It seems as though they truly did leave in a hurry considering what they had left behind, though we're taking everything with a grain of salt. Krogan is searching for the Dragon Eyes, likely because he doesn't know Hiccup destroyed them nearly a year ago. He is also trying to rebuild his Flyer's unit but without the Deathsong's Amber to trap Singetails, it is proving much more challenging to capture dragons. The base at Swallow was exactly what it seemed to be, a storage location and a trap; meant to eliminate Hiccup or at the least, trap him underground permanently. When that failed, they packed up since like Dagur suggested, it wasn't strategic for trapping and took off. Likely carried off by what few trained dragons Krogan has at his disposal; he's no match for Berk, or even for the Riders directly. Right now, he has to rely on subversion and deceit to try and kill Hiccup.

That is what he has been hired to do, specifically. Hiccup is known as the Dragon Master throughout the Archipelago; the one who forged an ironclad treaty with both the Outcasts and Berserkers. The one who defeated the Red Death and Drago's Leviathan. Chief of the Hooligan Tribe and Friend to Dragonkind with his own Alpha, The Night Fury. He sounded larger than life when you heard it spoken about like that, but behind those titles and names was a humble and unimposing man with a heart of genuine gold.

"What do you think?" Hiccup says, holding the notes up to Eret and Dagur who both nod. Those two had gotten along swimmingly recently, starting out as nearly the same. Enemies of Hiccup that turned into stalwart allies.

"They look like communiques, we used to receive them on trapper ships. Each paper looks worn, the ink looks equally dated. If these were forged or meant to lure, someone went through a lot of trouble and time. See this one is dated before we knew about Krogan's involvement." Eret explains.

"I agree, I think they slipped up, honestly. In their rush to evacuate or be left behind, they left behind what they considered noncritical and didn't burn it. My guess is once you collapsed the tunnel on Krogan, there was an all call to get back to the cave, dig him out and leave before we returned. Even with their fortifications, they weren't ready for us which must've sent shockwaves through their forces." Dagur adds, taking one of the papers and holding it up. "This one concerns me though. Krogan is coming for you specifically, I heard about what happened when he was just a bounty hunter before he got totally involved with the Hunters. If he is hired to kill Hiccup, then there is no limit to what he will try." Dagur adds and looks directly to me.

"You will all need to be on guard, there is more than one way to trip up someone to making a potentially life ending mistake, especially someone who values those around him. Krogan seems desperate and out for revenge, and I would not put anything past him." Dagur adds which makes my heart sink as I nod.

"We'll be ready." I state simply, placing a hand on Hiccups shoulder.

"And they won't be alone." Fishlegs add, stepping closer to the table.

"He said it, we'll protect our magical leader. Not that he needs it, I mean, look at him. To this day, I do not understand how he just makes his flaming sword appear, or how he somehow always has a Terrible Terror nearby." Tuffnut adds as I laugh lightly and roll my eyes.

"We've established that Hiccup is a magical creature a long time ago, possibly sent by the gods themselves. At this point, I'd like to say we've seen 5% of his magical abilities." Ruffnut adds as Tuff shakes his head and grabs his hair with a wild look.

"Did I miss something?" Dagur asks and Hiccup shakes his head.

"Oh, just ignore those two. You've already been a great help, Dagur. I can't ask you to stay any longer, but I will send you an Air Mail should your aid be needed." Hiccup adds, extending his arm which Dagur takes.

"You know it, Brother. Plus, you'll still have a true Berserker riding with you, ain't that right, Sister?" Dagur adds, glancing to Heather who nods.

"Absolutely. I've got my own score to settle with Krogan, and I'll be damned if I let him get to Hiccup or anyone else." Heather replies with a zealous smile, glancing to me with a nod.

"Okay, then. On that, I'll be heading back to Berserker Island. I'll be flying to the Defenders first to pick up Mala." Dagur states.

"Maybe we can swing by sometime soon, to say hi to the Chiefess of the Berserkers?" I ask and Dagur laughs with a nod.

"Of course! My friends, you are always welcome on my island." Dagur states, clasping me on both my shoulders before moving to Heather and giving her a solid hug before taking off. I was skeptical at the time, but I'm glad I reserved my judgement and followed Hiccup's lead because Dagur had truly become one of our strongest allies.

"Alright gang, we have a couple options to consider. Many of them dangerous as these islands are largely unofficially charted due to violent or rather unfriendly inhabitants; and they are relatively uninhabited by local dragons due to their inhabitants either killing them or driving them off." Hiccup states as I sigh. We've had little run-ins with those around the Archipelago beyond the Berserkers and the Outcasts. The greater region in the south was inhabited by isolationists and after Drago wiped out the majority of their chiefs besides Stoick, they had been in shambles rebuilding.

"I much prefer dealing with Dragons than actual people." Tuffnut retorts

"Yeah, people suck. Every time we meet a new tribe, we almost get killed, or at least I do." Snotlout adds with a sigh.

"Maybe if you don't insult them when we first meet them you won't have anything to worry about. Think about that for a moment, Snotlout." I retort, thinking back to the Wingmaiden incident.

"Okay, okay. Yes. I generally am not a huge fan of people either. But we need to find Krogan, once we do that, we can resolve that whole issue." Hiccup states.

"I've an idea, Hiccup, that may not be well received." Valka says, stepping forward as Hiccup nods. "I heard about the great gathering of Chieftains that almost claimed Stoick's life, though it happened after my time with the tribe and before my return. Having run into Drago since then, he bragged about his defeat of the Archipelago's Chiefs, so I dug." She explains and I shift, I can almost guess where this is going.

"My suggestion is, instead of trespassing on these neighboring islands, invite their leaders to a new summit. A summit where we can recreate the pact between tribes. We already have four strong allies who would gladly attend. With those in our favor, we may allay the fears or retribution of isolationists like the Hysterics. Together, we could prevent the likes of Krogan and his ilk from ever setting sail in the archipelago again." Valka suggests passionately and then all eyes, including mine, fall on Hiccup.

"Mother, those tribes hate dragons. We'd need to approach it carefully, if they sailed to Berk as it is right now and saw the swarm overhead, they'd turn tail and likely think we were trying to pick them off." Hiccup suggests and I can see both sides. I slide my hand into Hiccups and nod.

"If we can truly achieve a level of peace in the archipelago and stop future trappers and hunters from setting foot here; repair and let blossom the relationship between humans and dragons… if there is even a chance…?" I say softly and he smiles and nods.

"Then we have to try. You're right." He answers softly, then looks to his mother. "You're both right. But organizing that would take time we don't have. The immediate threat of Krogan is too great to try diving into inter-tribal politics. That said, it's something we need to look into." Hiccup states and sighs, glancing back to his mother. "Mom, if you'd be up for it, I'd like you and Eret to officially try to visit these islands as an Envoy from Berk to extend the invitation. The rest of the riders will keep a low profile and track down Krogan." Hiccup states as Eret starts to protest.

"With all due respect, you may need my trapping expertise, Chief." Eret suggests and Hiccup nods slightly.

"That I may. But Krogan isn't a trapper, he's a bounty hunter and assassin. We've dealt with him before; we'll do it again. Besides that, I need someone I can trust as backup to my mom." Hiccup states and Eret nods, resigning his protest.

"Everyone else, take the rest of the day to tend to your dragons and yourselves. Tomorrow we go scouting near Tomorrow, and should nothing come up there, we'll heat north east. First light at the Academy. Mom, anything you need, just ask." Hiccup finishes and she smiles and nods. Soon we all break, and Hiccup and I find ourselves slowly walking back to the house we hadn't been to in days, our dragons walking behind us.


Although I was glad to have Heather staying with us, and she was more than welcome to for the duration, I was also glad she wasn't there when Astrid and I got to the house. I needed to think, I needed to process everything that we had just discussed and the best time and place that happened was when Astrid and I were sitting in front of the fire pit together. It didn't take us long to shed our riding suits, store them upstairs and change into more comfortable clothing. Soon, we were resting in our shared chair, a pair of mead mugs next to us and a cozy blanket wrapped around us. Astrid was resting her head against my chest with one of her arms stretched across and hanging loosely on my shoulder as I was gently running my hand across her forearm, both of us just gazing into the fire.

"What're your thoughts?" Astrid asks after a few long minutes of comfortable silence as I chuckle slightly.

"I've so many. My mother wants to restart the Chieftains gatherings, which would only lead to more inter-tribal drama as we argued over who would be the Chief of Chiefs. And before you say it, it will not be me." I say softly and I feel her laugh.

"Why not. It should be." She answers and I shake my head.

"As if these tribes would ever accept the rule of a hiccup, besides that's just not me, Astrid. I'm-"I begin before being interrupted by her finger against my lips.

"The best leader we've had in ages, yes, I mean that. Stoick was great, but you have filled his shoes well. Think of what great era you could lead us into; Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Negotiator. If anyone can unite the Archipelago as the Chief of Chiefs, it's you, Hiccup." Astrid says softly, lowering her finger as I sigh.

"Why? That's not me. The only reason I'm even Chief of Berk is because I'm Stoick's son. Thor knows none of these reforms Berk has seen would be true if Snotlout was Stoick's heir and I was a Jorgensen." I retort and she scoffs and shakes her head.

"Okay, first off, never compare yourself to Snotlout or the Jorgensen's. Secondly, yes, it would have. You would have still shot down Toothless, you would still have ended up beating me in training thanks to what you learned. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are right where you should be, Hiccup." Astrid says as I tighten my grip around her waist.

"Sitting here with you?" I ask playfully and she laughs lightly.

"That, and many other things. You know I believe in you, even if you question yourself sometimes. I'll be there when the summit comes to pass, I'll be there when we finally nail Krogan to a pike. I'll be by your side when we bring peace to the Archipelago." Astrid says, sounding quite resolved in her soft-spoken words as I smile.

"You make it sound so easy. How do we bring peace when it seems to be in the nature of men like Ragnar, Krogan, Khan, Drago. Thor's sake, Viggo, Ryker, Johann. This Griselda; and their entire fleet of trappers, hunters. How do we bring peace when so many would rather bring profit? It'd be so much simpler, and miserable, if there were no dragons to fight over." I resign, closing my eyes softly and shaking my head.

"Maybe, but that's not the way of the world. Even if there were no dragons, those types of people would simply find a new trade. When there are no dragons to enslave, they would turn to enslaving their own. Wars would be fought over imaginary lines with people as the fodder. It'd be the same, we'd only be losing the beauty, the mysticism of the dragons; not the nature of evil people." Astrid replies as I feel her shift in my embrace and feel her press her lips softly against mine. Opening my eyes, she is gazing into mine with a light smile. "Promise me you won't give up. You've never given up, and I won't let you now." She finishes softly and I smile.

"I promise. With you by my side, I feel like I can accomplish anything, no matter how insurmountable it may seem. I'd like to believe that peace is possible. But you know what that means, ultimately, right?" I say softly, closing my eyes again. Her silence begs me to finish my thought as I sigh. "Those that cannot be reasoned with, that cannot see compromise, that would rather see war than peace; need to be removed." I finish softly. It was not something I cared to discuss, ending a life, any life, dragon or human.

"Be it prison bars or sent to Valhalla to be judged by the gods themselves, you are not wrong." She replies, resting her head on my chest. "I know it's not something to consider lightly, and I truly hope we can find another way to achieve peace. But so long as there are evil people in power within the Archipelago, that will not happen. What better way to fight it than by unifying the Archipelago against it?" Astrid suggests and I smile. She was really pushing this whole summit idea my mother suggested, made me wonder if they conspired together when I wasn't looking.

"What's your stake in it?" I tease and she shakes her head.

"I've no stake in it beyond seeing peace between dragons and humans and seeing peace…" she pauses and lifts herself back up, resting her hand on my cheek as she looks in my eyes. "…in here. You don't think I can't see the turmoil in your heart, but I can, better than anyone." She finishes, leaning down and gently kissing me again. The kiss lingers as I run my fingers up her back, running them underneath her loose shirt. Slowly our lips part with us both smiling.

"I do feel at peace with you, I hope you can see that." I whisper and she nods, pressing her forehead to mine.

"I do, Hiccup." She answers and we suddenly hear the door to the front door open as Heather gasps.

"Did I just hear a proposal!?" Heather exclaims as both of us burst out laughing and sitting up from our seat, shaking our heads violently.

"What?! No, no, no, no, no." I stutter as Astrid waves her hands, we're both flustered as Heather laughs.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." She teases, walking in. "Its around dinner, figured I would cook tonight for you two." She pauses and glances towards us still sitting under the blanket. "That is, assuming your staying?" She jests as we both shake our heads with a smile.

"Cook away, you know where the stuff is. It's been awhile since you've made us yakchops." Astrid replies as we both stand and take our mugs of mead to the table, sitting and watching Heather. It was semi-awkward but Heather was different. Like a sister to both Astrid and I, we didn't feel the same level of awkwardness when it was her versus someone like Gobber.

"Where have you been?" Astrid asks.

"I took Windshear on a flight, had to ditch Snotlout who apparently can't figure out who he wants. Ugh; he really hasn't changed his attitude towards women at all, has he?" Heather vents and both Astrid and I laugh.

"Not really. Did you know that Fishlegs and Ruffnut thought they were married for a day, acted like a real married couple and everything back on the Edge. I wager Ruff ends up with him." Astrid suggest as Heather sighs.

"Still not sure where that romance blossomed. Eret seems to have a thing for your mother, there, Hiccup." Heather suggests as my eyes widen with a laugh.

"That's horrifying. Can we not?" I exclaim as the girls laugh. "What about you; I hear Gustov is looking to court?" I retort as I literally see Heather retch which prompts both Astrid and I to laugh.

"No, thank you. I'm quite sure I'll end up alone for a long while, which is okay with me, to be honest." Heather answers.

"Well, you're always welcome in our home, so don't forget you have friends here." I state and she genuinely smiles. It had taken years to get Heather to accept that we were genuine friends but she did, now.

"Speaking of, have you given anymore thought to your mother's idea?" Heather asks and Astrid and I glance at each other and shrug.

"A bit. What's your take, since you brought it up?" I ask and she shrugs, bringing over the yakchops she just finished with a mug of mead.

"You should do it; and I know my brother and Mala would both support you being lead." Heather states.

"Really, Dagur wouldn't want to be the Chief of Chiefs!" I say, emphasizing the title, prompting both girls to snicker as Heather shakes her head.

"No, he's actually grown quite content with being Chief of the Berserkers and King of the Defenders of the Wing. That, and he respects you more than you know. Despite everything he's done in his past, you never gave up on him, not completely anyways. Always spared him, always chose the higher road when he still struggles to do that himself. Trust me, he'd want you to be the Chief of Chiefs." Heather states and I sigh. Great, now she was pushing that idea as well.

"Okay, well, can we table that idea and just eat? Talk about less important things, I don't know." I stammer and luckily Astrid comes to my rescue. Distracting Heather with talks about visiting Mala and going far north to see the Wingmaidens again. Revisiting the event where she almost killed Snotlout, the multiple events, rather. The dinner went from serious to laugher in moments and we were all able to just have a peaceful meal. Under the table, during our talks, Astrid's hand slipped into mine and squeezed softly. She had my back, and I had hers; and we always would