The last time I saw her… I was scared.

Scared of what I would have become if that pageant never happened. After my change of opinion on dragons… I tried to hide. But I couldn't hide forever.

When the Night Lights re-entered my life, when Twilight accidentally ransacked my house in search of clues about the past, she found me again. And I had to admit my secret fear to my new brothers and sister.

Twilight talked to me about it… and made me admit that it was a part of me I could change. Because in the past, there are some things that matter and some that don't. Only when you decide which is which can you focus on the fact at hand.

That was one of Cloudjumper's teachings to them… and in turn, they taught it to me. But Twilight's lesson, what she told me when I told her I wasn't brave enough to face the truth of it all… I carry it proudly for this moment.

Being brave isn't about not being afraid. It's about doing what you have to do, even when you are.

So, what's about to go down… it's what I have to do.

We've all moved on as the day went by. Recovering from the losses we suffered… savoring the victory I helped bring… celebrating the return of the Chief and Chieftess… and having hope for the future.

My path to fulfilling my destiny wasn't easy… but my dad said that no one becomes a hero overnight. And the journey to becoming one is long, hard and tragic. He speaks from experience. My people may see me as a hero now, just like they did for my dad, because of how I led them into battle… and how I defeated Keiser.

But before my journey nears its end, there's still one last thing I need to do… confront my fear.

As night fell and my family rested after a long struggle and a harsh conflict… I embarked down my final steps as I lay in bed, closed my eyes…

…and opened them after several hours of blackness.

Just like my previous dreams, I was dressed in my own version of my father's old armor. There were the Night Fury scales that made up the majority of the suit, the folded wings on the back, and the unlit Dragon Blade resting on my upper left leg. I was carrying the helmet in my right arm, which still had those red triangles above the eye slots.

There were some things about the suit that were favored for my personal style, however. A skirt piece was located around my hips and the chest plate fit snugly against me. And resting on my right wrist was a new version of my shield gauntlet which, when I extended it, showed an image of Toothless with his red tailfin.

After a few moments of checking myself out in the suit, I shifted my attention to where I currently was. It looked like some kind of forest area with trees and rocks all around… save for a small opening in the distance.

I instinctively head towards the rocky opening, and when I get closer… I notice something stuck in there. A rusted, round shield.

And it tells me all I need to know.

I'm ending my journey where his began.

Setting the helmet down, I hoist myself over the shield and leap off, spreading the suit's wings and gliding down to the calm cove below. Evergreen trees, a small lake and a waterfall all await me once my feet touch the grass. I can hear songbirds in their nests and small breezes of the wind blow through my hair. Everything is so peaceful…

…but it never is that way for long.

The sound of someone landing behind me breaks through the peace and quiet of the cove. Birds fly off in a panic and the wind stops blowing… and goosebumps prickles on the exposed skin of my face when it's replaced by a chill.

"You can never hide from me forever," she says while I turn and face her. "No matter where you run, or who you go to… I will find you and remind you of who you really are. Someone who wished to kill all the dragons."

Just like before, she hides behind that mask of hers. Her folded sword is out by her side, and the dragon blood painted on her armor in intimidating design seems to give off a menacing glow. But I stand firm.

"Take that thing off," I tell her. "You don't need it."

"I suppose I don't," she replies in my own voice. "After all… it would look better on you."

"He's never been lying to me. To us." I say, getting straight to the point. "He meant what he said when he told us about the dragons."

"And it blinded him," she growls back. "His compassion for them is his greatest weakness. He failed because of it. He died because of it."

"That was all your doing," I counter, remembering what Toothless had said from my other dream. "I know what happened to you. You listened to the outdated facts of Grandpa's book. You embraced an era long gone and when they tried to turn you back to their side, you killed them. Your father. Your mother. Your little brother. All of them."

"They were weak, all of them." She hisses, dismissing it as nothing. "I savored the terror on their faces once I did it. And you should have done it, too. You should have listened."

"And turn my back on my family? What they stand for?"

"My family has done nothing but hold me back!" she cries, taking a few steps forward. "They tried to lure me into becoming as weak as them! I made sure that never happened… and you lost the chance to do the same thing."

I frown at her. "Why do you expect me to go through the same things you went through? We're not the same."

"Oh, is that so?" she taunts me, her thumb resting on the hilt trigger as she brings the folded sword up to her chest. "It's obvious that we have so much in common… but you're just too damn stubborn to see it."

I can hear her hissing angrily between her teeth at those last words. She presses down, and the second blade flips out to form the double-edged sword.

Without taking my eyes off her, I reach down to my leg and pull out the Dragon Blade. With the familiar click and hiss, the burning blade ignites into existence. Upon the sight of it, she spread her legs apart and holds her weapon in an offensive stance with one blade angled downwards.

As for me, I raise the Dragon Blade in a defensive pose, holding it in front of my face. We both stare at each other silently, waiting for the other to make the first move.

We wait for what seems like hours, and I can hear her fidgeting. She's anxious, losing patience fast.

"AAAAAARRRRGH!"

Finally ridding herself of every last shred of it, she lunges for me with a fury resembling the dragons she hates so much. As before, she goes for my neck, but I duck at the last second.

She swings again and I block, sparks flying off my fiery blade and her dragon-proof weapon. Parrying the strike, I smack her in the face with the pommel to stun her.

But she recovers quickly, deflecting my next strike and sweeping my legs out from under me. Just as I hit the grass, she leaps into the air with a furious roar, her blade aimed right for my throat. I roll out of the way just as it meets the dirt.

Yanking it back out, she advances relentlessly. Her sword crosses and clashes with mine, again and again, driving me back as I keep up the defensive. Our duel takes us all across the cove, and I even nearly end up in the water when she tries pushing me in. I dive roll over a swing to the legs to get out of harm's way, blocking a swing from her other blade from below and kicking her in the head.

She twirls her weapon over her head and brings it down on my own sword. I block the first two times, parry the third and strike at her head. She growls in pain, lashing out at me. Deflecting it, I block her counterstrike, locking our weapons in a clash.

Before she can refold her weapon to trap the Dragon Blade like before, I do what she least expects.

I switch it off.

Her blade swings by, and I can hear a gasp of surprise beneath her helmet…

…before my boot smashes into her gut, sending her sprawling to the ground and knocking off her helmet.

She lies still, her breathing heavy… but she acrobatically leaps back to her feet. Once again, my eyes rest on my own… no, her face. We may look alike, but there's one difference between us.

With a scream, she charges again. I don't back down, moving backward on my own as she spins her double-edged sword behind her back to drive me off. She connects with a stab for my heart, and I twirl around, seeing the rage in her eyes for a brief moment…

…and the Dragon Blade strikes her shoulder.

She howls in pain, striking at me again. I deflect each of her strikes gracefully, switching to an offensive combat method. The burning blade clashes against hers, and she desperately swats away each attack like flies.

Having enough, she attacks viciously… and knocks the Dragon Blade from my grip. It digs into the ground, singeing the grass it lands in. Twirling her blade to build up strength, she targets my head…

…and I extract my shield from my gauntlet and raise it, the sound of the dragon-proof double sword clanging against it ringing in my ears.

"This won't save you!" she roars, and my own answer is kicking her back.

Retracting the shield, I turn to the Dragon Blade as she catches her breath… but I make no move to retrieve it. When she notices this… she doesn't attack. Instead, she looks at me curiously.

I take this moment to study her. Her blue eyes flash like lightning when enraged. Her scruffy hair and scarred face.

No. That's nothing like me. She's not me.

Now, I have just what I need to end this.

"Admit it already," she hisses. "You can't possibly beat me… because I'm you. I know every move you make before you even make them. I know all your strengths, your weaknesses… I'm even as quick as you, so the second you start bolting for that piece of crap, I'll stop you dead in your tracks and kill you without a second thought."

I only remain silent for a bit before I speak up. "You're right… but there's one thing I know that you don't."

"Weren't you listening?! I know your thoughts! Your skill! I match you blow for blow! You! Can't! Win!"

Ignoring her, I look her dead in the eye. "You… you're not me."

"Wha- are you mocking me?!" she snarls with Mom's anger.

"You are a phantom," I continue. "You are what I would have become if my parents didn't make me change my view on dragons. You were born out of my fear, my guilt, and my hatred. And you haunted me whenever you got the chance."

Her brows furrow in rage and she bares her teeth. She takes a step towards me… but stops. Grunting in discomfort, she glances down at herself…

…and her legs start to fade away.

Her eyes widen in horror. "N-no!"

"But what you said is true. I can't defeat you. Not by force, anyway. I remember waking up screaming at the top of my lungs, my body sweating like mad. I would have sought out help… but I recently realized this was my fight."

"W-what is this?!" she yells, her body starting to becoming more see-through and invisible by the second. "What are you doing to me?!"

"I'm surprised you don't know," I answer smugly. "We share the same face, the same body, and the same skills… but there's a difference between us."

"There IS no difference!"

"Oh, there is. You just don't see it."

Now, her chest and arms are starting to vanish, along with the sword in her grip. She knows that she can do nothing to stop this, but she refuses to believe it.

"You're just in my head," I tell her with narrowed eyes. "You're just a conjuring. An illusion. There's nothing you can do to hurt me."

Her eyes whirl back to me, a mix of fear and anger. She instantly breaks into a run, charging right for me and leaping high, her partially invisible sword aimed for my head.

"NYYYAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!"

I only close my eyes, clench my fists and whisper three words that echo throughout my soul.

"You're… not… real."

Then… the chill is gone.

The wind begins breezing against me again. The birds return to their nests and start singing. The rush of the waterfall fills my ears again. I open my eyes… and see no trace of her anywhere. No evidence that she was even here.

It's done. My mind is calm again.

Alongside with Keiser, I've defeated the enemy I feared the most: what I would have become if I clung to my dragon-hating ways.

And now, I've truly become my own hero, worthy of living up to my father's legacy.

The wind starts to pick up around me, singing my name once again. I can feel the eyes of Njord, the god of the wind and sea, upon me as I close my eyes and spread my arms like wings.

I let the wind take me. I let it lift me up and send me soaring into the heavens…

…where I awaken.

I feel happy. Peaceful. I don't think I've felt this way for a long time.

I let myself relax and let go of all thoughts, reminiscing this moment…

…until the sound of something hitting against the outside of the house catches my attention.

I roll around in bed, and I see an arrow with a small piece of paper attached to it. It's right outside the window. I quickly glance to Nuffink, who's out like a light. He looks deep asleep, so I probably won't wake him easily.

Wanting to be careful nonetheless, I slip out of bed and quietly creep up to the window. I open up the shutters, and he immediately shivers from the chilly air. I freeze for a moment and turn to him… and my brother only pulls his blanket up tighter.

I sigh in relief, snatching the arrow and closing the shutters back up. Sitting back down on the bed, I set the arrow down on my dresser, take out the paper, unravel it and start to read.

Later that morning, Eguala, Nuffink (with some strange bag strapped over his shoulder) and I are down by the pulleys, where Adrian and Avicia are loading food, clothes, and gear into a small boat. As Avicia sets down a barrel onto the boat, I turn to Adrian.

"So… you're really leaving?"

He nods, scratching the back of his head. "As crazy as it sounds, yeah. Turns out I'm… not completely comfortable with Viking life."

"It's okay," I say. "I completely understand."

"But… where exactly will you go?" Nuffink asks him. "Don't you have that price on your head?"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that." He chuckles. "Well, since I haven't been sighted recently, it must have dwindled down a little. At least, I hope so. We were thinking that we could go to somewhere a little less… populated on the mainland. Like a village or a town. Somewhere my activities haven't been spread to so we can start anew."

"How about York?" Avicia suggests, hopping down from the railing. Adrian turns to her quizzically.

"York? You mean, the one in England?"

"Mm-hm."

"But, wait. Wasn't that place taken over by the Vikings? Like, another tribe or something?"

"It was!" she says. "But they were driven out over a century ago! By some guy named… Eadred, was it? King Eadred?" she puts a hand to her chin in thought. "Anyway, it seems like a suitable place."

"Alright, fine by me." Adrian says, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Uh, hold on a second," Nuffink says nervously. "What if you hear someone telling stories about dragons?"

The two of them look at each other nervously for a moment before Avicia speaks up. "The dragons…" she says hesitantly. "…don't exist. They never did."

"And that's all they need to know." I reassure her. "As long as you keep people off their tail and they don't find out about the Hidden World."

"What if they find you guys?" she asks.

"Find us?" I ask, bewildered. "Ha! Have you seen how big this island is? No way would they be able to climb up here!"

"And in the unlikely event they do," Eguala adds. "Your people have the high ground. An advantage such as this presents the opportunity to drive them off."

I cross my arms with a smile. "Your tactical skills never cease to amaze me."

"Well… it was part of my training." She replies with a smile of her own.

I flash her a wink of approval before Adrian clears his throat to regain my attention. "So… I've been thinking about something else. You know the West Wind legends? I'm deciding to spread them."

"Spread them?" I repeat.

"Yeah. Like how she vanished for seventeen years… and then came back. How she led an entire village against an enemy capable of bringing utter destruction to everything in its path and lived among them after their victory."

"Adrian, I…" I whisper in awe. "You don't have to do that."

"You're right, I don't," he replies smugly. "But I choose to."

"And I'm sorry, but…" Avicia adds. "I'm afraid you can't mention that said village is a Viking tribe. You know how much the mainland people hate Vikings to the point where some wish to wipe them clean off the face of the earth."

"Then I'll just have to leave that out, then," he tells his sister, with Nuffink looking a little confused. "Uh, don't you mean 'clean off the face of Midgard'?"

Avicia only rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

"I want to do you a favor, Zephyr," Adrian says. "Just like how your old man was known throughout this archipelago, it'll know your name too. And maybe the whole world. So… this is the least I can do, princess."

His eyes immediately widen and he slaps his hand over his mouth, taking a step back in fear. I know all too well what he's thinking: that I could pin his arm behind his back, twist a wrist or grab him by the shirt collar and strictly remind him that I am no princess.

But instead… I shrug and nod.

"You… you're okay with it now?" He whispers in shock.

"Yeah," I answer. "It's fine."

He lowers his hand, still blinking to make sure this is real. "And you say that now? You're really okay with me calling you that?"

"I'm sure. You have your way, I have mine."

"Uh… okay."

Still stunned from my change of opinion, Adrian only turns back to the boat to check inventory. Watching her brother climb on board, Avicia turns to me with a smile.

"Thank you," she whispers.

"For what?"

"For setting me down the right path… and for finishing yours. But now, we have to go down our own separate ways. I… I won't forget you, Zephyr. That's a promise."

"Then you better keep it," I reply.

"Hey, Zeph!" Adrian calls to me. "Good luck taking after your dad!"

"Thanks!"

"And Fink, I know we didn't hit it off that first time, but… I'm glad you were a good pal."

"Heh! Anytime!" my brother replies with a thumbs-up.

"We all set, sis?" he asks, turning towards Avicia as she wraps up final preparations.

"Yep! Good to go!" she confirms. Adrian smiles and prepares to lower the boat…

"Hey, one last thing!" Nuffink shouts, reaching into his bag and tossing a small pouch to Adrian. He catches it, and when he feels the weight of what's inside, he gasps in shock.

"That ought to get you started!" my little brother explains. "Pretty soon, you won't be stealing stuff anymore. You said you wanted to start anew, right?"

Adrian only smiles at him. "Not bad, kid… not bad."

With those words, the two of them start to lower the small boat down to the sea with the winches. Smiling at us both, Avicia waves to us while Adrian simply watches us with a smirk, his crossbow holstered on his back. Nuffink and I wave back while Eguala bids farewell by crossing her arms and smiling.

Soon enough, the boat touches the water, the lines detach, the sail unfurls… and they're off.

"I'm sure gonna miss those two," I sigh as I watch the boat drift off. "They reminded me of… well, us. In a way."

"Did you see the way he looked at you?" Nuffink asks me curiously. "He looked like he was…"

"Oh, please," I scoff with a roll of my eyes. "You know I'm older than him. Maybe by a few months or something, but… it's pretty significant, if you ask me."

We both turn to Eguala, who looks to us in return. "I must thank you both," she says. "If it weren't for you, I would have never accepted the past and moved on. I would have become vengeful… but you showed me there are other things worth fighting for. I shall not forget this… you have my gratitude."

With a respectful nod to us, the former soldier heads off to see wherever she is needed. With a relieved exhale that my current troubles are behind me, I start walking away from the docks…

"Zephyr, wait."

My brother's voice makes me turn around. "Yeah?"

"I, uh… Dad gave me something he was working on the other day. He wanted to make sure we always have them with us."

"Who?" I ask him. "Adrian and Avicia?"

"No, not them. You know who he means." He dismisses me. "But… you remember that Toothless toy you had when you were little?"

"Of course," I answer with a nod, curious as to where he's going with this. "What about it?"

"Well…" he reaches into his bag. "I hope you like this as much as you liked that." He picks an object I can't make out from the bag and tosses it to me. I catch it in both hands, turn it over… and my heart stops.

What I have in my hands right now… is a stuffed dragon resembling Twilight. The patches of white among the sea of black, those shining blue eyes…

For a moment I'm back at that seastack near the Hidden World, cuddling with baby Twilight in my arms as she chitters and squeaks happily. Those same eyes reflect the very sky above me. A warm, childish feeling makes its way into my heart…

"So… do you like it?"

"Finky, I… I…" I'm at a total loss for words, and I can feel a tiny tear trickle down my cheek. "I… I love it."

My voice comes out in a half-sob of joy. It's like I'm seeing her as a baby all over again.

"I'm glad you do," I hear him say. "Because…"

I look up from the toy dragon… to see Nuffink holding two more resembling Dawn and Dusk. My heart soars when I see them and my mouth falls open in shock...

With a giggle, I squeeze the Twilight plush close to my chest. I feel like I want to sleep with it… but would that mean I'm already getting obsessed with it?

My mind doesn't seem to care, because I wrap a startled Nuffink into a hug. "Thank you…"

"You're…. uh, you're welcome." He stammers. "This way, we'll have these to remind them of us."

"I am never gonna lose this, Finky. Ever." I promise, looking down at the Twilight plush in my arms. Seeing it… it makes me think of something.

"Finky… do you think they're finding some way to remember us?"

"I hope so, Zeph," He replies with a hint of uncertainty. "They're old enough now, but… I'm sure they'll find a way."

"Good... now, what do you say to a little spar?" I say, patting him on the shoulder. "We need to keep you in practice if you're ever gonna join."

My little brother smirks, holding up a fist. "To better days?"

With a warm heart, I raise my own fist… and bump his. "To better days."

Deep within the Hidden World

Twilight's POV

Ever since the last few days, the dragon race was shaken. Some more than others. The new enemy surprised us, caught us off-guard. And if it weren't for me, my brothers, Zephyr, and Nuffink, we would all be extinct.

I haven't been sleeping well at night. And I don't want to admit to anyone, but… I miss her.

I wish I could have remembered her as I grew older. I know it's not my fault, but I still feel guilty about it. A part of me feels like she's dead. But a certain memory involving Cloudjumper watching over our training echoes in my mind.

"There is great potential in you, young dragon. I understand how much you care for your brothers, but you waste some of that potential if you use it recklessly to help them. You must know that Pouncer and Ruffrunner are just as skilled as you, and you must not let them get in the way of what you need to do."

He's right. If I focus too much on the ones I love, I'll lose myself. Zephyr can handle herself, too. She's already proven that. She might also be missing me too… and I'm not the only one who mourns today.

Some dragons are sending their farewells to the Bewilderbeast, while Ruffrunner has assembled a circle of stones near the body of Spark, who Hookfang found among the rocks. The circle of stones acts as a gateway to the other life, as I've been told. When a dragon's inner flame is extinguished, it is reignited in an ancient realm where it forever resides, unreachable no matter how high you fly. The circle is meant to show the flame the way to where it needs to travel.

Ruffrunner has been lying near the corpse of his friend for most of yesterday, and Mother's soothing words were enough to get him to move. He said he needs some time to think… and I secretly wish he'll be back to his old, playful self soon. Because (I never thought I'd say this) we all need that in a time like this. And I never thought I'd be happy for when it does come.

Pouncer has been helping Father with the injured dragons. He thinks that everyone needs all the assistance they can get, and he even asked me to help. But I declined, saying that I needed some time alone. He understood… as he always does.

Now, I'm resting on the sands of the very same place where Father first told me about Hiccup. I stare at my own reflection in the water… and it reminds me I'm not the same.

My body is covered in scars from the battle. Most of my major injuries have faded, but I've counted every scar I could find. One on my nose from the venom-induced Nadder's tail, bite marks on my neck from the Nightmare, small nicks on my sides and underbelly from stray arrows, bruises from crazed dragons that collided with me in midair, the still-aching wounds from those ballistae that shot me, and scrapes from the wooden debris of the doomed flagship. There are even several scales missing from my tail.

Stormfly told me that Astrid, her old rider, viewed scars as proof that you were battle-hardened, that getting them was "fun". Ugh, I don't think I'll ever understand humans, even ones I've been fascinated with ever since I was a hatchling.

I'm sure Stormfly meant it was no big deal. She said the scars, once they stopped hurting, served as memories of how you got them. Well, in that case, I'm never gonna forget how I got all of them.

I sigh, a low coo rumbling from my throat. Rising to my feet, I turn and start to trudge off away from the water. At the back of my mind, I can't help but think of Zephyr. How she was feeling right now, if she misses me, and how I can remember her on my end…

Something out of the corner of my eye makes me turn my head. There, peeking out of the sand… is a stick.

I stare at it for a long moment, and my eyes dart to the sand. I look to the stick, then back at the sand, then back to the stick.

And I get an idea.

I take the stick in my mouth, run back over to the sands and start drawing. I've only seen Father do it a few times, so I try to mimic him as best as I can as I create lines in the sand…

…and when I pull away and put down the stick, they're in the shape of two humans: one female with a flaming sword and one male with an axe and shield. With a purr, I stare at my creation proudly. Sure, this is only a temporary method, but I have a better way of remembering those two.

"Hey, Dusk. Why the long snout?"

My ears perk up and I turn my head in the direction of my brother's voice.

"I dunno, Ruffrunner. I just feel kinda… off, you know?"

That's odd. It doesn't sound like anyone else is there. Spreading my wings, I jump up to a nearby coral formation to get a better view. Before long, I see him near one of the tunnels. He dashes off from one stalagmite to another.

"I do know! I'm you, remember?"

Before I can question what he's doing, he runs back to the stalagmite he was at before.

"Oh, yeah. It's just this whole double-name thing. It's getting to me. I mean, it's so confusing!"

He's back at the other stalagmite. "Yeah! I totally get it! There you are, knowing yourself by the name you were given when you hatched, and when you met the humans, they go and come up with something totally different! Just what is up with that?"

Before he can run off to the stalagmite he started at, I step at the edge of the coral. "Are you… talking to yourself?"

"Huh? Oh! Hey, Dart!" he exclaims, realizing I've been watching him. "Sorry if I was bothering you, but… it's so weird that the dragons know us by one name and the humans by another. Just why is that a thing?"

"No idea," I reply. "But think of it this way. Our parents named us after personality traits while the humans named us after times of day. It's… pretty clever, if you think about it hard enough."

"Oh yeah, I guess it kinda is," he mutters. "Uh, speaking of the humans… do you think they miss us?"

"Ruffrunner, ever since we got back, that's all I could think about. I couldn't focus on anything else… so I want to make sure I remember them."

"We will, count on that. We're not hatchlings anymore."

"I get that, but... the last thing I want is to forget them again," I say, making my way to a nearby tunnel after my brother nods in understanding. But before I can leave, I decide that I should probably tell him. Tell him my plan for making sure I remember Zephyr and Nuffink.

"One more thing, Ruffrunner."

"Yeah, what is it?"

I can't resist a smile. "My name is Twilight."

I don't wait to hear his reaction… because I shoot off into the air and fly my way towards another section of my home.

Dusk's POV

"What? What do you mean by- Dart, wait!"

But she's gone.

I stare silently at where she vanished. So… she's choosing to refer to herself as the name she was given by Zephyr and Nuffink. Honestly, I suppose it suits her, but… it's still gonna be confusing.

With a hopeless sigh, I make my way down to the water. I could really use some relaxation about now and try to put all of this behind me. I start to put one foot in the water… when I see something.

It's a drawing. In the sand. Just like what Father did so long ago. Except when I take a closer look, it's not a single human with a metal leg. It's two of them… and it doesn't take me long to figure out who they are.

And when the realization hits me, I fully understand why my sister said that. She wanted to remember them… and what better way to do that than to call yourself by the name they gave you? That way, they'll always be with you.

With a chuckle, I take off and fly away to tell Pouncer of the great idea…

(A/N: Next: the epilogue! If I'm in luck, I'll end up finishing the story just before its one-year anniversary!)