a sympathetic look, and took the mug from his hand to go and refill it. Eret had seen people like this before, and knew that Hiccup was in for a long night.

Meanwhile, a long way away from the happenings at Berk, a dragon rider and her mount were hunting their prey, across the icy wastes of Svalbard. The riders face was completely concealed by a white scarf, a fur lined hood and a pair of large, tinted goggles, protecting her eyes from the glare of the ice. Her white furs kept her concealed against the landscape, but it would have taken a very keen eye to notice that the landscape she was hiding on was in fact her dragon, Jormungandr. Jormungandr was a lithe, serpentine reptile, with scales of pure white, so fine that they formed and smooth surface that was indistinguishable from the surrounding snow. The name that the local tribes gave his species was Moson Mogoi, or Ice Viper. Instead of fire, his breath was laden with ice so cold that it literally froze people on contact. It was said that the Ice Vipers' existence inspired the Norse myths of the Frost Giants.

The pair had been hunting a gang of slavers, tracking them for over a hundred miles, waiting for the time to strike. They had been kidnapping teenage girls, none younger than fifteen, none older than twenty, all to be sold to the highest bidder, not as labourers, but as sex slaves. Slaver bands had been destroyed up and down the continent, eliciting a strong military response from the group ahead. They were about to find out what had destroyed the other slavers – and that no amount of weaponry was going to stop her.

She pulled a hollow wooden tube and a crystal wrapped in cloth from inside her furs, before placing the crystal in a slot in the end of the tube and holding the makeshift telescope to her eyes. Through the looking glass, she saw the girls, all penned together in a rough wooden cage, none of them dressed properly for the cold climate. All were freezing, some had signs of hypothermia and frostbite, and it looked to her that some of them might have already succumbed to the cold. Then she shifted her focus, and saw the leader of the slavers. He was a thickset man, Mongolian in origin, with a thin, long black moustache and a scar across his left eye. She smiled in recognition – she had given him that scar ten years ago.

She put away her looking glass, and gently stroked the neck of her partner.

"Are you ready, Jormungandr?" She cooed. The Viper purred in response. She sat back in the saddle, before raising her hand high in the air. All around her, her fellow riders, overt two dozen in all, revealed themselves against the snow. Then, with a gleeful, wicked smile, she shouted a blood-chilling warcry into the air, a cry answered by her warriors, and charged.

Hiccup had fallen asleep at the table, and was woken when the first rays of sunlight poked through the doors. He had heard no news yet, and Valka had told him it might be better to wait until someone came for him. After an hour of eating breakfast, doodling in his journal and pacing a hole into the floor, he decided to take an early morning flight with Toothless. He had been in the air only a moment before his nerves finally calmed down. Flying with Toothless had always had that effect on him. He wondered why he hadn't thought of doing this earlier.

You ok? Toothless asked him.

Yeah. Well, better than I was anyway. He smiled at the dragon, and scratched his neck idly. Things are going to be very different when we land.

That they are. But it'll be ok.

I sure hope so. I keep seeing images of a load of little versions of me building some giant mechanical monster and using it to make me do all their chores. Toothless giggled furiously.

That's what you're afraid of? He chuckled. I can see now why you were so worried back there.

Are you mocking me? Hiccup demanded.

No, no, no, no… Yeah. Toothless laughed.

Oh, come on. Hiccup complained. Can you blame a man for being slightly nervous about the single biggest change in his life?

Well, I suppose not. Toothless relented. But being a man, well, for a given value of man, who has actually faced and lived down such a life-changing event, I think I have the right to crack a few jokes about it.

I suppose you have got a point. Hiccup answered. Wait, are you still mocking me? Toothless remained silent, giving Hiccup a very curious look, as if to say, I'll let you figure this one out on your own. As Hiccup looked to the horizon, watching the sun rise, he noticed something was wriggling in one of the saddlebags. He opened the bag, and pulled out little Vesta, who smiled innocently up at him.

"What are you doing in their?" She gurgled at him in response, before curling up in his lap and falling asleep. Hiccup stroked her side gently, wondering about what the future had in store for him. As he sat there, hanging in the sky above, he thought about the joy and happiness that the hatchlings – who were just entering juvenile age – and took comfort in the fact that his child would bring just as much joy to them all.

I knew you would come around. Toothless smiled. Hiccup couldn't help but smile back. They stayed that way for a long time. As Hiccup sat there, absentmindedly stroking Vesta, the juvenile gurgling quietly in her sleep, his mind wandered to how good the last five years had been to him. Well, mostly anyway. He remembered the day when he proposed to Astrid in the old cove on Raven's Point; that time when he and Toothless had play fought on Itchy Armpit (they never did change the name); the ceremony that had been put on to celebrate his eighteenth birthday; the first time he had made love to Astrid, way out beyond the forest, on the beach that surrounded the northern side of the island, with the stars and the moon illuminating their first tentative expressions of adoration for each other. They had been some good times, mixed with a few bad times, but then that was what life was about, Hiccup thought. We have the good times, the great times, the bad times, and hopefully few regrets. Hiccup didn't really have any, thank Thor, except for one. But then Astrid had forgiven him for that, and didn't really care to begin with, for whilst Astrid had given her virginity to Hiccup, he hadn't exactly returned the favour…

Five Years Previously…

Hiccup was exhausted. He had spent the whole day chasing a group of terrible terrors out of the village stores, but with the help of Astrid and Fishlegs and their dragons, they had made a good job of it. Now he trudged into the house, only to be met with it being empty, save for a note on the table, written in his father's surprisingly neat handwriting.

Dear Hiccup

Gobber and I are in an emergency meeting with another chieftain whose tribe has been destroyed by Alvin's marauders. We will probably be here all night, considering recent events. There's some stew on the fire, just help yourself.

Dad

Hiccup read the note, then threw it on to the table as he took down a bowl and filled it, sating the hunger he had built up from the day's work. As he chewed on the chicken and potato stew – which in fairness to his dad, was actually pretty good – he heard a noise from upstairs. Then he remembered their guest – Heather, the girl who had been stranded by pirates.

"Hi, Heather." He said as she came downstairs.

"Hey, Hiccup."

"Do you want some stew? It's still hot, and pretty good too."

"No thanks." She smiled. Hiccup had found her smile to be oddly attractive, as if both seductive and innocent at the same time. "I ate some earlier. And it was very nice." She sat at the table, absentmindedly playing with a small acorn in her hand. "I never had the chance to properly say thank you."

"For what?" Hiccup asked between mouthfuls.

"For saving me." She said. "Those pirates were really nasty." Hiccup could have sworn she hesitated when she said pirates. He shrugged it off as exhaustion.

"That's ok. We wouldn't just abandon someone out there like that." Hiccup thought about that in his head for a moment. "Well, Snotlout might for about five minutes before someone came along and beat some sense into him." Heather laughed furiously at that. Her rich, lilting chuckles had Hiccup smiling too.

"I'm sure you wouldn't." Heather placed her hand over Hiccups. She was relieved when he didn't pull it away. "But I still want to thank you for what you did. Properly, I mean." Hiccup was not exactly clued in to the social graces, but he wasn't a complete idiot, and he was pretty sure he could see where this was going.

"Please, it really was no trouble -"

"Hiccup." She grabbed his hand as he tried to get up and leave. "Please. Ever since the attack, I've been frightened at everything. I keep seeing the fires on the ship whenever I close my eyes, hearing the screams of the others every time it's quiet." Hiccup had not expected this. He had not expected tears. "But when I saw you, I wasn't afraid anymore. I don't know why, but you make me feel safe." Suddenly, she threw herself at him, clinging to him with desperate need. "Please, Hiccup, don't turn me away now." This was not at all what he expected: an attractive girl, who he had only met two days ago, had just thrown herself at him in a show of needy affection, almost to the point of begging him to return the favour. Anyone else might have been able to deal with this, but Hiccup was overwhelmed.

"Um, I… This is a lot to take in, Heather." He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her off his body, steadying her in front of him. "I mean, we only met two days ago. This is one Hel of a big jump you're proposing here."

"I know. But I feel safe with you. I don't know why, but…" She took a deep breath. "I've never felt like this around anyone before."

"Well…" Hiccup rubbed his hand through his hair, unsure of how to reply. He plumped for honesty. "I won't deny that I'm not interested. I mean, you are an attractive woman, anyone can see that, but…"

"But…" Heather looked straight into his eyes, her own shimmering, as if on the verge of tears. Hiccup looked back, and saw that she truly was scared. Whether it was the trauma of the attack, or the suddenness of events the last few days, or if she was genuinely attracted to him he couldn't tell, but… He knew that if he pushed her away now, she would snap. And regardless of the situation, he couldn't bring himself to do that. So instead he smiled at her, and pulled her into a tender hug.

"But nothing." He said. "I won't abandon you." She reached back, and looked at him with a grateful, relieved expression, before she leaned forward tentatively and gently kissed him. As he kissed back, he felt her hands wrap around his neck, and instinctively placed a hand on her lower back, whilst he brought the other behind her head, gently stroking her silky soft hair. Their embrace soon became more passionate, and he broke off the kiss to gasp for air.

"I think we might want to take this upstairs." He smiled between gulps. She smiled back at him mischievously, before he took her hand and led her upstairs, thanking all the gods he knew of that his father was going to be a long time coming home.

It was obvious to them both that this was the first time for both of them, but they didn't care about how clumsy they were as they ripped their clothes off, or when they bashed their noses together in their heated embrace, or when they collapsed roughly onto his bed. Foreplay never occurred to them; they were too desperate to feel each other's most intimate embrace. She looked nervously into his eyes, her legs wide open, as he gently lowered himself into her. The sharp pain of her hymen breaking soon vanished as they picked up a slow clumsy rhythm. They were quiet, not to avoid detection, but because they didn't want to break the fragile atmosphere that was around them. They kissed deeply as he gently stroked in and out of her, drawing delightful little gasps from her lips. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she clamped her lips shut before furiously kissing him, just as he felt the walls of her opening clamp down around him, bringing about his own, blissful release. They lay there for hours, falling asleep in each other's arms.

When Hiccup woke up, she had already left. But the memory of the previous night brought a smile to his face, even five years later, married to another woman and about to become a father.

Hiccup looked off into the distance, wondering.

Do you think she was genuine? He asked.

You mean, was she using you to get at the Book of Dragons? Toothless answered. I think that's really for you to decide. But if you want my opinion, I was sleeping outside the house on that night.

Wait, you were?!

Yes, I was. And no, I don't blame you. You were young, carefree and at that point you weren't really mated to Astrid yet. I know one thing for sure. Toothless turned to look at Hiccup, his green eye reflecting something it rarely did – wisdom. If she was deceiving you, I didn't see it. And it takes an awful lot more than human skill at lying to deceive a dragon. Hiccup smiled at Toothless, stroking his neck affectionately, realizing just how much he depended on the lithe, sable reptile.

Thanks, Toothless. That means a lot. Toothless purred satisfactorily in his throat, before adjusting his flight. They stayed that way for a few moments, before Toothless noticed Cloudjumper approaching from behind.

Hiccup, I know you don't like surprise, so I'd better tell you that Cloudjumper's coming.

Toothless looked meaningfully up at his rider, who had the look of a man about to meet his fate. Hiccup nodded at him, and they turned back towards the village.

Hiccup walked up to the door of the house, hand in hand with Valka. Things seemed strangely quiet about the village, but comfortably so, as if the whole world was content to just let everything pass it by. As he approached the door, he let go of her hand.

"It's alright, mom." He smiled at her confused look. "I think this time, I should do this on my own." She smiled her understanding, and squeezed his hand encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and slowly walked into the house. He saw Ruffnut sitting at the table, bags under her eyes from the long night. She smiled at him, a genuine smile in the place of her usual smirk, and he placed an appreciative hand on her shoulder as he passed her on the way to the stairs. He climbed the stairs slowly, knowing without looking that Valka had followed him inside. As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Astrid lying on the bed, underneath a thick fur blanket. She looked up at his approach, and gave him the most joyous smile she had ever given anyone. It was then that he noticed, or rather processed the notice of, the small bundle of blankets she was holding. He couldn't help but smile as he walked gently towards her. He squeezed her hand as he smiled at her, before she offered him the bundle. He gently took it from her, and when he looked inside, his heart melted. He sat down on the chair next to the bed, and laid eyes for the first time on his sleeping daughter.

"I told you she wanted to say hello." Astrid chuckled weakly. Hiccup could barely speak as he beamed at her, his eyes shimmering with ecstasy beyond expression. He could see that she already had his hair, rich brunette and wavy, as well as Astrid's button nose. As he held her, she woke up, and smiled up at her father, liquefying whatever was left of his already over melted heart. Her eyes were the best thing though; instead of one colour, the left eye was green, like his, and her right eye was electric blue, like Astrid's.

"What will we call her?" He asked quietly.

"I haven't thought of any names yet. I wanted you to be here." She answered. Hiccup thought for a moment, racking his brains for a good name. As they sat there discussing names, Toothless quietly climbed into the window, with Vesta curled up on his head. He sniffed gently over towards Hiccup and the baby, and he put his hand out to gently stroke his nose.

Its ok, bud. Come and meet your new niece. Toothless looked over into the pile of blankets, looking at the newcomer to his eyrie. The little girl gurgled happily, stroking his nose as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. Hiccup and Astrid shared a smile.

She has your spirit, Hiccup. Toothless concluded. She will change the world one day. I don't know how yet, but she will. He nudges Hiccup's cheek affectionately, before sitting back on his firestone. As he did, Vesta jumped off his neck and padded over to Hiccup, where she promptly jumped up on his lap. She cooed up at the Viking, before peering into the blankets. The baby girl put her hand out, which Vesta gently sniffed. Toothless perked up at this, his attention undivided away from their daughters. Vesta suddenly stopped sniffing, and, her eyes closed, gently placed her snout in the little girl's hand. Toothless and Hiccup shared a knowing look, and in that moment they knew that they would be inseparable.

"I think I have one." Hiccup said. Astrid looked at him, imploring him to continue. "What about…" He looked out of the window, and saw Traask's airship slowly and silently come into land at the beach. He smiled.

"What about Artemis?" Astrid smiled, and he knew they had got it right.

"Artemis it is." She whispered, leaning into his shoulder, smiling down at their baby.

Hiccup?

Hmhm?

You called her my new niece. Toothless looked at him curiously.

Yes. Hiccup smiled at Toothless. I did.

Meanwhile, on the icy straits of Svalbard, the slaver's camp was in ruins. Most of the slavers were dead, and five of the dragon riders were holding their leader down on his knees, as their chieftain inspected the camp. The slaver chief spat a globule of blood from his mouth, before shouting at the wild-haired woman

"How dare you attack me like this! What gives you the right to attack my camp, kill my men and steal my property?" At that, she dealt him a blow across his face with the flat of her sword.

"They are not things!" She shouted at him in his native tongue. "They are not your property, nor are they anyone else's. I am not taking them from you, I am freeing them!"

"Why?" He spat back. "What gives you the right to do this?" He leered at her, waiting for an answer. As she uncovered her face though, his look of indignance turned to one of fear. "No. You cannot be!"

"Oh yes I can." She snarled, before sliding her sword into his heart. She swiftly pulled it from his chest, his body falling forward onto the ice. As she cleaned her sword on his furs, she asked, "How many are left?"

"Only one, my lady." Her first lieutenant, a tough Iroquois man named Two Bears answered. "We believe him to be a recruit, barely been with them more than a week."

"Good." She answered, sheathing her cleaned blade. "Then he can be useful to us." She marched over to the prisoner, and grabbed him bodily by his collar lifting him clean off the ice.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked. He shook his head, terrified. She smiled. "Good, then you can be both relieved of your ignorance and a reliever of others' ignorance." She dropped him on the ice, then drew her sword and pointed it straight at his chest. "We are going to let you go. When you finally arrive back at civilization, you are going to tell them who sent you, who you owe your entire existence to, and warn them that if I ever catch anyone like this, I will deal to them the same crushing blow I have dealt here. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes!" He stuttered. "But who are you?" The woman smiled, her wild, blonde hair messed up by the arctic wind, and relished the moment before answering:

"My name... is Camicazi."