And here we are.

Aeri hoisted the bag over her shoulder, careful not to jostle the large objects within. It was midmorning, and though the sun shone on her, she felt as cold as ice.

Looking around, she knew that she was not the only one feeling this way. Each of the twenty men who had volunteered to join her wore grim expressions as they finished loading up their largest ship, as did the crowd that had gathered to watch and offer whatever small assistances and encouragements that they could. Maara and Vasara had already approached her to say their goodbyes.

"For now," Haku's youngest sister said firmly, giving Aeri a stern look.

The last few weeks had been a flurry of preparations. While Vasara oversaw the construction of the biggest catapult that could reasonably be built, Aeri and Vahna put their heads together to think of some way to defeat the Queen.

After seeing the massive dragon for herself, Aeri knew with certainty that force would not win the day. She also knew that the insatiable bloodlust of the Queen would follow them back to Heimme sooner or later, so delaying this mission could be risking the lives of the people on the island.

But how could they ever do it? Besides the fact that the Queen was firmly entrenched in her mountain fortress, she herself seemed equally impenetrable. What weakness did she have?

Finally, after asking Shade to consult Fern and Mika, Aeri was able to think of a possibility. Maybe the outside of the Queen didn't have a weakness, but what about her insides? As they had learned, dragons were not always immune to each others' attacks. So, with that in mind, Shade convinced Fern to allow Aeri to collect as many of the poisonous spines from her tail as she could. (The green Flashfang was nervous to be left "defenseless" for a time, but Shade reminded her that she could still breathe fire, and that the spines would grow back relatively quickly.)

Once she had them, Aeri took most of the spines to Vahna. The old woman was certain she knew of a combination of plants that would augment the effects of the Flashfang poison, because the poison in the spines alone would not be enough to take down the Queen.

Aeri used the rest of the spines to fashion long spears. She wasn't sure yet if they would prove useful, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Meanwhile, Haku gathered the best warriors of Heimme, and Shade did his best to discern the future.

"Do you think we could convince other dragons to help us?" he asked Fern one afternoon.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. Until it becomes clear that you have a chance at victory, the other dragons will likely keep their distance."

Shade pondered this for a moment. "And you're sure you want to help us?"

"I've already given you my spines," she replied. "I might as well give everything else, too. Anything to free my mate…" she trailed off, looking off into space.

"And we will free him," Shade promised. "Somehow, some way, you will see him again."

"You will launch large rocks at the same spot on the mountain until the wall opens up. Then, you will fire a flaming projectile through the opening. After that, it is imperative that you all get back on the ship and sail away." Aeri was standing on the deck of the ship, most of the volunteers gathered around her and the diagram she had drawn.

"What about the catapult?" one man asked.

"Leave it." The men nodded and went back to their preparations, and Aeri started to turn away.

"What about you?"

She turned back to see Haku gazing at her with a familiar intensity.

"What about me?"

"What are you going to do once we've opened up the mountain? Once we've unleashed the wrath of that thing?"

"Shade and I have a plan."

"I should certainly hope so. What is it?"

Aeri reached around behind her and gently pulled out one of the large canisters, holding it up for his inspection.

"What is that?"

"It's poison. A lot of poison."

His jaw dropped. "And that's going to take down the Queen?"

"We'll just have to wait and see," she replied, trying to sound confident and failing.

"Rádgatá…" he said softly, taking a step closer, but before either of them could say anything else, a shout caught their attention.

A man ran up. "We've spotted the mist, just as you said, Missti Einn."

"Very good. I assume all of your weapons are prepared, although I doubt you will need to use them."

"They are."

"Good."

He left them, and Aeri peered up at Haku. The future Chief looked torn, and she sighed.

"Haku, you must understand—"

"Why are you going alone? All of Heimme would have joined you in this endeavor." I would have joined you.

"Do you not remember Hiccup's story? He and Toothless did it alone, Haku."

"Is that why you're doing this? For your pride?"

"No! If more people were here, more people would be hurt, or killed! No, my dragon and I swore we would end the terror of the dragons, and we will do it without costing the lives of your people."

"And what if the cost is your life?"

"Then… so be it." Unable to hold his gaze any longer, Aeri turned and strode away, looking for Shade on the crowded deck.

The Night Fury was deep in conversation with Fern and Mika, who had forced her way onboard.

The Grimler had followed Shade and Fern to the village without their knowledge, and marched right up to the ship, scaring the Hel out of the villagers. No one would stand in her way as she clambered up onto the deck, making her way to where Shade and Fern stood slack jawed and planting herself next to them.

"You aren't coming," Shade tried to tell her, but she waved him off.

"You never know when you might need me," she replied sweetly, glancing around at the wide-eyed men on the deck, who were frozen in place at the sight of her. She smiled, a big toothy grin, and someone whimpered. Finally Aeri, noticing the tension, came up and patted Mika's neck, yelling for everyone to get back to it.

Now, as they followed Fern's guidance through the thick fog, narrowly avoiding enormous jutting rock formations, they all prayed they were doing the right thing. Shade didn't exactly have a bad feeling about it, which he hoped was a good thing. Their journey was ominous to be sure, but not frightening or foreboding.

The next few hours passed in a blur for Aeri, and it seemed like no time at all passed as they landed on the silty beach, and with minimal conversation constructed the enormous catapult. She adjusted the bag around her torso containing the canisters of poison and checked on the bundle of spears that were strapped to Shade's saddle. The spear her father had made her, though she would have liked to have it, she left with Haku.

"Keep it safe for me," she said with a small smile, holding it out to him.

He grasped it wordlessly, a stricken expression spreading across his features, but did not pull it away from her.

"Don't worry," she said firmly, letting it go. "I will not allow any more harm to befall your people."

"And what if harm should befall you?" he asked in a whisper, stepping closer to her and catching her hand.

She looked down to where his fingers clasped her own gloved hand, and swallowed nervously. "Then…" she heard Shade's telltale rumbling and looked over to see him communicating fervently with Fern and Mika, who looked frustrated. Her own resolve deepened, knowing that her dragon was likely saying his goodbyes, just in case.

"Then I have served my purpose in this world." With that, she gave him a true smile, full of the feelings she had never voiced, and perhaps never would. "Go back to the ship, Haku." His eyes widened and she saw the hurt there, so before he could argue further she pulled her hand away and turned back to where the catapult stood, ready to serve its own purpose.

"Ready?" she called out, and the warriors manning it nodded. "Then let us begin."

They fired one shot at the side of the mountain, and nothing happened. After the second shot, distant shrieking could be heard, and after the third, the sounds of distressed dragons echoed across the beach. Aeri had to give the men credit, despite the growing din they did not appear fearful, nor did they flee. Grimly they continued to reload the catapult, striking the same place over and over, until finally the rock face crumbled and revealed a gaping black hole, which Aeri knew was filled with dragons.

"Last shot, lads," she said, and they lit the final projectile, a heavy ball of straw. As soon as they cut the rope and the contraption swung skyward and forward, time seemed to slow.

The flaming shot disappeared into the maw of the mountain, and without warning hundreds of dragons poured out through the opening, shrieking and hissing.

"Get back to the ship!" Aeri cried, and the men hastily obeyed her, vacating the beach in a matter of moments. Looking up, streams of dragons could be seen leaving the mountainside. It wasn't the sheer number of wild dragons that made her nervous. It was the atmosphere, thick with a tension she could scarcely begin to describe, and the cries of the creatures as they fled, seemingly calling out, "Flee! Flee from this place before it is too late!"

Shade forced Mika back onto the boat, though she resisted mightily. Fern was off on her own, doing what Shade had asked of her.

"Why?" the Grimler roared with frustration. "Why can I not fight alongside you?"

"You cannot fly!" he shouted back, equally frustrated.

"That doesn't make me useless!"

"I can't be worried about you getting hurt or killed!"

"You could just as easily be!"

"You're going back to Heimme and that's final. Goodbye, Mika."

"No… No! I hate you, Shade!" With a growl and a sob Mika fled up the side of the ship.

Helplessly, Shade watched her go, his heart aching, but knowing that she would be safe away from the nest. Back to the task at hand. Aeri stood alone on the shore, gazing up at the fleeing dragons above them. He padded up next to her, wanting to reassure her, when the ground beneath them trembled and an unearthly shriek shattered the air around them.

Haku heard the deafening roar through the mist as they sailed away, and his heart quailed. Leaving was a mistake. He would regret it for the rest of his life if he just left Rádgatá to her fate. But he couldn't ask it of the men to return with him. He turned her long spear over in his hands. How was he supposed to help her?

"Courage, Shade!" Aeri leapt onto his shoulders as the earth-shaking footsteps drew closer.

"WHOOO DARESSS DISTUUURB MYYY SLUMBERRR?"

Against his better judgement, Shade let out a roar of defiance. "Out here, you spineless sack of eels!"

The answering roar, if possible, was even louder than before. Then they saw her. Her long snout slowly passed through the opening, sniffing the air. Her small, squinty eyes blinked hard at the light of the day, and she snarled.

"WHERE…"

Aeri unfastened one of the poisonous spike spears and held it next to her body, and the Queen froze, peering out at them. For a moment, Shade wondered if she would actually leave her mountain fortress, and all fell silent.

Then, with a terrible roar, she burst forth from the mountain, scattering large chunks of rock skyward and out at them.

"IIII SEEEE YOUUU!"

Shade stood his ground, ignoring the fear in his heart. The Queen forced her enormous body through the opening, causing part of the mountain to come crashing down on top of her. Fervently, he hoped she would not get back up, but she did, hissing and shrieking as she fought free of the rocks.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Finally, she stood free of the debris, her deafening roar filling the atmosphere. Her enraged gaze landed on Shade, and she froze, suddenly becoming quiet.

"I ssseeee you hhhave a presssent with you…" her dark tongue flicked out of her mouth, and she licked her lips, stepping closer. "Are you going to shaaaare?"

Shade felt Aeri's body stiffen as she realized that the Queen was focusing on her. A desolate wind had picked up, the beach seeming colorless and lifeless under the grey cast of the sky. But he did not notice it at all, his attention being consumed by the massive being before him. Her face was long and scarred, with horns coming up around the sides of her skull. A long, thick neck sloped outwards to accommodate a relatively lean frame, her back covered in sharp spines that continued all the way to the tip of her whip-like tail. Her wings rested against her shoulders, but if Shade had to guess, he'd say they were too small and likely atrophied to support her in flight. Hopefully he wouldn't have the chance to test that assumption.

"I could uuussse a dragon like you…" the Queen hissed. "Together… we can end the tyranny of the humans!"

He didn't respond as she took another step closer, tilting her head to the side to peer at him with a small, beady eye. "Allow me to… liberate you from thisss creature."

Something cold washed over him. Gone was his fear, his hesitation. The Queen would kill Aeri in a moment, given the chance. Shade had sworn himself to keep her safe from all harm, and here they were, very much in harm's way. Time to end this.

Allowing a scowl to settle over his features, he opened his mouth, and the familiar whistle began to build. The Queen snarled, looking confused, but before she could speak any further he sent a powerful plasma blast straight at her face and leapt skyward. She roared through the explosion, which sent her stumbling back, then moved forward, her steps shaking the earth. Circling her, Shade fired again, wanting to get close enough to give Aeri a solid shot. Somehow they had to get the Queen to breathe in as much of the poison as possible.

Without warning her long, spiked tail flashed up from below and smashed into him, sending him tumbling out of control towards a tall rock formation out in the water. Grunting, Shade flipped himself over at the last minute to avoid crushing his rider as he crashed into the sea stack, and his claws left deep scrapes on the rock as he tried his best to hold on. Lines of searing pain blossomed along his chest and abdomen where the spikes cut into him, and he shook his head, dizzy, still clinging to the rock while his head slowed its spinning.

Behind him, he heard the Queen charging and without looking knew she was heading straight for them, so he gritted his teeth and began to climb, scrabbling against the vertical surface for some kind of purchase. When he felt that they were sufficiently high up, he glanced down over his shoulder just in time to see the Queen smash headfirst into the sea stack, causing the entire thing to quake ominously. Cracks appeared around them and Shade felt Aeri holding tight to him, trusting him to keep her alive. But he didn't yet trust himself to take to the air, not after the hit he'd taken, so he swallowed his fear and kept climbing, ignoring the loud roar of the massive dragon below them.

"GET BAAACK DOOOWN HEEERE!"

Shade reached the top edge of the rock, just as the Queen began to rock back onto her own hind legs to try and reach them. Desperately he hung onto the vertical wall as it shook from her movement, hoping that Aeri could hold on, as well. So when she removed her boots from the stirrups, he roared his frustration.

"Aeri! What are you doing?" he cried out, and as usual, she seemed to be able to understand him perfectly.

"Look," she whispered hoarsely. Then he noticed that the Queen's attention was no longer on them, and surprised, he looked down to the beach far below.

Haku had never been more terrified. But coming through the mist on Mika's back as she swam powerfully through the water, and seeing Rádgatá and Dreki about to be devoured, his resolve had steeled. Maybe he couldn't kill the Queen for them, but he could give them time. Holding Rádgatá's spear above his head, he began to shout.

"Down here, you lazy worm!" Beneath him, Mika seemed to be operating on the same agenda, roaring belligerently. The Queen's enormous head turned in their direction, and she snarled menacingly. Okay, we have her attention. Now, to get her away from… Oh, no.

Even from this distance, he could tell what Rádgatá was going to do. "No! NO!"

"Keep holding on, bud," Aeri said softly, drawing her legs beneath her so that she could turn and face the menace below.

"Aeri… no!" But there was nothing he could do except watch her over his shoulder. As the Queen's enormous head turned to see Haku and Mika shouting insults at her, Aeri leapt from the saddle, her stomach dropping as she fell towards the giant dragon's face. Thrusting a spear out, she embedded the spine at the tip of the spear into the Queen's hide, barely holding on as the dragon roared in pain. But when the Queen shook her head, Aeri was tossed skyward again, so she quickly drew two more of the long spears, praying that the canisters on her back would not break. As she fell back towards certain death, she took a deep breath, and time seemed to slow. Meeting the giant's enraged gaze, which was no longer on Haku or Mika, Aeri let out a furious battle cry, angling herself away from the dragon's teeth and instead straight to her narrowed eye.

Holding both spears out in front of her, Aeri plunged the weapons deep into the Queen's eye, feeling as her wrist broke from the force of impact. Crying out, she held onto one shaft, feeling her grip slipping as the Queen tried to blink out the spears. But the poisonous spines were buried deep in her eye, so the dragon jerked her head hard, and Aeri was thrown off. The last thing she remembered was sailing through the air, until she smashed into the rock formation, and everything went black.

Haku watched with horror as Rádgatá fell, but Dreki dove off the rock after her, catching her limp form just before she hit the ground. The black dragon was flying awkwardly, as though he was injured, and it wasn't long before he landed hard on his back, still holding onto his rider. Without being prompted, Mika sprinted over to where he lay, breathing heavily.

"Rádgatá!" the human yelled, leaping from the Grimler's neck and rushing to the downed pair. Shade groaned, relaxing his hold so that Haku could take Aeri from him. The ground shook from the Queen's rampage, and Shade felt numb, unable to focus.

"Shade!" It was Mika. "Shade, what do we do?"

Slowly, he rolled over, shakily getting to his feet. Looking over, he saw Haku on his knees, holding tight to Aeri's body. The boy was whispering to her, begging her to wake up, but she had a nasty gash on the back of her head, and her hair was now matted with blood. The sack of canisters was on the ground next to them, and for a moment Shade wondered why it was there.

"Shade," Mika urged, and he looked at her, his vision slightly blurry.

"I… don't…" he started, when a squawk interrupted them.

"Fern!" Mika cried, and the Flashfang gave her a funny look as she landed.

"I thought Shade sent you away," she replied, and the Grimler sniffed.

"He tried, but Haku and I decided we don't like taking orders."

"Huh. Well, Shade, I did as you asked, and they agreed."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"They agreed, Shade! They're going to help us!" The words were like cold water. Shade suddenly leapt to the bag of canisters, slicing it open with a claw. One was broken, its contents spilled, and the potent reek of the poison made him dizzy all over again. Quickly he grabbed the remaining ones, rolling them out of the bag.

"What are you doing?" the two female dragons asked.

"This is what we are going to do."

Shade took off, carrying as many of the canisters as he could with his legs. He flew straight at the Queen, roaring his defiance, then shot a plasma blast at her face. She screeched, and her long tail whipped around to try and knock him from the sky again, but she missed.

He circled her face, waiting, and she opened her mouth, breathing a wild stream of fire into the air. Dodging it, he hovered right above her head, forcing her to look up at him.

Blood trickled from her blinded eye, but she could still see from the other, and she hissed, "You have caused me enough trouble!" And with that, she began to inhale, pulling him close to her jaws. Shade allowed himself to be pulled, pretending to fight the suction, and her mouth opened wide, preparing to consume him.

When all seemed lost, a loud screech echoed across the seemingly deserted beach, and from the mist a great swarm of Flashfangs appeared.

"Now!" Fern cried out, and they all swung their tails around, shooting off thousands of spikes straight at the Queen. At the last second Shade dove from the line of fire, and the vacuum of the Queen's breath sucked in every last spine. The spikes embedded themselves in her throat, down her air pipe, and in her lungs.

A hoarse scream escaped her as the painful poison from the spikes began to spread, and she reared back, swinging her head skyward. Shade blasted up, and when he was level with the tip of her nose, he released the large canisters. Almost in slow-motion, they tumbled from his grip, into her flared nostril, which was desperately trying to inhale clean air.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Shade feared that they had made a serious miscalculation as she lowered her head, meeting his gaze with a hateful stare.

"YOU—" suddenly she was cut off by a fit of coughing, and her eyes widened with fear. "WHAT" cough "HAVE YOU DONE" cough "TO ME?!"

Then, her eyes rolled back, and she slowly fell to her knees, then collapsed on the beach with a thunderous boom.

Shade landed on the silty sand near her head, followed from a distance by the flock of wild Flashfangs. Approaching her still body, he sniffed the air, peering into her sightless eye. But he could not hear her heart beat, nor did she take a single breath. The Queen was dead.

"We've done it!" Fern shrieked, and the wild dragons erupted into cheers. Shade turned to face them, opening his mouth to speak, but a painful twinge passed through his chest, and he looked down to see blood. His blood, seeping from the wounds inflicted by the Queen's spiny tail when she had struck him.

He looked up at Fern, who was watching him with a look of horror. The cheering was swallowed by the sound of his heartbeat. Then the darkness took him.

They watched from the top of a sea stack as one of the dragons flew off into the mist. It wasn't too long before it returned, followed by a large ship. Men streamed from it, and with the help of the wild dragons, they were able to carry the black dragon's body back to the craft, leaving the corpse of the nest Queen to rot on the shore.

Following at a distance, they trailed the ship sailing as quickly as it could through the mist, darkening with the setting of the sun. The black dragon was laid on the wooden deck next to a human, who was holding another human in his arms. Several dragons gathered around them, the rest airborne, all of them traveling in the same direction.

Finally the ship left the mist, sailing by the light of the moon now. They stayed back, not wanting to be spotted, setting down on a tall rock formation. For a while they sat there, listening to the sound of the sea, trying to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

Eventually the ship passed from sight, but they knew where it was headed. The purple and black dragon grumbled, clearly bored with their lack of movement.

"Easy, Sahko," the dark rider soothed his friend, still stunned by the day's events. It had been difficult not to intervene, but it was better that they hadn't. Best to keep their presence unknown, unseen.

He could go to Surmata now, tell her what he had seen, but something told him that there was more going on than met the eye. Perhaps he would stick around for a while, to make sure that they were in the right place. To make sure that their prey survived.

After all, they had spent an awfully long time hunting that black dragon and its rider, and it would be a shame to find them, only to lose them permanently.

He rested his hand along the scabbard of his silver sword, deep in thought, until the Skrill grumbled again, distracting him.

"You're right. Let's go." James held on loosely as Sahko leapt from the sea stack, following the ship to the island. Following their prey.

Soon.

Alright, friends. James is back, and that can't mean anything good for Aeri and Shade.

Now, what to do next. I should hope you have all read Silver by now. If not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! If so, I need to know: Do you want me to continue to write Winter's story separately, or is it alright for me to merge the two from this point on? This is important, so please review.

Speaking of reviews, I've been inspired to ask you all to leave one for me. It encourages me to update faster, and I personally think I write best when feeling encouraged. I'll keep writing and posting even if you don't, but please consider it. Even a few words saying "I like this" or "Why do you even bother writing, you worthless cretin?" are better than no words at all.

Anyways. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned...