I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon...

Hello, everyone.

It has been a while. This story was put on hold while I was dealing with some real life issues, but when I came back to fan fiction writing, I had another idea that wouldn't go away, and so my five part "What If" story, "The Truth" became a thing. After completing that one, I decided to try my hand at another fandom, and so "Avatar: Life Goes On" took shape as a nine-part story.

Now, I'm back to pick this story up. Last time, the plan was for Astrid to go with Gelbrun to the Wing Maidens and the Defenders of the Wing to inform them about Berk's decision to let its dragons go to the Hidden World, to forever protect them from being hunted. And in the Hidden World, Toothless has met a Shadow from his past: his uncle Shardon, who has taken to live in the darkness deep underground.

So let's dive back in, shall we?

WORLDS APART
A Story of Vikings and Dragons
(Chapter Four)

As the village of Berk gathered in the area that had been marked off for the Great Hall, Jarin of Nartara began looking around for two people he had missed since leaving Berk a few years back. He found them off to the side. A tired farmer and his twelve-year-old daughter. Bart and Jenna. The girl was puffy-eyed and was clearly sad, her father doing his best to comfort her. In spite of this, when they both looked up and saw Jarin, they couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, you two," Jarin said, with relief in his voice. "Wen my wife and I heard that the trappers had driven you all away from Berk, I was worried about you both."

Bart stood and clapped Jarin on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, lad," he said, shaking his head. "Grimmel did a lot of damage to the town, but we managed to leave before the trappers came in force. A lot of us wanted to stay, but the Chief was right. We had to leave if we and our dragons had any chance of ever truly living in peace."

Jenna sniffed. "I hate the Chief," she said.

"Oh, Jenna," Jarin said, kneeling down beside the girl. "You don't mean that."

Jenna looked back at him indignantly. "Yes I do, too. I finally got to bond with a dragon, and now he's gone with all the others. All because he said so." she pointed directly at Hiccup with a sneer on her face. "Look at him. smiling and acting all happy."

"Jenna, look at me," Jarin said soothingly. It took a moment, but the girl turned her attention back to him. "Hiccup is a good man. He's always had the best interest of Berk and its people at heart. I saw the pain in his eyes when he told me about the dragons having to leave. Remember, he has lost a dragon... a dear friend... too."

Jenna opened her mouth to protest, but then just looked down at the ground, so Jarin continued. "Nartara is going to be making the same decision, though our people will vote on the matter. But even if Berk had the same option, knowing what was at stake, do you think the outcome would have been any different?"

Jenna shook her head. "I would want my Windchaser to be safe." she looked back up at Jarin. "That was his name. He was a Nadder, and when he was learning to fly, he would always run with the wind, as if chasing it, before flapping his wings and leaping into the air." She smiled at the memory.

Jarin smiled too. "That sounds like a good memory. You'll always carry that with you. And since he's with Toothless, you know he's well looked-after."

Jenna nodded, not looking so angry anymore. Just sad. "Are you and Tarina going to say goodbye to Shadowhorn, too?" she said looking at the Majestic Flamescale that was resting off to the side, next to Brokenclaw, who had flown in the battle of Helheim and helped free the remaining dragons that were still enslaved to the Red Death and was now bonded to Gelbrun, who once hated dragons.

Jarin's throat clenched. "If the people vote that way, we will have to. Believe me, I don't want to. And I would imagine that Tarina doesn't want to, either. But we must do what the people decide is best for our dragons." Jarin thought for a moment. "Nartara has come to love dragons as much as Berk did. As hard as the choice may be, I believe they will vote in favor of letting them go, so they can be safe."

This made Jenna feel a little better. It was, after all, really about keeping their scaly brothers and sisters safe, and more importantly, free. "You've always seen things so clearly," she said. "I wish I could."

Jarin chuckled. "I didn't when I was your age," he said. "Give it time. You'll learn to try to see things from other points of view, and not just your own."

Jenna was about to say something, when Tarina had joined them, carrying two plates of freshly prepared food."Hello, Jenna," she said to the girl as she held out one of the plates to Jarin.

Jenna smiled at Nartara's chief, and returned the greeting as she eyed the plate of food. "Wow," she daid. "I've been so busy grumbling that I didn't realize that the food was ready." She and her father excused themselves and made their way to the food table that had been set up.

Jarin took a tentative bite and closed his eyes with blissful satisfaction. "Oh, that's good."

Tarina chuckled and reacted similarly as she also took a bite. "We need to see about trading for wild onions."

Gelbrun had joined them and sat down with the plate on his knees, bowing his head. "Thank you for this meal, oh God. may it nourish my body as you nourish my soul."

The Vikings ate their meal in silence, a stark contrast to how things usually played out. But that sense of raucous joviality that often accompanied a meal just wasn't there. The departure of the dragons was still too fresh. Hiccup knew this as he looked around the construction site. The village of New Berk needed a bit of good news, and he and Astrid had agreed that this would be the best time, when everyone was gathered together, to share some.

"Can I get everyone's attention, please," Hiccup called loudly enough to be heard without shouting. He nodded to Astrid, who joined him at his side, and he took her hand in his. When he was satisfied that he had the crowd's attention, he began to speak:

"I want to share a decision that Astrid and I came to together last night. And it goes hand-in-hand with going forward together to face the future that lies ahead, whatever that may be. We have a new home at the closest point to where our dragons have gone. And while our worlds may be apart, our lives have been forever intertwined. We made many wonderful memories over the years, with our dragons and with each other. As we broke ground on the new Great Hall this morning, we have each and every one of us committed to building new memories with each other here, in this place we now call home. A chief protects his own. How many times did we all hear my father speak those words? Well there were words he said to me in private, before I thought myself ready to become Chief. Those words were, 'A Chief leads by example.' To that end, Astrid and I wish it to be known that we shall both lead New Berk into the future by example... By announcing our wedding, which shall take place upon the completion of the construction of New Berk!"

The crowd erupted in applause, with shouts of "Finally," and "It's about time" filtering through, which made both Hiccup and Astrid smile.

Jarin and Tarina exchanged glances and they, too, couldn't help but smile. The somber mood of the gathering had given way to jubilation, and the feeling was palpable. The sorrow from the departure of Berk's dragons wasn't forgotten. But for the moment, it was not a weight upon the hearts of the island's new residents. There would certainly be difficult days ahead, but they would not be without hope.

Early the next morning, the three visitors prepared to mount up on their dragons, two on one and one on the other. "Jarin and I will return to Nartara and give orders for half our fleet and their dragons to head here to defend New Berk from attack by sea and air, while the place is being built, and its own defenses can be put in place. And we will present the situation about our own dragons to the people and give them time to make their decision. Jarin and I are in agreement with you, Hiccup, but our society is a democracy now. The will of the people must be heard."

Hiccup nodded solemnly. "Frankly, I would like to see Berk go that route, myself. In fact, it sort of has. The people made it clear that they wanted to put down roots here, even though the plan was to relocate to the Hidden World. I think that even if it were possible for people to live there, a lot of them would choose to remain here anyway, even if it meant being without their dragons."

Astrid nodded at her fiancé's statement.

"Would the two of you have gone to the Hidden World, had some chosen to remain behind?" Jarin asked.

Hiccup sighed. "I think it's safe to say that we would have wanted to. But this," he said, gesturing to the land all around, "is Berk. A chief takes care of his own. And the dragons were never mine. It was a blessing that they shared their lives with ours for a time, but destiny has taken them down their path while it leads us forward on ours. It's hard, but this is what must be." He looked to Astrid and saw her confirming smile.

Tarina nodded. "So, formal democracy or not, it is the good of the people that guides our choices."

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," said Gelbrun.

Tarina nodded, then looked to the sky. "We must leave now if we are going to get to Nartara before nightfall. Hicup, Astrid, we thank you for your hospitality. Expect Admiral Jorgen in about a week, if not sooner."

"I should be back in a few days," said Gelbrun. "It will take some time to gather all the necessary provisions for a trip to the Defenders of the Wing."

"I'll be ready," said Astrid.

The farewells were spoken, and the three visitors were in the air and headed east.

O O O

Starfire's eyes widened. "Darkwing, I'm sorry. If I had known you had family here, I would have told you abou Shardon sooner."

Toothless huffed. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I don't even remember meeting him. I barely remember my father. The earliest memory I have is the storm. It's the only time before I met Hiccup that I was afraid in the air. Father did not escape the nest with us. I guess he and Shardon managed to hold the hunters off long enough for us to get away. Mother wasn't sure whether he got lost in the storm trying to find them, or if he even made it to safety." He tossed his head in frustration. He decided that when he and Shardon were to speak again, he would try to find answers. But in the meantime, his flock needed him.

The three dragons returned to the caverns immediately below the waterfall entrance. The area was crowded with the former dragons of Berk. Toothless and Starfire landed on a large rock formation, catching the attention of his flock. He raised his wings and he spoke with the authority of an alpha. "The matter of our being allowed into the Hidden World has been resolved. It is agreed that we will not be provoked, and I want it clear that we will not do any provoking."

To the side, Barf and Belch snickered mischievously.

"THAT INCLUDES YOU!" Toothless commanded the Zippleback. "This is not Berk. How things were with you and Ruff and Tuff won't fly here."

The Zippleback bowed his heads and crouched down submissively. When an Alpha spoke, you listened. That was the way of things.

Toothless turned his attention back to the others. "Antor, here, will guide is the rest of the way in, to a section of the caves where we can make ourselves at home. Enjoy the view on the way in. I sure did."

"Me, too," said Stormfly, who was crouched down near the front of the gathering, along with the otherr from the original group of dragons to bond with humans. "I wish my Astrid could be here."

Toothless hopped down from the rock formation to join her, Starfire at his side. "I know you do," he said. "I wish Hiccup could be here, too. But this place is for dragons only. It always has been. It will take quite a long time to change that, if it ever can be changed."

"Will you try to change it," asked Hookfang, gruffly. "Because I would really like to set my human's butt on fire again."

Toothless couldn't help but chuckle with the others. "I don't know. My power here may not be as influential as I originally thought. There is a... Complication. I'm not sure which direction that particular wind will blow, or for how long. But many here will not tolerate a human in their midst. They nearly killed Hiccup and Astrid before I could intervene. By doing so, I am viewed as an outsider."

"Yes," said Cloudjumper. "It was the same at the ice sanctuary. When I brought my Valka there the first time, the place went into an uproar. I had to wrap my wings around her and put my back to the stampede of all those dragons wanting to kill her just for being there. The Master called them off, but even he was not too happy with what I had done. But he listened to the truth in her mind and commanded that she be left alone. The sanctuary was better for it. She helped save so many lives. In time, mistrust turned first to respect, and then to love."

Starfire's jaw had dropped open. Stormcutters were known as both fierce protectors, and wise teachers. If Cloudjumper was speaking so highly of a human, with such truth of affection radiating from his mind, then she had to consider the possibility that she was wrong in holding her mate's love for his human against him. She had only known deception from humans until recently. So had many of the dragons who had come to live in the Hidden World. It would take a long time before enough minds could be changed to allow any humans in. But maybe, in time, it could come to be.

What mattered now was that the dragons of Berk were welcomed into the Hidden World, and they would be safe. She, Toothless and the other dragons who were bonded to the first riders of Berk followed the flock as they were led into the depths of the Hidden World, where their new homes awaited.

Toothless remembered his first arival here, with Starfire. They were offered a very choice cave just off from the Great Crystal Cavern, which was the Hidden World's version of Berk's town square. Only the most revered and respected dragons were offered such living spaces. Not that anyone particularly cared about luxury. For dragons, it simply meant that the most influential among them would be the most accessible to all. But Toothless did not return to that cave. He and Starfire followedthe rest of Berk's former dragons deeper into the Hidden World. He was concerned that Shardon might see his returning to their original living space as a presumption of higher status, and he did not want to further alienate himself from his uncle than he already had been.

"That's a good idea, Darkwing," Starfire said when he explained his reasoning.

Though they had gone deeper into the Hidden World than they had been before, it didn't take too much longer to reach a mostly unoccupied cavern that was large enough to support the new flock. Bioluminescent fungi and crystals that seemed to glow dimly decorated the walls and floor, with stalactites and stalagmites scattered throughout the the open space. In the middle was a large pool of fresh water fed by an underground spring. It was beautiful to behold, and the air smelled clean and the temperature was quite nice. Nobody complained as they each split off and began picking out caves and ledges for themselves. They would miss the sky, of course, but the caverns of the Hidden World were massive, with plenty of room to fly.

Weary from the last few days activities, and from the journey here, peaceful rest was a priority, and soon the cavern reverberated with the sound of dragon snores.

Toothless was curled up, on the verge of sleep when he sensed Starfire sitting close by, watching him. ""Are you alright," he asked.

"Starfire grunted. "Earlier, you mentioned your previous mate. Graycloud, was her name, right?"

A pang of sadness washed over Toothless, but it was gone quickly. "Yes," he answered simply. He didn't want to volunteer information about the female dragon he had loved so much. He wouldn't keep secrets, but he would only answer questions about her if or when Starfire would ask them.

"Please, tell me about her," the Light Fury said, tenderly. She knew a lost mate was a difficult subject for any dragon. So she would not force the issue if he didn't want to discuss it.

Toothless huffed. "I met her ten years ago. I had never encountered one of her kind before. I always figured she had come from a far-off land. Either that or her kind had been hunted as heavily as mine. She was built similar to a Fury, but not as stocky. Her neck was longer and her wings were more rounded. She had scales the color of clouds that hinted at rain. And her eyes were a deep purple. We both had only seen six winters, so we were too young for a mating flight. But we knew we were meant for each protected each other. Hunted for each other. And we loved each other. We were seeking a nest to call home, and we fley right into her domain." He went silent, closing his eyes against the memories of thos dark days.

Starfire nodded. "The one you've called the Red Death?"

"The Behemoth," Toothless stated sourly, eyes still closed. "You don't know what it was like. This was no Alpha who would only touch minds to guide and learn of needs that had to be met. This monster enslaved. She went past the place of truth in our minds and took our free will from us. We had no choice. What she commanded, we had no choice but to do. And she commanded us to attack human nests and take their food, to keep her satiated. And if any of us failed her, she would eat them."

Starfire had known that the queen of Helheim was wicked. And she knew what it was like to have her freedom taken away by humans. But she couldn't imagine another dragon forcing its selfish will upon an entire nest, always sending the dragons she should have been protecting into harm's way and then killing them herself if they didn't satisfy her hunger. It was not the Way.

"Berk was one of the places we raided regularly. The humans there were formidable warriors. Very good at throwing spears and using nets. The queen commanded me not to catch food, but to inflict damage upon the nest. She was smart enough to understand that distractions like that would allow more dragons to survive. Not that she cared about their lives. But the more dragons who survived were more dragons bringing back food. Graycloud was ordered to terrorize any humans who were not fighting that she could find."

Starfire was horrified. That meant children, human or not, were being targeted and threatened. All so the rest of the dragons could steal more food. She had no love for humankind, only because she had never known any love from humankind. But even in her angriest moments, she would never dream of harming a child. Nobody was born hating. That was something that was taught. This every self-respecting dragon knew.

"One night," Toothless continued, "We were raiding Berk, and we had managed to make off with our best haul in months. The queen would be pleased. As we were leaving, I realized that Greeycloud was not with us. I turned back. She was on the ground, wing clearly injured. There was no way she could take off. I..." his voice faltered as he looked at Starfire, eyes filled with pain.

Starfire rushed forward and nuzzled his neck. This was hard for him, and she would help him face it.

"I wathched as they stabbed her with their spears. I saw in the firelight her blood flowing out of a stab wound in her neck. The humans who did it got their first real look at what they called the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. And it was the last thing they would ever see. Greycloud was dying. Right there in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I roared to her that I would kill them all for what they had done. But with her dying breaths and the last of her lifeblood, she begged me to forgive them. They were only protecting their own. She said that we should be sorry for what we had been forced to do, and that one day, the humans would be sorry for what they did." He looked solemnly at Starfire, meeting her eyes. "Her last words were 'Hope for it, for me.'"

Starfire was stunned. Greycloud had been a pure spirit. There was clearly no hate within her. The Creator of All had surely touched her heart, and had made her special. Her Darkwing was honorable and by his very nature would never break a promise.

"It was Hiccup she had been chasing. He was just a boy then. Smaller even than when he took my flight away... and gave it back along with so much more."

So Darkwing's human had been tied to the events that robbed him of his first mate. Not directly, but the connection was there. Even then, the Creator of All was guiding the Night Fury's path, though he could not know it at the time. She wondered what might have been had history not gone forward the way it had. The war would not have ended, and she and Darkwing would likely never have met. She still wanted to know more about how he and Hiccup came to bond, but she could see how tired Darkwing was. She hunkered down next to him, and he leaned into her as she did. "I'm sorry for making you relive such painful mmories," she whispered.

Toothless sighed. "I'm glad I told you."

They laid their heads down and drifted off to sleep as the peaceful sounds of dragons snoring restfully continued to vibrate through the caverns of the Hidden World.