Hiccup POV...

After the whole situation with Hoark being poisoned occurred, my dad decided to push back the semifinal match for the next two hours to allow everyone to cope with what just happened. I was still worried for him of course, just like anyone else would be, but I was also in awe of how Jarik and ahsoka had saved him using the Force. Whatever they did, saved him from Hssiss dragon poisoning, something no one had ever accomplished before. It always seems like something miraculous happens whenever they were around...

Furiously beating wings get my attention, and I duck down behind the barrier I was standing next too, reminded of the situation I was currently in. The match had already started up again, and the Gronckle flew right past my head as it searched for us. A moment later Astrid ducked behind the barrier, doing a double take as she noticed me. I smiled sheepishly at her, and she scowled angrily, shoving my shield down.

"Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing," she warns me, leering in my face before rushing off.

"Good. Please, by all means!" I call after her sincerely. I honestly would rather have her win this match instead of me. Even if my dad would still be disappointed in me losing, there was no way I was going to kill the Nightmare. Besides, he'd understand me losing to Astrid right? She never loses to anyone.

"You got it Astrid!" someone yells.

I let out a sigh and stand up, looking around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, dad watches keenly, beaming with pride, Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik beside him. He locks eyes with me, giving an encouraging nod with a closed fist. Mara gives me a thumbs up, while Ahsoka and Jarik simply smile reassuringly. I adjust my new helmet and force a half-hearted smile. However I never realized that by standing up I had attracted the attention of the Gronckle.

The sound of beating rings and a load roar gets my attention, and I look over with wide eyes as the Gronckle begins to charge at me, although I can't tell if its moving to attack, or has grown a liking to me since I always lay it out like a puppy. Nevertheless, it was charging straight for me, and if it started to beg me happily for another chin scratch there would be confusion and chaos from everyone watching. With a yelp, I leap to the side quickly, dropping my sheild and axe, my helmet also slipping off of my head and desperately reach for the spot underneath its chin. Quickly scratches, the Gronckle gives out a blissful cry and collapses, sliding a couple feet on its side and kicking its leg in the air.

A few moments later I realize what this would me and my face falls nervously. A sudden war cry heading in my direction has me flinching against the barrier until it suddenly stops. Glancing over, I see Astrid standing there mid run, axe held over her head with a shocked expression on her face. With wide eyes, I frantically gesture at the Gronckle in an attempt to indicate that it wasn't my fault. However she wasn't having it.

While everyone cheers at my victory, she stomps her foot furiously and swings her axe in a rage. "NO! NO! SON OF HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!" she yells angrily. I stand there quietly, wishing desperately to be anyplace but there while Astrid continues on her rant. I can just feel the concerned stares from Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik on my back.

A loud clack from Gothi's staff rang out as she stepped forward, and my dad holds his hands up to quiet the crowd. "Wait! Wait!" he exclaims.

Seeing an opportunity in the chaos, I attempt to slip away. "So, later."

Unfortunately, Gobber has other ideas and snags me with his hook to prevent my escape, and sets me back down. "Not so fast."

"I'm kinda late for-" I stammer out before being turned around, an axe held at my throat. I grunt in surprise, and back up desperately upon seeing the livid expression on her face. "What?! Late for what exactly?!" she demands.

Luckily my dad's voice draws everyone's attention and she backs off, although reluctantly. "Okay quiet down! The elder has decided."

Thrilled, Gobber stands behind me and Astrid as we both look up to where Gothi is standing. Next to her and my dad, Mara sends me a nervous look, Jarik and Ahsoka's expressions neutral, although I can see the knowing look and concern in their eyes. Gobber first holds his hook above Astrid as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no,' resulting in a few hushed reactions from the crowd. Gobber then raises his hand over my head, and I flinch, a nervous grimace on my face. To my utter horror, she nods an affirmative 'yes' with a smile on her face. The crowd roars in approval, and I shut my eyes with a grimace, slowly glancing over to Astrid, who turns a seething, deadly glare on me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead ten times over.

Gobber holds me in a one armed hook, an excited expression on his face. "You've done it! You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!"

"Ha, ha! That's my boy!" I can hear my dad shout pridefully. Mara and her parents all have supporting smiles on their faces as they clap politely, although I know for a fact that its just a front. The teens all rush me, with Fishlegs hoisting me on his shoulders. If this was a month ago, I would be bursting with joy and happiness, having finally been accepted by the village as one of their own. Everybody was happy for me, and my dad was finally seeing my accomplishments, and was proud of what I could do. I should be happy.

But not this time.

I nervously go along with it in a half-hearted attempt to mask my panicking emotions. "Heh, heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so... so..." trail off, unsure of what to say.


Mara POV...

After the match, my parents and I had retreated to our house to talk things over. As soon as he was out of the ring, Hiccup vanished, most likely to go hang out with Toothless. I bet he was gonna do something rash, maybe even leave Berk with him at the worst, I just knew him too well.

"Well this sucks," I remark in disappointment, leaning back in the chair with my feet on the table. "What the kriff is he supposed to do now?"

"Language," mom chastised, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry mom," I replied. "but seriously, what is he supposed to do?"

"Well, he can either confront his dad about the truth, forfeit the fight for a certain reason, or what you thought he might do, leave," she said. "But he won't be able to put it off for an excuse. Sooner or later the truth is going to come out," she warned.

"He can't hide Toothless forever," dad added in agreement.

I sighed. "And Hiccup knows that. He's just too afraid of what everyone will think. I would be in his position."

They both nodded their heads. "The best we can do right now is support him, no matter what decision he makes. If he tries to deal with it alone, it won't end well." dad says. "But ultimately, it's his choice to make. We can't fix the problem for him."

"If, the truth comes out and Hiccup does get banished from Berk, then we can bring him to live with us in the Temple," mom decides.

"And if they try something worse on him?" I ask nervously.

"We won't let it come to that," dad promises with a sad expression. "Even if it makes us Berk's worst enemy."

The idea of that happening is worrisome, but like he said, I'd take Hiccups side any day over Berk. They haven't exactly been nice to him at all. Standing up from my chair, I make a beeline for the door. "I'm gonna see how Hiccup's doing," I announce.

They share a quick glance with each other, probably in some sort of private bond conversation before they get up as well. "Alright, we might as well go with you," mom says.


Hiccup POV...

"We're leaving!" I called out, strolling through the cove with a basket of fish, looking around for Toothless. For some reason he wasn't responding as usual, but there was no way he was gone, the cliff walls see to that. Maybe he was trying to play a hiding game...

"We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever," I call out again, setting the basket on the ground next to a rock. Still Toothless is nowhere in sight, and I open the basket up, checking my harness with a million thoughts racing through my head. I know it was probaby a little selfish of me to just up and leave Berk now, but I couldn't handle the place anymore. I can't kill a dragon now, not with what I know about them. And if I try to tell my dad about this there is no way he would listen. Best to just leave without them realizing anything. Maybe me and Toothless could find the island that Mara and her parents live on...

"Oh.. man..." I say quietly, standing up with a burdened sigh.

The sound of a rock screeching across metal above my head suddenly gets my attanetion, and I look up in confusion, only to stumble back in shock upon seeing Astrid sitting there.

"Aggh! What the-" I yell in shock, recomposing myself. "I, eh, uhh... What are you doing here?"

She tosses her sharpening rock aside and hops off the boulder, stomping forwards while spinning her axe threateningly. My eyes dart around nervously, searching for Toothless. If she catches sight of him...

"I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. 'Especially' you," she demands, and I had to admit that stung a little bit more than the usual insults I've received. I stumble backwards nervously as she advances. "Start talking! Are you training with someone?"

"Uh... training?" I reply nervously.

She grabs me harshly by the harness and lifts it up slightly with a frown.

"It better not involve this," she continues.

"I know this looks really bad, but you see... this is, uh..." i hastily stammer out for an explanation.

"Is Mara teaching you some of her Jedi tricks? Maybe her parents?" she suggests with a suspicious glare.

"What? No, she isn't! none of them are!" I protest truthfully.

"Well it looks awfully similar!" she retorts.

"I- I know it seems that way but, they uh, have the Force! I can't do any of that-" I start to say, however a rustling on the other side of the cove catches our attention. She drags me to the ground with a quiet gasps before stepping over me with a narrowed gaze to investigate. I yelp in pain slightly before getting up to stop her. No doubt the rustling came from Toothless... oh of all the times to not have Mara here...

Panicking, I quickly step in front of her. "You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits!" I say with a sheepish smile. i honestly can't believe that's the poor excuse I came up with but I have to roll with it now. I really should have thought of a situation like this happening... "So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go."

I grab her hand and place it on my harness in an attempt to get her to drag me away. That plan backfires when she grabs my hand and painfully bends it backwards, sending me to the ground with a cry of pain.

"AAAAUUGGGHHH! Why would you do that?!" I complain.

She kicks me to the ground with her foot. "That's for the lies!"

Next, Astrid holds her axe above me and drops it, so that the handle bounces off my stomach and back into her hand. I gasp in pain, the air getting knocked out of me. "And THAT'S, for everything else!" she sneers.

A sudden growl comes from the other side of the cove, and Astrid gasps in surprise, looking up on high alert.

My face falls, knowing what was probably running through Toothless' head right now. "Oh man."

just as I get up, Astrid suddenly grabs me and slams me back into the ground again, catching me by surprise. "Get down!" she exclaims.

I watch in disbelief as she gets back up, axe held at the ready. "Run! Run!" she yells, ready to take on Toothless in defense of what she thought was an attack. Despite how she acted towards me not five seconds ago, I had to admire how she immediately went from being angry with me to being ready to protect me from death within a heartbeat. However with Toothless charging, Astrid ready to fight him, I had to intervene before someone got hurt in this misunderstanding.

"NO!" I yell out, diving at Astrid and shoving her to the ground. Yanking the axe from her grip, I shove it away and turn towards Toothless, holding my hands up placatingly. "No. It's okay! It's okay..."

Toothless pulls up short and lands hard, spraying Astrid with sand.

"She's a friend," I reassure him.

Toothless snorts in disagreement, but relents. Astrid is frozen in shock and disbelief. Toothless looks from her to me and back to her, obviously confused. i turn back to Astrid, holding Toothless by the head to keep him from charging further. "You just scared him."

"I scared him!?" she exclaims in disbelief.

I make a shushing motion, and then she goes silent, eyes wide in realization. "Wait. Who, is him?" she whispers intensely.

Witha nervous expression, I hesitantly gesture between her and Toothless. "Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid," I introduce. He snarls furiously at her, making me grimace.

Astrid backs away, eyeing the two of us with pure disgust. The sound of feet on rocks then gets everyones attention and we all look over to see Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik emerge from the cove entrance, chatting quietly with each other.

"Are you kidding me mom?" Mara laughs, looking over. "He..." her voice trails off as she takes in the situation, Ahsoka and Jarik stopping as well with surprised looks on their faces. Astrid stares at them wide eyed, more shocked than she was even before, and Mara looks between us.

"So... she knows now?" she asks dumbly.

Jarik rolls his eyes. "'She knows now,' of course she does she's standing right there," he retorts sarcastically.

Ahsoka giggles while Mara glares up at him. "Well excuse me 'Mr. Know-It-All!'"

Astrid stares around at all of us in a mixture shock, disbelief, and disgust before narrowing her eyes. She shakes hers head slowly with a glare and quickly runs away, climbing out of the cove, no doubt off to tell the village.

"Du du duh, we're dead," I deadpanned.

"No kidding," Ahsoka says in agreement.

Toothless however, simply stands on his hind legs with a satisfied glare in Astrid's direction before turning around and hobbling away. I look at him with a bewildered expression. "Woah woah woah, where do you think you're going?" I demand.

The other three walk forwards and Mara shakes her head. "You really did it this time Hiccup."

"W-what- it's not my fault! I didn't even know she was here!" I protested.

"Well, you better go get her then," Ahsoka chimes in.

"Sweep her off her feet, like dad does to mom!" Mara exclaims dramatically with clasped hands.

Jarik nods his head. "Yeah- wait what?" he says with a raised eyebrow, both he and Ahsoka staring at Mara with narrowed eyes. She simply giggles mischievously in response.

I stare at her with an annoyed expression. "I- I'm, not, sweeping her off her feet," I deadpan.

She shrugs. "Alright fine. Then Toothless will. Hey, Toothless!" she calls out.

He comes bounding over, seeking attention from the three of them, which Mara and Ahsoka happily provide. Jarik slings an arm casually around my shoulders. "Well, the secret is out now, with Astrid at least. So, you can either let her blab to the village, probably live on our island knowing they hate you, or try and explain the true nature of dragons to her. What d'you say?" he asks.

I consider the options in my head. I was planning to leave, but I don't want my dad to think I betrayed them for the rest of my life, so I reluctantly sigh with a nod. "Alright, I'll do it."

He pats me on the shoulder with a smile. "Good man," he says, turning towards the others. "Alright you two, let them take flight. Hiccup needs to catch his girl."

Ahsoka giggles, while Mara doesn't bother to hide her laughter. Even Toothless rumbles with laughter, and I let out an aggravated sigh. "D-did you tell them about my crush on Astrid?" I demand from Mara furiously.

She smirks mischievously. "Maybe..."

I groan in annoyance. "Come on bud, lets get this over with," I tell him, climbing onto the saddle. With a quick growl, he flares his wings as I snap the tail into position, sending us soaring into the sky while they watch us leave. Heading in the direction Astrid went, I quickly scan the forest for any sign of Astrid, easily spotting her running through the trees with her bright blue shirt and armor.

"There!" I point out to Toothless. He growls in annoyance, but flies downwards, claws outstretched. Just as Astrid jumps off of a log, Toothless snatches her up by the arm, quickly flying back up into the sky. She lets out a scream of surprise and terror, frantically grabbing at Toothless' paw.

"Oh great Odin's ghost! Oh this is it!" she yells in terror.

i lead Toothless over to a tall tree near the cove, Astrid screaming the whole way, and he deposits her none-to-gently on a branch, perching on top. The tree leans over dramatically from his weight, dangling her over the cove about a hundred of feet below. I can just make out Mara and her parents, most likely watching the event.

"Hiccup! Get me down from here!" she yells furiously.

"You have to give me a chance to explain," I reply desperately.

"I amm not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!" she yells in a rage, struggling to geta good grip on the branch.

"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you. Please, Astrid," I plead, reaching a hand out to her.

She eyes me Toothless, then the ground far, far below, where the others are watching.

"I could let go and the others would catch me," she challenges.

This time I was ready for a counter. "But then they would keep you there until I could explain things," I argue back.

She scowls, looking back down, although I can tell that she knows I'm right. After a moment, she pulls herself onto the branch with a grunt and hesitantly reaches a hand out. toothless growls when she gets closer, and she retracts her hand, before carefully grabbing e saddle, making sure to avoid as much contact with him as possible. I hold a hand out to her, but she swats it away and reluctantly climbs over the pedal, lines, and harness. She settles behind me, looking very uncomfortable.

"Now get me down," she demands.

With a smile, I pat Toothless gently on the head. "Toothless? Down. Gently."

With a growl, he spreads his wings slowly, and they flare open with the updraft of the wing. He stays still for a few moments, and I look back reassuringly at Astrid. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."

I would come to regret that choice of words a moment later, as Toothless suddenly snaps his wings hard and launches us straight upward. Astrid screams in terror, the acceleration absolutely tremendous. Every downbeat bucks the saddle, heaving us into the sky, increasing our speed more and more. I desperately try to grapple my hands onto the saddle, while Astrid holds on to me with her arms and legs for dear life.

"Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon!" I yell, mortified. I turn to Astrid, trying to desperately offer an explanation. "He's not usually like this." Moments later, Toothless lists to one side and we begin to plummet. I glance downwards in dread. "Oh no..."

Astrid screams in terror once more as we plummet through the air at breathtaking speeds, crashing through the water. I'm sure Mara is probably laughing her butt off right now, the little punk. Toothless rockets over the ocean waves, deliberately dipping us in the froth.

"Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us!" I protest.

Instead of listening to my words, he rises back into the air again as fast as possible, and then begins to twirl quickly, which I'm used to by now from all the test flights, but Astrid for sure isn't.

"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile," I deadpan.

Astrid's arms are wrapped around me tightly as she buries her face in my neck, eyes shut. We then begin to fall once more, corkscrewing through the air. "Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!" she yells sincerely. I'm slightly surprised. Astrid is defeated, her aggressive energy gone, which I never thought possible before. Satisfied, Toothless relents, and snaps his wings open, immediately stopping our descent with surprised yelp from Astrid.

We level off, and Toothless slowly rises into the clouds. Astrid opens her eyes again, and looks out at the clouds and sky with an awed expression of wonder. Despite her usual personality, she drops her tough attitude and reaches out to touch the clouds, piercing columns ablaze in golden hues, floating over a vast, beautiful sky. Her terror is replaced by wonder, and the expression on her face has me smiling as well. She grins happily, letting go with both hands and drifting them through the clouds without a care.

We continue to go through this for a while, and quickly than I thought possible, it was already night time. The sun had long since gone down, which none of us noticed due to getting lost in the beauty of the sky. Toothless slowly rises above the clouds and levels off under a starry sky. We emerge under the dancing Northern Lights, shimmering in ribbons across the vast sky. Both of us look at the light show in wonder, having never seen such a thing this clear before. Gliding further back towards the mountains of Berk, the clouds part to reveal the landscape of the entire village, lit up at night. Below us, Berk's torches flicker in the inky darkness. The new perspective is breathtaking, and too my surprise, Astrid tucks her arms into my vest, burying her chin into my shoulder with a peaceful and happy expression. I smile nervously, unused to contact like this, but return my staring to the village, taking in the sights.. Toothless then climbs past Berk's tallest peaks and heads out over open water, leaving the village lights to fade behind us.

After hours of slow, gentle flight, Astrid finally speaks. "Alright I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing," she says, looking down at Toothless and softening her voice. "He's amazing."

She carefully reaches down and pats Toothless' side, which the dragon accepts with a happy warble.

"You know, Mara told me that they see stuff like this all the time when they fly in their ship," I recalled.

"That's incredible..." she breathes out in response. "I still can't imagine what space looks like beyond Ahch-To..."

We remain in comfortable silence for a few more moments until she asks the question that i was dreading. "So what now?"

I let out a quiet groan. It's a problem without an answer.

"Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow!" she exclaims incredulously. "You know you're going to have to kill a... kill a dragon," she whispers in my ear.

"Don't remind me," I reply glumly. Neither of us notice as a strange, unearthly din approaches. It's only when Toothless' ear plates suddenly stand on end, that I notice something weird going on, and he abruptly dives into the fog without warning.

Me and Astrid give out a quick yelp of surprise, and I lean forwards. "Toothless! What's happening? What is it?"

However he only lets out a swift roar in response continuing forwards. I'm confused and nervous, when suddenly, out of the dense cloud, a Monstrous Nightmare emerges. I widen my eyes in shock, Astrid with the same fear. All around us, more dragons began to appear. What was going on?!