Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon or Riders of Berk.


AN: This is something I had in mind for a long time, but only now had set to paper. I'm not sure about the results, please review! Constructive criticism is accepted. If this isn't as good as I would like it, I will it as a one-shot. If not, I'll find time to continue. Starts at the near end of 'When Lightning Strikes', from Riders of Berk.


"…But it's not going to stop this lightning from destroying Berk!"

There were angry mutters at Hiccup's statement. "How can he prove it?"

"What is he talking about?"

"It's the metal!" Hiccup raised the metal staff in the air, wincing when lightning struck. "The lightning is hitting the metal! Just think about it." He challenged as some of the Vikings continued to grumble. "We never had a lightning storm like this until we put up those perches, that statue, right? And they're all made of metal!"

Mildew scoffed, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "Oh, ba!" He spat. "You never heard of anything so insane?"

Hiccup ran over to where Toothless was perched, and gestured animatedly to the fried metal bits sticking out like a metal rake. "Y-you see?" He asked, raising the tail so that it was visible to others, "This is where the lightning struck Toothless. On this connecting rod…this metal connecting rod!"

Seeing the Vikings continue to grumble, Hiccup continued desperately. "Look, if you don't believe me, I can prove it!" He ran to where Astrid and Stormfly were waiting, and hopped behind Astrid. "Fly me up."

Astrid obeyed, flying him up to the ship's mast. As Hiccup leapt off onto the mast, Astrid fixed him with a worried look. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Sure?" He hesitated. "Uh, that's a strong word. It's really more of a hunch." Seeing her hesitant expression, he shooed her away. "I'll be fine! Go!"

Down below, Gobber frowned at the boy. "Oh boy, here he goes again." Only Stoick, who was beside him, could hear this, and he nodded in agreement.

"He doesn't make it easy." He called to his son. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup looked up at the darkening sky in apprehension, but didn't back down. This was going to save Toothless. "You'll all see for yourselves!" He flinched as another lightning struck through the air, and held up the metal rod, putting it close to the mast. "When I attack this metal rod to the top of this mast, the lightning will be drawn to-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as the lightning struck down on the metal rod, and he let out a grunt of pain before going unconscious, and falling into the ocean.

"Hiccup!" Stoick bellowed, watching his son fall, and helpless to do anything else.

Toothless, however, acted quickly. Forcing the metal band around his head back, he spread open his wings, releasing himself, and diving after Hiccup, going in-between Gobber and Stoick, shrieking out in fear for his master.

"Son!" Stoick shouted again, but received no response.

As the minutes passed, and no sign of either dragon or trainer came up, the Vikings began to mutter anxiously amongst themselves. Stoick looked down, ready to dive in, before Gobber put out a hand. "Stoick-"

Stoick pushed Gobber away. "Hiccup!"

"Stoick!" Gobber yelled at his friend. "If they don't come up, then what about you? What if you don't come back up? Who's going to lead the Village?"

Stoick hesitated, and then fell to his knees as he watched the murky depths of the water, reflecting his mood and the sky above. Astrid was already running to the edge, and there she dropped down to her knees beside the chief.

The other teenagers ran to the scene, looking around for Hiccup, sure that he had fixed the problem.

But when they saw no sign of him, they themselves began to panic.

Mildew gloated. This was the perfect opportunity. "Do you not see? The boy has defied Thor, and the dragon has as well!" He raised his arms. "And now, Thor has punished both of them for defying him! Do you not see?!"

The Vikings muttered anxiously amongst one another once again as even Bucket and Mulch frowned in confusion. Astrid stood up, her voice ringing clearly in the crowd. "No! Hiccup was right!"

Mildew made to push her aside, but she stood firm. "Take away the metal stands! And the statue! Give them a week! If they do not stop, then do what you want! But Hiccup's right! Remember?"

There was silence, before Hackadee Hofferson, the father of Astrid, stepped forward awkwardly and put his hands on her shoulders. "Astrid." His voice was warning now.

"No!" She shrugged out of her father's grasp."Please! Just listen!"

Gobber stood up. "Listen to the lass! If not, then…" He drifted off, looking at the dragons with only the slightest apprehension.

Mildew scowled, and stomped away.

The ocean was silent, the waves calm and perfect. Then, without any warning, something bubbled from beneath the silent waves, and a dragon's head poked out.

He looked around, still carrying his master by his shirt, and dropped him on the sand.

Toothless frowned as he looked around. What happened to the people? His brethren, the dragons? The docks? There was some wood here before, where the humans used their ship, but now it was gone!

He looked up, seeing some dragons above. Knowing that he was helpless to fight them without his friend awake, he ducked down low, and moved silently.

Hiccup groaned as he opened his eyes, peering into the green curiosity-filled ones of Toothless. "Bud?" He rubbed his head, now sitting up properly. "Where are we?"

He looked around, eyes wide. The village was eerily empty. There was no sound of life anywhere.

He looked at his friend, who was staring between him and the dragons above in apprehension. Hiccup looked at Toothless' tail, and understood immediately. He frowned, and looked around. Strands of discarded weapons, pouches and chests lay all over the sand, turning the formerly clean light brown into a messy wasteland.

He grabbed at a pouch, and grabbed the broken tip of a dagger, cutting the pouch open, all the while keeping to Toothless' side.

When he was done, he grabbed some of the other broken metal rods, and using another discarded pouch as a make-shift glove, turned to Toothless, letting him spit fire on the metal rods so that he could meld it with the metal rods connected to his tail.

Wrapping the leather around the rapidly cooling metal rods, Hiccup smiled in satisfaction, before standing up and crouching down immediately. "What happened?" He asked, but he only received a croon in response. "C'mon. We'll see if there's anyone in the village."

They moved quietly, avoiding any dragons, before Hiccup ducked behind a large charred building, eyes wide in disbelief. "Outcasts." He whispered to Toothless, who looked just as stunned at the dragons that were currently being chained and leading the Outcasts.

They moved on further, soon reaching the all-too familiar sight of the Training Ring.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Gods." He murmured to himself.

Stoick, ferocious as ever but with far more grey decorating his beard, was facing against a Monstrous Nightmare, his sword drawn. Other leaders, like Oswald the Agreeable, Big-Boobied Bertha, and Thuggory of the Meathead Tribe were standing to the side, looking worried but safe behind the gates that opened into the arena.

And the one who was standing on the top, sprawled on the Chief's chair and watching the battle below…"Alvin." Hiccup choked out.

The Outcast leader was standing proudly at the corner smirking at the battle. He was standing next to the cage, looking smug as he turned to…"Mildew?!" Hiccup choked out again. He should have known. After all, Mildew hated the dragons, and had stopped at virtually nothing to chase them out of Berk.

While it was sad to know that someone from Berk could turn on their tightly-joined community so easily, Hiccup is barely surprised that it is Mildew, of all people. Relieved, even.

"What's going on here, bud?" Hiccup murmured once more, before he saw Stoick, with a weary resignation, sink his sword into the neck of the downed Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon writhed once, twice, and fell still.

Hiccup felt sick to his stomach, one hand rising to cover his mouth. Beside him, Toothless let out a low but mournful warble for his fallen brother; it had been easy to forget, with Berk's easy acceptance of dragons, the time past when all the dragons had been slaughtered on a daily basis to serve their corrupted queen.

Alvin rose from his chair with a disgusted noise, waving at Savage. The Outcast's second-in-command blew a large horn while scuttling after his leader. As they made their way into the village square, Hiccup could see villagers, not all from Berk, emerging from the houses he no longer recognises. Outcast soldiers were posted around, ringing in the villagers like one herded sheep.

"We need to find out what's going on," Hiccup whispered to the dragon. Toothless gave a short, sharp nod, then, still sticking to the shadows, silently made his way to the bridge that connected the Training Ring to the village. The Night Fury slid to the side of the bridge, clawing his way across.

"What…?" Hiccup murmured as he caught sight of the docks below. There were dragons in cages being transported from ships into the village. A shriek from above caused the duo to look up at the dragons being ridden by what looked like Outcast soldiers.

Wait.

Not just Outcast soldiers. "Are those Berserkers?" Hiccup wwhisperedhispers. "Bud, look at those dragons."

Toothless obligingly raised his head, letting out a quiet but startled sound at the dragons, weighed down by metal armour covering their hides.

Once they reached the village centre, Hiccup guided Toothless to one of the empty alleyways.

Alvin stood in the centre, elevated by a platform of some sort. "Once more, I demand more to continue our protection of Berk," he said with a leer, "after all, with the rumours of a madman further north with an army of dragons, we can't possibly rely on the scarce supplies that we already have, can't we?"

However, Hiccup only had eyes for the villagers, and he felt his blood boil in indignation at the chains that many of them wore. They were slumped over, looked like they had lost all the fight that made the Berkians so strong, and dressed in rags that looked like it did little to hide the chill. Children were gathered by their parents' feet, huddled in whatever warmth they could muster.

"How could Alvin do this?" Hiccup demanded.

"Well, quite easily, I'd say," A cantankerous old voice sounded from behind him, and Hiccup stiffened. "I've found one here!"

Sharp weapons were pointed at Hiccup before Toothless could react. And even if he could, a heavy boot landed on his artificial tailfin, threatening to rip it in half.

"Don't, Toothless," Hiccup warned in a low voice. If they needed a quick getaway, they couldn't have Toothless grounded.

Toothless grunted.

"Alvin!" Mildew simpered as he scurried around the crowd that parted around to let him through. "Look what we have here!"

Alvin turned, eyes alight with fury, which slowly morphed into glee at the sight of the Night Fury and the former heir apparent of Berk.

As Hiccup and Toothless were forced to the centre of the crowd, where Alvin was standing, murmurs started to fill the air. Cries came from the villagers, many of them in relief and joy. Hiccup saw his father at the side, mouth open and eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Silence!" Alvin demanded. That did nothing. He stomped his foot. "SILENCE!" High above him, a dragon roared.

Everyone obeyed this time, staring the duo in unconstrained relief. A middle-aged woman shoved her way to the front, glaring at the Outcasts as they tried to push her back. She ducked their weapons, shoving another guard aside and knocking another one out.

There was no mistaking that blond hair, those blue eyes dark with worry, that determined look in her eyes, and the all-too familiar glare she directed at the Outcasts and Berserkers gathered around.

"Astrid," Hiccup breathed out reverently.

The woman met his eyes, and shot him a sad but determined kind of smile.

Alvin plodded forward, and jerked one hand under Hiccup's chin to better examine the youth's face. "Well well well. If it isn't the dragon conqueror."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, keeping his facade on. No use panicking now. Toothless crouched, tense, beside Hiccup. "How many times must I say it? It's dragon trainer, um, what was it? Al. Right. Al."

There were a few snickers and snorts from both sides of the crowds, and Alvin snarled, keeping everyone quiet. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."