Dragon Army
A terrible silence fell after Lenora was fatally struck.
Smoke emitted from Toothless' mouth as the Night Fury breathed hard from the blow he'd struck. Drago showed no sign of remorse for his actions as he clenched his injured hand into a fist and then walked away in disgust.
Aster quickly picked himself up from where he'd fallen after Lenora shoved him out of the way of Toothless' blow. Aster was breathing hard and his heart was pounding with fear as he ran over to the body of his beloved fiancée and dug her out of the ice that had fallen on her. Stoick and Val, who'd been racing to come and protect their daughter, helped Aster out.
"Lenora? Lenora, please, talk to me!" cried Aster. He turned Lenora over onto her back and held her in his arms. "Lenora, please, wake up!"
But Lenora was silent. Her body was cold, her eyes were closed, she breathed no more and there was a terrible mark on her chest from where she'd been hit. Lenora was gone. She'd sacrificed herself to save the man she loved. Heartbroken and grief-stricken, Aster buried his face in Lenora's hair as he cried.
"You can't leave me like this!" he whispered. "We were supposed to get married and have a big family and explore the world! Lenora, please, come back to me!"
Stoick looked devastated as he wept and held his wife close. "My Nora…not my Nora…" His daughter had died a heroine, but Stoick would've gladly traded places with her. No parents should have to outlive their own child.
"My baby!" sobbed Val, as she cried into Stoick's shoulder. "My little baby!"
Seventeen years of waiting, of longing and dreaming for her daughter's return…all wasted, all destroyed in one single moment.
Gobber was distraught at the loss of his beloved goddaughter and from the looks on the faces of Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins, they felt the same way. Lenora had been a dear, dear friend to all of them and a source of hope and guidance. She'd been their leader. How were they to continue on without her? How was Berk going to survive without its rightful heir? Snotlout was no leader. And now that Drago could control the dragons, all was lost.
Toothless was then released from the Bewilderbeast's control. For a moment, Toothless felt dazed and didn't remember what had happened, but then it came back to him and he felt a wave of grief and guilt. Timidly, Toothless walked over to Lenora's hand and nuzzled it as he attempted to pay his respects to his fallen rider and lost sister.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" roared Stoick, smacking the dragon's head. Toothless began to back away and he looked miserable, but Stoick didn't care. As far as he was concerned, Toothless deserved whatever he got. Toothless was the reason Lenora was dead. "You killed her, devil! She's dead and it's all your fault! Get away!"
Toothless flinched at Stoick's harsh tone. His ears drooped and his eyes became wide with grief and shame. Although what Toothless had done was not of his own volition Toothless knew that deep down, he was to blame for Lenora's death. He'd taken the life of the one dearest to him, the one he'd sworn to protect. He deserved everything he got as punishment.
"GO!" yelled Stoick.
"Stoick, stop it," said Aster, thickly through his tears. "It's not Toothless' fault." Aster held no anger towards the Night Fury as he knew that Toothless never would've done such a terrible thing of his own volition. If anything, Aster blamed himself for failing to destroy Drago and he blamed Drago for taking Lenora away.
"He's right, Stoick," said Val, softly. Her eyes were red from tears and her throat was tightening, but she still managed to speak clearly. "It's not Toothless' fault, you know that. Good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things."
Stoick did not reply. He knew that Val and Aster were right and he regretted being so harsh with Toothless, but he'd needed someone to blame, to yell at in his moment of grief and anger. Toothless had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The black Bewilderbeast then let out one final roar and every single dragon that could hear him obeyed his command and took off with him. Under the Bewilderbeast's command, Toothless submitted to Drago and Drago rode away on Toothless' back.
"Gather the men and meet me at Berk!" ordered Drago.
Eret and the Berkians could do nothing but helplessly watch as Drago then departed with his men and dragon army, leaving them stranded and without hope. Everything was lost. What were they going to do now?
XXX
It had been hours since Drago left.
The sun had set and it was getting colder, but Aster hadn't moved. He'd flung Drago's pendant into the sea, but that was all. He wouldn't let go of Lenora's body. Letting her go meant it was real, that she was gone and never coming back.
"Aster," said Stoick, quietly as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "It's time."
They'd prepared a Viking's funeral for Lenora by using the remains of one of Drago's ships and ridding it of Drago's mark. They'd gotten a fire going and were ready to use the remains of Drago's bows and arrows to set the ship ablaze and send Lenora to her final resting place as one of the honored fallen of Valhalla.
Aster stubbornly shook his head and held Lenora tighter. "No! I won't let you!"
"Aster, please," said Val. She'd been sitting with Aster as she'd wanted to be with her daughter for as long as possible, but even she knew that they had to do this. "It's time."
"We don't want to let her go either, laddie," said Gobber, sniffling. "But we must."
Before Aster could reply, something happened.
Suddenly, rays of sunlight beamed down from the heavens and from those ray of light descended a beautiful shield maiden clad in armor, astride a mighty winged horse, carrying a mighty spear. This was no ordinary shield maiden, this was one of the great Valkyries, goddesses of Asgard who took those slain in battle to the realm of Valhalla.
"Valkyrie," gasped Val, as she bowed her head in respect.
The other Berkians were shocked, for none of them had ever laid eyes on a god or goddess before, but nonetheless, they bowed in respect for the goddess. But Aster tightly held Lenora's body in his arms and glared. Goddess or no goddess, he wouldn't let Lenora go.
But the Valkyrie paid no attention to Aster's rebellious behavior. Instead she looked kindly at the mortals before her and spoke softly.
"Be not afraid, young mortals," she said. "For though this is a time of pain, I bring you tidings of rejoicing. Look upon me and see the gift which I bear for you."
There was a great flash of light and when it faded and they looked at the goddess, they saw what Valkyrie was referring to. There, cradled in the Valkyrie's arms with the greatest respect, was the ghostly form of Lenora's soul.
Aster was rendered speechless, as was everyone else. Stoick and Val clung to each other as they exchanged hopeful looks.
"Though this soul's worth is beyond measure and would be welcomed in Valhalla with open arms, she has been given a rare choice and she has chosen to return to Midgard, to all of you. Like her mother before her, she took the gods' test and she succeeded where few before her had. Now, she will be restored so that she can fulfill her destiny. Stand aside."
Stoick and the others backed away from Lenora's body as the goddess knelt down and placed Lenora's soul in Lenora's body. Immediately, Lenora's coloring returned, her wound disappeared and she drew a slow, deep breath, but her eyes remained closed.
"When I leave this place, Lenora will awaken. But know this: though she has chosen to return, recent events have caused her heart and her spirit to be broken. The battle ahead of her will be her greatest challenge yet. She will need all of you beside her if she's to succeed," said Valkyrie. She then turned to leave.
"Thank you," said Aster, gratefully.
Valkyrie said nothing. She merely smiled and then disappeared into the heavens with her mount.
XXX
When Lenora awakened from her slumber, she found herself gazing into her fiancé's blue eyes. She felt a wave of relief. He was safe. She'd succeeded in saving his life.
"Hey, Handsome," she said, faintly. "You okay?"
Aster began crying and laughing. "I'm just fine, Beautiful."
Aster then kissed Lenora with an intense passion that she returned before he helped her to stand. Lenora leaned heavily on Aster for a few moments as she still felt weak and dazed from her return to life. She hoped no one would ask about what she'd experienced, for there were no words to describe it and even so, she knew it would seem unbelievable.
It was then that Lenora saw that everyone was staring at her with happy yet teary looks.
"Hey, guys." Lenora didn't quite know what to say. "I'm home."
"Oh, Nora!" cried Stoick. He wrapped his arms around Lenora and held her in a bone-crushing embrace and kissed her head. "Thank Thor you're alive!"
"I'm never leaving again, Dad, I promise," said Lenora. While she knew she would make her choice again in a heartbeat, she was going to try her hardest to never leave behind her loved ones like that ever again as long as she lived.
Then it was Val's turn. She held Lenora tightly and stroked her hair. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
"Feeling's mutual," said Lenora, slightly muffled by Val's hood.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me, lass?" scolded Gobber, light-heartedly when his turn came to hug Lenora. "I've got enough gray hairs as it is."
"I'll try, Gobber," said Lenora, smiling a little. But she sincerely doubted she wouldn't, as it was a little too easy to scare Gobber.
Fishlegs's turn came next. He was sobbing like a wee baby as he held Lenora. "I'm so glad you're okay, Lenora!"
"Me too, Fish," said Lenora, softly. Believe me, you have no idea. It was so scary to die and come back as she had. It wasn't something Lenora cared to repeat.
The twins then crushed Lenora into their own embrace.
"You can't do that ever again! We need you!" said Ruffnut, crying.
"Yeah, how else are we going to have our fun if you're not there so we can drive you crazy and have you yell at us for being muttonheads?" said Tuffnut, in agreement.
Lenora chuckled softly and then it was Snotlout's turn. Her cousin had been standing to the side, not saying a word and remaining stalwart.
"Snotlout—" began Lenora. She was cut off when Snotlout grabbed her and pulled her in close. She could feel his tears trickling down her neck.
"Never again, do you hear me, you stupid muttonhead?" said Snotlout, sounding muffled. "Never. Or so help me Thor, I will end you."
"Never," promised Lenora. "I swear it."
Eret, who decided to keep back and let Lenora's loved ones enjoy her return, merely smiled and looked at her with respect and Lenora returned it.
This went on for several moments. It was truly a miracle. It was as if Lenora hadn't left them at all. There wasn't no sign of the fatal injury she'd sustained, for she neither felt one nor saw one. There wasn't even a hole in her clothes from Toothless' attack. It was as if she'd never been hurt at all. But although Lenora's physical injuries were healed, the same could not be said for her emotional ones. When all the hugs and tears were over, Lenora glanced around and her face fell when she saw that there wasn't a single dragon to be found. Toothless was gone.
"Where's Toothless?" she asked. "Where're Drago and the dragons?"
Everyone became quiet as Stoick's gaze fell down to his hands, making a sinking feeling of dread settle in Lenora's stomach.
"I made a mistake. You were dead. I knew it wasn't Toothless' fault, but I was so angry and grief-stricken…Drago let Toothless free for a moment and that poor beast was devastated. He tried to get close to you, but I wouldn't let him. I-I drove him away," confessed Stoick. "Drago put Toothless back under his control and they took off."
"No…" whispered Lenora, distraught. Tears came to her eyes and she felt her heart breaking. Toothless was gone, Drago had an Alpha and every dragon under his control and was headed towards Berk, and they were all stranded. Lenora had come back for nothing. "I'm so sorry, everyone."
"Sorry?" repeated Gobber, puzzled. "For what?"
For what? Where do I start, Gobber? "I'm sorry that I'm not the Chieftess you all wanted me to be and I'm not the peacekeeper I thought I was. Everything that's happened here is my fault, because I refused to listen and thought that I knew best, because I thought I was doing the right thing. And now because of me, everything's lost."
All this had started because Lenora thought she was doing good, but good was far from what she had accomplished. One question haunt and hurt too much to mention. Had Lenora been seeking good or just seeking attention? Was that all good deeds were when looked at with an ice-cold eye? If that's all good deed were, then maybe that was the reason why no good deed went unpunished and why she was suffering so much for her choices now.
Aster placed a hand on Lenora's shoulder and then placed his other hand under Lenora's chin, making her look at him.
"Let me tell you a story of a little boy who fell and the little girl who helped him get back up. Once upon a time, there was a young Viking boy that wanted to be able to climb one of the island's tallest trees like the other men in his family had. But when he tried, he fell and scraped his hands so badly he despaired of every accomplishing his goal. But then a little Viking girl came and bound up the boy's hands with bandages and she asked him, 'why do we fall?' When the little boy couldn't answer, she replied, 'so we can learn to pick ourselves up.' The girl's words inspired the boy to keep trying and eventually, he succeeded. I've never forgotten that day, Lenora. You taught me to keep going no matter what. You didn't give up on me and I will never give up on you," said Aster. "I love you."
Lenora's heart leapt at Aster's words and she tenderly kissed him. "I love you too." She, too, had never forgotten that moment she'd shared with Aster when they were kids. It gave her a sense of hope sometimes too.
But in that moment right then, Lenora still felt a sense of hopelessness and loss, which didn't go unnoticed by her parents.
"You came into this world six weeks early. You were so small and fragile that we were told you wouldn't make it. But your mother and I, we refused to give up on you. Val gave you your name, because from the moment she knew she was expecting you, you were her light of hope and she wanted all of Berk to know that too. And I never doubted you because I believed then as I always have, that you would be the strongest of us all and I was right," said Stoick. He placed a hand on Lenora's shoulder. "You've done so many amazing things, accomplished what I never could and you reunited this family. We believe in you, Nora, you need only to believe in yourself."
"You have the heart of a Chieftess and the soul of a dragon. I waited seventeen years for you because I had faith in you and I still do. Only you can bring our worlds together, just like you did when you vanquished Red Death. You can do it again, but you will not be alone when you do. That is who you truly are, my sweet light," said Val.
One by one, everyone spoke of something Lenora had done that had bettered their lives.
"I was nothing more than Drago's lackey until I stumbled across you, Miss Lenora," said Eret. "You scared me to death, but you got through to me and partly because of you, I finally saw the error of my ways."
"I never could've asked for a better blacksmith apprentice or a goddaughter," said Gobber. "Not only did your creativity with inventions encourage me to go further with my own work, but you stood by my side when no one else did when I went chasing after Bonehead and helped us become friends."
"When I doubted myself when Snotlout teased me, you taught me that being brave and strong was more than just fighting weapons and dragons, that standing up for yourself with your words and integrity was more challenging but even more rewarding," said Fishlegs.
"When Tuffnut and I were fighting so much that we wanted to go our separate ways, you knocked our heads together and got us to that we're stronger together and make up," said Ruffnut.
"Yeah, and you helped us make an amazing boar pit on Dragon's Edge when no one would ever let us do that before!" said Tuffnut.
"And when we were stranded on Outcast Island and I kept picking fights because I was angry over my own inadequacies since everyone kept comparing me to you, you got me to see that it didn't matter what everyone else thought of me and that I was great in my own way," said Snotlout. "That all that mattered was how I saw myself and that my family cared about me no matter what."
Lenora was quiet as she contemplated their words. She thought back to the last five years. She had done what no one on Berk had been willing to do: she'd befriended and trained a Night Fury, she'd helped Toothless to fly again and regain his hope when there had been none, she'd vanquished Red Death and united dragons and humans in peace, she'd changed Berk for the better and was continuing changing it with each new invention or idea she came up with; she'd gained the love of her secret crush, won her father's approval and made him proud, explored countless new territories and discovered new dragon species; she'd defeated foes like Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged, and because she'd chosen to follow her heart she'd been reunited with her mother after seventeen long years. And most of all, Lenora had returned from the dead, a feat few had ever done. She'd chosen to return for a reason and it wasn't to just give up. People stood by and followed Lenora because they had faith in her abilities. She wasn't a failure, she was a leader and a dragon rider!
Lenora's hope was restored and she felt the familiar fire within her soul blaze again. She'd done the impossible before and she would do it again.
"I was afraid of my destiny. I was afraid that I couldn't be what everyone expected of me and that I would let everyone down. But now I know that I can only be what I am and that's enough and that I'll only fail if I choose to do so. Well, I don't choose that," said Lenora, with renewed determination. "A Chieftess protects her own. We're going back."
Everyone cheered and smiled at their leader's renewed courage and heart, but the twins looked skeptical and confused.
"Uh…with what?" questioned Tuffnut.
"Drago took all the dragons," reminded Ruffnut.
Lenora grinned as she shared a knowing look with her mother. "Not all the dragons."
XXX
Flying on the giant dragon hatchlings—either through the giant ice labyrinth or anywhere else for that matter—was not something Lenora nor anyone else with her cared to ever do again.
They were quick little things, and they meant well but steering was beyond difficult as the hatchlings were so excited about leaving the nest that they made the flight into a game that caused everyone to crash into the ice and snow at least half a dozen times. They kept bouncing up and down, making some of the riders sick to their stomachs.
"I don't want to die!" wailed Fishlegs.
"We can't fly these things!" complained Tuffnut.
"Yeah, no kidding!" said Fishlegs, before he crashed into a snowbank.
Lenora laughed as she twisted and turned through the narrow icy pathway.
"Hey, Lenora, not that I'm questioning your decisions here, but won't that Bewilderbeast just take control of these little guys too?" asked Aster. He was flying close to Lenora as like her parents and godfather, they didn't intend to let Lenora of their sights until it became completely necessary.
Lenora shook her head. "Nope! That's why using them to get back to Berk is perfect! They're babies! They don't listen to anyone!"
"Yeah, just like us!" said Tuffnut, grinning.
Gobber struggled to hold onto his hatchling, which was quite difficult as the little one had a lot of energy and without the special saddle Gobber used when riding Bonehead, Gobber was at the little hatchling's mercy.
"This—ow!—is—ow!—very—OW!—dangerous!" cried Gobber, as he kept bashing his head into a wall of ice and snow. "Some might suggest this is poorly conceived!"
They dove around bridges of ice and squeezed themselves through the narrow pathway as they became one step closer to their goal.
"Then it's a good thing I never listen!" said Lenora, grinning.
Stoick and Val laughed and looked proudly at their daughter.
"So what is your plan?" asked Stoick.
Lenora looked determined. "Get Toothless back and kick Drago's butt before I send him to meet his maker!" Her eyes widened at what lay before her. "Guys, heads up! Up, little one!"
Lenora's ride quickly went up and the others followed just in time to dodge a giant wedge of ice that was blocking their pathway.
I'm coming for you, Toothless. I'm going to save you and all of Berk, I promise. Lenora was no longer doubting herself and nor was she was afraid anymore. She felt confidant, braver and stronger. And one way or another, Lenora would save the lives that were depending on her and she would ensure that Drago's reign of terror ended for good.
XXX
When Lenora and the others arrived at Berk at dawn, they were distraught to see that Drago had gotten there first and was still wrecking his terrible destruction upon the island.
The black Bewilderbeast was crouching on the cliffs and hovering above his head were all of the ice cavern's dragons and Berk's combined, some of the dragons were wreaking havoc upon Berk at Drago's command, the black Bewilderbeast's terrible ice breath had destroyed much of Berk's architecture and the villagers were huddled together in one place while Dragon scared the living daylights out of them and forced them into submission.
Righteous fury threatened to overwhelm Lenora. "Distract the Alpha! Try to keep his focus off of Toothless!"
"Uh, how?" asked Tuffnut.
"Have you forgotten who you're riding with?" said Eret. "There isn't a dragon alive that I can't wrangle! Ah!" The hatchling he was riding suddenly dove down. "Except for this one!"
Stoick laughed and shook his head. "Amateur. Now, let's go!"
As Lenora led them into battle, the people of Berk cheered and applauded in relief at the sight of their leader's return. Hope for their lives and their future had come back in the form of the light of Berk and those who followed her.
The growling black Bewilderbeast was quickly distracted by the sheep that were tossed into the air via Snotlout's sheep launcher and the blaring noise of the horn used for the dragon races. The great beast became agitated and breathed out ice at the horn and its attention remained diverted from Toothless as Lenora wished.
While the beast was being distracted, Lenora flew up to Drago, who was hovering above Berk on Toothless' back.
Drago could not believe what he was seeing and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Lenora returned from the dead. "What…? How…? I killed you!"
"You can't kill what's destined to live, Drago," said Lenora, smirking. "The gods saw fit to give me a second chance at life and I can promise they won't do the same for you."
When Lenora had died and spoken to Queen Hel about Drago, the Goddess of Death had given her sacred word that when Drago died, the madman would not return and would spend the rest of eternity suffering as punishment not just for the crimes he'd committed against humanity but that against the gods as well.
Drago scoffed. "I do not believe you!"
Lenora ignored Drago as she reached her hand out to Toothless and spoke to him in his native tongue. She knew she could break Toothless free of Drago's control, their bond was stronger than any siren's song.
"Toothless, it's me. It's me, bud," she said. "I know it may seem like this is an illusion, but I swear to you that I'm real. I'm here, Toothless. Please, come back to me."
Though he didn't speak dragonese, Drago seemed to guess what Lenora was doing because he began to chuckle and smirk. "He's not yours anymore, Angel Light. He's mine, just like you will be soon enough."
Lenora's green eyes blazed like two narrow slits of green fire. "I was nor and nor will I ever be yours, Drago!" she spat, angrily before turning back to Toothless. "Toothless, I know you must feel so much guilt for what happened, but it wasn't your fault. Drago and this monster made you do it. You would never hurt anyone unless it was in self-defense and even then, I know you would never hurt Aster or me. It's not who you are. You're not a killer."
Lenora's words seemed to have an effect on Toothless, for he began to shake his head and growl as his pupils began to widen.
Hopeful, Lenora continued moving her hand closer to Toothless' snout. "I came back from the dead, not just for Aster and my family but for you, bud, because I couldn't bear to leave you. Remember when we met that day in the woods? I didn't just save your life when I freed you and helped you fly again. You saved my life when you accepted me into your world and became my friend."
Lenora placed her hand on Toothless' snout and happy tears came to her eyes as Toothless' pupils became large again and he purred in happiness at seeing Lenora alive.
"How're you doing that?" asked Drago, in amazement.
"The only reason I am what I am today is because of you, because of the bond we share. You're more than just my best friend, Toothless, you're my brother. We're family. I love you, buddy," said Lenora.
Lenora withdrew her hand as the black Bewilderbeast's pupils fluctuated and he lost control. Toothless' eyes became normal again and then he was purring and making happy noises as he grinned his famous toothless grin.
"Lenora, you're alive! You're okay!" said Toothless. "You're back, little sister!"
Lenora laughed through her happy tears. She'd won. She had her friend back. "And so are you, boy. So are you!"
"Enough!" roared Drago.
Drago attempted to beat Toothless with his spear, but Toothless grabbed it in his mouth and then used it to force Drago off him. Drago screamed as he fell and hit the black Bewilderbeast's tusk while Toothless just grinned in contentment and looked proud of himself.
"You did it, Toothless!" said Lenora. "I'm so proud of you!" He'd broken free for her. What greater sign of loyalty was there?
Toothless then screeched in distress as he was still a downed dragon without his rider and began falling to his death. Lenora jumped off the hatchling and dove straight for Toothless. She reached out her hand and grasped his saddle and then got herself hooked in. She pressed into the stirrup and then they took off into the skies.
"We need to get Drago and the Bewilderbeast apart," said Lenora. "And I think I know how to do it. Come on, Toothless!"
As they soared around Berk, Lenora snatched up the frayed remains of a sail from a ship as they narrowly dodged the black Bewilderbeast's ice-breath. Once hidden from the Alpha's sight, Lenora held out the sail.
"We've got to block them out. Do you trust me?" asked Lenora.
Toothless purred and nodded. "Always have, always will. Do it."
Lenora wrapped the sail around Toothless' eyes like a blindfold. They would do this like they'd done everything else—together as one. Lenora pressed into the stirrup and Toothless flew smoothly around Berk.
"All right, now let's do this one more time!" said Lenora, as they flew towards their foes.
Drago stood on the Bewilderbeast's head. "Take control of them!"
But the Bewilderbeast's efforts were fruitless. With Toothless' eyes covered by the blindfold and his ears covered by Lenora's hands, the Night Fury could not succumb to the black Bewilderbeast's control.
"Stop them!" yelled Drago.
"Now!" yelled Lenora.
Toothless swooped up high and avoided the black Bewilderbeast's attack and then as Toothless soared in the air on his back, his blindfold came loose and fell to the ground and Lenora activated her flight suit. She got right up in Drago's face and used her weapon to spray out a gigantic cloud of Hideous Zippleback gas, which she then ignited, causing an explosion that injured the black Bewilderbeast and sent Drago flying off the beast.
Lenora was suddenly hit with déjà vu as she came close to colliding with the black Bewildebeast's tail, but Toothless separated the spikes on his back and tail which allowed him to make the turn necessary to save Lenora. She landed on his back and then they flew straight up and dodged the great beast's tail.
"Yeah, we did it! I'm so proud of you, Toothless!" said Lenora, cheering. It worked. It actually worked! I can't believe it!
"We did it!" cheered Toothless. "Now, let's get Drago!"
They quickly flew back to Berk and landed in front of Drago as the man tried to stand up. As Drago reached for his spear, Lenora ignited her sword and tossed it, blocking Drago from retrieving his weapon. Drago growled in anger.
"Hold him there, Toothless!" said Lenora.
"With pleasure," said Toothless, as he growled ferociously.
Lenora approached Drago with a cold look on her face. "I once saved your life. Once I trusted you. I was so lonely that I wanted to believe you and I could be friends that you could find it in your heart to care about something other than yourself and your power. But all of it was a fantasy, a lie, just everything I said to you right before you killed me."
Lenora had always blamed herself for what had happened, what Drago had done, but that was over. Drago had never been her friend and nor had she ever truly been his. Eight years ago, she'd been a mere teenager who'd been trying to do the right thing and she couldn't have stopped Drago even if she had seen him for what he was earlier. Her only crime was keeping Drago a secret and letting him torment her as she had.
"I was riddled with guilt over what happened between us. I blamed myself for what you did and hated myself for being unable to stop you. You tormented me in my nightmares and for eight years I lived in fear of you. But no more. The crimes you've committed are not my own. And when I look you, I wonder how I was ever afraid of you when I see you for what you really are: a pathetic, crazy coward!" spat Lenora.
Drago's eyes darkened with rage. "You dare—"
"Yes, I dare!" said Lenora, angrily. She narrowed her eyes at Drago. No longer would she be tormented by the past or be afraid of Drago. That was all over. "You're a coward, Drago. You always have been and always will be. But that doesn't matter anymore because it's over. You've lost, Drago. So give up now while you have the chance."
But Drago did not surrender to Lenora. He looked smug as he grinned. "Oh, I don't think so."
Lenora had no time to react as the black Bewilderbeast came into view and blasted her with ice just as Toothless quickly covered her in his protective embrace. But the battle was far from over yet as Toothless and Lenora had discovered a new ability the Night Fury didn't even know he had. His spine and mouth lit up with bright blue light and then the ice was blasted away.
Toothless' eyes were narrowed in righteous fury and he let out a mighty roar as Lenora emerged from his protective embrace. Lenora then watched in amazement and pride as Toothless climbed up the spiky ice and roared at the black Bewilderbeast.
"He's challenging the Alpha!" said Lenora.
"To protect you!" said Val, as she and Stoick came up from behind.
"Knock him down, Toothless!" yelled Stoick.
Toothless fired multiple powerful blasts of blue fire at the black Bewilderbeast. Each blow dealt a great deal of damage. When the black Bewilderbeast knocked down the spike of ice Toothless had been sitting on, Toothless quickly leapt onto another one and resuming firing at the beast. As Toothless fired at the black Bewilderbeas, the monster's control over the other dragons waned and the dragons soon broke free and regained their free will. Toothless then leapt down and roared commands at his fellow dragons. The dragons obeyed and left the black Bewilderbeast to fend for himself.
"No, no, no, no!" roared Drago. He leapt onto the black Bewilderbeast's tusk and climbed up the beast's face. "What's the matter with you? Fight back! FIGHT!"
The black Bewilderbeast just made a loud moan as everyone on Berk, both the humans and the dragons, made a defensive line behind Lenora and Toothless.
Lenora leapt onto Toothless' back and then the Night Fury flew into the air and then landed on a spike of ice.
"Now do you see, Drago?" said Lenora, as she beckoned to the dragons that were standing by her and Toothless. "This is what I was trying to tell you before! This is what it means to have a dragon's loyalty and friendship! You could've had all of this and more eight years ago, but instead you chose a path that'll only destroy you! Let this end, now!"
"NEVER!" roared Drago.
"Then you bring this on yourself!" said Lenora. What she did now was the right thing to do and she had no regrets. "NOW, EVERYONE!"
Toothless confirmed Lenora's command and then every single dragon, including Drago's armored ones, fired upon Drago and the black Bewilderbeast. With their combined might, the terrible Alpha could not fight back and then Toothless delivered the final blow that ensured Drago would never return. The black Bewilderbeast then let out a terrible roar but before he could attack, Toothless delivered a blow that blasted off one of his humongous tusks.
"Do not kill him, Toothless," said Lenora, when the Night Fury readied himself to end it. "He's done terrible things, but only because he knew no better from Drago's teachings and abuse. There is a time for might and a time for mercy. Staying in Berk is out of the question for him, but give him the chance to live another life in peace. The Alpha protects them all."
In the last few days, Lenora had learned the unfortunate but sometimes necessary need for battle, the value of mercy and the blessing of second chances. She'd been granted a second chance at life by the mercy of the gods and she wished to extend that same olive branch to the black Bewilderbeast and give him a chance at a better life.
Toothless wasn't pleased with Lenora's request and he felt a great deal of anger towards the one that had caused him to kill Lenora, but nevertheless, he adhered to her judgment and allowed the black Bewilderbeast to leave with its life but warned the beast to never again return to Berk or cause harm or else Toothless would do what had to be done.
The black Bewilderbeast accepted the generous offer of mercy and then he disappeared into the sea forever.
XXX
The battle was over.
Drago and his forces were gone and would never again harm Berk. They had won.
The people of Berk cheered and applauded at their victory and the dragons let out cheerful roars at having regained their freedom.
When Lenora and Toothless descended from the spike of ice to meet the crowd, every single dragon acknowledged Toothless as their Alpha by bowing to him in respect, even Cloudjumper. Toothless acknowledged them all with respect and then let out another victory screech and the other dragons did the same. The last of the Night Furies was now the dragons' leader and protector. Lenora couldn't have been prouder.
"You never cease to amaze me, bud," she said, as she stroked him and rubbed his chin. She rested her forehead against his. "Thank you. I love you."
Toothless purred and nuzzled Lenora. "I love you too." Then he grinned a mischievous grin."And now, I think you need another bath."
Lenora yelped as Toothless pinned her down and began licking her clean as everyone laughed. "Knock it off, you overgrown lizard!" she said, laughing.
Everyone on Berk then shared a happy reunion with their dragons. Lenora's fiancé, cousin and friends shared happy embraces with their dragons, Cloudjumper hoisted Val up with his claws and licked her face, Gobber was playfully squashed by Bonehead and then Stoick butted heads with Skullcrusher.
As Lenora was released from Toothless' attempts at a bath, she watched everyone's reunions with their dragons all with a happy smile on her face. Everything was all right again. There was a great deal of work to be done, but it hardly mattered. What did matter was that Drago was gone, the dragons were back, there had been no causalities on their side (aside from herself) and there was peace again. Everything was okay.
"You know, that was some pretty fine dragon-wrangling back there," said Eret, as he approached her and Toothless. "You'd make a good trapper, Lenora."
"Thanks, but I prefer to be a called 'trainer and rider,'" said Lenora. She smiled as she watched the hatchling that was purring and nuzzling Eret's leg as he stroked it. Generally, hatchlings liked anyone that was nice to them, but that little one seemed particularly attached to Eret and he to it. "And that's something I think you'd be great at, with a little practice. Especially since that little one seems rather attached to you."
Eret looked surprised and then hopeful. "Me?"
"Yeah, why not?" said Lenora. She'd been thinking about it for a while now and had decided that Eret had proved himself worthy of being a rider. "You've made some mistakes, but we all have, that's what makes us human. You really came through for us, Eret, and for that I owe you my gratitude. I'm willing to give you a second chance, so if you agree to a probationary period of sixty days and stick to our rules during and after, I think I can talk my dad into letting you stay for good. Deal?"
Eret looked touched and then held out his hand for Lenora to shake. "I'm honored. You've got yourself a deal."
Lenora nodded and then she found herself being swept into a tight embrace by her parents.
"Well done, Lenora!" said Stoick. "We're so proud of you."
Lenora smiled as she returned the embrace. "Thanks. I'm so glad that you're both here, especially you, Mom."
"And here I'll stay, forever," promised Val, as she kissed Lenora's forehead.
And for that, Lenora was grateful.
"Hey, Beautiful."
Lenora turned to see Aster standing behind her, looking at her with love and pride in his eyes.
"You see? I told you that you had nothing to worry about," said Aster. "Everything I see in you, it was inside you all along. You just needed to discover it for yourself."
"And I couldn't have done it without you," said Lenora. "Come here, Handsome." She wrapped her arms around Aster's neck and kissed him with an intense passion that he returned. "I love you so much, Aster."
"I love you too, Lenora," said Aster, as he rested his forehead against hers. "Man, our future kids are going to have a lot to live up to."
Lenora laughed and took Aster's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. Now that the past was over, Lenora could look towards her future with a sense of peace and joy. And her future was going to be a wonderful one, especially with Toothless and her loved ones beside her.