School's started. Blech. So, if I update a few days late, don't blame me. Hopefully though, my conscious and willpower will keep me on my neat, one-week schedule. Anyway, enjoy...

"Pache." Hiccup said, as if in disbelief.

"Daddy!" He heard her call out, the sound being faint because of the distance.

He felt a giant breeze blow by him, and saw Astrid flying toward her daughter. Hiccup then noticed the young boy next to her, who was also riding a dragon. "Is that…"

"Gabriel." Richard said. "Yes, that's him. And he's…"

"Riding a dragon? Shocking feeling, isn't it?" All the riders looked over to see none other than Stoick the Vast riding with Spitelout and his dragon.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Hiccup asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Well, I want to be here when the family's reunited. I want to see my granddaughter you know." Stoick smiled, receiving one from his son as well. It was only half-mutual, but it was something.

"Hey, don't forget my great-niece. I want to see her too." Spitelout said, making a few people laugh.

"But really, what's going on here? Who's armada is that? And why is Gabe…" He paused. "Gabe."

"Wanna go see him?" Ruffnut asked, looking threateningly over at her brother and Martin. But, they didn't need it. Both brothers, despite not getting along, agreed that the father should see his son once again. "Alright then, let's go."

They urged the Zippleback forward, and not long after Hiccup followed, more ready than ever to see Pache. By the time he got there, she and Astrid were already hugging. He halted Toothless next to them, and Pache looked up. Her eyes were watering, and she smiled brightly. Astrid let go of her daughter, who then jumped off Stormfly and onto the night fury. Her sudden and jerky embrace nearly knocked him off the saddle.

"Daddy." She whispered, and squeezed him tighter, as if she was afraid he would disappear at any moment.

"Don't worry babe, I'm here. I'm here." He hushed her.

"We won't let you go again." Astrid said, and joined in.

"Sorry to ruin the moment, but I can't hold three of you for long." Toothless complained.

"Sorry uncle. He can't hold us all." She told them, and Astrid hesitantly got off and onto Stormfly. Pache leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the dragon's neck and kissed him on the head. "I missed you too." She unwrapped her arms, and then jumped on Striker.

"No!" The family heard in the distance, and looked over to see Richard and Ruffnut laughing as Gabe looked confused sitting on his father's lap.

The Haddocks flew over to them, unable to wipe the grins off their faces. "What's with the sudden outburst?" Hiccup asked Richard.

"All I asked was if I was getting a new mom. Isn't she dad's girlfriend?" Gabe said.

"You're getting a new mommy?" Pache asked, excitedly.

"No!" Tuffnut and Martin exclaimed in unison, earning more laughs.

Richard leaned down and whispered in his son's ear, "We'll have to see about that awhile from now." The two looked at Ruffnut, who punched her brother off the saddle. Belch just barely caught him in time. She looked back at the young boy staring at her and winked.

"Awesome." He whispered back.

"Pache!" They turned to their chief, who was riding with his brother toward them.

"Grandpa!" She shouted, and flew over, hugging him. "You won't believe what I discovered!"

"What would that be?" He asked. He doubted that the young girl could show him something he'd never seen. He had witnessed a lot.

"I…"

"Ap, look!" Gabe interrupted, and pointed to the sanctuary.

"What in Thor's name…" Spitelout said as the riders watched a giant dragon break through the spiky ice fortress. And to top it off, a rider was leading it out.

Everyone turned to Pache when she gasped. "El! We gotta help! Remember the plan?"

"Oh, you're right, I forgot!" He groaned, facepalming. "We took too long. Let's go." He said and got onto Fortress's back as his partner got on her dragon.

"You two know each other?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah, but there's no time to explain. Follow us."

"Wait, what do we do?" Martin asked.

"We fight the dragon trappers. Bring the armada too, they could help a little." Pache said, and flew off with Gabe.

"Apachexaterrascorpioarosalight Treacherous!" Hiccup called out, causing her to halt. He only used her name like that when she was in trouble. She turned at her father.

"What's wrong?" She asked, contemplating why he would stop her.

"We came here to bring you and Gabriel back, nothing else. We're going back to Berk where you'll be safe."

"No. But… Dad, I…"

"This isn't the time to argue. We're not getting caught up in a battle that's not ours to fight. I'm not risking your safety, or anyone else's."

"If we don't help, Drago will…"

"Drago? Oh no, not that lunatic. We're definitely not sticking around for him."

"No!" She shouted, earning surprised looks. "I'm not going to let that guy win! I'm going to save the dragons, and I'm going to help my family! Grandma and the dragons need me, so I'm going to help them. They're counting on Gabe and I, so that's what we're going to do!" She turned around, and flew after Gabe, leaving everyone behind. "You're not going to stop me." She said, despite knowing nobody would hear her.

The adults were shocked, sitting there in silence. "Whoa, Hiccup just got told off by his own daughter." Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, who'd a thought she had the guts." Ruffnut agreed.

"Grandma?" Stoick said in disbelief. "No, she can't mean…"

"We need to go after her." Astrid said. "C'mon Stormfly." The Nadder dove forward, and flew after the two.

Hiccup suddenly came into his senses, and shook his head. "What am I doing? Astrid!" He said, and swooped after her.

"What about us?"

"Yeah, don't leave us."

"Let's go already!"

The riders one by one left to go with their leader. With them went the army that once they reached the land exited their boats. They headed toward the fight, and no doubts were in anybody's head that they would lose.

The same thing went for their opponents.

I won't lose. I won't lose. Not again. Not ever again. Alvin thought as he struggled to stay seated. He had been suffering from the side-effects of the direct lightning strike. His vision had been more blurry, and his hearing slightly diminished. It wasn't helping his current situation. "I'll get that girl. I will." He said to himself as he saw Pache get closer and closer. "Even if it kills me in the process."

At that moment, he collided into her and her dragon, the gray snafflefang he rode falling to the ground with him on top of it.

"Pache!" She heard Gabe call out.

"Striker!" Pache called out as she got closer and closer to the ground. It was no use, though. The Skrill was unconscious. The six year old reached for her dragon, hoping that she could get Striker to her senses.

"Oh no you don't!" She heard, and wasn' falling anymore. Recognition hit her, and she was filled with dread as she looked over her shoulder at the Outcast. "Missed me you little beast?" Alvin asked, smiling as he saw his rival's eyes widen in terror.

Pache shook her head. She didn't have time for fear. She needed to help Dreamstriker. "Let me go!" She shouted, and tried to pull back. "Please!"

"And let you fall to your death? Trust me, you're not getting off that easy. I'm going to make you suffer. First off..." He pulled her up, and grabbed her head, forcing her to look down. "...by watching your deranged steed die by the ground."

She tried to pull her head away, but his fingers were entwined with the ends of her hair. Her eyes watered, and she wanted to cry so bad. If she did that though, it would just bring her more pain. "Please." She repeated. Pache watched as the dragon fell further and further.

"Shame. You can't do anything without that dragon. Without it, you're nothing." Alvin whispered in her ear, tauntingly.

Then, she remembered, and reached for her wrapped up arm. The limb ached, and was something that would take time to heal.

Time was one thing she didn't have now.

"You're right, Alvin. I need my dragon more than anything else." The man was surprised.

"What are you going on about?"

"But that doesn't make her a weapon." She pulled out one of her throwing knives, and sliced off her hair that was below her cervical. Then, she pushed Alvin back, and jumped off the dragon, shouting at him, "It makes her a best friend!"

She turned to the ground, and pinned her arms to her body. "And I won't let my friends die." Pache felt odd, having extremely short hair. Her head felt light, and her neck bare. Luckily, it only made her feel better, and she dove faster and faster through the air, faster than her dragon was falling.

Striker was so close to the ground, on the brink of consciousness. It was not enough. Pache needed to get there faster. "Dreamstriker!" She shouted in Dragonese. "Wake up, please!" The dragon didn't budge. The wind was too loud against her ears. What can I do, what can I do? The little girl wondered. I'm not going to make it. I'm not going to make it. The Skrill was so close to the ground.

Pache wasn't going to reach her in time by falling.

"NOO!" She shouted, and closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the dragon die. She felt talons grab her out of the air, and small arms pull her onto a dragon's back.

"Ap? Ap! Are you okay?" Gabe asked, worried. Pache wiggled out of his grip, too upset about her loved one to be comforted.

"Why? Why couldn't I make it in time? Why!" She shouted.

"I don't know what you're saying. What's going on?"

"She's gone. Oh! She's really gone." She said in despair, shoving her hands in her face.

"Who, Striker?"

"What do you think!" She shouted in his face, her acidic tears staining her cheeks.

Gabe paused, contemplating the sight in front of him. "B-but… she's right there." He whimpered.

Pache gasped and turned around quickly. "What?"

"Hello little one." Striker said to her rider.

Pache immediately hopped on the Skrill's back, hugging her neck while avoiding the crown of spikes on her head. "I thought you were gone. That you hit the ground."

"I'm a dragon. Nothing can keep from from the air. Besides, I thought you needed a little lightning to cheer you up." She said, and a bolt blasted from the sky, hitting a dragon trap on the ground, freeing a nadder.

"Oh, Striker!"

"Don't cry Pache. I don't like it."

"Are you two alright? We need to get going or Val is going to get disappointed in us."

"Hold on El. I have a little something I need to take care of. It won't be long." She said and flew upward.

"Okay, but hurry."

"I will." She smiled, and kept going up. "Let's fix our little problem, once and for all. Okay Dreamstriker?"

"I thought you'd never say that."