Hiccup's heart thumped as he and Toothless flew towards the Dragon Academy, the arena already filled with vikings awaiting their instructor. Butterflies flew in the young Night Fury's stomach, intensity increasing as the pair drew closer to the arena. Unfortunately, the both of them had overslept and were late to their own class. Very professional.

Toothless glanced over and saw his love with a very frantic look on his face. The dragon couldn't help but smile at Hiccup, thinking of how cute the dragon looked. Almost as if he was telepathic, Hiccup looked straight over at the dragon.

"I'm worried about us being late and you're just thinking dirty thoughts aren't you?" Hiccup said a little too loudly as they passed over the village, causing a head or two to turn. The young Night Fury raised a brow expectantly, waiting for a response. Toothless laughed uncomfortably, and flew a little farther ahead of the dragon.

"Hurry up!" Toothless called back playfully, "It's not professional for an instructor to show up late!" Hiccup puffed up his cheek and stuff his tongue out at the Night Fury, flying fast to catch up.

"You're an instructor too ya know!" Hiccup said once he had caught up to Toothless. The Night Fury's eyes widened as he looked over to his love, his mouth opened wide.

"What do you mean?" Toothless said loudly, "Why do I have to?" Hiccup stuck his tongue out at the dragon playfully and flew ahead of him quickly.

"Hurry up!" Hiccup called back mockingly, "It's not professional for an instructor to show up late!" Hiccup laughed as Toothless chased after him, easily overtaking him and grabbing onto the smaller dragon. The pair quickly broke off once they realized they were very close to the arena. Down below, Hiccup could make out the small figure out Astrid in front of a group of vikings.

"They'll be here soon!" He could make out Astrid yelling, "Just be patient for a little while longer. Something must've come up for them to be so late!" Hiccup bit his tongue lightly, angered with himself for putting Astrid in such a situation. Swooping down low, the duo quietly land outside the Academy and make their way in slowly. Many eyes curiously turn towards the pair of dragons making their way through the front gate. Among those eyes, Hiccup spotted a few familiar faces. Calder the chief of the Gunnar tribe, Sassa the chief of the Stein tribe, and Frey chief of the Magnhild tribe were a few of the faces the dragon recognized.

"I was beginning to think you got cold feet there dragon," Calder said light-heartedly, making his way towards the dragon, closely followed by Sassa and Frey. The three chiefs took it upon themselves to greet their instructor.

"I've been here for a few days and this is the first time I've seen you two!" Calder said in his usual light hearted tone, putting his two large hands on the dragon's shoulders, "I'm excited to begin learning, not only from dragon trainers, but also from two dragons themselves." The chief had a wide grin on his face, saying his final thanks to the two before taking a few steps back to let Sassa greet the two. She was much more delicate and formal about her approach, bowing slightly to the pair and keeping herself looking tall and proper.

"It truly is an honor to learn from you two," Sassa said in her strict monotonic voice, "On my behalf, Stein thanks you for allowing such an opportunity and we hope to forge a lasting alliance with Berk. Vikings, dragons, and all that fall in between are welcome on our shores." Hiccup and Toothless bowed their head respectfully to the great chief as she took her place among her men. The final chief was the old Frey. He was a old and wise chief who had seen many battles, heard many tales, and countless legends stemmed from the man's incredible feats. The old chief slowly made his way towards the two dragons who waited patiently. Stopping in front of the two, Frey looked over the two young dragons, his careful eyes piercing through their tough hide and into the deeper workings of their hearts.

"I thought I had seen and heard it all in my many years," The old chief said softly, "but I never could have been more naive. The miracle of life and the gifts that it brings never cease to amaze me. I know you two are on a path that will forever change the viking world. I, Frey of Magnhild, put my faith, trust, and hope into you two dragons and all who you befriend. You two will bring a new light to our world, and I hope I may be around to see it. Mentor us so that we may be the bearers of this light, in the hopes that we too, can change our worlds." The old chief reached for his belt, detaching a bottle and twisting it open. Frey dipped his fingers into the red liquid and approached the dragons, carefully painting twisting lines onto the dragons faces along the cheeks and above the brow. Stepping away, Frey stared at his work.

The two dragons looked at each other, marveling at the interesting symbols draw upon their faces. From Toothless' point of view, he saw soft curving lines that drew around his love's face melodically. From Hiccup's point of view, he saw hard, attacking lines that ran around his love's face commandingly.

"Please, accept my symbols of protection to aid you in the future," Frey said softly, "The melodic curving lines of Hope and Faith. The callous twisting lines of Strength and Change. These are just a few of the distinctive traits that you both embody. Use your gifts wisely young ones, hone them, conquer them, for there will be a day when they'll decide the fate of our world." With that, the old wise chief bowed away from the two, leaving them in surprise, certainly not expecting that very motivational speech. The two looked at each other and nodded gratefully, both thinking to wear these symbols into battle for hope, faith, strength and protection.

"Thank you Frey," Hiccup said, bowing his head in respect. Noticing that Toothless wasn't paying attention, he flicked his head with his tail. Toothless was dragged from his thoughts, bowing when he noticed the other dragon doing so.

Looking up, Hiccup gazed over the small crowd of foreign vikings. They certainly didn't seem ready to ride dragons and looked rather nervous being here.

"Hello, I am Hiccup, one of your instructors for the next few weeks," Hiccup said, noticing a few people slightly jump hearing him talk, "I hope we can get along well." With a smile, Hiccup looked towards the vikings, noticing the forced smiles many of them were giving them. Scratching his head, Hiccup tried to remember what it was they planned to do first.

"Since it's our first day, let's start off with the basics," Hiccup said strongly, "We will be using a flight simulator so that everyone can get used to the sensation and get some much needed experience without the danger of actual flight." The crowd slowly shifted towards the back of the arena where the simulator was being set up thanks to a few helpful Berk vikings. Seeing the crowd wander towards the back, Hiccup approached Astrid.

"I'm sorry I put you in that situation," Hiccup said apologetically. Astrid smiled and waved her hand at the apology.

"It's nothing, I'm sure whatever it was that made you late was important," Astrid said before walking off to help set up the rig. Hiccup laughed nervously as he watched the young viking walk away. Toothless sat next to Hiccup and nudged his shoulder.

"Shouldn't the Berserker chief be here?" Toothless asked blandly. Hiccup looked at his dragon confused before looking back at the crowd of vikings, noticing that neither her nor the few vikings she brought along were among them. Even though Hiccup knew next to nothing about Iona, he couldn't help but trust the young chief. Sure, she seemed off in many ways, but there was something about her that felt so familiar, yet Hiccup could never figure out what. With an honest smile, Hiccup shrugged off the situation.

"I'm sure they're running late," the young Night Fury said, "We can't be the only ones who slept in a little." Toothless looked at the young dragon with unsure eyes.

"I would believe that if it were just one of the Berserkers, but they're all missing," Toothless said quietly, "I told you something was off about her." Hiccup raised a brow at his companion and shook his head quickly.

"Listen, I know you don't trust her, and I do admit there is something off about her," Hiccup said, "and I can't explain it, but there's something about her that makes me want to trust her." Toothless ran a paw down his face quickly, trying to clear his thoughts.

"I know you think you trust her," Toothless said quickly, "but maybe thats what she wants Hiccup!" The young Night Fury shook his head and stalked off.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called out, getting her attention, "I'm leaving you in charge. I've got something to do." The young viking nodded her head confused, but shrugged it off and returned to directing the rig.

"So you're just going to go look for them?" Toothless asked, "Without anyone to back you up?" Hiccup stopped and turned to his dragon, an interesting smile upon his face.

"Well I've got you don't I? Now hurry up," Hiccup said, turning towards the entrance only to almost run head on into Iona herself. She put her hand out to stop the dragon, being received with a quick 'eep' of surprise. The young chief smiled and laughed happily.

"Sorry I'm late, I might have slept in," She said scratching her head in guilt, "and my men apparently didn't want to leave until I had awoke, and yet they didn't wake me until I woke on my own," She said the last part, glancing over her shoulder accusingly at her men who had found a sudden interest in the skies above Berk.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting, and that's a nice look on you two" Iona said with a smile. Hiccup smiled back, trying not to show he felt a little relieved that another party had arrived late besides him.

"We were actually going to see if you guys were okay," Hiccup said light heartedly, "I'm sure you didn't want to miss the first day of Dragon Academy."

"Yeah!" Iona cheered happily, charging into the arena, her vikings close behind her. Hiccup quickly stepped aside and watched as the vikings rushed past a very confused Toothless towards the now complete dragon flight simulator. Walking towards Toothless, Hiccup had a smile on his face.

"See, nothing to be suspicious of, just overslept," Hiccup said quickly, sitting next to Toothless to watch the vikings try one by one to overcome the flight rig. Hiccup was the one who originally designed it and he was still pretty proud of this achievement that helped new flyers get used to the twisting and swirling that flying creates. Still, it was no where near to actual flight, but it was a stepping stone.

Toothless glanced to the side, noticing the happy look on his love's face, yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the girl. She seemed overly happy, as if she's overcompensating for some obvious flaw that Toothless could never figure out.

Viking after viking tried out the flight simulator, many losing their stomach by the time it was over. Every vikings seemed to have much difficulty remaining on the rig with several falling off, getting disoriented, or gave up. Hiccup's earlier enthusiasm slowly faded with each passing moment, thinking either his equipment was faulty, or that it was going to take much more work than he anticipated.

Iona, being the kind chief she was, waited until her vikings had gotten their turn before she herself went on. Hiccup noticed how she walked with her usual confidence, breathing deep relaxing breaths as she climbed the rig, making herself comfortable. With a quick nod, she signalled for the simulation to begin. Hiccup looked closer, something quickly catching his eye. Iona was saying something under her breath, but he couldn't quite make out the words. Suddenly the rig quickly moved, but she remained calm and loose, allowing her body to flow with the rig as if she'd been flying all her life. Every viking looked in wonder, seeing how gracefully she moved. Iona far surpassed even Hiccup back when he could fly with Toothless. The duo had been unmatched before now, and she wasn't even with a dragon, just herself. Suddenly, as if she'd lost all experience, she went rigid and flung off the rig, the safety harness keeping her unharmed. Iona quickly unbuckled herself and fell to the ground, sticking an excellent landing.

"How was that?" Iona asked nonchalantly with a unsuspecting smile. Hiccup stared at the girl with a gaping mouth.

"Let me guess, this is where you tell us that you've never ridden a dragon before?" Astrid asked quickly, a look of complete disbelief painted across her face, "When? Where? How?" Iona scratched her head and laughed, shrugging off the blatant accusation.

"It was beginner's luck, honest," The young chief said with a smile.

"And where was that luck for everyone else?" Astrid asked again, taking a step forward and gesturing around the crowd of confused onlookers.

"That's a good question," Iona said, scratching her chin. Without warning, the young chief coughed out blood onto the floor in front of her.

"Oops," Iona said, spitting out some of the remaining blood and wiping it from her chin. A Berserker woman was quickly be her chief's side. The older woman quickly whispered into her chief's ear in an urgent tone. Her voice was too quiet for a normal set of ears, leading Toothless to listen in closer.

"I told you no, that could've done worse things to your body," The woman said quickly. Toothless nudged Hiccup, nodding his head towards the two and moving his ears slightly. Getting the signal, Hiccup tuned in as well, having more trouble than Toothless, but trying none the less.

"Are you finished showing off? You know that one was way out of your league Iona. Like I said yesterday, keep this up and it's going to tear you apart from the inside out!" The older viking whispered, being met with a hard stare from Iona. Hiccup caught his breath, slowly walking towards the two. Iona quickly raised a hand to silence the older viking who backed away from the approaching dragon. With a numb smile, the chief wiped away the final few drops of blood.

"Sorry about the mess I made," She said apologetically, "I can't promise it won't happen again, but I'll try my best to keep in to a minimal." When she realized the sudden shift in the dragon's usual behavior, her smile slowly faded.

"Is something wrong?" She asked cautiously. Hiccup took a few steps closer, looking at the small pool of blood and back towards the young chief who seemed to be in perfect health.

"What's really going on?" Hiccup asked quietly, "You've always felt...off to me. You look like you're in perfect health...so why are you coughing up blood?" The chief smiled vaguely and looked toward the small puddle on the ground, marveling at her own blood. How it reflected the light of the sun and irradiated with the life that runs through veins, but also with the signal of death fast approaching. There was something in that reflection, like something was falling.

No, something really was falling. Looking up, Iona quickly caught sight of a heavy metal beam falling directly onto Hiccup. No one noticed it, no one reacted to it. The world around her just seem to die out seeing a life in danger. The young chief quickly raised a hand.

"ταράζω!" Iona quickly shouted. Hiccup looked confused, then noticed a purple sort of blast come from thin air. It flew quickly over his head, creating a loud 'bang' as it collided with a heavy beam that was above his head. A beam that must've been a few hundred pounds flung easily to the wall of the arena with a loud crash. Slowly turning his head back to the chief, he saw the look of absolute horror on her face.

"Shit," Iona whispered quietly, falling her knees.

"Witch?"

"What is she?"

"Should we kill her? She could curse us or something!"

"Those damned Berserkers always have something!"

"Seriously? A Witch?"

A part of Hiccup was terrified, never before had he met a witch and he'd always heard gruesome tales of their curses, but then the young dragon stopped and thought.

"Maybe this was what I felt that was so familiar? Another person living with a curse, trying to survive in a world where you are considered an enemy," Hiccup thought, quickly noticing a few vikings with axes getting close to the girl. The young Night Fury quickly jumped in front of her, defending her from the approaching vikings. Soon after, Toothless was by his side, followed by Astrid.

"What are you doing?" one viking yelled, "She's the enemy! She's a witch! She'll kill us all!"

"How long ago did I seem like the enemy?" Hiccup yelled in response, "Stop treating everything that's unknown as an enemy! I'm sick and tired of such a closed minded world where everything that isn't like you gets written off as dangerous and then killed! Don't you dare stand there and claim you're an ally of Berk, only to quickly turn around and kill an innocent person! She's like me, a human given a curse! A human who takes a curse and uses it for good! If she was so evil as you all would like to assume, why would she save me? Why would she spread a message of peace and acceptance? Why would she do any of the kind acts she's done?"

Silence drifted between the many vikings.

"She must've put a spell on-" a viking a beginning to say. Iona had interrupted the scared vikings by puking up some more blood, effectively silencing the group once again.

"Oops," Iona whispered, falling to the ground quickly. Astrid quickly jumped and caught her.

"Thanks," She said, trying to regain her balance before falling back over, "Nope."

"You idiot!" That same old woman yelled, rushing to her chief's side once again, "That was way too much! You could've killed yourself!" Iona smiled strongly at her friend, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"I'm not that weak Brenna," Iona said, regaining some of her strength, "I didn't know how heavy that thing was so I just put my all into-"

"Somebody kill that witch!" A voice rang out. Calder quickly turned around and punched the loudmouth right in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Turning back, he raised his hands in the air as if admitting defeat.

"Take my advice," He said loudly, "We're here to learn how to fly dragons, from a talking Night Fury, and just met a witch-"

"Sorceress would be a nicer term," Iona cut in.

"Just met a sorceress. I think it's about time we stop questioning things. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap and reflect on my life up until this point," Calder said quickly, walking out of the arena with many vikings from all tribes doing exactly what he did.

Sassa and Frey approached Iona who was busy trying to regain her balance.

"I once met a sorceress a good decade or two ago. I only saw her for a few moments, and in that time she managed to turn my hair a bright blue," Frey said with a soft laugh, "I can certainly say it was quite the experience. I wish you luck in the future." With that, the old chief left the arena slowly. From what little he knew about the old chief, Hiccup thought highly of him, seeing Frey as a peaceful old viking, worn out from many years of battles. Sassa approached Iona with a wide smile and patted her on the back, which caused the young chief to recoil a bit in pain.

"I thought you'd never tell this secret of yours," Sassa said. Hiccup's mouth dropped open again in surprise.

"How did you know?" Hiccup asked rather loudly. Iona and Sassa laughed lightly and smiled at the young dragon and his companion who forever looked on in wonder.

"Sassa is my aunt," Iona said cheerfully, holding a thumbs up. Sassa nodded her head lightly and confirmed the statement.

"I left the Berserkers many, many years ago to marry their future chief...and when my late husband died, I was given the title of chief," She said, her voice trailing off towards the end, "but that isn't the point."

"The fact is, you have a sorceress on Berk."