Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        The thunderous footsteps of a stampeding dragon rang throughout the village of Berk, along with the panicked screaming of Snotlout. Danny’s wings cut through the air as he banked around the ice-covered ruins of a hut and caught sight of the Thunderclaw running through the half-destroyed village. Snotlout clung to the metal armor on its back and Gobber ran as best he could after the two.

        “Snotlout! Let go, ya daft blatherskite!”

        “Put me down! Hookfang!” Snotlout cried out, but his dragon only spared him a glance from where he lay nearby.

        Danny tucked in his wings and darted in to intercept the Thunderclaw before its rampage took it through a field of ice spikes where a pair of kids played. He landed, wings flared, and the Thunderclaw skidded to a halt before him, sending Snotlout flying from its back and sailing toward his dragon.

        “Hookfang!” Snotlout shrieked. “Hookfang, catch me! I command you to-”

        Snotlout’s shouts were cut off as Hookfang stepped aside and let his Rider tumble to the ground. Danny snickered at the sight and shook his head. Serves him right.

        Danny turned back to the Thunderclaw which had calmed and it dipped his head with an apologetic rumble. Gobber, breathless, caught up and leaned over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

        “Sorry about that one. I’ve been removing the armor from all of Drago’s old dragons and this one wasn’t having it. Snotlout bragged about being strong enough to pry the armor off any dragon and this Thunderclaw took off!”

        Danny tilted his head, surprised and intrigued about why this dragon would want to keep the armor forced upon it, but excited laughter cut off his thoughts as the two kids ran over. He jumped with surprise when the blonde boy climbed right onto his back and up his neck while the slightly older redhead laughed and grabbed his wing.

        “Lift me up! Lift me up!”

        Danny huffed and rolled his eyes but obliged, raising his wing and letting the kid swing from it while the other one treated him like a play structure at a park. Aren’t I supposed to be a King now? 

        A familiar roar of greeting rang out as Hiccup and Toothless came in for a landing. Toothless rumbled a laugh to see Danny’s predicament and hot embarrassment made Danny grumble.

        “Looks like you’ve got yourself a few new Riders,” Hiccup snickered before he looked to the Thunderclaw. “Hey, I recognize this guy! He blasted off Drago’s false arm. I guess he’s feeling proud and wants to keep his armor.”

        The Thunderclaw puffed out his chest and let out a growl. Danny shook his head with a laugh but he couldn’t fault the dragon. That was something to be proud of. To his relief, Hiccup shooed away the two kids who ran off back into the less-destroyed section of the village, to find their parents, Danny hoped. They were having enough trouble cleaning up Drago’s mess from days prior, they didn’t need excited kids in the way too.

        “So, how’s the repair planning been going? Enjoying your first day named Chief?” Danny asked as he changed back to his human half and stifled a yawn. “I’ve been so busy with all these new dragons trying to find places to sleep I didn’t even think of the people needing the same.”

        “Oh, yeah, loads of fun,” Hiccup sighed, looking just as tired. “No idea how my father can handle all this at once. The Bewilderbeast wasn’t able to touch the hangar so everyone’s been sheltering in there. The worst of the damage is on the South side of the island so we’re fixing up the least damaged huts to the West and East first.”

        “Think you could wrangle a few teams of dragons to start work on removing the ice?” Gobber asked.

        “I might be able to manage that,” Danny chuckled before a shouting startled the four of them.

        “Oi! Back off!”

        Danny exchanged a worried glance with Hiccup before they hurried over to find the source of the commotion.

        “Blasted outsider! This is all your fault!”

        “Hold ‘im down!”

        To Danny’s shock, three Vikings were trying to wrestle Eret to the ground. They were in for a rough time, as the former Trapper wrenched free of their grabbing hands without throwing a punch.

        “Woah, woah, break it up!” Hiccup cut in as he rushed over. “We’re all friends here! What’s going on?”

        “Nothing demanding your attention,” Eret shot the three men a glare as he stepped away. “You let Eret, Son of Eret, deal with-”

        “Why are you asking him?” The red-headed Viking with a thick beard demanded. “He’s not even from Berk!”

        “Look at our village, destroyed by an outsider, and now we let another outsider into our ranks?” added the blonde man with a long mustache and a thick fur coat. 

        “We told him that seems almost as foolish as ordering us to rebuild this mess, ‘Chief’,” sneered the last man with short brown hair and a shaven face.

        “Hey, I was an outsider too not long ago,” Danny shot back with a sharp glare and annoyance digging into him like a dragon’s claws. “Would you rather I not be here either?”

        The blonde and the redhead scuffed their feet at his words, guilt in their eyes, but the brunette returned his glare with one of defiance and crossed his arms.

        “I’ve never trusted a God’s-cursed beast like yourself.”

        Danny’s annoyance snapped to fury and he clenched his fists, a dragon-like growl rising in his throat, ready to knock this guy’s lights out, but two sets of hands grabbed his arms and held him back.

        “Woah, hold up, calm down!” Hiccup protested though anger edged his voice, and Toothless snarled at the man, making him step back in surprise and fear.

        Where’s Viggo or Dagur when I need them? They’d let me punch this guy! Danny lamented though he didn’t struggle against Eret and Hiccup as he glared at the man.

        “Nobody calls a son of mine a beast,” Stoick’s booming voice rang out and the three men cowered as their now-former Chief stormed over, his glare burning as hot as a dragon’s fire. “Without Danny, there may very well be no Berk left to call home. Not get out of my sight before I finish what he started!”

        They scurried off and Danny let out his anger in a breath as Hiccup and Eret let go of his arms. “You should’ve just let me punch him,” he grumbled and didn’t pout.

        “Don’t be angry at them, Danny,” Valka’s soft and assuring voice had Danny relaxing as she joined them, helped over some rubble by Cloudjumper who gave him a nod. She rested a hand on his shoulder and offered a smile. “People don’t handle change as well as dragons do. Their home’s almost been destroyed and there was nothing they could do to stop it, they feel helpless, and they’re misdirecting that frustration on anything they can.”

        “Wish they could direct it to help repair the village,” Eret grumbled and Stoick grunted his agreement.

        “Hiccup!” Danny turned to find Fishlegs hurrying over from the docks, his brows creased with uncertainty. “We have visitors, asking for help from Stoick.”

        “Visitors?” Danny blinked with surprise and tilted his head. “Well, what a time to show up.”

        They hurried down to the docks and found a single sailboat landed. A group of people waited on the small vessel while a taller person shrouded in a blue cloak stood waiting. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were eyeing the figure with distrust.

        “You just happen to show up right after our island was attacked? How convenient,” Ruffnut sneered.

        “And you,” Tuffnut added, pointing to the hooded figure, “I don’t like the cut of your jib! Jib being another word I use for ‘hair’. I don’t like your haircut.”

        Danny rolled his eyes and Hiccup stepped in before the Twins could make themselves more of a bother, urging them back. “Woah, heh! Sorry about the Twins, it’s best to ignore them.”

        The figure drew back the hood of his cloak and offered a smile. His skin was a shade tanned by the sun with wrinkles of middle age, and his blonde hair lay swept back in a short cut.

        “Greetings, I am Calder of Nepenthe,” he introduced himself with a dip of his head, his voice was light and smooth. “My king, Mikkel the Munificent, has sent me here on a matter of grave import.”

        “Greetings, I’m Hiccup, uh- Chief Hiccup,” Hiccup said with a nod. “What’s going on that’s got your king asking us for help?”

        “For days now our island has been plagued with powerful tremors, followed by deep, echoing growls that could only come from dragons,” Calder explained with a sigh. “We’ve heard stories of the Tribe of Berk and its Chieftain Stoick mastering dragons and hoped you may be able to aid us.”

        Stoick bellowed out a laugh and set his hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. “Oh, my son here is the ‘dragon masterer’, not I.”

        “It’s not exactly mastering either,” Hiccup added and rubbed Toothless’s head. “We learned to co-exist, not control.”

        “People who try and control dragons don’t end up in a good spot by the end,” Danny added. “It’s happened every time so far; evil crazy villain gets in over their head, we come in and teach them a few lessons, you know the gist.”

        “Tremors and deep echoing growls?” Fishlegs mused before fear lit in his eyes. “It sounds like Whispering Deaths, or worst of all, a Screaming Death!”

        “That doesn’t sound like a pleasant dragon to meet,” Danny grimaced and Tuffnut laughed.

        “Oh, the last time we saw a Screaming Death was like 6 or 7 years ago and it destroyed so many islands, sank them into the sea! It was awesome!”

        “A power I strive for every day,” Ruffnut lamented with a sigh.

        “We’re not fighting another Screaming Death, are we?” Astrid called as she came in for a landing on Stormfly. “That dragon was hard enough to chase off the first time.”

        “If this dragon is as dangerous as you fear I do hope it isn’t the culprit,” Calder fretted.

        “Screaming Death or not we’ll help however we can,” Hiccup assured, though worry creased his face as he glanced back to the destroyed village still needing to be repaired.

        “And I’ll be there too,” Danny added then chuckled and Hiccup visibly relaxed at the assurance. “Doing what I do best now, I guess.”

        “Hiccup, Berk’s dealing with its own mess at the moment. Shouldn’t we focus on stabilizing ourselves before another island?” Astrid pointed out. “You’re Chief now, remember. our people look to you for guidance.”

        “I know,” Hiccup sighed before he brightened and flashed a grin. “Which is why I name my father, Stoick the Vast, as acting Chief of Berk while I’m gone!”

        Astrid rolled her eyes and Danny laughed. Stoick raised a brow before he shook his head and chuckled. “Well, I never have been one to turn away someone in need. Go on, then, the lot of you.”

        “Sweet! Exploding island here we come!” Tuffnut cheered as he and Ruffnut rushed to find Barf and Belch.

        “The adventures never cease,” Danny chuckled and headed off to find Viggo and Dagur wherever they were repairing the island. Like they’d want to miss out on this. Too bad Heather’s back home keeping the Berserkers in line.

        Before long, they took to the air, soaring above the ship as it led the way. Danny’s wingtips skimmed the water in his flight while Herrlof flew higher, shooting the waves a look of disgust. Eret had joined them as well, struggling a bit on Skullcrusher, loaned from Stoick since Eret had no dragon of his own yet.

        “Uh, Snotlout?” Hiccup called to the other Rider who sat backward on his saddle, pouting. “Judging by your subtle body language I’m guessing you’re still mad at Hookfang?”

        “Stay out of it, Hiccup! This is between me and Hook-traitor. Or Loser-fang, I’m still deciding on his new name.” Snotlout grumbled and Hookfang rolled his eyes.

        “Off the port side! Sea dragons!” One of the men on the ship shouted and Danny jerked higher into the air with a jolt of surprise as Seashockers, Thunderdrums, Scaldrons, even a Ripwrecker all rose from the waves to swim alongside the vessel.

        “Stand down!” Hiccup called as he flew between the sailors grabbing their spears and the wild dragons. 

        Danny whirled around a breeching Scauldron, almost running right into it as it broke from the water. He braced himself to avoid a blast of scalding water, but to his shock, it opened its jaws and presented him with… Fish? All around him the sea dragons raised their heads and offered up their bounty while Danny stared in confusion.

        Dagur’s laughter made him look up to him. “They’re paying their new Alpha tribute! Lucky you!”

        “Well, my dear?” Viggo grinned and gestured to the fish. “You wouldn’t want your subjects to feel dejected?”

        Danny fixed him with a glare and huffed. Oh great, never was a fan of sushi. Especially fresh from the mouth of a dragon. Though he cringed inside, Danny obliged and ate some of their offerings. To his surprise, it wasn’t as bad as he expected. Thank you, dragon taste buds, for not tasting much.

        When Dagur laughed again, Danny flung a fish at his face then took off laughing in flight as the Berserker on Sleuther gave chase, brandishing the fish as a weapon and cursing at him. The sea dragons joined them for the rest of the trip, still offering up more fish along the way that Danny hesitated to take.

        “Better get used to the attention, my dear,” Viggo called down with a chuckle from where Herrlof flew. “A king must be gracious with their subjects.”

        Danny almost threw a fish at him next, but Hiccup’s call caught his attention. “Woah, I’ve never seen that kind of dragon before!”

        Hiccup was looking into the distance with his spyglass and Danny followed the direction to catch sight of the massive form of a serpentine dragon dipping below the waves. Its blue and green scales melted away into the water within moments.

        Danny almost took off to fly after the new dragon when a rumbling echoed through the air from the island of Nepenthe just ahead. The Riders flew in and Danny scanned the landscape as the rumbling faded. It was a smaller island, with many hills covered in forests marking the landscape. Huts rose all along them, built amid the trees and foliage, and pairs of bubbling water vents lay scattered on the beaches.

        They drew in for a landing and the Riders dismounted their dragons. Danny ducked into the foliage before he returned to his human half and slipped in among the others as if he’d been there the whole time.

        “Nice place you’ve got here,” Hiccup commented as he gazed around. “In fact, we didn’t see anything out of the ordina-” 

        Hiccup’s words were cut off by another trembling that rocked the ground and had everyone stumbling, even the dragons.

        “Woah, do those tend to happen so close together?” Danny asked as the ground stilled again.

        “No, they're happening more frequently now,” Calder turned toward his village, rubbing his chin in thought before he gestured for them to follow him down the beech. “Come, King Mikkel will see you, though I must warn that he prefers a more… Natural setting from which to rule.”

        Danny stopped and stared at the man Calder swept an arm toward. He was seated on a flat rock on the beech, facing away from them and strumming what almost looked like a ukelele. He wore a sleeveless white shirt and matching white pants, and his blonde hair stuck out in a wild array.

        “Uh, greetings!” Hiccup heeded as he approached with Toothless at his side. “I am Chief Hiccup of Berk, Son of Stoick, son of Valka. By the Archipelago Accords of the Great Council of Chieftains, I bid you-”

        “Please, call me Mik! King Mikkel was my father!” King Mikkel - or Mik - stood to face them with a bright smile and arms outstretched. He looked young, far younger than Danny would have expected for a king, and he stepped forward to embrace a baffled Hiccup in a hug. “This is how we say ‘hello’ round here, Hic! Mind if I call ya ‘Hic’?”

        “Well, this is… Something,” Danny hummed. “Better than some stuffy Kingly meeting, I guess!”

        “Says the king,” Dagur pointed out with a snicker and Danny elected to ignore him.

        “You don’t seem too bothered by the earthquakes,” Danny commented, and right on time, the ground rumbled beneath them, though not as violent as before.

        “Oh, yeah, that,” Mik laughed, brushing off the tremor without a care. “The way I hear it, you’re all pretty handy with the dragons. I’m sure you’ll figure this out eventually, but in the meantime, why don’t you guys make yourselves at home and relax?”

        “Don’t mind if I do!” Tuffnut strutted over, already missing his shirt and pants. The image would be scarred into Danny’s nightmares for the rest of his life, no doubt.

        “There you go! I take it you’ve heard about our famous hot pools?” Mik asked, bright as ever, and Tuffnut looked confused.

        “Hot pools? What’re those?”

        Hiccup let out a sigh as both Ruff and Tuff ran off toward two of the bubbling pools of water down the beach Mik pointed to. “I should’ve left those two behind.”

        “Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em,” Danny grinned and pulled off his shirt, threw it at Viggo when he stood staring, and ran after the Twins with a laugh.

        Dagur cheered and he didn’t hesitate to follow, along with Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Viggo after a moment.

        “Guys! We’re here on a mission!” Hiccup called after them in protest to no avail, and he groaned when Toothless bounded over to one of the pools and jumped in, followed by Barf and Belch, Hookfang, and Meatlug.

        The heat of the water surprised Danny when he stepped in, but it drove away the aches in his body and the weariness plaguing him since Drago’s attack. He found himself leaned back and relaxing with the others in no time. Viggo sat by his side, an arm around Danny’s shoulders to hold him close.

        “Wow, that plasma left a gnarly scar,” Dagur said with a grin and Danny glanced down at the twisted burn marked on his chest. The pains were gone by now but he doubted it would heal much more, and he noticed Toothless wince at the reminder of what he’d done.

        “Don’t worry, Toothless, I don’t blame you,” Danny was quick to assure. “That Bewilderbeast got me controlled too, you couldn’t have stopped yourself.”

        “Well, what’s another scar for your collection?” Viggo rolled his eyes. “Will you ever stop getting yourself hurt, my dear?”

        “Doubtful,” Snotlout said.

        “Yeah, what he said,” Danny added with a grin.

        “Unbelievable,” Hiccup walked up with crossed arms and a stern frown for them all. “Astrid and Eret are the only two trying to figure out the whole earthquake situation?”

        “Hey, we deserve a little break after everything that happened,” Danny raised a brow. “You’re talking like you’re not also super stressed out and in need of a vacation.”

        Hiccup looked ready to protest before he sighed. “Okay, that may be the case, but we can relax after we figure out why the island is having this issue.”

        The foliage rustled nearby and Astrid and Eret stepped out with Stormfly and Skullcrusher at their sides.

        “No luck,” Eret said with a shake of his head. “Stormfly and Skullcrusher haven’t turned up a single scale, not a dragon at all on the island.”

        “All we’ve found are some fault lines but they’re too small for a Screaming Death to tunnel through,” Astrid added.

        “A dragon roar but no dragons? A laid-back king whose island is breaking under his feet?” Hiccup shook his head. “Something isn’t adding up.”

        By evening, none of the riders had turned up anything. The island, despite the tremors, lay calm and void of any dragons to cause such a ruckus. 

        “You sure you won’t stay, Hic?” Mik asked from where he sat at the end of a table filled to the brim with a buffet of food. “We put on a killer smorgasbord for you guys!”

        “Sorry, Mik, we’re flying back to Berk tonight,” Hiccup said and rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve searched your island high and low but couldn’t find the source of your tremors, dragon or otherwise, so it doesn’t feel right for us to accept any more of your hospitality.”

        The dragons didn’t appear to get the memo as Toothless, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch didn’t hesitate to tear into the offerings. Danny spotted Calder approaching the table, though he wore his hood up once again and the shadows shrouded his face. To his shock, as Mik sipped a drink from a coconut shell, the King collapsed in the chair he sat in and the dragons followed moments later.

        “The food’s been poisoned!” Eret exclaimed, but a wave of dizziness washed over Danny at that moment and he staggered as the other Riders - those who had been in the hot pools with him - fell to the ground too, unconscious.

        “No, those hot pools!” He fixed Calder with a glare despite his wavering vision. 

        “Yes, the pools do provide a calming effect, though we don’t know why,” Calder said in a calm tone as more men stepped forward to surround them. “I’m surprised to see you still awake too, nobody has been able to resist whatever’s in the water.”

        “You picked the wrong time to mess with us, Calder,” Hiccup pulled Inferno from his belt and the blade lit with flame. Stormfly and Skullcrusher stalked forward to flank him, snarling and braced for a fight. “And you miscalculated. These two dragons are more than enough to take you out.”

        It would be three, Danny thought with a grumble as his immune system fought against the effects of the hot pools. 

        “Take me out?” Calder asked with a laugh as he drew back his hood. He turned, facing away from them. “Why would they take me out when I am becoming one of them?”

        Calder dropped his robe and Danny stared with shock at the wings tattooed on his back surrounded by green scales that stretched across the expanse of his body. He shot them a smug grin.

        “Lower your weapons and submit to my glory so that you and your dragons might live long enough to witness my transformation.”

        Danny couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him. Calder, Hiccup, Astrid, and Eret stared with shock and confusion as he struggled to reel himself in.

        “Sorry, sorry, this is just… You’re a bit late to the party.”

        Calder’s confusion shifted to frustration and he turned to fix Danny with a glare. “When I was only a boy I understood I was different! Since birth, I’ve been a dark coiled dragon trapped in the weak flesh of a man.”

        “Yeah, okay, that doesn’t explain you attacking us though to be fair,” Danny pressed on.

        Calder scoffed and crossed his arms. “It’s foretold. I am the son of a dragon, the serpent’s heir, and these quickening tremors are confirmation from the Gods! All I need are the gift of fire,” he gestured to Inferno before it moved to Toothless’s unconscious body where his men held their spears at the ready, “and real wings of my own.”

        Hiccup grit his teeth, looking ready to charge despite all the men surrounding them, and Danny stepped forward to cut him off. He caught sight of Hookfang’s wing twitching.

        “Y’know, I’m something of a man with the heart of a dragon myself,” he offered a grin and Calder’s brow raised with intrigue. Just gotta keep him distracted long enough… 

        “How so? You too have felt this wrongness of one’s self?”

        “Well, I don’t know about any wrongness, but unlike you, I don’t need to steal any fire or wings. I’ve perfected this transformation!"

        “Impossible,” Calder scoffed, though the light of curiosity didn’t leave his eyes. “You are no dragon, you have no scales or wings!”

        “Au contraire,” Danny smirked, and at the first sign of Dagur grabbing for the knife on his belt, twin rings changed him into a dragon.

        Calder’s shock was short-lived before a blast of ice courtesy of Danny sent him sprawling and more ice caught his men by the legs, freezing them to the ground. The Riders and their dragons stumbled back to their feet and took to the air. Danny shot after them, but when he looked back down, braced for a fight, he found their enemies still struggling to free themselves and already plenty defeated.

        Hiccup fixed Calder with a glare as the man staggered back to his feet and shook off the ice coating him. “Give it up, Calder, these are real dragons.”

        They took off, leaving his shouting in the dust.

        “It’s a cool place to visit but I don’t know that I’d want to live here,” Tuffnut commented as the island below rumbled more fierce than ever before and Danny stopped short with a bolt of shock at what was happening.

        The hills rose, coming to life and tearing away from the ground. The massive forms of dragons took shape as they broke away from the landscape, their woody heads covered in twisted root-like horns, their mouths spewing lava as they awakened.

        “Foreverwings!” Fishlegs gasped with awe. “I thought they were just a myth!”

        “They must’ve been sleeping here for generations, before Nepenthe was even founded!” Hiccup exclaimed.

        “Whatever lets them hibernate that long must’ve leeched through those hot pools to sedate us,” Viggo added with a thoughtful hum. “Fascinating things.”

        Fear shot through Danny as huts crashed to the ground from the awakening Foreverwings and lava rose from the fissures in the ground they created. He darted down to grab a pair of people out of the way of a falling house and the other Riders didn’t hesitate to join him in the rescue effort. Calder and some guards may have betrayed their king but the rest of these people didn’t deserve such a fate.

        “Danny, use those Alpha dragon powers you’re supposed to have!” Dagur called out as Sleuther snatched the spears out of the hands of some people aiming for the Foreverwings. 

        Oh, right. Here goes nothing, Danny landed on a crumbling hill beside the ocean and let out a roar that echoed through the air. The Foreverwings turned to him, their mouths glowing with lava, and for a moment he thought they’d blast him with its heat. Relief coursed through them as the imposing dragons dipped their heads instead and began to go on their way - flying or taking to the ocean in all directions.

        Footsteps caught Danny’s ear and he whirled to find Calder stalking toward him with a sword in hand. “Change is the way of all things, and with change comes devastation. With devastation; opportunity, growth, evolution! Those great dreaming dragons knew this. When I carve out your dragon heart I’ll achieve the change the Gods will for me and take your abilities for myself!”

        Wow, he’s just actually insane, Danny growled, plasma hot in his throat, but before he could fire wingbeats cut through the air followed by running steps. Herrlof flashed by and Viggo followed on the ground, his kick sending Calder flying off the edge of the cliff into the water below.

        “I’m the only one who gets his heart.” The fury in his eyes had Danny staring and he broke into laughter as he changed back to a man.

        “Wow, how romantic! You murdered a guy.”

        “He landed in the water, he’ll survive,” Viggo brushed off with a huff as his anger faded. His arms wrapped around Danny’s waist to pull him closer and when Herrlof landed he climbed up onto her saddle and pulled Danny along. “Let’s get out of this place before another madman arrives to try and steal you away, my dear.”

        “Hey, I like that plan,” Danny assured as they took off for home.

        “I’ve learned a few lessons lately, mostly about change,” Hiccup’s voice rang through Berk as he stood before a crowd of his people. Danny stood nearby with Stoick, and he cringed a bit when Hiccup used the words he’d told him Calder said. “Change is the way of all things, and with change comes devastation, but also opportunity, growth, and evolution. I’m not gonna lie, things have changed on Berk. Most for the better, I hope, but things won’t go back to the way they were. They can’t, and that’s okay, because even though it’s different we can still make it better. Stronger.”

        Danny caught the hope shining in the eyes of the villagers listening, and pride rose in his chest to witness Hiccup’s growth for himself. Even the three men from yesterday were nodding along as Hiccup went on.

        “Before we do that, we’ll all need to change too, starting with me. I admit that historically Toothless and I haven’t had the best attendance record on Berk, but we’re gonna fix that. If any of you have a problem, any problem at all, please come to me. Your Chief will listen to you. And if you have any dragon-dispute-related issues, you can relay all of those to your Alpha dragon over here!”

        Danny stiffened when Hiccup gestured to him with a grin and returned it with a glare and roll of his eyes. 

        A rush of wingbeats caught the audience’s attention and Danny turned in surprise to find Cloudjumper rushing in for a landing, but instead of fear, Valka’s eyes shone with excitement.

        “The egg is hatching!”

        Danny gasped and shot off toward the small nest of ice he’d carved out for the Bewilderbeast egg within the village’s center. Valka hurried after, followed by Hiccup and the other Riders, and they landed to find the egg shaking as a crack split down its shell.

        Danny changed back to his human half and stared, breathless, as the egg split open and a hatchling broke free. It shook the last of the shell from its head and tottered to shaky paws. Its scales were a pale, almost white, blue and the tips of the small frills around its neck ended in a dark charcoal. It had the smallest nubs of tusks, and it gazed around with wide blue eyes.

        “Woah,” Danny breathed at last. “It’s so cute! This little thing is gonna turn into an island-sized dragon?”

        “Yes, they tend to grow fast, and she appears plenty strong!” Valka laughed and reached out a hand for the hatchling to sniff, but instead, it looked to Danny and tilted its head.

        Danny got no warning before a blast of ice frosted his hair. He blinked, rubbing the ice from his face as the Riders around him laughed.

        “Nobody said motherhood would be so cold,” he muttered as the Bewilderbeast took off bounding through the village on clumsy paws. He hurried after and heard Viggo’s laughter following.

        “This one’s going to be a pawful for you, my dear!”

        “Hey, you’re not being an absent father! This is your dragon child too now!”

        The Bewilderbeast kept just out of reach as they tried, and failed, to catch her, already sewing chaos moments after she’d come into the world. Like father like daughter, Danny supposed with a laugh.

Chapter Text

        The ground rumbled as Toothless’s plasma blast sent a shower of stones tumbling to cover a cave entrance. Danny fought to catch his breath, his body aching and the stinging scratches all across his scales making him wince. Firelight flickered as Hiccup lit Inferno’s blade, illuminating the shadows around them. Claws scraped against the other side of the rocks and a growl rose in Toothless’s throat despite how tired he must be as well.

        “Easy, bud,” Hiccup soothed. “I hear them, we all do.”

        Danny let out a long breath and changed back into a man. He slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall and letting his weary body rest for however long it could. Viggo hurried over, bandages in hand, and Danny let himself relax as he began to wrap up the worst of the claw marks.

        “I’ve still got plenty of fight in me,” he assured despite the exhaustion weighing over him.

        Viggo scoffed and his voice held an edge of sarcasm. “Of course, my dear, I don’t doubt it, however the rest of us don’t at the moment.”

        “Nothing we can’t handle,” Eret said from where he stood peering out of a crack in the fallen rocks. “I counted only forty or so before we got sealed in here.”

        Danny gazed around at the other Riders as they settled down to catch their breath and recover. It was strange to see none of their dragons with them, Valka most of all, always accompanied by Cloudjumper. 

        “Once we’ve regained our strength we’ll be back out there to finish this,” Hiccup assured as he piled up a few ragged sticks and set them alight with Inferno. The makeshift campfire lit the cave far better than his sword did and he sat back with a weary sigh.

        “I always thought Hookfang and I would make it to Valhalla in a blaze of glory,” Snotlout grumbled. “Not buried alive with you losers.”

        “Nothing would’ve made us happier than to start that blaze, Snotlout,” Eret scoffed as he joined the group to sit.

        “We can still set you on fire if you want,” offered Tuffnut with a grin.

        Gobber leaned back and barked out a laugh that caught the group’s attention. “Y’know what this reminds me of? The time Stoick and I went hunting after the Monstrous Nightmares that took my hand and leg!”

        Danny tilted his head and they settled in as Gobber began his tale.

        “We got separated from the rest of our search party during a maelstrom but survived by swatting back Thor’s lightning with our axes, as you do. Of course, we grew bored of taming the elements after a while and decided to take shelter in a cave like this one. Only that cave wasn’t empty! A whole hoard of Snaptrappers waited inside!”

        Gobber lowered his voice to mimic Stoick, “‘Just pretend you’re pulling weeds back on Berk,’ Stoick said, and even though I was down an arm we showed those Snaptrappers what-for and celebrated on their bodies with the finest mead!”

        “Gobber, that story can’t possibly be true,” Fishlegs protested. “Swatting lightning with an axe?”

        “And where did those flagons of mead come from?” Astrid added.

        Gobbed waved their questions off. “Details, details.”

        Fishlegs hummed in thought and rubbed his chin. “Thinking about it, Gobber’s tall tale reminds me of the time-”

        Snotlout cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “Oh, no, Fishlegs! Your boring memories always involve two things; dragon facts and a menu of what kind of rocks Meatlug ate in the last five minutes.” He stepped forward to stand before the fire and puffed out his chest. “It’s time for a real story of heroism, as told in the sensational Snotlout style!”

        Danny rolled his eyes as he began.

        “I was just returning from my morning workout - fifty reps on the iron pummeler if I recall correctly, no big deal- when our poor, defenseless island was suddenly attacked by a stampede of Thunderclaws! Poor Stoick had twisted his ankle, powerless before the oncoming dragons, when I came running in to lift him upon my shoulder and carry him to safety!”

        Everyone rolled their eyes at that, though Snotlout didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah, Stoick went on to say how much better I was than Hiccup at pretty much everything, especially not whining, and then he said I could have my pick of all of Berk’s lovely ladi-”

        Snotlout’s boasting got cut off as Astrid twisted his arm behind his back. 

        “Oww! I mean, Stoick saved my life! Ow- Again! That’s how it- Owowow! Really happened!”

        Danny snickered when Astrid let him go at last and he staggered away to sit back down. They all jumped and turned to the collapsed stones when the sharp chittering screech of a dragon rang out followed by the echoes of more roars from its friends.

        “They’re getting closer,” Eret held his boomerang - which they called a Returnwing - and Astrid gripped her axe with narrowed eyes.

        “Then what say we keep these campfire stories going while we still can?” Her tone was light despite the grave implications. “I remember this one time, right before the dragon race when Danny and I tracked Hiccup to Itchy Armpit. I caught Stoick looking out across the ocean where Toothless was flying off and guessed it to be a family squabble. ‘That boy’s got his mother’s fire in him’, Stoick said.”

        Valka laughed at her husband's words and Danny found them right on target as he joined in with her laughter. Hiccup rolled his eyes at the both of them.

        “He said I’d make a good Chief, you know?” Astrid shook her head with a chuckle. “I’m no leader, though. I’m a warrior through and through. Then, well, he said I’m the daughter he wished he could have had with you, Valka.”

        Valka’s eyes shone with warmth and she stepped closer to cup Astrid’s cheek. “He was certainly right about that, Astrid. You’re the spirited warrior who keeps watch over all of Berk, including our son.”

        “Hey, I don’t need watching,” Hiccup protested and Danny snorted a laugh that earned him a glare. “Oh, coming from the guy who's always getting kidnapped or hurt?”

        “How ever did you two end up together?” Viggo spoke up before they could start squabbling. “You’re both quite different people.”

        Valka laughed at the question, fond nostalgia showing in her eyes. “Oh, my, that’s a story. It was actually our first fight of all things.”

        Danny snickered and nudged Viggo in the side. He rolled his eyes but said nothing as Valka began.

        “The Berserkers were trying to invade Berk again, back when Oswald the Agreeable was known as Oswald the Antagonistic. Stoick had a right cross that would make you weak in the knees - in more ways than one. It didn’t hurt that he had a pretty good singing voice, to boot,” she sighed at the memory. “There, in the middle of all these unconscious enemies, we shared our first dance and song.”

        “Oh, yeah, that was all romantic and whatnot but the time for romance is over!” Ruffnut butted in to lean closer to the fire with a sinister grin. “Now is the time for fear!”

        “Behold, a tale so sinister, so maddening, it will make your sixth toes curl!” Tuffnut joined in. “The great trickster, our Lord Loki, answered our dark prayers and granted us their infinite powers! Flight, strength, trickery-”

        “Not a moment too soon” Ruffnut cut in with a dramatic gasp, “for there, attacking Berk, we headed to face our greatest challenge… The attack of the fifty-foot firebreathing Gothi!”

        “That has nothing to do with any of the previous conversations,” Fishlegs interrupted with a raised brow.

        “No, no, I can see the pathway,” Danny’s assurance earned nods from the Twins.

        “Thank you, at least someone here can make connections,” said Tuffnut.

        Astrid sighed and rubbed her face. “Did you two hit your heads when Toothless collapsed the cave entrance?”

        “Plus Ruffnut’s the only one with a sixth toe,” Snotlout added.

        Hiccup laughed as he stood to brush off his armor and ready Inferno for battle. “I wonder what Dad would have come up with if he were here. Telling stories before a battle, he calls it Burning Midnight, and that’s what we’re gonna need to do to make it out of here and rescue our dragons.”

        Danny stood and changed back to his dragon half as they all braced for battle once more, adrenaline chasing away his weariness in heartbeats. They had a fight to win.

        “Okay, let’s light ‘em up,” Hiccup said as he coated the Riders’ weaponry in Monstrous Nightmare gel and set them aflame. “For freedom, for Berk, and for Burning Midnight.”

        Danny and Toothless fired off simultaneous plasma blasts that sent the rockfall crumbling away and the Riders rushed out into the open air of night. Immediately, their enemies greeted them with jets of sticky webbing that Danny darted higher into the air to avoid. The green-scaled dragons looked like monstrous reptilian spiders, with six legs, mandible-like jaws, and four eyes.

        All around the strange dragons swarmed, hissing and snarling when the fire-wreathed weapons lashed out for them. Danny fired off a jet of ice into the trees above, blocking the assault of webbing being rained down at them.

        “In all my years I’ve never seen dragons like these!” Valka exclaimed as she drove back one with the flaming end of her staff.

        “Neither have we, and we’ve been vacationing on this island since we were knee-high to a Nadder!” Fishlegs added before he yelped as Snotlout clung to him with a shriek of fear.

        “Ew, ew, ew! I hate spiders!”

        Danny landed before one of the dragons as it snapped toward Eret, sending it reeling with a hard blow from his wing before Eret followed it up with an uppercut that had it fleeing.

        “Fishlegs has a point,” Gobber’s voice rose above the clamor, “where’d these testy tarantulas come from? And why aren’t they listening to Danny or your dragon speak?”

        “These- These Silkspanners,” Of course Hiccup‘s thinking of names right now, “are too frenzied to follow any orders, Alpha or otherwise!”

        The sound of webbing tearing caught Danny’s ear and he spotted Astrid cutting Stormfly free from where she hung trapped against the walls of the mountain they’d been hiding in. Danny shot into the air and whirled around the thick trees, dodging the volley of webs and clawing arms, to hook his claws into the webs entangling Hookfang high above. He tore the dragon free and Hookfang wasted no time setting himself ablaze to burn off the rest of his prison before he rushed to join in the fight.

        “Toothless!” Hiccup’s panicked shout rang out and Danny caught sight of him going down, wrapped in webs, while Toothless fended off a trio of Silkspanners as he tried to reach his Rider.

        Danny darted in for a landing and fired off a plasma blast at the feet of his enemies, catching them by surprise and forcing them back to give them more room. Toothless took the opportunity to rush toward Hiccup just as a blaze of fire raced by and cut him free. Eret caught his flaming Returnwing with a grin before returning to his own fight.

        Danny stumbled as sticky webs caught one of his wings, trapping it to his side, and another blinded half of his face as it caught his head. He snarled, clawing at the webbing sticking his mouth shut, but the roars of familiar dragons gave the Silkspanners pause.

        To Danny’s relief, the other Riders’ dragons came flying in, Astrid in the lead after finding and freeing them. Herrlof let loose a volley of lightning that sent the Silkspanners scattering, followed by blasts of fire from the other dragons. Among them came the chilling breath of a Snow Wraith and Eret’s very own dragon, Snowscout, charged in with a roar. Outnumbered, the Silkspanners snarled and fled into the trees or took to the air with the webs stretching between their legs. 

        “Looks like you’re in a sticky situation, my dear,” Viggo said with a snicker as he walked over. 

        “Come to rescue me? Let me give you a hug as thanks!” Danny smirked as he changed to his human half and gave chase with arms outstretched as Viggo ran.

        “Danny, stop flirting and look at this!” Hiccup called and Danny skidded to a halt with a huff.

        “You got lucky,” he said to Viggo who feigned innocence before they both hurried over to join Hiccup, Danny brushing off the webs as best he could along the way.

        In his hand, he held an arrow, and Danny recognized the markings carved into the shaft with a jolt of shock.

        “Those are the same as Drago’s armada. That would explain the hostility,” he said with a grimace. “Let’s just hope whoever shot that arrow isn’t with an army.”

        Hiccup let out a long sigh and shook his head before he turned to Fishlegs as he pulled out a strange little device. One of Eret’s friends had found it, a ‘Dragon Cry’, he called it. Like its name suggested it mimicked the sound of any dragon its creator had marked into the device, and Fishlegs kneeled, cranking the handle and tuning the machine to try and replicate the sound of the Silkspanners.

        “Hmm, I’m not getting anything from this. Skulder might have more records on Berk that would help.”

        Hiccup turned to Valka as she put out the flames at the end of her staff. “Mom, can you escort Fishlegs back?”

        Danny jerked with surprise when a sobbing Snotlout, covered in webs all across his face, stumbled over and grabbed hold of him. 

        “The butt web got in my mouth! Tastes like spoiled yak curd. I wanna go home!”

        “Uhh, maybe take Snotlout too,” Danny said as he pried the crying man off him and coaxed him toward Valka and Fishlegs instead. Note to self: No spiders around him.

        “Alright, alright,” Valka soothed as she lifted Snotlout onto Cloudjumper who huffed out a breath from all the crying. “Take care, the both of you.”

        As Valka and Fishlegs headed for Berk with Snotlout in tow, Danny turned to the remaining Riders plus Gobber before he noticed a certain set of Twins missing.

        “Oh no. Where’re Ruff and Tuff?”

        Hiccup grimaced and gestured toward the trees where the inferno was hard to miss, along with the two Riders pointing fingers at one another.

        “He did it!”

        “She did it!”

        Danny sighed and they got to work putting out their fire before they took flight to track down where the arrow came from. Astrid on Stormfly flew in the lead, following the scent due South, and before long they came across a small island thick with vegetation. Drawing in closer, Danny was surprised to see the island almost choked to the brim with some sort of thorn-covered vines.

        “Don’t touch it!” Gobber’s shout stopped them in their tracks. “That’s dragonvine!”

        “I heard of this during my Trapper days,” Eret nodded with a thoughtful hum. “Its thorns are toxic to humans, deadly to dragons.”

        “Would that make it double-deadly to you?” Ruffnut asked Danny and he gave her a confused look.

        “Or would it cancel itself out?” Tuffnut added.

        Danny looked down at the vines, his curiosity piqued, but before anyone could do anything stupid a cry of fear rang out from the island. The Riders wasted no time flying in, and below Danny caught sight of four people and a child fending off the creeping vines with farming tools. 

        Danny tucked in his wings and darted in. A ray of frost froze the reaching vines before they could touch one of the people who stumbled back with shock. Flames lit the air as the other Riders got to work on burning away the dragonvine and Danny landed before the people who shared confused and wary glances.

        “It’s okay, we only want to help,” Hiccup called out as Toothless landed beside Danny amid the growing smoke.

        Danny let out another breath of frost around them to stave off the heat and choking air before he faced the strangers with his head tilted. They looked nothing like Vikings, that was for sure. Their clothes were rather thin and almost tribal, not built for the Northern climate. Their dark skin was decorated with distinct spotted tattoos and markings across their faces, and Danny noted the trails of webs caught on their farming equipment.

        The Silkspanners were here?

        “I’m Hiccup, the, uh, Chief of Berk,” Hiccup introduced as he climbed off Toothless’s saddle. “Not that I’ll get used to saying that. And these are-”

        Hiccup's words were cut off as the eldest of the group, a man with a grizzled face and black hair that trailed down his back, slapped his outstretched hand away with a distrustful glare.

        “Um, you’re welcome for saving your lives?” Astrid said snidely as Stormfly landed.

        “Astrid, wait, I see what’s going on here,” Hiccup had caught sight of the webs as well and from the smoldering vines approached a group of more people cutting their way through the straggling remains.

        “Yes, the Anasi - the Great Spiders - were here, until we drove them off.” The head of the group spoke up. He looked young and carried a bow in one hand. His clothes were rimmed with thick fur and he fixed them with a wary stare.

        “You speak our language,” Hiccup sounded relieved.

        “One of the things I’ve picked up along the way,” the man nodded, not sounding unkind but not friendly either. “My name is Bayana.”

        “Bayana. Your name means ‘Clear Knowledge’, right?” Hiccup inclined his head in a respectful nod while Bayana’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Why attack the Silkspanners? Why drive them from their home?”

        “Why indeed,” Bayana echoed with a shake of his head. “Drago Bludvist is why. He conquered our village, tried to drag us into his army, and when we refused he burned our home to the ground.”

        Danny blinked with surprise before he stood straighter and puffed out his chest. While he couldn’t speak as a dragon and didn’t want to scare these people even more by turning back into a man, he hoped one of the other Riders would get the message.

        “Right, good news in that regard,” Viggo said with a nod toward Danny. “This dragon here put an end to Drago. He’s dead.”

        The villagers stared with a mix of shock and disbelief.

        “Even if what you say is true, we are still victims of Drago’s diaspora,” Bayana gestured to the distant village choked with dragonvine. “Our home is no more, and each new island we made it to only carried with it more threats until we could run no further. We exiled those Silkspanners, only to have our gardens turn against us.”

        “Then let us help you,” Hiccup offered with a smile. “One team helps you here to hold back the dragonvine, and another goes to investigate how the Silkspanners are connected to this mess. It only started running rampant when they were exiled, after all.”

        Danny blinked at that, a thought coming to mind from one of his long days in history class. Yellowstone National Park, overrun with elk and deer populations which tore up the plantlife in their hunger, and which only stopped when wolves were re-introduced to curb their populations.

        Could the Silkspanners be some sort of ecological balance for something here?

        “Alright. Danny, Gobber, Viggo, Astrid, and I can go track down those Silkspanners,” Hiccup ordered as he climbed back onto Toothless’s saddle. “The rest of you keep this dragonvine under control the best you can. 

        “Might I suggest following the wind currents?” Viggo said as they took to the air. “Those Silkspanners don’t have wings, just their webbing, so they wouldn’t be able to fly against it.”

        “Of course!” Hiccup lit up at the idea and turned to follow the path of the winds. “I gotta say, you’re much better to have as an ally than an enemy.”

        Danny rumbled a laugh at that, Tuffnut’s same suggestion from so long ago coming back to him. 

        It didn’t take long, flying with the wind’s help, to find a barren island in the middle of the water. No plants, save the twisted trunks of leafless trees, broke its plains of drab emptiness and sharp stony hills. Danny caught sight of a few strands of webbing caught in a tree and drew in for a landing.

        “Well, they’re somewhere around here I’d assume,” he mused as he changed back to his human half. The other Riders landed around him and gazed around.

        Movement in the webs above made Danny jump and he jerked back with shock as the bundles split open to let something fall out. Danny caught the shapes on instinct and he paused, staring down at the horrifying and yet strangely cute trio of baby Silkspanners in his arms.

        “Don’t tell me you’re going to adopt those too,” Viggo asked with a raised brow, though he didn’t look too serious about it. “Stormbringer is already more than enough for the both of us to handle.”

        “Uhh, I think they’ve already got a mom,” Hiccup said and Danny spun to find an adult Silkspanner looming over them with a fiery glare, more hatchlings hanging from webs on her underbelly.

        “Oh, how convenient,” Danny held out the baby Silkspanners, hoping it may appease her, but the dragon shot out a tangle of webs that he only barely avoided. 

        “Wha- Toothless!” Hiccup’s shout caught Danny’s attention and to his shock, sprouting from the dragon’s saddle to wrap around and bind him, was the dragonvine.

        “How the hell-?” Danny jumped when the baby Silkspanners tried to wriggle away toward Toothless as he collapsed from the dragonroot’s toxins. An idea hit him and he ran over, Silkspanners in hand, despite the protests from the others as the adult Silkspanner gave chase.

        “Toothless, no! He’s burning up!” Hiccup kneeled, cradling Toothless’s head, and he looked up in shock as Danny dropped the baby Silkspanners on top of his dragon. “What-?”

        Danny beamed, grinning, as the hatchlings began chowing down on the dragonvine happy as could be. A few of them lapped at the wounds left by the thorns, drawing out the toxins, and within moments Toothless staggered back to his paws and rumbled with joy.

        “My word, you never cease to amaze, my dear,” Viggo said as he hurried over with Herrlof at his side. The Skrill gave the adult Silkspanner a wary glance, though she only watched them with her head tilted. More had begun to approach from the plains, smelling their food source, though they kept a safe distance.

        “Well, since my brilliant idea deduced the problem,” Danny mimicked Viggo’s accent with a grin, “think we can fly these Silkspanners back home to deal with the dragonvine?”

        “Yeah, that’d be for the best,” Hiccup said though he grimaced a bit as he climbed onto Toothless’s torn saddle. “I think I know how that dragonvine got in here though, and I don’t think we’ll be in for a warm welcome.”

        “You think those villagers did it?” Astrid asked with surprise. “Why would they?”

        “To bring an end to any war they face,” Viggo suggested with a dark frown. “Permanently.”

        The flight back to the island took longer than Danny would have liked, as they led the Silkspanners to their home while avoiding strong winds that would blow them off course. When they arrived, Danny caught sight of the villagers grouped around a pit within the village and growled.

        “Well, time to teach this lot a lesson on dragons,” Gobber said as Grump flew in low to offload the baby Silkspanners who didn’t hesitate to fall upon the dragonvine with ravenous intent.

        Danny drew closer to the pit and caught sight of the Twins, Eret, and their dragons trapped within, struggling to fight back the encroaching dragonvine. He fired off a blast of plasma to clear a path and Viggo, Astrid, and Hiccup - Silkspanners in tow - used their webs to pull the trapped Riders to safety with ease.

        “Woah, thanks for the airlift!” Eret called as he cut the web to land on Snowscout’s saddle, who rumbled a thanks as well.

        Danny scanned the island, seeing the Silkspanners hard at work clearing out the dragonvine already. He spotted a group of villagers, spears in hand, charging toward them and darted in with Toothless close behind to block their way.

        “What’s the rush? Toothless wants to thank you for the gift you left in his saddle.” Hiccup fixed them with a glare and Danny growled, ready to pounce if they attacked. “Look, I get it, not too long ago our home was nearly destroyed by Drago too, but you have a choice. You can move from island to island like nomads and seek revenge-”

        Danny spun to face a man who held a spear at the ready to throw but before he could attack an arrow split the weapon in half and sent the man stumbling back with shock. Danny turned to find Bayana smiling at them, his bow primed with another arrow and Silkspanners all around him chowing down on the dragonvine.

        “Or we can end this cycle of aggression and make a new home here with these dragons,” he finished with a nod.

        Pride and relief filled Danny and he let out a breath. Finally, no more getting webbed! Eret approached Bayana and they clasped hands.

        “Let’s hope it takes root.”

        After burning the roots of dragonvine the villagers had planned to use for war, the Riders headed for home. Danny flew high above, his sights on the horizon, on a future with more cycles broken like here. Perhaps, he hoped, a future where dragons and people alike lived free.

        “This made me realize something,” Hiccup spoke from below and Danny drew closer to listen. “Berk is more than a place - it’s the people there too. That’s what makes it Berk, but just like these people displaced by Drago, who knows what tomorrow could bring? I think we should open our borders to anyone in need - human or dragon. We can become our own Sanctuary.”

        The idea sent a pang of grief through Danny at the thought of the slain King of Dragons who had worked so hard to build a haven for all dragons. He’d asked him to keep them all safe, and as the King now, Danny would make sure to honor that wish. 

        A new Sanctuary. Good thing Stormbringer’s more than eager to cover the place in ice.

Chapter Text

        Danny’s wingtips skimmed overtop the towering building set at the edge of Berk’s island. Dragons flitted in and out of the houses staggered along the central pole and called greetings to him as he passed by. A giant ‘birdhouse’ of Eret’s imagination, the first of many they were building, and one of the best ideas Danny could have hoped for to account for the influx of dragons they’d been bringing to Berk.

        A familiar Monstrous Nightmare flashed by to graze the water at the edge of the island and from Fanghook’s back an aged Gustav, adult at last but still childish as ever, jumped down from his saddle to land on the waiting saddle of a Shockjaw in the water.

        In his time as a Rider, Gustav had shown more skill than expected at training dragons and he’d set his mind to taming a dragon for land, sea, and air to prove he could. So far, with Fanghook and now Boltbreak, he’d been trying - and failing - to befriend a young Speed Stinger to complete his goal.

        A blast of ice rising from the waves sent Gustav falling from the saddle into the water as Stormbringer broke from the sea beside Boltbreak to rumble a laugh. Danny rolled his eyes when she dove back beneath the water as Gustav let out a string of curses. Every day that Bewilderbeast grew in size and trouble, it shocked him that Berk wasn’t frozen over by now.

        Maybe I should find her an island to claim for herself, Danny mused as he headed for the far end of Berk where the village fell away to forests. Or I can set up an area over here where she won’t damage the village.

        Danny’s sights set on his destination and he drew in for a landing. A Foreverwing lay resting on one of the cliffs overlooking the water and Danny landed on its back where the other Riders already gathered, waiting.

        “About time,” Snotlout scoffed from where he sat leaning against a tree, Hookfang curled up and snoring nearby. “I thought you must’ve gone to sleep like this lump.”

        “Hey, I’m not that late,” Danny argued as he changed back to his human half. “Plus someone had to set those Shovelhelms up in a nest!”

        “Well, at least you’re here and we can start going,” judging by the line trampled in the grass Hiccup had been pacing for a while and even now he fidgeted with a nervous air as he came to a stop.

        “It’ll be fine, Hiccup,” Astrid soothed as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Stoick knows you can handle this.”

        “Yeah, sure, it’s only going to meet with all the other Chiefs in the Archipelago and beyond, no big deal!” Hiccup continued to fret as Danny headed closer toward the Foreverwing’s head.

        “Hey, better get used to it, Chief!” he called back with a laugh before he stood along the great dragon’s neck. “Bone, granda ulo. Ni flugi!”

        The Foreverwing raised its head and let out a bellowing roar that shook Danny to his core as it raised itself to its paws. Its great wings spread and with a few powerful flaps, it launched from the cliff and took to the air.

        For a moment, Danny stood with his arms outstretched, letting the air rush past him in the Foreverwing’s wake. He found it strange to not be flying on his own wings but he didn’t mind being carried for once. Their destination was a distance away and he didn’t want to fly there and back without a rest when the Foreverwing had more than enough stamina for the lot of them.

        Danny rejoined the other Riders and their dragons, settling down for the trip ahead. He lay on his back, hands behind his head and eyes closed, taking the moment to relax for once in a rare peace.

        “How can you be so calm?” Hiccup’s voice made Danny crack open an eye and he found the Rider peering down at him with an exasperated frown. “You’ll be representing the dragons, you know? You’re just as important in this meeting.”

        “Yeah, but I won’t have to talk in front of everyone,” Danny shot back with a smug grin. “I’ll be a dragon the whole time.”

        “Oh, so you expect me to be your translator?” Hiccup raised a brow. “What if I decide to say you’re fighting, I don’t know, scale rot? Or that you prefer rotten fish?”

        “You wouldn’t,” Danny’s eyes narrowed and Hiccup glanced away as if pretending to think.

        “I don’t know, sometimes dragons are hard to understand…”

        Danny jumped to his feet but before he could tackle Hiccup to the ground a heavy weight barreled into his side and he tumbled beneath Toothless and Stormfly as they played. He huffed as the other Riders laughed at his fortune and sat up, fixing Hiccup with a glare.

        “You’re lucky I’m such a gracious and forgiving King.”

        “Accurate as always, my dear,” Viggo called from where he sat leaning against Herrlof’s side. She lay watching Toothless and Stormfly in their playing, though she didn’t seem interested in joining.

        Danny rolled his eyes but, being so gracious and forgiving, he elected to ignore Viggo’s teasing and settled down at his side to wait out the trip.

        By the next morning, as the sun’s light filled the sky, Danny spotted their destination approaching. An island rose from the sea with a central mountain reaching toward the sky. Huts covered the stone slopes and pathways were carved into the mountain’s side, creating winding pathways from the forested base to the massive archway opening near its peak.

        “Oh, this is so exciting,” Fishlegs said as he hurried over for a better view through his spyglass. “I wonder who all will be here. This is the perfect chance to learn about dragons from other lands!”

        Danny chuckled at his boundless enthusiasm for dragon knowledge. “I hope Hiccup can get excited about that too. He’s so worried he’ll mess something up.”

        “I would’ve been a much better representative of Berk,” Snotlout puffed out his chest with a confident grin.

        “Says the guy who cried when a Silkspanner webbed him,” Eret snickered and Snotlout flashed him a defensive glare.

        “Hey, those weren’t any webs! They were butt webs!”

        Danny rolled his eyes with a grin and his excitement grew with every moment as the Foreverwing drew in for a landing at the edge of the island where ships docked. He caught the shock, awe, and even fear in the eyes of many people around them when the great dragon lighted down and lay to rest.

        The Riders slid down the dragon’s extended wing and came to a stop before a burly man with thick leather armor and a long braided black beard framing his face. His hair sat pulled back in a tight bun.

        “Chief Hiccup, I presume,” the man greeted with a respectful nod. “I am Olar, Chief of Norwich, an island due South from here. I’ve heard many a tale about you, master of dragons, and I’ve been curious to meet you myself.”

        “Chief Olar,” Hiccup returned his greeting with a nod of his own and smiled, though Danny caught the nervous light in his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I wouldn’t call myself a ‘dragon master’ though, we don’t master the dragons. We befriend them!”

        “Danny!” The excited voice rang out through the crowd and before Danny could even blink he'd been scooped up in a familiar bone-crushing hug.

        “Dagur!” He choked out and stumbled when the Berserker let him go.

        Heather walked up, rolling her eyes at her brother’s energy before greeting Astrid with a much-less-crushing hug of her own.

        “It’s been a while,” to Danny’s surprise, Mala joined them as well with a warm smile. Throk followed at her side and gave a silent nod of greeting.

        “Mala! How have things been? No trouble lately I hope?”

        “No, not much, other than this one,” she gestured to Dagur as the Berserker butted his way into Hiccup’s and Olar’s conversation with boisterous laughter. “He’s not much of a diplomat.”

        Danny chuckled and shook his head. “I think the only diplomacy he thinks of is through combat. He’s lucky to have you and Heather.”

        Mala’s smile shone brighter at that and her eyes filled with affection. “Yes, he’s quite a handful at times but I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to spend my life with.”

        “I can relate to that,” Viggo stepped forward to join them and flashed Danny a grin that he returned with a huff.

        “Oh, I’m not that bad, am I?”

        Viggo exchanged a glance with Mala and Throk.

        “Alright, changing the subject,” Danny cut in before they could start listing off all of his more reckless moments, “this meeting! We should start heading up to the hall, right?”

        Throk cleared his throat as though trying to hide a laugh. “Yes, the other leaders have already begun to gather. We wouldn’t want to be late.”

        Glad to leave that conversation behind, Danny ran ahead to make his way up the steps of the mountain. He stopped before the carved archway of stone leading into the mountain and stared in awe at the expansive cave before him. Torches lined the smooth walls, filling the cave with warm light, and a massive wooden table stretched from one end to the other. Chairs lined the length of it, many already filled with people chatting or discussing things with one another.

        Danny’s eyes caught on a familiar figure and he paused, staring for a moment in shock.

        “Ryker-?”

        The man looked up with surprise from where he stood with a shorter woman with a thick robe of fur and a spear strapped to her back.

        “Well, I’ll be! Danny!” Ryker bellowed a laugh as Danny hurried over and clasped hands.

        “What’re you doing here? I thought you were out exploring the world?”

        “That I am, but not for myself anymore,” Ryker gestured to the woman beside him as she eyed Danny with a curious gaze. “This is Chief Jorunn of Matlock, the place I call home now. I’m her head Scout for finding new lands and resources.”

        “Greetings…?”

        “Danny!” he greeted with a smile and held out a hand which she shook. “Glad to hear this muttonhead’s found himself a place to call home!”

        Ryker snorted at the name-calling but before he could bite back his eyes set on someone else approaching and he lit up. Danny didn’t even have to turn to know who it was.

        “Brother!” Viggo greeted Ryker with a warm smile as he clasped hands and pulled him in for a hug. “You look to be doing well.”

        “Aye, that I am, and I hope you’ve settled some as well?” Ryker glanced between Viggo and Danny. Danny gave a nervous laugh as Viggo let out an exasperated sigh.

        “As much as I can with this one and all the stress he brings. Did you know he decided to challenge the King of Dragons?” Viggo let out a sharp laugh at the shocked looks from Ryker and Jorunn. “Made himself the new King and everything.”

        “King of Dragons?” Jorunn eyed him with curiosity. “Ryker told me much about your escapades but he never mentioned anything so grand.”

        “Yeah, I end up in a few… Crazy situations,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck with a shrug.

        “A King, eh?” Ryker let out a laugh and slapped Viggo on the shoulder. “You sure know how to choose a man!”

        “Friends, enemies, and those under consideration,” a commanding voice rang through the hall and the voices around them fell silent. “Welcome to the Grand Gathering of Chieftains!”

        At the head of the table, Danny stared with surprise at a strangely familiar man addressing the crowd. He glanced over to Eret where he stood with Hiccup and Astrid. The former Trapper’s eyes were narrowed, fixed on the speaker who looked so much like him.

        “I am Eret Eretson, Chief of Solime, and I am glad to see new and old faces among us today. What news to share?”

        “Those Nortons keep stealing our fish!” A voice shouted, followed by protests of another.

        “Nae we don’t! Yer fish’re too dull ta avoid our nets n they git themselves caught!”

        “Well I wish to complement the Taewae on their exquisite silks they traded,” another voice spoke up above the clamor.

        “And might I say those oxen you sent in return are mighty fine beasts!”

        Danny stared with surprise as the meeting of Chiefs and Leaders turned far more boisterous and loud than he would have expected, with insults and praises hurled at every corner of the room.

        “Anyone else seen that strange Hunter done passed through the South a few moons back? Mighty odd fella, didn't like his little dragon pets either, the brutes.”

        That description caught Danny's attention and he tilted his head as a few voices echoed the concerns of the first.

        “There’s a group of Gronkle tearin up our statues!” Danny heard someone shout and he sighed.

        “I guess that’s my cue.” This’ll be a long day.

        “That went…” Hiccup’s voice trailed off and Danny winced.

        “Hey, it could’ve been worse!” He tried to assure but nobody appeared confident in the words.

        When Hiccup announced the open borders to dragons and people in need, all of the other leaders were skeptical at best and mocking at worst. More than one had pointed out the logistical issue of space that would no doubt crop up in the future and that became a hard point to ignore. Berk could only hold so many dragons and people.

        Maybe it would be a good idea to find a new island to let Stormbringer turn into a Sanctuary, Danny thought with a sigh.

        “Hiccup, it was your first meeting. Of course it wouldn’t go perfect, don’t stress about it,” he gave Hiccup a supportive smile that seemed to relax him a little. “You’ve gotta prove to all those other Chiefs you deserve the same respect they showed Stoick, and that might take a little time but I know you can do it.”

        “Thanks, Danny,” Hiccup let out a breath of relief and as Astrid moved closer to offer her own assurances, Danny spotted Eret on his own with Snowscout, the lines of stress creasing his face. He headed over to join him, his curiosity piqued by what he’d seen at the meeting.

        “Soooo, Eret Eretson, huh?”

        Eret grimaced at his words and shook his head. “I don’t enjoy talking about my father. We’ve never gotten along.”

        “Y’know, that's been a trend for sons of Chiefs,” Danny mused with a glance toward Hiccup.

        Eret sighed and Snowscout rumbled as he nudged his Rider who scratched his neck. “Even as a child, he always pushed me, trying to make me just like him, the ‘greatest Dragon Trapper in the world’. Over time I went along with it to stop the fighting, but when I met Drago and found a chance to get away I took it. Never did realize how I went from one prison to another until it was too late.”

        “That's why you were so quick to join us?” Danny asked, his head tilted. “Finally got the key to free yourself from those prisons?”

        Eret smiled and let out a small laugh. “Yes, I suppose so. Stormfly showed me how my father, Drago, everyone around me was wrong about dragons and I got the chance to come to my own conclusion for once. Becoming a Rider has been the most free I’ve ever felt.”

        Danny put a hand on his shoulder and offered a supportive smile that he returned. “Well, hey, you’re coming along great! We always thought Snow Wraiths were impossible to train but you were the one to break through that stubborn exterior and prove otherwise.”

        Eret brightened at the praise and wrapped an arm around Snowscout to hold him closer and his dragon gave a happy rumble in return.

        “Next year I might work up the courage to confront my dad,” he suggested.

        “If you do we’ll be right there beside you!” Danny assured with a grin.

        “Storm incoming!” Fishleg’s voice called from ahead.

        Danny caught sight of the approaching mass of dark clouds and shivered. The Foreverwing rumbled with unease as lightning flashed but it banked lower to fly further from the clouds and continued on its path.

        “Well, won’t Herrlof be happy,” Danny chuckled as he walked over to said Skrill as she gazed out at the approaching storm. She trilled her confirmation as thunder rumbled.

        “Let’s just hope the Foreverwing can make it through,” Viggo mused as he eyed the clouds. The wind began to pick up, thrashing the foliage around them. “Big dragons aren’t very maneuverable, and though they can push through windstorms they can’t avoid the worst of its blows.”

        At his warning, a howling gust of wind tore past and Danny braced himself against its wrath. The Foreverwing fought against its force but its flight was pushed off course as it listed to the side.

        “Oh no,” cold fear washed over Danny when he caught sight of the cyclone in the clouds beginning to reach toward the water.

        The wind swirled around them and the Foreverwing let out a panicked roar as the hurricane caught it in its grasp, sending it whirling through the air. Just as Viggo reached for Danny, a torrent of wind tore them apart and sharp terror ripped through Danny as the Hurricane yanked him from the Foreverwing’s back. He caught sight of the other Riders and their dragons lifted away as well, fighting the storm’s wrath.

        Before Danny could go dragons, claws wrapped around his arms and he looked up in surprise only to freeze at what he found.

        How- What?

        The dragon that held him was familiar, almost like looking in a mirror - if a bit bigger - as Danny stared up at another Phantom Fury. It rumbled a laugh at his shock before the amusement got cut off as it faltered against the hurricane’s growing winds.

        “No, no, Toothless!” The shout rang above the howling winds and terror shot through Danny to see Toothless plummeting into the thrashing waves below with Hiccup clinging to his saddle.

        “Hiccup!” Danny shouted and wrenched his arms free from the Phantom Fury’s grasp. It roared in shock as he dove into the water where the Rider and his dragon had gone down, with Inferno floating in the waves being his only reference point.

        The icy cold of the sea almost drove Danny’s breaths from his lungs and amid the murky depths of the water, he caught sight of Toothless trying to swim above the storm-ravaged waves that kept dragging him down. His prosthetic tailfin was missing, leaving him with no chance to fly out of here.

        As Danny swam closer he caught sight of a figure looming from the depths that sent fear shooting through him. A gaping maw reached for the three of them from a whale-like dragon and for a moment they breached open air as it raised them up. Danny grabbed hold of Toothless’s saddle and Hiccup’s shocked exclamation got cut off as the jaws closed around them, sealing them in darkness.

        “Uhh, I think we got eaten,” Danny said, blinking and staring around at the maw they found themselves in, half-filled with water.

        “This… Is not a good day,” Hiccup sighed and Toothless growled, plasma shining in his throat as he readied an attack.

        Before he could fire, the water moved, sifting out from the dragon’s mouth. Danny stared in shock at the gullet of the dragon expanded, the thin skin showing translucent like glass, giving them plenty of air and an unobstructed view of the sea below.

        “Woah,” Danny breathed, staring down at the shipwrecks and old bones of dragons half-buried in the sands.

        “I don’t think this dragon’s planning to eat us at least,” Hiccup let out a relieved sigh. “Maybe it wanted to save us from the storm?”

        “I hope you’re right about that,” Danny shivered at the thought of either being eaten or having to escape from the depths of the ocean. “Hiccup, did something hit me on the head while we were up there? Cuz I swear I saw another Phantom Fury try to save me.”

        Hiccup stared, mouth agape with shock. “What? That can’t be, you’re the only Phantom Fury around! I don’t think they’re their own species!”

        “So I am going crazy, got it,” Danny nodded and buried the strange dragon away in the back of his mind. Yep, just crazy, no other Phantom Furies in this world. It couldn’t be her, I haven’t seen her since we beat up Vlad and she ran off!

        “Well-” Hiccup’s protests were cut off as they caught sight of structures looming from the murky depths ahead.

        Danny stared, taken aback at the sight of the ruined remains of a stone building atop an underwater mountain. Stone huts, half-crumbled with age, lay scattered around the mountain and pathways led into the stone, with many looking blocked or ruined.

        “A sunken city?” Hiccup breathed in awe. “Myrefall! I’ve heard stories but I never thought they were real!”

        “Huh, we’ve got sunken city stories back home too, but that place is called Atlantis,” Danny mused as the dragon brought them closer to the city’s remains.

        It came to a stop at one of the tunnels leading into the mountain and to Danny’s surprise it pressed its mouth against it and opened its jaws. No water came rushing in, and it blew out a breath of air, pushing its three stowaways out into the mountain.

        “It’s filled with air?” Danny glanced around with shock at the carved stone ruins filling the tunnel. “That dragon must be bringing down oxygen to keep this place free of water but why?”

        “That’s not any dragon!” Hiccup exclaimed, his excitement clear, and Danny hurried over to peer back out into the water where a familiar sight of green and blue scales met him.

        “The dragon by Nepenthe!”

        The dragon before him was massive, dwarfing most others he’d seen, even the Submaripper. It looked almost like a whale, with huge jaws, a small face, and a long body that ended in a finned tail. A fin ridge ran from its snout down its back. It had a pair of flightless wing-flippers and hind legs that kicked in the water as it turned to swim away, almost all its scales a deep blue-gray that melted away into the depths of the ocean.

        “A Fathomfin!” Hiccup said with a nod.

        “Trapped beneath the ocean in the ruins of a Viking village and still coming up with dragon names,” Danny rolled his eyes with a laugh.

        “Well, we can’t do much else,” Hiccup pointed out as he turned to regard the tunnel they found themselves in. “Come on, let’s see what we’ve gotten into and if we can find anything to put together a tailfin for Toothless.”

        Danny sighed and followed along. “At least I’m not the only one in trouble this time. Now you can be scolded with me!” He laughed at Hiccup’s annoyed glance.

        “We’re not in trouble,” he insisted, “there’s nothing down here but ruins! All we need to do is wait for that storm to blow over, put together a tailfin for Toothless, and fly back home.”

        “Hiccup, our plans never go well,” Danny pointed out. “Something terrible is going to happen - like the mountain falling on us or some scary new dragon appearing to eat us.”

        “Don’t say that or it will go wrong!”

        Danny peered around the shadows of the mountain, his night vision and the glow of Toothless’s plasma the only things keeping them from tripping over every bit of crumbled stone scattered across the floors. All along the walls were runes and stories, carved into it like tapestries, and Hiccup’s hand brushed against one in particular that gave them pause.

        “It’s talking about how their village fell,” Hiccup scrutinized the ancient faded writing. “They lost faith in their Chief, he couldn't lead like they needed and their Village fell apart under the rising waves.”

        Danny winced, noticing how close to home that might hit for Hiccup after today’s meeting and the pain in his brother’s eyes only confirmed it.

        “Don’t go thinking something this bad could happen to Berk because of you,” he snapped, breaking Hiccup from no doubt dark thoughts as he turned to him in surprise. “You’ve done more good for your village than any Chief before, including Stoick! Without you that endless war against the dragons would’ve still been going.”

        Hiccup let out a long sigh and managed a smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. it’s just hard to imagine I can stand up to my dad’s legacy.”

        “Don’t. Make a legacy of your own.” Danny insisted, and Hiccup seemed to relax, put at ease.

        A noise further along the tunnel made Danny jump and they fell silent. Walking quieter than before, they crept along the stone path until the tunnel opened to a cave held up by pillars of carved stone statues of dragons and Vikings alike. A throne stood at the far end and Danny froze at the sight they found seated there, dimly lit by the flickering flame of a single torch.

        “Well, well, well,” the rough voice drawled as Drago stood.

        His cape and armor were gone, leaving him with a bare chest where Danny saw the scar his plasma had left clear as day, mirroring his own from Toothless. On his missing arm, instead of a prosthetic, Danny shuddered to see a dragon fixing them with six gleaming orange eyes. It was small, the length of an arm, with black armored scales on top and deep red scales on its underside. Many legs tipped with sharp claws flexed, the last few held tight to Drago’s shoulder, and Danny caught sight of its tail wrapped around Drago’s back with two deep hooks digging into the flesh of his other shoulder.

        “Uhh, I see you made a friend,” Danny laughed nervously as Drago fixed them with a glare.

        “That’s why the Fathomfin kept this place full of air,” Hiccup stepped closer to Toothless who snarled, his teeth bared.

        “Yes, that beast dragged me down here after I almost drowned,” Drago sneered as he stepped closer. His eyes shone with a wild fervor that made Danny shudder. “It’s kept me trapped, but I’ve kept fighting. This Tormentipede has been an asset to my escape, and now that you’re here…” The dragon on his arm, the Tormentipede, growled, and fire lit within its mouth as it raised like an arm.

        “I can kill you both and take my freedom.”

        Danny rolled aside to avoid the swath of flame the Tormentipede let loose, hearing Hiccup’s shout above the roar of fire.

        “Toothless, no plasma! These walls aren’t stable!”

        No plasma, no problem! Danny changed to his dragon half and unleashed a beam of ice but the Tormentipede’s flames fought against it just as hard. As Toothless charged, claws outstretched, Drago’s attention turned and in the moment of respite, Danny rushed forward and struck out for the Tormentipede. It whipped around faster than he expected and he hissed as its teeth sank into his forearm.

        “Nice try, beast,” Drago sneered and a hard punch to his chest sent Danny sprawling.

        Danny staggered to his paws only for flames to drive him fleeing into a side tunnel and he almost fell right into a pool of water in the broken floor that led down into the ocean. White scales flashed from the depths and he froze, staring, as a dragon rose to fix him with a sharp red gaze.

        A Purple Death, though the usual purple scales were a pale cyan with black running along the back scales and the curved horn on its snout. Its gnarled teeth snarled up at him and Danny staggered back with a shock as it burst up through the water to enter the tunnel. Its serpentine body almost didn't fit in the space, though it seemed smaller than how Hiccup had described, and Danny’s wings flared as he stepped back into a defensive stance.

        “There you are!” The voice made Danny freeze and he stared as the Purple Death before him changed from a dragon to a very familiar man. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Do you know how much of a pain I went through to find Dannielle, let alone you?”

        “Vlad?!” Danny exclaimed as he changed back to his human half to face the other halfa. His hair showed unkempt from the usual slicked-back style and tired circles rimmed his annoyed glare but it was him. “What’re you- How did-?”

        “I’ll explain when we get you back home, now come on,” Vlad grabbed for his wrist but Danny jerked away out of range.

        “No way! I have to help Hiccup!”

        “Who-?”

        Danny gave no answer as he turned and ran back to the cave, more than ready to finish this fight, and what he found surprised him. Hiccup still fought, but a black goopy substance covered much of his skin, and flames from the Tormentipede passed right over those spots.

        A hand grabbed Danny’s arm and Vlad pulled him back, a frightened gleam in his eyes at the sight. “There’s no way you’re running into that mess! That dragon’s breathing fire from a madman’s arm!”

        “Oh, please, this is nothing, and there’s no way I’m leaving my brother to fight alone!” Danny scoffed and wrenched his arm away to charge into the fight as a dragon.

        A beam of ice caught the Tornmentipede off guard and it scratched at its frozen mouth, trying to free it. With the assault of fire stopped, Toothless shot off a close-range blast of plasma that sent Drago to the ground and Hiccup took the opportunity to rush in and grab the dragon’s tail to unhook it from Drago’s arm and pull it free.

        The Tormentipede writhed and snarled, but as it left Drago something changed and it stilled, looking more confused than angry now, as if the man’s madness had influenced its own. As Drago staggered back to his feet, his furious glare burning as hot as his dragon’s flame, a growl rose in Danny’s throat.

        You’re not getting this chance again.

        Danny shot forward, grabbed Drago in his claws, and flung him into one of the tunnels where he slammed into a pillar. Drago looked up in shock as the stone crumbled, sending the roof falling onto him. Danny stared, his eyes narrowed with cold indifference, as blood pooled and Drago’s danger ended once and for all.

        “This day was a lot,” Hiccup sighed and Danny changed back to his human half, brushing the soot from his clothes.

        “You can say that again,” he sighed and poked at the black goop. “So, what’s all this?”

        Hiccup lit up at the question. “It’s some of Toothless’s scales mixed with his saliva! I got away from Drago long enough to try it out, since dragon scales are fireproof, and it worked! This’ll be perfect for our armor lat-”

        A throat clearing cut him off and he turned, shocked, to face Vlad who stood with his arms crossed and a glare fixed on Danny. He only huffed out a breath before rolling his eyes and stepping closer.

        “Hiccup, surprise! This is my dear uncle Vlad! Apparently he came looking for me.”

        “You’ve been gone over two years of course I came looking for you!” Vlad snapped and Danny did feel an ounce of guilt for that.

        “To be fair, I didn’t think you cared,” he admitted and Vlad winced though he didn’t look surprised.

        “I can see why you might have thought that, but I do. I wasn’t able to find you on my own so I had to track down Dannielle for her assistance and we ended up here. Following the rumors of a man changing into a dragon wasn’t very hard after that.”

        “Well, uh, glad to meet you, Vlad!” Hiccup held out a hand with a smile, though he still seemed a bit confused, and Vlad shook it after a moment. “I’m Chief Hiccup of Berk. Uh, how did you get down here?”

        “Oh, he’s like me!” Danny said with a grin. “He’s the only other one back home with the whole half-ghost thing, until he made a clone of me because he’s weird like that.”

        “I’m not-”

        “He’s half dragon too?” Hiccup cut off Vlad’s protests with a gasp, his eyes shining with excitement. “Is he the Phantom Fury you saw earlier?”

        “No, I’m guessing that’s Dani,” Danny explained. “She’s like a little sister. The last time I saw her was before the boiler explosion, she ran off after we beat up Vlad and I never found her again.”

        Vlad let out an annoyed breath at his phrasing and Danny snickered. It felt good to pester him again with their old energy. “Yes, she came and told me she found you. I saw fire underwater and thought you may be here.”

        “Underwater?” Hiccup stared. “What kind of dragon can you turn into?”

        “A Purple Death! But the scales are all weird and he’s small,” Danny snickered to Vlad’s continued exasperation.

        “Listen, can we leave this wretched place before the roof crushes us too? Danny, you killed someone and I must say that’s not something I expected you of all people to do.”

        “This world’s different,” Danny shook his head with a grimace. “Drago tried to kill us all; Hiccup, the dragons, my new home, everyone. I know what happens if I hesitate now against someone like that, and I won’t let it turn out that way​ again.”

        Vlad winced at the reminder but seemed to accept his stance with a nod. “Yes, alright, I see that. Now come on. I’ll bring you all back to the surface.”

        When they breached the surface of the water, riding along on Vlad’s back as a dragon, Danny flinched at the sight of another storm raging around them, though this one didn’t come with a hurricane to his relief. Under the rain’s downpour, the ‘paint’ on Hiccup washed away and Danny snickered when he caught sight of the tattoo across his chest.

        “Wow, Astrid’s name, huh?”

        Hiccup flushed with embarrassment. “She, uh, she’s got a matching one with my name too.”

        Danny couldn’t help but laugh that time. “Okay, that’s adorable,” he admitted and ruffled Hiccup’s waterlogged hair. “So, when’s the wedding? We’re all waiting!”

        “I can say the same for you and Viggo,” Hiccup shot back with a grin and Danny blushed when Vlad's head whipped around to look at him.

        “Hey, you’ve got two years of catching up to do, don’t be surprised by everything!”

        “Hiccup!” A voice rose above the rain and to Danny’s relief, he caught sight of Stormfly’s bright scales amid the storm. Astrid stared with shock as they drew closer. “Is that a Purple Death-?”

        “A Phantom Death, I’d say,” Hiccup said and Danny snickered.

        “Creative.”

        A roar rang out above and Danny yelped when a weight tackled him to Vlad’s back and a pair of arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. He laughed and held Dani tight as she embraced him.

        “Dani! I never thought I’d see you again!”

        “I know, I’m sorry,” Dani’s eyes shone with guilt as she pulled away to stand and pull him to his feet. “I didn’t know about what… Happened… I should’ve been there but I wasn’t and-”

        “Hey, I’m just happy to see you now!” Danny assured, “And don’t worry about me either, I’m not alone anymore.”

        “So, uhh, hate to interrupt-” Hiccup cut in, his brows furrowed with confusion, and Danny smiled.

        “This is the Dani I mentioned! She’s me, as you can see, but also my sister!” When Hiccup just looked more confused Danny waved it off. “That’s a whole story, I’ll explain it later to everyone at once.”

        “You and your stories,” Astrid rolled her eyes and tossed down a spare tailfin for Toothless that Hiccup caught along with Inferno.

        They wasted no time flying back to Berk with Vlad swimming below, and Danny watched as Dani flew in excited twirls and high-speed maneuvers around any sea stacks she came across, clearly enjoying being a dragon.

        Their return to Berk brought cheers to see their safe return and confusion at the sight of the two new dragons. Danny landed where the other Riders gathered, Hiccup and Astrid at his side, and changed back to a man to stand before them. Stoick slapped a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder with a boisterous laugh before he pulled Danny closer and almost crushed them both in a hug.

        “I knew you’d be fine but I’m glad to see the both of you back safe!”

        Viggo sighed. “Even on days where you’re only supposed to attend a meeting, you find trouble. What ever will I do with you, my dear?”

        “Continue to rescue me?” Danny suggested and stepped closer as Stoick let him go.

        “I suppose I can do that,” Viggo grinned and they shared a kiss before a rumbling growl made them jump.

        Vlad loomed over them, his narrowed gaze fixed on Viggo, and Danny rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Viggo to hold him close.

        “Oh, you don’t get to complain, I’m 21!”

        “22 now!” Dani’s excited voice rang out as she landed in a rush and changed back to her human half to the surprise of everyone. “It’s our birthday, and I’m finally 20! I can’t believe you forgot!”

        “There’s a second one of you?” Viggo blinked. “I can hardly handle keeping one alive.”

        “I keep myself alive just fine, thank you,” Danny scoffed, and as Vlad changed to his human half as well, Danny stepped over and held out his arms to gesture at the two of them.

        “So, this is my uncle Vlad and my kinda-sister Dani! Surprise!”

        “Sister-?” Snotlout stared, baffled.

        “More Lokis?!” Ruff and Tuff exclaimed in tandem.

        “Where did they come from?” Fishlegs asked, his eyes shining with excitement. “Your old world?”

        “Yes,” Vlad said with a nod. “We only recently got here after searching there for long enough.”

        “You have an uncle and a sister?” Valka stared with shock at the two of them and Danny eyed the bandaging wrapped around her head.

        “What happened there?”

        “Ah, I got hit by something in the storm. Astrid cared for me and the rest of the village while you two have been gone,” Valka explained before she smiled at Vlad and Dani. “Welcome to Berk! I am to assume by your… Transformations… That you’re like Danny in that regard?”

        “Oh, I’m exactly like him,” Dani grinned and Danny rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.

        “Except taller! When did that happen?”

        “I hit my growth spurt!” She said with pride, though she wasn't much taller than Danny.

        Snotlout crossed his arms and looked off to the side as if trying to appear blazé. “Wow, us short people really get put down around here.”

        “Do we?” Viggo cocked a brow and Snotlout stammered for an answer but came up with nothing.

        “Your new home is awesome!” Dani exclaimed as she stared around at all the dragons flying about. “No wonder you didn’t go back!”

        “I have concerns,” Vlad put in with a frown and Danny huffed, though he understood where Vlad came from.

        “Okay, I know it seems dangerous, and it is, but this is my home and my family,” he backed away to stand with the Riders and both Valka and Stoick put a supportive hand on his shoulder, much to his appreciation. “They keep me in line.”

        “Try,” Viggo put in under his breath and Danny chuckled.

        “Okay, sometimes I make it harder, I’ll admit that.”

        “I think I might stay too!” Dani said with a grin that made the stress lines on Vlad’s face all the more obvious. “Who wouldn’t want to be a dragon in this dragon world and fight all the time?!”

        “You two-” Vlad cut himself off with a groan and tried to brush his hair back into place.

        “They are adults,” Valka’s voice held laughter she tried to repress as Dani ran all around greeting the shocked Villagers. “And, if they do wind up in trouble, they’ll have all of Berk at their backs to help them.”

        Vlad let out another sigh before he stood straighter and fixed Viggo with a hard gaze that had him standing straighter too. “So, you’ve found someone? How did that happen?”

        “So funny story,” Danny gave a nervous laugh. “You haven’t even met my adoptive dragon daughter, let alone the fiance! Don’t get me started on the whole King of Dragons thing too.”

        If Vlad’s stare was anything to go by they were in for a lot of explaining.

        By evening, Vlad relented and allowed Danny and Dani to stay with minimal complaining, though he assured them that he’d be checking in every so often. Now knowing his birthday, Danny was surprised with a party that sent the whole village into celebrations. His only stress came from the sight of Dani and Stormbringer taking off to the forested half of the island and he just hoped Berk would still be standing come morning.

        As the sun set the following day, Danny gazed off into the distance where Vlad headed for Vanaheim to find a portal back home. Footsteps approached and he leaned back as Viggo’s arms wrapped around his waist.

        “Well, this visit came as a surprise,” Viggo hummed and Danny chuckled.

        “You can say that again. Never know what the future holds, eh?”

        “Quite right, my dear,” Viggo’s hands moved up and a weight settled around Danny’s neck. He looked down in surprise to find a pendant secured there. He held it up to look closer and found the rose-gold metal carved with the careful design of a dragon a lot like himself.

        “Is this what I think it is?” Warmth rose in Danny’s chest as Viggo gave an innocent grin.

        “A betrothal necklace? Perhaps.”

        “No fair, I don’t have anything for you yet!” Danny complained.

        “You carved an entire chess set for me,” Viggo pointed out.

        “Okay, fair, but now you’re getting a pendant too!”

        Viggo laughed at his stubbornness and shook his head, amused. “If you’re so determined, my dear, I won’t complain.”

        “Good, you complain enough about me getting hurt,” Danny snickered and leaned in for a kiss.