In silence, the pair flew above clouds painted orange from the setting sun. Hiccup's head buzzed with thoughts, her father's and Eret's words echoing through them with all the frantic activity of a beehive defending itself. Not even Toothless could help her settle them enough for her to think. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a scream, clenching her teeth and falling backward to lay along Toothless' back. She had felt him wince at her volume, but he purred when he felt her pat his shoulder as well as the racing of her thoughts settle a bit. "Don't worry, bud," she told him quietly, crossing her hands across her stomach. "I'm not going to let anything to happen to you. I promise."

I know, my Hiccup, he replied, his ears twitching at a low, rumbling growl that seemed to come from underneath them. He looked down and to his right, watching what looked like a staff come up through the clouds, followed by what looked like a person. Hiccup, we've got company.

"Oh, come on, Dad," she griped as she sat up, not yet seeing the person. "Really?!" She jolted in shock: whoever this was, it wasn't her dad, and seemed to be floating in air. A spiked helmet with thin slits for eyes and odd looking armor in shades of green and red, a shield clutched in one hand while a staff was in the other, the figure was taller than Hiccup by at least a head. "Ok. No sudden moves," she cautioned Toothless, leaning forward to get a better grip on the saddle as the figure moved away and descended back into the clouds. Suddenly, an enormous grey, brown and green dragon roared as it shot up in front of them, the figure standing in front of the wings like it was standing on solid ground. Toothless hovered, using his wings to try and clear their field of vision, while Hiccup watched the dragon circle them. As the dragon came around in front of them again, the figure pointed the staff at them, but Hiccup didn't take her eyes off them.

She was stunned at evidence of another rider. Even though Eret had made mention of it, here was the definitive proof that someone outside Berk had done as she had. None of the places she'd gone with Toothless had done so, even after they'd been there, and she'd been sure that she was the first.

Only after the dragon came back in front of them, hovering much like they were, that she recognized a Stormcutter. It's wings spread, revealing that it had four instead of the usual two that she was used to. She'd rarely seen Stormcutters before, but this particular one was new to her. It tilted it's head, seeming to be as curious about them as they were, but Toothless growled, eyes narrowed, sensing something more was going to happen. As the downdrafts from their wings cleared the clouds, more dragons were revealed below them, but before they could get a better look, there was a loud growl from behind them. Toothless turned, but not quick enough as Hiccup was snatched off his back.

She cried his name as he fell, reaching for him uselessly. He roared back, but without her to work the fin, he was going down. The impact with the ice below was almost as bad as the sudden shock of freezing water underneath, but he didn't let that stop him. He got himself facing the right direction and flung himself out of the water, his tail as useless as ever. Toothless tried again only to sink once more, but his determination to reach Hiccup sent him up once more. The cold was invading his body, though, so he clung to the broken pieces of ice in front of him. Moaning mournfully, he watched as his Hiccup was carried further and further away from him. So focused on her, he missed the dragons coming up from under him. Too cold to move much, he was dragged under the water.

Gripped securely in the claws of the dragon that had dragged her from Toothless, Hiccup raged at the figure that seemed to leading them somewhere. "Hey! You left my dragon back there!" she shouted, trying to get some sort of reaction. "He can't fly on his own. He'll drown!" Nothing, not a twitch or even a gesture for the one carrying her or one of the ones following them to turn back. She narrowed her eyes against the wind, hoping to see a landmark so she'd know where she was, but there was nothing familiar. They passed under an arch of ice and ahead she spotted a large formation of green ice, the same color as the ice that had blasted Eret's forts to pieces. Almost before she knew it, they'd passed under it into some tunnels, the dragon carrying her making sure she didn't scrape the ground or the sides as it weaved its way through. They quickly came to a clear spot and the dragon dropped just enough so that when it released Hiccup, she landed with a grunt and tumbled a bit. It was dark, but she could make out large forms moving in the shadows, low growls making her shiver a bit.

"Hey!" she called, turning to see if she could find the person that brought her here. "We have to go back for my dragon!" One of the dragons drew closer to her, growling deep in its chest. She backed away slowly, drawing Inferno from her side and extending the blade. It quickly caught fire and she circled it over her head, keeping the dragon focused on the fire, before holding it to one side then the other. It followed the flames, pupils relaxing as she stepped back again. Other dragons stepped toward her, reminding her that there were an awful lot of them in here, perhaps even more than the whole of Berk. With a quick flick, she had the blade stored away and the tiny, empty canister of gas was ejected. Crouching, she replaced it with a full one and pressed the button, causing the gas to come out. With a slow spin, she encircled herself with the gas and lit it, hiding her eyes from the bright flare. Getting to her feet, she hooked Inferno back to her hip and approached the dragon in front of her calmly, one hand out. Before she could touch it, though, a sound behind her made her turn.

The figure had dropped into the circle of dragons, shield and staff held ready should Hiccup make any threatening moves. Hiccup had no intention of doing that, at least not yet, but she would if it became necessary. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. No response. "The dragon thief?" Still nothing. "Drago Bludvist?" Once again, no answer. "Do you even understand what I'm saying?" The figure swung the staff around, making an odd noise with it, before slamming it to the ground. Behind and above it, another dragon appeared, carrying a limp Toothless in its grip. "Toothless!" she cried, running for him as soon as he was safely on the ground.

Hiccup?

"It's OK," she murmured, running her hands over him to check for injuries.

Glad you're OK.

"I'm glad to see you, too, bud," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck to give him a hug. "You really had me worried there." Toothless gave her a lick and nudge, and this time she didn't say anything about the dragon spit. She didn't see the figure tilt its head, watching the reunion with curious eyes, too caught up in making sure that Toothless was all right. A quick shake of the staff caused the dragon nearest to open its mouth, a flame held there to light the area. The other dragons followed suit, and as it grew brighter, Hiccup looked up to see the figure approaching. Toothless noticed too, and kept Hiccup close to his side, wrapping his tail around her to make sure she stayed there. Crouched low, he lifted his wings a bit as he backed away, a threatening growl vibrating his chest.

A clatter sounded in the cavern as the figure dropped both staff and shield to approach them, crouched low and moving almost like a dragon. As the distance closed, one hand went up, catching Toothless' attention. He growled, then groaned as with a funny gesture, he collapsed onto his back, one leg kicking lightly. Hiccup kept backing up as the figure approached, watching as a hand stroked down Toothless from his chin to his front leg. Uncomfortable with how close the hand was to her face, she turned it away, but kept her eyes on it. Suddenly, the figure flinched and backed away.

"Hiccup?" The voice was muffled by the helmet, but it sounded like a woman. Hands slowly lifted the helmet off, revealing a face that Hiccup could just somehow sense was familiar. Eyes as green as her own stared with wonder, confusion and shock from under brows almost as red as her hair. "Could it be?" She stood slowly, letting her helmet fall to one side as she stepped forward. "After all these years? How is this possible?"

"Um, should I," Hiccup started, not sure how to react to this, "should I know you?"

"No," the woman sighed, "you were only a babe." She looked away for a moment before turning back to face her. "But a mother never forgets." Hiccup gasped, shocked and stunned, but before she could fire any of the thousand questions that were buzzing in her mind, the woman smiled and beckoned for her to follow her. "Come!" She darted away just as Toothless rolled back over with an annoyed growl. Hiccup, after making sure that Toothless was following, darted after her.

"Hold on!" she shouted as the figure of her mother kept getting further away. "Just wait a minute!"

"This way!"

"Come back here!"

"Come."

"You can't just say something like that, and run off," she said, still working through her shock. This day just kept getting better and better. "You're my mother? I mean, what the- Do you grasp how insane that sounds?" She ducked under some rocks, twisting and turning through the tunnel as she followed the voice of her mother.

"Come," she urged, going up and into a shaft of light. "Quickly."

"I have questions!" Hiccup tried to follow her up, but slid back. She tried again, but again went nowhere. Toothless put his head under her rear and gave her a push up. "Where have you been all this time?" she grunted as she rolled over the top of the rock she'd been trying to climb, giving Toothless a quick thanks for his help. "What have you been doing? They said you were dead! Everyone thought you'd been eaten by-" Hiccup fell silent as she reached the very center of the enormous nest, blinded at first by the light, then stunned when she saw all the dragons, roosting or flying through the area, more than she'd ever seen before. Baby Gronkles played nearby, making her smile a little.

Tall spires of ice and rock filled the area, more than large enough to hold the entire village and their dragons with room to spare. For being so deep in the ice, Hiccup almost expected it to be dark, but it seemed that the ice was letting in the light, focusing it here in the center. Toothless was just as amazed as she was, keeping close in this new situation, but looking around in wonder. He'd never seen this many dragons before, either, not even when he'd been captured by the Red Death. He looked up and growled, spotting the Stormcutter and his mother hanging from the ceiling.

"This is where you've been for twenty years?" She nodded. "You've been rescuing them." She nodded again, a slight smile curving her lips. "Unbelievable."

"You're not upset?" Valka asked, almost as if she expected a different reaction to this news. How many children could be separated from their mothers for twenty years, only to find out that they weren't dead and had been rescuing dragons, perfectly able to come back at any time and let them know they were alive, wouldn't be upset by this news?

"What? No. I don't know. It's a bit much to get my head around, to be frank," Hiccup said, her thoughts still whirling like mad through her head. "I mean, it's not every day you find out that your mother is some kind of crazy, feral vigilante dragon lady."

"Well, at least I'm not boring," she chuckled, using her staff and one of the hooks on her Stormcutter's wings to slide down to the ground. "Right?"

"I suppose there's that one specific thing," Hiccup answered, turning to the Changewing that had been nudging her, gently petting her snout, happy to have something else to focus on for a minute.

"Do- do you like it?" Valka asked gently, gesturing to the area around them, taking in all the dragons and their home.

"I don't have the words." Hiccup could be perfectly honest about that: she'd never seen anything like it. Toothless caught her attention, surrounded by strange dragons all larger than he was, and she had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing as he was sniffed by curious dragons, one going so far as to lift his back end to get a better smell. The look of surprise on his face was absolutely hilarious to Hiccup but annoyed Toothless so he roared, making the others back off or fly away completely. Valka laughed a little.

"Can I?" she asked, and Hiccup shrugged a little. It was up to Toothless, really. "Oh, he's beautiful!" she cooed, crouching to set her staff down and make her way over to him. She let him come to her, one hand out to let him catch her scent. Hiccup laughed to herself: quickest way to get to Toothless, other than fish, was to appeal to his vanity. Toothless would scoff and say he didn't have vanity, but she knew he did. She watched as Toothless sniffed her hand then gave her face a gentle nudge. "Incredible!" Toothless wrapped around her, looking more like a big cat than the fierce, ferocious dragon she knew he could be. "He may very well be the last of his kind," Valka told Hiccup as Toothless stretched out, obviously hoping for a belly scratch. "And look! He's your age! No wonder you get along so well."

"Wow!" Toothless rolled over, opening his mouth and showing off his teeth. Valka laughed and did the same, her eyes opening wide when Toothless retracted his teeth. She put both hands on his jaws and opened them gently, looking intently at his gums.

"Retractable teeth!" Her hands stroked his tongue next, which Hiccup found surprising as Toothless didn't really like people putting their hands in his mouth. "How did you manage-"

"I found him in the woods," she replied, one hand rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. "He was shot down and wounded." Valka gave her a look that Hiccup couldn't read as she got to her feet, stepping over to a dragon nearby.

"This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps," she said, pointing out the stub while giving the dragon a stroke. "This Raincutter had her wings sliced by razor netting." She used her staff to lift the wing, showing off the scars. "This poor Gruff was blinded by a tree snare." The dragon changed color as she stroked it, from purple to a yellowish green, it's eyes clouded, filmed over. "And then left to die, alone and scared." With something like a snarl in her voice, she used her staff to lift the prosthetic, before spreading it with her hands. "And this? Did Drago and his trappers do this, too?"

"Heh. Well, crazy thing is," Hiccup began with an awkward laugh, "I'm actually the one who shot him down." Valka looked up, shocked at the admission but curious to see how it had worked out between them. "It's OK, though, he got me back." Hiccup grabbed his upper jaw in her hands and gave his head a gentle shake. "Right, bud? You couldn't save all of me could you? You just had to make it even, so . . . peg leg!" Hiccup tossed her own prosthetic in the air, leaning on Toothless for balance. He pulled back and tossed her onto his back, keeping his head tilted back so she could scratch under his chin, keeping her hands well away from the spot that would drop him, the pair laughing about their shared 'infirmity'. Valka drew closer as the pair settled, stroking Toothless' head a bit.

"What did your father think of your Night Fury friend?"

"He didn't take it all that well," Hiccup admitted, remembering the first couple of days after everything that happened in the Ring and then with the Red Death. "But then, he changed. They all did. Pretty soon, everyone at home had dragons of their own."

"If only that were possible."

"No, really, I-"

"Believe me, I tried, as well," Valka sighed as she rose to her feet again. "But people are not capable of change, Hiccup." She walked toward the edge of the ledge they were standing on, her eyes focused on the middle distance, or old memories, Hiccup wasn't sure. Her Stormcutter gave a cry, then with a playful growl, jumped into the air. "Some of us, we're just born different." As they watched him go, her words painted a picture in Hiccup's mind. "Berk was a land of kill or be killed, but I believed peace was possible. It was a very unpopular opinion. One night, a dragon broke into our house, finding you in your cradle." Valka hid a shudder at the remembered terror of the thought that she'd left her daughter alone, defenseless. "I rushed to protect you, but what I saw . . . it was proof of everything I believed." She remembered standing there, trembling with fear, watching Cloudjumper rocking Hiccup in the cradle. Her amazed gasp startled Cloudjumper, causing his claw to slip and scratch Hiccup's chin. Raising the sword, unsure if the dragon would harm her or not, she stared into gentle, curious eyes. "This wasn't a vicious beast, but a kind and gentle creature, who's soul reflected my own." Heaving a sigh, she went on. "You and your father nearly died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon."

"Yeah, it runs in the family."

"It broke my heart to stay away," she said, looking away before turning back, "but I believed you'd be safer if I did."

"How did you survive?"

"Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to hurt me." She looked over her shoulder at him with a smile before turning to lead Hiccup and Toothless down to the next ledge, where someone was waiting to meet them. "He must have thought I belonged here, in the home of the great Bewilderbeast. The Alpha species. One of the very few that still exist. Every nest has a queen, but this is the king of all dragons." Below them was an enormous white dragon with gray spikes coming out here and there over it's face and body. Hiccup knew that even the Red Death would have been dwarfed by this mighty creature. As dragons flew by, they all paused for a moment to bow in respect to him before taking off again. "With his icy breath, this graceful giant built our nest and a safe haven for dragons everywhere."

"Wait, that's the ice spitter?" she wondered, trying to reconcile the damage with the dragon she was seeing now. They were closer now, and she could feel . . . something in the air around him, but she didn't know what it might be. "He's responsible for all that destruction?"

"He protects us," Valka corrected, firmly but gently, leading them passed a group of baby Nadders. They were scattered by Cloudjumper when they tried to chew on Toothless. "We all live under his care, and his command." They watched as the baby Nadders flew around and landed on the Bewilderbeast, who allowed it with a sort of amused indulgence. "All but the babies, of course," she said, laughing as the Alpha gently shook the babies free of his face with a gentle puff of air, "who listen to no one!" Valka, Cloudjumper and Toothless all bowed as his enormous head lifted, bringing himself up to look at them all. Hiccup couldn't look away, deep green eyes meeting over a short distance. "I've lived among them for twenty years, Hiccup, discovering their secrets."

Welcome, youngling, a deep and unimaginably ancient voice spoke in her mind as he blew out a breath, covering the top of her head in snow. She got the impression of a gentle, compassionate power, one that would protect anyone under his care. Peaceful though he was, she could still see a few scars on him, proving that his power wasn't one to be questioned lightly.

"He likes you," Valka said with a laugh as Hiccup brushed the snow free with a dazed look.

"Wow."

"You must be hungry."

"Yeah, I could eat." She'd missed lunch and hadn't had a chance to grab dinner before leaving Berk to find Eret. With how long it had taken to get to the nest from his ship, it was probably coming up on breakfast again. Hiccup was thoroughly surprised that Toothless hadn't started complaining before now.

"Good." Valka took her hand and led her away from the edge, back toward where they'd come in. "It's feeding time."