As soon as Toothless and Cloudjumper had flown away, the other Vikings' dragons became tense. Immediately, this got the attention of their riders. Reptiles from around them started to bare their teeth and snarl. Hookfang flamed up in agitation and Windshear began to growl as well. Stormfly readied her tail spines to be shot.
"Hold on, girl," Astrid said. She looked at the dragons in confusion. "I don't get why they're becoming aggressive."
The Wingmaidens regarded one another unsurely.
"We do not seem to be disturbing any of the hatchlings," Atali said. "By now, the mothers would have already attacked us."
Minden nodded, then noticed Snotlout's gaze being locked onto the fog.
"What's wrong?"
"The Bewilderbeast. Anyone else see the death glare it's giving us?" he asked.
His friends turned and saw the dragon's blue eyes staring at them. This made the Vikings look at the other dragons closer. Unlike the largest creature, their eyes were not clear. Their pupils were slits and their movements were unnatural.
"He's controlling them to attack us," Fishlegs said, clearly hurt to have been viewed as an enemy.
Ice blasted towards the group, causing them to duck. Five Shivertooths were running towards them. They were followed by some Windstrikes who began to set the air aflame. Angered, Hookfang prepared to claw at the other reptiles, but he stopped at the last moment.
"They are under mind control," Mala stated, frowning in concern. "It is not their intention to harm us."
Although disappointed, Barf and Belch listened to their riders' signal to not cause a large explosion. Instinctively, the dragons started to fly. If they could not fight, they could leave. Dread hit them when they were reminded of the fact that this was not an option either.
"Oh, come on!" Snotlout yelled angrily. He pointed at the Bewilderbeast. "We went through a lot to keep anyone from killing you. This is some way to show your appreciation."
The dragon paid no heed to the Viking, instead sending some Timberjacks and Singetails towards the group as well. Slits opened on one Singetail's stomach as it prepared to attack Heather. Before it could, fire was blasted into its side. It knocked into a controlled Hideous Zippleback, but neither acted as though anything had happened. The Berserker glanced up to see her brother. Sleuther swooped down so that Mala could leap onto the dragon's back.
"What's going on?!" the redhead asked, shocked. "They just started attacking us all of a sudden!"
"The Bewilderbeast sees us as threats," Heather explained. "He's making them want to kill us."
"And we're still trapped!" Fishlegs cried, panicking.
Throk saw as a Deadly Nadder prepared to shoot a stream of fire. He deflected it with his sword. A concerned look was on his face.
"I will never condone harming dragons, but unless we find shelter, we might not survive."
Seemingly to just prove his point, two Raincutters blasted water at the team. The number of dragons was too large. Practically before the attack even began, the friends had been surrounded.
"The cave!" Snotlout suggested. "If we don't die before we get there anyway."
"It's our best chance," Minden agreed, eyeing the location.
There were at least a couple dozen bloodthirsty dragons between them and any semblance of safety, but it would be better than trying to remain where they were.
"Stormfly and I will make a path for the rest of you," Astrid said, determination in her eyes. "Follow us!"
Speedily, the Deadly Nadder zoomed through the crowd. With her speed, the dragon puppets did not have time to react. So, she moved them to the sides. The allies were close behind her, but so were some of the wild reptiles. They snapped their jaws at the dragons' legs and the riders' heads. Eret's face went pale as he saw the beasts so close to devouring him. Sleuther noticed as well and moved the Trapper forward to be out of their reach. It seemed like the cave was somehow getting further away. At last, Stormfly flew through the entrance. Immediately, she and Astrid were shot at by the dragons inside. The Viking had to quickly dodge, then Stormfly shot a blast at the enemies' claws, forcing them to back away. She began directing them out of the cave as the others entered. Once they all had, Meatlug hit the edge of the cave with her tail. Windshear did the same, causing some chunks to fall in front of the opening.
"Hopefully, that'll hold for a while," Fishlegs stated nervously.
"Let's try to seal off the other entrance," Astrid said.
The group hurried, but they stopped before they reached the second side. A titan wing Monstrous Nightmare had entered, nearly filling up the space. Suddenly, the dragon set itself on fire and started to let a powerful blast escape its jaws. The smaller reptiles put all the Vikings in the middle of them. Since there was nowhere to go to avoid the fire, they used their bodies as shields. When a loud sound filled their ears, the Vikings realized their first plan had not worked for as long as they had hoped. Dragons had already broken through the chunks of the cave which blocked the one opening. They blasted at the friends as well.
"We can't die like this!" Dagur yelled, scowling.
He went over to Eret, bringing out a knife. The Trapper's eyes widened.
"What–"
The man stopped talking when his ropes were cut. He saw a fierce look in the chief's eyes. Dagur went to kiss Mala on the lips.
"If we're about to die," he said, squeezing her hand, "let's do it fighting."
"I'd really rather live," Fishlegs muttered before looking at Heather and nodding. "But let's see what we can do."
Snotlout gave Minden's cheek a kiss just in case he did not get the chance again. Sadness hit Astrid as she wondered where Hiccup was. If she never saw him again, she did not want their final meeting to include such bad memories of the past. Still, she needed to focus. The more she did, the better chance they all had for surviving. If they spread out, it would be more difficult for the dragons to concentrate their fire in one location. Astrid was about to call this out to the others when a familiarly glorious sound was heard: Toothless's plasma blast. It hit the Monstrous Nightmare, stopping his shot. The controlled dragons turned their attention to the new reptile which was preventing them from carrying out their mission. With his new spines, Toothless was able to easily avoid their blasts. His friends began to assist, defending one another as the attacking group's numbers were no longer sufficient advantages. Shortly afterwards, Valka and Cloudjumper had also entered the cave. A panicked look crossed the woman's face and they exited. Nearly as soon as they left, the wild dragons stopped their attack. Cautiously, the friends checked to see if they would have to fight again or not. One of the Windstrikers lowered its head as it apologetically approached Toothless.
"Are they calm now?" Fishlegs asked.
"Let's check," Tuffnut said.
He shoved Ruffnut off her saddle, causing her to plop next to a Raincutter. Barf and Belch (and Throk) were ready to defend her if it was necessary, but the other dragon did not do anything.
"Okay, we're good," the male twin stated, giving two thumbs up to his friends and ignoring his sister's glare.
"But what made them stop?" Heather asked.
A frown appeared on Hiccup's face. "The same Viking who made them start."
He and Toothless flew out of the cave and were followed by the others. They flew until reaching Valka. She was with Cloudjumper and taking a rock from one Catastrophic Quaken to give to an older member of the flock. She let out a chastising growl to the greedy, but healthier dragon. When she heard the other animals land, she turned to them.
"You tried to kill them," Hiccup said, voice conveying his disbelief.
At his accusation, his friends' eyes widened in shock. The trainer took a breath and spoke again with more certainty.
"You can communicate with the dragons here. It's your order the king was following out."
Valka was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
"You just admit it?" Snotlout asked, astonished.
"I do not trust any of you," Valka divulged.
"You don't have a reason not to," Heather told her.
"We all want to stop Drago," Atali added. "That should help us work together."
Coldness was in Valka's gaze. "You're still Vikings. I won't work with you. I apologize if the dragons were hurt, but I don't regret what I did."
"The dragons would have been fine if you had not tried to kill us," Mala stated, eyes narrowed.
The elder Viking did not seem fazed by her words. Astrid started to frown and gestured to the sky.
"If you don't want us here, don't trap us. We'd be more than happy to go if we could."
After a moment, Valka looked at Hiccup. She walked towards the fog and let out a dragon noise. Then she turned back around.
"You are free to leave, but you are not welcome to return."
"Don't worry," Snotlout said. "That's the last thing I was planning on doing."
"Called it. Crazy dragon lady," Tuffnut commented under his breath.
The others got onto their dragons and prepared to fly off, but they stopped when they saw one member of their team still on the ground.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked.
The other Berkian looked conflicted. "I'm not ready yet."
"Because you know I am right," Valka said.
"No," the young man assured her. "Because if we leave right now, I don't know if we'll see you again. I'm not ready for that."
Valka seemed surprised by his words and a wave of sadness hit the others. Heather got off Windshear's saddle, approaching her friend.
"I get it," she said quietly. "Sometimes, there's nothing you want more than family. There was pretty much nothing I wouldn't have done to find my father, but that wasn't healthy, Hiccup. Troubles with family can be worked out, but you have to see things for what they are and everyone has to want that." She glanced at Valka, then back at the trainer. "Does she?"
Hiccup turned to look at his mother. He could not honestly say if he thought she did or did not.
"That's what I want to find out." He faced his friends again. "Just give me a bit of time. When I'm done, we can all find Drago together."
The other Vikings seemed hesitant to go. They trusted Valka no more than she trusted them, but they knew Hiccup better than to think they would be able to dissuade him from something he had set his mind to do. So, they got onto their dragons and prepared for flight.
"We'll try to find his base, then observe it from a safe distance," Astrid told him.
"Then we'll be back on Berk until you're done," Snotlout added.
Hiccup nodded in confirmation and noticed the warning looks that Astrid and Dagur sent Valka. If she caused Hiccup to get hurt, she would realize that mistake too late. Astrid glanced down, seeing Eret. She gestured to Stormfly's saddle since Sleuther already had two riders. With slight hesitation, the Viking went over to the blonde and hopped up behind her. The dragons began to fly and were not prevented from leaving this time. Eret was quiet as the others discussed where Drago might be. The newcomer kept thinking about what had just happened. With so many dragons attacking them, it would have been simple to use him as bait or a human shield, but none of the Vikings did.
"Maybe if we look for sails," Fishleg offered. "He might have a large fleet."
"Or we could look for a Bewilderbeast," Tuffnut suggested. "That thing was huge! It'd be really easy to find."
"Let's keep our eyes open for both," Astrid said.
"You shouldn't go to Drago's base," Eret stated, an unreadable look on his face.
Astrid glanced behind her, sighing. "I know you don't want us to, but we're still going to find him."
"That's not why I'm saying it," the Trapper clarified. He was frowning at the saddle, then looked at the group. "He's sending fleets out to Berk."
The Vikings regarded him in shock.
Eret continued, "As soon as the others found out about you releasing our last catch, they said they would send word to Drago. He works quickly. They might be at Berk already."
Wind blew as Hookfang flew by the others. "Then what are we waiting for?" Snotlout asked. "We have to get back to help out!"
The team followed after him at full speed. Knowing how it could be with so many dragons mindlessly attacking, that was nothing they wanted the Vikings of Berk to experience. A small sense of comfort was felt when the island came into view. There were no dragons, but there was a fleet. It consisted of no less than forty ships. A deranged cackle rang through the air as more ships were seen. The Berserker armada had arrived as well. Their ships were launching boulders from catapults at Drago's vessels. Holes were made by this strategy, sinking many of the ships, but the Trappers were not helpless. As the A Team flew around them, archers shot arrows. One hit Spitelout's Deadly Nadder and the dragon began to fall from the sky. Fanghook caught the duo before they could hit the water. Gustav looked up to see the others approaching.
"They've got Dragon Root arrows!" he called out.
Fishlegs's eyes brightened up as he thought of an idea. "Gothi! Let's destroy the decks."
The blond and the healer swooped down towards the ships. Lava spewed down from the Gronckles, preventing the Trappers from having anywhere stable to stand. Lacking this, they also were robbed of a clear shot for the archers. This made it easier for Windshear to come in and cut the sails. Hookfang set other ships aflame while Stormfly, Sleuther, and the Wingmaidens targeted the Vikings directly. The twins glanced at one another, sharing an excited look.
"Beat our last record?" Tuffnut asked.
Ruffnut nodded excitedly. "You bet!"
"Everybody, watch out!" the duo shouted.
Already having an idea what they were planning, the others moved. Barf and Belch flew around the Trapper ships which were not being attacked by Berserker soldiers. They let out a long trail of gas until it resembled a snake winding its way around the ships.
"Now!" the twins cheered happily.
The Hideous Zippleback ignited the gas, causing the sides of the vessels to be broken apart. Trappers jumped off the decks, plunging into the rushing water. As they did, Snotlout saw Fanghook still blasting at other ships.
"Gustav," he called, gesturing down to his father and the Nadder, "get them out of here, then blast the ships closer to Berk."
Saluting, the younger Viking and Monstrous Nightmare flew off for the island. There, a few Trappers had reached the shore and were fighting with the Berkians and Outcasts. Alvin's sword impaled one Trapper through the stomach, then he flung the man aside. He was not far from Gobber who had plunged his hook into one Trapper's arm. The blacksmith used his hand to punch him unconscious. When Gobber saw the corpse on the ground, he glanced at Alvin who shrugged.
"What? I stopped killing Berkians, not in general."
Gobber dodged a sword slice from another Trapper.
"You won't hear me complaining," he said, flinging the enemy over his shoulder.
He heard a sound of crashing as a different enemy was thrown through a building's wall. Stoick had his ax drawn and a dangerous look was in his eyes. The Trapper looked undeterred, instead just trying to get back to his feet quickly.
"Where's Drago?" Stoick ordered.
The Trapper said nothing, so Stoick put the blade of the ax against his neck.
"Don't make me repeat myself," he threatened. "Is he here somewhere now?"
A short laugh escaped the Trapper. "You'll know when Drago's here. It'll be the moment before all your Vikings die."
Memories of Drago's attack flooded Stoick's brain. Seeing those and the Trapper's smug smirk enraged him. The chief reeled back his ax and slashed with an angry yell. He watched the Trapper fall.
"Drago will meet the same fate for coming after my Vikings," the man promised.
Stoick dragged the dead Trapper out of the building and could hear a victorious cheer outside. Gobber went up to him with a smile.
"We've won."
"We haven't yet. Drago's still out there." Stoick squinted at the sky, then frowned. "They didn't bring Hiccup back."
The man's expression remained serious as he saw no Night Fury flying. Although he could not see, Stoick was nearly matching the worried look on his son's face. Hiccup was regarding his mother whose own face showed her shock.
"You stayed," she commented.
"I meant what I said, but this," he said, gesturing outwards, "can't happen again. Whether you like them or not, those are my friends."
Something cold appeared in Valka's eyes. "Perhaps if I had ever found Vikings who accepted me on Berk, I also would have been blinded to the truth."
"People can change, Mom," Hiccup insisted.
"But they don't." The woman looked around at the dragons. "Do you honestly not prefer this? You could stay forever, Hiccup." She paused, frowning. "Even the names we select are cruel. We mark each other as strong or weak with no regard for the emotional impact."
"Names don't define us."
"But they tell us how we're perceived."
"Who cares?" Hiccup asked, frustrated. "As a kid, it mattered, but then I changed. If being different could lead to ending the war with the dragons and bonding with Toothless, then it's a great thing even if the others didn't see it that way at first."
Valka became quiet, then sounded regretful. "I should have been there to guide you."
"But you chose not to be."
Hiccup winced slightly, hearing how his tone had sounded harsher than he intended. Consequently, Valka's eyes widened before she turned away.
"Dragons do not always accept the family they've been separated from for a while. If you don't either, I can understand why."
The woman began walking back over to the dragons and cave. Hiccup put a hand over his eyes, letting out a groan. As he uncovered his face again, he frowned. He got onto Toothless's saddle.
"Since we're not trapped anymore, let's go, Bud," he said.
His friend gave him an uncertain look. Seeing Hiccup meant what he was saying, Toothless started to fly. After a few minutes, he let out a confused warble.
"Sorry," Hiccup told him. "We're going to find Drago's base. If we can solve this problem, then we'll be able to deal with all the other ones. He's got to be in this general area and it won't be hard to spot another Bewilderbeast even if we have to look for fog." The Berkian paused as a thought occurred to him. "When we find him, I want you to stay behind."
Toothless grumbled in disagreement. There was no way he would leave his friend with someone so dangerous.
"I know, but we've seen what mind controlled dragons can do. I don't want that to happen to you. I'll call for you if something happens, then we can be out of there before Drago even has time to order the Bewilderbeast to do anything."
It was still clear that Toothless was against this plan, but he hated the idea of being controlled to go against the Viking even more. So, he let out another grumble and Hiccup patted his head.
"I don't like it either, but it'll be better this way. Besides, we should be able to find the others out here if they're still searching."
The pair continued to fly, searching for their friends and any signs of the base. Something appeared in the horizon that caught their attention. They saw dragons, but they were not familiar. Below the reptiles, there were ships and behind them, there seemed to be moving icebergs. When the Berkian and Night Fury got closer, Hiccup realized his first plan would not work. Those icebergs were actually a Bewilderbeast swimming through the sea. Toothless tensed up immediately, unsure where to go that might be out of range of the king's power.
"Where are they going?" Hiccup wondered aloud. "They're not headed towards Berk."
He saw Toothless glancing up at him, a questioning look in his eyes. Hiccup also wondered what they would do, but they could not turn back when their only chance for peace was traveling beneath them.
"Let's go in slowly," Hiccup advised.
Toothless carefully began to approach the ships. It did not take long for the Trappers to see him. When they did, Hiccup peacefully raised his hands.
"We're not here to attack!" he called down for them to hear.
Hesitantly, they chose to not fire their arrows, but they also did not lower the bows.
"At ease," someone ordered.
Immediately, the Vikings stepped back. Hiccup looked around for the person who had given the command, but none of the ships seemed to have him. Suddenly, Toothless looked back at the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup followed his gaze and saw a man standing on the dragon's head. The Viking and Night Fury dared to get closer, making sure to look as non-confrontational as possible.
"Are you Drago?" Hiccup asked.
The man eyed him curiously. "I am. And are you Hiccup Haddock?"
"I am." Hiccup took a quiet breath. "We wanted to come here before there could be any battle."
"Why? You wanted the glory of killing me for yourself?"
"No, we don't want there to be a war if it can be avoided."
This seemed to amuse Drago, but he did not smile. "It cannot be."
"Has Berk done anything against you directly?"
"Berk itself isn't an issue. It's simply another island to be destroyed."
Instinctively, Toothless growled, but he had never seen someone look as unbothered by his aggression as Drago did. Hiccup calmed him quickly.
"Why do so many islands have to be destroyed?"
"Because soon, the only people remaining will be those of my tribe."
Hiccup frowned in confusion. Drago saw this and appeared irritated by the lack of understanding.
"You offer peace, but you can't guarantee it. I'm the only person who could do that."
"We've gained a lot of allies throughout the years. I could assure four other tribes in addition to ours that you could have peace with."
"Your words mean nothing to me. I've heard so many similar ones before."
"I'm not them. I wouldn't offer this if I couldn't back it up."
Drago's gaze started to become deadly. "And if I decline your offer, then you have threats."
Hiccup did not get a chance to speak again before the warlord did.
"Tribes like yours believe they're strong…that they can control people's fates. They prey upon those they think are weaker so that their own numbers can be increased. Chiefs have come to my home before with promises of safety and peace–promises that the dragons would no longer take any lives and that our people would live safely, but words are so easily forgotten the moment they're out of your ears." He practically snarled at the Berkian. "Each time, they tried to rule us as tyrants and profit off our people as though we were worth nothing more than rocks."
"Berk isn't like that," Hiccup insisted. "All of our allies, we try to help them whenever we can. They're practically family to us. I'm sorry the other tribes were that way, but we aren't."
Drago sneered at the trainer. "You sound just like each one of them. They all swore to be different, yet more of us were slaughtered like the same dragons we fought against. It became clear that we'd have to protect ourselves if we wanted to survive."
The Viking flicked his cloak off his left side, revealing a metal arm.
"Whether the battle is against dragons or our own kind, we've had to become stronger no matter the cost. Our strengths had to outweigh any possible weakness an enemy might try to exploit," Drago stated, hatefully glaring at the Berkian. "Throughout my life, I've learned there are two reasons people want peace: to strengthen their tribes or because they know yours is stronger. So, no, Berkian heir, I will not accept your offer. Our peace would only benefit you."
Hiccup felt dread hitting him as the anger in Drago's eyes seared into him. The Berkian gestured to his prosthetic.
"You aren't the only one who's been hurt in the war against dragons. I'm sure your tribe isn't the one who's been hurt by other Vikings either, but that doesn't mean you have to go to war against the entire world. Peace would benefit you too. No one can stay in power forever. The more Vikings you conquer and bring into your tribe, the more at risk you are for being dethroned. We could help change that if you change your methods," Hiccup assured him. "It sounds like you want to keep your tribe safe. That's all we want too. We're not that different. If you work with us, you won't have to even conquer the dragons. You can work with them instead of having them work for you. There's so much more to be gained by doing that."
Drago's expression was ice-like. He locked eyes with the Berkian, then the Night Fury. This was when his frown took on more of a curious look. Toothless had started looking at the other dragons in the flock. He was quietly communicating with them, observing as their growls turned to pitiful whimpers. The Night Fury had a similar goal to the Viking. He wanted to learn if these dragons were friend or foe. They reminded him of the Singetails, only being forced to fight. So, he subtly checked if any would be willing to stop once they had the choice. Hiccup had noticed Toothless doing this the moment that it had begun, but he wanted to keep his obvious focus on the man. When he saw rage starting to appear, he adjusted Toothless's tail.
"Get out of range!"
Immediately, the dragon turned and flew in the opposite direction. Drago let out a roar and in more moments, Toothless's mind felt foggy. It was like he was being pulled away from his consciousness. His pupils started to turn into slits, but he shook his head. He just had to get a little further.
"You can do it, Toothless," Hiccup encouraged.
Toothless heard the sound of his friend's voice and flew faster. To his relief, the only thoughts in his head were solely his again. It felt freeing. In the saddle, Hiccup's mind raced with what they should do next. Berk was in danger, but Drago was not going there immediately. Undoubtedly, the man knew of Valka's work. It was possible he knew about the nest too. Toothless stopped flying abruptly when Cloudjumper appeared in front of them. Valka's eyes were narrowed as she closely interpreted each part of Hiccup's expression.
"You went to Drago," she said, voice low like rage was hidden just beneath a thin layer.
"How did you know?"
"The dragons informed me as soon as you left."
Some of the intensity left Valka's voice when she saw the anxiousness on the trainer's face.
"He wants to destroy Berk and everywhere else," Hiccup told her, tense. "He has a Bewilderbeast like we thought."
"I knew that already."
"You did?"
"I have been fighting him for years. Of course, I knew."
"Maybe the Bewilderbeast at the nest could help stop him."
"He will."
Valka and Cloudjumper flew off, forcing Hiccup and Toothless to follow if they did not want the discussion to end there. The Berkian was quiet, feeling like there was more to his mother's words which was not being said.
"When will he stop the other Bewilderbeast?" he asked.
"Afterwards."
"Afterwards?" he asked, appalled. "Countless Vikings are going to get killed. Our dragons will be turned against us."
Valka and Cloudjumper landed back at the nest, then she looked at her son. "Toothless wouldn't be affected. We won't let that happen."
Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "He's not the only dragon, though. You can't ask me to do nothing as all my friends are killed by their own dragons."
"The world Drago wants is almost perfect, but his Trappers are cruel. Once they're gone, it can just be us and the dragons."
The Berkian stepped away from the woman with a horrified look on his face. "I don't want that."
"You could learn to love it."
Hiccup could not believe what he was hearing. He felt a nudge from Toothless to offer him some comfort. The young man believed he had to change Valka's mind.
"What about–"
He was cut off by the sounds of more dragons flying. Hiccup turned to see familiar dragons, including a Rumblehorn. The reptile landed and Stoick dismounted. His eyes went to Hiccup first, making sure the Dragon Rider was all right. Just as quickly, the chief's gaze moved to the other individual. His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"I almost didn't believe them," he admitted quietly, taking a step towards the Viking. When he spoke again, there was nearly audible emotion. "Val?"