Hey all, looks like I'm back a little sooner than I anticipated. I wanted to give you a little bit more than just the one chapter to start with, so I'm back with the second chapter. After this, I have chapter 3 ready and waiting for next Saturday and chapter 4 is nearly complete, so look forward to those two coming out in the next two weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy the first two chapters of A Future Past, a New Fate.

Chapter 1 : This is Berk

~Toothless~

This has officially been the weirdest day of my life. And it's not even dark yet! If somebody, say, Hookfang, had told me that I would be walking side-by-side with a female Shadowshifter in the woods today? I would've showed him his place for making really, really dumb jokes.

But here I was, walking next to the one dragon that I had been searching for for so long. It was almost like a dream, like it was too good to be true. I was half expecting to wake up in Hiccup's house where I normally slept any second now. I have had dreams like this before, and all of them ended with disappointment. But today… today was different. Today I would finally get to know another one of my species!

… That is, if she would ever talk. Ever since our meeting back in that clearing, she hasn't said a word. Whenever I looked over to her, she would be looking at the ground, her brow furrowed as if she was thinking hard about something. I wanted to say something, to try and get the conversation going, but what would I say? Judging by her reactions to the questions we asked earlier, I don't think asking about her past was a great idea right now. What was that saying that humans had? All in due time? Something like that…

Well, since she didn't want to talk, I tried filling the time with other things, one of those things being catching Lucina's scent. You could tell a lot about a dragon just by their scent, like where they come from, what dragons or humans they've been around, basic information like that. What confused me with Lucina's scent, is that, well… it had two distinct smells. The first was dragon, but what confused me was that she only smelled like one dragon, and it was a scent I didn't recognize. It smelled… dark. Like the very definition of evil incarnate. Like death. I tried not to grimace as the smell entered my nose. It wasn't her scent, but it was definitely a dragon that I didn't want to meet. The second scent was most definitely human. She reeked of human, so much so that it almost caused me to flinch, and there was an underlying scent of something else… something almost regal. It just didn't make sense to me. How did she smell so much like humans, but there was only one dragon scent on her?

"So… where exactly is this… 'Berk'... located?" Lucina's voice pulled myself out of my head. I blinked, not expecting her to talk after spending so long of the walk in silence. She sounded almost hesitant to ask, as if she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know the answer to her question, and even her eyes had a mixture of fear and uncertainty laced within them.

I was honestly a tad surprised that she didn't know where she was. The little human village has grown into a main travel spot for dragons of every kind. It was hard to miss, too, right smack dab in the middle of the islands. "You don't know where Berk is?" I asked, staring her in the eyes. I didn't make a move to try a Sight-Share, but I could tell that a whole myriad of emotions was whirling through her mind.

She gently shook her head, glancing away from me. She looked scared, nervous, embarrassed… It was hard to name an emotion that wasn't negative. "N-no, I don't," She muttered in response, suddenly finding the ground very interesting.

I instantly regretted asking that, remembering that she was scared of me before, which meant that she didn't know I was the alpha. It was entirely plausible that she didn't know where Berk was. "Well, Berk is the island we're on right now, and it's the most fleshed out dragon destination of the islands at the moment. Trust me, you'll love it here, and the other dragons are all friendly!" I refrained from mentioning a couple of the more unsavory dragons living here, that Thorntail we had rescued earlier this month in particular. They could easily give her a hard time, and considering how frightened and confused she seemed at the moment, it was best that I stayed with her to make sure they didn't try anything.

No, I wasn't just making up excuses so I could spend more time near her.

My words, however, seemed to have no effect on her mood, her head remaining down and her brow furrowed in worry. "...Have you ever heard of Ylisse?" She asked quietly, an almost pleading look on her face. Her eyes were practically begging for some sort of solace. Solace from what? I had no clue. I scoured my mind, but came up empty, the name meaning nothing to me.

I shook my head, tilting my head subconsciously. "No, sorry. Is that where you're from?" I asked, genuinely curious. Maybe this could give us some insight on where exactly she'd been hiding all these years. Maybe there were more Shadowshifters there?

No… not likely, considering that she didn't smell of any dragon besides the evil one. Perhaps it was another human village that had made peace with the dragons… Good Gods, so many unanswered questions!

Her expression immediately fell at my answer, as if what I just said confirmed a very troubling suspicion. Her ears flattened against her skull, and the wings on her back drooped, a telltale sign of a dragon that was the opposite of joyful. "Oh, Gods… just where am I?..." I heard her mutter to herself, fueling my need for a Sight-Share further.

What was going through her mind right now?

~Lucina~

I had taken the time during the walk to this 'Berk' place to gather my thoughts, not quite sure just what in Naga's name was even happening.

What is Berk? I've never heard of such a place before now, and it was never mentioned on any map of the world that I've seen. From what Toothless and Hiccup have said, I could gather that it was an island, with one big village.

That held even more dragons.

I suppressed a shiver. I could only hope that they were as accommodating as Toothless.

Speaking of the first dragon I've met that didn't try to kill me besides Minerva, this was the first time I wasn't crippled with fear from being next to a dragon. I was never too fond of them, and I tried my hardest to stay far away from them, even Gerome's dragon.

… Maybe it was how human he acted, but Toothless was the exception so far. I was wary around him, of course, but I wasn't terrified. It… it was a nice change of pace from the usual fear that me and my family felt day and night while under the oppressing forces of Grima.

My family… Where were they now? They had gone through the portal before me and my brother, so we were most likely separated. They could be on the other side of the world…

I sighed. Wanting to find my family would have to wait, no matter how harsh it sounded. My priority was figuring out just where I actually was.

My mind wandered back to my meeting with the two companions, their introductions replaying almost on loop in my brain. They were obviously very good friends, the way they talked to each other spoke volumes about the strength of their bond. It was incredible, really. I never thought that a human and a dragon could get along so well. That was probably part of the reason I agreed to come to their village. If they got along so well, then perhaps the rest of the people there wouldn't be terrified of my presence.

The lie I had told them… I hate lying, but it was necessary. I can't tell them that I came from the future in order to stop an apocalyptic calamity from occurring. They would think I was mad. I had to keep up this facade that I didn't remember how I got here, but I could tell that Toothless was already suspicious. Perhaps if I had a better lay of the land, then I could hold up my story better…

I turned to Toothless, and paused. My chest tightened subconsciously in anticipation, and my heartbeat quickened. Why did I feel so apprehensive about asking this question?

Well, no matter, I didn't have a choice. "So… where exactly is this…'Berk'... located?" I asked the black dragon, trying not to cringe as I spoke. I still wasn't used to my voice being so distorted…

Said dragon glanced at me, a surprised look on his face. I instantly grew nervous. Have I already said something wrong? "You don't know where Berk is?" He asked back, sounding like I caught him off guard. I quickly glanced away from his stare, feeling embarrassed. Perhaps this Berk was more well known than I thought… I wonder how I haven't heard of it?

"N-no, I don't," I looked to the ground, upset that I hadn't really thought this conversation through. How was I supposed to know Berk was a well known kingdom?

To my surprise, however, Toothless didn't miss a beat, his tone not mocking in the slightest. "Well, Berk is the island we're on right now, and it's the most fleshed out dragon destination of the islands at the moment. Trust me, you'll love it here, and the other dragons are all friendly!" He explained, sounding more like an advocate for the island rather than a dragon that lived there. That didn't quell my fears in the slightest. The way he spoke of it made it sound like they had hundreds of dragons… if so, then how did her father or mother not have any records of such a place existing? Surely, they would've made valuable allies in the war against Grima… it just didn't make sense.

I had a sneaking suspicion of what exactly happened, but I didn't even want to consider it an option. Just the very thought scared me… I had to make sure.

I turned to Toothless. "...Have you ever heard of Ylisse?" I asked, my voice wavering more than I wanted it too. Depending on his answer, this could mean one of two things; I was either very far away from where I should be, or…

"No, sorry. Is that where you're from?" He asked innocently, not knowing the weight those words just rammed through me. My heart skipped a beat, and I almost froze where I stood. No… how could he not know what Ylisse was? Even the continent of Valm knew who my father was, and they were on the opposite side of the world! If Toothless didn't even know what Ylisse even was, then…

"Oh, Gods… just where am I?..." Had the portal sent me to the wrong time period? I remember it being very unstable when me and Morgan went through it…

My heart truly stopped then and there. Morgan. I had completely forgotten about him. I was holding onto him when we went through the portal together, so he was most likely in the same place as me. Stuck here. Except he probably didn't have a couple nice locals to welcome him.

I couldn't stand the thought of my brother struggling alone. But what could I do? He could be anywhere in the world, and I was stuck in an unfamiliar place in an unfamiliar body. The chances of me finding him alone were next to none.

'But you aren't alone,' a small voice in the back of my mind reminded me, causing me to subconsciously turn my head to look at Hiccup, who was occasionally giving me a glance as he led us, and Toothless, who's expression was a mix of guilty and pitiful. A man and his dragon, a dragon and his human. They have been nothing but kind to me so far. Perhaps it's time I started to be kind back. Who knows, they might help me in my search for my brother and a way home.

"Here we are," Hiccup's voice abruptly brought me out of my thoughts. Glancing over to where the man was looking, my eyes widened with surprise.

We were overlooking a large town from a cliff, bustling with people and dragons alike. I saw so many different species, some were huge, some were tiny, some flew far above and some walked along the ground next to the people. The buildings seemed… primitive, compared to the stone structures of Ylisse, but the bright blues and reds more than made up for it.

"Wow…" I breathed, mesmerized by the sight of dragons and humans getting along like brothers. There were just so many…

Toothless walked up to me, smirking. "Pretty amazing, huh?" He asked, my amazement pretty obvious to anyone that looked. I silently nodded, just looking at the sights. You could see the ocean perfectly from here. I had never seen such beautiful blue waters before in my life. And the skies! They were a bright blue, like a gem over my head. I had never seen such vibrant skies in my life. In the future, Grima's influence had grown so strong that the light was snuffed out. We lived in constant darkness.

This… was like heaven to me. People living peacefully… no worries of attacks from Risen… it's what I was fighting for.

Hiccup walked back to stand next to me and Toothless, a smile of what looked like pride plastered on his face. "This is Berk!" He punctuated that statement by spreading his arms out wide, as if he were trying to envelop the entirety of the village in his open embrace. "You wanna start giving her the tour, bud?"

I blinked. Tour? What tour? I looked over to said dragon in confusion, but he simply smiled at me. "You know it, Hiccup," He responded.

I stared, confused as Hiccup suddenly walked over to Toothless and looped over his back, settling into the saddle on his back. I heard a click from the other side of him, but I couldn't get a good look at what caused the noise. He rubbed the top of Toothless's head affectionately, giving the pitch-black dragon a smile. "Whaddya say we greet our subjects, eh bud?"

Said dragon nodded in agreement, before the two of them jumped off of the cliff together with one of Toothless's powerful strides, his legs pumping beneath them as they lept. Toothless opening his wings in reflex, gliding with ease to the edge of the town, the wind rippling through the rider's shaggy brown hair. I was mesmerized by the obvious bond these two held, seemingly unbreakable. They gracefully landed, and Hiccup quickly jumped down from his saddle with ease. They've obviously been doing this for quite some time.

The dragon rider turned to me, a big grin on his face. "You coming, Lucina?" He called from below, waving me over with his left hand.

Then it hit me.

I don't know how to fly. How was I going to get down there? Perhaps I could…

I looked down the side of the cliff, and resisted the urge to flinch back. Unless I wanted to break several bones, then that wasn't an option. I sighed in exasperation. This was going to be embarrassing…

I stepped back a couple feet, letting my breathing even itself out. 'You can do this, Lucina…' I thought to myself. 'You've done worse. Much worse…' I shuddered ever so slightly at the thought of the many times I've had to rush into a Risen camp with nothing but a scant few soldiers at my side. Of course, trying to actually fly with wings that I've never had before was an entirely different beast altogether.

I could feel these new muscles on my back tense as I lowered myself to the grassy floor, and with a strong push from my much stronger legs, I flung myself off of the cliff side, gritting my teeth as I tried desperately to open my wings and at least glide my way towards them. There was no way I was going to actually fly yet, after work all.

And… It worked perfectly. My eyes widened in surprise as I glided smoothly through the air, the wind rushing past my scales and flowing underneath my wings. It was like I had been doing it my whole life! The feeling of flying was absolutely incredible, even just the simple act of gliding gave me a feeling of indescribable joy. It took all of my willpower to stop myself from whooping with happiness. I hadn't felt like this since the beginning of the war… I had forgotten what it was like to truly feel happy again.

Before I knew it, my new paws impacted the ground, and I stumbled forward in surprise. That had ended too soon for my liking. The feeling under my wings was intoxicating… I yearned to feel it again.

Hiccup must've seen the look on my face, because he chuckled and patted my head. I leaned into his touch slightly, still riding the flying high. "Guess you're happy to be back up in the sky," 'You could say that again,' I thought to myself as I nodded in reply, moving away from his touch.

I wasn't going to admit it any time soon, but… his rubbing felt surprisingly good against my rough scales.

He seemed to understand that I didn't wish for him to continue, so he put his arm back to his side. "Well, as I was saying before, this is Berk!" He exclaimed dramatically, gesturing to the buildings that seemed much bigger than before up close. Even the dragons seemed huge now, a particularly big one lumbering by, saying "'Scuse me, sorry…"

Maybe this will be the village to break me of my dracophobia.

~Hiccup~

"The number one dragon destination this side of the archipelago!" I exclaimed, turning on that scrawny Viking charm. I had given this same tour to many different people and dragons at this point, but this one was different. This time I was giving a tour of the village to what might be the only other Night Fury in the world, so I wanted to make a good impression on her.

Thankfully, it seemed to be working, if her expression was anything to go by. She seemed much happier than she was in the forest, looking around the village with an amazed look on her face. She was even making small talk with Toothless, which was a win in my book. Anything to get that overgrown lizard of mine to actually talk to some girls… It's about time he found someone.

"We've got the newest feeding stations, plenty of flying space, and top of the line fire-prevention, if I do say so myself," I continued, pointing to each example as I spoke.

I grimaced when a stray blast from a Nadder lit one of the houses ablaze, but was quickly put out as the new and improved fire-brigade dumped some water on it from above, flying overhead. "As you can see, we've got plenty of jobs around here for Vikings of all shapes and sizes, like healers," I gestured to Helga, who was currently wrapping a rather nasty looking bite on Ack's arm. "Merchants," As I said that, Phlegma passed by the three of us, not looking up from her small bag of whatever herbs and crops she was carrying. "And you're looking at the local blacksmith, and the chief of Berk." I turned and placed my hands on my hips, trying to pose heroically for the two Furies behind me.

Toothless merely shot me a look. "So what is Gobber then?"

My stance faltered. Darn lizard. "Yeah, well… when he's not around, that is," I corrected. Of course, I was almost always busy with running this crazy place, but I did enjoy taking over the smithy when Gobber needed a break or was out of commission.

Lucina eyed me curiously, her royal-blue eyes taking a break from trying to take everything in and instead focusing on me. "You're a smith?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.

I was a little surprised by her interest in that, but I nodded in confirmation. "Yep. Trained since I was twelve, I made Toothless's tail fin over there," Toothless waved his tail, showing off the red colored fin. I continued, "and this here leg of mine," I lifted my left leg, showing the carefully crafted prosthetic that definitely wasn't Toothless's chew toy, no matter what he thought.

Her eyes widened at the sight of it, an unknown emotion making itself prevalent in the blue orbs. "You… lost your leg?" She whispered, just loud enough for me to hear it.

I paused, hesitating for a moment, then nodded. I still wasn't comfortable with people making such a big deal out of it. You lost limbs in the dragon business, it was a part of life. "Yeah, but you get used to it. Trust me, I've had this lump of metal for six years." I said, tapping the prosthetic on the ground twice, making a clunk-clunk sound.

She looked like she wanted to ask more, but seemingly decided against it. "It looks like you are… quite skilled in your craft." She said, an almost apologetic look on her muzzle.

Toothless, who had stayed quiet during the interaction, answered for me. "You could say that again. Without him, I would've been flightless," He said gratefully, nudging me in the side affectionately. I smiled, rubbing the top of his head.

"Hiccup! There you are!" A familiar voice broke the awkwardness of the conversation.

I smirked, turning to see Astrid and Stormfly touching down a few feet ahead of me. Right on time. "Where've you been? I've been looking all over for you! Dragon Training starts in ten minutes!" She exclaimed, getting a little heated as she unhooked herself from the Nadder's saddle.

I held my hands up in front of me. Just because I was chief, doesn't mean I wasn't afraid of Astrid's punches. Seriously, her swings leave a mark, even through dragon scale armor. "Sorry, but I found something that might surprise you. Trust me when I say that it's important." I told her, my smile never dropping from my face.

Toothless, meanwhile, bounded over to greet Stormfly. The two of them have been good friends since they met during the battle of the Red Death. I guess fighting alongside each other in near-death situations will do that to you.

Astrid's glare softened somewhat, now more curious than angry. "Did you find another species of dragon, or something?" She asked, still a little miffed by the looks of it.

Oh, her reaction was going to be priceless.

"Er, not quite…" I said, my smirk widening as I rubbed my hands in front of me.

She groaned in response, her patience starting to wear thin. "Well, can it wait until after the training? I can't exactly start the class without the dragon-master himself, after-"

That was when her Lucina came into view, plodding up next to me as she eyed Toothless and Stormfly run around the three of us with curiosity. Astrid stared at her for a solid five seconds, before looking back at Toothless, then back to her. She repeated this a couple times, and I struggled to hold back a laugh.

"... Hiccup…" She whispered, her eyes almost as wide as the shields we use.

"Yes, Astrid?" I replied nonchalantly.

She slowly turned to me, an incredulous look on her face. "... Is that another Night Fury?"

Feigning ignorance, I glanced over to Lucina, who was still looking towards the two other dragons. "Oh, her? Yeah, it's no big deal, just found her in the forest about an hour ago-"

"Oh my Thor, YOU FOUND ANOTHER NIGHT FURY!" Astrid exclaimed excitedly, suddenly breaking out in a smile. She definitely surprised Lucina with her outburst, who jumped backward in shock. "That's incredible, Hiccup!" Then she slugged me in the gut.

I groaned in pain, holding my stomach in my hands. Thor, she can punch… "Was that really necessary?" I asked her. Add another bruise to the collection…

At least she seemed guilty about it, grimacing. "Sorry, but I just… I can't believe it! We've been searching for years, and you've finally found one!" She glanced over to Toothless and Stormfly. They had stopped running around when they heard Astrid's outburst, and now they were talking about something, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

I looked over to Lucina, who was staying silent, staring at me and Astrid with a confused expression on her face. "I bet Toothless is happy, eh?" She pointed out, one of her eyebrows raised suggestively.

I let out a laugh at that one. He was definitely… interested in Lucina back in the woods, to say the least. Hel, I even tried to get them to talk on the way here! "You could say that, yeah," I agreed with her assumption, and she laughed along with me.

"Cmon, we gotta go tell the others! They'll be just as happy, I know it," She exclaimed, running up to Stormfly and deftly swinging up to the saddle on her back.

There's the thing I wanted to avoid. While I admired her enthusiasm, I didn't know how Lucina would react to the attention. Sure, she looked like she was having a good time just taking everything in, but I could tell that she seemed nervous around so many people and dragons. "Well, I kinda wanted to hold off on that until tomorrow."

Astrid paused, surprised. "But why? This is huge news!" She asked, not understanding my motives for doing so.

"Well, I'd like to let Lucina settle in first before I start showing her off like some prize I found, because she's not just something I want to show off, she's a friend. Plus, I promised her I would finish the tour," I explained as best as I could, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. I could feel Lucina's eyes on me, but for whatever reason I did not know.

Astrid continued staring for a second, but then sighed in resignation. "Alright, alright, I get it. We can meet up tomorrow. I'll teach the class with your mom instead so you can keep showing her around." She conceded. "Hope she isn't too busy…"

I let out a breath, smiling at my girlfriend. "Thanks, Astrid. I promise we'll do it tomorrow." I said. Toothless nodded in approval at me, walking back to my side.

Astrid went to take off towards the dragon academy, then paused. "... How exactly are you gonna get her through town without anybody noticing?"

I shrugged. "Us Vikings are about as dense as rocks when it comes to our surroundings. I'm sure I'll be fine."

She chuckled. "Fair point."

~Lucina~

The rest of the tour was nowhere near as eventful as that one conversation was.

That Astrid girl… I believe she was Hiccup's betrothed. They seemed close, and even after she had punched him square in the stomach he was friendly. I never understood people who playfully fought each other or punched each other to show affection. I took sparring very seriously in my family.

Toothless had gone off to greet the other dragon, Stormfly, and proceeded to bound around with the blue-scaled dragon, laughing as if they were playing together. You could almost call it cute, if we weren't talking about huge, fire-breathing dragons.

Well… I'm one to talk now, I suppose.

Then the Astrid girl started yelling about something called a 'Night Fury', and how Hiccup had found another one. Was that what I was? A Night Fury? I heard Hiccup mention that before in the forest during our initial meeting… if it was, I could see why, considering that Toothless was pitch black in coloration, but I didn't get the Fury part. If anything, he was one of the kindest peo… er, dragons I've ever met.

Anyway, she started saying that we needed to introduce me to the 'others', whoever they were, and quickly sling herself over Stormfly. I quietly grimaced when she said that, not really wanting to garner attention to myself at the moment, and went to tell Hiccup, but he beat me to it, telling her that he wanted me to settle in before he started showing me off.

He called me a friend.

I was immensely surprised by his actions. Never in my life had I seen someone trust a stranger so easily… no wonder the dragons around seemed drawn to him, looking his way as we passed or calling out a greeting. They seemed surprised when they saw me, but otherwise weren't barging over to greet me like that Astrid girl did. She kind of reminded me of Severa, easily heated, but had a kind heart.

That reminds me. What happened to the rest of my family? Did they make it to the past safely? They entered the portal when it was stable, so I would hope so…

If so, then they would have to do without her at the moment. I knew they would find a way to push forward. They always had.

As their walk through the village continued, the sun began to dip below the horizon, the sky turning from a bright, clear blue to a beautiful cacophony of oranges, purples and reds. They had stopped at a cliff around the end of their walk, just enjoying the view of the sunset. This was the first time I had seen a sunset since I was five.

"Wow…" I whispered, lying next to Toothless and Hiccup as the three of us enjoyed the absolutely beautiful view.

Toothless shifted next to me, his wings touching mine. "Pretty, isn't it?" I nodded slowly in agreement. So many colors in one sky… I never thought I'd see the day when I would be able to enjoy a peaceful sunset.

"I've never seen such a beautiful sky before…" I breathed, wishing that Morgan was here to enjoy this with me. I repressed a sigh, the thought of my brother reminding me of the duty I had for my family. When I find him, though, I'll make sure we'll enjoy every sunset… together.

I could feel Toothless's inquisitive gaze on me, but he turned away after a moment, his stare returning to the sky. "Well, there's a first for everything," he said, and Hiccup nodded in response from his seat next to Toothless.

I couldn't help but agree with him, because as I stared at the sky, the sun's light shining across the deep blue waters, I felt something in me… yearning to be out there, out there with the wind beating against my scales. The waves lapping at my paws as I skimmed the water. The more I thought about it, the more my wings wanted to suddenly burst open, and launch myself off of the cliff side into the skies above. I could picture every single detail of my imaginary flight, and it just made me want it more.

You could say that there's a first for everything.

I decided, tonight, I was going to experience my first flight.

Alright, second chapter in the books. Don't forget, chapter 3 is going up on Saturday around noon, and chapter 4 on the next Saturday. Leave a fav/follow if you enjoyed it, and if you have any comments don't forget to leave a review. Until next time!