A/N: Hey everybody!

I am terribly sorry for uploading this chapter extremely late but there have been some roadblocks in my life at the moment. I do hope you understand.

I do have a lot of cuts in this chapter and I would like to say that this might not be my best chapter… but I did have a lot of fun writing it, so please enjoy!

For my friend, Vanroy: I've finally decided that it was time for you to shine! =D

Please enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 20: The Way

The sun was a pain, sometimes blinding her, and sometimes, blinding the girl across her. Blood trickled down her cheek as she tried to keep her footing, but her legs, as strong as she would want them to be, we practically shaking. Her heavy breathing came in and out of her ears, and her vision was becoming blurry, causing her to limp, and sometimes, miss her punches.

Unfortunately, she could not say the same for the person across her, who was in a much better shape than she was. She had cuts around her body, whilst her opponent was clean—well, except for the cuts along her cheek— and their weapons, axes and daggers, were scattered on the ground.

"Let's finish this." Hazel said, and charged at Astrid, fists held high.

The waters beneath them roared loudly, the sun shined brightly, and the wind in his face was refreshing. Hiccup and Toothless had been traveling across the seas for a few days now, and surprisingly, they had not encountered any danger. The occasion dragon would pop up in the distance, but they were never attacked, which led Hiccup to ask if only some islands were under siege.

He pulled out a journal from his satchel, and started to write down his thoughts. These other dragons do not seem very aggressive. Although, if they are agitated or provoked, they will retaliate with great force, leading me to the conclusion that someone must have done something to enrage the nearby dragons in Berk.

He knocked on his forehead, racking his brain for possibilities of an incident that could have triggered the dragon siege. But, alas, he couldn't find one.

For the people on Thoughtful, there was a concrete example that they had proven to Hiccup that they attacked dragons, and that was probably the reason why Evergreen was so defensive—well, aside from her eggs.

He turned back a few pages. Today, I met Hazel. She's a wonderful girl, always full of enthusiasm. I hope we can get along, and I really do hope that she'll learn to appreciate dragons.

Skipped another few pages. Evergreen seems to be very friendly, although I would not be too relaxed around her. I have yet to see whether or not she is a threat, but for now, I'll play along.

One more time. Goodbye, Berk. You've have been a friend and a foe to me. I do hope the best for your people, and I do hope that Dad finds a better replacement for me.

He closed the book. "Are you holding up alright, bud?" He patted Toothless' side, feeling the warmth of his body. Hiccup needed that. His hands were shivering from the cold wind, which was expected, since they were so high up.

Toothless roared, not your fierce, threatening one, but a friendly "I-am-fine" one. "Okay then, buddy."

They flew in silence for some time. Hiccup tried to search for land, while Toothless shot some fireballs in the distance. Finally, after Toothless shot his fireball, Hiccup noticed something beneath them.

"Toothless!" He exclaimed, his face full of excitement. The Night Fury seemed confused. 'What was he so excited about?'

"Look down there, bud!" Hiccup pointed to a gigantic whirlpool that encompassed the sea. There was a small portion of land across the whirlpool. Toothless started to get excited, too. It was their first time seeing land in a long time. "Let's fly to the whirlpool! I want to take a closer look before we land."

Toothless dropped into a nosedive, heading straight for the whirlpool. As they got closer and closer, Hiccup noticed that the whirlpool had many objects caught in the current. "Hmmm…" He murmured. He could spot meat, bones, and other vile items. "That's gross."

They were now directly above the whirlpool, and stayed put for Hiccup to examine it further. The stench was overwhelming, causing Hiccup to clip his nose. "Come on," Hiccup said. "It stinks here."

No response from Toothless. "Toothless?" Hiccup asked. Strangely, something started to heat up the air around them, and it seemed to be coming from the pair. It kept getting hotter and hotter, and Hiccup soon realized where it was coming from.

But that was the last of his priorities. Hiccup had to get Toothless moving, and he knew that they would be in grave danger if they were to fall here. "Toothless!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. They were still in the air, when suddenly, Toothless' eyelids shut themselves.

Hiccup and Toothless rocketed towards the center of the pool, which seemed to have its own gravitational pull on both of them. The whirlpool came closer and closer.

"Oh, gods…"

"And the victor is…" A large man was standing behind a wooden podium, overlooking the fight. "Astrid, from Berk!"

The crowd was silent; they were obviously rooting for Hazel. Aldrich held his peculiar gaze towards Astrid, watching her closely. Hazel lay lifeless on the ground, breathing heavily. She had small cuts in some areas, but most were just bruised.

Astrid took one last look at her opponent. She wasn't so tough, her attacks were predictable and her swings weren't strong enough to actually hurt Astrid. Hazel was precise though, she'll hand her that.

Her blows always seemed to end up in the right spots. The power, though, seemed to be her only problem. Astrid, on the other hand, had a nice blend of both. She was obviously more powerful than Hazel but fell back on the accuracy side.

Satisfied with her victory, Astrid walked out of the arena.

"Good job, Astrid!" Snotlout exclaimed as she stepped out. The brutish boy was leaning on the wall, making a confident pose. "You really beat her up bad!"

"Yeah," Astrid smirked, and high fived Snotlout. "She wasn't so tough. I mean…what a weakling!" She let out a content filled laugh, attracting stares from the nearby people. They stared at her with vast emotions, some of which contained pure hatred.

"Come on, 'Lout." Astrid said, trying to keep her voice down. "Let's go back to the guest house."

Snotlout nodded, and started walking along the dirt road. Moments of silence past before someone started the conversation once more.

"Hey, Astrid." Snotlout didn't turn his back. Instead, he raised his arms above his shoulders, resting them on the back portion of his head. "Hmm?" Astrid murmured back. Snotlout asked a ton of questions, but this one had a peculiar tone to it.

"Do you really think we'll find him?" He turned around, stopping in his tracks. Astrid stared at him, puzzled. Snotlout didn't ask questions like this. He usually asked the stupid, non sensible questions. For him to ask something worth a bit of thought was already amazing.

Astrid did not respond immediately. Instead, she stared at him blankly. "Well?" Snotlout raised an eyebrow, and used a tone that Astrid never heard before. "Do you think we'll find Hiccup?"

"Yeah," Astrid answered back quickly—a sign that she was in charge, and that they were to listen to her. "You just have to be patient." She suppressed the mild build up of anger inside her. Why question me now? When we've gotten this far?

"Seems to me like it is a hopeless cause…" He stated, and diverted his gaze to the clouds. "And why would you think that?" Astrid responded, now a little ticked off by the scale of his questions.

"Well, for starters, Hiccup rides a Night Fury, one of th—" Snotlout stopped and corrected himself, remembering what Fishlegs told him about Night Furies. "No, THE fastest dragon ever known to Vikings."

"What is your point?" Astrid calmed down a bit, seeing the sense that Snotlout was making.

"My point is: We'll never be able to catch him, if we ever find him that is." Snotlout stepped closer to Astrid. "He rides a god damned Night Fury, for Thor's sake! Even with the new tools we have, we'll never be able to reach the speed he's at."

"Are you scared, Snotlout?" Astrid taunted him—something that usually worked on Snotlout. The boy had an overwhelming sense of bravery, and anything that deprived him of showing it was never turned down.

"No." Snotlout said. "But you too should start thinking a bit more rationally."

He walked away, leaving Astrid to stand there, and think about what he just said. "I need to do this, Snotlout…" She murmured, not loud enough for anyone to hear. "It's necessary."

Sand.

He felt sand—tiny grains of sand—crawling up his ear. His feet were wet, and his body ached. Nonetheless, he was awake, and was to be thankful for it.

"Ugh…" He tried to open his eyes wider, but each of every part of his vision had blurred. What happened to him? And why was he aching all over?

Slowly, the boy started to get up, pushing himself into a sitting position. The warm breeze touched upon his face, his hair flying in random directions. His nose caught on to the smell of the sea, something he was vastly familiar with.

Suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through his head. He held his head tightly, grasping it around his arms. His efforts to subdue the pain were useless, though, and he fell into unconsciousness once more.

Hiccup woke up, thrashing.

He rubbed his eyes furiously, knowing that he wasn't on the beach anymore. Rather, he was on a smooth bed, covered by a blanket. He propelled himself forward, bearing the aching pain all over his body.

He wore new clothing: A black-as-the-night leather tunic, its color shaped in a v formation. He had loose grey leggings that seemed to be a little too big for him, and he also sported large, burgundy boots.

He scanned the room. It was a small, wooden room filled with cabinets ranging from all shapes and sizes. Each of the cabinets held specific items like small insects or reptile parts. There was a lab—or so he thought it was a lab because it had large potions and flasks—positioned at one of the room's corners, and there was a large saddle at the other.

Wait, saddle? The piece of leatherwork quickly registered itself in Hiccup's head. Where is Toothless?! He started to piece back his thoughts of their adventures, tracing it back to the time that they were above the whirlpool.

"Oh, gods…" Hiccup pushed aside his covers, ignoring the pain, and rushed towards the door. He was breathing heavily, and his footsteps were dragging. "Stop!" A voice from behind said, just as he started to push the door open. "You're in no condition to find your dragon."

Hiccup turned back to see who was speaking.

She sat in a wooden chair, obstructed from view (from his bed, that's why he couldn't see her) by one of the cabinets. Her long blonde hair—curled at the edges—dangled at her side. Her skin was tanned, and her face was dotted with freckles. She wore a blue, weathered shirt, and a brown skirt that touched her knees. Oddly enough, she wore some type of leather strap on her foot.

Hiccup could feel his face heat up a bit. She seemed pretty fit, too. "Who are you?" He asked, dumbfounded. His heart was pounding, and his palms became sweaty.

"My name's Eliza." She said. Her unique set of features made it hard for Hiccup to concentrate. Her lips were thin; a small scar ran through her bottom lip. "You were pretty bruised up when we found you."

Hiccup paused for a moment, trying to keep himself sane. "We?" He franticly looked around the room once more, as if he missed another figure residing within.

"Yeah," Eliza got up from her chair. As she stood up, Hiccup could see that she was slightly taller than him. "Another person helped me drag you here." Her gray eyes bore into him, as if they were analyzing his every move.

"Who?" Hiccup diverted his gaze to the large cabinets. "Did you take care of me?"

Without warning, the door burst open and a large man came barreling into the room. "Hello y'all!" He bellowed. Eliza, who looked a little ticked off, stared at the large man. "Ah, yes." She said. "Vanroy helped me drag you here."

Vanroy was a large man, probably two heads taller than Hiccup. He had broad shoulders and humungous arms. He had wavy brown hair that fell on his forehead, and hospitable brown eyes. He had rosy cheeks, and a smile that made you feel at home.

"Quite heavy, you were." He said, grinning at Hiccup.

He was wearing armor—not like the ones in Berk—and large boots that were probably used for hunting. Hiccup, seeing the color of the metal, assumed that his armor was made from bronze. It had sea blue markings painted on various areas though; one of which was the center that had a tattoo of an angler on it.

A sword hung from his side, and his boots were covered in mud. "The name is Vanroy." He stated proudly. "And you are?"

"Hiccup." The smaller male stated. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I'm from Berk."

"Nice to meet you, Hiccup." Vanroy held his hand out, and Hiccup shook it gracefully. "I assume that you've already acquainted yourself with Eliza."

"Yes." Suddenly, the pain in his head started to hurt him once again, and he dropped to one knee.

"Oh dear…" Eliza and Vanroy had anticipated this, and ran over to him. Picking him up and laying him back on the bed, Vanroy instructed Hiccup to stay put till he was better.

"Oh, and Hiccup?" Eliza tucked him in, and put the covers over his frail body. "Your dragon, Toothless, is safe. He just ran off towards the woods—probably just to take some time off." She started walking towards the door.

Hiccup was relieved that his best friend was alright…actually, more than relieved. His eyes became teary with the fact that Toothless made it. He had been so worried. Though, a question made its way to his head. "How did you—"

Eliza smiled at him, and immediately, he stopped talking.

"Don't worry." She closed the door, leaving Hiccup by himself.

There was barely any light in the sky, as the cold morning air was felt around the human—and dragon—inhabited cove.

"Hey, Hazel." Hiccup grinned at the lovely girl coming towards him, her hips moving in a way that made Hiccup blush. "Ready for training?"

Hazel stretched her arms outward and yawned loudly. "Yep." She grinned back at him; her facial features complemented every bit of her movements. "Does it have to be so early, though?"

"I want you to see something." Hiccup confessed. "It's really beautiful. I'm sure you would love it." He slowly got on Toothless, and strapped himself, ready for flight.

"And what might that be?" Hazel asked, walking towards Evergreen. Unlike Hiccup, she didn't need as much time to prepare for flight.

Hiccup paused for a moment, and pursed his lips. "You'll see when you get there."

Together, they flew high into the sky, towards the cloud layer. The temperature of the air became even colder, and Hiccup had to occasionally tug on his coat. He looked to Hazel, who was beside him, and smiled.

She smiled back at him, and he felt his face heat up. "We're almost there." He stated, and fixed his gaze on the clouds. He didn't want Hazel to see him turn red. She would probably get the wrong idea.

As they burst through the cloud layer, their faces were imbued with a warm light. Slowly, Hiccup and Hazel turned their heads towards the horizon. "Oh my gods…" Hazel commented.

Truly it was a spectacular sight. The sun was rising above the clouds, sending waves of angelic rays towards the Earth, and making the clouds glow in an awesome fashion. Hazel had never seen anything like this in her life, and was truly amazed by the way everything happened.

"This is amazing, Hiccup!" She exclaimed, and turned to see her trainer, master, and best friend, who was also looking at her. She grinned at him excitedly, and from what Hiccup could tell, her face was red. Could it just be the light? Or was it something else?

"Yep." Hiccup shifted his gaze. "It really is."

But suddenly, his vision became blurry, and waves of an unfamiliar aura shot through his body. The scene started to shift, each of the darkening light made Hiccup nauseous. The earth, clouds and sun started to shake, as if the whole world was collapsing.

"Hazel!" Hiccup could see the girl falling off Evergreen, towards the black abyss below. Their shared moment had become his worst nightmare. He felt his gut churn, and was filled with anguish and sorrow. For some reason, he knew he couldn't save her.

"All you know shall perish…" A dread filled voice, ancient and cold echoed throughout the land. "And you will be the downfall of it all…"

Gasping for air, Hiccup woke up from his terrible dream.

Was it just a dream?

A/N: Hey!

Thanks for reading this chapter and I would once again like to state that I am very sorry for uploading this very late.

Please don't forget to review! It really does mean a lot to me.

Ravenblack