And so begins the integration into future society. (and, mayhaps, ghost society?). I really love the idea of the GZ having like. actual 3D characters and governments, as I'm sure we all do. Danny deserves some allies up in this bitch.

(Also I'm? pretty sure the whole "Dora's Kingdom is Frozen in Time" thing was a canon plotline? Pretty sure? Idk. It exists here, so they've got some catching up to do)

This chapter is actually largely unchanged from the original draft from 2018, so that's fun.

Summary: Hiccup and Danny find themselves back in the ghost zone. Don't worry, it's purposeful this time.

Anyways

So. The things on the roads were not wagons. Well, not in the traditional sense, since they did not require living animals to run. What Hiccup learned in the thirty minutes it took for them to get back to Amity was that the automata was called a 'car', and that he much preferred flying, even with the regulated temperature inside.

Both Phantom (who rode along solely for translation services) and his companions had been pretty adamant about the thing called a seatbelt, to which Hiccup had to very much reassure them that he was familiar with the concept of safety harnesses.

There was also something that seemed to spew out strange music – its volume nearly caused him to jump out of his seat as the car whirred to life, and Jazz scrambled with a small dial in the front until it was gone, apologizing profusely. Phantom facepalmed as Sam laughed blatantly from the other front seat. The ghost offered an explanation that was only somewhat intelligible. Apparently, it didn't translate into Norse very well. It kept coming out as "trapped sounds".

The trip was…smooth. And that was the best thing Hiccup could say about it. Being in the air offered a sense of disconnection, like looking down upon an ant pile, or a game board. Nothing was quite real. Now, weaving through the town called Amity, Hiccup could call it overwhelming – his attention kept getting snagged by so many damn foreign things that hadn't been visible from the sky, or the rooftops, and eventually he set his eyes firmly on the seat in front of him, knowing that his thoughts would turn into an endless loop if he allowed them to be.

Stoick had told Hiccup that his 'questions' phase of childhood was relentlessly long and insatiable. Hiccup, admittedly, didn't remember much of it, but he didn't doubt it for a second. Looking around at their surroundings, the dragon whisperer felt something akin to that childhood wonder stirring just below his unease. Despite the fact that he could feel his sanity fraying at the edges, questions were tingling on his tongue.

But he bit down on them until the pain pushed them away.

The further into the town they got, the more the distant rumble started up again, and he latched onto that.

He did not know they'd reached their destination until they'd pulled to a stop, at which point he allowed his gaze to raise from his feet.

The building they pulled up to had a giant metal thing resting on top that was almost bigger than it. An impossibly colored light illuminated not only the lawn in front of them, but the buildings across the street. Hiccup found himself craning his neck to observe it as they exited the car.

"That's, uh…"

"A choice. I know," Phantom agreed with a scoff, "M– the Fentons are…eccentric to say the least."

"The Fentons?" Hiccup tested the name on his tongue as Jazz led them up the steps to the door. She pulled out her ring of keys again, jabbing them into the doorknob and twisting it with little effort.

Hiccup turned to Jazz, "This is your family?" He said, and Phantom promptly chuckled.

Once the ghost relayed his message, Jazz pursed her lips, as though she wasn't quite proud of that fact. "My parents don't really have a fashion sense." She admitted.

"Well. I take it we're not here for that, anyways." Hiccup dismissed as the door swung open, "what does your family do, anyway?"

They entered the building into a living room – a plush couch rested to their right, sandwiched between it and some strange rectangular contraption on the opposite wall there rested a small table scattered with books.

"Welcome to FentonWorks, your headquarters for all Ghost Hunting Needs," Phantom rose his hands sarcastically to gesture around the room.

"Ghost Hunting?" Hiccup blurted, eyes shooting to his hairline. His gaze darted between Jazz and Phantom, like they were about to draw weapons on each other at any given second, "...why are you so familiar with a Ghost Hunter's house?"

Phantom and Jazz shared a look. Tucker let out a noise that almost sounded like a snicker, but Sam elbowed him before Hiccup could process that.

"Jazz and her parents don't exactly agree on how to handle ghosts." The ghost boy shrugged, "hence why I don't have a bullet through my chest right now."

Whatever a bullet was. Hiccup decided not to push it. He supposed he wasn't entitled to the entire family history (family future?).

"Anyway," Phantom shook his head, "We're getting sidetracked, If you're going with me, we need to get you suited up."

"I'm sorry?" Hiccup protested, except Phantom had taken the half-second between their words to dart off down a staircase to their right. With suddenly wide eyes, the dragon whisperer turned to the other teens in the room. "Elaborate, please?" He asked.

They glanced unsuredly at each other, and Hiccup rubbed his forehead at the reminder. "Right. Well…" He shrugged overdramatically, suddenly finding eye contact to be too hard. He turned to the wall, where he found paintings of the Fentons there – the same type that hung in the cabin back at the lake.

Well, they weren't exactly...paintings, now that he thought about it. They were too...shiny, dissimilar. Something futuristic, obviously, now that he knew how to place it. Perhaps painting was just an evolved technique here.

The subjects were definitely of Jazz's family, though. The closest was the most recent – Jazz looked almost the same age as she does now, and she was surrounded by who were most likely her parents: a large man with salt and pepper hair and a very similar stature to Hiccup's own father, and a slender red-haired woman who Jazz took after.

There was also a younger boy in the picture, raven hair like his father's with piercing blue eyes that he shared with Jazz. His likeness seemed to be slightly warped. Perhaps he wasn't good at sitting still for long amounts of time. Hiccup could empathize.

He presumed that this was Jazz's little brother – strange that he wasn't there with them, though maybe his ideologies about ghosts were more in line with his parents…

Not that Hiccup considered himself to be a ghost activist, but Phantom was, supposedly, their best option to get home.

Almost as if he could read his thoughts, the ghost boy came back to the living room then, holding in his hands something blue and white. He said something to Jazz, who waved him off with an earnest nod.

"Ah…" Hiccup trailed off nervously as Phantom turned back to him, "and this is…?"

Fangs flashed a smile that was much too happy. "A hazmat suit – Jazz's, really, but they're technically unisex. If you're coming with me, you need to wear one."

Tentatively, Hiccup reached out to grasp at the suit. It was strange, his fingers seemed to think that it was made of silk, but it was much thicker and heavier than any silk the Barbaric Archipelago had been privy to. He didn't mean to complain, but the question was falling out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I didn't see Sam or Tucker wearing these when we first met," he eyed Phantom.

"That's because they weren't supposed to get out of the Speeder," the ghost boy turned last minute to send the living teens a meaningful glare, and they both sent him bright smiles and middle fingers in retaliation. He rolled his eyes before turning back to Hiccup, "And trust me, I know they're not ideal." He gestured to himself, "but radiation poisoning is a bitch."

"Radiation poisoning." Hiccup repeated incredulously, and suddenly his hands were much more easy-going with the Hazmat suit, "...I suppose I wouldn't want to get that."

His gaze lingered just a bit too long on Phantom as he leaned back in the air, gesturing behind him with a thumb. "There's a bathroom down that hall for you to change in. First door on your left."

Nodding, Hiccup made his way down the hallway rather quickly. His gaze raised to the ceiling and then drifted over to a mirror on the wall, were there were things that looked a lot like the lanterns in the living room, but they weren't lit.

His thoughts then snapped back to the purple and black room he'd been in hours before.

There had been darkness, and then there wasn't, and Tucker's finger was resting over…

A switch. He saw it on the wall.

Hiccup stared at it.

Hiccup left it well enough alone. He was used to getting dressed in the dark.

His prosthetic's ties didn't quite agree with the hazmat's suit, and Jazz was just slightly shorter than him, but it fit well enough. Hiccup clenched and unclenched his hands a few times – the gloves reminded him of the ones he used in the forge, though they weren't that comforting texture of worn leather.

Hiccup resisted a shiver up his spine. He grabbed his belt and fastened it over the sash that was already around his waist. It looked kind of out of place, but it still made him feel better to know that Inferno was at his side.

He left the room a few minutes later, and upon rounding the corner, he found the others in the midst of a conversation. He was about to speak up, but Phantom turned to face him almost as soon as he stepped into the living room. Hiccup held up the pieces of armor that wouldn't fit under the suit, "is there a place I can put these?"

Phantom nodded, Jazz took a second to make her way over to him. She held out her arms.

Hiccup almost felt anxious parting from his armor. He didn't have much time to process that though, because Phantom had placed a very, very cold hand on his shoulder to lead him towards the doorway he'd gone down earlier. Goosebumps raked their way up his arm and down his spine, Hiccup flinched away as gracefully as he could.

It took until they got to the bottom of the stairs that the innate feeling of danger began to dissipate.

If Amity Park was futuristic, then this place was otherworldly. A constant, high-pitched beeping repeated on a loop, there was the whirring of wind coming from somewhere, there were blinking lights coming from pieces of metal with intricate buttons and windows that lit up with symbols.

And at the centerpiece of it all was a disturbingly familiar, swirling thing that Hiccup now knew as a portal. It cast the room in a sickly green glow, and if the dragon whisperer squinted, it could almost pass for an eye of the Red Death's.

Tucker and Sam made their way over to a darker part of the room, which quickly brought attention to another familiar thing.

"I've seen that before," Hiccup said, nodding his head in earnest at the strange car. Was it a car? What constituted what was and wasn't a car?

Phantom looked rather alarmed at his statement, and Hiccup began to wonder if he said something wrong. "Y-you did?"

With a shrug, the dragon whisperer tried to play it off, "Only for a second or two. Is that how your friends got home?"

The ghost boy looked like he wanted to slap himself, his face was suddenly soured. "...and how we'll be getting to Dora's kingdom." He confirmed.

Hiccup nodded slowly, minding his balance as they made their way over to it. Once again, the floor was nearly tractionless on his prosthetic, and not for the first time did the dragon whisperer envy Phantom's ability to float.

…which, apparently, the car-thing also had the ability to do. So maybe not a car. Because he presumed cars needed wheels to move.

Despite the fact that the thing was made of metal that was already much heavier than all four of them combined, Hiccup still flinched when Sam stepped up onto it, expecting it to plummet to the floor with a crack.

But nothing happened. Tucker hopped on next with much the same result, and when he turned there must have been something on Hiccup's face that gave away his concern. He spoke, and Phantom translated with, "it's an anti-gravity system. Unless it loses power, it's not going to fall."

"You keep saying that," Hiccup countered, and at Phantom's confusion, he elaborated, "gravity."

"Oh. Uh, it's…what we call the force that keeps you stuck to the ground. It's some scientific mumbo jumbo."

Hiccup didn't really know what to say to that, so he nodded and then climbed up into the car-thing.

Perhaps it was more of a ship. It was very reminiscent of one – something that resembled a captain's quarters was at the bow, and the back had a small walkway, a closet, and bench.

"Seems cozy," Hiccup tried to shrug off the nerves as Phantom floated in behind him. He turned to look at the younger teen as the door slid shut.

"Hmm. I suppose you could say that," The echoing in his voice seemed to bounce around a lot more in an enclosed space.

"You don't think so?" He asked, finding the uncertainty in Phantom's voice rather unnerving.

The ghost shrugged as he turned back around, "Most things invented to hunt ghosts don't exactly appeal to me." He pressed his lips together in a 'what are you gonna do' manner.

Sam said something, and then there was a rumbling that started as an audible noise before quickly dissipating to a shaking beneath Hiccup's feet. He grasped onto the nearest handle-like thing on instinct.

"Two hours until we'll be at Dora's domain." Phantom translated, and then they were moving through the portal.

Danny really didn't pay attention in history class. Not that it was his fault, of course, but he was almost failing it regardless, so the reason didn't particularly matter anyways. Such is the life of a superhero.

But either way, he'd have to guess that Dora's kingdom had caught up to the industrial revolution in the year or so since he'd visited it. The steam billowing above the city like some sort of poison gas was a pretty big clue, though he had been wrong before.

Danny had to admit, the new technological advances did make Dora's island look a lot scarier than it normally did. He was a bit disappointed, if he was honest. Tucker's love of the steampunk aesthetic had somewhat rubbed off on him, and while the machinery in front of them definitely looked vintage – polished bronze with bits of persistent soot resting in the cracks and crevices – they didn't have the same vibe as the things Tucker's DND characters tended to boast. It was definitely made for practicality, not decoration.

Tucker didn't seem to be very disappointed, though. Danny picked at the logo that rested on his chest. He really didn't have the room to judge the decoration. The only reason the splash of design was there was because of Sam.

"Do you think they run on steam, or is it some ectoplasmic substitute?" Tucker had begun asking questions that he knew neither Sam or Danny had the knowledge to answer, and for the first time the ghost boy was glad that his gothic friend was the one to be driving.

"Certainly makes the place look more intimidating, that's for sure." Danny supplied, though he did have to admit that the Medieval-Era Kingdom was intimidating in its own way.

"This is...woah." Hiccup sounded very similar to Tucker. Danny turned to find him to have tentatively made his way to the cockpit. Bless his poor, primitive soul, the viking was looking at the kingdom in foreboding astonishment. "Do these people not sleep?"

"Well. Ghosts don't exactly need to." Danny snarked, biting back a yawn at the mere thought.

Hiccup hummed, unnerved. He'd been wearing the expression a lot recently, and though he tried to hide it, Danny's core reacted anytime that sense of fear spiked in the Viking's chest. While he got the sense that his quietness wasn't exactly out of character, Danny's obsession was never one to be deceiving.

Danny gave an awkward presenting shrug, gesturing vaguely to the scene.

"Hmmm…maybe we should have brought some respirators." Tucker muttered to himself, and the ghost boy decided that didn't need translating.

As they made their way through the kingdom, Hiccup eventually piped up. "So…about this 'Dora'." Her name was strange with his accent, "is there anything in particular I need to know?"

Turning back towards the dragon rider, Danny shrugged. "Her full title is Princess Dorothea and we recently helped her overthrow her brother. I think as long as you don't mention him you should be good."

"Oh…so she's a ghost and she's royalty…" There was something on Hiccup's face that Danny couldn't quite place, "That's great."

Danny had the feeling that Hiccup did not, in fact, think that was great.

Dora must have sensed their presence, because a few minutes later some of her handmaidens appeared before the Speeder. Danny smiled and phased through the vehicle to greet them, and as nice as they typically were, the ghost boy could hear Hiccup's heart hammering in his chest through the walls. He couldn't blame him much –his ghost form was very human-looking, and his last experience with a ghost wasn't exactly five stars.

The handmaidens directed them to an area on the castle grounds. It had also gone through a lot of renovations – and still seemed to be, if the scaffoldings lining some of the areas around them was anything to go by. It was a lot less black, and though Danny personally felt it looked better, Sam thought much the opposite.

"You guys stay here." Danny sent his friends a stern look. They looked quite aghast at that, and he continued his thoughts before they could protest, "we won't be longer than an hour."

"We –"

"Don't have hazmat suits? Correct!" Danny sent an innocent smile.

They glowered at him, and Danny took note of a conversation in his future.

Tucker was the one that eventually ceded. "C'mon, Sam. We'll be the fun ones and take a tour while Danny here does his boring diplomat stuff." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Danny felt a scowl pull across his face. "Hero stuff." He corrected, to which Sam rolled her eyes with a small shake of her head.

He chose to ignore this, instead turning to Hiccup and nodding for him to follow.

They opened the door with a blare of the warning alarm (Danny would have normally just phased them both through but he had a feeling Hiccup wouldn't have appreciated that), and the ghost boy held out his hand as he floated out into the air.

Hiccup stared between him and the ground for a second, swallowing visibly, before taking a step out into the Ghost Zone once again. He flailed as the atmosphere swallowed him, and Danny was quick to pull him to the ground and line up the cobblestone's wavelengths.

A sigh of relief left Hiccup, and he almost ripped his way out of Danny's grip with a shiver. They turned to find the handmaidens watching them expectantly, and with a nod from him, they turned and began leading them towards Dora's castle with varying giggles.

The giant doors swung open with the dramatic flare they always had, and Danny stalled briefly as he watched them. The entrance hall was large, the walls were decorated with suits of armor and paintings and a large carpet stretched down to the grand staircase, which consisted of two separate curving pathways that lead to a balcony.

"Should we wait here?" He asked, turning to their escorts. The maidens paused slightly, slight confusion flashing on their faces, but they simply nodded.

Not that they particularly needed to, as Dora's voice echoed through the main hall as an answer. "Of course not! Hello, High King Daniel! To what do I owe this pleasure?" She greeted, gliding down the intricate stairway with an elegance that proved her heritage.

Danny's core spiked with displaced agitation at the title, and he rolled his eyes. "Please, Princess Dora, it's Danny."

The princess' brow twinged as she grew closer, eyes darting behind him to assess her other visitor. If she was confused, she said nothing. "Ah, yes. I apologize. Speaking in Norse now, are we? You never took me as a historian, Daniel." She answered, accent changing instantly as she too adopted the viking language.

The ghost boy's eyebrows shot to his hairline, and he turned to look at Hiccup, and then the handmaidens. He pointed to his chest. "H-have I...Have I been speaking Norse this entire time?" He asked. He hadn't even noticed.

All of the human(oid) companions nodded, a slight smile accompanied the females of the room.

Well, that certainly explained the weird looks he was getting from the handmaidens.

"...Well that's embarrassing." Danny chuckled nervously, forming a fist and coughing into it.

Dora shook her head, red eyes adorning amusement, and walked past Danny to Hiccup, who was at his 5 o-clock.

"And what might your name be?" The princess asked, voice taking on a softer tone.

"Uh...Hiccup Haddock, your majesty." The viking choked out his first statement since the handmaidens had arrived, clearing his throat and straightening his appearance. "It's an honor to meet you." He added, and bowed.

It was a graceful one. Danny was surprised – bowing was something he was never comfortable with, but Hiccup not only made it look like second nature, but he held himself with the prowess of a royal-born man.

Dora seemed pleasantly surprised at the viking's display of courtesy, and she responded with a gentle, approving nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Hiccup Haddock." she turned to look at Danny, "He certainly has better manners than you." She chuckled, and the ghost boy felt his face flush.

"I mean, I can bow too if you want…" He shuffled his feet.

The princess shook her head with a chuckle, "there's no need. We are friends here, are we not?" She turned back to Hiccup, whose hands were clenched nervously together. He swallowed and gave something akin to a nod.

Dora took his confirmation at length and turned around, taking a few steps until she was well enough ahead of both teens. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure, Daniel Phantom and Hiccup Haddock?" She asked, spinning back around. Her chin tilted forward knowingly, "As much as I would be delighted to spend my mid-night tea time with you, I highly doubt that is why you've come to my kingdom in the middle of the night for no reason."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. He'd never been a fan of any type of tea, and always felt bad to reject the Princess' invitations. "Hiccup and his friends here managed to stumble on a natural portal to their time, and now they're stuck here until I can find a way to get them home."

"Ah, yes, I've heard of the theft in the Far Frozen…" Dora shook her head sadly, "Such a shame. I do hope you'll find it. We've already taken extra precautions to protect our valuables over here as well."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I certainly hope you're not here to interrogate me." She said, and though it came across as a joke Danny knew better than to take it as such.

"We're actually here to ask for your help?" He asked.

The princess' brow furrowed. "And what kind of help would that be?" She asked, voice suddenly rather wary.

"Well…" Danny started and then found he didn't know quite how to ask. To his surprise, Hiccup spoke instead.

"We came with dragons, Princess." He stated, "One – she's already been injured. We need to ensure their safety. I've been told you are our best chance at this." His gaze darted briefly to Danny before settling back to Dora. Though his brows were furrowed, they seemed to be more determined now.

Instantly, the princess' hand flew to her pendant. Her eyes widened as she spoke, "Ah…" She sounded as breathless as a ghost could get, "I knew I sensed something familiar on you." She suddenly looked melancholy, studying Hiccup for a moment, and then she looked to the carpet, seeing something that Danny could not.

"Dora…?" He asked.

Her crimson eyes shot towards him, she blinked around the room for a second as if she was trying to remember where she was. "Right. I apologize. Walk with me." She said and began making her way towards the stairs.

Danny managed to catch a look from Hiccup that he was very sure he mirrored: confused. With a small reassuring nod towards the dragon rider, they began following in Dora's footsteps – or, erm, her floating path.

She didn't speak again until they had all ascended the stairs, "what kind of help should entail if I humor you?"

"We were actually hoping you could answer that yourself?" Danny admitted, his hand finding the nape of his neck nervously.

The princess shook her head, almost meekly. "Earth is not like it was when dragons still roamed it." She said, eyes drifting to the ceiling. Danny was expecting her to trail off into her own thoughts again, but she suddenly turned to Hiccup. "You must be very far from home, I presume?"

Danny heard Hiccup's heart flutter. The dragon rider pressed his lips together but gave a shaky nod. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again.

"Mmm. Vikings. Much before my time." Dora clasped at her amulet, eyelids low and voice dripping with longing.

"...and when was your time?" Hiccup finally found his words, though his face looked like he didn't quite want to know the answer.

The princess still answered. "The Fifteenth Century." Her thumb stroked the gold rim that held the eye in place.

"But you still had dragons then?" Hiccup's voice tightened, attention drawn to the amulet rather quickly.

Dora nodded solemnly as her brow furrowed. "Only few remained…they held a mythical status. Of course, they weren't. But you seem to know that already."

"Do you know what happened to them?"

The princess studied Hiccup for a long moment. Danny's core could feel the sudden desperation from him. "I'm afraid I don't, no." She answered eventually, shaking her head.

Hiccup swallowed visibly, eyes gluing to the floor for a good few seconds. When he spoke, it was slightly strained.

"Our dragons…they're alive. And I'm not so sure we'll be as lucky next time. Please." Hiccup gave the slightest of head shakes, brows pulled tightly together as he begged for the princess' blessing. For what, Danny still had no clue, but he hoped she'd have one.

Princess Dora had never been one to turn people away. Not after her brother had done so for so long. She paced and began mumbling to herself, her brow was furrowed but it wasn't out of malice. Her hands left her amulet so that her fingertips rested gently onto her lips. When she spoke, it was with a gentleness, "How many are there?"

"Five," Hiccup supplied, and she hummed like she'd received good news.

"Dragons were proud and beautiful creatures. They will not – and should not have to – be hidden." She began before standing taller, "So instead we will make them blend into their surroundings."

"And how are we going to do that?" Danny asked.

There was a sly smile that broke out across the princess' face. It wasn't an overwhelming one – she'd always been graceful in nature – but it was a sly one nonetheless. With a raise of her hand, her handmaidens appeared next to them.

"My amulet is not the only one I have in my possession." She answered, and with a pointed look, the handmaidens gave nods and turned down the hall.

"A-amulet?" Hiccup stuttered, and his eyes fell back to the one clasped around Dora's neck, "What do they do?"

Dora nodded towards a butler, who held the door open for the group as they entered a lounging room – one with floor-to-ceiling windows and vibrant, almost-pink curtains that matched the carpet below. Bookshelves and other pricy looking trinkets were decorating the room as it led further to their right. Intricate black chandeliers, flickering with green candlelight, hung above them.

"The amulets allow transmutation." Dora supplied, dragging Danny's attention back to her. The suddenly widened eyes of Hiccup caused a smirk to pull at her lips. "Nothing drastic, Hiccup Haddock. I believe the end effects are various domestic animals, though it has been eons since I've had a use for them." She explained calmly, taking a seat on a very comfy-looking purple futon. There was a glass-topped table between them with a silver tea platter that steamed with freshly brewed tea.

The two visitors stood rather awkwardly across from her before she gestured for them, too, to take a seat on a matching futon. Dora leaned forwards to pick up a teacup as they complied. "I would offer you one, Hiccup Haddock, but I have been told that ectoplasm has adverse effects on the living body." She took a gentle sip of her tea, giving Danny a pointed look.

Hiccup chuckled nervously, staring at the teapot before him like it was suddenly filled with poison. "Ah, that's understandable…" He trailed off, and hesitated as the princess brought her teacup to rest on her lap, "These…amulets. Will they hurt to use?"

His voice read incredulousness – like he didn't quite believe Dora's words, and Danny supposed he couldn't blame him. Ghosts and dragons and time travel…well, they were all vastly different things, but they were things that were proven to be true.

Transmutations were another story. At least, to Hiccup.

As an answer, Dora raised her free hand. Her amulet lit up in a blue aura and allowed it to transform into a iridescent scaled claw. She twisted her hand around to inspect the nails, before returning it to its true form.

Danny was suddenly kind of sad Hiccup wasn't drinking any tea, because he was sure he would have done a pretty gnarly spit take. His shoulders were still hunched when he spoke, but his eyes no longer held the skepticism he had a few moments prior, "Wh-when Phantom said you were an expert on dragons, I didn't think he meant that you were one…" he swallowed to try and clear the shaking from his voice.

"Being a dragon and having the ability to become one are two very different things, Hiccup Haddock." the princess shook her head fondly, "But to answer your question, no. This will not hurt your dragons."

She paused briefly, "But, I must mention that the transformations are not only instigated by will. Emotion is a large factor in the ability to keep one form in tact. I presume Daniel has told you all about that–"

Danny let out a nervous bark of a laugh that cut her off, "thank you for the warning, Princess Dorothea!" He tried to send her a warning glare, which she thankfully caught onto with a small 'o'.

She quickly tried to remedy her mistake, "I know very little about your dragons, but it is imperative that you keep them calm for this system to work."

Hiccup glanced between the two ghosts for a few seconds before giving a belated nod, "...Y-yes, I'm sure we can do that."

"I never got around to asking," Danny said, core still throbbing anxiously, "do they understand you?"

That seemed to make the dragon rider brighten. A genuine laugh left him as he shook his head, "I'm not sure. They seem to gain more understanding the longer we live together, so I'm sure they understand bits and pieces by this point. They take to commands pretty well, and know how to make themselves heard when they need to." He paused briefly before turning back to Dora, who had been very interested in her tea since her slip-up. "There isn't exactly a way to explain this to them though, is there?"

The princess looked up over the rim of her teacup and slowly lowered it again. "Ah, I suppose you're right…" her head fell to the side as she pondered and she grasped at her amulet again, bringing it up to study it.

"Perhaps, if you let me tag along to your campsite, I may be able to explain?"

"You think you can communicate with them?" Danny asked, and Dora lifted one shoulder in a miniscule shrug.

"It would not hurt to try. Perhaps my amulet gives me the ability." She turned to Hiccup with a playful raise of her eyebrows, "It's not like I've been given much opportunity to test that theory."

It was then that the handmaidens reappeared, they bustled back into the room with grace, boasting five decorative pillows. A glinting on top of each gave away the jewels that rested on them. They lined up to the trio's left, gazes finding the far wall.

One with short black hair whisked up to her princess and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Something was...not wrong, just...unexpected. It was evident in her posture. Danny's core pulsed in interest.

Dora's countenance sharpened as she received the news, tightening as she turned towards the maiden. "Is that so?" She ventured, leaning to gaze at the pillows behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked, eyes darting towards the handmaidens as well. He suddenly felt wary, resisting the urge to get to his feet.

The princess didn't answer him verbally. Instead a gentle hand came up to ask him to pause. She stood up and glided over to the pendants, inspecting the rightmost one intently. She remained deep in thought for a while.

Danny turned to Hiccup, who had a nervous pinch in his brow. They made eye contact, and simply shrugged in an 'I dunno' manner.

Dora eventually moved, picking up the particular pendant she had been studying, stroking her fingers delicately across the surface.

"It appears we have a miscalculation…" She started, disappointment gracing her voice as her red eyes remained on the gem. "We only have four pendants."

There was an unanimated pause in the air, Danny was sure she could physically hear the gears in his head come to a screeching halt.

"...But...there's five." Danny retaliated dumbly, shoulders slumping in confusion as his head turned deliberately towards the other four resting there.

"I am well aware of that, Daniel." Dora snapped in a manner much unlike her. The ghost boy swallowed in response, eyes widening.

The princess didn't bother to apologize. "This was my brother's." She explained, presenting the pendant so that the two could see it better.

Danny immediately recognized it now that its previous owner was declared: identical to the one around her own neck.

...oh.

"We understand." Danny immediately said, even if he felt like it was anything but, "We'll uh, make the other four work. I'm sure the dragons can, I don't know, take turns and –"

Dora was shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I really want to help, but…I need to respect the tradition. Its user must have royal blood..."

Danny retreated like it was made of blood blossoms.

Taking a deep breath, he hoped no one had noticed his sudden shift in mood. There was a sad, contemplative silence as they processed, before Hiccup eventually spoke up.

"Um…I don't know if this will change your mind, but...I am of royal status in my tribe." The viking admitted tentatively, nose wrinkling like he was ashamed to be admitting it.

Danny immediately snapped his head to Hiccup in surprise, nearly breaking his neck with the speed. He's what?

Dora must have had a similar expression, because Hiccup shifted uncomfortably. "I'm next in line for the chiefdom – the only child of Chief Stoick the Vast. I know we aren't as civic as this," He gestured to the room with both hands, "But...would that ease your conscience?"

Oh. Sure. Danny guessed that made sense, Hiccup's mannerism towards Dora was one of more...mutual respect, now that he could pinpoint it.

The princess bit her tongue, staring at the amulet with a flash of something new in her gaze. "I…"

The pause probably lasted a lot shorter than Danny perceived it to, but it was still tense either way.

"...It won't have the same effect as the others, Prince Haddock." Dora warned, hands clutching the amulet tighter, "Its original purpose was to turn a humanoid into a dragon. It will have an opposite effect on a dragon."

Hiccup's Adam's apple bobbed, and he blinked rapidly as he processed.

"Do you think they'll be able to handle it?" He eventually asked, voice on the cusp of cracking. Dora nodded immediately, shoulders losing some of their tenseness.

"The pendant will balance out any discrepancies a being has in either form." She answered curtly. Glowing tears pricked in the corners of her eyes for a split second before she blinked them away and sighed shakily.

Dora moved gracefully towards Hiccup, who stood as she got closer.

"...Please keep it safe, Prince Haddock." She pleaded, voice much quieter than usual.

"I will. I promise." The viking heir responded, matching her tone with a hint of additional reassurance.

She nodded to herself, like she was bracing for a punch, before gingerly placing the amulet into Hiccup's outstretched hand.

*John Mulaney Voice* this fic is already so goddamn self-indulgent, Human!Toothless might as well happen.

Like c'mon, man, Dora do just be chillin' there with her SHAPESHIFTING AMULETS. So criminally underrated, I'm putting her to use.

And I will preface: I know how big this cast is. So please don't worry about it getting stretched too thin, Toothless' role isn't going to change all that much. He's just gonna have opposable thumbs now lol

"Sometimes, I stay in and read a book. but other times, I go out, drink a lot of alcohol, and become a cum slut." user "isaac.h. .backup" on tiktok

Until next time, my lovelies :)

~Local Dragon Haunt