Before beginning, a thanks to BrawlerGamer and MrsMagnusB for reviewing on the previous chapter! You guys are still great as usual - and remember, if any of you readers out there have a question that you'd like to ask me based in the story then feel free to PM me or ask it in your review, and I'll answer ASAP!

Also, this chapter will focus around Hiccup and Astrid as their bond of friendship slowly begins to form. There isn't any Hiccstrid yet, but I promise that there will be in the future.

But anyways, no more delaying! Let us continue onwards!

"Chief, I'm telling you, he comes from the lands south of the Archipelago. The lands which we in our time never thought had existed. From Scandinavia he-"

"Bah! There's no such place, Snotlout." interrupted Stoick. "It's nothing but a fairy tale and myth made up by Vikings all around. There is no Scandinavia!"

For nearly two hours Snotlout had been discussing with Stoick on the possibility of the danger Hiccup spoke about coming from Scandinavia. He mentioned Ivar the Boneless, he mentioned Hiccup and his perspective from where he came from, and he even mentioned the Great Heathen Army and the Völsung Clan - and yet Stoick didn't believe the young Jorgenson.

"There are Vikings down there too, Chief. Hiccup explained how they never thought that our Archipelago or our presence ever existed. What is there to disagree about if-"

"The truth is that whatever this Hiccup brought up, it is nothing but lies. The way I hear it is the same way that Gobber described to us about the 'famed' Dragon known as the Boneknapper."

Snotlout gave a sigh at the mighty Viking. "Chief, it'd be easier to believe if you would just listen like as much you used to all those years ago when I became Heir. Didn't you say wisdom was a key element to making a good Heir? A good Chief?"

"There is a difference between wisdom and common sense, Snotlout." replied Stoick. He then leaned forward in his throne, gazing directly at Snotlout.

"Wisdom is the use of your mind, the use of your own knowledge in a case that is needed for deep thought, young Heir. Common sense here is all that applies however, and it is obvious as it's flying right in front of us! I don't need to think on the matter, and it's simple to say that there is no danger lurking near us."

"Peace doesn't last forever, Chief. One day a war will come."

"And when it does, I will know. And the difference there will be between us and our enemy is that we will win."

Snotlout shook his head at those words, and he stepped forward closer to Stoick. "We won't win when the Great Army comes with over a thousand Vikings at our doorstep being led by the most ruthless and feared Viking of our time! We need to act now, Stoick! We can't just-"

"ENOUGH!" exclaimed the Chieftain, slamming his fist against the right arm of his throne before standing.

"I don't want to hear another word from you, Snotlout. From what I've heard so far - it has been nothing but lies and made up facts. Many who have gone beyond the fogbank have never returned, and thus it is clear to say that there is no Scandinavia. There is no Great Heathen Army, and there is no Viking known as Ivar the Boneless. There never was."

The young man slightly dropped his jaw, not in surprise or shock, but in disappointment for Stoick being unable to see reason. "But-"

"I don't want to hear it." he interrupted. "You're dismissed. Get out of my sight, and do not bring this up again. I have had enough time wasted today listening to you talk about a fairy-tale-land."

Snotlout sighed as he spun himself around, beginning to make his way out of the Great Hall. Once again he stopped in his tracks however, and he tilted his head and eyes towards the Chief.

"Can Hiccup at least stay? He has nowhere else to go."

Stoick grumbled. "As long as he doesn't cause trouble, he may stay on Berk and explore the island."

"For as long as he pleases?" asked Snotlout.

"...Maybe."

...

"And that's what happened before I left the Great Hall." sighed Snotlout.

"Strange." said Fishlegs, joining in the conversation. "I've never seen Stoick this arrogant before. I mean, I know he's sometimes arrogant but at a level like this it's-"

"Unexpected?" answered Hiccup, receiving a nod from the Ingerman.

"Eh, maybe he's just tired. There was tha' meeting he 'ad with the Council last night, an' I will say, it did last many hours." replied Gobber. "Though all it was really was tha discussion of las' months income of gold. Tha Chief nearly fell outta his throne from exhaustion."

"Well, what bothers me the most right now is that because your Chief… Stoick, refuses to believe the truth about Ivar's possible coming, he's leaving himself and everyone else unguarded."

Astrid nodded in agreement. "And the only thing that would truly stand in Ivar's way as a challenge if he would ever get here would be… well, just us." she pointed out. "Though I don't know why Stoick has lowered Berk's guard recently."

"Don't underestimate Ivar." replied Hiccup. "Though he is a cripple, he is still an excellent fighter, especially his warriors. We'd have little hope of facing him if he ever reached Berk."

Fishlegs arched a brow. "And if we surrender?"

"He would still kill you." replied Hiccup. "Or make you into a slave like I was. Either way, the best we can do right now is hope that he doesn't find us."

Gobber gave a sigh as he stood from his seat. "Well, say what ya want, lad. I've gotta go an' sort out tha weapons at my Blacksmith. The Chief'll be easily pissed if he sees 'em outta order again." Hiccup in response gave a nod at the blacksmith before waving his hand at Gobber who made his way out of the hut.

"Eh, same here. Might as well go too." said Tuffnut. "I'd rather play stack the yak than sit here doing nothing. C'mon, Sis!"

"With pleasure, dear brother." replied Ruffnut. The two then giggled creepily as they made their way out as well, with Fishlegs and Snotlout soon following with their own excuses. After that it left just Hiccup and Astrid alone in the room.

"Well…" began Astrid. "This, is a little bit awkward."

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "This kinda reminds me of the moments when Magnus and I were alone talking. Though after all, he was like a brother to me."

"I see." she said. "And how old was your friend?"

"Twenty five years old. Seven years older to be exact, though I never viewed him as a fatherly figure."

"And why wasn't he there for you when you needed him the most? I mean, you did tell us that the citizens of the city which you came from abused you and viewed you worthless."

Hiccup rubbed his hand on his shoulder where a bruise mark was. "Oh he was there for me." he told her. "The only problem was that he was unable to in a way fight back physically, as that would've shown him to be treasonous for assault."

"So I guess he kept low until the time was right?"

The scrawny Viking shrugged. "Maybe. Because soon enough he, I, and his friend Eira found ourselves slaying guards after that. He showed his hand to Ivar to save me, to get me out of Kattegat. Though obviously you know, and I need not to explain the story again… am I?"

"Nope." giggled Astrid. "Though… there is something I want to ask you."

Hiccup bowed his head. "Sure, anything. I'm all ears."

Astrid slightly leaned forward towards the young Viking. "Do you want to go out and explore the wilderness?" she asked with a grin. "I'm sure you'll like Berk's landscape. There's forests, beaches, green plains, and even cliffs and hills."

"...Sounds like something I once saw in a dream." he said. "Blue sky I guess?"

"Yep."

"White clouds flying over?"

"That too." she answered. "Though I guess we could take a moment to look up in the sky and take in a breath of fresh air."

A smile started to form on Hiccup's face. "Alright." he said in a hearty chuckle. "Then I guess I'll come along. Seeing as how a grey sky back in Kattegat has been enough for me, I might as well witness a blue one, but you can go ahead and pick where you want to start."

"Great!" she replied. "But first let me go tell Gothi. She wouldn't want you to leave without me telling her you're-"

"I know." he said. "...Now, where's my cloak?"

...

Hiccup stood by and watched as Astrid's axe went hurling at a tree, hitting the trunk directly and impaling itself in the wood about a few inches deep. He chuckled, turning to face her with a smile.

"You're quite the axe-thrower, eh?" he complimented.

"I've been training in this for years." she replied. "When it comes to this kind of stuff, I'm a bit rough around the edges. Overall though, I guess you could say that I am decent at it."

Hiccup shook his head. "You're not rough at all. In fact, I think you have great skill when it comes to wielding an axe. Though I will say…"

It was then his gaze immediately fell to the whole of Astrid's weapon. He inspected the structure of the weapon from top to bottom and he gave a confused look. He didn't recognize an axe that ever had a double-edged and larger blade.

"I'm not familiar with that kind of axe." he said, rubbing his chin. "Who made it for you?"

"Gobber." she answered to the curious Viking. "Though how exactly is this structure unfamiliar? Don't the Vikings down in Scandinavia use these axes?"

Hiccup gave a shrug. "Mmm… not exactly. An axe from a Scandinavian Viking has only a single edge rather than two, thus only one blade. If you're using a one-handed or a throwing axe, the blade will be smaller. If it's a great-axe however, it will be a little bit bigger - but still not as big as the ones you carry around here."

"So then I guess you guys rely more on accuracy?"

The smile on Hiccup started to fade a little bit from hearing Astrid's words. "I'm not one of them, Astrid." he said to her clearly. "And... nor do I want to ever become a part of their sickening society ever again. They're not true Vikings, just barbarians. You shouldn't consider me to being one of them, Astrid."

"Oh…" sighed Astrid. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it." he replied to her in a more calm tone. "Just don't mention me being one of them, alright?"

She nodded back at Hiccup, and quickly the smiles on their faces began to come back to them as they moved on from throwing axes at trees.

As they walked along the forest's mountain stream, they were eventually met with an opening and were immediately surrounded by open plains, with rolling hills lying in front of them. It was a long walk, that was for certain, but where they were reminded Hiccup of one of his dreams.

He inhaled a fresh breath of air.

"Ah…" he exhaled deeply. "Okay, I've seen everything."

Astrid gave off a small splurt laughter. "Trust me, this is only part of what you've seen. Berk is unlike any island you'll find out in the Archipelago. There's none better."

"And I have to agree." replied Hiccup.

A moment of awkward silence followed after that. The two of them looked at each other and then stared off into a random direction before they would slowly face to put their gazes on each other. Then it would just repeat all over again a few times, until Astrid spoke.

"So… do you want to go from here?"

"I guess we could lie down on one of the hills, and look up at the clear blue sky."

Both of them nodded in agreement, and the two calmly made their way towards and up one of the rolling hills where they could take a glimpse at the sky and have a moment of relaxation and tranquility.

Once again, Hiccup's mind somewhat took over and gave him a slight Deja-Vu moment as if this too was from one of his dreams during his travel at sea.

At the top of the hill, the two laid down and looked up towards the sky. It was somewhat cloudy, but there was still some blue as well. From this, Astrid slightly giggled as her thoughts from the past came flooding back into her mind.

"I remember looking up in the sky and glancing at the clouds when I was just a kid." she said. "I would lay down here with my father and the two of us would play a game called; 'Spot the Dragon.' Seems childish, I know, but I was just a little girl after all."

"Well, we all have our childhoods, that I can say." he replied to her. "So, how does this game work, exactly?"

"Well…" she began. "All you do is stare at a cloud that appears as the Dragon you think it is, then you say that you see for example… a flying Gronckle, or a roaring Nightmare, and then the person next to you must spot it. Though nowadays I prefer throwing my axe at trees for my pastime, as well as do this thing I call parkour."

Hiccup looked back at her. "Par-what?"

"Parkour." she said again. "It's something that requires using movement and skill, and basically acrobatics - though I won't go into further detail."

Her eyes spun back from Hiccup and towards the clouds. "Though you know what, I guess would could give the Spot the Dragon game a try. I could always do with some good nostalgia from my childhood."

"Alright, I guess you can go first." replied Hiccup, and he slightly blushed whilst he tried his best to maintain his distance from Astrid.

The blonde girl scanned the sky, going from cloud to cloud with her glance until she saw a Dragon that caught her attention, and she gave a chuckle. "Alright. Here we go." she began.

"I see a Dragon whose spikes are let out from their tail. A Nadder who is ready to fight, and whose mouth is releasing fire." she described to Hiccup. "Try to spot it out if you can, Hiccup."

"Alright." he said, clearing his throat. He then began inspecting the blue sky and the white fluffy clouds for the image that Astrid described:

A Deadly Nadder with their tail spikes up and readied to be launched, along with their fiery breath. He started from his top left view, moving to his top right, and he slowly made his way down in a zig-zag cross with his eyes motioning it.

Eventually he was met with a cloudy figure near the center-right that looked like a Dragon that had spikes coming out from behind their head, along with a tail raised and a mouth opened that was shooting out white clouds which Hiccup assumed was the fire.

He pointed his finger to where he saw Astrid's Nadder. "Is that it?" he asked.

Astrid smiled and gave a nod. "Like I said, it's not really that hard - especially since we're not children." she joked, earning a small laugh from Hiccup. "Now, you go ahead and pick out yours."

Once again, the scrawny Viking turned his gaze towards the clouds. He used his mind to make a picture on the Dragons he knew from the 'fairy tales' that were told back in Scandinavia. Going from left to right and right to left, he soon spotted the figure of a Dragon, but… it wasn't one he recognized.

This particular one had their wings spread wide out. It's head-shape wasn't familiar, and it seemed to be flying perfectly with their four paws bended inward. It's tail was also strange because he only spotted one fin at the end of it.

He shook his head, thinking he was imagining, and then he lied to Astrid on what he saw. Instead he described a Monstrous Nightmare. "I see a Dragon whose horns at their forehead count more than two. Their teeth show out, and their body is aflame."

Astrid arched a brow at Hiccup. "A Nightmare? Don't I see it right there-?"

Her eyes widened before she could finish. They were caught in a totally different direction from where Hiccup saw his cloudy figure as she noticed a flying dot coming closer, getting bigger and bigger. Worse, the thing was coming directly towards them, and she could easily see that it was lit on fire, knowing instantly what it was.

"Hiccup." she started.

"Yes?"

She quickly got up on her feet, motioning him up. "...Run."

"What?"

"RUN!"

At first, Hiccup didn't understand what Astrid meant by run, but it wasn't long until he realized what she meant when he heard a loud roar coming from the sky, and he turned around and saw a Monstrous Nightmare flying down towards them. Angered.

The two ran for it and sprinted away as fast as they could, trying to stay ahead of the raging and flaming Dragon that had flew out from the clouds. "Is THAT the cloud you spotted!?" called out Astrid.

"No! There's a huge difference between a cloud, and an ACTUAL DRAGON- LOOK OUT!"

A fiery blast came down from the beast's mouth, hitting the ground a few feet away from Astrid. The two then shifted their position and began running to the left, but the Dragon still kept following them.

"Astrid! When was the last time you saw a Dragon!?" Hiccup called out.

"That was three years ago, quite a long time ago!" she answered back, still running with her rushed adrenaline. "We need to outrun this thing!"

Soon enough the two were nearing the forest, and to their luck there was a large boulder for them to hide behind if the Nightmare was to use it's fire.

"Hide behind there!" she pointed out. "If that thing unleashes all of it's fire, we may have a chance!"

It was then that the Dragon landed behind them with it's wings spread out, and their body set on fire. The light in it's mouth soon began to light up orange, and the two young Vikings jumped on the other side of the boulder as flames enveloped around the large rock.

"Feels like an adventure again!" Hiccup said loudly. "An adventure of never-ending conflict!"

The two sat there waiting for the flames to eventually dim down, and after a minute's worth of waiting the fires from the Nightmare soon ceased, and the large rock which Hiccup and Astrid hid behind was nothing but rubble as it cracked into pieces. To Hiccup however, that was quite the firestorm.

The two slowly stood up to face the Dragon, but the mighty beast had not given up yet. It's wings were still spread out and it's fires were still lit up inside it.

"Any ideas!?" Hiccup called out, receiving a 'no' from Astrid as the shield maiden shook her head.

"We might as well stand and fight! We will get out of this one way or another!" she said, unsheathing her axe and pointing it out at the Dragon. "Come on then, beast! Come at us! I'll be happy to-"

Another sudden roar from the sky immediately caught their attention, even the Nightmare's. It echoed all around, but the position from where it came from was unclear. At first no one seemed to recognize it - it was very distant and it made the sound similar to a few Dragons. But then, Hiccup's thoughts flooded his mind once more.

He remembered the dream. A black Dragon. That same exact roar. And then… a loud shriek followed by-

And then it hit him.

"That roar..." he said to Astrid. "I recognize that roar from my dreams! It was a-"

Another roar interrupted Hiccup as loud screech soon followed. It got louder and louder and it shrieked into their ears, and then that the two saw it. A black dot flying through from the clouds that came hurling down towards them at a very fast speed.

They both looked at each other and reacted by running into the opposite direction, away from the black Dragon as fast as they could, though no matter how fast they ran the Dragon was still faster than them. So, they both dropped to the ground, flat on their stomachs.

The Nightmare on the other hand roared at the speeding Dragon, and soon enough a fiery blast of blue-purple flames hit the Monstrous Nightmare on impact, and the Dragon roared in pain as the mysterious, black Dragon, went flying back into the sky, leaving the Nightmare who gave off a whined roar as it too went flying off.

Hiccup looked back up. The two Dragons were now gone, yet it surprised him that the black Dragon wasn't aiming for them, but rather the Nightmare. He then switched his glance over to Astrid as he offered a hand. Her body shook nervously as she reached out to grab his hand, and she stood up looking to the skies.

"What Dragon was that, Astrid?" he asked her.

"Th- That was a… a Night… F- Fur…"

Before she could even finish, she felt her sight blacken and her skin run cold with tension and shock, feeling her body go limp before she went hurling down to the ground, and she felt a pair of arms grab her at the last second...