It has been 2 days since Astrid left, and Hiccup was starting to get worried. The sun was setting;letting the citizens of Berk know that they day was coming to an end. It took the village less than a day to rebuild the town to it's former glory.
Hiccup was near one of the cliffs of Berk, looking out towards the sky, hoping that his girlfriend would be coming home soon. Toothless was by his side, snoozing since he had nothing else to do.
"She 'hould be returning this evening, 'iccup. She 'ill be fine", consoled Gobber as he approached Hiccup from behind.
Both Hiccup and Toothless turned around at the new voice.
Hiccup sighed,"I know, it's just that, you can't stop a guy from worrying,you know?". Toothless looked at Gobber lazily and went back to sleep.
"So, 'iccup. I see you 'ike Astrid…", Gobber started.
"I do… why do you ask?", Hiccup replied suspiciously.
"Well, I was 'ust wonderin' an all. I mean, you are the chief of Berk. You're twenty. She's twenty. She 'ikes you. I was 'ust curious as to when-"
Hiccup's eyes bulged out at what Gobber was hinting at,"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Gobber, I just became chief recently. I don't think I am ready for ANOTHER big step in my life just yet."
"Hiccup, vikings for generations have been 'etting married at the age of fifteen or younger!", Gobber retorted.
"Look, we are facing a potential danger here. I can't have this, plus wedding plans on my mind right now. I am sure Astrid wants to enjoy some of her life before she has to settle down. I know I want to, with what little time I have to begin with anyway. But", Hiccup looked around, "I do plan to marry her, just not right now, okay?", Hiccup whispered, hoping Gobber would get off his case.
A smirk appeared on Gobber's face just then, "Righty then, my lips are tighter 'han Grump's eyes when he's sleeping, which is 'ike all the time".
"Yeah, I know Gobber", Hiccup stated annoyed.
Just then, they heard a triumphant roar from the sky,which startled Toothless from his slumber.. They turned to see Tenor, Aurora, Re, Serenity, Stormfly, and Astrid descending from the clouds. The royal dragons were wearing their armor, as usual. Hiccup waved them down to land. All of the dragons landed gracefully,except Stormfly, who was beyond tired.
Toothless ran up to Stormfly concerned,"You are tired. I want you to go to the feeding tray, feed yourself, then go to your pen and sleep", he ordered as Astrid dismounted.
"Toothless...I am okay, I just need-"
"Your body tells me otherwise. You need rest now! I am not telling you again. Go", Toothless declared.
Stormfly exhaustedly nodded her head and went off.
"Well, it looks like you are doing swell as an alpha", Re smiled.
"An alpha protects them all, he looks out for all the dragons", Toothless replied with heart.
"I told you he would make a good alpha", Serenity stated as she jumped off Re and proceeded to scratch Toothless around the neck area, "I missed you".
"And I, you", Toothless groaned in pleasure.
"So, you need our help, correct?", Aurora questioned.
"Yes, and now that you are all here, we should talk about this behind closed doors, we are all waiting for you in the Meade hall", Hiccup replied.
With that said, Astrid got behind Hiccup on the back of Toothless, Serenity got back on Re, and they all took off. Except for Gobber, who had to go and wake up Grump, who was knocked out in the forge.
The rest of the gang were hanging out in the Meade hall like Hiccup had instructed them to. Just then the doors to the Meade Hall flew open, and in came Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, Serenity, and the royal dragons. A few seconds later, they were joined by Gobber and Grump.
"So, you are Serenity, the famous dragon healer my son has been talking about", Valka remarked, "I am Valka, Hiccup's mother".
"I'm not that famous", Serenirty embarrassedly stated,"I am Serenity. It is nice to finally meet you."
"So, this is Serenity, in the flesh", Eret declared in his thick accent,"She is even prettier in person". He grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it.
Serenity quickly jerked her hand back. "Um, thanks?", she said awkwardly.
"Anyways, now that we got the formalities out of the way, why don't we talk about the problem you are facing", Tenor quickly asserted, changing the subject for Serenity's sake.
"Yes, you are right, Tenor", Aurora regarded and then turned to Hiccup,"What did you have in mind?"
"Everyone in this room, except for Gobber, and Grump, will all go and follow this mysterious attacker and his dragon. We will then talk to him, and ask why is the map so valuable and why he had to raid Berk to do it", Hiccup announced to the whole group.
"Question: won't he just attack us again?", asked Tuffnut.
"Again, the only reason he raided Berk was for him to get the map"
"Then why are we gonna ask him why he raided Berk, if we already know the answer?", questioned Ruffnut.
"If someone is going to attack my village, I WILL find out the true intention as to why they choose to do so. What I am trying to say, is that I didn't like the guy's tone when he confronted us. There was more to him than meets the eye", countered Hiccup.
"And what will you do after?", implored Serenity nervously, knowing who the assailant was.
"Nothing. I don't want to hurt the guy. I just want to talk to him. Why?", Hiccup replied, catching on to her nervousness.
"I, just don't want anybody coming out of this hurt...that's all", she responded.
"What if he attacks us again, he technically could do so, since we said we wouldn't follow him", worried Fishlegs.
"You all know how stubborn I can be, do you really think I am going to let this guy walk away?", Hiccup voiced rhetorically.
Everybody couldn't argue with that logic.
"All right", Hiccup asserted, looking around the room,"We will leave tomorrow morning. I want everybody to pack their things tonight and get a good night's rest. I don't know how long this will take, so pack necessary items like food, extra clothing, etc. We will all meet at the plaza right when the sun meets the ocean tomorrow morning. Got it?"
All the humans and dragons nodded their approval. With that, they were all dismissed for tomorrow's quest.
The Draconians and Serenity pulled themselves aside afterwards to have a private conversation.
"Do-do you really think it could be him", Serenity asked Re anxiously.
"I think it is him. He is the only other human we have taught our language to, besides you", Re answered,"The only thing that is different, is that he is grown now".
"What are we going to do when we meet him? It's been 10 years, Re. Do you think he has forgotten about us?", asked Tenor restlessly.
"Don't say such a thing, Tenor!", shouted Aurora,"He can't forget us, we were the ones that raised him ever since we found him in that destroyed village".
"The only thing I am worried about is how he is going to react when we meet him. Will he be mad?", Re thought out loud.
"We will find our answer once we meet him", soothed Serenity.
"It's just, a lot to take in, that's all", uttered Tenor. Everybody couldn't have said it better.
"Come on guys, we are have a big day tomorrow. It's best that we get all the sleep while we can", vocalized Serenity.
And with that, they all went to the side of Hiccup's house. Serenity set up her tent and dozed off, while the three dragons surrounded her and settled on the ground to go to sleep. Everybody was out like a light in minutes, except for Re. He had a lot going through his mind. Even though he and his mate found him abandoned, they both took him in and raised him as one of their own. As his adopted, human son grew, he looked past the obvious differences he and Chris had and bonded with him. He treated him like his own hatchling. He was proud to call him his son, regardless of what anyone ever said. He sighed, wondering how tomorrow was going to play out. And with that, he fell asleep.
Re has faced many problems; being the king of the dragons' homeland and all. But the biggest problem he will ever face, will come sooner than he expected; the confrontation/reunion he was bound to have with his son, and the events that would follow.