Hello everyone! (Sorry that the story has been 'updated' too fast. I just wanted to delete the previous note and I had no idea it would cause the story to appear on the front page.) :/ I'm still quite new to the site.

Anyway, I'm back! I want to thank you so, so much for all the support, all the messages and for your patience. I didn't expect such a huge, and positive, feedback. You are amazing and wonderful and I just want to hug you all. :D Longer break equals longer chapter, apparently. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.

Warning: Mild language (just a little, though)

Read on. :D

CHAPTER 21

The one with new perspectives

Astrid was stuck.

"Astrid…" Egil Hofferson, a person famous for his calm, almost stony demeanor when facing unexpected situations, stared, the hand with the weapon slowly lowering towards the ground. His blue eyes, darker, deeper than her own, were open wide with shock. It was a huge accomplishment to make the Chief of Bjargey speechless. Astrid wasn't comforted by that thought as she stood at the back entrance, fixed to the floor herself. Her throat tightened as she observed her father. She… she should say something. It all seemed much easier on the way there. Go inside, convince her parents, fly to the Dragon's Edge. Easier said than done for sure. She had no idea where to start. Hiccup made it look so easy.

"Dad." She finally uttered, taking a step forward and closing the door behind her. Egil was staring at her as if she were a draugr. What must he be thinking, seeing his daughter so far away from the place which should be her new home? Astrid balled her fists tightly by her sides. She heard some shuffling coming from somewhere in the house and then someone coming their way. The girl tensed as she realized that there might be someone beside her family in the house – that was something she had not thought of before. Quite unlikely at that hour, though still not impossible.

"Egil, dear, what's going – " Her mother's gaze locked with Astrid's. The woman dropped the wooden plate she had in her hands and brought a shaking hand to her mouth. "Astrid?" she whispered, pale in the face. Unsurprisingly, all the commotion made Gunnar come as well. At first he looked surprised, understandably so. He was not informed of the plan, that much was clear. Astrid made the smallest of nods his way and his, previously tense, shoulders relaxed, even if a little bit. It was reassuring knowing that she had her brother on her side. She was glad that she got the chance to tell him her darkest secret – the one they now shared.

"What happened?"Egil's voice was quiet and unusually timid. His thumb kept obsessively scratching the leather at the end of the axe's handle; a sign of her father's obvious discomfort. Astrid moved even further into the house, the old, wooden floor creaking with each step she took. The missing weight of her favorite weapon made her feel less secure but Astrid ignored it, or at least did her best to. She saw the Chief's eyes wandering over her, staying longer on her bandaged wrists. "Did ye… did ye run away? Did someone hurt ye?"

"No." Astrid stated strongly, shaking her head. "No, dad. I'm fine." She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I didn't run away either. Hiccup knows I'm here."That didn't seem to ease the situation. If anything, it rose even more questions. Astrid straightened her back. She needed to do this - she would do this.

"I have something important to tell you." Everything, everyone, was quiet, the silence becoming almost deafening. All eyes were on her. "Just… remember that I love you," Saying those words felt weird on her tongue. It was something rather obvious, not something that was often said, not in the Hofferson household anyway. "and… and that I would never do anything that would brought any harm to you or the village." At least not on purpose. By telling her father she was doing the right thing. Drago Bludvist was coming, like it or not, and the tribes had to be ready. Dragon Riders' allies or enemies, Drago would not care in the slightest. They had to be aware of the upcoming danger to be able to react on time.

"Astrid…ye're worrying me, darlin'." Solveig came close to her daughter, not really knowing what she should do in such situation. The woman held out her hand to put it on her daughter's shoulder only to stop herself in the last second. Astrid eyed her mother's hand and swallowed slowly. If only they could see what Hiccup showed- She bit her lip as a sudden idea came to her. Her heart beat a bit faster at the new, and maybe better, way to deal with her current situation. Perhaps showing was what she needed to do. Astrid might not trust herself with explaining her parents what was going on but she trusted Stormfly to do it for her.

"I'll explain everything but let me show you first." Astrid's mother and father exchanged unsure looks. It was now or never. "You have to come with me." She added heatedly, making her way back towards the old backdoor. She turned around, her thick braid hitting her back, and looked at her family in anticipation. They had to trust her, they had to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was their perfect daughter, she had never failed them before.

Then why were they hesitating?

"Why can't ye just tell us?" Egil Hofferson was not known to be the most patient Viking on the island. His brow was furrowed in, what Astrid assumed was, annoyance and impatience. There was some concern as well, though her father tried very hard not to show it so openly. Astrid knew her behavior was not exactly normal and the fact that she turned out of blue like that didn't help either. But she needed them to trust her and she had a feeling that if she tried to explain it to them, without showing, she would mess up badly. And there wasn't going to be a second chance.

"Just do what she asks, dad." Gunnar's confident voice cut through the tense air like a well-sharpened knife. Astrid smiled at her brother with gratitude. In times like these, Gunnar's inner Chief came out. He was a leader by heart, no one could deny it, and even though he was only fifteen years old, Astrid could already see what a great Chief he would become in the future. He strode past Egil and Solveig, ignoring their stunned expressions, and opened the backdoor without much trouble. Astrid followed after him and their parents joined, not really having much choice at that point. Taking the lead, Astrid turned towards the well-known clearing as that was where she told Stormfly to wait for her. Going into the forest that begun behind their home was the best option, almost no one went there. She heard her parents talking to each other in the back but the blonde shook it off. She believed that it all would go well and according to the plan. She couldn't afford anything less. Her brother quickly reached her. His company was reassuring, him being the additional, and much needed in that moment, support.

"What happened to your hands?" Gunnar asked, pointing to the bandaged wrists. Astrid moved them out of her brother's sight.

"I… it's nothing, Gun. Don't worry." The blonde forced a smile. The skeptical look her younger brother was giving her was not helping at all but she understood where the concern was coming from. She would be worried too if the tables were turned. But Gunnar needed to trust her. Astrid only hoped that he didn't think it was Hiccup's fault. She was well-aware that, with all of the things happening lately, her brother was not exactly his biggest fan.

"I'll tell you, just… not now." It was a bad idea, she knew. Drago Bludvist and all of the things that concerned him were really serious matters, ones that should not be talked about as if it were a normal conversation topic. Astrid didn't know whether she was allowed to tell Gunnar about what happened, about the ship and the slaves, but he was her brother and, in her eyes, he deserved to know the truth. Well, most of it anyway. She didn't exactly want to tell him about everything she saw, Gunnar was too young and too innocent for that in her eyes. The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that most of the villagers should be already up and about. Maybe an argument had already broken out. They would probably look for their Chief in that situation. She had to hurry. The closer the clearing was, the more nervous she got. The girl tried to prepare some kind of a speech in her head but she knew there was no point. She saw her parents shooting the siblings glances from time to time. The clearing appeared before them too soon in Astrid's taste.

Astrid had been here so many times recently. So many life-changing situations had taken place in that clearing by the forest. Well, it appeared, that it would witness another one in a moment. Astrid noticed Stormfly hidden by some trees. Upon seeing her, the dragon wanted to greet 'her human' but the girl stopped her in time. She gently shook her head to indicate for the dragon to stay where she was. Astrid then took a deep breath and looked at her parents. They were looking at her, waiting to finally hear some kind of an explanation.

"Firstly, I just want to say that some things appear to be different than they are in reality. And sometime we're wrong about the way we see things." Astrid exchanged a quick look with Gunnar. "Mom, Dad, I want you to put all your weapons on the ground." Egil looked at his daughter as if making sure if she was being serious. Apparently she was.

"Astrid, what is the meaning of all this?" the man asked as both he and his wife hesitantly did what Astrid asked for. An axe and a sword were laid on the soft grass. The girl shook her head slowly and reached before her as if to calm her parents down. She needed to do it well.

"You just have to trust me. And please… don't freak out." After casting one, last look at her disoriented parents, she brought a hand to her mouth and whistled. Stormfly, happy that she was finally allowed to greet her Rider, trotted quickly to stand by her side. The dragon titled her head slightly to the side, observing the two, unknown to her, humans. Not seeing a threat in them, at least for now, the dragon proceeded to nudge the blonde girl, asking for attention. Astrid cringed as she saw her parents slowly trying to comprehend what they were witnessing. Gunnar, as to further prove his sister's point, placed his hand on the Nadder's side.

"Oh Gods above…" her mother whispered quietly as she clawed onto her shirt. Her father's face seemed to be emotionless but Astrid knew him well and she could see he was not happy. Not happy at all. That was expected, though. It was up to her now to try and convince them that what they were seeing wasn't bad, that it wasn't wrong or treacherous.

"Astrid." Egil started calmly, though the girl could see he was far from that. "Why are ye touching that devil?" Egil gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. He was ready to grab the axe that was laying on the grass, and attack the dragon. One wrong move and everything would go down. Stormfly, somehow sensing the tense situation, moved to the side and started growling quietly.

"They're not devils Dad. They're actually loyal, loving creatures that-"

"Enough!" Astrid winced at her father's shout. He rarely ever raised his voice, Astrid almost forgot how loud he could be. "Who told ye that bullshit?!"

"That's not bullshit! Dad, if you just listened to me-" Astrid narrowed her eyes in anger, placing a firm hand on Stormfly's head. If he thought she was going to back down, he had another thing coming.

"I won't listen to any of that nonsense. Get away from that beast!" The Nadder's growls started to be louder. Astrid heard a SNAP that indicated the dragon's tail, full of poisonous spines, was ready to attack if necessary.

"No! I'm not going anywhere!" Astrid answered back heatedly. She was a Hofferson and she would not back down.

"Don't ye remember what a dragon did to yer own family?" Astrid's breath caught in her throat. Why would he do that? Why would he bring up uncle Finn? Why couldn't he just leave him out of it? Astrid balled up her fists.

"I do remember." She hissed out. "But if there's a chance, even a small one, for this war to end, I'll take it. Do you think uncle Finn would prefer us to die, rather than live in peace?" Astrid shook her head, that was a low blow. "I know it's hard. What happened to uncle Finn was horrible but it's not what you think."

"I cannae believe it. My own daughter…my own son...! Finn would be-"

"Enough!" Astrid, Gunnar and their father all turned their heads towards Solveig. She was known for her calm and peaceful nature. Hardly ever did she shout, or got angry for that matter. She preferred to resolve arguments by talking things out - an unusual method when it came to theVikings but no one questioned it as Solveig was often able to resolve the argument avoiding any bloodshed. She was the voice of reason during conflicts and villagers had respect for her. Yet, the few times that Solveig did get angry or yelled were not something pleasant to be witness of.

"That's enough fer the two of ye! I don't know why Astrid or Gunnar did what they did but I want to believe they have a reason fer their actions." Solveig turned her gaze to her two children. Astrid pressed her lips together seeing her mother's stern look. " And that whateva made them do it is worth it."

"It is… it's important." Astrid's hand went to the end of her braid, pulling it slightly. Gunnar nodded vigorously, trying to further emphasize the point. Astrid took a deep breath, straightened her back and looked at her father with new determination.

"Dad, come here." Egil immediately shot her in incredulous look that turned into a scowl fast enough.

"I'm not coming near tha' beast of yers. It will attack the moment I come closer. I can see it in its peepers." Stormfly let out a low growl and Astrid cursed the Nadder. She was not helping the situation at all.

"Easy there, girl. I need you to cooperate, okay?" The girl muttered to the dragon, gently running her hand over the reptile's neck. The Nadder calmed slightly upon the touch, her eyes dilating into black puddles. Turning to her parents again, Astrid shook her head slowly. "She's just scared. She would never hurt anyone without a reason."

"Astrid's right. Just… just give her a chance." Gunnar dragged in.

"Have I ever failed you before?" No waiting for response, Astrid continued. "Have I ever put my village or you in danger? I need you to trust me. Just this one time try to understand, give me a chance, give them a chance. Dad, please, if what I want to show will not convince you, I… " She bit her lip, not knowing what else to say. He had to at least try to listen to her. Her mother was biting her lip as well, her light blue eyes on her husband. Egil opened his mouth only to close it almost immediately. Slowly, he moved towards the light blue dragon. His shoulders were extremely tense and his eyes, now nervous rather than confident, kept flickering between his daughter and the reptile beside her. The Nadder squawked and titled her head, unsure of the approaching man's intentions. A feet away from the dragon, Astrid gestured for her father to stop where he was. She closed the distance between them and grabbed one of Egil's big and scarred hands. He didn't seem to notice as he was fully focused on the Deadly Nadder before him. The dragon and the Chief eyed each other skeptically. Astrid pulled the older man and outstretched his hand towards the Nadder. Stormfly hissed in warning, though, her tail higher and ready to strike. Was Astrid doing something wrong? Wasn't that how Hiccup did it?

"I'll show ye beast not to hiss at me." Egil muttered under his breath and was about to take his hand away when Astrid remembered something.

"Dad, wait!" She grabbed his hand tighter. "Turn your head to the other side. She doesn't trust you yet."

"I don't trust it either." Astrid growled under her breath. She got it – Vikings were stubborn – but for the love of Freya…! She sent her father an angry look and with one last glance at the winged creature, he did as he was asked. The Deadly Nadder turned her head away, a clear sign she was not interested in making friends with the obnoxious human.

"Stormfly." Astrid stated firmly to get the dragon's attention. The girl crossed her arms over her chest and pointed to her father with her head. Stormfly seemed to have sighed, if dragons could even sigh that is, and leaned in, her snout pressing onto Egil's outstretched palm. They were both stiff, though, and it was clear neither of the felt comfortable with the other so close.

"Just try to relax Dad. Dragons feel that kind of stuff. " Astrid remembered when it was her in the exact same place. Hiccup showed her the truth about dragons and she could only hope that it would work with her parents as well. The dragon closed her eyes as she pressed herself further into the man's hand. Astrid noticed her father's body relaxing a little and the girl wondered whether he felt the same way she did when she touched a dragon for the first time. Exhaling slowly, the Chief turned his head back towards the Deadly Nadder. The hostility in his eyes had been replaced with something resembling wonder, curiosity; disbelief was present there as well. He moved his hand slightly and stroked the dragon's head absently. Stormfly purred barely audibly, letting out a soft puff of air. Finally, he snapped his head back to his daughter.

"How is that even possible? What kind of sorcery is that?" Egil asked, furrowing his brow.

"The dragons are not what we think they are." Astrid ran a hand over Stormfly's blue-yellow scales and smiled softly. "The raids; they weren't dragons' fault."

"What do ye mean by that?" Solveig finally took a few steps closer. She was nervously glancing at the dragon from time to time, still not comfortable to be in such close presence.

"There was a Queen in the Nest. She controlled the dragons to bring her food. In the meantime dragons were starving."

"How do ye know about this?" Egil narrowed his blue eyes. "How long have ye been lying to us?" Astrid winced inwardly at her father's tone. She knew that the whole thing would bring up questions, uncomfortable ones. She hated lying but she did what she thought was the best option at the time. Now, the girl wasn't so sure. Well, there was no point in hiding the truth anymore.

"Hiccup told me. Two months ago." Egil's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Hiccup?" Astrid nodded slowly, waiting for her father's reaction. "He's one of them?" her father whispered in disbelief. His hand fell limp by his side as the Bjargey's Chief was probably going over the time Hiccup was on the island, trying to figure out how he could have missed the signs. "That little-" Astrid decided to interfere.

"They're good Dad. They want peace." Egil looked at her incredulously.

"By attacking our home?! By destroying our villages?!"

"They do that because they have to. They just want the dragons free!" Egil snorted. Astrid, scowling at her father's response, continued. " Maybe it's time to finally bury the hatchet, to start anew? There are bigger problems than the conflict with the dragons right now." That got her father's attention.

"What problems?" Astrid cursed herself. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I can't tell you right now. But that's the reason I'm trying to tell you about all this now. There's a meeting, a Chief meeting, for the main islands of the Archipelago tomorrow at night." Egil crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"And how come I don't know anything about it?" Astrid shook her head.

"You weren't supposed to know. It's on another island. I'm supposed to take you there." Her father seemed to be deep in thought, a frown still present on his face. "Please, Dad. This meeting should make things much clearer." Egil looked up to see his daughter's pleading expression. Then his gaze turned back to the blue-yellow reptile which was observing the big Viking with new-found curiosity. Astrid could see the conflict on his face. She knew it had to be a difficult decision but she hoped he would give the dragons a chance. The blonde teen wondered if her father thought this was all a trap, that she was lying to him once again.

"I'll go to that meeting." Astrid breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing her father's response.

"Thank you." She smiled but Egil did not return it. Her own smile faltered slightly. The girl rolled her shoulder and cleared her throat. "Meet me here tomorrow, the same time."

He came the next day just as the day was starting.

Astrid half-expected that her father wouldn't turn up at all or that he would bring some men along with him and sent her to prison for going against common believes. She underestimated him, though, and she was glad that Egil decided to give her a chance. Their parting the day before was an awkward and tense one. Even after encouragement from her and Gunnar, Solveig stayed where she was, unwilling to touch a dragon. She didn't seem as hostile, that was good, but Astrid was still a bit disappointed. The blonde really hoped the meeting at the Dragon's Edge would convince her father as to dragons' true nature. Astrid stayed in the cove for the rest of the day. Finally having the time to read through the modified version of Book of Dragons, she focused on the new species of dragons – Shovelhelms, Catastrophic Quackens and many, many others. Dragons were an intriguing bunch that was for sure, she always thought that, but only now did she also see some remarkable beauty in them.

The next day Astrid quickly gathered her things and went to the clearing with Stormfly in tow. She was in the process of preparing the Nadder's saddle when she heard some rustling coming from the bushes nearby. Automatically, the girl reached for her closet weapon, a dagger that she had hidden in her belt, and gripped it tightly, ready to attack if it was necessary. The rustling became louder and, much to her relief, a familiar blond man came out. Seeing no one beside him, Astrid released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"I'm glad you came, Dad." She sent him a small smile and turned around to fix one of the stirrups.

"When ye said on another island, ye meant…"

"We have to fly there. On Stormfly." Astrid nodded. Egil sighed, probably expecting such an outcome. He seemed less hostile, though. Maybe he changed his mind after all? Even if only a little bit? He had some time to think, not much but perhaps Gunnar had talked to him. Egil looked back and forward between his daughter and her dragon. Trying to calm her beating heart, Astrid mounted Stormfly and looked at her father expectantly. Egil sighed, knowing there was no other way, and got on the dragon awkwardly, almost falling in the process. It was clear he didn't feel comfortable atop the Nadder, he was extremely tense and his blue eyes kept flickering from side to side as if looking for an escape in case something happened.

"If that beast tries anything-"

The Chief of Bjargey didn't get to finish as the dragon shot up to the sky. He immediately grabbed Astrid's shoulders tightly. The said girl was currently panicking. What was going on? Why would Stormfly do that?

"Stormfly! What are you doing?!" she tried get a hang of the rains but her dragon decided to do a barrel in mid-air, making the grip on her shoulders even tighter. She herself griped the saddle not to fall off. Not the barrel roll, of all the things – not the barrel roll. Astrid felt the small dagmálshe had in the morning coming back up. She screwed her eyes shut, trying not to panic. She brought the reins to her chest, trying to stop the dragon and whatever nonsense that was going on. Why would Stormfly behave that way? She knew that Astrid didn't handle those kind of things well yet.

"Oh Gods…." The blonde girl moaned, her head spinning. The dragon started free-falling towards the sea beneath them. Her father's grip started to be unbearable and the girl felt herself close to passing out. She figured the dragon must've felt how tense Egil had become. And all those things he said didn't help much either. They were nearing the vast waters and Stormfly wasn't listening to anything the girl was saying to her.

"I'm sorry." A deep, accented voice crocked out from behind her. Astrid dared to open her eyes for a split moment. That turned out to be a huge mistake as they were quickly getting closer to the water's surface. Astrid closed her eyes again, preparing herself for the worst."I'm sorry."

There was no impact.

Astrid hesitantly opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the Nadder leveled out. The grip on her shoulders loosened slightly. The blonde turned her head to see if her father was okay. He didn't even notice that as he was busy looking round. Astrid recognized the expression: bewilderment, wonder. The same feeling she felt every time she flew.

"Amazing…" Egil whispered, reaching out to the clouds with his right hand, the same way Astrid did on her first flight. Then his gaze landed on the island in the distance. "I've lived on Bjargey my whole life, traveled throughout the whole forest, climbed its mountains, swam its waters and yet, I couldn't imagine it looking more beautiful than it does now." Astrid felt herself smile. She couldn't help but agree. Bjargey truly looked magnificent from the air. The flight, although long, was quiet. Even during a few quick stops on the way, Astrid nor Egil were used to long rides like that, the two Hoffersons only had some small and pretty meaningless conversations. Both were not ready to touch upon more serious subjects. When on Stormfly, Astrid simply didn't want the magic to disappear.

It was already dark when they arrived. As the tiredness started getting to her, Astrid almost missed the island. Thankfully Stormfly knew where to go. The dragon neared the huge island and started descending towards the familiar clearing on the eastern side. Even though there had been a lot of dragons there the last time, now the place was extremely crowded. With some difficulty, Stormfly managed to find herself a spot to land. As they finally reached the island, Astrid swiftly jumped off the Nadder. She turned to help her father down but he ignored her hand and clumsily slid off the leather blonde girl looked around and was somewhat relieved upon recognizing Conlectus and Windsheer among other dragons.

"Astrid." The said girl turned around to see Heather walking towards her. She nodded towards the blonde and Egil who was busy observing his surroundings. His shoulders were extremely tense from all the dragons around him. Astrid really hoped that everything would be fine. Heather placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie.

"I will lead you and your father to the meeting." The girl grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled her along. Stormfly stretched her wings and made a move to follow them. Seeing that, Heather gestured with her hand for the dragon to stay where she was. Astrid opened her mouth to ask what she was doing but decided against it. Heather was someone she could trust, right? She knew more about the dragons than Astrid did after all. The blue Nadder still seemed hesitant but the blonde nodded to her reptile companion, a sign that it was fine.

"Dad." Astrid snapped. She was glad that the previous hostility was gone but her father seemed to have travelled to some other world completely. She pulled on his arm to get his attention. Fortunately Egil reacted and followed after his daughter and the black-haired teen. Despite the late hour, most buildings were alit and the villagers were outside chatting or just relaxing after a long day of work. A music of some sort could be heard in the distance. Heather and the two Hoffersons neared a small, innocent-looking hut. Heather opened the wooden door that led them into a tiny room. It was crumpled with all sorts of things, Sheets of paper were strewn around and a thick layer of dust covered some old furniture. On the left side there was a steep stairwell. Heather made sure the door was closed properly and started going down the stairs. Soon they found themselves in one of the corridors underground. Heather lit up a torch and they started moving forward. Looking around, Astrid tried to remember whether she had been there before but it didn't seem so. The corridor was like many others she had seen before.

"Hiccup's not here yet but he should arrive any time now." They reached a heavy, wooden door and Heather yanked it open. Inside, a group of people was situated by a round table in the middle. Upon the door opening, all of them looked up. Astrid recognized Camicazi and her mother Big-Boobied Bertha, Thuggory and his father Mogadon, Princess Tantrum O'Ugerly and her father Ug the Uglithug. Sergius was there as well. Only Hiccup and Stoick the Vast were absent. Astrid tried to squish the feeling of concern. It was ridiculous, she tried telling herself. If Hiccup couldn't convince his father, who could?

"The Hoffersons?" Mogadon, the Chief of the Meatheads, seemed surprised by their arrival. Since uncle Finn's death, the Hofferson family's position in the Archipelago wasn't near as strong as it had been before. The death had become a black stain on family' honor. And honor was something very important to Vikings, especially the leaders. Astrid's fists clenched without her even noticing it. She instantly turned defensive as she saw Mogadon's skeptical look.

"It's good to see you, Astrid."The girl turned to the former slave. Sergius nodded to her, sending her a small, reassuring responded with a smile of her own, glad for the distraction. The door opened once more and Stoick the Vast entered the room. His face was devoid of any emotions and as he gazed around the room with his stony glare, all the conversations quieted instantly. Following him was his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third. Not in the usual oversized shirt, not with an unsure, almost scared expression on his face but cladded in dark armor made of leather and metal. His face resembled the one of his father. Astrid saw him swallowing slowly as if trying to calm himself down. The heirs sat by the round table and, at their request, their parents followed. Astrid locked eyes with Hiccup and the eighteen-year old sent her the smallest of smiles. She couldn't help but feel something went wrong. The girl saw her father bearing a hole in the young man's skull. Hiccup and Sergius, as the only ones left standing, began the meeting.

"I think I should introduce myself." The older of the two started. " My name's Sergius. I'm the Chief of Dragon's Edge, the island you are currently on. I am honored to see that all the ones invited have arrived." The two men nodded to each other and Sergius took his place by the table.

"I don't think there's a need for any more introductions." Hiccup looked around. "I'm sure you all want to know why this meeting is held and I'm glad you were willing to come." He took out a piece of folded paper from his armor. The teen unfolded it on the table. It turned out to be a map of the Barbaric Archipelago and bit more to the south. A small candle was placed in the center so that the whole map was visible. Hiccup's fingers twitched just slightly as he unwound the map. He gave the Vikings time to look over the map. Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued.

"I'm sure that the name Drago Bludvist is not a new one." Some murmurs could be heard.

"He disappeared years ago, lad." Ug was eying the teen suspiciously. "No one has heard about him since the gathering of the Chiefs seventeen years ago." Hiccup snorted slightly.

"A person doesn't just disappear." The teen leaned closer to the map and pointed a few islands down south. "He simply moved somewhere else. But by laughing him off, you damaged his honor and Vikings don't take those matters lightly. I'm pretty sure you already know that." He added sarcastically. Astrid swallowed slowly, not daring to look at her father.

"He burned the Hall, killed all Chiefs beside Stoick the Vast." Mogadon looked at Berk's Chief, yet the man did not say anything in response. Stoick kept on staring at the map, his brows furrowed in concentration. Bringing his gaze back to the lanky, young man in the middle, Mogadon added firmly. "He had his revenge already."

"He wanted to fulfil his idea. The fire was a punishment but Drago Bludvist still intended to make his plans real." Thuggory said and Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"So he hid further south, he was sure no one would suspect anything. He was building up an army the whole time." Tantrum added. The Chiefs exchanged glances between each other. If what has been said was true, they were in for some trouble. Only Stoick seemed unresponsive. His gaze was empty, there was clearly something wrong. Astrid noticed her father glancing at her from time to time but she decided to ignore it.

"The Riders had been fighting with him for over a decade, doing the best they can but… that's not enough to stop Drago. " Hiccup locked his eyes with Astrid for a short second, before quickly looking away and focusing on the map on the table again. "I asked you to come because his army has crossed the Barbaric Archipelago and is getting closer with each day."

"On what basis should we believe ye?" Astrid recognized her father's harsh tone immediately. She closed her eyes shut and pressed her lips tightly. "What if that's just another lie and Drago doesn't even exist? Ye've been lying to me – us the whole can we know ye are on the same side as us?" Hiccup's eyes turned cold in a matter of seconds. His lips formed into a thin line and his hands gripped the edge of the table.

"Drago Bludvist is as real as he can be. If you don't believe me, then ask this island's inhabitants because most of them are his former slaves. You can try telling them that their pain was just made up or that it wasn't real. I personally dragged some of them out of the cages as they weren't capable of walking themselves." He hissed in response. Taking a deep breath, he continued in a much calmer voice. "If you have some personal issues with me Mr. Hofferson, I'll gladly discuss it later but now it's not a good time."

"We know he's real because we've all seen him." Camicazi summed it up with a shrug. Hiccup shook his head.

"The point is, we can't ignore it anymore or pretend that it won't concern us. Because it will, and if we don't do anything now…" he trailed off.

"A war is upon us." Big-Boobied Bertha said with a realization. Stoick the Vast finally looked up. His grey eyes were cold, concentrated.

"War is what he wants." Berk's Chief responded darkly.

"The war has already begun." Hiccup shook his head violently. Seeing unsure faces of the rest of the people in the room, he continued. "But we have a trained army. We've been preparing for this for the last three years. There are hundreds of people and dragons on our side, even whole tribes further down south. They all had had enough of Drago's enslavement." The teen's speech brought the Viking Chiefs' attention.

"Why do ye need us, then? Ye seem to be doing well enough yerselves."Mogadon raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Because we, alone, still don't stand a chance against Drago's bigger army. If we fail, he'll have an open entrance to all the islands in the Archipelago. We can't keep to ourselves anymore–he'll just destroy one tribe after another. If we start the preparations now, we'll get ready in time. We can win this. Together."

"Either we win or we lose and there's nothing to come back to. There is no third option. "Sergius stated darkly. Silence came over the whole room. The situation was serious, very serious. The fate of the Barbaric Archipelago was hanging by a thread. Astrid's stomach twisted uncomfortably. She knew what the situation was but it only now hit her how bad it had recently become. Sergius was right – it was either them or Drago. And Astrid was sure that if that monster ever got the power over the Archipelago, the dark times would arise. Slavery, rapes and murders would be something of daily basis. They had to stand together, go past their differences and silly disputes – fight for their homes and families.

"I deeply apologize for lying." Hiccup started, casting a quick look towards Egil, before his gaze turned back towards the map. "I apologize for all the secrets, for making other people lie on my behalf. I thought it would make them safer, that it would protect them in some way. I saw no other option at the time. We only wanted to keep the peace, prevent the war from happening, keep both people and dragons safe and maybe finally showing you that we could live together in harmony. Unfortunately, the circumstances won't allow us that."

"Mom, other Chiefs from the Archipelago, we have to take action now. Before it's too late." Camicazi banged her fist on the table. Astrid could see that the adults were processing everything that had been told them. She looked at her father and saw that he was deep in thought as well.

"You can wait with your decision until tomorrow morning." Hiccup took the map and started folding it up. "Please, make your choice wisely. And I expect you not to attack any of the island's residents, be it a human or a dragon. Breaking this rule will be followed by immediate consequences."He hid the piece of paper inside his armor and went to open the door. After they left the underground system, the eighteen-year old excused himself, promising Astrid to return shortly. The Chiefs, except Stoick the Vast, were discussing the meeting that just ended as they were led by Sergius to their guest houses. Even her father joined in the conversation. The heirs stayed at the end and had a chat of their own. Astrid joined neither of those groups and somehow found herself walking beside her father-in-law. They didn't talk to each other but the girl saw the older man observing her from the corner of his eye. Astrid wondered what he was thinking about. He had to fly there on the dragon, with Hiccup, so he knew the truth. But something was wrong, yet the blonde couldn't quite put her finger on it. Stoick the Vast didn't seem like a person that would be easy to convince. She would have to ask Hiccup about what happened…

"I don't understand why it was the Hiccup lad that led the whole thing." Bertha mused and Astrid saw the heirs exchanging glances, uncomfortably. "Shouldn't it be the Rider's leader, The Dragon Master, that explained it all?" Apparently the concept of Hiccup being the Dragon Master was too absurd to even consider it. Astrid wasn't surprised, given the Berk's heir's reputation. Stoick slowly looked up, his green eyes almost empty. What he said next made all the Chiefs stop walking.

"It was the Dragon Master that was speaking the whole time."

A/N:

Gah, I hope it was fine. I feel that I'm completely out of touch. Since there has technically been two 'chapters', here are the answers to the guest reviews for both of them, from the earliest to the latest.

Chapter 20:

Guest 1: Thanks! I hope that you enjoy this one just as much (even though there has been a delay). :D

Guest 2:Some people, from what I heard anyway, had actually some problems with Drago being too easy to hate. While it would be good to see some more of his past, I think it was just fine the way it was. To me he represents a tyrant, he's an archetype for one. He's a human version of the Red Death – he's not supposed to be likable. I'm sure that this experience was eye-opening for Astrid, it shows her that Drago is not a person to be underestimated. It emphasizes how vital it is to join forces. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D

Alicia: Well, now I feel horrible… You have no idea how much your reviews are motivating, really. And, believe me, if I could, I would update that often. Unfortunately life is life. But, hey! Congrats on the test results – this is amazing! You should really be proud of yourself! I'm really sorry for the long wait but, hopefully, it was worth it. :D

HTTYDLover & Guest 3: I'm really sorry for the confusion. As I stated in the beginning, I did it by accident. I didn't realize that by deleting my note about being absent for some time, it will be automatically marked as 'updated'. :/

Important Apology:

KiraB: That's good to hear – I'm actually kind of relieved. I hope your trip went well and that you liked the chapter. :D

Guest 1:The biggest issue is the fact that I really, really enjoy writing and that is what makes me relaxed. I'm glad I'm back. It should be getting better and better now. :D

TMYSchol: Thank you! I'm actually kind of a worry wart so getting messages like that really made me sigh in relief. And I do feel better now so that's good. I hope you liked the chapter! :D

Guest 2: I was not happy I was doing that, that's for sure. ;) It really pained me, mainly because writing is what makes me relaxed. But I'm all better now. I don't think I have fans, though haha. :D Readers at most, the same way I'm a reader too. I'm just sharing what my weird brain comes up with. I'm glad you like it, though. ;D

Guest 3: Thank you for patience! I sincerely hope that it actually was worth the wait. I wouldn't want for there to be a three week gap and then the chapter comes out sloppy and just 'meh'. :D

Sunliye: Thank you! I'm really happy you think so. I'm worried about how the characters' are coming out because I don't want them to lose vital parts that make them who they are. Hiccup and Astrid should still be Hiccup and Astrid, even though it's an AU. And I'm glad you like the plot too. I kind of grew attached to this universe, haha Here's to hope that I will execute it well. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Guest 4: Thank you! I hope I didn't disappoint. :D

Ruby: I'm sooo glad to hear that – I'm non-stop anxious about them. I don't want Hiccup and Astrid to become someone they are not. Yes, appropriate for the AU I'm writing but still them somehow. Do not worry my friend, more fluff is sure to come. I'm so happy you like Oili too – I really didn't want to make a Mary-Sue out of her or anything of that sort. At first glance she is supposed to be just the type of person Astrid would hate but upon closer inspection, someone she can actually relate to. If that makes sense. :D

Maisie: Yeah… It's not Dagur but I do have reasons why Drago was chosen as the main antagonist in the story. First of all, Drago Bludvist is a more 'global' threat. While Dagur is also a villain, his action center around the same area in which he is. His motives are different as well. I chose Drago because his sickening ambition to control the dragons and people is something far more dangerous than Dagur and his Armada. He is more intelligent than the Berserker Chief, he knows how to manipulate, to create the reactions he wants to receive and how to use other's disadvantages. As I stated in other review answer, to me, he is the human equivalent of the Red Death which means no mercy and his own needs that have to come first. :D

R&R

Till next time!

~InsertACreativeNameHere