After a while of waiting, I've finally managed to find the time out of my busy college life to write and finish this chapter, and now, it's finally here!

However, something that I want to point out is that until my college semester ends, I unfortunately won't be posting chapters on a few day to weekly basis, which is at the speed that I would usually finish and upload chapters.

But regardless, I hope this chapter can hype you up for what I have planned next!

Enjoy!

The young vikings wasted no time after their conversation with the alpha of the storm dragons, and with the giant slain, they left the nest as allies to the mighty storm flight.

But now, it was time for them to rally with the votun.

Hiccup and the group had flown down south, settling themselves a couple of miles away from the Dragonskarn capital near the main road, and there, they waited for Ragnar's return.

In the meantime, they had other plans in mind.

While Toothless and the other dragons laid themselves down in the grass for a rest, the riders had their undivided attention on Snotlout, who explained the method of using storm magic.

"And that's how I did it," said Snotlout as he sharply snapped his fingers, causing a spark of purple electricity to crackle across his right hand. "All I have to do is think that I've already casted it, and bam, it shoots out like nothing."

"Interesting," said Hiccup with his arms crossed. "So from what you've told us so far, you're saying that using lightning magic requires us to think more?"

Snotlout gave a nod. "Yup. I guess it's also why I was able to climb up the giant without getting squashed by him. I had to think fast, and be smart about it."

"Uh… that doesn't sound like you, Snotlout," replied Ruffnut with a disgusted expression.

"Yeah," Tuffnut added on in agreement. "The Snotlout we usually know always goes in and shouts, oi oi oi! He doesn't think! How do we know you're not a fake?"

"Guys, I'm not a fake," sighed Snotlout as he spun around with his arms out, showing himself off. "I'm still here, still Snotlout, and I'm the same as usual. I've just gotten smarter... okay? Geez…"

"Whatever," replied Tuffnut. "I think I'm gonna go rest my head. I need to take a nap."

"Same," nodded Ruffnut, as she gave out an over-exaggerating yawn.

Both of the Twins then turned their backs to the group and began walking towards their sleeping dragon, who was laying in the grass, calmly snoring.

Astrid arched a brow. "What the Thor was that about?"

"It's the Twins, what do you expect?" replied Arn, who sat on a nearby boulder while inspecting his blade. "From what I've seen of them so far, they just keep getting weirder and weirder. Though who knows, maybe they're right."

"What!?" bursted out Snotlout, to which Arn let out a chuckle.

"Kidding," he said. "But clearly you show that you're still you."

"Alright, I think we get it, Arn," replied Fishlegs. "But I really think we should get back on topic."

"There's nothing really left to talk about regarding the magic," Snotlout added, shaking his head. "But... If you guys really wanna give it a try, be my guest."

"...Anyone?"

"Might as well," Hiccup replied eagerly as he stepped forward closer to Snotlout, raising his hand up with his palm opened, ready to give the lightning magic a go.

"So, what do I do again?"

"Think about what you want to cast before you try and cast it," replied Snotlout. "And make sure you use your imagination as clearly as possible. If you let anything else get in the way in that mind of yours, it won't work…"

"...Now give it a shot."

Hiccup nodded as he gazingly turned his attention towards his hand. For a moment it appeared as if he was day-dreaming, but he was merely clearing his mind of all thoughts. Then the next moment, he imagined to himself what would happen if he snapped his fingers; he pictured that a spark of electricity would bolt across his hand like a lightning bolt, and flash for not even a second before fading in an instant. Could it work? If he thought of anything else, nothing would happen.

Without another thought, Hiccup snapped his fingers, and...

ZAP

What he imagined became real and manifest, and right in front of him and the others, a small bolt of lightning magic sparked across his hand in a bright flash, making everyone gaze in amusement.

"First try? Wow," smirked Astrid as she crossed her arms. "At this rate, we may even be able to learn ice magic, if of course it's possible."

"It is possible," answered Arn. "The mages of my tribe use it all the time, but that depends on if they learned it or not. Most mages in my tribe use only one school of magic. But since you're the Wings of Midgard, you guys will probably be able to use all three."

Fishlegs smirked, thinking up ideas like he usually would being the intelligent viking he was. "Now that's something I'm looking forward to," he said. "If I ever get my hands on a blank book, I think I'm going to take notes on spells and how to cast them. Just for reference."

"A spellbook? That's a great idea, Fishlegs," said Hiccup in agreement. "And if you have any room, maybe you could include some information on some of the dragons we've discovered here."

"Might as well," he nodded. "We're not going to be here forever anyways. We should spend what time we have while we-"

...Fishlegs words came to a complete stop. So did everyone else, as they heard the distant sound of a horn booming through the air. Their heads spun, looking around for where it came from, and it was then that they began to hear what sounded like marching from afar, and that was when they all turned their heads to face east.

Hiccup quickly glanced back at the others. "Astrid, come with me. Everyone else, stay here."

The shieldmaiden gave a nod as she proceeded to follow Hiccup onto the main road that laid nearby, standing right in the center of it, and up ahead, they saw them come into sight, marching in a long line.

It was the votun, coming back from their fight against the orcs. The half-giants appeared exhausted from battle, but also seemed to have high morale as a result of their victory. Their heads stood high and their backs appeared somewhat straight as they marched in silence, and at the very front of their ranks, Hiccup could make out three familiar figures.

Torstein, who was cladded in scalemail armor. Helgan, who carried her bow tightly in-hand. And Ragnar, who marched between the two votun.

Astrid crossed her arms, nodding in approval. "Well then... I think we've waited long enough."

…

Dragonskarn capital... It was a big city unlike any that Hiccup had seen before, filled with hundreds of large huts and homes, as well as many small canals and running rivers. The town flourished with trade and work, and of course, with people. Lots of people.

But he knew for certain it was nothing like Berk, and this just made him wonder what the cities of the elves and dwarves would be like.

In the center of the capital, a large great hall stood, overlooking the entire city from atop a hill, and it was there that Hiccup and the group feasted with Ragnar.

From within the hall, dozens of veteran votun warriors sat by long tables, feasting from their plates on meat, fish, and other types of food, and at the same time drinking mead from their mugs like no tomorrow. But aside from that, there was also music, laughter, cheer, and of course, a lot of loud talking and singing.

At the high table, Hiccup and the group sat with human-sized mugs in hand, drinking and feeding their fill while their dragons ate from a nearby large bucket of salmon.

Across from the young vikings also sat Ragnar, Torstein, and Helgan, sharing the events that had recently happened.

"So how did you come by recruiting Torstein and Helgan?" asked Hiccup. "I honestly didn't think Torstein would be much of a fighter, considering he's…"

"Old?" the votun asked. "Hah! I used to be a warrior in my younger days, lad. I can still carry an axe and a sword."

"As for how he came to meet us," Helgan added on. "We were scouring out Lakestead for any of Bjornar's loyalist spies, and after a while of searching, Ragnar soon came marching into the town. He questioned us, so we answered him, and he decided to join us in the hunt. After we found all the loyalists, he immediately ordered us to execute them, and so we did. Now the town is free from Bjornar's influence."

"So who's in charge of Lakestead now?" asked Arn. "It still needs someone running it, doesn't it?"

Ragnar gave a nod to the Alsworn heir. "Torstein will be overlooking the town from now on, but not as a commander. Instead, I've decided to make him the town's jarl. A proper title for a leader."

"And it's an honor I'm willing to carry out," replied Torstein with a proud look.

"Well that's good," nodded Astrid. "Now the town has someone properly fit for the position."

"Yeah yeah yeah, we get it, but what about those orcs to the west?" asked Ruffnut. "They're gonna burn this place to the ground if we don't fight 'em soon."

"Is it really necessary to bring it up now, Ruff?" sighed Fishlegs. "Can't we save the planning for tomorrow-"

"No, she's right," immediately replied Ragnar. "The sooner we deal with Bjornar and his legion of orcs, the better… But I need to ask, did you manage to get Velthora and the storm dragons on our side?"

"We sure did," nodded Hiccup. "Velthora assured us that she'll be sending her best dragons to help us in the next battle. Only problem is, we don't know when it'll be."

"Hm, that is the real question, isn't it?" asked Helgan, crossing her arms. "And guessing won't be an option for us. The orcs could march at anytime, and we won't know it. Only way we can figure out when they'll strike is to send in spies."

"Isn't that too risky though?" asked Astrid. "The Legions could have spies everywhere without us knowing about it, and they could easily take down our own before we can even get any information out of them."

"We don't need to send out scouts anywhere. We've got eyes on the pass," replied Ragnar. "We built a watchtower on Votunheim's side quite a while ago. If any activity happens, we will know, and that's that. Plus, I'd rather not get into this topic any further. What's done is done..."

"...For now, let's feast and drink. Today we've earned a victory, and tomorrow, the enemy will be dealt a great blow that they will never forget."

"Uh… where are we gonna sleep though?" asked Tuffnut. "I mean, if you've got no rooms for us, then I call the stables."

Ragnar shook his head. "That won't be necessary," he replied. "I have guest rooms that you can all sleep in for the night. Though they're meant for emissaries from the other races, I'll make an exception. I'll even allow your dragons to stay in them with you."

"We're grateful, Ragnar," smiled Hiccup. "But I want to ask, is it alright if I share a room with Astrid?"

The votun chieftain glanced between the two vikings, slightly surprised. "So... you two really are lovers, eh?. I guess that explains why you were both holding hands the night before, after you came back from Lakestead."

Astrid gave a nod. "Yup, and we're soon to get- well, married-"

"WHOA WHOA WHOA," interrupted Tuffnut. "Did you really say the m-word? It's too early to say such a thing!"

The shieldmaiden let out a sigh as she merely rolled her eyes at the overdramatic lad. Turning back to the chieftain, she asked, "So- is there any problem in the both of us sharing a room?"

"Not at all," said Ragnar, shaking his head. "You two are welcome to share a room. But for now, let's all spend this time we have while we still can. You and your dragons especially deserve it."

…

Dark clouds loomed overhead with the crackling of green lightning and booming of light thunder filling the air. From atop a cliff, Bjornar stood, overlooking the legion of orcs and other dark minions that camped down below, just outside the pass.

The felled votun felt nothing but a temptation of blood and war. For years he had waited for the moment that he would invade Votunheim, before gutting the chieftain of the Dragonskarn and taking his tribe, his people, and the land for himself.

And that moment was soon to come.

As he continued gazing down at the amassed forces, the sound of fire bursting up behind him caught his attention. Slowly turning around, he met face to face with Drago, whose green eyes immediately locked onto his, beaming like torches.

Bjornar gave a bow to the darkened warlord, and the warlord in response nodded his head.

"My lord," began Bjornar. "What brings you here? Your timing seems urgent."

"We have news, lieutenant," replied Drago as he slowly approached Bjornar. "It seems the entire orcish operation in the east of Votunheim has been annihilated. The Dragonskarn have destroyed your only opportunity for creating a second front, and they even managed to recruit the storm dragons to their side."

"The storm dragons...? The same dragons led by Vel-"

"The same," replied Drago.

In that moment, something struck Bjornar. His left eye all of a sudden began to twitch, and his right hand tightened into a fist. Within his head, he asked himself, 'Is this the way it's supposed to be? Or is it perhaps-? ...Wait, am I doubting?'

"...H- How?" he finally asked. "How do you even know this?"

"My master shows me everything," answered Drago, turning his back to Bjornar as he began to pace back and forth. "And because of this twist of events, a slight change to my plans was necessary. If you wait any longer, then you'll miss the opportunity to attack. And so, I've made my decision. Tomorrow, you will begin the battle march."

With that, a look of relief suddenly took hold of Bjornar's face. In an instant, his hate and anger was replaced with satisfaction as he bellowed out a booming laughter. "Finally! My time for battle has come! I will soon show Ragnar who the true leader of the Dragonskarn is when I chop off his head and put it on a pike! After him, the Wings of Midgard will be next and-"

"Do not underestimate the Wings of Midgard, Bjornar," interrupted Drago as he stopped in his pacing. "They may be young and small, and you may be strong, but their powers have recently grown stronger as well. I've sensed this…"

"However, that is all I have come to tell you," he added. "In the meantime, I have other things to do. The Dark Master has ordered me to proceed with our next step; to prepare for an attack on the elves of Nordell. In two weeks time, a larger legion shall reach the elven capital, and once the siege commences, the city will crumble down around its people. My warriors will leave nothing standing, and, if all goes beyond planned, Valnr's light elves will be no more..."

"...As will the whole world."

Before Bjornar could respond, Drago immediately snapped his fingers, and in an instant, the warlord teleported away in a burst of green fire, leaving his lieutenant alone once more atop the cliff.

Despite the abrupt departure, the half-giant did not question it and disregarded it, turning to face back towards his horde of orcs and other felled followers, and as he gazed down, his mind began racing with dark ideas of what he would do to Ragnar when finally meeting him face to face.

And throughout all of this, he could not stop grinning.

...But little did he know was that he was being watched. From above, atop a nearby cliff, two storm dragons stood in isolation, staring down at the votun with focused gazes.

They had all they needed.