A/N

Hello! I finally finished this chapter after months of procrastination. Anyway, the last chapter I posted was an A/N and that chapter has now been deleted (I don't like making an entire chapter just an A/N). The message from that last chapter is now in this A/N.

Deleted chapter's A/N

I've been getting a lot of comments wondering when the next update is or if the story is dead and that made me realize that AO3 and Wattpad don't have a reliable way of informing people about story progress. And no, responding to comments every few days asking about when the next update is, is not a reliable way to inform people.

So I made a solution for that. I created a Discord server. It's mainly intended for my YouTube channel, here's the link (the link is also in my bio):

SocietySucks: channel/UC-MU1EF3ZcJpBiv7kWNPwbA

It's a reaction channel for anyone who's interested. Anyway, shameless plug over. Now back to the Discord. It's mainly for YT, but I made a section dedicated to Fanfiction. In that section I will be posting updates, you can ask questions, suggest certain things to be added to a fic (like a character or an idea for a reaction from a specific character, etc.), or even suggest new fic ideas (though I don't guarantee that I will write it).

The link to the Discord Server is in my bio because I can't post it here.

And that's about it. If you want to have a more reliable source of updates join the Discord. Is this just shameless self-promotion? Absolutely. Do I care? Not really.

Once their host announced the break, everyone found themselves in the mess hall once more. Unlike last time, the dragons and viking were in the same room. They still kept their distance, but at least the two sides weren't screaming bloody murder at each other anymore.

The space Hiccup, Heather, Mala, Throk, and Atali occupied last time was now joined by the teens and Toothless. Hiccup had been conversing with his friends when he noticed his father approaching their table. Toothless also noticed if the way his eyes narrowed was any indication.

Once he was close enough, Stoick cleared his throat. "Hiccup, I need to speak with you." He noticed Toothless lowly growling. "Alone." His son was debating what to do while the rest of his friends shared uneasy looks. It both frustrated and comforted Stoick. At the very least, Hiccup had more people than just Gobber to rely on.

Hiccup took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay, let's talk. Toothless you stay here." Toothless did not like that he couldn't come along, but he wouldn't fight it.

However, before they could leave, Toothless gave Stoick a warning along with a look that promised pain. "Hurt him again and I hurt you." He hissed at Hiccup's father in the most menacing voice he could muster. Stoick didn't blame the dragon.

The room was quiet as father and son stared at each other awkwardly, neither knowing how to start or what to say. Finding a quiet, empty room had been the easy part. Starting this conversation - that was when it became difficult.

"So…" Hiccup scratched the back of his head. He saw his father take a deep breath and prepare himself for what would probably be the most important conversation of his entire life.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup. For everything I have said and done. I didn't realize…" Stoick paused, trying to find the words. "I didn't think about how it would affect you, how it would make you feel."

"Yeah, well, it hurt. A lot. Especially that." They both knew what incident he was talking about. "I know my inventions caused damage sometimes and I'm not very viking-like, but am I really so bad everyone would rather go on a suicide mission than stay with me?" The words were still fresh on his mind. "Those who stay will look after Hiccup." Hiccup frowned. "Why did you have to say it like that?" He clenched his fists. "Why did it work!?"

"I'm sorry, son. Threatening them with looking after you worked, and after a while, I accepted it because it made things easier for me. I know that is not an excuse for what I said. I don't need you to accept my apology or forgive me, but I want you to know that I truly regret what I did."

Hiccup could tell his father was sincere. "I can't exactly forget all the public humiliations." Stoick had to hold back a flinch. He should have talked to Hiccup in private rather than berating him in front of the whole village whenever he messed up. "But I'm willing to give you a second chance." Stoick felt hope in his heart. Little did he know his son wasn't finished yet. "Under one condition." Stoick couldn't help the anxiety he felt as he waited for Hiccup to continue. "You let me help with the dragon raids in my own way and take my opinions about dragons into consideration."

The Chief mulled it over. Hiccup had proven that dragons could be peaceful, but trying to tame them during a raid was too risky. "That's acceptable, but I want you to try the dragons in the arena first. Only then will I allow you to try it in a real raid." If Hiccup could do it in a controlled environment, then he would give him a chance in the raids. Maybe he could achieve what Valka always wanted.

Hiccup agreed, but there was one last thing he needed to make sure of. "And Toothless stays with me." This was something he wouldn't compromise on.

"The Night Fury-" Stoick began, only for his son to interrupt him.

"Toothless." Hiccup interjected loudly. "His name is Toothless." His voice was hard, and his eyes shined with a firmness Stoick had never seen in his son before.

He couldn't deny that the dragon had a positive effect on his son. And he had proven to be fiercely protective of Hiccup. "Toothless I'm willing to accept, but until the raids stop, I will not let in any other dragons." So far Toothless had been an outlier from the rest of the dragons, but if Hiccup could get them to be docile, then he would consider coexistence.

Stoick didn't like dragons. He probably won't ever like them. But if ending the war and living in peace with them would help him fix his relationship with his son, then he would do it.

"Okay." Hiccup said. "We're going to have to make so many changes once I stop the raids." He murmured to himself while rushing off back to his friends. Hiccup decided that no matter what happened, he would find a way to stop the raids, and seeing the future would only help with that.

Stoick sighed. That had felt more like negotiations with another chief than a conversation between father and son. However, he wouldn't complain too much. It was the best conversation they had in years, and it was progress. Maybe they could still fix their relationship.

"Soooo…" Fishlegs began. He was really nervous about how this situation would end. "What do we do if Hiccup's relationship with his dad gets worse after this?"

"Well, T already made his stance clear." Tuffnut said. He was munching on some mutton chops.

"Yeah, if the chief messes up again, he gets blasted." Ruffnut noticed how everyone's spirits were low. And it made sense; Stoick was still a sore subject. That comment about how Hiccup would die before the first dragon was let out rubbed them the wrong way.

"I won't actually blast him. Hiccup wouldn't want that." Toothless grumbled. "Maybe just threaten him a little." If he hurt Stoick, it would make Hiccup feel bad, so he'd settle for putting the fear of 'The Unholy Offspring Of Lightning And Death Itself' into him.

Heather put on a smile and tried to lift the mood. "Hey, there's no guarantee Chief Stoick will mess up. I'm sure he'll apologize to Hiccup and do better from now on." The responses she got were unenthusiastic groans and shrugs. Her smile slipped.

Snotlout was only half-listening to what Heather was saying when he saw his cousin coming back to their table. "How'd it go?" Conversation ceased as they watched Toothless run up to Hiccup to check on him.

"It went well… I think. He actually listened to me, and he apologized for the past." Hiccup said as he scratched Toothless behind his ear.

"So, I don't have to blast him?" Toothless asked. He really wanted to blast Stoick, but he knew he couldn't, so he would give him a chance just like he did with the teens.

Hiccup let out an exasperated sigh as he retook his seat. "No, Toothless, you don't have to blast him." He could understand where the useless reptile was coming from, but murder was not the answer.

Before they could question him more, they heard a new voice speak up. "Could I convince you for a round of Maces and Talons?" There stood Viggo, arms clasped behind his back and a small smirk on his face.

The dragon hunter's request was met with growling, glares, and a lot of mistrust. Everyone at their table had been informed of who Viggo was by Mala. Not long ago, the teens would be asking him for tips on how to kill dragons, but now...

"And why would you want to play with me?" Hiccup asked. He didn't trust the man. The way he observed people reminded Hiccup of a predator studying its prey.

Viggo lifted a brow, that damn smirk still on his face. "You're an interesting person. I think we can both agree that you are not your ordinary viking." Even Mala, Throk, and Atali had to begrudgingly agree. "Why, you've managed to befriend a Night Fury while being at war with dragons. You have piqued my interest."

"You're a dragon hunter." Hiccup blurted out, and Viggo's smirk only grew wider.

"I see your new friends have informed you of what I do. How does that knowledge affect you?" He was genuinely curious about how Hiccup's perception of him had changed.

"Well, I don't trust you. I think what you are doing is wrong, and you are not someone I want to get involved with." Hiccup put his hand on Toothless' head to calm him down, lest he attack Viggo then and there.

Viggo adopted a neutral look. "I see." Then his smirk returned. "Although, given my presence here, it's safe to assume we meet each other in the future. So why prolong the inevitable?"

Hiccup turned to his friends for an answer, but all they did was shrug. He was on his own for this one. He sighed. One game couldn't hurt, right? "Okay, fine. I'll play one round with you." Viggo nodded, satisfied with the results.

The dragon hunter noted how the entire time no one had interrupted Hiccup and let him lead their exchange. He'd already become the leader of their pack, even if none of them noticed it yet.

The moment Stoick got back to the mess hall, he was promptly intercepted by Gobber and Spitelout, who dragged him off to a corner for a quick interrogation.

"It could be worse." Spitelout commented, earning a sharp glare from the chief.

Gobber took a swig of his ale. "He's right, Stoick. The laddie's Fury looked ready to kill someone the entire time you two were gone."

They all turned to look at the table the teens had occupied, now occupied by a visibly agitated Night Fury. "What is the dragon hunter doing there?" Spitelout asked after a moment of silence, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Viggo standing near the group.

They would have questioned it further but were distracted by a loud commotion coming from the center of the room. A small table with a Maces and Talons board had been set up, drawing attention from all corners of the hall.

"How much do you want to bet that was one of the teens' doing?" Gobber asked, watching Hiccup's group and Viggo make their way over to the Maces and Talons table.

"I'm more willing to bet it was the dragon hunter." Stoick said. He stood up and motioned for the others to follow. "Come. Let's see what they're up to."

Spitelout quickly chugged the rest of his drink and followed his chief. "I always did like Maces and Talons."

As they approached, the tension in the room became palpable. The spectators whispered amongst themselves, curious about the unexpected match between their heir and the dragon hunter.

"Hiccup, what's going on here?" Stoick asked, his tone firm but not unkind. He had a suspicion Viggo was trying to test Hiccup and assess him. He wasn't blind. The chief of the Dragon Hunters wanted to play against the boy who befriended a dragon. He was sure Hiccup knew this too.

Hiccup looked up and met his father's gaze. "Viggo wanted to play a round of Maces and Talons. Though I think it's more than just a game to him."

Stoick nodded, his eyes serious. He patted his son on the shoulder, offering a reassuring squeeze. "Alright son, just be careful, and good luck."

Hiccup and Viggo had been playing for a good fifteen minutes, and the crowd of spectators had quickly gotten larger. Even some dragons came to watch. Stoick, in particular, was watching like a hawk.

Hiccup finished his turn. Rather than start his next move, Viggo picked up one of the pieces. "Tell me, Hiccup, what do you see here?" He asked, gesturing to the figurine. It was a hunter, one of the most common pieces.

Hiccup wasn't sure where the dragon hunter was going with this. Not that anyone who was watching them play knew either. "I see a hunter. One of the pieces in Maces and Talons." So he gave the simplest answer he could.

Viggo hummed, but his expression did not show whether he was satisfied or disappointed by that answer. "I want you to think of them as real people."

Hiccup wasn't the only one confused by the dragon hunter's request. "Why?" Why would he do that? They had agreed on a simple game of Maces and Talons. Nothing more.

"Maces and Talons was designed to test the abilities and decision-making of future chiefs in the heat of battle." Hiccup nodded, as did some of the spectators. This was not news to any of them. "But there is one factor that influences people to act differently than they would in an actual battle. Game pieces are easy to sacrifice; real people are not." The teen felt a chill up his spine once he realized what Viggo was insinuating.

"Many who play Maces and Talons are willing to sacrifice their pieces to win the game, but tell me, how many of them would be willing and able to sacrifice real people for victory?"

Hiccup didn't have an answer for that. Someone like Dagur wouldn't even blink at sending his men to their deaths. Others would feel guilty and regret it. He wasn't sure what he would do. Refusing was not an option. Sometimes tough decisions had to be made. His father was a perfect example of it whenever he called for another nest search. It was a mission you wouldn't expect to come back from, at least not in one piece, but it was the only hope they had to end the raids. 'Until now at least.'

He wondered what type of person Viggo was. There wasn't much he knew about him other than the fact he was the leader of the Dragon Hunters. He definitely wasn't the kind of person who would care, but at the same time, he wasn't Dagur either. His best guess for now would be indifference.

As Viggo kept talking, Hiccup was stuck in his own world, imagining the game pieces as real people. "Could you do it? Sacrifice your fellow Berkians? Send them to their deaths?" The longship piece was replaced with one of the ships, full of vikings, that went out on a nest search.

"Your friends?" The dragon piece took on the form of a certain black dragon with green eyes. Astrid, Heather, Fishlegs, and the twins replaced some of the hunter pieces.

"Family?" Stoick was now in place of the viking chief piece. Gobber was right beside him. Snotlout and his family were there. They weren't close, but family is family whether you like it or not.

It was silent now as the dragon hunter awaited his opponent's response. Viggo chose to ignore all the glares being sent his way by angry Berkians and a Night Fury. Curiously, he noted a type of understanding in Stoick's, Mala's, and a few other people's eyes. Stoick was obviously very strong physically, but… 'He couldn't have been the chief for so long with brute force alone.' There was a brain in that thick skull of his. He wasn't on the level of someone like Viggo, but he certainly wasn't stupid.

Seeing that the Berkian heir didn't have a response, he continued. "You are a good player, Hiccup, but I can see that you are treating this as a game. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that, but when you play with me, I want you to treat it as you would a real battle." Hiccup nodded but didn't say a word. He was still deep in thought, pondering the morality of the problem.

"If you feel that you are not in the right state of mind to play, we can postpone our game." Viggo got what he wanted out of this: a round of Maces and Talons, albeit unfinished, and he got more information on his possible future enemy. 'I see this as an absolute win.'

Hiccup sighed and stood up. "Yes, I think that would be best. How about during the next break? If we'll have the time for it." He stuck his hand out for a handshake. He had to admit, playing with Viggo was actually quite enjoyable. Until the man decided to give him an existential crisis that is.

The dragon hunter accepted the handshake. "I'm looking forward to it."

A loud CLAP! Reverberated throughout the room. "Alright everybody, the viewing is about to resume in five minutes, so get back to your seats!" Everyone began slowly filtering out of the mess hall and into the theater room. Some of the Berkians were disappointed they didn't get a turn at Maces and Talons.

Hiccup felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to meet Astrid's concerned gaze. "You okay?" She asked.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just… confused? I guess?" He needed some time to think about what Viggo said. He'd do that later though. For now, he'd focus on what the future had in store for him.