A/N-Asher Chanukah! As tonight is the last night of Hanukkah, I decided to upload another extra chapter, so here goes! This is kind of an in-between to get from the last major piece of action to the next, but important enough nonetheless. So hold on, there's more fun to come!

Also, only 3 chapters left after this, then we move on once more, to Book 3: Reaches of Reality.

Chapter 10

Reeducation

"And out of the blue came two more o' the beasts! Each of them was a hundred feet long! And they talked too!" "Gobber, can you cut down on the embellishment a little? You know as well as I do they weren't that large. Keep it within bounds of reality, would you?"

It was later in the evening, after we had returned from the battle with the Shadow Lord. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was crammed into the Great Hall, listening to Gobber retell his version of the events of the past day. As always, he was one for great exaggeration, and Hiccup and I were the only ones bothering to keep him in line.

"Yeah, well, anyway, they came down and just started up a conversation with Hawken there," Gobber said, gesturing to me. "Turns out, the Dragon we'd had such a problem with, eh, he was just a rogue, something was wrong whit him! Te put a long story short, they flew off with him in tow te try and get his head on straight, an' if they succeed, our resident dragon-boy here struck a deal that he'd come back here te repay the debt fer what he's done." Not surprisingly, this little detail made every head in the hall spin my direction and stare at me.

"Are ye insane?!" a nearby Viking, Hoark, yelled at me. I laughed and shifted in my seat. "Maybe a little bit. Seems to run in my family, and comes as part of the package deal, what with having abilities beyond any other human I know, but that's really beside the point." I stood up and gestured with my arm around the room. "As I told everyone who was at the scene, I am perfectly capable of dealing with the Shadow Lord, should he turn out to still be hostile. I know how he works now." No more questions were raised on the subject, and everyone's attention centered on the blacksmith again. He grinned mischievously.

"O' course, I saved the best part fer last, really. There was a major detail I left out." Gobber glanced at me, and I immediately groaned. "Really?" I complained. "Can not even a single thing be kept under wraps for a while? Does everyone need to know now?" He shook his head. "Nae, I'm gonna tell 'em." I sighed. If Gobber got something into his head, there was no arguing with him either. I sighed. "Fine, fine, continue if you must," I conceded. Gobber nodded and grinned, then spoke again.

"It was halfway through the fight, and Hawken got injured and had te land. Stoick tried te patch 'im up, but while he was doing that, Wolfblood and the Shadow Lord came divin' down te blast us. There was nae anything te stop him either, and we were sure our time was up." He paused for dramatic effect. "But, before the dragon could roast us alive, there was this weird noise, like rushing air with tumbling metal and glass. Then, the blast exploded over our heads."

He paused again for effect, waiting for someone to speak up. Naturally, everyone followed his line of sight, at me, and someone did ask.

"Well, what didja see?" someone called out from the back of the crowd. "What happened?" Gobber shrugged in reply. "Well, that there's the weirdest thing," he said. "I have no clue what it was. Hawken had his hand stretched out above 'im, and from it there was a stream of bright light shootin' upward, spreading out like a shield above us, like a shell in the air. I've nae seen anything like it! The fire never came through; it just exploded across the, well, whatever it was."

I felt like melting. Everyone turned to stare at me again, and Hiccup, who was sitting against Toothless nearby, sat up. "What exactly was it you made?" he asked. I slumped slightly. "Mind you, it wasn't intentional," I began, "since up to that point I didn't know I could do things like that, but the best way I can describe what it was is a force field."

"A what now?" someone asked. "A force field," I said. "It's nothing but pure, concentrated energy, like electricity or light, and the concentration causes it to act like something solid, unbreachable. If the field is strong enough, nothing can penetrate it, not even an explosion like a Night Fury fireball." I scratched the back of my head. "Problem is, unless you have laser technology or some other technique that hasn't even been invented where I come from, the only things that could create that much power is either black magic or metaphysical forces."

A murmur raced up through the crowd. "So ye can become a dragon because yer a sorcerer?" someone asked. "Absolutely NOT!" I snapped. "Sorcerers, witches, and wizards are evil, they gain power from demonic sources. They have power for selfish reasons, or for deceptions and trickery. I was given a gift, chosen in order to help people, gain peace. Somehow I have been connected to sources of energy that are unseen by your average living thing. But as of right now that's all I am: gifted."

There were still murmurs in the crowd, but you can't convince everyone. Hoark still looked suspicious, unbelieving though, even though he was used to me already. "If ye can control such things, and I'm guessin' it's partly because o' the dragon side of ye, then prove it," he said, gesturing outward.

I snorted. "Fine, then. I'll make a decoration for the fireplace mantle, something simple." I lifted my finger to my lips, and released a tiny, pathetic looking spit of flame. Focusing on it, I made the fire sit, unwavering just above the tip of my finger, and I moved my hand to hold just in front of Hoark's widened eyes. Then, I withdrew my finger, leaving the waving flame hanging in midair, seemingly flickering out of nothing in particular.

"Just a couple last adjustments," I drawled, lifting my hand up and placing the palm a couple of inches above the flame, and I pushed downward. The fire shot down, spiraling in a tight vortex almost to the floor. Every eye around the room was mesmerized by the swirling flames, and so they all suddenly jerked in surprise when the fire stopped moving, spiraling or flickering, and simply sat, floating in the air. I smiled, watching as the pillar appeared to change texture, becoming solid and reflective, before I reached down and grabbed it, handing it out to Hoark. He hesitated, but when I gestured the pillar to him, he gingerly reached out and took it. As soon as it touched his hands, he almost dropped it.

"Why, it-it's glass!" he exclaimed. "It's colored glass!" Everyone crowded around him to get a closer look, reaching out and touching the smooth surface of the staff, which indeed was now pure glass colored in a perfect replica of flaming reds, yellows, and oranges. They glanced at me, somewhat speechless, and Astrid sidled up next to me and whispered, "Impressive. Remind me to get your help when I make Hiccup's next birthday present." I smirked, and nodded slightly, before clearing my throat to get everyone's attention again.

"Alright, if we can finish up gawking at Hawken's shiny pretty magic trick, can we please get back to actual business? I do have a life that I need to keep up with too." "Oh? And what else is it that you do?" Ingavar asked, having been watching from the background. "I come from another world, I have obligations there as well," I said quickly, and glanced at Hoark. "Oh, and by the way Hoark, you live in this village, and you've known me for, what, a year now?" He nodded somewhat sheepishly. "The you're supposed to help me keep people pacified, help me get Ingavar's crew used to working with me and the dragons, not raise more suspicions of your own." I heard Tuffnut snort in amusement somewhere in the crowd, and Hark nodded ashamedly. "Sorry."

"Alright, back to business," I said, rubbing my hands and turning to where Stoick and Gobber had taken a seat on either side of Ingavar. "To put it simply, Ingavar," I began, walking up to him," you are really the one in need of a bit of a 'reeducation.'" There was some chuckling from the teens' direction, and Ingavar sighed. "Alright, I will admit when I have been wrong," he said. "The dragons seem te make rather good pets and helpers in yer village." Toothless hissed in disapproval nearby, and I shook my head. "And there's part of the problem," I replied flatly. "I hate to be blunt, but you're still missing the picture." Ingavar looked at me somewhat irritated, but also questioningly. I turned toward the door of the Great Hall, and gestured for everyone to begin following me. "I need somewhere more open to talk about this," I muttered.

We ended up out in the village square, in front of Hiccup's house. "Alright, we're out here again, what is it that I'm missing?" Ingavar asked tiredly. I looked around at all of Ingavar's crew.

"First, a bit more of an introduction is needed on me," I said. "You all already know about my becoming a dragon and all that goes with that, yadda yadda yadda. But there is more, and it's time I told you, I think." I pointed toward the forest, in the rough direction of the cove. "Some of you here," I looked pointedly at Bitwolf as I said this, who was flanked on either side by Tuffnut and Snotlout, "already know I claim my home is out there, in the woods. Granted, that is the way I get to my home, but I do not live in the forest, nor do I even live on this island." "Then why are ye always here?" someone asked. "There's nae really anywhere else nearby to live."

I grinned. "That's because, as many of the tribes in the north here already know, I live in another world." Immediately gasps and murmurs rippled through Ingavar's tribe. The Hooligans who were near, however, simply smiled.

"Ye mean, another world like Jotunheim, or Asgard?" Bitwolf asked timidly. I shook my head, smiling. "No, not one of your mythical realms. I live on another earth, much like this one, but technologically nearly a thousand years ahead of this world. You could say I am from the future in a way. Now, just to clear up doubt, I am human, like any of you, and no one else in my world has gifts like mine."

"Then why is it you do?" Ingavar asked. "What makes you so special?" I shrugged and chuckled, focusing on a picture of the first dragon I'd met, the Mystique. "I don't know what makes me special, but I was the one chosen, nonetheless. My abilities came from this world, not even an hour after I first discovered the portal," I explained as I changed, white wings stretching out above me and legs forcing me on all fours. "A dragon such as the one I am now found me. She had the gift I have now, though in reverse, so she could become human."

I looked around slightly nervously, as the next part of the story was always a source of some conflict. "It turns out, the dragons and I recognize the same God, though in our own ways. The Mystique told me God had given the gifts to select individuals, who have passed them down over the years throughout this world. Though, as far as I know, I'm the first from another dimension." I changed back, and stepped closer to the crowd, specifically Ingavar.

"This is what you have been missing for all of these years," I announced forcefully. "The dragons are sentient creatures, every bit as much as we are, however they can't really show it like we can since they, save for a very few, cannot speak or write like we do."

"Then why were we raided by them before?" someone in the crowd asked. "If they're so smart, they should have been able to figure somewhere else less dangerous to hunt." I nodded. "And now that they're in their right minds, they do. The creature we now call the Red Death was more a demon than a dragon, and as far as Hiccup and I have been able to figure it had some sort of telepathic control over the other dragons. It forced them to go out and raid settlements to feed it, lest the dragons end up being food themselves." I glanced at Hiccup, who nodded, remembering the first time he'd been to the nest. "Hiccup and Toothless killed the Red Death," I continued, "and that released them from control. Other than a rogue dragon here or there, you'll find if you ask any tribe around here there hasn't been an attack for a good three years now, when they once happened at least monthly."

I looked back again at Hiccup and Toothless, and motioned them forward. "Here, the dragons are no longer enemies, but our brethren," I explained. "You look at these two and I'm sure most will see none other than brothers, not by blood but by spirit. People and dragons aren't quite the same, but they're similar enough to be able to differ only in looks and speech. For them, we provide companions, shelter, and in many ways protection, as I'm sure you've noticed over the last day or so." At this, Ingavar and his tribe turned their eyes down slightly. I smiled, and continued. "For us, they provide much of the same things, such as easier hunting and fishing, help with building and heavy moving, and of course, access to the freedom of the skies."

I walked up to Ingavar and grinned knowingly. "That's the real reason I dragged you all out here. You may have ridden on me back from the beach, but that was a quick, low flight with nothing to it. You still need to find out what it's really like to ride a dragon." Ingavar's eyes widened in realization of what I meant, especially as I morphed into a Nightmare right in front of him. "Now, h-hold on," he stuttered, "it-it's probably not safe for me right now, and I'm still just getting used to-"

"Ingavar!" Stoick bellowed, shutting the other chief up just from surprise. "Believe me from personal experience, ye either need something like this, or have a dragon living with ye for at least a straight month before yer goin' te really understand. Right now, which one do ye think is easier?"

It's a hilarious thing, watching a full grown Viking equal to Stoick in size fidget and stare at me nervously. However, Ingavar wasn't one to back down from what could also be seen as a direct challenge. "Just one flight?" he asked quietly. I nodded in agreement. "If that's all it takes. Or all you want," I added, grinning again. I knelt down, and he hesitantly stepped toward me. Then, he stopped and looked confused.

"Uh, where am I, uh, supposed to sit?" I snorted. "I think you'll have the easiest time holding on at the base of my neck. That way it's easier to support you," I replied. Slowly, Ingavar climbed onto my neck. Once he was situated, I stood up, and I felt him grab onto my spines a little tighter.

"Are ye sure I won't fall off?" he asked nervously. "Not if you don't lean too far to the side," I reassured. "And besides, if you do fall, we have a lot of practice with mid-air rescues at this point." I glanced at Snotlout to emphasize this. "Hey!" he protested. I snickered, then looked at Hiccup and Toothless. "You coming?" I asked. "This might be easier if I'm not alone." Hiccup smiled and nodded, hopping up onto his saddle.

"Now hold on tight!" I cautioned, before rearing up and pushing my wings down in a powerful burst. From Ingavar cam a shocked and frightened "WHOA!" I chuckled again, and continued upward, gliding up over the houses in the village and angling toward the mountains. Looking back, I laughed. "You know, you're also less likely to fall off if you open your eyes," I drawled. "Also easier that way to see what you're missing."

Immediately, Ingavar's eyes began to slowly open, then widened in surprise. He looked nervous, but started glancing around him as we climbed higher, up the side of the mountain range, and into the clouds scattered above and then around us. His expression melted, softening from fear to awe, and wonder. I glanced over at Toothless, who was gliding up beside me. ::Think he's figuring it out now?:: he asked jokingly. I nodded. ::Oh, definitely.::

We flew in silence for a while, gliding over the clouds and revealing everything that couldn't ever be seen from on the ground, and finally Ingavar spoke. "I can't believe we've been blind to all of this until now," he admitted. "This experience….it's impossible to describe!" I looked back at him with a knowing expression. "You still haven't seen much either," I said lightly. I nodded upward to Toothless and Hiccup, and angled myself upward toward the massive pillars of clouds towering still above us.

Do you remember the scene in the movie when Hiccup took Astrid on her first flight? How the clouds formed an entirely different world? Ingavar now saw this for himself, as we flew through the maze. The sun began to set, turning the "cloudscape" around us into a world of fiery color, and as we dipped down and flew through the tops of the sea stacks below, the same colors lit up the ocean, golden spray lighting up around us as waves crashed against the stone. Finally, as the first stars began to appear in the sky, we turned back toward the village. Halfway there, I heard quiet sobs from behind me. I turned to see Ingavar, the big manly Viking, with tears in his eyes. He looked up at me with an expression you almost never see in Vikings. "I'm so sorry," he said. "All those years, and I never knew, never decided to question what I'd been told." I nodded slightly. "Every Viking in Berk went through the same thing," I said. "It's over now, but your life isn't. There's still time to make amends and turn things around." "Plus, maybe now you'll be able to find a new way to make a name for yourself," Hiccup called over from on Toothless. "Find a companion who fits you, and everyone will listen to what you have to say." Ingavar nodded. "I will," he said. "I'm going to start by spreading the news with me when we go back south."

We landed back in the commons, and Ingavar slowly slid off and stood in front of his crew. "I have an announcement," he bellowed. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "From now on, we will no longer hunt dragons of any kind. No, we will begin protecting them, wherever we visit. We will take what Berk and its residents-and allies," he added glancing at me, "-have found, and spread the news wherever anyone will listen." He then glanced at Stoick, Hiccup, and I in turn before continuing. "Also, every person in my crew has a new assignment before we leave Berk: you are, at some point, to find someone who is willing to give you at least one flight on dragon-back." He blinked away forming tears again. "You will not be the same," he added quietly.

Ingavar then turned to Gobber, who happened to be still carrying a couple of mugs of mead from the hall, and motioned for one. Gobber grinned and obliged, and Ingavar held his mug up high. "A toast, to beginning our life anew today!" he yelled, and his crew repeated him, before cheering and yelling, and all around becoming boisterous.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Ingavar said as they began to quiet down again, "Stoick and I have some details we must still work out." He turned to face Bitwolf and his father. "That includes the prisoners and traitors to be dealt with." As he turned to leave with Stoick, the snickering laughter on Wolfblood's behalf could hardly be missed. He turned his head down further and whimpered quietly.

As Hiccup and I followed the two chiefs, however, we both missed one important detail, one problem with the new change that was happening: in the far back of the crowd were a dozen or so men from Ingavar's crew who were not celebrating, but instead still hiding their boiling anger and new scheming, and still stubbornly holding onto the old ways.

By the time I left the village, it had all been settled: Wolfblood was going to be spending some very quality time in his own personal prison cell down by the North Sea, courtesy of Ingavar's contacts down there. Plus, Bitwolf would be staying with Ingavar personally, to make sure he grew up with the right mindset and didn't follow any further on his father's ideas.

"Mom? You in here?" I called as I stepped in the back door. "Yes? What is it?" she called from her bedroom. "There's been a new development. Can we sit down for a minute?" I asked. She came out of her room, and my sister and father up from the basement. My mom eyed me suspiciously, but sat down on the living room couch as I did the same. "What happened?" she asked. "Someone didn't die, did they?" Holly piped up. I laughed and shook my head. "No, no, nothing like that. I think this is good. But first," I said, "how do you feel about a new decoration for the display case?"

It took five minutes before my mom fainted, and half the night for me to retell the story, again.

Late that night, Toothless awoke to an odd sound coming from outside his and Hiccup's room. Quietly, so as not to disturb his friend sleeping in the bed (who had only fallen asleep minutes ago), he slipped out the open window and jumped down to the ground. Something was off, and he smelled the scents of numerous people who had just been by here. Quietly, carefully, he followed the trail toward the trees behind the house.

Ropes and chains came out of nowhere, flying over Toothless and dragging him to the ground. He struggled and started to roar, before two sets of hands clamped down on his mouth and muzzled him. "Keep 'im quiet, or this'll never work!" someone whispered, and soon, the attackers had the Night Fury fully immobilized. They hoisted him in the air, and made their way down along the edge of the village toward the docks.

The men in the watchtowers never saw the small ship leave, as they skirted the edge of the island and kept all lights out, until they hit open waters and disappeared, taking their precious cargo with them. No one would notice until late next morning, as there was no boisterous dragon to wake Hiccup up at first light.

A/N-Yeah, terrible me to leave that hanging. But, it gives room to ask the question: what do you think will happen? Where is Toothless being taken to? Review and let me know your theories.

Also, an entirely different question: I have been toying with the idea of creating my own sort of "Book of Dragons" with the already known species and some of the ones I introduce here. There are some things I don't quite agree with concerning how DreamWorks classes the dragons and what they can do, so I am curious: how many here might actually be interested in my posting a book of my own?