Please, read the note at the end

Stoick stood at the docks, supervising the final preparations for the expedition to the Helheim's Gate. Hopefully, the last one they will have to ever make. With a little bit of luck, they will manage to take the Nest and make dragons leave. And then, then there will be peace at Berk, at last.

The Chief looked around. There were mixture of excitement, determination and slight fear in the faces of his men and women. He understood to every of this feeling. He felt them too. But it had to be done.

He saw Gobber coming to him, hammer as one of his hands, big satchel over his shoulder.

"Where is Hiccup?" asked Stoick his friend. He was supposed to bring him along. They had the Terrors chained on the flag ship, but they still needed someone to interpret their signals. Gobber shook his head, but before he could say something, young girl's voice said behind Stoick's back:

"He's gone." Stoick turned abruptly and his eyes rested on one of the Thorston's twins. She was standing beside her mother, seemingly not bothered at all by disbelieving looks her parent and brother were sending her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked her suspiciously. Surely, Hiccup wouldn't run away? He raised him better then that. His son wouldn't leave. Not before the biggest battle Berk will probably ever enter. He would try to atone what he did, he would try to make up for his betrayal. But the girl's next words refuted it.

"He left. He jumped on his Night Fury and flew away to the sunset. Uh..." she smirked and corrected herself:

"Full moon, actually." Now it wasn't just her family and Stoick with Gobber who were gapping at her, mouths widely open. Everyone stopped in the middle of anything they were doing and watched the exchange between the Chief of the tribe and well known troublemaker.

"His Night Fury?" repeated Stoick slowly, unwanted memories of previous evening coming out. One of them is my best friend – he heard his son saying again. Was he really telling the truth? In the back of his mind, Stoick was hoping Hiccup just made it up, just like the time he claimed he shot down the dragon during the raid several weeks ago. Wait...

"Ups... uh, he didn't tell you that?" the girl snickered, obviously mocking him. Was she in that with his son? Apparently, yes. Beside one other person. Was it her? Was she Hiccup's accomplice? Stoick wished he at least remembered her name. It wasn't necessary until now, all he needed to know when dealing with her, was that she was the one half of the Thorston's twins set.

"He befriended one and now they together went to find a help. Because whatever you think, Chief, you won't defeat that thing on Dragon Island alone," she told him the same thing like his son. People around murmured in uneasiness. Only for a littlest second, Stoick considered what she said. But any doubts were dismissed when someone shouted something about the lying and weakening the morale. Not to even mention her cheeky tone and obvious lack of esteem for her Chief.

"I will deal with your disrespectfulness when we'll come back," he turned his back to her; clearly to evincing to her he's not listening any more. But she didn't stop. He would almost miss it, but in the silence caused by her presumptuous talk and his stern tone, he heard it very well:

"If you'll come back."

"That's enough!" he shouted. "I'm willing to put up with the jokes you and your brother always playing, but I won't stand such behaviour towards me! I'm still the Chief of this tribe!" He must have looked really frightening, because now she did shut up and didn't utter a word more.

"Now leave!" he ordered. For a second it looked like she will disobey him, but then she lowered her eyes and turned. She gave a hug to her mother, grabbed her brother and dragged him away. The victory tasted bitter in Stoick's mouth, for the feeling of doubts over his decision again started to wake up in the back of his mind. But as before, he suppressed it.

"Someone go get Astrid Hofferson. She's coming with us!" he shouted to the crowd. If his son won't come, the girl who found the way to the nest with him will. Unlike his son, the young Hofferson's girl looked positively excited by a view of a battle. Of course, previously it came on his mind that it could be her who was Hiccup's accomplice, but now he was almost sure it wasn't the case. Not with the scene the Thorston's girl made.

He suppressed that unsettling feeling of uncertainty again, when they were already on their way to the Helheim's gate, and after they entered the fogs of dragon's territory. He shut it away even after Gobber voiced him the worries which others had. His mind was blinded by the vision of final end of the war. And by anger and disappointment at his son.

He paid the cruel price for his arrogance and stupidity. What they found on the Dragon Island surpassed everything he expected. The great ugly beast smashed his men and women like flies, burned almost all theirs ships with one fiery breath. From almost thirty boats, only ten came back. Half of Berk warriors lost their lives in the flames of that monster. The half of the rest was badly injured.

Stoick looked around. All what was left were these ten ships. Damaged and crowded by people they were moving slowly towards home. Thankfully, no dragons were chasing them. They probably thought it wasn't necessary. That they are done, anyway.

He felt pang of guilt in the chest again. If he just listened to his son. Or at least to that Thorston's girl, after Hiccup left, thinking that talking to his father would be useless. Worst of it, he wasn't wrong. He tried to warn him and he didn't listen. He almost laughed at him. But when Astrid Hofferson came, whole shining with determination and saying she knows how to find the Dragon Nest, he was all ears.

He heard someone coming after him and in the next second, big hand holding jug of water appeared before his face.

"This one is for you," said Gobber and waited for his friend to take the pitcher. But Stoick refused.

"I don't need it. Give it to someone injured."

"Dying from thirst won't help us right now, my friend. In the times like these, people need a leader. They need you." Gobber tried to cheer him up, but failed miserably. Stoick just shook his head.

"They would be all better without me, trust me, Gobber," he told his friend in all seriousness.

"You couldn't know what is going to happen there," opposed the blacksmith, but it didn't change the Chief's mind either.

"No. I didn't," he paused for a second and then added: "But someone else did and I didn't listen to him. I was a fool." He didn't wait for Gobber adding anything else. He took the jug of water from his hand and left his friend standing alone. He thrust the jug into the hands of the first person he met, which was by coincidence Astrid Hofferson.

She accepted the water without the word and went to the part of ship where the injured were laid. She was the fortunate one and stayed alive, even relatively unharmed, if you don't count some minor burns and broken wrist. Her parents... weren't so lucky.

Her mother died in the first wave of attack, smashed down with one of the big paws of the dragon. She didn't even get a chance to fight, it all happed so quickly. And ended just as fast. Her father lasted a little longer. With severe injuries he managed to get to the ship. But he died too, holding just as long as to say goodbye to his beloved daughter.

Practically everyone lost someone. None of Hiccup's classmates from dragon training was spared either.

Astrid's parents. Fishlegs oldest brother. Thorston's twins mother. Dead. Snotlout's father suffered serious injuries and won't be probably walking ever again. List went on and on. Dozens and dozens of dead. Too many injured to count. The biggest battle of Viking's history became the biggest massacre. And it was all his fault.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the black night sky. If he just listened. For once in his life, if he just listened. But he didn't. He banished his own child for telling him the truth.

"I'm sorry for everything, my son."

A/N: This is kind of end of the first part – not of the entire story, though! There is still lots to go, don't worry. However, there will be a small pause in updating, probably about month or so. I'm going to be busy with other things now, so I won't get to writing as often as I would like to.

I wanted to thank to everyone who is reading this story, leaving reviews, adding it to Favorites or Following. It means great deal to me to have some feedback. I hope you will be patient enough to wait for new adventures of Hiccup and Ruffnut and that I'll see you all at the next chapter.

Thank you again and Happy New Year to everyone!

EDIT, 19.1.2015 - Alright, I decided to put the continuation into separate story, so everyone who is interested please look at WHERE NO ONE GOES