Well, guys, here's the final chapter of Milestones. Prepare to be surprised because this involved a pretty big time skip. Enjoy!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD

What the Future Holds (Final Chapter)

Sixteen years after the defeat of Drago Bludvist…

"Uncle El! Uncle El!"

Sixteen-year-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome looked up from his book to see a young girl, 12-years-old, with long black hair running up to him. El smiled as the girl practically tackled him in a hug. The young girl looked up with him with a very unique pair of eyes. The left eye was deep violet in color while the right eye was a rich brown color. The young girl was Gyda Lagertha Fiersome Lothbrok, the youngest child and only daughter of El's big sister Zenna and his Uncle Eret.

El smiled and affectionately ruffled the young girl's hair. "Come on, GyLa, you know I'm too young to be called uncle," he grinned at his niece, using the nickname he and Gyda's older brothers had come up with the day she was born. "Yeah, but you're Mama's brother. So, in terms of family relations, you are my Uncle El," GyLa pointed out. El laughed again, putting away his book.

Gyda Lagertha, or GyLa as she was affectionately called by everyone else, was the spitting image of her mother from head-to-toe. Her eyes were what made almost everyone who met her do a double take. Every now and then, GyLa's unique eyes would be the object of ridicule for her and that sometimes affected her self-confidence. But like her mother, Zenna, GyLa still had tons of confidence to be herself and marched to the beat of her own drum. And whenever she became stubborn, it became apparent that she got most of it from her father, Eret.

"Uncle Hiccup is looking for you. He and everyone else are at the Great Hall," GyLa told El. Nodding El let out a whistle and said, "Hiccup, we're needed, buddy!"

Hiccup, El's Night Fury, trotted out from behind the Fiersome house and wagged his tail. "Did Uncle Hiccup tell you why I need to go see him?" El raised an eyebrow at his niece. GyLa twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and shook her head. "No idea. But Mama and Papa said that it's something serious and they need you with them," she shrugged.

Sighing, El looked up at the sky for a second. As far as he can recall, he didn't really do anything to make his Uncle Hiccup, the Chief of Berk, summon him. Sure there was the time he had experimented in Heather's laboratory without permission and nearly blew the place sky high but it didn't really require a lecture from the Chief…

Deciding to just walk, El nodded. "Thanks, GyLa…By the way, where are your brothers?" he asked. "They're helping Grandpa Gobber in the Armory. I think Stoick and Audrey are there too," GyLa replied. "Well, I gotta go pick up my sword anyway. Later, GyLa," El smiled, ruffling his niece's hair. "Later!" GyLa chirped and went off to pick flowers. El smiled, noticing his big sister Zenna's battle sticks securely strapped to the young girl's back before wondering what could possibly be so serious for the Chief and the council to need him.

"Let's go walking, Hiccup," El grinned, his best friend warbling happily. Hiccup smiled a toothless smile and followed him.

El had grown into a strong, tall lad of sixteen, becoming quite a heartthrob among most of the village girls. His curly black baby hair had naturally flattened out over the years and always looked mussed up but was, admittedly, rather attractive and framed his face pretty well. He had a lean and wiry build but his shoulders were broad and he had a rather decent amount of muscle, gained from years of dragon training, dragon riding and sword fighting with his Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret. El looked exactly like his deceased older brother, Elias, but his gleaming, intelligent violet almond-shaped eyes came from his big sister.

And El was now one of the best Dragon Riders on the island. With Hiccup, Toothless and Stryka's first hatchling, El had risen up to become a true prodigy. His intelligence had time and again been remarked to be on par with Fishlegs', Hiccup's and Zenna's combined and he excelled in, pretty much, everything from blacksmithing, sword fighting, saddle making, dragon training and dragon riding. Truly, El was something else and had grown to become one of the most-respected members of the community.

Walking through the village and saying hello to the people, El noticed Buffnut and Gruffnut, Ruffnut and Fishlegs' fraternal twin boys, perched on one of the roofs of the many houses surrounding the village plaza with a barrel full of water. Seeing that the boys' targets down below were Emily and Matilda, Tuffnut and Olga's daughters, El managed to get Buffnut and Gruffnut's attention with a warning growl from Hiccup.

Buffnut and Gruffnut, both sporting long, blond braided hair, gulped nervously. That's when Emily and Matilda looked up and saw their two cousins about to pull a prank on them! "Buff! Gruff!" Emily, the older of the two girls by one year, screeched at them, pulling at her pigtails indignantly. "When we tell Aunt Ruff and Uncle Fish, you guys are so dead!" Matilda shouted at them. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad!" Buffnut, the slightly chubbier of the two pleaded. "We're already grounded!" Gruffnut groaned, taking off his helmet as a peace offering to the two girls, who had been busy skinning some furs their mother needed for the shop.

"If you don't want your cousins to squeal on you two then I suggest that both of you get off that roof, empty that barrel, return the barrel to wherever you guys found it, and get going before your parents find out," El advised them, Hiccup letting out a snort. "Yes, El…" Buffnut and Gruffnut both said sheepishly and scrambled off the roof, accidentally tipping the barrel over and splashing all of the water on themselves!

Emily and Matilda both giggled as their cousins sloshed back home before turning to El, who had an amused grin on his face. "Thanks, El!" Matilda chirped. "We owe you and Hiccup big time!" Emily smiled. "Don't mention it, girls! Careful with those knives!" El said, referring to the sharp knives the girls were using to skin furs. "We will!" "We can practically skin stuff with our eyes closed!" Emily and Matilda said as El and Hiccup continued on their way.

Making their way to the Dragon Armory, El and Hiccup were greeted by Gobber. "Hi, Grandpa Gobber!" El grinned. "Ah, El! Right on schedule! Stoick, that sword better be well-sharpened, lad!" the old blacksmith hollered. "In a second, Gobber!" Stoick Finn Hofferson-Haddock, Chief Hiccup and Astrid's 13-year-old son, shouted and quickly placed a sword to the grindstone and sharpened it.

Audrey Hofferson Haddock, Stoick's fraternal twin sister, popped out from behind a workbench with a bunch of papers. "Hey, Audrey," El greeted the 13-year-old girl who smiled. "Hi, El," Audrey grinned.

Stoick had inherited Astrid's blonde hair and Hiccup's emerald green eyes. Audrey, on the other hand, had Hiccup's auburn hair that she always tied back in a braid identical to her mother's and had Astrid's blue eyes. They were both dedicated students at the Berk Dragon Training Academy and, being the children of the first-ever Dragon Rider, knew more about dragons than all the other students combined.

Well, next to Zenna and Eret's kids. GyLa was proving to be every bit as knowledgeable as her mother when it came to dragons and how to heal injuries. As for her brothers…

'BOOM!'

Hiccup jumped up in surprise with a startled growl as a huge cloud of smoke belched out from one side of the Armory, which served as the workshop.

El sighed and watched as Helga Jorgenson, Snotlout and Heather's 13-year-old daughter, dash out of the workshop with a flask of some explosive chemical cocktail. "Don't tell my Mom I got this from her lab!" the mischievous girl shouted. "Nope," Audrey shook her head. "Totally ratting you out later," Stoick deadpanned. Helga merely scoffed and ran off before GyLa's brothers, Jason Tadashi and Hiro, came running out.

"Helga! You are officially a huge pain in the neck!" Hiro yelled angrily, adjusting his soot-stained safety goggles on his head. "Aunt Heather will probably deal with her later, brother. Let's just try to reassemble our launcher again," Jason Tadashi sighed, absentmindedly twirling a wrench in his hands.

El had to smile at his two nephews. While GyLa looked like a miniature version of his big sister, Jason Tadashi and Hiro were identical twin brothers that looked like his Uncle Eret. The two boys looked even more alike back when they were still little. Almost everyone had a hard time telling the two apart unless they looked closely at the boys' eyes. Jason Tadashi, or JT as he was more called, had Zenna's deep violet eyes while Hiro had Eret's amber brown eye color. It wasn't until when the Lothbrok Twins turned ten did they decide to make things easier for everyone. At this time, JT had already developed a love for swimming and thought that shorter hair would make it easier for him to see underwater so he had his hair cut short. Hiro, on the other hand, decided to let his hair grow and even tied it back into a thick ponytail so he looked almost like a mini version of his father. Oddly enough, JT was the one that had gotten his father's accent while Hiro and GyLa had Zenna's accent. Whenever somebody asked Zenna or Eret why only one of their three children had acquired a different accent, they'd both just shrug and smile. But if there was one thing the boys had in common, it was tinkering and inventing all sorts of contraptions. Stoick often joined them and, together, those three could create almost anything from new weapons and defense systems to even their own version of Chief Hiccup's flight suit.

Then the Lothbrok Twins glanced over at El and momentarily forgot about Helga's prank. "Hey, El!" Hiro grinned at his uncle. "Helga caused another explosion in the workshop again?" El asked with a knowing smile. "It's the third time this week she's done that. If she tries to blow up the place again, Hiro and I are going to use our security system," JT said seriously. El laughed and, then, Stoick came forward with his sword. It was forged from the toughest Gronckle Iron and had the runes that spelt out, 'Blade of Night' on the blade while the hilt was made to look like a Night Fury's head. El smiled, admiring Stoick's sharpening. This was what everyone called 'The Fury Blade' and was made for him by Chief Hiccup, Eret and Gobber and given to him on his 15th birthday.

"Great work on sharpening as usual, Stoick. Hey, your Dad's summoning me to the Great Hall. Do you and Audrey have any idea why?" El asked the blonde-haired boy. Stoick shook his head. "Nope. All we know is that Mom and Dad have assembled the whole council of Dragon Masters," he replied. "Oh…wait, the Dragon Masters are involved too?" El asked, violet eyes widening. "Yeah. There's Mom, Dad, Dr. Zenna, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Heather, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Olga, Grandma Valka, Grandma Henna, Grandpa Edgar, Gothi…Oh! And Gustav's there as well," Audrey added.

El visibly paled and gulped. If all of the Dragon Masters of Berk were with the council…then it must involve him and Hiccup for sure.

"Holy Shields, I must be in trouble…" El mumbled worriedly. "Oh, don't always expect the worse, El. Maybe you're not in trouble," JT reassured him. "They're probably just gonna remind you not to go into Heather's lab without permission again," Hiro grinned mischievously. "But that was already two weeks ago!" El exclaimed almost exasperatedly. Stoick, Audrey and the Lothbrok Twins merely laughed.

Then Gobber exited the Armory and patted El on the shoulder. "Speaking of the council, I'm part of that. Mind if I join you?" the old blacksmith asked him. "Sure thing, Grandpa Gobber," El smiled. "You four keep an eye on the place. And Stoick, JT, Hiro, the Armory better not be on fire when I return," Gobber reminded the kids, paying close attention to JT, Hiro and Stoick.

"We make no promises," all three boys said in unison while Audrey sighed. Nodding, Gobber had El lead the way to the Great Hall. Opening the doors, Gobber stepped inside and quickly hobbled on over to the council while El and Hiccup lingered in the doorway.

El swallowed as he caught sight of his parents with his big sister and the rest of the council waiting for him. "You don't think we're in trouble, do you, bud?" he whispered to Hiccup. The young Night Fury, son of Toothless and Stryka, merely warbled and shrugged his wings. Sighing, and with his best friend at his side, El walked on over to the council.

Chief Hiccup stood in the very center and looked at El expectantly, waiting for him to speak. "Okay…whatever I did, I am sorry and I won't do it again. And, in my defense, Uncle Hiccup, I cannot control Buff, Gruff and Helga 24/7. I've tried…it didn't end well," El said, knowing that the adults respected him well enough to let him speak first.

Hiccup smiled at his 16-year-old nephew. "Don't worry, El. You're not in trouble," he reassured him. El let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Thor…So, what am I here for?" he asked, confused. "I think I should be the one to explain. If the Chief permits it, of course," Gustav said, stepping forward. "Permission granted, Gustav," Hiccup nodded.

Gustav Larson was now 32-years-old. Having become the leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy at 18, he had officially earned a place in the Dragon Riders' ranks as well as in the Dragon Masters Council. And everyone knew that in order to be a member of the special council, one must be a highly skilled and highly trained Dragon Rider and Dragon Trainer. Looking up, El could see the tapestry depicting Hiccup, Zenna, Astrid, Eret, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut as the founding members of the Dragon Masters Council.

Gustav then cleared his throat, making El focus on him. "As you know, El, the Berk Dragon Training Academy is where all young members of the tribe learn the ways of dragons. The fate of Berk lies in the next generation of Dragon Trainers and Dragon Riders if we are to continue spreading our message of peace between man and dragon all throughout the world. As much as I've enjoyed being the leader of the Academy for 14 years, I believe that it's time to have a new leader for the next generation. So I talked to the Chief and the whole council took a vote on it…"

Gustav then looked right into El's violet eyes and told him, "El, we want you to become the new leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy."

El felt his eyes widen to the size of plates and his jaw dropped open.

"Not bad on the dramatic reveal, Gustav…Not bad…" Snotlout remarked as the young Fiersome gaped at him and the rest of the council. El was still standing there, gaping like a fish, until Hiccup rolled his eyes and swatted him with his wing. "You…you're serious? Me?" El asked nervously. "Like Gustav said, El, we all took a vote. You're the unanimous choice to become the new head of the Academy," Heather told him, smiling. "B-but…I'm 16," El said. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about, love. Your sister was your age when she became leader," Henna told her youngest son gently. "Yeah, co-leader, with Uncle Hiccup…I-I can't manage the entire Academy all by myself!" El said worriedly. "You won't be alone, son. Me, your mother, Zenna and the rest of the council will help you learn the ropes," Edgar reassured him.

El still looked pretty unsure and asked, "Well…what about Stoick and Audrey? They're the Chief's kids so shouldn't they be the ones leading?"

"Stoick and Audrey are really brilliant, yes, but they're both still too young and they still haven't bonded with dragons of their own," Astrid told him gently. Hiccup then chose to speak next. "And, El, there's no doubt that you're one of the most experienced Dragon Riders on Berk. You and Hiccup have been able to do things that Toothless and I haven't even done yet, things that even your sister and Stryka haven't even tried. It only makes sense that you're the perfect choice to become leader of the Academy," he told his nephew. "Gee, Uncle Hiccup, that's really flattering but…" El trailed off, looking down at his boots, and heavily sighed.

Zenna went over to him and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "Okay, bro, tell big sister what's on your mind and why you're having second thoughts?" she asked softly. El looked up at Zenna and sighed. "It's just that…what if I'm not good enough?" he asked, loud enough for the council to hear.

"Now that's just ridiculous!" "A negative percent chance of that!" "Like that could ever happen!" "Highly unlikely." Olga, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut said before Valka and Gobber signaled them to be quiet. "El, dear, we all have faith in you. And my son's right. You're brilliant when it comes to dragons. There's no doubt about it," Valka reassured the young boy. "Sure, every now and then, you'll make a few mistakes but that's all part of learning, lad. Believe me, your Uncle Hiccup had to make a lot of mistakes to get where he is now," Gobber said jokingly, making Heather and Astrid laugh along with the rest of the council.

"Thank you, Gobber, for pointing that out," Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What we're all saying, El, is that you can do it. Even as a baby, all of us could see that you had the potential," Eret told his nephew, smiling proudly. "The potential for what?" El asked, confused. Zenna smiled and gently patted her little brother's head. "The potential to become someone great and who is a friend to all dragons. We know you have what it takes, El. We believe in you," she told him gently.

Letting the council's words sink in, El mulled it over for a bit. Finally, he looked at Gustav and nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best," he said, his family beaming with pride at him.

Gothi and Gustav then went over to him. Gustav took off his medallion, a silver one with the crest of the Berk Dragon Training Academy engraved on it, and handed it to Gothi who, in turn, placed it around El's neck. "When you wear that medallion, Elias II Stoick Fiersome, you carry the hopes of the new generation of Berk's Dragon Riders and Dragon Trainers. Do us proud, kid," Gustav told El and smiled at him. Smiling, El nodded and looked at the medallion around his neck.

He was now officially the new leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy…

"I'll do you, Mama, Papa and big brother Eli proud, sis. I promise," El looked up at Zenna and grinned. Zenna smiled and gently kissed El's forehead. "You already have, El…You always will," Zenna smiled at him, feeling nothing but pride for her dear baby brother.

Ta-da! Little El's not so little anymore and has become the new leader of the next generation of Dragon Riders :D

And, if you guys are somewhat confused on the names…here's a little list for y'all.

Hiccup – firstborn son of Toothless and Stryka. Named after Chief Hiccup and El's dragon

Stoick Finn Hofferson-Haddock (13) & Audrey Hofferson Haddock (13) – Hiccup and Astrid's kids. Fraternal twins

Jason Tadahi Fiersome Lothbrok (14), Hiro Fiersome Lothbrok (14) & Gyda Lagertha Fiersome Lothbrok (12) – Zenna and Eret's kids. JT and Hiro are identical twin brothers. How the brothers got their names…spoiler for a crossover in the future ;)

Helga Jorgenson (13) – Snotlout and Heather's daughter

Buffnut & Gruffnut Thorston – fraternal twin sons of Ruffnut and Fishlegs

Emily Thorston (13) & Matilda Thorston (12) – daughters of Tuffnut and Olga

Yes, I've already envisioned the next generation. Feel free to make any predictions about the kids. Who knows? I might make a story about them someday.

Until then…read and review and stay cool ;)

-GuardianDragon98