The area was deathly silent for several moments. This silence nearly became uncomfortable, but it was broken up with the grunts of pained Vikings. None of the poisoned people could stand on their own, so they were brought to Gothi's hut while Eret went to retrieve the healer. She checked their eyes and tongues, face clouding over more and more with each passing second.

"Is there something you can do?" Hiccup asked, feeling ill.

Gothi's grip tightened on the staff as her knuckles turned bone white. Unhappily, she shook her head. She was unfamiliar with both kinds of poison. The time it took to create medicine would extend beyond the deadline. That only left one option.

"Y-you can't," Fishlegs said, grimacing.

Snotlout and Heather were at his side. They had water for him, but the blond doubted he would be able to keep anything down.

"We can't let all of you die," Snotlout stated, frowning with concern.

"But…Toothless."

The friends got quiet again. Astrid went over to the twins. Tuffnut kept dabbing Ruffnut's forehead with a damp cloth. His hands shook and he nearly dropped the item several times. Before he did, Astrid caught it. He sent her a look that would have appeared more grateful if not for the fear which consumed him.

"Do something else then," Ruffnut said, voice strained.

"Find another way," Gobber suggested, trying to hold in a scowl. "You're all good at that."

He looked as miserable as the others. The blacksmith's face was flushed and he felt like his blood was boiling inside of him. Seeing him like that made something in Valka ache. She had known the Berkian for nearly her entire life. He was one of the few living links to Stoick. When the burning feeling changed to a freezing one, Valka put a blanket over Gobber. He stopped shivering, regarding her in surprise. She moved away again before he could say anything to her. Hiccup stood in the middle of his friends, looking at that cursed note in his hands. How could he do what it said? Yet, how could he do nothing?

Hiccup's eyes moved over the group sadly. The dragons were devastated as well. Meatlug licked Fishlegs's hand and if she had tears to cry, it was clear that they would have been shed. Barf and Belch tried in vain to brighten the twins' spirits. They created miniature explosions nearby, but Ruffnut did not even have enough energy to smile at them. In spite of Grump's laziness, he was more than willing to go get water and make small fires for Gobber. The other Berkians' dragons were doing this as well. They knew the seriousness of the situation and were eager to be of any aid. Sleuther curled up against Mala's side. She was laying down, face tense but not giving into the pain that she felt. Dagur was kneeling at her side, holding her right hand in both of his. He kept kissing it, throat becoming sore.

"I could not stay behind," Mala said, sounding like each word was excruciating. "We must protect those dear to us."

"I know, but now you're both in danger."

Hearing his friend, Hiccup frowned slightly and approached. He had never seen Dagur look so distressed. Astrid saw a scared look hidden behind a veil of stoicness in Mala's eyes. Suddenly, the Berkian gasped and Mala knew that she had realized what was wrong.

"I am with child," the queen admitted.

"Why did…" Hiccup stopped, putting a hand over his face.

This was too much. He thought that at least the children had all been spared from danger, but a baby was about to be killed by the poison as well. Depending on how strong the toxins were…he did not want to think of that.

"I had no idea," he stated sadly.

"We didn't want to say anything until we were sure," Dagur told him. "As soon as we were, the Wing Maidens had already been attacked." He started to glare. "He's not going to kill our family or any more Night Furies."

Hiccup realized that this was a surprise to Heather as well. Her eyes filled with more concern. The dragon trainer wanted to offer words of encouragement. He wanted to be a voice of certainty for his friends as he watched them writhe in pain, but he had nothing to offer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Valka. She gestured for him to approach. Hiccup was almost unsure if he felt up to doing that, but he reluctantly did. The mother and son moved away from the group and deeper into the center of Berk.

"Grimmel will accept nothing less than Toothless," Valka said.

Immediately, anger sparked up in the young man. "So, you think that I should just let everyone else die?"

Valka did not get a chance to respond before he continued.

"I can't do that, Mom. Those are my best friends, my family. I can't just abandon them. If there's a way I can help, I have to do it."

Hiccup saw that Toothless had joined the other dragons. He was leading some of the younger reptiles in their efforts to help. Through a system of teamwork, they brought buckets of water, blankets, and provided warmth for the poisoned Vikings.

"They're his family too," Hiccup said. "I have to think of something."

"Sometimes, there isn't another way."

The Berkian began to frown and turned away from the dragons to Valka. Maybe this was not the time to be upset, maybe he only was because of how high tensions were, or maybe it had been bothering him since their reunion. Whatever it was, Hiccup no longer felt capable of keeping this issue inside of him.

"Why do you give up so quickly?" he asked, anger and hurt on his face.

The question surprised Valka and her eyes widened. "Give up?" she asked.

"Yes, you gave up on Berk before just like you're ready to give up on it now…Just like how you gave up on me."

"I never gave up on you."

"You did. That's why you stayed away–why you probably were never going to return."

"I stayed away because I wanted to protect you."

"From what, Mom?" Hiccup asked, irritated. "What were you protecting me from? The dragons? The other Berkians? How could you have protected me from either if you weren't here?"

"It would have only put you in danger if I came with Cloudjumper. Berk wouldn't have understood it. You would have been ostracized even more. There was nothing I could do."

Hiccup became quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "I disagree. Cloudjumper could have brought you close to Berk before you got off his back. No one would've seen him and you could've said you escaped."

Doubt was on Valka's face.

"But then you wouldn't have been around Cloudjumper, which is what you wanted," Hiccup stated. "I already know that it's possible to get Berk to accept dragons, so you still could've been around him." His eyes narrowed, but they also looked sad. "You didn't want to keep me safe, you just didn't want to be here. You gave up on me. Well, I won't give up on them. Of course, I don't want anything to happen to Toothless. That doesn't mean that everyone else needs to die. I just need to think of another option."

Hiccup started to walk away, but Valka caught his hand. He was surprised when he saw her face. She looked ashamed.

"You're right," she admitted. "I did give up on being your mother, but I never gave up on you. I knew you were special. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to be there for you in the way that you needed me. Seeing how similar you'd be to me was like reliving every painful moment. I could barely handle it myself. I wouldn't have been able to do that for us both." Valka's eyes lowered. "I'm sorry that I didn't try harder to be there for you, but it was never for a lack of love. I just hoped that you'd be grow stronger without me. Despite that, I always thought of you. Leaving you is my greatest regret even to this day. I wish I had done it differently, but whenever I planned on going to find you, I thought of how furious I would be in your place. After everything that you'd done, you didn't need me. I would only complicate matters."

The frown which had been on Hiccup's face started to fade.

"I never stopped needing you," he admitted. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

Hiccup felt a nudge at his hand. Toothless had come over to him with a distressed look. He had to do something. Hiccup saw this in his eyes and it pained him to see. It was not just his decision. It was Toothless's life and the dragon had decided.

"We're going," Hiccup said.

"Then let us come with you," Valka said, concerned.

"No, Grimmel's made it very clear that he just wants Toothless. If we all show up, he might call off the switch."

"But what will you do?"

Hiccup sighed and patted Toothless's head. "We'll figure that out."

He sensed Astrid approaching him and turned to her. She held his hand.

"We can't let you go alone," she said. "We'll stay behind so that he won't see us. You can't ask us to leave you both at his mercy."

Hiccup saw determination that was the same in Astrid's and Valka's eyes. It caused a small smile to form on his face. Nodding, he went with them to the others.

"We're going back to the island where we found Grimmel's ship," Hiccup said.

Immediately, his friends who were not wounded stood up. He saw fierce expressions and held up his hands.

"But you all have to stay behind with Astrid and my mother."

"And do what?" Snotlout asked. "Just wait for him to try to kill someone else?"

"We're not doing that, Brother," Dagur told him. "We're taking those antidotes and running Grimmel through."

"Actually," Valka said, getting the group's attention to turn to her, "I might have a suggestion."

Curiously, the group listened to the mother's idea. Once the strategy was set, Hiccup and Toothless took off ahead of the others. It was night when they returned to the island, both feeling more tense when it came into view. Once it did, Grimmel also was seen. The man stood at the coast with a smug smile on his face.

"Hiccup," he greeted, far too jovial for the situation, "I was hoping I'd see you soon."

The duo landed and Toothless snarled at Grimmel.

"Where's the antidote?"

Grimmel did not answer as he looked at the Night Fury. He had murderous intent in his eyes that added to the anger Hiccup felt.

"Where is it?" he pressed.

"Don't worry. It's here." Grimmel reached into a pocket and brought out a flask. "There are several more like this in the center of the island. You'll get them soon enough, but you haven't fulfilled your part of the bargain yet."

"I'm not letting you do anything before I get the antidote."

"Then we're at an impasse because I'm not giving you the antidote before you hand over the dragon."

"How do I even know it works?"

"I wouldn't give you a fake antidote. I wasn't lying when I said that I understand how it is to care about people."

"I know," Hiccup stated. "We saw your island."

Briefly, Grimmel's calm eyes flashed with fury, but it faded. "Did you? Interesting. I didn't expect you to go to such lengths, but I suppose I should've expected you to do everything you could to learn about the Viking hunting your friend."

"I couldn't imagine going through what you did, but that doesn't give you the right to put others through the same pain you suffered."

"I'm not. I'm giving you the option to save those you love. I wasn't given that." Grimmel forced a smile. "Wasn't even given a chance to say a proper goodbye, but the poison is slow enough for you all to make peace with their deaths even if you didn't hand over the reptile." The man's eyes turned sinister. "No, you've been spared a fate far worse than death–surviving a massacre. So, we should probably finish this deal to prevent the alternative from happening."

Hiccup's eyebrow rose when he noticed a shift in the older man. Something had just changed and he doubted it was for the better.

"Toothless isn't the last Night Fury," Grimmel said. "I know they have a secret colony."

The Berkian tried to keep his face from revealing shock. "What makes you think that?"

"Don't play coy. Your friends don't have enough time for that."

"Then what do you want? We're here like you asked."

"I did ask for that, but I think that I want a bit more."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at him.

"I already told you that I wanted all of the Night Furies to die, Hiccup. What I think you don't know is that I captured one of them while it was flying around. It was before you and I met. I released it right around the time of the attack on those Wing Maidens. Would I be correct in thinking that it found Toothless?"

The Berkian's blood ran cold and Grimmel smiled.

"So, I would be. Good. I was hoping that would happen. No doubt, the dumb creature thought that it had escaped. That probably means that Toothless knows where the colony is. I want to know that too. Toothless will show me."

"You can't access it."

"I can if I ride on his back."

Protectively, Hiccup went towards the dragon's saddle. He would never allow the slayer to rest there. Grimmel saw this and chuckled.

"This part really doesn't need to involve you. I see the false tail. I'll adjust it appropriately so that I can operate while flying."

"I'm not letting you do that."

"Like I said, this part really isn't about you anymore. It's Toothless's decision."

"And why would he agree to helping you wipe out his entire species when we know where the antidote is?"

"Because I'm willing to let him live."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the other Viking who only smiled in return. "You're lying."

Grimmel shrugged. "What's one Night Fury going to do? He can't repopulate the species alone. If I destroy the colony, I still win."

The dragon slayer was met with silence. Toothless growled at him, knowing he would never sacrifice the others for his own safety. Seeing this, Grimmel sighed.

"I was hoping the deal would be easier to make, but I have a way to sweeten the bargain. He'll change his mind."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because he might have grown attached to that one Night Fury he met."

The duo's eyes widened. The stench of the dead Night Fury was so strong that Toothless had not noticed the smell of the alive one. Smugly, Grimmel started walking towards the other side of the island. Hiccup and Toothless were careful as they followed him, but no traps were set off this time. Instead, the pair just saw the Night Fury queen. The right side of her head was bloody and an arrow wound was in her side, but her stomach still moved enough to prove that she was alive. Toothless hurried over to her side. Lethargically, she let out a warble to him.

"It was here when I got back," Grimmel stated. "I didn't expect it to ever risk leaving their sanctuary again, but I guess that it was worried about Toothless and followed him here. Now, we'll see which dragon cares more for the other."

Toothless and Hiccup glared at the man who only seemed to smile in return.

"There's no point in pretending like you're giving us an option we'd like," Hiccup said. "You want all of the Night Furies dead. There's nothing we can do to change that."

"True, but two Night Furies surviving won't really lead to the species existing much longer. If I kill the colony, that's where the real success is. I want to see it. Either I'll kill them all and leave these two alive or kill them both and find another way to finish my mission. So, who dies today?"

Grimmel's smile was cruel and excitement was on his face. The Night Fury queen still lacked her full strength, but her eyes contained rage. She was as resolute as Toothless. Neither reptile would be the cause of their species dying off. Toothless stood protectively in front of the other leader and Hiccup stood in front of him. Grimmel's amusement melted until it was annoyance.

"Fine," he said. "You clearly made your choice."

Grimmel grabbed the flask and popped off the lid. He moved his arm to empty the antidote onto the ground. As soon as he tried, he found that he was no longer holding the item. Shocked, Grimmel looked to the right and saw the flask in the mouth of a Speed Stinger. It ran over to Toothless's side and set the object down. Several more of the dragons appeared, but Grimmel's surprise had faded. When they charged, their stingers could not pierce the armor he wore. Grimmel moved to stab one in the eye, but a blast of fire hit him. Its power was nearly strong enough to knock him off his feet. Grimmel lifted a shield and was forced back further when a spine hit it. Looking up, he saw Hookfang and Stormfly. At the last second, he saw Skullcrusher as well. The dragon rammed into him, taking the Viking's breath. He fell onto his back only to get lifted by Sleuther whose tail squeezed more air out of him.

Furiously, Grimmel used his boot to kick something out of a low pocket on his coat. It hit the ground and spilled, letting out a dark substance. Tar covered the grass, filling the nearby air with fumes. The tail grip loosened enough for Grimmel to get free, but a water blast hit him in the back. Drenched, he saw several Raincutters snarling at him. They were far from the only ones. Dragons from Valka's nest readied their attacks to take out the man. Quickly, a Prickleboggle flew over to the Night Fury queen. It used its sparkly blast to begin healing her injuries as the others fought. Grimmel drew a bow and arrow, but he did not fire at any of the dragons. He waited until a Hideous Zippleback let out another explosion, then used the fire to light the arrowhead. Grimmel shot the tar, causing more of the fumes to spread. This forced the dragons and Vikings back, but they were not done. The man reached for more Fire Fern pouches. Windshear snapped her jaws at him and caused him to move too suddenly and lose his grip. Just barely, he was able to grab a dragon root arrow. He used this to get a Timberjack near him to move back, revealing an escape route through the trees.

Grimmel ran in the forest, dodging blasts, spines, teeth, and claws from the dragons. In spite of the situation, he began to smirk. The island itself was practically a trap. As some reptiles followed him, they were caught in nets or spooked by the hanging eels. Grimmel made a circle, starting to loop back to where the Night Furies were. Enraged, he saw that they were gone. Briefly, panic set in as he wondered where the dragons were hiding. He could breathe again when he saw Toothless. The Night Fury was saving a Nadder from getting crushed beneath a boulder trap. It was perfect. Grimmel grinned as he raised his bow again, aiming the dragon root arrow for the creature's heart. Suddenly, the Viking let out a cry. The Night Fury queen had bitten down on his left leg. He heard a sickening crunch and pointed the arrow at her, but she let go, practically vanishing into the night.

A chill went down Grimmel's spine as he looked around for the dragon. This chill turned to a feeling of terror when he heard the sound of plasma blasts. Despite his pain, he lunged forward to take cover. Several blasts rained down. He almost did not dare to look up, but when he did, he saw other members of the colony. They were not going to let their queen or long-lost member get killed. Grimmel still did not feel discouraged. Rather than that, he viewed this as an opportunity. The fire from the tar and other dragons kept the place well lit. As long as he could see the dragons, he could kill them. This was a realization that had also dawned on Hiccup, Toothless, and the queen. The three of them flew high into the sky before Toothless let out a warning to the other dragons. Immediately, they got off the ground and Hiccup used his flight suit to get to a safe distance away from the Night Furies. Recognizing the move, the other Vikings closed their eyes.

Toothless and the queen began channeling the electricity in the air. It sparkled over their bodies. In unison, they shot the island. A deafening clap of thunder followed and all the dirt flew into the air upon impact. The lightning clung onto Grimmel. His armor barely protected him. Electricity started eating away at its durability, burning his skin in the process. The blade of his sword became seared to his flesh through the damaged suit. His ears rang and his eyes could not properly adjust from such brightness to the relative darkness even with the fires. Sloppily, he threw blades, but they connected with nothing. His breathing sped up and he could barely see as Night Furies and the other dragons surrounded him. Grimmel was completely enclosed. There was no escape this time–no trick to use to his advantage.

"You're making a mistake!" he yelled wildly. "They all have to die! I have to kill them! I'll kill every last one of them!"

Grimmel knew he had nothing left in him, but he could not stop. Despite the futility, he rushed forward. He grimaced when he felt a blast on his back. It was followed by another until he was engulfed in flames. A furious yell came out of the Viking, then he went silent. The dragons and Vikings were quiet for some time as well before the Night Furies found their fallen comrade. They began carrying the corpse back to their sanctuary. To the surprise of the others, they did not stop the group from following them. Respectfully, the dragons flew near the habitat until the Night Furies were done taking the slain dragon to the final resting place. When they were finished, they glanced at the strangers, then their home. As they did, the Vikings and their dragons found the rest of the antidote and returned to Berk as fast as they could.

They rushed to Gothi's hut and saw the wounded Vikings. Several cups were prepared so that everyone had a dose. The cure worked slower than the poison, but the people still felt the positive effects of it in their bodies. They almost got smothered by the hugs they received when their faces started to have normal coloring again.

"I thought you didn't want us to die," Ruffnut half-heartedly complained.

Her friends promptly ignored her and kept hugging her and Fishlegs. Mala was experiencing the same with a barrage of kisses on her face and stomach. She chuckled and hugged Dagur back. Gobber turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He saw Valka with a relieved smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you're better," she divulged.

"Thanks," he said, a little surprised.

Her expression became serious. "I should have been here after…"

"I understand why you weren't. You're here now," Gobber stated, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "That's what he'd have wanted."

The words offered comfort to Valka and the two Vikings glanced up when they heard wings flapping. With astonishment on their faces, the group saw the Night Furies returning. If Toothless was the king of dragons, that meant relationships with other species were changing. It would no longer be proper to stay completely separate. Despite how things had been done, it was time for a change. Their queen would have died if not for these dragons. The least the Night Furies owed them was a willingness to associate.

"I didn't think of bringing the other Night Furies or the dragons from your nest," Hiccup admitted, going over to Valka.

She turned away from the reptiles to look at her son. "I wouldn't have thought of it if not for you. Toothless is their king and not everything needs to be handled alone." Valka paused, appearing unhappy again. "I really do apologize for not being here."

"I believe you," Hiccup said.

He meant every word. This time, he did not think that Valka was keeping something from him or trying to minimize the seriousness of a situation. The dragon trainer felt like he was having a real conversation with his mother.

"I know that I can't change the past, but I hope to be better in the future," she said.

"Does that mean…"

There was a look of hopefulness in his eyes that shocked Valka. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm staying. That is, if you'll all have me," the mother added, looking at the group of chieftains. "This is your island after all."

"Well," Tuffnut said, looking prideful, "that's the first thing to learn about how we do things on Berk. It's everyone's island."

"So, it's yours now too," Fishlegs informed her warmly.

"Feel free to be amazed by how we're running things," Snotlout boasted with a big grin. "Me especially."

"Feel free to pick on Snotlout too," Ruffnut added. "That's how we'll really know you're part of the family."

Valka found herself chuckling and nodded. "Thank you all. I cannot promise that the adjustment will be immediate, but I'll do my best."

"There's nothing wrong with not fitting in completely," Astrid assured her. "In a weird way, you'd probably fit in better if you didn't."

"Exactly," Hiccup stated, smiling. "The more new ideas we have on Berk, the better we'll become."

Happiness hit him as what was happening really started to sink in. Surprise hit Valka when Hiccup brought her into a hug.

"I'm really glad that you're back, Mom."

Tears came to the mother's eyes and she returned the embrace. "I am too."

Months passed on Berk as more changes took place. After dealing with all of these and the final preparations, it was time for a wedding. It might have been the biggest celebration Berk had ever seen. In addition to its Vikings, there were Berserkers, Defenders, Wing Maidens, and other allied tribes' Vikings in attendance. Few eyes were dry as Gothi wrapped the fabric around Hiccup and Astrid's hands, joining them in union. This led to even more changes on the island. Not many years followed before there were new Berkians running around, causing trouble for their many aunts and uncles. Around this same time, three new Night Furies hatched into the world as well.

This is Berk. It's cold and it's dangerous sometimes, but it's also changing for the better. Our home is 413 now and it's nothing like it used to be. We have new family and new friends, both Viking and reptile. In fact, some of these youngsters constantly keep us on our toes. That's not even to mention the Berserker-Defender kids who come to visit their honorary cousins. We still have enemies, but we can protect ourselves. Dragons can protect each other too when we aren't there to help. Every day, our world is becoming safer–also more supportive. It doesn't matter if you didn't start off as a friend or if you were gone for years. When you're on Berk, it's home. That's one thing that doesn't change and I hope it never does. We might not be the biggest tribe in the world or even this Archipelago, but we're strong and will protect anyone who needs us. That's what it means now to be a Berkian. All we need are each other and our dragons. With them, the future can't help but be bright.