A meeting of the tribe leaders always meant serious business. Whenever there was a dispute over territory, a scuffle between tribe members, or a need to dissuade war (which was often) a meeting was called. They used to hold them on an Island known as Skrill's Peak, but had to change after the Screaming Death had pretty much destroyed the land mass.

It had then been agreed upon that they would meet at 'Meeting Mound', a considerably smaller island Hiccup and the others had come across while going back and forth between Berk and Dragon's Edge. Its position was reasonably close enough for all of the tribe leaders to sail there. All of them took smaller ships, just so nobody could sneak in any troops for an ambush.

They were all allowed two guards with them. Hiccup almost always brought Snotlout and Fishlegs. The former because he was the second in command, and a great fighter. The latter because he was knowledgeable on both dragons and other tribes. Most of the others brought their second in commands as well, and depending on the situation an advisor or negotiator.

The boat hit the shore and Hiccup stood up and stretched his arms. "Uh, hate riding on those smalls boats. So slow, and cramped…" Part of the agreement was also that no Dragons were allowed. Some of the tribes still hadn't grown accustomed to them, and feared death from above from the scaly creatures.

Snotlout cracked his neck as he and Fishlegs stepped onto the beach. "Let's just get this over with. I hate these things. There so… formal." He grunted.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. There was hardly anything formal about these meetings. Things did get resolved for the most part, but there was a lot of yelling, shouting, and sometimes even fist fights. It was a wonder war hadn't broken out already. "This meeting is going to be different though." Fishlegs said.

"Different how?" Snotlout asked.

"This isn't just you're typical territory dispute. This is something… world changing. I mean, random people come from an unknown far away land with an offer of friendship. This could warp so much. We thought dragons becoming our allies was the most insane thing we'd see. But these people have tools and materials we've never even conceived were possible before."

Hiccup nodded. "On the other hand, we can't tell the real intent of these people. You know how stuck some of the other tribe leaders are in their traditions. If Camicazi hadn't taken over the Burglars they'd still be avoiding dragons." He said as they made their way into the cave. "It'll be a heated meeting this time around, that's for sure."

The next few minutes they walked in silence. When they got to the end of the tunnel they saw a large round table. The other leaders were all already sitting around it, each of their guards on their left and right. "Well well, look who decided to show up fashionably late, again."

Hiccup smirked towards Camicazi. They were some of the younger tribe leaders. And when you were surrounded by stubborn old geezers stuck in their old ways, it was nice to have some younger more relatable leaders to back you sometimes. "Well, you know me."

"We certainly do." Another of the younger leaders, Thuggory said. "Now that we're all assembled, can we get this meeting started? I think we all know the urgency of this matter." Everyone nodded in agreement as Hiccup took his seat. "The outsiders. Should we trust them?"

Mavrick, one of the older leaders, grunted. "I don't think so. Why should we bother giving these strangers a chance to stab us in the back?" He asked crossing his arms.

Strangle, the eldest tribe leader, stroked his beard. "Or maybe they are sincere." He pointed out. "If so, not only do we gain an ally against potential threats, but we have an opportunity to gain access to all sorts of new resources."

"But what if these people ARE a potential threat. I assumed they explained their idea to all of us. They want a representative from one of our tribes. Who's to say they won't kidnap said representative and use them as leverage?" Thuggory questioned.

"To try to use a representative from ONE of our tribes as leverage would be foolish. At most that would cause one tribe to hesitate. The rest of us wouldn't hesitate to go to war, and we know it." Camicazi said bluntly.

That was true enough. Alliance or not, not a single tribe would hesitate just because someone from another tribe was in danger. Not unless they had strong ties with said tribe, which few did. "I think we should take up their offer." Hiccup said.

"You would." Mavrick muttered.

"This isn't like dealing with the dragons Hiccup. These are not animals who can be tamed. Their people. People who clearly have their own agenda. We shouldn't just trust them blindly." Thuggory said. As friendly as he was with Hiccup, he had no qualms voicing his opinion.

"If these people are claiming to offer peace, we have a responsibility to our tribes to strive towards that peace." Hiccup said. "What if declining is seen as an insult? What if we lose out on valuable land and resources because we were too stubborn to accept this? If they really have ill intentions for us, then war is most likely be inevitable. But on the chance they're sincere, we should act now."

Mavrick scowled. "Okay, I can see your argument Haddock. But let's say we take them up on their offer. Who's going to represent us? It'd have to be someone influential. Not just some average village idiot. Sending one of our own could end up being like sending a yak to slaughter. So why should we risk one of our own tribesmen so-"

"I'll go." Hiccup said cutting him off. "That way there's no risk to any of the other tribes."

There was silence for a few moments, everyone musing over the idea. They knew he was right. Had this been a trap, then only Hiccup would be lost. It would be his tribe's problem to deal with, not theirs. If it wasn't, then he was the best person to send anyway. His diplomatic skills were the best among them. He'd been a big part in putting together these meetings to begin with.

Strangle nodded. "If young Haddock agrees to it, then I have no qualms. Young as he may be, he has shown wise judgement in the past. I will follow his lead."

"While I don't have this old coot's faith in our young volunteer here, there's no risk to my tribe, so I'm not going to argue." Mavrick said.

"You're the most diplomatic here. Obvious choice." Camicazi agreed.

Thuggory nodded. "If everyone is agreement then I don't see any reason to argue. Good luck my friend."

"I suppose we're all in agreement then?"

"I have no arguments."

"The lava louts agree."

The other tribe chiefs all gave their agreement. So long as they weren't at risk, they didn't really care. "Alright then, good luck to you Haddock… I don't mean the diplomatic mission, I mean explaining it to Astrid." Camicazi said smirking. Hiccup grew wide eyed. He'd forgotten about that. He hadn't told Astrid about this because… well, he just thought of it now.

It wasn't the whole doing something dangerous thing she'd be mad about. But it'd be the volunteering without speaking with her. Snotlout and Thuggory both covered their mouths to keep from bursting out with laughter. Even the other Tribe leaders were wearing good natured smirks on their faces. Tribe leaders or not, the majority of them had wives of their own, and they knew not to cross that line.

The rest of the meeting went as usual. They discussed trivial little things. Land disputes, trades, and just boring nonsense. After the meeting was dismissed, they all made their way towards their ships. Everyone wished Hiccup good luck on his mission as they left, most of them genuinely meaning it, and some of them out of obligation.

"You know Astrid is going to kill you when she finds out right?" Snotlout said as they made their way out of the entrance. "She got pissed at you for trying to leave her behind on the ship. You think she's going to let you go to a whole different part of the world?"

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I'm sure once I explain the situation to her she'll be understanding. Besides. I'm the chief of the tribe, and I made a call. She's just going to have to respect that." He said trying to look confident. Both Snotlout and Fishlegs shared a glance. "But… don't tell her I said that last part."

"Course not chief." Fishlegs said trying to hide his amusement.

Hiccup smiled nervous towards his fiancé. Astrid looked down at him, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed. "So let me get this straight. In the heat of the moment, you volunteered to go on a diplomatic mission to a foreign land, one which we're not even sure we can trust, and it never crossed your mind that I'd have a problem with that?"

"Astrid, like I said, it just happened. I mean, I saw an opportunity and I jumped. What was I supposed to do? Say 'Oh, let me go ask if my wife will be cool with me going first'?"

Valka shook her head and chuckled. "Something told me this exact thing would happen. I just couldn't imagine a decision like this getting passed without YOU being the one to go."

Astrid sighed and rubbed her temples. "You know she's right. I figured this would happen. But the fact that I knew doesn't make it any less stressful. When are we supposed to be leaving?" She asked.

"We?"

Astrid glared at him again. "Wait, were you planning on going by yourself?" She asked dangerously.

Yes. "No, no. Of course not." He said holding his hands up. "It's just… I think you're more needed here is all." He knew it was kind of hypocritical to be worried about her going deep into unknown territory when he'd just literally volunteered to do it, but he was.

"Hiccup, you are NOT going alone."

"I know! I know!" Hiccup said. "It's just that mom can't leave. With me gone, she's the only one who they could go to for any dragon related issues. And you have the school to teach. The kids and the baby dragons need you there watching over them. We can't leave them to the twins."

Astrid knew exactly what he was doing. So did Valka. But he did have a point. The kids were in a very important part of both their dragon and warrior training. The twins did well enough with the dragon side of things, but warrior wise they were not teachers. Their idea of teaching was handing them weapons and saying 'go at it'.

"So, who you going to take with you then?" Astrid asked expectantly.

Hiccup froze for a moment. "Uh… Snotlout."

Snotlout, who'd been off to the side taking a gulp of ale did a spit take. "I'm sorry! Who? For a second I thought you said Snotlout? But I must have been hearing things!" Astrid said in disbelief. "You want to bring him on a diplomatic mission?! Are you serious?!"

"Uh… yeah." Hiccup said. "He's my second in command. Next in line to lead the tribe. He carries a fair amount of political weight. His responsibilities could be split up between the two of you and Legs. Plus, you guys think I should have somewhere there to watch my back. He's also a skilled warrior, so if things get messy then we can fight our way out."

Snotlout was the next to speak up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You said I was one of the worst political negotiators you've ever seen! And you were right!" Snotlout said. "Take Fishlegs, he can fight… well enough… somewhat…" They all kept staring at him.

While Fishlegs was probably the greatest choice aside from Hiccup as a diplomat, he was no warrior. If it came down to a fight he could hold his own, but he lacked a certain instinct. An instinct Hiccup and the twins had managed to gain through training, and one which Astrid and Snotlout had seemed to be born with. "Gah, fine!"

"See, I got Snotlout watching my back I'll be fi… fine. I'm sorry it was just really funny finishing that sentence." He said shaking his head. It wasn't as if he couldn't rely on his cousin, they had plenty of times before, but they typically weren't each other's first options.

Astrid groaned. "You two are dead." She said running her hand over her face. "Why Hiccup? Seriously, why? Why do you always have to be the one to do dangerous things? Why do you always need to put your own neck on the line! There's DOZENS of other people we could send in your place! So why you?!"

Hiccup looked a bit taken aback by the outburst. He would have made a witty comeback, but he could tell from that stressed look on her face that this was serious. "Because someone has to Astrid." He said. "I don't want to send someone else to do it. I don't want to put someone else in danger. I'm the chief. I'm supposed to protect the tribe. That's what I'm doing."

Astrid opened her mouth to respond, but then sighed and shook her head. She turned and walked out, leaving the others in the great hall. There was an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Someone's in the dragon keep…" Snotlout muttered.

Hiccup had sent a Terrible Terror to the ship with a message of acceptance, and the next day he and Snotlout were ready to ship out. They'd send a smaller boat towards the island to pick them up and bring them back to the main ship, but Hiccup had insisted they could just fly there since their dragons wouldn't fit.

The whole village had come to see them off. Everyone was at the docks as Hiccup gave some last minute instructions to Fishlegs and Gobber. His mother obviously didn't mean any advice on dragons, and Astrid was… he didn't think she was in a talking mood right now.

"On behalf of my country, I'm honored you've accepted our invitation Mr. Haddock." Ned said.

"Well, I'm not one to turn down any offer for peace." Hiccup said smiling. "And the chocolate really helped to win me over. Seriously delicious stuff."

Ned chuckled. "I'll get a few crates full together for you to bring back here. I suppose I'll head back to the ship now, since you're flying and all. Wouldn't want the others trying to shoot you own again. Their good men, but those bastards get a little trigger happy sometimes."

Hiccup waved him off. "Aw, we're Vikings. We're born trigger happy."

Ned laughed again before heading back to his boat. Hiccup looked back towards everyone and waved. "We'll be back in a bit everyone!"

"Try not to burn the place down while we're gone!" Snotlout shouted.

There was laughter at that comment. "Like you're one to talk!" Someone shouted back.

Hiccup looked towards Astrid, who was walking towards him. As mad as she was, Hiccup was still her fiancé, and she wasn't just going to let him leave without saying anything to him. "So, it's time for you to go huh?"

"Astrid, I know you don't want me to do this, it's a just diplomatic mission. In all likeliness it's not going to come to a fight. I got a gut feeling these people really do want to make peace." He said walking up to her. He grabbed her hand. "You might not trust them, but trust me. I'll be fine. Back without a hair on my head out of place, and ready to wed."

The blonde kept staring at him. She really wished she could talk him out of this. She didn't know whether these people wanted peace or not, but she couldn't help but feel something… something bad was going to happen. But the way she was looking at her right now. That look that he was determined to do something stupid and crazy.

"Not a hair out of place." She warned. "I mean it. Not a single strand. And Odin help you if you end up late for the wedding."

"Viking's Honor." He said raising his hand.

She rolled her eyes. "Right, because we both know you hold that in such high regards." She said before walking over to Toothless. "You make sure you bring my husband home safe and sound Toothless. We both know how much trouble he gets in to, so I'm counting on you to watch his back." She said rubbing his snout.

The black dragon gave out a groan and nodded dutifully. Valka walked over to Hiccup and kissed his forehead. "You come back safe son. And you just be on your best behavior down there. Remember, you're the example for the rest of us."

"I know mom." Hiccup said hugging her. "I'll be back soon. Promise."

He mounted Toothless, and Snotlout jumped onto Hookfang. They gave one last wave to the tribe before taking off into the air. The two flew towards the ship, the rest of the tribe watching and waving them off. Astrid looked up at them sadly. She knew she shouldn't be worried about this. Hiccup had done much more dangerous things. This was kind of silly really.

But she was. She couldn't explain why. Maybe because this was so much different than what they usually dealt with. Maybe because she wouldn't be there to watch his back this time. "I know exactly how you feel dear. Having a reckless husband who's always doing dangerous and sometimes downright stupid things can be taxing." Valka said.

Astrid looked towards the older woman. She'd kind of found a mother figure in Valka since she'd came back to the tribe. She was strong, a warrior, a master of dragons. Most female Vikings saw her as a role model to be honest. But for Astrid there was something else there as well. She was the only other woman on the island who knew how to deal with a Haddock male.

The only women on the island who knew what it was like to be married to a chief. Valka likewise saw her as a daughter figure. Someone who'd been in a similar situation as her, and who clearly cared deeply for her son. "How do you get over it?" Astrid asked.

Valka laughed. "Sweetie, you never get over it. He's fiancé. Soon to be husband. You love him don't you?" She asked.

"O-of course I do." Astrid said blushing.

"Then you're perfectly allowed to worry. I worried about Stoick all the time. I always knew whenever he'd left, he'd make it back. He always did. But I still always worried. Hiccup has a Nightfury with him and I still worry. We can't stop worrying for the people we care about. We can only learn how to deal with that worry."

The blonde nodded. That made sense. Now that she thought about it, there really wasn't any way she could see herself not worrying for Hiccup or her friends. That would basically be not caring. "So how do you deal with this?" Astrid asked.

"By having faith." Valka said simply. "Believe that he'll be able to handle himself and come back to you. That's really all you can do."

Believe that he'll come back. That he'd come back to her. "I can do that."

A hooded figure sat in the middle of the forest, sharpening a dagger. She looked annoyed. Very annoyed. The old hag had gone out of her way to summon her here. She could have at least come on time. "Stupid ole witch…" She muttered.

Suddenly, a crow flew down and crashed into the tree beside her before falling to the ground. She sighed and then looked down towards the bird. "Why hello there stupid. Ah assume this means the old could nae make it?" She asked.

The bird jumped up to its feet and looked towards her. It was carrying something in its mouth. It looked like it was some kind of bottle. She reached down and plucked it from its mouth. She hated then she got messages like this. What was wrong with just writing something down? She threw the bottle against the ground, where it broke.

The gaseous contents of the bottle spilled out and rose into the air. It formed a small cloud in front of her, and an old woman's face appeared within the smoke. "Hello there dearie." The woman greeted with a toothy smile. "Ah'm sorry ah could nae make it, but ah needed to deliver a message to ye as soon as possible."

"Ah've seen some very dangerous things in the future. Some events tha will lead to disastrous results are beginning to unfold. Normally ah wouldn't bother ye with this since it's ah bit of a trip from here. But ah've never sensed danger this strong before. Yer intervention, as well as others, will be necessary to keep this threat at bay."

She raised an eyebrow. Others? Was the old woman serious? She'd never had to work with others before. She'd always been able to handle any threats by herself. Working with others was never her strong suit. And did she say out of her way? Where in the world was she talking about? She had access to all of Europe.

"Pack yer bags dearie. Yer headed fer the states."

The hooded woman smiled. "Now things are sounded interestin'. What am ah doin'?"

"Believe me dearie. Ye'll know when ye get there." It was always creepy how these messages had always answered her questions. Sometimes she wondered if she was talking directly to her and the witch was just pretending to be a recording. "Just follow the trouble. It's what ye do best."

She scowled as the last comment, and the cloud suddenly dispersed. "Well then. Ah suppose ah'll jist have to wing it." She said jumping up. She pulled out a bow. "Still, sounds fun."

A/N: Alright! Got out chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it. I had writers block for a long time. I've been having it for a lot of my stories lately. But I'm working through it, one chapter at a time.

So, Hiccup is on his way to the USA, along with Snotlout. I only wanted two of them to go, not the whole group. Otherwise that could just lead to one big mess. So I just went with Snotlout since I like him better than Fishlegs.

I'm sure most of you can guess who the woman at the end was. Things are will start kicking off next chapter. So remember to leave a review and tell me what you think. I really wanna hear some feedback from you guys!