We arrived at Berk, bringing the ship straight against the tall cliffs. I placed the helmet over my head. I could see out of it better than I expected.

I climbed onto Toothless's back. The other dragons stayed behind on the ship, ready to come if they heard trouble. Toothless and I slipped upwards into the night. We landed at the edge of the village, near the armory.

I slid off Toothless. He slipped backwards into the shadows. I ducked into the shadows myself, a little ways in front of Toothless.

I slowly, silently approached the armory. I could see a viking standing with his back to me. I couldn't make out who he was in the dim light.

I went closer, closer. "Block out the feelings," I whispered. "I'm helping everyone. Block out the feelings."

I struggled to lift the giant hammer, hoisting it onto my shoulder. I nearly fell backwards under the weight.

Shifting the weight around, I moved forward again. I got within twenty-five feet of the guard.

At that point, I stopped trying to be quiet. My feet pounding, I ran toward him. "Don't feel," I whispered to myself as I ran.

I was almost upon the viking as he turned around. I stopped short, my arms raised for the strike.

It was Gobber.

I froze for a second, the battle hammer falling from my hands. Gobber pushed the hammer safely away from him as it fell.

Turning, I ran as fast as I could. But despite his peg leg, Gobber was faster. He tackled me to the ground. "Alright, you!" Gobber shouted. He raised his arm, which now had his battle ax prosthetic screwed into it. "Let's see how well you really fight! Let's face each other like men!"

Gobber ripped off my helmet. He started back in shock, releasing me.

"I… I… I'm only trying to help everyone," I said, backing off.

"You don't need to do this, Hiccup," Gobber said. His expression reflected sadness.

"I… I…" I shook my head. "There's nothing else. There's… there's…" My eyes widened. "There's something," I realized. It didn't matter what the cost was; I had to stop the fighting. "I'll put an end to this!" I vowed. "If there's one change to settle this without bloodshed, I have to try."

I turned around and ran. I could hear Gobber calling after me as I circled around, looking for Toothless.

I couldn't find him anywhere. Outside the village by now, I ducked around a tree, searching. I felt someone grab me from behind. They put their hand over my mouth; I couldn't call out. The person roughly twisted me around. It was an Outcast.

I heard Alvin's laughter as he stepped out from behind another tree. "Surprise! We won't be needing your help anymore." He motioned to some more of his men who were dragging Toothless along. They had muzzled him and tied him up. He couldn't fight back.

I saw more of his men pulling the other dragons along. They had done the same things to them.

I felt another Outcast yanking my hands behind my back, tying them tightly. I couldn't even budge them. He tied my feet as well, even though I struggled to kick him. The blows didn't even seem to make the Outcast flinch.

Last of all, the Outcast who held his hand over my mouth released it. Before I could say anything, the other one shoved some cloths in my mouth and tied some over my mouth, keeping them in. I couldn't make a sound; I could barely breathe. They let go of me, and I lost my balance and fell onto my knees.

I felt someone grab my hair and force me to look up at Alvin. "They don't call me 'the Treacherous' for nothing, boy! Do you really think we'd let a little runt and his dragon control us forever?" He laughed sinisterly. "You fell right into our hands the moment you got off your dragon." He saw me struggling against the ropes, barely able to move. "Don't waste your time."

I was a fool, I realized. They always had a plan to get rid of me, I should have known.

I saw a rough sack being dropped over my head. Within a second, the whole thing covered me, and it was twisted shut on top. Someone roughly threw it over his shoulder.

"Let's go," Alvin said. "Let's get the warriors of Berk out of the picture."

I felt forward movement as the sack bounced on the Outcast's back. His armor was hard and sharp, and I was already losing feeling in my hands. I tried to struggle, but when I moved, the cloths gagging me made it harder to breathe. It felt like we were walking forever, even though I knew it was just a few minutes.

I heard a huge door slamming open. By the sounds of people, I realized that it was the Great Hall. Both Gobber and Stoick's voices stood out in the confused din.

People gasped as they realized what was happening. I heard swords being pulled out of their sheaths. People were muttering… "Alvin!" "Dragons!" "Night Fury!"

The Outcasts seemed to be going up to Stoick. "I have a proposition for you," said Alvin. "A deal that you will find quite beneficial to get rid of your little dragon problem."

"Say what you have to say and be gone," Stoick said.

"Now is that any way to talk to an old friend?" Alvin sneered. "Of course it isn't. Especially when this old friend brings the solution to finding… the dragons' nest."

I heard some gasps shooting throughout the people.

"That's right, you heard me," Alvin said. "As it turns out, this Night Fury is highly intelligent. We wouldn't expect anything less from the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, now would we? It can lead you right to the nest."

"What kind of trick is this?" Stoick demanded.

"What? Me? Trick you?" Alvin asked in mock disbelief. "Not a trick. I'm merely profiting off your boy's generosity. After all, he wants to put an end to this."

I could hear the people murmuring. Gobber had evidently told them what I said to him. But this wasn't what I had meant.

"The boy is willing," Alvin went on, "to sell his dragons to you. The Outcasts get a cut of the profit, of course. In return for you buying the dragons, they'll never attack you again, and the Night Fury will lead you to the nest."

"Where is Hiccup now?" Stoick challenged him.

"This is a very emotional moment for him," Alvin said. "He couldn't bear to watch it himself. But he wants to end the fighting."

Stoick was quiet for a minute. "Name your price," he said.

"Four hundred pieces of gold," Alvin said, "and the whole lot of dragons can be yours. We'll even bring them down to your ring and lock them up for you."

"And Hiccup agreed to this?" Stoick asked again. "You're not hurting him, are you?"

"Why do you care about the little runt? He is only guilty of high treason against you."

"Did he agree to this?" Stoick thundered.

"Testy, now, aren't we? Yes, the boy agreed."

Stoick sighed. "Fine. Your price is fair, for the safety of my people." He paused. "Load up the ships," he said. "We leave to find the dragons' nest in the morning.