"What I possess seems far away to me, and what is gone becomes reality." – Johann Goethe - Faust

A Faustian Bargain

Toothless looked up from the bowl of freshly delivered fish, a large red-back-fish disappearing into his gullet. He prided himself on being the cleverest of the kin, except for maybe Hiccup of course, and for always knowing when the new-sun fish would be delivered. That let him get here first and get his pick of the fish. He just finished his second large ridge-fin-back fish when he heard a set of familiar wings approaching.

Odd, he doesn't usually eat out here.

Hiccup landed and hopped over to him.

"Toothless, you follow me?"

He grabbed one more fish and gave Hiccup a nod. They were over the thinning treetops and heading deeper into the forest moments later. As he suspected, Hiccup was leading him to the place deep in the forest that had changed both of their lives and that still gave him warmth in his liver all these season-cycles later.

What does he want to talk about? Maybe that bad nest and the nest-invader two-legs. It has been a pawful of suns since we got back. And I need to tease him...

They both alighted on the mossy ground at the base of their cove. Then Toothless spun around on Hiccup in apparent amusement.

"Where your food? You need to eat more, get bigger."

Hiccup glared back at him with a clever glint in his eyes.

"Like your belly?"

Toothless just grumbled back and swatted at Hiccup's nose.

"I eat much fish before you get me. You are small for your number of season-cycles."

"Just like two-leg me."

"Yes, you were small then. That helped me carry you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

I don't know why Toothless cares about that. I'll eat when I am actually hungry.

"Hiccup, you did not fight the bad two-leg Alpha on the other island. Why? I want to burn him and his nest, but you said no."

"Toothless, that is bad to want to burn him. I not want you fight them because more fighting is bad. No reason for you go fight and maybe get hurt."

"He threatened you. If a kin shows you teeth in threat, you cannot be weak and submit. You should show you strong."

"I not angry at that two-leg. He want help his nest. He did wrong me, but I forgive him. That is a type of being strong."

Toothless stared at him and shook his head in confusion.

"You are very different, Hiccup."

"Not so different from you, Toothless. You did same for my hurting you in the past."

Toothless said nothing for a moment.

"Hiccup, you need learn how to fight."

"Fight? Why?"

"Why? This is why."

Toothless leapt at him as fast as lightning and ducked under his neck to knock out his front limbs and flip him over. While Hiccup was still stunned, Toothless leapt on top of him and clamped his jaws around his neck. He gave Hiccup a soft shake, tapped his belly with a talon, and then let him go. He stepped back and held his shoulders tall to celebrate his triumph.

"You dead if I wanted you dead."

Hiccup rolled himself over, gradually recovered his breath, and thrashed his tail in a bit of fear and shock.

"I was not ready!"

"You always have your head in clouds. Easy prey. You need know what is happening around you."

"But we not need fight now."

Toothless just shook his head in frustration.

"Why do we have claws and teeth?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup sheepishly glanced at his paws as Toothless continued.

"You do not respect yourself until you learn that you have teeth. A kin who cannot fight is weak."

"Toothless, two-legs have a saying that the writing-stick is stronger than the tooth-stick. The writing-stick is my strength."

"Will a writing-stick stop angry kin or a two-leg that wants your head on a stick?" Toothless retorted.

Hiccup had no quick answer for that and tried to change the subject.

"We are different. I want talk about you learning two-leg picture-talking."

Toothless had the same unimpressed and aloof look that he had the last time the topic was brought up long ago.

"Why?"

"You should learn because of many reasons. Two-legs should know you have a big head. Because... two-legs use creatures that have small heads. Like four-leg grass-eaters. I picture-talked with the other two-leg Alpha."

"Before it almost killed you?" Toothless growled back.

"Just listen Toothless. It did help me. You might need be able picture-talk one sun. Think about it like a new way of flying. Flying skies between two-legs and kin. And... what if I become a two-leg again? You would still want talk with me."

"Hiccup, you can not change back. I told you that before."

Hiccup deeply sighed and continued.

"You missed my thinking. You do not want picture-talking, but you should learn. I do not want other two-legs thinking you have small head. I want to change how two-legs think about you. They treat me almost like one of them because I picture-talk with them. You taught me how I fly, let me teach you picture-words."

Toothless got up and started pacing back and forth in front of him, grumbling all the while as he considered Hiccup's request.

Then another possibility crossed Hiccup's mind. Something that he was loathe to consider but which could not be delayed. They had briefly talked about it in the past, but he felt the need to bring it up again.

"Toothless, do you want stay here on this nest, or do you want to leave and go other place?"

Toothless paused and stared at the ground while he collected his thoughts. He knew how important his answer to this question was for both of them.

"This nest is not a bad place for kin. The two-legs are good to us here now. But I still think that I do not have a place here..."

"Why?"

"This place is for most kin and good two-legs. But kin like you and me are different from other kin. We are not small-minded. And we are also alone here."

Hiccup closed his eyes and let Toothless's words sink in.

He is right. He is... we are alone here.

"I cannot know what that is like Toothless," he eventually acknowledged.

"I do not belong with the other kin and I am not a two-leg. I feel lost in this nest."

"So learn to be more like two-legs. Learn to write. You can learn much from them."

Toothless swung around and almost looked like he wanted to shout something out of anger but thought the better of it.

"That is easy for you because you were one. They are still very strange to me."

That is because you do not really try to understand them...

"So what will you do?"

"I will stay here until I am grown. It is mostly safe here and there is much to eat."

"And when you are big?"

Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

"Then we can go look for other Night-Fury-kin. I do not want to think that I... we are the last. All things leave their nest when they become too big."

Hiccup didn't want to say that he didn't particularly want to leave Berk. This is his home, no matter what else had happened to him. But the idea of searching for other Night Furies was very appealing. Especially so because he would finally meet and be able to talk to other dragons that were his equal. Even better if they could be convinced to come back here and live on Berk in safety with everyone else.

"And until then Toothless? You will understand two-legs better if you learned to talk to them. Are there no two-legs that you would like to talk with?"

"Maybe she-Astrid will want to talk," Toothless almost reluctantly mumbled.

"Yes, she would like that."

"You will not stop will you?" Toothless grumbled.

Hiccup toothily smiled back.

"No. I have rock-head problems."

Toothless chuckled at that and sighed in resignation.

"I know that... You teach me picture-talking, and I teach you how to fight."

"We can do that."

Stoick got home at the end of a rather long day and was greeted by a very curious sight. Both Hiccup and Toothless were standing upright around the table and one of them held a pencil. But it was not Hiccup who held the tool.

"Hiccup, what is going on here?"

I am teaching Toothless to write.

Sure enough, the parchment was covered in sloppily written runes that were clearly not Hiccup's handwriting.

"I thought he didn't want to learn."

I convinced him

"How long have you two been at this?"

A week

"Well, I'll leave you to it."

He then left them to resume their lesson, complete with grumbling at each other and much instruction from Hiccup. In the meantime, he took a few minutes to tend to the fire and to his thoughts.

This would be a big change if he could learn our runes. If a real dragon can learn to talk to us... Humph, I wonder what he could want to talk about. Fish preferences maybe? Various smells?

"You are so intent on changing the world, aren't you?" he whispered as he poked at the fire.

He wandered off to bed after casting a final glance back at the two dragons. Toothless looked a bit confused, but Hiccup seemed to be enjoying himself from his smug grin and animated tail.

Gods, with both of them writing we might run out of paper.

The young adults were gathered together without their dragons in a forest clearing to discuss a major upcoming event that had been on their minds for years. Over a month had passed since the drama with the Outcasts, and everyone had turned their thoughts to the future. This Wintersblott festival would include their coming of age celebration when they are officially recognized as adults. That means that they will shed their protective, hideous childhood names and take on their true names for the rest of their lives.

"This is like, a big deal guys. Whatever name we pick we are going to be stuck with forever," Ruffnut reminded them.

"Yeah, so make it a good one. Just think about if Ruff would approve of it, and cross it off the list if she would like it," Tuffnut explained.

"Careful bro, a sister is always there..." Ruffnut warned.

"Oh no, whatever will I do?"

"Come on, you two. This is serious. Getting rid of our old names is huge for us. We all stand up in front of the entire tribe and take our new names as their equals," Fishlegs extolled them.

"I've already got my name picked out," Snotlout confidently announced.

"What is it?" Fishlegs asked.

"A name that befits someone with my strength, my courage, my bravery, and my ability to lead and protect!"

"Wow, impressive. How long did it take you to come up with all that?" Astrid teased.

"Only an hour, but that is not the point. I will be known as Thorvald Firehammer Jorgenson!"

Everyone else glanced at each other and then started laughing. Snotlout glowered at them and angrily crossed his arms.

"What is so funny!"

"Your face!" Tuffnut hacked.

"Seriously guys!"

"Firehammer? Where did that come from?" Astrid paused to catch her breath.

"Well, Monstrous Nightmares are the dragons of fire. It makes perfect sense."

"But it seems so... overly grand," Ruffnut objected.

"Well, I will be the Chief one day. I must have a good name," he pointed out.

"That is true," Fishlegs admitted, "what about the rest of you? Any ideas yet?"

"Yeah," "No good ones," the twins replied together.

"I think my grandfather's name, Skald, would be a good one. He also liked reading," Fishlegs offered.

"What about you Astrid?" Snotlout asked.

"I... it's a bit different for me. My parents didn't follow that tradition. I think I will keep my name."

"As you should, it is a beautiful name," Snotlout announced.

Both Astrid and Ruffnut groaned and rolled their eyes at that.

"What? Feeling threatened by my honesty?"

"You are insufferable..." Astrid muttered as she stood up and left to return to the village. Unfortunately for her though, Snotlout got up and followed after her.

"Hey! Of course I'm insufferable, I don't suffer anything."

"Lout, that's not..."

"And," he interrupted, "I know why you are acting so strange around me."

"I'm the one acting strange?"

He crossed his arms, making an obvious point of showing his muscles.

"Yeah, you admire me. I know you keep looking at me when no one is looking. Denying it will just prove that you are playing hard to get," he added with a grin.

She stared at him in complete confusion and growing frustration.

"Lout, if you are looking to chase skirts do not bother with mine."

"Oh Astrid, it's not that... well, not only that. Just look at yourself."

He stepped back and gestured to all of her.

"You are not a girl anymore, and I am not a boy."

"I am well aware," she coolly answered.

"So you know how strange it is for as beautiful a woman as you to not be matched with someone."

"I do not want to talk about this anymore."

"Fine," he grimaced, "just remember that you cannot run from this forever."

He turned to leave but paused and called out to her.

"Who knows, your future Chief may have a special demand for you. For the good of the tribe of course."

With that parting thought, he ran back to the other young adults.

Gods, he doesn't know how to take a hint. Maybe he doesn't care.

She couldn't stop thinking about it all the way back into town. It was expected among her tribe that women would be married off soon after they were recognized as adults. These arrangements were always taken care of by the parents. But Snotlout was right that he could make a formal demand that she marry him once he became Chief. Then her only choices would be consent or refuse and risk banishment.

He has become a bit more responsible yes, but he is still far too arrogant. He is not a leader. What if it does come to that? What should I do?

She grabbed a crimson leaf from the path and stared at it while weighing her options.

"I could run away. Leave behind the Academy and everyone. Or stay here and be his... wife..."

The idea sent shivers down her spine.

"Hey Astrid, wait up," Fishlegs shouted.

She paused and waited for him to catch up.

"Fish, what is the matter?"

He nodded back behind him at where they had all been gathered.

"I figured I'd follow you back in case you want to talk about anything. We both know how he can be. And it seems I was right, you were talking to yourself."

She nodded and smiled in appreciation.

"Thanks Fish, I guess I just don't want such an important decision as who I'm going to marry made for me."

"I've thought about it a lot too. I think that our parents know more about these adult life things than we do."

"Does that mean that their way is better? All that does is keep the same traditions established."

She paused and took a breath.

"It is so normal to get married, settle down, and have children. Everyone does it. Normal doesn't mean it is for everyone though."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I like leading the riders of Berk. I like being the dragon-whisperer, or whatever they call me out there. I like teaching people about dragons and learning more myself. I only think I would be happy with a man who would let me be a part of all this, who could show me things I've never seen before and give me wonder, who can change the world, who..." her voice died away.

Neither of them said anything for a minute. Then Fishlegs spoke in an unusually soft voice even for him.

"If I may Astrid, it has been three years. I don't think anyone here is quite like he was. Everyone has to move on eventually."

"I know. He wasn't perfect of course but... it's complicated."

"Is that a don't-bother-trying-to-understand-why-the-woman-is-thinking-what-she-is-thinking complicated?" he nervously asked.

"Yes," she laughed, "let's call it that. So now that you have an idea about my situation, what about you? Do you have anyone special in mind?"

Fishlegs blushed at that.

"Well, there actually is someone. We both love playing Crypts and Dragons, and we both read a lot. I think her parents like me too. She is a couple years younger than me, but I can wait."

"Let me guess. Is it Vistra?"

"How did... you know?" he stammered.

"Call it a lucky guess. She is a sweet girl and she is more mature than her years. And she takes very good care of her Nadder, Shimmer. I think you will be happy with her."

Fishlegs managed to look pleased and embarrassed at the same time.

"Strange dragons approaching!"

The lookout spotted the flight approaching Berk from the southeast while it was still a few minutes out to sea. Astrid hurried over to the cliff to get a better look. It became clear as the dragons drew nearer that they were carrying riders.

"I know them! They are from the Vaina!"

Astrid stepped forward to greet the group of arrivals. She watched as their dragons spiraled around the village and gradually descended toward the main clearing.

It was everyone whom she expected would probably arrive on dragonback; Helgrid, Ralof, Orgnar, and a couple others she recognized from abroad. They dismounted from their beasts and remained together looking around at the Berkians gathering around them.

"Welcome to Berk!" she announced on behalf of her tribe.

"Astrid! Good to see you," Ralof stepped forward to greet her.

"Who are the new riders here?"

"Those would be Orsik and Falkrunn," Ralof indicated the two other riders.

"Well, well. Other dragon riders!" Stoick's voice boomed out from the crowd as he stepped forward.

"They are from the Vaina," Astrid explained.

"I see. You are clearly doing better than those Outcasts who were here last month. Why have you come here?"

"Sir, Chief Svana sent us here to learn more about dragons from you. And in return," Ralof gave a signal to his comrades, "we are supposed to give you what we have learned."

Helgrid and Orgnar brought forward several scrolls.

"There is a lot in there about Thunderdrums, Scauldrons, and Timberjacks," Ralof offered.

"Well, Fishlegs can add this to our Book of Dragons. Thank you for the offering. Astrid, you can handle them from here."

Stoick gave her a nod and left to attend to other duties.

"Let's get you some fish for your dragons. It's a long flight to get here. I'll also show you where the stables are."

After tending to their beasts they followed Astrid on a tour through the village. The Vainian riders were in clear awe of the sizes of the stables, the Great Hall, and the sheer number of dragons that Berk had. They stayed on Berk for nearly a week. All the while they shared stories and bits of knowledge they had gained about their creatures with their fellow riders.

Stoick looked out over his island and felt quite content. The fishing boats were hauling in some of the last loads of the season, not-so-terrible-terrors were singing from the rooftops, and the livestock were mindlessly gnawing on the grass, mostly unconcerned about the dragons wandering about. Berk had passed another year without major, permanent disaster, personal disputes were rather infrequent, and his people were safe and generally happy. No outside power would reasonably consider attacking them after learning about the dozens of dragons that now roosted on Berk. Astrid had built the Academy into somewhat of a center of learning; a place where people even from other tribes could learn about dragons and build good relations between the local tribes and Berk. The recent visit by the riders from the Vaina attested to that.

Not having all the major issues that normally plague a tribe allowed him to reflect on the only matter that still weighed on his conscience. Something that he had desperately promised two winters ago and had no idea how to bring about.

He watched as Hiccup spun and wove through the skies, obviously having fun on this brisk fall morning. There was always a deep conflict in his heart when he watched Hiccup flying. It was horrible of him as a father to prefer Hiccup to be thoroughly miserable, but something still felt inappropriate about how Hiccup had managed to embrace his existence.

He went back to his house to continue reading the most recent correspondence from the other tribes. Alvin the now Honest had proven to be a wealth of information about events in the world. His men had traveled far, albeit on some less-than-honorable missions, and shared news through Johan's most recent visit.

Some of the whispers and rumors they had reported were rather concerning. News of kings and tribal leaders disappearing or capitulating to unknown powers. Whole areas and peoples vanishing. Phantom flocks of dragons in the wild. It was hard to figure out how much was just rumor and how much might be something more.

"Chief!"

"Yes Astrid, come in."

Her hair was wind-swept, and she was still in her riding gear.

"Just come in off Stormfly?"

"Yes sir, I thought you would like to know that we have guests."

"Guests? Who could it be at this time of the year? New traders?"

"Perhaps. I don't recognize them."

"How far out are they?"

"They should dock soon."

"Alright, I'll go down and meet them."

He headed out and made his way down to the docks. A newcomer to Berk was always newsworthy. Someone would only come to his island if they had a good reason to.

Astrid was certainly right that it was not a familiar vessel. It was larger than a normal fishing vessel and built in a strange style. The hull had a shine that suggested regular tending. The black sails could clearly catch far more wind that any of their sails could. For being a larger vessel than any of their sloops, it was clearly faster.

As remarkable as the ship was, the people on deck were more so. All the men were beardless. Clearly foreigners. More surprising were the two women on deck and the amount of deference they were obviously given. They were both dressed in black traveling robes and were thoroughly engrossed in their surroundings. However, they were very different in age. The older of the pair could have been three score years of age. The younger looked not even one score and carried herself proudly.

Most of the wayfarers were staring at Stormfly, who Astrid had brought with her to help make a good impression. But none of the newcomers were staring with the usual fear expected out of first-time visitors.

"Greetings seafarers!" he announced himself.

The older of the two women walked over to the gangplank and stared him down. He almost considered it insulting when he reminded himself that she was an old woman, and was thus entitled to some deference.

"Greetings Nord, we sail for a place called Berk."

"You have found it."

"Do you know one named Stoick the Vast?"

"I do indeed. I am he."

The woman then walked down the plank and strode toward him. He could tell that she was a woman with attitude from how she stopped and put her hands on her hips in front of him.

"Well, I have been looking for you for a while. A mutual friend of ours told me that you might have need of… services."

"I do not understand, woman. What do you mean?"

She reached into a pocket and pulled out a dagger. She flipped it around and held it by the blade while handing it to him. He stared at the hilt in shock and felt his hand tremble as he reached out to take it from her.

The hilt had the Haddock family seal.

Berk welcomed the travelers from abroad with a feast. The five men from the ship easily mingled among the much burlier Nords, shared stories for hours, and traded various trinkets.

The old woman sat at his table and quietly ate her food. Stoick had no idea how to broach conversation.

How does one make small talk with a... a witch? What would they want to talk about, other than business? Hel, I didn't even know for sure that they existed until now.

She looked far more careworn and wrinkled in person. She had bags under her eyes and a slight rasp in her breath. There was also a frailty in her movement and action that bespoke her age. Had she been a native to Berk, she may have even been mistaken for an elder.

"How is the food?"

"Better than the hardtack, salted pork, and fish we had on the way here."

"How long was the journey?"

"Long enough. My crew are happy to be on shore now."

"Pardon me, but what is your name?"

"I am Moirai. You have a fascinating island here Stoick. That you have managed to tame the dragons is impressive. Magical even."

Her innocent choice of words tingled his spine.

"Well, there is a bit more to it than that…"

The Hall's door opened and both Hiccup and Toothless strolled in. They walked straight up to the Chief's table. Toothless took one look at the new people at the table and immediately dug into his bowl of beef. Hiccup waited though because he did not recognize this guest.

Both of them turned their eyes on the dragons.

"Chief, what are those?"

"They are Night Furies."

The woman's eyes, normally tired with age, almost shone in obvious recognition.

"Don't worry. They don't bite. This one here, his name is Hiccup. You can uh… talk to him."

"What do you mean talk to him?"

"I mean that he understands us and will write to talk to you," he said while holding up some spare parchment.

She looked confused for an instant and turned back to face the dragon.

"Is that true?"

Hiccup nodded emphatically and put his pencil to the paper.

My name is Hiccup

"Hiccup… a talking dragon… this is incredible," she seemed understandably stunned.

"He is very special. You have no idea… I actually raised them both," Stoick explained.

"Does the other one talk too?"

"He is still learning."

"We saw a lot of dragons on your island. How many are there here?"

"About forty that are actually part of Berk. There are other wild ones that we don't bother and which don't bother us."

Moirai huffed at herself and slowly got to her feet.

"This place is more interesting than I thought it would be. How about we talk more in private."

"Ok," Stoick agreed.

"I will meet you at your house to discuss our… arrangement."

Aided by one of her sailors, she left the Hall.

She took it well, everything considered. I wonder if she suspects anything... She definitely is not what I thought a witch would be like.

He was still stirring his soup when Gobber wandered over shortly thereafter.

"Say Stoick, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about the future."

"Don't you think there is something odd about her?" Gobber asked.

"Not really. They are just not from Berk or any of the other clans."

"But what are they here for?"

"I guess I'll find out."

"She didn't say?"

"Well... I think she wants to talk in secret. Could be something about another tribe or stuff they want to trade. Who knows?" he muttered while waving a hand nonchalantly.

Gobber muttered to himself and downed his mug.

"Just watch yourself, Stoick. There's something strange about them."

"Don't worry about me."

Gobber... this is one time I don't need you trusting your gut.

He got up from the table and went over to his son.

"I need to talk to our guests alone. Do you think you can both wait to come home for a while?"

Hiccup nodded back in the affirmative and went to join Toothless by the open fire.

With that, Stoick left the Great Hall and went back home. The mead he had downed and the heavy coat helped with the chill that now graced the evening air in advance of winter. He got a fire going once back at home and waited for Moirai to arrive. There was no telling quite what to expect. There were plenty of stories of men who had ruined themselves by consorting with the occult.

I won't make their mistakes. I am not doing this for power, only for my son.

Then there was a rapping on his door.

He opened the door and started in surprise. It was not Moirai, but it was instead the younger woman he had seen on the boat.

"Where is Moirai?" he asked.

She didn't answer and let herself inside past him. She was tall for a non-Nord, thin, had long, black hair, and had a strange poise and control in every movement.

The woman turned back to him and spoke for the first time after he closed the door. Her voice was slow and silky and her eyes were piercing far beyond her years.

"It is good to meet you, Chief Stoick."

Everything about her seemed just barely unnatural enough to make him shiver with an indistinguishable sense of wrongness.

"Who are you?" he stammered.

"I am Moirai. I must apologize for my mother, she is not always the most personable around strangers."

"No, she was fine. I thought she might be your mother. Why is she not here?"

"Because I am the one you need."

Her stare seemed to pierce his soul.

"Everywhere we go, she introduces herself first in case it is a trap. She would rather get caught herself than risk me unnecessarily. It is an occupational hazard for people... in my line of work."

"So, you are the… sorcerer?"

She grinned, walked over to the fireplace, and stood directly before it. Her voice was slow and deliberate.

"Everyone always thinks that the sorceress must be the old crone and not the young, beautiful lady. That wickedness cannot look fair."

She held her hand out over the fire, and the flames turned dark green and grew in strength. He gasped and stared in awe and a bit of fear at the unnatural tongues licking the sides of the fireplace.

It is real… she really is a…

She withdrew her hand a moment later and the flames returned to their natural color and size moments later.

"Now that you know I am genuine, I need to know that you are as well. Payment was promised."

"Yes, yes."

He fetched the chest from down the hall and brought out several bags of gold coins.

"One for you now and the other two for when you do what I need done. Standard terms."

She took the offered bag and examined the gold coins to her satisfaction.

"The payment is fair. What do you need? Some foreign Chief you need struck down? Evil spirits that need warding off? Is there a woman you want to pleasure or win over?"

"None of those. I need you to work transformation magic."

She folded her hands and stared levelly at him, clearly deep in thought.

"That is no small feat. Love potions, strength charms, and curses, those are easy enough to work. But magic of change is one of the darker paths."

"But can you do it?"

"It depends. What is the change you want?"

"My son was changed into a dragon."

"Really? Which one do you think is…"

Her eyes gained a far-off look.

"Let me guess, the dragon you named Hiccup?"

"Yes."

"I see. So how did this happen to him? Was it another sorcerer?"

"I don't know. Here is what happened…"

He spent a good while recounting Berk's history, Hiccup's exploits, and finally the great and terrible day that the monster on Dragon Island was felled. He included every detail, the strange lightning bolt, the melted rock, and the inexplicable egg. He was just about to start explaining what happened after the egg hatched when she held up a hand and called for silence.

She stood up and paced for nearly a minute.

"I've heard enough. I think I understand what happened, but it is beyond your understanding. You love your son, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Your wife is gone."

"Yes."

"So he is everything you have left of your family."

"Thank you for summing that up."

She sat back down in her chair and frowned while staring into the fire.

"I can help you."

"Really? You can fix him?" he breathlessly whispered.

"Yes, but it will not be easy. As I said, magic to change something's nature is one of the more difficult types of magic to work, and I will need things to make it happen. I will need books and ingredients, a place to work here on Berk, and time."

"How much time?"

"Almost a year."

"A year!" he exclaimed.

"Any less and the potion will kill the one who takes it."

He sighed in resignation and forced acceptance.

"I have waited years already, and I can wait a little more. Take all the time you need to make it right."

"I will. What will our story be then? Your people hardly look like they would approve if they knew why I am here or what I am."

"No, they would not. I've thought about that. I will tell them that you are here to learn about dragons and that you represent a foreign tribe. We already have others who do that anyway now and then. What about your men? Do they know?"

"Of course they know. Don't worry, I only brought my best and most loyal. They know not to let out the truth. If anyone does get suspicious though, I do know normal medicine, so I could pretend to be a healer."

"That sounds good."

She folded her arms inside her cloak and leaned back in the chair.

"You are a strange man, Stoick. A Nord Chief now consorting with a witch and living on an island of tame dragons. But I understand your motives. You are a concerned father."

"Yes, I failed him once. I refused to listen to him when he was right. I almost got him killed, I did in a way."

"Does he know about this plan of ours?"

He paused, not sure if this was the kind of thing he wanted to tell Hiccup. As confident as Moirai was, there was still a chance that something would happen to stop Hiccup from being restored. Worse, he had a nagging suspicion that Hiccup might be hesitant about changing back to what he should be.

"No, I did not tell him. This should stay our secret. I want it to be a surprise for him."

"That is a good idea. No one else will know. Shall we seal our agreement?"

She reached into a pocket and took out a tiny blade. She acted before he could react by slicing her palm and holding the bloodied hand out to him.

To mingle blood with someone else in such a way was a solemn oath. Even the most savage tribes that were still gods-fearing were wary to break such oaths. The idea of striking such a bargain with a witch made his skin crawl. Would it threaten his own soul's place in Valhalla? Did he really have any choice in the matter?

He reluctantly took the knife and gritted his teeth as he sliced his own palm. His eyes teared over at the pain.

They clasped bloody hands to seal their agreement.

"It is done Chief, do you have any place that I could use while here? Preferably one away from people."

"Yes, an abandoned building in the forest. We used to store weapons in it. It's far enough away that no one ever goes there without a reason. I'll lead you to it tomorrow."

"Good. I'll have my men move everything up there. My ship will need to get more supplies that are not here, so we will leave over the winter."

"Just do what you need to do."

She nodded, put on her cape, and whisked out the door without a backward glance, her cape whipping around behind her.

He stood in a daze for a moment before grabbing a rag to staunch the bleeding, only now really feeling the sting of the slice in his hand. Then he knelt down by the fireplace to warm himself and gather his thoughts. The only sound he could hear was the faint crackle from the fire.

It felt like tradition should be offended. Except he felt an odd defiance growing in his heart. Why had the gods done nothing before?

I prayed and sacrificed to you, but nothing happened. You wouldn't send a witch to help me. I had to do this myself.

If only Gothi was still here. She might be able to help explain the gods' ways.

He glanced over at the table where she had left his family dagger. What paths had it traveled across the seas just to find its way back to him? How many times had he dreamed of being able to pass it on to his son?

With any luck, that might still happen.

He waited until he eventually heard a rapping on the door. Hiccup and Toothless were pacing back and forth just outside. He opened the door to let them in.

"You were not waiting long, were you?"

No, Hiccup shook his head.

Toothless wandered straight off to bed, but Hiccup lingered behind with a clear question on his mind.

"They are here to learn about dragons. It seems they did not need much convincing after your introduction."

Hiccup hummed with pleasure. He knew that Hiccup especially liked using every opportunity to make more people friendly to dragons. But then Hiccup sniffed at the air and looked at his bandaged hand.

"Oh this, it's nothing. I cut my hand by accident. Well, I think Toothless had a good idea. I'm going to bed. Do you… want a hug?"

Hiccup blinked in surprise and then stood up. Hiccup now stood taller than him when standing upright. Their previous hugs had been rather awkward endeavors because of how radically different they were in size and because it felt otherwise too unnatural. This time, he hugged Hiccup like he had not seen him in ages. Never mind the leathery skin under his fingertips or the claws on the paw-hands that awkwardly returned the hug.

It felt good to show his son affection.

"Alright, I'm off to bed."

Hiccup yawned widely and nodded in agreement. They each went their separate ways, though Stoick paused a moment to watch Hiccup curl up in his room across from Toothless.

That was another strange issue. What would happen if... when Hiccup was restored? Would he and Toothless become rider and dragon like most others on Berk? Would Toothless even stay?

I'll deal with that when it is an issue.

He climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. It felt like a weight that had hung over his heart had shifted and might even fall away entirely with a bit more time. At the same time though, he felt a renewed urgency and an anxiousness that had been otherwise dormant over the last couple years.

Just a while longer, my dear son. I haven't given up on you.