Back from holidays at last! Yes, I'm still writing just like I promised! Please enjoy; a few important things this chapter regarding the plot.

The full moon hung over the Helgafjall midnight sky, coating the island in an eerie white glow as it's supremacy drew to a close. The sun was set to rise in several hours time, and as a result every body- be it man or beast- was fast asleep. Viper the Changewing was resting peacefully in a forest tree, listening for any unsuspecting prey. The twin Hobblegrunts, Eenie and Meanie had kicked back after a long day's work, and planned to go off exploring when the sun rose. Trjonn had also been working equally hard these past few days, and planned on sleeping in for the first time in months. Groundsplitter remained semi-unconscious as always, but even he was beginning to worry about the absence of his forge partner.

All in all, it was an average night on the not-quite-Viking town; buzzing with action throughout the day, and borderline comatose when the sun finally dipped. Only one significant sound could be heard throughout the entire island.

Mind you, it was quite a loud one…

"Be merry my hearts, and call for your gallons, and let no liquor be lacking.

We have silver in store; we purpose to roar, until we are sent a packinngg…"

Four exceedingly drunk teenagers gathered around a campfire deep in the Helgafjall forest, along with three Dragons having just as much fun enjoying the antics. Nina leant against an old log, ardently strumming her lute* while singing to her tune. The girl's boyfriend, Lodin, danced around the fire to her song like a lunatic, while Fjalar and Katla simply rolled on the floor in sheer hysterics.

"What's he doin' with his arms?" Katla giggled, watching the blond-haired boy in a state of mirth.

"I dunno, but he isn't doing it well" Fjalar cackled, taking a healthy swig of his nearly-empty wine flask.

"Then let us make haste, and let no time waste, let every man have his due.

To save shoos and trouble, bring in the pots double, for he made that one, made twooo…"

Fjalar was still in a state of awe towards Nina and her newfound singing ability. Katla had briefly explained how their boredom led to the girl trying out the lute and her voice- only to open a goldmine of undiscovered talent. Where she faltered in combat, she made up for in performing, even while completely intoxicated like the rest of them.

"You two are just… jealous" Lodin slurred, not stopping his dance with a goofy smirk plastered on his face. "One day, I'll show ya. I'll be the best dancie boy us Free Folk have ever- ugh" the blond boy's declaration was abruptly ended, by passing out flat on the floor. Fjalar, Katla and Nina could only howl with laughter, watching him snore loudly without a care in the world.

"Oh my Thor… I can't" Katla wheezed, helplessly clutching her stomach as her whole body rattled with laughter. "He- he's like Toothy after a scratch!"

"I think we should check if he's okay" Nina laughed, briefly interrupting her song to comment on her boyfriend who now lay on the grass. "My baby's down for the count"

"And then there were three" Fjalar breathed, regaining his composure and sitting back up against the log. "Nina, your voice is like… whoa" he flailed his hands about in front of him in an attempt to explain. "I never could 'a guessed you had that in you"

"Then Hostess go fetch us some, for till you do come, we are of all joys bereave'n

You know what I mean, make haste come again, for he that made tan, made eleven"

"I'm a woman of many talents" she grinned, her fingers not once ending the almost magical tune that came from her simple instrument. With a free hand, she reached over and stole a gulp of wine from Katla's flask. "Thor above, this stuff is amazing" she said.

"It's been too long since we did this!" Katla declared loudly, extending out her hand as if she was dishing out commands. Her face quickly twisted into a frown. "Wait, did I say that already?"

"You're such a goof when you're on the drink" Fjalar giggled, only to have his girlfriend pout and poke out her tongue in response. Like an exhausted Terrible Terror, Katla crawled her way up to the boy, happily rested her head on his lap.

"Ya stuck with me, Dragon Boy" she mumbled, her alcohol-fueled muscles slackening in relaxation as Fjalar ran his hands through her raven hair. Katla absentmindedly let her hands travel along his legs and traces his chest. "Damnn, babe when did you get so… Muscly?"

Fjalar laughed softly, taking another drink of the sweet-smelling wine. "And here I was, thinking I was more drunker than you"

"Which of them do you think is next to pass out?" Toothless purred at Elysia, who were both watching them drink themselves into the night.

"The one you call Hiccup. He has been asleep for a long time, and lacks practice" The Skrill growled back at her new friend, finding this game of theirs incredibly humors to watch.

"Nah, but seriously!" Katla went on, having not really heard him. "One minute you were all cute and 'fun-size', and then… wham!" she jolted into life and waved her limbs about, trying to imitate someone caught in an explosion. "-you became my sexy man"

Fjalar rolled his eyes. "How flattering"

"I've got you all pictured in my head" she grinned, "my flawless sexy man. You only need one or two things until its juuust right"

"Oh, really?" he raised an eyebrow, rather intrigued about what he could do. "And what would that include, little miss perfect?"

"Number one" she brought her head up from his lap and held a single finger in front of his face. "Babe, you get a tattoo. Like a biiig one, on that back or something. It will make your scars even hotter"

"Ya think my scars are hot?" he asked incredulously, staring down his tunic and letting the light of the bonfire illuminate the three gashes on his torso.

"Number two" Katla raised an extra finger, and then gestured up and down his body. "You need less of… this"

"Why does everyone say that?" he threw his head back and gave an overly dramatic sigh.

"I wasn't talking about you, dummy" she giggled. Katla grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and yanked his ear to her lips. "I was talking about those clothes of yours" she whispered mischievously.

"I-uh, oh!" Fjalar's face went an alarming shade of pink, and Nina burst out laughing.

"I've got a lil' question" Nina garbled, doing her best to speak while drinking. "Have you two… y'know" she made an obscene gesture with her fingers, and it was Katla's turn to blush.

"Nina!" she squealed, tossing her wine at the short brunette. "Of course we haven't!"

"I'm just curious, stop being such a baby" Nina scoffed, unable to hide her smirk.

"You're horrible, Nina" Fjalar shook his head, but he too had a smile on his face.

"Ahh, you two love me" she winked, placing her lute down and getting comfortable next to the fire. "We're like one biiig happy family!"

"I'll drink to that" Fjalar chuckled, raising his flask up into the sky. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion after a second. "Whoa, did I say that already? Damn, I'm turning into Katla"

"Oh shut up, and keep drinking"

They most certainly did.

o~0~O~0~o

The room was clouded over in a blanket of dust and smoke, making the already dwindling candles even harder to see. Seven men stood impatiently around a table, each of them unshaven, hulking with muscle, wielding brutish weapons and wearing the same scowl of utter disinterest.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Savage asked, his dirty fingers anxiously twitting at his facial hair.

"Yes ah'm sure" Alvin the Treacherous snapped, his eyes falling onto the open doorway. "Besides, it's not like I can uninvite them now"

"You're right Sir, sorry"

The fatigued leader of the Outcasts grumbled, and collapsed into his creaky chair at the head of the table. "That's what I thought" The man hardly got the change to catch his breath, however, until another Outcast entered the room, and caught the attention of all seven men.

"Alvin, they're here and ready for you" he said, the fresh and bleeding cut on his cheek serving as a clear indication these 'guests' weren't patient. Before anyone could make a reply, the messenger was shoved out of the way, and three more figured entered the room.

"Sorry for being late!" the man in the middle said, rather too cheerfully. "Navigators got a little bit lost on the way, but I made sure they paid for it" The three people in question stood out like a sore thumb in the presence of the Outcasts. Their armor was in an immaculate bronze, and their faces were clean-shaved, despite the lengthy trip there.

"Nice of you to join us, Dagur" Alvin said through gritted teeth.

"Nice?" The leader of the Berserker armada barked a laugh, making even the men at his flanks flinch in shock. "You make me sail half-way across the bloody archipelago to this sorry excuse of an island, ranting on about some 'Dragon Queen' bullshit, and how an alliance is soo badly needed"

Alvin had gone the previous night with no sleep, and the young Chief's comments did nothing to dull his throbbing headache. "Take a seat boy, and shut yer trap"

"I think I'll stand, if you don't mind" Dagur snarled. Every Viking with half a brain knew how the leader of the Berserkers hated being called juvenile. "I can hardly see you and your ugly companions through this smoke. If this is what you call a 'war room' I'm afraid I'm sorely disappointed"

There was a collective growl of anger from Alvin's associates, as none of them enjoyed taking insults from a person not nearly as muscular as themselves.

"With all do respect" Savage interjected, his voice trembling ever so slightly, "p-perhaps we should look to the job at hand. I don't think we came all this way just to kill each other"

A lengthy silence followed the second-in-command's statement, until the steady creak of Dagur sitting down signaled the suggestion had been taken to heart.

"So, let's cut the crap then" Dagur broke the silence, the edginess not leaving his voice. "You found the Nest"

"Aye" Alvin nodded gruffly. "It's a mountain, bloody filled with Dragons"

The Chief of the Berserkers raised an eyebrow. "So you and a handful of your men just strut in there, and do what Stoick couldn't manage in three centuries?" he gave his classic 'deranged' laugh; uncomfortably loud and long. "I'm finding this rather hard to believe"

"All the truth" he couldn't resist a toothy grin, as the magnitude of his achievement occurring to him. It had only taken one attempt and a single ship with twenty men to do what the Chief of the best Viking villages couldn't even get close to doing.

Dagur leant forward, his elbows resting heavily on the dry wooden table. "How" Alvin could see that mad look in his eyes, and the way his teeth glinted under the candle-light was an almost disturbing sight.

"That's unimportant," the leader of the Outcasts shrugged nonchalantly, "what matters is that I now know how to get there and that we could use it to seize control over every other village"

That got Dagur interested. The youthful Chief let out a rumbling growl of lust, and his eyes narrowed.

"Keep talking, Alvin"

Alvin smirked, knowing he'd captured the lad's interest. "It's simple; we kill the Queen Dragon" Murmurs of confusion erupted across the table, as not even Alvin's close associates had heard of his full plan. Many of the people seated had traveled with him to the Nest, and witnessed the full extent of what they were up against.

"You make it sound easy" Dagur stated blandly.

"Oh, it won't be" the black-haired man let out a humorless chuckle. "It's a demon, larger than any Dragon I've ever seen. The thing swallowed a Gronkle like a berry, and would eat your ships as a nice supper"

"Now this sounds more like it. A proper fight" Dagur's grin seemed to be more fitting on a shark, than on a man of his size, and it almost frightened Alvin. Almost. The Berserker Chief leant back on his chair and propped his feet up on the table, his smirk transforming from madness to gloating. "And you're saying you need us, eh?"

"It's no rumor how much you hate the other tribes" Alvin murmured, "And even though your armada is three hundred ships strong, you wouldn't be able to do it without us. We need each other"

"And I think I'll speak the question on everyone's mind" Dagur raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly. "How the Hel will killing the Queen Dragon give me control over the other tribes?"

Alvin leant forward, and it was his turn to grin. "The Blood Debt" he said lowly. The Vikings who served as his advisors murmured amongst themselves, as their leader's plan finally clicked into place.

"Ah, that old tradition" the Berserker Chief shrugged. "Never really took interest in it, how's that got to do with anything?"

"If a Viking, or Tribe of Vikings, were to save an entire Village from disaster or destruction, the said Village will be in Blood Debt. The saviors can ask anything of them, and as a gesture of gratitude, the Village will comply…" Alvin quoted from the Viking Tome of Law, a book back on Berk. The Blood Debt was a tradition spanning back hundreds of years, and every tribe was familiar with it. "Dagur, if we were to make an alliance, we could kill the Dragon Queen. The Monster's servants would flee, and die off by themselves no doubt. The Dragon War would end, and it would be because of us"

Dagur's eyes widened as Alvin spoke on, as did the other nine men.

"Every tribe would be free of Dragons because of us; therefore every tribe would be in Blood Debt to us. All that would be left for us to do is simply demand ultimate control" he continued, watching the young Chief almost drool at the idea. "Everything could be ours, the Bog-Burglars, the Lava-Louts, and the Hairy Hooligans of Berk"

Silence fell upon the meeting room, as for the first time in a very long time, Alvin the Treacherous had given up all his secret plans. Dagur's eyes were locked on the table in front of him, obviously thinking hard about the situation. Not many people took him for a thinker- or intelligent in general- but he was a Chief of a very large tribe, and despite being a madman, he had to know strategy and tactics if he were to remain in that position.

"So what do you say, Dagur?" Alvin reached over the table and offered his meaty hand to the boy.

"It'll take a few months for my fleet to mobilize" he muttered, staring at the hand for a brief moment. The idea of taking Berk flashed across his mind, and his grin returned. "But for now, we have an alliance"

They shook hands. And in that one simple gesture, one of the deadliest armies in Viking history was forged.

o~0~O~0~o

Fjalar couldn't quite figure out why the moon was green that afternoon, or why there were two of them. The teenager boy had no clue where he was, all that really occurred to him was the throbbing headache and burning dry throat.

"About time you woke, Hiccup" Toothless warbled happily, looking down at his rider in a state of amusement. It took Fjalar a solid thirty seconds to realize he was not in fact staring up at two moons, but instead at the smug face of his Night Fury.

"Ugh… Toothless" he rasped, his voice a hoarse whisper. Memories of the night before were disjointed, and blurred to the point where he hardly knew where he lay. Fjalar rolled onto his gut, and pressed his face against the floor. It was cold and hard- a godsend for someone as hung-over as himself- and Fjalar could only assume he was lying on stone. Slowly, the boy propped his hands on the floor and tried to lift himself up.

Almost immediately, the boy began to regret standing up. His head felt as though it made of iron, and his stomach churned violently- begging to release its contents all over the floor.

"Oh gods... I think I'm dying" he moaned, leaning against a nearby wall for some much needed support. Fjalar finally took the time to embrace his surroundings, and get an idea of where he was. There was nobody in sight, and every wall surrounding him was made of smooth stone.

The wash rooms.

It all made a reasonable amount of sense to Fjalar. He'd probably woken up earlier, and visited this place to clean himself off, only to have passed out. The boy's light green tunic was a complete mess; splattered with wine and small portions of vomit stuck around the collar.

"What a night" he muttered, looking to Toothless who was still staring at him gleefully. "Oh, quit looking at me like that, it's not helping!" Fjalar snapped, only making the Dragon laugh.

"Not my problem. And if you think you're bad, you should see the others" the Night Fury chirped, lowering himself so Fjalar could clamber onto his saddle.

"Thanks bud… and not so loud… please" he croaked, his hands tightly gripping the leather for balance. He may have only been a yard or two off the ground, but in his mind it felt a so much higher. Fjalar's gut lurched around as Toothless began the journey home, and with each and every step his condition worsened. "I swear to god, I'm never drinking again" he whined, burying his face in the cool scales on Toothless' neck.

"I give it a week until you're back at it" the Dragon grunted in return, leaving the wash room and waddling out into the blaring sunlight.

It took less than a few minutes for Fjalar and Toothless to receive looks of both confusion and interest. People would stop and whisper to themselves as the Night Fury and dreadful-looking teen plodded through the narrow streets of Helgafjall, on their way home. They even passed Lodin, who lay outside his father's Bakery, a half-full bucket below his sagging head.

Fjalar looked up from Toothless' saddle to examine his friend. "Lodin, how you feeling?" he asked weakly. The moment the blond-haired boy raised his head, Fjalar knew the answer. His face was a sickly green color, and large bags hung under his eyes. "Oh, uh never mind. I'll leave you to it" Lodin gave an almost Dragon-like snarl, and returned to throwing up in his bucket.

"C'mon bud, I need a bed worth sleeping on" he groaned, lying back down and throwing an arm over his eyes. "I'll get you all the bloody fish you want after this"

"You'd better. You smell putrid right now" Toothless rumbled, slowing his paces as he climbed the hill to Katla and Fjalar's house.

"Yeah yeah, quit your whining" he moaned. "I just need a- umf!" his sentence was cut off, when the Night Fury dropped on shoulder and let the teenager boy roll off his back and in front of the door. "Toothless that's not funny!"

"Yes it is" The Dragon barked a laugh, and nuzzled the boy into his house. "Now get some rest, we have training in a few hours"

"Useless reptile" he hissed, clutching his throbbing head with one hand and shutting the door with the other. His house carried no sent of wine, and was in a similar shape to the way he left it the night before. "Katla, you home?" he asked aloud, being careful not to strain his dry throat.

There was silence, until a quiet retching could be heard from several yards away.

"Katla?" he repeated, louder. "Katla, you in there?" He staggered down the hallway in search of her. Fjalar and pushed open the door to Katla's room, and the sight made his heart clench. His girlfriend lay on the floor, curled up on herself and a flagon of water in her trembling hands.

"I was wondering… where you were" she whimpered, her breathing uneven and light.

"Thor almighty!" he gasped, dropping to his knees and resting the back of his hand against her forehead. "You're burning up; I need to get you on a bed"

"I thought I'd look forward to… you sayin' that" she chuckled, followed by several dry heaves.

"A comedian at the worst times, aren't you?" he muttered, wrapping his arms on her waist and helping her to the unmade bed. "C'mon Katla, you'll clear up quicker after a sleep"

"I need something cold" she whined, trying to reach out for the floor but not fighting back from her boyfriend's movements.

"I'll get you another mug of water when you lie down, promise" he soothed; helping remove her boots as she shakily clambered on the bed.

"This is your fault" she slurred, throwing a punch only for it to harmlessly bounce of his chest. "I knew we shouldn't have drank after you woke up"

"Agreed, I feel like a mess" he sighed, staring over her trembling and sickly-colored body. The thing he loved about Katla was how resilient she was, and to see her so exposed and unwell made him miserable. "Okay babe, now you get some rest, I'll get some- Ow!" Katla grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the bed without warning.

"I need to stay warm" she sniffed through the fabric of his tunic. "Just stay with me Fjal- Hiccup, please" There was a desperate edge to her voice, and Fjalar remained on the bed. His girlfriend snaked her arms around his body and rested on his chest.

"So much for the water, then" he gave a small smile, his girlfriend's pillow and aroma dulling the blade of his sharp headache.

"If I throw up, you're helping me clean" she muttered, her head fitting snugly on his collar bone.

Fjalar rolled his eyes, good-naturedly. "I can't wait for it"

It wasn't long until the two hung-over teens fell back asleep, their breaths falling in time with one another.

o~0~O~0~o

Trjonn was having a merry day; someone as well-respected as him rarely had otherwise, and it was about to get better.

The tall and brown-haired man watched as the two Hobblegrunts, Eenie and Meanie soared above the houses and stores of Helgafjall, several heavy logs in each of their hands. Even after nearly a year of them living there, it still brought a childish smile to his face; Dragons and people, working together in peace. The winged creatures above him reminded him of Toothless and Elysia, and the whole reason he was climbing the hill to Katla's house.

It was nearly an hour before sunrise when he'd spotted the Skrill and Night Fury literally dragging their respective riders back home, with both Dragons growling angrily under their breath and their riders singing incoherently. Their babbling chant still rattled in his head, and he knew it wouldn't leave for a long time.

"Nina is Queen, and sober is a crime.

Nina is Queen, the Queen of wine!"

"Those bloody kids" he muttered, closing in on the small stone house. He was never a drinker- it clouded the mind and dulled senses, a nightmare for a fighter at his level. "Time to payback for waking everyone up this morning" Trjonn approached the front door, and the waft of wine nearly knocked him back a step. With a quiet laugh and clenched fist, he wrapped his knuckles on the door.

"Wakey wakey, you two!" he called out, drumming his fingers against the door. "You lovebirds have work to be done; don't want to be late, right?"

Unsurprisingly, there was no response.

With little concern for privacy, he pushed the door and jauntily stepped inside.

"Katla? Fjalar? Where's Helgafjall's best Dragon Rider off to now?" he asked, "You two wouldn't have been partying last night? Because that's plain stupid"

The last past of his sentence triggered a response of sorts- a low groan from Katla's room. Trjonn pushed opened the door to her room, and surely enough, there they sat. Fjalar and Katla were both sat up on the bed, breathing shakily and doing everything to keep their stomach contents at bay.

"Ah, just the teenagers I was looking for!" he boomed, making the two wince.

"Not so loud Trjonn… please" Katla croaked, reaching for a bucket at the foot of her bed.

"Come on now, today's not the day for negativity!" he replied, his cheery tone not faltering.

"I'm gonna be sick. Again" Fjalar moaned, snatching the bucket from Katla's grasp and steadying it under his head.

Trjonn did his best to fake-pout, pretending to be hurt. "Aww, don't be like that, m'boy!" his face curled into a grin. "How 'bout I make you all a lovely late afternoon meal?"

The affect was instantaneous. Katla and Fjalar both whipped their heads away in disgust, their faces whitening even more.

"Please don't mention food, Trjonn" Fjalar rasped.

"Yeah, what he said" Katla nodded desperately, her breathing uneven and rapid.

"Are you two sure?" he raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I could make a delicious and crackling pork sausage? Or I could cook up some dripping, runny eggs?"

For Fjalar, that was enough. With a sickening wet cough, he emptied his stomach into the bucket.

"I… hate you" the teenager boy whimpered, using a clean sleeve to wipe the dribble from his chin.

"Serves you two right" he piped, the joy of irritating them having worn off. Trjonn found the two teenagers a new set of clothes each and tossed it onto Katla's bed. "Now come on you two, I wasn't joking when I said you had work"

"Yeah, I'm in such a position to work right now" Fjalar growled, brushing his long auburn hair out of his face and sliding his shirt off.

"And whose fault is that?" Trjonn raised an eyebrow. "Tough love son; you fool around you pay the price. I'll make you two some tea for those headaches and I expect you to be back on the job"

"What do we have to do, anyway?" Katla interrupted. "Hiccup's done with his projects, and I postponed training with the kids for another week"

"Special order, from the Elders" he answered. "Elysia's bonded to you, Katla. About time Helgafjall had a second Dragon rider"

o~0~O~0~o

Sunset was a mere hour away, as Katla, Fjalar, Toothless and Elysia stood in the clearing. Anybody near would be able to tell how nervous they were, but their anxiety of failure forced a lack of audience.

"You ready for this?" Fjalar asked, examining the raven-haired girl and Skrill from atop his Night Fury.

"I hope so. At least the worst of the hangover is gone." she answered, taking a deep breath and giving her Skrill a light scratch under her spiny frill. "How 'bout you girl, ready for some real action?"

"I fly perfectly fine on my own. Can't see why this will be so hard" Elysia rumbled to nobody in particular.

"Yeah, let's see how long you keep saying that" Toothless chirped.

"Well if it's any consolation, I too was pretty nervous about my first flight" Fjalar said, shrugging at the duo.

"You were on your own, with a hand-made tail fin in a Dragon-killing village" she replied with an eye roll.

"Good point" he laughed. "Well babe, have no fear. Toothless and I will be in the air right next to you the whole time"

That gave his girlfriend some confidence; she let a smile cross her lips. "Yeah, not too keen on falling to my death first try" her eyes wandered to Elysia's back and the razor spines running up and down them. "Still don't know how I'm gonna do this without cutting myself to pieces"

"Well, this might help" Fjalar grunted, twisting around and grabbing a large piece of leather strapped down behind him.

"And what is 'this'?" She asked, catching it as Fjalar threw it to her. It only took a moment for the item to trigger memories from long ago. "Wait- this is the original saddle you made?"

Fjalar nodded. "Good eye. Saved it back home in case we needed it" he watched as Katla traced the leather stitching with her fingers. "I'll be making you your own as soon as possible, along with a riding suit"

Katla frowned at her boyfriend. "Why can't I just wear my leather armor, or even my casual clothes?"

"Katla, with you on her back, Elysia won't be able to ride lightning- well, not without cooking you like chicken" he explained. "I'll have to make something which will divert the lightning, until then we'll have to stick to slow speeds"

Her light brown eyes widened in comprehension. "I completely forgot about that" she turned to the Skrill, giving her a nervous smile. "Think you can do that, hun? No really fast flying for the time being?"

"For the time being" Elysia answered with a growl, then turned to Toothless. "I'll beat you in that race you were talking about when she is ready" she said smugly

"Yeah, not likely" The Night Fury rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'll take that as a yes" Katla shrugged. "C'mon girl, let's show our boys how it's done, and get this on" With a few retrofitted ropes and straps, the saddle was soon adjusted to fit on Elysia's back.

"Looks good on her" Fjalar mused, a large grin rising onto his face.

Katla noticed this, and stared in curiosity. "What?"

"It just hit me" he beamed, "i'm gonna have someone to fly alongside, after nearly a year" His girlfriend smiled aswell at the thought of that. She'd grown to love flying, and the idea of her own Dragon exhilarated her.

"Well-" with a light grunt, Katla swung her leg over Elysia, and sat on the saddle, "-now you do!"

"Then let's begin!" he laughed. His cheerful mood dimmed every so slightly, and he coughed awkwardly. "Erm, I've never really taught anyone before. Sorry if this gets confusing"

Katla blew him a kiss, and winked. "You'll do fine"

"Let's get to it then" he nodded. "First of all, you need a control point; something that Elysia can use to figure out where you want to go and what you want to do" he pointed to his leg, and the straps at his feet. "-I've got my forged tail-fin, which suggests the direction to go for Toothless"

"Right…" Katla frowned, eyes raking up and down the Skrill for something to grab onto. Her hands eventually found themselves around the largest two horns of Elysia's frill. "You mean like this?" she asked.

"Perfect" he grinned. "You'll be able to indicate where you wanna go. That sound good Elysia?"

"Easy" the Skrill rumbled, her tail and wings twitching in anticipation.

"She seems to agree. Okay Katla, signal you want to go up" he said, watching carefully for any sign of her loosing grip. The teenage girl gently tugged on the Dragon's horns, and like Elysia said, the pair rose several yards into the sky without a hitch.

"Good, good. Now try flying forwards. Elysia take it slow, remember" Fjalar reminded, watching the two as they continued to hover several yards off the grass. Following the boy's commands, Katla gently pushed Elysia's spines forward, and as a result the Skrill went from hovering to gliding forward.

"Hey, t-this isn't so bad!" Katla called out, eyes fixated on the ground below her. "I-I'm still a little scared of the heights though!"

"Doing great, babe" he grinned, before looking down to his Night Fury. "C'mon Toothless, best we follow them" With a single beat of his much larger wings, the Night Fury took the skies, and followed carefully behind the slowly advancing Skrill.

"This is a lot less scary than the last time" she chuckled nervously. "Okay girl, let's do this" Elysia and Katla both picked up in speed and altitude, narrowly missing the tree-line and leaving the clearing behind. Adrenaline flowed through the girl's veins, as she and her Dragon continued to gain speed.

'This is what it's like. This is what Hiccup left Berk for' she thought, releasing one of Elysia's horns and letting her free hand sail against the wind. 'This is freedom'

The world around Katla seemed to mold together. Her lungs were filled with the now-cold and beautifully clear air. The smells of fresh pine trees danced in her nose, and above the howling wind she could hear the gentle tweeting of birds below. The trees below lost their individuality and the girl soon found herself gliding above a sea of lush green.

Sure, she'd gone far higher while riding with Fjalar, and she'd seen more beautiful sights. And yet she'd never felt this free in her life. She was alone with a Dragon; her Dragon. They were two different species from two different worlds, and yet they worked as one.

"It's happening to you, isn't it?"

The voice of her boyfriend dragged her back to reality. Fjalar glided gracefully next to Katla, his green eyes piercing her with admiration she'd never quite seen before.

"That feeling, the one you're getting now" he continued, "Like you're a part of nature. The freedom and happiness unlike anything else"

"I… It's incredible" she breathed, feeling her long raven hair flutter at her back.

"You never feel it, until you fly with your own Dragon" he smiled, turning his attention to Toothless. "Every time I question leaving Berk, I go for a fly and remember that this feeling is what makes life worth living"

"I remember the first time I watched you fly" Katla said. "When I was on that raft, and you were pulling us along" a smile spread across her face, as the memory returned clear as day. "I wanted to know what that kinda freedom it felt like"

She let go with the other hand, and held out her two hands. "I now know what its like" she said simply, an ear-to-ear grin across her face.

They flew together for quite some time; nothing too extreme, just graceful gliding above the Helgafjall forest. Nightfall came quickly, and they chose to call it a session.

"We'll resume in the morning" Fjalar said, dismounting Toothless and helping his girlfriend off the Skrill's spiny back. "I'm sure within a week you'll be doing all sorts of stupid stunts which I won't be able to watch"

"I look forward to it" Katla giggled, landing on the grass and surprising Fjalar with a quick but passionate lip-lock. "This has been incredible, and I can't thank you enough"

"You have nothing to thank me for" he smiled, brushing the hair out of her forehead and kissing it softly. "If anything, I should thank you. I finally have another Dragon Rider, and it happens to be my lovely girlfriend"

"You make no sense, like at all" she shakes her head, laughing. "Let's just agree to disagree" Katla pulled him into a hug.

"I'm fine with that" he grinned. "You hungry? I'm sure Nattmal is being served back at the great hall"

"Know me too well, Dragon Boy" she laughed, before lowering her voice. "And when that's over, we can pick up where we left off when you first woke up"

"When I first woke up?" he raised an eyebrow and stared at the mischievous expression on her face. It only took him a moment to remember those few 'minutes' they shared before Lodin and Nina burst in. "Oh, y-you mean…"

"I missed you, Hiccup. I missed us. Lodin was right was stepping it up a notch" she giggled at the flabbergasted expression on his face.

"Well in that case-" he was back on Toothless in an instant, his forest green eyes glittering with excitement. "-Nattmal is just about over, so we should really get home as quickly as possible"

"And here I was, worried you would say no" she smirked, jumping back onto Elysia. "C'mon girl, take us home"

"It's been a good day" Fjalar whispered to himself, feeling his weight increase as Toothless pulled up into the sky.

"It's good to be back"

PLEASE READ

Sorry for the huge delay, just got home and have been working nonstop to give you all this little late Christmas present. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I alluded to many things which will happen in the coming chapters, comment your best guesses and if I like it enough i'll feature it! Thank you all again for the huge support, I expected to come home and have lost 20-30 followers, but instead I gained like 50! I'll be writing a lot these next few days, so expect a chapter soon.

QUESTION: What do you want to see in the near future for this story? Do you like the way this is progressing?

I'm super curious to have you all answer this; I love writing what people want to read. See you all soon and thanks for reading and see you all soon!

(Chapter 15 will be 6 MONTHS after the events of Chapter 14, just warning y'all)

Peace! :-)