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Chapter 4: "Eyes of Fate"

Astrid took deep steady breaths as she and Gobber climbed the steps leading up to Gothi's hut. A quick glance down revealed the town of Berk. While it had always been in a state of reconstruction from dragon attacks, things were ten times worse now. They barely had time to fix their homes before worrying about another attack. Fishlegs had explained that a lot of the destruction had to do with Drago not being interested in their crops and livestock like when it was just normal dragons attacking.

"All m' years, and I ain't ever seen Berk in such a poor state," Gobber's voice sounded tired and worn.

"We'll fix it as soon as we take down Drago," Astrid gained a determined look.

"Aye," Gobber nodded, but it didn't seem like his heart was in it.

Frowning, Astrid continued up the stairs with Gobber right behind her. Reaching the top of the stairs, Astrid moved to knock on the door. She paused, though, when she heard voices on the inside. Looking back at Gobber, she questioned, "Should we come back?"

"Naw," Gobber reached forward and knocked, "I got a feeling on who's in there."

"Alright! Geeze!" The door swung open to show a blonde woman with an annoyed frown on her face. Long twin pigtails hung down her body from the Viking helmet on the top of her head, "Oh, hey, Astrid, Gobber."

"Ruff, why are you here?" Astrid voiced her concern.

"Because brother dearest decided it was best to fight by breaking his ribs against a dragon's face," Ruffnut let out a sigh.

"Hey! The dragon never saw it coming!"

A quick glance inside revealed a blond man that looked nearly identical to Ruffnut. He had his shirt off, but his torso was heavily wrapped in white bandages. An older woman stood beside the bed and held a bowl up this his face with the hand that did not hold her staff. Despite being rather short, the grey haired woman was still a Viking and should not be messed with, at least by a person with common sense. The man in the bed, Tuffnut, lacked such tact, though.

"I don't need that," Tuffnut tried to push the bowl away from him, "Pain is meant to be enjoyed, not drugged aw—AY!"

Gothi smacked Tuffnut on the ribs with her staff. This forced Tuffnut to groan out in pain, allowing Gothi to pour the contents of the bowl into his open mouth. With a disgusted look on his face, he quickly swallowed, "Oh gods…That was disgusting…"

"I've seen you eat worse," Ruffnut noted

"Yeah, but on a dare," Tuffnut grumbled as he stood up, "What do I get out of it besides numbness?"

Astrid shook her head as she strode into the hut, "You get to live."

"Yeah, yeah…" Tuffnut strode past them with Ruffnut right behind them, "What's the point of life with no pain?"

"I agree with you on that one," Ruffnut laughed as she followed her brother out of the shack.

Sighing, Gothi moved about her hut putting away her supplies. Astrid looked around the soothsayer's home. Unlike usual, it was in quite a disarray. She doubted that it was simply because of the twins, not that they couldn't cause some damage. No, it was probably from the vast amounts of injured Vikings that had been coming in and out of her care.

Various berries and powders were spread across the counter and desks of her home. A large book with all of her medicine recipes sat wide open for everyone to see. Gothi silently turned the page from a recipe for bone recovery to what appeared to be a bookmarked page. As Gothi pulled out the bookmark, Astrid had to hold back a laugh at seeing a recipe for making deer fly. Despite her reputation for healing and her future sight, Gothi did have a few dud recipes.

"We don't need any healing, Gothi. Stoick asked us to check up on ye," Gobber noted.

"I can see why," Astrid's chest tightened at the sight of the tired look on their elder, "You look exhausted. Do you need some help?"

Gothi shook her head. Stepping forward, she handed the folded bookmark to Gobber.

"What's this?" Gobber quickly unfolded the bookmark to reveal that it was a full piece of script, "Oh…Been a while since you gave me one of these…"

Astrid's curiousity surged, "What is it?"

"Hmm…A prophecy…" Gobber's eyes squinted as he began to read the barely legible writing on the page.

Astrid nodded slowly. While not all that religious, she believed in Gothi's prophecies fully. When the woman said something was going to happen, it would happen. She could even predict when a person would die based on their tongue. That's why most people kept quiet around the elder. Some things were better left unknown.

"What?" Gobber frowned at the page, "Lerk will fern? A wagon ring?"

Gothi smacked Gobber over the head with her walking staff.

"Ow! Loki's balls! Okay! Okay!" Gobber went back to the looking at the page, "Oh…Oh, gods…"

"What is it, Gobber?" Astrid felt dread in her chest as Gobber paled.

"Please tell me that yer joking?" Gobber looked to Gothi.

The soothsayer just shook her head and walked away. She slowly made her way to her bed and sat down. Astrid realized just how exhausted the woman looked. It was like the elder hadn't slept in days. Dread quickly changed to panic.

"Gobber…Tell me what that says."

"It's ah…not a normal prophecy…" Gobber handed the paper to Astrid. It really didn't make any sense to her, but she figured it gave him a free hand to wipe his forehead, "It's, uh, about a dream she had. Berk was burning. Stoick's door was covered in blood. Drago defeated all the Vikings, and…moves south. After that…"

"What is it?"

"A dragon king will be crowned either by fire or ice."

Astrid looked to Gothi in fear, "But the future isn't set, right? All that…It doesn't have to happen like that, right? We can change it with our choices."

Gothi looked up at the girl. Her voice came out cracked in separated words, "Choices…already…made…"

A giant of man sat in a large wooden throne. Dark, long dreadlocks fell over his head to cover the carved wood just like the scaled cloak that covered his massive form. The throne stood at the center of a large battleship that floated at the center of a massive armada being pulled by dragons. As wind brushed across the man's scarred and frowning face, he sneered at the men around him.

"Drago! Good to see you!"

Drago's sharp eyes turned to see a handsome, young man approach him. The man had slicked back, black hair and blue war paint on his chin. The Dragon Master took a sick pleasure in knowing that the man's fur covered chest held scars that he provided.

"Eret…"

"Son of Eret," Eret flinched at the look on Drago's face, "Sorry. Instinct. I didn't mean to insult you. So, let's just keep everything calm."

Drago grunted and looked away, "How many dragons did you bring?"

"Seven," Eret seemed satisfied with his answer.

Drago, however, wasn't, "Not good enough. The dragon riders took a dozen in the last week."

"I…" Eret went pale, "Catching that many dragons…That's a steep order. You have to realize that."

"I do," Drago sneered at Eret, "But you are the greatest Dragon trapper alive, no?"

Eret's face showed his panic for a brief moment before he quickly thought of a way out of this, "Of course! In fact, I'm sure that I could bring you a hundred dragons…if you could get me a lead on the Night Fury's rider."

Drago knew what Eret was doing, "Yes, I realize that the little bug has been the thorn in my side. I've been having my trackers looking for him, but none get close."

Eret clapped his hands together, "Just give me a direction. I'll bait him and—"

"That won't work, pretty boy!"

Eret groaned as large man with a disheveled beard approached them, "Alvin. A pleasure as always."

Alvin the Treacherous snorted at that. His armored helm and shoulders shifted in his movement. His scratchy voice racked against Drago's ears, "Ain't nothing about me pleasurable. Especially right now, cause yer gonna hate tha news."

Drago's eyes shot up a bit at hearing this, "What is it?"

"Tha Night Fury rider won't be baited because he's working with the Snow Queen now."

Drago was now on his feet, "What?"

"Aye, it seems he intercepted yer attempt to kidnap tha fair queen," Alvin explained, "Our fly on their walls sent a message last night. Tha rider saved the queen, stole the dragons, and got yer soldiers arrested."

Drago was silent for a moment before letting out a roar. He grabbed his staff and swung it around to smash the throne behind him, "How. Did. He. KNOW?!"

"Probably followed the boat through the night," Eret suggested, "That Night Fury is hard to spot even in daylight. At night, no one would know if that thing was in the sky."

"Damn it…" Drago seethed in anger, "Now the queen knows about my army. Getting to her will be a lot more difficult."

"Not to mention that she'll have the rider's dragons at her sides," Eret blinked as he gained inquisitive glances from the other men, "What? Her beauty is famous, and I get the feeling that guy hasn't even talked to a woman before. One look that even might possibly suggest something, and he'll cave to her."

"Aye, the boy's right," Alvin nodded, "I told ye! Going after tha Snow Queen before conquering tha Vikings was stupid! Like I said, we should a' burned that gods forsaken Berk to the ground then—"

Alvin was silenced when Drago rushed towards him. The Dragon Master threw his staff to the side and grabbed Alvin with his only functioning arm. With a snarl, Drago lifted Alvin up with his one arm and started to shake the Viking around, "I know of your vendetta, fool! Berk is of no consequence to me! I already have a man on the inside! In a moment's notice, I could tear them apart!"

Alvin desperately clawed at the hand choking him, "Then…why…don't you?"

Drago glared at Alvin, "You think me stupid, Alvin the Treatourous? I know you have a knife ready for my back the moment I conquer Berk."

Eret watched as Alvin's face turned black and blue, "Um, boss, I know you're in the moment, but you might still need him. The Outcasts could turn on you without him, and their info on the tribes have made it easy to conquer the iles without even a fraction of your full force."

With a snort, Drago threw the gasping Alvin away, "You're right. That's why I haven't killed the fool yet. But things have changed. If the Snow Queen is really going to work with the Night Fury rider…No, we still have time. It will take a bit for them to trust each other, but I will still have to work fast…"

"Um…" Eret watched as Drago thought over his next moves.

"The time for waiting is over," Drago declared, "The remaining tribes had their chance to surrender, and I have built my army up enough. You want Berk, Alvin? You got it. Time to actually put a little effort into this war."

Drago stepped to the port of the ship. As he moved, he picked up his staff. He let out a beast of a roar that drew the attention of everyone, human and dragon, "Send out a notice! All ships and allied tribes are to return to us! Now is the time to conquer the north! Then, we head south and take the Snow Queen's power! Get everything ready! MOVE! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

As his soldiers followed his commands, Drago swung his staff around and continued to roar. This caused all the dragons to flinch in fear. Only two dragons didn't back down in fear. One was the massive ice dragon below the surface of the water. The other was a gigantic dragon flying above them. It was a dragon that cost Drago a lot of soldiers and front line dragons to catch, but it was worth it because…

The legendary Red Death combined with the Bewilderbeast would make Drago unstoppable.

"So…" Hiccup's eyes drifted to his companions as they trekked through the woods, "Trolls?"

"I was skeptical at first too," Anna looked back to him and smiled gently, "But they're as real as your dragon."

Toothless hummed at the sudden acknowledgement.

Kristoff leaned in close to his love and whispered, "Not that I don't love having you around, but you didn't really need to come. I got a feeling this guy gets jumpy around too many people."

Anna was quick to whisper back, "I came for Elsa. She needs encouragement."

Kristoff blinked. He looked back to see Hiccup ridding his dragon…which Kristoff was still trying to wrap his mind around. At least he was handling it better than the reindeer that he and Anna were currently riding. Sven looked ready to jump out of his skin. In contrast, Toothless looked completely calm despite carrying both his rider and the queen of a foreign land, "Encouragement for what?"

Anna looked back once more to see Elsa sitting close to Hiccup, "Don't worry about it. I'll explain later."

"What are you two whispering about?" Hiccup's voice revealed his edge. He didn't like this situation. Hearing about Berk from a man that shouldn't even know about the Viking village was unnerving to say the least. His guard was so active that instead of noticing how a beautiful woman was pressed against him, he thought about how he could stop her if she decided to flash freeze him.

"Nothing!" Anna called back.

This did not ease Hiccup's paranoia, "For the record, I don't like this. If Toothless didn't like you, I wouldn't have agreed to come."

Elsa leaned close to whisper into his ear, "Remain calm. The trolls have always been friends and allies with the royal family. Their words and predictions are always accurate."

Despite his paranoia, Hiccup felt a shiver roll down his spine over just how close beauty personified was to him, "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Please don't make me regret it."

"You won't. I promise you," Elsa didn't move away from Hiccup, "You'll love them, I assure you."

Before Hiccup could speak up again, Kristoff announced, "We're here!"

Hiccup was quick to examine the area. It was a rocky clearing filled with large stones. There was no obvious traps, but an ambush could be set up in the surrounding woods, "We are?"

"Yep!" Kristoff hopped off Sven and helped Anna off as well. Hiccup and Elsa quickly followed their examples.

Hiccup took in the silent clearing. His hand drifted to his belt, "So…where are the trolls?"

"All around! Wake up guys!"

Hiccup's eyes widened as the rocks jumped to life and transformed into trolls. They quickly went to rush towards the familiar faces in greeting but paused when they saw Toothless. Said dragon and his rider shared a look of shock.

"K-Kristoff…" A female troll eyed the dragon, "Are they the ones Grand Pabble sent you after?"

"Yeah, they—Woah!" Kristoff was silenced when Toothless rushed forward to sniff a troll. The troll stiffened as dragon examined her. After a few seconds, Toothless decided that he liked the troll and licked her with his thick, forked tongue.

"Hahahahahahaha!" The troll laughed and began to pet the dragon, "He's just like Sven!"

This lightened all the trolls' moods. They rushed to the dragon and began to shower him in pets and praises. Sven snorted in indignation at the sight.

"Oh come on," Kristoff elbowed the reindeer, "You're family to them. Toothless is just an attraction."

To everyone's surprise, Hiccup immediately pulled a piece of paper from his belt. He knelt on the ground and began to sketch the trolls using a piece of coal, "Amazing…They camouflage themselves as stones…Brilliant, but dangerous to travelers looking for a spot to relieve themselves…"

A child troll walked up to Hiccup and held out a hand, "Excuse me?"

Hiccup immediately took that hand and gently shook it, "Impressive. Your skin is actually as thick as stone. Heavy as them too. Yet you move around with ease. You're so incredible."

The troll beamed at the praise, "Thank you!"

"Not to be rude or anything, but I have a question I've been dying to ask a troll since I was a child," Hiccup stared at the child troll, "Do you steal socks?"

"Yes, but only the left ones."

Hiccup swung his head back and let out roaring laughter, "Hahahaha! That's so great! Oh, I bet Gobber would give his good leg to…"

Suddently, Hiccup's mood instantly soured. He quickly gathered the sketch which Elsa had been examining and placed it back into his belt, "Right. Not here for fun. I need to see this Grand Pabble. He mentioned something about my…a place that's very important to me."

"Right!"

"Grand Pabble!"

"Your guest is here!"

The trolls parted to let the elder walk through, "Ah, thank you for your quick return, Kristoff, Sven."

Kristoff smiled, "It was no problem."

Pabble then looked to the women and bowed, "Your majesties. It is a pleasure to see you."

"Hi, Pabble!" Anna rushed in for a hug that Pabble was quick to return.

Knowing her role as a politician and queen, Elsa politely nodded, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh, you girls have grown so much," Pabble released the embrace with Anna, "But I must speak with the Dragon Master now."

Hiccup continued to kneel as he gave the elder a scrutinizing look, "You can call me—"

"Hiccup Horrendus Haddock III," Pabble noted, "Oh, I'm aware of who you are, my boy. I am sorry to disappoint you on the fact that your name didn't keep the trolls away, but at least it worked on the gnomes."

Hiccup chuckled despite having his full name revealed without his consent, "So far."

Pabble smiled, "Indeed."

"So…Kristoff learned about Berk from you…and you know my full name," Hiccup noted, "Is this a magical troll thing?"

"It is indeed. I have seen things that you need to know."

Hiccup glanced to the other humans in the area, "And I'm guessing that we can't take this somewhere private?"

"No, this affects them too," Pabble gathered dust from the ground and threw it into the air. The dust morphed into different images. They saw a younger Hiccup riding Toothless away from an island, "Long ago, you chose the safe path to freedom."

"I didn't have a choice—"

"This is not condemnation, child, merely facts," The dust changed slowly to show Hiccup grow and gain a bunch of dragons that flew along him, "You've grown extraordinarily, but you faced great problems."

Hiccup clenched his fists as the dust flaired with magic to show dancing images. The image of Toothless threw dust version of Hiccup to the ground. A dark figure appeared and pointed to the downed Hiccup. Toothless instantly mauled the downed rider.

Hiccup heard Toothless moan in regret. Out of instinct, Hiccup stood and reached for the sword on his belt, "Stop it."

"I know the truth hurts, but it must be shown," Grand Pabble spoke gently, "While your physical injuries have healed, your mental ones are still fresh. You now find yourself at a bypass."

The dust shifted through several different images. It was so fast that it was barely seeable. Hiccup's form hid the images from the other humans. He saw Berk burning and covered with stains of blood. It then shifted to Arendelle crushed beneath a massive dragon. Different images of dead bodies all appeared before his eyes. None was more upsetting than the vision of Toothless's lifeless eyes.

Hiccup's face dropped into depression, "Please…Stop it…I can't…"

"All this can be avoided. You just have to make the right choices," Pabble explained, "Follow where your heart leads, but don't let your fears and pain guide your decisions. You will be confronted by many choices soon. Be warned that flying away from your problems again will lead only to destruction this time. It is time to face your past and future head on—Wait!"

Hiccup didn't listen. He dismissed the magic and dust with a wave of his hand. Then, he turned and began to run away from the clearing. Toothless was right on his trail.

Elsa's eyes followed after them, "You showed us his deep, personal matters."

"They needed to be brought to light," Pabble stated, "He has hid them for too long. This is where you come in…all of you. All of you will soon make choices of great consequence as well. I give you the same advice. You must be wary of your fear and pain, but you also need to follow your heart. In the upcoming struggles, what seems logical at the time might only be a product of your darkest concerns."

"I see…" Elsa nodded, "Then I will do just that."

Without another word, Elsa rushed after the rider and his dragon. Anna's first instinct was to run after her sister but was stopped by Kristoff, "What are you doing?"

"Listening to Grand Pabble and following my gut," Kristoff gently kept his hold on the young woman, "That guy has some issues. I think he's a lot like me actually. He's a bit of a fixer upper."

Anna stopped struggling.

Kristoff smirked and winked to the giggling trolls, "We can do the song if you want."

"No…" Anna sighed, "I just worry."

"And that's the fear, right?" Kristoff pulled Anna into a hug, "I may be dense, but I now get why you wanted Elsa to come too. Don't tell her this, cause she can freeze me and all, but in a lot of emotional ways…She's a bit of a fixer upper too."

Toothless quickly rushed past Hiccup and got in his way. Hiccup was forced to stop his run and look at his longtime companion. The dragon gestured to his saddle. A small smile found its way onto Hiccup's face, "Yeah, bud. Let's go."

Hiccup hopped onto Toothless's back. Just as they were about to take off, a voice called out to them, "Hiccup! Wait!"

Both Hiccup and Toothless turned to face Elsa as she ran to them, "Oh…Sorry for running off without a word, but I really need to clear my head—"

"Take me with you."

Hiccup blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Take me with you on your flight," Elsa stood straight in determination, "I have a feeling that if I don't go with you, then you'll never return. I-I don't want that."

Hiccup bit his lip, "Look, I don't think that's a good idea."

Elsa smirked, "Do I need to use the queen excuse on you? You are on my land after all. It would be an extremely rude gesture to ignore a simple request from your gracious host."

Toothless eyed Elsa. He sensed no ill intent from her. Nodding, the dragon nudged his rider to make him agree. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "You too? Alright, but being up in the sky for the first time can be pretty scary, and I don't feel like staying low."

Elsa quickly joined the man on the saddle like before, "I can take it, oh Dragon Master."

"If you say so," Hiccup grabbed the saddle's grips, "Let's do it, bud!"

With a cry of joy, Toothless obeyed his rider and rushed high into the sky. Elsa's scream quickly accompanied his flight. Hiccup could only laugh at that. As the screams and laughter faded away, the woods was quiet once more. That is, until the familiar form of Valka slipped out of from the shadows of the trees. She had used special herbs to hide her scent from Toothless in order to help her spy on her son and keep him from getting harmed in this strange kingdom.

Valka frowned as she remembered what she learned about the trolls today…and the memory of the look on Elsa's face when the queen looked at Hiccup. It reminded Valka of her days of courting Stoick.

Elsa tightly clung to Hiccup and buried her face into his armored back. Her eyes were clenched shut in fear. She could feel her heart hammer in her chest. Short, quick breaths replaced her normally calm and collected breathing.

"I wouldn't do that," Hiccup warned, "Not as much oxygen up here. You could pass out."

"Back down…" Elsa whispered, "Back down, please."

"You're the one that wanted to come up here," Hiccup snorted, "Besides, I can't go down yet. The sunset is beautiful up here."

Temptation surged through Elsa's chest. Despite her fear, she forced her eyes open to see the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She was soaring high above Arendelle. Red and orange blazed all around her reflecting from the clouds that were merely an arm's reach away. Feeling the wind gently rush through her hair, Elsa couldn't help but ease her grip on the man in front of her. She could only look on in awe as Toothless moved upward through the clouds and then back down to leave a trail of mist in their wake.

"This is amazing," Elsa said in awe, "I never thought I'd see my home like this. Thank you…both of you."

"It's mostly him," Hiccup patted his dragon, "Toothless is the best."

Toothless gurgled in satisfaction at the praise.

"True, but I wouldn't have seen this without you," Elsa noted, "Where you come from…I'm guessing that they don't like dragons."

"That's an understatement."

"Hmm…" Elsa leaned in once more to Hiccup's back and watched the sun slowly set in the horizon, "You know that I hid myself and my powers away in my castle for most of my life?"

Hiccup looked over his shoulder in surprise.

"My parents were afraid of my powers. 'Conceal don't feel' was what my father used to say. So I hid everything about myself from everyone, even my sister," Elsa sighed, "I don't resent my parents. They meant well, but they didn't handle it well."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Why tell me that?"

"Because I learned things about you that were personal," Elsa explained, "I thought that this was fair."

"Oh…" Hiccup looked away and sighed, "You're probably dying with questions. Look, I really don't want to talk about my home much."

"Will you be returning there to help?" Elsa questioned.

"They think that I'm dead, and I don't want them to know otherwise. It would bring shame to my father," Hiccup noted, "And I can't ride in without a face. No way they'd trust me. But I can send a warning…"

"Oh?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I need time to think about it," Hiccup nodded to himself.

"Fair enough," Elsa took a deep breath, "You probably knew that this was coming. Can Drago control Toothless like in that vision?"

"Not anymore. It's part of the reason he has his Alpha Mode," Hiccup felt Toothless tense beneath him. He calmed the dragon with a pat to the head, "I was stupid. When I first heard about what Drago was planning, I tried to talk him out of it. He just laughed. Used his Bewilderbeast to control Toothless. Ordered him to attack me, and Toothless couldn't fight it."

Toothless moaned in regret.

"I know, it wasn't your fault, bud," Hiccup soothed his friend, "I got hit with one of his firebolts. I'm lucky that I was wearing a prototype of my Night Fury armor. It stopped me from getting killed, but I was gravely injured. Seeing me broken snapped Toothless out of it and activated his Alpha Mode. He grabbed me and used his modified tailfin to fly on his own and take me to M…my teacher. I got healed up there."

"I see…" Elsa mumbled. She remembered the scars on Hiccup's chest, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm not," Hiccup noted, "It hardened me. Set me up to become stronger. I now know that you just can't talk some people down. Sometimes, you need to be vicious."

"That is true," Elsa couldn't argue against that, "Thank you for telling me so much."

"No…" Hiccup closed his eyes in contentment, "Thank you for listening."

By the time Toothless landed, it was night time. They touched down in the castle courtyard. Hiccup quickly got off the dragon and helped the queen down as well. Once she was on the ground, Elsa noted that she could see her own breath, "Oh, it's cold out. I didn't notice."

Hiccup shrugged, "The cold never bothered me anyway."

Elsa stared at Hiccup.

"What?" Hiccup questioned, "My home…Berk was settled twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death."

Elsa giggled, "You must be kidding."

"I am not. It's located on the Meridian of Misery in the Barbaric Archipelago," Hiccup shook his head, "Vikings suck at naming things."

"Obviously," Elsa looked to Toothless, "I've seen his fangs."

"They're retractable," Hiccup noted.

"I see…"

"You should probably get inside before your servants start to worry," Hiccup noted.

"Indeed," Elsa turned to the man, "Do you still plan to stay?"

Hiccup looked up to the darkened sky, "Too late to head back to the caves now. Might as well stay the night and head out tomorrow to deal with the Berk thing. It shouldn't take too long."

"I see…and you will return?"

"Yeah, but it may take a few days," Hiccup noted, "I don't like to leave the dragons alone for too long. They need me to be around at least a little."

"You could move them here," Elsa suggested, "I know a place in the mountains that would be perfect for them."

Hiccup's face scrunched up at the thought, "No. I don't think that's for the best just yet."

"You still don't trust me," Elsa's lips twisted downward.

"I've only known you for two days," Hiccup argued, "No offense or anything."

"Yes…" Elsa still seemed displeased by this.

Hiccup was confused, "You okay?"

"Of course. It makes no sense for me to feel hurt by this," Elsa turned away, "It would be arrogant of me to demand so much of you. I should really do better…"

"Look, I'm not particularly good with words, but I can read body language," Hiccup mentioned, "You've been fidgeting like you're just dying to say something. I'm an expert on that. Is there something you want to criticize me for?"

"What?" Elsa turned around with a surprised face, "Of course not. Why would I criticize you?"

"I dunno. That seems to be what most humans do."

"Well, I'm not most humans. It has nothing with what you did wrong. It has to do with the fact that I…" Elsa trailed off.

Hiccup sighed, "Okay. You don't want to talk about it, and I'm tired. We'll continue this later."

"No," Elsa shook her head and took a deep breath, "I have the feeling that I won't get this chance again if I let it go now. I want to tell you something. I'm just trying to find the right words."

"Okay…"

Elsa met the man's stunning eyes, "You understand the process of courtship, right?"

"Well, I've never been a part of it, but…" Hiccup's eyes widened, "Oh man! Are you engaged!? If I'd have known that, I wouldn't have flown for so long."

"No, that's not it," Elsa looked exasperated, "I'm not engaged. I'm also not currently in a courtship. There are plenty of men interested, but none have caught my attention until now."

"Until now? Who—OW!" Hiccup grunted when Toothless wacked him over the head with the dragon's thick tail, "What?"

Toothless rolled his eyes and nudged Hiccup.

"What do mean going over my head…" Hiccup's jaw suddenly dropped as he realized what Elsa was referring to, "Ooooooh…"

Elsa's face was flushed so badly that her head felt like it was steaming, "Yes."

"Me?" Hiccup pointed to himself, "I caught your interest? The wild, dragon raising, Viking caveman?"

"You sell yourself short," Elsa argued, "I mean…Every girl dreams of being saved by a strapping hero, even powerful queens. Plus, your treatment of dragons and people alike shows your kindness. Not to mention the hidden depths you show. You make your own equipment and from what I saw are a terrific artist. How could a woman not be interested?"

"Well, no one has ever expressed a desire for…" Hiccup gestured to himself, "All this before."

"You just gestured to all of you."

"Exactly," Hiccup nodded, "Especially angelically beautiful queens with the powers to cause a second ice age."

Elsa tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Angelically beautiful?"

It was Hiccup's turn to blush.

"So…You have entertained the idea."

"Well, of course," Hiccup shrugged, "But I think about a lot of stuff that's improbable."

"It's not improbable. I'm offering it right now," Elsa struggled not to stutter, "I wish to court you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

"And…that will intel…"

"We just get to know each other better. No real commitment, but we'll be aware of each other's interest."

"I see…"

"So…what do you say?"

Hiccup couldn't help himself, "I-I'd like that."

After a long day of sailing, Stoick finally got a chance to rest his weary bones. With the knowledge that Snotlout could wake him if anything went wrong, he laid down. His body creaked and moaned at the motion. Damn, when did he get so damn old? Everything was tiring now it seemed. He cherished the time he could rest, because his mind was far more tired than his body could ever be.

"Da!"

Stoick's eyes snapped open to see a young Hiccup about the age of eight holding up one of those strange contraptions that he was always messing with. Ah yes, this was also why he enjoyed his sleep. For in his dreams, he still had his son. The child was smaller than average but sharper than most adults ever seemed to be

"Look!" Hiccup pressed something and the strange contraption in his hand shot out a small disk. The top shot to Stoick who sat in a large chair next to a roaring fire. Stoick chuckled as the disk connected with his beard.

"Oh wow!" To Stoick's shock, his beloved wife stepped from behind him. Her fingers gently brushed against his cheek before plucking the disk from his beard. Stoick didn't even try to hide the shiver of delight that he felt by the feeling of having her close once more, "Our boy's a genius, Stoick. Hiccup, did ye make this yourself?"

"No, Gobber helped me, but I thought of it!" Hiccup bounced onto Stoick's lap and showed them the device. The child then began to explain what it was. Stoick couldn't really comprehend how it worked or why it would be useful, but his son's brilliance delighted him all the same.

He should have appreciated it more when he still had it.

Hiccup suddenly stopped his explanation and looked to his father, "Da, why're you crying? I thought you said that big Vikings don't cry."

Valka leaned into to see that Hiccup was telling the truth, "What's wrong, love?"

Stoick decided not to answer with words. Instead, he grabbed onto them and pulled them into a large hug. He allowed the tears and sobs to sound out unchecked, "I'm so glad to have ye with me."

"Of course, we're with you, Da," Hiccup gently patted Stoick on the shoulder, "Where would we go?"

"I had the most terrible dream," Stoick sucked in a large breath, "Ye were both taken by dragons."

"Oh, Stoick," Valka turned her head to kiss his cheek, "Don't cry. You're stuck with us."

"Promise?" Stoick blinked as Valka disappeared from his grasp, "Valka!"

Hiccup quickly climbed out of Stoick's lap, "Da? You told me that Ma died when I was a babe."

"Yes…she did…but…" Stoick blinked and saw that Hiccup had grown to his fifteen year old self. The large giant was quickly on his feet, "No. Hiccup…I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Dad?" Hiccup now had a notebook in his hand. Stoick always remembered how the boy used to love to draw and write.

"I expected too much from ye," Stoick gently placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. To his shame, the boy seemed confused by this action. He had never been gentle with him before, "I wanted ye to do things my way…but that wasn't fair. Always had so much of yer mother in ye. I should have supported that. Odin knows that she was the most special person I ever met. If I didn't try to force ye to be something ye weren't, then ye might have lived."

"Dad, I'm standing right here," Hiccup gestured to all of him, "I'm obviously not dead."

"No, that's not what I mean," Stoick knelt down to Hiccup's level, "Don't leave me, son. I love ye."

Hiccup smiled, "But Dad, I'm already gone."

With that, Hiccup disappeared. Stoick was alone once more. He collapsed to his knees and began to sob into his hands just like he did many times in the privacy of his own home. As the light faded from the fireplace, Stoick was reminded of all he lost because he wasn't good enough for his family.

Stoick awoke with a gasp. He sat straight up to see Snotlout in front of him, "Um, chief. Our destination is in sight. I was just coming to wake you."

"Thank ye," Stoick forced himself up with a grunt. He walked to the bow of the boat and looked down at the water to his reflection. He had dreams like that many times ever since his son was lost. He disappeared the day when he was selected to kill the dragon at the end of his training. Astrid said that she tried to follow him that day to find out how he got so good but was held up by her mother and chores.

It didn't take long for them to send out a search party. Finding where Hiccup went to took even less time. They tracked him to a burned down cove littered with fish bones and black scales that none of them recognized. Not only that, they found Hiccup's knife abandoned and covered in blood.

There was a lot of theories, but Stoick thought that he had the best one. He remembered vividly the night that his son claimed to have shot down a Night Fury. At the time, it seemed like lunacy, but in retrospect, Hiccup did show his potential in besting the beasts. Hiccup did manage to knock the creature of the sky, and it didn't forget it. It waited and rested in that cove. Once it was healed, it must have ambushed Hiccup and carried him away. For the second time, Stoick lost his most precious person to the dragons.

For a long time, he was filled with rage. That eventually faded into fatigue and depression. He made so many mistakes in his life regarding his family. Why did he have to argue with Valka so often about the beasts? Why couldn't he have saved both Hiccup and Valka that fateful day? Why didn't he treat Hiccup like he deserved? Why didn't he just LISTEN to his son? Maybe if he did all those things, they would be with him in real life instead of just his dreams.

Sighing, Stoick shook his head and stepped away from the boat's edge. The time to think about the dead was over. He had to focus on the living now. His son and wife could wait until he reached them in Valhalla.

Hiccup leaned against Toothless and looked up to the ceiling in the darkness. In his hand was a simple note that warned him not to trust the queen. It seems as though his mom was spying on him again. That was to be expected, though, and he used that to his advantage. He had ordered the Terrible Terror that she sent to deliver a warning to Berk. There was no guarantee that they'd heed the warning, but if the message got to whom it was intended for, then his old home might have a chance. That should solve one problem and leave him to deal with another.

He was well aware about what his mother was warning him. It could still be a trap to get to his dragons. Even her suggestion at courtship could all be a play to get on his good side. The timing was very convenient after all. Of course, it could also be her lack of interpersonal and relationship skills that caused that. It wouldn't be smart to let his guard down.

No. Best not to think about it too much right now. He rarely got to live such dreams. Enjoy it now, and think about it later. He had other issues to deal with. His dragons needed him tomorrow. His mother was obviously still scheming. It was only a matter of time until Drago realized what happened with Elsa. Especially with a spy that could be anywhere in Arendelle.

Well, that wasn't true actually. Drago wouldn't settle for some low ranking soldier or servant. It had to be someone higher up. The spy would need to know everything about the queen yet be able to move about without anyone noticing. It could only be someone Elsa trusted enough to tell her plans. Not a whole lot of people fit that description. Anna was off the list for obvious reason. Kristoff was an option, but he didn't look like he could lie like that to save his life. So that only left…

Hiccup immediately sat up, "Loki's balls…the spy has to be one of Elsa's advisors."

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