Sadly, the next scene begins with Not-Hiccup being thrown into a large, dark room. The boy stumbled – he was young again, looking like the Hiccup that was in the room – while the not-chief advanced on him, looking mad. The Viking wasn't looking at his son, though. No, he was just pacing further into the hall, the boy watching him worriedly from the side. Toothless crooned – he didn't like it – and tightened himself around the boy, despite still not touching him. Hiccup just shuddered a bit.

"I should have known… I should have seen the signs!" The not-chief muttered.

"Dad?"

Walking away from Not-Hiccup, the Viking growled at him. "We had a deal!"

Not-Hiccup looked at his back desperately, the door behind his back still open a little, letting light cut through the darkness. "I-I know we did, but that was before… ugh, it's all so messed up!" He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head a little in frustration.

Finally turning back to face Not-Hiccup, the not-chief frowned at his son. "So everything in the ring… a trick? A lie?" He waved his hand in exasperation and walked away again. Not-Hiccup winced.

Toothless had no idea what they were talking about. A ring? What ring? And what signs? Of what? It had to be something bad, at least in the eyes of the not-chief, if his reaction was to lash out at Not-Hiccup like that, even if he wasn't screaming or yelling exactly just yet. No, for now, he looked like he was just willing to stew in his own anger for a little bit. He looked like he was trying to understand something that didn't sit right with him and coming up empty-handed. What did Not-Hiccup do to make him act like that?

"I-I-I screwed up. I should have told you before now. I j-just… you…" Not-Hiccup looked around as if waiting for the right words to come to him yet he couldn't find anything, obviously, because he just turned back to stare up, pleadingly, at his father's back. He was so small compared to the adult Viking, that it was almost ridiculous to think that those two were related. "Take this out on me," He put a hand against his chest. "Be mad at me, but please, just don't hurt Toothless."

The dragon crooned softly, looking at the human close to him. The boy looked from him to the wall and was clearly trying to smile, yet his lips pulled back down almost immediately. They didn't know exactly what was going on in the scene – they didn't have the background, after all. But it was clearly still important and very, very bad. Extremely bad. And if it involved Toothless when Hiccup's father didn't like him at all… well, this could only lead to more trouble, couldn't it?

At his son's words, the not-chief turned to glare at Not-Hiccup in disbelief. It looked like the chief in the room agreed with that because he glared at Not-Hiccup as well. "The dragon? That's what you're worried about?" The not-chief advanced on Not-Hiccup, towering above him and making the boy stumble back a bit. "Not the people you almost KILLED?"

"He was just protecting me! He-he's not dangerous!" Came the immediate reply and Toothless wondered what happened that made them argue like that. What happened? It sounded like Toothless attacked people who… attacked Hiccup. True, he felt protective over the boy, and that was without getting to know him. So in this future, after actually bonding, maybe the tug was even stronger. Maybe he attacked people because he thought they might hurt the boy and now Hiccup's father found it unacceptable. But… but it still didn't really make sense, now, did it?

"They've killed HUNDREDS of us!"

"AND WE'VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM!" Not-Hiccup screamed angrily, his eyes boring into his father. For a moment the not-chief looked taken aback by the boy actually standing his ground so firmly, but then he looked away and began to pace once more. Not-Hiccup calmed down a bit from his burst and kept on talking, a little less intense than before. "They defend themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves!"

That shocked Toothless who hissed and snorted at the wall, feeling restless all of a sudden. It was one thing to accept the fact that he had a human riding on his back in the future – the same one who shot him out of the sky and ripped his tailfin off, no less. But to think that Toothless took Hiccup to the Nest? Why would he do that to someone he presumably cared so much about? Was he trying to get him captured and eaten by the queen? He wished he could tell Hiccup how dangerous going to the Nest was – what if the boy himself was the one to ask Toothless to take him there, after all? It wasn't unimaginable. He could have done that.

"What's wrong, bud?" Hiccup asked and Toothless blinked his eyes, surprised that the boy actually noticed how agitated he was. He called him 'bud', a part of his brain noted. Like he did in the future. That alone made him feel that much less tense and on edge. He could deal with whatever came – Hiccup was the real one who had to go through… this. Whatever it was that was going on in that confusing, horrid scene. So Toothless calmed himself down the best he could, purred a little and waited until he noticed Hiccup's shoulders relaxed a little. He still looked tense, of course, but not as much. Good.

Still talking, Not-Hiccup went on, his eyes following desperately the pacing Viking before him. "There's… something else on their island, Dad." He said and for once was totally oblivious to the way the words seemed to catch the not-chief's attention. In the room, Astrid gasped, a hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound. She gave Hiccup a horrified look and the boy cringed at it. His father glanced back too, fire burning behind his green eyes. Toothless was a little surprised to realize they had the same eyes – it was strange, really. "It's-It's a dragon-like – "

"Their island?" The not-chief cut him off and Not-Hiccup stared up at him in horror. "So you've been to the Nest?"

"Did I say 'Nest'?"

"How did you find it?" The large man demanded, making Not-Hiccup stagger back, further and further.

Scared and cornered, Not-Hiccup stumbled over his words. "What? No, I-I didn't. Toothless did. Only… a dragon can find the island."

At that the not-chief leaned back, his eyes widening with a new idea. Toothless growled lowly, not liking where this was going. To his surprise, Hiccup actually put a comforting hand on his head for a second before his eyes widened and he took it back as if burnt. Toothless gave him an assessing look before dropping his head in the boy's lap. For a moment Hiccup was frozen in place, but then he calmed down and put his hand back on Toothless's scales, rubbing lightly. In all honesty, Toothless wasn't the one who really deserved to be comforted right now – his father wasn't demanding suicidal knowledge from him in the future. But it looked like tending to Toothless made Hiccup himself feel better, so the Night Fury just purred and hummed encouragingly.

"Oh. No, no, no." Not-Hiccup seemed to realize he's made a mistake because his desperation came back in full force. "No, Dad. No, please. It's not what you think. You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen!" He exclaimed but the not-chief wasn't listening anymore. He shoved Not-Hiccup out of his way and began to walk towards the exit of the hall, the boy following him from behind, begging him to listen. "Dad, please. I promise you, you can't win this one! No, Dad. No!" He grabbed onto the man's hand. "FOR ONCE IN YOU'RE LIFE, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME?!"

Hiccup winced when on the wall, his father threw him back again, making him fall to the ground with a startled and confused gasp. In the room, Astrid seemed to hold her breath while the chief, Hiccup's father, seemed frozen in place. Whether he agreed with his own future actions or not was unclear to Toothless.

The adult Viking on the wall turned back to Not-Hiccup, his body illuminated by the light coming from the doors. "You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking." Not-Hiccup was panting, as was present Hiccup. "You're not my son."

The scene ended a moment after showing the shock and hurt present on the boy's face. Once it was black again, Astrid got up and disregarded Toothless in favour of throwing herself at Hiccup, enveloping him in a hug. Toothless crooned and purred as well to try and help the boy who was clearly fighting to keep himself together. He was disowned. Sure, Toothless wasn't into the Vikings' way of life, but he knew enough. The hatchling's father just disowned his son, claiming he wasn't related to him. It was… it was heartbreaking. For a parent to do such a thing… it wasn't something people did without a second thought. That was heartbreaking and cruel.

"Oh, Hiccup…" Astrid muttered under her breath, not letting go of the boy. From his place, the chief's face began to glow red, though Toothless didn't know why exactly. And he didn't care – he felt like his number one priority was to cheer his future rider up. This boy, whoever he was, didn't deserve to be tossed away like that. He didn't deserve to be disowned for trying to warn and protect his own father. He even protected Toothless in the process! Or at least, he did his best. He was willing to suffer the consequences of whatever it was that happened in the future just to keep Toothless unharmed. "He called you the Pride of Berk, remember? Years later? This doesn't last long, Hiccup."

There were low whispers from the chief that caught their attention and Astrid and Toothless raised their heads to look in his direction, Hiccup following the action with a lot less enthusiasm and much more fear. The adult Viking was looking at them – or, to be more accurate, at Hiccup – and to Toothless's surprise (and delight!), he had tears brimming in his eyes, making the green sparkle like Hiccup's did.

"Son,"

That word alone seemed to make Hiccup waver in his place, clearly touched by his father calling him that despite seeing that scene. Keeping a cautious eye on the man, Toothless watched silently as he got up and walked towards their little group, stopping right in front of Toothless. He gave the Night Fury a meaningful look as if trying to make sure he was really calm and on Hiccup's side, and then turned to look at Hiccup.

"I don't care what happens in this future, nothing justifies what I did, Hiccup." He said and Hiccup just stared up at him, his lips pressed together and his eyes wide and vulnerable. "Whatever it is… I am sorry. I am so, so sorry." He knelt down to be at eye-level with Hiccup and Toothless considered moving out of his way to allow him to get closer to his son but decided against it when Hiccup's fingers seemed to dig into his scales, as if wordlessly asking Toothless to stay there. Toothless didn't mind that at all seeing as he wanted to make sure things were going to be alright. "You are a Viking, and if you're a dragon rider as well, that's okay with me. Because no matter what – and you must remember that, Hiccup – you are my son. And I will always be proud of you."

Hiccup's gaze followed the man's hand when he extended it forward for Hiccup to take if he was willing to do so. Astrid held her breath once more, watching from under her bangs. Toothless gave Hiccup a questioning look that the boy returned. He seemed to be pleading for Toothless to tell him what to do about the apology. When Toothless nudged him with his head lightly, Hiccup smiled and took his father's hand with a wavering smile.

Voice cracking, he turned to his father. "Thanks, Dad." His shoulders raised a bit with the confidence that came with his father accepting him – even though he still didn't understand why Hiccup was doing what he was doing. It was obvious to Toothless – and Astrid breathed in relief at the exchange before seeming to remember herself and pulling away from Hiccup with an awkward grin. He didn't fare much better himself and sent a mock glare to Toothless when the dragon chortled at him.

When they all sat down again, the chief remained close to Hiccup and Astrid, his gaze sliding to his son every once in a while, as if to make sure he was still there, safe and sound. Astrid sat between the two of them, her hand coming up to shove the hair away from her face. Only Hiccup stayed where he was, with Toothless curled around him, his head in his lap. It felt right, Toothless knew. And Hiccup looked like he was enjoying himself as well. He seemed to be doing a bit better, too. Probably slightly more confident. That was good – the changes towards the future were starting already!

The next scene on the wall showed Not-Hiccup taking the saddle off of a slightly confused Not-Toothless. Toothless was a little distressed when he realized they were on the island where the queen was, yet for some reason, his future self didn't seem bothered by it. Maybe something happened to her? But what?

Not-Hiccup reached out to hold Not-Toothless's head with one hand, his face determined as Not-Toothless crooned sadly at him. "I'll be back for you. I promise." He looked heartbroken when he began to walk away and Not-Toothless soon began to follow him uncertainly. Toothless crooned sadly himself, not sure about what was going on, but knowing it was nothing good. When Not-Toothless snorted louder at Not-Hiccup, the boy raised his head to the sky for a moment, his eyes closed in distress and agony before he turned back to his dragon. "No, bud. You gotta stay here and take care of the other dragons." He said, his voice turning softer the longer he spoke.

On the wall, Not-Hiccup had his hand held out for Not-Toothless but the dragon looked at it and didn't approach, his head falling down at the realization of what was happening. Astrid herself looked mostly confused while the chief tilted his head a little, his mind probably trying to understand what was going on in this part of the future. Hiccup put his hand on Toothless's head, rubbing it lightly to soothe the Night Fury. It worked, if only a little.

"It's gonna be okay, Toothless." The boy went on, trying to smile at Not-Toothless. "Trust me." He whispered and finally, Not-Toothless raised his head and nudged the rider's hand with it. Whatever this hand thing was, it surely meant a lot to them because Not-Hiccup's eyes widened when the Night Fury obliged and the boy knelt down to hug the dragon who looked at him and crooned softly, trying to soothe him while also expressing his own heartache.

Before long, though, Not-Hiccup got back up, grabbed the saddle and left Not-Toothless who took only a step or two in his direction before stopping, knowing he should stay behind this time. He watched as Not-Hiccup put the saddle and everything else that came with it on the ground, next to Not-Toothless. Toothless realized with a jolt that this also meant he was grounding the dragon, keeping him without half of his tail. A part of him was upset by that, but the other part knew the boy looked just as hurt by the notion as the dragon was.

The scene flickered to show Not-Hiccup standing on a ship, his gaze turned towards the island. He looked angry upset and sad. His hand was pressed against a pole in the middle and he was soon joined by Not-Astrid who looked just as hurt as he was. She leaned her entire body on the pole and soon Not-Hiccup did the same, his eyes not leaving the island.

"There's something Mildew said that I can't stop thinking about. H-he said…" He seemed to think about his, though his voice became more and more frantic like he was outraged by whatever this strange Viking had said. Not-Astrid turned to look at him. "See what happens when you leave your dragon to wait outside?" He turned to the girl with his eyebrows creased. "He KNEW Toothless wasn't with me just before the armoury fire."

Not-Astrid didn't seem to catch up and, in the room, Hiccup groaned. "Of course, this is all Mildew's fault." He murmured grumpily and rubbed under Toothless's chin, his face thoughtful. When Astrid turned her questioning gaze to him, he shrugged. "He probably did whatever he could to make the dragons leave Berk again. H-he probably made everyone believe the dragons did something bad when it was actually his fault!"

His father hummed. "Let's hope Mildew will get caught, then, son." He said, clearly surprising Hiccup and Astrid who glanced at each other, a little taken aback by his change of heart. But then Hiccup smiled gratefully and looked down at Toothless, a determined gleam in his eyes. Toothless trusted him to fix this mess, no matter what. He was smart and resourceful – he built himself wings in the future, for God's sake! And Toothless knew they were together later in life, so… so Hiccup must have fixed it!

"So-so he lives on the other side of the island. What was he doing in town? And how would he know where we were before the fire?"

Not-Astrid seemed to ponder for a moment before she completely turned to face Not-Hiccup. "You really think he set that fire?"

Not even hesitating, Not-Hiccup replied. "I think he did all of it, and I think he did it so that my dad would get rid of all the dragons." He said and the girl turned away from him, her eyes narrowing in frustration and anger. They both leaned against the pole again, gazing at the distant island.

"That's a pretty serious accusation." She stated and Hiccup winced in the room, though he still looked determined and certain of himself. "How are you gonna prove it?"

The answer came when the scene flickered again to show Not-Hiccup climbing down a rope through the hole in the roof of a small hut. The chief choked on that, giving his son a reprimanding glare. Astrid looked awestruck and surprised to see the hatchling sneaking around like that. Only Hiccup didn't seem surprised by his future self. He just pressed his lips together and leaned forward, eager to see if he was right. Toothless warbled a little but otherwise watched intently as the boy on the magical wall looked around at a drawing of a Viking killing a dragon and then at the head of a dead Gronckle, pinned to the wall with weapons hanging above it.

Toothless whined and pawed at his ears a little, unnerved by the sight. He knew Vikings killed dragons but to see a dead one staring at him like that… was unnerving and disheartening and it made him feel sick. Apparently, Hiccup and Not-Hiccup were disgusted by it as well. Moving on, Not-Hiccup examined a wall where there were four decorated shields. The images on the shields were of three buffy women and one sheep.

"Wife. Wife. Wife… Hmm… well, Mildew definitely has a type." Not-Hiccup shuddered and moved on. He walked around and stopped near a pot. Opening it, he bent down to sniff whatever was inside before he closed it and retched, clearly not liking the smell. Hiccup cringed at the sight while Astrid snickered. Soon enough she stopped though, because when Not-Hiccup turned around he saw the foot of a dragon peeking from under a curtain. When he pulled it aside he revealed two fake feet and a fake claw tucked inside a small closet. "What the…"

He didn't have much time to wonder about it, apparently, because someone was coming. Quickly, Not-Hiccup returned everything back to its place and climbed the rope halfway up, hanging there as an old, twig-like man walked in accompanied by a sheep. Not-Hiccup was silent as the man – Mildew, Toothless assumed – taunted the shields and went on to grab the fake limbs from the closet they were in, mentioning getting rid of them. Toothless growled but quieted down when Hiccup just shook his head at him with a smile.

"It's gonna be okay, Toothless." He promised and the dragon crooned a bit. "I promise." He patted the dragon while on the wall the sheep noticed Not-Hiccup and bleated at him in an attempt to make Mildew notice him. She failed, though, and soon followed the nasty Viking out of the hut. Not-Hiccup climbed to the roof again and watched with narrowed eyes as the Viking threw the fake limbs into the ocean from the cliff his hut was on. This didn't look too good, did it?

The chief grunted. "Ugh, I'm not even surprised to find this man is a traitor." He said gruffly and turned his gaze to Hiccup. "Don't worry, son. I'm sure whatever the future has in store, we manage to take care of it and make things better." He gave Astrid an encouraging look as well and the girl smiled at him sheepishly, bobbing her head. To Toothless's surprise, the man then turned to him as well, eyeing him with raised eyebrows, as if waiting for a response. When Toothless warbled, the chief grinned. "That's the spirit!"

This time when the scene flickered on the wall, Not-Hiccup wasn't there. Instead, a large, mean Viking was standing on top of a rock in front of other Vikings Toothless recognized from the village. He saw Snotlout in there, along with Mildew and Not-Astrid. They were all gazing disapprovingly at the man on the rock. The chief hissed angrily at the man but didn't say a thing.

"For those of you who haven't figured it out, I am the one and only Alvin the Treacherous." Well, it was nice of him to introduce himself like that to Toothless and the rest of them, even if it looked like the chief recognized him already. "And let me be clear, that name was earned." He spoke up to all of them, his accent thicker than even the chief's one. Toothless bared his teeth at him, already not liking him. Hiccup and Astrid mostly looked lost, yet they were willing to watch and wait to see who he was and what he would do.

A blond hatchling that Toothless remembered from the first glimpse into the future – one of the identical ones – seemed confused by the words. "'Alvin'? Pfft… How did he earn that?" He snorted in the identical girl's ears (didn't Hiccup mention her name before? Ugh, what was it?). Toothless assumed they were twins. Why else would they look so much like each other, right?

"Your leader has abandoned you." Alvin spat out. No one reacted to that, probably not really believing it. In the room, though, without knowing the rest of the story, Hiccup and Astrid gasped in horror. The chief braced himself. "But Stoick doesn't concern me." Oh, so that was his name. Stoick. Toothless added it to the growing list of names. "I'm not here for him. I want the Dragon Conqueror."

They were all confused. "Who's the Dragon Conqueror?" Astrid asked. Hiccup just shrugged.

In the crowd, Mildew leaned to whisper in an annoyed-looking Not-Astrid's ear. "Say goodbye to Hiccup." He waved at Alvin. "Alvin!"

The boy was stunned. "Oh. I guess that answers it, huh?"

Without hesitation, Not-Astrid punched Mildew in the face with her elbow and made him lose consciousness. She caught him and then smiled apologetically up at Alvin. "My grandfather's frail. He needs his nap." She lied and in the room, Astrid looked like she was really proud of herself. Hiccup gave her a wide-eyed look like he still couldn't believe she did this to protect him.

Once Alvin turned his back on her to turn to everyone once more, she dropped Mildew to the ground. "Well, like I said…" Alvin went back to talking. "Tell me who the Dragon Conqueror is and you can all go free."

"The Conqueror? Come on!" Snotlout said and the twins next to him smiled devilishly at him, nodding their heads. Stoick just sighed in exasperation at the boy. "I'll show Alvin who's a conqueror!" He pulled out a small mace and climbed onto the rock Alvin was on from behind the man, ready to get him. Astrid encouraged him in the room but went quiet and facepalmed when Alvin turned to him, glaring. Snotlout immediately held out the mace for the larger Viking. Toothless snorted. "For you, sir."

"Well, you'd better check your trousers, son." The man mocked him, took the mace and shoved Snotlout aside. Hiccup groaned and tugged at his hair in his frustration. Honestly, this boy was… he was… weirdly annoying. "I think you've soiled yourself." The next thing they knew, an axe nearly hit Alvin, but he caught it at the last moment. Alvin looked at it. "Would you look at that! My old hatchet. I was wondering when I'd get that back." He turned around when a grunt behind him was sounded and another mean-looking Viking shoved Not-Astrid so she stood before the man. She didn't bow down to him like Snotlout and instead held her head high. "Trying to kill Alvin the Treacherous?" He laughed. "You're not as smart as you look. Tell me, who's your Dragon Conqueror, eh?" He pulled at her braid and she grunted in pain, her arms flailing. "Tell me!"

"Leave her alone!" Not-Hiccup's voice reached their ears and Astrid reached over to punch Hiccup's arm, making him wince. He rubbed it and sent her a betrayed look but she only smirked at him. Toothless huffed quietly at them.

"Hiccup!" Not-Astrid looked up at the boy who was peeking at all of them from behind a rock. He jumped down to stand before them. "What are you doing?" She demanded, sounding upset.

Ignoring her completely, Not-Hiccup pointed at himself. "I'm the Dragon Conqueror." He declared and met Alvin's disbelieving glare with his own defiant one. Toothless flicked his tail and swatted the boy's head with it, making him complain about how this wasn't his fault because he never actually did it. Not yet, at least.

Eyeing him sceptically, Alvin took a moment before he began to laugh. His men – they had to be his men, Toothless realized – followed suit and laughed at Not-Hiccup, though the boy didn't look like it bothered him. Not in the scene on the wall and not in the room. While they were all laughing, Not-Astrid kept on glaring at Not-Hiccup, clearly thinking he was an idiot. Toothless had to agree, at least a little.

"YOU? Stoick's little embarrassment?"

At this, Hiccup did wince and Stoick lowered his head before he gave his son a reassuring smile. On the wall, however, Not-Hiccup didn't look like it bothered him in the least. "I drove the dragons from Berk. Look around," He gestured with his hands and Alvin listened and observed the area, pondering. "You don't see any on this island, do you?"

While Alvin was busy looking around, Not-Hiccup nodded in Not-Astrid's direction and she returned the gesture before playing along. "I-it's true!" She said and Astrid in the room with them gaped at herself, clearly not believing she actually just listened to Hiccup without giving it a second thought. Wow, whatever it was that happened to them in the near future… it changed a lot of things. "All the dragons are afraid of him. He even conquered a Night Fury!"

Toothless warbled proudly and held his head up, making Hiccup laugh. "Yeah, yeah, bud. You're definitely the best thing anyone could ever conquer. I'm-I'm sure everyone knows it." He said playfully and grunted in disgust when Toothless licked his face once, leaving slobber all over it. Toothless thought he did a pretty good job, but Hiccup just tried desperately to get rid of the drool. Astrid eyed him with both disgust and amusement.

"You're bluffing." Alvin decided.

"Am I?" Not-Hiccup countered. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Take me to Dragon Island."

Toothless perked up at that before the scene flickered and revealed Not-Hiccup standing in the back of a ship, looking nonchalant with his hands by his sides and two large Vikings holding spears in front of him to keep him in place. Around them, there was mist in the air, above the water. Toothless knew they were on their way to the island where he was left – it had to be the place. Why else would the rider want to go there, right?

Approaching Not-Hiccup proudly, Alvin stopped in front of him, smirking. "I'm sure your father's told you plenty about your island's most feared enemy." He boasted.

The deadpan, absolutely BORED look he received from Not-Hiccup cracked Astrid up and Toothless decided he liked Hiccup's unbothered reactions to danger. "W-who's that? Oh, right! Uh, you… No. Not so much." He admitted honestly.

"Really? Not a word?"

"Nope."

"Nothing?"

"Uh uh."

"Nothing about Alvin?"

"Nope." Not-Hiccup inspected his nails for a moment before he smiled up at Alvin. "Look, Al," He put his hands on the spears before him and pushed them away without a care in the world, making Stoick, who was watching the entire thing, splutter and rub at his forehead with frustration. Hiccup chuckled self-consciously. "All I care about is that if I do what I say, you will leave the people of Berk in peace."

Looking down at him, Alvin put his hands on his hips. "On my word, son!" He promised but Not-Hiccup gave him a disbelieving look that Toothless couldn't blame him for – this guy didn't exactly emit 'trust'. Stoick kept on mumbling things about his son being reckless and stupid and irresponsible while Astrid watched with interest, her hands on the ground before her to support her weight as she leaned towards the wall.

It flickered quickly to show Alvin walking behind Not-Hiccup on the misty island. Behind them were a few other Vikings from Alvin's side. As they walked, Alvin pushed Not-Hiccup forward with his sword, making the boy stumble. "Hey, is the sword really necessary?" He asked dryly and Alvin sent him an annoyed look before a familiar warble caught their attention. While Alvin looked awestruck and a little fearful, Not-Hiccup smiled.

From a hole in the mountain – one that Toothless definitely didn't remember being there before they were taken into this magical room – Not-Toothless hopped out. He walked cautiously towards the two of them and Alvin eyed him, seemingly hiding behind Not-Hiccup despite the fact that the boy was a lot smaller than him. "Is that a – "

"Night Fury," Not-Hiccup said proudly. He was definitely smiling now. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself!" He declared and then noticed the men behind him aiming weapons at Not-Toothless. He turned to them with a panicked look while the dragon kept on walking towards them slowly. "Ah, STOP!" He thought quickly. "Uh, it will only make him angrier!" He began to step back. "Watch and learn."

"Oh, by all means," Alvin said, grinning unpleasantly. "Proceed." He laughed when his men went up to him. "I hope you're not squeamish. You're about to see a dragon eat a boy."

They all laughed behind Not-Hiccup's back but the boy just advanced further. Once he was close enough, Not-Toothless ran forward and jumped at him, clearly happy to see him again. Alvin and his men widened their eyes at that and gasped a little, clearly expecting Not-Toothless to kill Not-Hiccup on the spot. When he licked him instead, unseen by the men, Not-Hiccup smiled and gently made him back away so he could stand up again.

"Haha, I missed you, too. W-we'll catch up later." He whispered and stood up. "Right now, follow my lead." He began to gesture with his hands, backing Not-Toothless up towards where he wanted him to go and the dragon went along with it without a fight. "You cannot defeat me!" He called out loud for the others to hear. "You… dirty dragon!" He bent down and pulled up the saddle he'd left there before. Under the watchful eyes of Alvin and his men, he put it on top of Not-Toothless who hid him the best he could with his wings. "I am the Dragon Conqueror!"

Toothless nudged Hiccup happily, warbling and snorting happily at the ingenuity of the boy on the wall. Hiccup laughed and touched his head gently, looking amazed, proud and joyous. Especially at his father's approving gaze. Astrid even nodded at Hiccup and at the scene, her hand swishing her bangs once more.

Finally getting suspicious, Alvin stepped forward with a frown and his sword held before him. "Hey, what're you doing with that dragon?!"

Turning around, Not-Toothless moved his wing until Alvin could see Not-Hiccup sitting on top of him, ready for whatever he had in store for him. "By the way, it's not really Dragon Conqueror. It's Dragon Trainer!" He leaned close to the Night Fury's head with a smirk. "Now!" He whispered and Not-Toothless carried them into the sky. With the rider's help, they flew over the Vikings' heads and into the sky.

"Great thunder of Thor! He IS the Dragon Conqueror!" Alvin yelled and Hiccup facepalmed. Toothless shook his head at the man as well, feeling like the two of them didn't make much progress after all. Soon, Alvin's Vikings shot boulders at Not-Toothless and his rider. They avoided all of them until there were arrows sent their way that they didn't have the time to avoid. Not-Hiccup gasped a moment before the fire came from nowhere and burned the arrows to a crisp. Not-Hiccup smiled and looked around when a familiar Deadly Nadder flew past them.

Urging Not-Toothless on, he caught up to Not-Astrid and her Nadder. "Oh, what took you so long?"

She smirked. "Why, did you miss me?"

The scene ended and Toothless turned just in time to see Astrid punching Hiccup. Again. The boy gave her a disheartened glare as he rubbed his pained arm. "W-what is it with you and punching me? What did I do to you?" He complained at her smirking expression. Toothless snorted and Hiccup rolled his eyes at him. "I-I-I thought we couldn't attack others in here."

The girl looked proud of herself. "I'm not attacking you. This is how I communicate." She stated plainly and Hiccup winced at her while his father, Stoick, laughed, seemingly a lot more accepting of Hiccup and everything about him and Toothless. "But seriously, Hiccup," Astrid became serious. "Don't scare me like that."

He huffed at her and gave Toothless an incredulous look. The dragon just rumbled at him, unimpressed and unbothered by Hiccup's problem. Hiccup shook his head at him, looking fond despite his irritation, and then smiled a little at Astrid who offered him a genuine smile that was probably something he wasn't used to. Seriously, what was his life BEFORE all of this happened? Why did he look so dejected and lonely at first? Why was his confidence nonexistent?

"I'm glad you're okay, son," Stoick said after a moment, his smile proud. Hiccup seemed a bit taken aback by the words but it didn't take him long to take them in and accept them. When he smiled at his father, the sincerity in the gaze was more present than before like he was getting to really acknowledge the fact that his father cared about him, no matter what.

"Thanks, Dad."