Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Twelve – Unexpected Discoveries

Eret's crew were sailing north. They were making quick progress, which had Eret more concerned than he normally would be. "Look alive, men! With any luck we'll reach Drago in less than a month, so we'd better fill this ship up with dragons before then. We can't afford to be picky, not if we want to keep our" –

"DRAGONS! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!" Tinni bellowed from the crow's nest.

Eret spun around and saw a Monstrous Nightmare, a Zippleback and a Gronckle flying straight for them. "Net 'em, lads! Take 'em down!" he cheered.

A moment later he recognised the Nightmare, and realised that the other dragons were being ridden too. How many of these crazy people are there? He wondered as he aimed a net catapult at the Nightmare with the wannabe spy. "You're not getting away this time" he muttered, before firing. The dragon was too high up though, and coiled away before the net could ensnare it.

"Come on, reload!" Tinni shouted. The trappers attempted again to net one of the dragons, but they kept dodging and circling just out of range, occasionally firing at the ship but never hitting it. "What the heck are they doing?" Eret questioned. Dragons didn't act like this, normally. "Noam! Get the chum!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Noam saluted and headed below deck. That was the nice thing about Noam. No matter what unsavoury task you put before him; swabbing the deck, mucking the dragons out, fetching not-quite-fresh raw fish; he was happy to do it all. Of course they all did their fair share, but Noam was the only one who never seemed to complain.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the dragons were trying to fly as erratically as possible without getting entangled in a net or crashing in to each other. Barf&Belch had to dodge a net, and shot a stream of burning gas down at the ship in retaliation. "Hey, watch it!" Ruffnut yelled in the general direction of the trappers. "That was clo-Oh" A predatory grin spread over her face as she spotted Eret taking aim at them again, and his strong jaw, his bulging muscles. "Me likey. Take me!"

Tuffnut stared at her in incredulous disgust as she spread her arms out and didn't even try to help him pull Barf&Belch out of the line of fire. Meatlug fired a lava blast at the net to destroy it. "Can you two focus?" Fishlegs demanded.

"It's not me! It's her!"

"Where the heck is Astrid? She needs to grab that hunk of man meat for me!"

No sooner had Ruffnut said it, than Astrid swooped down on Stormfly and snatched Eret right off the deck. The distraction had worked; all the trappers were so busy trying to shoot down the dragons flying crazily on their port side, they weren't paying any attention to the starboard side. "ERET!" she heard one of them yell, as she and the others peeled off and started flying north.

Eret struggled in Stormfly's claws. "What is this?!" he demanded.

"A kidnapping" Astrid replied cheerfully.

"You caught him!" Ruffnut crowed in delight, "Can he ride with me? Can he? Can he?" she begged, wrapping her arms around his leg and nuzzling his thigh. He pulled a face and tried to shake her off; Tuffnut shook his head with a disgusted scoff and steered Barf&Belch away. Astrid encouraged Stormfly higher, forcing Ruffnut to let go or risk falling off her dragon.

"You're going to show us the way to Drago" Astrid informed Eret.

"And help dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp? Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged. Stormfly, drop it!" she declared, much to his alarm. The Nadder squawked and unclenched her claws, dropping him like a stone. "Good girl!" Astrid praised, "Stormfly, fetch!"

Eret screamed as he plummeted and his life flashed before his eyes. "Okay! Okay! I'll take you to Drago!" Way to hold out, a voice in his head sniggered. He told it to shut up. The Nadder grabbed him again and he panted.

Above him, Astrid smiled serenely and cracked her knuckles. "Works every time" she remarked airily.

On they flew. It wasn't long before Eret started to feel uncomfortable. "Oi, blondie!" he called up awkwardly.

"It's Astrid."

"Okay, Astrid. Are you gonna carry me like this the whole way there?"

From somewhere nearby, a shout: "You can ride with me, Eret son of Eret!"

"You told her my name?!" he asked in dismay.

"You told me it first. Don't worry; I won't make you ride with the twins unless you cause any trouble. If you're good I might let you ride up here with me."

"On second thoughts, dangling is fine. You know the fleet is at least a month away, right?"

"For a ship. Dragons are faster."

They flew on. Pretty soon Eret was uncomfortable and bored. "What do you want to find Drago Bludvist's fleet for, anyway?" he asked. "You won't find any friends there, believe you me."

"That's none of your business."

"Hey, if you've kidnapped me, the least you can do is keep me entertained, informed…all that good stuff. Don't I have a right to know why I'm being held hostage, or blackmailed, or whatever it is you're going to do with me?"

"He has a point" said Fishlegs. Astrid frowned at him. "What? I'm just saying, if we're kidnapping him, we really ought to tell him what's going on. It's fair."

"Kidnapping isn't fair" Astrid retorted; but she wasn't in the mood for an argument, so she relented. "All you need to know is that we want to see what we're up against. That, and some of his hunters killed a friend of ours."

"Ah! So you're out for revenge."

"We're out for justice."

"Sure…Listen, I hate to be a bother when you're dangling me down here like a piece of meat" –

"A really hot hunky piece!"

"…But I have to pee" Eret finished. Astrid rolled her eyes. So did Stormfly.

One week earlier

It took almost a week for Toothless to regain his strength and most of his weight after the long fast he was forced to endure. Hauke didn't want to present a weak or sickly Night Fury to Drago, so he 'allowed' Toothless to be given whole fish instead of the chum the other dragons were still forced to eat.

He wished he could share the fish with them. He'd offered to keep a few for Hiccup, but his human insisted that he get his strength back and eat them all. As Toothless recovered, he hoped that Hiccup would as well, but this was not quite true. Hiccup no longer hurt himself on purpose, or felt like he wanted to die. Yet he was still subdued, and sometimes even cried himself to sleep.

It left Toothless worried. Hiccup wasn't himself; he was like a shell. He didn't want to make fun of the monsters behind their backs, or talk about adventures the two of them had shared. Even when they were both dreaming together, he didn't want to fly or play, insisting that there was no point. Toothless tried to encourage him, to cheer him, but melancholia could not be so easily cured.

Hiccup knew he was melancholic; he'd read about it in a book from Trader Johann, and recognised some of the symptoms from Vikings who had lost the ability to fight and grieved the loss of something they could never get back. It was a good thing so many of his chores were repetitive and dull because he could do them without really thinking about it, letting his mind go blissfully blank for a few minutes at a time. He ate less. He was tired, but restless too.

On the seventh day of that week, Hiccup was swabbing the deck, his mind half on that and half on schematics for a pulley-cage on Berk. He believed Toothless, that they would escape and go home one day. One day. For now, one day at a time. On this particular day, he heard a shout from the crow's nest. "Ships ahoy!" Curious, Hiccup edged towards the edge of the ship, keeping an eye out.

Once he was sure nobody was looking, Hiccup heaved himself up on the bulkhead and looked out towards the prow of the ship. On the horizon he could dimly make out a few ships, black and ominous even from a distance. Hiccup shivered. That must be some of Drago's fleet. He watched as they got closer and closer, until a hunter shouted at him. "Thrall! Wake up, ya useless whelp!"

I'm not useless he tried to tell himself, to remember what Toothless told him. "Sorry, sir" he said automatically, picking up the mop and trying to look busy.

"Never mind that. Your master wants you. He's in his cabin."

Oh. Great. "…Yes, sir." Hiccup dumped the bucket of seawater back overboard and went to put it and the mop away before he went to Hauke's cabin. He walked as slowly as he could, but in the end he still found himself standing outside the door. Hiccup took a deep breath, let it out slowly…and knocked.

"Come in."

He opened the door carefully and stepped over the rim, closing the door behind him. "Master. I was told you wanted to see me?" Hiccup asked tentatively, keeping his eyes down. Not out of respect, but because he loathed the sight of the man, and feared him. He didn't want to meet his tormentor's eyes.

Hauke was seated behind his desk. He stood and walked around it. "I need you to help me prepare for our arrival at the fleet. Clad me in my armour, thrall."

Hiccup closed his eyes and bit back a sigh. "Yes, master." He hated it when he had to wait on Hauke; it felt awkward and wrong and drove the knife of his slavery in deeper. One day at a time. He came over to the cupboard Hauke was waiting beside and opened it, revealing the dragon hunter's armour on a manikin. A piece at a time, he removed it and placed it on Hauke himself.

As he worked, Hauke spoke. "Has the Night Fury recovered?" he inquired.

Caught off guard by the question, Hiccup fumbled with the fastenings for a moment. "Um, he…yes, master. He's…feeling much better."

"Good. I don't want to sell a weak dragon to Drago Bludvist" Hauke commented. Hiccup bit his tongue to keep from retorting aloud, He wouldn't have been weakened if you hadn't starved him. Hauke went on, "When we rendezvous with the fleet, the dragons will be presented on the deck. Your job will be to keep them under control, so we don't have to waste time and effort sedating them and heaving them about. Do you understand, thrall?"

"Yes, master" Hiccup answered. He didn't see the smirk on Hauke's face, as the man relished how they'd taken the wilful, stubborn brat and moulded him into an obedient, unquestioning puppet. "As for the Night Fury itself" he went on, "I want to present it to Drago personally, and I expect you to make sure it's on its best behaviour."

"Yes, master." The boy didn't even raise a protest at him calling his precious dragon an 'it'. We really have broken him in well, Hauke mused, I wonder…?

"It's good to see you've finally learned your place" he remarked. The boy winced, but didn't say anything. "In fact, you've been so obedient and useful that it would be a shame to have to replace you with another thrall…so I've decided to sell the Night Fury to Drago Bludvist and keep you here."

"No!" Hiccup cried, staring at him in horror. "You can't!"

"Did I say you could speak?" Hauke demanded, frowning in disapproval.

Hiccup flinched. "P-permission to s-speak?" he stammered.

"…..Granted."

"Please, don't – master, please don't send Toothless away without me. He needs me, and I…I need him. Please, please keep us together" Hiccup begged.

"Oh, of course. You're 'heart bound'" Hauke nodded, all but scoffing the words as if they were disgusting to say. "How loyal. How pathetic. Grovelling to be allowed to stay with your precious dragon, the creature that cursed you to be this dependent on him in the first place. If the Night Fury had just let you die, do you think you'd be here now?"

Hiccup tensed. "He saved me. He just wanted to help me" he insisted cautiously.

"It's made you weak. You feel each other's pain, and that makes you so much easier to control. You obey so the dragon won't be harmed. It obeys so you won't be harmed. When it was unconscious, you were a wreck. You still are. Face it, Haddock. This 'heart bound' nonsense has turned you into a needy, snivelling wretch, who wants to be locked in a cage with a beast" Hauke said cruelly. "You must hate the Night Fury."

That got a reaction. Hiccup glared at Hauke, a brief spark of his old rebellious fire in his eyes as he retorted, "I will never hate him. Toothless is not the one who broke me – he's the only one keeping me sane." As soon as it appeared, that spark of defiance faded and Hiccup cringed in anticipation of a harsh rebuke. "I, I mean – I didn't – I…" He was taken aback when Hauke laughed.

"The look on your face! Don't worry your little dragon-loving head" the hunter-Chief said patronisingly, "I'll do my best to convince Drago to buy you as well. Of course I can't make any promises; Bludvist isn't the sort of man who appreciates being told what decisions to make" he warned. The fear in Hiccup's eyes at the thought of not being sold with the Night Fury was delicious.

"I'll still have to replace you, of course" he mused, "and do you know, I think you're right. We should have more than two thralls. With the gold I'll get for the Night Fury – and you, I suppose – I could buy a thrall for every man on the ship. In the meantime I might as well have Adulfr do your chores. He's always been so eager to please, the foolish boy. He's been more use as a slave than as a son."

Unbeknownst to either Hauke or Hiccup, at this particular moment Adulfr was eavesdropping, and he could hardly believe his ears. More use as a slave? The few times Hiccup hadn't been able to work, he, Adulfr, had taken over instead. His father told him it would build character, show him what being on a voyage was really like. Hauke praised him for making himself useful; but did he really think Adulfr was more use as a slave?

His pride bruised, Adulfr escaped into his cabin before anyone could catch him listening in. I must not doubt my father. He made me. He is my better. Adulfr told himself this over and over, yet the doubts kept trickling in. He remembered how eagerly Hiccup had told him about the Night Fury he called Toothless, how Toothless had held him in gentle paws. How the two of them…loved each other.

By the time Hauke emerged from his cabin, with Hiccup following reluctantly, the Black Death had reached the edges of Drago's armada. The hunters were working to get the dragons out of their cells and onto the top deck, ready to be inspected and sold. The weeks of mistreatment had worn them down as well, and they barely resisted. Hiccup felt like he was betraying them by helping.

Toothless was the last dragon to be brought out on deck. Much like the other dragons, his limbs were shackled and a heavy metal collar was clamped around his neck, with a chain attached. At Hauke's command, Hiccup fastened on the prosthetic tail-fin. "One more thing" the hunter declared, tossing Hiccup a piece of leather. "Muzzle it" he ordered coldly.

Hiccup flinched. He had been made to keep Toothless calm as they put the poor dragon in chains, but he didn't want to do this. *It's okay, Hiccup. I'll be fine* Toothless reassured him. Loathing himself, but moreso Hauke, he knelt and strapped the leather band around Toothless' jaws. "I'm sorry" he whispered as he embraced the dragons head, until he was dragged away.

The ship slid in amongst the other large, dark vessels; even larger and darker than the one Hiccup and Toothless had the displeasure of living aboard. Everywhere he looked, Hiccup saw huge domed traps, net launchers big enough to capture a Timberjack, and dragons in armour, their scales and eyes dull. There was a cloying air of oppressive misery, and he shivered at the sight of it.

Stood close by, holding the chain attached to the collar around Toothless' neck, Hauke asked him, "Impressive, isn't it?"

Hiccup gulped. "Yes, master" he answered. It was a lie.

"Does it scare you?"

"…Yes, master."

"Good."

A wide, solid metal gangplank was slid from the ship on their starboard side, and a group of warriors boarded them. Hauke handed the chain off to Beater and went to greet them. The other hunters closed ranks around Hiccup and Toothless at the stern of the ship, hiding them from view. There was a lot of arguing; from what Hiccup could tell, there was no room for these dragons on the other ships, which meant they would have to remain on the Black Death.

Hauke argued with the leader of these new soldiers to be granted an audience with Drago Bludvist. The request was allowed, so Toothless and Hiccup were led over several decks and gang-planks to the largest vessel, the flagship of Drago's fleet. Hiccup's hands were tied behind his back. Heavy footsteps approached, thumping on the deck. A voice boomed out, rough and fierce and unchallenged.

"Hauke! What is the meaning of this?"

"My apologies, Drago, for disturbing you. I merely wished to show you the prize of my collection – soon to be one of the most feared dragons in your army" Hauke replied smoothly. The hunters blocking Hiccup and Toothless from view stepped aside, and they got their first view of Drago Bludvist.

He rivalled the Chief of Berk in size, with a face carved from cragged stone, black hair tangled in dreadlocks, and eyes dark and cold as the deep ocean. In his right hand he held a heavy, cruel bull hook as if it were a light staff, and draped over his left shoulder was a cloak made of dragonskin. Black dragonskin. Toothless let out an imperceptible whimper at the sight of the Swift-Wing remains.

Drago's eyes widened at the sight of him…then he frowned deeply. "One? You only captured one?" he glared at Hauke. The other hunters cringed slightly. How terrifying must Drago have been, if he even frightened these monsters?

However, if Hauke was afraid, or even nervous, he hid it well. Instead he bowed, and answered, "I'm afraid there was a setback. The good news is that I have something extra for you." The man gestured, and Hiccup was shoved forwards, falling to his knees before Drago. "This is my thrall, and I wish to sell him along with the Night Fury. I've broken him in for you and everything."

"With the Night Fury?" Drago frowned deeply, looking at Hiccup the way one might look upon a particularly disgusting stain. "What do you think I want with this scrawny wretch?"

"I know he doesn't look like much – he isn't – but this is – or I should say, was Hiccup Haddock, the so-called 'Dragon Master'. The former son and heir of the Chief of Berk, Stoick the Vast. I believe you're familiar with him?"

Drago stared down at Hiccup…then his face contorted and he chuckled. The sound chilled Hiccup's bones. "You? The son of Stoick the Vast?" Drago asked rhetorically, incredulous. "What shame he must feel." Hiccup couldn't hold the man's dark gaze, and looked away. Drago was right. After all, why wouldn't his father be ashamed of him, after what he'd let himself become?

*Don't listen to him, Hiccup. Your dad isn't ashamed of you. He loves you.*

I don't know what I'd do without you, bud.

"I'll have the Night Fury" Drago announced, "you can take your thrall back." The hunters heaved on the chain to pull the dragon away, but Toothless dug his claws in and resisted. Drago scowled dangerously and raised his bull hook.

"Stop!" Hiccup cried out; in desperation, he scrambled to his feet and stepped between his other half and Drago. "Listen to – agh!" He was swatted aside like a gnat and tumbled over the deck. *Hiccup!* cried Toothless, lunging towards him, only to be yanked back by the collar around his neck. Drago let out a bellow and struck him around the head with the hook, sending him reeling.

Hiccup screamed at the blow, the pain of it shocking through his own body. He screamed again as Drago brought the blunt end of the hook down on Toothless' sensitive snout, crushing it to the deck and forcing the dragon to lie down before him. "I am your master now" Drago growled, larger than life and terrifying. "You belong to me."

"Please…stop" Hiccup groaned, "it hurts…Master, please, tell him!"

"Silence!" Drago shouted at him. Somebody grabbed Hiccup, began hauling him away. He wrested himself free of their grip and threw himself down beside Toothless, begging "Please let me stay with him! I'll do anything! We're heart bound!" He looked over at Hauke and pleaded, "Please, tell him it's true!"

Drago's expression remained angry, but it became confused as well. "Heart…bound?" he repeated, as if the words – especially the first one – were foreign to him. He glared at Hauke and demanded, "What is he talking about?"

"That setback I mentioned? My men and I shot this Night Fury down – as well as the boy, its rider. I tried to get rid of him, but the dragon somehow saved his life. This… 'heart bound' thing, as I understand it, is some sort of life debt. They can feel each other's pain. Observe" Hauke invited, before kicking the Night Fury in the ribs without warning. Hiccup cried out in pain, as did Toothless.

"The downside is that to kill one is to kill the other, and I doubt the whelp would last long if he were taken away from his beloved dragon" Hauke explained, "but the mere threat of being separated will make him so much more compliant. Let him stay with the Night Fury, and he will do anything you want."

Drago looked from Hauke, down at Hiccup and Toothless, who cowered beneath his icy glare. At last he looked back at Hauke. "Stay with the fleet. Soon, we will advance once more." Hauke bowed, and Drago turned his terrible gaze on the frightened heart bound pair. "I am your master" he repeated, "you both belong to me. You will do my bidding, thrall", he threatened Hiccup, "or you will never see the Night Fury again."

Heart thudding with fear, but also relief, Hiccup bowed his head. "Yes, master."

Eight days later

Stoick and Gobber were flying north. It was supposed to just be Stoick, but Gobber insisted on accompanying him. So he'd reluctantly left Spitelout in charge of Berk, and the rest of the council in charge of Spitelout, and set off with his best friend after the dragon riders. He hadn't been going to follow, but the thought of something happening to them was too much to bear.

Wherever they were going had already taken a week of hard flying. Stoick knew they were on the right trail; Skull Crusher could track a scent over several miles of ocean, and the islands or sea stacks they landed on to rest were the same ones that Astrid and the others had been on. Now, it was nearing dusk, and the two men and their dragons were searching for somewhere to come down.

Unfortunately, the only solid things beneath them were icebergs and floes. None of which would make for a comfortable kip. "It's alright for you" Stoick told Gobber, "if your dragon dozes off, he'll just keep flying!"

"Aye! An' if I doze off, I'll jus' keep fallin'!" the old blacksmith retorted. "O' course, I dinnae think anyone could fall ta sleep in this cold" he grumbled, trying to warm his hand up on Grump. "I had to put two extra pairs of undies on to stay warm, and I still can't feel my" –

"Gobber! Just keep your eyes peeled. The other riders will need to rest as well, so we stay on the trail until we catch up with 'em. This ice field can't go on forever" Stoick insisted. At least he hoped it didn't. Gobber was exaggerating about the cold keeping them awake; they both knew that getting too cold made one very tired, which made it harder to move about and stay warm.

Stoick felt his eyelids drooping, and slapped himself awake. Truth be told, he couldn't feel his…extremities either. Focus, he chided himself. He would have to be in top form to face Drago Bludvist. I should have gone with the riders in the first place. I should have found out where Bludvist's armada is lurking and gone back to Berk to set up reinforcements. I should have been a better leader.

Gobber noticed his scowl and called over, "Don't worry, Stoick! They aren't kids anymore. They're warriors, Vikings – dragon riders! Besides, Astrid's got a good head on her shoulders. She'll keep 'em straight. That lass is gonna make a fine Chief. You made the right choice, Stoick" he insisted. Yes, he wished it could have been Hiccup, but they had to do what was best for the tribe.

There was no reply. Stoick just hunched on Skull Crusher's saddle and kept looking for somewhere to land. Gobber did the same, but he went on regardless, "You know, as one of your oldest and closest friends, Chief, I feel honour-bound to tell you that sometimes, you live up to your name way too- AAAUGH!" he yelled as he was snatched right off Grump…who just kept going.

"Gobber!" cried Stoick, urging Skull Crusher to chase the dragon – a breed he didn't recognise – that had grabbed his friend. No sooner had he raised his war hammer and uttered a fearsome battle cry, however, than he was plucked out of the saddle and unceremoniously carried away. Unlike Grump, however, Skull Crusher actually made some protest.

He bellowed angrily and charged his rider's captor, slamming into him to dislodge his grip. The dragons – there were several – all roared and growled at each other. Then, much to Stoick and Gobber's bewilderment, their dragons fell into formation with the others, flying beside and below them in case they fell.

"What in Thor's name is going on?!" Stoick demanded. He didn't appreciate being dangled by his arms and torso like this; it was extremely undignified.

"Don't panic! Maybe they're taking us to an island!"

"Oh, aye! Maybe we're being taken home for dinner!"

"That'd be nice, I'm starving…Oh. Unless we're the dinner?"

Somehow, that was doubtful. For one thing, if they were really in danger, then their dragons wouldn't be so calm. Well…at least Skull Crusher would be putting up more of a fuss. He wasn't so sure about Grump.

The sun had more or less set by the time they reached their mysterious destination; it seemed like a mountain encased in ice, green and spiked. The dragons swarmed through a tunnel and deposited the two Vikings in a cave, landing and crowding around them, growling. Skull Crusher shoved his way to Stoick's side, grunting and pawing at the ground, horn lowered defensively.

A certain Hotburple, on the other hand, fell asleep. "Grump! I can't believe you – get up, ya lazy heap o' scales!" Gobber complained, shoving at his dragon's prone form to no avail. Privately, Stoick almost envied Grump's ability to just fall asleep wherever he was. He looked around warily at the not-yet-hostile dragons. Most of them were breeds he didn't recognise, but there were a few Monstrous Nightmares, a couple of Nadders, a masked figure – Wait a minute.

Stoick's glance flicked back to the patch of shadow where he'd seen the half familiar shape, but there was nothing there. "Gobber…we're not alone."

"You don't say? I can see the dragons too, ya know."

"Not them! There's someone else here" Stoick warned. He watched closely, and caught glimpses of a strange figure sneaking behind the dragons hemming them in. "Hello? We come in peace" he declared, stepping forwards boldly. "Show yourself!" Stoick challenged. He wanted to find out if this was friend or foe.

The dragons bristled, baring fangs. Skull Crusher growled right back. "Easy, old boy. We're not here to fight" Stoick warned, before calling out again. "We're not trespassers! We were brought here. What do you want with us? Are you an enemy, or an ally?" he demanded. With so many dragons around he didn't want to set them off, but Stoick's patience was wearing thin.

At last the figure emerged from hiding. In one hand they held a staff, which they shook. It rattled, and all around them, dragon jaws were filled with fire. Soon the whole cave was illuminated, so Stoick and Gobber had their first decent look at the mysterious figure who had watched them from the shadows.

The stranger was of slight build, and it was hard to tell how tall they were, because they remained half crouched. Their face was completely obscured by a peculiar helmet, with long protrusions that resembled dragon spikes. In fact, the strangers whole apparel was similar to a dragon, right down to the clawed fingerless gauntlets they wore.

"I am Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk…and that's Gobber" Stoick added, almost as an afterthought. "We mean you no harm. Who are you?" he questioned. Stoick wondered if this stranger didn't know the Norse tongue, or if they'd spent so long amongst dragons they couldn't speak at all. "Do you understand me?" He strode forwards, losing patience. "Answer"-

"Stoick."

He froze in his tracks, staring at the masked stranger. He knew that voice. He still dreamed about that voice. That beloved, beautiful, impossible voice…

Slowly, the figure set down the staff, stood to their…her…full height, and pulled off the helmet to reveal a face Stoick could never forget and never thought he would see again. "You're here…how's this possible?" she murmured nervously.

"Valka." Her name fell from his lips like a prayer. Out of his depth, Stoick glanced over at Gobber. The blacksmith was staring at Valka open-mouthed, but when he noticed Stoick he clamped his mouth shut. "I'll…let you take this one" he said slowly, awkwardly, turning his back on them.

Stoick looked at his long lost wife once more. They stared at each other as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Stoick stepped towards her, and Valka backed away. "This…this can't be happening. How can you be here?" she asked. Stoick kept approaching as if in a trance. "I know what you're going to say. How could I have stayed away all these years, and why didn't I come back to you?"

Her back hit the wall of the cave. "I'm sorry. I should have…I didn't…oh, don't be so stoic, Stoick!" she begged, when he still said nothing. "Just – be mad at me! Go on, shout, scream, say something!" Valka gasped when her husband, the man she loved, the man she'd left, reached out and cupped her cheek in his huge, calloused, warm hand. He stroked her cheek tenderly, tears in his eyes.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you" he whispered. He leaned in to kiss her, and she kissed him back, and it was as if those twenty years of loss and guilt and heartbreak had never happened at all.

They broke apart and just gazed at each other, lost in the moment. A curious grumble behind them made Stoick turn slightly, to find his dragon nosing in. "It's alright, Skull Crusher. She's a friend. What am I saying? She's my wife!"

Valka smiled in fond amusement. Only her Stoick would give a dragon a name like…she blinked and looked at the dragon again. More specifically, at what was on his back. "That…that's a seat" she said blankly, staring at the throne-like saddle and harness that the dragon wore as if it weighed nothing at all.

"Aye!" Stoick beamed proudly, "Skull Crusher is a mighty strong beast. He's a Rumblehorn; they can track anything, you know."

"Yes, I…wait. You ride him?"

"How do you think we got here? Well, actually, we wouldn't have found you if these other dragons hadn't found us first. Which one of them is yours? Please tell me it isn't the one who took you away. Oh gods. It is, isn't it?"

Valka didn't know what to say. Stoick was here, he rode a dragon, and Gobber, and… "There's something I want to show you. Come" she beckoned, moving towards the tunnel she had first entered the cave through. Valka went through it with fluid ease, but the larger Stoick and Gobber went more slowly, and were quite out of breath by the time they squeezed through the opening at the end.

Then their breath was taken away for an entirely different reason. They emerged into a massive open space, darkened by the night but full of plants and running streams, and dragons, so many dragons. Perched on outcroppings, clinging to stalagmites. Eyes that flashed yellow in the moonlight turned to stare curiously at the strangers in their midst, some creeping over to sniff at them.

Stoick looked around for Valka, but he couldn't see her. "Erm…Stoick?" Gobber prompted. He was looking up. Stoick did the same, and saw that dragon, the broad-ruffed, four-winged bane of his life…and his beloved wife, perched on the dragon's shoulder as if she belonged there. His suspicions were right, then. Her dragon partner was the one who stole her away.

Gobber ruined the moment. "Nice place you've got here" he remarked, "Very roomy. You've been living here on your own all this time?"

Valka tilted her head a bit, rather like a curious dragon, and gave a small nod.

Stoick looked around at the dragons who had come to investigate them, noting a few missing limbs, holes in wings and the like. "You rescue them, don't you? All these dragons. You save them from hunters and bring them here."

Another nod; and then, tentatively, as if hoping for his approval, Valka asked "You're…not upset?"

"No. Yes. Oh, I don't know!" Stoick cried, exasperated. "I'm not upset that you're alive, or about what you've been doing, but…Valka, why?"

She sighed, and slid off her dragon's shoulder, down his wing to the ground. "I owe you that much" she admitted, "You know, back then…it was kill or be killed, but I believed there was another way. It was a very unpopular opinion."

Stoick nodded. He remembered all too well having to defend her from people who called her a madwoman, for wanting to make peace with the dragons who raided them. How things have changed.

"One night, that night…I saw a dragon break into our house, with our baby in the cradle. I rushed to save him, but what I saw…was proof of everything I believed" Valka went on, staring into space. "He wasn't hurting Hiccup. He was no vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own" she said wonderingly.

"And then I barged in."

"Yes", she winced, "but what happened…it wasn't your fault. It was no-one's fault, but…you and Hiccup could have died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon. Cloud Jumper never meant to harm me, though. He must have thought I belonged here. It broke my heart to stay away, but I really thought you and Hiccup would be better off if I did. But I was wrong. I see that now."

Stoick sighed. "We both made mistakes. I suppose I can learn to get along with…him", he gestured to the dragon behind her, "for your sake, dear."

Valka smiled, surprised but happy. "Well, someone's certainly mellowed out after all this time. I can hardly believe it…since when do you like dragons?"

"Since Hiccup made friends with a Night Fury and they blew up the monster dragon who was making the rest of 'em raid us all the time" Gobber answered. Stoick and Valka stared at him. "Wait, was that rhetorical?"

Valka felt more bewildered by the minute. "Hiccup? Night Fury?"

"He did all of it, Valka. Our boy, he brought peace to Berk. He's a hero." Stoick's eyes filled with tears, and he sniffed. "You would have been so proud of him."

She was worried, now. "Would have?" she asked nervously, surprised to see her husband crying. Why wouldn't she still be proud of their son? Unless… "No…"

"He's gone, Val" whispered Stoick, a tear falling down his face. Tears filled her own eyes, and they embraced each other as they mourned their only son.

Astrid was not having a good time, for several reasons. First she'd been stuck with an arrogant git of a trapper who had a bigger ego than Snotlout and was constantly trying to escape. Second, she'd been stuck for eight days with Snotlout and the twins, and only Fishlegs to help mediate things. Third, they'd been captured within five minutes of finding Drago's armada.

Her only consolation was that Eret had been taken prisoner too, although he wasn't acting like it. "Drago! Get off me" he glared at the men holding him, "Always good to see you, my friend. Keeping warm up here? As you can see, I'm ahead of schedule with a new batch of dragons – and as an added bonus, I also caught you their riders" Eret declared, nodding at Astrid and the others.

Astrid glared at him, indignant but not really surprised. Ruffnut, on the other hand… "Why, Eret son of Eret! Why? You were so perfect!" she wailed.

Eret grinned disarmingly at Drago, to no effect whatsoever. "Turns out there's a load of – ack!" he choked, when the warlord suddenly seized him by the throat.

"How many riders are there?" Drago growled.

"Hundreds!" Astrid cut in, "A whole island full!"

"Don't worry, sir!" Eret gasped out, "My men are hunting them down as we speak" he lied, "they won't know where you're hiding, I promise you that!"

"Oh yes they will! They know we're missing and they have tracking dragons. In fact, our chief is following our trail right now!"

"Your chief?" Drago asked scornfully, dropping Eret on the deck. "And who is this great Chief of yours, little girl?"

Astrid drew herself up and replied, "Only the greatest chieftain in the whole Barbaric Archipelago. The only one to escape your massacre all those years ago – Stoick the Vast. If you don't let us go right now, he is going to blast in here with his Rumblehorn and" -

Suddenly, Astrid was cut off by an eerie, familiar shriek. It was something she hadn't heard for just over two months, and for a moment she couldn't place it. Everyone on deck backed away and cleared a space for the dragon to land; but not just any dragon. A Night Fury. And not just any Night Fury… "Toothless?!"

The riders couldn't believe their eyes. The black dragon wore no harness and his crimson tail-fin was gone, but it was still unmistakably the only Night Fury they knew. As if there was any doubt, he looked over at Astrid's exclamation and stared, recognising them. For a moment he seemed happy to see them, as he would be after so long; but then Drago struck the deck with a bull hook.

Toothless flinched, and crouched submissively before the warlord. Astrid's heart went out to him. The poor thing must have been through so much, having Hiccup die and then to be captured and taken away to this horrible place. Well, she wasn't having any of that. They were going to escape and take Toothless with them, back to Berk. "He's one of ours!" she challenged Drago.

"The Night Fury belongs to me" Drago growled at her. "Where is that thrall?!" he demanded of the deck at large, clearly impatient. "Bring him to me!"

A few soldiers made to carry out his order, but hesitatingly, as if they weren't sure where to start. Then a voice spoke up – an impossible voice. A voice Astrid had been sure she would never hear again, except in nightmares. "I'm here!"

Running feet, a steady thud-thock of a boot and a peg leg on the wooden deck. The speaker skidded to a halt in front of Drago, in front of the riders, who stared in disbelief. He was dressed in ragged, mud brown clothes, his peg was wooden, and his auburn hair was cropped close to his head. If he hadn't spoken, he might have been almost unrecognisable; but there was no mistaking that voice.

It was Hiccup, alive and whole and here right in front of them; was this real, or some cruel trick of the gods? "Sorry, master" Hiccup said apologetically to a clearly displeased Drago. Astrid frowned. Since when did Hiccup call anyone 'master'? "I know I'm late, I just" –

"I don't want excuses!" Drago yelled, and he flinched. "Yes, master."

That tears it. "Leave him alone!" Astrid cried out, expecting Hiccup to look over at her and be surprised, certainly, delighted even. He did look at her, and he was surprised, but it quickly gave way to a stare of what she could only describe as alarm. Hiccup didn't look happy to see them. He almost looked horrified.

The whole world seemed to freeze; then Drago struck the deck with his horrible hook again, and Hiccup jumped. "Yes, master! Sorry, um – Toothless?" He turned to his dragon, who crooned and rumbled. "Uh, he says the Kings nest doesn't seem to know we're here, or that…that you're going to attack. A few dragons were flying back from fishing, but they didn't see him."

"Is he certain?"

"Yes, master."

Hiccup, what are you doing? Astrid didn't know what he was talking about, but it was obvious that he and Toothless were being forced to work for Drago. "What have you done to them?" she demanded, glaring fiercely.

Drago glanced at her as if she wasn't worth his attention, and questioned Hiccup, "Do you know these riders?"

"I, uh, I…"

"Spit it out!"

Hiccup cringed. "Y-yes, master. I mean…I knew them. They're from my old tribe" he answered, his expression one of abject shame.

Old tribe? Knew us? "Hiccup, it's us! Your friends. It's me, Astrid! Toothless, you recognise us, don't you boy?" Astrid asked hopefully. The dragon looked at her longingly, but glanced nervously at Drago. Astrid glared at the warlord.

Drago chuckled darkly. "Your friend belongs to me now" he informed her, before snapping an order at Hiccup. "Show them!"

Hiccup tensed, hung his head in shame. He turned to face Astrid and the others without looking at them, and tugged down the collar of his dirt-brown tunic. Astrid gasped; for imprinted on Hiccup's collarbone was a brand, a slavemark. The initials 'DB' underneath, as if he were nothing more than Bludvists property.

"Throw the prisoners overboard" Drago ordered. His men began dragging the struggling riders and Eret away; Hiccup's head snapped up in alarm, eyes wide.

"No! Please, don't – master, please don't hurt them!" he begged desperately, "You have their dragons, they're harmless now!"

"Silence!" Drago roared. Hiccup shrank back against Toothless, cowering. The sight made Astrid's blood boil, and she struggled harder. If her hands weren't bound she'd rush over there and drag Hiccup away from that man herself!

He motioned for the soldiers to stop hauling them away, and scowled down at Hiccup. "Have the Night Fury end him" he ordered, levelling his bull hook at Eret, "and I'll spare the rest."

"What?" Eret yelled in alarm, "Drago, you can't! I'm on your side!"

Drago rounded on him, furious. "You led dragon riders right to my camp! You're a traitor. And you're expendable" he declared callously. "I sentence you to death! Do it, dragon. Now!" And he slammed the bull hook down so hard the whole deck trembled beneath their feet. Several hunters grabbed a horrified Eret, restraining him and using him as a human shield at the same time.

Astrid stared at Hiccup in horror. Surely, he wouldn't? "I'm sorry…Toothless", he pointed with a shaking finger at Eret, who was begging for mercy, frantic. "Kill."

Toothless clearly didn't want to do it; but he prepared a blast, aiming right at Eret. The other riders shouted in protest, but there was nothing anyone could do. To get in the way would be death. Astrid expected Hiccup to do something, to make Toothless stop; but he just stood there, fists clenched, eyes averted. Then, out of nowhere, fire rained down from the sky.

Everyone ducked for cover as Stormfly swooped in and flamed at Toothless, startling him into releasing the blast. The two flames struck and burst outwards, knocking some of them off their feet. Stormfly landed in the flames and butted the warriors restraining Eret out of the way, roaring defiantly. Darts struck her all over and she slumped to the deck. "Stormfly!" Astrid cried out. Eret stared at the Nadder in disbelief…she had just saved his life, and risked her own to do so.

Hiccup was babbling, frantic. "I'm sorry, master! I didn't – we tried – the Nadder, it just" –

"No excuses!" Drago bellowed, advancing on him and Toothless with bull hook raised. "Get out of my sight! Both of you!" Clearly terrified, Hiccup scrambled away and fled. Toothless followed him, but he looked back and met Astrid's gaze, once, before slinking after Hiccup. The message was clear. Help us.

With his ultimatum ruined, Drago's men fell back on his previous order to have them all thrown overboard. "So, drowning in freezing water. Who wants to go first?" Snotlout asked sarcastically.

"Uh, speaking of horrible deaths" said Tuffnut, "is anyone going to mention the Buffalord in the room?"

"You mean how Hiccup came back to life?" his twin inquired.

"He didn't come back to life" Astrid pointed out tersely.

"But he" –

"He was never dead! They faked his death and they took him away. They enslaved him." Gods, the sight of that brand on Hiccup's skin was seared into her mind's eye the way his – not his – headless corpse had been. She should have been happy – Hiccup was alive – but all Astrid could think was that they should have known, that they had abandoned him when he needed them most.

She was jerked out of her guilty reverie when rough hands grabbed her and pushed her up onto the plank jutting out over the back of the ship. Are they seriously making us walk the plank? Eret was ahead of her. "Looks refreshing" he said blithely, eyeing the frothing, dark water below. "Ladies first."

Astrid glared at the backstabbing smarmy git. "You are a steaming heap of dragon" –

"Duck."

On instinct, she obeyed. He made a high kick over her and managed to disarm the spear-holding warrior behind her, break through his ropes, and spun her around to cut through the ones binding her wrists. Thus freed, she leapt on the hunters in the way, knocking them to the deck. Eret took care of the others, but one ran off to warn Drago. Eret was just about to dart him when –

A dark haired youth stepped out and punched him square in the face, knocking him out. The teenager rubbed his knuckles, and stepped towards them with a serious expression on his face. "Who the heck are you?" Astrid demanded.

He stopped and looked her in the eyes. "My name is Adulfr…my father is the one who took your friend."