I know it took so long, I'm so sorry!

First, I'd like to thank my beta, Ladipretender, for editing it! Thanks so much, girl! It wouldn't have been as good as it is with so many mistakes that you corrected! And also, thanks for reviewing pretty much every single chap or so! You're an angel! :D

Thank you all who read, favorited and followed! I'm proud to say it's my most popular story, with 194 favorites, 283 follows, over 60.000 views and 182 reviews before I updated this last chap! Thank you all so much for reading this fic until the end!

Anyway, here is the epilogue, at last! I hope you'll all enjoy and please don't forget to review! Feedback is really important even if it is the end! I'd love to know how you guys liked this story! :D

Epilogue

A few months later...

Life was back to normal for the Strike Tribe, or as normal it could be with dragons as pets.

Bork and Heidi went back to compiling Hiccup's journals and adding new information in dragon related books, which not only had all the characteristics of known dragons but also told people the best way to train each species, though it could vary a bit from dragon to dragon, depending on their personality.

Hall and Eira got closer to each other, especially once she started spending time watching him work in the forge with a few new tricks he learned from Gobber. Sten and Kari made great progress in the 'Dragon Healer Book' that Sten was tasked to write. But that didn't mean Hall and Eira didn't help as well. In fact, the four of them became nearly inseparable friends, and they were always seen together.

Garth and his wife were teaching their three year son to bond with dragons, the boy was already used to having the dragons around, since they were always present in his life. The boy wasn't aware of it, but, when he was a baby, Runa often smoothly rocked his cradle in the middle of the night so he could sleep.

Heather became rather bored 'babysitting' Snotlout, who was sleeping at the 'Guest House' of the Strike Tribe since they attacked the Outcasts. In fact, he had to continue his training to become the next chief of the Hooligans; however, Stoick left him there for two main reasons. One, he wanted Snotlout to learn something from his cousin; and two, he still hoped Hiccup would change his mind and come back to Berk. But Heather had mixed feelings about Snotlout. Sometimes she was bored when he was around, but when he decided to go back home for a few weeks, she felt lonely and devastated; despite him being a pain, he also made her laugh every single day and that made her very happy indeed.

The other Hooligans teens were also staying for a bit longer. The twins couldn't help but learn more ways to pull pranks with the dragons, now that they were mounting Barf and Belch, the possibilities of messing with everyone greatly multiplied. Fishlegs, on the other hand, wanted to know more about dragons and he was constantly around Bork, who was eager to teach him whatever he wanted.

Stoick wanted to stay with his son, but he knew he couldn't leave the village in his brother's care for too long, he was the actual chief and he had responsibilities, though Spitelout was always willing to cover for a few days so Stoick could visit Hiccup. And since the Rumblehorn he named Skullcrusher was always with him, the trip was cut very short, and that was probably the part Stoick liked in having a dragon friend.

The Hooligans were getting used to Stoick's dragon, Skullcrusher. He was a very quiet dragon, but the majority of them didn't like it one bit, though it wasn't like they could complain to the chief. Years and years of war between humans and dragons made it difficult for the villagers to simply accept the flying reptiles, in addition, they had never witnessed Hiccup taming a wild one and they never laid eyes on the Red Death, the cause of the raids. Gobber also got himself a dragon, a Hotburple he named Grump, which he used to accompany Stoick when visiting the Strike Tribe.

Camicazi ended up forgiving Eret, which wasn't easy. But Eret didn't mind it, she was worth it. They weren't dating or anything yet, but it sure looked like it was inevitable, since Eret was making quite an effort to conquer her heart. They went almost everywhere together, including when she visited her mother, Bertha, who quickly realized the young man was after her daughter. Bertha liked Hiccup and she also liked the idea of Cami and him together, but deep down, she knew he didn't like her in a romantic way. So he didn't deserve her.

The winter was turning the landscape to white, with thin layers of snow that covered pretty much everything. The annual holiday Vikings celebrated, Snoggletog, was approaching so everyone was making preparations. Hiccup and Astrid were sitting in the 'upper level', watching as the people of the Strike Tribe built the Snoggletog tree. They were sitting on a pile of snow since there were no other seating options, but their dragons were close, sheltering them from the cold breeze with their wings.

Hiccup and Astrid had gone flying earlier, and the colder weather presented the need to wear more layers of clothing, a mistake Hiccup had made in the past, resulting in a very bad flue.

"You should be more careful, ." He said to Astrid "I don't want you to get sick or anything."

"Yeah, I know, you told me before." She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips, she liked to know he cared for her. "Don't worry, I'll put on another coat next time we fly, happy now?"

"Yes, Milady."

"By the way, Hiccup, are you coming with me to Berk for Snoggletog?" She asked innocently, remembering that just a few hours before, Camicazi and Eret had gone to the Bog Burglars to celebrate the holiday week. Hiccup sighed heavily. Cami was spending more time with her mother and now he knew why, Bertha wanted her to come back just as much as Stoick wanted him back on Berk, and he was sure Stoick would ask again. "I mean, you're coming, right?"

"Sure…"

"Oh, come on, Hiccup. Your father has been alone during the holiday for the past five years; you can't do this to him again. Snoggletog is all about family and friendship, he was devastated those five years that he thought you were dead."

"I know, but I never wanted that. As you know, I thought he knew I was alive all the time; that I had just run away… The thing is, he's gonna ask me to come back again and you know I just can't. Especially now that Cami is close to going away and Eret will probably follow her…"

"Yeah, you told me all that stuff about being a leader and you three dividing the responsibilities…"

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled sadly.

"It's okay, Hiccup." Astrid replied, reaching for his hands, her cold one brushing his fingers, both realizing they had to cover up soon. He looked at her soft hand on his, then up at her blue, understanding eyes and a shadow of a smile crossed his lips.

"Thanks. It's just that I don't want to disappoint him and I will do just that when I repeat I can't go back to living on Berk…"

"Hiccup, look at yourself! You're anything but a disappointment to your father, believe me. You turned out to be everything he always wished. During these past five years, I've heard him mourning and whispering to himself how he wished you to be there so you could be this or that. And you are. You're a great leader, people respect you, you're smart and intelligent and good at sword fighting. And you are alive. Above all, that's what he wanted the most. There's no way you're gonna disappoint him when you're exactly what he ever wanted his little boy to grow up to. Well, except for a little more muscle, but you're okay to me." He managed a small laugh.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was a compliment, silly." She said, elbowing him playfully, he couldn't help but note to himself how beautiful her smile was.

"Okay then, I'll talk to Garth and Bork, since Cami and Eret are out, they'll take over in my absence."

"Right. I'll grab a coat and I'll take another lap with Stormfly over the island, we'll be back in about an hour."

"We'll leave in the morning then. I guess Snotlout said he and the other Hooligans were going today, am I right?"

"I guess he left when we were flying. I mean, everyone's family is there, so they needed to go. Me too, but I wanted to leave with you."

"And you just got what you wanted, Milady."

"I always get what I want." She kissed his cheek and stood up to hop on Stormfly.

He sighed and stood up as well, just not as quick and happily as she did, then he mounted Toothless so they could fly down to the docks, where Garth would probably be. Hiccup wasn't wrong as he saw the man fixing up a ship with Runa.

"Hello, Hiccup." The man greeted joyfully.

"Hi, Garth. How are you doing?"

"Just fine. The teens look happy building the tree, don't you think? The first Snoggletog we spent here everyone seemed so sad because of… you know…"

"Yeah, it must have been hard, I can't imagine what you all have been through because of the Berserkers. But I'm glad everyone's moving on and happy during the holiday." Hiccup said, looking up to the 'middle level' where the teens of the village were constructing the Snoggletog tree, and all seemed very happy indeed. "By the way, Garth, I wanted to talk to you…"

"Just say it, Hiccup."

"The Hooligans already left for Berk to celebrate the holiday and I'll be going tomorrow too, I want to see my father and family. You know… Stoick's been visiting a lot but I'm kind of avoiding it because people are still a bit withdrawn about dragons, especially Toothless. I know I have a lot of stuff to do here and all, but I think you guys can manage a few days without me, right?"

"Sure. In fact, Boy, I think you're taking it too seriously."

Hiccup frowned, confused and exchanged looks with Toothless before raising an eyebrow.

"What, exactly is it that I take too seriously?"

"Leadership."

"But, Garth, I have to take it seriously."

"Of course, but you exaggerate, Boy. You don't fool me, I see you around all the time here and there worrying about every little thing. You're more worried than the chief I had in my old tribe, he was probably half as worried than you, which doesn't mean he wasn't dedicated. But you have to learn how to relax a bit, Boy, or it will tear you apart."

"B-but… I… just…" Hiccup said confused, a hand mindlessly running through his messy auburn hair. Memories of him as a kid played in his mind, remembering how his busy father never had time for him, he was always working, always doing something for the village, always thinking about how to help his tribe. Hiccup wasn't doing anything differently. "I thought it was normal…"

"Oh, no Boy. It sure isn't."

"But that's what my father did all along. I don't understand…"

"My guess is that there was a reason for that. Maybe he lost someone and buried himself in work, I've seen it a lot in my tribe when people lost someone important in a raid, dragon or non." Instantly, Hiccup thought of his mother that had died in one. Could that be it or was his father just overly obsessed his work? And if the first assumption was the right one, did he get worse about it since he believed his son was dead? "But is it your only trouble, Kid?"

"Actually, no…" He wasn't going to talk about it, but before he realized it, he was already speaking. "My dad kinda asked me to go back with him…"

"And what did you say?"

"That I can't go, obviously. I mean, I have duties and responsibilities here. I am the chief after all."

"Oh, Kid, but that's not what you want to do, right?"

"Well, part of me does, but another part… not so much…" He replied, crossing his arms and leaning on Toothless. "I like it here, I love living amongst dragons and flying freely with Toothless, but I also want to be close to my father, who is, by the way, showing he's proud of me for the first time since I've always been the opposite of what a Viking should be, just look at me…"

"Then why don't you move there? And don't tell me it's because of your leadership, you already tried that."

"Well, it is that and also because of Toothless, I don't know if they'll accept him or try to stab him on his sleep... with me as well. He's my best friend and we need each other, so how can I live there if he's not accepted?"

"Maybe he will be. Look at me. I used to hate dragons and obviously fear the mighty offspring of lightening and death itself. Now I can reach my hand and pet him like a giant and ordinary dog or cat." To illustrate what he said, Garth reached to pet Toothless on the head, sliding his hand behind his ear, stroking the black stales while the dragon crooned happily, he loved a good scratch there.

"So what are you saying?"

"Maybe the people of Berk will get used to dragons someday just like I did, even if it takes a while. As for your leadership problem, I know that Camicazi is soon going back to the Bog Burglars, and I have no doubt Eret will go after her, along with his loyal men. So why not have the rest of us all move to Berk? Perhaps a bit further away from the village, but I think if there's a lot of people with dragons, it will be easier for the Hooligans to accept, and then maybe someday they'll all have them too. Think about it, The Bog Burglars are already like that; there'll be two big allied tribes with dragons. And who knows, maybe others would want it too. Not to mention the Meatheads, since you recently started to teach them how to deal with dragons."

"That's true, I think… But what about everyone? Who said they'd want to move out?"

"Kid, we already lost too much. We lost important friends, families and the feeling of safety once. We also like this place, but we like you as a leader too and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we'd gladly follow you. Besides, as far as I know, even if we go, you're still going to be our leader eventually." Garth smiled confidently. "And I'm also sure your father would accept us there if it meant heaving you back, but why don't you ask him? We can build new homes there, and maybe upgrade the Great Hall with the help of dragons, it was too small to fit in our entire tribe with our dragons and have extra space. A Whispering Death could open the walls in no time."

"Thanks a lot, Garth, I think you just gave me a very good idea." Hiccup said cheerfully. "I'm gonna talk to my father and see what happens. Though it's not certain or anything, it's just an idea, okay? I'm not saying we're gonna move or anything…" He trailed off, mounting Toothless. "I'm going in the morning with Astrid, help Bork out with leadership and have a nice Snoggletog."

"You too, Hiccup. See you in a few days."

"See you later!" He yelled, already airborne with Toothless quickly flying and searching for Bork so Hiccup could talk to him as well.

Hiccup and Astrid departed early the next day in order to reach Berk by nightfall. It was a tough journey, and they only stopped about half an hour for lunch and five minutes every two hours so the dragons could rest their wings and the humans stretch their muscles.

"I can't believe we're actually here already!" Astrid yelled, excited, looking at the blur over the dark blue horizon she just knew was the shape of the island of Berk. "But I'm sore all over…"

"Yeah, flying for too long tends to do it."

"You seem okay, though."

"I got used to this, years of practice." He said with a playful smile on his face while she rolled her eyes, imagining how far at once dragon and rider had gone. Such a thrilling life style she had missed over those five years and part of the blame was on her, she had driven Hiccup away.

"I'll get used to this, too."

"Yes, but try to relax tomorrow, you'll still be sore in the morning…"

"I knew you'd say that…" She mumbled in an annoyed tone.

Flying a bit closer, they started to see the night-lights surrounding the village area. Astrid said she was going to her parents and would see him in the morning, he waved goodbye and flew the other way, aiming to land in front of the little cozy house upon the hill he used to know so well. It was still weird for Hiccup to come back to Berk, people still graced him with disbelieving looks and they often yelled 'Night Fury!' when he approached because of Toothless's peculiar whistling sound when flying too fast. And it was because of that sound that Stoick ran outside his house to see the black dragon landing right in front of him.

"Son! You came!" Stoick tried to hide how happy he was to see his son, but it was difficult. Hiccup dismounted, glad to see his father without the disappointed scowl he knew so well.

"Sure. I couldn't leave you alone for the holiday and you said you were too busy to come visit me, so I came." He looked around the place that was just as he remembered, and the big Snoggletog tree seemed to be almost done in the center of the village. "I like how the tree is decorated this year."

"Thanks, we just finished it up today, just in time for Snoggletog Eve tomorrow. It took us almost two weeks!"

"Really? I forgot it could take that long… But it is a pretty big one…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Dad, with the dragon's help we can build it in one day. There are really a lot of advantages in living with them."

"So I've heard… At least the people are getting used to Skullcrusher." Stoick gestured to the Rumblehorn lying on the ground near his house. "Now, come on in, Son. You two must be starving."

"We surely are. I bet Toothless would love a big basket full of salmon, right Bud?" The dragon crooned in agreement.

"Sure, I'll bring it in no time. Enter and warm up near the fireplace, you're probably cold too, the weather is awfully harsh this time of the year."

"Thanks, Dad." Hiccup said, noticing his fingers were freezing. Once again he had forgotten to wear gloves, but thankfully, his flying gear covered up almost everything, so only his fingers were unprotected.

Stoick left to get the basket for Toothless and Hiccup entered the house with his best friend. The rider sat in front of the flames, extending his hands to feel the warmth of the fire, his dragon lying right behind him, putting his wing around the human to ward off the the cold. Stoick didn't take too long before coming back and leaving the dragon's food on the side of the room, where Toothless ate very joyfully.

Hiccup was warm enough to leave his place close the fire and sit at the table with his father, who went back to the dinner he was about to eat when his son arrived. Luckily, Stoick made enough food for Hiccup too, although the scrawny young man didn't eat much anyway.

It wasn't the first time side Stoick found out he was alive that Hiccup was back in the house he grew up in, but it was the first time that they were actually eating together since then. There was an uncomfortable silence Hiccup didn't think would happen because when his father started to understand him, they managed to talk a lot, especially about dragons. This time it was a bit weird and quiet, just like it used to be before Hiccup ran away, back then, they barely spoke and when they did, no one really listened.

They finished their meal in silence and Stoick got them each a mug of mead. Hiccup couldn't sit again, so he started to gather up the dishes and pace around anxiously.

"Hey, Dad." He began shrugging and running a hand through his auburn hair. "What would you say… No, let me start again… You know I am chief now and everything, but you want me back and I told you I can't, but what if we joined our tribes? I mean, if the Strike Tribe joined the Hooligans. We could teach everyone how to deal with dragons and we could ally with the Bog Burglars, most of them already live with them. And Thuggory wants to sign a peace treaty with the Strike Tribe, so it could be with us together, though I know you're on good terms with the Meatheads, it would be a good thing if we came here, right? And maybe we could even teach the Meatheads how to deal with them…" Hiccup trailed off, he was so nervous that he had spoken almost everything without stopping to even breathe.

"You mean you'll be coming home?" Stoick's voice was filled with hope. He had just sat down on his chair, but he stood upon hearing this.

"It's just an idea and I'm not saying it will be immediate, okay?"

"Oh, on, I just want you back. I've been praying to the Gods since the day I thought you were dead."

Stoick approached his son and hugged him. Te chief didn't show emotions or display too much human contact even with important people, so when he did that, Hiccup understood what he meant to his father. In fact, he already knew, but it was hard to believe it after 15 years of receiving disappointed scowls and not being heard. Hiccup hugged back and no more words needed to be said.

"But, tell me, Son. You just want to be close to your new girlfriend, right?" Stoick had to say something, to joke; it was getting too emotional for the Viking's liking.

"Well, that helped too, I guess…" Hiccup replied, blushing, because though he didn't want to admit it, his father wasn't the only reason he wanted to come back to Berk. He knew that Astrid would come back eventually and he wanted to be close to her too, but that didn't mean he didn't want to finally be closer to his father, because he really did.

"And how are things on that island of yours?" Stoick asked, making Hiccup very happy for the fact that he actually wanted to hear him. Both sat back down on their chairs and kept talking until it was very late when they finally decided to go to sleep, wishing each other a merry Snoggletog Eve, since it was already past midnight. That year, was a very happy holiday for both father and son.

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And here it is, guys! The last chap for "New Beginnings"!

I really hope everyone liked reading it as much as I did writing! And thank you all who reviewed this story, I loved reading them! Thanks so much!

And even though it is the last chap, please leave me a review saying how you liked it! It will be great! And I'll be really happy if I get to 200 reviews! :D

Thank you all who read, favorited and followed!

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and this is the end! Please tell me what you guys thought of this story!

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Itban Fuyu