The Rebellion

by KatieMarie999

Growing Up Haddock Story 9: After years of plotting his revenge, Brandyn Anderson is back. Welcome to The Rebellion. Join Hiccup, Astrid, Fearless Finn, Adrianna, Erick and their friends on the epic conclusion to the Growing Up Haddock series. Will they prevail against evil, or will their entire world be destroyed? Only HTTYD and R/DoB are canon. T for limes and mature situations.

11. Empires Fall

Happy February, friends!

Boy, has it been a busy month. I have been steadily chipping away at this chapter and I am so glad I started when I did. It is monstrous!

It's also madness to me that I turned 30 this month! Whoo! It was a great day with my family and my mom took me out to lunch at this little bistro we like. The only bad part was… I kinda wiped out on the stairs. Now I was fine and the fall itself wasn't too terrible. I just had really bad bruising. The bad part was a few days afterward when I rolled over in bed wrong and my back decided to go out on me.

I don't know if any of you guys have ever thrown out your back before, but I do not recommend. It was so bad that I almost passed out twice and freaked out my poor landlords. My mom had to take me to the ER, so I spent most of that day in the hospital getting x-rays done. No bone issues, but I definitely messed up some muscles. They put me on muscle relaxers and I had to spend an entire week at my parents' house because I couldn't move or do much. The ER doctor even gave me two days off work because he didn't want me doing anything. Yikes lol

But I am fully healed and have been more active in the weeks since. I hate exercising but as I am glued to a desk for work, at least walking and moving and stretching is good to do regularly. Take this as a lesson, my friends. Get up and stretch and move lol Be kind to your bodies! Also, don't fall down the stairs on your 30th birthday. It does not set the tone very well hahaha

I've also gotten my first cavities so I had to get those filled last week. Thankfully that wasn't terrible, just not fun. And on top of it all I've had a really bad cold going on 4 weeks now. Lord, save me haha Send help!

Despite all this, I've been chipping away at this chapter in the last few weeks. I sometimes get overwhelmed with the sheer size of a chapter once it hits the 25 page mark. So this time I opened a separate document for the next section as it came. Once completed, I used copy/paste to add it to this document. Voila! Soon enough you find yourself with a monstrous chapter that doesn't feel overwhelming (at least until it's time to edit).

Seriously though, this chapter is massive. Get your comfy blankets and please give yourself plenty of time to read. If it's 2am, go to bed ;) Lookin at you, Jono haha

Fair warning ahead for violence, stress & minor blood. I don't recall anything particularly gory, but just in case.

Special Note Note to Guest Reviewer: Holy crap, I can't believe how far you've come, my friend! Your message made me cry. I'm so touched and thankful that you're sharing your journey with us. I'm so proud of you for being a year and a half clean! That is AMAZING! I wish I could give you the biggest hug ever (Heart!). Congrats!

Inspirations:

-Nexus by Mark Petrie; I See Dead People in Boats by Hans Zimmer (PotC); Conquering Olympus, Audiomachine; Mermaids by Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Brace yourselves, my children. Here we go :}

~Em

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Chapter 11: Empires Fall

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Inga Jorgenson had never been much of a reader. She prided herself on the practical, the living in the now and putting all her energies into what was important. Not frivolous activities such as reading or imagination.

Despite this, she couldn't help but feel like she was the main character in a harrowing plot that had dangers at every turn. She had a lot to gain from this mission. And yet one false move wouldn't just spell out her own doom, but Alton's too.

Losing the group of Changewing spies had been the easy part. Harald had ordered her to keep to Nikolas Larson's tail. She'd grinned in victory at this news. Nikolas was not much of a multitasker and he was both arrogant and selfish to boot. He was clever and quick, just as all the Larsons were, but grief for his personal losses had turned the worst aspects of his personality sour. He'd always been one to turn a blind eye to things if they didn't suit him.

Therefore, ordering Mystie to slip away had been easier than slicing pie.

Maneuvering the size of Brandyn's army was the difficult part. For what felt like hours they dodged enemy riders and sneaked behind ships and sails. Luckily they could use the night sky and dark clouds and the shadows cast by the ships to their advantage. Changewings could hide invisibly in the daylight just as easily, but even an untrained eye could see a shimmering mass hurtling through the skies when the sun was shining bright.

Trying to figure out which ship Alton could possibly be on was both difficult and easy. While some might get overwhelmed with the sheer size of Brandyn's army and decide there was no way any one person could be located, Inga begged to differ. To her it seemed rather obvious.

Alton had been captured, likely for information. And anyone with valuable information wouldn't be kept on any ole random ship. No, they would be kept close by.

So she was seeking out Brandyn's ship.

The thought didn't sit well, but she pressed on regardless. She would find Alton and bring him home, and nobody-not Brandyn nor his entire army-would stand in her way.

Mystie ducked behind a large ship and clung to a large rope net hanging over the side as a trio of riders and dragons flew by. A waft of smoke curled out of Mystie's nostrils and Inga quickly pulled herself up to wave it away.

"Stop that, Mystie, or people might see," she whispered low enough that the water sloshing against the ship's sides covered it. She could hear voices on the deck above but couldn't quite make out their voices.

She'd assumed that Brandyn's ship would be the largest of the group, but so far she'd yet to find it. She'd lost track of time as they scoured the army, but she was sure the Berkian spies had left by now. No matter what happened next, she was officially on her own. And that meant if she was going to find Brandyn's ship, she was going to have to take some risks.

Adjusting her navy and black flight suit, she unbuckled her harness. Mystie kept still and silent as she began to climb hand over hand over her dragon's shoulders and neck and then up the rope ladder. She didn't intend to board the ship, not if she could help it. But any little bit of information she could gather from the soldiers would be helpful. At least to find out which direction to go and save time.

As she climbed higher, the soldiers' voices became clearer.

"-g Burglar?"

"-sending Outcast and Rune to Bog. They won't stand a chance."

Inga crouched just below the handrail of the deck, her toes securely in place at the top of the rope ladder. With a quick movement she could easily drop back into her saddle below, but up here she was completely exposed. With their oily secretions rubbed all over the flight suits, Changewings could manipulate the material to make their riders invisible, too. So long as they were in the saddle, anyway. But the moment she left her saddle, she was completely visible.

If someone were to pass by or look out across the water from another ship, she could easily be seen and raise the alarm.

"What about the rest of us then?"

"Sounds like we're going to Brawn."

One of the men scoffed. "If all this is to get to Berk, we're taking an awful long trip around the Archipelago. What's the Chief playing at?"

"Gods know. He's been chasing this for years and it all stopped making sense years ago. We just do what we're told."

"What's in it for us exactly?"

"Our pick of the islands, probably. Berk and Brawn are the most fertile."

Inga grit her teeth. It took her a moment to realize that this "Chief" they were talking about was Brandyn. Because of course he'd proclaim himself Chief the moment Sven had died. No, the moment Berserker had been taken. The thought that Brandyn planned to rule the entire Archipelago and split up the territories of his own free will, allow all his cronies to move into their homes made her stomach churn with anger.

But with a slow exhale, she pushed that thought away. She was here for one reason, possibly two. If she could find Alton, maybe she could even find Astrid. But she'd gain them nothing if she lost her head.

Blinking, she realized the men had continued their conversation and refocused her attention.

"-to do with all the people we capture?"

"I assumed kill them, but he apparently has plans for that too."

"Like what?"

Inga's eyes widened as the information was relayed. If what these soldiers were saying was true, then she had more information than the spies even had. She couldn't allow this to happen.

Now she felt torn with indecision. She wanted to find Alton, more than anything. But Hiccup should have this information…

"At any rate, there's plenty of room on the ships. From what I hear we've only got a few prisoners."

Indecision forgotten, Inga clenched her jaw to keep from gasping aloud.

"Haddock's wife is with the Chief, naturally. He'd never let her out of his sight."

"What about the others though?"

"Still with Grimborn, or so I was told. If they're even still alive. Who can tell anymore? The way Brandyn talks, they're all dead anyway."

Grimborn. Who was Grimborn? The name triggered something in her mind, but she couldn't put a finger on it. If there were prisoners being kept on his ship, then that was most likely where Alton was being kept. But which ship was his?

Something yellow launched over her head and she ducked down, heart in her throat. A small splash sounded below and she glanced over her shoulder. A banana peel floated along the surface far below and she huffed a silent breath of relief.

Moments later the scuffing footsteps of soldiers, along with their conversation, faded away. Break time was over apparently.

Carefully, Inga climbed back down. It was trickier on the way down and she made sure to place her feet securely into the saddle before sitting. If she fell into the water with an almighty splash, they were sure to be discovered.

The moment she was seated, Mystie turned her invisible. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and then glanced around at all the ships lined up. There were dozens upon dozens of them. How had Brandyn acquired such a large force? They all couldn't be from Berserker.

In the distance, the night sky had turned a deep violet. Sunrise was approaching. She was running out of time.

Huffing through her nose, Inga looked at the ships again. How was she to know which ship belonged to Grimborn? Was he from Berserker Island? Or was he some crony Brandyn had picked up during the last few years of his exile? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember. It was rather infuriating.

Then she found her answer flying high above the nearest ships. Waving in the wind were black flags depicting a screeching white dragon. The Skrill.

The Skrill flag was for Berserker Island, and now she realized as she twisted in her saddle that many of the ships flew it. There were others, too. One flag was white depicting a helmet with large protruding horns, painted in blood red. That was Outcast Island.

And though she couldn't be sure if there were others besides these, there was one last flag above a few nearby ships. It was red and the image was difficult to make out as it flapped in the wind, but she soon realized what it was and grimaced.

It was a white snake, coiled in an S shape, eating its own tail. The slavemark. Rune.

Shaking off her disgust, Inga glanced around for more flags and came up empty. So at least of the ships surrounding them now, there was Berserker, Outcast and Rune. That explained the soldier's comment that Brandyn was sending Outcast and Rune to Bog Burglar. Apparently they had joined forces and Brandyn was now directing them all. Sighing through her nose and patting Mystie's shoulder, she urged her to take off and fly low across the water. She hoped the Berkian spies had found out some of this information themselves and were now taking it back to Berk. She'd do it if she could, but if she left now, she might never see Alton again. Figures she had to do everything. Ignoring her stab of irritation, she quashed those thoughts and focused on their flight as they coasted the dark waters. They'd have to investigate further to find more flags. Maybe Brandyn's ship would hold a clue to make it stand apart other than its size?

They flew for another few minutes, dodging riders and ducking behind ships, all while Inga kept a close eye on the horizon. The further they went however, the more she doubted that any of the other ships were from other islands.

That is until they came across another group of ships that stood apart from the rest.

They were dark, as if the wooden beams had been painted with tar. They were hulking, massive ships with multiple levels, and on the top deck she could see cages, massive spearheads loaded into catapults, and strange green chains coiled onto giant spools. The flag was white with a depiction of a dragon, an arrow piercing its head and neck and a sword through its back.

There was only one group of people Inga could think of who would fly a flag like that. Dragon hunters.

And suddenly she remembered.

After Erick and Adrianna's wedding on the Edge, she and her brothers had peppered their parents with questions about their adventures. Heather had given a long suffering sigh as Snotlout launched into boastful tales about rescuing dragons and kicking more than a few butts, the majority of them dragon hunters.

Vidar had asked which dragon hunter was the hardest to beat and both their parents had gone quiet.

"Viggo Grimborn," they'd said. "He loved to play manipulative games and was incredibly smart. Maybe even smarter than Hiccup."

Inga had found the idea so preposterous that she'd laughed. Nobody was smarter than the Chief of Berk. Now she was grateful she'd mocked the insufferable dragon hunter, otherwise she might have forgotten about him entirely.

If Viggo Grimborn was back, and these ships belonged to dragon hunters… then she'd found it. The ship before them was the largest of the pack. If the soldiers' information that Viggo was keeping the prisoners was correct, then Alton was here somewhere.

Muttering a curse that she couldn't whoop for joy, Inga urged Mystie forward. Soon they landed on the deck behind a large assortment of wooden boxes, which she soon discovered were full of more spools of that strange green chain. The top of the deck was deserted as she poked her head around. She couldn't help but feel her first trill of fear as she realized that she'd have to leave Mystie behind.

"Mystie, you stay here. Stay hidden and invisible." Inga whispered and kissed her dragon on the nose. "I'll get Alton and come back for you, okay?"

Mystie grumbled but obeyed.

Exhaling softly through her mouth, Inga ducked out around the boxes and darted to the stairs that led belowdecks.

It was frustratingly slow work, pausing at each corner and poking her head around to see if anyone was patrolling the halls. Strangely she didn't see anyone as she descended the first set of stairs and tiptoed down a long hallway. Dozens of doors were on either side and she quickened her pace. If someone should exit their room now-

She made it to the next corner and almost forgot to peek both directions before taking a left.

At the next set of stairs, a chorus of laughter made her jump. She ducked behind a shadowy corner and waited. The laughter continued as did the thump of cups on tables. Steadying herself, she tiptoed down the stairs and crouched in the darkness. It was the galley, where dozens and dozens of men were sitting for their early morning breakfasts. There were no other doors or stairs here to descend further.

Darting back up the stairs on lithe feet, she quickly took the other hallway she'd ignored. Surely this massive ship had to have a sort of jail where prisoners and dragons were kept.

She descended the next set of steps with care, pausing every few steps to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She frowned as she found herself in a long hallway lined with barred walls. Lamps hung on chains every dozen feet, sending shadows skittering through every dark corner. Her feet splashed in water pooled on the floor as she walked past dozens of empty cells. The iron was cold and dark, each hole barely large enough to fit a fist through.

She grit her teeth and hurried her steps, feeling like she was making the loudest ruckus and that she'd be found out at any second.

She reached the end of the long hall and paused. The sound of heavy breathing could be heard around the next corner. Bracing herself, she poked an eye around the corner and nearly gasped.

The next hallway was full of cages. Each one was full of dragons.

Gronckles and Zipplebacks, Monstrous Nightmares and Changewings and Deadly Nadders. Small cages hung from the rafters, containing Terrible Terrors. All of them a variety of colors and sizes. All of them sleeping heavily, the occasional wing or eye twitching in sleep.

It was rather odd that all of them should be sleeping at the exact same time. At least one of them should have noticed her arrival by now.

Then she noticed a box of purple vials sitting beside a stinking barrel of fish. Crouching, she lifted one of them. She'd never seen anything like this in all her time as a healer or living on an island with dragons. Then again, she supposed there was a lot more out there that she'd never seen before.

Syringes lay atop the box, too. She deduced then that the dragons' food must have been spiked, likely to keep them sedated. As much as she hated it, it made sense. What better way to control fire breathing lizards than to keep them asleep?

Setting the vial back down in its box, she stood and gazed down at the long row of cages. One cage was filled with a sleeping blue and yellow Nadder and Inga's heart jolted.

"Stormfly!" She rushed forward and crouched down. She reached through the bars and patted her horn, but Stormfly remained sound asleep. "Gods, I wish you were awake. I could try to set you free."

But she knew releasing the dragon would likely spell her doom. Besides, what were the odds that Stormfly would fly back to Berk and leave Astrid here? Unlikely.

Still, it was good to know she was alive.

Patting her nose again, Inga hurried down the rest of the long, long hallway. If the men were at breakfast, then that likely meant they would be filling the passages soon. How was she going to get back out?

One thing at a time, Inga.

As she suspected, the next hallway was also empty of guards. This room was also full of empty cells and, to her confusion, furniture. Tables and chairs sat in each cell, empty but no less menacing. Manacles and chains hung from the walls. The rooms seemed to be empty, but she tiptoed forward anyway.

Inga made it about halfway down the passage when she froze. The room at the farthest end definitely had someone inside it. Swallowing, she inched forward. In the dimness of the corridor, it was difficult to see, but it appeared the figure was tied to a chair by his arms and legs and seemed to be fast asleep. For a moment she hoped it would stay that way. Any random prisoner might raise the alarm, desperate to escape and end up getting her caught, too.

But just as she made to turn around, she caught sight of a blue sea glass bracelet on his wrist.

Her vision tunneled and she sprinted forward. "Alton!" She shoved at the door, expecting it to be locked, and stumbled as it swung forward on rusty hinges that creaked in the silence.

Alton snapped awake and looked around, his brown eyes wild with sudden fear.

Inga froze. The skin around his eyes had been cut in a smooth arch from brow to cheekbone. The skin looked swollen and angry, but was healing. Beneath his shirt she could see swaths of gauze wrapping his arms and chest.

"Oh gods, what have they done to you?" Inga whispered.

Alton stared at her for a long moment before dropping his head back onto his chair. "Are you a Valkyrie coming to take me to Valhalla then? I didn't realize Odin was so cruel."

His voice… so rough and tired compared to the easygoing nature she remembered. Tears pricked her eyes and she rushed forward. "Alton, it's me. It's Inga."

Alton seemed to be in a daze as if struggling to stay awake. She wondered if he'd been drugged or if he was fighting a fever. She pressed her fingers to his forehead and frowned. Warm, but not terribly feverish.

"Can't be." Alton whispered. "Can't be real, I'm… finally losing it-"

"No, you're not. It's me!" Inga whispered hoarsely. "Look at me."

Slowly his bleak hazel eyes turned toward her, as if doubting… and yet beginning to hope. "You're… real?"

"Yes. I told you to come back home to me soon before I got old and fat," Inga said, fighting the tears threatening to splash down her face. "We were supposed to do that together, you know."

Alton choked on a laugh. "Inga."

She pressed her lips to his and he went still, as if still unsure if this was real. She pulled away quickly though and inspected his other wounds. He hissed then and seemed to come back to himself more and more by the second.

"Easy. First you barge in here, then you kiss me, now you're poking and prodding my wounds-"

"Still think this is a dream, Brand?"

Alton grinned and the look seemed to transform him, bringing back the boyfriend she knew and remembered. Not this wounded person who looked like-

Inga shook her head and began to work on the knots holding down his wrists. "We've got to get you out of here. Mystie's on the top deck waiting for us-"

"Inga, how many people did you bring?"

Inga scoffed. "Berk is a little distracted right now with other things. I came alone."

"What?" Alton hissed, pulling his arm free of the now loose rope and grabbing her chin. The skin of his wrist was nearly bloody with the chafing, but he didn't seem to notice. "You came alone?"

"I had to. Brandyn sent a box with Astrid's-"

"I know, I've seen Astrid. I know about the box. So what?"

"So there was also Genevieve's hair in the box. Finn took off, Hiccup was… in bad shape. Nobody was coming for you-"

"For good reason!" Alton hissed. "Inga, you have to go-"

"I'm not going anywhere without you! I did all this to get you back!"

"Inga, look at me."

She did. The cuts and burns and his exhaustion… all of it weighed him down, making him look far older than he was.

"If they get a hold of you, there's no telling what they'll do." Alton said, trembling slightly. "I haven't… I've been locked up for weeks. I don't have a lot of energy. And too much stress isn't good for you anyway. There's no way we're going to get out of here without being seen-"

"Not if we don't shut up and go before this place starts crawling with soldiers."

Alton opened his mouth to reply and froze, his eyes fixed on a point above her shoulder.

Inga whipped around and stood in front of Alton, shielding him from whoever had come.

Her Uncle Cale lounged in the doorway. His dark hair was near black in the dim light and his blue eyes, twin to hers, were shadowed and dark.

"I wondered if anyone would make any stupid attempts to get Baby Brand out. After a few weeks, I began to wonder if nobody cared." Cale said in a low voice. "And yet who do we have here except my tiny niece to save the day?"

Inga ripped a dagger out the sheath at her belt. "Back off."

Cale laughed, as if she were a toddler who'd done something incredibly cute. "Put that thing away before you hurt yourself. You're a healer, not a fighter."

"Come closer and you'll see just what sort of fighter I can be."

Cale rolled his eyes. "Please. You wouldn't last ten seconds fighting with a ten year old, let alone me. The stress would send you into a fit. And then who would save your precious boyfriend?"

He strolled into the room and Inga held her dagger out, turning with him as he moved to a slat in the wall. With a lazy flick, he lifted a hatch with a clang. Early morning light streamed in, momentarily blinding her. Alton hissed and squeezed his eyes shut.

Inga grit her teeth. "How did you know I was here?"

Cale leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Do you know I've made a living off of being Brandyn's spy? I've been feeding him and his men information for years. That said, I know how to hide in plain sight or meld into shadows so people walk right by, none the wiser that their hushed conversation was overheard anyway."

"Do you know the irritating thing about bad guys, Alton?" Inga asked. "They like to hear themselves talk."

"You practically walked right into the middle of the galley." Cale said. "I might be impressed that you have some stealth skills, except you made the stupidest mistake in the book."

"What's that?"

"Thinking that nobody knew you were there. Sneaking around as if you were trying to hide. The trick, dear niece, is not to hide at all. To act like you're supposed to be there."

"Yeah because dressed like this, everybody would think 'oh yeah, she's supposed to be here'. Is this why you always get caught? The gang, the raid on Hjart. You've always been crap at this. The only thing you've been good at all these years is brooding."

"And just like your old man, you like to take matters into your own hands. Alton raised a valid point. He couldn't walk if he tried and you can't handle stress." Cale pushed off the wall and approached. Inga raised her dagger again. "So what exactly is your plan now?"

"If Adrianna could cut Brandyn, I could cut you."

"If you're lucky. You might be able to get a few yards away before I caught up with you, but then you'd still be leaving Baby Brand here, which defeats the whole purpose of your little rescue mission."

Inga seethed with anger. She'd always hated her uncle Cale. He'd always been a jerk and arrogant. He'd always made fun of her and not in the loving, teasing sort of way. Her family had endured him and his darkness for years, trying to give him a new home after losing his own. But he'd never seemed to want it.

"You could let us go." Inga said in a low voice. "Nobody else knows I'm here. You could be a real man for once, a real part of the Jorgenson clan, and let me and Alton go."

Cale's expression darkened. "You're delusional. I have no loyalty to my sister or any of her family, much less the precious Jorgensons." He spat the name and that familiar darkness seemed to rise up out of nowhere.

Alton set a hand on her arm, which was shaking. "Don't. Hurting him won't do us any good."

"As if she could anyway." Cale said.

"Why are you like this?" Inga demanded, her temper slipping at last. "So many people have offered you a home and kindness and a family, and you've thrown it all away. You never settled on Berk. You're just as nasty and arrogant as you were the day you showed up. You enjoy hurting people and to make matters worse, you tried to take advantage of Adrianna and you nearly killed Finn! Why?"

"Why?" Cale seethed. "Because I can. Because life either makes or breaks you, and life made me."

"No." Inga shook her head. "You chose this life. What happened to our grandparents was a terrible accident, but you didn't have to throw your whole life away! It's no different than Finn lashing out when Benen died!"

"Don't even think about-"

"What, compare you to Finn?" Inga said, stalking forward. To her surprise, Cale backed away. "You and Finn both lost people precious to you and lashed out at everyone. Except the only difference is he realized that he was destroying himself and everything he cared about, because deep down, he cared! So is this why you're so nasty? You have to be like this so you can cover up the guilt, knowing that you actually care?"

Cale raised a hand and Inga flinched back, waiting for the blow even as Alton lunged forward, unable to reach her because of the chair. But the hit never came.

Inga blinked at him, meeting his hard blue eyes with her own.

Cale lowered his arm and glowered. "Finn didn't kill Benen."

There was a beat of silence and then Alton sucked in a breath. "What?"

The words rolled through Inga and it took nearly a minute for them to register.

"What? You… you…" Inga stumbled away from him, filled with sudden horror.

"It was an accident." Cale said in a low voice. "I was lighting matches in the barn. That night, the barn caught fire. And then the house. And I was the only one who survived."

Cale had killed his own parents.

"And I was sent to precious Berk where my life would begin anew with my sister and her husband and their… obnoxious little brats." Cale said, his eyes now rimmed with red. As if admitting all this after all this time was a poison leaching from his soul. "I didn't need any of you. I didn't need anyone."

Tears slipped down Inga's face. This explained everything. Why he'd always been a dark horse, why he'd always had a bad attitude and was prone to petty crimes all over the village. Why he'd treated Morgan like trash and cheated on her. Why he'd dared to go after Adrianna after she'd already been hurt in the worst way. Why he felt no remorse after nearly killing Finn and fled the scene like a coward. Everything was meant to deflect from the guilt and pain he'd kept bottled up inside.

"But make no mistake," Cale said, his voice strong again. "Finn was the weak one."

"Because he changed?" Alton asked quietly. "Or because he stopped being selfish?"

"I remember one day he was so angry, he just started breaking things. I joined him and it ended up being fun in the end. He took credit for the gang, but I was the one who planted the seed to gather all the angry kids and do it together. It was fun for a while. It was a way we could vent our anger and take it out on the precious Berkians who acted like life was so wonderful." Cale paused. "When he knocked out that guard to get out of jail, I saw something. Something dark. And when I heard he'd shoved Erick into that shredder minutes later, I knew. He wasjust like me."

Inga shook her head. "No. Finn is nothing like you. For one, he didn't shove Erick into the shredder-"

"Do you honestly believe that cover up?"

"It's not a cover up! They were fighting and Erick fell in. Finn blames himself for breaking out of jail and starting the fight, which ended with Erick losing his leg. And that was when he woke up." Inga said, shoving the tears off her face. "That was when he started to see the consequences of his actions. He was angry and grieving and hurting for Benen, who gave his life for him. He couldn't cope with it and so he lashed out. But at the core of everything, he still had a good heart. He knew what he was doing was wrong."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because he'd stick up for me when Dana and the other girls would make fun of me!" Inga said. "I didn't understand it then, but I do now. He hated the injustice of it, just as he still hates it. But at the time he didn't see that he was the person doing the injustice. He gave himself every excuse in the book to explain why he was allowed to act the way he was, but the second Erick's life was at risk, he snapped out of it. If he didn't have a good heart, why wouldn't he finish the job, Cale? Why wouldn't he put Erick out of his misery?"

Cale stared at her.

"Because he's not like you! He screwed up in so many ways, just like you, but he was never a lost cause. That is why everyone fought so hard for him. But what's your excuse? My parents, especially my mom, didn't fight for you? Hiccup and the council didn't give you just as many chances as him? No. At the end of it all, Finn decided to take the hands that were reaching for him. You just slapped them all away. That is the difference between you."

Cale's blue eyes were rimmed with red as he glared at her. He'd never admitted anything to her before, and she'd never had the guts to speak against him to his face. Now that she'd said her piece, she felt an odd mixture of remorse, pride and fear. Remorse that he was utterly lost and had built a life of destruction. Pride that she'd spoken her mind. And fear at the growing look of danger on his face.

Approaching footsteps broke the silence and Inga whipped around. A group of men and one woman were stalking down the hall. Inga looked up at her uncle, who was smirking.

"You told them I was here."

"I only had to keep you distracted."

Alton's hands curled into fists as the group finally arrived. At the front of the group was a man with a goatee and burn scars on one side of his face. His left eye was milky white. She knew instantly that he was blind in that eye and the scars on his face were from terrible burns.

The rest of the group were guards, except for a dark-skinned young woman who might have been a few years older than Erick. She stood at the side and waited with her hands folded behind her back. Her shorn hair and scars on her face similar to Alton's made her briefly wonder if the same person had scarred them both.

"Alton, you should have mentioned you were expecting a visitor." The man said in a cool voice as he gazed at Inga. "I would have brought some tea in."

Hissing, Inga lunged forward with her dagger, but Cale swept in before she could come close. He snatched her arms out of the air and slammed her against the cell wall, which rattled. Inga winced in pain and glared up into her uncle's face.

"A useless attempt." The man said, plucking the dagger out of her struggling hands. "I am Viggo Grimborn."

"Yeah I've heard of you, ya lousy piece of-"

"Ah ah, temper, Miss Jorgenson. I recall well your father's temper was short as well, but his brains were never quite as sharp."

Inga struggled but knew she was out of options. "Let go of me, you coward."

A jaw ticked in Cale's jaw but he said nothing.

"I'll make this simple." Viggo said, stepping closer to Alton, who went still. His hazel eyes lingered on the dagger until Viggo stepped behind him, and he lost sight of it. Then the dagger rested on his collarbone. "Come quietly, girl, or watch him die."

Inga felt a rush of panic. She could see the fear in Alton's eyes, but also a strange sense of calm. He didn't want to die… of course, he didn't. But if he had to sacrifice himself to save Inga, he'd do it.

Well, to Hel with that.

Inga went still, glowering and hating herself for the cowardice of it. But she loved Alton more than her desire to bash heads in. And given their current predicament, she didn't think she'd make it very far anyway.

"Good girl." Viggo said and withdrew the dagger. "Zuri, check his wounds. Cale, release her and take a walk. Her Changewing should be arriving shortly and I wish you to assist with her if needed."

Cale dropped her arms. "That dragon hates me."

"I don't care. Go."

Rolling his eyes, Cale stalked from the cell and disappeared. Viggo nodded at the three guards and they followed him one by one until she and Alton were left alone with Viggo and Zuri, who'd taken to inspecting his wounds. She was a healer, Inga realized.

Now they were two against two. Maybe-

"Do not even think about it," Viggo said firmly. "I will slit his throat faster than you can blink, Miss Jorgenson. Contain your father's spirit and use your mother's level headedness instead. I've kept Mr. Brand alive this long. I don't plan for him to die today."

His words cut through her frustration. "Kept him alive? What do you mean?"

"I hear you are a healer." Viggo said, ignoring her question. "Meet Zuri, who is also a healer. She's been tending to Alton."

"Why though? If you people want all of us dead, then why-"

"My dear girl," Viggo said with a mild chuckle. "Don't presume to know me. We've only just met. Your death does nothing for me."

Inga squinted. "Ha, right. Because in life I plan to serve you. Unlike some," she said, sneering at Zuri, who lowered her curious dark eyes quickly. "I serve no one."

"Do not judge Zuri so harshly. I bought her indenture and she is working hard for her freedom. And if you wish to see Berk again, you will do as I say."

"I don't understand. Why do you care?"

"I don't." Viggo said, approaching and lifting the tip of the dagger so that she had to raise her chin to look him in the face. His scars and blind eye caught her attention, despite herself. "But as Alton has learned, people are much more useful to me alive. I have all the information I need, but soon enough I might find myself in an uncomfortable position with a certain Jorgenson. The perfect way to gain his cooperation," Viggo said, brushing her dark hair off her brow with the tip of the dagger. "Is with a little incentive."

"So essentially I'm the bait to get to my dad." Inga scowled. "What do you want with him?"

"I've already said. His cooperation. And the more souls I can keep alive in the coming days, I assure you, will benefit us all."

Inga squinted. "You're very confusing for a bad guy."

Viggo smirked. "Luckily for you, you'll have much time to ponder my words in your cell."

---

Hiccup's heart pounded in his chest with a calculating bloodlust he hadn't felt in nearly twenty years.

The duel with Dagur the Deranged had been necessary. Adrenaline and survival instinct and sheer willpower had been his allies in that fight, to stay alive, to dodge weapons, to strike back. All to save his children.

But never in his life had he experienced this sort of desperate intent to maim or kill to get through the ranks he needed in order to find his wife.

Brawn was smoking from one end of the village to the other. The night sky was thick with dark smoke that belched from burning buildings and ships that had been destroyed in the harbor. Surrounding the island were dozens of ships, launching burning tar and mortar onto the village. And in the sky were perhaps thousands of dragon riders, Berkian, Brawnian, and enemy alike. All fighting tooth and claw for the skies above Brawn.

Snarling, Toothless dove through a black cloud of smoke. Hiccup squinted through his mask as the trio of ships they were aiming for came into view. The six Berkian riders on his tail fanned out, raising their loaded bows. Their dragons opened their jaws wide, the gas in their throats rising menacingly.

"Wait…" Hiccup shouted as the ships loomed closer and Toothless's sonic whistle filled the air. The soldiers atop the ships scrambled around, searching the skies for the Night Fury, but found themselves panicking and diving off the ship. "NOW!"

Toothless shot a blast of blue flame that changed to purple right as it collided with the first ship. The impact rocked the ship onto its side and sent wood and debris scattering high into the air before the powder kegs on decks exploded.

They didn't see the rest of the carnage as they shot back into the darkness, but Hiccup still felt the heat of fire as it billowed sky high. He took a quick look at Toothless' tail over his shoulder. Still intact.

"Better not get in too close, bud, or we're in trouble." Hiccup said.

Toothless growled in agreement and scanned the area below in search of more targets.

They entered a thick plume of black smoke and soon the Berkian soldiers on his tail were coughing. Hiccup's mask protected him from the brunt of it, but even he coughed. Despite the night sky keeping him and Toothless nearly invisible, the men had insisted on following them. For his protection or something silly. Well, Toothless was doing that just fine, and the smoke wasn't exactly doing them any favors. Still, a part of himself that he'd buried deep inside was grateful.

Pulling his mask up to his forehead, he twisted to see how they were doing. But now only five riders were behind him.

"Where's Arne and Snaggle?"

"Down, chief!" One of them shouted, hacking. "Debris hit 'em."

Hiccup bit back a curse and faced forward again. Toothless snarled and wove through the smokey air. A break in the clouds gave them a clear view of the village below and a number of ships left. There were still many and the sky was filled with hundreds of riders, but even as he took stock of the flags being flown, the suits and people fighting… it seemed Berk was turning the tide.

They were taking back Brawn.

"Chief, the ships!"

Hiccup and Toothless whirled. Indeed some of the enemy ships had begun pulling away to the open sea.

"Oh I don't think so." Whistling through his teeth, he drew the attention of many Berkians flying nearby. All of them darted toward him. "Don't let those ships get away!"

He and Toothless watched as they obeyed, diving after the fleeing ships and making short work of lighting their sails.

"Hiccup!"

"What?" Hiccup demanded and found Fishlegs and Meatlug approaching. His friend teetered on his saddle dangerously. "Kinda busy, Fishlegs!"

"I've been looking everywhere for you! I just got word from Kara!" Fishlegs said. "She's in the Great Hall and she has Astrid!"

"I know, but every time I try to land I'm blocked!"

"It's clearer now!"

"Fishlegs, if Toothless gets shot-"

"Would I really risk that?"

Hiccup surveyed his friend's expression and nodded. "Alright. With me!"

It was difficult work as they dove toward the island and moved around various fights. Dragons collided and riders grappled with each other. Others fell from the sky in a tangle of limbs and wings and snarls. Dragon fire of all colors lit up the night sky in flashes so bright at times that Hiccup had to squint to prevent spots from distorting his vision.

As they got further away from the fights in the sky, the enemy seemed to know who was pulling away. The remaining ships turned their catapults and more enemy riders launched into the air to intercept them.

Hiccup grit his teeth.

They would not block him from the village again.

Toothless seemed to read his mind and barked an order at the dragons on their tail. Loosing war cries, the Berkian soldiers and their dragons engaged the riders into battles, blocking them from their Chief. Toothless flashed by and though a tiny part of his heart wondered what would happen next to those brave men who'd volunteered to follow him, Hiccup didn't look back.

There was a slap of wood on wood and a sudden whooshing sound on their right. Hiccup pulled himself close to Toothless' back as he tucked his wings and rolled, spinning up and around the net of rope that would have snatched them from the air a second later. Toothless pulled out of the roll and dodged a second, then a third-

Hiccup growled. The village was so close if only they could get through the harbor-

Another catapult launched and Toothless flipped into a sharp dive with a fierce roar. Picking up speed, Hiccup flattened himself against his back. The sonic whistle filled the air again and Toothless launched another blast at the ship. It exploded on impact, dousing the ship in flames and sending soldiers diving into the ocean.

Then they were through. The docks and fisheries were mostly empty. The Brawnian ships that had docked there were now cinders, sinking below the waves. The damages were catastrophic and would take months to recover and rebuild.

Above the village with Fishlegs and Meatlug on their tail, Hiccup surveyed the destruction.

The streets were littered with bodies. Fires were being put out by survivors of all ages while dozens of men and women were fighting in hand to hand combat. Despite the carnage and the damages, there were also large groups of people gathered with men and women on their knees, weaponless.

"Who are the ones captured?" Hiccup asked.

"Enemies." Fishlegs said. "We helped turn the tide and maybe saved the village from being overrun. It's a good thing we showed up when we did."

Hiccup agreed, but couldn't help but feel like it had been too easy. Not that the last hours had been easy, but was this all Brandyn had to offer? It couldn't be. Where was he anyway?

At his silence, Fishlegs cleared his throat. "Anyway, she's in the Great Hall."

"Have you seen her?"

"No, I saw Raine. Kara's assistant. She was helping give orders on Kara's behalf and said she and Astrid were both in the Great Hall."

Hiccup frowned. "Why isn't Kara out here fighting?"

"She didn't say. Maybe she's still wounded from her fight with the assassin."

Clenching his jaw, Hiccup nodded. That would make sense. So much had happened, he'd nearly forgotten about that. Now that he thought of it, any of the survivors of Berserker Island who had escaped had fled to Brawn. Despite Sven's best attempts, they had been dragged into the war anyway. After everything, he hoped that Sven's family was still alive.

"Come on, bud. Before one of them realizes we're here." Hiccup said, glancing up at the enemy soldiers not far above them, grappling in the air with Berkian and Brawnian fighters.

Toothless nodded and picked up the pace. Meatlug followed suit.

It was a few minutes of flying through smoky air and avoiding fights and observing more carnage and captured enemies before they finally made it to the Great Hall. It stood like a beacon with its arms spread wide, golden light from braziers spilling down the steps. Even as they landed and the dragons tucked in their tired wings, Hiccup could see the people within poring over maps.

Hiccup dismounted, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. He yanked off his helmet and tore up the stairs, Fishlegs babbling something behind him. He blocked it out. He didn't care.

He surged into the Great Hall and paused, looking around at the gathered men and women whose discussions paused at the sight of him. He ignored their surprised greetings and searched for any bit of blonde hair he could find, and yet he came up short. He began pushing through the crowd, ignoring their surprise or concern. It was secondary. She was here, she had to be here-

He pushed his way to the middle of the room until he found Kara and Frederik, sitting at a large round table. Their faces were drawn and white. Bandages could be seen beneath the collar of Kara's shirt, proving Fishlegs' theory. They both glanced up at his arrival. Their expressions morphed into shock and surprise, but none of them got a chance to speak as a chair screeched nearby.

Hiccup faced the noise and nearly went to his knees. Her hair bound in a messy braid, Astrid hurtled toward him and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him clean over. He didn't care. Nothing else mattered as he clutched her to his chest and only now realized he was shaking.

She was back. She wasn't hurt. Still strong, still fierce, still beautiful in every way.

Suddenly he wanted to weep. He only barely kept a lid on his emotions.

Astrid pulled away first, only a hairsbreadth. "Hiccup. Hey."

Feeling a little hysterical, Hiccup laughed. "Woman, after the last few days, the first thing you say to me is hey?"

Laughing, her blue eyes bleak but no less strong, she kissed him. It was brief and he still felt so many emotions… too many emotions… but she was back in his arms, safe.

"I'm right here." Astrid whispered.

Hiccup nodded and exhaled shakily. "Don't ever-"

"Disobey orders again. I know."

"No." Hiccup said. "Don't ever leave me."

Astrid brushed a hand through his hair and shook her head, eyes glassy. "Never."

Hiccup exhaled again. "Did he hurt you?"

"Not terribly."

There were so many things he wanted to ask, to understand, but his next question was cut off by a growl and many cries of shock. Toothless shoved his way through the group and pounced. They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs to a chorus of giggles from the crowd. Astrid tried to dodge Toothless's happy licks, but was very much unsuccessful. Soon they were both covered in drool.

"I missed you too, Toothless." Astrid said, holding his head back in her hands. "But let me up, will you?"

Chortling, Toothless obeyed. Hiccup stood and offered her a hand, which she took. He resolved to never let it go again.

"Hiccup-" Astrid said.

"Hiccup." Kara interrupted, giving Astrid an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry."

Kara and Frederik were still sitting in their chairs, watching everything with mute expressions. It was very unlike them. Their village had just been destroyed though. Of course they were not themselves at the moment.

Hiccup shook his head. "What are you sorry for? That you had to ask for aid? Kara, that's we're here…" He tapered off as Kara's eyes filled with sudden tears.

"Hiccup." Astrid whispered. Her eyes also began to fill with tears. "H-How many did you bring?"

Hiccup blinked. "What do you mean? I brought almost everyone."

"Is Finn here?"

"No. I left him in charge of those who are either too young or too old to fight." Hiccup said, his heart beginning to race. "What's going on?"

"It was the letter." Kara said in a broken voice. Frederik took her hand. "B-Brandyn. He m-made me write it."

Hiccup shook his head, confused. "What… what do you mean?"

"He had our children." Fred said, his eyes bleak. "Those ships out there… that wasn't even half of his army. He could have annihilated us, but he came in here with Astrid in tow. He had soldiers hold our children. He said, 'write the letter or lose them all'."

"What choice did I have?" Kara wept. "I wrote the letter to bring you here. He knew that you'd come because of Astrid-"

"Oh gods." Hiccup whispered, turning wide eyes on Fishlegs, who blanched. "Finn. Oh gods. What have I done?"

Astrid's hands were shaking as she took his. "It's not your fault-"

"Berk is defenseless, Astrid!" Hiccup said in a strangled voice. "I left him… with almost no one."

"Hiccup."

He couldn't breathe. He shoved his hands up into his hair and slid to his knees, unaware of Astrid's arms wrapping around him. Toothless shoved his head beneath his arm and tried to peer into his face, but he couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't… couldn't…

He'd sworn to protect his people. His friends. His family.

Darin.

He'd failed them all.

---

Lying on the floor with his legs propped on the couch, Cliff tossed a ball high into the air and caught it. Boredom had settled in his bones after coming home from the leather shop. Though it had been another long, exhausting day filling as many orders as he could, he didn't feel like going to bed quite yet.

Besides, just going to bed felt a bit feeble when most of his friends were scattered across the island, keeping an eye out and reporting to Finn.

Not that Taryn had gone to bed yet either. She sat in a nearby chair sewing the final stitches onto a tiny coat she'd received from a friend. It was adorable, but well-worn and needed some maintenance before it was ready to be worn.

He caught the ball again and lowered his arms to his chest, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She was beautiful with her little baby bump protruding from her white night dress and red sweater combo. Her auburn hair was down tonight in long waves, courtesy of the braid she'd worn all day.

They could be parents any day now, he thought with a smile. He was excited and nervous, but… he couldn't help but feel like, with everything going on lately, it had been pushed to the side.

Taryn finished the stitch and tied off the string. Stabbing the needle into her little pincushion shaped like a tiny Gronckle, she raised the coat to see the final product and caught him staring.

"What?"

Cliff shook his head. "Nothing. Just watching."

She smiled and lowered the coat to her lap. "Cliff. You've been down for days now. What's the matter?"

"Maybe I'm just sad that it took you so long to notice."

"Okay, clever boy."

Cliff grinned and looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't know. Obviously I'm worried about Alton and everything else. We should be excited to be having the baby soon."

"I am. You're not?"

"No I am, I'm just…" Cliff huffed and rubbed his face. "I just…"

Taryn waited.

"It just feels like… being here… with you and the baby… it should be enough. And it's not that it's not, like… it's not that I don't want to be here, of course-"

"You want to be out there doing your part."

Cliff sighed in relief and shot her a grateful look. "Yeah."

Taryn's expression was nothing but understanding. "Come here."

Peeling himself off the floor, he crawled over until his back was to the chair. To his surprise, she lifted her legs until they were straddling his shoulders and she pushed her fingers into his thick curly hair.

"Whoaaa tingles." Cliff murmured as she tipped his head back so she could peer into his eyes.

"I love you, Cliff Smedley." Taryn said seriously. "You're a dork and you're sweet and I know you love us. I have never once doubted that." She pecked his brow. "But you have helped, you know. How many saddles and things did you just fix so people could fight?"

"Sewing saddles is not much to boast over, Taryn. Not when Erick is sitting in a watchtower right now."

"So go see him. He's probably bored to death if we're honest." Taryn's fingers massaged the back of his neck. "It's obvious you want to help in some way. So go find Finn and ask him for something to do. Just because you're not a trained fighter doesn't mean there's nothing for you to do."

Cliff ran his hands up her legs. "You mean it? I don't want to leave you alone if-"

"Nothing is going to happen. I feel fine and comfy in my jammies. Plus I've got Ruby over there." She nodded toward the basket that he knew their red Terrible Terror was snoozing. "I'll send her to find you if anything happens, now that she's staying permanently."

Sighing through his nose, Cliff squeezed her calves. "I love you, Taryn."

"And I love you." Taryn whispered, bending down to kiss him softly. "Go have an adventure and make me smile. I'll be here when you get back."

---

The village was quiet as Finn and Genevieve strolled through the village streets. The fog was dense, obscuring most of the night sky, which twinkled with the occasional star. A guard appeared from a sidestreet with a lantern in hand and nodded his greeting, but pressed on without comment. He was one of the many retired soldiers from Stoick the Vast's day who'd volunteered to help. Finn had hated to accept, but decided against stupidity and pride. There was no reason why any retirees couldn't help.

Genevieve had kept pace with him every step of the way as they moved from one end of the village to the other in the hours since his father and the rest of Berk had left. Their dragons trailed behind them, sniffing and cooing to each other, but otherwise kept silent. Perhaps they too found the silence of Berk odd compared to its usual rustle and bustle. Maybe they found it unwise to make a lot of noise in case they'd upset any delicate nerves.

Genevieve's slender fingers slipped into his and she peered up at him. "You should get some rest. The coming days-"

"Will be busy no matter what happens." Finn said, giving her a small smile. "And if anyone should get rest, it's you."

She looked affronted. "Have you looked at yourself lately? And what do you mean, I should be the one to get rest? I look fantastic."

"Exactly." Finn said plainly. "We need to keep up with appearances at least a little bit. Everyone knows you're the pretty one."

"You're not usually one for sexist jokes, but I'll let it pass this time, handsome."

Finn smirked and squeezed her hand.

In truth, he was tired. There was only so much he could do and while the night was quiet and the remainder of the village was sleeping, he should take advantage of it. He had men and women all over the island keeping an eye out for his father's return or anyone approaching. The fog was making visibility a little difficult, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

The thought of going home, back to Benen's old house-to their house-was definitely tempting. But the fact of the matter was that with everything they'd endured the last few days and the disappointment of postponing their wedding, he kept feeling as if he'd do something rash every time he found himself alone with her.

Which was surely dangerous territory if they went home together. Alone.

A pit of frustration welled up inside him and he fought to ignore it, but it was getting more difficult to do so by the hour. It should be the last thing on his mind right now. But they would have been married for a few days by now. And with all the stress and frustration and worry, maybe they both could do with a few distractions.

He didn't have time for rash decisions, but maybe he should say to Hel with it. Maybe he was tired of waiting. Maybe he didn't care anymore.

It was Genevieve's turn to squeeze his hand. "What's the matter?"

She could always see right through him.

Finn's eyes dropped to his boots as they walked. "I… I just keep thinking about… how things would be different right now if we'd gotten married like we wanted."

Genevieve's eyes went sad.

"Which is purely selfish right now of course, because people are dying, and I'm pouting about putting us on hold."

"Finn, don't say that." Genevieve pulled him to a stop. "Look at me."

Nervously he met her gaze.

"Do you think it's not eating at me too? I know I've been… distant because I'm worried about my family-"

"I know, Gen. It's honestly amazing how well you're holding up." Finn paused, realizing this was the first chance they'd had to really talk in… a while. "How are you holding up?"

Genevieve's expression seemed to shudder. "I… I just keep thinking that… some of my family could be wounded or… or worse, and I don't have any idea until we get a letter. But Hjart… all of it… could be gone right now, couldn't it?"

It seemed as if the words were her own undoing. Tears splashed down her face and she covered her mouth as if to retract the words. Instead she began crying in earnest.

"Oh Gen-" Finn brushed her hair back and pulled her into his chest. "No, don't think that. Hjart is strong. They'll make it. I know they will."

"W-we don't know that."

"Hey, have a little faith." Finn said, rubbing her back and ducking down slightly so he could see her face. "I trained your people, remember? And the Hjartan army is just as strong as any other in the Archipelago. That puny blockade doesn't stand a chance."

Sniffing, Genevieve pulled back and swiped the tears off her face. "You think so?"

"Well we did get past it. I think that was another of Brandyn's distractions." Finn said bitterly.

"If that's the case, what is he leading up to?" Genevieve asked, sounding clearer by the second. "He can't destroy the whole Archipelago. What if he's spreading himself too thin? First Hjart, now Bog Burglar and Brawn. That's a lot of ocean and ground to cover."

"Yeah, but he's held up so far." Finn sighed. "I don't know, Gen. But for what it's worth…" he stepped closer and tipped up her jaw so she was looking straight at him. "You are amazing. You've kept up with everything the last few days without a single complaint. Don't feel like you can't talk to me about Hjart. Okay?"

Genevieve nodded and reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. It was gentle and lingering and sweet. It was also a swift reminder of everything on his mind he'd been trying to ignore.

But as they were standing in the middle of the street, now was probably not the time to ravish her properly.

She pulled away slightly and her dark eyes flitted to his mouth. "Don't think I don't know what's on your mind. It's on mine, too."

"Yeah?" Finn smirked slightly.

"Don't start preening, you'll hurt yourself."

Finn laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll preen all I like, thank you."

Smirking herself, Genevieve tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "I'll have you one day, Fearless Finn, and then we'll see who's preening."

If he didn't already love her with every fiber of his being, he might have done so right then and there all over again.

---

Erick's leg bobbed against the stool as he stared out at the harbor, wishing for all the world that he was back home with his family. Boredom had set in the hours since the sun had set and a dull fog had rolled in, leaving only his thoughts to keep him entertained. Sighing he rolled his neck.

"Getting antsy, Larson?" Thorein asked from a few feet away.

"Just bored." Erick said, trying not to fidget. "We'll be here until dawn right?"

"Yup."

He withheld a sigh and stared out at the waves again. What he could see of them anyway. The foggy air was thick from the summer heat, which made their heavy weapons and thick armor stick to their skin. The fog had even covered the skies, which had been clear earlier and twinkled with stars. It was one of those icky, muggy summer nights, and he was over it.

Granted in six months time, he'd be whining about the bitter winds and ice and snow. There was simply no winning with the weather.

He shifted his gaze toward the village. Only a few lit torches could be seen, covering the streets with an occasional golden glow. More firelight bobbed up the occasional street from the guards on patrol, just as usual. Finn had kept up with Berk's normal routine. Many retired guards offered to take a shift or two as well, seeing as the younger soldiers would need a break at some point. At first he'd hesitated, but upon realizing how few options he really had, Finn had agreed.

Most of the village was dark and quiet. The people that had been left behind had retired to their homes soon after the army had left for Brawn. It was strange how quiet the village was without the presence of so many dragons and humans cooped up in one place. The normal rustling sounds of wings and claws on buildings was mostly gone. Now the village felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for news.

"How do you think it's going?" Evan asked, his feet dangling over the edge. His brown hair was nearly black in the darkness.

"The battle for Brawn?" Erick asked, his eyes straying toward the direction of his house. He wondered if Adrianna was still awake with Darin, or if he was asleep. If she was perhaps pacing or trying to occupy herself with some sort of distraction. "Who can tell?"

"If we could see through this obnoxious fog, we might be able to see something."

"Not from this far, we couldn't. Not unless…" Erick tapered off, thinking of Berserker.

The other boys were likely thinking the same thing because they didn't reply.

"How was Finn?" Thorein asked suddenly.

Erick shrugged. "Fine. We just need to make sure he gets some rest in the morning when we do."

"Too bad about the wedding." Evan said quietly. "I can't imagine mine getting put on hold."

"Which time?" Thorein asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Well technically just the one."

"Yeah, but they would have been married at least a year ago by now if her parents would quit twiddling their thumbs."

Erick sighed. "True, but what can we do about it? If Finn can put up with it, so can we."

"Obviously. I'm just saying, now they've got to wait until all this crap is over."

Evan and Erick grunted in agreement.

"Have you heard from Rosie?" Evan asked, turning to his friend.

Though it was dark and difficult to see, Erick knew Thorein had stiffened. "No. Nothing from my grandparents either. My mom was freaking out when I left to come here."

"Understandable." Evan said. "I'm sure Rosie's okay though. She's smart-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Thorein said and looked back out across the fog.

Erick said nothing. Thorein was in a similar position to Finn. He and Rosamund had been dating for a few years now and he'd finally proposed in the spring. While Rosamund lived a lot closer than Genevieve, the fear of not knowing what was happening on Brawn had to be eating him up inside.

And the fact that his parents and Finn had both flat out refused to let him go to Brawn and find her had no doubt infuriated him. Again, Erick thought if it was him in their shoes, he'd do whatever it took to find his Annie. He didn't care who had what to say about it.

But he kept his mouth shut. They needed Thorein here, and it was for that reason alone that Finn had forced him to stay.

"How's Morgan holding up?" Erick asked, moving the conversation away from Rosamund and Brawn.

Evan gave him a sudden sharp look. "Fine. Why?"

"No particular reason." Erick said with a shrug. "Why?"

Evan pursed his lips and looked away. "Sorry, I… I guess you don't know. It's hard to tell when girls tell each other things."

"I hate to break it to ya, bud." Erick said in an amused voice. "But I am not a girl."

"Oh- no." Evan said quickly, then grinned as the other two laughed. "I meant Morgan. It's hard to tell if she's told the other girls, who would then tell their guys." Their amusement dropped away quickly when he went quiet. "She had a miscarriage almost two months ago."

Erick blinked. "Oh. Gods, I'm sorry."

Evan shrugged and didn't meet his eye. "It is what it is."

"Maybe. But it's still hard." Erick said. He pondered for a moment then said, "Me and Annie…" He paused as he felt their attention shift to him. "We've been trying for a while, but… nothing."

They were quiet for the span of a few breaths before Evan reached out and patted his shoulder.

It was a small gesture, but it meant more to Erick than he could put into words. And he suspected more words would only make the conversation awkward. Still, for quiet Evan, who'd once been in the gang and endured a lot of scrutiny, who'd cut ties with all of his old friends and made new ones, just as Morgan had, to share this sort of pain and grief with him and know what it felt like… He was honored to know he wasn't alone. There were others who understood what that sort of pain felt like, even if he and Adrianna hadn't lost a child. It wasn't the same, but perhaps the grief was similar. They understood each other.

And then there was Thorein.

"If you two start crying, I'm going to start crying, and we don't need that right now."

Erick and Evan snickered, the latter muttering to his best friend to shut up. If Erick hadn't been looking, he might have missed it, but he saw the moment Charger's head snapped up from his nearby roost.

"Quiet." Erick said, getting to his feet. The others' laughter ceased immediately and they looked around. Erick watched as his dragon's head cocked to the side and he squawked in confusion.

"What?" Evan asked.

Erick held up a hand, listening hard. The density of the fog was too much to see through. It seemed to have only gotten thicker these last few minutes. And yet all he could hear was the rush of water from far below… Except…

A trill of fear went through his chest. Forcing himself to stay calm, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and unsheathed his bow.

"What?" Thorein whispered. "Do you see something?"

"No. But do you hear that?" Erick whispered back. "Sloshing water."

"Yeah, that's-"

"No, waves hiss. They don't…" Erick whispered. He stretched out the arrow head into a bin of hot coals nearby. In moments, fire had engulfed the end. He stepped toward the edge of the watchtower and lifted the arrow to his cheek, aiming toward the harbor. Praying he was crazy.

He released the burning arrow and it rose high into the dense fog before arcing down, down, down…

And slammed into the deck of a ship that was covered in soldiers. The sides were manned by oars, each covered in dense cloth to block the sound as they rowed straight for the docks.

Erick, Evan and Thorein gasped. Evan lunged for the warning bell just as the shriek of a dragon pierced the silence. Something massive and orange hurtled from the fog and, before they could blink, lobbed a fireball straight at them.

The watchtower exploded.

---

Finn and Genevieve sprang apart as the nearest watchtower exploded. Splinters of burning wood and metal rained down onto the village and into the street below. Finn grabbed Genevieve around the waist and turned them into an alcove until the debris stopped falling. Together they jumped out of their hiding spot and gasped.

A Singetail screeched above the village, its wings buffeting the fog to clear the air. Flecks of darkness whipped to and fro in the fog that now appeared to be blackish smoke. There were many flashes of wings in the darkness that glinted in the light of the burning fires and Finn sucked in a breath.

"Smothering Smokebreaths."

"What?"

Before he could reply, Berk seemed to explode with sound.

All the watchtower bells began ringing in alarm. Shouts rose over the din as guards ran from side streets and doors and windows were flung open. Before any of them could reach him, Finn finally saw through the dense fog that had blinded them for hours.

An armada of ships had amassed in Berk's harbor. All of them were armed to the teeth with hundreds of soldiers. Even as he watched, dozens of dragon riders rose into the air from the ships.

Berk was surrounded. And he'd been easily fooled into thinking they were safe, that nobody was coming. He'd been completely, utterly blinded.

Voices were clamoring around him. Shouts and screams echoed in his ears as all of Berk awakened and realized what was happening. It was like Hjart all over again except this time he was the one vastly outnumbered. And all of his people were depending on him for protection.

"Finn."

Her voice was low and quiet, but it cut through the din of panicking voices. He looked at her and realized his heart was hammering in his chest. Genevieve's face was white but her expression was calm.

"What do you want us to do?"

Think, godsdammit, think!

"Get as many riders in the air as you can." Finn said, facing the group at large and coming face to face with Gobber. "We have to outlast them."

"Brawn had to be a diversion, lad." Gobber said as the majority of the group peeled away. "Your father-"

"Brandyn knew he'd come for my mom." Finn said, anger quickly replacing his shock. "They'll realize it at some point. We just have to outlast them."

"Lad, what about the people who can't fight? Where do we send them?"

Finn blinked rapidly. "The catacombs. Get everyone underground."

Gobber nodded and hurried away, bellowing orders. Finn watched him go for a minute, his heart in his throat. His mentor, his teacher and friend. He hoped he'd be alright.

Screams shattered from homes as burning arrows rained down and dragons razed full rows of houses, to smoke his people out.

Finn grabbed the arm of the nearest soldier with him. "Tell as many riders as you can to get the dragons away from the houses. Draw them away from the village if they can."

"Aye."

"Zap and Max and the other Shockjaws can fight near the water," Finn said, thinking quickly as more screams echoed as burning tar and mortar exploded on the eastern edge of the village, dousing more homes and streets in fire. "Genni, we can-"

"Oh my gods, Erick!" Genevieve shrieked and tore away from him.

Finn didn't think, only sprinted after her. Genevieve pushed through the crowd of running people, her blond curls a beacon amongst all the leather and armor, until she stopped at a nearby stall where Charger had just landed.

Erick, Thorein and Evan had been in the watchtower, he realized with a jolt. Their clothes were pockmarked with burn holes and their faces were covered in soot, but otherwise they looked fine. Except Evan was on Thorein's shoulders, limp as a rag doll.

They collapsed into a heap on the ground as Charger squawked in dismay. Thorein quickly flipped Evan over and began shaking him.

"Evan! Evan, come on!"

Genevieve got to her knees. "What happened?"

"He tried to sound the alarm." Erick said, his teal eyes bright beneath all the soot. "But the explosion- I don't know. Thorein, hang on-"

"Wake up!" Thorein shouted.

His hands were tight on Evan's shirt but he made no move or sound. In the darkness it was difficult to see, but in the low torchlight a trickle of blood seemed to have dried on the side of his face. Finn's insides seemed to tighten. He wanted to ignore what his mind already seemed to be grasping, but he'd gone hunting before. Evan was limp. Too limp.

Slowly, Genevieve's fingers went to Evan's throat and Thorein made a choking sound.

"I…" Genevieve said, her voice barely audible. "I can't… I don't know…"

But it was Zap who inched forward and brushed her nose against Evan's forehead. Finn knew the truth before she made a sound, but the high keen that came from her throat was the worst thing he'd ever heard.

"No." Thorein said. "No." He shook Evan again. "Don't you do this to me. Wake up, Evan, think of Morgan, don't- no- no-"

Erick had banded his arms around Thorein's chest and pulled him away. "Stop. Stop." He was gentle and quiet, but it still felt like ice picks to Finn's ears.

The world had gone very quiet even as chaos reigned over his shoulders. Evan couldn't be dead. One of his best friends… gone, just like that.

Finn didn't hear Thorein's howl of grief. The din of battle over his shoulder dulled to a low cacophony. Genevieve's face was wet with tears and Erick's expression was tight. But as he looked up at Finn through the smoke, their eyes locked.

No more.

Finn strode forward and knelt in front of his friend. "Thorein, listen to me."

He'd never seen playful, ever-smirking Thorein look so stricken.

"Take Evan home." Finn said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Or somewhere safe. Get him out of the street. Can you do that?"

"Wh… what about Morgan?"

Finn's stomach turned. "Don't worry about that right now. Get Evan somewhere safe and then get in the air. Take down as many of these guys as you can. Make them pay for it."

The words seemed to cut through Thorein's grief. Gritting his teeth he nodded and got to his feet. Though Finn hated himself for it, he helped get Evan onto his best friend's shoulders. Without another word, Thorein sprinted away and disappeared in the crowd and smoke.

Genevieve's face was splotchy but she stood from the dirt with a look of fury. "We'll all make them pay for it."

Erick met her gaze and nodded before looking at Finn.

Finn set a hand on both of their shoulders and prayed to every god that he knew that neither of them would be next. "Let's go."

---

Adrianna sprinted through the smokey streets. Darin bounced in her arms beneath a blanket, his toy Toothless safely in his arms. He didn't speak but his blue eyes darted here and there with the chaos in the streets and in the air.

She wished she could protect him from the things he might see. The things that she was seeing.

Though she'd tried to put them both to bed, neither of them could sleep. She was too awake from stress, and he seemed to know that something was up. He'd been quiet all evening as they had a small dinner and played with his toys. Finally he'd curled up on her lap with a picture book.

But the second she'd heard an explosion, she'd grabbed him to her chest as if Brandyn himself had knocked the door down.

She'd been unsure what to do at first. Erick was on watch duty. Finn and Genevieve were somewhere in the village. It made sense at first to stay inside where it was safe.

Until a ball of burning tar and mortar exploded down a nearby street, engulfing an entire row of houses in flames.

Now she was running. Lily charged ahead of her, clearing the path and shooting pillars of fire at anyone who tried to get close to them. She'd had just enough time to yank on her flight suit and weapons before grabbing Darin and fleeing the house.

Her breath was sharp in her lungs and Darin began to whine about her tight grip by the time they arrived. She flew up the stairs and pounded on the door, pushing Darin's head into her chest as more screams echoed just around the corner.

The door flew open and Lofn's white face appeared. "Oh, my dear, what are you doing here?"

"Lofn." Adrianna said, rushing inside and gently setting Darin down on the table. Her heart was hammering in her chest. "It's time."

Lofn went still. "Dear, you and Erick-"

"I don't know where he is. You're the only other person we told, who knows about it-"

"Yes, but why aren't you taking him?"

Adrianna fought the burn of tears. "Because the watchtower… the one Erick was in… that's the one that exploded. I heard the guards shouting it."

"About Erick?"

"No, they said the north tower and that was the one he was in." Adrianna swallowed thickly. Smiling at Darin, she pushed a hand through his hair. "I… I have to make sure he's okay. I'll find him and bring him back, and we'll go together."

She stepped closer and lowered her voice so Darin wouldn't hear. "But… if we don't, or something terrible happens, you need to be the one to take him, Lofn."

Lofn looked stricken.

"You… understand what it is I'm asking of you, don't you?" Adrianna asked, tears blotting her vision now. "I won't let Brandyn have him." She shook her head. "He won't have him."

Tears welled in Lofn's eyes and she wrapped her arms around Adrianna in a tight embrace. "No. He will not. Yes, of course I will do it." She pulled back and looked Adrianna in the face. "For the second life you have given me, I will protect him with my life."

Adrianna nodded, eternally grateful for the miracle and gift this woman was. For seeing such hardships and darkness, and yet to have such beautiful kindness in her heart. To be willing to accept this request. "Thank you."

An explosion rocked the house and Darin yelled before bursting into tears.

"Oh baby." Adrianna hurried to him and clutched him tightly to her chest. "Shh it's okay. You're going to stay with Nana Lofn for a bit, okay?"

"I wanna stay with you, mama."

"I know." Adrianna said, realizing her parents' pain all those years ago for the first time. "I am going to go find daddy and then we'll come find you. Okay?"

Darin's blue eyes, matching to Lofn's, were bright. His long blond lashes were flecked with tiny teardrops. "Where is daddy?"

Adrianna's heart clenched. "He's working with Charger. I have to bring him home so we can be together again."

Darin nodded as if this made perfect sense.

"Here." Adrianna grabbed the Toothless plush off the floor and secured it safely back into his arms. "Toothless will keep you company while I'm gone, okay?"

"Mama?"

"Yes, baby?"

"You take somefing for me?"

Adrianna paused, trying to think of what he meant. "What do you mean?"

Darin reached into his pocket and handed her a piece of cloth. To her surprise, she realized it was the purple and green cloth butterfly he and Erick had made for her birthday.

"Ohh, where did you get this?"

"Mama's room." Darin shrugged.

Adrianna smiled and held it in her hands with his. "Of course. I'll take it with me wherever I go. And everytime I see it, I will think of you." She brushed his hair off his brow with a few gentle fingers. "My strong, baby boy."

Darin blinked at her. "Why are you sad, mama?"

Adrianna didn't fight the tears that slipped down her face. "I just love you soooo much. And I don't want you to ever forget."

Darin peered into her eyes and then threw his arms around her neck. "I not forget you, mama. Never ever."

Adrianna closed her eyes and held him close. She gave herself ten seconds to hold him. To remember the feeling of his little arms around her neck and the blond hair tickling her cheek. To memorize the smell of his hair and the way he held onto her like she was his entire world.

Brandyn would not take this away from them.

Lofn sniffed somewhere over her shoulder as Adrianna slowly pulled away. She set him back on the table and straightened his shirt. Then she met his eyes before setting her hands on his face and planting a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you, Darin." Adrianna whispered. "I'll find daddy and I'll be back. Okay?"

Darin nodded. "Okay mama."

Standing, Adrianna took Lofn's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. She searched the woman's eyes to look for any sign of unsurety. She found nothing but firm confidence.

"Go. We will see you soon."

"Please," Adrianna breathed. "Be safe."

"You as well, dear. Find that boy of yours and come quickly."

Adrianna released her hand and gazed at Darin for one final moment. He looked up at her with such trust and love in his eyes that for a strange moment, she thought of Benen.

Then she strode for the door, her heart twisting in her chest with each step. She pushed the door open and choked on a breath. Shut the door and exhaled shakily. Moved down the stairs and choked on a sob.

How had her parents ever done this before? Left their babies behind? She'd been on the receiving end of this. She'd hoped and prayed to never have to do this. But it was so much worse than she'd ever imagined.

But she had to. She had to know where Erick was, if he was alright. She wouldn't sit idly by while her home was destroyed. She would not watch from the sidelines and wait for news.

So, as she approached Lily waiting patiently outside Lofn's house, Adrianna Haddock Larson dried her tears and rose into the saddle with a newfound determination.

---

As all Hel broke loose, Cliff Smedley regretted all of his life choices.

He was constantly leaving his dragon behind, so he found himself stuck on the ground. This unfortunately made him an easy target both on land and by air. He was clumsy, which had somehow saved his life a few times, but it did nothing for his hand to hand combat skills. All he could do was run.

And worst of all, he'd foolishly left his pregnant wife home alone twenty minutes before the village erupted, all because he wanted to do his part.

Well, he'd take it all back. His complaints and frustrations and confusions, everything, just as long as he got home safe. Just as long as Taryn was safe.

His breath was like fire in his lungs as he ran down another street. The first four he'd tried were burning and had blocked the way to his house. He'd had to double back again and again and again. If he'd only thought to bring his dragon for once!

As a kid he'd only just passed dragon training, due to a variety of reasons. He was more prone to harming himself than another person. Gobber had once joked that even fifteen-year-old Hiccup hadn't been so bad with weapons, though it was a close second. At least Hiccup had worked in the forge and knew how to handle weapons for the most part. He was just too noodly at the time to lift them properly in most cases.

Cliff was clumsy and accident-prone and spent half of his years listening to the other kids' conversations and then used the other half discovering his own knack for storytelling, which might just land him some friends. He'd never been one to pay much attention in class when it came to fighting or anything.

Which was most unfortunate.

Sprinting around the final turn, Cliff ground to a halt and skidded a few feet. There wasn't a fire in this street, but it was the furthest out from the center of the village. That said, this particular street was wider and led to some of the larger centers in the village.

Like the Great Hall.

And the town square.

And, even more unfortunately, the docks, which were currently swarmed with enemy soldiers. Even as he stood there in stunned silence, the soldiers garbed in black leather and nasty looking weapons sprinted into the village, knocking down doors and smashing glass. They disappeared down streets with cries of bloodlust.

Cliff blinked as three men saw him and grinned.

He ran.

He wasn't sure how long he ran, but the goons on his tail seemed to have a lot of energy. Which was just great, because he was lagging. The air overhead was filled with roars and dragonfire. Explosions rocked the ground beneath his feet. A wave of terror coursed through his chest as he realized he was running the complete opposite direction of his house.

Taryn.

He had to lose them somehow. He was no use to Taryn if he was dead. He only prayed she was safe.

Cliff searched around for anything to use as a weapon and came up empty. The streets were filled with useless items like empty barrels- Oh!

With a heave, Cliff shoved a tower of empty barrels against a building. He tripped and nearly face planted, but he continued running, cheering slightly when he heard the gasps and grunts of pain behind him. He peered over his shoulder and saw with dismay that one of the men was still following him. He was reaching the outskirts of the village now. It was getting quieter and the houses and streets thinner. He was almost causing himself more trouble out here.

So he veered to the left and dove into the trees. The soldier behind him swore savagely and tore after him.

Cliff shoved his way through vines and bushes and bramble bushes before he nearly ran straight into more than a few tree trunks. He forced himself to continue, to not trip or break an ankle on something.

Trees and rocks and creeks flashed by. All he knew was his feet in front of him and his breath heaving out of his lungs.

The soldier growled suddenly and Cliff hoped dearly that meant he was giving up.

Then the tree on his right shattered from a mace slamming into the trunk.

Shards of wood flew in all directions. Cliff yelped and covered his face, but he felt pain regardless. It was enough of a distraction that he went down hard, tripping over something that he couldn't see.

Then the soldier was on him.

A hand grabbed at his throat and he scrabbled at it as he felt his airways squeezed. His heart, already thundering, slammed painfully beneath his ribs.

The man looming above him had a thick meaty face with a broad, scruffy black beard. His teeth were crooked and he smelled like stinky socks. Cliff hated stinky socks.

"I didn't expect a lil runt like you to run so far." The man said, smiling as Cliff tried to pinch and pull his hand away from his throat. "Did yourself a disservice by leaving the house, didn't you? I don't know. Me, I'd rather die by fire personally. Your house going up in flames would be quick compared to the slow painful death of suffocation. Don't you think?"

Cliff gurgled and tried to punch the man in the face, but he was suddenly slammed down. He could barely feel the pain and could only think of breathing. His eyes began to stream and all he could think of was Taryn and the baby he'd never get to see.

NO.

The man laughed, still speaking, but Cliff could barely hear him. He began reaching in the dirt for something, anything. He couldn't feel his limbs anymore. Everything felt sluggish. Dots began to dance in his vision but he felt something hard and cool in his right hand.

Taryn-

Without conscious thought, Cliff seized the fist-sized rock and swung upward, hard and fast into the man's temple.

---

Erick had never been in a battle before. He'd never felt bloodlust before. But in light of everything that had happened, of what was happening above and below him, he felt nothing but fierce determination as he sent arrow after arrow into enemy soldiers.

He'd planted himself on the Hatchery roof with Charger, who joined him in firing barbs down on the enemy soldiers swarming the docks. It wasn't enough. For every soldier they took down, a dozen got through. There weren't enough arrows. There wasn't enough time.

And his wife and son were at home, counting on him to keep them safe.

Charger squawked and grabbed him by the hood before yanking him out of their hiding spot. Erick yelped as a fireball exploded just where they'd been hiding. He slipped out of Charger's hold and toppled down the sleek painted wood, his heel and prosthetic failing to slow his fall.

He barely managed to grab onto a carved dragon statue planted on the edge before he launched into open air.

Gritting his teeth, Erick tried to haul himself back up the roof and nearly slipped. The wood was too smooth and there was nothing else for him to grab onto.

An arrow slammed into the wood near his hands and he hissed. He received a quick flashback to the single day he'd been in the gang, when he'd climbed the cliff and nearly been shot down by Hiccup's guards. He was a sitting duck here and they wouldn't miss twice.

"Charger!" Erick bellowed and let go.

The soldiers below gasped and scattered as he fell. Twisting in air, Erick clicked the button on his prosthetic twice, switching out the end. The ground swooped up to meet him and he grit his teeth.

A burst of green scales flashed under him and he landed on his saddle hard, his prosthetic leg buckling beneath him at the force. Charger squawked and shot a volley of spines behind them as the soldiers recovered. Erick slammed his prosthetic into his stirrup and they launched into the air.

As they rose away from the Hatchery, Erick patted his dragon's neck. "Good boy."

Charger cocked his head down at the village and Erick followed his gaze. So much of the village was burning already. Men and women fled through the streets, many with children in their arms. Bodies were already littering the streets. From one end of the village to the other, smoke billowed upward from fires. Everywhere he looked, black clad soldiers from Brandyn's army ran through the streets.

Erick sought out the section of the village where his house was and found it mostly untouched. Good. Adrianna and Darin would be safe. For now. He warred within himself for a moment, wondering what he should do. He and Adrianna had an arrangement should anything ever happen. They would never allow Darin to be taken.

But now, watching his village burn and his people being slaughtered in the streets, in their homes… he didn't know what to do.

Shattering the air below, a scream answered his unspoken question and they dove.

Erick saw a group of women gathered together in a corner with children in their arms. Grandma Ingerman stood before them, her hands up held in supplication as three armed men advanced, their weapons drawn.

Erick yanked the bow off his chest. "Steady, Charger," he said and stood in his saddle. He took aim and exhaled.

The first arrow found its mark in the neck joint of the first man's armor. He toppled before Grandma Ingerman and she leaped back in shock, her arms outspread to protect the women and children behind her.

The second soldier turned but was too late. The arrow, intended for the weak spot in the armor beneath his armpit, caught him in the chin. The third soldier was too quick for him and raised his shield. The arrow ricocheted off the shield with a dull thud. Then he turned and sprinted toward the women, his sword raised.

Erick hissed and lowered his bow. "Down!" Charger checked his speed and Erick slid from the saddle. Tucking into a slide, Erick knocked the soldier's legs out from under him. The women shrieked in surprise as their assailant was suddenly knocked away. Erick kicked back up and turned before drawing the twin daggers from his belt. Yelling in rage, the man got to his feet and attacked.

Everything faded to a silent roar around him as he blocked, dodged and parried the man's blows. The man was taller, broader and his weapon even more so, but that made him slow. His bloodlust made his swings strong, but in his eagerness to take Erick apart in one hit, his heavy swings threw him off balance.

Ducking beneath the man's guard, Erick jabbed. The man growled in pain and swung again. Erick ducked and jabbed again. And again. Rage filled the man's face and he began swinging haphazardly. Erick was forced to back away.

Finn's voice came to him suddenly from training. If you find an opening with a bulky, unpredictable opponent, take it.

Erick waited and raised his daggers. The man laughed and raised his sword high over his head. Erick tensed, ready to leap to the side-

And the man crumpled in a heap beneath a massive purple Monstrous Nightmare, who spread her burning wings and roared in triumph.

"Not MY husband, you big brute!" Adrianna bellowed from the saddle. Then she gave him a radiant smile. "Hi babe!"

Erick stared up her, torn between sudden shock and anger. "Hey, he was MINE!"

Adrianna laughed. "Next time then."

Sheathing his daggers, Erick sprinted to the gathered women, who shuddered as another house exploded nearby. Adrianna dismounted and followed.

"Hey! Everyone okay?"

"For now, dearie." Grandma Ingerman said, her face grim. "Thank you. Where do we go?"

"To the catacombs."

She shook her head. "But those are so far down and they're not boarded or anything. Anyone can get down there. What can the catacombs do?"

Erick shook his head. "Finn's instructions. I don't know… that's all I know."

Grandma Ingerman raised her chin. "We'll go there then. I can only hope and pray they don't plan to destroy us all."

Adrianna gave her a sudden hug. "Be safe. All of you."

The women gathered up their children and thanked Erick before rushing after Grandma Ingerman.

"I hope they-" Adrianna began.

"Annie, where's Darin?" Erick demanded, realization cutting through the haze.

Adrianna winced. "He's at Lofn's."

"Lof- Annie!"

"You were at the north tower, which exploded by the way! I thought… I thought…" Adrianna stammered.

Erick sighed and touched her cheek, the only thing he could manage to do at the moment. "I know. But you should have stayed with him."

"He'll be fine-"

"No, Annie. He might not be." Erick interrupted. Sighing, he tried to ignore the emotions he'd buried, knowing full well that it was a distraction from what they should be focusing on right now. "Evan is gone."

Adrianna's hands flew to her mouth. "What? No!"

"Yes. They're taking as many down as they can."

She swallowed thickly. "Then let's get Darin now. Let's get him and go before-"

The house on the nearby corner exploded.

Erick felt himself lifted off his feet and heard Adrianna's shriek of surprise. All he could do was band his arms around her and hold on as they tumbled through the wreckage. For a second all he could think was how stupid they were to have stayed on the ground. He was stupid to have let Charger out of his sight, who he realized hadn't come back for him. They'd left Lily.

Sounds and pain came back to him in a rush as they hit the ground and rolled. The force tore Adrianna from his arms and he felt the crack of wood against his back. There was a snap and a sharp pinching pain rent across his face.

He hit the ground again painfully and rolled for what felt like forever until he finally rammed to a halt against a building. Reeling and coughing, Erick tried to sit up but his body gave a shriek of pain. Groaning, he lay back and tried to breathe.

"-ick! Erick!" A pair of hands grabbed at his shirt. Adrianna-

Except it wasn't Adrianna. Through the haze and smoke, he blinked up a pair of stern eyes and a shock of dark hair.

Nikolas.

Erick groaned and dropped his head back. "Nothing broken."

"Good. Hang on, your face-"

The pain registered as soon as he heard the words and he clapped a hand to his face. "Agh. What… Ow."

"Your bow snapped. I think the string hit you in the face. Come on, we can't stay here. This whole street is overrun. They'll be here any second."

Erick's hand was sticky with blood when he removed it but there was nothing he could do about it. Groaning, he rolled to his feet and accepted Nikolas's hand up, though a part of him wondered at the gesture.

Nikolas seemed to note the questioning look and rolled his eyes. "Just because we don't talk doesn't mean I want you dead. Come on, let's get out of here."

Erick made to follow and then ground to a halt. "Wait. Adrianna. Adrianna!"

Nikolas whipped around, searching the wreckage. The entire street was filled with burning debris and clogged with smoke. Adrianna was nowhere to be found.

"Oh gods." Erick said, wiping the blood off his face. "She was… I had her-"

"Erick-"

"She was right with me-"

"Erick!" Nikolas bellowed and he snapped to attention. Instantly he felt like a toddler again, a boy again, a teenager again. Bellowed at by his older brother, who loathed him. "Do not fall to pieces now. It won't help her or anyone."

Though Erick hated to admit it, the sternness cut through his rising panic. Nikolas was right. He could not lose his grip and let himself panic.

Not trusting himself to speak, Erick nodded.

"If you were separated, where would she go? Where's Darin?"

"She'd…" Erick shook his head. "She left him to find me-"

"Of course she did-"

"Don't start-"

"If she was smart, she'd have taken him to the catacombs like everyone else!" Nikolas growled.

"You know what, Nik," Erick ground to a halt. "When all this is over, we can have it out like we've been itching to for years, but for one minute can you stop being an ass?"

Nikolas blinked in surprise. Then he choked on a laugh.

Erick stared in disbelief and then felt himself grinning. "Now is not the time for this."

"No, it's-"

Shouts rose up in the smoke behind them and they whipped around. "Oh, that can't be good." Erick muttered.

"It's not." Nikolas said, sheathing his weapons. "Run."

Erick didn't need to be told twice.

They sprinted through the smoke and debris, leaving the shouting enemies behind. The smoke cleared the further they ran and more fights could be seen on land and in the air as they approached the center of the village.

Nikolas and Erick froze in their tracks.

Hundreds of Berkians were being corralled into the center of the village, the town square. Many men and women soldiers were on their knees with their hands uplifted as their weapons were taken. Others fought still, refusing to submit. Women and children huddled together in clusters, staring up at their captors with wide, pleading eyes.

One dark-haired woman had her jaw clenched as she held a small, dark-haired three-year-old girl in her arms.

Mel and Eleanor.

"No." Nikolas whispered.

"Nik, don't- don't." Erick hissed as his brother launched forward. Erick ducked into a dark alcove just as Nikolas tackled the nearest soldier standing over his family.

The fight was over before it had really begun. Nikolas was outnumbered and though he fought with a ferocity that Erick couldn't help but admire, that he hoped he himself would have if their situations were reversed, he knew it was futile. Nikolas was quickly subdued and his weapons taken before he was thrown into a group of other Berkian men on their knees.

What was going on? It was like they were being assembled.

Erick ducked out of his hiding spot and ran, trying to think. First he'd lost Charger, then his bow. Now he'd lost Adrianna. Darin was somewhere with Lofn, hopefully somewhere safe. He couldn't keep this up for long, but if he could find Adrianna-

He ground to a halt as he exited the side street, instantly cursing himself for thinking and not paying closer attention. Four soldiers grinned at him and raised their weapons.

"Going somewhere, kid?"

Erick rolled his eyes, but before he could open his mouth, a flash of blonde caught his eye.

Adrianna.

If it wasn't for her purple flight suit, he might not have recognized her through the dark and the smoke. She was running away from them, her blonde hair flying behind her. She began taking the stairs three at a time up to the Great Hall.

He frowned in confusion, keeping an eye on the soldiers as they bellowed at him and took a step closer. Why was she going to the Great Hall? Darin couldn't be up there. He definitely wasn't up there. What was in the Great Hall that was so important?

Then a thick plume of smoke caught his eye from the left side of the Great Hall. The library was burning.

"Oh Annie." Erick sighed under his breath. Of course she'd go to save the books.

"Hey, you deaf? I'm talk-" The nearest man bellowed.

Erick cut him off by sending the heel of his palm into the man's nose. It snapped and he howled. The men flinched in surprise, but Erick was already ducking into a sidestreet. He had to get to Adrianna before she did something supremely stupid, and he only had a few seconds to get there in time.

---

When Adrianna came to in the rubble of the street near where the house had been, she'd been dismayed to find that Erick was nowhere to be seen. She'd called his name and searched everywhere. But after a few minutes of searching in vain, she realized he must have been thrown farther away than her.

Hurrying toward the clearer parts of the village made the most sense. What she saw in the streets and in the air was nothing like she'd ever experienced before. Unlike the rest of her family, Adrianna had never been in a battle. She'd never been in a hand to hand combat fight before outside of training. She'd never seen the chaos of watching entire buildings turned to rubble and her people rallied together like sheep. She'd never seen streets slick with blood and fallen bodies.

She'd tripped over something hard and fleshy and hit the ground painfully. Turning, she'd been horrified to find the broken body of Ben the Baker, the sweet man she'd known her entire life who made desserts and home baked goods.

It was too much.

Fleeing felt like cowardice. She wanted to protect her people, save who she could, but all she could think of was running. She'd lost Lily. She'd lost Erick. She'd left Darin.

Darin.

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she ground to a halt in a strangely quiet street. She took a moment to breathe and allow herself a brief rest. Dragons swooped overhead and blew fire and arrows at each other with ferocity. Their screeches echoed high into the air.

The night sky, she realized, had waned. Though the sun had yet to rise, the edges of the horizon were lit with a soft, yellow glow. It was early morning. And no one had come to help them yet.

Now she could clearly see Brandyn's ships, which continued to lob weapons into the air and burning tar into the village. Spears and nets launched and caught dragons unaware, sending them hurtling to the ground. She looked away before she could see what happened next.

As she sat there in stunned silence, emotions began to bubble in her chest. Anger and pain and frustration. So many lives were being lost, and for what? So Brandyn could have his revenge. What did he hope to accomplish once he'd won? Did he expect to be at peace? To be able to sleep at night knowing that he'd avenged his father at last?

No. He was a fool. A lost, empty fool, who sought nothing but to destroy others. She'd make him pay for all of this one day.

Adrianna looked up at the statue of her Poppy carved into the mountain. His face was stoic and mighty. She wished he was here. She wished her daddy was here. They had to know something was wrong… unless… the battle on Brawn had gone terribly.

What if nobody was coming?

A dark plume of smoke obscured her vision of Stoick the Vast's statue. To her dismay, she saw the smoke was billowing up from the library, just to the left of the Great Hall.

Her heart twisted painfully. All of those books… those irreplaceable records… It would have to be one of the many things lost. Matilda would be devastated.

Adrianna's heart leaped. What if… What if Matilda was inside the library? She was always working late. She dusted those bookshelves when there was no dust. She treated that place as if it was a child of her very own and a parent that she treasured above all else. What if Matilda was there, trying to save her beloved books and scrolls?

Adrianna leapt from her hiding place and tore up the street. She would not lose Matilda, too. Not if she could do something about it.

As she ran from one street to another, a group of soldiers clad in black and carrying nasty weapons shouted at her. She ignored them but grit her teeth as she heard them give chase. She had to lose them or Matilda would be lost. And given a choice between the two, she very much preferred the former.

Adrianna reached the end of the street and tore up the stairs, taking them three at a time. She'd never been one for exercise and agility, but she was grateful now for all the training she'd forced on herself the last few years. Now she was strong and fast, and she would not be stopped.

"ANNIE!"

Adrianna nearly ate dirt on the final step. Whirling around, she saw Erick fighting the soldiers at the bottom of the stairs. She gasped and started down the stairs, but suddenly multiple things happened at once.

No less than four soldiers streamed out of nearby streets and ran toward Erick. His knives flashed in the early morning air and the soldiers ducked back as he held the line for her. In seconds he would be overwhelmed.

But what he didn't see was the burning ball of pitch and mortar that launched sky high from a ship in the harbor, right toward them.

Adrianna saw it all in wide-eyed clarity. The fireball would hit the Great Hall. Right where she was standing.

Erick would be fine. He was far enough away that he should hopefully be able to take cover. A few soldiers ducked by him and sprinted up the stairs toward her, weapons drawn.

Adrianna had very little choice. The library was too far away and was burning anyway. To leap off the stone platform and tumble down the steep hill would likely break bones or worse. To run forward was to lose her life on the enemy's weapons.

An idea sprung to her mind and she realized she only had one option. One mad, crazy option…

As if in slow motion, she saw Erick swivel to face her. He'd seen the fireball. Soldiers forgotten, he began sprinting up the stairs toward her.

Adrianna shook her head and set a hand on her chest. She wished she could apologize one last time for being such a fool. She wished they'd had more time. She wished she could see Darin one last time. "I'm sorry."

Then she turned and sprinted into the Great Hall. The warriors shouted at her in shock but she picked up speed. Most of the Great Hall was untouched, but it wouldn't be in seconds. The Hall was filled with memories and smoke. She barreled past the ceremonial shields with her ancestors' faces, past the columns and the tables that held so many memories, that had fed her more than food, but friendship and family and life lessons. She was sweating profusely beneath her flight suit but she pressed on until she hit the back wall, fumbled through the smoke until she at last found the fake bracket in the wall that Finn had once shown her.

Just as she pulled it, there was a flash of bright light, a searing heat and a deafening explosion boomed behind her. She threw herself into the opening but the force of the explosion threw her forward. She tumbled into the darkness amid flames and smoke and debris. A scream tore from her throat until she thought she'd become embers and dust.

And then everything went black.

---

No. No. No. No. NO.

Erick's head felt empty, but he might have been screaming it. He charged up the stairs toward Adrianna, who set a hand on her heart. She gazed down at him for the span of a heartbeat and said something he couldn't hear. And then she turned and ran into the Great Hall.

Into the Great Hall, which was about to burn.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through him as his mind flashed back to the terrible night when he watched his sister disappear into a burning building to save her husband. A building that exploded with hellfire and collapsed and burned. A building she never walked back out of.

"Annieannieannie-" Erick found himself screaming as two guards grabbed him and hauled him backwards. He struggled and thrashed in their hold, stabbed with his knives as hard as he could until the arms finally fell away.

But he could do nothing as a searing heat soared overhead and slammed into the Great Hall in a torrent of fire and pitch. The blast knocked him and the soldiers flat and sent a concussive blast echoing across the island, pausing fights on land and in the air.

It was as if the blast sent a crack through his very soul. Suddenly everything felt quiet.

The only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears. He could feel the heat before he even moved. Slowly, as if his body couldn't bear to move faster, he got to his hands and knees and gazed upward.

The Great Hall was a shell of its former glory. Completely gutted and burning with a fire so bright, he could feel its heat from the bottom of the stairs. The impact sent cracks splintering into the face of the mountain it had been carved into. Much like his heart. A black cloud of smoke roiled upward, billowing into the dawning skies above.

Panting, Erick struggled to his feet and ran up the stairs. He didn't care about the heat. He tried not to care about it. But in truth he couldn't make it all the way to the top. It was simply too hot.

And yet, just as he had with his sister, Aud, he found himself trying. Trying to find her.

But there was nothing. Nothing but fire and emptiness and a hole that once had been a person.

Erick sank to his knees and choked on a sob. He could only stare at the flames and wish that he could turn back time. That he could have had five more minutes. That he could have been stronger, faster. That he could have saved her.

When the enemy soldiers dragged him to his feet a minute later, daring to brave the heat at last, he didn't fight.

---

Finn and Zap dove again and again and again, fighting through the water, air and land. They used every street, every bit of land and sea, every trick in the book that they knew of. Every ounce of energy they had.

But it wasn't enough.

Dawn had risen some time ago and they continued to fight. Finn glanced at the horizon with a fierce desperation that he'd never felt before. Begging for the rest of Berk to come home.

But they never came.

How long had they been fighting? Thirty minutes? An hour? Hours?

Evan was gone. How many more had been lost? Many of his friends had kept to Zap and Max's tails throughout the entire fight, trying to keep to flight patterns and techniques they'd practiced. But they'd never fought against such an onslaught before. It wasn't long before they were picked off one by one.

First, Helga and Shade, who dodged a spear launched by a catapult and fell to the ocean like a pair of stones. Thuggory and his Nightmare had dived after them. Finn couldn't check to see what happened next and soon they were lost to the smoke.

Then Thorein, who'd never fought with more ferocity, and his Nadder were caught in a net that shot from behind. Another pair of riders had dived after them as they'd hurtled toward the water below.

All the men and women he'd trained with since becoming captain fell, one by one. And in their eyes all he saw was panic.

Genevieve and Max had kept stride with him and Zap without issue. Her face was streaked with grime from the smoke and she grit her teeth against Max's next volley of electricity that he shot toward the enemy ships below. The strike hit home and anyone holding metal weapons began to shake and convulse.

Then they were gone, a pair of blue streaks rising high into the air.

The smoke cleared and Finn got a clear view of his village.

From the east to the west, it burned. The Great Hall was a burning husk. The Hatchery had sustained heavy damages, but was still standing. Thousands of black clad soldiers were marching his people into groups. Anyone who might have made it to the catacombs had been rounded up. And the streets were lined with bodies.

He'd failed them.

The thought sent a prick of anger through him so potent, he almost choked on it.

An arrow whizzed by his arm and Zap instantly dove. Genevieve yelped as Max followed suit. They'd both been momentarily stunned by the sight of their home that they'd allowed enemy dragonriders to catch up to them.

Finn bent low in his saddle, eager to put some distance between them and light up a few more ships in the harbor on the next turn. Just as they cleared the cliff, there was a new sound.

The sound of rushing chains.

Then Max and Genevieve screamed.

Zap whipped around so fast that Finn nearly got whiplash. A green chain had been shot out of a nearby catapult and wrapped itself around Max's leg. He thrashed and roared angrily, and Genevieve nearly lost her seat.

"Max, hold on!" Finn shouted.

But even as he said it, another chain shot out and lashed around Max's snout. He quailed and bucked-

"Zap!"

She plunged and Finn drew one of his swords. With a savage yell, he slammed his sword against the chain. Except it rebounded and nearly took him out of the saddle.

"What?" Finn demanded. "How-"

At a particularly sharp thrash, Genevieve launched out of her saddle and slammed back down before toppling sideways. She barely managed to get a handhold with a yelp.

"Hold on!" Finn shouted.

From below there was another slam of wood on wood, and Finn gasped. A spearhead shot toward them from the edge of his vision. He flung himself from the saddle and plummeted just as Genevieve lost her grip.

Everything went quiet. They free fell toward the harbor, filled with debris and struggling bodies. The wind rushed in his ears as he turned toward her, reaching with everything he had as she reached up. The ocean rose up to meet them as he grabbed her hand-

Claws grabbed his shoulders and yanked them out of their fall. Finn yelled at the pain but refused to release her hand. Genevieve's fingers were clamped tightly around his, desperation etched into every line of her face.

Zap keened above him. She'd saved them, but she'd left her mate behind.

"We'll get him back!" Finn promised to both his girls. "I pr-"

They swooped low over the top of the docks and found themselves blocked by dozens of enemy archers. Zap turned sharply, nearly flinging Genevieve out of his grasp. She didn't see the green chains until it was too late.

Zap shrieked as no less than three chains wrapped around her body. One grabbed her back legs. The second wrapped tightly around her wings, which sent them hurtling for the ground. And the third wrapped around her jaws, cutting off her cry with unearthly silence.

Finn and Genevieve hit the ground hard and rolled until they came to a painful stop.

"No." Finn panted, dragging himself out of the dirt. "No. NO!" He charged the chains with his swords and began hacking at them with every ounce of strength he had left. They clanged and clanged and clanged, but all he was doing was wearing himself out and ruining his weapons.

Genevieve and more of his people screamed over his shoulder, but that was all the warning he got.

A broad body slammed into him without warning and they went sprawling in the dirt. Finn scrambled to his feet, just as Zap thrashed beside him. Fighting to stay free. To stay alive.

A second body rammed into him. His people swam in his peripheral, watching with wide, terrified eyes. No.

Zap gave a wail and collapsed with exhaustion, her breath heaving.

A third body joined the others and finally forced him into the ground, unable to fight any longer. He was utterly spent. Rage and wrath and desperation pulsed through him still, but his body failed to respond. There was nothing left.

He had nothing left to give.

He'd failed.

Berk had fallen.

---

Man, we've been planning all this for a while but seeing it all play out is so exciting. Em, you're doing great!

I'm still working on that game! I just finished the first case and am really happy with how it came out. I'm hoping to release in April, so if there are any Ace Attorney fans, let me know so I can send you a link to play it!

Feel free to join the server to talk to us more!

~Katie