A/N- Posted 11/3/16 I don't own HTTYD.

This chapter took a while to write, never could seem to find a good stopping point or decide exactly how things were going to act out.

Sorry I didn't respond to the reviews like I normally do. I have been extremely busy of late having picked up three more additional jobs over the course of the past month, on top of my school work and my other job.

Chapter 37-Take a Stand

Hiccup's POV

My senses returned what appeared to be a few moments later. I was still in the town square and Astrid was being carried on the shoulders of her family. Gobber and my father were kneeling next to me, my father waving his arm in front of me.

"She clocked you pretty good." Gobber droned.

"Ugh." Was all I could manage in response before slowly trying to sit up. Upon examination, my jaw was tender but not broken. "I take it I lost?"

My father nodded, "It was a good fight though, I'm sure people will be talking about it for quite a while." He licked his lips.

"Sorry I lost the chiefdom…" He holds his hand up stopping me.

"It doesn't matter… Astrid will make a good chief, I'm just glad your home." He stood and pulled me to my feet.

Another Viking came up and handed me my sword. After a brief inspection I sheathed it before thanking the man.

"Ya fought well Hiccup, it's good to see ya again." He said before wandering toward the Great Hall.

As the crowd started making its way to the Hall another dozen or so villagers congratulated me and welcomed me home. It was beyond strange, I was just grateful that no one seemed to want my head. No one seemed to link my disappearance with Snotlout's death. It seemed… surreal, and a little unbelievable.

Also, no one was questioning where I had been or how I had disappeared. I guess everyone was still in shock to learn I was alive, but it wouldn't last. Eventually, people would start asking questions.

For now though, I was going to relax and get a better bearing on the situation. My father had mentioned a feast after all!

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Sure enough there was a feast, one of the largest that I could remember. The best meads and ales were brought out of storage. Several sheep were put to roast and the bounty of the sea was cooked to perfection. Bread was baked and soups brewed. I had to admit it enjoyable to eat the myriad foods available in the village.

Throughout the night more and more villagers welcomed me home. It was strange that nearly fifteen years of cruelty was forgotten so easily, as if now that I appeared "Viking-like" everything they did was forgiven. I didn't confront anyone about it, it wasn't worth the effort, but I remembered and I wasn't sure that I forgave.

At one point as the feasting slowed and was replaced by the heavy drinking that Vikings were famous for. Most of the Vikings were sharing tales of bravery and heroic deeds, few were paying much heed to me at the moment, for which I was thankful. I wasn't use to the attention. For the moment, I was lost in thought, considering the implications of the day when Astrid came up and sat next to me.

"Astrid." I greeted as I took another sip of the mug of ale I had been nursing all night. Getting drunk seemed like a bad idea. I didn't bother looking at her after she had sat down.

"Hiccup." She returned.

We sat in silence. Why had she come here? Finally, I glanced at her again to see what she was doing. To my surprise I found her staring, her eyes searching. I focused my attention back to the ale in my hand.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked cautiously.

She remained silent for a second before answering.

"You threw the fight."

"Is that a question or a statement?" Succumbing to the ale was suddenly sounding better.

"Why?"

I looked at her in confusion. "So I know how to respond, do I need to respond…"

Astrid was shaking her head. "Not that. Why did you throw the fight? You let me knock you out."

"Oh…" I looked down at my mug. It was suddenly feeling insufficient.

"Honestly… I don't really know." I could tell she wasn't satisfied with my answer, for that matter neither was I, but she didn't say anything.

"Astrid… doesn't this, all this seem… I don't know…"

"Fake."

I looked up at her in surprise.

"Hiccup, your return is the first 'good' thing that has happened here in over a month. These new dragons… they're vicious. They strike without warning and don't follow any pattern we're used to. In the past the dragons focused more on stealing food and we could work with that. We could focus our defense and strike while they were distracted with hauling away their catch."

I focused on what she was saying, finally I might get some answers.

"But these dragons… the only thing we have faced that might be stronger or more deadly is the Night Fury." She moved in closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. "We haven't confirmed this but some have reported seeing the dragons preform magic, or even speaking."

"Like, Norse?"

Astrid nodded.

I thought back to the encounter with these dragons as Toothless and I had flown in. The concussive shot and the shield were both proof of Astrid's theory, but I couldn't confirm anything, lest Astrid question where I learned this. The magic might also answer why I couldn't connect to Toothless right now. They could be dampening any type of magic that wasn't their own. Why they would bother against the superstitious Vikings I couldn't yet figure out, but now at least I had a theory.

The speaking however was a complete surprise. To my knowledge none of the dragons I had met had the ability to speak Norse.

"So why did you throw the fight?"

My head hit the table with a hollow thump. "I was hoping you would forget about that."

She smirked. "So?"

"I had no intention of returning to Berk. As you may know I washed up on the beach." I raised my hand interrupting her question. "You could say I shipwrecked. I'm don't feel like going into what I have been doing over the last year."

I paused to organize my thoughts.

"I won't be able to stay, Astrid. I have responsibilities elsewhere. That's why I threw the fight."

Astird looked like she wanted to ask more question but the crowd was starting to disperse as people went to their homes.

"Astrid, I still am a fairly good blacksmith. Seeing it was my fault you axe is damaged, I could fix it for you if you would let me."

Astrid smirked. "You better fix it then."

I grinned, same old Astrid.

"Well, try not to die tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"Your father didn't tell you? I guess he wanted it to be a surprise. You never got the chance to graduate. Anyway, we think the dragon we captured is fairly young, it hasn't breathed flame or anything. Stoick thought it would make for a good fight, thus your graduation. See ya tomorrow Hiccup." She finished as she turned and left.

My father expected me to fight a dragon? On the one hand I probably should have seen this coming, but on the other hand, he expected me to fight one of these unknown dragons. If what I had heard was correct these things were vicious and not strangers of killing. It would be nothing like encountering one of the local variants. I decided to seek my father out and test the waters.

He wasn't hard to find. Simply locate the loudest Viking left in the Hall. Him and Gobber sat in the corner, putting away a tremendous amount of ale, telling tales of my youth of all things.

"Remember the time Gobber, when the lad went looking for slorts*? Said they were stealing his designs!"

A hearty round of drunken laughter followed.

"Hee, hee, hee," Gobber wheezed, "Em, what is a slort anyway?"

"Not a clue!"

"Hey, um, dad? Am I fighting that captured dragon tomorrow?"

Stoick looked surprised for a second before responding. "Forgot how clever you could be… Yes, you never got the opportunity you deserved to fight a dragon before the village. Think of it as a welcome home present!"

"Oh, um, thanks. I guess I better go get some sleep then. See ya tomorrow."

"Goodnight Hiccup."

I walked back to my old house in a daze.

Maybe this was all a dream…

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Ok, it wasn't a dream. I woke up the next morning to the roosters' crow, my legs dangling off the end of my bed. It was strange, I was used to waking up in Toothless's draconic embrace or to his insistent licking, not in my old bed that was now far too small.

There was still nearly an hour until breakfast would be served in the Great Hall and my mind was a mess. Berk was nothing like I remembered it. Unknown dragons were terrifying the village. In a few hours I was expected to kill one of those dragons. On top of all that Toothless was missing doing who knew what.

I needed to clear my head. In the past I would have resorted to a long calming flight with Toothless. Seeing as that wasn't an option, I decided to find a spot just within the forest and practice the katas that Yang had helped me develop. The routine was designed to blend my martial skills with my sword play. In the past I had found the exercise meditative.

I quickly settled into my routine. In no time I was lost in the kata. Thus when my sword clanged against something, I thought nothing of it. Everything was part of the drill. Left cut, right cut, block, lunge, back step, parry, deflect, advance, left cut, overhead, sidestep, kick! My concentration broke when a thud and a muffled 'oomph' accompanied my kick.

I looked down to see Astrid lying on her back a sword a few feet from her. She was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face.

"Sorry Astrid, didn't see you there."

"You didn't… you didn't see me? How were you fighting me then?"

"Uh, reflex mostly, I was doing my training routine."

"Training routine? Hiccup, what have you been doing this past year?"

"Heh, you probably wouldn't believe me."

I reached down to help her to her feet and to my surprise she accepted my help and allowed me to haul her up. In the past she would have dismissed my hand and gotten up on her own, but now she was willing to acknowledge me. Before Toothless, the Vikings of the village had mostly ignored me or berated me whenever I got under foot. Of course some took it a step further and actively sought to insult me. Astrid, however, and some of the villagers that thought like her, ignored me, but for different reasons. To them, you either did something meaningful for the tribe or you didn't. I wasn't a boon for the village, therefor I was ignored. It still hurt me, but at least I could understand it. It was a binary solution set.

But now, I appeared to be an able warrior, something Astrid could respect. I was useful. Once again, I was finding my world dumped on its head.

"I guess we should head for the Great Hall, it's almost time for morning meal." I said as Astrid dusted herself off. Astrid still seemed a little dazed and did little more that nod. We walked for the village in companionable silence. As we reached the forest edge Astrid finally spoke.

"You could have beaten me yesterday, couldn't you have?"

I shrugged, it really wasn't a question I wanted to answer, but she was going to want at least something. "Maybe. You are still better with an axe than a sword." I said as I gestured to the sword on her hip. "I'm hoping to get to work on your axe later today."

"After the fight?"

"Yeah, probably." The fight still felt wrong to me, but I couldn't think of a way to avoid it.

We arrived to the Great Hall and went our separate ways. I grabbed a plate and settled down to a quiet meal. A few minutes after I had sat down. My father came in talking with one of the trackers, Rageder, I think his name was.

I remembered my father mentioning that Rageder owed him, something about saving his family once during a dragon raid. Debts such as these were taken very seriously by Vikings. My father once mentioned that most Vikings thought it imperative to pay the debt as soon as possible.

They were talking in low voices but I was hearing things better since I had bonded with Toothless. Rageder seemed to be discussing the debt now.

"I think it will make us even, surely? Besides, I know you wanted your boy to kill the dragon we captured, but we still need it. The dragons seem reluctant to fight us while we hold one of their own. Think instead of the honor I'm offering your son."

"Why didn't you seize the honor yourself?" my father calmly inquired.

"You know I have been trying to repay my debt to you for years."

"True enough. Where is the beast now?"

"I put it in one of the empty cages in the kill ring."

My father seemed to be thinking it over, but I knew that look, he had already decided but he didn't want to seem eager. "So be it, with this done I release you of your debt." The two men shook hands before going their separate ways.

I gathered that Rageder had captured some dragon and apparently I was going to be fighting it instead. It also a rarer breed as it would be a "great honor" for me to kill it. At first I worried it might be Toothless before realizing there is no way Toothless would be caught by a lone tracker, even if he was flightless. So what would I be fighting?

Whatever it was, I was liking my chances better, I had almost memorized the book of dragons, maybe not as well as Fishlegs, but well enough to give me the edge in dealing with this dragon, however I ended up dealing with it.

I thought I was going to have some more time to think about my choices, but apparently time was against me. My father approached me.

"It's time, Hiccup." He solemnly announced. I swallowed, my nerves finally getting to me.

Time to decide.

And when I thought about it I realized it wasn't a choice at all. While my "vacation" here on Berk had been nice, better than I had expected to be sure, Berk wasn't my problem anymore. It was part of my past and nothing more and I had languished in the past too long.

Somehow, I was going to have to free this dragon and make it convincing enough that I could get away and find Toothless. Hopeful, I could do this without the undoubtedly angry dragon sabotaging its own rescue. It would help if I knew what type of dragon I would be facing so I could know how to best distract it. Speaking in dragonese, or Odin forbid the Ancient tongue, in front of the Vikings was a sure way for obtaining an express ticket to a pyre.

Things could go really badly here in a few moments. Toothless was still fuzzy in our connection and I had no idea where he was, nor, could I expect help from the nest. I was on my own, something I hadn't been for over a year now. I'll admit, I was nervous, no, I was terrified.

Before I knew it I was standing in the center of the kill ring. I could vaguely feel the dragons behind the various doors, but everything was hazy, just like my connection to Toothless.

I stood before the crowd, encased in my armor and sword on my hip. Hopefully, neither would be necessary. If I had to block a blow or draw my sword I had already lost.

I took a moment to compose myself, as my father gave some "meaningful speech" about my blessed return and the honor that was being bestowed upon me, but I was lost in my mind preparing for every scenario I could. When my father gave the signal and the doors began to open, I thought I was ready.

So when an extremely familiar black blur slammed into me and started licking my face, all I could do was laugh.

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Toothless's POV (a few hours earlier)

Déjà vu, unfortunately waking up after crashing was a sensation I was only far too familiar with. At least this time I wasn't missing anymore appendages, but the artificial tailfin was destroyed. There were a few bruises and cuts, nothing serious though, nothing like last time. At least I wasn't stuck in a cove.

I decided the saddle and broken tailfin would only hinder me in their current state, so I spent the next half hour removing it. It wasn't easy, but thankfully Hiccup had made this contraption easier to remove than the last. I stowed it under a fallen tree incase Hiccup needed the parts to rebuild.

The most concerning worry of mine was my trouble establishing a mental link with Hiccup. I knew he was alive and I knew a very general direction but little else. I started making my way toward the village, the general direction I could sense Hiccup in.

I didn't get far however, as two massive dragons landed in front of me.

"Trespasser!" one of them snarled. He was dark red, almost maroon, with black stripes reaching from tail to head. He was only slightly smaller than the other one.

"Fairley certain that we are both trespassers, then again, I'm not well versed in Berk property laws." Great now I sounded like Hiccup.

"This island belongs to the Kruziik Gein and you are trespassing." The other one calmly pronounced. This one was an almost gold color, with the occasional copper streak. He was almost as large as one the Vikings homes.

The first one was clearly itching for a fight, but the second one seemed more curious and collected and so I addressed him.

"Kruziik Gein, good to finally put a name to the face. What gives you the right to this island anyways? I imagine the Vikings that live on the other end would say differently."

"It is our birth right, it is our orgin, it is our destiny." The gold one said.

"This is the first island you guys come across so you instantly decide it's yours, mighty arrogant of you."

"You speak out of ignorance youngling, so you will be forgiven, this time. This is the land where dragons first began. It is clear your knowledge is lacking, especially in out tongue, we are the Ancient Ones, the forbearers of all dragon kind."

Ok, not what I expected, not at all. I had always believed that these ancient dragons that were mentioned in passing were gone. It did mean thought that I was potentially outclassed. Without Hiccup, I was hobbled in more ways than one. I didn't have the magic to stand against them.

"I thought the gods took you guys out, Mantle of Responsibility and all that?"

The red one seemed taken aback but the gold dragon was far more alert now, as if I went from being an annoying insect to something more dangerous. "What do you know of the Mantle? Such knowledge is lost, forgotten."

"I have picked up some tidbits here and there." I said with a shrug, my situation was precarious. I needed to get away from these two and warn Hiccup with what we were dealing with.

"Hmm, well we can't have you causing a mess of our plans. I can sense you have some magical attunement, our magic should keep that suppressed. I'm afraid that we are going to have to hand you over to the humans."

"What?!"

"It goes against our custom to kill another dragon, but letting someone else do it, no problem. And it just so happens that a human is approaching. Good night, young dragon."

"Praan."

Before I could react I felt myself succumbing to drowsiness. Stupid magic.

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I awoke what I assumed to be several hours later. I had a splitting headache, but most of my bruises and cuts seemed to have healed up to my surprise. As I got a bearing of my situation, I realized I was in trouble. From Hiccup's descriptions of the village I concluded I must be in one of the cells in the kill ring.

Well, whatever human was foolish enough to come through that door would get a fight they wouldn't forget. I settled down to wait.

It was a few hours later when I sensed several Vikings gathering outside. I could hear their footsteps over my cell. What surprised me though is that my connection to Hiccup seemed closer. I had always been better at monitoring the bond. Well if these stupid Vikings, would so kindly open the door so I can get out and find Hiccup I would be much obliged.

To my surprise, the door began to open. In an instant I recognized Hiccup standing in the center of the ring. In a moment, I had knocked him over and was licking his face overjoyed that I had found him, or better yet the universe had seen fit to reunite us. Hiccup seemed surprised to see me, but was quickly a bubbling mess of laughter.

It took us a moment to remember that we had an audience. After a moment I pulled back to allow Hiccup space to stand up. The crowd was silent. Hiccup seemed uncomfortable with the silence, not that I blamed him. Somehow, the Kruziik's magic was still hindering our connection so I pulled myself up to Hiccup, like the time we had first met. This time though I reach forward with my snout and closed my eyes.

It wasn't but a few seconds that Hiccup got the idea and place his hand on my snout. Our minds sought each other out and embraced one another filling in the gap we had both been missing. We took a moment catching each other up in the events of the last day. Hiccup was surprised to learn that the dragons attacking Berk were the Ancient Ones. I was less surprised that Hiccup had barely been on the island for a day when he had to fight someone.

"We should probably address our audience." I thought spoke to Hiccup.

"Do we have too? Why couldn't we just leave?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I am missing the flight gear."

"Useless reptile." Hiccup said aloud, good naturedly. I snipped at his hair for his insolence.

Hiccup turned to the still speechless tribe. "So, um… Berk this is Toothless, Toothless this is Berk." Hiccup said as he waved his arm to each group in turn.

The crowd remained in shocked silence. How long could it possibly take for their minds to catch up to a situation?

"So, ah, I guess this ends the fight?" Hiccup stated as he made for the gate.

"What are you doing you fool! You still have to kill the beast!"

In less than an instant Hiccup had reached into his armor, turned, and sent the knife hurtling through the air, where it impaled an older, grouchy looking Viking's helmet and sent said helmet tumbling behind the crowd. A quiet squeak was the last we heard of that Viking.

Before another of the other Vikings could stir up trouble, Hiccup addressed them all.

"As is my right, I call on the debt owed by the tribe of Berk!"

There was a few scattered laughing and snorts from the crowd before Hiccup's father spoke.

"What debt?" he was still trying to process the day's events and had wisely chosen to tread carefully as these were unknown waters.

Hiccup smiled. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Surely, you checked the nest when the raids stopped. We were the ones that stopped the raids! We killed the Queen!"

"The massive corpse we found, that was your doing? How could you have possibly taken on such a creature?" Stoick questioned.

"Toothless and I fought the monster. We weakened her wings before sending a plasma shot down her gullet, igniting her flame bladder. Before she could recover she crashed into the ground incinerating the remainder of her body."

Stoick paused deep in thought. I could see the crowd of Vikings were unsure of themselves. If they accepted what Hiccup said as true, then they did indeed owe Hiccup a debt, but it would be easy for them to ignore what he said and brand him a traitor. Not that I would let them do anything to him.

"Assuming we accept that there is a debt owed, what would you ask in recompense?" Stoick said. A few of the Vikings seemed shocked that Stoick was even considering this, yet others seemed thoughtful.

"Simple really, I would like the opportunity to end the war between Berk and the dragons. So, really, everyone wins!" Hiccup proclaimed with a sly smile.

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"Stoick! You can't possibly be considering the offer of this… this, traitor?!" yelled a villager from the crowd.

"Are you blind or just a fool? Hiccup has been down in the ring with that dragon for a couple minutes now and in case you haven't noticed, the two of them are acting more like old friends than sworn enemies. I intend to find out how."

There was still some grumbling but the crowd seemed appeased for the moment.

"It would probably be better if we discussed this in private, you, the council, and myself."

"Agreed. The council will convene in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes, everyone else, go to your homes."

Hiccup raised a hand forestalling the crowd. "And one last thing, Toothless, if anyone attempts harm against you, I will not hold you accountable for what happens next."

I was surprised Hiccup was going to announce something like that, yet, I could also see where he was going with it. Most of these Vikings probably thought I was under Hiccup's control somehow, but by basically giving open permission to retaliate to anyone that messed with me, I could allow my reputation to keep the peace.

Together, Hiccup and I left for the Great Hall. The crowd of Vikings split before us. The Vikings looked on in mistrust and caution, but we paid them no heed.

"Are you sure that the Kruziik really are the Ancient Dragons?" Hiccup asked mentally.

I shrugged before responding. "I'm not sure I believe them, but it is how they referred to themselves."

Hiccup paused, deep in thought.

"What's bothering you Zeymah?" I used both of his names frequently these days. I preferred Zeymah as it helped him remember that I was there for him, I was his brother.

"From what we have experienced and what you have told me, the Kruziik are powerful."

"Nevertheless, you are the Kaal Dov, they answer to you should you call on their loyalty."

"Would they though? They don't know I exist. It is hard to believe they would give up their autonomy just because of an ancient prophecy… I need to know more, but how do we learn?"

"We could ask the dragon the Berkians captured. I'm sure that with us together we can convince a single dragon to tell us what we need."

Hiccup wasn't sure though. He didn't like the idea of forcing anyone to do as he wanted.

"Zeymah, if there is ever to be peace between man and dragon there will come times that we will be forced to use tooth and claw to establish our dominance. It is just the dragon way."

"I refuse to believe that… force is for bullies, we're better than that!"

Always the stubborn one, but that is why the dragons of our nest had come to love Hiccup, because he always found a way to peacefully rule. When the nest had just been starting anew, many had been mistrustful of Hiccup. They had thought him weak. They had thought like under the thrall of the queen. But Hiccup had proven them wrong. He had proven his loyalty, his strength, but most of all he had proven a fair and just leader.

We had arrived at the Great Hall so we ended our mental discussion. Hiccup took a seat on an end of the table and I stood behind him, hidden partly in shadow. Within the next few minutes the rest of the council arrived. They whispered amongst themselves occasionally glancing in Hiccup's direction, not realizing that I could hear them and thus so could Hiccup. Granted I was hidden fairly well and even if they did know I was there, they had no way of knowing that I could hear or understand them. They weren't discussing anything particularly interesting though. It was just the general grumblings of men who didn't know what to make of the situation nor that to think of it.

Finally, Stoick arrived with Gobber in tow.

"Let's get this over with." He glanced around, searching for something. "Where did that devil go?"

"That 'devil' is right behind me, and I would ask that you give him the same courtesy you would give a visiting chieftain. He is, after all, second only to the Kaal Dov in seniority among the dragons of the nest we come from. His name is Toothless."

"Toothless?" Stoick looked bewildered but quickly regained his composure. "So be it."

"Who is this Kaal Dov though?" Gobber interjected.

"It doesn't matter. I have been granted permission to speak on his behalf in regards to Berk and any other Viking tribes we encounter."

"Alrighty then. You mentioned ending hostilities between Berk and the dragons?"

"Before we continue, I must admit the dragons that are currently invading you, who we have learned are known as Kruziik, are not affiliated with our nest. I cannot speak for them. However, nearly every other species of dragon in this region of the archipelago answer to the Kaal Dov in one form or another."

It was true. Over the past month every dragon that lived within three days flight had at one point or another had traveled to Hofkiin and acknowledged their subservience to Hiccup. Hiccup had thought it strange but Luna and I assured him it was normal when a new Alpha arose to prominence. Thus, Hiccup found himself a leader to nearly a thousand dragons, much to his surprise.

"Originally, Toothless and I came to Berk to learn the intentions of the Kaziik. However, once we arrived we were attacked and separated. When I woke up in Gothi's hut my primary goal became find Toothless. Now that fate has seen fit to reunite us our old objective resumes. We had no intention of contacting Berk, we believed you weren't ready yet for the idea of coexisting with the dragons in the archipelago. To our surprise, you seem more receptive than we anticipated, hence this meeting."

"You didn't mean to come back?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup shrugged before continuing. "As I said before, we didn't think you were ready. Berk is infamous for its stance on human/dragon relations. What is it the Book of Dragons says again, kill on sight?"

"And for good reason!" stated one of the councilmen "We have had nothing but trouble and death from the dragons."

"What if I told you, things could change? I know you don't trust me or the dragons I am representing, the dragons think the same of you. There are members of the nest that are all for burning each Viking island to ash, just to be sure that the dragons can live in peace. However, that is nowhere near the consensus. The majority is willing to seek peace."

"Do you expect us to believe that the dragons actually constitute a threat to all the Vikings of the archipelago? If all the tribes banded together we could wipe out any force you sent our way." Another councilmen declared.

To which I could only laugh. The council stared at me, aghast. Hiccup looked on smiling before answering. "Then why haven't you? Why didn't the archipelago band together and invade Helhiem's Gate?" Hiccup paused to let the council think over his question before he continued. "From the dragon's perspective the reason is quite obvious, but we won't go into that."

I remembered a council meeting that had occurred nearly a week ago. The council had brought up the feasibility of the Vikings attacking the nest. There wasn't an army of Smoke Breaths hiding the island anymore, nor the near impenetrable maze of rocks and sea stacks. Hiccup had allayed their fears. He stated that there wasn't anyone that knew the location of Hofkiin that may be considered a threat. If anyone did find the island though they would struggle to traverse the forest that lead to the central cove. Besides, no single tribe, or any three tribes to be honest, had the power to stand against the number of dragons that resided on Hofkiin, and Hiccup could easily call on reinforcements that could arrive far sooner than any Viking forces.

Hiccup had gone on to say that the Vikings would remain ineffective until they could put aside their differences and work together. Which was part of the reason Hiccup wanted to seek peace as quickly as possible. Gothi had mentioned to me of dark forces on the horizon. Hiccup wanted to make sure he wasn't fighting a two front war, nor did he want to risk the casualties that would ensue if war broke out between Vikings and dragons. Not with the threat of dangerous enemies threatening the islands.

"I will be brutally honest with this council. A plan was concocted that would have led to the utter annihilation of all Viking life in the islands. Dragon loss of life would be high but we would prevail. Thankfully for everyone involved that is an absolute final contingent. As long as peace is possible we can all avoid that scenario."

The council now sat back in there chairs a mix of disbelief and horror prevalent.

"The dragons propose a simple non-aggression pact for the time being, we don't attack you and you don't attack us. Eventually, the dragons are open to the idea of mutual defense treaty to defend against any potential threats from outside the archipelago. We doubt a full on alliance would be possible though. Our respective cultures are just too different."

"How can we trust that you will keep your end of the deal?" one of the councilmen asked. Surprisingly his question was honestly curious yet cautious.

"How can the dragons trust you? Both of us will have to take a leap of faith and believe that the other party truly desires peace." Hiccup paused to let that sink in before he continued. "There is one other item that I would like to add to this treaty. I would like the opportunity to speak with the dragon you captured. It is my hope to decipher the reason the Kruziik have invaded and potentially end the hostilities between Berk and the Kruziik. I won't have them threatening our chance for peace!"

There were a few murmurs among the council before Stoick spoke. "The council is going to need time to discuss what you propose. However, we are willing to give you access to the captured Kruziik, as an act of goodwill."

"By your leave then, Toothless and I will go."

Stoick nodded before returning his attention to the council. Meanwhile, Hiccup and I left.

"That seemed… too easy." I mentally told Hiccup.

"My father isn't an idiot, well, at least not when it concerns the wellbeing of his tribe. The villager's introduction to you was certainly best case scenario. We got lucky. My father could see that the situation matched the facts and sees an opportunity to better safeguard the village. Whether or not he will be able convince the village of that is yet to be seen. Of course he could be buying time until he can double cross us. We will have to be cautious."

By continued in silence until we reached the cave they were keeping the captured Kruziik in. There were several guards around the cave's entrance, but thankfully they took Hiccup's word that we had permission to enter. Never mind that Hiccup had a snarling Night Fury at his back.

So, the guards opened the gate and allowed us to walk down into the darkness of the cave. To our surprise we found the Kruziik heavily bound. I guess the Vikings didn't trust the rock to keep the dragon contained. The Kruziik was a few meters shorter in length to the ones we had encountered, but possessed a much more vibrant collection of colors. Blues, greens, and a hint of orange swirled together to make for a beautiful hide. The color was only hindered by the thick chains that bound the dragon. The Kruziik's feet were chained together and to the floor, hobbling it. While more chains kept its wings from unfurling and its neck straight, pulled taunt against the ground. A final strap kept its mouth firmly shut.

Once the dragon noticed our presence it grunted and shifted, apparently trying to maintain a threatening image. Not very successfully though as the dragon wasn't going anywhere, the Vikings had seen to that.

"Well then…" Hiccup started before we were both mentally assaulted. However, Hiccup and I were still deep in our mental link. We had taken more care with the Kruziik's dampening going on. Therefore, the mental presence was quickly rebuffed. Admittedly, it was powerful. Had I been alone it would have been a close fight. However, once again, Hiccup proved his mental acuity. Together, the Kruziik's assault was hopeless.

To my surprise though, Hiccup decided to counter attack. Without hesitation I charged in with him. In mere moments we had imprisoned the Kruziik's mental presence as tightly as it was bound physically. We sat poised ready to destroy the dragon if we so willed it, but then we receded.

We returned to the physical world, but Hiccup left a tendril binding the Kruziik to us so that we could speak mentally. Hiccup seemed to remember some of my lessons on dragon's strong belief in strength and was putting his own twist on things, strength, with mercy.

"Who are you?" Hiccup inquired.

"My name is Starrah…" the decidedly female voice responded with a note of defeat. She must have been shocked when we not only repelled her mental presence but struck back with unstoppable force. "I am the last Kulas of my people."

"Kulas? I am not as familiar with the ancient tongue as I would like."

"That you recognize the tongue is surprising enough. It loosely translates to princess. Though to the Kruziik it carries a bit more weight. Only the Kulas can bear children."

Well that explained why the other Kruziik were reluctant to attack. She was the last member of her species that could continue their kind.

"If you are so important to your people, how were you captured by the Vikings?" Hiccup questioned.

"Day in and day out, I was kept under close guard. I wanted to see the land that we were to take as our own. I hadn't expected the humans to possess a weapon capable of incapacitating me. While I was knocked out they dragged me here and bound me. The rock hides me from my kin and keeps them from finding me."

"Why have the Kruziik attacked Berk?"

"Nearly a year ago, one of the last seers among our people prophesized about this island, saying that it held our destiny and our salvation. The ancient homeland of the dragons. We thought we would find hope here. The Kruziik have been slowly dying off for decades. Our eggs die unhatched and no one knows why. We thought there might be something here that could save us, but we haven't found anything!" she sounded tired and bitter. Then again, her whole kind was facing extinction. "But who are you? You appear human yet you have the soul of a dragon!"

"For now, I will be asking the questions. There is more I need to know."

"But…"

Hiccup tightened his control ever so slightly on the connection, reminding Starrah she was in no condition to argue. Normally, Hiccup wouldn't be like this, but I believed he was putting up a tough front until he better understood the Kruziik. It made sense, especially since they constituted the biggest threat to the peace.

Starrah shrunk back, and Hiccup continued.

"We know that the Kruziik are the ancient dragons of legend. What we want to know is how you escaped the gods' purge? To our understanding, the ancient dragons were locked out of the Dream State and hunted down."

"How do you know about the Dream State?" Hiccup only glared for a moment before Starrah got the idea. "Our group was a splinter group. We wanted to ignore the humans. We wanted to observe them and wait until they were fully ready to attain the Mantle. However, as time has passed, Humanity has made little to no progress and we are dying. Action had to be taken."

Hiccup stopped his interrogation to think things over. It seemed the Kruziik were in trouble and desperate, a dangerous combination.

"I will make a deal with you. I will set my terms and you will decide if you agree or not. There will be no negotiation. Do you understand?"

Starrah nodded as much as her bindings would allow.

"As the situation stands, you have nearly no chance of ever seeing the sky again. I know the effect of being grounded is probably already getting to you… and it will only get worse as you rot away down here. Also, as I understand it, you are essential to your kind's future. Therefore, I will free you from your imprisonment and return you to your people. In return, you will swear your loyalty to me. I have worked for peace for to long for your people just to come along and ruin it. I need a bargaining chip so they will listen to me."

I could tell Starrah was torn between her desire for freedom and her loyalty to her people.

"If I may, the best hope for your people is this man." I inserted. Starrah looked at me, searching my eyes for truth. "We can help your people. I promise."

Hiccup posed me a silent question through our bond. "Should I tell her who I am?"

"It can't hurt."

Hiccup reopened the connection to Starrah. "I give you my word, as the Kaal Dov, that I will try to help your people, but I need your support so I can end the war between humans and dragons."

Starrah stared at Hiccup in pure astonishment and disbelief. "You are the Kaal Dov? Maybe you are what the seer predicted… So be it, I, Starrah, swear fealty to the Kaal Dov, till my soul departs for the next life, to do as he commands."

As Starrah completed her oath, Hiccup drew his blade and cut through Starrah's bonds effortlessly. At the same time a new smell assaulted my nostrils. Oil?

"Um, Hiccup? Why does it smell like oil?"

"That would be the Vikings preparing to burn us out." Hiccup replied calmly.

"What!"

"It appears my father has decided to double cross us. I thought his reaction was too good to be true." Hiccup finished wryly.

A/N- Ta da! My longest chapter yet! 7300 words, not including the A/N. Due to my full schedule I am forced to forgo NaNoWriMo, so maybe there will be more chapters this month.

Please tell me what you thought. I normally try to reply to everyone's reviews.

*a slort is a drunken troll, (spell it backwards)