That day became a blast back to the past for both Hookfang and Snotlout. The two were eventually reunited as one. Hookfang was able to fly with his old rider once more, and Snotlout became the old dragon rider that he once was, all without remembering what transpired as a result of the wicked actions he had done... before his memories were wiped.
Meanwhile however, some still questioned Hiccup's choice of allowing Snotlout back into the tribe, and many others believed that he should be executed. After all, they had not forgotten what he had done.
Thankfully, the young chieftain assured as many people as he could that Snotlout had changed. Though it would take time for them to get used to him being among them, Hiccup had high hopes.
Especially since Snotlout was not the main problem to worry about.
Hiccup stood with Gobber, Lornduin, Morgrim, and his mother at the top of the stairs to the great hall, discussing their further plan of action regarding their war.
"Let's have a simple rundown," began Hiccup. "The riders and I will be landing in Votunheim to meet up with the Votun. We will convince their chieftain to join us, before moving on to the Northwest to help out the elves in Nordell, and then the dwarves in Dalgard. Afterwards we'll plan our next offensive against the Legions, and hopefully, figure out a way to stop them."
"I'll have fun kicking their arses back tae where they came," replied Morgrim smirkingly. "But we can't make time go fast 'nuff. Lornduil an' I still have tae wait fer tha rest of our armies tae arrive."
"That's fine," said Hiccup. "As long as the others and I can recruit our allies while dealing with the Legions, and possibly dealing with that monster Drago, we may yet be able to end this war more swiftly."
"You can't handle Drago alone, lad," spoke Gobber. "The Legions may be one thing, but that warlord and his master are both another thing. You can't forget about how strong they are. If you step too far, and I hate to break it to you - you'll end up like your father."
"Gobber, I-"
"You know he is right, young one," admitted Lornduil.
Valka too gave a nod. "Drago is no doubt too powerful for you to take on. I understand you want him to pay for killing Stoick as much our tribe does, but his master, whoever or whatever he is, has given him powers that I've never seen anyone such as Gothi be able to use. He summoned a whole army of orcs and other monsters with just a snap of his fingers."
"Imagine what other magics he could use against you if you ever run into him. Hiccup, you can't risk going after Drago. Not yet."
Hiccup let out a sigh. "You're right. My hate over him is probably getting ahead of myself. But I will still not forgive or forget him for what he did to dad, and when I'm ready to fight him, I will send him straight down to Helheim to rot forever…"
"And it shall be so. Still, I suggest focusing on the task at hand, high chieftain," said Lornduil suggestively. "Revenge can wait. Right now I advise we figure out where the Alliance is going to land once it reaches Valnr."
Hiccup gave a nod. "The safest I can recommend is somewhere west of Votunheim, as long as the Alliance lands on the eastern side of the continent. Orcish presence is not as active there."
"Is that it?" asked Gobber.
"Pretty much," replied Hiccup. "Unless there's something else you'd like to suggest, Gobber?"
The belch shook his head. "Not at all. I was just thinking we should-"
"Hold on, Gobber," interrupted Valka. Her head spun to the side at the sound of a pair of wings flapping, and soon everyone else seemed to notice. Their eyes looked up towards the sky, and from afar they spotted a dragon, particularly a Deadly Nadder, flying towards them with two figures on it's back. Two blonde figures.
Hiccup could only assume it was Astrid and Arn on top of Stormfly, and he would prove to be right.
As Astrid swiftly landed Stormfly in front of the group of five, the two vikings looked down at Hiccup as if they had something informative to tell him.
"Hiccup," began Astrid. "We need you by the cliffs near the arena. Something's come up, and we have no idea why."
The young chieftain rose a brow in curiosity. "W- What is it?"
…
Roaring. Very distant roaring. That was what Hiccup heard upon landing Toothless on the grassy cliffs with Astrid and Arn, and right away Hiccup could tell they were the roars of dragons. After all, what else would it be?
For a moment there was a pause, and then there it was again.
"Ugh, when will they JUST STOP?!" growled Snotlout.
The young chief dismounted from his Night Fury as he looked up towards the cloudy blue sky, trying to focus on where the roars of the dragons were coming from, and more importantly, where the dragons themselves were.
"When did this start happening?" asked Hiccup.
"About fifteen minutes ago," answered Arn. "The six of us were patrolling around the area when we started hearing these roars. At first, Snotlout suggested that we should forget about them, but when they kept on going, we agreed that we had to do something about it, so we came to you."
"...However, I get the feeling that whatever these dragons are, they aren't hostile. They sound a bit... familiar."
Hiccup crossed his arms, still glancing at the sky above them. "You guys were right to call me," he nodded as there was once again a pause, and then roaring once again. "Though these roars aren't constant, they sure make it seem like they're calling out to something- or maybe someone."
Tuffnut, who stood nearby, lightly chuckled. Snickering. "Pfft, how would you know that? I mean, I get you're the chief and all, as well as the dragon master, but I don't think that-"
"I'm only assuming, Tuffnut," interrupted Hiccup as he then shifted his eyes back to his dragon. "Toothless, do you have any ideas?"
The Night Fury shook his head as he stepped forward. "Not a clue," he warbled, replying in Dragonese. "However, I sense that there are only three of them. That means there are three dragons flying about around here somewhere."
"Just three?" Hiccup asked, to which Toothless gave a nod. "Do you think you can call out to them, then? I mean, you're the alpha after all."
"I'll try, but I can't guarantee that this will work. I don't know what kind of dragons we're dealing with."
Hiccup nodded his head as he gestured for the others to make space for Toothless, to which they did, allowing him to focus as he looked up towards the sky and let out a loud, bellowing, and authoritative roar that echoed in the wind that blew.
Unexpectedly, the roaring came to an abrupt stop, and then… nothing happened.
A long moment of silence came as they looked around, hoping for some sort of sign. Was there really nothing more they could do? Was that it?
Then, something out of the ordinary happened.
"Look!" said Fishlegs, pointing up in the distance.
Everyone followed Fishlegs's finger, and as they looked up, they saw three winged figures come into view from afar. They were certainly dragons, but their colors were too far away to make out.
They each flew slowly in unison, going around in a circle as they eyed the vikings that gazed up at them from below, yet one lad caught the trio's attention.
And thus, the three dragons began to descend, flying smoothly and slowly towards Hiccup and the others. Their wings flapped with ease as one of them let out a roar, reminding them to back up.
Toothless let out a huff. "Everyone, get back!" he gasped.
"Get back!" repeated Hiccup.
Immediately the riders and their dragons backed away from the edge of the cliffs, making enough room for the three winged creatures to land in front of them. Upon closing in, their wings began flapping more with haste - letting out a light breeze as they hovered over the grass before gently landing on all fours with light bows to the riders.
The group now had a closer look at them.
Their appearances were extraordinary. The three dragons were nearly twice as large as Monstrous Nightmares. Each of them had two large horns coming out of their foreheads, as well as thin yet bulky bodies, large wings, and long tails that looked a bit like bludgeons.
But despite their similarities, Hiccup also noticed that their color patterns were completely different - as well as the styles of their horns. The dragon in the center was red and orange - like a fiery dragon, the one on the left was blue and white - like an icy dragon, and the one on the right was yellow and purple - like a stormy dragon.
What in the name of Midgard were these dragons?
"It took them long enough," said Arn grinningly.
But before Hiccup could ask what the blonde viking meant, Arn then stepped forward to stand in front of the three dragons and, surprisingly, bowed his head to them, to which the fiery-looking dragon came closer to him and surprisingly responded in a low bow. What was going on...?
Then, something happened that neither Hiccup nor any of the other riders saw coming.
"Arn," spoke the dragon, his voice sounding mighty yet calm. "We are pleased to see that you are alive. Two months have gone by since you departed out to sea, and many back on Valnr thought you were dead… it looks like our visions proved them wrong."
Everyone's eyes, except for Arn's, were widened with disbelief. This was impossible...
"WHAT?" screamed Fishlegs excitedly like the dragon nerd he was. "I- I can't believe it. Is- Is this-? Thi- This an evolution to dragon classes! They- they-"
"You can talk!" gasped Astrid.
"Why of course we can talk!" chuckled the icy dragon heartily as she gave Astrid gave a friendly gaze. "I am sure Arn here has told you about us; the Three Guardians of Valnr… Are you by chance his acquaintances?"
"...You're the Three Guardians?" asked Hiccup surprisingly. "I mean- Arn once mentioned you guys to me before, but he never told me you were dragons!"
"Well, now you know," smirked Arn. "Hiccup, allow me to introduce you to Infernus - Guardian of Fire, Glacien - Guardian of Ice, and Voltraxion - Guardian of Storms."
"Oh yes indeed!" nodded Voltraxion as he spoke quickly without a stutter. "Of course the majority of Midgard's population has no knowledge of us being in existence, but we are indeed the primary designated trio dragon defenders of the continent of Valnr assigned for being elemental custodian watchers, and humanoid protectors. Such as such goes for the rest of Midgard."
"Human what-?" replied Tuffnut, clearly unable to process what the storm dragon had said being the muttonhead he was.
"They protect living things like us, Tuff," answered Hiccup, and then his voice became softer.
"But... out of curiosity, did you guys really infuse Arn's blade Runefang?"
The brief mentioning of this made Arn look at Hiccup in slight embarassment and irritation. "Hiccup- really? I already told you-"
"That is just a myth that many tend to believe in," replied Infernus. "Midgarite can be confused for being a blessed metal upon first glance, for whatever the reason. However, that is not why we're here."
The guardian's eyes shifted to the Alsworn heir. "Arn… have you found the Wings of Midgard?"
The blonde viking gave a nod as he turned around and motioned with his hand towards Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and the Twins. Snotlout however stepped back.
"Five Wings remain present, yet two are absent from our presence," quickly responded Voltraxion. "This is most peculiar indeed."
"And are you certain that they are of the Wings of Midgard?" asked the Glacien, her voice sounding as soft as sleet.
Once more, Arn nodded his head. "Aye. Through research we found out that the first generation of the Wings of Midgard were led by a man named Horren Haddock. This young man here, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, is his descendant, and his friends are also descendants of his companions… well, maybe except for him."
He motioned over towards Snotlout, but the dragon guardians arched their brows.
"So then it is true... And- are you certain about him, Arn Lotharson?" asked the fiery guardian. "This young buff man could in any case possibly be a Wing. Is he not a friend of Hiccup Haddock?"
Arn remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to respond with to the guardian, but the dragon merely shook his head.
"Well, never mind about that then," he sighed as his eyes drifted over to Hiccup. "Descendant of Horren Haddock, please step forward."
The young viking gave no question as he took a few calm footsteps towards the large fiery dragon. Being in the presence of a powerful dragon however made Hiccup feel a bit anxious. After all, he had never met a talking dragon before who held mastery over the elements, yet here were three of them right before his very eyes.
As he stood directly before the fiery dragon, the winged creature gazed directly into Hiccup's eyes as if he was looking right into his very thoughts.
"I sense the spirit of fire burning in you, Hiccup Haddock," Infernus said, impressed. "Your link to the connection of flames is strong. More powerful than any I've seen. Yet there is… hatred in it. Hatred towards the one who leads the Legions of Maldragor… for killing someone you loved."
"Yes," nodded Hiccup. "Drago Bludvist. He killed my father after we tried fighting to reclaim our ancestral island, the Island of Tomorrow. But now it's nothing but a wasteland. There is no going back to that horrific place."
"Hmm… that may be so," the fiery guardian responded agreeingly. "But you must know that Drago has left the Island of Tomorrow. His fortress still stands, but the island itself is completely deserted."
"What?" everyone spoke up in unison.
Hiccup's eyes were widened with an unanticipated gaze. "Wh- Are you certain?" he asked.
Infernus gave a nod. "Our visions showed us, and when we passed by the island, they were proven true. Drago has retreated his forces back to the dark lands of which his master's Legions resides. The Dark Master knows you and your friends are the Wings of Midgard, Hiccup - both he and his warlord. They even know about your Alliance of Midgard which we also saw in our visions."
"Does that mean Drago knew who we were from the start?" asked Astrid who still stood behind Hiccup, to which the young chieftain gave a nod.
"His lies were an attempt to bring us all down - and make us doubt," replied Hiccup. "He knew we didn't know that we were the Wings of Midgard, so he took the opportunity to lie to us and say that they were dead... A clever plan."
"But is that all you're here to tell us?"
The guardian shook his head. "That's not the only reason we are here... Because Drago knows that you plan to move against him and Maldragor, there is no doubt that he will want to move against you as soon as possible before you do. Thus, we are offering you safe passage to Valnr. You will have the chance to make the first move."
"Now?" asked Hiccup. "Wait- No no no… you don't understand. I can't leave without telling my people or the Alliance. My mother will be worried if I leave without-"
"Take all the time you need, descendant of Horren," spoke Glacien, the guardian ice dragon. "We will be waiting as long as we need to until you are prepared to depart. We are patient dragons after all. So for now, relax. We will be here."
"...Alright," sighed Hiccup. "Just- give us until midnight, and we'll be ready."
"Midnight?!" asked Snotlout. "You mean we're leaving Berk tonight, and without any rest?"
Hiccup shook his head. "You guys have until midnight to rest, as well as to get your weapons sharpened, to get your clothes cleaned and armor polished, and to get a last bite before we leave. It's going to be a long ride."
"I'll stay here with the guardians, and catch them up to date," said Arn. "Also, I would suggest that you guys get something warm to wear. A furred cloak as well as a fur vest or caplet will do. It's going to get colder as we go north, but it should take a minimum of five days to reach Valnr since we're going by dragon."
"We'll need to make stops along the journey then - for food and rest," Hiccup added on. "Any island or rockstack will do, but we'll need to move as fast as we can to reach Valnr."
"...But until then, prepare yourselves for the journey ahead, and give Berk your goodbyes. We'll be gone for a while…"
…
There was without a doubt that many would question Hiccup's abrupt departure, yet after explaining everything to his mother, she agreed, and allowed the lad to go. Either way, she could not stop him. He was the chief, and the was going to happen sooner or later.
"I promise I'll keep everyone safe, mom," spoke Hiccup, putting on his brown furred cloak while looking back at his mother as he was about to step out the door of his hut with Toothless. "...Will you keep Berk safe while I'm gone?"
Valka smiled as she gave him a nod, approaching him and placing her hands on his shoulders. "I will see to it that Berk is looked after while you're away, and that Gobber will lead the vikings of Berk to war alongside the elves and dwarves once they're ready."
"Thank you, mom…" sighed Hiccup. "Odin be with you."
"As with you, my son," she smiled as she embraced her son, hugging him goodbye before he turned his head back to face the door.
"Let's go, bud," he said, the two of them making their way out into the night of Berk - and after that, they would be making their way into the new world beyond.
As soon as they were outside, Hiccup sighed as he looked back at Toothless, anxious yet determined.
"Alright… let's get this over with," he sighed, slowly climbing onto Toothless's back and saddle and adjusting his foot and prosthetic onto the pedals, and with a metallic flick, Toothless's prosthetic tail fin flapped open like a sail lowering itself from the mast of a longship, ready to sail.
Hiccup nodded at Toothless, and without another word, they flew off to the cliffs to rally with the others
Midnight drew ever closer, and the riders had already given their goodbyes to their parents and relatives of whom did not try to stop them. After all, this was bound to happen, and they were proud of the young vikings.
...But the same unfortunately could not be said for Snotlout. He had no one to say goodbye to, and the thought planted itself deep in his mind.
Still, their weapons were sharpened, their armor was polished, their food and water were packed, and they were well rested to last the night and until tomorrow evening. They indeed were all set for the journey, and were rallied by the cliffs where the three dragon guardians were, waiting along with Arn.
Hiccup could see that they had warm gear on them. Furred cloaks, capelets, and vests - meant for winter weather. They looked like vikings ready for war and adventure.
As Arn stood to his feet from sitting down in the grass, he looked at the others who were rallied all around him and gave them a nod. "Are you guys all set?" he asked.
"We are ready," replied Hiccup. "We have everything we need."
"Then it's time," nodded Infernus. "Let us waste not another moment and be about it... Arn, climb onto my back."
The Alsworn heir bowed his head to the dragon guardian who then crouched down for the lad to climb upon. Making his way on Infernus's back however, Arn felt the familiar and uncomfortable feeling of a saddle-less dragon, though he was glad that he was somewhat used to it by now.
With everyone now set for the flight, they took one last glance back at Berk. It would be the last time they would see the island for a long while, and as the view sank into Hiccup's memory, he turned back around to face forward - shoving aside his emotions as he gave Toothless a light kick.
"Let's fly!"
And with that, they were off.
The eight dragons ran forward, spreading their wings out as they began to flap and fly out into the night underneath the moon-lit sky, and as they flew, the riders took a moment to look back at Berk as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance until it soon looked like nothing but a far rock over the horizon.
Their heads then spun to look forward, remaining silent as the wind blew against their faces. A whole new world awaited for them out in the great beyond...
I would like to note several things before ending this chapter off.
Firstly, if you guys do not remember where Arn mentioned these Three Guardians, I recommend you refer back to Chapter 25 - Making A Change. This is just to assure you guys that I am not putting these three new characters into the story out of random, but out of reference.
Secondly and lastly, next chapter will be a time skip forward to where the adventure part of this story will REALLY begin. But for now, hold tight. The next chapter will come soon!
Thanks for reading!
