This chapter is going to be quite the long one I will admit. But it will also be important as it will set up a big shift in Hiccup's character physically as shown much later throughout this chapter, particularly near the end of it. But either way, I hope you guys enjoy it!

Now, let's continue on to the chapter!

Cold rain fell that night upon Berk. Everyone was settled in, and the newly tamed Dragons were openly welcomed by Stoick and the other Chieftains. A couple of the Chieftains didn't tolerate it at first, but eventually they had gotten over it, and willingly they accepted the presence of the Dragons.

As Hiccup walked out of the cold downpour and into his father's hut, he looked over by the fire pit and saw his father standing there with a metal poker in hand, poking at the wood of the quiet flames.

In an attempt to not grab any attention, Hiccup quietly began making light steps towards the stairs that led up to his room. Knowing his Dragon was upstairs most likely sleeping, he too would as well retire for the night.

However, Stoick's hearing was as sensitive as a Dragon's senses, and Hiccup did not slip by the occupied Chieftain unnoticed.

"Hiccup." Stoick said, turning his back to face his son.

The young lad immediately froze, knowing he was caught. 'Damn.' he thought to himself, slowly turning to face his father.

Hiccup sighed, looking towards at Stoick in the eyes. "Look- Dad, I know what you're going to say. But I- I actually wanted to speak to you about something."

Stoick let out an exhalation of air as he grasped his hands together. "I wanted to speak to you too, Son." he said, and just as he was about to continue to get straight into the point, Hiccup spoke in unison as well to express his own mind.

"I just wanted to apologize for what I did today-"

"I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you today-"

"What?" they both asked in unison, looking at each other in the eyes.

"Right. You go first, lad." interrupted Stoick before his son could reply, grabbing a nearby chair and setting in front of the young Viking as he sat down in it. "State your mind. Tell me what you wanted to say, Son. And I won't speak until you finish."

Hiccup nodded, knowing there was no other option. And so he sat down on the stairs, and began to express his mind to the large Viking.

"Look- Dad." he began. "I just wanted to apologize for how rude and stubborn and… how brutal I had acted today towards those men. You're right, I shouldn't have done that. What I did was cruel and barbaric. To carry out an execution without consulting, and doing it in the form of a slaughter rather than in the form of justice just goes to show I wasn't better than Ivar. I-"

Stoick placed a palm on his son's shoulder, lightly rubbing him. "Hiccup." he spoke softly. "Don't blame yourself for what you did today… After you left the Hall- I thought about what I said to you, and I wanted to apologize to you for the way I spoke to you. I had nearly forgotten right there and then that you were my son, and I had to look at the bigger picture and realize that we all make such foolish mistakes in our life."

He looked down towards the floor, his thoughts continuously flowing through his mind. "Hel, even I made past mistakes that I wish I could go back and fix because of my foolishness and stubbornness." he spoke slowly, before gazing back at his son as he released his grasp from his son. "But know that no matter what, you are still my son, and I forgive for your mistakes…"

A small smile appeared on Hiccup's face as he let out a very light but hearty chuckle, patting his father on the shoulder in return for his words. "Thanks, Dad." he responded with a lighter tone. "It really means much to me."

Stoick nodded, looking up at the wooden ceiling of the hut. "Aye, and so does this damned rain interrupting our moment of peace, eh?"

The two of them gave out soft laughters, brightening up the mood from all that had happened that day. To Hiccup, it was the longest day of his life - but he was sure glad that it was finally over.

"Right then." his father said, clearing his throat. "I suggest you get some sleep for tomorrow, Hiccup. There's much to be done, and we still have many preparations to complete before the battle that will be soon to come."

Hiccup nodded his head as he replied; "Right. Then I'd better get settled in." before making his way further up the stairs. However, he would be halted by his father once again as he said:

"Oh, and one more thing… Magnus will be awaiting for you at the Blacksmith tomorrow for something important to give you. He said he had been working on it for a while now."

Hiccup arched a brow, looking back at his father. "What is it?" he asked him.

"...It's a gift." the Chieftain said, smirking. "I think you'll like it though."

…

Morning soon came to the village of Berk, yet there was still very low sunlight from behind the clouds. Few were up and out working despite the early hours, and although a light and cool drizzle fell over the village, it wasn't anything major for the villagers or warriors that were wide and awake.

Fortunately, Hiccup and the rest of the gang were already up by then as the morning weather had given them chills and cold sweats. None of them could fall back to sleep. Not even their Dragons...

Down by the dimly lit Blacksmith, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins stood around, discussing quietly about their next course of action beneath the roof which covered their heads from the light pouring rain.

"Quite the morning I must say." started Snotlout, his arms crossed as he leaned against one of the walls. "Then again, blame the rain. Woke us all up like a breeze in the winter."

"Well it is a little bit cool out this morning." stated Fishlegs as he stood by the door with his Dragon near him, staring at the rain. "But I wouldn't say that's the point for right now. Hiccup, why are we here?"

Hiccup sat in a chair, gazing down at the ground, and remaining relatively calm before he looked up at the others and cleared his throat to speak. "As you guys know, my Dad and the other Chieftains have made the decision to strike an importantly strategic and well-fortified prison fortress that is found outside the Fogbank and near a fjord that is about a few days or more away from Norway. To the Southeast lies an island known as Black Rock Isle."

Astrid nodded her head. "Aye, we've heard about it. But what else do you want to say about it, Hiccup?"

"Before I retired for the day yesterday, Eret, the former Dragon Trapper, approached me along with Magnus and Eira to provide some further information about the island. I guess he knew more about it than we did."

"And what did he say?" asked Snotlout.

"First off, apparently the prison fortress - to our luck - isn't quite fully guarded. As you know, we've already been told that the structures and fortifications found on the island are made out of iron and wood; but the island itself compared to the map is... slightly different from what Eret saw."

Fishlegs turned around to face Hiccup, arching a brow towards the son of the Chieftain. "And how can we believe him? How can we know that what he's saying is true, Hiccup? It's not like he-"

"Which leads me to my second point, Fishlegs." interrupted Hiccup. "When Eret was fleeing and hiding away from Olaf's forces, he stumbled upon the island as it underwent construction from a distance, and he saw that there were other ways onto the island which weren't defended. The cliffs, the outer hills, and even the rocky backside of the island which our Dragons can encircle to. We can use all of that to our advantage."

Snotlout leaned out from against the wall and stood, intrigued. "...Wait. Are you saying that we can just loop around the enemy and take the island easily?"

"Yes, it's possible. But… there's a catch to it. A slight problem."

Astrid sighed. "Well, every solution can always have a problem. So tell us, what's the-"

"Ooh, are there Devastators hiding behind the trees and rocks?" guessed Tuffnut, earning frowns from the rest of the gang. "I mean, you guys have seen the epic destruction of those things. They can take out two huts with a single blast-"

Hiccup raised a hand, "Tuff." he said, irritated. "Please for once in your life, just stop."

"O...kay…" the Thorston replied, turning to face his Dragon.

"Anyways." Hiccup began, once more clearing his throat. "As Eret spied on the island from a distance with his scope, he said he noticed that there were the colors of a Clan among Olaf's forces that were set up on the island. They were Völsung, but… they were also part of a different Clan. And after Magnus told me what Eret had described to him, I now realize that what we're going to face isn't going to be as easy as I anticipated."

"Why?" questioned Astrid. "It's not like a simple force of two hundred from another Clan is going to make a difference against a thousand of us."

"That's the thing, Astrid. They can. Even if they're small in number, these Vikings are legendary. Their banners bear the crest of a two-headed Dragon, and I knew immediately that they were from the legendary Order of Vikings; the elite and famous Jomsvikings."

"Alright… So let me guess this straight:" began Snotlout. "Ivar the Boneless has recruited elite and legendary Vikings from another Clan into his own, and because of this we now have a real challenge on our hands?"

"Pretty much, Snotlout." the scrawny Viking sighed. "These guys are disciplined, skilled, and hard to fight against in battle. If they want you dead, you're possibly dead. I doubt even Magnus' elite can take them on alone, because now these Jomsvikings have become Ivar's elite guard."

Ruffnut chuckled. "Uh, hellooo? We have Dragons, do we not? We can just blow them up."

"And they have Devastators which can blast us out of the sky, Ruff. You've seen what damage they caused to our forces and to Berk during the siege. We have to find a way to deal with one before we can deal with the other; otherwise we'll-"

Before being able to finish however, the door to the workshop quickly bursted opened as out came Gobber with his smithing hammer attached to his prosthetic hand, ready to do some work. As he looked around, he saw that the gang was fixated and staring at him, frozen.

Gobber raised a brow. "What're ye lads an' lasses doin' in 'ere? Did I miss sumthing?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No Gobber. It's nothing." he replied, before turning his head to face the others. "Alright, guys. We'll… talk about this later. For now, do whatever you need to do."

Soon enough, everyone had left the Blacksmith with their Dragons by their side out into the cool drizzling rain, and by then it was slightly lighter out. Hiccup adjusted his hood from his cloak as he bolted out the door with Toothless, making his way out onto the road.

From behind however, Astrid followed the scrawny Viking along with her Dragon accompanying her. Hiccup could easily hear her footsteps from behind as he turned around and noticed her.

"Oh! Astrid. ...Don't you have anywhere else to go?" he asked her, only to receive the shake of her head from her.

"Go back home and sit until the rain dies down? No, Hiccup." she responded, smirking. "My Dragon would have nothing to do aside sitting by the fire and sleeping before I would possibly do the same. Though, since you're here with your Dragon…"

She looked and motioned towards Toothless as both the Night Fury and Nadder quickly got along with each other, and both Dragons circled around each other, giving playful motions and looks.

"Maybe you and I can just take a walk or go somewhere?"

"Walk in the rain? No way in Helheim I would, Astrid - we would just shiver from this chilly weather… Though I was actually planning to go and visit Magnus and Eira to have a chat with them. Perhaps you would like to come along?"

It took the young lass a moment to think about it. But seeing as how she and Hiccup would have more company to talk with as well as place to go from the drizzle, Astrid shrugged and gave a nod to him.

"Why not?" she said, smiling at him.

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "Then let's not waste anytime. Let's run. C'mon!"

His words at first made her curious. Running through the rain? She would be somewhat surprised however as Hiccup quickly grabbed ahold of her hand with a firm grip, and the two of them started running through the rain towards Magnus' hut as Hiccup guided her; with both of them chuckling and laughing along the way as if they were their younger selves. From behind, their Dragons would too run along with them.

…

"It's good to see you fine and well this morning, Hiccup." said Magnus as he laid down a bowl of stew on the table in front of the scrawny Viking. "After what happened yesterday, I wanted to settle down and apologize- but I didn't get the chance to actually speak with you to solve out what I said to you... I shouldn't have been so harsh on you."

"No need to say sorry, Magnus." Hiccup replied, before blowing on his hot bowl of stew. "After seeing you approach me yesterday with the usual hearty behavior you would always give me, I knew something had changed, and I knew what you wanted to say. ...And so, I forgive you."

"Wait, forgive him for what?" asked Astrid.

"Nothing." both Hiccup and Magnus immediately responded in unison.

The two of them then lightly chuckled, just as Eira proceeded to sit down with Magnus in their seats opposite from the younger Vikings. Gently Magnus blew on a small spoonful of stew before he sipped on it, followed by a drink from his mug of ale.

"So…" began Eira, breaking the silence. "I guess you two couldn't sleep either?"

Hiccup and Astrid both shook their heads. "Nope." said Hiccup. "The breeze from this morning's drizzle woke up quite a bit of the village, including Astrid, I, and as well as the gang. So we decided to settle down at the Blacksmith and discuss about what you told me yesterday, Magnus."

"...About?"

"The Jomsvikings under Ivar's command of whom are occupying Black Rock Isle?"

"Ah…" Magnus let out, nodding his head before he sipped into his spoonful of stew. "Aye. Those elite bastards are indeed going to be a pain in our backsides. But hopefully with our Dragons, we can slowly pick away at them."

"But what of the Devastators?" asked Astrid, turning her gaze from her food up at the two older Vikings. "They'll just blast us out of the sky before we can get our Dragons to do some actual damage."

Eira shook her head with a giggle emanating from her. "Lass, there's always a way through the most toughest of challenges." she replied to Astrid. "Magnus and I will figure something out with Stoick. Though when we do sabotage that one Devastator, we could just turn the weapon against the enemy and blast the boar-crap out of them before we sink the nearest ship with it."

"And what if it doesn't go according to plan?" Astrid questioned once more.

"Then we'll take action into our own hands." spoke Magnus, replying to her. "Like Eira said, Astrid; there is always a way."

"Hm… a little improvising can't hurt." said Hiccup, looking at Toothless who was playing around with Astrid's Dragon near the far end of the long-hall.

"You know, we could always go back to the old stealth and strike tactic…"

Hiccup's tone however changed at that moment as a funny thought went through his mind. "I mean, re- remember how many warriors we took out that one night in K- Kattegat, Magnus?" he asked in a stuttering manner of laughter.

The older lad splurted and choked on his ale as he began laughing in his chair along with Eira, and Hiccup too joined in on the laughter as Astrid sat there, confused and eye-widened.

"Oh, those were good times. Risky, but still good times." chuckled Magnus, sighing before his posture turned back to being straight. "Though stealth is still a good possibility. We could hug the cliffs and use the Dragons to help climb aboard one of the ships to take the enemy by surprise and-"

"... Actually. I might just suggest that to Stoick. It doesn't sound half bad."

"Well you're the tactician here Magnus, so go for it if you must." responded Eira before she proceeded to munch on a piece of her small loaf of bread.

Dead silence soon enveloped the room, with only the sounds of squawking and growls and crooning noises coming from the nearby Night Fury and Deadly Nadder filling in the quiet ambience. However, the silence would quickly be broken as Astrid would grab everyone's attention, mainly Hiccup's as a smile formed on her face.

"Hiccup." she began, slightly giggling. "Are you... still thinking about that time where you accidentally confused Toothless with a black yak?"

That was it. Hiccup responded from that question in spitting out his drink entirely in embarrassment as ale came flying out of his mouth, and once again everyone at the table began to crack up at Hiccup's facial expression. Even the young lad began laughing as he noticed a foam mustache above his lips.

"Oh very funny!" he laughed, wiping the substance off his face, and soon enough the laughter did eventually die out.

"Your friend's really got it there with the jokes, Hiccup." commented Magnus.

"Aye. Astrid can be very funny at times."

"Mmm… Well then. While you're at it, I'd like for you to come upstairs with me, Hiccup." the older Viking said as something came to his mind, and he stood up to his feet and made his way towards the stairs.

"What is it?" asked Hiccup.

"It's a surprised that I want to show you. The gift which your father Stoick mentioned to you last night. I was going to show you it at the Blacksmith today, but I change my mind now that you're here. Regardless, I think you're going to love it…"

…

Hiccup stood in front of Magnus who sat in a chair in front of his large desk, and on his work desk were papers and plans of the war effort against Ivar; however one thing plainly stood out to the scrawny Viking.

Atop the table there was a sheet of wool and cloth covering a large pile of what was most likely Magnus' gift to Hiccup. The young lad didn't know what it was, but he was more than willing to find out.

"Well, Hiccup?" he started, grinning with his glance switching between both his surprise and Hiccup. "Remove the sheet, and see what's under there. I promise you, you'll like it, brother."

Those words from Magnus made Hiccup feel better in a sense of his positive mood. It had been a long while since Magnus called him brother, referring to brothers in arms of course; and without any more time to waste, the young, scrawny Viking unveiled what Magnus had made for him.

...And before his very eyes, there it was.

Right in front of Hiccup laid a brown leather-armored tunic that looked like it was made out of Dragon scales. It also had a strap going down from the corner to tighten around him for his size, along with a black belt that would be used to fit his size around the waist.

To add on to it, there were also brown leather gauntlets to armor his hands and wrists, shoulder pads with a red and black Dragon painted on both of them, a red shirt to cover underneath his armored tunic, new leather pants, and a new pair of leather boots that would sustain better in the weather more.

At the very top of the pile however was something Hiccup didn't expect. There before him laid a newly forged sword with a hilt painted in black and red. The cross guard of the weapon represented the sturdy wings of a Dragon, and to Hiccup; the blade itself was shaped beyond perfect.

He looked back up at Magnus. "M- Magnus?" he began. "H- How did you- I mean… why? Why spend your time making this for me? This gift, it is better than anything I could've asked for in a time of conflict…"

"...I wanted to give something back to you." the older Viking replied, standing to his feet as he placed both his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "You've given us all the hope that we needed against a common threat. You've saved my life along with Eira's. And you have shown Berk- no, the Archipelago, that we can befriend a past enemy and leave behind old hatreds. Work together as one. And so, with my heart and soul, I made you this as thanks and tribute."

Magnus then proceeded to lift the sheathed weapon from the pile, presenting the weapon to Hiccup.

"This sword is called the Dragon's Blade." he stated, turning the hilt to face Hiccup. "And if you unsheathe it, you'll understand why… but make sure to backup, will you?" he chuckled.

And Hiccup did so, backing up a few paces before his gaze fell onto the hilt of the sword. With a firm grip he grabbed ahold of the winged hilt, and from its sheath he pulled the Dragon's Blade out slowly. As he pulled, aloud click was heard, followed by the sound of fire whooshing.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he looked at the blade of the weapon and noticed that it was glowing. He then immediately pulled the sword out from its sheath completely and held it up vertically. And before his eyes; a flame of glory lit the room.

The blade of the sword was covered entirely in flames from base to tip, and this to Hiccup was something he couldn't have ever imagined. In fact, perhaps something no Viking could've ever imagined.

"Let this sword be your second best friend, Hiccup." said Magnus, breaking the silence. "The might this sword wields can burn your foes to a crisp until nothing but ash remains in your way. It is forged by the best irons found on Berk; and with the addition of the sword you wield which I gave you back in Kattegat, no foe can stand in your way that easily."

"...If that be the case." Hiccup replied, turning back to face Magnus. "Then I shall charge into battle with either one, or the other, or both equipped in-hand."

The older lad nodded at Hiccup with pride in his eyes, as even the fire burning from the sword reflected this as it's shimmer was mirrored in Magnus' eyes.

"We strike Black Rock Isle in seven days timed. But now, you must put aside the Viking." he told the scrawny lad, nodding his head. "And become the leader you were meant to be, Dragon Rider."