Hello, I hope you have a good day today, especially on Valentine's Day. I try to keep these as short as possible now. Forgive my very delayed chapter, life takes unexpected turns. Great, now I am fucking 1 month late.

"Fletcher, do you realize what we just discovered," Henry exclaimed, combing his shaggy auburn hair away from his eyes. The noise he made caused teenagers around him to give him blank stares. Henry ignored them, too busy marveling at the piece of history he just uncovered. It was also history about himself!

He brought out the book on which he found the letter and opened it. It laid there, unmoving and protected by the solid book cover that covered it. "This man who wrote it, supposedly eight hundred years ago, has the same name which people nicknamed me! He also has the same last name, too! This is unbelievable!"

"Oh my Thor!" Henry heard Stephen's voice ring across the hallway. "Stop infecting us with your nerd overload!" Henry's classmates laughed at that, but continued to walk to their next scheduled class. Henry rolled his eyes at Stephen's comment. Some people just don't understand.

"Anyways... about this," Fletcher carried on as they walked through the hall. "If you say what's true about this, then you what that means!" Henry nodded in agreement: they were talking about the dragons Henry had read about. Mythical winged reptiles that could easily kill a thousand people without a sweat. Creatures that dominated the sky and sea, terrorizing the animals in the lower part of the food chain. Dragons that his great times fifty grandfather had supposedly trained and lead through the world. "Henry, we could be the first people in the world to discover this!"

"Discover what?" Heather's voice came into the conversation. Wide-eyed and surprised, the two boys hid away the conversation and the paper they had found. "You aren't going anywhere until you tell me."

"Or me," a new voice appeared. Henry looked behind him to see the familiar shape of Derrick, or what people called Dagur in the school. "Hey brother!"

Derrick was known to be a bit crazy. He was always trying to get into any sort of trouble and never backed down to a dare. There were a few times where he went off the walls with the dare, but Henry did not want to relive those memories. He shuddered in horror at them. The redhead was also very muscular. There has been no other sophomore that could lift three hundred pounds. Well, Derrick should have been a junior, but failed the previous year.

"Oh . . . Hey Derrick, how are you doing?" Fletcher asked, receiving a hard slap to back from the older man. The husky boy ended up stumbling into Heather, who caught him in her arms. As soon as they realized what happened, they both quickly scooted away from each other, blushing. Fletcher looked back up (or down) at Derrick. "That was a bit too hard."

Derrick let out was of his maniacal laughs before stopping and gazing at Henry. He shuffled his feet as he stared down at them. "Uh, hey Derrick, you know, we just-yea-just discovered that if you dip a marshmallow in dark chocolate, it tastes just like coffee!"

Derrick quirked an eyebrow at the thin boy. "Really?" Henry nodded, holding his breath. "Wow, that is very . . . interesting! I am going to try that once classes are over." Henry let out a silent sigh in relief, before refocusing his attention to the other two. The final class bell rang, indicated that the classes would start in a minute. "Oh! Come on, we got to get to English for our paper assignment! Let's go brother!" Derrick forcefully wrapped his arm around Henry's neck and led them to the classroom. Heather and Fletcher were following them, chuckling at the sight in front of them.

"Very funny," Henry muttered to them, but they didn't seem to hear it. It wasn't a long walk, but the fact that Derrick continued to talk about Thor knows what was making it long. It seemed like forever before they made it to class, and apparently they were the last ones in the classroom.

It was a very, very big classroom to say the least. Seventy-two kids somehow fit into the room, but it was very cramped. Among these kids were the twins, Stephen, Astrid, Heather, Derrick, Fletcher, and Henry. They all sat in the same area in the middle of the room in a 2x4 seating chart. Henry and Fishlegs in the front, followed Derrick and Heather, then Astrid and Ruby, and last Toby and Snotlout. The bell rang for indication that the class was starting, and Mrs. Wing came in front of the classroom.

"Today is the last day of the school year, and all of you have improved," she stated, the classroom still deadly silent. "However, I hope you can adapt because I am making a change in the groups." Henry went silent, hoping that they weren't going to be doing it alone. "I am now making groups of eight which I have assigned. Starting with Henry and Fletcher, look down the three rows behind you. Those peers are your new assigned group members of your project."

Henry just stared in horrow at the results of it. This was not happening, it shouldn't have been happening. Oh the Gods hate me, he thought as he looked at the reactions of his fellow group. It seemd that none of them liked the result either.

"Are you serious?! I have to work with Useless and Fishlegs!" Snotlout called out in disbelief, earning a glare from the teacher. "I can not work like this!"

"The feeling is mutual Snothat," Derrick rolled his eyes at him and the twins, who were both snickering for no reason. "Is there any way we can trade some group members for, oh I don't know, productive ones!"

"No, Mr. Oswald, you can not. Now, if you all are done complaining, I will explain what will need to be done," Mrs. Wing told the class, and everyone went quiet. "Thank you, now you will write a paper on a story your group has come up with. It can be any genre: fiction, adventure, romance, etc. Your group will have to write a twenty-four page paper: three pages per student minimum."

"Wait! We have to write!" Toby exclaimed, pouting at the instructions.

"While we're still alive!" Ruby said, agreeing with her twin brother.

"Well, it is English class, isn't it?" Mrs. Wing asked, and the twins went silent. "Anyways, this is due the first day back next year. If this is not completed, then your entire group will get a failing grade."

"Wait! You're saying we have to rely on group partners to get a good grade!" Astrid asked, which was more like a snarl. Mrs. Wing nodded to her and Astrid looked at Stephen and the twins. "You better pull your weight, or I will personally end you. All of you."

"Now, discuss with your group and you can begin writing your story," Mrs. Wing announced, and the exam began. Henry sighed as he looked back at his group, which were already argueing about what the genre and story should be about.

"It should be about a colossal monster destroying an entire city. Oh! And a bunch of gory details have to be included," Toby exclaimed to the group, who were all giving him (except Ruby, who thought it was great) concerned looks. "What? Okay! Fine."

"I think it should be about adventure," Heather told the group. "About a group going out and exploring the world." Derrick wrapped his arm around her sister and nodded in agreement.

"I think it's a great idea," he told her sincerely.

"Uh uh," Astrid interrupted, "it should be about Romance and violence. A hero that has to choose between his love or his friends."

"That sounds pretty cool," Stephen says supportive. "Can I be the hero?"

"No, Stephen."

Soon, the conversation turned into a heated debate on which genre the group could do it. Henry sighed as he saw his best friend get into the arguement, explaining the fiction would be the best way to go. It was useless, though, as no one would listen anyone's but their own idea. This is going to be a long summer, Henry thought as he dropped into the arguement and posted his own idea to the group.

(* * *)

"How is this possible?!" Fletcher exclaimed to Henry as the two of them biked down their neighborhood, followed by Dagur on his Moped with Heather riding behind him. "We have to rely on Snotlout and the twins!"

"Apparently so," Henry replied. "You know, things could be worse."

"They are," Derrick stated as a matter of fact. "We spent forty fucking minutes argueing over a genre! We still haven't even decided one yet!" Henry and Fletcher cringed at the sight of him losing his calm spirit.

"Derrick," Heather warned.

"Sorry, anger management is still an issue." The bright redhead looked at the Henry and Fletcher, who were glancing nervously back at him. "I'm seeing a psychologist now. Well, thanks to Heather."

"Anything for my brother," she said sincerely. They both then looked at their house and Derrick slowed his Moped down.

"Anyways, this is our stop," Derrick announced to us. "See you guys at the diner!"

The two Oswalds waved their goodbyes at the two bicyclers as they made a right turn to their house. Henry and Fletcher continued to the Haddock Residence. They were planning to research more about the ancient artifact they found in class. The Haddock boy found it strange that there was another person in his family named so freakishly close to himself.

"I figure we only got a about two to three hours, Fletch," Henry told his friend, who nodded in agreement. They biked faster until they were in the driveway of Stoic the Vast's house. Normally, one would be in awe on how big and elegant it looked, but also intimidating. Not Henry or Fletcher, though; they were normally in this house everyday. Usually it was school based, but very few times it was to play video games or watch T.V.

The two boys took off their biking helmets and laid their bikes out on the front lawn. Walking inside through the front door, they began to lay out the old piece of parchment and the book where Henry found it in.

"Okay, where do we start?" Fletcher asked Henry, who was thinking the same thing as well.

"Um, try looking up the name Hiccup Haddock the III on Google," Henry told the husky boy, and he nodded in agreement. Fletcher pulled his laptop from his backpack and put it on the table. In one swift motion, he flipped the screen up and powered the electronic on. "I'll try to find anything else from the book."

Henry began to cautiously peer in the area where the inside of the book cover had opened. Seeing nothing at first, he began to feel it. Henry didn't want to miss anything, so he slowly pressed down on the outside of the cover, hoping for something out of the ordinary. Feeling the top part first, he felt nothing unusual, but as he went down to the bottom part, he felt it.

Something was there, it was bulky and slightly bulged out of the inner book cover. Henry then inserted his pinky through the small opening of the cover to try and reach it. Unfortunately, it was too far away for him to get a hold on.

"I'll be back, Fletch," Henry told his friend, who nodded as he scrolled up the web page for any clues or information about the name.

The thin boy went through the drawers in the kitchen in hopes for scissors, but he had no luck it doing so. Henry then went to his dad's office. It was only moments before he saw what he needed: scissors. The double-bladed tool was going to help him solve what was hidden within that book cover.

He came back into the room with a wide grin on his face and began to precisely cut. He was eager to see what was inside, but he was also cautious to make sure he didn't ruin it either. It only took half a minute, and Henry was able to grab to what felt like a piece of paper that was folded in a square. He slowly unfolded the paper until it was at its full size, and nothing but excitement and shock filled his eyes. He began, along with Fletcher who was gazing over his shoulder, to read the words that were in English.

Dear Henry,

I am sorry, but I had to write this letter. A few years ago, I found something truly remarkable about the history of our ancestors and the world around them. At first, I did not believe it, but soon everything I saw began to change. That's when I realized that the records of the Haddock Heritage were correct. There were dragons, and our family was the first to befriend them.

By the time you are reading this, you most likely found the note about your great-grandfather from 990 A.D. You are truly named Hiccup Haddock the III, but not for it meaning runt of the litter. To me, it means that you are smart, you will figure out where the dragons are, and how you will show them the world or not. You will be their cheif, and a chief . . .

"Protects his own," Henry (now Hiccup) finished. The young boy softly felt the letter, knowing it was an artifact of his mother. He glanced up at Fletcher, who was still engrossed with the letter, and Henry continued to read.

Sadly, the trip I'm about to take will most likely be my last. I know where the dragons lie, but I knew that the people around us were incapable of change and would see them as vicious creatures, only wanting blood.

There is something in the attic that can help you, and I'm not sure where I last put it. Remember, only the Haddocks can know that dragons exist, along with the Hofferson, Jorgenson, Thorston, Ingerman, and Oswald clans. These were the only groups to ever trust dragons.

Remember, I will always love you and may Odin look over you from now on.

Your mother,

Valka Haddock.

Henry took his gaze off the paper and took a deep breath. His own mother verified that dragons exist in the world, and now that he was in charge of protecting them? I really must be losing my mind, Henry thought as Fletcher gasped, indicating he reached the end of the note.

"They exist!?" Fletcher exasperated. "THEY EXIST!" He practically yelled through the house.

"Fletch, the whole neighbor is going to know!" Hiccup reminded him. The husky boy went silent with embarrassment, before his eyes gleamed with excitement and realization.

"Henry, your mother said something that could help us in the attic!" Fletcher told the shaggy, auburn-haired boy before racing up the stairs. "This can help us find the dragons, and where they live!"

"Oh yeah, but what happens to us if we find them," Henry asked his friend, who went silent.

Fletcher then thought about it. "I don't know, but we cross the path we when get there." Henry slumped, sighing to his friend make his way towards the attic door.

The entrance itself was located right in front of the door to Henry's bedroom. The two boys, along with Astrid when they were younger would always explore the upstairs to see if they could anything interesting. Most of the time, they would look for something like a treasure map or a very confusing riddle. The three friends would go on for an hour or two and come down empty handed, but they still kept their spirits high, knowing that they would find something eventually.

As time went on, Astrid left after his dead with in a fire accident. She learned the responsibility most twelve year olds wouldn't take up and started to care for her family. This meant that she didn't have time to be a kid and had to focus school try to make it to college. Henry sighed as he recalled the old days leading up to Astrid's change. He wanted to be like his younger self, care free and full of imagination.

The two boys were able to open the ladder that led them up to the attic. It was dusty (as usual) with brown, wooden furniture and pictures littered the secret room. There were cobwebs of all sizes, but it was surprisingly still big enough for Fletcher and Henry to walk through.

They made their way around the large items until Henry caught something in the corner of his eye. Focusing his sight, he noticed a box that was too ornate to be a casual forgotten piece.

"Over here, Fletch," Henry called to his pal and they both made their way towards the gold trimmed and gem encrusted box. The wood looked withered, but the valuables looked as new as if they were just found. "What does this look like?"

"For starters, it does look like something that you would just throw in an attic," he concluded, and Henry couldn't have agreed more. The two friends pulled the chest out from the middle of the pile and they both looked over it. There faces were filled with awe as Henry's mind was rushing of thoughts.

Is this finally the treasure we would talk about when we were younger? Was it going to be a riddle? Slowly, Hiccup made sure the chest was open, and fortunately, it was. He then carefully lifted up the lid of the chest, and what he saw was not what he was expecting.

The only thing in there was a leather cover book, but it looked very fragile. Henry cautiously grabbed the book and brought it out of the chest, letting the lid close with a sudden sound. It made the two boys jumped, but they still kept their vision on the book.

Blowing off the dust, Henry saw the Norse Runes engraved in the leather. Slowly, he read them.

"The Dragon Manual," Henry breathed, his eyes going wide as he looked at Fletcher. His eyes were wide as well. "Do you realize what this is?" His friend already knew the answer. "This is a Book of Dragons."

"This changes everything."

Well, I personally feel a lot better with taking an entire month off. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and leave a review if you have an idea of what the group will decide on. I will see you guys soon.

My schedule is still unknown, but do not expect these chapters to come out rapidly. I still got a few other stories that I am going to update now.

Zmike