Just a quick note before beginning! I want to say that this chapter is going to be a little bit darker at the start due to what Hiccup does, but this is just something I wanted to remind you guys of in case you're extremely curious - no spoilers intended! Also once more, apologies for the long wait.

Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you're all amazing!

Now, without further ado, let's continue our story!

Hiccup eyed the captured captors who were in chains and kneeled before him with slight surprise. It was at least nearly a dozen men of whom were of not just of the Hooligan Tribe, but as well as some of the others.

"How surprising that one man managed to persuade other Vikings from different Tribes to help in capturing a single Night Fury." said Magnus, kneeling down to the height of the Berkian who led them. "Tell me, why did you go on a hunt for a creature like Toothless, renegade?"

The man struggled, yet also chuckled. "The Dragon?" he questioned in a mixed tone. "Bah! It's a Night Fury for crying out loud. Why in the name of Odin's beard would we want a Dragon amidst our presence!?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Eira asked. "Have you seen what these magnificent creatures have done for Berk, for our people?"

"Magnificent? More like brutal, relentless, and disgusting wild beasts!" spat back the Hooligan renegade. "What they've only done for our people in the past is leave us to starve! They killed hundreds of us, and left us to rot on an island without stock or food!"

"And you've killed THOUSANDS of them when you were still at war with them!" exclaimed Hiccup, marching towards the man in chains. "Over the course of three hundred years the denizens of the Archipelago were able to achieve such a feat with only hundreds of Vikings! Were it not for me, my Dragon wouldn't have been here fighting with us against a common enemy, and Berk would have been burnt to ashes! The last thing we want right now however, is more infighting and further conflict!"

"Gah! And how do we know that this Night Fury won't just backstab us and leave us to die!? He's a malicious animal!"

"He, is one of my best friends." Hiccup stated, catching a gaze from Toothless. "I saw how he reacted to me when I first approached him without any weapons. He was passive, and willing to see what I was, and who I was. I was there when he saved me and my friend from a wild Dragon attack. And I was there when he saved two of my friends from drowning. Is that not enough for you, muttonheads!?"

That was it. There was nothing left that the renegade Hooligan could counter-argue against. Hiccup had perfectly proven his point to him, as well as to his men of whom were involved in capturing, and that was that.

"Well…" the man grunted. "If that damn Dragon hadn't bothered me today as I was pulling my cart, I might've spared him anyways."

It was in that moment that Hiccup perfectly understood it all, and a look of realization beamed across his face. The man now looked familiar, for he was the one who Toothless tried to help earlier today.

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "It's funny, now that I think about it." he said. "My Dragon tried to help you, and in return you give him this…" pointing out how he and the dozen others kidnapped the Night Fury. Slowly, he stood straight to his feet and looked back at Magnus and Eira.

Magnus stepped forward. "What are your orders, Hiccup?" he asked without hesitation. "Any punishment we give to renegades is fine by the other Chieftains. They stated earlier today in the meeting that any renegades found guilty may be punished by us. But for execution, you must first consult with-"

"...Then let it be that way." Hiccup said, unsheathing his sword which caused the rest of Magnus' elite guard to unsheathe their weapons. The renegades of whom were bound had begun to panic as they struggled in their bindings. There was no way they could fight back, and they were sitting sheep ready for the slaughter.

Without an expression of remorse or sympathy, Hiccup said to Magnus, Eira, and the elite guard: "...Kill them all."

Magnus and Eira's eyes widened. "Hiccup-!" the both said in unison.

Hiccup raised a hand. "That's an order. Kill them all, now!"

…

"Execution?" Stoick asked, somewhat horrified by the actions his son took. To him, his actions were more of what a Scandinavian Viking would do - but Hiccup in response gave a nod to his father, and the rest of the Chieftains who stood around him in the Great Hall.

"I freed their heads from their filthy necks and threw them into the sea." responded Hiccup, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. "I gave them what was coming to them."

Dagur sighed. "Hiccup, your actions may have been a bit too hasty." he told the younger Viking. "Although we gave you the ability to punish any rebellious renegades you find, you should have at least consulted with us first about execution."

Alvin nodded in agreement. "Aye. An' besides, who knows if 'ey were forced in ta workin' wif tha' man who captured yer Dragon. Was it really necessary, lad?"

"What I did was necessary. For Berk and for the other Tribes. What I did was an example to those who would try and rebel against us, simply because of our Dragons. They are our only chance in this war aside numbers and strength."

"And do you really think striking out against our own men is the wisest of options rather than taking them in and warning them not to do it again?" asked Mogadon of the Meatheads.

"Spare me the pity, Mogadon." Hiccup responded, boldly. "You weren't there to see what Mildew did to Berk. He nearly tore it in two, and what I did was show him that the might of Berk could not so easily be broken. Berk has become stronger than ever."

"And have you considered your recent actions, Son?" Stoick asked, crossing his arms. "What you just did is something a Scandinavian Viking like Ivar would've done. You did without consulting, and this worries me so much that I-"

"I am nothing like Ivar!" interrupted Hiccup, with a glare glowing on his face. "What I did wasn't something that Ivar would do for his own pleasure, but rather for our people's benefit. If Toothless was killed right there and then, then we would've lost our greatest ally in this war!"

"And have you considered that Toothless is more than just a weapon or tool, Hiccup?" asked Magnus, stepping out from a nearby shadow with Eira by his side. "Your order of execution has placed me and you in a tough position now that my men are doubtful!"

Hiccup raised a brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned Magnus as his expression quickly started to change.

Eira stepped forward. "The villagers and soldiers who were near the ramps saw what happened from across the cliffs, and they were disgusted by what they saw. Not only that, but Magnus' guards were AS WELL disgusted by what they were doing. Hiccup, you left the executed renegades in full view of nearly a fourth of entire the village, and in front of three of our regiments."

Magnus in response shook his head in disappointment. "And it took me a while to tell them what had transpired and why. And it was because of you Hiccup that our men have begun to grow fearful of you! ...My guardsmen don't even want to leave my side because they fear of the unnecessary actions that they'll have to do again, which once more reflects upon what you ordered them to do today… Why, Hiccup? Why all this over a single Dragon?"

All eyes had now fallen onto Hiccup, filled with disappointment, worry, and fear for the young Viking's mentality.

"What you have done is something that I couldn't have ever dreamt of doing myself." said Stoick, sitting down in a nearby stood with his face to his palm. "But from my own son...?"

Hiccup, whose expression was initially filled with anger, had now entirely changed from a glare to a look of realization. He glanced all around him, and saw his own negative thoughts and feelings were bursting back at him; especially from his best friend, of whom had helped him escape the city of Kattegat more than half a month ago.

...What had he done?

He looked back at Stoick and said; "Dad… I- I didn't know that-..."

There was a long pause as Stoick looked back up at his son, shaking his head with a slight frown at him. "I don't want to hear it." he said to him. "What you did was something a warmonger would do. A… barbarian. And though I know that is not what you are, I know you can do better than that."

Hiccup sighed. His eyebrows arched up as he looked down at his battle torn hands. What had he done it for? Why had he done it?

'...Oh gods, help me…' he thought to himself.

Without saying another word, he looked back at Toothless who stood at his side, and motioned him to follow. All eyes still gazing at him even as he began to leave the Great Hall.

"Where are you going?" asked Magnus, with his manner in tone switching to something more lighter.

"Away from here." he said back to Magnus and the rest of the Chieftains. "Away from the village. Somewhere where I can get a fresh breath of air."

Soon enough, the sounds of the doors of the Great Hall echoed as they opened and closed, and Hiccup and Toothless were no longer in sight. All eyes soon fell onto random objects in the hall, and silence took over.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think, Chieftain of Berk?" asked Eret, the former Dragon trapper.

Stoick sighed, troubled. "It had to be said."

…

Hiccup flew atop Toothless, hovering high up and over the forests that blew in the wind over the cliffs and in the peaceful valleys of Berk. Though covered in snow, the island as a whole was still beautiful to him.

And yet, he still couldn't get what his father said to him out of his mind.

"I don't want to hear it." The words from his father echoed in his mind as he looked forward, focusing on flying atop his Toothless, but he could only get so far with it.

"What you did was something a warmonger would do."

"No…" he told himself. Hiccup began shaking his head from the negativity. His guilt began rising. He didn't want to think about these thoughts. Oh but why did they keep coming back to him? Why?

And then, the final words from his father struck him once more. "A… barbarian." And from that, Hiccup turned his head to face towards the skies as he let out a mighty roar. Loud enough for any birds or Dragons nearby to hear him and possibly fly off without much reaction.

"Gragh!" he growled, sighing as the cold wind rushed passed his face. "What have I done, Bud? ...I've just proven to the other Chieftains, my own father, my best friend, and everyone in the Hall that I am no better than the enemy who brings death to our gates... Ivar the Boneless."

The name slipped out of Hiccup's tongue like a snake slithering, and he let out a breath of guilt as he laid his head on the back of Toothless' upper neck.

Toothless gave a croon in response to Hiccup's desperation. The poor lad felt as down as a downed Dragon, and it felt as if there was now many more odds against him.

Hiccup sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent them out to find those Dragons." he said, referring to the gang. "They've been gone for hours by far, and there hasn't been any sign of any of them. Have they gotten lost? What do you think bud-?"

Before he could finish however, the Dragon immediately stopped in place after seeing something small but strange in the distance. Hiccup responded by giving a frown towards Toothless. He shook his head. "Bud, why are you stopping? It's not like you have to go now. We only began flying fifteen minutes ago-"

It took him a moment to notice, but it was then that Hiccup too saw it. In the distance, there were four black dots flying in the air in a strange formation. It was almost like an O formation, only there weren't any lines. Soon, curiosity got ahold of him.

"What the Hel is that?" he asked himself.

The dots in the distance however didn't stay idle like that. They began to change formation and pattern, and it was all before Hiccup realized that those dots were actually flying TOWARDS him and Toothless. His eyes widened in slight surprise.

"Alright, what in the name of Thor is going on now? What is that?" he questioned, louder than before.

...And his question would soon be answered.

Not too longer after, the shapes from the black dots turned into figures of familiar parts. He saw from each figure that there were two wings flapping up and down, that there were heads bobbing back and forth from flight, and that their colors were varied into blue, red, green, and brown. Their limbs soon became visible, and the Dragons carrying the Vikings on-back were almost fully detailed to-

"Wait. Vikings on the back of Dragons?" Hiccup muttered.

But he soon gasped at the realization. Those figures, of which were flying towards him and Toothless were Dragons, and they were not just any ordinary Dragons; but rather the ones that had aided him and Toothless during the Siege of Berk. Hiccup easily recognized them by their appearances.

And on the backs of those Dragons were five of his friends of whom he recognized. Snotlout who was riding the fiery Monstrous Nightmare, Fishlegs who rode the tough and tanky Gronckle, the Twins who were atop the necks of the Zippleback, and of course; Astrid Hofferson who rode on the back of a blue Deadly Nadder.

Hiccup, filled with delight and joy waved his hand over at them, expressing his gladness to seeing them. Soon enough, all four of the riders came to a stop in front of their friend, the Dragon Master as they recently began calling him.

"By Odin's beard! It's good to have you all back!" he laughed, smiling at each and every one of them with pride. "I thought you guys were lost, it was to where I was beginning to worry about you!"

Tuffnut gave a dramatic and acting chuckle. "Haha! Oh come on now, good sir Hiccup! You should know by now that we never get lost!"

"You mean like that one time when you got lost in that cave we used to play in when we were eleven?" asked Ruffnut, giggling from her question as she knew what he brother was about to say.

"Yes-! Wait, what!? No! Nonononono-!"

"Too late! You already called it!" she replied, interrupting him just before her gaze fell back upon the heads of the Zippleback, giving them a nod. "C'mon Barf and Belch! Let's get this show on the road!"

The two of them, without hesitation, flew off, continuing towards the village. After that, Snotlout and Fishlegs followed with smirks on their faces.

Snotlout shook his head. "Oh I don't think so... Let's go, Hookfang! There's five thousand pounds of flaming muscle coming through!" he laughed, rushing his Nightmare past the others at full speed right before Fishlegs followed.

"Oh, you're not going without me, are you?" called out Fishlegs as he looked down at the happy and wagging Gronckle, right as he quickly pulled a rock from his satchel and fed it to the hungry and grinning Dragon. "C'mon, Meatlug!" he said, bolstering the slow but agile Dragon forward.

Soon they were all off once more, which left Astrid and Hiccup alone as the two of them smiled in relief of seeing each other again.

"So… you guys already named your Dragons?" he asked Astrid, but she shook her head with a smirk.

"Not me, at least not yet." she replied, petting the Nadder. "I don't really have an idea for her yet, but I'm thinking of something that can match her blue color... Something that has to do with lightning or thunder, almost as if it flies by so fast that you can barely react."

"Something with the storm perhaps?" he asked her, and she shrugged in response. "Just a suggestion."

"Maybe." she told him. "But I'll have to think on that one. We'd better get back with the others before we-"

"Wait, Astrid…" he said, raising his hand up gently as he interrupted her, but not in a rude sense. Though as he spoke, his voice somewhat stuttered and cracked as he tried to develop what to express to her there and then.

However, all that came out from his mouth was; "I just wanted to say that I missed you... These last hours have been the longest hours of my life, and so much horse crap has gone down back at the village. You wouldn't believe it."

"Pfft. It could've been worse for you." she said, giving him a quick smile along with a wink which hastily made Hiccup forget about his negativity, now that he was around his friends again.

Hiccup replied with a nod. "Aye." he said. "But either way, it's good to see you again Astrid."

"You too, Hiccup."

…

Ivar smiled wickedly as he sat atop his throne with snow falling overhead, looking over from atop a large balcony that laid on the second floor of Kattegat's Great Hall. The Hall in itself was massive indeed, but what caught Ivar's attention was in front of him down below.

Along a large dirt road, bonfires were lit along with the sound of drums banging and echoing throughout the city; and with this drumming there was also the sound footsteps hitting the ground in sync, for it was the marching of warriors that was sounding down below as well.

"Ahh… look at this." he said as he laid back in his chair, grinning as Drago stood by him without much expression aside with a raised brow. "Rank upon ranks of my Great Army march forth in my city with an example of might at my command. For as long as the Four Chieftains of the Great Clans stand, no power in Scandinavia can stop me."

Drago nodded his head. "Perhaps…" he said softly. "Though there may be others that I could name that you can't entirely beat. Those who I command at my side which you do not possess… yet."

"Don't try to mock me, old man." Ivar responded, his voice growing deeper. "The Dragons would fall by the flocks once the mass production of my 'iron war machine'begins. I will create weapons no Viking or simple warrior in Midgard could've ever dreamt of wielding, and soon the whole of the Archipelago, and many more lands to come will be mine for the taking."

"And do you think my army alone could do the same?" Drago asked, crossing his arms. "Your overestimation and ego will be the end of you if you are not too careful. I lost my left arm because of that when I tried to fight off Dragons, boy. I know them better than anyone living in this world..."

"...Then perhaps you and Chieftain Hjalmar of the Broken Axe Clan may share what you have in common after he lost his left hand. He was once like you, at least to my knowledge."

Without another word, Ivar took ahold of his short wooden staff and slowly limped himself up and forward to stand on his feet and to straighten out his legs. He continued watching the ranks of Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus' march along the large open-spaced dirt road by the dozens, with twelve warriors per rank. On both sides of the road were large crowds of civilians in the hundreds, and with his posture now straightened out and his appearance in clear view to all, he could get to business.

He slammed his staff into the wooden planks of the balcony, loud enough for all to turn their attention onto Ivar; onto their King, and with their hands tightened into fists - the people of Kattegat raised their right arms up into the air as if they were flexing their muscles, and they saluted their High King, cheering for him.

"PEOPLE OF KATTEGAT!" he announced loudly. "It has been too long since we have had a proper sacrifice to the Gods… BUT TODAY, WE HAVE A GREAT AND GRAND SACRIFICE TO ODIN!"

His grin widened greatly, almost reaching from cheek to cheek as his white and Helish teeth were shown out to the people that stood before him. He then raised his arm to point out towards a set of cages that were hanging onto the side supports of the Great Hall, attached by large iron pillars that towered many feet above the huts of the city.

"These beasts in particular have proven to have been USELESS to us!" he shouted, his voice becoming guttural. "But for tonight, they shall serve in something greater for the Gods. They, are OUR GREAT SACRIFICE!"

Bursts of fire enveloped out of the cages in small fiery blasts, and the civilians below became amused and amazed by what they were seeing. And upon further look, they all could not believe their eyes.

"FOR TONIGHT!" continued Ivar. "WE SHALL SACRIFICE THESE FIERY, WINGED BEASTS! TONIGHT; WE. HAVE. DRAGONS!"