A/N: Alright, so if the title of the chapter isn't any indication, Berk's Vikings will witness their younger members attempt to train dragons so that the rest of them can as well and be prepared to raid Corona. I won't waste any time, let's get to it

(Normal pov— Germany)

For the first time in her very long life, Gothel had felt something she had not felt in decades— surprised. Not only did she return to the tower earlier than expected from her errands but she also found Rapunzel and what belongings she valued gone.

She left.

Frantic over the loss of what was keeping her alive, Gothel took a moment to compose and gather herself. Once she had calmed down, she entered her room and collected a chest that contained the bones of a creature that was once a thriving species when she was but a child— Dreamwings or Wish Dragons. These dragons were sentient beings, they were intelligent enough to be able to not only reason and bargain with, but also deceive. But that wasn't what made these dragons so special, they possessed a unique magical power known as Wish Magic. This power was named such because it relied on preying on the ambitions and desires of those not strong-willed enough to contest with the Dreamwings. However, there was a catch in using Wish Magic, for every wish that was granted, there would be a terrible price to pay, one that would come at the cost of the one seeking a wish, or someone close to them. With this revelation, the Dreamwing dragons were hunted to extinction, but a small handful managed to survive the purge of their species, never to be seen again.

Despite the Dreamwing dragons being all but extinct, their bones still held the power of Wish Magic and they could still grant wishes to those who sought them. She had been using the bones of these once flourishing dragons to preserve her youth for centuries, and the bones she now held were the last of the Dreamwing dragons in Germany. In the past, she had no need for the bones because Rapunzel's magical hair was what kept her young and healthy. Now, however, Gothel would have need of the bones in her possession. She quickly made her wish when she felt her body and health rapidly failing her, once the wish had been made, Gothel could feel her youth and health return for the time being. However, the cost of using this wish was that she wasn't entirely back to her younger self, she could still feel the agony of decaying flesh and decrepit bones.

Though the wish worked, it would only work for a short while, which meant Gothel's time was short. She needed to have words with an old acquaintance of hers to discuss her current dilemma.

Currently, Gothel found herself in the Bondsman Guild, sitting in a shadowed corner, the woman had draped in a cloak, her hood obscuring her face as she waited patiently for her acquaintance. Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, a hooded figure sat across from Gothel. Lowering their hood, the figure revealed themselves to be one of Corona's nobles, one who had considerable ambitions, and one of those ambitions was to overthrow Frederic and Arianna and take the kingdom of Corona for himself and his son.

"You're late, Werner," Gothel hissed. "Where were you?"

"I am a noble of Corona, Gothel, I had pressing matters to attend to," Noble Werner said dismissively while pouring himself a cup of ale. After taking a drink, he narrowed his eyes at the kidnapper of the current ruler's daughter. "Why have you summoned me?"

Growling lowly, Gothel still found it hard to believe that Rapunzel actually left the tower, however, she was also amused by the girl's act of boldness and defiance; she had never been outside the tower and she was now out in a world that will use and abuse her given the chance. Where will Rapunzel go when the weight of adapting to this world becomes too much for her to bear?

"Gothel! Why. Am. I. Here?" Werner demanded in a low, yet menacing tone.

"I lost Rapunzel," she said nonchalantly. "Or, more accurately, she left the tower, and now she's out there in the world."

Werner inhaled sharply, if the lost princess returned to the warm embrace of Frederic and Arianna, then their bloodline is secured and his plans to overthrow them would come crashing down. "You've told me how that girl is obsessed with the lanterns her parents release every year on her birthday, but that isn't until April, which is four months from today," the treacherous noble sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose as he contemplated a course of action. "If you cannot keep that girl in check, Gothel, perhaps she must be... disposed of."

Drawing her dagger, Gothel placed it on the table. "You will not lay a finger on Rapunzel," her tone was cold as ice and her facial features twisted with anger as she continued, "or have you forgotten that if she dies, I die—"

"A necessary sacrifice, I'd say," Werner said while drawing a sword and pressing the tip of his blade against Gothel's stomach from underneath the table. Smirking at the old woman, the noble shook his head. "You still think you can cheat death, old woman? All I need to do is push, and your pathetic life ends here and now. Besides, why bother seeking more life when all you've done is hide in your tower? Hmm? What do you hope to gain in continuing to live a long life?" He then snorted in amusement as he pressed his blade harder, causing the older woman to whimper quietly. "All I need to do is push... and you'll be forgotten."

"And all I need to do is scream," Gothel countered before smirking, "I do wonder how the king and queen will react when one of their most trusted nobles is arrested and found guilty of murder." Seeing Werner hesitate proved her point, she then shook her head. "Spare me the theatrics, Werner, I haven't the time for that. I summoned you here because I need your bounty hunters to find and bring Rapunzel back to me, once she's returned, I'll take her somewhere where she'll never be able to escape. I do that, and you can see that Corona's rulers are overthrown and you can see yourself seated on the throne. Like it or not, we need each other." Gothel exhaled softly when Werner removed his sword from her stomach, giving her a chance to breathe.

After sheathing his blade, Werner turned to the Guild's lounge and snapped his fingers, summoning three men over who were indulging in drink and women, but they quickly shooed away the women and set aside their drinks before approaching their benefactor. "These men have been in my service for years, they were once common thieves who tried to steal a priceless treasure that belonged to my family, but after my men and I caught them, I decided to enlist them in my service, rather than seeing them hang at the gallows," he then gestured to two twins with muscular bodies, fair skin, red hair, light blue eyes, big eyebrows, big noses, and big jaws. Their haircuts are similar, though the fringes are combed in different directions. Both brothers have dark rings underneath their eyes, and scars underneath their mouths. "This is Sideburns and Patchy, they act as my enforcers and are dispatched to spook my rivals with their brute strength if the need arises," Gothel noted that Sideburns has a slightly curved scar on the right side of his face, and his ears are more angular. He wears a sleeveless green shirt; his weapon is a long sword, which he carries on his back. Patchy, on the other hand, wears a dark, sleeveless shirt similar to his brother, but also wears a long-sleeved shirt underneath. He has round ears, and an eye patch on his left eye, with a scar underneath it.

She then looked to the third man, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties, he was of average height with a muscular build and fair skin, short dark brown hair, a scruffy goatee, and light brown eyes. As far as attire goes, he was wearing a dark turquoise vest with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, coupled with dark cream pants and brown bucket-top boots. He also wears a belt with a similar color scheme around his waist; connected to it is a miniature satchel.

"And who might this charming young man be?" Gothel inquired.

"This is Flynn Rider, though his hubris knows no bounds, he's useful when it comes to using his charms to entice those around him and he's the best thief in this realm," Werner then narrowed his eyes at Gothel as realization dawned on him. "You want my best bounty hunters to retrieve the lost princess, don't you?"

"Clearly you aren't paying attention. Yes, I need your bounty hunters to retrieve Rapunzel," Gothel then turned away from Werner and looked at Flynn and the brothers, she pulled out a portrait of Rapunzel. "I trust you can find her? She'll stick out like a sore thumb since she's never been out in the world before and she has long hair. Bring her to me by the end of the month, and you will be well rewarded."

Taking the portrait from Gothel's hands, Flynn hummed to himself. He then raised a curious eyebrow. "And... may I ask how much you'll be paying us for retrieving this pretty little girl?"

Pulling out a large purse of diamonds, Gothel handed the precious stones to Flynn. "Half now, and you'll receive another purse full of diamonds once you retrieve the girl," handing the purse to the brothers, Flynn waited for Sideburns and Patchy to see whether or not they were real.

"They're real," Sideburns confirmed. He then split the cut between himself, his brother, and Flynn. Turning to Gothel, Sideburns growled lowly. "Once we get your girl back, don't even think about double-crossing us. Trust me, you won't live to regret it."

Chuckling, Gothel gave the large man a dismissive wave. "I wouldn't dream of it," the old woman then looked at Flynn. "One month. Bring her back to me, and you and your partners will receive the rest of your payment."

Werner's bounty hunters looked at him, and the noble then nodded at them. "You heard her. Get going,"

Nodding, Flynn turned to Sideburns and Patchy, urging them to follow him. As the trio left the Bondsman Guild establishment, Gothel smirked to herself.

"Let the hunt begin."

(Isle of Berk)

"Welcome back to Dragon Training, young Vikings!"

Gobber's boisterous words caused Astrid to inhale sharply while also murmuring to herself. "Here we go again," nostalgia struck her like a yak mad from heatstroke, so memories here in this arena; learning how to best a dragon by identifying their weaknesses, hours of training in isolation or with the others, and... recalling how Hiccup was able to best her and the others by immobilizing dragons without physically hurting them.

A testament that Hiccup had not only learned how to approach each dragon that was caged in the arena thanks to his time studying the Book of Dragons as well as the countless hours he spent with his pet Night Fury.

"Why do we have to be the ones to train dragons first?" Tuffnut asked out loud while whipping his dreadlocks out of his face. "I mean, I'm all for risk and all, but... I'm not ready for Valhalla just yet."

"I concur, dear brother," Ruffnut agreed before looking at Astrid. "Maybe if somebody wasn't too hasty to agree and throw us all in here first, we'd be watching the show outside the arena—"

"Ha! Sounds like dumb and dumber are scared!" Snotlout laughed. "But not me, I'm ready for whatever dragon we'll be facing!"

Snorting, Ruffnut remarked sharply. "Oh yeah? Weren't you going on about how you were thinking about ditching because you were "drunk" after last night's feast?"

"No! Shut up, Ruffnut!" Snotlout glared at the grinning woman.

Fishlegs groaned nervously as he then shifted over to Astrid. "What are you trying to prove, Astrid? I get it, who would've thought that Hiccup's promise of eclipsing us all who come true, but is reputation and glory worth getting killed for?"

"You're a smart man, Fishlegs, you already know the answer to that," Astrid smirked. "Besides, we're Vikings; it's an occupational hazard."

Sighing heavily, Fishlegs shook his head while murmuring to himself. "I knew she was going to say that..."

Once the five young adults stood in the center of the arena, they could see Stoick seating himself on his throne while the entire village had gathered to bear witness to their future generation training dragons. "As you all know, we will be joining our allies in the raid against the Kingdom of Corona in three months' time. Before that time comes, however, it has been centuries since we Vikings have gone out into Midgard and conducted a raid of this scale. If we are to be victorious and be remembered, we must unleash the unexpected, and we will show the people of this world that Vikings are capable of adapting and that we are capable of moving past the traditions that have kept us from seizing fame and glory!" The Vikings exclaimed and clamored at their chief's words, all of them eager to venture out and show the world why they were feared.

"Now then, let's get to the training, eh?" Gobber approached the cage that held the Deadly Nadder. As he gripped the lever, the blacksmith winked at the young Vikings. "Don't get killed, kids!" Once the cage opened, the Deadly Nadder burst out, roaring while its wings were outstretched and its tail spikes were protruding.

Cracking his knuckles, Snotlout stepped forward before turning to his companions. "Watch and learn, this is how it's done!" Banging his war hammer against his shield, the stocky young Jorgenson grinned. "It's go time, dragon. Let's go!" As he rushed the dragon, it let out a threatening squawk before lifting its tail and firing a volley of poisonous spines directly at Snotlout. Grunting, he lifted his shield to halt the spines, however, he was sent flying back by a vicious tailwhip, he crashed against a wall and groaned in pain. "Ugh... I-I think... I can taste my spleen. Oh, gods, that hurts!" He then let out a high-pitched scream when the Nadder let out a jet of fire in his direction, luckily, he was able to evade the searing fire at the last second.

Turning to the other young Vikings, the Nadder rushed them, causing them to scatter. Astrid dove away from the dragon's snapping jaws and was prepared to hurl her axe, but she stopped herself from doing that for two reasons. First, trying to train a dragon wouldn't work if they tried using brute strength. Second, the Deadly Nadder would either kill them all or severely wound them if continued to show aggression towards it.

Recalling that the Deadly Nadder has the hottest fire in the dragon world, Astrid approached the dragon from behind while it was firing jets of magnesium at the twins who were running for their lives. The dragon suddenly turned in Astrid's direction, and for a moment, the shield maiden thought it was going to shoot a jet of fire in her direction, but that didn't happen. Instead, the dragon cocked its head though growled in displeasure noting the axe in her hand.

"I got you, babe!"

Snotlout's words were followed by his war hammer whirling through the air and striking the Nadder's jaw, causing the dragon to collapse. "HA! How'd that taste, huh? Snotlout, Snotlout. Oi! Oi! Oi!" His haughty laughter was then replaced with terrified screams when the Nadder got back on its feet and roared in outrage. While chasing the arrogant young Jorgenson, it fired a volley of spines in his direction, pinning him against the wall. Desperately trying to get free, Snotlout gasped when the dragon's open maw glowed with fire. "Oh no, this is gonna hurt!" He winced to himself and prepared for the end.

The sudden banding of weapon against shields threw off the Nadder's aim, just as it was about to reduce Snotlout to dust. Fishlegs pounded his sword against his shield. "That's it! You can't fire when your aim is off, can you?" Roaring in annoyance, the Nadder swept Fishlegs' legs out from under him and was about to wrap its jaws around him, but was stopped by the twins.

"Come and get me, dragon. Fresh meat on the roast, right over here!" Tuffnut taunted with a mischievous grin. Before the Nadder could turn its attention to him, it then looked to Ruffnut who too began to taunt.

"No! Over here! I'm all yours," she dove away from another jet of fire before continuing. "I'll give you a better target, here..." she presented her backside and wigged enticingly, "...hit this, if you can!"

Having enough of this, the Nadder took to the air and flew straight for Ruffnut and snatched her up in its talons before hurling her at Tuffnut who was about to hurl a spear at the dragon's side. As both twins crashed into each other, the Nadder released a dominating roar, challenging the young Vikings to make a move.

Witnessing the Nadder wiping the floor with her companions, Astrid knew there was no point in trying to attack, she needed a different approach, especially when the Nadder turned in her direction. "I can train day and night, be the best shield maiden Berk has ever seen, I can control a heavy axe... but if I don't earn this dragon's trust, I won't survive this. Belligerence, weapons, reputation— all this does not matter if I'm on a huge fire-breathing reptile, high above the ground, and the only thing that can save me at this moment is... recalling everything the local weirdo and loser without the slightest military experience behind his soul did to earn a dragon's trust; a Night Fury's trust," she murmured to herself. Realizing what she had to do, she disarmed herself and tossed her axe and shield aside, a gesture that surprised and confused the Deadly Nadder, but it was intrigued as to why the young shield maiden disarmed. "Here goes nothing." Taking a deep breath, the shield maiden approached the dragon, who then began to growl in warning as Astrid drew closer with her hands outstretched. "Easy there, I'm not going to hurt you," she promised in a hushed tone. Astrid is well aware that this Deadly Nadder could kill her without a second thought, and yet it doesn't.

"Astrid, what are you doing?!" Fishlegs squeaked out.

Throwing a glare at her companion, she hissed. "Shut your mouth, Fishlegs, I'm working here," she recalled Hiccup extending a hand out to the Night Fury he had bonded with and she remembered how that dragon pressed its snout into his palm, a gesture of trust. Taking a breath to steady her breathing, Astrid then extended a hand and looked the dragon in the eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, come to me." With each step the dragon took, Astrid felt her heart beating faster. She had to look away once the dragon was mere inches from her hand, its hot breath warming her skin. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Astrid released a shocked gasp when she felt the dragon press its snot into her palm. Witnessing what was happening, the Hairy Hooligans began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Unbelievable..."

"Odin's beard!"

"So, that's how its done,"

Astrid looked back to face the dragon and when it opened its eyes, she could see the trust it was now placing on her.

She had done it.

Releasing a shaky exhale, Astrid looked deeper into the dragon's eyes, its very soul, and saw that a flicker of herself was in this Nadder's eyes. This dragon was not only fierce but willing to kill if the need arouse, just like her.

"Astrid's done it! Well done, lass!"

"Shave my beard and sell it to Loki, she actually did it!"

"Odin's beard..."

Drowning out the clamors of awe and shock coming from the Hairy Hooligans who witnessed what had just taken place, Stoick rose from his throne and held his hands up, silencing the crowds. "Now that we know how to train dragons, the Vikings who have the courage and the fortitude to do this will work alongside my heir, Astrid, who will teach you all how it's done," the chief then turned to the four remaining young adults in the arena. "The rest of you will train whatever dragons we have kept in the arena." Looking down at Gobber who stood beside the Gronckle pen, he nodded, silently telling him to release the next dragon.

"Right then. Who's next?" The blacksmith asked with a grin.

This was their time to impress the gods and go back out into Midgard and remind the people of the world that the Vikings were not cowards and they were a force to be reckoned with.

(Germany— Unknown location)

Rapunzel awoke to the sound of harsh banging on the front door downstairs, the loud noise startled Pascal, who was resting on top of the blond's head. Quickly sitting up, Rapunzel reached for her hairbrush to brush her long hair. As she brushed her hair, she could hear stern voices downstairs, belonging to both Hiccup and Krogan who were exchanging words. After brushing her hair, the blond beauty reached for the winter clothing Hiccup had provided for her before going to sleep last night.

"Hmm, what do you think, Pascal, do you think red looks good on me?" Lifting up a leather crimson long-sleeve coat with a thick wolf fur cloak, black trousers, crimson boots with wolf fur laced around them, and finally a black leather hat with wolf fur to provide extra warmth. Pascal gave her a smile and nod, taking the advice of her reptilian friend and putting the clothes on. After putting on the warm clothing, Rapunzel found it... comforting, it was almost as if Hiccup himself was spooning her from behind, keeping her warm and safe from harm.

A strange way of thinking about it, but that's what she was feeling when she was wearing the clothes Hiccup provided for her.

Once she was dressed, Rapunzel quickly did her hair in a side braid and then made her way out of Hiccup's room and downstairs. She found the former Viking heir closing the front door and exhaling heavily. "Hiccup?" When he turned around to look at her, she tilted her head. "Is everything alright?"

Momentarily captivated by her radiance and beauty, Hiccup cleared his throat and nodded. "It will be. The sooner this job is over, the better," he then gestured to a satchel on the table. "There's some food and a water skin for you inside that satchel, you can eat on the way." Hiccup then summoned Toothless who was just now finishing a basket full of fish and then following his rider outside. As Rapunzel followed Hiccup outside, she saw Krogan and the Dragon Flyers he said that we would bring, and once again, the blond found herself in awe at the sight of the Singetails they were perched on, however, she frowned recalling how these men beat and abused their dragons to take them wherever they wished.

Once she was hoisted on top of Toothless' back, Hiccup looked to Krogan and gave him a nod, silently telling him and his men to lead the way. As they all took to the air, the former Viking heir looked over his shoulder at Rapunzel who was mesmerized by the Singetails. "How're the clothes fitting you? Are they comfortable?"

"They are. Thank you," She clutched the fur cloak around her body and giggled when Pascal nuzzled against the furs while smiling contently. Curious as to where Hiccup acquired such clothing she tilted her head. "Where did you get these?"

Hiccup smirked. "I made them. Where we're going, Kievan Rus, I've been there before just for the sake of exploration and earning extra money in contests of strength, agility, and athleticism. Noting the Rus people's attire, I made my own set of clothing based on what the people of Kiev would wear," he then chuckled. "Winter there can be... unforgiving, hence the reason I gave you those clothes."

"I've... never got to experience winter outside before," Rapunzel confessed while caressing the fur around the cloak she was wearing. "I haven't experienced anything outside—"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Rapunzel, nothing at all," Hiccup's words of reassurance were firm and understanding. Smiling at the blond beauty, he continued. "Stick with me, and I'll take you wherever you want; you'll see lands so beautiful they'll look unreal, interesting people who may even become good friends, dragons so magnificent that you'd think they only existed in stories, and you'll know what true freedom feels like."

Beaming at his words, Rapunzel quietly squealed in excitement as she exhaled softly. "I can't wait!" Not wanting to get on Hiccup's nerves with questions, Rapunzel couldn't help herself. "Since you know far more than I do, what's... Kiev like?"

"Cold, for starters, but it's also a beautiful place as well. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to explore much of Kiev, but I do know it's a place many people come to conduct business," Hiccup chuckled. "Many of the Kievan people originated in Norway, they're now Rus Vikings who once believed in the old gods but later converted to Christianity. The man Drago wants me to deal with, Adolb Ødholf, the Noble Wolf, is Rus Viking, and he's a very powerful ruler who has considerable ambitions."

Nodding, Rapunzel pressed further. "And Adolb's ambitions are what, exactly?"

"Well, he wants to see his coffers overflowing with wealth, so conducting trade and making Kiev the wealthiest city in all of Rus is one of his desires," he then shrugged. "But he also wants to see paganism eradicated, mainly Norse paganism. Last I heard, he was reaching out to all the rulers of Rus and merging their armies with his own and launching an invasion on Scandinavia; washing away those they consider "heathens," and beginning anew in Christ."

"Genocide? Th-That's awful," Rapunzel gasped in shock. "And... did Adolb hire you to partake in seeing your people destroyed?"

Nodding, Hiccup shook his head. "Even though I've been hired by many warlords and rulers whose ambitions are quite mad, my business with them is merely a means to an end; I get paid, and I walk away, nothing more. The same can be said about taking bounties for Drago Bludvist, he's not only mad but he also has the desire to conquer this world and rule as the undisputed... Dragon God. Crazy stuff, if you ask me..." he snorted at the absurdity of such ambitions before changing the subject. "So, I couldn't help but notice you seem fascinated by Singetails. Do they remained you of Pascal?"

Chuckling lightly, Rapunzel shrugged. "I suppose, but... I guess I find them to be beautiful," her answer came from the heart as she eyed one of the nearby Singetails. "Are they like Chameleons?"

"Not really, Chameleons can blend with their environment, Singetails can't do that. The Singetails' eyes can move independently one from the other, which allows the dragons to see in two different directions simultaneously. Their eyes can also swivel to the back and sides of their heads, giving them a 360-degree view that resembles that of a Chameleon," Hiccup then smiled as he pulled out a large book from his saddle satchel that was securely kept. The book he had created tells of every dragon species he and Toothless had encountered over the years. "Back on Berk, the people there had a book called the Book of Dragons that told of their behavior as a species, their abilities, what they ate, and so on. This is my own version of that book, and if you want to read more about Singetails, go to the halfway mark of the book."

Lighting up in excitement, Rapunzel took the book from his hands, both of them flinched when their fingers grazed against each other, but it was by no means unpleasant, quite the opposite. Blushing, they both tried to play it off but found themselves wishing they could experience that pleasant sensation further.

An hour had passed until Krogan and his flyers descended from the sky, and Hiccup urged Toothless to follow them. The sudden drop caused Rapunzel to place Hiccup's dragon book in the satchel he had given her and she wrapped her arms around his middle, holding on tightly. Pascal clung for dear life as well, he nearly lost his grip, however, he was able to regain it and crawl into the fur cloak Rapunzel had been provided with, peaking out of the front of it. Eventually, after emerging out of the morning clouds, Rapunzel and Pascal's mouths were agape at the sight of a massive fleet of ships that was anchored off of the German coast. She had never seen ships so large before in her life, not to mention the diversity of each one, telling her that many nations had sworn fealty to the man Hiccup was doing this job for.

"Rapunzel, stay close to me, alright?" Hiccup looked over his shoulder so that he could look into the blond's eyes. "The people here are not friends, they're not friendly, and they're not to be trifled with. Stay at my side, and you'll be fine, hmm?" Rapunzel nodded in understanding, her nerves were racing as they approached the largest ship out of the entire armada, its sails bore the same emblem of a Monstrous Nightmare skull with a sword going down the center of it. "In case you're wondering, that ship is The Conqueror, Drago Bludvist's flagship. And, unfortunately, looks like we'll be onboard for the next couple of weeks."

"Why is that?"

"Well, because Drago wants to rule the world, he not only has a vast army of men as well as dragons that are either beaten or forced into submission by those loyal to the madman, and on occasion, they're even controlled by Drago's pet killer... a Bewilderbeast, the King of Dragons, an alpha dragon species," Toothless growled as they drew closer to Drago's ship, Hiccup, however, caressed his neck soothingly while cooing reassuring words. "For all of Drago's talk about supposedly being the only man in the world who can control the dragons, he does nothing but beat and abuses them."

Frowning at Hiccup's words, Rapunzel looked at the Singetails that Krogan and his men were flying before murmuring. "Them too?"

Hiccup nodded in confirmation. "To the Northern Alliance, dragons are nothing but war beasts, weapons to unleash upon their enemies, and a means to an end," he then shook his head in disgust. "It's terrible, I know. And were Drago any other warlord, I would decline his bounty, but this is a man I don't want as an enemy. So the sooner this job is over, the better, believe me."

"You'll find no argument from me," Rapunzel murmured once they touched down on the deck of The Conqueror, causing many of the warriors onboard to turn their heads in their direction.

As Hiccup dismounted Toothless, he could see Drago approaching Krogan who too was dismounting his Singetail. The two men exchanged words before the madman approached him. "Rapunzel, say nothing unless you're spoken to, hmm?" She nodded and stood close to Hiccup, even grabbing one of his hands, an unexpected gesture, but the banished heir couldn't say he blamed Rapunzel in the slightest, Drago was an intimidating sight to behold, even more so when in combat.

"Drago," Hiccup nodded in greetings. "I wish to talk about my payment for doing this bounty for you and your campaign—"

"You will receive payment when your task is done, boy," the madman growled.

"No."

Everyone tensed at Hiccup's insolence, those watching expected Drago to lash out at the young man who stood tall, and defiant. Surprisingly, no lash was struck.

"What do you wish for your services?" The madman finally asked after a long, tense silence.

Hiccup's response was immediate and firm. "A dragon," he then made a gesture at Rapunzel with his head, who was by his side, "it's a gift for her. A Singetail, to be specific. She's intrigued by them and so, for my services, you will give me a Singetail, here and now. Nothing more." The blond shared a shocked look with Pascal, both of them looked back at the viscous warlord who sneered at them, which caused the blond to hide behind the man who rescued her from the tower. Snorting at the blond, Drago looked back at Hiccup with a stern glare before huffing in agreement.

"Very well, losing one Singetail is nothing compared to the vast number of dragons I have under my command," he huffed before turning to his right-hand man. "Release one of the Singetails." Not needing to be told twice, Krogan approached a cage that held an average-sized Singetail that bore dark green skin and had many scars and wounds. As the cage opened, the Singetail rushed Krogan, but he evaded its snapping jaws and pinched its neck, causing the dragon to roar in pain and tumble to the deck.

Before Krogan could bring his axe down on the defiant Singetail, Hiccup used Inferno to halt the axe from spilling the Singetail's blood. Both men glared heatedly at each other before breaking their heated lock and taking up battle stances, ready to fight each other.

"Krogan, hold!"

The head of the Dragon Flyers looked at his master and followed his orders, however, he kept his battle stance. Approaching the banished Viking heir, Drago loomed over him and spoke in a chilling tone. "You overstep your bounds, boy. Remember where you are," Hiccup retracted Inferno and stepped away while keeping Rapunzel close to him. Toothless snarled in warning at Drago as the madman glared heatedly at his rider. "Krogan, you were right to show this insolent dragon its place and right to stand your ground against Haddock, however, we need him and his Night Fury. You will stand down, now."

Growling lowly, Krogan stood straight, bowing his head in acknowledgment at Drago before turning to Hiccup with a glare. "Do not interfere when I put a rebellious dragon in its place again, Haddock, or else your story will end," Krogan threatened while placing his axe behind his back.

Snorting, Hiccup remarked. "Bold words, why not back them up with action? Oh, that's right, you won't. You heard your master, he needs me and my Night Fury. Now, be the good well-heeled dog that you are and cease hostility." Krogan growled loudly before walking away with a clutch of his flyers.

Once Krogan was out of sight, Drago turned back to the young bounty hunter. "Despite needing you and your Night Fury, Hiccup Haddock, you aren't the only dragon rider here, there are two I believe you are acquainted with," he then turned to his men and had them summon the other two riders who were here. Once they were in Hiccup's sight, he inhaled sharply at who they were. "Heather the Unhinged and Ripper." Not only was Hiccup well acquainted with these two bounty hunters/dragon riders, but they were also fierce competition for him in the Bondsman Guild.

"Ripper," Hiccup seethed at the well built, yet devilishly handsome man merely went by the name "Ripper," nothing more.

He had short, spiky dirty blond hair and a light beard on his face, his piercing hazel eyes would strike fear into common men, and he was tall and muscular. His attire consisted of a dark green long-sleeve tunic, black leather armor, and boots with crimson spikes protruding from the shoulder pauldrons and forearm gauntlets. Two swords were strapped behind his back and he possessed two devices clipped to his forearm gauntlets that can fire multiple sharp spines. And finally, his dragon of choice was a Whispering Death, this dragon, however, was unique, because this dragon was Toothless' nemesis; having crossed paths before in one of his earlier jobs as a bounty hunter, Hiccup nearly lost Toothless because of how viciously the dragon fought.

"Well, if it isn't Hiccup Haddock," Ripper smirked. "Been a while, huh?"

"Not long enough," was Hiccup's remark before turning to Heather with a softer gaze. "Really? You're here too?"

Shrugging, Heather remarked. "A girl in this business has to make a living," she then added with a genuine smile. "It's good to see you, despite the circumstances." Her Razorwhip, Windshear let out a huff of greetings at Toothless, who returned the action with a smile.

Rapunzel, who had been silent observed the interactions between Hiccup and the other two bounty hunters; there was obviously a tense, heatedly rivalry between him and Ripper, Corona's lost princess wondered just how heated their rivalry was, for both the men and their dragons. As for Heather, she couldn't place her finger on it, but Rapunzel could sense that she and Hiccup had a history as well. If it wasn't a sore subject, she would ask Hiccup what their relationship was like.

"You three will work as one to bring back my captured warlord, Griselda the Grievous, because you stand as the best bounty hunters here in Germany," Drago noted the tension between Hiccup and Ripper, he then growled. "For your sakes and for the sake of your dragons, you will set aside your feud until this job is completed or else losing your bounty will be the least of your concerns." the madman's warning caused Hiccup to turn to Toothless, who gave his rider a worried look.

There are fates worse than death, after all...

For the sake of Toothless, Hiccup wasn't going to botch this job.

"You won't need to worry about us, Drago," Ripper reassured before caressing his dragon's spiky chin. "Dreadwing and I will be on our best behavior," he then turned to Hiccup and Toothless before snorting, "these two, however, no promises..."

"I won't cause any trouble, whatsoever," Hiccup said firmly and through gritted teeth while glaring a smug Ripper. Taking a deep breath, the former Viking heir gave the madman a curious look. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now," Drago turned to his shipmaster and barked out. "Cast off! We sail for Kiev!" The Conqueror's shipmaster relayed Drago's orders to the men onboard; they let raised sails down, brought up the anchors keeping the ship at bay, and as the ship began to sail, Drago's men signaled the rest of the fleet to follow. The madman himself moved to the front of his ship and acquired his bullhook and began to beat against the thick chains that were attached to something big down in the water. Once the bullhook struck the chains, the ship gained speed and the shipmaster steered the ship in the direction they needed to go.

Hiccup watched as Ripper and Dreadwing made their way off of the deck before making their way down below, he then turned to Heather, who was mounting Windshear, the beautiful ebony-haired rider smiled at him before urging her Razorwhip to take to the sky so that she could spread her wings.

"Alright, with nothing but time on our hands, I'm going to help you train this Singetail, Rapunzel," Hiccup turned to the shocked blond before giving her a confused look. "What? That's what you want, isn't it?"

"I-I don't know, w-what if I can't train it? Clearly, it doesn't trust humans, I wouldn't either if they captured and then abused me. I've never done anything like this before—"

Placing firm, yet gentle hands on her shoulders, Rapunzel ceased her nervous babbling and found herself entranced in Hiccup's gorgeous forest-green eyes. Not only that, but she felt calm and safe because of his touch. "Rapunzel," he whispered her name like a prayer; he then raised his eyebrows. "Do you trust me?"

All her life, Gothel had put it in her head thinking that anyone other than her was untrustworthy, a lie, of course, however, the old crone had used her naivety to her advantage.

Never again.

"Yes," Rapunzel said softly.

Nodding, Hiccup took her hand, she felt pleasant sensations tingle throughout her body because of his touch, and she liked that. Turning to the Singetail, Hiccup spoke softly. "It's okay, girl, we aren't going to hurt you," the Singetail was hesitant, clearly it had suffered a great deal at the hands of the Dragon Flyers, but Hiccup alleviated the dragon's concerns. "We're nothing like those who used and abused you." Reaching for a nearby barrel that held the Singetail's preferred fish, Hiccup smiled at the dragon while slowly waving the fish in invitation. Extending the hand that held an Ice Tail Pike Fish, Hiccup cooed. "Here, you must be starving." Slowly but surely, the Singetail approached, and both Rapunzel and Pascal held their breath as the dragon drew closer and closer until it snatched the fish out of Hiccup's hands and ate quickly.

"How can you tell that it's a girl?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"When you learn about dragons from a hands-on experience, you'll spot the differences between a male and female dragon," Hiccup winked before turning back to the Singetail who laid eyes on Rapunzel's outstretched hand. "It's okay, girl, she won't hurt you."

"That's right, I won't," Rapunzel promised before turning to Pascal. "We won't, won't we?" The Chameleon shook his head and watched with an agape mouth as the Singetail took several whiffs at the blond's outstretched hand before pressing her snout into the princess's palm, causing Rapunzel to let out a sharp gasp of surprise before she began chuckling in shock and disbelief.

Laughing at her relatable reaction, Hiccup smiled. "Wow, you've bonded with a Singetail, and they don't take too kindly to any dragon or humans they deem as a threat or untrustworthy," he then leaned in and inquired. "Are you going to name her?"

Turning to look the Viking in the eyes, Rapunzel blushed at just how close he was, not that she was complaining, however, his devilish charms were making her weak in the knees. "M-Me? Name her. Really?"

Nodding, Hiccup smiled. "You've bonded with her, now you get the privilege of naming her," he then gave her a curious look. "Do you have a name in mind?"

Raking through her mind, Rapunzel thought of a name suitable for her Singetail. A smile graced her face when her mind settled on a name. "Bluster. Her name is Bluster," as she caressed the Singetail's head and jaw, she gave her dragon a curious look. "Do you like that?" The Singetail chittered lowly before pressing her head against Rapunzel's belly while growling contentedly, a sign of approval. Laughing, Rapunzel caressed her dragon's head and cooed. "Aww, you like that, huh? I'm glad you do!" Bluster then noticed Pascal who crawled down Rapunzel's arm and then leaped on top of her snot. The Singetail cocked its head as the Chameleon rolled around on the dragon's warm snout, causing Rapunzel to giggle.

"We'll go out flying pretty soon, not only to get it out of Toothless' system but also so that you'll get used to flying without me to do it. Sound good?"Beaming at Hiccup, Rapunzel nodded while clapping her hands like a child about to receive a gift.

With Bluster by her side, she could go anywhere in the world. However, despite the endless possibilities now laying before her, Rapunzel didn't want to enjoy them alone; looking at Hiccup, she saw him and Toothless smiling at the sight of her and Pascal bonding with Bluster, it made her heart swell with happiness.

Adventure and risk were calling her name, and Rapunzel had never been more excited to dive headfirst into what awaited for her.

A/N: Tell me I'm not the only one who can see Rapunzel bonding with a Singetail; not only are those dragons chameleon-like, but I think it's a dragon that just suits Rapunzel. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, the story will take us to Kiev where Rapunzel experiences medieval Russia for the first time and she'll be swooned by the wrong guy, despite Hiccup's warnings. But that's a chapter for another time, until then, I'll see you in the next one!