A big thank you to Malachib871 who suggested this story idea! I hope you all enjoy!

This is Berk. Now, it might seem small, but trust me, looks can be deceiving. Don't underestimate it. The isle has been home to our Vikings for 402 years today. Through this time, we've changed. We've adopted new ways–new friends too. The same dragons we spent centuries fighting have become our best protectors and I think we've become the same for them. Still, some traditions don't seem to be going anywhere…even if they could stand a bit of modernization.

Through the sky, dragons flew with Berkians on their backs. They created formations as they soared over the village. A crowd of Vikings watched the show from below in excitement. The reptiles began to blast fire from either side as some went through the center, going above and below the flames. Once the fire had been cleared, all the dragons started flying at top speeds around the island. Hookfang sped up before they reached the village again. He stretched out his wings, blocking several racers in the narrower space. The audience eagerly cheered on this tactic. Snotlout grinned at the crowd, waving to a few Vikings.

"Hey!" the twins called, frowning.

"You can't do that!" Ruffnut protested.

"Uh, yeah I can. The only rules are that you can't switch dragons," Snotlout reminded her.

The twins pouted as Barf and Belch tried to get past. Meatlug had been passed long ago and the A Team was still not as skilled as the core group. Snotlout almost felt like he had a chance, but his smile faded when he spotted a flash of Stormfly with an empty saddle. Turning his head, the Berkian saw Astrid jump over the narrow part of Hookfang's wing and back onto the Deadly Nadder.

"Hey!"

"What's wrong, Snotlout?" Astrid asked, smirking. "Upset that you can't switch dragons?"

The blonde and dragon went off towards the finish line. Fighting a smile, Snotlout hurried after them, being closely followed by the twins. Stormfly increased her speed even more, shooting through the finish. Cheers greeted the duo when they landed.

"Second place is still good," Astrid teased, looking at her friend.

"Third place isn't as nice," Tuffnut said, mouth curving down. "Snotlout's lucky that Hiccup isn't here."

Ruffnut elbowed her brother who frowned at her.

"What?" he said defensively. "Am I the only one who saw he wasn't flying with u–ow ow ow!"

Astrid glanced up in the stands, seeing Stoick. Tuffnut was far from the only Berkian who had noticed the dragon trainer's absence. After the rest of the Riders completed the race, Astrid turned to Fishlegs.

"Did Hiccup tell you he'd be leaving? He seemed excited this morning, but I thought he'd stay for the celebration."

The young man shook his head. "He mentioned having a promising new lead, but that was it." Fishlegs's voice started getting quiet as he looked up towards where the chief was sitting. "I thought Stoick had something planned for after the races."

"He did," Astrid confirmed, sighing.

She looked back at the chief. Stoick had a troubled frown on his face. Gobber offered an encouraging smile.

"I'm sure he's just…preparing," he said.

"Preparing for another exploration maybe. He's been avoiding me all week," the redhead commented. "Somehow, I've seen him less than during his entire time living on Dragon's Edge."

"It is pretty ironic," Gobber admitted. "Maybe he actually kept most of his belongings there so that he can visit while the rest of us think he's busy working on something."

"That's not really helping."

Stoick saw Astrid and gestured for her to approach.

"Congratulations on winning. I hope you won't mind me bragging about my future daughter-in-law."

The blonde chuckled. "I'd say I've gotten accustomed to it by now." Her smile faded slightly. "Sorry that Hiccup isn't here."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" the man requested. "He and I need to talk."

"I might. I'll have him cut his expedition short."

Stoick smiled. "Good, it's Berk's 402nd anniversary. Her Vikings should be here to celebrate together." He put a hand on the Rider's shoulder and had a meaningful look. "Soon, there'll be a lot to celebrate."

Astrid understood the expression and nodded, going to hop back on Stormfly's saddle.

"Want us to come too?" Fishlegs asked.

"You don't have to. This shouldn't take long."

Snotlout scoffed. "You're trying to pull Hiccup away from some adventure he's on. You'll be lucky if we see you before the next winter."

"We'll be back by dusk."

"Famous last words," was what Astrid heard called after her as she and Stormfly took off to the skies. She needed to bring back the trainer and had a good idea of what he was in the middle of doing. Away from Berk, plasma blasts were being fired into the air. Toothless flew through them with ease, going faster each time. The Night Fury was filled with as much anticipation as his friend. Hiccup patted the side of his head, smiling.

"We should be there soon, Bud."

Toothless let out a happy warble and sped up even more. The pair zoomed through the sky until they reached an island. It was covered in trees and boulders. Gracefully, Toothless landed and Hiccup got off the saddle.

"They might be resting," he said. "That would make them easier to find."

The duo quietly began creeping further onto the island. Toothless sniffed the air and ground, but he started to let out a sigh. Hiccup turned to him in surprise.

"Nothing? Again?" he asked, disappointed.

Toothless nuzzled his head against the Rider and Hiccup patted him. A sad expression covered both of their faces.

"I'm really sorry, Bud. I thought we'd be able to find them this time." Feeling more determination coursing through him, Hiccup looked back at the dragon. "We'll find them. We might not today, but we will. Let's keep searching. Maybe they're close by."

Although Toothless was less certain about this than the Viking, he turned for Hiccup to get back on his saddle. They left the island and began searching for places nearby. While they did, they noticed a familiar-looking speck in the sky. It quickly grew until it took the form of Astrid and Stormfly who flew next to them.

"How'd you know where we were?"

"You'd been subtly mentioning searching these seas for a while."

"Oh, I thought I was being more discreet. Well, how was the race?" Hiccup asked.

"Easy without you there. Of course, that begs the question, why weren't you?"

Hiccup glanced away from his girlfriend to look at the seas ahead of them. "We're searching for more Night Furies."

"Hiccup…"

"They're still alive, Astrid. We've never found their bones or anything else. If they were gone–really gone–we'd have some proof that they ever existed in the first place."

Astrid was quiet for a moment as she regarded the pair to her left. She did not have the heart to verbally disagree with the trainer's logic.

"I hope we can find them," she said. "On another note, your dad wants to talk to you about something."

Hiccup chuckled half-heartedly. "About becoming chief probably."

"More than probably, but you knew it was coming."

"Which is another reason why I'm here."

"You'll have to become chief eventually."

"Yeah, eventually. I don't need to today, this week, or even this year really. Dad knows what he's doing. No one would be worse off if he stayed in charge longer."

Astrid's expression turned stern. "When would you actually accept being chief? If Stoick waited four years, you'd probably say all of that again."

Hiccup sheepishly grinned. "Most likely. There's so much more in the world to discover. We've barely scratched the surface." The Berkian paused, thinking hard. "Maybe after I find the Night Furies, I'll be ready. I'll know I was able to help Toothless reunite with his family. We've saved so many dragons from Hunters and Flyers. I can't believe that we can't save his species too. Until I can really focus on Berk, I won't be ready to become chief."

"Then you should tell your dad."

Hiccup chuckled. "I'm not really ready for that either. Maybe we can search for new islands a little longer."

Astrid began to frown. Her eyes followed her boyfriend as Toothless flew above her, then turned upside down. Hiccup gave the blonde a kiss on her cheek before they turned right side up again. Astrid fought against a smile.

"Well, if we're going to stay out here, I think you owe us that race."

Without warning, the Berkian and Nadder sped off into the horizon. Hiccup chuckled and did not have to encourage Toothless to chase them down. As the race began, their friends back on Berk started getting involved in the rest of the festivities. They were on their way to the Great Hall, but they quickly were joined by Fishlegs's nephews and niece.

"Uncle Fishlegs!" they called.

"Gustav keeps saying that Bork the Bold battled one of Fanghook's ancestors," Brant said. "He's even saying they used to be able to turn invisible. Our friends believe him for some reason."

The blond let out a low groan. "I won't let him fill their heads with inaccurate history."

He turned to his friends and Snotlout gestured to the kids.

"Go on. We know you can't pass up a chance to nerd out."

Fishlegs grinned. "I'll meet up with you afterwards."

The Berkian headed off with his family as the trio continued walking. As soon as they reached the Great Hall, the twins flounced in some chairs and began stuffing their faces with food.

"Bet I'll go into a food coma first," Ruffnut taunted.

"You're on!" Tuffnut exclaimed, taking a huge bite of a yak leg.

Snotlout was about to join them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw his father. The man had a slight frown on his face.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Hiccup's going to be chief soon," he mentioned.

The younger Viking nodded slowly. "Yeah…that sounds about right."

"So, with him and Astrid in charge of Berk, you'll take over for the Riders?"

"Probably. I mentioned it to him before."

"I wonder if it'll be a position that still exists for long."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"If Hiccup can't explore, he might decide to just not have it done as often. You'd be better off with a position that's more important to Berk."

"I…don't think he'd disband the Dragon Riders," Snotlout said unsurely, not really knowing what else to offer.

Spitelout's frown did not seem to leave. Snotlout could not tell if he was just worried or doubtful. Either way, it caused an unpleasant emotion in the Berkian.

"Snotlout!" Ruffnut chimed in, suddenly appearing next to the Viking. "Tuff's about to take the last burly cake."

Before Spitelout could say anything, the blonde dragged Snotlout off to the table. Ruffnut snatched the dessert from her brother and stuffed it in her friend's mouth.

"Can't have our future leader of the Dragon Riders wasting away," she commented.

Snotlout smiled as he continued to eat the cake. After some time, they were joined by Fishlegs.

"Sorry," he said. "Gustav kept trying to convince them about his false facts, so it took longer than I expected." He paused, seeing a disappointed look on Tuffnut's face. "What's wrong?"

"Ruff won."

Fishlegs looked at the blonde to see that she was unconscious. "Food coma?"

Tuffnut nodded, then looked over to the entrance. "Weird that Hiccup and Astrid still aren't back yet, though."

"Yeah," the bigger Viking agreed. "It's almost dusk. I thought they were going to be back a while ago."

Snotlout got up from his seat. "Let's see if we can find them."

Fishlegs nodded, then looked at Ruffnut. "Should we leave her here or…"

Tuffnut turned to his sister and shook her aggressively. Her eyelids shot open in shock.

"Okay," the brother said proudly. "Now, we're good."

He started pushing Ruffnut out the Great Hall with him and the others. They got on their dragons' saddles and began to fly off Berk. The group headed for the pair who were still out searching. They were starting to get closer to Berk during this excursion, but there were places they wanted to check first.

"Are you ready to head back now?" Astrid asked.

"Almost. There's one more island."

The Nadder started following the night Fury as they neared the final location. They stopped when they saw the other Berkians flying up.

"How did all of you know where we'd be?" Hiccup asked.

Tuffnut looked offended. "What do you take us for? Unobservant ruffians?"

"You've been looking at maps with these islands on them for months," Fishlegs said. "It wasn't too hard to figure out where you'd go."

"Okay, I'm going to have to start being more surprising around you guys," Hiccup said, slightly disturbed.

"Good luck with that," Ruffnut said, making circles with her thumb and pointer finger. She held them up to her eyes. "We see right through you, Hiccup Haddock."

The trainer sighed. "Since you're here, there's one more island we're about to check out."

Intrigued, the other Riders accompanied the search for the new land. They did this quietly, quickly noticing an odd sound. The dragons began to growl.

"What is it, Meatlug?" Fishlegs asked, worried.

The Gronckle bared her fangs, mirroring the expressions worn by the other reptiles.

"Let's approach carefully," Hiccup advised.

They landed but remained on the dragons' backs. Stealthily, their reptilian companions started moving closer to the sounds. There were high boulders which could be used to hide behind. As the Vikings did this, they realized there were snarls and voices.

"Muzzle it!" someone ordered.

Following the command, there was a loud sound of a blast, then a dragon screech. This caused the friends to jump into action. The reptiles leapt from behind the boulders, jaws open to shoot blasts. On the other side, they saw Vikings and more dragons. The former had unfamiliar clothing and the latter were in traps. One Viking had dark hair and a tattoo on his chin. He held a sword in his hands, positioning it near the neck of a Deadly Nadder. Quickly, Toothless blasted it out of his reach. The Viking reeled back in shock. His eyes moved over the group and widened in realization.

"The Riders," he said, more to himself. When he spoke again, it was for the newcomers. "I was wondering when we'd see you face-to-face. Have you finally grown tired of attacking us in the night?"

Tuffnut scratched his head. "I must've been sleep riding."

"You weren't sleep riding," Hiccup said, then looked at the stranger. "None of us have attacked you."

"Clearly, some of you have. You've stolen every dragon we've captured in this area and killed our Dragon Trappers."

"Dragon Trappers?" Astrid asked. "You're not Hunters?"

The man frowned. "The Hunters are disgraced. Drago doesn't dwell on the past. He does, however, like to focus on the present problem and your leader, Hiccup Haddock the Third, is included in that."

This made the twins' jaws drop.

"Woah, you're famous!"

"Who else has a Night Fury, you Muttonheads?" Snotlout complained.

"Oh yeah."

"He's known for more reasons than just the Night Fury," the Trapper said, eyes moving to the animal. "Although, it is part of this. We know your group has destroyed the work of the Hunters and Flyers. Word travels further than you think."

"Well, you have us at a disadvantage then," Hiccup commented. "You know who we are, but we've never heard of you."

The man puffed up arrogantly. "I'm Eret son of Eret. These are my Trappers."

"But you report to someone named 'Drago?'" the Berkian retorted.

Eret's expression changed to one of annoyance. "We don't have time for this." He turned to his comrades. "Kill them! We'll take their dragons too."

The next instant, spears were thrown at the Berkians. The dragons maneuvered around the attack and Hookfang swung his tail, taking out the responsible Vikings. Barf and Belch spewed gas and then ignited it. This made the Trappers duck to take cover. While they did, Meatlug and Stormfly fired at the traps which held the captured dragons' legs and tails. The blasts freed them. They flew off and upon seeing that their catches were being lost, the enemies set off more traps. One almost snared Meatlug's leg, but Toothless blasted it in time. A net was launched overhead that was about to capture Barf and Belch. Just barely, Hookfang was able to shoot it first. More nets and boulders were catapulted at the group one after another.

"Let's head back!" Hiccup instructed. "We'll regroup."

Astrid nodded and looked down at her dragons. "Spine shot!"

Stormfly fired off spines towards the strangers, giving the Riders time to put distance between themselves and their foes. The Trappers ducked behind boulders and carefully raised their heads when the firing had ended. Eret hatefully glared after the Berkians.

"What do we do now?" one of his men asked, face pale.

Briefly, the leader's eyes flashed with fear. He closed them and frowned.

"We report back what we know."

"But–"

"That's an order, Ug," he snapped. "Everyone, prepare to set sail."

The Trapper turned and started heading to the docks, quickly being followed by his Vikings. As they left the island, the Berkians had nearly reached theirs.

"What just happened?!" Snotlout asked.

"Hunters, Flyers, Trappers…" Ruffnut said, counting off with her fingers. "We'll lose count soon."

"But it sounds like they've all worked for the same Viking," Fishlegs added, shuddering. "Drago."

"Cool name," Tuffnut awed, getting sent a frown by his friends. He crossed his arms. "You're all just jealous."

"Cool name or not, we need to tell my dad," Hiccup said. "Maybe he knows about him."

The group continued flying, seeing Berk on the horizon. They found Stoick doing a round in the sky with Skullcrusher. The chief quickly saw them and flew over. He was about to speak when he noticed their concerned faces.

"Let's land and speak," he instructed, heading down to the village.

When the Riders were back on the land, Hiccup spoke up

"Have you heard of someone named Drago?"

To his surprise, Stoick's eyes widened as though he had seen a ghost.

"Drago? Drago Bludvist?"

"His name just keeps getting cooler!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

Hiccup sighed at them, then looked back at his father. "We didn't hear the last name, but that's probably the same Viking."

Stoick did not seem like he was paying attention anymore. He began walking away from the group, finding Gobber.

"We'll need more weapons immediately."

The blond did not understand why, but he knew that the chief was serious, so he nodded. "I'll start working on them now."

Stoick started heading to the Great Hall, calling out to Vikings along the way. "Everyone, we could be under attack at any moment! Prepare yourselves!"

Immediately, the Berkians began bustling to get their weapons and come up with battle strategies. While they did, the Riders followed Stoick in confusion. Once he got to the Great Hall, he grabbed several scrolls. Hiccup saw that one was being sent to Berserker Island.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I'm sending these Terror Mails to Dagur, the Windmaidens, and Alvin. We'll have a better chance of being victorious in this battle with their aid."

The friends turned to one another, trying to make sense of it all.

"Who's Drago?" Fishlegs asked fearfully.

Stoick was quiet for a moment, then sat down in a large chair. He put his head in his hand and mumbled to himself.

"I should have pursued him long ago."

Hiccup approached the man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dad?'

Sighing, the man looked him in the eye. It was uncommon for his son to see such a look of worry on his face.

"Drago Bludvist is a madman. Years ago–you all were just lads and lasses then–I went to a meeting of chiefs in the Archipelago to discuss the dragon raids that had gotten worse."

Stoick recalled the day clearly. There were just over twenty chiefs, all sitting around a table. The room stunk of fear that no one wanted to admit was his own. Still, it was behind every seemingly brave gaze and growled word. This was why no one had a real solution to offer. Panic robbed them of their sense of judgment. They all just wanted the problem to be gone. Stoick had doubted that any progress was going to be made in the meeting at that rate. No one could even hear each other, they were all so busy yelling their ideas and complaints. Suddenly, the doors to the building opened, shining a bright light and stopping the chiefs' words. A large man entered boldly.

"And who are you?" someone harshly asked.

"I am the solution to your problems," the stranger stated, sending a look into the crowd that gave them chills.

This did not stop one chief from scoffing. "You're not from our lands. Leave before we throw you out."

The newcomer bristled, but a different man raised his hand.

"I apologize for my ally's words," he said. "He doesn't speak for us all. Dragon raids can lead to panic, which is why some of us who haven't had them need to be here for these meetings as well. I'm sure we can be more respectful of a guest than that."

"I agree, Oswald," Stoick stated. He turned to the stranger. "Who are you and how are you our solution?"

Their words calmed down the newcomer, but he still had cruelty in his eyes. "I am Drago Bludvist and it is because I can force your dragons to stop attacking. If I do, I'll expect your allegiance in payment. Whenever I call upon you, you'll send me Vikings to continue my work."

A tense silence went through the crowd. It ended with Oswald's voice.

"How would you force them to stop?"

Drago looked at the Vikings and answered plainly. "I control them."

Laughter went through the crowd. The only one to remain silent was Stoick. There was something too determined about Drago's expression for the Berkian to believe he had gone all that way for a practical joke–something too dangerous about his gaze for him not to be taken seriously. Fury flashed across the man's face as he turned with a flick of his cloak.

"I control your fate just as much," Stoick heard him say. "I won't waste my time with fools."

Drago exited the building, but the Berkian still felt uneasy. He went over to Oswald.

"We need to get everyone out," he stated. "Something's wr–"

Stoick had not been able to finish speaking before more light shone through the building. This time, it was not caused by the doors opening. Half of the building had been broken by an enormous dragon. The chiefs scrambled to their feet and armed themselves. They did not have enough time. Stoick watched as a blast of ice went into one of the men, freezing him as quickly as it slammed him into the back wall. The ice was sent through the entire building, killing whoever it hit. Parts of the building fell due to the attack. Anyone who did not get frozen was crushed under the weight of the walls and roof. Stoick and Oswald were able to break through another part of the wall. They got to safety but watched in horror as flames were fired by a flock of dragons larger than they had ever seen. The fire consumed the building. Yells of agony filled the chiefs' ears. Stoick recalled the day too clearly. He grabbed Hiccup's arm.

"He killed everyone he could," he said, a haunted look in his eyes. "Afterwards, it was like he disappeared. Oswald and I decided it was better to just let him stay gone. The chiefs would have their positions taken over by their heirs. There was no point in hunting down a Viking like Drago…but clearly we were wrong. If he's back, we can't make the same mistake. We have to kill him."

Hiccup stepped back in shock. "Just kill him?"

"It's the only way, Son."

"But it's not. We can try to talk with him. We can try to understand what he meant by forcing the dragons to do what he wanted." The trainer's eyes began to twinkle with an idea. "The only way to possibly do that would be through the King of Dragons. If Drago has one…"

"It's all the more reason he should die."

"He doesn't have to, Dad. We can–"

"Get killed if we make the same mistake I did. I told you, he's a madman."

Hiccup gestured to the scrolls in his father's hand. "And years ago, that's what you would've called Dagur, but now, you're sending him a request for aid."

"This is different, Hiccup."

The trainer shook his head. "I don't think it is. I know we can't become allies with everyone. Some Vikings like Johann and Krogan don't even want to change, but we've seen some who have," he insisted hopefully. "You were enemies with Alvin for decades, but he's an ally again. Even Viggo didn't die as our enemy."

"This difference is that they chose to change. We didn't try to make them."

"We don't have to make anyone change, but maybe we should've given them a chance. If we had, maybe Alvin would've changed long ago. Dagur might not have started our war. Viggo could even be alive right now."

"Hiccup," Stoick said, frustrated. "We don't have time to try to convince Vikings to side with us. It's up to them to prove themselves. We have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with."

The heir's brows began to furrow. It was an expression layered with anger and some old kind of hurt. Toothless noticed and nudged him softly, but it offered no comfort to his friend.

"I guess we don't have time," he said, almost bitterly. "We never do, do we? Vikings have to prove they deserve to exist or we'll treat them like they don't. After 402 years, a lot's changed on Berk, but I don't think that ever will."

Hiccup turned and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving the father and friends dumbfounded. Toothless left with him, quickly getting his saddle mounted by the Berkian.

"Let's go, Bud," the young man said.

Toothless flapped his wings and took off. They got high in the sky before Hiccup said anything.

"We'll find him ourselves," he stated, sounding determined. "If we really can't change his mind, fine. He just deserves to be given that chance before we decide how much his life is worth."

More anger filled the trainer and he let out a frustrated yell. Toothless sadly looked back at him, offering a small noise. Hiccup saw him and patted his head.

"The others don't get it. I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't. Still, I almost wish they did sometimes."

Hiccup sighed quietly as his grip on the saddle got tighter. As they continued to fly, he noticed that Toothless was tensing up.

"What happened?" the Viking asked.

Toothless was looking around them, seeming unsure if he should growl or not. Finally, his gaze stopped to the right of them. Hiccup looked that way as well, squinting to see what he could find. He nearly fell off the saddle when he saw a head appear through the clouds. It lowered again, being hidden once more.

"What the…"

The head reappeared on the left, this time becoming a full body. There was a mask on the person's face and they stood on a dragon that Hiccup had never seen before.

"Another dragon rider," he commented quietly. He offered an uncertain wave. "Um, hello there."

As he spoke, the person and dragon vanished in the clouds again.

"Okay, well, good talk," he remarked sarcastically.

Suddenly, Hiccup jolted when he felt claws grabbing his shoulders. They picked him up off of Toothless's back. As soon as they did, the Night Fury let out a roar. He tried in vain to fly and began plummeting towards the waves.

"Let me go!" Hiccup yelled. "He can't fly without me!"

His flailing got the dragon to release him. The Viking drew his arms in flat against his sides so that he could become more aerodynamic. Once he was close to the Night Fury, he reached out, revealing a fabric in between his arms. It allowed him to glide enough to control how he got back in the saddle. He quickly latched in his prosthetic to move Toothless's tail. Once it was straight out again, the dragon stretched his wings and stopped right above the water. They both were breathing heavily and looked up at the stranger in surprise and contempt. The person and dragon had not moved, but they had not attacked either. They suddenly got closer–very close. Hiccup leaned back when his chin was almost grabbed. Under the mask, he heard a gasp.

"Oh, now you're the one who's shocked," he said, frowning.

The stranger crouched on the dragon's back for several moments as though the next actions had not been decided.

"You care about dragons too?" said a feminine voice.

Hiccup raised his eyebrow. "I do. So, if you tell me who you are, maybe we could work together."

This caused another pause. Slowly, the stranger removed her mask. Hiccup was a little surprised to see the uncertain look in the woman's eyes. This transformed into hurt.

"You don't recognize me," she said softly.

"Should I?"

"Perhaps not. It would have been nearly impossible," the woman conceded, then glanced up at him, "but a mother will always recognize her child."