Husband and Wife Reunited
Meanwhile, on glacier far from Berk; Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins were waiting for Aster to come back from his patrol.
After Lenora had taken off, Stoick had ordered them back to Berk, but naturally they hadn't obeyed orders. Knowing that Stoick, Gobber and Lenora would come back the same way they'd left, Aster and the other former trainees had decided to wait and keep an eye out.
Aster had been unable to stay put for long and kept patrolling the skies, hoping to spot his missing fiancée, but so far he'd had no luck.
"Any sign of them?" asked Snotlout, when Aster landed.
"No. I don't like it," said Aster. He was worried sick about Lenora and hating himself for not chasing after her when he'd had the chance. The gods alone knew what might've happened. "They should've been back with Lenora by now!"
"I don't like it, either," said Ruffnut. She sighed dreamily. "Eret son of Eret was the man of my dreams, my everything!"
Snotlout and Fishlegs looked like they'd just been slapped in the face.
"But babe, I grew facial hair just for you!" protested Snotlout.
"Me too," said Fishlegs, sadly.
Aster growled in irritation, snapping them out of their self-pity and daydreaming. "Guys! Focus! Lenora left ages ago and neither she nor Gobber or Stoick have returned! Anything could've happened by now! For all we know, Drago's got them all captured!" But heaven help Drago if he had, because when Aster found him, Aster was going to make death seem merciful. "We've got to go after them."
Fishlegs stared. "Wait, wait, what? But Stoick said—"
"It doesn't matter what Stoick said if they've all be captured!" said Aster, firmly. "Besides, since when have we ever obeyed Stoick's orders in situations like this?"
Aster raised a good point. While they were all loyal to Chief of Berk; nine times out of ten, in dangerous situations like this, they either followed Lenora's orders or did what they thought was right instead of listening to Stoick.
"Aster's right," said Snotlout, surprising them all. "Lenora needs us. We've got to find her, Uncle Stoick and Gobber before it's too late."
"But how're we going to find Drago's hidey-hole when none of us know where it is?" protested Tuffnut. "We're not his dragon trappers."
"No, but Eret is," said Snotlout, with a gleam in his eye. "What say we pay him a little visit?"
It was the best idea they'd had since Lenora left and the only lead they had, so Aster was all for it. "I say let's do it. So, let's quit wasting time and get going! Come on!"
That did the trick and soon they were all on their dragons and flying off in search of Eret.
XXX
Eret, son of Eret was not in a good mood and he made no secret of it.
He had good reason to be upset, mind, but his constant complaining and his lack of orders was confusion his dimwitted crew. They hadn't even sailed so much an inch since Berk's dragon riders had taken off.
"Sir, do we go back?" asked No-Name. "We've still got Lenora's money."
Eret, who was nursing the bump on his head with a chunk of ice, glared. "What good is that money to us now? Drago is going to have our heads when he finds out about this! We've got nowhere to go, nothing to sell and no heads to call our own! If we don't turn up with dragons and fast—"
Eret was cut off and started screaming as he was snatched out of the air by Brightscales.
Aster leaned over the side and grinned at his prisoner. "Careful what you wish for!"
"What is this?" asked Eret. Only his right arm and left were being held in Brightscales's talons, and after the last adventure he'd had in such a state, naturally Eret was desperately clinging to the Deadly Nadder and praying he wouldn't fall.
"A kidnapping," said Aster, cheerfully.
"Yay! Can he ride with me?" begged Ruffnut. She was flying beneath Aster and grabbing Eret's arm as she looked at the dragon trapper longingly. "Can he? Can he?"
Ruffnut's attempts at flirting made Eret's skin crawl and he cringed and shuddered while Tuffnut groaned in disgust and annoyance.
"What is this about, Aster?" demanded Eret. "What do you want?"
"I want Lenora safe from Drago. So, here's what's going to happen, Eret," said Aster. "Either you show us the way to Drago or I let Ruffnut have you."
Ruffnut grinned in excitement. "Really?!"
"No!" said Tuffnut, loudly.
"I agree with Crazy Blondie's brother. You really think I'm going to help dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp after I let your insane fiancée bribe me into giving her Drago's location?" said Eret, incredulously. Eret paled as he thought of what Drago would do when the dragon conqueror found out what Eret had done. It was not a pretty picture. Eret leaned back dramatically. "You might as well just kill me now!"
"That can be arranged," said Aster. He patted the Deadly Nadder's face and Brightscales squawked excitedly. "Brightscales, drop it!"
Eret's eyes widened and once again, he screamed like a little girl as he was released and began falling at alarming rate from a rather disturbing height.
"Good girl!" praised Aster.
Brightscales squawked happily, pleased that she'd made her rider happy.
"Brightscales, fetch!" said Aster.
As commanded, Brightscales dove down and snatched up Eret just as the dragon trapper was yelling out, "Okay! All right! I'll take you to Drago!"
Aster grinned in satisfaction. "Works every time."
Eret just groaned. How did he get mixed up in these situations?
XXX
Feeding time wasn't quite Lenora had expected.
She'd thought they were just going to catch some fish, and they did but not in the way Lenora had imagined. Val and Lenora had left the dragon sanctuary on the backs of Cloudjumper and Toothless, and the two women had baskets slung over their shoulders. But they had no fishing nets or rods, and nor did they attempt to catch their food down below on the ground and if that wasn't enough, every single dragon from the ice cavern followed them.
Oh, boy. Lenora didn't have the slightest idea how she was going to help feed all those dragons. She'd caught fish on a large scale before, but not that big.
"Hey, Mom, what're we doing?" asked Lenora, as they hovered above a section of water between the ice and snow. "I thought we were going to eat."
"Oh, we are," said Val, excitedly. She motioned for Lenora to stay put and then she looked at the sea down below.
Lenora glanced down in curiosity and then her eyes widened as the sea bubbled and rumbled and then with a great and mighty roar, the Bewilderbeast burst out of the water and from his mouth rained more fish than Lenora had ever seen. Then it was every dragon for his or herself as they screeched in excitement and snatched up as many fish as they could.
Toothless' stomach growled and he looked excited as he looked at Lenora for permission. When she nodded, he dove down sharply and then snatched up an entire mouthful of fish while Lenora gathered what she could in her basket.
When they'd collected enough fish, they flew to a small island to eat. Toothless got a fire going, allowing Lenora and Val to cook their food while Toothless and Cloudjumper shared their uncooked catches together.
"So, tell me more about what you've been up to," said Val, as she wiped her mouth. "Have you and Toothless done any traveling?"
"Oh, you have no idea." Lenora took out her map and showed it to Val, who was quite impressed with Lenora's cartography. "When Toothless and I first started exploring, we settled an outpost we call Dragon's Edge. That's where Dad met Skullcrusher. You see…"
Lenora told stories of her travels and the dragons she'd encountered over the last few years. Some of the stories, like the one about the web-footed Speed Stinger and Torch the Typhoomerang made Val smile in pride and others like the ones about the Screaming Death sinking islands and the Deathson that nearly killed her, nearly gave Val a heart attack.
When Lenora had finished her stories, Lenora learned that Val had incredible stories of her own, having explored and seen much of the world and its dragons over the last seventeen years. She told Lenora of dragons she'd encountered and rescued—dragons that Lenora had never even heard of—and of the cultures she'd learned of, and of course all the dragon tricks she'd learned. Val even drew her own map in the snow with her staff.
Toothless, not wanting to be left out, grabbed a giant icicle and drew his own map in the snow. Lenora and Val laughed and smiled at his antics and then they laughed a little harder when Toothless realized the icicle was stuck to his tongue.
They ended up heating up some hot water and pouring it on the Night Fury's tongue to get the icicle off and even then, Toothless' tongue hung out of his mouth for quite a while as it had gone completely numb from the icicle.
Val took Lenora's hand. "Come on, I want to show you and Toothless something. You're going to love this."
Lenora felt excited as she and Toothless followed Val and Cloudjumper to a series of hot pockets of air that made them fly without actually flying. Lenora found herself tightly grasping Toothless' saddle as she floated off it and cheered in delight. Toothless greatly enjoyed it as he loved the heat and it made him feel like he could fly by himself again. And he wasn't the only one who loved it, a lot of the other dragons did too.
Lenora then watched in pride and amazement as Val gracefully walked across Cloudjumper's wings and then climbed down onto a Deadly Nadder, and then onto a Raincutter and then she hooked her staff on a Snafflefang's horn. Val then waited until she was close enough to Toothless before walking across the Night Fury's expanded wings and brushing her hand against Lenora's hair, causing them both to smile before Val slid down Toothless' wing and onto Cloudjumper's back. So many years with dragons had caused Val's actions to be second nature.
Lenora and Val then took to the skies and Val exhaled deeply in contentment. "Oh, when I'm up here, I don't even feel the cold. I just feel—"
"Free," said Lenora, with a knowing look. She knew exactly how Val felt because Lenora felt it everyday when she flew with Toothless. "Sometimes back in Berk, everything gets so crazy that I can hardly breathe, but when I'm out here with Toothless, I feel so invincible and free. It's like nothing else in the world matters and I'm so happy, I can't begin to describe it. Sometimes, I wish I could stay in the air with Toothless forever."
Val nodded and then closed her eyes and extended her arms as the cold wind blew her hair every which way. "This is what it means to be a dragon, Nora.
Lenora grinned as an idea came to her. "It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon, Mom, but can you fly?" She unhooked herself from Toothless and then leapt off Toothless' back before activating her flight suit.
Cloudjumper looked stunned and then gave Toothless a look. "Shouldn't you be following her?"
Toothless, who'd been contentedly flying, was startled. "Oh, yeah!" Quickly, he flew closer to Lenora so he could grab her when she needed him.
"Whoo-hoo!" cried Lenora. She turned onto her back and closed her eyes, loving how excited and free flying in the flight suit made her feel. It wasn't as great as flying on Toothless—nothing could compare to that—but it was so exhilarating to be out there on her own.
Lenora smiled and waved at Val when her mother flew close to her, but when Lenora turned over onto her stomach, her smile was quickly replaced with a panicked look when a giant rock formation came into view.
"Ah, crud. Not again! Toothless!"
Ever the faithful protector, Toothless quickly snatched Lenora out of the air and protectively enfolded her into his wings. They flew through a hole in the rock and landed in a pile of light, fluffy snow that cushioned their fall.
Toothless felt dazed as he lifted his head. "We've got to work on that! I can't keep crashing like this. Don't you agree, Lenora? Lenora?" Toothless began to panic when he lifted his wing and saw that Lenora wasn't under it. Fearing the worst, Toothless began to frantically search for his rider and then he was startled when Lenora burst out of now a few feet away, laughing.
"Man, almost!" said Lenora, excitedly. "We almost had it that time, bud!"
Toothless sneezed, shook the snow from his head and then gave Lenora a look before knocking her down into the snow with his tail.
Val laughed as she and Cloudjumper landed beside them. Val then helped Lenora to stand and dust the snow off before examining Lenora's flight suit in amazement.
"You are absolutely incredible!" said Val.
"Thanks, Mom. You're not too bad yourself," said Lenora, thinking of the gracefulness of Val's steps across the backs of the dragons.
Val placed her hand on Lenora's cheek and Lenora lovingly pressed her cheek into Val's palm before covering Val's hand with her own. This was one of the things Lenora had missed the most over the past seventeen years: feeling her mother's love through a gentle touch upon her skin. Now that she had it again, Lenora didn't know if she could ever live her life without it. And best of all, for Lenora as she spent the quality time with Val, it felt as though they'd never been parted at all.
"All this time, you took after me," said Val, lovingly. Then a sad, regretful look crossed Val's face and her eyes filled with tears. "And where was I? I'm so, so sorry Lenora. Can you ever forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive," said Lenora, gently. Lenora wished that Val had passed the test the first time, but Lenora wasn't angry about it, considering the only reason Val had failed was because she'd been trying to help her daughter. Knowing that Val had tried to come home also made a huge difference. And besides that, it was all in the past. "I have wished you were there these past seventeen years and I've missed you so much, but it doesn't matter anymore. We're together now. We found each other again and that's all that really does matter."
Val looked visibly touched by Lenora's words and smiled a little. "I don't deserve you."
"Oh, hush," said Lenora, teasingly. "If anything, I don't deserve you." Lenora truly felt as though she didn't deserve someone as spectacular as Val for a mother.
Val chuckled and kissed Lenora's head. "No more sadness. There's something I want to show you. I told you of my dragon tricks and I have one that I know you're going to love. It's just one of the many things you and I can teach each other."
Val walked over to Toothless and pressed two fingers into his spine while rotating them. As she did so, the spikes on Toothless' back separated into two.
"Wow," breathed Lenora, amazed.
"Now you can make those tight turns," said Val.
Toothless gargled excitedly as he made his spikes clap together and then he eagerly showed them off to Lenora.
"Lookie! Lookie! Isn't it amazing?" he crooned.
"It's beyond amazing, bud," said Lenora, as she rubbed his ears. "Did you know you could do that, Toothless?"
"I knew it was possible, but I never knew how to do it," said Toothless, excitedly. "Just think of how much easier it'll be to fly and all things we can do now!"
Lenora chuckled as she imagined what she and Toothless could do now—crash less, certainly. "I can't wait, buddy."
"Every dragon has its secrets and I'll show all the ones that I've learned, just as you'll show me what you've learned," said Val. "We'll unlock every mystery, find every last species as mother and daughter as we should've been doing all along."
Val wrapped an arm around Lenora's shoulder as they watched Toothless play in the snow.
Toothless dived into the snow and crawled under it for a few moments before bursting out next to Cloudjumper, causing a large clump of snow to be dumped onto the Stormcutter's head. Cloudjumper tilted his head, dumping the snow onto Toothless, who shook it off himself and even ate some of it before begging Cloudjumper to play with him. Cloudjumper, who'd been acting as though he were a parent and Toothless a hatchling the entire time, gave in and they began having a makeshift snowball fight by tossing snow at each other with their tails.
Lenora and Val laughed at their dragons' antics before Lenora looked up at her mother, who had started talking to her again.
"This gift we share, my sweet light, it bonds us. This is who you are," said Val. "Who we are. Even after you become Chieftess, you and I will change the world for all dragons and humans. We'll make it a better, safer place."
Lenora's face lit up as she imagined a utopia, not just in Berk, but everywhere in world—dragons and humans living in harmony as one, protecting and caring for one another. It was something she wanted desperately as she longed to share her gift and bond with Toothless with everyone she could. It was a worthy, noble pursuit.
"That sounds amazing," said Lenora.
Val let out a tiny squeal of delight as she tightly embraced Lenora.
Lenora returned the embrace and buried her face in her mother's hair as she breathed in Val's scent. It hadn't changed much. Safe in Val's arms, Lenora felt a wave of nostalgia and thought back to the early years of her life when she'd had a full family and her only worries had been whether it was warm enough to play outside with her parents gleefully chasing after her.
Lenora wanted to stay that way forever, but then she remembered the problems she was facing. She remembered Drago, the threat he posed not just to Berk but to the entire world and what she had to do to stop him. During all the fun she'd had, reuniting with Val and spending quality time with her, Lenora had quite forgotten everything else. But now it came back like a stampeding herd of Rumblehorns. Lenora's face fell as she pulled away from Val.
"But I can't, Mom. My wedding and ascension to Chieftess plans aside, I have to stop Drago. And if my plan works, then…" Lenora's voice trailed off as she realized that Val didn't know about Drago.
Val became worried. "Stop Drago? Sweetheart, is there something you haven't told me?"
Lenora sighed and filled Val in on her past with Drago, the threat he posed now and Lenora's own plans to deal with him. As Lenora predicted, Val didn't take the news well.
"No! Absolutely not!" said Val, sternly. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself to that monster! You're the most amazing dragon rider I've ever seen, but Drago's strength and madness has grown since you saw him last. You'll get killed!"
Lenora knew that Val just being protective and acting out of love, but nevertheless, Lenora fought to keep control over her temper and speak calmly. Why was she having this conversation yet again? It was going to end the same way.
"Mom…I have to try," she said, quietly. "If I can save Berk from war, save all those lives…isn't it worth the risk? I have to protect my own—both humans and dragons are my own—and the best way to do that is go up against Drago alone. If he won't listen to me, then I'll do what has to be done to stop him. He's coming for me and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants. I can't just sit back and let that happen and I can't lose someone I care about again. It's my job to protect my own as a dragon rider and the future Chieftess of Berk!"
"And what do you think is the job of the dragons and the people of Berk?" challenged Val. "One's duty to protect their own isn't one-sided. It goes both ways. How do you imagine Stoick, Aster, Toothless or I will feel if you get killed? If the situation was reversed, would you let any of them go off to face Drago alone?"
Val raised a good point and Lenora was forced to concede. Lenora had been so determined to save Berk from Drago regardless of the consequences that she hadn't even considered the consequences. If Lenora's plans went south, Berk would lose its rightful heir, Toothless would have no rider; Lenora's parents would be childless—something no parent should ever have to endure—Gobber would devastated and Aster would be left heartbroken and destroyed. And if the situation were reversed, never in a million years, would Lenora have allowed someone she cared about to face Drago alone, so what right had she to ask the same of her loved ones? Lenora felt a pang of guilt at the thought of her stubborn, thoughtless behavior.
"You're right," said Lenora, sighing again. "And I'm sorry for being so reckless. But it doesn't change the face that Drago's still after me and he's going to destroy Berk. I have to stop him."
"And you will. But you won't do it alone. We'll do it together," said Val, gently.
Lenora suddenly felt scared for her mother's life. "Mom—"
"No! I lost seventeen years with you, Lenora. I will not lose you again," said Val, firmly. "Drago will be dealt with, but when that happens, I'm going to be with you. But it certainly won't be tonight. It's getting dark and after sundown, it's far too cold for safe travel. We will discuss this further in the morning after a good night's sleep, I promise."
Normally, Lenora disliked being scolded and told what to do, but coming from Val, it felt oddly good. Plus, Lenora had to admit, she was getting pretty tired and could use a good night's sleep.
"All right. You win." For now, she silently added. Lenora didn't know what she would do in the morning, but she couldn't promise she was going to stay put, not with the way she felt.
Val relaxed and then they went back to the ice cavern.
When they were home, Val took Lenora to the room she shared with Cloudjumper. The dragons warmed up the room with their fire-breath and then Val loaned Lenora some comfortable spare bed clothes to sleep in. After Lenora had changed, she and Val braided each other's hair, just like they used to when Lenora was younger. It felt so nice to be able to do one of their old bedtime routines.
Toothless snuggled up with Cloudjumper and then lifted his wing while beckoning for Lenora to join him. Lenora curled up on Toothless' side and snuggled close to her old friend. She was asleep the moment she rested her head against him. It may have seemed odd, but Toothless really did make the perfect bed. And instead of curling up on Cloudjumper, Val also slept against Toothless and wrapped a protective arm around Lenora.
Gently, Val tucked a loose strand of Lenora's hair behind her ear and then kissed her daughter's cheek. "Pleasant dreams, my sweet light. I love you."
"Love you too, Mama," murmured Lenora, in her sleep.
Val just smiled and then joined Lenora in a peaceful slumber.
XXX
Meanwhile, Eret was making good on his bargain with Aster.
Rather unwillingly, Eret had directed them to a hidden cavern covered in ice and snow. It had been Drago's base of operations for the past eight years. It was quite clever when one thought of it, as who looked for a hideout in a mountain of ice and rock?
When they arrived, Eret was finally released from Brightscales's talons and dropped into a pile of snow. But when the dragon trapper tried to stand and run for it, Brightscales sat down on Eret as a mother bird or dragon did with her eggs.
Eret spat snow out of his mouth and glared at Aster. "Okay, I got you here! Now get this thing off me, will you?"
Aster grinned as he shook his head. He was enjoying this, perhaps just a little too much. "Never take a toy from a dragon. Don't you know anything?"
Eret yelped at being called a dragon's toy, and then groaned as Brightscales settled down and enfolded Eret in her wings as she would with one of her hatchlings.
With Eret safely secured, Aster and the others crept up the hill and then crouched down out of sight as they gazed down below. There were dozens of armed ships in the water, dangerous dragons chained up and in armor, dragon traps were everywhere along with countless armed men, and in the center of it all the sea was bubbling and rumbling. Something was down there, but what, Aster had no idea.
"Fishlegs, what's down there?" whispered Aster.
Fishlegs got out his notebook, which he used for storing information on dragons and quickly skimmed through it. "Large diameter bubbles…massive lungs…cold water deep-dweller…" Fishlegs looked more and more scared with each word he spoke. "I'm thinking a Class Five Leviathan, maybe a Class Six."
"Not good," said Aster. Granted, they'd beaten far worse odds, but the situation still unsettled him. Aster's brow wrinkled with worry when he saw that there was no sign of Lenora or Toothless or even Gobber and Stoick and their dragons. "I don't see Lenora or the others. I don't even see Drago. Where are they?"
Before anyone could reply, Brightscales let out a panicked squawk and took off. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by Drago's men, who tranquilized their dragons and took them all prisoner, despite their efforts to fight back.
Everyone except for Eret was taken to Drago's ship in chains. Drago was standing on the bow of his ship, looking over the bubbling and rumbling section water with narrowed eyes.
"Drago!" said Eret, with forced enthusiasm. "Always great to see you, my friend. Been keeping warm up here, have you?"
At the sound of Eret's voice, Dragon let out a deep grumble and then slowly walked towards Eret and the prisoners. Much had occurred for him over the last eight years. In the process of regaining his strength and further strengthening his armies and power, Drago had gotten stronger, fiercer, and even crazier and more power-hungry. He was also more heavily scarred and the sight of him sent chills down the spines of all those who first looked upon him.
Drago's dragons bowed in fear as he walked past them. He paid them little mind.
"Well, as you can see, I am right on time with a new batch of dragons, just like I promised," said Eret, as he pointed to Firewyrm.
Aster watched in horror and disgust as Firewyrm woke up and tried to break free, only for Drago to dominate the Monstrous Nightmare in a cruel, barbaric way.
While Drago's men struggled to control Firewyrm with ropes, Drago just smirked. "Drop the ropes!" When they did so, Drago walked towards Firewyrm. When she hissed, he growled and when Firewyrm unleashed her fire-breath upon Drago, Drago covered himself with his dragon-skin cloak, which fully protected him from the flames. When Firewyrm ran out of fire and screeched at Drago, he grabbed his spear and roared so loudly and in such a manner that Firewyrm became quiet and looked afraid as she bowed her head in submission.
"You belong to me, now," said Drago, smugly.
"Leave my dragon alone, you son of a bilge rat!" yelled Snotlout, angrily. He wasn't the only one protesting in outrage at Drago's cruelty, the others were too.
"And as an added bonus, I also brought you their riders and sent your Angel Light and her dragon ahead of them at no extra charge," said Eret, sweetly.
Furious, Aster swung his leg up and kicked Eret's backside painfully. "You greedy, traitorous piece of filth!" he hissed. "I hope you get thrown to the man-eating eels!"
"Aww!" moaned Ruffnut. "But you were so perfect!"
"Ow," moaned Eret, as he rubbed the place Aster had kicked. He quickly regained his posture, not noticing that Drago's eyes had narrowed and became cold as ice at the mention of Lenora. "It turns out there's a whole bunch of them out there. They attacked—"
Eret was cut off when Drago grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him up into the air. "Lenora?" he hissed. "You sent my Lenora here alone and she's a dragon rider? She's betrayed me? Why didn't you escort her here, you fool? There was a blizzard last night and it could have killed her!"
"Lenora is not yours, you son of a half-troll, rat-eating munge bucket!" snarled Aster. His blue eyes were blazing with anger. "Lenora doesn't belong to anyone, least of all you! And you're a fine one to talk about betrayal after what you did to her! I know your story, Drago! Lenora saved your life, she was kind and would've been your friend and instead you used her, manipulated her and then you betrayed her!"
Drago hadn't even known of the meeting between the tribe leaders until Lenora told him. The only reason he'd gotten the information he had was because he'd manipulated and used Lenora for his own insane agenda by gaining her trust and lying to her.
Drago dropped Eret to the ground and gazed at Aster. "What would you know of my Angel Light? Who are you?"
"My name is Aster Hofferson of Berk. And I know a lot more than you do. Lenora is my fiancée," said Aster. "And least I have the decency to treat her with respect and love and I'd sooner die than betray her, no matter what it cost me."
Drago didn't get angry as expected. Instead, he thrust his head back and laughed. "You?" he said, incredulously. "You're Aster? The one that my Angel Light claimed to love? You're pathetic! You have no armies, no real power, you are a mere peasant!"
"And yet she still chose me over you," sneered Aster. He thrust out his neck, causing his betrothal necklace to dangle in front of Drago. "We're getting married and we're going to become Chief and Chieftess of Berk! She's doing that without you, and doesn't that tick you off?"
Drago growled in anger. He was furious. "Lenora's judgement is clearly clouded! Why would she care for you when she has me?"
"Oh, maybe because Aster's not a murdering lunatic and Lenora didn't spend eight years thinking he was dead as a doornail?" said Snotlout, sarcastically. "My cousin has better taste in men than that. Honestly, letting her think you were dead? How is that going to win her over?"
"I had no choice!" said Drago. "Leaving Lenora destroyed me, but I disappeared so that I could have a chance to make myself better for her! Now, she will have no choice but to accept me and forsake the delusion of love she has for this pathetic creature!" Drago scowled deeply at Aster. "And so what if I did kill her wretched father? He deserved to burn for all the pain he caused my Angel Light!"
"Well, karma's a kick in the pants, Drago, because guess what? We're not Berk's only dragon riders!" said Aster, thinking quickly. Lenora wasn't here, which meant she was safe and there was still time. If this worked, maybe Aster could get everyone free. "Everyone on Berk is and they know we're missing! They have tracker dragons!"
"I wouldn't worry about it," said Eret, weakly. "My men are hunting them down as we speak. They won't know where you're hiding, except for Lenora. I gave her the map—OUCH!" Eret was silenced when he received a boot to the head from Drago.
"Tell me more about Lenora and her dragon," growled Drago. He was becoming interested in finding out what had become of Lenora since their parting.
"Oh, where do I begin? As the only daughter of Stoick the Vast and heiress to the throne of Berk, she has command over Berk's entire armada and she's the greatest Dragon Master that this world has ever seen!" said Aster, smugly.
Drago frowned. "'Dragon Master'?" he repeated, in disbelief. "My Angel Light?" Drago laughed. "Impossible! I, alone, control the dragons!"
Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins disagreed and laughed. They knew the true Dragon Master and it wasn't Drago Bludvist. It was Lenora.
"Nope! Nuh-uh!" said Tuffnut, shaking his head.
"No way!" said Snotlout.
"Sorry, but no," said Fishlegs.
"Forget it!" said Ruffnut.
Aster quickly shot them a grateful look before turning back to Drago. "Lenora is the true Dragon Master! She ended the Great War when she vanquished Red Death, she rides the only Night Fury left in existence, and everyone who's gone up against her has been soundly defeated. Lenora's coming for you, Drago, and when she gets here and finds out you've got us captured, Lenora and her Night Fury are going to blast your entire armada to splinters!"
"Then they'll be crying like babies," jeered Ruffnut, as Fishlegs and Snotlout laughed.
Drago nearly popped a vein and he grabbed Eret by the throat again. "First, there was one dragon rider, and now all of Berk? My Angel Light is riding the only dragon I have yet to conquer, she's chosen another in her foolishness, and you sent here alone without any thought for her safety? And worse yet, you led all of Berk right to me?!"
Eret tried to reply, but he couldn't as he was turning blue from lack of oxygen and then he was tossed across the dock like a skipping stone. Eret looked pleadingly at his employer. "Drago—!"
"STOP ALL PREPARATIONS!" roared Drago. "We must attack the dragon riders' nest at once! We will take down their Alpha dragon! And if my Angel Light does not do what is right, then we will take all of Berk!"
Aster exchanged appalled glances with the others. Oh, what had he done? Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut? Now the situation was worse than ever.
"Drago, please!" begged Eret.
"And get rid of him!" said Drago, sound bored. "He's outlived his usefulness."
Eret looked scared and regretful as Dragon's men turned their blades on them. Eret was wishing he'd taken Lenora's advice about Drago. He was about to be killed when suddenly, Brightscales appeared and deflected the weapons, saving Eret's life. Brightscales did her best to protect Eret and the others before she was tranquilized like the others.
"Brightscales, no!" cried Aster, distraught.
Eret rose up, clearly stunned by what had just happened. Lenora's words about earning a dragon's trust and loyalty rang in his ears and he realized the truth in her words as he was bound and dragged away with Aster and the others.
XXX
The following day, Lenora sat overlooking the grand view of the ice cavern while Toothless napped beside her.
Lenora had had a good night's sleep and she was a lot calmer than she had been since the whole Drago business began. She'd spent most of the morning teaching Val dragonese and her mother had picked up on it rather quickly. Val was thrilled at being able to better understand dragons and in return, Val had taught Lenora the best techniques to massage a dragon when they were sore and tired. It had worked wonders on Toothless.
Now, Val was preparing their lunch and Lenora was enjoying a little peace and quiet. Well, as much as she could with the hatchlings running all over the place and disturbing Toothless' nap by crawling all over him and trying to chew on him and his tail with their toothless gums. (The hatchlings' teeth hadn't grown in quite yet.) And Lenora was still worried about Dragon.
"Bud, I think we should talk to my mom and head out," said Lenora, as she rose up. As much as she loved the Bewilderbeast's home, she knew she still had a threat to deal with. "We can't wait around for Drago to find and attack this place. Want to go?"
"Yes! Right now, in fact!" grumbled Toothless, as he shook the hatchlings off him. He held up his tail and looked disapprovingly at a yellow hatchling that was biting his tail. "My tail is not a chew toy! Now get off of me! Your friends are leaving without you."
"Okay, Toothless," said the hatchling. It let go of Toothless and then scampered off to find its nest mates and friends.
Toothless shook his head at the hatchlings. "Hatchlings!"
Lenora laughed. "Oh, like you were any different when you were a—umph!" Lenora was cut off when someone grabbed her mouth from behind. Instinctively, she reached for her knife and was about to strike and Toothless became defensive, but then a voice hissed, "Shh! Nora, it's me!"
Lenora's eyes widened and then when she was released, she stared in disbelief at Stoick. "Dad?! You scared me half to death!" She sheathed her knife. "What in the—how did you—what are you doing here?"
"We're rescuing you, of course!" said Gobber, appearing in the entrance of the tunnel. "The cost is clear, by the way! No sign of Drago." Gobber then took off to make sure of it.
"You're in so much trouble, by the way. But it can wait," said Stoick. He did a quick check on Lenora. "Are you hurt? Did Drago do anything to you?"
"What? Drago?" Lenora was confused and then it hit her. "No, Dad, I'm fine. Drago hasn't done anything. He's not here. This isn't even Drago's hideout!"
Stoick immediately relaxed. "It's not?"
"No!" said Lenora, exasperated. "I haven't even been to Drago's yet! Toothless and I got caught in a blizzard and were rescued by the dragon rider who lives here. We've been recuperating here."
Stoick heaved a sigh of relief and then looked curious. "What dragon rider?"
"Uh…" Oh, man this is going to be harder than I thought. Lenora guessed there would be one of three outcomes when she explained things. One, Stoick would think Lenora crazy and drag her off. Two, Stoick would have a heart attack and die from the shock. Or three, Stoick would believe her and then they'd all live happily ever after. Lenora seriously doubted the third option would happen. "Dad, before I tell you, do you remember those stories Grandpa told us about those who bargained the gods in order to return to life?"
Stoick nodded. "What about them?"
Okay, Lenora, out with it. "Well, I know this going to sound insane and believe me, I didn't believe it at first, but I swear I'm not lying or crazy. The stories aren't just stories, Dad. They're true, and I know it's a lot to take in, but there's someone here who's been waiting a long time for me to cross her path so she could come home to us. She's really anxious to be with us again. Just be gentle and take it slowly, okay?" Lenora blurted out. "Take my hand and follow me. Toothless, go and tell our host what's happening, will you?"
Toothless nodded and then bounded off in search of Val.
Stoick looked puzzled but oddly enough, he didn't question Lenora as she took his hand led him through the tunnels and to the cavern where Val was waiting. Gobber had gotten there first and it was clear he'd had a shock as he was out cold from fainting and was being frantically licked by Bonehead to wake him up.
"Okay, this is it," said Lenora, when they reached the cave's entrance. "Dad, before you go in, promise me you'll listen to what she has to say."
Lenora knew it would break Val's heart if Stoick reacted the same way Lenora had earlier and Lenora couldn't bear to cause her mother so much distress.
"I promise," said Stoick.
"Okay then. Let's go." Lenora tugged on Stoick's hand and led him inside.
Once inside, Stoick gasped as he saw his beloved wife, standing in between Cloudjumper and Toothless, looking both happy and afraid.
Stoick's jaw dropped and he was silent as he took off his helmet and began walking towards Val.
Mistaking Stoick's silence for a negative reaction, Val's eyes filled with tears and she began babbling in a panicked tone.
"I know what you're going to say, Stoick," she said, her voice raw with emotion. "How can I be back? Am I a ghost? If I'm real, how could I have stayed away for seventeen years? Why didn't I come back to you, to our daughter? Well, I had no choice! I wanted to come back, but I couldn't, not until Lenora crossed my path with Toothless. And even then, I was afraid of what I'd be coming back to, a world of kill dragons or be killed by dragons! Cloudjumper saved all three of us one night and I wanted to tell you what I learned, I really did! But how could I? What sign did I have that you or anyone else on Berk were ever going to change? I mean, neither you nor anyone else ever listened no matter how many times I pleaded with you to find another way other than fighting and violence!"
Gobber, who'd woken up and was now witnessing the reunion of his best friend and wife, whispered to Lenora, "This is why I never married."
Lenora smacked Gobber's shoulder and held a finger to her lips, signaling Gobber to be quiet.
Stoick had yet to speak. He just kept gazing at Val as if she were a dream.
"I know that I left you to raise Lenora alone, Stoick," continued Val, as tears slid down her cheek. "And there's not a day that I haven't regretted that. Do you know how much it hurts knowing I missed seventeen years of her life? Or how much it hurts knowing that I couldn't keep my promise to stay by your side forever and lead Berk? If I could've come home sooner, I would have! Oh!" As Stoick stepped closer, Val stepped backwards and then found herself trapped between her husband, two dragons and a wall of ice. "Stop being so stoic, Stoick! Go on, shout, scream—say something!"
Stoick's silence was hurting far worse than any harsh words he could've spoken.
Stoick gently cupped Val's face in his hands and wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs before he whispered, "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."
Lenora smiled through happy tears of her own as she watched her parents share a tender, loving kiss and then a tight embrace for the first time in seventeen years. It was a dream come true and Lenora never wanted it to end.
XXX
Drago's armada headed to the home of the masked dragon rider.
Drago was keeping himself occupied by banging on the chains that were attached to his secret weapon, which was pulling his command ships to their intended destination. He was too focused on his plans for Lenora and his plans for vengeance and that was why he didn't oversee the execution of the prisoners himself.
A small band of Drago's men were forcing Aster and the others to walk the plank. If the freezing cold water didn't kill them, then whatever creatures lurking beneath the waves would.
"Could this day get any worse?" whined Snotlout.
"Uhh…let me think," said Tuffnut, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're about to jump into freezing cold water and die from drowning. Nope. I'd say it couldn't get any worse."
Eret leaned over the plank and looked at the water. "Looks refreshing." He smiled at Aster. "Please, do go first, Aster."
Aster glared at Eret. "When I get ahold of you, I'm going to throttle you, you sad, sorry sack of dragon—"
"Duck!" interrupted Eret.
Aster looked confused but ducked down when Eret suddenly did a spinning kick that knocked two of Drago's men overboard. The men's spears went flying, but Eret caught them and used them to cut his bonds. Once free, he swiftly defeated the remainders of Drago's men and then freed Aster and the others of their bonds.
"Well, that was an unexpected surprise," said Aster, as he rubbed his wrists. "Not an unwelcome one, though. What changed your mind?"
"Well, let's just say that your crazy fiancée and that Nadder of yours knocked some sense into me," said Eret, smiling. Thanks to Lenora and Aster's dragon, Eret had seen the error of his ways. Eret held out his hand for Aster to take. "I'm so sorry about the past, I truly am. What do you say we start over?"
Aster gave Eret a suspicious look as if he was trying to catch the man in a lie, but then he smiled and shook Eret's hand. "Clean slate. Now, let's save our dragons and get out of here. Lenora needs us if she's going to stop Drago."
Eret nodded and then they split up to search Drago's traps for their dragons. It wasn't long before Eret found Brightscales, all tied up and looking miserable. She looked curious and even happy at the sight of Eret.
Remembering what he'd seen from Lenora, Eret slowly and carefully approached Brightscales as he held out his hand.
"Thank you for saving my life," he murmured. Brightscales purred as she placed her snout against Eret's palm. "Now, it's my turn to save yours."
XXX
Back at the ice cavern, Lenora was helping with the lunch preparations.
Once Val had retold the story of her return, they'd decided to eat and talk more before making any further decisions, either about returning to Berk or about Drago. Gobber had gotten over his initial shock and was happy to have Val back. Stoick's happiness was even greater as he had yet to cease smiling or take his loving gaze off his wife.
But happy as Val was to have her husband and daughter's godfather back in her life, Val was also feeling shy and nervous. She kept dropping things and barely said a word.
In an effort to lift Val's spirits, Lenora couldn't stop talking about the wonderful and exciting changes in Berk.
"I'm telling you, Mom, you'd never even recognize it," she said, as she divided fish between Cloudjumper and Toothless, who eagerly tore into it. "Where we used to make weapons, we now build saddles, wing slings, prosthetics, and we even fix dragon teeth. We even had dragon races every year. It's so much fun. You'd love it. You wouldn't believe how much everything's changed."
Stoick nodded proudly. "Our daughter's changed Berk for the better. I think we did really well with this one, Val."
"Thanks, Daddy," said Lenora. She smiled as she took a plate of fish for Gobber.
Val couldn't help but smile at Lenora. "Our baby's grown into such a remarkable young woman. I can scarcely believe it. Seems only yesterday, she was a wee lass. Oh, Thor, Lenora takes so much after me, but I see part of you in her, Stoick. Your stubbornness, your courage…you did a good job looking after her."
Stoick's face became sad and his eyes dull with regret and guilt. "I haven't always done such a good job." He thought back to the years after Val's death, the time before Lenora had changed Berk for the better, how estranged he and Lenora had been. How hard it had been for Stoick to accept how different Lenora was. Stoick had always been Lenora's hero because he loved her, protected her and was there when she needed it, but it had taken a near-death experience just to get Stoick to learn to listen when Lenora desperately needed a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. "I've made mistakes, Val."
"Every parents makes mistakes. We're not perfect. In the end, all you can do is your best. You did as you promised. You took care of our daughter," said Val. "Lenora is what she is today because of you, Stoick."
Stoick smiled at this. "Well, I think you and Toothless might've had something to do with it."
Val chuckled but when Stoick gently touched her shoulders from behind, she tensed and dropped the plate of fish she'd been holding.
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit out of practice," said Val, apologetically. She looked embarrassed.
Stoick just chuckled as Toothless quickly cleaned up the mess and shared it with Cloudjumper. "Well, I didn't marry you for your cooking." It was just a little joke. Val's cooking skills used to be some of the best in Berk. It was where Lenora had learned her own culinary skills.
Val smiled a little but said nothing.
"And once you've moved back in with all your dragons, old Drago won't stand a chance no matter what Eret said about him," said Lenora. For the first time since the whole situation began, Lenora was feeling more optimistic. "Everything's going to be okay."
Stoick chuckled and placed a hand on Lenora's shoulder as Val went to fill her water jug with the clear, glacier water that flowed in from the ceiling.
"Slow down, Nora. It's a lot to take in," he said.
"What? Oh," said Lenora, in realization. She nodded at her father. "Got'cha." Deciding to let Stoick handle it, Lenora took a plate of food for herself and sat down with Gobber and the two dragons next to the fire.
Stoick began whistling a familiar tune that Lenora hadn't heard since Val's death all those years ago and it brought back wonderful memories. Gobber looked excited and nudged Lenora as they watched Lenora's parents. Judging from the way Val was holding herself, it was having the same effect on the older woman.
"Do you remember our song, Val?" asked Stoick, quietly as he took the water jug from her and placed it on a stone slab.
I'll swim and sail on savage seas
With ne'er a fear of drowning
And gladly ride the waves of life
If you would marry me
Stoick caressed Val's face with the gentlest of touches, causing her eyes to meet his own before she looked away again. But Stoick didn't give up.
No scorching sun nor freezing cold
Will stop me on my journey
If you will promise me your heart
Stoick took his wife's hand in his own and gave it a loving squeeze before holding it up to his chest. But when Val's eyes remained closed and she remained hunched over and silent, Stoick looked sad and released Val's hand. Taking her silence as a rejection, he turned away. But then Val began to softly sing and her voice became louder and more confident with each note.
And love…
And love me for eternity
My dearest one, my darling dear
Your mighty words astound me
But I've no need for mighty deeds
When I feel your arms around me
Overjoyed, Stoick began to dance with Val. They placed their left hand against each other's and then their right ones, and then Stoick laughed as they crisscrossed their arms and did a series of impressive dance steps together and kept singing. Stoick knelt down and then Val did a little leap around the back of him and then he held her close.
But I would bring you rings of gold
I'd even sing you poetry
And I would keep you from all harm
If you would stay beside me
Stoick and Val held each other's hands and went this way and that before Stoick held Val close and twirled her around in his arms. They then spun around together and the smiles on their faces continued to widen and their laughter increased in volume. It touched Lenora's heart to see her parents so happy.
I have no use for rings of gold
I care not for your poetry
I only want your hand to hold
I only want you near me
Lenora let out a startled yelp when Gobber, who'd started dancing to the music, grabbed Lenora with his good arm and then they started dancing together. As the four of them happily danced and sang together, Lenora laughed and felt as though she was a little girl again, carefree and merry beyond words. She wished it could last forever.
To love and kiss to sweetly hold
For the dancing and the dreaming
Through all life's sorrows
And delights
I'll keep your laugh inside me
I'll swim and sail on savage seas
With never a fear of drowning
I'd gladly ride the waves so white
And you will marry me!
Stoick lifted Val off the ground once more as their dance finished.
Gobber continued holding the last note and was singing so terribly that Toothless was frantically rubbing his front paws over his ears to try and block out the noise and begging Lenora to make it stop. Thankfully, Gobber ceased singing when Lenora asked him to, politely.
Stoick and Val laughed as they held each other close and when they broke apart, they were looking each other lovingly.
"I thought I'd have to die before we'd have that dance again," said Stoick.
"No need for drastic measures," teased Val.
Stoick laughed again. "For you, my dear—" Stoick got down on one knee and held Val's hands in his own. "—anything. Will you come home, Val? Will you renew our wedding vows and be my wife once again?"
Before Val could reply, Toothless came up behind her and "accidentally" nudged her into Stoick's arms. It was his way of telling Val to say yes to Stoick's proposal. Toothless wanted Val in his adopted family again as he'd grown very fond of Val and he loved how happy she made Lenora and Stoick.
Val laughed at Toothless and gently rubbed his head, as did Stoick and Lenora, who came up to her parents.
"We can be a family again," said Stoick, as he placed a hand on Lenora's shoulder and pulled her in close. "What do you say?"
Val was crying and laughing as she nodded. "Yes. Yes!"
Gobber then joined in. "Great! I'll do the cooking!"
Everyone laughed at this as they broke apart from the group hug.
"Thank Odin you didn't listen to me, Nora. We never would've found each other," said Stoick.
"Hey, I do listen to on occasion," said Lenora, teasingly. But nevertheless, she was glad she'd listened to her own heart, for it had led to her family being reunited.
But the joyful moment quickly ended when the sound of dragons calling and flying quickly in distress and Toothless becoming tense and defensive made Lenora's blood ran cold. Immediately, she knew what was happening.
"Guys, he's here," said Lenora, as her throat tightened. Her heart was pounding. "Drago's here. He's finally found us." Odin help us all.