Author's Note: Sorry for my unexpected absence. My new work has me doing a lot of overtime and I've felt exhausted and not in the state of mind for writing. I should be able to update on the weekends now. I also ran into a stump with how close to HtTYD3 I wanted to keep my story. I'll leave it a surprise, but certain key acts will be, and others will be altered or removed entirely. I'm not sticking with canon as we progress into the timeline of 3.
It was a sight to behold, unfortunately it also made it impossible to find someone when you desperately needed too. I had a flashback to my father, showing me the then bare island of Berk and explaining how it was our home. In that mental picture, it was a sparsely populated island with no more than a few dozen people to its name. Since then, it had grown. Our Tribe was now several hundred strong with many hundred more dragons flittering about. We were quickly becoming one of the strongest and most known tribes within the Archipelago, in no small part due to our victories over Drago, Viggo and Krogan. He talked to me there about the home of the dragons, about the dangers of sailing to find it and falling off the world. Some hidden world behind a waterfall with dragons guardian it not unlike the sentries of Vanahiem. He had only spoken of it a few times since then, but the thought of people and dragons fighting no more had made me happy.
The sight of Berk against the falling sun, the Dragon towers, and expanded huts; we were becoming a bit overpopulated with dragons and it was obvious even to me but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just let them fend for themselves, neither could Toothless; he's the Alpha. Inherited from when he defeated the last of the Great Leviathans; even though he was no more ready to lead an island of dragons than I was an island of people. We had each other, and we had Astrid to rely on as well.
When she wasn't at the hut or the academy, she would be on a flight somewhere around the island. She missed Eret's report too, and he gave me a location as well. Near Outcast Island and Alvin already had enough to deal with. We weren't ready to fully mobilize yet; so, it would be another raid. We were making ourselves a target, a definite target, and the island I had once considered so large seemed to be growing much smaller. The only privacy I found in recent weeks was when Astrid and I would turn in for the night.
Toothless was in an ever-playful mood on this night too, which didn't help me as I had things on my mind. From finding Astrid to planning the next raid, it felt like my time for fun with Toothless was dwindling to nothing. He only had me; no other Night Furies. Maybe I should revisit the idea of the tail I made for him those years ago, let him fly by himself for a change. I still had the schematics for it from when I had made it those years ago, and with what I know now I could make it out of dragon scale to blend even better.
That comment Gobber made struck a chord too, no one knows Astrid and I had set a date and that date was only a few months away. We need to tell them soon; we can't just spring the surprise on everyone randomly. The more Gobber pressed on us, the more vocal everyone else was about it. Even the other riders were being more vocal about it. From random comments from Snotlout or the twins to Fishlegs vehemently asking who I'd chosen to stand by my side. It was a lot for me to think about, to be sure.
"Oh, so this is where you come to get away from Gobber?" I hear Astrid's voice from above and smile, glancing up and shrugging.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I offer as Toothless takes my leg and give it to her. It makes me laugh lightly as she takes it and tosses it to the side and walks past me, overlooking the horizon.
"Well, he's right you know." She comments and I feel my heart skip a beat.
"Really, you think we should tell them?" I ask, baffled as she walks the line and shrugs, turning.
"They'll just keep asking us about it, and I'd rather not feel like they were controlling us. Maybe, if we just gave them a date, they'd back off." Astrid comments and I nod.
"We can try talking to my mother first, after we get the dragons sorted." I add and she rolls her neck and sighs.
"Yeah, he was right about all of this, too." She adds, sitting and facing the horizon. I knew what she meant; we were becoming overpopulated with dragons.
"Yeah, it really does seem like the whole world knows about us now." I respond, beginning to fold up my map as I hear her let out a breath.
"Yep, and the more dragons we bring here, the bigger a target we become. I wish there was a way to make them leave us alone." She answers and I sigh.
"You missed Eret's report too; the trappers are amassing near Baldur Straight. Possibly rounding up Scauldrons if I had to guess." I mention, shaking my head, sighing as she glances to me and I nod. "My dad mentioned to me a long time ago a story, an old mariners myth really, whole world of dragons beyond the edge of the world. I can't stop thinking what if it was real?" I mutter and she sits closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"What if it was?" She asks, her eyes showing a level of concern with a soft face.
"Then we take the dragons there, and all of us." I answer and she smiles but shakes her head.
"All of the dragons, from all of the islands we've encountered over the years. How about the ones under the water or the ones we can't even see? And abandon our home of four hundred years? Hiccup, we need a real solution, we can't pretend we can get all of the dragons in the entire world to flock to this spot. Toothless may be the Alpha on Berk, but that doesn't mean all dragons everywhere will follow him so easily." Astrid explains and I feel my shoulders slump. She was right of course; she was the realist. Even if we got all of the dragons on Berk to flock to a Hidden World, it wouldn't save the thousands on the other islands.
"You're right, it'll ultimately be safer and easier to just put an end to the trappers and then keep our waters safe. Not all people are like these trappers, just the whims of evil men encouraging those beneath them." I answer and she nods, leaning in and kissing me softly.
"Besides, what can you imagine trying to get all of the tribe to move. Even if the island is getting smaller, it's the only home many of them have known." Astrid remarks and I shrug.
"Hey, you know, maybe we should just get married, tie the knot, follow Gobber's advice. That'll fix everything, right?" I tease as she rolls her eyes and laughs. "Hey, I hear Snotlout still is available if you're having doubts." I jest and she scoffs.
"He only has eyes for your mom!" She retorts and I gasp.
"Playing dirty now!" I remark as she laughs.
"You asked for it, looks like there might be a wedding soon after all. Maybe two!" She adds, teasingly as I grab her waist and pull her back, tickling her as she struggles.
"Oh! How dare you, that is a low blow!" I say amid the giggles and she tries to pull away. "No, no. You are not getting away!" I say and no sooner had I said that did she grab my pinky and pull back, locking my arm and quickly forcing a surrender. "Okay! Okay! You win, you always win!" I remark as she laughs, sitting up next to me.
"You knew what you were getting into." She remarks and I nod and shrug with a smile. Leaning in and kissing her.
"Uh huh, right." I remark and she leans in more, pushing her lips to mine as the kiss lingers. I close my eyes and just drink in the kiss as she pulls back slightly, and our foreheads meet. "I absolutely did." I mutter. We stay that way until Toothless comes up to us and breaks us out of our semi-trance then leaps over to the edge as Astrid and I exchange glances.
"Think he caught wind of something?" She asks and I shrug, standing to follow him as he leaps off the edge and down into the forest.
"Uh, bud! Yeah, sure, don't bother to wait for us!" I call out as I sigh, and Astrid walks up behind me with her hand on my shoulder. "Don't suppose I could get a ride?" I ask sheepishly as she laughs and nods.
"We'll postpone the other ride I had in mind" She comments teasingly and nods. "Let's go follow him." She adds as I laugh softly and smile, following her as we climb onto Stormfly and take off.
I could tell Hiccup was wrestling with a lot in his mind. If nothing else by his suggestion to leave Berk and take the dragons with us to this supposed Hidden World. As if we could find such a place on a whim, we had been exploring the bounds of the Archipelago since we were just kids and never saw anything remotely like that besides Vanahiem as the final resting place. A whole hidden world right under our noses just didn't seem possible, even if it would be amazing.
Hiccup gripped me tightly as we rode down on Stormfly towards the area where Toothless had leapt off too, pressing his body to my back and it honestly helped keep me warm amid the cool breeze. It was deep inside the forest, not far from where the spring was. That's when Stormfly started acting fidgety.
"What is it girl?" I ask as she squawks and trots in place. The sun had begun setting completely and it was getting darker inside the forest.
"Let's continue on foot." Hiccup says softly as he slides off Stormfly's back and I nod. Joining him. Stormfly didn't move, just stayed where she was squawking softly. It had me slightly concerned over what could be ahead of us.
"What do you think it is? I'm not sure the last time I've seen Stormfly act that way." I ask and Hiccup nods.
"Not sure, but it sort of reminded me when Hookfang was dealing with the Titan Wing Nightmare, remember?" He asks and I nod. I did remember, none of the other dragons interfered. Hookfang was fighting for a female Nightmare and defending her from a Titan Wing by himself, well with Snotlout.
"So, what are you saying?" I ask softly as we cross another layer of brush.
"I'm saying what if Toothless caught wind of another Night Fury. And Stormfly is backing off to let him deal with it alone." Hiccup answers quietly as we clear another layer of trees.
"Yeah but Hiccup, another Night Fury, we've searched for years for another one. For one to just be on Berk, that doesn't seem likely." I add and he nods.
"No, it doesn't… but" He pauses and holds up his hand and quickly waves it to the side. "Shh, shh, shh." He says and we both look ahead. Toothless was with another dragon, one that looked almost exactly like him only white. We were both awestruck and I saw Hiccup take a step forward without looking a kick a rock. That didn't go over well as we both ducked back from the intense heat of a full forced plasma blast from the other Night Fury.
"Oh, my gods." Hiccup whispers as the white dragon looks aggressively towards him. My heart skips.
"Uh, Hiccup!" I call out and tackle him to the side as it lobs another blast towards him. I wasn't about to let a random dragon rob me of him, not now. Night Fury or not. The blast blew us to the side as Toothless caws in our defense. Hiccup rises and moves closer with me beside him.
"Yeah, yeah, we're friends! No need to kill us." Hiccup remarks as it flies off with Toothless climbing a tree chasing it. It does the most incredible thing, firing a plasma blast and disappearing in the explosion in the cloudless night. He laughs as he glances back to me and I smile, gazing up to where it was.
"Another Night Fury." I remark, it had been true. More do exist.
"No, not quiet." Hiccup says, pausing as we both think on it. "More like a Bright Fury…"
"A Light Fury" I finish for him, glancing at him as he nods along.
"Yeah, yours is better, probably." He says as he glances back up. "We've got to find it. Just look at Toothless."
"I know, Toothless was so excited." I answer softly before turning to look at him. "It's still odd that they'd be here randomly, after searching for so long." I mutter aloud and he turns to me. I can see the look on his face, it's soft and even a bit sad.
"Yeah, I don't know…" He says softly, turning back to me. "Now I'm thinking we stopped just short. Remember our time at the Edge, exploring the northern reaches as far as we could. What if we stopped just short of finding more Night Furies, or this Hidden World." Hiccup suggests.
"We explored every island within range, Hiccup. Every nook and cranny of the Archipelago at the time. I mean, we only recently saw the Veilwing out on Mystery, and we've known about that Island for years. There is no telling what we may or may not be missing out there, to be honest." I respond, taking his hand as he looks down.
"I know, it's impossible to know it all, to see it all but this just shows me there is more. And these trappers, they're making base somewhere we don't know. How, when we've explored the reaches? They're beyond that, there is no way they could hide such a fleet otherwise." Hiccup responds.
"There could be whole areas of the world we haven't been able to see, too far for ship or air travel without constant stops. They run larger ships, more supplies. It'd make sense if they came from beyond what we've seen." I answer and he sighs.
"That means Drago's army wasn't restricted to the Archipelago, and spans more than we could know. How can we really battle an enemy like that? It'd be easier if the Dragon's were able to hide in that world." He says softly, the sound of defeat in his voice as I shake my head and grab both shoulders.
"No, it would be easier for the dragons of Berk to be lead there, if it exists, sure. But then leave the rest of the dragons of the world to be slaughtered by these trappers. You won't be able to rest knowing they are out there, and neither will I. We can protect the dragons by ending the trappers. And we'll end any other threat that pops up. Create a safe Archipelago for both Dragons and Humans, were none who harm is welcome and finally find peace." I explain confidently as Toothless jumps down to our side and coos. Hiccup looks to me and smiles, I can see a tear run from his eye as I lean in and kiss him.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Hiccup responds softly against my lips as we stay there for a moment.
"Just like when I was at my lowest, when I thought I had lost my sight for good and you stayed by my side. I will always stay by yours." I answer just above a whisper as he pulls me in for a passionate kiss.
Yes, it might be easier to try leading a fraction of the dragon population to wherever this Hidden World was. But trying to coerce the entire population, plus that of Vanahiem, the Great Protector of the Defenders or the Razorwhips with the Wingmaidens? No, we'd be destroying cultures by trying to force them away. We could just as easily defend their cultures and unite, as we had with the Summit, and maintain our coexistence with the dragons.
Though it did beg the question of how far the dragon population truly was, and how far the evils of humans dwelled. Whether it would be easier to search it out and remove it, or safeguard our borders and protect what we have. I'd never truly be able to sleep at night knowing another remnant of Drago's army or the Hunter's existed. That could well be our next path, tracking down all of their ports and burning their documents, their insignias and letting them be lost to time. Let the idea of dragon hunting, the knowledge of their existence by and large and how to kill them be lost. Then, only those who know about and want to live with Dragons peacefully would ever even think to search them out. With the Dragons and a united Archipelago, we'd be able to prevent any invading force from making another foothold in our archipelago ever again.
"We should really head back." Hiccup whispers softly against my lips and I smile, pressing further into his lips and shaking my head.
"I think I'd rather go to the Spring, it's a cloudless night, the water is beautiful, and I'd enjoy the quiet time with you. We can tell everyone else about this tomorrow." I answer, running my tongue across his lips and pressing back into the kiss. I feel his lips part as his arms wrap around my waist and pull our bodies close together, my hands around his neck. Our tongues meet, and I can taste him again as they dance around each other until we are without breath. Pulling away, breathing heavily, I can see the look in his face had changed as he smiles back to me.
"Sounds perfect to me, we can walk there. Let Stormfly and Toothless roam the area by themselves." Hiccup answers softly, he knew what we both wanted and how to get us the privacy we needed. I watched him turn his head to Toothless. "Hey, bud, go have fun, see if you can find out where the Light Fury went. Send up a Distress call if you find anything." He says as Toothless coos and bounds off.
"You too Stormfly, listen for my call." I state to the dragon that had been hanging further back but approached after the Light Fury flew off. She squawked and took off as I turn my head to Hiccup with a smile. "Looks like it's just us now." I say under my breath with a smile.
"Time to get to the spring. One of my favorite spots on the island." He answers, kissing me again before breaking apart and taking my hand. Together we begun our short walk towards the spring.
"Mine too." I answer softly, squeezing his hand and pulling him closer, slinking my hand around his hip as he did the same. I just liked being close to him; and was looking forward to being much closer very soon.