Age can say a lot about the type of life someone lived, the wrinkles in their skin tell stories that their lips may have never uttered. Their steps slowed with time, muscles growing thinner under the weight of their experiences and the decisions that will lead them to their final resting place amongst their loved ones since departed.

The young children running down the paths worn into the stone stairs paid little mind to the elder they ran past. Their youth preventing them from truly understanding what days like this mean, to them another elder passed. To her, one of the strongest threads connecting her to this life was just severed.

Her ashen hair was wrapped around her head like a braided crown, standing out against the deep green dress that barely brushed the floor as she walked. On her back, she wore a white fur cloak with dragons stitched in a colorful thread that look like they're dancing across the fabric with every movement. Her body may have been worn with age, bogged down with the weight of time but her eyes were bright with determination. Her emerald eyes held the type of determination that wouldn't be taken away by something as trivial time. She had a destination in mind.

So, she continued to move with slow yet determined steps, her feet knowing the path so well that they were able to take it with practiced ease. She moved until she was in front of a large statue carved into the side of the mountain, the figure growing larger with every step closer. The large figure had been more familiar to her and the families of old than he had been to the families that surrounded her now. Stoick the Vast had been more than just chief to his people, he had been a teacher, a protector, a friend. To her, he had been family and the reason for one of the most important people in her life. He had been a major player in why the lives of the tribe had been shaped into what they are now and though she did look back on the old chief fondly he wasn't the one she was here to see. She offered the statue a warm smile, but she continued to the large wooden doors embedded into the foot of it. The doors had grown heavier with every visit through the years now she required assistance. An ivory paw silently took its place next her withered hand on the door, looking upward into the sapphire eyes of her constant companion, together they pushed the doors open.

The first thing anyone saw when they walked through the door would be the large Gronckle Iron Rumblehorn statue. The hulking statue with topaz crystals for the eyes was to pay homage to Stoick's faithful companion, Skullcrusher. She patted the nameplate in respect as she walked passed, continuing forward. At the entrance to her destination, there were two large archways with more Gronckle Iron statues on either side of the arches, each with their nameplates. In the center of the archways four wings from a Stormcutter reaching towards the ceiling with a long-haired woman holding a hooked staff, Valka and Cloudjumper. On her left was a Sliquifer hovering over another young woman standing with a trident off to her side Layla and Wavedancer. While on the other side was a Hotburple behind a stocky Viking with a hammer for a hand, Gobber and Grump.

She walked by more and more reminders of the family that left her behind as she walked under the archways, passing the other statues that were in the incredibly large room that had opened up. The eyes of the original riders looked down at her with every step forward she took, she was all that was left of her family, her and her dragon that is. As the old age caught up with them one by one, their families, their achievements and their stories are all that they have left behind, seeing as their dragons returned to the wild when they returned to Valhalla. She finally reached her destination, the last statue at the end of the path, the one who started it all.

Hiccup.

He had been the last one of the riders, beside herself, to meet Odin in the halls of Valhalla where she could only hope that the others were waiting for her to join them. Lifting her hand, she gently ran her hand over the statue's face, down the scaled armor the statue wore that used to be his, onto the metal head of the dragon that rested under his hand before letting it drop onto the black scaled head of the dragon itself.

Toothless.

Her emerald eyes dropped down to the face of the great scaled beast before her, its own eyes filled with the same sorrow that she was sure was in her gaze. Unlike the other dragons, Toothless had stuck around after his human had passed and she can only guess that it was Hiccup's doing. He would've asked his old friend to stick around until all his friends and family could join him at the table of the Gods. So now it was just her and the two boys, ebony and ivory scales never seen far from each other, always circling. She put the hand that wasn't on the dragon's head to the pendant around her neck, a habit she had developed a long time ago.

A round of coughs racked her old frame and in an instant, there was a warble and a familiar pressure at her side. When the coughs subsided, she looked down into the attentive blue eyes that are always watching. Especially as the years went on the blue eyes, as well as the creature they were attached to, left her side less and less. The trio was broken out of the reverie by little voices coming from just behind the archways where a group of about 12 little ones was hiding with their Terrible Terrors on their backs or in their arms.

"Amma?" The voice came from the front of the pack, a small little boy with light brown hair led the pack of young ones who made their way into the memorial hall. She just smiled in response to the small voice before opening her arms in invitation, that was the signal they needed before all the children came rushing forward.

"What is it Riddley?" She questioned, her voice showing her true fatigue as well as her love for the little one before her.

"Do you miss Afi?" Riddley asked. His own green eyes shining up at her with a burning curiosity that reminded her so much of Hiccup.

"Every day my sweet."

"Do you think Toothless does?"

"I know he does."

"What about Brightscale?"

"He does too." They fired questions and answer back and forth before Riddley got quiet again. His brows creased in thought before he looked up at her again, another burning question on his lips.

"Amma?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Would you tell us the story? The one about how Afi taught us to love dragons?" It was now her turn to be silent, so many memories rushed to the forefront of her mind. Looking down once more to Riddley, who was looking at her with those ever-familiar eyes, before she smiled once again.

"Only if you get the book!" She chuckled as the children all let out a cheer. Riddley nodded ecstatically before running over to grab the book in the crevice at the statue of Hiccup's feet. Toothless and Brightscale used their heads to help lower the aging woman onto the cushions in front of the statue before wrapping themselves around her. The children and their dragons arranged themselves in a circle in front of her while Riddley gently placed a work leather book in her lap and taking his spot in front.

She lovingly rubbed the worn leather cover of a rather large book on her lap, mind repeating the words that she had helped write down between the cover so long ago. Without any further prompting from her audience, the old Dragon Rider opened the book and began to read the words that would transport her back in time.

For over three hundred years the Vikings were at war to protect their home island, they had settled within the middle of the Barbaric Archipelago and were known as the Hairy Hooligans. Their island was located twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death where it rested solidly on the Meridian of Misery, that island was called Berk. The enemies that the Hooligans were protecting their home against weren't your normal invaders, no they had to protect their beloved island and its resources against something much more dangerous. Dragons...

Hey everyone!

I am absolutely in love with How to Train Your Dragon and everything about it and all it's accompanying shows/movies and decided that it was my turn to become a part of it. Now just a warning to get out of the way that this is not going to be a Hiccup/Astrid story but instead it is going to be a Hiccup/Oc story but not to worry Astrid lovers! It will also be an Astrid/Oc story! Before anyone says it I absolutely love Hiccstrid and am very happy with how their relationship progressed and think that their kids are adorable! Another quick note is that the Light Fury drawing is one I found on Google from an account named Madpatti so all credit for the wonderful work goes to them.

Amma- Nordic for grandmother or grandma

Asi- Nordic for grandfather or grandpa

The updating schedule will depend on the feedback that I get but I will try to have a weekly updating schedule that will be determined once the feedback comes from this chapter.