A/N-Alright, we've reached the final chapter! We are "halfway" through the series, though the best is yet to come.

Chapter 22

We're Back!

Three days. Surprisingly that was all it took to return to Berk. The second day found us high above the northernmost strip of the land we'd come to know as Narnia, and though it was still further south than the rest of the northern lands we were used to, the mountains below were covered in ice and snow, and the air we flew through had even the Vikings bundling up with their thicker clothes. At one point I was even tempted to grab the oversize fleece in my backpack, but decided against it and raised my body temperature. It wasn't long, in any case, before we were past the cold air of those northern mountains, and behind us the towering cliffs of eastern Narnia faded from view.

Evening came quickly, almost too quickly, and as the sun set fire to the ocean below we managed to reach the southern edge of Iceland, and landed to bunk down for the night. Once we were all set up and everyone was busy gathering around the fire we'd started, I decided now was as good a time as any to reveal my new hidden cargo to Hiccup. He was ready, I thought, and with what we went through you never knew what might pop up next. I walked up next to him and tapped him on the shoulder, nodding for him and then Toothless to follow me, and after a brief argument with Astrid and Cami as to why they couldn't tag along, we set off into the thick nearby forest alone.

"So, why exactly are we out here, following you in a strangely cryptic silence?" Hiccup asked eventually as we began to slow. Toothless didn't bother with a follow-up question, especially since I could bet he felt the slight field of energy given off by the hidden weapon in my pack. I looked around and decided we were far enough away, and would hear any eavesdroppers long before they reached us, and stopped, turning to the two.

"When I followed Aslan," I began, "he brought a number of things to light that I had questions about: one of the reasons I can do what I can, why I have such a responsibility, and so on. But what he intended wasn't all about me. It was about all of us." I sighed and looked plainly at him. "To say it simply, we're all stuck together, this little team we're a part of camped out nearby." ::Meaning?:: Toothless inquired. I smiled distantly. "Meaning whether we like it or not, our futures are intertwined from here on out. You and me, Hiccup, whether or not you want to admit it, are leading this ragtag bunch, and we're leading what could very well end up being a small but formidable force." "You really want to include Snotlout and the twins in that?" Hiccup asked, a smile playing on his lips as Toothless snorted behind him, trying not to laugh.

"Yes," I said simply, ignoring the remark, "and," I continued quietly, pulling off my pack (taking care not to tangle the straps with my swords) and reaching in, "that means I wasn't the only one God decided to gift. There may be a lot of guardians on this earth already, but there's still a select few others being paid attention to." I could see Hiccup tensing up in expectation of a big surprise, as I pulled the still concealed weapon from the pack.

"I'm one of them, aren't I?" he asked. I nodded. "You, Toothless, and really everyone here. But right now apparently especially you and Toothless to an extent. Partly because of the fact that you've done so much in your life already, you were selected to receive a gift, a power of your own. And this," I announced, whisking away the cloth I held over Framherja, "is it."

There was dead silence for a moment as I held out the golden bow, and both boy and dragon just stared at it. Finally, Hiccup shook his head and asked, "W-what is that?" "This is Framherja," I answered. "She is a very specially made weapon, to be wielded only by you." He raised an eyebrow, and slowly took hold of his new weapon. "I-I can feel, like, electricity running through it." He looked at me. "What is this thing made of?" I smiled cryptically. "The same as a very famous hammer, and the touch of a guardian, someone I think you might be a little familiar with."

Hiccup's eyes widened even further. "You mean…?" he began, but couldn't finish. I shrugged sort of nonchalantly. "I'm not fully certain. All I know is that you are the one Aslan chose to be the wielder of Framherja, and only four people can even handle her. Me and you, obviously, Toothless, and Astrid. However, it's your responsibility to figure out how to use the bow. And it's also your responsibility to make sure she is used responsibly."

Hiccup looked the unique bow over, then glanced at me again. "Two questions: what happens if she's not used properly, and do you know what she is able to use as ammo? I have a feeling a bow like this isn't just going to shoot wood." I smiled cryptically again. "I don't really know for your first question. For your second, again you have to find out how to use her, whether or not I know what she uses to fire." He nodded. "What about if someone else tries to use her?" I laughed. "I'm sure we'll find out at some point, and don't tell the other teens, since I kind of want to see. But Framherja is yours to keep, and use, wisely." I turned and looked back toward camp. "Come on, the rest are going to start wondering where we went off to." "Like they aren't already?" Hiccup snarked.

I turned and started walking toward our makeshift camp. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hiccup share a look with Toothless, before carefully hiding the bow inside his vest where it just barely fit. Then the two jogged to catch up with me.

We reached camp to naturally find everyone else still sitting around the fire, roasting the fish Thuggory and Silverwings had been sent out to catch and trying to ignore the twins wrestling in the dirt nearby again. As we entered the clearing, all the dragons immediately looked at Hiccup, picking up on the faint vibes of the weapon. Unlike me, Hiccup couldn't throw out interference just being himself to mask the weapon. "Something wrong with him?" Stormfly asked, drawing the attention then of everyone. "No, no, I'm uh, I'm just fine," Hiccup said, faking a big yawn. "I'm just a little, uh, tired. I'm probably going to head off to bed now." Stormfly raised an eyebrow. "Then why"-

::Now's not the time, Stormfly,:: Toothless and I both said simultaneously. Stormfly stopped, flashed slightly red in surprise, then laid back down grumbling. ::Oh, fine, I get it. Something we don't need to know. I understand,:: she muttered. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "This is going to be a long night."

Noon next day found everyone above the ocean again, flying toward a group of distant islands to the northeast. The largest on the southern end looked familiar, wide with massive mountains jutting up from one side. "There's Berk!" Camicazi yelled. "We should be there in about an hour!" There were cheers from the others and the dragons, and as they celebrated, Toothless and Hiccup glided up next to me. "How do you think everyone will react, us just showing up randomly a month after we left?" I smiled. "Oh, we'll get thousands of questions and requests for our tales from afar. The usual really." He sighed as I laughed, and they glided back into their position.

As predicted, almost an hour later we reached visual distance from Berk. I looked down at the village, and saw people starting to swarm out of their houses and point up at us. Everyone was filing out of their houses it seemed as we neared, but still the one door I didn't see open was the chief's. It had me worrying, but then from the back of Hiccup's house came a flurry of greenish wings and tail. It didn't take long to recognize who it was either.

::Hawken! Toothless! You're back!:: he yelled out. ::Spitfire! Good to see you too!:: I called back. It was the Changewing I had helped rescue from a fort on the mainland nearly 2 months before.

::We were beginning to worry that you wouldn't return,:: Spitfire said, and then looked behind him. At that point I finally noticed Stoick riding Spitfire, eyes full of apprehension (probably of flying a dragon he didn't know well) and relief. "Hiccup! You're alright!" he yelled out, and then laughed. "We were beginning to worry! It's been nearly a month!" "We almost didn't make it," Hiccup admitted. Stoick's laughing died down at hearing that. "What did you-wait, no, save it for tonight. First, to the village!"

We followed Stoick and Spitfire down to the village, and landed in the square. Immediately the entire village swarmed around us, pestering us with questions. Stoick held up his hands. "People, please!" he yelled. "They've only just gotten back, give them some space, and we'll all hear what happened later!" He glanced at us and gave a wink as he jumped off the Changewing. We all sighed in relief and automatically headed for Hiccup's house to get refreshed and relaxed.

"It feels soooo good to be back," Ruffnut drawled. Tuffnut nodded in agreement. "That was a long trip. Hey, where'd Hiccup and Astrid go?" he asked, looking around. Sure enough, the couple was nowhere to be seen. I got up and looked upstairs into Hiccup's room, but they weren't there either.

"I think I know where they went," I said as I came back down. "You guys stay here, I'll send them back eventually." I took that as my excuse to escape for the day, and bolted straight to the cove. Just as I suspected, I found the pair and their two dragons down below, and I landed nearby.

"You realize they're all wondering where you disappeared to, right?" I asked. Hiccup nodded, before shrugging. "We need some time alone before the big storytelling tonight. Plus," he added, taking his hands from behind his back, "I had to tell Astrid about this without the others being around for now." He held up Framherja, and I could tell by Astrid's look Hiccup had already shown her.

"You realize what this means for us, right Hawken?" Astrid asked. I held up my hands. "Wasn't my decision, I was just the messenger, even if I think all of us would have ended up sticking together anyway. However, I'm thinking you'd better learn how to use that bow, Hiccup, because I have a feeling our adventures definitely aren't over."

Hiccup nodded and looked at the weapon in his hands, before hanging it over his shoulder. "We're going to stay here for a bit, then head back to the village," he said. "Are you going to join us?" I shook my head and gestured upward to the cove's rim. "Nah. It's been just about a month since we left, so I have a feeling I'm going to be roasted when I head home. I might as well get that over with." I looked around, then back at the group. "I will be back later, probably a few days though, alright?" They nodded, and then waved me off as I flew up to the portal. Turning back one last time, I waved back before stepping into my reality once more.

My return was exactly as expected, first getting swarmed by my sister and then my parents, who demanded I fill them in on what happened. Like when I first came back from Berk over a year before, they were speechless after my couple-hour long story. Eventually, however, things wound down and we set down together for something truly normal: family dinner.

"We got a call from your boss a few days ago," my dad informed me, "wanting to know if you'd be back soon and needing more plants to sell, so you're going to have to head down there soon to figure things out." "Yeah, I know, but I need at least a day to recuperate," I replied, swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"And," my mother added, "you do remember, I hope, that college starts in about a week."

I groaned as my head hit the table.

5 Months Later….

He didn't have to look up to know there was someone, or something, standing in his cell.

"What do you want?" he hissed. Whoever it was didn't answer immediately, and the man looked up slowly. It appeared human, but something surrounding the being seemed off, a darkness that pervaded the space that couldn't be seen, but felt.

"I am here on behalf of my master, who has a proposition for you," the being in black robes said quietly. The prisoner tilted his head. "And what would that be?" "You know of the boy who wields the powers of dragons, and who holds his fingers on the secrets of the world. He is a threat to the plans of my master, and you are one of the few who has come against him and has not changed heart."

The man looked up at the robed figure again. "And that means what? I lost my gamble with that boy. No one is a real match for him, not without finding whatever secrets hide his power. And I have no way out of this cell, however much I would wish to pay him back."

"If you are willing, my master can give you a power to rival that of the boy's," the figure hissed. "You would be given the world, so long as you rid us of that boy and bring everyone else to us."

The prisoner sat there, thinking over this idea. There really wasn't much he had to lose, and he had lost faith in anything else long ago. He smiled slightly.

"Do we have a deal?" the figure in black asked, holding out a gnarled hand. John Malin smiled wider and took it. He was about to find out he'd truly made a deal with the devil, but he didn't care. He had the opportunity he'd been hoping for, and now he would take it: bring down the one who ruined him, and everything that he stood for.

A/N-Okay, rotten of me to leave this story on an edge like that, but there you go. Everyone remember Malin?

Next weekend the prologue to Time's Revelation will be posted, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. In the meantime: thoughts? Comments? Make sure to review and let me know what you think of this story! And I want to hear your predictions: where does the next adventure take us? Who will we be meeting? And, I've had a couple people make comments on how seemingly invincible I've made the main character; how long do you think that image will really stand?