Apologies for the delay guys! I had to deal with IRL stuff over the week, but now I can get back to working on this story normally.

Anyways, please enjoy!

"Ugh…"

The young man groaned in pain from the bruise he felt on the left side of his chest. He felt like a walnut ready to crack open. Then again, the trip by sea was indeed tough.

But at the same time, he felt like he was lying down atop something soft… was it a bed? He did not know where he was.

The last thing he remembered was being picked up by someone before being placed onto a scaly surface - most likely the back of a dragon. The lad did not know what he looked like, but he distinctly remembered his voice.

"He's still alive…"

Despite what he thought however, he was still more concerned about where he was as he felt his eyes begin to slowly open with the sunny light piercing him, and surely enough, he was indeed laying in a bed.

And he was without his armor. He wore only his blue tunic, and his leather leggings and boots.

Slowly he began to sit up, leaning his back up and against the wall behind him until he was sitting up straight. But it wasn't until he looked forward that he noticed five young vikings, whom he assumed were his age, sitting in front of his bed, now looking back at him.

Next to one of them was a dragon. He could tell it was a Night Fury, but he had never seen one before.

Hiccup stood from his chair, relieved. "He's awake. Thank Odin."

"And he looks well," spoke Fishlegs who gave a grin to the stranger. "It's a good thing you made it through. Our elder Gothi did what she could to heal you. How are you feeling?"

The stranger rolled his shoulders nervously, still adjusting himself in the environment that surrounded him. "I- I'm fine… But where am I? What is this place? Why am I-?"

"Relax. You're on Berk. You are safe with us," answered Astrid, giving him a friendly smile in an attempt to make him feel welcomed. "We found you on the Long Beach, unconscious but alive. Unfortunately your longship was wrecked, and your crew was-"

"Wait, my crew...?" the stranger asked as a feeling of dread suddenly gripped hold of him. "W- Where are they? Did they make it too?"

"Uh oh," whispered Ruffnut. "This ain't going to look so good."

Both Hiccup and Astrid looked back at one another, their faces now expressing worry. Telling the truth to him would be tough, but hiding it from him would merely make him more concerned.

Hiccup turned his head to the lad. He shook his head.

"They didn't make it… None of them survived. I'm sorry."

There was a long pause. The long blonde-haired lad let out a deep sigh, covering his face with his palm before letting out another groan. This time, it was that of stress and distraught.

Toothless warbled, gazing back at Hiccup, to which he responded with a shrug. "I don't know, bud," he said.

The young man slightly shivered. "I can't believe it. I have failed them- all of them… this whole voyage was a failure. They're probably in Helheim by now- after all, they did not die in battle."

Hiccup rose both his brows in pity for him. He slowly approached him and sat next to him on the bed, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

"Arn," he spoke, gazing back at Hiccup with his blue eyes. "My name is Arn."

"Well Arn," replied Hiccup, lightly patting his shoulder. "I can tell you for certain that you did not fail them. Though they did not die in battle, our elder herself told us that they've made it to Helgafjell, the holy mountain."

Astrid gave an assuring nod. "Even now, they are probably living peaceful lives, telling stories about you..."

"...However," she continued, "You still need to heal up. You're too weak right now to go out and-"

"One big bruise is not going to stop me... I can still stand- I think," said Arn as he shifted and scooted himself out of bed, but nearly fell to the floor out of pain. He paused for a brief moment, but eventually, he slowly began to stand to both his feet, and soon enough, he was more or less straightened out.

"Huh," shrugged Fishlegs. "Well, if you insist."

"Reminds me of you," said Hiccup with a chuckle, glancing back at Astrid.

"Likewise," she replied, rolling her eyes.

Arn sighed as he stretched his arms out, now looking back at the others. "...Now that I have given you my name, I think it's only fair that you guys give me yours."

"Oh- how rude of us," chuckled Hiccup. "My name is Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the Heir of Berk, if you want to be specific. And this dragon right here is Toothless. He is my best friend."

Toothless gave a nod, to which Arn took it as, "Nice to meet you."

"My name is Astrid Hofferson. Most know me for being Hiccup's... well- girlfriend."

"Fishlegs Ingerman, at your service!"

"Name's Ruffnut, and this is Tuffnut. But you can just call us Ruff and Tuff."

"Well... it's nice to meet you all, I guess," said Arn, now smiling. "I guess this place won't be so bad after all... I think I'll have a good time getting to know you all, once I get adjusted, of course…"

"...By the way, where's my weapon and armor?"

…

"...And so when I found you, I decided to take you to my hut. It's good that you're well now though," Hiccup said to Arn, explaining to the lad as to what happened following the wreck.

"Thank you, Hiccup..."

There was not much that Hiccup expected from the stranger. As Arn walked alongside both him and his friends towards the great hall, he could not help but notice him admiring Toothless, who also strolled along. To that, he assumed that wherever it was he came from, it was a place where humans and dragons got along.

He looked back at Arn, giving off a delighted smirk. "I see you are starting to like Toothless."

"Dragons are no strangers to me. My tribe has lived with them ever since its beginning, and I've grown to admire them a lot. Still, I'm glad that I managed to reach a civilization that tolerates dragons."

"Eh, Berk has seen better days," shrugged Astrid. "Nowadays, we deal with disputes, division, and raids, and it hasn't been getting any better."

"Raids?" asked Arn, looking first at Astrid, and then to Hiccup with a concerned gaze. "That sounds quite unfortunate. I hope things get better for you soon."

"Mmm, I do hope so too," Hiccup replied, letting out a deep sigh. "Regardless, I hope your stomach has room, because we're getting close to the great hall."

Their eyes fell towards the great stone stairs leading up to the hall, and once again, Arn could not help but admire the grand view; a great hall of stone, carved out and built within a mountain.

"Wow... Kind of reminds me of home, in a way," he said happily.

Silently, they made their way up to the hall, taking their time going up the stairs until they reached the large wooden double doors leading inside. Upon walking in, Arn's eyes widened with amazement.

"Okay- Definitely reminds me of home," he repeated as he heartily chuckled in astonishment.

After taking a long glance around the hall, they all proceeded to sit at a table where they were served their breakfast, with the Twins and Arn sitting across from Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs, and with Toothless standing near his rider.

Usually, Hiccup would be the one to start off the conversation regarding recent events, but as of then, he was more interested in getting to know his new friend.

"So… what exactly brings you to these parts? I don't know if I'm right, but you don't look like you're from the Archipelago."

"I'm... not," responded Arn. "I actually come from an island beyond the borders of the Archipelago. It's... a little bit to the northern side, but it's nothing really… special."

"As for why I'm here," he continued. "I was making a voyage with my crew to another island to the south, somewhere here in the Archipelago, and before we knew it, our ship was hit by a storm which sent us many miles off course."

"I see… and what island were you sailing for if I may ask?"

Arn shook his head at Hiccup. "Unfortunately, that's private. I agreed with my tribe to keep the voyage a secret for safety reasons."

"You can trust us," replied Fishlegs as he took a bite from his food. "We don't break promises easily."

"But I barely know you guys," the blonde lad added. "Hel, I haven't even known you for half a day. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"...We understand," nodded Hiccup as he spun his spoon around in his stew, fiddling with it. "I guess it's best we just talk about something else then-"

"How 'bout Snotlout?" spoke up Tuffnut as he stood from his seat. "We can talk about him!"

Everyone, aside from Arn and Tuffnut, groaned in disgust. Out of all the people that Tuffnut had to bring up, it simply had to be him.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh Odin."

Whilst everyone began grumbling on about him, Arn on the other hand did not understand the situation.

"Snotlout?" he questioned as he took a sip from his mug of milk. "Who is that?"

"Snotlout Jorgenson. He is one of the most hated people on this island. He's our age, and he was also once our friend," answered Astrid as she leaned her elbows on the table with her hands crossed. "Berk is divided because of him, and it's only gotten worse as of recently. He's no longer going to give us any military aid against the raiders."

"He and Clan Jorgenson are a liability, yet they make up half of Berk's population."

"It's not like he ever really gave us any aid," Ruffnut pointed out, to which Astrid and the others nodded in agreement. "That yak-dung muttonhead probably can't run a village, especially when you're in charge of… well y'know."

"He's done many terrible things before this as well," added on Fishlegs, being the smart one he was. "He threatened to scare nearly half of the dragons off the island, he built an outpost on our side without the chief's consent, and the list just goes on."

"...But our chief Stoick does not want to fight him. It would lead to a civil war that would doom us all."

It was ridiculous. Arn found it so baffling that one viking their age could do such things to them, and yet get away with it. At the same time however, he could also somewhat see why their chieftain would not want a civil war over the island.

"Isn't there anything you guys can do?" he asked.

"Our only solution is to back off until something can be done about Snotlout... without involving a genocide," said Hiccup. "But if one of us, or even one of them, does something stupid, civil war may be inevitable."

"...You know you could always try approaching it in a different way. Something unusual."

"Like what?" Astrid asked Arn. "All of our attempts thus far have nearly led to disaster."

"But have you considered allowing me to take action? I may not be familiar with this Snotlout and his Clan Jorgenson, but I have dealt with negotiations before both through words, and fists."

Hiccup started getting curious as he continued to hear out Arn. He rose a brow. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What if you let me do something that would infuriate Snotlout?" he asked, almost with a smirk. "Remember that I'm not part of your tribe, so if I make a move against him, it will be me he will need to deal with, and not you."

Hiccup shook his head in disagreement. "Don't play hero, Arn. No offense, but you're risking your life in a stupid manner. What if he comes to the assumption that we're allies? We are giving you food after all, as well as-"

Arn merely murmured. "Don't worry. Even if he suspects something, he won't get far…"

"...Are you sure you know what you are getting into?" questioned Hiccup hesitantly.

...

He was furious; beyond raging. Snotlout slammed his fist against the arm of his throne as he eyed the holes blown in the roof of his great hall. He could not believe it.

He had slept in late that morning, and he had just woken up to discover the damage that was done to his village, especially to his hall.

"INCONCEIVABLE!" he roared, now on his feet as he began tantruming like a toddler. "Thor himself dared to strike MY village with all his wrath?! What have we done to deserve this!?"

He turned his gaze down towards the three figures of Dogsbreath, Agatha, and Wartihog who stood before him, all of whom expressed nervous looks on their faces. To many, Snotlout was one thing, but an angered Snotlout was a whole other thing.

Agatha stepped forward as she attempted to remain calm. "Snotlout dear, this could not have been the worst we've had. I'm sure we can fix this all up in no time-"

"This damage will cost us a fortune, Agatha! And we do not have that amount!"

And as a matter of fact, he was right. Unlike the Berkian Tribe, Clan Jorgenson did not have the gold needed to make major repairs, or even trade with merchants.

Because of this, it now left him in a desperate position.

"Snotlout," spoke Dogsbreath as he too stepped forward. "If I may... Perhaps I can share an idea that I have of how we can pay for these repairs."

The Jorgenson arched a brow. Dogsbreath saw in his eyes that he was not interested, but he was certain his idea could work for Snotlout.

He gave a motion with his hand to Dogsbreath. "Go on then."

"...As you know, we will be expecting for Stoick and his tribe to hand over three or more dragons tomorrow as you planned," he began, with his tone filling with excitement. "But what if instead of using them as pets as you wanted, we decide to sell them for gold? I'm sure there's still a few dragon auctioneers out there in the Archipelago."

"Dragon auctions?" asked Wartihog as he splurted in laughter. "Please! The hunters and their auctions were dismantled a while ago. Why should we give up the dragons? They are worth more than-"

"Be quiet, Wartihog," interrupted Snotlout. "...Dogsbreath may be onto something."

What then followed was a moment of silence as Snotlout stepped down from the throne, making his way closer to the group with a serious look on his face... until a wicked smirk formed.

He saw the brilliance in Dogsbreath's plan as he started to pace back and forth.

Agatha smirked in amusement. "This could probably work, Snotlout. Imagine how much we could make off the auctions. Hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of gold. We could rival with the Berkian Tribe, and maybe even trade with outside powers. Maybe even hire dwarven mercenaries!"

There was another pause. Snotlout looked at the three vikings, and began to lightly chuckle.

"This… This will become the Berkian Tribe's funeral pyre, and our rise to true power! The gods will soon see who the true victor over this island is!"

"I tell you this now, my friends. Berk will soon be ours!"