A not-so-useful meeting / Attack of the Red Death's Heir:

Everyone marched inside the hall. Some dragons stalked inside with them since there was enough room as the hall was so humongous due to being carved inside a towering mountain. The Tifespinner pack remained outside but stayed on some green fields just near it. The Alpha did not feel comfortable with Tifespike going in there at first; he understood thought that she needed to stay with Sigmund. And she was old enough to look after herself – she would be perfectly safe.

Inside the hall, around the great round table, Hester was opposite everyone with Toothless and her best human friends and their dragons with her. Toothless kept holding a cold stare at everyone. He did not like how they had chained him up all those months ago, nor how they abused and bullied his Hester. He glared coldly at Stoick more than any human. Stoick did nothing to stare him back; he felt he deserved it for a reason.

But this was no time for silent rivalry.

"Everyone! We have gathered here to decide what strategy we must use to defend this island! An enemy more powerful than the red death is coming to our island sooner or later! And we must be prepared! Astrid, her friends and their dragons have brought my …." Stoick caught Hester's cold stare as well as her dragon's. She did not want to be called his daughter – not when he had selfishly disowned her all those years ago in this very hall. "Hester has been bought back. Now that she is here. We must help her prepare for to face the one that only she can stop. In the meantime, we must respect her. And her dragon too. First things first," he focused his gaze across the table to Hester. Everyone mimicked his line of vision.

Hester felt overwhelmed by the mass of eye pairs staring at her. A feeling of pressure began settle on her shoulders.

Gobber noticed that Stoick couldn't ask her question. "Hester, do you know anything about your gifts aside understanding dragons?" the blacksmith inquired.

"Not really," Hester had to confess. "I don't how only I can stop this threat approaching. I don't even know why I even have this gift. It's been a mystery to me ever since the day I met Toothless,"

"What about that island you went to?!" Fishlegs voice jeered up, as he was jumping up and down so Hester could see. "About those crystal dragons that attacked us?"

Everyone was alarmed by his words. They stared at her, facially requiring a questioning a story.

"What is he talking about?" a woman required.

"What are these crystal creatures?" a man demanded.

Everyone started jibbing at Hester with questions.

"Everyone! Quiet down!" Sigmund shouted, throwing his hands down. Nobody would calm down. Sigmund scowled irritably at Fishlegs who shivered under his cold gaze. He was such a big-mouthed blabber.

Garsir huffed. He looked at his dragons and clicked his fingers. Click. Click. Click.

Skullbones let out a might roar, louder and scarier than the wind. It was so powerful that the bonfire burning in the centre of the giant table was puffed out like candle. Everyone quieted down at once.

"Thank you boy," Garsir said.

"It was nothing," Skullbones crooned.

Garsir turned to the audience. "Everyone – stop overloading Hester with all these questions! She's already under enough pressure as it is. And it's her choice what she wishes with you all or not,"

"It's okay Garsir," Hester interjected. "I'll tell them because they're goanna stop staring at us like that until I do,"

With great reluctance, Hester shared the story of their previous adventure a number of nights ago. "We were attacked by crystal creatures," She explained. "Similar to the ones that were sent by Rafashfear to attack us. We flew to this mysterious island not far from where we discovered Sigmund's new dragon: Tifespike as well as her pack of Tifespinners,"

As she explained her story, giving out every little bit of detail including: the voice, the crystal, even what the crystal had done to her after she touched it, Sigmund felt a suspicious instinct swarming into his head as he eyed Stoick intently. The chief, although intrigued by Hester's story, looked scared, worried, as if he knew something. He didn't seem to be as confused or sceptical about her statements as much as his subjects or the dragons. Sigmund wondered if perhaps Stoick knew about these creatures. He was definitely going to be questioned after this meeting.

Once Hester had finished, a wave of muttering rose admits the crowd.

"And you really don't know why or how it happened?" Flora questioned over to her.

Hester shook her head.

"Could it be where you got that weird gift to understand dragons?" Spitelout questioned.

He was suddenly smacked in the face by Freya.

"Impossible," she spat out. "She's never left the island in her life so she couldn't have got it from there,"

"Well where did she get it from?" Spitelout questioned mockingly. "There's no way she could have been born with it. For all we know this could a goddess disguised amongst us,"

"That's absurd!" Stifflegs ranted across to him. "You know fully well that this is the real Hester and not some witch or goddess amongst,"

"Well then…how come these gods appeared in our kids' dreams claim she can stop it? When she doesn't even know her gifts?" his voice sounded cruel.
"Watch your mouth Spitelout," Stoick ordered, pointing a sausage-sized finger at him.

"Hester! How do you think you can stop this creature? Do you know what the crystal did to you?" Astrid asked across.

Her question unintentionally started a riot of questions and mouthing again and the hall was once again echoing with endless speaking. Skullbones tired to roar again to silence them but their voices had raised their tones higher when combined together.

Hester was fuming to the core, growing impatient with everyone raffling at her like that, as if she was supposed to know everything.

"SHUT UP!" Her voice made everybody jump – even the boys stumbled back a bit from the force of that almighty eruption of a girl. "How can I think things straight if you all keep mollycoddling me like this with these questions and all these babbles?!"

Hester cooled down when she realised how petrified everybody (even the dragons) had become by her sudden outbursts. She felt quite embarrassed. She hadn't meant to lash out like that, in front of everyone with so much adrenaline. She needed a moment to cool down and control her temper. "I'm sorry everyone. I need to be alone,"

Instantly she walked calmly out the hall with Toothless, the boys and their dragons bounding behind her. No body made a move to stop her. They were all too fixed on their spots by her shouting to even move an inch.

Once she was out of the hall, Hester dashed through the streets until she reached the cliffs on the edge of the island. She stared out at the sea, taking a moment to cool down her fiery temper that she had fired upon everyone back in the hall. Toothless perched on all his feet beside her like a dog and looked at her intently. He was quite intrigued by her lash out back in the hall. It was if she was a dormant dragon, venting out its fire for the first time in many, many years. Now she was just trying to relax, requiring the time to neutralise her anger with all the pressure that every question had infected upon her.

Sigmund and Garsir sat near them and their dragons sat down behind them too. They didn't talk. Hester would recover with silence. For a long moment they just twiddled their fingers or played with some grass. Skullbones licked his bones to keep them shiny whilst Tifespike preened her scales. Toothless didn't do anything; he just observed the silent still face of his rider and sister-in-arms.

"I'm glad you guys came," Hester said at last breaking the silence. "This has turned out so much harder than I thought! Everyone is relying on me! It feels like diving down so deep that you lift off the pressure the ocean above you presses on you,"

She buried her face in her hands, hiding her emotions.

"It'll be okay," Toothless promised, nuzzling her face a bit. "You are not alone in this. You'll never be alone. We're here by your side always,"

"You don't have to feel like you have to be everything for everyone," Garsir told her. "No matter how much you feel like you have to be what everyone expects – you have us to hold onto,"

Just as Hester had settled into a peaceful state, a yowling roar boomed in everybody's ear drums.

"What was that?" Garsir breathed out.

"Danger," Skullbones growled, snarling out at the sea.

Tifespike growled too. So did Toothless, their protective instincts kicking in.

As Hester stared outwards, she suddenly felt her head spinning, a feeling of something squeezing her brain from the inside. Her head started fidgeting a bit.

"Hester? Hester?" Sigmund saw that her body was shuddering.

"What's wrong with you?" Garsir asked, terrified that she might be reacting to something. Toothless tried nuzzling his head into her hands to earn a stroke but she was losing focus too much that she fell back. Toothless used his body to catch and support her. He laid down on his stomach, taking Hester's body with him.

"What's happening to her?" Sigmund asked as he and Garsir helped her sit down.

"I think she's reacting to whoever's calling out that roar," Garsir estimated after a while.

The roar's volume was raised louder, following by a sudden series of booming and blasting.

The boys felt their hearts dropped. They looked forward, fishing out spyglasses to look through. Out a sea was a giant massive dragon (who resembled the Red Death) roaring as it was leading an army of those monstrous creatures, the crystal dragons that had attacked them back on the Tifespinner's island and on that mysterious crystal island.

"It's here," Sigmund struggled to breath.

Hester managed to shake out of her trembling state that her emotions had impaled on her. She didn't know what came over her. Was it a shock of fear? Was it her brain vibrating from inside her head? Or was it something herself? She twisted her head and saw the Red Death's heir approaching, barely more than a mile away.

"It's him," she muttered. "He's here,"

Everybody heard a stampede of footsteps approaching from behind. They turned and saw the Berkains and their dragons rushing down towards them.

"HE's here!" Sigmund shouted. "Rafashfear's here!"

The Berkians sprinted closer and stared out towards what the teens and their dragons had spotted.

"Oh – my – Thor," Stoick punctuated each word with a gasp of shock.

"Is that him?" Astrid gulped.

"Yes. That's him," Garsir answered.

"Everyone! Prepare to fire!" Stoick commanded. "And wait until I give the single! Half of you at catapults! Half of you on dragons!"

Everyone obliged.

Hester was about to try but was stopped by Stoick.

"No! Hester! You need to stay here! You don't what we're up against! It's too dangerous!"

"I'm not backing down Stoick!

"Really? You actually care?" Hester challenged.

"Of course I care. I always have,"

"Really? Because you gave me an awful impression all my life," Hester crossed her arms and tried to mount Toothless.

"Please Hester!" Stoick didn't grab her but his tone (pleading as a child desperate for love) was enough to make her stop. "Just for now stay out of trouble! You don't what you're up against and you may get yourself killed,"

Hester didn't turn to face.

Stoick attempted to step forward, but Toothless snarled at him, ordering him to stand back.

Reluctantly, Stoick waddled away to help prepare his people.

The boys and the dragons glanced at Hester, who didn't move an inch. Eventually, she let go of Toothless's saddle.

"Really? You're taking orders from him now?" Garsir was surprised. Hester was not really one to follow Stoick's orders.

"I have to guys. I don't know how I can stop this – Rafashfear. Until I do, I need to stay out of danger and not get killed,"

"Okay," Sigmund agreed. "We'll fly up and help whilst you stay here,"

"Promise me you guys will stay out trouble," Hester begged.

Garsir nodded. "We will,"

The boys mounted their dragons and flew up to join the others. Tifespike let out a mighty wailing call for help. In less than a second, the Tifespinner emerged from the grass plains up to the sky to join their member.

Not too far from his goal, the closer he came to the island, the hungrier Rafashfear grew for vengeance. He could feel his fire boiling in his stomach, ready to be shot at towards any dragon and human who flew or fired at him. "At long last. Here it is," he cackled. "Here it is. The home of those heartless Vikings and that girl who took my mother. I will destroy them and reclaim my dragons. If they refuse to oblige to me, they die too," His moment of excitement was interrupted by the shuddering of his dragons. They looked like their heads were shaking. "What is it? What is wrong with all of you?"

"Master?" his second-in-command croaked out.

"What?"

"We can feel our hearts thumping! We can feel – the girl Hester. And she can feel us. Our connection grows stronger the nearer we come to her. She is bound to her by our power. And the power inside of her that she doesn't realise she has,"

"It appears she is the host of the flower that once grew in that cave where you guys came from. Well no matter, she is weak, and you will all have what lies inside of her, once I kill her, eat her, and destroy everything and everyone she loves,"

The upcoming army was just a yard out now. All the dragons were prepared, the catapults loaded, the barriers put up, all the children and mothers evacuated to the caves on the far side of the island.

Toothless and Hester remained on the cliff, unsure what to do. Hester was scared – more scared than ever. Toothless wrapped his wings around her to provide protection.

Up above in the sky, the army of dragon riders along with Garsir and Sigmund and Skullbones and Tifespike and the Tifespinner hovered in the air, flapping their wings at an unrestingly pace. The dragon felt their fire boil inside them. They would wait till the chief signal…and fire!

The Red Death's Heir landed full feet into the ocean. It was so gigantic that its head could stretch over the cliffs. The crystal dragons stayed flapping above it.

On the ground between the catapults, Stoick stood firm and tall, ready to protect his island. He could feel the cold gaze of the Rafashfear firing across his line vision into his eyes. But he would not stand down, he would cower. That was just what he wanted him to. But he would not. He would rather be dying protecting his island, and Hester, then hide and cower with shame.

Rafashfear paced gently but threadedly through the ocean until his face was facing over a thousand fearless but fretted Viking faces. "You are all so much smaller than I thought," he screeched. "But no matter what…I will wipe you all out in one blow,"

On the far side of the cliffs, Toothless had Hester hiding under his wings. Rafashfear hadn't seen them – yet. But he dared to harm that monsters if he laid one claw on his Hester. He didn't care how hurt Rafashfear was. HIs mother deserved to die for creating war between dragons and humans by forcing dragons to steal food from them in order to save their young. That was not what a queen of a dragon nest had any right to do.

"And now it is time for you all to die," Rafashfear growled. He raised his head, preparing to fire.

"Now!" Stoick bellowed.

All at once, there was a mighty swarm of boulders and fireballs fired upon Rafashfear and his army. They stopped their attacks, giving the dragons a chance to try and skew them, along with the Boneknapper and Tifespinner packs. A mighty flying battle was brought above their heads.

Despite all their strength and all their skills, the Berkians were barely making a dent in their enemies. If anything, they were making them more determined to stop them. And by doing so, motivating them to gain the upper hand. Much to everyone's shock, a majority of Nadders, Nightmares, Gronkles, Zipplebacks, Boneknappers and Tifespinners were knocked out of the sky, injuries infected greatly on their wings or any other delicate parts of their bodies.

Stoick was growing shocked. As were the non-flyers. Hester and Toothless from their spot observed what was happening. Hester was growing more scared than ever. Though there were no deaths, there would be heart-breaking casualties sooner or later. She had to do something.

"Nice try!" Rafashfear cackled. "But that doesn't work on me. None of your tactics work on me! Your gods can't save you! They are forbidden to harm me! Just as they have been to harm my mother!"

Once there were no dragons firing on him or no boulders hurled at him, he raised his head reading to fire with a blast that would engulf the entire village.

"Stop! You witless worm!" a certain female voice screamed.

Rafashfear turned his face to see a Night Fury hovering mere metres away from with, a very angry girl riding him.

"Well, well if it isn't the puny human…who killed my mother!"

"Your mother was a monster! She deserved to die! For everything she had done! To both dragons and humans! And now you come here?!" Hester's voice was filled with rage.

The people and their dragons were now witnessing her courage, the same courage she had crafted to save them from Rafashfear's mother.

"To kill everyone and think they're the killers when it's actually your mother? If you want to kill them, you'll have to deal with us first!"

"That's right!" Toothless supported. "We're going to tear you apart!"

"How dare you defy the will of a queen! What should a son do the ones who murdered his mother!" He blasted a fume of fire at them but Toothless dodged it. He tried firing down upon it but the booms were not as effective against Rafashfear as they were to his mother.

Clearly, he was more immune to the attacks. He wouldn't open his mouth long enough for Toothless to blast into his mouth.

Once Toothless had run out of power, Rafashfear suddenly attempted to gain the upper hand. He tried to blast them. He tried to eat them. He tried to smack them with his tail. But Toothless was too agile. But not quite focused enough. Neither was Hester.

Just when the riding pair weren't looking, Rafashfear's second-in-command, his most powerful crystal creature, came out of nowhere and snatched Hester off the saddle. Without Hester, Toothless plummeted to the ground to the sea.

Before he could crash, Skullbones swooped down and snatched him in his claws, just in the nick of time. Skullbones tried to retreat to help Hester but the crystal dragons divided and conquered on him.

Hester was tossed into Rafashfear's right paw by her abductor. She was squeezed tightly between the humongous claws. She wheezed in pain as she couldn't breathe.

"Time to end you now," Rafashfear cackled as he held her up to his face so she could see his burning eyes. "Once and for all,"

Everyone watched helplessly. They tried to get to her, but their enemies stopped them.

Suddenly Hester felt a fiery surge of power, boiling in chest, stretching through her arms and her veins. It flowed into Rafashfear's body. He felt it stinging, burning his insides, his head started erupting with pain. HE screamed in pain. He felt his scales falling apart, his wings flaring and forging holes. A mighty boom followed causing Hester to fly out of his grasp and for him to fall backwards.

"Hester!" Stoick screamed.

Quick as she could, Tifespike soared up and caught Hester in her claws, wrapping them around into a gentle protective cage. She fluttered back down the ground, placing Hester's body on the ground.

"I'll be back!" Rafashfear's voice boomed and brought fear into the hearts of everyone who could hear. "Once I am healed, this time – you will all die and be nothing but brought to ash!"

He unravelled his damaged wings and with a single swoop, Vamoose! He disappeared with his army out of sight.

Everyone looked at Hester. She was turning red, burning from the touch of that fiery dragon, but what really shocked everyone were the etches of golden dragons growing on her skin. Not only that, but her hair was glowing gold too. That had never happened before. It was incredible.

"What the Thor?" Gobber breathed out.

"What is happening to her skin?" Astrid questioned.

"She looks so spooky," Tuffnut uttered out in a dreamy tone.

Astrid elbowed him.

"Ow!"

"How can you say that?!" she hissed. "Don't you care about Hester?"

"Did the crystals on that island you told us about do that to her?" Fishlegs asked.

Garsir and Sigmund looked up at the number of questioned looks. They couldn't answer. Sigmund cast another sceptical look at Stoick when he noticed he was too petrified by what he was saying. What he saw was a different kind of fear.

Garsir noticed the look too. But they had not time to dwell on that now.

"Quick! We must get her to Gothi's now!" Garsir urged. Sigmund hoisted her into his arms and they immediately brought up her up to Gothi's house to recover. The teens followed after them. They made no act to stop them. Getting Hester's recovered was more important.

Wow! What did we witness on this battle scene with Hester? Well, the answer to her gifts will finally be discovered in the next chapter. Does Stoick now about it? We'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out.