Part Three

5 YEARS LATER

The sun hung far in the east; its rays not yet warm on the open ocean. The water was calm, rocking only slightly in the gentle breeze. It was a rare day of peaceful weather and only a few clouds threatened to spill their chilly loads. Fishlegs was quite happy for the change as he steered his little boat across the open waters.

His body glistened, even in the cool morning, with sweat from his exertion and despite having a blanket in the boat, the boy did not use it to cover himself. Once frail, thin, legs were now thick trunks to his frame. Broad shoulders, that had only been bulky for his heavy weight, now sported rolling muscles built from hard labor. His pale skin was tanned and his blonde hair, nearly platinum, hanging to his lower back. The locks were restrained by a braid that bounced with the rhythm of his rowing.

For a moment, Fishlegs paused and let the current carry him forward, as he pulled a scroll from the pack at his feet. It was a quickly drawn map that sported multiple random islands. He drew his finger along the squiggled lines that represented water and tapped an unmapped section near the upper section of the paper. "Guess I'll see what's over there…."

Re-rolling the map, Fishlegs took up the oars and again pushed himself toward the unknown.

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Thud! Thump! Crash!

Hiccup turned against the noise, hoping that maybe this morning, he could ignore his rambunctious companion. But, as with every morning, the dragon heard the small rustle of blankets and the light shift in the human's breathing, and leapt onto the boy's back.

Hiccup shot up with a grunt as Toothless' full weight came crashing down upon him.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!"

Toothless crooned, annoyed, and pushed against his rider until Hiccup had no choice but to crawl from the comfort of his bed or get pushed out of it. "Bossy…" He muttered with a yawn as he stood. Another yawn escaped him, and with half-closed eyes, he clambered onto his dragon's back. Toothless lead him outside and with a leap from his powerful legs, into the air.

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By the time Fishlegs arrived to the island, the sun was warm and he was panting in the heat. "Whew!" He brushed a heavy forearm over his brow and looked around. The foliage on the island was thick and he could see more ground than sea. A small smile broke out on his face. "Looks promising."

He gathered his pack and great sword, the weapon fitting comfortably against his back, before slowly picking his way through the forest. Fishlegs, took great pains in noting as much as he could about the island, studying the trees, the grass, and the soil. He sat in the same spot for several minutes, scribbling about the insects that buzzed by and the birds that hunted them. The trees on the island were thick, clumped fairly tightly together, and showed no signs of rot. Many of them reached to the sky as though attempting to blot it from sight. Fishlegs considered this a positive. Anything that came from above would be hard pressed to catch prey without having to crash through the heavy branches.

A sudden 'whooshing of large wings passed over head, giving credence to Fishlegs' worries, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. In a swift movement, he switched his notebook for the great sword, the blade glistening in the sunlight. Narrowed eyes darted to and fro as he tried to pinpoint where the beast would come from.

The sound came again, from his far right, and Fishlegs jerked in that direction. Then, from behind him then, the right again. The beast was fast. His fingers tightened that all too familiar hilt of his sword, ready for anything.

A piercing roar cut the air and Fishlegs responded with a scream of his own. Suddenly, he was face to belly with a thick black hide. His breath caught in his throat and he could only mouth the words,' Night…fury'. Fear that he had not felt in years froze his legs and the boy fell back. The sword clattered to the ground and Fishlegs turned his eyes away. He did not want to see when death came…

The dragon roared above him, the heat from its plasma building, then…nothing.

"Fishlegs?"

The Viking squinted open an eye and nearly lost his breath again. The tousled chestnut hair, the skinny frame…"Hiccup?"

Fishlegs opened his other eye. "Hiccup…is that really you?"

Five years had only barely changed the chief's son. Hiccup was still tall and lanky, though he had a bit more definition to his calves and forearms. He was a bit scruffier, the beginnings of the traditional Viking beard edging his more defined face. But the same outline was the same. It was Hiccup!

Fishlegs bounded back to his feet, ready to tackle his old friend.

The roar of the dragon next to Hiccup called him off.

Hiccup easily patted the dragon's head. "Easy, Toothless." Despite his calming words, Hiccup did not take his eyes from Fishlegs, he too noticing the difference five years could make.

"What are you doing here?"

The blonde did not answer. His attention instead focused on the dragon again. The Night Fury was terrifying and threatening and deadly and everything else he had ever heard or read about, but none of that as directed to the human at his side. In fact, by the way his forelegs were splayed and his tail wrapped just a bit to his left, Fishlegs could see that the dragon was clearly protecting Hiccup. "It was true…"

"What was true?" Hiccup's voice was heavy, suspicious, and it drew Fishlegs' attention back to him.

"You…you trained a dragon!"

Hiccup sighed.

"Not just any dragon…but a Night Fury! Hiccup that's…." his words were cut off as a plasma blast shot by his head and exploded on his boat. "Hiccup?"

The dragon rider turned away, glancing only momentarily over his shoulder. "You won't be going back, Fishlegs. Not now that you've found me."