The return of Alastor's voice bolstered his confidence. As did the state of Arne's face. But he had promised his parents he wouldn't fight anymore, because it wasn't really his thing. "Ingrid's better at senseless violence than I am, I think I'll stick to my books from now on. Is that OK?"

"Now, I may have to think about that..." Hiccup mused. Astrid elbowed him harshly. "Yep." He wheezed. "Definitely OK." Alastor smiled. "You go and have fun now, go... fight for dragon rights or something, I don't know. Be a bard." Hiccup shrugged, deflecting his wife's punch. "Ha! Ow!" Astrid had flicked him in the ear instead. "Al, don't get married. It's not even an occupational hazard, it's just mean." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Don't listen to your father. He's a prat."

"Rude. Don't laugh! Ooh, you're just as bad as your sister. Get out." Alastor left his parents to bicker, finding Spike tormenting Stormfly. The older female was not pleased, billowing flames and barbs.

"Hey!" Alastor darted between the two, staying out of their blindspots. "Easy, Stormfly." He soothed, palm against her nose. "Spike, stop being a pain." Spike seemed to smile, giving his rider a very affectionate and slobbery lick. "Yeah, that's just... just grand. Thanks, bud." Stormfly chirped and Toothless bounded around the corner. He bumbled low across the ground, ready to play. Alastor climbed into the saddle, leaving the two best friends to chase each other. Spike whined, wanting to play too. "Come on, Spike. We've got to find Aloe. I'll get you some chicken." He bribed. Spike brightened and took off at a run.

Aloe was at their Haddock grandparents, her blue and yellow Terror, Bob, draped around her shoulders as she impersonated a rich traveller woman, stalking across the table and babbling with a posh tone. The woman had spoken another language and, upon finding this, left in a huff quite quickly. Stoick was laughing, rising briskly to greeet his grandson. "Al!" Aloe beamed. Bob scrambled from her shoulders and onto Stoick's as she sprinted across the table and jumped straight into his arms. "Yay! Hello, Al!"

"Hello." Aloe gasped, small hands clapping over her mouth. Alastor grinned.

"You can talk properly now! How? Show me!" Her little fingers opened his mouth inspectingly. Alastor sent his grandfather a 'help' look, making Stoick chuckle.

"Aloe, let him speak."

"Magic." She concluded, wiping her hands on her brother's shirt.

"No. Gothi."

"Ah." Stoick nodded. "About time. I was wondering what had brought on that little spat with what's-his-name. I saw him earlier-" Valka walked in with a stack of laundry. Stoick didn't finish his sentence, giving a thumbs-up instead. "Val. Our grandson has his voice back."

"Really? That's brilliant! Well done, Al. Say something."

"Val!"

"No, it's OK."

"Sometimes I forgot what he sounded like. I bet he'll be like Hiccup now- won't ever shut up."

"I'll be good." Alastor promised.

"So, what you're telling me is that-" Ingrid ducked his slash and jabbed at his face in retaliation, "-your dad is the biggest-" She parried and pinched his nose, "-joke in the Archipelago?"

"That's not what I said." Vadik flipped his knife from his belt and tried to catch her off guard. She saw it coming from a mile off, grabbing his wrist and flipping him over her shoulder. "It's just that he has idiotic tendencies and doesn't always listen to me."

"Sounds like all dads then."

"Yeah, but your dad isn't classified as deranged."

"No, but I have heard he's probably the craziest chief Berk has ever had. And to think I'm next." She sighed dreamily. Vadik pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Still set on that?"

"Problem?"

"No, of course not." She offered her hand and yanked him to his feet. Vadik set about dusting himself down. "It's just a bit unusual, that's all. Which fits perfectly with you and your... unique-ness? Is that a word?" She shrugged her shoulders, humming a 'I-don't-know' sound. "What's your dad done about it?" Still didn't know. "Round two?" He asked, retrieving his blades.

"Loser has to buy lunch? I'm starving."

"You're always starving. I'm surprised you're not the size of a house, the amount you eat. Then again, you're generally rushing around and training like crazy, so you burn off all that... Whoa!" He ducked her wild axe swing. "I wasn't ready!"

"An attacker can strike at any time! You must always be ready!" She charged him. Vadik rolled to one side, snatching up a shield and taking a defensive stance, sword in hand.

"I've just noticed you're left-handed." She ignored this comment, darting forward once more. He deflected the axe with the shield, raising his other arm to block her attempted stab against his forearm. Ingrid dropped back suddenly, over-balancing him. She tugged sharply on his shield, kicking his feet from under him. He landed on his front with a heavy 'oof'. "Ow." He groaned, winded. Ingrid hooked her foot under him and rolled him onto his back.

"Dead." She declared, axe blade at his throat. "I win."

"You always win. You fight dirty."

"I do not."

"You can though."

"Well, that's what you get for fighting the Jorgenson boys." She reached down to haul him up, only to bodily throw him, discarding her axe and pouncing, pinning him to the floor with his arms behind his back. "Never let your guard down."

"Got it." He managed. "Can I breathe now?"

"No. You're dead. Again. You shouldn't be breathing." She let go. Vadik collapsed against the sanded floor, trying to catch his breath. Ingrid poked him in the leg with the sharp point of her sword. "Get up and fight me."

"I need a break."

"You don't get breaks in real combat."

"I know that. How about we get lunch now?"

"Lunchtime." She agreed, sheathing her sword. "Come on, Dusty, you're buying." Vadik pushed himself up with a groan of complaint. Ingrid carried on walking. Vadik picked up his sword as quietly as he could, sneaking towards her on light feet with the weapon above his head. She reacted faster than he ever could, spinning and locking her arm around his, kneeing him in the stomach and disarming him in one fluid movement. "Dead." She said again, sword aimed at his heart. She flipped the blade, grinning victoriously. "You won't sneak attack me, Vadik. Chop chop now, the food isn't going to buy itself."

"Ingrid, I think someone's calling you."

"Not going to trick me."

"No, I'm being serious." Ingrid opened her mouth to argue when she heard it too. Looking up, she saw Alastor haphazardly flying on Spike. Aloe must have been with him, as she was calling her sister's name.

Spike landed sloppily, something he had never done. Alastor dropped down, panicked.

"What's the matter?"

"Mum and Dad... they... look..." He thrust a rumpled bit of paper in her hands. "What are we going to d-do?" His hands clamped over his mouth. Ingrid scanned the letter furiously, hands trembling. She rounded on Vadik, eyes blazing like the fire of a thousand suns.

"Did you know about this?" She demanded, shaking the paper in his face. Vadik struggled to get it for a moment. He didn't get the chance to read it as she stomped her foot. "Your dad has taken our parents!" Ingrid raged.

"But... how?" Aloe's bottom lip quivered. "Mummy and Daddy can fight Dagur easy-peasy."

"Oh no..." Vadik reached his father's signature. There was a little note for him afterwards. "'Vadik'," He read, "'you've until sunset to come home or I shall no longer consider you my son.' He... he doesn't mean that, does he?"

"You had no idea he was going to do this?"

"As clueless as I was about the marriage thing. What do we do?"

"The village is going mad." Alastor told her. "Rangvald and Bjorn Junior are trying to calm them, the riders too, but Dagur's... someone said Dagur's really pushed his luck this time, crossed the line."

"There you are!" The children looked round. Stoick was approaching them, just as ferocious as his eldest granddaughter. "What's going on? The village is going crazy! Has Hiccup done one of his Hiccup things again?"

"No, Grampa Stoick." Ingrid said through gritted teeth. She snatched the letter back and shoved it at him. "Dagur took them."

"WHAT?" Stoick roared. "YOU!" He bore down on Vadik.

"Wait!" Alastor jumped in, holding his hands up. "Vadik didn't know! Dagur doesn't tell him anything! Please put the sword away, let's just figure out what we're going to do, OK?"

"We've got to my son and your mother back!" Stoick fumed. "Why would Dagur take them both?"

"He hates Dad and he can use Mum to strike back at Dad." Ingrid answered.

"Well, for your sake, I hope you come up with a plan quickly."

"Why?"

"With Hiccup gone and you being old enough, you are now acting chief." Alastor startled. "Or you, Ingrid, I don't know what Hiccup's done about this chief business."

"But... but..." Alastor pulled on his hair. "Oh no..."

"It'll be alright, Al, let me handle this. Vadik, is there anyway to get on your father's island without him knowing about it?"

"Uh... no. I remember him showing me all over the island, above and below. Unless you've got some really stealthy Whispering Deaths, there's no way onto the island." He wrung his hands. Stoick read the letter.

"Boy." He said. "Your father is a scoundrel. But he may be expecting you back by sunset, which can give us an advantage. If you go by ship, we can sneak the dragon riders below deck."

"Will we have time though?" Alastor worried.

"We'll have the dragons pull it as far as they can." Ingrid added. "We should go too."

"No!" Aloe chimed in fiercely. "Mummy and Daddy will get away, you watch!"

"But Aloe-"

"They will! They always beat Dagur!" When her siblings started to speak, she put her hands over her ears, chanting, "They will, they will, they will!"

"If Vadik goes back, Dagur will kill him. You're tainted." Alastor explained. "You've been with us. But if Vadik doesn't go back, Mum and Dad will-"

"They will, they will, they will!"