Merida and Hiccup stormed up the beach, through the village, and through the double doors. The village was there, their chatter filling the large area.

"I'm calling an emergency meeting, right now!" Hiccup's voice boomed off the rock walls, catching the attention of, and silencing, the entire village. "I need my dragon riders, I need my counsel, and I need Elinor and my mother. Now!" Those who were called up made their way quickly through the crowd. "The rest of you can go back to what you were doing." The group scattered, leaving the fourteen people standing in a circle. Hiccup led them to a large table in the front of the area.

"Spit it out. What happened?" Astrid asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"There were some, new developments today."

"What kind of "developments", Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, tapping his fingers. Hiccup sighed.

"Dagur was here. He, told me that he had claimed Dunbroch as his own."

"WHAT?" Elinor rose from her seat. "If he's the one who destroyed mah home-"

"Elinor, with all respect," Eret said from beside Astrid, "Dagur wouldn't do something like that. He's not smart enough." Val placed a hand on Elinor's shoulder.

"A have ta go back and reclaim mah kingdom."

"I couldn't agree with you more. That's why I'm taking measures to make sure you, and your kingdom, remain safe while you're there. I'm sending Eret and Astrid to teach you how to train your dragon. I'm sending Fishlegs, to scout and record any wild dragons that may be in your woods. I'm also sending ten of our villagers to help you rebuild up to dragon defense standards. Your homes will be fireproof, and dragon proof."

"Thank yah Hiccup."

"No thanks needed. Tonight we're going to prepare and pack. We leave tomorrow to get you settled and to start construction."

"How long will we be there Hiccup?" Astrid asked, obviously not really wanting to leave Berk.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Until we know what is going on with Dagur we'll have to keep people there without leaving Berk defenseless."

"We need to go over possible scenarios as to why Dagur would come here to gloat like that, it seems suspicious." Gobber said nodding his head to himself.

"I agree. It seems like this might be a diversion for something else." Spitlout added.

"You're both right. It seems suspicious that he would come here just to tell you that…" Hiccup paused, his eyes going blank.

"Wha'?" Merida asked, pointing to Hiccup.

"It's his thinking face. Just wait. Three… two… one." Astrid said, counting down on her fingers then pointing to the man.

"It was an intel mission." Hiccup stated bluntly.

"Why do yah think that?" Bucket asked.

"Just think about it. Someone took down a kingdom, but had to be sure that all of the remaining royalty was dead before they could take over without a hitch. So, what would be the best way to do that?"

"Send out a scout."

"Exactly. Dagur was alone. And if he wasn't just a scout then he would have had an entire ship of Outcasts with him. "

"Who is he working with?"

"Well, it could be Alvin…"

"No! He and Alvin had a falling out, remember?"

"But that doesn't mean that he couldn't have made amends with him."

"You're right. He could have offered his services to make amends. It's crazy, but it's probably what happened."

"So, wha' are we gonna' dae ta protect mah mum?"

"That's where we come in." Astrid said, gesturing to Eret and Fishlegs. "We're going to train your mom with her dragon and be there for protection."

"And if yah think she's goin' alone, yer wrong." Val said smiling at Merida.

"A need ta go with yew and the boys."

"No, Merida yah need ta stay here, with the boys." Elinor said.

"But mum!"

"No buts Merida." Merida groaned and thumped her head on the table. "Merida, yah need ta stay here and train with Hiccup. A promise, A'll be okay." Hiccup watched as Elinor placed a soft hand over her daughters and he chewed his lip.

"How about in one month we go and see her, check on progress?" Merida's head shot up and a smile split her face.

"A guess tha' sounds good." Hiccup nodded his head and finished the meeting. The group walked out of there and into the meeting hall.

The meeting hall was a large stone building with high ceilings and a large, circular table in the middle of the room. A long, slender, golden dragon hung from the ceiling with a long sword through it. Hiccup say at the head of the table and the villagers around him.

"Now, I need to inform you all that Dagur was here today. That's why you took shelter." Whispers erupted through the gathering and Hiccup waited a moment to silence them. "He was on a scouting mission, which we're assuming, was issued by Alvin. Dagur had made it clear that Dunbroch was the target. We're sending Elinor, my mother, Astrid, Eret, and Fishlegs back to Dunbroch. Merida and her brothers are to stay here. We need ten of our most skilled carpenters to go to Dunbroch to rebuild, and dragon proof the kingdom. Are there any volunteers?" About fifteen people volunteered and Hiccup chose the best of them to go.

The villagers left the meeting hall, some leaving to pack, some leaving to prepare supplies, some to just go home, but one person stayed in the hall, sitting in front of the fire in the back of the room. Merida sat on her knees, staring into the fire, her brain whirling around what had happened that day. It was too much to process in such a little time. This complete stranger comes to Berk, her new home, saying that he was the one who destroyed her real home, her entire childhood, her family. Then Hiccup says it's not him, but another stranger. Her mother decided to go back to Dunbroch, even though it probably wasn't safe. It's not like she didn't trust the people in Berk, Astrid and Eret especially, but that did nothing to calm her fears. Her mother was going to be back in destroyed, vulnerable, scorched Scotland, and she was going to be here in Berk, where she couldn't protect her mother, where she couldn't make sure she was okay. She just got her back. She did not want to lose her again.

Merida didn't notice the doors opening, or the footsteps of the person coming to sit next to her. Only the gravelly voice broke her concentration.

"It's rough, not knowing what going to happen, isn't it?" Merida looked over to see the shock of dirty blonde hair glowing in the firelight like the rings around the sun every morning. Ruffnut pulled her knees to her chest and looked at Merida. "There was a time when I didn't know if I was going to see my family ever again… I was stuck on this island with an angry dragon that we knew nothing about. I was away from the only constant that I had in my life. I didn't know if I was going to die, or if he was.

I know that my situation isn't the same as yours; I don't know what I would do if I thought I had lost Tuff and then found him again, only to give him up. I can tell you that, on one hand, it's going to be difficult, but on the other it will be an opportunity to find yourself, who you really want to be. Being away from Tuff, even if it was only for twenty four hours, really showed me that I was my own person, and that I am the creator of my own destiny. The master of my fate." Merida looked at Ruffnut, who was staring into the glowing ambers of the fire, a memory playing in the shadows of her eyes.

"Thank yew… Ruff, really, et-"

"Found yah! Why are you hiding in here? Why is it still so dark?" Tufffnut burst through the door, followed by three other pairs of feet. Harris, Hubert, and Hamish dove into Merida, sending her to the ground.

"Is et true tha' mum's goin' back ta Dunbroch?"

"Why can't we go?"

"A don' want ta leave mum on her own!"

"Et's not fair!" Merida shook her head as she sat on her knees.

"A know et's not fair, but mum has ta go back. She won't be alone though boys, Astrid and Eret are goin' with her, along with a lot of other people to rebuild the kingdom. Dae not worry. They have et all figured out." Merida ruffled the hair of her brothers and stood up. "Now, go play with yer dragons." The boys grinned and ran off. "AND DON'T BURN ANYTHIN' DOWN!" Merida turned to look at Ruffnut, but she was gone. Merida was left alone in the meeting hall with the echoes of her brother's laughter.

The sun broke above the horizon, the ocean churning in shades of magenta and cerulean. Elinor stretched in her bed, arms above her head. She sat up, her long, cocoa hair was tangled. Elinor didn't get much sleep that night as memories of her kingdom burning to the ground played behind her closed eyelids. She had mixed feelings about going back to Dunbroch. Her first problem was leaving her children behind now that she was with them again. Her second problem was that she was going into dangerous waters with this move. She knew it was risky, she herself had made calls like this one before while she and Fergus ruled over the kingdom. It was harder than anyone thought, and she knew that Hiccup had weighed all the options in his head. This was the best possible choice, but it didn't make it any easier for her to deal with.

Elinor got out of bed and padded to the vanity on the far wall and got ready for the day. She pulled her hair into two braids that hung off of each shoulder. She wore a deep blue, off the shoulder dress with thermal pants underneath. White fur lined the neckline and gold arm braces were strapped to her arms over her bandages that kept her knuckles from being wind chapped. She tenderly picked up the gold necklace that was adorned with emeralds. In the center was a small, hand carved pendant of a black bear that Fergus had made her after the bear incident. She gave choked laugh and clipped the necklace and went to her dresser. She slowly pulled her clothes out of the drawers, folded them neatly, and placed them in her bags. She was leaving today. It was really happening. She felt guilty for leaving her family again, but she knew that this needed to be done for their wellbeing and the wellbeing of her people. She needed to secure her kingdom again.

Elinor was finished packing sooner than she thought, and went to the dining hall to eat breakfast. After her breakfast was eaten, Elinor made her way back to Val's house. Her dragon wagged his body at Elinor, who patted the dragon's head lovingly. She really did love her dragon. It was called a razorwhip, and he was beautiful. His scales were hard, and covered his body like armor. They glistened in silver hues in the early morning sunlight. His sharp blue eyes pierced through Elinor. Every time she looked into them and she was reminded her of Fergus. She remembered very clearly seeing those eyes again.

She was with Val in a colossal iceberg that was home to hundreds of dragons. Val was flabbergasted at how many different dragons could live together without a hitch. It was so much like a community, a village, a kingdom. They sat there hours together, waiting for the right dragon to come along. Finally, Elinor was defeated. She was never going to find a dragon that suited her. There were some that came close, but there was just something about them that put her off. She sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon as she turned to voice her thoughts to Val, a pair of eyes in the shadows that took the breath out of her lungs as memories of smiles past flitted through her mind. The dragon stepped out of the shadows as Elinor stepped toward the winged reptile.

"He's perfect." She breathed out, placing a warm hand on his cool snout. Val walked up behind her friend.

"A see yah found one."

"Yes."

"What's his name, dear?"

"Braw*" Elinor declared. Val nodded her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"A told ya so."

"Hush you."

Elinor smiled as she recalled the memory of finding her dragon, and slowly walked through the village. She took in the sights, the people, and every sound she could. She walked into Val's hut and sighed deeply as the soft smells of basil, and lavender dulled her senses. She made her way to her room to grab her bags, but was stopped short by three pairs of arms wrapping around her waist.

"A don' want yah to go mum!"

"Why can't we go with yah?"

"Yah can't go back without us!" Elinor chuckled at her sons and scooped down to their level. She scooped them into her arms.

"Mah wee lambs, et's gonna be okay. A promise. An' yah can still come see me." There was a collective sigh of relief as if a weight was lifted off their shoulders. "Now boys, A have ta get mah things." The slowly released their mother and shuffled out of the hut as Elinor stepped over the threshold of her room one last time. She wrapped her fingers around her bag and stopped, looking out her window. Footsteps behind her broke Elinor's focus. She turned on her heels and gave her visitor a watery smile. In the doorway stood her daughter. She was wearing a long sleeved emerald dress that fell to her mid-thigh with a pair of tight black pants on underneath. A brown leather belt was wrapped around her waist and her quiver was strapped to her back. Her hair was tied back into a loose braid, thrown over her shoulder and wrapped around her head was sparking headband. Fuzzy boots climbed halfway up her calves.

Merida looked up at her mother, her blue eyes brimming with tears. Elinor took quick steps to her daughter and pulled her in close. Merida let out a choked sob and buried her face into her mother's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Mum…" Merida barely got out between cries.

"A know mah love, but et will be okay. Et's not like A'm gonna be gone from yer life forever."

"A know, but A just don't want ta let yah go."

"Oh my sweet babe." Elinor ran her hands over her braid and sighed. She pushed Merida away from her, gripping her shoulders. "A know A'm not gonna be here with you in Berk, but yah know A'm only a message away. But A do wanna give yah some advice. First, if yah do not go after what yah want, yew'll never get et. Second, if yah do not ask, the answer will always be no. And third, if yah do not step forward, yah will always be in the same place. Things will get harder as yah grow, but if yah always remember these three simple rules yah will always find happiness. Mah sweet daughter, yah've grown so much, and A hate ta leave yah, but we both know et's what's best for the time bein. A will be back, and just because A'm not right here with yah, doesn't mean A don't love yah. A'll always be your mum." Merida sniffed as Elinor wiped her tears off her cheeks. "Merida, A'll always be with yah." She placed a hand over her daughter's heart and Merida did the same.

"Forever an' always?"

"Forever an' always." Merida nodded her head and took a deep breath as she steadied herself. Elinor grabbed her things and took her daughters hand.

"Et's time ta say goodbye."

The village of Berk stood at the docks in wait to say goodbye to their loved ones. Most were riding on dragons, bringing the basic supplies to Dunbroch while a select few were sailing there with the heavier supplies. Merida, Hiccup, and the triplets were standing at the edge of the docks with their mothers. Hiccup embraced Valka and they said their soft words to each other and ended their embrace with a few quick kisses to their cheeks. Merida and her brothers surrounded Elinor and hugged each other.

"One sleuth," Elinor whispered.

"Many woods.*" Her children whispered back. Merida took a deep breath and practically pried her brothers from their mother. Elinor gave them a feeble smile and climbed onto Braw. Val gave Hiccup one last smile and looked to her friend.

"Are yah ready Elinor?"

"As ready as A'll ever be." With that the two mothers set off on their dragons, leading the way to Dunbroch.

"Godspeed." Merida whispered as she waved to her mother until she disappeared over the horizon.

Elinor soared through the clouds, anticipation stirring in her stomach. She hadn't been in Scotland since she found her daughter. She was more than ready to take back her home. She looked to her left and saw her best friend, leaning down and whispering into her dragon's ear. She knew it had been a couple of hours, at least, and that everyone was getting weary, but it couldn't be too much longer now. She looked back at the other dragon riders. There was Merida's friends Astrid, a fierce blonde girl who held herself with the poise of a warrior, Eret, who was haughty and reminded her of young Macintosh, and Fishlegs, the large curious young man with a penchant for anything on the pages of a book. From what Merida said they were all nice children, but if she had to choose a favorite it would be Fishlegs because, "He's sensitive." Elinor shook her head and watched the distance, a smile splitting her face as she saw the familiar shore of Dunbroch.

She willed Braw to go faster, and the dragon complied, eager to land. The rest of the dragon riders fell into formation, Astrid leading the group.

"Elinor!" Astrid shouted against the wind. Elinor looked to the young woman who held a hand, index finger up, and circled her hand. They were going to fly around to scout it out before anyone landed, which was a pretty good plan. Astrid led Eret and Fishlegs around the kingdom, surveying the rubble and the woods that surrounded it. They flew back to the group waiting above the trees and nodded for them to land.

Elinor took no time to dive down to the ground, immediately running to where the grand doors once stood. She braced herself on the frame of the door, looking at what was left of her home. It was crumbling, the beautiful stone charred and covered in soot. Weapons lay scattered along the ground, reminders of the battle that took place. Something stood out to Elinor, there were no bodies of those who didn't make it out of the castle. She looked around, and in the evening light a glimmer caught her eye from the top of a nearby hill. Elinor sprinted to the hilltop and what she saw made tears stream down her cheeks.

On the edge of the woods started a gravesite. Graves were made, marked, and sealed with care, by whom she presumed was Toothless. On the top of the hill was a large grave marker, a cross made out of two swords and a familiar helmet placed neatly on top. Elinor's heart stopped as she stepped towards the grave. She fell to her knees and looked at the swords. Engraved into them were the words "Long live King Fergus, father, friend, husband. One sleuth, many woods." Elinor traced the words lightly, her fingertips grazing the smooth blade. A hand was placed on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Elinor looked up into the warm eyes of her childhood friend and smiled. Val hoisted Elinor to her feet and together they walked back to the ruins of the once grand castle. A fire stirred inside Elinor. She was going to take her kingdom back, whether it would be hers peacefully, or by force.

*************************************************************************************A/N: Alright guys, I know it's been a long time since I updated the story, I've been going through some things. There was a sudden death of a very close family member of mine so I've been preoccupied with that. But now I'm back and ready to get things done.

So first off, there's the name of Elinor's dragon, Braw. I found a website that said Braw meant handsome, but then I searched it and found it means extraordinary/ well dressed. But I'm going to go with handsome.

The second thing I'd like to discuss is "One sleuth, many woods." If you don't know a sleuth is a family of bears. My head-cannon is that they came up with this after the whole bear incident and whenever anyone when somewhere for a while they'd say it instead of goodbye.

Alrighty, that covers it. Leave a review! Let me know what you think! I'm going to get started on the next chapter!