A/N: So, writing-wise, this story and Womanizer are the big deal at the moment, Traveler has been officially scrapped. With this story, you guys wanted to know how Berk is doing, and so this chapter will satisfy that curiosity. Let's get started!

(Normal pov— Isle of Berk)

Stoick the Vast disembarked from his ship which was docking at the harbor of the Shivering Isles, he and a great many Viking chieftains would gather to discuss what they should do now that the dragons were no longer raiding Scandinavia. The chilling winds blew across the mountain of a man's face, running through his braided hair and well-groomed beard, he grunted before waiting for his companions to join him. The now-greying chief of Berk watched as some dozen men and women from this land and throughout Scandinavia were heading towards the town, undoubtedly, where the Great Hall was located. Stoick the Vast rarely visited gatherings of Viking leaders or Althingi's this large, not since the dragon scourge and when Drago Bludvist massacred so many noble Viking leaders all because they refused to swear fealty to a madman. Whether he liked it or not, Stoick knew that this was necessary, especially for the younger generations of Scandinavia, who were of proper age to attend these gatherings, and it was high time that they learned the basics of leadership, whether they would become leaders if their tribes or not.

Had Hiccup not committed such a vile act of betrayal, he would be here now, preparing to take his rightful place as chief. Despite Hiccup's banishment, however, word had spread like wildfire throughout Scandinavia that Hiccup and his Night Fury had become a force to be reckoned with; they had fought for various warlords, traveled to the lands Vikings never dared to visit, and his fame and reputation as "The Dragon Rider" or "The Viking," eclipsed every Viking in Scandinavia. Many in Berk found this very hard to believe, but Stoick smelled no trace of deception from the traders, merchants, and foreigners that came to sell their wares to Berk.

Hiccup, his son, was famous throughout Midgard.

Despite the uneasy and difficult relationship he had with his stubborn son, Stoick felt... pride that Hiccup was out in Midgard and made a name for himself with nothing but his Night Fury and his wits.

"Ah! The Shivering Isles," Gobber exhaled while noting the chill creeping into his bones, causing him to shiver. "Fitting, hehe," he then turned to the younger Vikings on the ship. "Hurry up, you lot! We don't want to be late!"

Astrid Hofferson was the first of the younger Vikings to disembark from the ship. Her attire had changed over the years, her once petite frame was now more elegant and feminine. She now wears a red sleeveless shirt with a dark spiked skirt that matches her boots. Her hair is more sun-bleached and neatly styled in a lengthy side braid draped over left her shoulder. Astrid also wears a fur hoodie, usually cloaked over her back and shoulders along with metallic shoulder pads and a matching silver belt lined with small skulls. Her usual arm wrappings are, however, replaced with large, thick bracers covered in fur. With her hoodie over her head, Astrid had her trusty axe strapped behind her back, however, the axe she wielded when she was younger had been broken during a battle with the Lava Louts, Berk's fiercest enemies, because of this, Gobber made her a new axe that felt right and was stronger than the one she previously wielded.

Stoick beckoned Astrid, his new heir, to join him while Gobber and Spitelout rallied the other youngsters to their side. As the chief and his heir walked together, he spoke out loud. "Have you considered taking a husband, Astrid?" He noticed her tense violently, her reaction was his answer. "I understand you visited Gothi to see if she could predict a future in which you find a man to take as your husband. What did you learn from her?"

Astrid recalled visiting Gothi days ago, inquiring about the very subject of what fate had in store for her and whether or not she was meant to be with anyone, she didn't want to go, but after the constant instance of both Stoick and her parents, Astrid was fed and decided to pay the Berk's only living elder, healer, and seer. She recalled Gothi casting her runes and Gobber there to interpret the meaning of Gothi's writing while she explained the young shield maiden's fate.

Despite being a hardened person, Astrid had seen many of the young girls in Berk find love with other Viking men visiting from various tribes and kingdoms, and as much as it pained her to admit it, Astrid wanted a man to both love and fight alongside with. She didn't want just any ordinary Viking, however, she wants to have solid ground under her feet and someone who doesn't just see her as a woman meant to be locked away at home performing duties required of a woman.

Astrid recalled how the process to find out what fate had in store for her lasted for several minutes, and she recalled every second proving to be nail-bitingly intense for her. Once again, the question she kept on asking herself had returned.

Who could it be?

When Gothi had finally finished, she scribbled her answer out and Gobber wrote it down so that Astrid could read it herself. After bidding both the decrepit elder and meaty blacksmith farewell, Astrid could remember her emotions were at war with each other as she made her way home that night, unable to choose between reading the paper herself or simply letting her parents see it and leaving it at that. Hiccup had been the only person her age whom she'd felt something for, as a girl and even as a young woman, unfortunately, her duty to become a dragon slayer and shield maiden forced her to sever ties with Hiccup. Even though she told him long ago that he was no longer relevant in her life, that was a lie, but she couldn't afford to show emotional weakness for the chief's disgrace of a son. However, in the dead of night, Hiccup had been the only person in the past five years she'd shed tears for, what he had told her that day in the forest haunted her, and she should've protected him and perhaps even train him to look out for himself.

But she didn't. She failed him, and that choice to shun him and break him down with her words was something Astrid deeply regretted.

She recalled staring at the paper in her hands, her curiosity gnawing at her insides. When she finally gave in and decided to see what Gothi had interpreted for her, she was intrigued. The interpretation came in the form of a poem, and after taking several deep breaths, Astrid began to read to herself.

"You will know love, yet know how it feels to be unloved,

The one that you once held close to your heart is now enthralled by one radiant in beauty and spirit,

You will give your heart and get he will never love you back."

"Astrid?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Astrid turned to the chief, he was giving her a look that demanded an answer to his previous question. Blushing in embarrassment, Astrid cleared her throat. "N-Nothing, Chief, I learned nothing," she then shrugged as she spoke a deflective lie. "The poem I received spoke of one that I once held close to my heart is now enthralled by one radiant in beauty and spirit."

"I see," Stoick grunted before narrowing his eyes. "You... don't suppose it's Hiccup, do you? After all, you two were very close as children—"

"Even if it was Hiccup, he's a skogarmaor, an outlaw. There's no possible way that we could be together," she then sighed heavily. "And even if he wasn't an outlaw, I doubt he would still love me, not after what I did to him."

"What you did was put that traitorous pup in his place, lass," Spitelout grunted before looking at Stoick. "With respect, brother, you should've just killed Hiccup when he sprang from your equally abnormal wife—"

Stoick sized Spitelout up, shutting the elder Jorgenson up. "Keep Valka's name out of your mouth, brother," he then continued in a low tone. "What's done is done, I didn't kill Hiccup because my wife wanted to prove to me that he'll one day grow up and be a great, mighty Viking. And... as fate would have it, she was right."

"You praise Useless for his feats?" Snotlout scoffed while wrapping his bear fur cloak tightly around his body.

Turning to his nephew, Stoick snarled. "He's not useless, boy!" His uncle's menacing tone caused Snotlout to blanch and purse his lips tightly. Releasing a heavy sigh, Stoick then looked to his companions. "We'll discuss this later, for now, let's join our fellow Vikings for the Althing." Stoick swiftly turned on his heels, fur cloak billowing in his stride, and leaving his companions behind before they all caught up. Once inside the Great Hall, the Viking leaders and their companions were asked to set their weapons down on a ceremonial tree stump, where their ancestors all decided to convene and meet together without bloodshed.

With their weapons placed on the tree stump, each leader took a seat before the queen of the Shivering Isles, Una Hasteindottir, welcomed the Vikings that had gathered. "Welcome, friends, as you know, it's now been five years since the dragon scourge has ended, and during that time of peace, it has given us Vikings the chance to recoup our losses and also remember those who fell during our ferocious war with the dragons. Now that the dragons are of no concern at the moment, the question we should all be asking is this: what will we do now? The dragons have locked us here in Scandinavia, forcing us to remain close to our people and ensure that they're safe and that our resources aren't depleted. But as you well know, this war has cost us all dearly, in more ways than one, I... lost my husband and my daughter during the last dragon raid five years ago," keeping her emotions in check, Queen Una extended her arms. "We must now seek to make our people strong again! I know that many among you are in need of gold, silver, and riches in general, having to pay for large amounts of food over the years only to have it snatched away by the dragons has nearly depleted your treasury, it has for me and my kingdom as well."

"You're suggesting we go out and raid, Queen Una?" Mogadon the Meathead, leader of the Meathead Tribe inquired. When the queen nodded, he then barked out a laugh. "And where do you suggest we raid? Vikings have not gone out raiding for centuries, since our fathers were too preoccupied with the dragons, the only people Vikings have raided over the centuries are other Vikings."

Rising from her throne, Big-Boobied Bertha grunted in agreement with Mogadon. "Aye, even if every leader here agrees with your proposal, we would need to determine where we raid. As Mogadon said, we haven't gone out into Midgard and raided other people for centuries," she then made a strong statement. "None of us here have ventured beyond Scandinavia. If we were to set out from our lands, where would we go? Surely, Jörmungandr would find us and devour us for venturing out into the unknown." Some of the leaders grunted in agreement with the mountain of a woman while many more stayed silent, contemplating a course of action.

"Satisfy my curiosity, Queen Una, where do you suggest we raid?" One of the Vikings inquired a question that caused everyone to clamor in agreement before turning to their host, giving her their full attention.

Playing with her sacred arm ring, Una satisfied her guests' curiosity. "I've heard of a place, it's an island kingdom that's rich in trade and resources, it's called Corona," she then nodded. "It's ripe for plunder. Now would be the perfect time to attack it."

"If we are to take this kingdom, we have no idea what defenses they possess and the size of their armies," another Viking leader pointed out. "We'll need more than just us Vikings, we'll need a way to crush these defenses and means the enemy will use to keep us out of their kingdom."

"Uh, if I may speak?"

All looked to Gobber, though he was no leader, Queen Una gave him a nod. "Speak freely, Gobber the Belch. You have a suggestion?"

"I do, but uh... I don't think everyone will be on board with it," he then cleared his throat before continuing. "What if we rode dragons?" Everybody looked at Gobber as though he had gone mad, but he ignored the looks he was receiving before continuing, looking at Stoick. "Think about it, old friend! What if Alvin the Treacherous or the Lava Louts decided to attack us, if you rode a dragon into battle, or even commanded Vikings on the backs of their dragons, well, I'd say you'd be an even greater force to be reckoned with! I can see it now: a proud chief ruling his domain and conquering his enemies atop a firebreathing reptile gives me goosebumps!"

Despite the clamors of disapproval from the Vikings, Stoick pictured the prospect of riding a mighty dragon into battle, he thought of how many of his people he could save if the enemies of Berk decided to lay siege there and he thought of how the dragons could serve the Vikings during raids. The Viking people had experienced centuries of terror from the dragons, and if they were going to raid the kingdom of Corona, why not show them and the people of this world that Vikings are capable of the impossible and ride dragons? His son, Hiccup rides a Night Fury, the deadliest and most fearsome dragon in Midgard, and his fame and reputation had eclipsed the Vikings of old and of the current age.

"Gobber's right."

The Hall fell silent as Stoick rose to his feet. Never did they believe they would all live to hear Stoick the Vast giving into the suggestion of bonding with dragons. "You all know of Hiccup's choice to bond with a Night Fury, because of that, I had him branded as an outlaw, never to set foot in Scandinavia again. But over the last five years, my son has made a name for himself out of nothing! Every day, we hear more about his exploits: fighting in foreign wars, being a bounty hunter of the highest caliber, and being a traveler who has explored lands no Viking has ever dared to go to. Hiccup's actions are a sign of the times, the Viking way has served us and our ancestors well, however, the world around us is changing, and if we don't learn to transform ourselves, we may very well be forgotten by history," he then chuckled in disbelief. "The gods must be laughing at me and my people, we thought by making Hiccup an outlaw, he would just... fade from existence. But now that he's out there in Midgard and become prosperous, he's secured a place in history as the first Viking heir to build a legacy for himself out of nothing."

Queen Una, narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. "What's your point, Chief Stoick?"

"My point is that we must follow Hiccup's example, while my son is out in Midgard living a daily life of strife, hardship, and prosperity, his fame and reputation will fatten. Whereas we have all gone soft over the last five years, settling for comfortable lives, living off the fat of our lands, and ultimately, forgetting who we are— forgetting that we are Vikings!" Turning to his fellow leaders, he continued. "We are the sons and daughters of the gods, longing for Valhalla! And will we enter Odin's grand halls in our current state? NO!" He pounded a meaty fist against his chest. "If we seek to secure our own legacies, we must forsake the traditions of our fathers! The time has come for the Vikings, who have been nothing but an afterthought in the minds of men to venture out of our homelands and unleash our ferocity!"

Mogadon rose from his throne and bellowed out. "AYE! I stand with Stoick, as does the Meathead Tribe!"

"As do the Bog Burglars," Bertha rose from her throne and gave a firm nod at Stoick.

More and more Viking leaders, roused by Stoick's words rose, pledging their support to the leader of Berk and agreeing to undertake this new challenge to train dragons and ride them into battle. Despite a great many of the Vikings gathered being onboard with Stoick's plan, the few who believed him to be mad departed, too set in the ways of old, all that remained was getting Queen Una's support, she and the Vikings of the Shivering Isles had enough men and resources to commence the raid on Corona.

After a long moment of contemplation, Queen Una rose from her throne and extended her arms. "A passionate speech, Stoick, one that has moved me to agree with you," she then smiled. "I, Queen Una Hasteindottir stand with you, as will the Vikings of the Shivering Isles, I swear to you on my sacred arm ring."

Grinning, Stoick nodded before reassuring those who pledge their support to his proposal to train dragons. "My people and I will begin on this right away, and when we make developments, we'll spread the word to you all. In the meantime, marshal your forces and supplies and prepare to set sail," he then turned to his fellow Hairy Hooligans before concluding. "It's time we remind the people of this world why Vikings are feared."

(Germany— Unknown location)

Rapunzel had feared she would never leave the tower that Gothel had locked her up in, but now, here she was, not only was she finally free from the tower, but now she was riding on the back of a dragon and savoring the feeling of the wind caressing her skin and running through her hair like a lovers touch.

As they flew through the heavily clouded sky, Rapunzel reached out to touch the clouds, laughing lightly, she looked at Pascal who was smiling and blending in with the now early evening sunset. They had been flying for hours, not that Hiccup and Toothless were complaining, but Rapunzel, was having the time of her life; seeing the world from a birds-eye view, and savoring the thrill of flight.

"It's truly something, isn't it?"

Rapunzel nodded, breathless with delight as retracted her hands from the clouds and took a deep breath, and exhaled with a beaming smile. "I always dreamed of flying, but my dreams are nothing compared to actually flying," the blond beauty then gave the bounty hunter a curious look. "What was your first flight like?"

Chuckling to himself, Hiccup shook his head. "Adrenaline pumping," he caressed Toothless' head before recalling his first flights back on Berk and how each one grew more daring. "See, because I had shot down Toothless, one of his tail fins was ripped off his body, and when I made him a prosthetic tail, he needed me to help him operate that artificial tail. Each of our flights lasted as long as the rigging for the prosthetic tail held up," he then lifted his riding mask, showing his smiling face. "But when I'm up here, I don't even feel the cold of the wind, all I feel is..."

"...free," Rapunzel smiled when Hiccup nodded in confirmation. She then bit her lower lip and squealed in delight. "I can't believe I did this!" Before she could stop herself, Rapunzel pressed her lips against Hiccup's cheek, causing his eyes to widen and his breath to hitch, however, when he felt his heart beating wildly in his chest, his pulse quickened, and the pleasant feeling he was experiencing made him realize that no other woman has ever made him feel like this.

When Rapunzel pulled her lips off of his cheek, she then blushed before stammering. "S-Sorry about that—"

"No no, you're fine," Hiccup reassured her before clearing his throat. "I get it, you've taken a big step of taking matters into your own hands. If your kidnapper won't let you live your life, then you go out and take it for yourself."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Rapunzel beamed.

As they neared the mountains, they were coming upon a large field of clovers before ultimately reaching a large house resting on a nearby ridgeline with a natural wall of rock surrounding the base of the ridgeline. The land surrounding the house was thick with forest and had plenty of suitable fields for farming, not only that but there were several springs of fresh water nearby and lagoons. As for the house itself, it was of Viking design with a Night Fury figurehead above the front door, it was well-built, and seemed able to hold a dozen people or more.

"What is that?"

Looking over his shoulder, Hiccup smirked at the curious blond. "That would be my house," he then sighed happily. "Which Toothless and I have not been back to in quite some time now." The Night Fury warbled excitedly, eager to be back home as well. True, he savored sleeping in the outdoors and anywhere he and his rider deemed safe, but he missed sleeping on his massive slab of onyx stone.

Upon landing outside of his home, however, Hiccup laid eyes on a banner planted in the ground, the image the emblem bore was that of a Monstrous Nightmare skull with a sword going doing the center of it. Rapunzel, who had her arms wrapped around Hiccup's abdomen, noted how he suddenly tensed violently upon laying eyes on the banner sticking out in front of his home. Toothless too seemed on edge once he saw the foreign banner.

"Hiccup? What's wrong?"

Turning around to look the princess in the eyes, he murmured lowly. "Stay close to me, alright?" She nodded understanding and grabbed one of his hands once they both slid off of Toothless. Reaching for a key in one of his pouches, Hiccup slid it into the lock of his front door and slowly pushed it open. His house was dark, the only source of light coming from inside it was the fireplace. Toothless sniffed the air and growled lowly, alerting Hiccup and Rapunzel that someone was definitely inside and lurking in the shadows.

"You're a hard man to find, Hiccup Haddock. And even harder to kill, so I've heard."

Drawing Inferno from his side, Hiccup saw a hooded man emerge out of the shadows, thanks to the light illuminating his blade and his fireplace, he knew exactly who he was dealing with once he saw the intruder's face. "Yeah, well, a man like me enjoys his freedom and his privacy, Krogan," he narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low tone. "What do you want?"

"That's the wrong question. The real question is this: what does Drago want?" Helping himself to a cup of water, Krogan continued. "Of all the mercenaries the Northern Alliance has hired, you have been the one Drago has seen as the most effective, not only do you possess a Night Fury, the rarest or the rare, but your prowess as a warrior has not gone unnoticed. With that said, Drago's in need of your services, Hiccup Haddock," Krogan then noticed Rapunzel who was hiding behind Hiccup but peaking her out from behind his shoulder, causing the man to raise a confused eyebrow at the banished Viking heir. "Who is the girl?"

"She's with me, Krogan," he said firmly. "If you so much as breathe in her direction, I promise you won't live to regret it."

Laughing dryly, Krogan shook his head. "A decision you would soon regret, I stand as Drago's second in command, he would dispatch his own mercenaries to bring you back to him and see you pay for killing me. Rest assured, killing me won't be necessary, I was simply curious as to who your new... friend was, especially since you prefer the company of dragons rather than humans," Hiccup sneered at the smirking Krogan, he always wanted to knock that arrogant look off of his face whenever he saw it. But Krogan was right, killing him would only invite the wrath of Drago Bludvist, and that was something he didn't need. After drinking the cup of water he helped himself to, Krogan then returned to the reason he was there. "Now then, to the matter at hand. One of Drago's warlords, Griselda the Grievous, has been tasked with going before the current ruler of Kievan Rus and demanding that they pledge their army to Drago and the Northern Alliance. Unfortunately, Adolb Ødholf, the Noble Wolf, ruler of Kiev, refuses to pledge fealty to Drago and the Northern Alliance, because of this, he now holds Griselda hostage and demands that Drago comes to Kiev, and bow down before him."

Scoffing, Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose. "That fool..." he murmured to himself. Looking into Krogan's eyes, he then raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, I'm to apprehend Adolb, bring him before Drago, and once your master kills the ruler of Kiev, their armies will join the Northern Alliance?"

"Precisely," Krogan then made his way toward the front door. Hiccup stood out of the man's way while Rapunzel stayed close behind him, Toothless too growled in warning, ready to end the man if he dared to show hostility towards his rider. "I will return here with my Dragon Flyers at dawn tomorrow. We are to escort you to The Conqueror and take you to Drago, once you settle on a price for your invaluable services, we will set sail to Kiev." Turning in Rapunzel's direction, Krogan smirked. "A word of advice, girl. You'll want to dress warmly. Where we're going, you'll freeze to death if you don't dress well with the environment." Once outside Krogan whistled loudly, and the sudden roar of a Titan Wing Singetail filled the air.

Rapunzel gasped at the sight of such a beautiful, magnificent dragon, she suddenly found herself wanting a dragon of that same species, especially when she noted that the dragon possessed qualities and features similar to a chameleon. Pascal even blended his skin a blood-red crimson, like that of Krogan's Singetail.

Once he was on the back of his dragon, Krogan took hold of the reigns around his dragon's maw and looked at Hiccup. "Again, I will arrive at dawn tomorrow, I expect you to be ready. Your woman will need the appropriate attire at hand once we arrive at Kiev," before taking off, he added. "Oh, and I advise you to know your place and mind your tone when in Drago's presence. You're fortunate he favors you and your Night Fury's talents, otherwise, you would be a deadman." Krogan then urged his Singetail to take flight, leaving the banished Viking heir and lost princess for the time being.

Hiccup reached for the Northern Alliance banner outside his home and proceeded to burn it, fueling the flames in his fireplace. Facing the lost princess, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Nodding, Rapunzel tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I think I should be asking you that question," she then gave a curious look. "Who was that? And who's Drago Bludvist?"

"That was Krogan, he's no friend if that's what you're thinking. And Drago Bludvist is a power-hungry warlord who seeks to dominate this world through tyranny and cruelty," sighing heavily, Hiccup began to unfasten his leather armor. "I was offered a job by Krogan a few years back and was well rewarded for my services, however, the cruelty Drago and his army inflict on the dragons made me sick to my stomach, and I feared that they would try to wrest Toothless away from me. To make a long story short, I don't like the Northern Alliance and Drago Bludvist, but when that madman wants something from you, it's in your best interest to do it, or else he'll unleash hell to get you to do what he wants."

"I see," Rapunzel noted the shame and regret in Hiccup's eyes. "And... I take it you've done horrible things not by choice, but out of necessity?"

Nodding, Hiccup shrugged. "I could've said no, but Drago could've killed me and he could've taken Toothless for himself, making him a greater force to be reckoned with," once he was out of his leather armor, he then gave the lost princess a curious smile. "Let's change the subject. Are you hungry?" When she nodded, Hiccup smiled. "How does salmon fish stew sound to you?" Toothless perked up at the mention of salmon fish, causing the young bounty hunter to chuckle at his excited dragon before looking back to the blond.

"That... sounds good," she then blushed in embarrassment. "I've never had salmon before."

"Trust me, you'll love it. And once you have a bowl of my salmon fish stew, you'll be dying for more," he winked at her, causing Rapunzel to chuckle.

As Hiccup began cooking, he gave Toothless a basket full of salmon and other types of fish, he let out an excited bark before digging in. Whilst preparing his salmon stew, Hiccup and Rapunzel talked about... everything they could think of: interests, hobbies, talents, and favorite stories. She even explained how she loved reading the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok, a saga Hiccup enjoyed reading back on Berk. Despite his distaste towards humans, Hiccup felt so comfortable and at ease with Rapunzel, it was as if she was the missing puzzle piece in his life, and he could see her fitting in with him perfectly.

Finally, when Hiccup had finished making the salmon stew, the aroma was divine, Rapunzel felt her mouth water and her stomach demanded that she intake what he had prepared. Giving her a bowl and a fresh slice of bread, Hiccup was glad when she found his stew to be very good. As they ate, Rapunzel wanted to know more about him, she then asked why the Vikings and dragons were at odds. Hiccup explained that the dragons weren't raiding Vikings intentionally, rather they were being forced to do it because of the monster that resided in Helheim's Gate, the Red Death. He explained the sheer size of the monstrosity and how it used its status as an Alpha Dragon to force the dragons to bring it large amounts of food back to her nest, and if they failed to bring her tribute, she would devour the dragons who resided with her. Toothless growled in distaste as memories of the Red Death flooded his mind, chuckling at his dragon, Hiccup then explained how when he had been branded as an outlaw, he and Toothless went to Helheim's Gate, challenged the Red Death, and ultimately slew her, which freed the dragons of that nest to live their own lives and thus the dragon raids on Berk and Scandinavia ceased completely.

Shrugging, Hiccup concluded his story, "...And there was finally peace on Berk, Norway, and all Scandinavia."

"Because you and Toothless defeated the Red Death?" Rapunzel inquired, having finished her food, she was fully engrossed in the story Hiccup was telling.

"Yep, nothing we couldn't handle," he said jokingly in a Viking accent while pounding a fist against his chest and then looking over at Toothless. "Isn't that right, bud?" The Night Fury warbled in agreement, before making rolling around on his back, tongue sticking out, and letting out happy grunts. The dragon's dog-like antics caused Rapunzel to laugh.

Hearing Rapunzel laugh was like music to Hiccup's ears, though he didn't see himself as a jester, it gave his confidence a boost, knowing he was lighthearted and easygoing. When her laughter ceased, she then looked at him with a smile so bright that it put the sun to shame, and Hiccup was rendered breathless.

Rapunzel was without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Hiccup had ever laid eyes on.

She made Astrid look like an ogre.

"I know we need to be up and early tomorrow, Hiccup, but..." the firelight made her radiant and her dazzling green eyes sparkled with curiosity and hope, "...can you tell me one more story? Please?"

Smiling at the beauty next to him, Hiccup found it very hard to deny her. Nodding, he then raked his mind for another story of adventure, peril, and excitement that he and Toothless had embarked on. After choosing what he would tell, Hiccup noted how Rapunzel scooted ever closer to him, giving him her full attention. Chuckling, Hiccup shrugged, satisfying her curiosity. "Well, there was also this one-time Toothless and I were hired by the emperor of Constantinople to deliver a treasure of immense value, however, the vessel we were on was attacked by pirates..."

As Hiccup recounted the tale of how he and Toothless faced the fierce pirate and warrior heir to the Mongrel Tribe, Nikora Stormheart. Rapunzel was in awe and as he recounted this story, Hiccup could see that she wasn't just eager to learn more about his tales, but that she wanted to know him as a person.

He was glad about that because the feeling was mutual.

Eventually, the hour demanded that they get some sleep. Hiccup had offered Rapunzel his room while he slept downstairs with Toothless. Reluctant at first, Rapunzel gave in to Hiccup's insistence and took his large, ridiculously comfortable bed. As Rapunzel succumbed to the warm embrace of sleep, she was excited to see what the world had to offer.

She could hardly wait for morning.

A/N: The next update is Womanizer, so stay tuned for that! But in the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next update!