Cecil heard a crash inside Gobber's shop as he was walking past it around mid-day. He went to walk past it completely, until he saw a few teenagers rushing out, laughing, holding a few weapons in their hands. He turned to stop them, but thought differently for a moment. His presents wouldn't mean anything to them. He was simply a guest on their island currently. Not someone with authority.

He did, however, decide to peek in on Gobber when he heard some muffled yells coming from inside. He leaned inside the threshold and looked around the shop. It was just as he remembered as a kid, when Gobber's father ran his. Gobber had arranged it just as his father had. The only difference he did notice was that there were dragon saddles on the far side of the shop, where yak saddles used to be prepared.

"Those, mutten-heads-" he heard Gobber yell.

Leaning into a small closet area, he saw Gobber sitting on the floor trying to push some scrap pieces of wood, metal and other items away from him. It was obvious the kids had caused some extra mayhem inside.

"Need a hand?" Cecil asked quietly.

Gobber nearly had to look twice to see Cecil standing there. He could see the man was slightly nervous standing before him. The last time Cecil had been inside the shop, multiple items came up missing shortly there after.

"If ye' wouldn't mind-'elping me to me feet," Gobber said to him. He reached his hand over to Cecil and allowed him to pull him up, most of the items dropping from his lap as he rose. Gobber leaned heavily against a desk in the closet-Hiccup's old work station to be exact. "Thank you."

"Those kids giving you issues?"

"Well, since Hiccup ordered for extra protection, I thought I'd let them have something just in case. Some of those boys 're all their mothers have protecting them. Sadly, the way they act, I don' know much 'elp they will be to them."

Cecil sighed gently, then something caught his eye. It was a sketch Hiccup had done. It was of the first blue prints he had made of Toothless's tail.

Gobber looked over and noticed Cecil eyeing the drawing on the wall.

"He's a pretty good lad, isn't he?" Gobber said to him.

Cecil looked over at Gobber. "Lad?"

Gobber moved passed him to get out of the office, and went and took a stool in the open area. Cecil took a quick glance at the drawing again, then turned away. He leaned against the doorway, and accepted a mug of warm tea Gobber handed him. It was mint-less.

"I say lad because in my eyes-he still is," said Gobber. "Stoick didn't take over Berk until he was at least five years older than Hiccup is now. He 'as hopin' to give Hiccup some more time to be a chief in training-before-"

"Drago," Cecil finished for him.

Gobber nodded. "For a young chief, I think the lad does a pretty good job. In my eyes, he's still the little ten year old dropping metal, ruinin' axes and bludgeons I had been working on for week-not the cheif."

"He's quick acting, I will say that," said Cecil.

"Is that a bad thing?" Gobber asked him.

"No, I don't think so. I mean-proactive," said Cecil. "Even with the thought of ships holding war just miles from us-he seems to be keeping a level head."

Gobber nodded. "He's a little bit more forgiving than Stoick."

Cecil suddenly became aware he had been biting the inside of his lip nervously when Gobber said those words. He was correct. If Stoick had still been chief and Cecil himself had walked into the Great Hall asking for forgiveness for all the things he had done, Stoick would have ordered him away, and if Cecil refused-

"-Stoick would of had your head," said Gobber.

Cecil nodded. "That I do not doubt." He took a sip of his tea trying to swallow it down without the mint. "Gobber, may I ask you something?"

"Yes-"

"How is it that Hiccup is more forgiving than his father? He seems a little more-open to things than what Stoick and his father was."

Gobber nodded. "What exactly do you know about Hiccup?"

Cecil leaned back against the doorway and thought for a moment. "Well, I know he's much calmer than I would have expected. Even when he was talking with Dagur, he didn't lose his patience. He was trying to talk some sense into Dagur. Let him see reason-"

Gobber nodded. "What else?"

Cecil glared at Gobber for a moment, trying to figure out what he was fishing for out of Cecil. "He's the son to Stoick and Valka, he is the chief of Berk, he is married to Astrid Hofferson. He rides a Night Fury. He's unbelievably patient, and remarkably kind. He cares for others-"

"Ay," said Gobber. "That is what gets him into trouble a lot. You see, Cecil. Hiccup wasn't exactly this-big and strong young man here on Berk. People were afraid of him-because wherever he came from, trouble wasn't far behind. He destroyed the island trying to help out, doin' more 'arm than good. Stoick didn' treat him very well. He was ashamed of his son, despite th' fact he did love him. Hiccup took after Valka-"

Cecil chuckled slightly. "He is stubborn just like she is."

"Yes-but also very kind. I'm not sayin' Stoick wasn', but with Hiccup, it's obvious."

"He isn't weak, though," said Cecil.

Gobber shook his head. "What that boy doesn't have in brawn, he makes up for in brain."

Cecil nodded. "I'm-just shocked after all the terrible things he's heard me do-he still trusts me."

Gobber suddenly eyed Cecil closely. "You haven' given him a reason not to-have ye'?"

Cecil shook his head. "No, I do not believe so."

...

Hiccup stood at the peak of the hill watching Berk's riders in the air. He watched him on his spyglass, making sure the twins weren't causing any distractions.

Something was bothering him. Something he hadn't mentioned to his friends.

He had been out riding yesterday.

Had Dagur's people seen him out riding?

To be quite honest, he was a little hesitant to get back into the air. He didn't want to risk them knowing he was alive, if they already did not. But, it was possible they had seen him and Toothless yesterday. And if they had, he was sure Dagur was angry and plotting a bigger revenge onto him.

"Why so serious?" he heard a voice come from behind him. It took his breath away for an instant, and he turned to see Astrid slowly coming up behind him.

"Why aren't you at home?" Hiccup asked her, taking her hand and pulling her close to him. He realized she was shaking, and he reached up and felt her forehead. No fever.

"It's just cold up here," she said to him.

He rubbed a few strand of hair from her face, looking at the bruise forming on her forehead from her fall the day before. He then reached into his saddle bag for a blanket and wrapped it around her. "If you got sick-"

"That would be my own doing," she said to him. She saw the worry in his eyes. He was stressed, and she could tell his mind was racing.

"Hiccup, what's going on?" she said to him.

His shoulders fell gently, and his eyes looked away from her. He was trying to come up with a lie to tell her, one that would keep her from worrying-and getting up on Stormfly.

"The truth," she said to him gently.

Before he could even say a work to her, he suddenly saw Snotlout and Hookfan soar over them and go for a landing right on the peak.

"What did you find out?" he asked Snotlout, and he walked towards their direction, leaving Astrid standing with Toothless a few yards away.

"Nothing," Snotlout said to him, sliding off of Hookfang. "I didn't see one ship with Outcast or Berzerker sails-"

Suddenly, a wave of worry went through Astrid, and she started towards he husband and Snotlout to hear more.

"So they aren't separating," Hiccup said to himself. He was thinking.

"I didn't even see a ship within ten miles of Berk that way," said Snoutlout. He rubbed his rear-end. "After all that flying-nothing."

"How long were you flying for?" Astrid asked.

"Since dawn," said Snotlout. Hiccup slapped him upside the head suddenly. "What?! What did I do?"

"You answered her," Hiccup said to him. He sighed.

"What do you expect me to do?" Snotlout said. "Ignore her?"

"Yes!" Hiccup said to him. He tilted his head back in frustration.

"What is going on, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him. "What aren't you telling me?"

Hiccup turned to her. "Do me a favor, and go back home and stay there-"

Astrid let go of her blanket and pushed him. Hiccup stumbled back a pace, in shock.

"Astrid-"

"You tell me what is going on!" she yelled at him. "You are hiding something!"

Hiccup put his hands out in front of himself, trying to calm her down. She was fired up.

"Astrid-easy, okay," he said. "Go to the house-"

"Tell me!" she yelled.

"Hiccup, just tell her already!" Snotlout said to him. "She's going to find out eventually."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and turned back to his wife. "Astrid, please just go back home-relax-"

She pushed him again, this time he lost his footing and he stumbled backwards. She was now above him.

"Tell me!" she said.

Hiccup placed his hands on her hands. They were warm. Her hands were frozen. She then realized they felt numb from the cold. Her body was down from the incident last night. She suddenly felt a little weak.

"Astrid-" he said to her. He realized something was wrong.

She collapsed to her knees, her body aching as she did. Hiccup was immediately there, holding her up before she fell further to the ground. He was having difficulty steadying them both. Snotlout came over, and sat them both gently on the ground to keep them both steady. Astrid suddenly felt the warm tears streaming down her cold face. Burying her face into Hiccup's shoulder, she sobbed.

Here she thought she had been doing a pretty decent job holding herself together, and then this happened. Why was she suddenly so touchy? She was angry at herself, angry at her husband for not telling her what was going on. Was she so fragile because she was hurt? She never had been before.

"It's okay, Astrid," Hiccup said to her gently. "I know you are worried."

"You have no idea," she said to him through her sobs.

"I do," he said to her. "I want you safe. I don't want you out here. You are injured, and I can't have you out flying around on Stormfly. You being at home, I know you are safe. I can do my duty out here better if I knew you were safe inside."

Astrid let more tears down her face, letting Hiccup hold her close. She didn't want him to let her go.

"Tell me the truth," she whispered to him. She lifted her head up and looked at him. "Please."

Hiccup took in a deep breath, and let it escape him. "Early this morning, Toothless and I went out on a ride. Just past the patrol, we found more than a dozen ships. All Outcast-except one very large ship. Dagur has taken control of Berzerker Island. We do not know what Dagur is plotting. And I cannot do my job protecting our home and worrying about you out there on Stormfly. Please, Astrid, please go back home."

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. He helped her to her feet when she was ready. He went to walk her home, but she stopped him, pushed herself away from him, and headed down the slope towards home.

"Astrid," he whispered. He waited helplessly as she headed down the slope. He was worried she would fall, and he wasn't alone in that worry. A few seconds later Toothless headed down the hill after her, allowing her to lean against him as they headed back towards their home.

"What am I going to do with her?" he asked himself.

Snotlout turned to him. "Since when did she crumble so easily?"

"Since I've been gone," Hiccup said to him. "I think when I came back home in the condition I was in, it traumatized her." Without noticing he was doing it, he was rubbing his sore shoulder.

Snotlout noticed, and said, "Should you even be out?"

Hiccup gave a small chuckle and embarrassingly dropped his hand to his side. "I'll be fine as long as I know she's safe."

"Hiccup, she won't be safe," Snotlout said to him. "Even if she is at home, and if and when this battle starts, Dagur will have double the people we have on Berk to attack us. Even at home, she isn't safe."

Hiccup sighed. Snotlout did have a point. At least for now, he wasn't going to worry. He needed to put that worry to the side and focus on the danger lurking out towards the sea.

I am struggling with this. I won't lie. I honestly do not know how I want this to go from this point forward. I hope I figure something out soon for you guys. I have had some ideas dancing in my head for a little while. I have been finding myself thinking about this story when I shouldn't be.