Author's Note: This will be the last chapter that follows canon. From this point on, I am breaking with HTTYD3; most of it will be the same until the very end. Various conversations and relationships will change. I am still leaving the floor open to anyone who wants to influence the story; I am writing this as I go :)


The night of Snoggletog had come and gone with all of our respective allies returning to their own islands to prepare for our organized assault on the Trappers. While everyone prepared, we had dispatched the A-Team to our allies' islands in pairs. Gustov and Sven had gone to Outcast Island, Seamus and Magnus had gone to the Mongrel Tribe. Bucket, Mulch and Agnar had gone to the Shivering Shores. Heather had sent a pair of her Berserker riders to the Hysterics, Hymir and Defender islands Tribes. The Wingmaidens were comfortable by themselves and the rest of our riders stayed at base, Heather had mentioned training more Berserkers and Hiccup had tasked Eret out to do the same. Eret had really proven his metal and even opted to keep an eye for the trappers and coordinate with the A-Team as they were out through T-mails.

Eret took to the task of training with a fierceness, he seemed ever willing to show his support for Hiccup in whatever way possible. I'll be honest, after watching his initial training with a few of the Tribe, I was impressed. He certainly knew how to train people, must come from his time as a trapper himself and leading ships. Not that I'm holding that against him, he has changed for the better and become a key aspect of our defense and council.

Meanwhile, Hiccup, myself and the riders with Valka continued hitting various Trapper strongholds to keep them on their toes. We were growing more efficient in dealing with them, to a point that the Hunters of old would've been nearly helpless before us at this point. If only Viggo could see us know, flying in dragon-scale armor, each of us like miniature dragons in our own right. The training, combatives and suits made us a force that was ever growing. Though, we still had our blunders here and there. Snotlout was overzealous as usual, Fishlegs meek and the twins were a discombobulated mess; but they were our team and at this point, I wouldn't change any of them.

Berk, which was already becoming filled to the brim with more dragons than we could count; more than had lived on the Edge, more than any single island. Those that lived on the islands near here relocated when Toothless became Alpha, the flock that followed Drago's leviathan had stayed; the pathways were always bustling with dragons moving like a machine. The more we freed, the more that joined us. Sure, some dragons here and there struck out on their own but by and large, they just came back with us. Our island, which I hadn't considered little until just recently, was quickly becoming crowded. We even had a titan wing or two in our flock.

Hiccup did not seem to mind the crowded island, not in the slightest. Our home was still private, the houses besides those dragons that lived with their riders, were private. We had begun encouraging those who had dedicated dragons as learning riders to no longer stable them and instead keep them at home with them to make room in the stables. It was a small dent in a large swath of dragons, but every little bit helped. Gobber, for his part, was doing his best to allocate everything and when he voiced his concern about the growing dragon numbers, it usually fell on deaf ears by Hiccup. He seemed to have no intent on slowing down.

"The island is becoming crowded, Hiccup." I mention after the latest spat with Gobber as we sit in the house.

"Well, what can we do about it? There is no where the dragons will be safe while the Trappers roam, once they are dealt with we can relocate them to their own islands." Hiccup answers with a sigh as I nod, stroking his arm as we sit.

"It's only going to be so long before Berk itself becomes a target. We have thousands of dragons here and the Alpha." I say softly, glancing up at Toothless who coos from his rock slab.

"We're getting closer, Astrid. We've hit so many trapper points, disrupted their operations for months. Now, with the rest of the Archipelago by our sides, they can hardly move without being tracked. We've got the target tonight that we'll hit. Supposedly moving a dragon of vast importance to the trappers. We still don't know their home port, but eventually, we'll find it." Hiccup answers confidently and I nod.

"It's weird that Ragnar, Griselda and Khan have all been absent during our raids. They ran a few personally, maybe they've pulled back to consolidate their efforts. Them being separate was always a benefit for us." I suggest as he nods.

"I've been thinking about that. The trappers themselves are a lot like Eret was; just doing a job, not evil. The evil is from those who command them, who do it for profit. Take down their leaders, their flock will spread and their ways will end." Hiccup states and I smile, turning my head and kissing him passionately on the lips.

"Your confidence is infectious sometimes." I whisper against his lips while we both smile and linger in the kiss. We stay like that for a good while, letting the day shift to evening. Our raid tonight was going to start in the darkness of the morning, when the fogbank was at its strongest. At midnight, we suited up, helping each other fully suit and strap. We moved slower than we needed too, but we each too heart in each other's presence. Taking our helmets and gear, we roused our dragons and quickly made our way to the Academy.

We saw Valka there first, in her full garb from when she was still the lone rider. Her armor there was dragon proofed and helped her get into the right mindset, though she often opted to be backup. Cloudjumper was a force to be respected but not so great on the stealthy side of things. Soon after we arrived, the rest of the riders arrived in their full dragon-scale riding armor. It made me chuckle softly to myself, we almost looked official. And Fishlegs had insisted on making a pouch in his armor for a baby gronkle. Try as Hiccup might to dissuade him, the Boulder-Class loving dragon-rider did not bend and made it anyways.

"Alright, Riders. We're wings up in ten. This mission will be stealth, we'll use the fog to get in and get the dragons out. Only engage if we have no choice, this hit has nearly a dozen ships so we could be overwhelmed if we aren't careful." Hiccup says, glancing around before adding. "Questions?" And to no one's surprise, there were.

"Yes, now here me out; why don't we use the fog to spread endless Zippleback gas and reearn our world's biggest explosion record?" Tuffnut says as Ruffnut nods in agreement.

"Because we could hurt or trap the dragons." Hiccup answers, his hand squarely planting on his forehead as I smile.

"Okay. Okay, but how about after?" Ruffnut asks as Hiccup shakes his head.

"No, we're not staying. By then, they will have had time to reorganize and we do not want that. Anything else?" Hiccup asks

"Aye, where do you want me, son?" Valka asks.

"Overwatch. You can Cloudjumper stay high and if we're about to be overrun, give the signal. Skirmishes here and there we can handle ourselves." Hiccup answers and glances to me; his expression soft while I put a hand on his shoulder and step forward.

"Rumor is the trappers have a very important dragon they are moving on this ship, but we don't know what. It'll likely be one of a kind and stand out. We're not leaving any dragon behind, but that is one we want to bring back to Berk with us if we can." I add for Hiccup and he smiles.

"Alright, gang, remember, we've gotten far together. We'll see each of these raids through to the end together and we're all coming home. Let's go get it done." Hiccup finishes as they all nod, even Snotlout nods with a smile as he closes his Nightmare-esqe helmet.

Then, we take off, flying together. I stayed by Hiccup's wing for the flight. This target was about an hour away from Berk on a strong flight, without the winds flying against us. Tonight, the winds were with us at this altitude and the cloud cover meant our approach would be unnoticed. Above the clouds, the night sky was breathtaking and beautiful, calm and serene even. I couldn't help my eyes from drifting to Hiccup and Toothless as we flew; a sense of admiration maybe. We've all grown so much in the past few years, and here we were again, protecting the Archipelago.

From within our suits, the flight wasn't as cold as it used to be; the dragon scale being padded and thick against the wind. Hiccup gave us the signal and we darted into the clouds on his wing, circling low enough to peek through the clouds. We heard the chatter of men down below, saw the filter of firelight through the fog and various main masts that stuck out through the top. Little less than a dozen ships, completely unaware. On our last circle, Hiccup's eyes met mine and he nodded, diving down into the mist below.


The raid was starting out well enough, we swooped down and landed without interference. I was right, they were housing dozens of dragons on this convey and with most of their crew sleeping during the night, and most of the sentries distracted we would have the run of the ship easily. We split up to enter and flank the ships; with the intention on reconvening on me. We had turned into a mostly well-oiled wench, we usually got things right. Worked together well; Oh, I wish the hunters from Viggo's time could get a load of us now, they wouldn't know what hit them. Of course, we had our off days…

That was when I noticed the large boulder-class dragon caged and muzzled by the walking guard. A Crimson Coregutter; a rare boulder-class; rarer even than the Catastrophic Quaken. The guard hit the cage, prompting the dragon to bellow and my brow to furrow; I really didn't like these guys.

Of course, they really didn't like seeing a guy in full black dragon-scale armor with a flaming sword. I remember Viggo taking my flaming sword idea and adapting on it; his adaptations eventually finding their way into mine. The Zippleback gas modification was excellent. Him seeing me walk through fire with Toothless at my side definitely didn't help the situation; I had to stop myself from laughing. They weren't as battle hardened as the Hunters were and definitely seemed more freelance. Maybe there was a chance they'd change jobs when their leaders were gone.

"Ahhh! You're a demon!" He exclaims as I move to shush him.

"No, no! I'm not a demon. I am not a demon!" I say, removing my helmet. His fear was funny, and I'd have to remember this for next time. "See! Just a guy, just a guy here to rescue these dragons. So, uh…"

"BUT YOU WALKED THROUGH FIRE!" He yells! Man, he is not helping us with the stealthy idea.

"Dragonscales! Dragons shed a lot!" I answer

"Nooo! I know a demon when I see one! No human legs are that skinny!" He exclaims as I scoff, looking up as Snotlout lands with Hookfang and they erupt in flames with a roar. Yup, there goes the stealth.

"Think that's a good entrance! Get a load of me!" Snotlout yells before screaming as his butt catches on fire. Shaking my head with my hand to my forehead, I sigh.

"I KNEW IT! MORE DEMONS!" The guard yells.

"That's really just a nitwit who forgot to fireproof his butt." I mutter, rolling my eyes as the twins explode with their Zippleback gas. Again, so much for stealth. "Guys! Too soon, you always come in too soon!" I mutter before Fishlegs lands infront of me, with the baby. No one saw him bring the baby, I'm sure I checked this time and he didn't have a baby with him. I'm sure Astrid did too. Well, now we were just missing her.

"DEMONS EVERYWHERE! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!" The guard I had almost forgotten about exclaims before there is a loud clang and Astrid stretches out.

"Astrid, I had him right where I wanted him!" I state playfully as she shrugs with a smile.

"And now he's right where I wanted him, let's get to work." She says, patting me on the shoulder and moving past me. She was right, we had work to do and our entrance wasn't exactly the best.

We quickly move apart and start getting the dragons unlatched. Fishlegs goes for the Goregutter as he cries out, unfortunately our stealthiness is short lived as we hear the bellows of the Trappers encroach. Their targeting Toothless, though Astrid and I with our dragons are a force to be reckoned with. We have been training together in more than just the intimate ways and she has really helped me improve my fighting. Toothless knocks one of the trappers and sends him flying as I hear Tuffnut step in.

"No running on the deck! It's slippery, you could fall!" Before the trapper gets knocked over his own axe. The twins and their humor were a blessing and a curse at times, but that honestly made me laugh. Soon, though, Astrid and I were shoulder to shoulder as she glances to me.

"I thought this was supposed to be a stealth mission?" She jests and I shrug.

"Yeah, they always start out that way." I retort before we break again. Fighting out way through a few more and freeing another few dragons, I call out "Clear Out, We got them all!" And they all start clearing out. Doing another quick glance around, it seems like the only dragon of note was the Goregutter, though there was an empty cage that was still locked without anything inside of it. Moving past that, to the edge, I see Fishlegs and the others take off; though I had lost Toothless at that cage. Then, I heard the trappers behind me and turned to see dozens of them closing in on me, alone. "Oh, hey guys…" I mutter with a half-smile as Toothless barrels towards me and we take off.

Daylight was on the horizon as we flew towards Berk with a large flock of dragons in tow. Astrid had flown next to me alone with my mother.

"Nice Stealth Mission there son." My mother comments mid-flight as I laugh and shrug.

"Yeah, well, with the twins and Snotlout, does anything ever stay stealthy for long?" I remark as we hear an explosion from behind us as Hookfang erupts in fire and Snotlout screams his trademark scream. Astrid laughs and shakes her head.

"With those three, nope." She remarks with a smile. "But we won. Did you notice their armor? Unlike anything I've seen in awhile. Even the trappers further into Archipelago didn't wear the same armor. Nor Eret." Astrid remarks and I nod.

"Definitely unlike any we've seen. Think we raided a core crew, not just hired hands? They seemed to be dressed more like Ragnar or Khan. Ah well, we beat them this time and we'll beat them again." I remark with a smile as we see Berk on the horizon. It was quite the sight to see flying in. Evolved from what it had been years ago, dragons flying all around the island as it bustled to life.

I always enjoyed giving my pitch to the dragons we welcomed to our island, even if it was a home away from home to them, I wouldn't be upset if it was a home permanently for them. Of course, Gobber had a thing or two to say to me about that; so did Astrid.

"We could train a lot harder; that was pretty sloppy." Astrid remarks, glancing to the twins and Snotlout as my mother chimes in.

"Astrid… does have a point. Perhaps you rely too much on your dragons and not enough on each other." She comments as I shrug and nod. We did, we relied a lot on our dragons. I was probably the worst in this, I relied pretty heavily on Toothless but I did rely on Astrid and those around me as well.

Gobber himself was none to pleased when the Goregutter nearly demolished have the town by playing, then by the Hobgoblin. My mother though was quick to defend it and after situating the dragons we had in the stables, we found ourselves going towards the Great Hall which was absolutely bustling with people. It was the morning meal, and it was chalk full of Vikings and dragons alike.

Of course, Gobber hadn't dropped his growing comments about the number of dragons we, or rather, I kept bringing back to Berk. But where else could they go. Sure, they were everywhere and made a fair share of messes but they were our family. We never turned our back on them since we changed our ways and while I was chief, we wouldn't start now. So long as there were trappers, there would be dragons in danger, which means that it was up to the Alpha and the Chief to see them to safety. Our ways of life had changed dramatically, sure, but we had changed with them and grown better for it. As noted by the summit that was less than two weeks ago, we were one of the largest powers that be in the Archipelago. The Hysterics and Mongrel Tribes themselves respected us and they respected little beyond brute strength; our ability to train dragons was something no other tribe had been able to replicate except for the Berserkers. And that was only because Heather was a de facto Hooligan and would, if Astrid and I had our ways, be marrying into the Hooligan Tribe before too long.

Of course, Gobber hadn't stopped his monologue since we got back, and he meant well. I knew he loved the dragons and he was more worried that we were becoming to large a target to ignore. He never stopped as the food fight erupted around us, though that was quickly put to a pause.

"Hang up those saddles and get married." Gobber comments and the entire team of riders stops and looks towards us wide-eyed. Sure, it had been mentioned it a couple times randomly in passing, but it was never in such a public or loud setting.

"The M Word." Tuffnut comments.

"Gross. Unless its me." Ruffnut retorts

"Marry him, please. You're the only one with any sense. With you wearing the pants, Berk might have a little hope!" Gobber remarks as silence falls on most of the great Hall. Gobber was by no means quiet in his delivery as she Astrid pushes away.

"Wow, Gobber, not awkward at all." She remarks and walks off, though I see her eyes meet mine as she leaves. There is a softness to them, she wanted to just scream to everyone we would. I know it. We keep saying we're not ready, that we have too much too do. It was a lie we told them to leave us alone; but how were we supposed to announce that we had picked a day? How could we even pretend to do a total u-turn on what we had been saying up until now.

I'll admit, I sort of drowned out Tuffnut's weird rhetoric about marriage and rejection with a half smile. He had no idea, nor would he know or listen even if I told him. Better to let him ramble and appease himself to leave me be. Luckily, Eret was there to change the subject.

"Two more trapper barges spotted in the straight." He comments, his eyes heavy. He had been training and reconning future targets for us, knowing a great deal about the Trappers and their movements. I think he still had a contact or two he wasn't telling us about. Which was fine, I trusted him.

"So we go after them." I remark as Gobber walks back up, Astrid having long left. "What?" I ask as Gobber stares heavily at me.

"One day, you're going to pick a fight you can't win." Gobber mutters and I shrug it off.

"Maybe, but today isn't that day. We have the alpha, a horde of dragon riders dragons, allies throughout the Archipelago." I state, glancing back to Eret. "Where'd you hear about this latest barge?" I ask

"Terror Mail from Outcast Island, nearest to the Baldur Straights." Eret remarks and I nod.

"Alright, Thanks. Riders, get some rest. We'll be heading back out soon." I remark to the rest of the riders that were still there as I get up. I had to find Astrid now, we needed to talk.