Laughing. He was Laughing at them. Drago stood over Hiccup and Pache, looking as if he was having the time of his life, watching the family suffer. Hiccup, not wanting to feel cornered, stood up. Pache reached down, wanting to keep holding on to her friend, but pulled her hand back up once she realized it was pointless.

"What's wrong with you?" Hiccup asked Drago.

The man looked confused. "What are you talking about?" He asked. "You've seen worse horrors in your life."

"So you've heard about those tall tales?" Hiccup half-smirked, but quickly replaced it with a look of sorrow.

"Who hasn't? The Death Rider… I'll admit I had my doubts at first, but after remembering this little beauty had an egg…" He pulled his black, dragon-print cape over to show Hiccup, "there wasn't a doubt in my mind you existed. I wanted to hunt you, but like usual, you Haddocks are stubborn ones. And, I had to deal with your mother first." Hiccup clenched his fists. "Just on time, Alvin decides to rear his ugly head and here I am, dominating over you."

"But why? What's the point of killing her?" He motioned down to Striker, and the little girl in his hands whimpered.

"Now, you're greatest weapon, your own daughter, is gone. I don't have a doubt she'll be traumatized for the next two days. Her dragon is dead, and so is her powers. I can also tell her arm is injured. Without her fighting spirit, and ability, she is nothing."

"We can still stop you."

"Don't you see? We're winning…" He motioned to the Bewilderbeasts, revealing the white one on it's back, Drago's one ready to stab it with it's tusks. "When you knock down the savior, the rest falls on its own." He turned around and began yelling, waving his staff in the air. The grey Bewilderbeast turned around, recognizing the order. A low buzzing went through the air. One that Hiccup recognized all too well.

"No." He said. Pache squirmed. "Toothless, come here!" He yelled, to which the dragon obeyed.

"Quickly." Toothless said as hiccup covered his eyes and ears with a heavy bandage. They had been prepared for another alpha for years. Now, the dragon was shut out from the Bewilderbeast's control.

"Hm. I see. Well, if you're going to be like that…" Drago yelled once more, and then pointed to Hiccup. Or, more precisely, the little girl he was holding. "Witness a dragon tearing a family apart." Pache suddenly grabbed her head, her fingers wringing through her hair in pain. "As it once did to my own." She moaned, and wiggled out of her father's arms.

"Daddy!" She called out. "Da-ad!" The ringing spread throughout her head, and she wanted it to stop. But, she couldn't, and in three seconds, all sound was blocked out, and all she could see was blurry images everywhere. She didn't know what to do.

"Go to Drago."

"W-what?" Pache didn't understand. What was this voice?

"Go to the man before you. He will help." She couldn't see anything. She couldn't hear herself think, or even feel her body. The only thing that made sense was this clear voice singing in her conscious.

"Okay." She said, and stalked forward.

Hiccup was confused, but when he saw her eyes go into slits, he realized what was wrong. "Pache? No. No way, that's not…"

"Possible? I thought the same thing myself, once. Many years ago when my family, my home, was taken. Everything, everyone was gone. A part of me," he motioned to his non-existent arm, "went with them."

"I think more than just your body left you."

"Are you implying I'm mad?"

"Insane is more like it." Pache moved a bit closer to Drago. "Pache…" He tried to take a step toward her.

"If you move," Drago began, "she gets blown to bits." A monstrous nightmare appeared from behind, ready to fire at the little girl slowly stepping toward the dark man. Hiccup stopped almost immediately. What do I do?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Eret screamed as he was dropped from over 200 feet in the air. He cursed himself when he was lifted from the ground, caught off guard. And now, here he was, rapidly dropping from the air. Nobody was going to save him. Drago didn't care, and any dragon that had the intelligence to catch him was on the other team.

Not to mention, all the dragons were already out of their mind because of the bewilderbeast. So, in all, he was going to die.

Suddenly, he felt a hard stop, just 20 feet from the ground. He was hovering, and above him was… "YOU?!" He shouted.

"You bet." Astrid answered. Stormfly's head was covered. Smart girl. Eret thought, then noticed the other rider's dragons had blinds on them. "I told you this was a capture mission!" She shouted at the twins above who had dropped him.

"Well we can't capture everyone."

"No, but you can try to be humane about it. I swear… Stormfly, land." The Nadder slowly dropped onto the snowy ground, not letting go of Eret.

"Why did you save me?" He asked. "If it's to use me as an advantage…"

"Stop thinking like everyone's your enemy."

"What other reason could it be?"

She stared at him, dead in the eyes, and said, "This war was started because of death. I don't want that to be how it ends."

Step. Step. Step.

Pache walked little by little to the man who wanted to destroy her. And there was nothing Hiccup could do to stop it. If he moved, even slightly, they were dead. So, he watched, distressed. Hiccup didn't like feeling helpless, especially now that he was stronger.

"Feels horrible, doesn't it?" Drago spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them. "To have no advantage, knowing that no matter what you do, in the end you will lose."

Hiccup didn't respond. Instead, he looked down, breaking the dagger-shooting eye contact of the madman. It's not the first time I've felt it. He thought.

"When the dragons came, and killed my family, I couldn't do anything. I was in a part of the world where dragons were non-existent, just things of myth. But, now I have dominance over them. I have conquered my demons, and now I will make sure my revenge on the world succeeds."

"Why the world? A select few number of dragons hurt you. So what? I've been hurt before? Heck, I lost my leg to them. I've lost my tribe, and my friends."

"But you got them back."

"Because I believed in peace."

"Peace doesn't solve anything. Not in a world where unfairness is justice."

"But…"

"Join me, Death Rider."

Hiccup was taken aback. What did he just say? "Excuse me?" He asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

"I can protect you, and your family. Your friends, tribe, daughter will all be safe. If you agree to join me in my goals, my protection will be forever yours." Drago said.

This thought tempted Hiccup. But, nothing came without a cost. "No." He said.

"What?!"

"I said, N. O. No. It means I won't agree to your terms. I refuse to join you and your lunatic journey for vengeance. This is crazy and…"

"How dare you! I offer you protection for everyone you care about! You should be grateful!"

"Don't you understand? The dragons would be taken from me! These "beasts" as you say, are my family. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. So, no. Screw you and your insanity."

Drago's face was one of pure fury. "You're going to pay for that, boy." He walked forward, and grabbed Pache by her shirt, flinging her towards him. He took the end of his staff where the blades were, and held it against her throat. "If you won't get my protection, then you're going to get the opposite."

"No!" Hiccup shouted as s drop of blood was shed from his daughter's neck.

"Join me, or this blade completely cuts her throat open."

"Pache! Move!"

"She can't hear you. You know that."

"PACHE!"

"Be on my side. Fight for me."

"NEVER."

Drago grinned, devilishly. "Then you leave me no choice"

Just as he was about to slit the six-year-old's throat, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. Looking behind him, he saw… "Traitor." Drago whispered to Eret as he fell to his knees, the large, bulky dagger sticking through the other side of him.

"This is what happens when you decide to start a war, Drago. There will be allies, and there will be traitors." He stooped down, and picked up Pache. "And then there are those who are neutral. These people are the most deceptive of them all." Eret said, and stared at Drago until what little life he had left in his eyes was gone.

Then, he removed his dagger, sheathed it, and handed Pache over to her father, who had run over once the enemy was down. Hiccup looked at Eret, eyes watering with gratefulness and said, "Thank you."

"Oh, come on. What did I do? He went psycho because his family was gone. Then, despite what he told others, he killed mine for another chance. But, once I figured out my supposed father was the one who killed my real parents, he knew I was a lost cause."

"I'm sorry about that. Thank you, once again. You saved my daughter from that… madman."

Eret paused, deciding what he was going to say. Then, he glanced down at the dead leader and said, "Drago wasn't a madman. He was a desperate man."

"What are you going to do now?" Hiccup asked.

The trapper stooped over, and picked up the staff on the ground. "Do what Drago had originally intended for me."

"And what would that be?"

"Take over when he died." The Bewilderbeast above looked down and saw the his previous master was dead. "YOU!" Eret shouted. "FOLLOW ME NOW!"

The giant dragon for a moment looked angered, but at the same time he was in awe. Bowing down, he knew that if this man could kill one much larger and more powerful, than he was someone worth following.

Hiccup stared in awe at what just transpired. But, he could tell Eret was a good man, and if he was in charge instead of Drago, then the world was one more step to accepting dragons.

"What about you?" The new leader asked.

"Me?" Hiccup looked around, noticing that the battle had stopped and confusion had waved over the crowd. "After a while of sorting this odd situation out, a nice, long life of training dragons will be in store for me."

"Don't forget about your family." Astrid said, swooping down.

"Finally making an appearance?"

"How else would Eret have gotten here?"

Said man chuckled. "You two have a good life. I'm glad to have helped reassure it stays that way."

"Yes. For now though, let's end this the proper way."

"Indeed."

Eret and Hiccup held out hands, and shook, ready for peace to finally come upon them, once and for all.