A/n: Alright, dear readers! Here you go, the last chapter of this story. I know it was a very long time since the last update, but you know, life gets in the way and some things took precedence more so than others. Now, I could go and list the numerous reasons why I hadn't updated in a long time, but my personal life is the farthest thing you dear readers are interested in so I'm not gonna do that. If anything, I'll leave you with the reason because I felt very drained in those months. Anyway, enough of that! I got someone to give special thanks to! Can you guess who it is?! It's PaperGirlInAPaperTown (or papers, if you like it short)! She helped me bring you this chapter, and it has been a pleasure working with her!

With that done, I would also like to tell you dear readers something else. If you read the entirety of this story, you'd know about the three part chapter "Venture to the Sea of Piracy". Well, consider that retconned (hey look at that, my first retcon). After reading it over multiple times, I might as well die from the cringe. I was too influenced by *cough*anime*cough*, and it seemed too much like I was pandering to my sappy self, and an excuse to use Camicazi's character, so I decided to delete it once I post this chapter. I might reboot it as a separate story in the future, who knows.

Anyway, now that I got all I needed to say out of the way, ENJOY!

It had been four days since Fishlegs had brought a grievously wounded Hiccup into the village; four days since the news had been revealed to the entire village; four days since Stoick had stayed in his house in favour of watching over Hiccup's recovery; and four days before Fishlegs, along with his friends, had been called over to the Great Hall by Stoick to hear their take on this event.

Standing before the village council with a hundred eyes on him, Fishlegs had never felt true dread before this moment.

"How did this happen?"

Fishlegs shifted nervously under Stoick's scrutinizing gaze, feeling very uncomfortable. He wasn't alone in that thought. The rest of his friends did as well. "C-chief, I can—"

"Can what, lad?" Stoick's sharp tone made Fishlegs realize how short the man's fuse was. He couldn't blame him, though.

"I can explain... all this," Fishlegs meekly stated while making circular motions with his hands, mentally choosing the right words to use for his explanation.

He could never understand how Hiccup could find the courage to talk like a trader in situations like these, let alone trust himself not to become tongue-tied. He didn't exactly know what had happened himself, but it was obvious that it was a rather grizzly event, considering Hiccup's leg needed to be amputated to make sure he lived. He was glad he'd made the decision to make Ms. Valka stay behind at the Cove; otherwise he would've had to deal with a rightfully angry mother.

And if he were to take his own mother for an example, that was something he'd rather not deal with right now.

"Tell me then, lad. How did my son lose his leg?" The tone of Stoick's voice only made Fishlegs more nervous.

"Y-you see, we were out in the forest and—"

"It was the Night Fury!" Fishlegs turned his head as Snotlout shouted.

"... Night Fury?" Stoick growled. Sparing a glance at his expression gave Fishlegs the impression that the man wasn't amused. At all.

"We don't know for sure, Snotlout," Fishlegs said, attempting to shut down the Jorgenson boy as he felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. "It could be—"

"What else could've gotten him in that stupid forest?!" Snotlout turned to him with a glare. "We know there's a Night Fury loose in that forest! We should've killed it right from the start!"

Fishlegs looked around and saw the others nodding in agreement. This was bad. If Stoick believed Snotlout's words, then they'd form a search party to hunt down the dragon in vengeance. That would also mean that Ms. Valka and the rest of the dragons in the Cove would be in danger.

As would Hiccup, and Fishlegs himself by association.

Fishlegs opened his mouth to speak. "I—"

"So..." Unfortunately, the inquisitive tone in Stoick's voice had killed off whatever words that could have formed on Fishlegs' tongue. "You think there's a Night Fury—a dragon that no one has ever seen before—loose in the forest."

"Chief, we saw it with our own eyes," Snoutlout protested. "Believe me, when Hiccup said he managed to down a Night Fury, none of them believed it either."

Astrid coughed, which was soon followed by the twins imitating her.

"Okay, I didn't believe it either." Snotlout rolled his eyes before continuing. "But it's true! It was black as the night sky, it had those scary green eyes, it was...! Well, it was actually quite small for a dragon."

While Snotlout prattled, Fishlegs delved deeper into his thoughts to form a plan. With the added witnesses of Astrid, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut, the chances of the chief believing them were very likely. Especially if—

"And what about you, Fishlegs? Do you think a Night Fury did this to my son?"

Fishlegs gulped. His options were limited. Whatever he could say to deny what appeared to be an insurmountable fact would only reflect poorly on him, and cause more trouble in the long run. He hoped Hiccup wouldn't take this the wrong way.

"I... Yes, I think the Night Fury did it."

Stoick was silent. It wasn't a contemplative silence, nor was it awkward. Rather, it was a tense silence that felt like hiding from a scary dragon and hoping it didn't find you. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"Gather a search party! We're not stopping until I have that dragon's head on a platter!"

The hall quickly flew abuzz with activity and noise. Vikings shouted and pounded their fists onto the table while others stood up and rushed out the door(presumably to get their weapons).

Fishlegs had never run so fast in his life as he headed towards the forest.

-0-

Earlier

Valka was a patient woman; and patience, as she had learned, could be a powerful tool when used correctly. It was patience that let her gain the trust of even the most apprehensive of dragons. It was patience that revealed to her things that others missed. And it was patience that allowed her to last this long against the power-hungry Drago Bludvist.

Well, that and perseverance, boldness, and quick thinking—but that was beside the point.

But alas, even if she were to allow herself to believe that she had long since abandoned any ties to her humanity (metaphorically speaking, of course), she was still that: human, along with all its many faults.

Temptation—sweet, addictive, delicious temptation. One such temptation right now just so happened to be her precious son, so helpless and miserable in his bed, and guarded by none other than his father—Stoick.

How long had it been since she last saw her husband— that man's—face? How long had it been since she had seen him at all, in her mind and in her dreams?

A long time ago—so long that even the faintest of memories seemed like a dream, a mere construct of her mind.

Unbeknownst to Stoick, she too had been watching. Perched upon the roof of what was once her home, she watched diligently, only stopping when the sun came up. At first light, she would retreat back to the Cove with Cloudjumper. There she waited for a sign. Something to show her that Hiccup still lived.

Four days had passed, and today was perhaps a gift from the gods.

Movement. It was slight, subtle, and almost inconsequential, but it was movement nonetheless. Hiccup had shifted, and opened his eyes before closing them. It was enough to send Stoick to action, carefully standing up and marching out the door with a determined look.

It was when Valka no longer heard the footsteps of Stoick that she too threw herself into action. From one of the open hatches of the roof, she dropped down quietly, and made her way to Hiccup's bed. She stared at her son, watching the slow, heavy rise and fall of his chest. She reached out a hand and gently stroked the sides of his face.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I really am. I should've... I don't even know what I should've done, but I know I should've tried to keep you safe. Now look at you." As she talked, Hiccup made no indication he was listening.

Valka turned away from Hiccup and inspected the room. She spotted a weapon rack where a sheathed sword and an interesting looking shield lay unused. There was also a table. What caught her attention were the numerous trinkets sprawled across it in an organized mess; an hourglass (she recognized it as being similar to her own personal one that she kept around), a journal and charcoal pencil, sketches upon sketches of numerous contraptions (some of which appeared to be weapons), and—Valka stifled a gasp. She recognized it immediately. How could she not? It was the stuffed dragon doll that she had made for her son in hopes of having him share her view of dragons, if not at least allow some form of compassion to enter his heart should he ever see dragons in a negative light. She reached out to it and gently took it within her arms, inspecting the wear and tear of its condition, likely to have been caused by age. She could still see the stitched name of her son on both sides of the doll.

"Is this why you befriended them, Hiccup? You thought you could find some form of companionship with dragons because of how people treated you?" Valka asked, though she knew she wouldn't receive a reply.

She shook her head. Valka could think about all of this at a later date when Hiccup was awake. She spied a satchel hanging at the side of the table and took it. Surely, Hiccup would appreciate it. She grabbed all the things she could stuff inside the satchel and hung it on her shoulders before turning to look at her son.

She had made her decision.

-0-

At the Forest, With Fishlegs

Fishlegs had finally reached the Cove, panting and drenched in sweat like a Viking thrown overboard. He took a moment to catch his breath and squeezed through the narrow opening.

"Miss Valka! Are you here?!" He froze in place when he found that there were... a lot of dragons compared to the last time he was there. He found himself stuttering as numerous eyes narrowed down on him. He took a step back, and was about to let out a scream when he heard the sound of large, heavy wing beats and saw Cloudjumper land.

Valka turned to look at him. "Fishlegs? What are you doing here?"

"Wha—?!" Fishlegs fell back. He then noticed something, or rather someone, in Valka's arms. "Is—is that Hiccup? W-why do you have him?"

Valka glanced at the boy in her arms, then stared back at him. Fishlegs couldn't tell what expression the woman had, considering she was wearing her mask. "Take care of yourself, Fishlegs," she said before glancing at Cloudjumper. The Stormcutter nodded before flapping its wings and taking to the sky.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Fishlegs shouted. The Night Fury roared at the retreating duo before barking at the dragons around him. Then, it sauntered over to what appeared to be a large tattered cloth and laid down on it. Four Gronckles went and picked up the ends of the cloth, and lifted it into the air. "Hey!" Fishlegs called again. "Where are you all going?!"

His words fell on deaf ears as dragons all around took flight, and followed after the four Gronckles that carried the Night Fury. Fishlegs could only stare and wonder what was going to happen next.

-0-

With Stryker

Stryker hissed in discomfort as he tried not to squirm too much. It was already humiliating enough that he had to be carried like a sack of food; he'd rather not cause more problems for the four Gronckles carrying him.

The last four days had been quite hectic for the Night Fury. After discovering his possession of the Connection of Monarchs, he had been working nonstop to learn everything there was to know about it.

It was a very weird first day for him, though it would explain why he was able to stand up against the Tyrant as many times as he did.

Not to mention there had been the task of convincing the more traditionally minded dragons to not throw a ceremony celebrating his new status, which was harder than it sounded. All of this to establish himself as the next monarch to rule them, alongside the human—Hiccup.

Stryker worked without end, and the days quickly went by. He didn't stop, mostly because he needed to secure a form of stability with the other dragons. In the wake of the Tyrant's death, there were many dragons that were still reeling from the effects of their Connection being forcibly controlled, and so he took it upon himself to help those dragons to heal from the ordeal.

But when, after four days, Stryker saw the human, Valka, suddenly take off with Cloudjumper while carrying Hiccup in her arms, he had been rendered shocked. He couldn't let his only way of getting back into the air and fellow ruler be taken away from him.

"Hey! Where are we going?!" he barked at the Stormcutter flying ahead of them.

The large dragon looked back. "Valka and I are going back to the sanctuary. The question is: where are you going? You have no reason to follow us."

Stryker looked away. "I need that human. I can't fly on my own without him," he said, and held his breath as the Stormcutter scrutinized him with a suspicious stare. While it was true, that wasn't the whole reason. For Hiccup served a far greater purpose than just his an aid to his flight. But Stryker preferred to keep that information to himself.

Cloudjumper stared at him. Stryker gulped nervously, but told the Gronckles carrying him to follow the Stormcutter nonetheless. He heard Cloudjumper snort, muttering something he couldn't quite hear. The dragons, and human, continued their flight in silence afterwards.

Later, the dragons arrived at a frozen wasteland. There was no sign of land as it was covered by a thick, icy mist. Due to being carried within the confines of a large cloth, his view was limited, so he had to peek his head out a bit to view his surroundings. But when he did, he immediately regretted it, letting out an undignified yelp and huddling closer, as to make him feel somewhat safer. He really wanted to be able to fly right about now, and hoped that the four Gronckles carrying him didn't accidentally drop him.

When Stryker finally calmed somewhat to peek his head out of the cloth again, he saw a large icy mountain with spikes curving upwards. The dragons went inside and suddenly his view was replaced with solid rock that seemed far too smooth to be natural.

They approached a cavern and the cloth that Stryker resided in was placed onto the ground, allowing him to move freely once more. Stryker looked around and saw numerous dragons—some of which he recognized, but most of them were completely new to him. They peered at him curiously, taking in every bit of detail they could make out of him.

Stryker was not too pleased with so many eyes staring at him. He bared his teeth in a snarl at them, causing the dragons to recoil back in surprise, but their curiosity took place again.

Cloudjumper approached him, but he couldn't see the human woman carrying Hiccup anywhere. "If you and the other dragons are going to stay here, you should follow me. There's someone you should meet."

Stryker looked back at the dragons that were with him, looking for an answer among them. They nodded reassuringly, and told him to follow the Stormcutter.

Stryker had no idea he was about to come face to face with a King.

-0-

Had Stryker been a less dignified dragon, he would have been seen gawking with his jaw left open at every little detail of the sanctuary before him. That was the right word for it; a sanctuary. A safe and peaceful haven where every dragon that lived there had nothing short of a happy life; a complete contrast to how dragons lived under the Tyrant's rule. It was flowing with both plant life and countless dragons as far as he could see, in that it was almost mythical to the mind, and Stryker was struck with awe as his eyes wandered from left to right to take in every little detail he could find. It was fantastic, it was beautiful, it was—!

Something started gnawing at his tail.

Stryker yelped in surprise, jumping slightly before bringing his tail forward to see a tiny hatchling chewing at it (unsuccessfully, of course). He snorted before flicking his tail to shake the hatchling off, which then immediately scurried off back to its friends.

"We're here," Cloudjumper said, raising a wing to stop Stryker. "Great King! I have returned!" the Stormcutter announced. When Stryker turned his gaze on what the larger dragon was looking at, he felt his heart skip a beat.

There, resting upon a large body of water was massive dragon that seemed to rival, perhaps even excel, the Tyrant in size. Its upper body, and most especially its forehead, was adorned with spines; it had two large tusks protruding from the sides of its head; but it didn't seem to have large wings like the Tyrant (not that it lessened the intimidation factor, though).

And that was all Stryker could see from here. Who knew what else the large dragon had in store, hidden by the body of water it was resting on?

The large dragon opened its eyes and slowly rose from the water to turn and look at them, causing Stryker to unconsciously lean back. "Cloudjumper. Welcome back." The dragon's voice was loud, but it was gentle and almost soothing, unlike that of the Tyrant, who was grating and invasive with each sound.

Cloudjumper bowed. "I apologize for being away too long, Great King. We had some complications along the way."

The large dragon chuckled. "There is nothing to be sorry about, Cloudjumper. You didn't miss much. Also, how many times have I told you to stop being so stiff all the time with me?"

Cloudjumper laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. Old habits."

The large dragon then turned its attention to Stryker. "And who have you brought with you? A young Night Fury? I have only ever heard tales of your kind."

Stryker didn't bow, but he lowered his head in respect at least. "Gr—Greetings, Great K—King." He cursed himself for stuttering. "I am Stryker the Night Fury, a recent bearer of the Monarch's Connection."

The large dragon rumbled. "A young Night Fury and a fellow Monarch? You surely have picked up an interesting dragon, Cloudjumper," he said to the Stormcutter.

"I would like to make a request!" Stryker shouted, stopping himself from quivering at his bold move. "I and the dragons that follow me are without a Nest to call our own, and I humbly request that we be allowed to stay in yours!" He paused a bit as he felt the stares of both Cloudjumper and the large dragon on him. "We won't be a burden, of course! We could gather food, and we could fight anyone, be it dragon or human!"

It was all he could offer.

Stryker waited for their response with eyes closed and baited breath while lightly quivering. Then, he felt a wave of calm wash over him through the Connection. His body lost all the tension that had gathered, and he no longer felt his heart pounding in his ears.

"Young Night Fury, you ask of me to accept you and your dragons in exchange for your service, and yet you quiver at the very thought of servitude," the large dragon said, staring down at him. "Tell me then, how did you come to bear your Connection of the Monarchs?"

"I..." Stryker gulped heavily. "We were slaves of a Tyrant, Great King. All we have ever known was to attack and hunt food for it."

"A despicable act by a disgraceful dragon, but an unfortunate reality," the large dragon said, nodding sadly.

"Through reasons unknown, I was the only one who could stand up against the Tyrant," Stryker continued. "Hailed by the most hapless of dragons as their liberator, I took on my mission to free my fellows. But I could only wait and bide my time, waiting for an opportunity to strike. That time had come, and I somehow gained my Monarch's Connection."

"Hm," the large dragon rumbled in thought, digesting the story Stryker had given it. "Do you know why I built this sanctuary, young Night Fury?"

"To... be your Nest?" Stryker asked, though he wasn't sure how this related to his request.

"Not only that, but I built this Sanctuary with the purpose of giving home to the unfortunate," the large dragon replied. "Dragons who were enslaved, not by tyrants, but by humans. Those dragons were scarred, beaten, and broken. But in here, they have a chance to heal. I believe your flock can have a chance here, like the others I have taken in."

Stryker perked up. "Does... Does this mean we can stay?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course, young Night Fury. For as long as you need." the large dragon nodded.

"T-thank you! I—!"

Two things assaulted his senses at once; a loud scream and his Connection flaring with panic. Stryker wasted no time and rushed towards the source of the scream. When he arrived, he saw the human, Valka, hunched over Hiccup, who looked like he was trying to both get away and hide himself with his arms.

Assuming the worst, Stryker snarled at the human woman. "What did you do to him?!"

Valka was startled by his thunderous bellow, quickly turning her head to Stryker, but immediately refocused her gaze to her son. Hiccup turned to look at Stryker, eyes filled with confusion and fear. Then, Hiccup said something that shocked his audience to the core.

"Who are you?"