Hiccup's mind whirled as he and Toothless were taken back through the caves. So much had happened so quickly, even though it felt like so very much time had passed. Mere hours earlier, he and Toothless had been flying over the sea and enjoying the freedom of the sky. He'd tried his flight-suit out again, and he'd almost had it that time…then he'd discovered a brand new island for his map…

…and all of it had been to avoid his father, Stoick The Vast, who'd been talking about making Hiccup chief — again! It had happened first-thing in the morning, and Hiccup had leapt out a window the moment Stoick's back was turned. He'd been on Toothless' back in no time, soaring with Toothless and avoiding his every problem…

…and then Astrid had landed on Hiccup's new island. They'd seen smoke, discovered a destroyed camp of dragon-trappers, learned of a man named Drago Bludvist who was building a dragon army and—

Hiccup sighed, rubbing at his eyes. If he could just get to Drago and change his mind, then all of this could be peacefully resolved. He'd changed peoples' minds before, and now he would do it again. If only Stoick could see that! If only his dad would see sense!

Then he blinked and shielded his eyes, as he and the dragons emerged into light.

The nest was just as incredible the second time around: an enormous bustling sanctuary of ice and rock and plantlife, with the sun shining brightly through an icy roof. Great waterfalls fell down from up high, their sounds a constant presence. There were dragons in the air, dragons perched on rock, dragons on the ground. A cluster of baby Gronkles caught Hiccup's attention, the hatchlings staring up at him with wide and happy eyes.

They touched down, and Hiccup found himself snapping into focus.

"Ask about Drago," he said under his breath. "Fix the fin. Leave." He inhaled. "Drago. Fin. Leave." There was too much at stake for him to dawdle in this nest. He could talk to his mother properly after talking to Drago. Probably. Maybe.

Toothless barked out a thanks to the larger dragon and then quickly hopped off. He landed smoothly and gracefully, sparing Hiccup a hard landing, and Hiccup quickly looked back.

"Thank you for that," he said, a genuine smile on his face.

The four-winged dragon crooned, inclining his head. He was breathing heavily, tired from carrying a whole other dragon. He looked past Hiccup; Hiccup followed his gaze, somehow already knowing what he'd find.

"You…came back," Valka said.

She was sitting up against some rock, her staff abandoned on the ground, and Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if she'd been crying. She pulled herself to her feet, and then she stepped towards him hesitantly.

"Yeah, I…ahh…didn't have much of a choice," Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his head. "The fin came loose. Should've checked it first, I guess." He climbed off of Toothless, and then he patted the dragon's side.

Valka sighed, her posture deflating. "My fault, I'm sure. I'm sorry about that, son. I…thought you were a trapper, to tell the truth. I thought you were with Drago".

Right away, Hiccup felt his tension return. Ask about Drago, he told himself. Fix the fin. Leave. Don't start—

"And that's why you dropped Toothless onto ice?" he asked, placing an arm across his friend's back.

Valka looked away sharply. "N-no. No, of course not. It was an accident, son! I thought he'd just fly! I had no idea…"

Hiccup groaned, rubbing his forehead. He did believe her, and yet…

"I mean…did you not see the fin?" he said. "Did you not stop to think before you…argh!" He threw up his hands, looking off at the ceiling of ice far above.

This had not been the plan. He shouldn't have gone into this, but he hadn't been able to help it. Toothless, for all he knew, could have been hurt — badly hurt.

Valka's mouth moved wordlessly. Toothless crooned, nudging at Hiccup's side, and Hiccup began to pat the dragon's back. He looked into those wide caring eyes, letting them ground him once again, letting his sudden anger ebb away.

He turned back to Valka. "Look, I know you didn't mean it," he said, his voice more level. "But…if something had happened to him, if anything had happened to him, I—"

A loud rumble reverberated through the air. Toothless went rigid, his pupils narrowing, and Hiccup found himself looking all around.

"What the…" Hiccup began. Again, he looked up at the ice, and something instantly just clicked in his mind. "Wait," he said to himself. "This ice isn't natural. Something made it. Something…"

…big, he thought, as a near-melodic hum filled the air. "Ohh, that doesn't sound good…"

Toothless growled at the air, clearly thinking the exact same thing. After all, that noise had sounded far too much like—

"The King!" Valka said. She straightened, instantly regaining her previous energy. "He calls us. Come, come." She backed up quickly towards a nearby cliff, all smiles once again, gesturing as she went. "Don't be frightened, son. He's friendly. Just show him you're no threat and he'll—"

Toothless had moved around her, creeping up to the cliff and peering hesitantly over the edge. Then he let out a startled bark and leapt back, landing in front of Hiccup and shrieking at the cliff.

Immediately after, Hiccup saw the reason why.

An enormous crested dragon-head appeared from beneath the cliff, with two enormous tusks that each dwarfed Toothless in size. His scales were as white as ice, and his head was covered in sharp dark-tipped spikes. He looked bigger than the Queen, Hiccup decided — bigger than any dragon he'd ever encountered!

And now, the gigantic 'King' was staring straight at Toothless, who met the stare with a continuous snarl.

This was what had made all the ice; somehow, Hiccup just knew that right away. This dragon had built an entire nest of ice, had destroyed an entire trapper camp…and Hiccup and Toothless were outsiders in his territory.

Valka dropped into a graceful bow, looking completely at ease. Her own dragon did likewise, having moved to be at her side.

"Easy, Toothless," Hiccup said. He laid his hands on his dragon's back, his breathing just a little too fast. "He's not the Queen. He's friendly, remember?" He couldn't help but feel unnerved himself, but he was trying not to let it show.

Toothless growled a little louder, clearly not buying it. He made some quick sweeping motions with his head, instructing Hiccup to get back.

"No, bud," Hiccup said, pleading with his eyes. "Just relax. Stand down."

By now, other dragons had also taken interest. Hiccup could see them hovering overhead, and he could see them staring from their various perches. He could even see hatchlings watching, partially hidden by adults of their various species.

"Hiccup?" Valka said, standing back up. "What's wrong? Why is your dragon…?"

Hiccup didn't answer; there wasn't time to answer. Toothless remembered the Queen, and so Toothless didn't trust this 'King' — that much was obvious. And if Toothless started a fight here, then gods only knew what would happen.

"Bud, you gotta relax," he said, fighting to keep his voice soft. "Just trust me. Look at me."

Toothless obeyed; he burbled and sheathed his teeth, turning to Hiccup with a mournful expression. Hiccup offered his hand, and Toothless pressed his head into it with the slightest pressure. The dragon exhaled, his eyes slightly closing, his posture easing…

…then the titanic King pressed forwards, and the moment was broken. Toothless' pupils slitted, and his teeth shot out from his mouth. He snarled at the King, and Hiccup flinched from the sound.

Still, the King advanced. He just wanted to inspect the newcomers, Hiccup reasoned. He wanted to know that they were no threat. He just wanted to know that his nest was safe while they were—

Toothless growled even louder, an all-too-familiar sound building in his throat.

"Toothless, no, NO!"

Hiccup rushed forwards to gentle his dragon. But the King was already backing up, water crashing with each step, and Toothless' building blast had ceased.

"Stand down, Toothless," Hiccup urged, rubbing his head over and over. "Please…"

Valka looked on aghast, utterly lost for words. Tens of other dragons were glaring at Toothless, both from the air and from the ground, and many had their teeth bared. Valka's dragon began to outright snarl, ignoring her frantic attempts to soothe him. Toothless looked around rapidly, wide-eyed and fearful, suddenly aware of just how many others were watching.

Then the King rumbled, and every dragon but Toothless relaxed. The closer ones moved away, giving the Night Fury some much-needed space.

"What the…" Hiccup said.

The nest had gone totally silent, save for the general background of wingbeats and waterfalls. The King regarded Toothless levelly, keeping his distance, while Toothless continued to bare his teeth. The giant dragon just looked…sad, Hiccup decided after a moment. He didn't appear to be angry, nor did he seem to be feeling the least bit threatened. He breathed slowly and easily with a forlorn expression, his teeth hidden from view.

"See, bud?" Hiccup said. "We're safe. He isn't dangerous. He's friendly."

The King's own pupils turned to slits, and Toothless roared.

"What the…Toothless!"

Toothless backed away, growling and shrieking and shaking his head, as though fighting with something that only he himself could sense. The King drew closer once again, half-growling and half-purring, his pupils slitted and feral-looking.

"Please! Stop this!" Hiccup called out, facing the oncoming behemoth. "He was just scared! You're hurting him!"

A plasma blast exploded against the King's face, and Hiccup winced at the bright light, but the King barely even flinched. Then Toothless slumped to the ground whimpering, the fight quickly leaving his limbs.

Hiccup's heart pounded. "Toothless, no! Toothless!" Hiccup ran forwards and threw himself down, frantically shoving at his friend. "Toothless, get up! Toothless!"

But Toothless wasn't moving.

"He's fine, son," Valka said quietly.

Hiccup gasped, turning to find her standing right behind him. She'd grabbed her staff, he saw. Her dragon stood right behind her, blocking out much of the light.

"Look," she said. "He's just asleep. That's all."

She was right, Hiccup realized. His friend was breathing easily, with closed eyes and a completely peaceful expression. He even seemed to be purring slightly, as though in the midst of a pleasant dream.

But… no, Hiccup decided, this wasn't right at all. Toothless had clearly been terrified, and now he was just peacefully dreaming? Worse still, he wasn't waking up! Hiccup tried to jostle him, and then he scrambled to Toothless' head and slapped at his ear-nubs, all to no avail.

"What…" Hiccup began. He blinked repeatedly. "What in Thor's name?" He was breathing too fast, he realized, and so he forced his breaths apart. "Mom, what is this? What's happened to him?"

He looked up at her; she wore a distant expression which made him want to scream.

"He's asleep," she said, as though that explained any of it. "The King calmed him, son. He's a Bewilderbeast: an alpha species, one of the few to still exist."

Nope, still not making sense, Hiccup decided, while still keeping his breathing slow. There would be a time to freak out, but that time was not now; right now, he needed information.

"How?" Hiccup said, his voice almost a squeak. "How'd he do it? Tell me!"

Okay, Hiccup had to admit: maybe he was freaking out a bit. It was hard not to freak out, with his best bud acting in such an unnatural way. He found himself thinking back to when he'd first reunited with Toothless in the nest, only to watch Valka subdue Toothless with nothing more than a hand gesture. That had been scary to witness, but at least Toothless had stayed awake then, and at least there hadn't been a giant dragon watching as he—

Valka sighed. "He's an alpha, son," she said. "As alpha, he can control lesser dragons when he needs to. With his eyes, and with sounds as well."

Hiccup felt a hand tighten into a fist. "He controlled Toothless," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. He did," Valka replied softly. "He must have seen no choice, Hiccup. Your dragon, he was…I've never seen anything like it."

Hiccup swallowed. No, he supposed she wouldn't have. The dragons here appeared to like their king, after all — and for good reason, from all he had seen of this nest. But even so, his remaining hand likewise became a fist.

"Release him," Hiccup said. "Wake him up."

"No, I can't," Valka said.

Hiccup shot upright, rounding towards her.

"N-no, I mean it, I can't!" Valka said, as her dragon wrapped her in a protective wing. She raised her staff, pointing to the King. "It's up to him, not to me!"

Her dragon snorted, in what Hiccup sensed to be agreement.

The King chuffed loudly, and Hiccup turned to face him once again.

"Oh," Valka went, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh dear…"

Hiccup hadn't thought it was possible for a dragon to look sardonic; clearly, he'd thought wrong. The King let out a long and loud sigh, his eyes wandering between the three of them, a scorch-mark all too visible on his face.

"Uh, yeah," Hiccup mumbled under his breath. "He's not gonna like that…"

Valka rushed to the cliff edge and dropped onto her stomach, rolling onto her back and then baring her neck. Her dragon partner quickly followed suit, throwing himself down next to her with an apologetic keen.

Hiccup went rigid. What if this King was angry at the pair, for having brought Hiccup and Toothless to the nest? And how might he punish them if so? Would he be like the Queen, killing those who displeased him?

The King blew a gentle puff of ice-breath at the pair, and Hiccup instantly relaxed. Clearly, both had been forgiven. Then the King shrugged his head, sending them away; both got up and bowed, then they returned to where Hiccup stood.

The King turned his attention to Hiccup.

"Uhh, hi," Hiccup said.

The king rumbled, his expression impossible even for Hiccup to read. Valka laid a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, making him flinch.

"Go up to him," Valka said quietly. "Don't be frightened, son. You'll be fine."

And just like that, Hiccup snapped into focus.

He spared a glance at Toothless' sleeping form. He was still purring, looking in complete bliss as he slumbered away. Toothless, for all Hiccup knew, could be counting on him now.

Hiccup nodded silently at his mother. Then he walked towards the King.

It took him a second to realize that he wasn't in fact afraid. The King was enormous, and he had loyal wild dragons all around him, but he'd have surely attacked by now if he was going to. Several wild dragons were still watching Hiccup, but they all seemed completely at ease. So Hiccup remained loose and relaxed as he approached the King, the dragon studying him all the while.

Hiccup stopped at the cliff's edge, studying the King right on back.

More than ever, Hiccup was struck by the King's size. He really was bigger than the Queen, his tusks alone larger than many dragon species. And there was a certain majesty to the nest he'd carved with his ice — a nest which was providing a happy home for so many. But most of all, Hiccup was struck by the King's face. Hiccup saw warmth and gentleness in the creature's expression, and he saw intelligence and wisdom too.

This wasn't another Queen; this wasn't another Red Death. Already, Hiccup could see that clearly. And as for what he'd done to Toothless…

…well. Once Hiccup got his friend back, he would forgive.

Hiccup stood in place, unsure how to proceed. Maybe I should bow, he thought. This 'King' was accustomed to that, judging from his mother's performance, and he did need to stay in this creature's good graces…

The King blew a gentle puff of ice across Hiccup's head. And right away, Hiccup just knew that he'd been accepted.

"He likes you," Valka said, appearing alongside him. "I knew he would." She smiled, though there was a pained quality to it.

Hiccup nodded, meeting her smile. That was certainly good to know; that, he hoped, would make the next part a whole lot easier. He looked back to his best friend — still asleep, still eerily peaceful. Then he faced the King.

"Hey, so, about Toothless…" Hiccup began.