"Welcome back, sir."

Hiccup ignored the gesture from Savage as he redressed, arms slipping through chainmail as he shrugged it on, settling it around his shoulders before he took off the helmet Stoick had given him earlier that morning, shaking his hair out as he tossed it to the side. Out the corner of his eye, he watched Stoick toss around in his bindings like an enraged bull, corner of his mouth lifting up into a smirk as he shook his head before calling out over his shoulder to him. "I wouldn't bother if I were you. Those chains are reinforced to make sure that they hold you." Clamping an arm guard around his forearm, Hiccup turned on his heel, placing his hands on his hips. "I know your strength, Stoick. Struggling is useless."

And stop fighting Stoick did, even as his wrists continued to twist around in the shackles that had been clamped down on him as soon as the netting had been lifted. Looking up at his son, he watched the way the boy's shadow fell over him before he squatted down, arms draping across his knees as he grinned. "I can't believe you fell for the same act twice. You really are pathetic, Stoick." A hand raised and he patted him on the cheek condescendingly.

"Why this?" the Berk chief asked, sitting back on his knees, feeling air push against his lungs as he fought to swallow down his emotions. "I thought..."

"Because my revenge isn't complete until I kill you." His one eye narrowed as he grinned viciously. "Did you really think that I'd somehow been magically 'cured' by the disease called love? Did you really think that I'd been shocked into thinking straight due to Fenrir's death?" Hiccup lowered his head as he chuckled. "It was a little unfortunate, yes, but I've seen dragons die before. She wasn't any different from any of the others."

"She was yours!" Stoick barked, watching as Hiccup stood with a flourish and turned on his heel. "She was your dragon, the one you bonded to!"

"The only dragon I need is Toothless." Hiccup closed the distance between himself and the Night Fury, running his fingers over the black scales of his muzzle as Toothless tilted his head up into the touch with a soft croon. "A Night Fury is a rather fitting dragon for the chief of the Outcasts, wouldn't you say?" At the silence, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Stoick, smirking when he saw the look on his biological father's face. "Don't tell me you didn't realize the reason father wasn't here?"

"Let me go!"

"Ah, and here are our guests of honor." Hiccup spread his arms as a struggling Spitelout and Snotlout were brought forward from within a forest cluster, the younger Jorgenson thrashing around wildly before he spotted Hiccup. His eyes widened before they narrowed.

"I knew it!"

"Snotlout!" Spitelout barked, causing the viking boy to fall quiet and stop his struggling as they were dragged forward and deposited on their knees next to Stoick. Spitelout sent his brother a questioning look before his upper lip curled into a sneer. "I told you he wasn't to be trusted."

"Can you really blame me for wanting to think the best of my son?" Stoick hissed back, looking at Spitelout out the corner of his eye before he raised his gaze back to Hiccup as the boy took his axe from Savage, running his fingers along the flat of the blade.

"Mmm...I've missed my axe," he purred, testing the weight in his hands. Nearly two months without it had made him feel a bit anxious. He let his eye roll over their captives before it came to stop on Snotlout. Walking over to him, Hiccup squatted in front of him, watching the way his face broke out into a nervous look before he covered it up, trying to look tough. Hiccup rested the blade of his axe on the ground, cupping both of his hands over the butt of the hilt and resting his chin on top of them as he tilted his head. "I'm going to give you an option, cousin. Now, I'm going to kill both our fathers, but you don't have to die so unnecessarily." He lifted his head off and gestured with a hand. "With Stoick gone, Berk would be under your rule. Our people could unite under the same flag and we would rule the Archipelagos together with an iron fist. With your brute strength and my intelligence, nobody could stop us." He stood, swinging his axe over his shoulder as Snotlout looked up at him, the boy swallowing deeply as the weight fell on his shoulders. "I'd suggest you choose wisely, because only Outcasts are leaving this island alive."

As he turned on his heel to walk back over to his dragon, Snotlout bit his bottom lip, his chest heaving a little as he tried to keep his breathing under control. Turning his head to look at his father and Stoick, he whispered frantically. "What do I do? I'm not ready to lead Berk!"

Spitelout opened his mouth to respond to his son before Stoick leaned around him, scooting closer on his knees as he whispered in return. "Do it." At the look from his brother, Stoick raised an eyebrow at him and inclined his head before he looked back at Snotlout. "With you as its chief, Berk can still thrive under an Archipelago ruled by Outcasts. You can give our people a chance to live peacefully under Hiccup's rule. Otherwise, they'll become slaves or victims of war." At the desperate look on Snotlout's face, he gave him a small smile. "And when the time is right, you'll know what to do to free everyone. I know you can do it."

"But..."

"He's right, son." Snotlout looked up at his father, who had closed his eyes against his own words and gave a sigh before opening them to look at his boy. "An alliance with this monster is what Berk needs in order to keep thriving. These are the types of decisions you need to make to ensure the survival of our people. It's time you grew up, Snotlout." He nodded with a small smile of his own. "Goti and Gobber will assist you. Be proud of your line, son, just as I'm proud of you."

Snotlout sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, trying to quell the panic attack rising in his chest. This was no time to start sniveling. Squaring his shoulders, he looked over to where Hiccup was watching the whole thing, leaning back against Toothless, and he struggled to keep his voice from breaking. "Fine! I'll do it."

"I knew you'd see reason." Hiccup smiled and pushed himself away from his dragon, closing the distance between them as he snapped his fingers, an Outcast warrior coming forward and standing behind the other boy, who shuddered at the presence behind him. He tossed his axe up into the air, catching it by the hilt as he tilted his head. "Now you get to watch as I execute our fathers."

A block of wood was brought forward, with a dip in the middle of it and was placed in front of Stoick. Hiccup walked around the older Haddock, planting his boot in the middle of his back and shoving him forward, making him bend over in a submissive pose. The chief closed his eyes, feeling the flat of the blade trail up his back before it touched his neck. "Any last words, dad?"

Closing his eyes, Stoick let his body relax, shoulders slackening as he glanced up at the sky over Breakneck Bog. "I still regret allowing the Naming Dame to throw you into the sea," he said quietly, closing his eyes. "Perhaps...things would be different."

Hiccup said nothing in response to those words, instead raising his axe high over his head. A sickening sound filled the air and Snotlout flinched as his uncle's head rolled off his shoulders, blood splattering everywhere as Stoick's body was pulled away from the execution block which Hiccup gleefully pushed over to Spitelout with a jerk of his foot. "Next~" he said in a sing-song voice, watching two of his men grab Spitelout and wrestle him to the block, one of them holding a hand in his hair and the other keeping him from moving. "Any last words, dear uncle?"

Spitelout twisted his head Hiccup's way, eyes narrowed and hardened even as he heard the small noise his son made next to him. "Death or glory," he hissed out, holding himself as proudly as he could before the axe swung down in the same motion.

The Outcast chief took in a deep breath and moved his axe away from the body, looking down at his cousin before he snapped his fingers. The warrior behind Snotlout undid his bonds, and it took everything in him to stand to his feet without wobbling or looking sick. Turning back around to his men, Hiccup spread his arms wide, wrapping one around Snotlout's shoulders and feeling the other boy stiffen underneath him. "My tribe! Tonight we feast like Gods!" A loud roar erupted over the crowd of Outcast warriors. "Another alliance has been made! With the Berserkers and Hooligans at our side, the entire Archipelago will be ours within the next year!"

"Berserkers?" Snotlout's eyes flickered before he turned his head to look at Hiccup. "You mean..."

He grinned. "Dagur was quite eager to join my cause." He patted Snotlout on the back between the shoulders as he pulled away from the other boy, twirling his bloody axe before sheathing it on his back. "And I do believe I almost have Lady Tantrum of the Uglithug tribe swayed to my favor at my last request, am I correct, Savage?" He turned his head to look at his mentor, who was standing nearby.

"Quite so, your hideousness." Savage, always ready with an agreement, nodded in response. "If you don't mind my say so, it was quite genius of you to propose an alliance through poetry. It appeared to be to her ladyship's liking."

"Some people will say anything to stay alive," Hiccup murmured to his cousin before he clapped his hands together. "Now, I do believe you have an announcement to make to your tribe. I think we've been away from the race long enough, don't you think so, cousin?"

By mid-afternoon, after the shock had worn off that someone else had won the Parent-Child Marathon other than the immediate favourites, Astrid was starting to worry. She looked over to Fishlegs from where she was stroking Stormfly's neck, mostly out of giving herself comfort than anything else. "What do you think happened to them?" she asked her best friend, brow furrowing into a frown. "They were right behind us."

"I'm not sure," he said, running his hand over the bridge of Meatlug's snout before he looked up at her. "But this is Hiccup and Snotlout we're talking about. They've been at each other's throats ever since the competition started."

"I'm going to..."

Murmurs rose up from the crowd of villagers as a Nightmare swooped into the arena, Astrid's eyes widening when she recognized Hookfang and watched the way Snotlout slipped from his dragon's neck, dismounting. He held up his hand as people started talking among themselves when they saw Spitelout wasn't with him and Astrid felt her chest clench.

"Can I please have your attention," he called out, and an eerie, hushed silence fell over the gathered Hooligans before he lowered his hands. The look on Snotlout's face made Ruffnut bite her bottom lip - he looked lost, confused but confident and she raised a hand to tug Barf closer. "The Hairy Hooligan tribe is now in an alliance with the Outcasts." Strong voices started rising up before Snotlout raised both his hands. "I made my decision, and I made it for the good of our tribe."

"You made the decision?" Gobber frowned deeply and stepped down from the podium, drawing himself closer towards the shorter viking. "You're not the chief."

"I am." Snotlout closed his eyes and swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise from his stomach before he opened them again, looking at Gobber imploringly. "Stoick the Vast is dead." As Gobber searched the boy's face, he fought down the urge to laugh at the idea of Stoick being dead. Snotlout bit his bottom lip. "Dad said you and Goti would help me," he whispered to the blacksmith. "I know we haven't exactly been on the best of terms but iplease/i. I need your help."

Gobber reached up to stroke his chin before he drew his brows together and pursed his lips, straightening his shoulders as he spoke out loud. "Do you have any proof to your claims?"

"Check Hookfang's saddlebags." Snotlout closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and drew his hand down his face. "It was the only parts of them I could carry back in one go."

As Gobber made a grim expression and wandered over to the Nightmare to do so, Astrid and the other three stepped over to their friend while talk began to happen around the outer ring of the arena. The dragon conqueror placed her hand on his shoulder, frowning slightly. "Snotlout...where's Hiccup?" Her frown only deepened at his silence before a call from Gobber made everyone look over to him.

In his hand, he held up the head of the chief, the neck still wet with blood as Spitelout's was tucked under his other arm. Calls rose up from around the villagers at the sight before Gobber raised his voice. "Stoick the Vast and his brother Spitelout are dead. By blood right, the chief of Berk is now Snotlout Jorgenson." Seeing the head of his father, Astrid felt any anger in her at Snotlout drain away as shouts and calls rose up from the gathered villagers. "I think I'm going to be sick," she heard Fishlegs whimper to her right, and out the corner of her eye she saw the twins take hold of each other's hand.

Gobber held up his hand for the villagers to quiet down, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. "Instead of the closing ceremony for Thawfest, tonight we will prepare funerals for these two brave warriors, and tomorrow will be the ceremony to swear the new chief in. You can all go home!"

Questions unanswered but nonetheless complying, the Hooligans dissipated and Gobber tentatively put both heads back into the Nightmare's saddlebags. Once there was nobody else left around the ring, Snotlout placed his head in both his hands, groaning up to the sky. "This is so messed up," the newly appointed chief whined.

"What happened?" Tuffnut asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dad and I got to Breakneck Bog and were about to get on Hookfang when we were ambushed. Both of us were gagged before we could shout to any of you guys for help." Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "Outcasts were there, and when Hiccup and Uncle Stoick got to the Bog, they had Stoick chained up too. Hiccup was behind the whole thing! I had to accept the alliance or we would've been defenseless!"

Astrid felt her face contort and something in her chest tighten. She hit him in the arm, causing sounds of alarm to go up between her friends and Gobber as she felt Fishlegs grab hold of her to keep her from hitting him any more than she had already. "You're lying!" she yelled. "You and Spitelout have always wanted the Jorgensons to be the head clan of Berk! You were bragging the other week about how you were going to be a better chief than Stoick!"

"I don't want to argue about this right now!" Gobber placed a warning hand on Snotlout's shoulder before he could do anything, the Nightmare trainer's eyes beginning to well up. "I just watched my dad get murdered executioner style and you want to lecture me about my behavior? To protect your little boyfriend?"

"Hiccup isn't my boyfriend!"

"Oh that's a laugh. Sure could've fooled me. I just had to make the toughest decision of my life and here you are defending the guy who forced me to do it!" Snotlout pointed his finger at her, breaking away from Gobber's hand and pushing his face close to Astrid's. "Because of your boyfriend, our clan is in an alliance with the Outcasts and the Berserkers, to be followed by the Uglithugs by the sounds of it. I made the decision to keep our people safe at the cost of my dad's life. I'm so mad right now, so...so upset I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling! The entire Archipelago is going to war soon and it's his fault. He played us all and we're paying the price!"

Turning on his heel, Snotlout stomped away from the group, leaving Astrid to lean heavily against Fishlegs for support as the twins followed after him, Gobber heaving a sigh and raising his hand to massage the bridge of his nose. Things had just taken a turn for the worse.