"Scrolls?" the king asked, his face unusually pale. Leonidas nodded.

"With riddles on them, sir. Pointing to locations."

The king leaned against a pillar. "So he's after that, is he?" he muttered.

"Sir?" Leonidas went a little closer, and peered into the king's face. It seemed… frightened.

The king straightened.

"We cannot allow him to have this. It's too dangerous."

"What's the whole thing about, sir?" Leonidas asked. "I've been wondering. Is it some sort of quest?"

The king sighed. "A quest, yes. But what lies at the end is far worse than anything else. Myre is after one of our legends. He seeks a story that is all too true."

"Which legend is that, sir?"

The king looked up sharply. "That is not for just anyone to know."

"I'm not just anyone, am I, your majesty?" Leonidas said, his face a perfect representation of oblivion.

"Even then, Commander, you are not to know. Do not ask me again."

Leonidas bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty."

"And bring me my nephews. I have a mission for them…"

=0=

"So everyone's alright?" Hiccup asked, relieved.

"Yes," Valka said. "Actually, they treated us very well."

"Really?"

"Aye, lad," Gobber interjected. "Verrae well."

"Oh. Good. Nothing else happened?"

"Nae, lad. All they did was put us in our own prisons. But they gave us their food, and good eating it was too."

"Oh. Well, has everyone gone back to their houses? Are the dragons all in their stables?"

"Yes," Valka said. "It's almost all back to normal, apart from the hole in the Great Hall."

"We could make it a basement," Gobber offered. Hiccup looked at him, amused.

"We'd have to get rid of all the traps, and mine the whole area under the Hall. I mean, a basement isn't just a bunch of tunnels."

Gobber waved a hand dismissively. "Ach, I'll just set the lads to it. You'll see! There'll be a Great Basement in no time!"

Hiccup laughed. "Alright Gobber. Have it your way."

"Aye, chief." He went to find someone to swing a pickaxe, and some Gronckles to store the rocks in. Hiccup was left with his mother.

"What about the… wizards?"

"Sorcerers," Hiccup corrected. "They might be wizards too, though. It's confusing."

She looked surprised. "You can be both?"

"It's more of a profession thing, I think? Anyway, they're going to leave us alone, but we've formed an alliance. So they might reach out at some point. Maybe."

"I see. They mean well, do they?"

"I-" Hiccup hesitated. "To be completely honest, I'm not too sure. They seem alright, but I don't think they like other people. Also, did you know Dad used to visit them every few years?"

"He did?" Valka said, surprised. "He never told me, I know that. But now that you mention it, he would go off on his own, with no other men, for weeks at a time every few years. I always wondered why, but then after some time I just became used to it."

"Why wouldn't Dad tell us about them, though?"

"I expect he had his reasons. If you want to know, you should probably ask the sorcerers."

"No other way, huh," Hiccup said gloomily.

"I expect not," his mother replied airily. "But you should probably get back to your chiefly duties. I am, as always, available if you need me."

"You're right. How's Gothi, by the way?"

"She seems alright. She's seemed a little confused lately, though. She… hesitates about the medicines. She gets it right every time, but as far as I can remember, she didn't do that before."

"Right," Hiccup said. "Maybe she knows that she's forgetting something, but she doesn't know what, so that's why she hesitates about the medicines. Because that might be what she's forgetting."

His mother gave him a Look. And it was definitely a Look, and not just a look. It had earned the capital letter.

"You've been taking magic lessons, have you?"

Hiccup shrugged. "It's just a guess."

"Well then. Just don't go shooting fireballs out of your fingers yet. That sort of thing puts people off."

"I can't," Hiccup said, vaguely annoyed. "It was just a guess."

"If you say so, dear."

She walked off, and hadn't gone a few steps before Cloudjumper swooped down and plucked her off the ground. Hiccup watched her go with the exact expression of someone suppressing irritation.

"Sup."

Hiccup screamed, whirled, and fell. Alphas stood there with his hands up.

"Surprise you?"

Hiccup just glared at him. He returned it with a bright smile.

"Yeah. Uncle sent me to check out your whole basement thing."

The clothes he was wearing now were different. Hiccup hadn't seen him since the night before the attack to take back Berk. Where before he had been dressed in a light and airy black, with simple gold lining on the shirt and complex silver on the leggings, now he was dressed in a similar manner to Commander Leonidas. Dark brown pants and an open coat of the same colour, with purple fabric underneath. The coat, while not as long as the Commander's had been, was still rather long, reaching to just above his knees. Straps and buckles lined his waist and torso, with one hung diagonally across his chest. Alphas noticed him looking, and twirled with his his hands spread to the side. His coat twirled with him.

"Like it?"

Hiccup nodded mutely, then looked down. The boots were almost identical to the ones he had worn before. Where those ones had had a sort of string on them, these ones also had buckles. Hiccup looked at his own boot. Fur on top, and no string or buckles to speak of. He'd have to add some.

"Official military outfit," Alphas was saying. "I notice you like the boots. You want some?"

He looked down, and his voice trailed off. His face went blank.

"You… want one?" he corrected.

"Sure. I'll have one," Hiccup said bitterly.

"No offence intended," Alphas said immediately. "Just… the first thing that came to mind. Sorry."

Hiccup sighed. "It's alright."

"Sorry. How'd it happen, by the way?"

"Sort of burnt off after a Red Death exploded," Hiccup said dreamily. Alphas stared at him.

"What's a Red Death? And it exploded?"

Hiccup looked up. "You don't know what a Red Death is?"

"No, but it exploded?"

"Look, we were fighting it and we shot it on the inside. It crashed and exploded and I fell, okay? How do you not know what a Red Death is?"

"Describe it to me, then."

"Huge, six eyes-" Hiccup began.

"Oh. That's what you mean. We call that a Hexoberon."

"Which means…?"

"Hell if I know. It's some obscure tongue from ancient times when magic thrived." At this he used air quotes.

"That's what the damn scholars say, at least. I don't have anything against scholars, but these ones act all high and mighty just because they can say something in a language no one uses anymore, damn them." His voice boiled with contempt. He blinked, and looked back.

"Anyway, Uncle sent me here to check out your secret tunnels, now being converted to basement."

"You know about that?"

"Moustache man was singing about it. Kind of hard not to know, to be honest."

Hiccup grinned. Good old Gobber.

"Yeah. Feel free."

"Thanks." He turned to go.

"Where's Omegas, by the way?" Hiccup called after him.

"Playing with the kids," Alphas said over his shoulder, and continued on in the direction of the Great Hall.

Hiccup frowned, and went to find Omegas.

=0=

He found him a little while later, jogging around the village center while children chased after him, squealing. He stopped, and just as the train of 6-year-olds reached him, he jumped backwards over all their heads, landing on the other end of the line, and started jogging away in the other direction, this time facing towards his devout followers. The children squealed with laughter as the fell over each other to try and catch him again. Dragons sat and watched with interest. Some mothers were standing around and smiling. Others were taking the opportunity to get something done. One of them noticed him as he came.

"Oh, Hiccup," she said. Her name was Hilda, Hiccup knew, but that was approximately the end of his knowledge. The village had expanded a lot recently. It was starting to get difficult to remember everyone.

"Who is this man?" she asked him.

"That's, um, his name is Omegas."

Omegas saw him and waved. Hiccup raised a hand in greeting before turning back to Hilda.

"He's from an island called Nisi. We've, uh, we've made an alliance with them. They've said they'll keep to themselves though, mostly." Hiccup scrambled for some other details and came up blank. Hilda nodded.

"Alright then, chief. Good morning." She looked at the children, then turned back to him. "This is a visit then?"

"Hm? Yes, he's the… chief's son." Hiccup didn't know if he should say that he was a prince. Vikings were not very open to new ideas.

"Oh."

"His brother's at the Great Hall," Hiccup added.

"He has a brother?"

"They're twins. They don't look exactly like each other, but that's it. They're pretty similar in everything else."

Hiccup glanced at Omegas, and saw that where Alphas wore purple underneath his coat, Omegas had blue.

'Nice details,' he thought to himself. Hilda was watching Omegas again. Hiccup sidled off. Omegas waved his hands and said something to the kids. They pouted, but shuffled back to their mothers, gazing longingly after him.

Omegas caught up with Hiccup and fell into step beside him.

"Alphas?"

"Great Hall," Hiccup replied.

"Which is?"

"The building with the tunnels under it," Hiccup snapped.

Omegas nodded. "Mad about something?"

"What?" Hiccup sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. "No. Not really."

Omegas said nothing. They walked in silence back to the Great Hall and stood in front of it. Omegas eyed the stone steps.

"Do you have to walk up these every day?"

Hiccup nodded with an air of depression. "There's too many, I've always said. I don't really have to, with Toothless, but I have to set an example, as chief."

"Wouldn't it set a better example to just fly and land at the top? Like look at your chief, he sees the simplest path to reach his goals."

"Our people won't see it that way," Hiccup told him, gloom resonating in every syllable. Omegas Looked at him, just like his mother had done.

"I get it," he said. "Up, up, and away?"

"Up, up, and more up, I think."

Hiccup started walking. Omegas followed.

When Hiccup slowed, Omegas stopped beside him.

"Need some help?" he offered.

"Thanks, but no," Hiccup said, breathing heavily.

"Weeeeell, you better watch out, because the help's coming anyway," Omegas said, and stood to the side. Hiccup tried to Look at him, but only managed partway, because a blur of darkness grabbed him and whooshed up the stairs.

"Toothless!" Hiccup slapped at the dragon's hide, trying to get him to let go, but he was unrelenting. They whirled to the top and he was deposited in front of the doors, where Alphas sat with his back to the door. He applauded.

"Excellent performance," he said. "Really brought a tear to my eye."

"Oh, shut up," Hiccup laughed. Alphas helped him up.

"Omegas?"

Hiccup pointed. Alphas looked down.

"He's still got some way to go, it seems."

"Yeah."

"Want to stand here and make fun of him when he reaches?"

"Oh, for sure."

They stood there and waited. Toothless sat expectantly. Hiccup turned to him, then hesitated and turned to Alphas.

"Should I call the others?"

Alphas shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm just visiting."

"Toothless, go and get Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins," Hiccup instructed. Toothless bounded off.

"Does he really understand all that?"

"Hmm? He does. Why do you ask?"

Alphas hesitated. "It's just… dragons on Nisi seem a lot… dumber."

Hiccup frowned. "Maybe it's the magic? Like being around it all the time makes their minds dull?"

Alphas considered the idea. "You know, you might not be wrong."

Hiccup shuddered. Wreckage seemed smart enough already.

"Why were you sitting here, by the way?"

"Catching my breath," Alphas grinned at him. Hiccup smiled.

They waited for a few more minutes. When Omegas finally arrived, they just stood with their arms folded and looked down at him.

"Slowpoke."

"Snail."

"Slug."

"Other words starting with S that mean slow."

"If the two of you don't shut up right now," Omegas panted, "I will throw you all the way back down."

A moment's silence.

"Imagine taking that long. Couldn't be me."

Hiccup felt he was running out of face for his smile to stretch.

"I hate both of you."

Omegas straightened up with a whistling breath, and exhaled.

"You really have too many stairs."

"I'll add more, just for you," Hiccup told him.

Omegas held up a finger. "I'll summon as many creatures from the nether world as you add stairs."

"Necromancy isn't your strong suit," Alphas reminded him.

"Don't care. I'll still do it. If I mess up you just get worse stuff, anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Several colours blurred past them, accompanied by screams. The doors of the Great Hall crashed open under the force.

"That'll be your friends, then," Alphas said conversationally.

=0=

"Magic traps, huh?" Alphas said as he traced one of the sigils with his finger. He'd cut through it with his knife, so it didn't work anymore. "Interesting."

"I imagine so. Pity you can't deactivate a boulder, huh?"

Omegas was miffed. He'd almost been crushed by one of the traps.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Alphas said. "That too."

Omegas squinted at him. "Die."

"It's on the bucket list."

Alphas walked on. Omegas followed him reluctantly. Hiccup walked by his side, while the rest of the gang trailed behind. Astrid looked distinctly like she had just woken up and been dragged out of bed, probably because she had. Her hair was a mess. Hiccup thought it still looked good on her.

Alphas paused when he came to the hole in the wall.

"Buzzard?"

"Buzzard," Omegas agreed. They walked in, and Alphas nodded approvingly at something behind the doors.

Hiccup walked in and looked to see a pitfall like the ear canal of a giant. He felt like an appropriate word was in order. What would Alphas have said?

"Damn," he remarked.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Never heard you swear before," Alphas said.

"That's because he never has," Astrid told him. "In his life."

Hiccup blushed. "Just… trying it out."

"Well… you do you, I guess?" Alphas said, and looked back at the pedestals. They had some small boxes on them shaped like chests. Alphas picked one up, then threw it against the wall so hard it smashed. He held his hand, an expression of surprise on his face.

"Never heard of something like that before," he muttered.

Omegas looked at him. "And what did you do that for?"

"Why don't you pick one up then?"

Omegas did so, and dropped it immediately. He stared at his hand.

"That's a weird one. Usually you that sort of thing doesn't fade away so quick. Even with curses, if someone makes a curse that small."

"What are the two of you doing?" Hiccup asked. "What's with the boxes?"

"Don't pick one up," Alphas and Omegas said in unison.

"Why?"

"It burns you," they said, again at the same time.

"Doesn't look that hot," Snotlout said, and picked up the one Omegas had dropped. He flung it away. It clattered.

"It bit me," he said, staring at the box as he wrung his hand experimentally.

Alphas and Omegas looked at each other. "You know, that might be it."

"Magicians, right?"

"Made from the wands, or the staffs."

"Wait, wait," Hiccup said, waving his hands to catch their attention.

They definitely looked. After a moment, Alphas raised his hands and waved back. Hiccup snorted.

"Stop that. What do you mean about magicians? And how did the box bite him?"

"Have you ever been bitten by a snake?" Snotlout said.

"No. I don't want to, either."

"Oh, good. Then you'll get it."

"What?"

"It wasn't like a snake bite at all."

Hiccup looked at him. It wasn't a full on Look yet, but it got the job done.

"Don't try something like that again."

"I can do what I want," Snotlout protested.

"Sure, but not something like that. You just made me even more confused."

"I told you about magicians back on Nisi, didn't I?" Omegas interrupted.

"Yeah. So?"

"They use wands and staffs and other objects of power. I told you this. If a magician is strong enough, the wand or staff or whatever they're using comes alive, kind of."

"Alive?"

Omegas considered it. "It's a kind of… parasitic life. Being around a magid for so long, some things happen by themselves. If the magician is strong enough, it's almost a given that their medium has absorbed so much magic that it begins to change itself."

Everyone listened closely.

"So, you get living wands, living staffs. Things that can use their owner's magic on their own. They have a special connection. Technically, a lot of things in a magid's use can have some kind of magic build up, but it usually only happens with wands and staffs. So what happens is, sometimes, if someone else tries to take or use the medium without the owner's permission, or without the medium wanting to have that done-"

"It can want stuff?"

"It's alive. Living things can want stuff. Anyway, if someone tries that, the medium can defend itself or its master. Sometimes they use some of the owner's magic to make things happen, or they can, you know." He gestured. "Bite the offender."

"How do they bite, though? It's not like they have mouths," Hiccup persisted.

"They're magic," Omegas reminded him. "It doesn't make sense all the time. Even to magic users. We just make the rules up as we go. If something doesn't work by the rules, we just make new rules to fit it in. We barely know how we're doing what we're doing most of the time. All we know is that we're doing it."

There was a contemplative silence while everyone thought this through. At last, Alphas spoke.

"Well, time to go. I think I've seen everything I need to."

=0=

"You're just going to leave? That quickly?"

"Sorry. It's just, we should be reporting back as quickly as possible. There's always other missions."

"Are you sure you won't just stay for a drink or something?" Hiccup pleaded.

"I… don't drink."

"Me neither."

Hiccup looked at both of them, sitting astride their respective dragons, and sighed and waved them away.

"See you some other time then," Omegas said as they rose into the air. He threw him a two fingered salute before they starting growing smaller on the horizon.

And there ended Berk and especially Hiccup's involvement in a war that started long ago.

…Not.

Why did the war start?

It started with these words, "In the time before men, there was a dragon, who laid an egg…"