OMGOMGOMG SOMEONE TELL ME I'M NOT DREAMING...

Okay, check this out: Someone has offered to turn my story into an audiobook for me. I believe Crimson-strength will be the one reading it, but I'm not entirely sure about the details. I'll keep you updated!

Tison Valane (quest): I try to update every day. I don't always succeed, but my goal is a chapter a day.

Aaanyways, after a cliffhanger the story continues. How will Hiccup confront his father? How will they reconnect? Just wait and see...

So, hard chapter for me to write due to numerous things. Mostly the next chapter screaming in my head to get out.

Enjoy!

Chapter 21 Another raid, and an idea

The words had hit him like a sword and he stood frozen as the realization sank in.

"Only one who can locate Berk on a map. Only one who knows the way."

The other rider...

Was Hiccup?

He couldn't describe the rush of emotions that washed over him.

Relief that his son was still alive.

Guilt about the way they treated him.

Anger, because the boy had befriended a dragon, their worst enemy.

Sadness, because he had missed ten years of his son's life. Ten years he would never get back.

He had done the only thing he knew he shouldn't because nothing would keep the riders here if he did it.

He set his prisoner free.

Stoick had watched the man run away. He hoped that somehow that man would convince Hiccup to come to the village, or at least return Astrid.

He slowly walked out the door, bumping into Gobber when he left the prison.

'Why did ya le' him go?'

'I just hope... he knows Hiccup, Gobber. He's been with him for the past ten years. I just hope he will bring him home.'

'Small chance. After wha' we did? You could have kept 'im here, let him tell ya about 'Iccup.'

Stoick sighed. He knew Gobber was right. But he had made a choice.

'I just didn't want to push him further away.' He mumbled while he made his way over to his house.

He locked himself up inside, refusing to see any of the villagers. Every time he heard a shout he would rush to the door, hoping, praying to see his son.

He never came.

All day he sat, waiting, praying to the gods. At nightfall, Gobber joined him after bringing him some food.

Slowly the darkness crept into the house, only chased away by the light of some candles. He had given up hope completely when Astrid suddenly came barging in the door, yelling from the top of her lungs.

'IT'S HICCUP! THE OTHER RIDER IS HICCUP!'

'Wha' did ya say?'

She took a deep breath. 'The other rider, it's Hiccup. I've been with him the past hours. I've talked to him, seen him. There is no doubt about it. It's definitively Hiccup. He brought me back.'

Stoick exchanged a glance with Gobber, then took a deep breath.

'Where is he now?'

'I don't know. They flew off again. They could be going home.'

'Maybe it's for the best.' Stoick mumbled. 'He would have never forgiven me.'

Astrid wanted to say something, but looked at Gobber. The blacksmith took the hint and left.

'What is it, Astrid?'

'Well, sir, he was angry. Angry about how we treated him. But I could tell he was also sad. I honestly think there is a chance that he will come back.'

'But when, Astrid. When!'

'I... I don't know.'

'They just let you go?' Stoick asked, standing up and taking a knife from the table to free her hands.

'Yes. They dropped me off at the plaza. I thought they would leave me to die.'

'I'm glad they didn't.'

Even though Stoick tried to be cheerful, Astrid heard the sad tone in his voice. It was obvious that he had hoped that Hiccup would come home, back to the village.

She was about to say something when Gobber came running in.

'Dragon raid!'

'AGAIN?'

She shouted it and she was right. The last raid, when they had shot down the Night Fury, had been only a week ago! Sure, these beasts had been coming more and more the last few years, but never this soon again.

She ran outside, followed by Stoick and Gobber. He had been right. The sky was filled with dragons once again, but something was different.

'It's no raid! It's an attack! Look!'

She pointed to the two dragons seemingly leading the giant flock of dragons. Two Night Fury's.

'No...' Stoick whispered.

Astrid knew what he was thinking. How could Hiccup do this? How could he just use the dragons against them?

The black Night Fury swooped down on the village, landing on the roof of the house nearest to the cliff, and shrieked. Then, it fired a blue fire ball at the incoming dragons. The white one had landed in front of their remaining flock of sheep, but made no move to take them. Instead, it defended the animals from the dragons trying to snatch them from the ground.

'They're not leading the attack, they're trying to stop it!'

Stoick's eyes widened as he saw what Astrid meant. The black dragon, the one his son was riding, was still on the rooftop, firing blasts of blue fire at the incoming dragons, scattering them. The other one was defending the sheep, clawing and biting at the attacking dragons, her rider shooting arrow after arrow.

Astrid ran away to get her axe, but tripped. Suddenly a shadow loomed over her. A Monstrous Nightmare was standing in front of her, growling threateningly. She was sure she would die when someone jumped between her and the dragon, one hand stretched out towards the beast, the other holding a flaming sword.

Hiccup.

'Get back! Go! Get out of here!'

She watched with her jaw on the ground as he drove the Nightmare back, the dragon eventually flying away. Before she could say anything, his attention was drawn away again.

'Hiccup!'

He turned to the other rider. His dragon rushed past him, scooping him up in the process. He landed next to Wrenlou.

'What?'

'Hang on... there! Do you see that?'

Wrenlou pointed to a Monstrous Nightmare not far away. In shock, Hiccup flicked up his helmet to have a better view. On the side of the Nightmare were scars. Long scars made by long claws. Scars that where all to familiar.

'No... That's impossible... here? How did it get past our patrols?'

'You said these raids have been happening for the past 300 years, right? It's been here long before that most likely.'

'Could that explain why the raids have been happening so often? I mean, the last one was only a week ago.'

'It would mean she's in need of a lot of food. That could only mean one thing...'

Both riders looked at each other in shock. 'An egg!'

'She's getting ready to lay an egg!' Hiccup gasped.

'Most likely.' Wrenlou said, nodding.

'What do we do now? We can't take it! Not with just the two of us! We don't even know where the nest is!'

'We can follow the dragons and find out. After all, only a dragon can find a dragonsnest. We can scout it out, see what it's like, then come back and make a plan. We could even send for more riders.'

'But the last time we faced it, there were 60 of us. And even then we couldn't defeat it. It took hours!'

'I know, but we don't have a lot of options here. Let's just follow the dragons, and scout the nest. Then we'll decide what to do.'

Hiccup nodded and the dragons shot up, following the others. They didn't notice that their conversation had been heard by a certain blonde vikinggirl.

Astrid watched them go, following the flock of dragons. Only a dragon could find a dragonsnest? Is that why they had been unsuccessful for 300 years? She grinned. She had just gotten an idea. She ran away to find Stoick and have him call a meeting. They would find that nest and destroy it.

0-0-0-0-0-0

'So, you're saying we should use a dragon to find the nest? Are you crazy?'

'We don't have to fly it. We could tie it down on one of the boats. Look, I have no idea how it will work, if it will even work, but I heard them say that only a dragon can find the nest. We have a few dragons in the arena, don't we? Let's take the one that is the least dangerous, the Gronckle perhaps, and let is lead us to the nest! There, we can take the nest and destroy it. The dragons will leave!'

'Astrid's right.' Stoick said. 'It's worth a try. We would finally be freed of the dragons. And if it doesn't work, we can wait for the riders to return.'

'We're not going to trust them, are we? I mean, they are riding dragons. What makes you think they would help us kill them?'

The crowd mumbled in agreement. Snotlout had a point.

'They will help us if we ask them, I'm sure of it!' Astrid shouted. 'But we don't have to ask them just yet! We could try finding the nest ourselves!'

The crows mumbled in agreement. Astrid also had a point.

'Let's find the nest! Who's with me?'

Stoick's voice silenced them all. After a short silence every one present raised their hands.

'Good. Astrid, you're in charge of the Gronckle. Find out how we can take it on the ship safely. Gobber, help her with that. Everyone else, pack every weapon you can find. We're going to need all of them.'

So, sorry for the kinda weird chapter. For those who haven't guessed yet, what Hiccup and Wrenlou saw at the end of chapter 20 was the flock of dragons heading towards Berk, again. I know, a lot of raids in this story, but for good reasons. Next chapter will get down to action. Something will actually happen between Hiccup and Stoick!