Frostfire shifted around so he could look up at the male Night Fury. He tilted his head then looked towards his mother. Gyda, for her part, was staring at the Night Furies as well, but she was frowning. The male looked between Frostfire and Gyda. Gyda took a deep breath.

"My father was bonded to a Night Fury," she said. "His name was Ombra. I always called him uncle as I grew up since he had always been around. My children considered him their uncle as well." She paused and smile sadly. "A .. uh.. portrait was taken once when I was a baby, eh, hatchling. Ombra was laying down and Dad laid me down across Ombra's forelegs. They say I slapped Ombra when he sniffed me and at his whimper, I curled into him and began babbling and patting him."

[That still does not explain how he knew this teaching,] the male Night Fury said. [It was something Father said was passed to him and he had to pass to his hatchlings.] He tossed his head towards his mate and the other female. [Their nest did not have the same teaching.]

Gyda hummed. She looked towards Hiccup and lifted an eyebrow. He frowned at her, not quite sure what she was thinking. He was still reeling from the knowledge Gyda knew his fear and it seemed as if no one really cared that his soul housed this power. At least none ran when Gyda voiced her statement and Frost even sought to teach him something while repeatedly calling him alpha.

[Brother,] Toothless began, surprising Hiccup with the term of endearment. [I think she's asking if we should tell them about her.]

Hiccup blinked. He stared at Gyda. "Why are you asking me?"

Gyda frowned then she sighed. "Hiccup, you are still my liege lord. That has not changed. You are still the heir to Berk. That has not changed. You are still the alpha of this dragon nest."

[That will never change,] Toothless stated for Gyda. [Until you die, which will be a long time from now. Then your eldest offspring will assume the role.]

Hiccup shifted so he could look at Toothless. "But-"

Toothless sighed and nudged Hiccup gently. [Brother, we acknowledged you as our alpha. This power you hold isn't going to stop us from following you. We actually knew about it before you did. It didn't stop us from bowing to you.]

"You knew?" Hiccup questioned, surprised.

[Yes.]

"But it… it forces dragons to obey when they don't want to. It makes you freeze. I had to tell those dragons just now that they could move."

[But it didn't freeze me,] the other female Night Fury said. [I wanted to help you. I felt compelled to help you, but I knew I could refuse and nothing would attack me for that refusal.]

[I felt the same,] Toothless' sister-in-law said.

[As did I,] the male Night Fury said.

[Only those who have bowed to you will be affected by this power you hold,] Meatlug said, walking up to Shadowfire's tail.

Boulder and Fishlegs followed her. Shadowfire lifted his tail. Fishlegs, at Meatlug's urging, walked under and sat down beside Gyda. Shadowfire held his tail up, but the Gronckles shook their heads. Shadowfire lowered his tail. The Gronckles sat down, but where they could still see over the tail.

"Huh? Why would it matter that they bowed to me?" Hiccup asked.

[Because we declared you our alpha,] Boulder said. [We have given you authority over us by bowing to you. Something that happened before this power you hold ever showed itself.]

"But.. it's not right. I shouldn't force you. You all were forced enough by that fallen queen."

Iggy and Buttercup hopped off Shadowfire's back. They moved around to join Frostfire by Hiccup's knee. Both sat down and stared up at Hiccup.

[Do you remember the day I came to fetch you because that female youngling woke up?] Iggy asked.

Hiccup frowned. "Yes."

[Do you remember the story I told you of my old flock leader?"

"Yes."

[You have never once acted like him. Given he thought he could act like the monster in the fog, I know you have never acted like her. You gave me a choice to touch you that day. You held your paw out and I could have bitten it off before you could have blinked but you still allowed me to choose if I placed my muzzle in your paw or not. You have given every dragon that same option. I knew then I could have left this nest and you would have only regretted that I did not find a home here. You would have not shackled my wings. You even promised me that no one would bind me. I knew then you were worthy of obeying.]

[Myself and many of the other Tiny-fangs love to stay in the wooden branches your kind have placed in your meeting cavern,] Buttercup said. [Every time I see your kind meet there, I have seen your father speak and other humans jump to obey him. Is your father forcing them to act? Or is he giving a command because the humans acknowledge him as their flock leader and thus worthy of obeying?]

Hiccup frowned, sitting back. "But in the Great Hall, earlier, I still had to tell every dragon things were fine before they would move. My father never does that to the humans."

"Actually," Astrid said. "He has to a certain degree. During a raid when you were in the forge and not out." She paused frowning then continued on. "I saw him once, while Fish and I were putting out a fire on Dervla's cloth shed. The dragons were flying away but many of the warriors were still ready to fight and attack. One even claimed a dragon was in the trees behind Phelgma's farm. They all headed for the bridge. Chief bellowed at them to stand down and that the raid was over. The movement the one saw turned out to be Gustav who had ran when the raid started. I don't know what would have happened if your father had not shouted that all clear and those warriors obeyed him. I now worry they would have not seen Gustav due to the shadows and would have attacked first and asked questions later."

Hiccup stared at her. He remembered that raid. Gobber had been overrun with repair orders as it had last quite long. Hiccup had remained in, helping his mentor and friend. That had actually sparked him to begin creating the Mangler. He thought if they could shoot the dragons out of the sky at a faster rate than humans simply throwing bolas, the dragons would see Berk as more trouble than it was worth and reduce the attacks upon it. Or at least abbreviate the length.

[That you still seem hurt by the knowledge of this power you hold,] the male Night Fury said, pulling Hiccup's attention, [I see and understand why my brother saw fit to bow to you. You are a lot like our father in temperament which is why I know will make you an honorable alpha of this nest. What I still fail to understand is how the Tiny-icespitter, who apparently did not come from my nest, knows a teaching Father said was for flock only and I still don't understand what my brother means by his comment about the mage. What could you tell me about her that requires her to seek your alpha's okay before speaking?]

[Brother, I know we can trust him,] Toothless said, and for a moment Hiccup was unsure if the dragon was speaking to the Night Fury or himself.

The comment following the term of endearment proved who and Hiccup looked over his shoulder.

[And since the other two are with him,] Toothless continued. [I know we can trust them. Will you let me tell them so that they can understand?]

Hiccup looked around, noting every dragon and human he could see did not seem disturbed by the power he showed. Those who lived in the nest seemed to know about it before he had and still bowed to him. Toothless still called him brother and both he and Gyda still sought his okay over the secret his father and he had ordered all keep. Hiccup sighed, feeling the thing within him stir. He still kept it down, not sure he could trust it now, but he nodded his head to Toothless.

Toothless cooed then turned to the other Night Furies and began speaking in the Old Tongue. When he finished, the male Night Fury snorted and shook his head. His mate stared at Gyda with her jaw dropped. The other female lowered her head, rubbing it with a foreleg as if to ward off a headache.

[Oh, my father would love to meet all of you,] the male Night Fury said. [He always said something like this could happen and no one, not even our mother believed him. The elders of the nest did not believe him.]

"Maybe," Hiccup began slowly, still not sure he deserved the right to make this call but realizing that the others would not step over what they believed was his authority, "one day we can visit. I'm sure they would want to see Toothless more than the rest of us." He set up. "But first, we still have to get rid of the Speedstingers." He looked down at the Nadder siblings. "These little ones need to get back home."

He still did not think he held any right to be the dragons' alpha but he would not let the young who seemed to trust him be harmed by the invading Speedstingers. He still owed them that.

Guest: Actually, no, Hiccup does hold control over it. In the scene where Toothless tried to pull Astrid out of Hiccup's arms back in the second book, Hiccup could shove it aside. He did so when Astrid neared Toothless and the thing started to act up. And again when Toothless flinched. In the chapter you reviewed he controlled it three separate times. It can catch him when he's startled yes, but he can control it. A dragon startled can also have their abilities overtake them and they strike with tail, claw and breathe attack before fully understanding what is happening. Also, Frost had to be taught that control. He wasn't born with that knowledge. Hiccup will have to be taught to hold more control, yes, but it's not something that just processes him willy nilly.

Kirika: Awesome. I hope you enjoy the adventure. And yep, we have to take care of the Speedstingers and then there's a matter of a certain holiday the Vikings will soon celebrate.