About a month after Bloom's unscheduled visit to Berk - which, expectedly, left her in a terrible mood for a good two days after getting back - Mala and Dagur are watching Bloom spar with Throk and Heather. It's two on one, and Bloom's the one - she's also kicking their tails, without using her magic. At least they've been able to beat her at least once when she doesn't use her magic.

Dagur sighs to himself as Mala leans into his side, then mutters "Viggo just had to head for Berk…"

Mala chuckles, then says "She said she told him there was nothing tying her to Berk or anywhere else in the Archipelago in the last raid. That seemed to throw him, apparently."

A Terror lands on Dagur's shoulder, with a note tied to its leg - the handwriting is Atali's, which sets Dagur on edge at once. The Wingmaidens don't usually have any problems, not after Bloom scared Krogan off the place and wiped out any existing maps that lead to the island minus the one she uses and whatever Viggo may have. When he unfolds it, he quietly curses under his breath. "Apparently, Stoick wants his daughter back at long last. He, Gobber, and the teens are on Wingmaiden Island. Oh, and they told the Berkians they're going to use Snotlout in their Sacred Stew for being so rude to them all."

Mala rolls her eyes, and asks "Isn't that the one that you said was always hitting on Heather?"

"Yep. I just about knocked him out the last time. He's all talk, mostly about himself, and no real action. I'm not surprised he's said something that got them mad."

Mala quickly checks to make sure Bloom hasn't heard them, then leans over and asks "Why would the Berkians be on Wingmaiden Island though?"

"That storm that happened last night? It could've blown them off course…"

Mala shrugs, then says "The note says to bring dragons…their ship probably got destroyed."

"Shoot…" Dagur quickly folds the note up, and gestures for Heather to come over - in a twist of events, she ends up getting thrown their way anyway. So, that works out…sorta.

Dagur and Mala quickly explain the situation, and Heather says "Okay…how about Dagur takes Bloom flying? Mala, you and I can get to Wingmaiden Island and get the Berkians back - and hopefully gone - by the time you two get back. You know Bloom, Brightfire, and flying."

Dagur nods, then asks "You think I should take Sleuther? He's fast enough to keep up, and I've been slowly trying to gain his trust."

Heather just shrugs, and says "Feed him first, then. I'll see if the dragons that came with Bloom are up for a rescue mission of sorts, along with…mm, Skullcrusher and Grump. Sound good?"

Mala nods, then winces as Throk reluctantly surrenders.

Dagur calls down "Hey, Bloom! Want to go flying for a few hours? Go on a mission or something? Maybe do another recon of the shipyard to see just how much of a dent we can put in Viggo's profits?"

Bloom shrugs, then says "Sure, why not?"

Dagur sighs in relief as she heads towards her hut, then says "That should keep her busy for a while. We'll go scout that shipyard again. I still say it's a trap, and Bloom agrees. She's all for blowing the whole place up, but that'll drain her for a while. Maybe that'd be for the best…"

Mala nods, and mutters "Twelve days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death…not very promising for them when that's how she describes the location of the island. Oh, and I forgot the part about it being located in the Meridian of Misery."

Dagur grimaces, and mutters "Please get them heading back to Berk before we get back…"

Atali sighs in utter relief when she sees Heather and Mala land, and mutters "Thank Freya…"

While they wouldn't actually eat Snotlout, he desperately needed a lesson in respect for women. Everyone but the Twins had the decency to look embarrassed about his behavior, at least.

Though, Stoick was taken aback by the fact that they not only help the Razorwhips, they let them stay on their backs until they're old enough to fend for themselves. Gobber and Asher were the most polite, and were constantly asking about Bloom - Gobber wanted to know how she's doing, and Asher's so lovesick she can practically smell it on him.

Apparently, they got some directions from the Northern Markets - barely, as everyone clammed up when the conversation turned to the Dragon Tamer. And then got caught in a storm, wrecked their boat, and ended up on Wingmaiden Island. By some stroke of luck, be it good or bad.

Heather sighs when she sees several annoyed expressions on other Wingmaidens' faces, and says "Whatever Snotlout said, I deeply apologize. He was always an idiot."

Atali nods, and says "I figured as much. He bought the line about our Sacred Stew in an instant. He ran out in a heartbeat, and then we explained to the others it was to teach him a lesson in a bit of humility and respect. Gobber just shrugged, and said he's needed an attitude adjustment for years."

Mala nods, and asks "Where are they now?"

Gobber and Asher are incredibly relieved when Atali walks back in…with Heather Berserk and a blonde woman. Fishlegs asks "Heather? What're you doing here?"

Windshear pokes her head through the door, and Heather strokes her head while saying "Take a guess, Fishlegs. Better question, what're all of you doing here? You're a very long way from Berk, after all."

Stoick says "We found Bloom. Rather-"

Gobber interrupts, saying "Rather, she fought off some ships for us, got arrested because most of Berk can't recognize friend from foe when friend is riding a dragon and foe is trying to cut off all of Berk's trade, then took off with some dragons she rescued."

Mala smirks, then says "We heard as much. She was in a horrible mood for two days after getting back."

There's a thick silence, then Asher asks "You…you know where Bloom is? She lives with you?!"

Heather grins, and says "More like, we live with her occasionally. Mala and Dagur married, so they split their time between the Defenders of the Wing and being Dragon Riders. Leaving me to run Berserker Island. Bloom spends all her time either off saving more dragons or healing the ones she has saved. Or just being with Brightfire, she and Brightfire are incredibly close."

Asher figures he's the only Berkian who knows who Brightfire is - he's read Bloom's diary cover to cover, the guilt's been eating away at him ever since, and he's been wondering every single day if she's alive or not until she showed up out of the blue like a sign from the Gods themselves.

Stoick asks "Is Bloom-"

Mala says "Alive. Healthy. Uninjured. Why do you care? When she was the 'most unviking-like Viking in the entire village' - wait, she wasn't a Viking, was she? No, she said she was never really a part of the tribe, said you said it and the crowd agreed. Said you considered giving up on her before she left. So…why do you care? Why are any of you minus Gobber out here?"

Stoick sighs, and says "It's complicated…"

Heather crosses her arms, and says "Not for Bloom it isn't. I'd get that answer ready for her. All of you. Atali, we'll take Snotlout off your hands."

Atali crosses her arms and says "Bloom will likely spear him on her Tulwar, you know."

Heather just shrugs, and says "Probably."

Mala says "I'll find Snotlout. Heather?"

"I'll get them ready to leave. And have one of them carry a barrel of the tea Bloom loves so much. Don't give me that look, its probably your only chance of survival if she's really pissed off at you. She's practically addicted to the stuff."

To the Berkians' shock, though it honestly shouldn't be since Heather rides a dragon, Heather leads them to six dragons.

Six familiar dragons - well, most of them, anyway.

Fishlegs immediately - near-hysterically - asks "What are they doing here?!"

Heather rolls her eyes, and says "Simple. They're your way off this island."

Grump starts sniffing the air, and then lumbers over to Gobber and lays on top of him - Heather holds up a hand, forestalling the drawing of weapons, and says "That's his way of saying hello. And that he likes you. Probably because Gobber smells like a forge - Grump's a Hotburple. They're sort of like cousins with Gronckles. They can eat…well, anything. Including Dragon-proof cages."

Gobber chuckles, and says "Well, I like him to. Grump, huh? Does he like rocks?"

"He lives in a quarry. He loves rocks. Watch the hammer appendage."

Mala comes up with two Wingmaidens - who fly up, thanks to the Razorwhips on their backs - carrying Snotlout by his ankles. Mala glares at him, and asks "Why, for Thor's sake, would you run into the Razorwhip Hatching Grounds? They attack any male they sense when its hatching time! That's why no guys live permanently on this island!"

"Well, how was I to know?!"

Heather sighs, and says "Classic Snotlout…get on. Now." At Snotlout's incredulous look, she just points at Hookfang.

"Woah! No way! That Nightmare will-"

Heather says "If Hookfang was going to eat you, you'd have been dead a month ago. As would Asher. Speaking of whom, onto Stormfly."

Asher looks a bit nervous at the idea, and Heather snaps "We ride dragons all the time, people! It's possible, and these ones aren't going to kill you! Get on, or stay here!"

The Berkians reluctantly - except for Gobber - get on the dragons they're told to get on. The Twins start messing around with Barf and Belch, Snotlout screams the entirety of the take-off, Fishlegs squeals and nearly falls off altogether, and Stoick fusses the entire way while holding onto the barrel of tea that's probably a peace offering.

Asher, for his part, just hangs onto Stormfly's headspines and tries not to look down. He looks up, instead - wow, what a view. He can see how Bloom enjoys it so much - she probably likes going faster than this though, if he knows Bloom at all.

Stormfly cocks her head back, making a sound somewhere between a warble and a coo, then…suddenly takes a dive. Asher holds a scream back through sheer willpower - barely, but he manages - and hangs onto the headspines so he can stay on.

Once they level out just a few feet above the water, Asher risks a glance down and sees his own reflection in the water. A Thunderdrum breaks it, jumping up before splashing back down and getting Asher soaked through his armor.

Heather and Mala fly down, since they're sharing Windshear - something about a tradition back on Mala's island - and Heather asks "What happened?"

"I don't know! She just suddenly dived! It was all I could do to stay on!"

Heather and Mala share a look, and Heather asks "Were you thinking about going faster?"

"Sorta…I was thinking about how Bloom likely would- wait, how'd you know?"

Mala yells over "Dragons are more magical than most humans, that's how! They have the power to connect their minds to ours! Usually, it only happens when you bond with them! Bloom and Brightfire can hear each other's thoughts crystal clear!"

"Ok, kinda creepy- what'd you mean about 'most' humans?!"

Heather and Mala share a look, and Mala yells "Later! You should hear it from Bloom!"

"'Cause we kinda had a demonstration back at Berk…"

Heather yells "That's the least of what Bloom can do. Trust us on that. You gotta see it to believe it."

The others fly down, at a much calmer rate than Stormfly, and Fishlegs asks "What happened with the Nadder?"

Heather yells "Her name's Stormfly, Fishlegs! What happened is an explanation for another time! Back on the Edge - speaking of which, we're almost there."

The tension rises even higher when the island comes into view - its beautiful, no doubts there…and its made for dragons, first and foremost. A tower with a giant bowl on top, with three dragons sitting on the edge and taking fish from it, several other dragons swimming in the bay, and a landing pad larger than most houses. Yes, this island was built for dragons before people. The huts dotted around the area look more like afterthoughts or late additions rather than a planned part of the place, for mercy's sake.

AN: Hey, everyone! Yes, the next chapter is here! Yeah, the Berkians are on Dragon's Edge - NO, Bloom's definitely NOT going to be happy to see them. Well, any but Gobber, that is. No spoilers on her reaction, though!

Anyway, enjoy! Hope you all like the story so far! Please review!