BOOM!

"What the heck was that?" Gabriel shouted, as the ground beneath them shook. The two children looked to the adult, who they hoped would get them an answer. Valka looked out to an open ledge where the sun was shining brightly through the ice. But, it was cloudy out.

She ran out on that spike of ice that overlooked the land below them, and Pache and Gabe followed. The sight below was completely unexpected to the three.

Upon seeing the giant armada, Valka felt anger and pure rage fill through her.

Gabe at first thought it was cool, him being a young boy, but then realized how bad the situation was.

Pache was scared, and downcast. She had seen a battle similar to this before, and it had not ended well. It was two years ago, when she had just barely turned four years old…

"Daddy, what's going on?" Pache asked her father, who was flying with her on Toothless.

They had stopped at a small village while in Rome. Seeing as the people there worshiped spirits, Toothless and "The Spirit Tamer" were greatly welcome. Pache was seen as the Night Fury's offspring, in which made her a spirit in their eyes as well. "The Seventh Heaven Spirit" they called her. Toothless was dubbed "Ebony Death." Striker was called "Voltage Poltergeist." The villagers there had treated their visitors greatly, awed at almost everything they did. The "spirits" had been in Rome before, and had tried to act like that was where they originated from, but the people they were visiting had completely different paths than the Romans.

Their different path was just what got them killed. For the next morning when the Haddocks were coming back from a morning flight, the houses and land around them was on fire.

"Daddy?" Pache repeated, looking to her father for a clue as to what was going on. When he gave no answer, she looked back down. "Striker!" She called to her dragon, who was freaking out, running everywhere and sniffing the air, as if looking for something. She had not wanted to go for a flight, as she was was doing a lightning demonstration all night.

Upon hearing her name, the skrill flew up to the four year old and whining was heard. Pache was still learning Dragonese, as she was Norse. She was, after all, only four years old, and the quick way Dreamstriker was speaking did not help.

"What!" was heard from her uncle, before the two dragons began to exchange growls and barks.

"Pache, what did they say?" Hiccup asked.

"I-I don't know. Stuff 'bout wipe-out and… gone. I think."

She could feel her dad's muscles tense, and she couldn't help but think, What is going on? Pache wasn't sure, but she didn't like how it looked.

"Pache?" Hiccup finally said something.

"Y-yeah dad?" He looked behind at her, his eyes watering. This surprised her. She had never seen her father like this. On the verge of tears. "Daddy?"

"I want you to listen very carefully."

"O-okay."

"Do you remember that I told you not to do any techniques while riding Dreamstriker?"

"Techniques?"

"Tricks. Flips and twists."

"Oh! Yeah, I remember."

Her father's eyes turned dark. Something that she, yet again, had never witnessed before. Not to this extremity. "I'm going to need you to bend the rules, just this once." He looked toward the skrill next to them. "Striker, don't let my daughter fall off." Hiccup said, and plopped Pache onto the dragon's back.

Striker warbled, "I won't." In response.

"Lead the way, girl. You know where they headed."

She nodded at him, and flew forward, just slow enough to the point where the small four year old on her haunches wouldn't fall off, yet fast enough to catch up with whatever they were about to face.

The farther they traveled the less destruction they saw, but there were more bodies. The most amount of bodies they had witnessed. For an innocent girl such as Pache, this scene was scarring. For her father, however, it just fueled the anger that had bubbled up in him. Bodies and bodies, few were Roman, and nearly all were the odd, but peaceful, villagers. They had been so kind, despite their differences. So why? Why would they be slaughtered in this manner?

As the bodies disappeared, they saw a red flag being held into the air with a Roman symbol on it. The men in chariots were holding their spears victoriously in the air, and the others in the giant armada cheered along with them.

She couldn't help it. Pache began to cry. It hurt, alot. "Are you okay, babe?"

"Why? Why? Why?" She cried out. "Why would they kill the nice people? They killed my friends. Why?"

Hiccup looked down at the army, his face full of fury. "Because there are people who don't like differences. There are those who believe in the phrase, "Only the strong can belong." And you know what?" She looked up at him, and if looks could kill, the entire armada would be dead where they stood. "Let's show them just what type of strong they're messing with."

"Attack?" She asked, unsure what exactly the adult was asking of her.

"Are you ready?"

"I-I guess?"

With that, Hiccup yelled out with Toothless roaring with him. They swooped down, much to the men below them's surprise. They looked up, and cried out, "Demon!"

"Now Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, and the dragon obeyed, firing his plasma at the Romans. Some tried to dodge, but failed. Nothing can match the speed of a Night Fury. They landed, and Hiccup saddled off his friend, and took out his inferno, pressing the button that caused the rod to come out and catch fire. The Romans awed at this.

"Demon!"

"Devil spawn!"

"Rider of darkness!"

"Inhuman best!"

They shouted, as they tried to escape the wrath of the man. But, to no avail. Some attempted to fight against him, but upon doing so faced the wrath of Toothless.

Pache still hovered above, watching the chaos ensue. She wasn't sure what to do. This had hardly happened before. "Give the word, and we'll help your father." Striker said, waiting to do something.

"What do I do?" She asked.

"If you can, help fight. I'll watch your back!"

"O-okay." They swooped down, gently, and the young girl hopped off her skrill. Almost immediately, someone attacked her, only to be struck down by Striker's tail.

"You alright?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then let's continue."

They went around, knocking down people and warning the alphas in case someone was sneaking up from behind them. Pache, in all honesty, wasn't very good. But, when the time came she was able to bite a few ankles.

Literally.

"Hell-spawn!"

"Treacherous beastie!"

"Evil Spirit!"

The Romans were baffled at the two riders and their dragons. Tales had spread about dragons existing, and almost nobody believed it. It was all in religion and fairy-tales. But obviously, these tales were real. As one soldier after another went down, more men began to cower and run, and the General of this army had had enough.

A white flag hung through the air on a pole, the tip of a spear holding it into place. "We surrender! Stop the fight!" He shouted to the four beings. How they had taken down half of his people was practically impossible. It was a close call as well, but later on the dragon rider would never admit this.

Hiccup turned toward the General, glaring daggers. He began to slowly walk up to him, Toothless following behind. Their mixture of toxic and forest-green eyes made the cluster of soldiers spread apart to form a path, scared of what might happen if they got in the way of the two. Pache and Striker stayed where they were, ensuring no one would try to stab the alphas in the back.

When he was finally facing the Roman in the face, his eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "Why would I give something to you that you did not give to others?"

The next thing the Romans knew, their general had a sword run through his torso, the dragon rider sneering at him. "You're just like the vikings." He said, spitting out the last word like poison.

Toothless roared into the air, and the soldiers didn't know what to do. If they attacked, surely they would be dead. But, if they didn't then it would be seen as an act of cowardice. Lucky for them, they didn't get time to react as Hiccup hopped on Toothless, and flew into the air. Striker grabbed Pache and flew after them, leaving the people on the ground wondering if all that had actually happened.

In the air, Hiccup and Toothless were flying fast. Fast away from the scene. "Alphas! Wait up!" Striker called, trying to keep up.

"Daddy! Wait!" Pache called after her father.

Toothless suddenly stopped, and hovered, letting the two behind him catch up. They flew next to each other, and silence followed the ride home.

That night when Hiccup came to tuck his daughter in, she was hidden under her covers, and sniffing was heard underneath them. "Pache?"

The covers suddenly halted their shaking, and the little girl poked her head out from under them. "Y-yeah?"

"What are you doing?" He asked, and sat on her bed. "Toothless, you mind?" Hiccup held up a candle to the dragon, who lit it. He set it on her nightstand, and now that he had a better source of light he could see she had tears staining her cheeks. "Have you been… crying?"

She quickly used her hand to wipe her face. "No."

"Pache…"

"N-no."

"Hon'. What's wrong. You know you can tell me anything." He reassured her, setting her on his lap.

"I... what happened to you? There was so much dead guys. It was scary daddy." She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "You were scary."

He was surprised at this, and for the first time realized just what he did. He had killed people. So many people, even when they asked for mercy. And worse of all, he dragged his daughter into it. His innocent four year old daughter who had just witnessed hundreds of deaths.

He looked at her. Her bright eyes that were a perfect mixture of blue and green. But of course, to him they were mostly made up of Astrid's. She looked a lot like Astrid, and he loved her. He loved them both.

What had he done?

"Oh Pache. I-I'm so sorry." Hiccup said and hugged her.

"Daddy, I was so scared."

"I know. I know, and I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

Pache was happy her father was back to his normal self. She could feel something wet on her shoulder and realized that he was crying.

It was a day of firsts for both of them. And it wasn't a good one either.

But in the end, they were both okay, because they had each other.

And so, Pache knew that as long as she had Gabe, her Grandmother, Striker, and the other dragons that in the end, it would turn out okay for them too.

Because she would not allow Drago to win.