The dragon tried to explain what happened to these stupid humans, but it was worthless. Finally, jaded, she opted to take a nap to recover her strength at the stunned gaze of Astrid and Hiccup. She slept more than she expected, but she also thought that it was the best given the situation: they were going to do a long trip and it was better to be ready for it. When she woke up, the camp had already been picked up and both humans were waiting for her impatiently, making theories about what could had happened to Toothless. She stretched and she ate as quick as she could the fishes that the Vikings were prepared for her. Once she had the latest piece of meat in her mouth, she invited them to climb to her back. Luckily, humans understood this time and they hurried to settle in her back.

She regretted it the same moment she took off.

Hiccup and Astrid started to shout and to move around, full of excitement for riding a dragon after a long time. They could not vary the course of the dragon, but it was as annoying as having two blowflies flying over her nose. For a moment, she even thought of putting herself upside down and let gravity do its job, but then she remembered that she needed their help to find Toothless. She took a deep breath, made them stop with a warning growl, and they followed their trip quietly.

Fury let herself be guided by the internal feeling which was attracting her to the alpha, and they flew over the ocean for hours, discovering only a few small rocks that emerged from the surface now and then. They used some of them to rest a bit before continuing their trip. Finally, they arrived at a brand new land for them. It was cold and everything was covered in snow. Furthermore, they had to gain height to surpass the rugged mountains that were blocking them, getting frozen to the bone.

When they were able to descend, they saw a fjord in the distance, totally frozen, with a city on one of its sides. They didn't want to get closer until have rested from the trip; after all, they knew nothing about the locals and they didn't know how they would react to a dragon suddenly landing in front of their eyes.

Soon, they found a stream with an ice layer thin enough to easily break it, next to a small grove ideal to set up the camp away from prying eyes.

Just on landing, Fury shook herself, drank thirstily from the stream, and took off without any word. She needed to find some food.

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other puzzled, and they shrugged.

They set up the tent, lit a small fire, and cooked something while waiting for the dragon to return.

Hiccup, sitting close to the fire to keep any warm, was looking distracted at his map, trying to localize that island (or maybe it was a continent?) on it.

"What do you think?", Astrid asked from the other side of the campfire.

"Well, we've been flying to the east... I think... at least the most part of the time, so probably we are... around here?"

"This is not what I mean. Do you think...?"

She was trying to find out the words to say that.

"Do you think we can trust her?"

"Fury? I think so... I mean, why shouldn't we?"

"Well... she's different, you know. She never had a rider, she doesn't trust people..."

"And, even so, she brought us here."

"She did, but we don't know why, and it's been a few hours since she left. We know nothing, Hiccup."

"You're wrong. We do know something."

Hiccup walked to sit side by side with Astrid.

"Remember that night furies cannot survive for a long time in a cold place and, more important than this, they fall in love once in their life. Something happened to Toothless, probably something bad, and Fury is risking her life, even making the effort of bringing us with her, and it's all to help him. If you don't trust her, trust her love to Toothless."

Astrid rested her head on Hiccup's shoulder and sighed.

"Maybe you're right."

When the dragon had returned they decided to visit the city. They thought that it was better for Fury to stay away to not scare the citizens, so she took off as soon as the Vikings unmounted on the outskirts.

It was already dusk when Hiccup and Astrid crossed the wall's threshold. The buildings, sturdy and cobbled, were glowing in orange, and only the echo of their steps over the street's tiles indicated the presence of living beings. They didn't see any sentry, not even in the main gate.

"It could be a ghost city?", Astrid said, almost whispering.

"May I help you?", said suddenly a voice on their back.

Turning and putting some distance, Astrid put her hand on her ax, which was hanging on her belt, and Hiccup drew his sword. Their hearts were pounding.

"Oh! I beg your pardon. It was not my intention to scare you."

A middle-aged man with a large nose and exquisitely dressed gazed at them indifferently from a few steps away. How was it possible that they had not heard him arrive?

The man cleared his throat, looking at the sword. Hiccup sighed relieved and kept his weapon.

"I'm sorry", the Viking said. "This's Astrid and I'm Hiccup. We came from distant lands looking for a... friend. We believe that he could be around."

The man, his look lost, didn't seem to react.

"I see", he said suddenly. "If that is the case, my advice is to go to the central square and ask for him there. There are a lot of people and it would be easier to find your friend. You just need to go straight ahead on this street and you will reach it."

"Thanks!"

Hiccup and Astrid started to walk, but they noticed that the man was following them. And not only him. The more they walked into the city, the more people followed them on their way to the square, all of them keeping a certain distance.

The Vikings, tense, needed only a glance. They came closer, ready to draw their weapons at any time.

"Are you still sure about this?", Astrid said.

"Yeah."

When they arrived at the square, they saw a lot of people coming from other streets that also led to there, blocking all of them. The people behind them didn't stop walking, and they were pushed until ending in the middle of the square, completely surrounded.

"Ok...", Hiccup whispered.

"What do we do now?"

"Leave it to me..."

Hiccup cleaned his throat.

"Hi! Um... How are you? I'm Hiccup and this is my mate, Astrid. We're searching for our friend. Well, I said friend but he is more like family. He has disappeared and we think that he could be around. His name is Toothless, he's black, big mouth, wings... and he's... a dragon. But there's no need to be afraid of him! He's very nice or, at least, he was when we were living together..."

A wave of sadness washed over Hiccup, who lost for a moment in his memories.

"Anyway, has anyone seen him around?"

Nobody said anything. Nobody moved. Everybody kept staring at them, with an empty and expressionless look.

"No one?", asked again, hopeless.

Again, silence.

"Alright... in that case, I think we better go, you know, to search elsewhere and stuff."

Astrid and Hiccup backed off, but people squeezed to block their way.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot let you go", said a distant voice.

Suddenly, a corridor was formed and a young, strong, blond man appeared riding a reindeer.

They were getting closer slowly, without making any sound, majestic, powerful. People bowed as he passed and, judging from his clothes, he must be an important person.

Finally, they reached the Vikings and they could see that it was a good-looking man, with a friendly face. His eyes and his face hadn't any expression, though.

"We're not looking for troubles", Hiccup said, trying to keep a cordial voice.

The young man unmounted and approached them, staring at them with empty eyes.

"I see strength in you."

"Thanks?"

"We'll give you the honor of serving our cause."

He stepped towards them, holding out both hands to them.

"Cause? Which cause? What are you talking about?"

Astrid, tired, freed his ax and moved it from one hand to another.

"Alright, that's it. Let us go. Now."

However, the young man made another step.

"If I were you, I wouldn't make a new step...", Hiccup advised.

At the moment his foot started to move, Astrid triggered a quick and heavy attack over the blond's body. She tried to attack with the plane of the ax to prevent any cut, but she put all his strength on it. The young man didn't try to protect himself, receiving the full attack and ending lying on the floor, still.

Astrid didn't pay much attention to him, and she focused on the crowd, waiting for any attack. But nobody moved.

"Let us go", repeated her, threatening.

Hiccup, trying to give strength to her words, drew his sword and ignited it, bursting into flames.

But nobody reacted.

"What? Nothing? Not even a simple 'oh'?"

"Oh, shut up!", Astrid said, irritated. "What are we gonna do now?"

The young blond stirred on the ground and stood up as if nothing had happened. He held out both hands to them again and walked towards them easily.

"C'mon! You should have at least a couple of broken ribs!", she complained.

"This is bad, Astrid...", Hiccup said at her side, who saw how the crowd held out their hands as well.

Both get closer, back to back, and raise their weapons as a warning, but nobody cared in the least. They advanced, step by step, without any rush, closing the circle over them.

Hiccup was the first who needed to attack. With his flaming sword, he hit with the plane of the blade in the naked arms of a middle-aged man who stepped too close, making him spinning and falling to the ground. The burned meat smell extended quickly.

"C'mon, please...", said, more to himself than anything else.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea", said Astrid at his side, just before forcibly pushing another person away.

But they couldn't talk much longer. People crowded to get to them, walking over each other, and the Vikings barely could repel them.

Suddenly, a huge man appeared in the crowd with the fingers of his respective hands pressed together, in front of his chest. His size almost doubled their size and he was advancing easily through that corpses' sea.

Hiccup nudged Astrid to put her attention over that man.

"Hot battering ram?"

"Hot battering ram."

Both moved until Hiccup was just in front of that mountain and, when the man was close enough, he sprayed the giant's clothes with flammable resin. He couldn't avoid a sigh thinking that he preferred the Hideous Zippleback's saliva, but at least he was able to find a replacement for his weapon that didn't require any dragon. After that, he simply approached his flaming sword and the resin burst into flames, turning that man into a huge fireball.

And yet he didn't stop walking towards them.

"You must be kidding me! You're supposed to run away and make a path for us!"

"All resistance is worthless", the blond said, who was standing just a few meters from them, watching the scene. "If you don't want to come by hook, you'll come by crook."

"Is this supposed to be by hook?!", both Vikings yelled at the same time.

The pacific character of the crowd changed completely, becoming much more violent and wild. People started to dodge and attack instead of just receiving the hits, and both soon realized that, although these people weren't fighters, they won't be able to get out of there.

"He! He is the key!", Astrid said, pointing to the blond. "People don't get closer to him. We have to get him."

Hiccup nodded and both put all their effort into reaching that man, who remained impassive even watching how his neighbors were falling one by one.

"Now!", Hiccup yelled when they were a few meters from the blond.

Astrid reacted immediately and grabbed her ax hard while Hiccup crouched. Then, she started to spin on her feet, repelled the people around her, and opened a small brief path to the man. Hiccup took the opportunity and ran to him, putting his sword in the blond's neck.

"Make them stop."

Astrid, still a little dizzy, stood behind him and twisted his arm, preventing any escape or defense.

The young man said nothing, but people didn't come near anymore.

Astrid dragged him by force, opening a safe path until they left the square. At that moment, noticing that the streets were empty, she gave him a strong strike on the side and she dropped him, and the Vikings took the opportunity to flee.

"What the hell just happened?", Astrid said, still confused.

"I have no idea. We better keep away from here, though."

When they left the city, Fury descended from the sky to meet them.

"Too little, too late!", Astrid said, irritated. "You had to rescue us if things got bad!"

The dragon complained and adopted an attack position.

Hiccup stood between them with his hands ready to separate them.

"Let's calm down. I'm sure Fury has a good reason for not helping us."

"We almost died there, Hiccup! We cannot trust her!"

The dragon wanted to hear nothing more. She turned back and took off, leaving them there.

Then, the Vikings could see some stains of Fury's blood in the snow.