A/N-And, the last chapter of Book 2! I am getting quite ahead in this winter break as well on my other endeavors, so my readers can expect regular updates at least through all of Book 3 and probably 3/4 of Book 4, maybe more if I can keep it up longer.

That said, glad to see all the people following this story and I read every review I get, reply to those I can (guest reviews, of course, I can't message back). However, while I know I'm not the greatest writer on this site, and there are a large number of stories far better than mine (I suggest everyone go read them too!), I'm somewhat disappointed at the small number of followers and reviews this story has. I won't quit, I have written far too much for that and even a handful is enough for me to keep going, but anyone on this site knows writers thrive on feedback, comments and encouragement, and it's somewhat of a turnoff to see a 13-chapter story with less than a dozen reviews, and then browse around and see single shots with a hundred. So, as I have only gotten a couple reviews more since I last posted for this story I will not yet be uploading the first chapter of Book 3 this weekend; it will come out next weekend on schedule instead.

Bear with me though, we wrap this book up, and will move on next week. I'm going to continue with my weekly schedule, but the more feedback I get, the more surprise updates there may be! And as I plan on beginning a Book of Dragons, there may be other surprises thrown in occasionally as well. Still need to hear though: what dragon to start with?

Chapter 13

Back to Berk

"Alright, ye lazy lot! Get up, time te go!"

I groaned and turned my head, cracking an eye open to see what was going on. Stoick was nearby, shaking the other teens and the accompanying men awake, and standing them on their feet. "We're already burning daylight, best te head back te Berk soon," he said. I yawned and slowly stood up, stretching dramatically and flaring my wings and tail as I did so, before turning to nudge Spitfire, who reacted by jolting upward and hissing, baring his teeth at me.

::Hey, hey, calm down, it's just me,:: I placated, smirking slightly. He groaned, and relaxed. ::Don't do that!:: he complained. ::I'm still not at peace about what happened yet!:: I just shrugged in reply as I turned to grab my things. ::I didn't have much choice,:: I said. ::We're leaving.::

After strapping on my pack and putting the mat I'd been sleeping on back into the corner it had come from, I turned and looked at Hiccup, who was still only half-awake, and sighed. "Toothless, would you mind?" I asked the Night Fury, gesturing to his sleepy rider. He glanced down at the Viking, who was still lying against his side, and grinned before, without any warning, jumping up and away.

"WHHAAAA!" Hiccup yelled, flailing madly as he tried to keep from falling backward, but failing anyway. Growling, he rolled over and pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his clothes and glaring at Toothless, who glanced innocently away as if he'd done nothing at all.

"Get up on time, and we wouldn't have the opportunity to do that," I drawled. "We're leaving right now, so whatever you need to pack up, I suggest you do so." I ambled away over to my set of swords, which I hadn't even had to use on the trip, and carefully slipped them on. It was always a bit of a pain, seeing as the straps I used were designed for people and not dragons, but I managed anyway.

After all our belongings were stowed away, we bade a last farewell to Harald and his village, thanking them (or snickering at their still bewildered looks) for promising to return the hostage animals to their homes, and set off after making sure Ingavar's men were stationed on their ship and prepared to receive Ingavar later.

The trip back was easy enough, and faster too, since we didn't have to stop and figure out where we were going all the way, and by sundown, we had managed to make it to the outermost satellite islands around Berk. Come nighttime, we spotted the main island and the docks by moonlight. Awaiting us in the village commons just beyond was what seemed to be nearly the whole village.

As Hiccup, Toothless and I shot ahead of everyone else, spiraling toward the village center, a loud cheer rose up from the crowd.

"They're back!" "Hooray! Toothless is okay!" "Quick, everyone grab their mugs, we'll celebrate in the hall!"

I rolled my eyes at the last one as we flared our wings to land, but Vikings will be Vikings, I guess. They always tend to celebrate even small occasions with the classic mug o' mead in hand. The rest of our group soon landed behind Toothless and I, or at least as close as they could when the crowd gathered around us, and all were welcomed back with smiles and friendly punches to the shoulder.

"Well, it's good to finally be back to normal," Hiccup remarked. I nodded. "Agreed. But don't you think it's going to be a bit empty now, what with the entire other tribe gone?" Hiccup snorted. "There'll just be more time for us. Hey, I wonder how many are going to actually find their own dragons now?" I laughed. "Oh, I doubt that many. They're sailors; ships are a bit cramped for most dragons. They'd have to make a permanent settlement and actually stay there to deal with these guys." To emphasize, I nudged Toothless, who snorted in protest. "Them, and their costs of upkeep," I continued, chuckling.

::Hey! I'm not that bad to deal with, am I?:: Toothless grumped. I raised an eyebrow as Hiccup sniggered. ::Okay, maybe a little,:: Toothless finally muttered, ::but I'm worth it!:: I chuckled again as I turned to face the crowd. "Yeah, I guess you are. But now, let's just focus on getting everything squared away again. I don't know about you, but I'm a little tired."

I ended up heading home very late, and just sort of wandered into my room, falling asleep before I'd even hit the pillow. The next day, however, Holly forced me to finally take her to Berk again, and was very happy to see everyone safe and sound. Plus, she was kept busy by Astrid helping her redecorate her house, since all of the dragons were back in the village, and the dragon-related items could once again be returned to their previous locations. Things were finally just about back to normal, and everything was peaceful again, just the way we liked it. Mind you, I am not counting Ruff and Tuff's daily arguments in that peace.

About a week later, Hiccup and I were in the forge, in the back room, working on yet another new project, when we were called up to the Mead Hall by a messenger from the docks. We just glanced at each other, expecting something unpleasant, but reluctantly set our tools down and headed up.

"Something wrong?" Hiccup asked as we pushed open the doors. Stoick, who was sitting in a chair nearby, laughed and shook his head as he stood up, holding a piece of parchment. "Nae, nothin' bad," he assured. "It's a letter from Ingavar, actually. Wolfblood's been put into prison, finally, and they've got Bitwolf on sanitation duty until further notice." Hiccup and I both snickered at this, as I'm sure everyone knows well that sanitation is not a pleasant job. "He also says they've found a few Terrors who are now travelling with them," Stoick continued, handing us the letter. "They're one of the few dragons comfortable on small ships, and they're currently planning te head down the coast of Europe."

I nodded in response. "Well, good to hear everything's going alright for them, finally. Keep us updated if anything else comes in from them." "I'll be sure te do so," Stoick replied, chuckling. "Well, that's all I had fer ye. You two can get back to whatever project I'm sure yer workin' on now."

Hiccup and I did return to the forge, and about an hour later, we had finally finished our experiment. We had designed expandable straps for my swords, since it was always a pain adjusting them every time I changed size while wearing them. They were made of a combination of elastic bands I had found at home, and pliable leather that Hiccup had in the forge.

"Well, hopefully you won't get stuck holding onto them for me all the time," I said, holding the straps up as I looked at Hiccup. "I'm also hoping they'll have other uses too, mind you," Hiccup replied, taking his tools and putting them back into their places, and then picking up a bundle of the material. "That's a whole lot of strapping for just a few swords and a backpack." I smiled and nodded. "Well, you're the inventor, Hiccup. I'm sure you'll figure out something."

I glanced out the back window of the forge, and saw the sun beginning to lower in the sky. "Well, it's getting late," I said, "and I have to go find Holly, or my mom will kill me." Hiccup laughed in reply. "Oh, I'm sure she's just with Astrid." His eyes widened. "Or god forbid she's found herself with the twins again. You remember what happened last time, right?" I sighed. "Yeah, I remember. Holly wasn't allowed near the fish storehouse for a month. The twins for 3, too." I shrugged. "But still, my mom will strangle me if I don't return her by sundown." Hiccup snorted as he walked out of the forge with me. "All you can do, and you still fear the wrath of parents?" He smirked and put a hand on my shoulder. "Though I don't blame you," he added.

Hiccup turned toward Toothless, getting up on the saddle and glancing my way. "Hurry back though. Even with this oaf here, it gets quiet without you around." ::Hey!:: Toothless growled. I laughed and spread my wings. "I will," I replied, launching upward and soaring over the village to find my sister.

Back home, the evening was quiet and uneventful, peaceful, a reminder that the excitement was over for now. I was certainly glad myself, as I needed a rest. It was about time for a break, a slow time after the hectic week of near-constant action we had been through, and all of us were content to just lay back and relax, enjoy the serenity while it lasted.

Because, when you lead a life like we did, peace never does last as long as it should.

A/N-And we're done! Just to let everyone know, this is the shortest book of the entire series. The rest will get longer from here on out, and a lot more in-depth action and stories as well. As I mentioned when this series began, things are not always what they seem, and every action can and will reverberate into the future. The road ahead is bumpy, so I hope everyone has their seatbelts on!