Chapter 11: One Last Dance

Back in Dragon Mountain in Valka's Quarters, the dragons hover for scraps while Heather, Ragnar and Gobber watch from the sidelines, Stoick and Valka prepare skewers of fish. She's overwhelmed, lost in her thoughts, and covering it up poorly.

The Haddock twins walked around the cave to gather the fishes they caught while on that 'fish flight' while explaining everything about their time back on Berk more clearly to her since their father is here.

"Seriously Mom, you'd never even recognize it!" Hicca begins happily as she and her brother grab some fish in a basket as Toothless and Midnight try to nab some.

"Yeah! Where we used to make weapons, we now build saddles, wing slings - we even fix dragon teeth!" Hiccup added with a smile as he closed the basket before the Night Fury cubs could grab any fish.

"You can thank our pal Screamy the Screaming Death for that." Hicca finished as she and her brother brought their fishes to their mother.

"You wouldn't believe how much everything's changed over the years." Hiccup added.

Valka offers a skittish half-smile and hands her children each a plate.

"Our kids changed Berk for the better. I think we did well with this one, Val." Stoick said with a smile to his wife and to his kids.

"Thanks, Dad." The Haddock twins said with a smile from their father's words.

Stoick places his hands on Valka's shoulders. She flinches, dropping the plate.

Cloudjumper steals the fish before the Night Fury cubs could get any.

'Hey, no fair!' Darkie warbled while his siblings whimpered at their lunch stolen from them.

'Cloudjumper, shame on you, stealing from hatchlings!' Midnight growls firmly at the large dragon, 'Give the children their food, or else.' She warns with her mouth glowing.

Cloudjumper tilted his head at them and as a sign of acceptance, Cloudjumper regurgitates the fish so that the Night Fury cubs can have some. The Night Fury cubs smiled at the fishes as they each shared portions of the fishes as they ate them with a gulp. And gave gummy smiles at Cloudjumper.

'Thank you, uncle Cloudjumper.' Starlight said as her siblings nodded in thanking him for the fishes he gave to them.

Cloudjumper squawked in embarrassment as Toothless and Midnight looked surprised, 'Ha! Uncle Cloudjumper?!' Toothless asked with a laugh-like growl as the Stormcutter looked away in a huff.

'I think it's adorable and cute.' Midnight warbled with a dragon-like smile. 'You are Valka's dragon and part of the family after all.'

'Not to mention that these cubs have been quite the clawful to look after.' Cloudjumper grunted as the Night Furies cubs began to climb on him as they started playing with him as Cloudjumper just stood still with a blank expression. 'They are really hyperactive and somewhat curious little ones.' He added as Shadow climbed onto one of his horns as he dangled from it while Cloudjumper tilted his head in irritation.

'That's our children.' Toothless warbled as he went to where Shadow was dangling as he grabbed his cub and took him off of Cloudjumpers horn.

'Really take after their parents alright.' Midnight added as she grabbed the rest of their cubs and brought them close.

'I can see the resemblance.' Cloudjumper grunted in annoyance as the Night Fury family gave dragon-likes chuckles at his expression.

"I'm... a little out of practice." Valka said it was embarrassing since it has been a long time since she did anything social back in Berk.

"Well, y'know... I didn't marry you for your cooking." Stoick said sweetly to his wife, he didn't care if Valka lost some skills, he was just happy to see her again.

"I hope not." Gobber said to the Haddock twins, two Berserkers and Grump as Hiccup and Hicca gave them each a plate of skewed fishes. "Her meatballs could kill more beasts than a battle ax." He said to the group as he patted his belly. "I've still got a few knocking around in here. Ha ha!" He added as he took a bite, gags, and dumped the entire plate of fish skewers into Grump's mouth like a trash can.

Ragnar snicker at him. "Sorry Gobber, but even living among dragons for twenty years really didn't improve her cooking." He said to him as he brought some fish to Skully.

"I guess some things never change for a person." Heather added while giving some fish to Windshear as she ate it.

"I guess that's true enough." Hicca said with a shrug, having not known that their mother was a terrible cook, but not surprising if what Gobber said is true.

"And once you move back in, with all of your dragons, Drago won't even stand a chance. Everything will be okay!" Hiccup cheered if knowing with this many dragons, Drago will call off the attacks.

"We can round up our allies on Berk and gather as many people and dragons as we could and with your dragons, we can stop Drago in one swoop." Hicca added in agreement with her brother's idea.

Stoick can see that Valka is overwhelmed. He lays each hand upon Hiccup and Hicca's shoulders, calming them down. "Slow down, kids. It's a lot to take in." He said to them in letting them know about their mother's expression.

"Oh. Gotcha." Hiccup said in apologetic.

"Sorry, dad." Hicca apologizes, now knowing there is so much to their mother as it is now.

Valka crosses the room to fill a flask with water, back turned to the group, as Stoick eyes her sympathetically. He decides on a different approach and whistles a familiar tune as Valka starred in shock and familiarations.

"Oh, I love this one!" Gobber cheered as he recognized that tune with a smile as the Haddock twins, Heather and Ragnar are confused since they've never heard this before.

"What's he talking about?" Heather asked the Haddock twins.

"We have no idea." Both Haddock siblings shrugged in confusion, not sure themselves.

Stoick approaches Valka delicately. "Remember our song, Val?" He whispers to her.

Hiccup and Hicca watches him, curious, as Stoick fumbles through the first verse of an old Viking courting song:

Stoick begins to sing. "I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning. And gladly ride the waves of life, if you will marry me." He sang to her as Valka avoided his gaze, wallowing in a mess of emotions.

Stoick continues. "No scorching sun, nor freezing cold WILL -" He was cut off when Gobber interrupted.

"- will stop me on my journey!" Gobber sings and then catches Stoick glaring at him for interrupting. "Sorry." He said in embarrassment.

Stoick scowls at him, then returns his attention to Valka as he continues singing. "If you will promise me your heart…" he paused, setting Valka up for her part of the duet. "And love…" he stopped.

Stoick hangs eagerly, awaiting her words, but Valka closes her eyes, rejecting his invitation. He lets out a heavy-hearted sigh. But nostalgia gets the better of Valka. She softly sings her part of the song as she remembers the rest.

"And love me for eternity." Valka sang as Stoick beams. She brushes past him, setting into the center of the chamber and holding her forearm aloft in invitation. Stoick crosses his forearm against hers, initiating a beautiful dance to accompany the song. "My dearest one, my darling dear, you mighty words astound me. But I've no need for mighty deeds, when I feel your arms around me." she sang.

The dance is full of charming missteps as Stoick and Valka recreate a moment from their past, before the Haddock twins' wonder-struck eyes while the two Berserkers were interested in this.

"But I would bring you rings of gold. I'd even sing you poetry." Stoick sang. "And I would keep you from all harm, if you'd stay here beside me." He added.

"I have no use for rings of gold." Valka started singing again. "I care not for your poetry. I only want your hand to hold. I only want you near me."

Gobber can't help himself. "C'mon Hi!" He drags Hiccup and Hicca onto their feet so that they can join in the dancing, too.

Ragnar and Heather looked at each other, a little embarrassed on not gonna dance together, so they decided to stand by and watch while they're dragons bobbed their heads to the song.

Stoick, Valka and Gobber sing together. "To love and kiss, to sweetly hold. For the dancing and the dreaming. Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your love inside me." They sing as Hiccup and Hicca are amazed by the sight of their giddy parents, spinning and laughing in each others' arms, reunited. "I'll swim and sail through savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning. And gladly ride the waves of life, if you will marry me!" they finished.

Gobber carried out the last note that made Hiccup and Hicca feel weird. "GOBBER!" The Haddock twins yelled.

"I'm still going…" Gobber said in a singing voice as Hiccup tapped him.

"Gobber!" Hiccup yelled again

"You can let us down now!" Hicca yelled while tapping him as well as Gobber let them go.

"I'm done." Gobber said.

"Gotta say, that was an amazing song they sang." Heather said in amazement.

"Must've been what they sang together when they first met." Ragnar added with a small smile.

Valka and Stoick slow to a stop, winded and laughing. "Ah... I thought I'd have to die before we'd have that dance again." Stoick told his wife as he thought she was dead for too long, he was going to die first if she was in Valhalla when she was first kidnapped.

"No need for drastic measures." Valka told him not to do so.

"For you, my dear... anything." Stoick told her as Valka smiled sweetly. Stoick's eyes welled up with tears. He goes down on one knee, proposing to her anew. "Will you come home, Val? Will you be my wife once again?" He asked her.

The cubs nudges Valka closer to Stoick, as a hint for her to say yes. They laugh as the Haddock twins join them. Stoick throws his arm around him.

"We can be a family! What do you say?" Stoick asked her again.

Valka, between tears and laughter, turns to her children. "Yes!" She called out in happiness as she will go home together as one big family again.

Gobber pops his head in. "Great! I'll do the cooking!" he said to them as he will make the food this time and maybe teach Valka how to cook again.

In that word, the group all laugh together.

"Thank Odin, you didn't listen to me, kids." Stoick said to Hiccup and Hicca. "We never would have found each other." He said, actually thankful for his children's disobedience.

"Uh, was that a compliment?" Hicca asked.

"Maybe just take it as one," Heather suggested with a grin. Suddenly, Toothless, Midnight, Skully, Windshear and Cloudjumper suddenly perk up, sensing something unheard, and for some reason the Night Furies younglings didn't feel perk up as the other dragons. Hiccup notices.

"Toothless? Midnight?" Hiccup asked the two adult Night Furies as Dragons swarm past the chamber, racing toward some unknown disturbance. "What's happening?" He asked.

They're answered by subsequent heavy booms that reverberate through the fortress.

"Something is attacking the nest!" Hicca announces in worry as their eyes widen in shock on what is going on as Valka rushes out to find out.

(Linebreak)

Outside in an open cave, Valka rushed out and saw Drago's Armada in the lagoon below and his forces of thousands now landed upon the beach.

They launch catapults and ballistas into the icy spires, gaining entrance into the mountain's tunnels.

The Haddock twins, Stoick, the two Berserkers and Gobber catch up to Valka and see Drago's army where they are standing.

"Oh, no…" Hiccup said in horror.

"That guy really knows how to make an army over time." Hicca added with shock.

"How did they find us?!" Ragnar asked in shock.

"Don't know, but they found us!" Heather called out while drawing out her battle ax.

Valka tries to hurry off, fuming. Stoick stops her.

"Val! It's all right, it's all right. We're a team now." Stoick reasons his wife in stating they are in this together. "Now what do you want to do?" he asked her in a beat tone ready for anything.

"We have to save the dragons." Valka stated in a serious voice.

Stoick became determined to his wife's voice. "Aye. You got it!" He throws his arms around Hiccup and Hicca. "Come on, kids." he said to them as they rushed to their dragons.

Hiccup and Hicca looked at each other. "You ready, sis?" he asked his sister with a smile.

"You know it, bro." Hicca started with a determined smile as they both nodded and she turned to the Berserkers. "You guys in?"

"Like you need to ask?" Ragnar asked with a smirk and drawing his swords as Heather spun her ax with a smirk.

The Haddock twins smirked as they put on their helmets their father gave them back early and put them down to seal their faces. Ready to fight for the dragons and stop Drago.

They made it back to the chamber as they got their dragons ready as the Night Fury cubs were about to follow but Toothless and Midnight stopped them.

'You five, wait here where it's safe.' Toothless warbled sternly to their kids.

'Aw, seriously dad? Are we still doing this?' Blaze asked her father in confusion as her siblings are having the same question.

'He's right, kids.' Midnight said softy, 'With Darkie's tail injured, he needs the four of you to protect him.'

'Besides we didn't wait this long to find you only to lose you again.' Toothless added and softened his expression when he saw the five's worried faces, 'Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just stay here and let us handle this. Drago probably already knows about us, he doesn't have to find out about you five next.'

'So stay here with the other dragon babies and stay hidden until this is over.' Midnight instructed. 'And watch out for each other and stay together.'

The five Night Furies cubs looked at their parents in worry as they looked at one another in concern as they looked down in concededly, 'Okay.' They all warbled in unison.

'We promise we'll be okay and will come back when the battle is over. Just stay clear of the fallen icicles.' Toothless advice.

Hiccup and Hicca quickly mounted on Toothless and Midnight as they took flight after the others. As they flew off, the five cubs looked at each other cheekily.

'We're going to watch the battle from the cave entrances up close, right?' Nightshade asked his siblings with a dragon-like smirk.

'Yes. Yes we are.' Darkie answered as he turned to his siblings. 'Mom and Dad may have told us to stay clear of the battle, but they never said anything about not watching it up and personal.' He added cheekily. And with that, the five raced off to get a front row seat of the action.