Crickets chirped loudly outside as Zephyr lied in bed trying to get some sleep. But it was impossible. Her mind was buzzing louder than the night insects. She hadn't understood her father's reaction when she'd showed him the game piece. He'd seemed… scared. And that, she couldn't understand. She saw nothing else in the little piece of marble. But he did. And now, the Berk Council had gathered for discussion inside the Great Hall. To talk about what? She craved to find out. She'd been tempted to sneak out of the house and eavesdrop on the conversation. What could they possibly be talking about? What could be so important that her parents – the Chief and Chieftess – had to summon the council members in the middle of the night? The other question that ate away at her was: who was that stranger she met in the woods? She'd never seen him before. And why would he give her something like this game piece? And while she was at it, how and why did he have a single game piece? Did he also own a game board like her father did? Maces and Talons, it was called. She'd been curious about it ever since she heard the name. She wanted to know more… She had so many questions - so many theories. Her mind wouldn't let her rest.

The door opened downstairs, interrupting the loud hum in her brain.

Zephyr sat up in her bed and threw the covers off. She crawled closer to the staircase to see her parents walk in. The fire pit in the living room was still glowing from what embers remained, providing just enough light for Zephyr to notice her parent's body language and expressions. Something was wrong…

"I can't believe this…" said Astrid, a hint of frustration to her tone.

"Yeah, neither can I!" said Hiccup, widening his arms at her, clearly upset. They were trying to keep it down with the kids upstairs. "I thought disappearing off the map would end the conflicts." Hiccup sighed and sat down, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm talking about the other Rumblehorn in the room," snapped Astrid, hands on her hips, expressing her obvious displeasure. "Viggo? Here?"

"I know…" admitted Hiccup. "I know I shouldn't trust him or his word. After everything he's done to us? The people he's hurt?" He pinched his nose bridge for the tenth time that night. "I must be out of my mind to go along with any of this."

"Don't you find it a little strange that his only reason to help us out in the first place is to 'repay his debt'?" said Astrid, quoting Viggo's statement with a gesture of her fingers. She wasn't believing any of it and it upset her that her husband wasn't seeing the same picture as she was. "This is Viggo we're talking about. He has no honour, Hiccup. As far as we're concerned, we could all be signing up to another one of his games without even realizing it. And if he's alive, who's to say there aren't others?"

"I know," said Hiccup, standing up. He was conflicted. "But you weren't there that day. Viggo could've gone back on his word and turned me over to Johann and Krogan for good, but he helped me escape and sacrificed himself doing so… or so I thought for 10 years..." He turned to Astrid fully. "If Viggo truly was a villain, he wouldn't have thrown that opportunity away the way he did. He had me. He had me at his hand and could've gotten me killed that exact same day. But he didn't."

The images were vivid in his head. They flashed before his eyes like lightning in a thunderstorm. He remembered Viggo's words; remembered the arrows in his back; remembered the explosion.

Part of him was telling him it would be smarter to turn a blind eye and stay in hiding. A Chief protects his own, after all. He was the leader of his tribe. He had a family to raise – to protect. He had responsibilities now – a new purpose.

But… he also couldn't ignore the rest of the world. He knew there was nothing he could do to help the other tribes... Hiccup had dedicated his life to save the dragons. He'd fought countless battles and faced the most ruthless of villains there were. And he'd succeeded. The dragons were safe. How the Vikings would cope with the change? That wasn't up to him. There wasn't anything he could do as an individual to help the world back on its two feet. And bringing back the dragons certainly wasn't the answer. People needed to learn to live without the creatures. And this organization was trying to take a step back in the past instead of moving on. And that, Hiccup needed to stop.

"I know this is Viggo," continued Hiccup while Astrid tightened her lips, gaze fleeing to the floorboards. "But the one you know and the one I knew in his final moments aren't the same person, Astrid." He lifted her chin up to meet her ocean blue gaze, the battle within her speaking volumes. "I'm not blind to the risks. But I just can't ignore it."

"I just…" she said, sighing heavily as she grabbed his hand gently. "I don't like this."

Zephyr tried leaning forward to hear when her parents quieted down and accidentally lost her balance, clumsily making a thudding sound against the hardwood of the stairs. Hiccup and Astrid turned to see her and Zephyr smiled awkwardly.

Her parents broke apart instantly and Astrid walked the stairs to join her and get her back to bed. Her mother whispered a few comforting words she didn't understand, her attention locked on her father's form while he turned away from them to pace.

She didn't understand any of it. She didn't understand what was happening or why; why her parents were so worried. What were they worried about? And who was this Viggo person? Was he the stranger who gave her the Maces and Talons game piece? Why were they so hostile and unsure about him? Had he done something bad to her parents? And if so, why? Why was all of this happening? Why here? Why now?

She knew her own father wouldn't be the one to answer her questions… He was hiding something; hiding something from her. Zephyr promised herself she'd find out on her own; starting with Viggo.

…

Morning dawned on New Berk once more, dragging the warm sunlight and chirping birds along with it. It was the same routine, every day, as if the gods didn't bother changing the vibe despite the new threat that had been announced during the night.

The village's activities picked up slowly as the sun slowly rose to warm up the Earth, kissing the island with its loving golden rays.

Viggo stood formally with his hands reached to his back as he studied the memorial statue of Stoick the Vast a little off the plaza. His expression was neutral, his body relaxed. He couldn't say he was on edge by being here. Despite the scowls shot his way and the constant eyes on him, Viggo felt pretty at ease. He'd been in way worse situations in the past… Glares and stares weren't something that would make him shrink.

Hiccup hadn't bothered ordering to lock him up. He didn't see him as a threat, and Viggo was somewhat honoured. Probably not because he trusted him; Viggo suspected it was somewhat a test.

He'd had Eret, Son of Eret assigned to keep an eye on him all night. The ex-Hunter had cast a few looks over his shoulder at him whenever he'd felt his presence. He hadn't been impressed much and did not exactly care for him. He'd been able to analyze his personality just based on his behaviour, and Viggo hadn't bothered interacting with him. Just now, he could see the tall and handsome form from the corner of his eye, but Viggo ignored him completely, returning to his thoughts.

He returned his attention on the statue - something to gaze at while his mind was elsewhere. Movement caught the corner of his eye and Viggo looked down on his side to see Zephyr looking up at him, inquisitiveness radiating off of her more powerfully than a Thunderdrum's roar.

Viggo raised an eyebrow at her.

"So… what happened to your face?" asked Zephyr casually. "Did you get attacked by a dragon? My Dad lost his leg to a gigantic titan dragon called the Red Death. What about you?"

Viggo was slightly taken aback but cleared his throat, returning his attention ahead. "It's… complicated," he said.

"How so?" prompted Zephyr, tilting her head.

Viggo hesitated, casting a long look down at her.

"Zephyr?" called Hiccup, and Viggo looked over his shoulder before turning around. Hiccup approached, a displeased look painting his face. He scowled at Viggo, and the ex-Hunter held it for a moment. "Zephyr, get back inside the house, now."

"But, Dad—" protested Zephyr, but Hiccup cut her off before she could say another word.

"Just do as you're told," snapped Hiccup and Zephyr lowered her head. She obeyed the order, walking away quietly.

Viggo watched her go and turned to Hiccup, the glower featuring on his face ever so present.

"Spirited and curious little one," commented Viggo, smiling faintly. "Kind of reminds me of you."

"Let's just set one thing straight," he hissed, lowering his tone dangerously. "You stay away from my daughter. She doesn't need to know the danger that's out there; she doesn't need to live with that fear. Our parents' war became ours; I don't want this conflict to interfere with her youth like it did to us."

"Don't you think it would be wiser to teach the truth instead of burying it?" sincerely asked Viggo.

"She's my daughter," he stated, letting him know it was up to him to make those calls.

"Of course," agreed Viggo, bowing his head. "But she's smart. I can see it. She will find the answers she seeks, sooner or later."

"You stay away from her," repeated Hiccup, the warning heavy in his tone.

"I seek your family no harm, Hiccup," said Viggo, lifting his chin. "Believe me. I am merely here to offer my services."

"Consider me grateful…" said Hiccup, the sarcasm unmasked. He turned to face the statue. "You won't be staying here long anyway. We're leaving today."

Viggo turned to him, staggered.

"You accepted my offer," he said, smiling complacently. "I'm surprised."

"No you're not," said Hiccup. "Otherwise you wouldn't have even bothered showing up here."

Viggo smiled self-righteously.

"Better pack up…" continued Hiccup after a moment. "You help load the ship with provisions. I'll meet you at the docks at noon."

Viggo nodded and watched him go.

…

"Wait, you're leaving?" said Zephyr, befuddled. She blinked, trying to find the answers on her own first, but to no avail. "But… why?"

"Your Dad's got some… unfinished business he needs to deal with," said Hiccup, crouching before her, gazing into her sapphire blue eyes, as blue as her mother's. He grabbed her chin, lifting her head up when he saw how unhappy she was with it. "Don't worry about me, honey. I'll be back before you know it."

"But…" started Zephyr. "I wanna come with you."

"No," he said without a moment's hesitation. He had gathered Astrid and the kids at the house to announce the news. Hiccup had decided to go with Viggo; to sort out this whole mess he'd started. If bad people were after him like Viggo claimed, then they would also be after his tribe, and that included his family. Hiccup wasn't ready to take the chance. Vikings were stubborn. They won't stop until they have what they want. It could take years. His home was a safe haven; for now. Hiccup couldn't afford to sacrifice the future of New Berk, not after battling so hard; not after all the sacrifices it took. There was only one way to ensure New Berk remained off the map. He sighed, knowing it wasn't easy for Zephyr to watch him go. "You need to stay here and watch over your mom while I'm gone. I'm counting on you to keep the order around here. Can you do that?"

Zephyr looked down, tightening her lips in denial.

Astrid approached and Hiccup straightened up.

"Here…" she said, handing him over a thin, cylindrical object. "Just in case."

Hiccup picked it up carefully, sighing heavily from the nostalgia. He felt its weight; felt his hold on it.

Inferno.

"Feels like in forever since I've needed this," he said, studying its surface. He'd almost forgotten how much time he'd put into designing this weapon. Nights and days. Weeks had become months and months became years, until it was almost perfect. Fishlegs had helped him a lot with this project during their time on Dragon's Edge, throwing ideas and offering pieces of advice when something didn't work.

He flipped it around, hearing its content shake inside. There was still Monstrous Nightmare gel and Zippleback gas stored inside of it. He could still use it in case of an emergency.

Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder. "You be careful out there," she said. She retrieved her hand, looking unsure suddenly. "It's been 10 years… A lot of things can change. And if what Viggo says is true…"

"That's what I intend to find out," reassured Hiccup, letting her know he wasn't blindly trusting anyone.

Astrid still looked worried, and Hiccup cupped her cheek, dragging her attention onto him.

"Hiccup, I…" she said, trying to find the words.

"You don't have to worry about me," said Hiccup, smiling warmly. "After everything we've been through—"

"I know, I know…" she said, pressing against him.

Hiccup kissed her lovingly. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she said, running her thumb over his hands holding her face.

Astrid didn't want him to leave any more than Zephyr and Nuffink did.

Hiccup picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Where are you going, Dad?" asked Nuffink from Astrid's side, holding onto his mother's leg.

"Not far," promised Hiccup.

"Can we come too?" he asked, and Hiccup chuckled.

"I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out," he said gently. He reached and ruffled his blonde hair. "You be good now."

Hiccup turned to Zephyr again. She still seemed unsure whether to accept it or not. He looked down at her and Zephyr met his gaze, holding her upper arm. He recognized the body language; she was just like him. Hiccup crouched again and Zephyr hesitated another moment before throwing herself into his arms, holding him tight, wishing she didn't have to let him go.

And then he was leaving.

Zephyr watched him go; watched him march down to the docks where Viggo awaited. She looked down at the Maces and Talons game piece resting in her palm before squeezing her hand around it.