"I'll be back soon as possible." Valka said while stepping outside, Cloudjumper following after.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" Hiccup ran out after her, grabbing Cloudjumper's tail fins. The dragon stopped with an irritated look on his face and glared back at the young dragon rider. Valka stopped as well and turned, coming over and making Hiccup release Cloudjumper's tail.

"Son, don't do that. He doesn't like it." Valka chided, patting Cloudjumper's wing.

"Mom, you pretty much explained absolutely nothing to me." Hiccup practically shouted, taking a step back. He looked his mother up and down. Longer face, tanner skin. Thinner build and lighter, fairer hair than most the residents of Berk. He'd never given it thought, but she really didn't look all that much like she was from Berk. She was from...Anthias. Wherever that was. "What is Anthias, what happened with you and dad and them, and why haven't you said anything!"

Valka stopped and stared at him. It made Hiccup shift uncomfortably in his boots. She had a way of doing that, staring. Completely motionless, not a twitch in the joint or hesitation of her eye. She breathed so quietly you could scarcely tell she was breathing.

"Hiccup..." She took a hesitant step forward, and Hiccup allowed her to put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I haven't told ye anything, and I can't tell ye much now, I've got to get this handled. What I can tell ye is that Anthias was the tribe I grew up with. They don't care for those of Berk is why they opposed our marriage, and I 'aven't said anything because I wanted to keep it all behind me like I have for the last twenty seven years." She paused and then kissed his cheek and ran up Cloudjumpers tail and onto his back, running her staff along behind her as a signal to take off, which he did soon as she was securely sitting on his back. Hiccup panicked in a way and ran after, but of course was no match for the speed of a dragon taking off into the air. He kept running, though, and only stopped when he was gasping for air and Cloudjumper was little more than a speck on the horizon.

Astrid came running up behind him, Toothless leaping beside her. She grabbed onto his shoulders and twirled him around to look at her.

"What is she doing?!" She yelled, shaking him slightly and dropping her arms.

"I don't know!" Hiccup yelled back. "She doesn't usually act on impulse!"

"What are we going to do?!" Astrid said, still yelling. They were attracting the attention of other Berk residents, who said nothing and just watched.

"I don't know! I mean-" Hiccup looked back towards the sky and saw nothing. "I have no idea where Anthias is! Or what it does or how it-how did she even get to meet dad if Berk and Anthias hate each other?!"

"How did your dad ever not tell you?! Something like, "hey, son, there's this one tribe your mother was from and we hate each other. Just thought you'd like to know"!"

"I don't know! He never really talked about mom-until I found her all I knew about her was she was "prettier than the stars" and "had a knack for never letting him win an argument" and something else about "thank Gods you don't have your mother's cooking skills". That's all I knew, and apparently there's still A LOT I don't know!"

Hiccup found himself breathing heavily-gasping, even, and just kind of plopped down on the ground. Toothless came over and chirped quietly, his scaly features in a frown. Hiccup didn't look at him but patted his muzzle, staring at the ground. Astrid remained standing, a look of both frustration and confusion on her face. Bracing himself on Toothless, Hiccup got to his feet and again looked at the sky.

"Damn it, Mom." He cursed quietly.

"Go after her?" Astrid suggested, nudging him toward Toothless. Toothless looked up at Hiccup hopefully.

"I can't, Astrid." Hiccup scratched at his cheek. "I'm the chief. I gotta watch over Berk and-"

"Oh, get on the freakin' dragon, honey." Astrid shoved Hiccup towards Toothless, who looked absolutely giddy. Hiccup blinked and looked at her.

"What?"

"You heard me, get on the dragon. Go find your mom, Toothless can probably sniff out Cloudjumper," Toothless made a noise akin to a bark to confirm this, "and figure out what's going on. I'll watch the village, and then when you get back you can tell me what happened."

"I-I but-"

Hiccup didn't really get a chance to refuse, or negotiate, as Astrid kissed him deeply and then shoved him on the back of Toothless. Hiccup dazedly straightened himself out on the excited reptile and gave Astrid a grin.

"I-alright. I'll see you-"

"Soon." Astrid finished, kissing him again, but softer. Toothless whimpered impatiently. "I'll explain everything to the village."

"You're a lifesaver." He smiled. They kissed once more before Hiccup took off into the air, trailing the path of his mother through the clouds.

Cloudjumper caught a southern wind a number of feet below the cloud line, allowing him to spread his wings and be carried along swiftly. Valka stiffly sat on his back, gripping her staff that laid across her lap. She didn't want to do this. She'd given up Anthias a long time ago, fully intending to live in Berk for the rest of her life and never seeing those she called friends and family again. Now that concept was terminated because her damned father had to make her life miserable. He just had to take one more jab at her, make her regret her nearly three decade old decision. Hate herself for leaving her tribe. Hate herself for leaving them.

When Anthias came into view, she took a sharp breath.

It was just as she'd remembered it. A large village, one of three, at the banks of an island. The houses used wood for their roofs and stone bricks for their walls. Organized cobblestone streets, an idea adopted from somewhere else in Europe, arranged the city and its houses. Ships docked at its harbor and trees encased all sides of the town but the one facing the water. Two buildings in the center, larger than any others and decorated with gold accents, stood proudly. The other two villages on the woodsy mainland mirrored the one on the island, though far less sophisticated. Valka carefully guided Cloudjumper down to the two large buildings and landed in between them.

She remained on Cloudjumper's back while she studied the area around her and quietly breathed out. It'd changed since she'd left. There was more greenery, imported flowers were around both buildings, and ivy tastefully climbed up the walls. The stone walkways around the buildings had been sanded flat. The lemon trees she remembered from her childhood had been taken down and replaced with oranges.

Her entrance hadn't gone unnoticed by the townsfolk. Those that milled about outside the gates that surrounded the two large buildings were pointing and talking excitedly to each other.

"Is that Madam Anthias's daughter?!"

"She died twenty years ago!"

"She rode in on a dragon!"

"What is she doing here?!"

"The new Madam Anthias is here!"

Valka slowly turned to them and stared. She didn't say a word, but she stared. She wished they'd kept the hedges around the fence. She hated seeing their faces, giddy or fearful, and slid off Cloudjumper.

Out of the building on the right came an elderly woman. Her back hunched over with age and face leathery, strung tight around her high cheekbones and riddled with liverspots. Her once ginger hair was almost completely white, a faint tint of its former glory all that remained. She wore a dress with a wrap around the middle and long sleeves, and her feet wore flat shoes with intricate golden designs on them that matched her dark oak cane. Upon spotting Valka, she froze in place, halfway down the front stairs. Her green eyes aligned with Valka's, and her bony chest ceased to move.

"Valka?" She croaked, voice as leathery as her skin and painfully familiar.

Valka tried to swallow, but her throat caught and she coughed painfully. She gripped her staff, letting it support her. Cloudjumper cautiously curled his tail around her feet.

"M-Mother..." Valka breathed faintly and unstably. Last time she'd seen her mother, her hair had been bright and her posture was best in Anthias. She'd been a proud and strong woman, and now...she was old, frail and delicate looking. Years had worn down on her, and it showed. Her once nimble feet stepped heavily, and her head did not sit steadily on her shoulders as it once did. The only thing that seemed to remain of the former person her mother was was some sort of strength in the arm that held her cane, which remained steady and unwavering.

The old skeleton made her way to Valka and looked up at her. Slowly, she raised from her hunched position and looked Valka in the eye.

"Valka," she said in a breathy whisper, her dull eyes brightening. It was an old spark Valka remembered from her childhood, and it made her heart ache and her stomach churn. It took most all her strength not to throw up.

"M-Mothar...Mothar..." Valka's words wavered and rolled on her tongue as it got a cottony feel to it. Without warning, Valka's mother wrapped her bony arms around her daughter's middle and pulled her into a surprisingly strong hug. Valka could hear her heart pound in her ears, and her lungs refused to breath regularly, making her gasp for breath. She gradually wrapped her own arms around her mother's thin frame and dipped her head down to rest her face on her shoulder.

"Mothar..." She mumbled into her shoulder, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of flowers and earth and fresh parchment. The scent that had followed her mother long as Valka could remember.

Her mother's aged fingers slowly went to Valka's head, and then down her braids, petting her.

"Valka...you're finally home."

I apologize for the ending, more or less. I tried to leave it open and emotional at the same time I just didn't know what to do, but I hope you enjoy it.

Sorry for taking so long to update, was busy with life.

HTTYD-Dreamworks

Anything that isn't copyrighted including quirks actions and otherwise-Me, and don't you dare steal it. Seriously.

Please be kind enough to leave a review! Hope you like enough to favorite/follow. :3 If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to put it in a comic or PM me. If I use your suggestion, I will credit you in the Authors Note!

And, as always, if I got something wrong about the HTTYD world due to my lack of knowledge about it, please NICELY correct me in the comments or through a PM message. :3 Thank you. :3