I will say, it has been a quite while since I last posted a chapter. But before beginning, I would like to quickly sum up what has been happening in my life;

Basically, I have been busy with my classes in college, as the amount of work has kept me quite occupied, and it has only kept on increasing. Along with that, my motivation for writing this story has been a little lacking as a result of all of this, so it was quite a challenge to actually finish and edit this chapter. At times, I even found it difficult to write out a single scene.

With time and patience however, I managed to eventually get through it. As such, I would to thank you guys for waiting, as well being patient, and I hope you understand my reasoning for such a wait.

Now without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy!

The doors to the throne room were suddenly thrown open as Hiccup and Toothless, who were escorted by several elven guardsmen, came walking into the large chamber with haste.

"Elendar!" called out Hiccup. "I need to speak with you regarding-"

As the lad and his dragon came to a stop, their gazes fell upon the center of the room, where both King Elendar and Thane Beldrak stood, seemingly conversing with one another.

Both the elf and the dwarf were the only ones idle in the chamber, and upon catching their glances, Hiccup was quick to notice a look of concern on the dwarven thane's face.

The lad tossed a curious expression towards Toothless, and in response, the Night Fury merely gave a clueless croon.

"Beats me as to what they're talking about," said the dragon. "But whatever it is, I don't think it's good at all."

With a sigh, Elendar glanced back at the guards by Hiccup's side, and with a gesture of his hand, they gave a swift bow before turning around as they made their way out of the throne room in unison, slamming the doors shut.

"...I'm glad you came, Hiccup," spoke Elendar, his eyes falling on the lad. "I was considering sending another messenger out to find you, but it seems you've led yourself here. Most likely regarding another matter?"

"Yes, but-" began Hiccup, arching a brow. "What's going on here?"

"He's not lying, is he, laddie?" said Beldrak suddenly, his voice expressing the same feeling he held on his face. Worry.

"About what?" asked Hiccup.

"Elendar told me about yer interrogation with that damned orc," the dwarf sighed lightly. "And that half a hundred thousand orcs and other foul brutes are marchin' on Dalgard."

"...Is he tellin' the truth, lad?"

Though he was slow to respond at first out of slight reluctance, Hiccup began to gently nod his head, and as such, a single word escaped from his lips as he said in almost a mutter; "Yes."

Another sigh, this time heavier, escaped from Beldrak's mouth as he ran a palm over his eyes. The dwarven thane's head narrowed downwards to the floor as he began pondering silently in his head. Though Hiccup could not see it, he definitely knew that the dwarf's expression had become grimmer.

And as Beldrak turned his gaze back up at him, the young viking could now see the dread and stress in his eyes.

"I need tae get back tae Dalgard, startin' as soon as possible," he immediately stated. "I can't stay here any longer. I must warn my people."

"What?" asked Hiccup. "But we don't even know when the orcs are going to-"

"Listen, lad! It's one thing when yer city is constantly attacked by hundreds and thousands o' orcs nearly every month," replied Beldrak, glancing back at both the lad and the elf. "But half a hundred thousand in one assault? We'd be overwhelmed! Not tae mention the fact that King Kharinz's life would be at risk. HEAVY risk! The ol' dwarf can hardly stand from his throne without the help of his guards!"

"He can barely stand from his throne? What exactly do you mean by that? What are you saying?" asked Hiccup, raising his brows in concern. "Is there something wrong with Kharinz...?"

"Wrong? It's more than just wrong, lad!" replied Beldrak. "I know I shouldn't say this but- King Kharinz fell sick! And he's been sick fer a long while now!"

"He has fallen sick…?" questioned Elendar with a baffled shock in his eyes. "How? The last time I saw him, he was as healthy as a light elf in their prime! Why didn't he tell me about this before?"

"I wish I knew, King Elendar," sighed the dwarf as he shook his head. "It started a year ago when his skin began tae go pale, and then overtime, his strength began tae weaken."

"Maybe he's dying?" asked Hiccup.

"Nay!" exclaimed Beldrak. "Dwarves can last fer nearly a thousand years, and King Kharinz isn't even a thousand yet! He's still hundreds o' years away…"

"...But even then, we have no idea what is goin' on with him. Not even our elders can fix him."

Elendar began rubbing at his chin in thought, narrowing his blue eyes down with a grim look. "This is very bad news… If not even the dwarven elders can do a thing to rid this sickness, then I'll need to get my healers involved."

"...And by extent, that also means assembling the Silver Host."

"The Silver Host?" asked Hiccup.

"The entire army of Nordell," answered the elven king. "However, getting them prepared may take a week or so, as I'll need time to heal my warriors and to make repairs to the city. Not to mention replacing our numbers…"

"We don't have time!" grunted Beldrak. "We need tae get tae Dalgard as soon as possible! Yer healers and their medicines may be what King Kharinz needs tae recover from his sickness. Along with that, I must warn my people about the dark armies that are marchin' on our doorstep! It's now or never!"

"Hmm…" responded Elendar, now with his hands behind his back. "In that case, we'll need to improvise… Maybe we could assemble an elite vanguard to head to Dalgard?"

"A vanguard?" asked Beldrak with his arms crossed.

"...You know, that's not a bad idea," spoke Hiccup, catching the sudden attention of both the elf and the dwarf, with Beldrak raising a curious brow.

"I assume ye already have a plan in this case?" asked the dwarf.

"Actually, it's simpler than you think," nodded Hiccup. "While Elendar spends time healing his people and preparing his host, we can have the vanguard march for the city along with several healers. We'll be able to warn the dwarves of the oncoming threat, and help out with Kharinz's sickness however we can. We won't have to waste any time waiting for the elves to prepare."

Beldrak and Elendar both exchanged agreeing gazes. As simple as the elven king's initial suggestion of a vanguard was, the idea upon being presented by Hiccup was enough to make Beldrak realize its actual worth. However, both the elf and the dwarf knew what that meant…

"Should we go along with this plan," began Beldrak, turning back to Hiccup. "We'll need tae cross the pass through the Frel Mountains in order tae reach Dalgard."

"The Frel Mountains?" asked Hiccup.

The dwarf gave a nod. "It's a mountain range that connects directly between Nordell and Dalgard. The pass spans the entire length of the mountains, but it's the shortest route we can take. If we go fast, we'll be able tae arrive at Dalgard in a week. However, it's very dangerous…"

"And why's that?" questioned the lad.

"Snow constantly falls over those mountains," stated Elendar. "Blizzards and snowstorms tend to hail down upon it almost non-stop, and only through food and warmth can anyone survive it."

"In that case, the vanguard can only be a few hundred or so," replied Hiccup, raising his hand to his chin as he rubbed at his stubble. "It'll have to be around the size of the force that I fought alongside during the siege."

"Or, it can be that very same one," stated Beldrak smirkingly. "Both the Ironbeards and the Alsworn survived the battle, though many were bruised and wounded. Hel, several o' my men lost an eye, and a few of 'em lost some of their fingers."

"I wish I could say the same for the elves that were with you," sighed Elendar. "Nearly fifty of them were killed by Golrok's trolls."

"...However, I may be able to replace those losses."

"Can we stop with the army-talk already?" warbled Toothless as he yawned, despite only Hiccup being able to understand him. "I want to go to sleep…"

"Then let's settle it," said Hiccup. "The vanguard will be made up of the elves, dwarves, and Alsworn. Five hundred men. No more. No less."

"Aye," nodded Beldrak.

"It's unanimous, then," replied Elendar. "I'll make sure to assign one of my best captains to represent the elves. Our elven banners shall fly with the blue phoenix of Nordell."

"And our dwarven standards will fly with the white mountain o' Dalgard!" cheered the thane.

Hiccup smirked as he looked back at the two of them with an expression of gratitude. "I wish I knew of a way to properly thank you; both of you. This definitely clears things up for us. However, I'll need to tell the others about this so that they know what to expect. We'll leave in two days."

"...But before I go," he added as his gaze suddenly shifted to Elendar. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Elendar, and it's why I came here to begin with…"

…

Like the sudden, harsh wind, a bolt of ice magic flew through the snowy air towards the distant training dummy, and upon impact, it immediately bursted, freezing the dummy into a large icycle.

Ruffnut gave a smirk as her spell landed with success, to which her brother, who stood beside her, rolled his eyes.

"Show-off," he scoffed.

The Wings of Midgard stood within a courtyard of grass and stone, where dozens of training dummies and targets surrounded them. Before leaving the throne room, Hiccup had asked Elendar his question regarding practicing their abilities, and in response, the elven king told him of one of the many training grounds that resided near Nordell's college of magic, and upon arriving with the group, they immediately began practicing their spells, including ice magic.

The result however, was messy.

Whilst the practice dummies found themselves frozen and impaled with large spikes of ice, bolts of lightning were called down from the skies as they hopped from dummy to dummy like electric chains. Then, bursts of fire exploded upwards from the ground like small volcanoes, enveloping them in searing flames.

Yet that was but a mere fraction of what Hiccup saw his friends doing, all whilst he sat against Toothless, who laid on the ground in a deep sleep along with the other dragons. Their slumbers were so deep, that the rumbling and loud magnitude of the group's spells were unable to wake them up.

To Hiccup, it seemed that they did not care.

"This place is going to be a mess after we're done here," said Astrid, who sat next to the lad with her arms hugged around her knees, and her head against his shoulder. "Still, I don't think we could've been given a better area to train in. These dummies can take quite a punch."

"Elendar said his archmages enchanted them to be more durable," stated Hiccup, glancing back at Astrid. "It would take a lot of spells in order to destroy them."

"I see," nodded Astrid. "...So then. Why don't you tell me about what Beldrak said to you back in the throne room?"

"About Kharinz?" questioned Hiccup.

"Um- who else do you think?" asked Astrid. "You told us along the way here that he was sick. Did Beldrak say what ailed him?"

The lad merely shook his head with a sigh. "Nope. Only that his skin began to go pale, and that he progressively got weaker and weaker. Beldrak says he needs the help of his guards to stand. Honestly, I can't imagine how tough times must be for the dwarves without the full leadership of their king."

"It's going to be more difficult for them once they have to deal with half a hundred thousand orcs," stated the lass. "We need to arrive at Dalgard as soon as possible, and as well as with that vanguard you mentioned."

"Unfortunately, the orcs and their allies will only be the easy part out of all of this," added Hiccup, glancing back at Astrid with a grim, serious look. "The only way we can win this battle is if we cut the head off the beast."

"Drago?" asked Astrid, lifting her head from his shoulder to look back at him. "But are you sure we can beat him? Even with these new powers, I doubt it'd be enough."

"It's still worth a try," he sighed. "If we win, many lives will be avenged, and many more will be saved. But if we lose, who knows what will happen next…"

Astrid shook her head. "Yeah- I'd rather not think about that, thanks," she said, disregarding the dreaded thought as Hiccup nodded. "...So what's our plan for the journey? We only have two days. Do we go as fast as possible?"

"Yes. But survival and warmth will be our focus. It'll be a week of hel ahead of us once we start crossing the mountains," said Hiccup as his gaze spun back towards the others, still casting their spells. "As far as I see it, the weather over those mountains will be worse than the winters we've had on Berk. We'll have to constantly keep ourselves warm. Cloaks and tents will be needed."

"So that means a caravan," sighed Astrid. "Hopefully we won't run out of food."

"Hopefully," nodded Hiccup. "And hopefully we won't encounter the enemy. But if we do, we'll have to deal with it ourselves. We can't risk the vanguard having a single casualty."

"Agreed," said Astrid. "If anything though, I'm kinda going to miss having Arn around us."

Hiccup rose a questioning brow. "Um- why?"

"Because we won't have his singing to keep our morale going," she chuckled. "The others and I had a chat about it while you were away, and we agreed that his voice helped to keep us going. But now? Now we're probably going to have Ruff and Tuff howling like wolves through dozens of sagas. All I know is that it's going to annoy the life out of me."

"What about your voice, milady?" asked Hiccup smirkingly. "When you and Arn sung that song about passing ales to vikings, I was taken away."

"Was it really that good?" questioned Astrid with a slight blush. "I thought you were only saying that to make me feel better."

Hiccup gave a smile as he let out a light chuckle. "The others liked it. Is that not enough proof?"

The lass sighed as a grin began to spread across her face. "Alright. I guess I will sing a song here and there if I feel like it."

"And, if Snotlout gets sick of it," added Hiccup, to which the two of them chuckled. "Last time the Twins sang, Snotlout looked like his ears were going to burst."

"I can't blame him," shrugged Astrid. "The Twins' singing isn't that good. I mean- the only time we'd probably enjoy it would be if we were jolly, or drunk."

"I'd rather not get drunk again," stated Hiccup as he raised his hands with widened eyes. "The last time you and I were drunk, we nearly-"

Astrid's face suddenly began to burn with embarrassment, and before Hiccup could say his words, she immediately placed a hand over his mouth, interrupting him. "I uh- would rather not talk about that. At least, not-"

"About what?"

The voice of Ruffnut suddenly caught their ears, and upon looking back, they saw both her and the rest of the group walking towards them. To Hiccup, it appeared as if they had something to say.

The lad let out a sigh as Astrid removed her hand from his mouth. "It's- it's nothing," he said, yet could not help but notice the smirks on all four of their faces.

"Why are you guys smiling like that…?" he asked.

"Well you see, we kinda had a discussion…" began Fishlegs.

"And after some talking, we made a bet," added Snotlout.

Astrid arched a brow. "Oh really? And what is that bet?"

"To see who can cast the largest lightning bolt," said Tuffnut. "Snot and I placed bets on ourselves, but Ruff and Fishlegs placed theirs on you, H."

"Uh-huh. And what about me?" asked Astrid.

"Well-" said Ruffnut. "We uhh... kinda thought you were more towards ice, so…"

Astrid sighed, giving a roll of her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Really? And what brought you to that assumption?"

"Well to be honest, I'm not really that interested," said Hiccup, standing to his feet. "Plus, we came here to practice, not to place bets on who can do this or that."

"Oh come on!" groaned Ruffnut. "Just once!"

"Ruff, the last time I called down lightning, I collapsed an entire pass with an army under it," he stated.

"And?" she asked.

"And what!?" questioned Hiccup with an irritated tone. "What's even in it for me? What are you going to do? Buy me some mead just to get me drunk again?"

The four vikings looked back at one another, and with mischievous-looking grins, they nodded before gazing back towards Hiccup as Ruffnut asked, "How about we sing you songs on the way to Dalgard? Actually- y'know what, how about we sing for you right no-"

"Oh gods NO!"

…

"Wait- what? You're saying the Twins started singing?" asked Arn.

"Yup. Right in front of my face," replied Hiccup with a frown. "Though it was more like screaming if anything."

"Wow. That must have been a torture for you," sighed Arn. "And what song did they sing?"

Hiccup gave a shrug. "I believe it was the one about that one viking. Brann- I think it was? Only this time, they said some other stupid name."

"...Well then," said Arn, as he cleared his throat at the embarrassing thought. "Now that's one way to ruin a great song…"

"Yep," the auburn viking nodded agreeingly.

It had been some time since Hiccup was last with the group. When the Twins began screaming out their song at the top of their lungs, the lad waited until their backs were turned, and made his move as he ran out of there as swiftly as possible.

Thankfully for him however, he soon found himself within the Alsworn camp, which was located near a secluded area within the city, filled with trees as well as ruins of old. To the lad, it was the best place to be at that moment, and upon walking in, he caught the eyes of many.

And now, both he and Arn sat around a fire near the center of the camp, with dozens of Alsworn vikings surrounding them, exhausted and weary. Many laid in their tents, resting, whilst others sat around campfires, mending their wounds while discussing amongst one another.

Aside Hiccup's reason for being there however, he also gave the news to Arn upon arrival regarding their upcoming departure. But more importantly, he told him of Kharinz's sickness. Unsurprisingly to Hiccup, this was something that Arn himself was unaware of.

With a yawn, the blonde viking began poking at the fire with a stick. "Well… aside from the Twins' awful singing, I can definitely assure you that you're safe here. However, consider yourself lucky that you don't feel how I feel. Hel- things are going to get even tougher from here on out for all of us."

Hiccup arched a brow questioningly. "Even tougher?" he asked. "I assume that there's something on your mind?"

"Quite a lot, actually," he replied. "The dwarves' king is sick, the elves are heavily weakened, and morale as a whole feels low. Nowadays, I can't even find the motivation to sing a hearty tune or saga. I feel like the whole world has turned upside down."

"But that doesn't mean there isn't a light at the end of the road," replied Hiccup encouragingly, to which Arn nodded in agreement. "If we win this next battle, the tide of the war will turn in our favor."

"That may be so," shrugged Arn. "But I just hope the orcs don't turn their attention towards Aesilgard. My home... Who knows what would happen?"

"...You know, you never once told me about Aesilgard," said Hiccup.

"And?" responded the blonde lad.

Hiccup's eyes expressed intrigument. "I've been saving this question for a while now, but I want to know; what is Aesilgard like? How many people live there? What's the land around it like?"

"Hmph," replied Arn. His eyes suddenly trailed down to the fire, which meant to Hiccup that he was about to tell a story. As such, Hiccup leaned in and began listening closely.

"Aesilgard is a city for all. A city of vikings… a city of heroes," spoke Arn, allowing the thought of his home to sink into his mind. "The land around it is made up of rolling green hills and grassy plains, with patches of snow spread out across its scape, glistening in the sunlight like piles of gold..."

"...But the moment you lay eyes upon Aesilgard itself, as well as its colossal mountain, everything changes. A great wall of stone stands before the city, with two large statues of Odin standing beside its gates. Along the walls are tall, mighty towers with large bonfires burning atop them, and from their tops, large banners flow downwards, flying the crest of the Alsworn for all to see."

Hiccup rose his brows as his eyes suddenly drifted away for a moment. His sight fell upon a nearby banner that blew in the cold wind next to a tent, and on the azure-blue fabric of the standard was a unique crest; a white valknut. The symbol of the Allfather.

There was without a doubt that Arn was referring to this.

"But then there is the city itself beyond the walls," the blonde viking continued. "Hundreds of structures and huts make up Aesilgard. Most are wooden, some are stone, and yet they all share the same designs that were made by the vikings of old; runes, statues, round-shields… even carved out dragon-heads, found atop the edges of nearly every roof."

"Hmm… Is the city crowded?" asked Hiccup intriguingly.

"Very," nodded Arn. "Thousands of people fill its streets daily. From vikings, to traders, to vendors, and of course, regular folk. But up in the skies, it's a whole different story. If you were to ever look up, you would be able to see many dragons flying over the city; some with vikings riding on top of them."

"...Though I will admit, Berk has more dragons than I've ever seen in my life. My tribe doesn't compare to yours in that respect."

"Numbers don't matter. Dragons are dragons. They are amazing creatures even if they're just a few, and that's all that matters," smiled Hiccup, causing a light chuckle to escape from Arn's lips. "Still, I can hardly imagine the size of the city. It has to be at least the size of Nordell."

"Actually- it's smaller than Nordell. Aesilgard has a total of over fifteen thousand people," replied Arn. "The city also has three levels, but only the first and second are where all the huts, taverns, and shops reside."

"And what about the third level?" asked Hiccup. "Is that where the great hall is?"

"Aye," said Arn. "The third level is the smallest level in the city. But, it's also where most of the stone structures of the city lie, such as the hall of warriors, where the Alsworn vikings reside, and the runic library, where the tribe's mages go to train…"

"...And that's not even the best part. On both ends of the level, there are several lifts that lead up towards Aesilgard's dragon aerie. It's located on one of the mountain's cliffs, and it overlooks the entire city in all its glory. Only a few ever get the chance to see it, but if they do, they'll be greeted to the sight of their lives."

"Wow," grinned Hiccup. "Now THAT is a must see for me. If we ever visit Aesilgard, I would definitely like to see the aerie. I'm certain Toothless would want to as well."

"Hmph. Maybe soon," nodded Arn as he rubbed his eyes, lifting his gaze from the fire after staring at it for so long. "But for now, we must focus on the battle that lies ahead. Afterwards, I can show you all that the city has to offer…"

"...Though speaking of Toothless," he added, looking past Hiccup's shoulders as he soon realized something. "Where is he?"

"He fell asleep after the others and I flew to the training grounds," sighed Hiccup. "He was so exhausted from the battle, I couldn't wake him up."

A light chuckle escaped from Arn. "Dragons will be dragons."

"Yeah," said Hiccup agreeingly with a smirk. "Though I will not lie, I too could use some rest. After so much fighting and shouting today, I feel like I could sleep for an entire day."

"If you're too exhausted to walk back to your dwelling, I can have my men settle you in," said Arn.

"I'd really appreciate it," smiled Hiccup.

Arn gave a nod, and as such, he looked around for any of his warriors who were still standing up and wide awake, and upon catching the sight of two nearby vikings, he immediately called out to them.

"You two!" he said aloud, catching their attention as they quickly came over. "Please find him a bed. He is beyond exhausted, and needs a comfortable rest. If you can, get him some food."

"We'll get right to it, chieftain," said the viking as he bowed his head. "Come, friend."

Hiccup quickly obliged, and as such, he stood to his feet and proceeded to follow along the scale mail cladded vikings, just as Arn spun his attention back to the campfire. But before he could make it out of sight, the lad immediately turned back towards Arn and called out his name.

"Arn!"

The blonde viking once more looked up from the fire, and back towards Hiccup. "Yes?" he asked.

"Two days," he said. "Remember to tell your warriors!"

Arn once again nodded. "Aye. I'll make sure to tell them," he said. "Now, go get some rest! And if Toothless comes looking for you, I'll let him know!"

Hiccup's lips spread out into a light smile, and upon turning back to the two vikings beside him, he gave them a consenting look. As such, the three of them continued on until they were completely out of Arn's vision.

The blonde lad sighed, once again turning his attention to the fire. "It's going to get cold…"