When they stepped through the doorway, they found themselves in a laboratory, a very big one. There were multiple shelves filled with books, tables filled with formulas and beakers of different coloured liquids.

"Looks like we found her lab," said Hiccup.

"And it's a big one," said Heather.

"Look at all this stuff," said Jill as she looked at the notes on the tables. "I can't fully understand them, but they are clearly spells."

"What kind of spells?" Astrid asked.

"Powerful ones, but judging from these crosses, they were failures or experiments," he said.

"What do you think these are?" Tuffnut asked, eyeing beakers.

"They look pretty awesome," said Ruffnut.

"Don't touch them!" Eret snapped. "These are left here for thousands of years; who knows what might happen if they mixed."

"Eret's right. It could lead to a massive chain reaction and destroy the entire place," said Fishlegs.

"That sounds pretty wicked," said Tuffnut.

"And bring everything down right on top of us," Fishlegs added.

"Not so wicked," said Tuffnut.

"Shh, I hear voices," Heather whispered.

"Can you make them out?" Hiccup asked.

"They're too muffled, but I think they're just a few yards away."

"Okay, stay quiet and don't make too much noise," said Hiccup, looking directly at the twins.

"Why does he always look at us when he says that?" Tuffnut asked.

They carefully approached the voices, though navigating through this lab was difficult. Every time they turn around the corner, they come across a massive bookshelf or workshop.

However, they were getting closer as Hiccup started hearing the voices, but he imagined not as well as Heather.

"They're definitely orcs and appear to be arguing," she said.

"Can you tell how many?" Astrid asked.

"Judging from the movement, I have to say that at least five, but they seem to be very heavily armed."

"Should we take them?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup.

"I would like to avoid a conflict; we're in a tight space filled with concoctions made by a tyrannical God Queen."

"I agree with Hiccup; for now, we just listen to their conversation," said Eret.

"Want us to be a fly on the wall again?" Ruffnut asked.

Eret shook his head. "Don't forget no animal, let alone an insect, has set foot in this palace for thousands of years. I fear that your shape-shifting powers will not be as effective as they normally are."

They carefully got close to the voices until they reached the corner where they could definitely hear them very clearly. Hiccup slowly turned his head around the corner and could see five very heavily armed orcs arguing.

"We've been searching for days. We found nothing!" said one of the orcs.

"We have to keep looking!" said the biggest of them, who was clearly the leader.

"We don't even know what to look for!"

"We were told we would know it when we see it!"

"We've seen plenty of stuff, and how do we know it'll work!"

"We can't go back to Loki empty-handed; he would kill us on the spot."

"And if we stay down here any longer, we'll starve to death!"

"Sounds like they haven't found that looking for," Hiccup whispered.

"What is it looking for?" Astrid wandered.

"They don't seem to know themselves."

"Do you least know what this thing is supposed to do?" an orc shaman asked.

"Loki said that it would be of great importance for the upcoming battle," said the orc leader.

"How do we know he's telling the truth?" one of the orcs growled.

The orc leader growled, grabbing the orc's throat. "Why would he send us on a wild goose chase for no reason? Loki is anything but a fool; he would not have sent as he unless it was important."

"Why did he send us to Gullveig's ancient palace?"

"This argument is getting us nowhere," said the shaman. "We have already wasted enough time."

The orc leader then released the orc. "Keep searching; I want this place turned upside down until we find it."

With that, they began ransacking the place. However, Hiccup noticed they were being very careful not to spill any of the beakers.

"We need to find what they're looking for before they do," said Heather. "If Loki wants it and Gulveig made it has to be something extremely dangerous."

"But even they don't know where to look?" Fishlegs pointed out.

"There is a good thing you have me," said a new voice.

They quickly turned around and nearly gasped because standing before them was Ragnar. Like all elves, Ragnar was rather tall; he could easily pass for a human if it weren't for his pointy ears hidden behind his long brown hair.

Heather instantly hugged him. "Ragnar was feared the worst."

"You should know by now that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," Ragnar smiled and then looked at them. "I'm rather surprised that Mimir sent you guys to search for me."

Everyone then immediately looked at him awkwardly.

"He didn't send you, did he," Ragnar sighed.

"Well, we have to do something," said Hiccup.

He then began to explain to Ragnar what had happened since he left, especially the meeting with Surt, as well as his dream of the war meeting.

"I can see now why Mimir was adamant about not sending you out on a mission," said Ragnar. "But I can also understand why you need to disobey orders."

"Thanks, Rag," Hiccup smiled. "Now, what have you been up to? We have received a message from you for weeks."

"Sorry about that, but I stumbled upon the scouting party and noticed they were heading straight to Gullveig's old Palace," said Ragnar. "I instantly knew they were after something there and followed them. Then we went into this hidden workshop, and I couldn't get out."

"You mean there's no way out?" Fishlegs whimpered.

"Apart from how we came in, I didn't want to leave until I knew what they were after," Ragnar explained.

"What are they after?" Jill asked.

"As you have no doubt heard, they don't know themselves, but I do have a suspicion," said Ragnar. "While these idiots have been ransacking the entire place, I actually did some reading. Apparently, the former Queen of Vanaheim was doing all sorts of experiments and eating every single one more dangerous than the last."

"I think we gathered at," said Hiccup.

"What you don't know is that even after her exile, she came here," Ragnar continued. "It was the perfect hiding place. Nobody has stepped foot in this place because they were afraid, which gave her more than enough opportunity to continue her experiments. More specifically, to get the revenge he wanted so dearly, one certain God."

"Loki," Hiccup gasped.

"Exactly," Ragnar nodded.

"But they're allies?" Fishelgs frowned.

"They may have a common goal, but that does not mean they trust each other," said Ragnar. "I don't know exactly how it works, but from what I could understand, she made some sort of mirror that revealed the truth."

"A mirror that reveals the truth?" Astrid frowned. "It doesn't sound much like a weapon."

"Loki was never an extremely powerful warrior like that of the rest of the Aseir; he used his wits to outthink his opponent," Ragnar reminded her. "It possible that this mirror forces him to stay in his true form rather than when he is shape-shifting."

"So he'll be stuck in one form, unable to escape," Hiccup concluded.

"But he still a powerful sorcerer," Fishlegs pointed out.

"I would sound like he fears Hiccup and his sorcery," said Ragnar. "And it can also reveal what was happening here that might damage the alliance between Loki and Gullveig."

Eret folded his arms. "What makes you think that Gullveig will believe us?"

"She has more reason to trust us than Loki, even if we are her enemy," said Jill.

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it; right now, we need to find that mirror," said Ragnar.

"Where should we start looking?" Hiccup asked. "It could be just about anywhere in this workshop."

"And as luck might have it, I think I know exactly where it is, but I lacked one thing to get it," said Ragnar.

"What's that?" Tuffnut asked.

"Someone skilled with rune magic," he said, looking at Hiccup.

"A protective ward?" Hiccup asked.

"A very powerful; I would have missed completely if it wasn't for my skill with Vanir magic."

"Where exactly is it?" Eret asked.

"This way, but we have to remain quiet; we don't want the orcs to find out," said Ragnar.

They followed Ragnar to another section of the workshop. It is not much different from the others, but there was a portrait of Gullveig herself.

"You're not telling me that it's the portrait," said Hiccup, looking at Ragnar.

"Afraid so," he nodded.

"Isn't that a little too on the nose, literally?" Fishlegs asked.

"Never mind that I hear the orcs nearby the sound as if they're coming closer," Heather informed them.

"We don't have any time, judging from her notes she hid behind this portrait," said Ragnar.

Hiccup waved his hand in front of the portrait, and there was a glow. "It definitely is protected by powerful magic. I might be able to break the spell, but it's going to take some time."

"Time we may not have," said Astrid.

Hiccup could now hear the orcs himself, and it sounded like they were coming this way.

"And then not waste any time," said Hiccup and outstretched, his hands began chanting in an ancient language.

"What do we do if the orcs show up?" Astrid asked.

"We might just have to fight them," said Ragnar.

"Weren't we trying to avoid fighting them?" Ruffnut asked.

"That was when they were in an area filled with unknown outdated potions, but here we don't have to worry about," said Ragnar.

They looked around and saw that he was right; there were no traces of any potions.

"I guess this place is too important for her to leave her concoctions lying around," Fishlegs assumed.

"Good, because here they come," said Astrid as she clutched her battleaxe.

Sure enough, the orcs just turned around the corner, and they first saw Astrid swinging her battleaxe. She managed to cut off the head of the shaman before he knew what happened.

"What the?" said one of the orcs. "Where did they come from?"

"Who cares? Kill them!" the orca leader commanded.

Without the shaman, fighting the orcs without spells flying around was certainly a lot easier. Even though there were no potions in this area, they still had to be careful, especially since Hiccup was unable to move while he was chanting.

Heather managed to somersault behind one of the orcs and then plunged her double-blade axe right through his chest. However, an orc swung his mace directly at her, and he properly would have killed her if she hadn't reacted in time and blocked it with her axe, but he was still strong enough to send her flying to a nearby bookshelf.

Fishlegs somehow found himself wrestling with an orc, and they appeared to be evenly matched in strength. Eret ended the stalemate by rushing in and plunging his twin blades into the orc.

The twins then jumped at the orc with the mace, quickly transforming into tigers and pounced on him. Ruffnut plunged her fright into his neck while Tuffnut cut into pieces with his claws.

The orc leader was looking furious. "Did you honestly think you can beat us? My underlying may be weak, but you will find that I'm in another league. You will regret the day that you—"

He was then cut short when Ragnar sent Sumarbrander into his neck. Sumarbrander was a magical sword that belonged to his father, but now it was his and could move independently.

"That's enough of that," said Ragnar.

"Finished!" said Hiccup.

"About time," said Ruffnut, who was now back to human form with her brother.

The portrait opened up, and inside, they saw a hand mirror; it didn't look any different from any other mirror.

"You sure that's what they're looking for?" Heather asked.

"It certainly doesn't look special," said Astrid.

"It does contain powerful magic and sent that at least," said Hiccup.

"But what do we do with it?" Tuffnut asked.

"I don't know," said Hiccup. "But maybe Mimir might know."

"You know he's not going to be too happy that we disobeyed him," Astrid pointed out.

"I'll take full responsibility," said Hiccup.

"He can't be that mad; I mean, we did just find a secret weapon," said Fishlegs optimistically.