It was a nice peaceful day on the Edge, and the Riders were doing some experiments with dragon-proof chains. They had a dragon-proof chain wrapped around two blocks and were having their dragons fire at it in the hopes of finding its melting point.
"Now!" Hiccup yelled.
The dragons then fired several shots at the chain; even Elsa used her ice blasts to try and help from afar. But once the smoke cleared, Hiccup, Heather, and Fishlegs went to examine it.
"Anything?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup placed a finger on it, but the chain was cold, and he sighed. "Nothing. It's not even hot."
"Huh. That combination of blasts just isn't enough to melt the chain." Fishlegs said.
"Well, we'll just have to experiment a bit more until we find the right combination to melt through the dragon-proof metal," Heather said as she turned to Hiccup. "There has to be a flaw in the metal, right?"
"If there is, we have to find it." Hiccup proclaimed. "There has to be a flaw in the metal that we can use to fight back."
Elsa said, "I think we just might need more of our dragon's fire." She offered a suggestion. "Perhaps using a stronger blast from my side would be helpful."
"Just don't hurt yourself," Heather says to her.
Hiccup nodded and approached Toothless. "Okay, bud, here we go. One more time. Toothless, go." Toothless fired a plasma blast. "Luna. Hookfang. Windshear. Burple. Aggro." Luna, Hookfang, Aggro, Windshear, and all of the other dragons all fired their own versions of fire attacks at the chain. "Barf, Belch."
However, Barf and Belch didn't fire, because they were fast asleep. Also their Riders didn't seem to be paying much attention either as they were laying down next to their dragon.
"Hello? Hi? Are you gonna help or not?" Snotlout asked the Thorston Twins and their dragon.
"No, Snotlout, we're not." Tuffnut answered. "Because as usual, Hiccup, Elsa and Fishlegs are overthinking everything."
"Overthinking?" Elsa questioned. "Choose your next words carefully."
"In delicate matters such as these, logic and reason can only go so far," Ruffnut said as the two of them got to their feet.
"You have to trust your instincts." Tuffnut said.
"Follow your gut." Ruffnut said next.
"You have to have the right inspiration." Tuffnut continued.
"In other words, you must have…" Ruffnut added.
"Twintuition," The Thorston twins said in unison.
"'Twintuition?" Anna asks. "I'm gonna regret this, but What are you talking about?"
"Ah! We knew you were gonna say that." Tuffnut said. "You know why? Because of our…"
"Twintuition," They said in unison again.
Dak was still lost and looked back to his sister. "Do we have that?"
"No." Leyla denied.
"It's the direct precision of truth, fact, and insight, completely independent of any reasoning process or logic that we could possibly come up with." Tuffnut explained as he made movements with his fingers staring at them cross eyed.
"It really is the solution to any problem." Ruffnut nodded. She then looked at her brother. "Shall we?"
"We shall. Thanks to the power of our twintuition, we will break the chain." Tuffnut announce.
"I don't know what they're planning, but I can tell this isn't going to end well." Leyla stated to her brother.
"I just wanna see which one ends up getting hurt this time." Dak admitted as he laid against Winger.
Then Tuffnut began running toward the chain, and Ruffnut picked up Macey before throwing her to him. Tuffnut caught her without even looking and then, with a yell, he jumped into the air and slammed her down on the chain. Everyone looked away because they weren't sure what was going to happen and didn't want to look.
After hearing a clang, the Riders looked up as Tuffnut put on a proud face and cracked his back. "Oh, yeah," he said as he saw the other Riders just gave him wincing looks. "What?" He then turned around and saw the chain was completely unharmed. "Oh, come on! Okay, Macey, let's try this one more…"
However, when he lifted up Macey, he discovered, to his horror, that he had cracked her, causing her to fall off the handle. He quickly picked up the broken mace and stared at it in horror.
"Macey? Macey! Can you hear me?" Tuffnut asked as he pleaded. "Say something. Say something. Oh, Thor. What have I done?" He then looked up into the heavens. "These chains!" He cried out as he dropped to his knees.
It was late at night, and Tuffnut was still crushed about what had happened to Macey. He was beneath his bed, clutching the broken pieces of her tightly and crying his eyes out. Naturally, this meant that Ruffnut couldn't get any sleep.
"What's going on? What are you doing?" Ruffnut asked, looking beneath the bed.
"I don't deserve the comfort of a warm bed or soft pillows on which to lay my head." Tuffnut cried as he laid his head down onto the floor. "My body must suffer on this cold, splintery floor of despair. It's not even that splintery! Oh, no, no."
Chicken then walked up and began to peck at the floor creating a few splinters.
"Thanks, Chicken." Tuffnut said as he rested his head against the splinters. "I need those extra splinties."
"Oh, brother." Ruffnut moaned as she rested her head on her bed.
Meanwhile, at Hiccup's hut, he was having a nice, peaceful sleep. Toothless was also resting in his stone bed, and tonight he had the Night Lights since it was a much colder night and they couldn't stand the cold up there on Elsa's island where Luna rested. However, he was abruptly awakened from his slumber when he was suddenly startled by Ruffnut's screams.
"Hiccup, get up! It's an emergency!" Ruffnut yelled as she then tossed Tuffnut, who was still holding the broken pieces of Macey, into his hut.
"What? What? What is it?" Hiccup asked as he jumped out of bed before he rushed down the steps brushing away the sleep in his eyes. "Hunters? Viggo?"
Hiccup then saw it wasn't anything urgent and was seriously tired. "Oh, you know what? I'm going back to bed."
"Please. Please, Hiccup. You're the only one who can fix her." Tuffnut begged as he moved on his knees closer to the stsirs. "I can't live without my Macey."
Ruffnut groaned at her brother's behavior. "Ugh! See what I'm dealing with?"
"Tuff, I'm not going to fix your mace in the middle of the night." Hiccup tells him. The forge isn't lit and Meatlug is sleeping."
"Hiccup! You don't understand." Tuffnut said, looking up at him with a pleading look. "I can't wait. I can't live without Macey. She completes me. Look at her, broken, alone. She needs emergency care. Right now!" He then stopped and thought. "Wait, wouldn't that be great if there was a place like that? Where you could go any time day or night, and you would be provided with the best medical care available?"
"Forget it." Ruffnut scoffed. "You'd die waiting in line."
"True." Tuffnut nodded and looked back at Hiccup with a pleading look. "Hiccup, what say you? Will you save my Macey?"
"Tuff, you know, if it's that urgent, fly to Berk. Gobber would be happy to fix it." Hiccup said.
"Wait, all the way back to Berk?" Tuffnut stared in surprise.
"Hey, what about the Northern Markets?" Ruffnut was offered as a solution.
Tuffnut lit up. "That's a great idea, sis. They're way closer."
"Uh, and they are also way too dangerous." Hiccup added and gave them a firm look. He remembered his time going to the markets with Heather. "You're not going to the Northern Markets. They are crawling with Dragon Hunters. Especially since me and Hester's visit. Do you hear me?"
The Thorston twins just stood there in silence.
Hiccup then looked at Toothless. "Come on, bud." He spoke.
The two of them then made their way back to bed but did notice the grins on the Thorston twins and they head-butted one another.
A few moments later, they were on Barf and Belch heading to the Northern Markets cheering and singing 'Hooligan Tribe'. They soon flew past Snotlout, who was doing patrol as he merely just shook his head.
"What muttonheads," Snotlout said.
Meanwhile, Elsa was resting when she heard the voice again in her sleep she tossed and turned and did her best to try and block out the voice. She then placed a pillow over her head to block the sound it was still getting through. It was almost like it was coming from her head rather than the distance.
Deciding she wasn't going to get any sleep until she found out what the voice wanted, she quietly got out of bed. She didn't want to disturb Luna and walked out of the hut to stroll around the Edge. But no matter where she went, everywhere she would go, she heard the voice.
What could it be leading her to this time? Considering the last time that she followed a voice; she ended up finding her sister. But it also ended with her freezing solid for a day or two. Would she want to risk it a second time to learn what this is leading her to?
"I can hear you, but I won't! Some look for trouble...While others don't!" Elsa sang as she tried to stay quiet to not wake up the others. "There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day and ignore your whispers which I wish would go away."
Elsa kept walking as she ended up making her way down the stairs and made it down to the ground floor. She wished that this voice would just stop and finally leave her alone. She didn't want to get her family mixed up in something else, considering everything already going on with Viggo and everything else with the Hunters.
"You're not a voice!" Elsa declared as she marched through the forest. "You're just a ringing in my ear! And if I heard you, which I don't, I'm spoken for, I fear. Everyone I've ever loved is right here! I'm sorry, mysterious siren, but I'm blocking out your calls!" She then marched towards the edge of a cliff. "I've had my adventures! I don't need something new! I am afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you..." she then stepped on the edge as her voice echoed throughout the night. "Into the Unkn-o-o-own! Into the unkn-o-o-o-own! Into the UNKNOOOOOOOOOWN!"
"What do you want?" Elsa sang as she made her way down, "'Cause you've been keeping me awake. Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake?" Elsa then walked out in the forest again, making her way near the river and looks to her own reflection. "Or is there someone out there, who's looking for me?" She couldn't decide between either going and following the voice or ignoring it until hoping it eventually leaves. "Every day, it becomes a little harder. As I can feel your pull on me grow. Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go...Into the Unkn-o-o-own? Into the unkn-o-o-own! Into the UNKNOOOOOOOOOWN!"
It was like she was trying to convince herself and try and push against herself from following the voice. In the end, it seems she convinced herself that she wanted to follow the voice.
Making her way for the Edge, she found Hiccup's hut and opened the door, causing Hiccup to jump up in confusion. "Ah, what? Who? What is it now?" Then he noticed his sister was in the doorway. "What? Elsa, what is it?"
"There's something you should know..."
It was morning by the time the Thorston twins reached the Northern Markets and they landed on the outskirts of the village. After leaving Barf and Belch in the forest, they made their way to the nearest ironmonger and presented him with Macey.
"Hmm," the mason said as he examined it. "This is Gronckle iron."
"You know it," Ruffnut said as Tuffnut paced up and down.
The mason said, looking at them suspiciously, "I've never seen a Hunter carry a Gronckle Iron mace before."
"Um…" Tuffnut said, looking to his sister who had the same idea and head-butted him. "That's because it's a Dragon Rider mace," he answered.
"Yeah. We took it from a Rider." Nodded Ruffnut.
"The skinny one with the squeaky voice and the metal leg and the tousled brown hair," Tuffnut said, referring to Hiccup.
"Yeah, and then we broke it over his head," Ruffnut continued. "You know, we want it for our trophy wall."
The mason chuckled. "Impressive."
He then got up and made his way out of the tent, and the Thorston twins smiled at one another.
"Twintuition," Tuffnut whispered.
"Hey! We've got two heroes in here," the mason's voice said, much to their horror. "They took out a Dragon Rider. No, check that. They took out the Dragon Rider."
The Thorston twins suddenly found themselves surrounded by the Hunters, all of whom were cheering and eager to hear about their encounter.
While that was going on, Hiccup was preparing Toothless for the long journey that was ahead of them. Elsa had informed Hiccup all about the strange voice calling out to her, similar to the one that led them to Anna. So, it seems that she wants to see where this thing is leading her, and Hiccup immediately offers to come along. The last magical voice she heard led them to Attohallan where she turned to ice and nearly died.
Bruni was running around the area as Elsa fixed Luna's saddle. "You ready?"
"To follow another voice into the distance, leading us to who knows where?" Hiccup asks sardonically. "Definitely."
Heather said, "You sure you don't want me to come along to help?"
"No, we'll be back by the end of the day if we go too far," Hiccup promises as he finishes fixing the saddle. "Besides, I need you to stay here and keep trying to find a way to break through the Dragon chains."
"Alright, I'll be sure to keep it up," said Heather, supposing she could handle it.
Anna approached them before they were preparing to leave. "Has anyone seen the twins?"
"Dak and Leyla? I saw them in the dragon stables earlier," Elsa remembered.
"No, not them. The other set of twins." Anna explains.
"Ruff and Tuff?" Hiccup asks and only now realizes they aren't around. "I saw them last night, but not much this morning. They wanted to head for the Northern Markets to fix his mace, but they might have gone to Berk."
"Great," Heather sighed with relief. "So I'll stay back and see if we can make any progress on the dragon-proof chains."
"Have fun!" Hiccup said as he then flew off on Toothless, Luna, and Elsa right behind him as they all flew into the sky.
By midafternoon, Stormfly, Winger, Windshear, Echo, Aggro, and all the other younger dragons, along with Meatlug, had fired their flame attacks at the chains. Once they were done, Heather and Fishlegs made their way over to inspect them. Hookfang was still with Snotlout and flying around.
Fishlegs placed a finger on it and quickly pulled it away as the metal was red hot. "Ow," He said and placed his finger in his mouth.
Astrid winced at his pain.
Leyla commented, "That must have hurt!"
Heather said as Snotlout landed with Hookfang, "We're getting somewhere."
"Hey, we weren't expecting any visitors today, were we?" Snotlout asks the group.
"Not that I remember." Heather shrugged. "Why?"
"Because a ship is approaching our docks." Snotlout tells them, pointing outward toward the docks.
Heather became worried on who it could be coming and ran to the ledge. When she saw there was indeed a ship, she jumped into battle mode.
"Windshear, we need to-"
"Hang on!" Dak stopped her from panicking when he noticed the ship. "We know that ship,"
"We do?" Anna asks as she approaches. She took a spy glass and immediately recognized the ship herself. "Oh, yeah. We do."
"You mind filling the rest of us in?" Astrid asks.
"It's an old friend of ours that we would trade with from time to time," said Leyla. "Elbone."
"Okay, but what's he doing here?" Heather asks them.
"Probably got lost." Winger took a guess.
"Probably lost his map." Summer added.
"Or he got lost, because he lost his maps." Cutter tried to add on.
"He isn't the best navigator, but he's a skilled fisherman," Anna said as she caressed Echo. "Our dragons require special fish, and Elbone helps us out occasionally by catching barrels worth of them. I gave him our new location to help us with the fish."
Heather nodded and understood it was understandable. "If you trust him, then I guess we can trust him."
"Thank you." Anna was glad to see she wasn't upset.
"Hey! Dak! Anna! Leyla!" Elbone greeted them from down below. He stepped off the boat and looked at the Edge. "Wow. This place is certainly the step up."
Anna flew down and landed next to Elbone, followed by Heather. "Hey, Elbone. Been a while."
"Elbone, welcome to Dragons Edge." Heather greeted him. "We weren't aware that we would be receiving guests today."
"Well, I thought that Anna and the kids could benefit from my catch of the week before the fish went bad." Elbone explains and gestured to his barrels full of fish. "And I happened to be in the area after leaving the markets earlier."
"Oh, yeah?" Anna asks in surprise. "What's going on in the markets?"
While they were talking, Burple had already made his way aboard the ship and was digging into the barrels of fish.
"Well, you wouldn't believe it," said Elbone, seeming excited to share something. "It seems that there are celebrities there. Two hunters showed up and claimed to have killed that skinny, one-legged, dragon rider."
Heather froze when she heard that, realizing there could only be one one-legged dragon rider. "What?"
Yeah, they went there to fix the mace that they bashed over his head." Elbone said in a shudder. "Ew. Too much of a scene for me. So, I left and thought of heading here."
Heather finally realized that the twins must have not gone to Berk and actually had headed for the Northern Markets. She panicked and knew that if the twins were behaving like this, then things could only get worse for everyone.
"Oh, for the love of—" Heather cried in terror as she then rushed over to Windshear. "They're gonna get themselves killed!"
Windshear then took to the skies, leaving the rest of the team on the Edge confused as to what she was talking about. Anna, however, took a moment and put it together for herself that the twins were the ones gloating about killing Hiccup. After that, she ran over towards Echo and leapt onto her dragon before taking to the skies.
Burple finished one of the barrels of fish and then noticed everyone was missing. "Where did everyone go?"
Meanwhile, Tuffnut was trying to come up with a story about how they acquired the mace and defeated the Dragon Rider.
"Ignoring the pain, I wrapped my hands around the Dragon Rider's throat and admired his tousled brown hair. Then, I squeezed his neck like it was a turkey's neck," Tuffnut said, making hand gestures.
The hunters then cheered. The iron mason then reappeared with Macy. "One Gronckle Iron mace, good as new," he said, placed on the table.
"But then his dragon came at me. Oh! The Night Fury was black as my boots, and had eyes that glowed like the harvest moon." Tuffnut continued. "But when I held out a fistful of eels, he ran off like a little baby!" Ruffnut then noticed that one of the hunters had left, and then she saw that Macey was gone. "Night Fury? They should call it the Fright Fury!"
The hunters cheered, and Ruffnut spotted one of them leaving the tent. She then looked down at the table and noticed that Macey was missing.
"Tuff, he took Macey!" Ruffnut exclaimed, grabbing his attention.
"Hey! Wait a minute. Macey!" Tuffnut yelled as they ran out of the tent.
They quickly ran after the Hunter through the market, but lost sight of him for a brief moment. Then Tuffnut saw him heading down to the docks where Hunter ships were docked. They quickly ran after him, only to find him already boarding one of the vessels. The two guards stopped them from getting on.
"No." The other one said. "Mm-mmm, where do you think you're going?"
The Thorston twins looked at one another with smirks before head-butting each other. They then jumped the guard before realizing what was happening and putting on their helmets.
"Twintuition!" They exclaimed in unison as they then rushed on board the ship and followed the Hunter down below deck. They then stood straight and made their way down the corridor.
"Nice haircut," Tuffnut said as they walked by a Hunter. "Viking cuts? You're working hard, or hardly working? It's hard to tell." He said, trying to be casual.
They then ran after the Hunter when he realized he was heading to the captain's quarters. However, they got there too late; the door had already slammed shut and locked from the inside.
"Ah, foiled again." Tuffnut groaned. "All right, we're marching in there and taking back what is ours. We will not stop until Macey is home." Ruffnut then heard voices above as Tuffnut began to kick down the door. "I'm gonna kick open that door and I'm going to—"
Ruffnut said, "Tuff, do you feel that?" as he felt the deck move.
"You mean a burning sense of purpose?" Tuffnut asked, looking at her. "Absolutely. The unwavering resolve to turn my Macey-"
Ruffnut then grabbed and pulled him over towards a window. "No, no, no." She said as they saw the land moving further and further away from them. "None of that. The boat, it's moving."
"And that, my friend, is not good," Tuffnut said. "Not good at all."
A few hours later, the ship finally docked at what appeared to be Dragon Hunter Island. They continued to follow the Viking who was holding Macey, and then saw something that made her eyes widen.
"Wow!" Ruffnut breathed.
"Wow! Cool!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
The Hunters were in some sort of dock, and they were loading what looked like a giant ship made of dragon-proof metal.
"My fellow Hunters," Viggo's voice called out.
The Thorston twins looked up and saw Viggo himself looking down at them from the balcony. They looked at one another and nodded, then started to merge back into the crowd.
"In the very near future, the Dragon Riders will be but a distant memory," Viggo continued. The Hunters cheered and the twins joined in so they would keep blending in. "However, time is unfortunately not on our side. Thus, it is imperative that we complete Project Shellfire in a timely manner. Only then will we reclaim the seas and shores that by all rights belong to us!"
The hunters cheered even louder, and then Ryker gave them all an angry look. "Now get back to work!" he ordered his men.
The hunters began to disperse, going their separate ways. Ruffnut quickly realized they had stumbled upon something big and dangerous.
"Project Shellfire," Ruffnut said, looking at her brother. "Sounds important."
"No wonder they stole Macey," Tuffnut said. "Something this big would need one big, valuable, beautiful mace."
Ruffnut rolled her eyes, realizing the seriousness of the situation. "I think this is bigger than just Macey, bro."
Tuffnut quickly glanced at her. "Bite your tongue," he snapped. "Nothing is bigger than Macey."
Tuffnut then looked around for the Hunter and then saw him walking away with Macey. Tuffnut was about to go after him, but Ruffnut stopped him.
"Tuff!" Ruffnut said, removing her helmet. "I know this is gonna be hard for you to hear, but I need you to hear it, so I'm just gonna say it. There comes a time in every Viking's life when they must give up the thing they love the most." She told him, saying that he might have to leave Macey behind.
Tuffnut removed his helmet and narrowed his eyes at her. "Stick out your tongue," he ordered.
Confused, Ruffnut stuck it out while Tuffnut promptly flicked her with his finger.
"Ow!" Ruffnut yelled, rubbing her tongue. "You may not be able to handle the truth, but here it is. There are other Macey's in the armory." She said to him.
"Oh! How could you?" Tuffnut gasped with a look of betrayal.
Ruffnut placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you'll find one just as good, if not better, than Mace." She smiled. "Mace technology has come so far!"
"Gods!" shouted Tuffnut. He then turned his back on her. "We better split up. You see, I have work to do, and that work doesn't involve a mace-hater." He then placed his helmet back on and began to chase the Hunter. "Oh, Gods, no," he sobbed as Ruffnut watched her brother run away sadly. "Oh, no."
Elsa was flying ahead of Hiccup because she knew she was literally the one leading them by following the voice in her head. Elsa kept trying to concentrate on the voice, wondering if following it was a good idea to begin with. But she stayed strong and knew that ignoring the voice was never an option for them.
"How far away could this voice be leading?" Hiccup asked, growing increasingly concerned about how long they had been flying. "I mean, I'm expecting us to start coming across the edge of the world anytime now."
"Yeah, I'm starting to wonder that myself," Elsa said. She sighed and closed her eyes, realizing she had gone several minutes without even hearing the voice. "I think we should-" but she noticed something on the horizon, causing her to stop talking. "Wait, do you see that?"
Hiccup looked out to the distance and noticed the upcoming island in the distance. "Okay, any chance the voice is calling you there?"
Elsa waited a moment, keeping her eyes closed as they approached the island. As she waited, she heard the voice call out to her, and it was indeed coming from the direction of the island.
"Yes! That's it!" Elsa was happy to finally have some answers. "Let's go in!"
Elsa flew faster, leaving Hiccup behind as he looked down at Toothless. "She's a little overexcited about following a voice only she can hear," Hiccup commented.
Toothless screeched back in agreement. "Why do I know this place?" He then muttered to himself.
Elsa flew past strange-looking dragon statues while Hiccup stopped. He looked over at the statue and was a little confused by it. The statue's features were reminiscent of gargoyles, but its scales were more prominent on its face and formed rows of bony plates on its chest. It had a pair of short horns on its head, complemented by similar ones along its neck and one on its nose. This dragon was blind and thus had a translucent blue cataract covering its eyes. Its wings were triangular, ending in several spikes.
"What is this place?" asked Hiccup, curious as to where they had ended up.
Elsa landed on the beach and began looking around. She wondered if this was some strange sort of trap set up for them, or if she was simply going crazy. With everything going on, it wasn't exactly something that was impossible to believe.
"Come on, why am I here?" Elsa asked as she looked around. "Why?"
As she was searching, Hiccup came and landed on the beach as well. He noticed her starting to look around and wondered what her problem was. "You okay?"
"Well, we're here for a reason," Elsa said as she sighed. She then mounted Luna again, wondering if she had missed anything. "Let's try and get an aerial view of the place."
Hiccup was going to interject, but Elsa had already taken to the skies. "I think she's starting to rush things."
"Oh, he only thinks about that now," Toothless muttered.
Toothless then took to the skies and followed after Elsa and Luna. As they were flying upward, they took notice of the sentinels starting to move! The creatures they thought to be statues began to fly around them, causing both of the riders to panic.
"What the Thor?" Hiccup cried in terror.
"That's a new one!" exclaimed Elsa in shock.
The dragon sentinels then began to circle the two of them and their Furies. Hiccup and Elsa backed off and went back-to-back as neither of them was sure what they were going to do.
"Okay, no sudden movements," Hiccup told Elsa. "We just need to wait for an opening and get around them."
Before they could find an opening, the sentinel dragons raised their wings and created a gigantic gust of wind to send them off-balance. Elsa and Hiccup ended up falling off their dragons and fell back towards the island. Elsa shot off a blast of mist towards the ground to create a snowbank for them to fall into.
The snow ended up cushioning the fall, so that it wouldn't harm them, and it even seemed like the sentinels were thrown off course as they flew around the island. When Elsa threw the snow off of them, she sighed as she rubbed her head in pain. She ended up hitting Luna's wing on the way down and caused a small bump to form.
"You okay?" Hiccup asks as he approaches her.
"I'm good," Elsa assured him. "You?"
"I'll live." Hiccup said as he walked over and looked up at the sentinels. "Wait, I recognize them now."
"You do?" Elsa was surprised to hear.
Hiccup reached into Toothless' satchel and found one of the books they had gotten from Dagur. He opened it up and quickly scribbled through the pages until he came across a specific page with an image.
"Here." Hiccup said and showed it to Elsa.
Elsa froze in shock as she realized what that could possibly mean. "That means Stoick was here."
Hiccup didn't even consider it a possibility and was shocked. "Oh." He then looked through the pages. "That means Stoick was here and found a way out."
"But what is this place?" Elsa wonders.
"There are a few mentions of the word Vanaheim." Hiccup took notice of this. "That must be what this place is called. And..."
"And what?" Elsa asks.
"Apparently no humans have ever been here." Hiccup tells her.
"And I'm guessing if anyone had ever gotten here, those sentinels would stop them from leaving," Elsa stated as she watched the dragons return to their post and back to statues. "If we want answers, seems like we're gonna have to get them on foot."
"Okay, but we stick together," Hiccup says. "The last thing we need is for us to get separated and lost in this place."
Meanwhile, at the Northern Markets, the other Riders were interrogating the iron mason who had worked on Macey. Heather stood in front of them, staring at him sternly.
"Twins? What twins?" the Mason asked.
Astrid looked at Stormfly. "Stormfly? Jog his memory." She told her dragon.
Stormfly then approached him and wrapped her tail around his ankle, lifting him up upside down. "Remember anything now?" she growled.
"Oh, oh! Yes, yes, the twin Dragon Hunters who want their Gronckle Iron mace repaired," the iron mason said fearfully.
The Riders just stared at him in confusion. "Dragon Hunters?" Fishlegs asked.
"They said they had broken the mace over the Dragon Rider's head, the mason said. You know, the one with the high voice and the one leg." The Mason explains.
Snotlout laughed. "Oh, wow! Wonder who that could be?"
"Not now, Snotlout," Heather said as they faced the mason again.
"Where did they go?" Anna asked him.
"I have no id-," the mansion said, trying to finish his sentence but then screaming as Barf and Belch appeared, placing their heads right next to him.
"Tell us where they are," Barf said, growling threateningly.
'Or get blasted to Valhalla!' Belch finished.
The Mason replied, "Viggo has recalled all of his Hunters to a secret island base. No one knows where it is."
"Huh. See, I think you do." Heather said with a smile.
The mason whispered. "Oh, but if I tell you, I'll lose my life. Not to mention my business."
The dragons then gave him a menacing growl. Windshear readied her spikes, Echo readied to screech, and Hookfang lit himself on fire.
"You can either die today or tomorrow, it's your choice." Heather dared him.
Meanwhile, at Hunter Island, Tuffnut was still following the Hunter, who was carrying Macey. He began pushing past other Hunters and then saw the Hunter placing her down on some crates.
Seeing this as his perfect opportunity, he was hiding behind the crates and waiting for the opportunity to grab Macey while she wasn't looking. He was just about to grab her, but then Viggo pulled the mace away. He inspected it and seemed to have recognized what it was made of.
"Where did you get this mace?" Viggo asked the Hunter before turning to Tuffnut.
Trying to maintain his cover, Viggo quickly grabbed a plate with some leftover food and hid it behind the crates. He then turned his attention back to the suspicious-looking Hunter.
The Hunter boasted with a smile. "I took it from a Dragon Rider I defeated." Viggo didn't look convinced and gave the Hunter a 'tell me the truth or I'll feed you to my dragon' look. The Hunter whimpered slightly. "Uh... I'm sorry. You're right. I stole it from two other Hunters who took it from a Dragon Rider."
"Which two Hunters?" Viggo asked suspiciously.
He said nervously, "A pair of twins, both with blonde hair, and they're really skinny." He paused. "Or maybe they could be girls."
"My goodness!" Tuffnut gasped in a quiet, girlish voice.
Viggo no doubt realized who these "Hunters" were and shoved the mace back to the Hunter. He then made his way over to Ryker. "Project Shellfire has been infiltrated. We must be on high alert," he said. He then turned and looked at the Hunters close by. "Search the camp for the Dragon Riders and bring them to me."
Ryker said, "You heard the man. This way."
They then walked off, with a couple of Hunters following closely behind. The Hunter was amazed and then ran off, with Tuffnut following him, knowing he had to be careful because Viggo knew they were on the island.
It was late at night, and Ruffnut was pretending to work on Project Shellfire so she could learn more about it. She then noticed Ryker walking by with several Hunters.
Ryker ordered, "Find the Dragon Riders." They climbed down the ladder.
Ruffnut soon realized that her disguise was about to be breached and started to make her way down the ladders. Unfortunately, as she made her way down to ground level, she collided with Ryker.
"You! Have you seen anything suspicious?" Ryker asked her.
"No, I haven't seen anything," Ruffnut said, trying to mask her voice.
She was about to leave, but Ryker grabbed her, and several Hunters pulled out their weapons. He then removed her helmet and smiled when he saw her face.
Well, well, well. Viggo's been looking for you," Ryker smirked as he and another hunter grabbed her arms and carried her away. "Come on." He ordered as Ruffnut realized she was in big trouble.
Ruffnut was soon taken to Viggo's tent and was forced to sit down at his desk.
Ryker said, "This is the only rider I found." He knew her brother was not too far away.
"Can I offer you anything? Some refreshments?" Viggo asked politely as possible.
Ruffnut just folded her arms and remained silent.
Viggo then began to pour a glass of water. "I believe congratulations are in order. You successfully infiltrated Project Shellfire.' He then presented her with a glass of water. "Hiccup and Elsa must be so proud." He then poured himself a glass of water. "Of course, your Gronckle Iron Mace didn't do you any favors, now, did it? But let us put all that in the past, shall we? I'm prepared to reward you handsomely." He promised.
"Oh, yeah? For what? And just how handsome are we talking?" Ruffnut asked, deciding to play along.
"Well, that depends on you, and the quality of information you're willing to provide," said Viggo as he sipped a drink. "When are Hiccup and the others going to attack?"
"Hmm, tonight. They attack tonight," Ruffnut told him.
Viggo looked up at Ryker. "See, brother? I told you she would be reasonable. Move the elite guard in-."
"Oh, no, wait," Ruffnut corrected herself. "He attacks tomorrow." She paused for a moment. "Yeah. No! Next week? No, wait, that's not right. I'm not very good with dates. What day-?"
Ryker then knocked her drink aside and glared at her. "Don't toy with us, girl," he warned.
Viggo stood up and drew his sword, pointing it at her throat.
"Take your best shot, pal," Ruffnut said, without showing any fear.
Viggo lowered his sword. "Oh, no," he said. "I have a better plan for you." He smirked.
Hiccup and Elsa were currently still exploring Vanaheim when they came across what looked to be open hills in the middle of a field. When they inspected the inside of the holes, they were a little disturbed to see they were filled to the brim with dragon bones.
"Deadly Nadder bones," Elsa noted that they were specific bones.
Hiccup took a look around the place and found it filled with Gronckle bones. "These guys have been here for a long time."
Elsa asked in shock and worry, "Is this where dragons go to die?"
"Huh." Hiccup couldn't help but notice a specific type of dragon was missing. "You know, I don't see any Night Fury or Light Fury bones here."
"That's odd," said Elsa. "I definitely saw all kinds of dragon bones."
Hiccup said, "Maybe this isn't where they rest?"
Elsa made her way through a crack in the wall and came across a beach covered in teeth. She walked over and knelt down to look over the strange teeth and wondered why they were there. She didn't even recognize the kind of teeth from any dragon she had seen before.
"Hey, Hiccup?"
Hiccup made his way through the crack and approached Elsa. He walked over and saw what she was looking over and was confused. "What are these? Teeth?"
"Not from any dragons we've seen," Elsa remarked.
Toothless then snarled at something, getting both of their attentions away from the ethereal foe. When they saw what he was snarling at, they jumped back in shock. What they saw was a gigantic skull, filled with an entire body of a gigantic dragon that made it seem like it was a wall to the trench.
"What kind of dragon is that?" Elsa asked in shock.
"I have no idea," Hiccup said as he walked into the jaws of the creature. "Toothless, do your thing."
Toothless let out his echo cry, sending it through the gigantic body or what was left of it. When he didn't get anything back, it meant that the entire thing was empty. As they climbed on their dragons, they flew through the body and were shocked to see everything.
"Whatever this dragon was, it was bigger than the Red Death," Hiccup commented.
"And it's had to have been here for a long time." Elsa guessed as she flew through the dragon's corpse. "What Fishlegs wouldn't give to see this."
Exiting the dragon's corpse, they flew through the forest when Elsa heard the voice call out again. "We're getting closer."
Suddenly, a dragon sprang from the bushes, causing Luna and Elsa to shriek and topple onto the ground. With serpentine necks, heavily built chests and abdomens, a small head, and four legs, these creatures are unmistakable. Their necks and backs are adorned with additional horns, while their heads sport several smaller ones. Additionally, they possess a long nasal horn and an under-bite with rows of tiny, extremely sharp teeth, making for a menacing appearance. Covered in prominent, iridescent purple scales, they boast a paler underbelly but more vivid hues on their backs and wings.
When they crashed, Elsa used her quick thinking and shot a blast of snow toward the dragon. When she did, a dozen more of the same dragons emerged from the bushes and ambushed them. One sent a projectile from its mouth at Hiccup, who was lucky enough to get out of the way.
"Wait, these are the same teeth we saw at the beach," Hiccup recognized the teeth.
"So, these are what? Predators?" Elsa wonders as she sends another blast of mist at the dragons. It was so powerful it caused the dragons to leave the area. "Well, that takes care of them."
Hiccup nodded when he then noticed there was something in the bushes. "Oh, my Thor."
Elsa noticed that she had managed to shoot some water, and they watched an image of a muscular man form in the snow. Elsa and Hiccup were shocked when they noticed that he looked like someone they indeed knew. Then they saw a second version of him made of snow making his way towards the bushes.
"What is this?" asked Hiccup, a little confused.
Elsa wondered herself when she remembered what Olaf used to say. "Wait, what was it that Olaf used to say? That thing about water."
"That it remembers everything?" Hiccup took a guess.
"I think that's what these are, moments frozen in time of his life here." Elsa guessed. "Stoick drank from here and headed..."
When Hiccup moved the bushes out of the way, they had a clear view of a small hut that was in the distance. Hiccup and Elsa began to approach it, and they were both worried about what they might find. As they got closer, they realized that parts of the hut were made out of wood from a Berk galleon.
"It's him," Elsa whispered. "He ended up here."
"Dad..." Hiccup walked forward toward the door. As he reached for the handle, he froze in worry. "Do...do you think we should...?"
"Hiccup," Elsa said, smiling as she held his hand. "This has to be why we were called here." She then reached up and played with her short hair. "Do you think he'll recognize me?"
"You?" Hiccup scoffed as he recalled the changes he had gone through. "I'm more worried if he'll recognize me."
"There's only one way to find out," Elsa encouraged him to go.
Hiccup sighed as he approached the hut. "Do you think he'll be mad?" He wonders. "After everything he did, we never searched for him."
"Nobody knew where he went," said Elsa. "We couldn't have searched for him." She looked at Hiccup. "He won't care; he told us to run. I doubt he ever expected us to return to Berk and learn he had been banished."
Hiccup looked and noticed that his hands were trembling. He tried to reach for the handle and stopped himself again. "But what-?"
"Hiccup, either you open that door, or I'll freeze your mouth shut and open it myself," said Elsa, growing a little tired of this.
Hiccup stopped talking and turned towards the hut again. "Okay...I can do this," he said, reaching for the door handle. "Dad? You here?" he called out as he looked around. "You here?" But as he was searching, he looked down and gasped in surprise. "Elsa?"
Elsa approached her brother and wondered what was wrong. When she looked down, she gasped in shock and covered her mouth. The sight she witnessed caused her to tear up.
Meanwhile, Tuffnut was still trying to retrieve his stolen mace and had followed the Hunter to where they kept their supplies. He then turned around the corner, only to lose sight of him.
"How goes the project?" A voice asked.
"Better than I expected. They followed these plans perfectly." The second voice said.
Tuffnut quickly hid behind some crates and watched as Hunter held Macey while talking to another Hunter who was holding a parchment in his hand. Tuffnut could only assume that they were blueprints for Project Shellfire.
"Once we're finished, the Riders will burn and their dragons will be the torches," The Hunter continued as he and the other Hunter laughed and then went their separate ways.
Tuffnut looked at the Hunter carrying Macey then to the Hunter holding the plans and felt himself being torn.
"Is she right? Is this bigger than Macey?" Tuffnut wondered, looking at Macey and knowing what he had to do. "I think it is." He sighed before looking at his weapon sadly. "Can you ever forgive me, Macey? It has to be done." He said.
He then began to fall for the Hunter with the plans and watched as he entered the tent. When the Hunter came out he lay against a couple of barrels acting casually. The Hunter looked at him and he clicked his tongue and pointed his finger at him.
The hunter walked off and then entered the tent. He then saw their plans on a desk and quickly opened them up.
"Oh, my Thor! This is big. This is up... It's upside down!" Tuffnut gasped as he then turned it and it was right side up, but the change in perspective didn't change how bad it was. "Whoa. This is huge." He said, realizing that if Viggo was building this, things could get pretty ugly.
"Our scouts reported that the Dragon Riders are approaching from the south." Ryker's voice said as Tuffnut quickly hit behind a barrel just as Viggo and Ryker appeared. "But no sign of the Night Furies or the Snow Queen."
"Just as I suspected. Put the girl in place." Viggo ordered as they walked away.
Tuffnut then realized what he meant, "Ruffnut!" He gasped as he quickly ran to the edge of the dry dock and could tell the Hunters were prepping for something.
"It's nearly time." A Hunter said before turning to the others. "Everybody into position." He ordered.
Tuffnut then soon ran over the scaffolding as the Hunters began to leave and ran on top of the constructed ship. He looked over the edge and then saw to his horror that Ruffnut was tied to a pole and had two Hunters guarding her.
Ruffnut attempted to free herself from the ropes, but they were far too tight. She then had the strangest feeling that Tuffnut was close by. "Twintuition?" Ruffnut asked with a hopeful smile and suddenly a hammer flew out of nowhere knocking one Hunters down and she saw her brother swinging down towards them on a rope. "Tuff!" She yelled with joy.
Tuffnut then came swinging screaming and slammed into the last of the guards. He then rushed over to Tuffnut to untie the ropes, but more Hunters were making their way towards them.
"You gotta get out of here!" Ruffnut told her brother.
"I'm not leaving you," Tuffnut said firmly as he attempted to undo the ropes.
"Tuff! You have to run." Ruff yelled.
"No. I'm staying." Tuff said stubbornly.
"Please!" Ruff pleaded with her brother. "You can't save me if you're tied up with me."
Tuffnut then looked as one of the Hunters came charging towards him with an ax. "Actually, sis, that's a good point," Tuffnut said and then ran towards one of the ladders.
He quickly began to climb as the Hunter followed him. Once you reach the platform, jump off the platform above him. He then quickly jumped and grabbed the rope and began to swing to safety and the two Hunters lost their balance and fell off the platform.
Tuffnut climbed onto the constructed ship and ran as a Hunter chased after him. Ruffnut could only watch and hope that he managed to escape as the Hunter holding Macey began chasing after him as well.
Meanwhile, the other riders were not far behind the island. They had found their way to the location that the iron Mason led them to.
Heather said, "We got Ruff and Tuff out of there as quickly as we could."
"Hey, what's going on over there?" Astrid inquired, pointing at something on the island.
As they flew over the island, they saw torches being lit and a dry dock with the ship under construction.
Anna sighed as she said, "Whatever it is, I bet it's the twins' fault."
"Then let's go down and get them out of there," Heather suggested as they dove down toward the island.
Meanwhile, Tuffnut was running through the forest with the Hunters chasing after him. He narrowly missed being skewered by an axe that was thrown at him by one of the Hunters.
Tuffnut then picked up a stone and threw it over his head, which slammed into a Hunter, knocking him out cold. This only left the Hunter holding Macey, but Tuffnut soon realized that he had reached the edge of a cliff.
He looked at the Hunter and realized that he was trapped; he then began looking for anything that he could use as a weapon, but saw nothing. He then charged towards the Hunter with his fists raised, but the Hunter merely hit him with his own mace.
Tuffnut felt the ground beneath his feet as the sword-wielding chicken spun around his head. He managed to focus enough to see the Hunter approaching him, with Macey raised.
"Macey!" Tuffnut gasped. "What they say is true. If you love something, set it free. Someday, perhaps it will return."
He then took off his helmet and tossed it at the Hunter, knocking him out cold. He then retrieved Macey from him. Just as he did so, other Hunters appeared out of the forest. Tuffnut glared at them and breathed heavily; then, he yelled at the top of his voice.
The hunters looked at each other and nodded almost silently before readying their weapons.
"I have two favorite things," he said, his voice growing louder as he smiled. "Yak jerky and kicking butt! And I don't have any yak jerky with me."
He then charged at them and yelled with his Macey raised. The Hunters were prepared to fight, but then dropped their weapons almost instantly and ran away when they heard a familiar wail.
"Hey, I gotta remember that line. It really works," said Tuffnut as he chased after them.
In fact, the Hunters were running away from the other Dragon Riders as they flew over the island. Because the forest was so dense and it was so dark, they didn't realize that Tuffnut was running directly beneath them.
Tuffnut then saw them flying overhead. "Hey! Save some Dragon Hunters for me!" he shouted. He then quickly looked at Macey. "Sorry, Macey. For us." He corrected as he then chased after them, screaming.
Viggo was looking through his spyglass and saw the Riders approach. He then turned to his brother.
"Open the gates." Viggo ordered.
Ryker then turned towards the man on the gate and signaled him. The man then pulled down on the lever, activating the mechanism, and the gates began to open. Almost instantly, water began to rush in, which was very unfortunate for Ruffnut, who was still tied to a pole.
"So this is your great plan, huh?" Ruffnut asked, looking up at Viggo and Ryker. She then watched as the water began to rise. "It's actually not that bad. Kind of gruesome though."
Ruffnut was growing increasingly concerned when Snotlout and Fishlegs soon appeared and spotted her.
"Oh, there. That's Ruffnut," said Fishlegs, pointing.
"They're going to drown her!" Snotlout yelled.
"Then let's go in an and save her!" Leyla suggested as she and Summer dived in.
Hunters then appeared and fired several arrows at them, forcing the riders to quickly avoid them. The other Dragon Riders soon appeared.
"Snotlout, Leyla, Fishlegs, you get Ruff out of there," Heather ordered. "Astrid, Anna, Dak, and I will take out the archers."
Windshear then fired a blast down upon the archers and landed on the ground before firing another blast as a Dragon Hunter. With the path now clear, Fishlegs, Leyla, and Snotlout made their way to Ruffnut.
Fishlegs exclaimed, "Hurry, hurry! We have to stop the water!"
Okay, Hookfang, let's show them how we do it," Snotlout said as he attempted to stop the floodgates.
Snotlout and Hookfang then made their way towards the gate controls and quickly took out the guards guarding them with a fire blast. Snotlout then dismounted Hookfang and rushed towards the lever, pulling it back to close the gates.
"Uh, Snotlout? Can we get some cover over here?" Fishlegs asked as he held out a crate to protect himself, Leyla, Ruffnut, and Meatlug from the arrows.
Leyla cried out in terror, "We're a little pinned down here!"
"Make up your mind!" Snotlout grumbled as he jumped onto Hookfang.
Heather found herself surrounded by archers on both sides. Fortunately, Anna, Dak, and Astrid appeared and fired several blasts at the archers, taking them out. Heather immediately took to the air and joined in clearing out the remaining archers. Unfortunately, they were so busy that they didn't notice the Hunters manning a catapult and aiming it straight at them.
"Fire!" The Hunter ordered as a boulder was launched and it struck Stormfly, knocking Astrid off her back
Heather yelled and quickly dove down. She stretched out her arm to catch Astrid and managed to grab her hand. "I got you."
Viggo observed the battle from above and smiled as everything seemed to be falling into place. "Shall we finish this, then?" He asked, looking at a Hunter.
The Hunters then grabbed several dragon-proof chains and began to pull them over the dry dock, trapping the Dragon Riders inside. Looking up, they saw Viggo and Ryker overlooking from above.
"You know, when your opponent presents you with the opportunity to wipe out all of his pieces at once, it is the cunning player who seizes the moment," said Viggo, smiling. But then he noticed some missing pieces. "Where are Hiccup and the Snow Queen?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but there not coming." Dak proclaimed with a smirk.
"That's not the best idea to have told him that," Winger said in concern.
'Hm. An interesting development. But I suppose that they can be dealt with later." Viggo said as he then turned to the Hunters manning the gate controls. "Wider!" he commanded, ordering them to open the floodgates wider as the Hunter pulled down on the lever, allowing more water to flow through.
Burple then knocked the pole holding Ruffnut over, and Fishlegs quickly pulled her out of the water. The two of them then mounted Hookfang and joined the other Riders.
"We sure could use some Changewing acid right now." Snotlout said.
Leyla said worriedly, "We sadly seem to be short on acid."
Heather ordered, pointing at the link connecting all the chains. "Have our dragons concentrate their fire on the center link."
"We take that out, the whole dome will collapse." Anna understood her reasoning.
"Guys, we weren't able to complete our test," Fishlegs reminded. "Are you both sure this is gonna work?"
"We have no choice, Fishlegs." Dak said.
"He's right. It's either try or we drown." Heather then looked at Windshear. "Lay it on, girl."
The dragons then concentrated their fire on the link, and it appeared to be working. Everyone was shooting at the chain link, doing all they could to break the chain and save themselves. Without Toothless or Luna, this made things a little more complicated.
"It's working!" Dak called out.
"We have to keep at it." Heather said.
Astrid then quickly deflected an arrow that aimed for Dak with her ax. "Yeah, but we should take cover first," she said to them.
Anna shouted, "Take cover behind the crates!"
The Riders quickly ran to cover as the Hunters fired their crossbows down upon them. Then they heard a yell and the sound of battle above them.
"What is that?" Astrid frowned.
"It's full-on Thorston Battle Frenzy." Ruffnut cheered.
The Hunters on the ledge turned and saw more Hunters running away and chasing after them; Tuffnut was holding Macey.
"It's Macey and Tuff, back again!" Tuffnut exclaimed as he slammed Macey into two archers.
He then ran past Viggo's tent and towards the dry dock much to Viggo's annoyance.
"Get him!" Viggo yelled at Ryker.
Ryker immediately ran after Tuffnut and drew his sword. Tuffnut was making his way to the gate controls, but he realized there was no way he could get there in time before the water completely submerged the dock.
"Fly, Macey. Fly." Tuffnut yelled and tossed Macey at the gears.
Macey then landed right between two of the larger gears, wedging them in place and stopping the gate from opening even further.
"Keep blasting!" Anna ordered, knowing that Tuffnut had only bought them a little bit of time.
The dragons then fired again at the link and it was starting to get white-hot. "Just a little more guys!" Fishlegs told them.
Tuffnut watched as the dragon's breath melted the link. He then heard a voice behind him and quickly moved just in time to avoid Ryker's blade. He started to run and Ryker chased after him.
In the chain dome, the dragons had almost melted the link.
"Almost there." Heather said.
The dragons opened their mouths and were prepared to fire another series of shots, but sadly, they had reached their shot limit.
"Uh, guys," said Snotlout.
"We're out!" Winger yelled.
Leyla then remembered, "Not all of them." She asked, "Where are Barf and Belch?" realizing the Zipplebacks were nowhere in sight.
At that moment, the gate shattered, and the water then continued to pour in even wider as more water began to rush into the dry dock.
Tuffnut was still running away from Ryker when he saw Macey's handle land in front of him. "Macey!" he gasped.
Tuffnut quickly ducked just in time to avoid Ryker's blade, which sliced right through a torch. He then grabbed Macey's handle and began to run down the opposite direction with Ryker close behind. Inside the dome, things were even worse; the water had reached the deck of the ship they were on.
"Tuff, you need to find Barf and Belch! Their gas blast is the last push we need to break the chains!" Heather called as the water continued rising.
"A little busy at the moment!" shouted Tuffnut, as he then reached a dead end and then turned to face Ryker, who was still holding Macey's hand. Then, from out of nowhere, Barf and Belch landed right on top of Ryker. "It's about time you two decided to show up," Tuffnut retorted.
Barf responded by spraying gas in his face, causing him to cough. "Be grateful we came back for you at all," he retorted.
The water was almost reaching to the riders' necks, and that's when they noticed Tuffnut riding Barf and Belch above the dome. "Come on, guys, let's finish this once and for all," he said.
"Fire in the hole!" Barf and Belch roared, then unleashed their gas and spark attack and shattered the chain holding the other end of the chains.
"They did it!" Summer cheered.
"We're home free now!" Dak called out.
"Dragon Riders, to the air." Heather commanded.
The Riders quickly mounted their dragons and flew up into the air, far away from the island. Ryker approached Viggo, clutching his arm.
He said to Viggo, "We still have men. We can catch them."
"No," Viggo replied calmly. "Now is not the time. Project Shellfire must still be completed." He told them as the Dragon Riders flew back to the Edge. "Besides, the next time we meet, Hiccup and his sister will surely be there..."
Hiccup and Elsa spent the rest of the day burying what they had found. They buried Stoick. They found him dead. Hiccup placed the last stone while Elsa placed Stoick's helmet on a stick they placed in his grave.
"All this time... I can't believe it," said Hiccup. "We should have looked for him."
Elsa walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "You didn't know."
Hiccup nodded and tears flew down his face. "What do we do now?"
They heard rummaging coming from the hut and noticed that Toothless was calling them. When they approached the shed, they followed and sounded like Toothless pulling a box down from a high shelf only Stoick could have made and reached.
As they entered, Elsa noticed some notes that Stoick seemed to have scribbled on the wall and looked them over. She recognized a sketch he made, well he made multiple versions, but they were made to look like the dragons that attacked them.
"Seems our new friends are hunter dragons," said Elsa. "And he named them Grim Gnashers. They prey on the sick dragons that come here. Stoick has been here trying to help them."
Hiccup smiled as he walked over and picked up the box Toothless had knocked over. He saw two scrolls inside. "One for me," Hiccup said, noticing the other one. "And one for you?"
Elsa was shocked when she reached over and grabbed the note. She opened it up and wondered what it was that Stoick had to say.
'Elsa, I hope this message reaches you. I don't know if you will ever find me or if we will ever see each other again. That's why I must tell you all of the things that I wished I had time to tell you. I wasn't sure if keeping such a secret was either a good thing or a bad thing. But I assure you, I rest peacefully knowing you're there with an for Hiccup. Hopefully, Gobber has already had or will explain everything more clearly. But you were adopted into the Haddock name.'
"Heh. A little late there." Elsa chuckled, having already learned the truth.
'I miss you and Hiccup every day, and I have heard stories about the adventures you two have been on. As for me, this island has become my home. My only regret is that I didn't get to see you and Hiccup grow up. But I'm confident you'll continue to take care of each other. And always remember, you are always going to be my daughter, even if you discover your past and possibly find your true family.'
"Well, halfway," Elsa shrugged as she found her sister and her now adoptive siblings.
'I only hope you two find the same peace that I have found here in Vanaheim. And perhaps in Valhalla.'
Elsa teared up and wiped her tears away. Although she remembered her real family and had found her sister, Stoick was still her father. She looked over at Hiccup, who was reading his letter, and smiled.
"You okay?" Elsa asks.
Hiccup smiled and closed his letter. "Yeah."
They heard screeching outside, earning a look of concern from the two and their dragons. Running outside, they saw in the distance a sick Gronckle being attacked by the Gnashers and knew that something had to be done. Becoming determined to stop them, they raced to their dragons and took to the skies.
Toothless was the first to react as he shot a plasma blast at the approaching Gnashers. Elsa then created an ice wall around the sick Gronckle, protecting it from the dragons. When they started to come and try to attack, Luna and Toothless combined their plasma blasts to create a sonic blast, sending them scattering.
"There!" Hiccup recognized the larger Gnasher as the leader. "Aim for the leader!"
"I'm on it!" Elsa promised as she and Luna flew towards the leader. "You watch my back!"
"Always." Hiccup said with a smile.
When the Gnashers realized they were being attacked, they fled in an attempt to escape. Elsa and Luna pursued them, firing a blast of ice at the fleeing creature to prevent its escape. The Gnashers dove downward, attempting to evade capture, and summoned several of their fellow creatures. As the Gnashers approached their leader, Toothless fired a plasma blast to shield them.
"Thanks!" Elsa cried as she got ready to shoot. "Let's end this, girl."
Elsa then shot a blast of ice at the Gnasher's wing, freezing it solid. His pack came over and grabbed him, forming a circle to try to protect and defend him.
"This doesn't look good," Elsa commented.
Before the Gnashers could shoot them, the Sentinel dragons emerged from nowhere and blocked them from each other. Then, using their wings, they created a gigantic gust of wind that sent both sets of dragons flying. Hiccup and Elsa froze in confusion, thinking that this would end badly for all of them. But then when they turned the face the two of them and their Furies. When they were preparing for another fight, the Sentinels moved out of the way seemingly letting them through.
"Uh...that's strange." Hiccup commented. "Are they letting us through?"
"I say we get out before they decide to keep us here." Elsa proclaimed as they flew off. "How do you think they are doing back on the Edge?"
"Let's go and find out." Hiccup said as they flew their way towards the Edge.
Once they were back on the Edge, the Thorston twins performed a small Viking funeral for Macey.
"There do I see my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters," Tuffnut recited with his helmet over his chest as Ruffnut raised a bow and arrow and had Belch light the arrow. "They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever."
She then pointed the arrow down to the small boat they had created for Macey's handle, but missed. Dak and Winger rolled their eyes as Winger fired a blast and ignited the boat. The two were swept underwater into the trough below, while Tuffnut placed his helmet back on his head.
"Sorry it had to end this way, bro." Ruffnut apologized honestly.
"There will always be a mace-sized hole in my heart, where she once lived." Tuffnut said.
That was when hiccup and Elsa had finally returned, and they were at a lost at what they were seeing.
"uh...who died?" Hiccup asks the group.
"It's... a long story," Heather sighed as she rubbed her head. "I'll fill you in tomorrow. How about you guys? Did you find anything?"
Hiccup and Elsa looked at one another and smiled. "We...found closure." He said.
"We'll fill you in on more tomorrow." Elsa said as she and Luna walked toward their hut.
Heather nodded and looked to the twins. "Guys—"
"We know what you're gonna say, okay," Tuffnut stopped them. "Our twintuition almost got the whole team killed." He said.
"Uh, yeah, something like that." Heather said.
"okay, I certainly missed a lot." Hiccup certainly wasn't following.
"But without following our intuition, we would never have found these," Tuffnut said, holding the blueprints for Project Shellfire. He then noticed the blank looks on their faces, and realized that he had been holding the plans upside down. He quickly turned the plans the right way up. "These!" he exclaimed. "They're plans for something huge." Their eyes widened as they took the plans from him.
Hiccup noted, "These look like blueprints for some kind of ship."
"What could Viggo be up to?" she asked them.
"Whatever it is, I don't think it's for hunting dragons." Hiccup said.
Heather concluded with a worried tone, "It looks like Viggo is trying to build a weapon."
Meanwhile, Viggo and Ryker were aboard the ship they had been working on, which was carving through the water faster than any ship possible. It was unlike any ship in existence, because it didn't have a main deck and had multiple hatches, without even having sails or a rudder.
Ryker approached Viggo, looking quite annoyed. "How? How could you let them just—"
Viggo quickly grasped his throat, cutting him off and glared at him. "You never listen, do you brother?" He asked and released him. "We are still right on schedule." he told him.
Viggo then opened a hatch and both he and Ryker entered it. As the ship sailed through the water, there was a shadow beneath the waves of something large that appeared to be connected to the ship.