chapter 14

Once Drago made it to Berk, he ordered his Bewilderbeast to take control of all the dragons. As the Berk dragons mixed with the Sanctuary dragons and Drago's armored dragons, they flew as a single swarm behind Drago's Alpha as it climbed onto the island with Drago standing atop its head with Kala hovering just a couple of feet away.

Drago smirked down at the gathering Vikings below and spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "Your chief is dead."

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd as they tried to take in the new information.

"Stoick?"

"S'not possible."

"No one can protect you now." Drago added with a smirk, then he ordered his dragon to attack the village.

The Vikings below were scattered and thrown into chaos as the Bewilderbeast destroyed buildings and the land itself with its ice breath.

As the sun creeps further into the sky, Hiccup and the other riders arrive back at Berk to see much of it destroyed and encased in ice. All of their eyes widen in fear and worry as they take in the damage before them.

"No…" Hiccup breathed out as he scanned over the island as they drew closer.

"He took all the dragons!" Fishlegs noted fearfully as he spotted familiar dragons within the swarm above the Bewilderbeast's head.

Hiccup steeled himself and looked at the other riders with determination shining in his forest green orbs. "Distract the Alpha. Try to keep his focus off of Kala." He ordered, but before he could speed off to try and get his mate back Tuffnut stopped him.

"Uh…how?" He asked.

"Have you forgotten who you're riding with?" Eret asked with a smug look. "There isn't a dragon alive that I can't wrangle!" He gloated, but that was short lived as his Scuttleclaw dived. "Except for this one!" Eret exclaimed.

"Amateur." Snotlout said with an eye roll.

"Look, it's Hiccup!" A Viking on the island cheered and all the Berkians began to cheer as they saw the young Night Fury and the other Dragon Riders speeding towards Berk.

"What?" Drago asked, now upon Kala's back and forcing her to hover in front of the Alpha.

Once they were close enough to the island, the group split up to do their parts of the plan. Hiccup broke off to go get Kala, the twins, Nanna, Snotlout and Eret went to get sheep to use to distract the Bewilderbeast with, and Fishlegs went to get to the horn. Valka and Gobber landed and helped the other Berkians steer clear.

As Hiccup tried to sneak close to Kala, the others tossed sheep with the catapult to try and get the Alpha's attention off the female Night Fury.

"Keep 'em coming!" Ruffnut yelled as Eret launched sheep after sheep into the air.

The Bewilderbeast's attention is torn away from Drago as it takes notice of the sheep popping up in front of him.

"Black Sheep, baby!" Snotlout exclaimed as he launched the poor black sheep after pushing Eret out of the way.

Before the Alpha could fire at the riders that were at the catapult, Fishlegs blew into the horn to distract it. The sheep then landed on the dragon's face and made a fearful noise as it shook. The Alpha then blew the sheep off in annoyance.

"Ten points!" Snotlout cheered, but he froze when he saw how annoyed the dragon was. "Uh-oh…"

Snotlout and the others then had to dodge as the dragon destroyed the catapult. Fishlegs then blew the horn again and giggled, but that came to a stop as the Bewilderbeast proceeded to destroy the horn with his ice, sending Fishlegs tumbling from where the horn once was.

"I'm okay!" He shouted once he came to a stop.

As the others were distracting the Alpha, Hiccup was able to get close to Kala and Drago, paying little mind to the man's shocked face at seeing the Night Fury use his own pair of wings to hover just a few feet away from his hypnotized mate.

Drago then shook his head to get rid of the shock and smirked. "You certainly are hard to get rid of. I'll say that."

Hiccup ignored his words as he slowly approached with a hand reaching out for his lover. "Kala? It's me, love. It's me. I'm right here. Come back to me."

Kala shook her head as she tried to fight the control, her vision blurred and hearing muffled. Hiccup noticed that she still had the blank look on her face, but saw she was trying to fight as her pupils were rapidly trying to dilate, but he could tell it would take more than just a few words.

"She is not yours anymore. She belongs to the Alpha! But, please, oh great Dragon Master, try and take her. She will not miss a second time." Drago taunted.

"It wasn't your fault, love. They made you do it. You'd never hurt him. You'd never hurt me!" Hiccup said as he was able to get close enough to rest his hand on Kala's snout. Her pupils continued to rapidly change as she fought to gain control of her own body again.

Drago notices this and becomes worried. "How are you doing that?"

"Please. You are the love of my life, milady." Hiccup said, tuning out anything Drago said.

Kala was almost able to break free, but the Alpha concentrated harder on controlling her and her pupils narrowed once more.

"The love of my life." Hiccup said softly as tears began to well up in his eyes.

Kala was then able to break out of the Alpha's control and smiled her signature gummy smile.

" Hiccup. " She crooned which earned a tearful laugh from her mate.

"Yeah, I'm right here! I'm right here, love." He said as they touched foreheads, but the moment was ruined by Drago yelling.

"Enough!" He exclaimed then hit Kala with his bull hook.

Kala growled and Hiccup backed up to give her room as she grabbed the hook with her mouth and yanked the man off her back then dropped him. Hiccup laughed and nuzzled Kala with a purr forming in the back of his throat. Kala nuzzled him back with her own purr forming as they both hovered in midair. After a few seconds, they pulled apart and Hiccup mounted Kala's back and hid his wings and tail as the two sped away from the Alpha.

Drago stood and glared at the two Night Furies as they flew away then directed the glare at his Alpha.

"Do something!" He ordered as he waved his hook towards the fleeing midnight forms then climbed atop the Alpha.

Hiccup and Kala looked at Drago and the Alpha as they flew away, plans forming in their minds as they did.

"We need to get those two apart." Hiccup stated and Kala nodded in agreement.

" Agreed. "

As they pass a flag pole, Hiccup rips some fabric off as they dodge one of the Alpha's ice blasts.

"We gotta block him out, Kala. Do you trust me, love?"

" Forever and always. " Kala said softly as they smiled at one another.

Hiccup nodded, then he wrapped the fabric around Kala's eyes tightly, but not enough to hurt her.

"We can do this. You and me. As one."

" Let's show this asshole that you don't mess with our home. " Kala agreed as they sped across Berk to attack Drago and the Alpha.

"Take him down, cuz!" Snotlout exclaimed as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Go, Hiccup and Kala!"

"Go get 'em" Valka said as she watched her son and his mate speed past.

"Take control of it!" Drago ordered the Bewilderbeast with a wave of his hook.

The Alpha then tries to take control of the blindfolded Night Fury, but fails as Hiccup lays close to the saddle and covers her earplates.

"Shut it out, Kala!" Hiccup encouraged as they got closer to the Alpha.

"STOP THEM!" Drago shouted as he hit the dragon he stood upon.

"NOW!" Hiccup yelled as he and Kala passed over the Alpha.

"Ha-ha-ha." Drago laughed as he thought they had missed, but gasped when he noticed something.

Kala was flying upside-down as her blindfold fell away, without Hiccup in her saddle. Drago turned to see the male in hybrid form fly past him and surround him with Zippleback gas from his sword then igniting it. Drago falls from the Bewilderbeast with a yelp of surprise, landing on the ground below, his hook landing just out of reach.

Hiccup smirked as he watched the man fall, but that smirk fades when he notices the Alpha's tail was getting closer and closer to him.

"Not again." He groaned, then easily dodged it and met up with Kala as she was landing. He took notice of Drago trying to grab his hook and he grabbed his sword and threw it. It unsheathed and ignited as it landed in the ground between Drago and the hook, which made the man shout in surprise and anger.

Hiccup and Kala approached Drago, growls forming in their throats. Kala's growl became louder as Drago tried to move for his hook and the man froze.

"Hold him there Kala!" Hiccup instructed as he took a few steps closer with a glare directed at the man in front of him. "It's all over now." He growled out.

Drago took notice of the Alpha as it rose up behind Hiccup and Kala. "Or is it?" He asked as a smirk pulled at his lips.

The Night Furies' eyes widened in realization, but before they could so much as fly away, the Alpha breathed ice at Hiccup. Before it could encase him though, Kala dove in and covered him with her body, the both of them being frozen solid. Drago laughed as he climbed to the Alpha's head once more as the two young dragons were encased in the ice.

Valka's eyes widened in horror. "No!" She yelled as she rushed to the ice that covered where the two young dragons once stood. She hit at the ice helplessly to try and free them, some tears escaping as she did.

After a few more hits, she stops and backs away when she sees the ice start to glow. The ice then breaks in an explosion and Hiccup and Kala are freed and unharmed. Kala looked absolutely pissed, her head and back fins glowing an electric blue. She then roared at the Alpha out of pure rage, briefly looking under her wing at her mate with worry.

" Are you alright my love? "

Hiccup nodded which made Kala purr slightly.

" Good. " She said as she nuzzled him, then she flew towards the Alpha and landed on an icicle while growling. " HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KILL MY MATE?! TAKING CONTROL OF ME IS ONE THING, BUT TRYING TO KILL THE LOVE OF MY LIFE BY SUFFOCATING HIM IN ICE CROSSES THE LINE! "

Hiccup rose from the ground as Valka came up to him, but his eyes never left his mate as she screeched at the Alpha.

"She's challenging the Alpha to protect you." Valka said in shock.

"If the roles were switched, I would have done the same." Hiccup said, nothing but love and care in his words.

Kala fired a plasma blast at the Alpha, whose tusks smashed into the icicle she was perched on, but Kala just jumped back and fired again. The Alpha began to lose concentration and control of the other dragons, with Stormfly being the first dragon to be freed. Kala roared at the other dragons to get their attention and they all began to fly to her side of the battle field to aid her in fighting the Alpha, Stormfly the first to be by her side.

"No, no, no, no! No! Fight back! Fight! FIGHT! What's the matter with you?" Drago exclaimed as he hit the Alpha with his hook.

All the dragons that were under the Alpha's control flew over to Kala's side as Drago was yelling at the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup smirked and rushed to his mate, mounting her back in one fluid motion. He glared at Drago, nothing but rage filling him and his back fins began to glow a toxic green.

"Now do you get it?" Hiccup asked angrily. "This is what it is to earn a dragon's loyalty. Let this end now."

"Never! Come on!" Drago shouted as he continued to hit the Alpha to get it to attack.

Kala and Hiccup growled and shared a slight nod.

" Open fire on the Alpha! " Kala screeched to the other dragons and they all began to attack the Alpha, Kala being the most aggressive.

The Alpha cried out in pain as he was pummeled by the onslaught of dragon fire.

"FIGHT!" Drago exclaimed in pure rage as he struggled to keep proper footing on the dragon's head as it moved about to try and dodge the attacks.

Drago then lost his prosthetic arm from an armored dragon's fireball and he almost fell off the Alpha, but held on with his good arm. The Alpha then becomes enraged and roars at Kala as the attacks come to a stop. She gives him a death glare then fires one more plasma blast at the Alpha's face, managing to break off one of his tusks. The severed tusk then crashed to the ground as the Bewilderbeast roared in pain. Kala roared aggressively in triumph, and the terrified dragon bowed to her in fear.

" Serves you right for trying to kill my mate and destroying our home! " Kala growled out.

"The Alpha is meant to protect the dragons, not control them!" Hiccup growled.

Just as the Bewilderbeast went to leave, Hiccup swiftly dismounted Kala's back and sped towards where Drago hid, his wings making their signature whistle at the speed he was going. The enraged male then grabbed Drago and yanked him off the Bewilderbeast as it plunged into the sea below as the Vikings cheered. Hiccup then pinned the man to the ground while growling fiercely with his sword in hand and ablaze.

Drago looked up at the young Night Fury with fear in his eyes. "H-how is this possible? You're a dragon?!"

Hiccup's growl deepened as he glared at him. "So what if I am?! You're not going to live to tell the tale! This is for my father!" He shouted, then plunged his sword into Drago's heart, pulling it out in one swift movement as he stood from the now limp body of Drago Bludvist.

Hiccup panted as he sheathed his sword, his wings and tail going into hiding as he attached the hilt to his leg once more, his glare never leaving the lifeless body in front of him.

"May Hel forever freeze your soul you bastard." Hiccup growled out.

His attention was taken away from the body as the dragons roared in victory at defeating Drago and his Alpha. Hiccup smiled, but that quickly faded as he saw his mate back away in fear of something. As he watched her bolt from the crowded area, it clicked and his eyes widened.

'She must have realized what happened back at the sanctuary!' He thought as he went to rush after her, but was stopped as both Viking and dragon alike rushed to reunite with one another.

Hiccup dodged dragons and Vikings left and right as he tried to make his way through the crowd to finally go after Kala, but he stopped when he felt a dragon nudge him in the side. Hiccup turned and smiled sadly as he noticed what dragon it was.

"Hey there Skullcrusher.." He said as he rubbed the Rumblehorn's head. "Guess you won't be needing that saddle anymore, huh big guy..?"

The dragon purred softly at the rubs. " No, I suppose I will not. We lost a brave man because of that maniac. I lost my rider, and you, young one, lost your father. He shall be missed dearly. "

Hiccup nodded as tears formed in his eyes. "Yeah..yeah he will be.." He said, then he went to Skullcrusher's side and took the saddle off him. "You're free to do what you please now..but just know Berk will always be your home, okay..?"

Skullcrusher nuzzled him in a brotherly way. " Thank you young one. Take care of yourself and your mate and never change who you are. "

Hiccup smiled sadly and nodded, then Skullcrusher took to the sky and left. Hiccup wiped furiously at his eyes to keep the tears from flowing freely as the dragon flew away. He knew it was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it hurt any less than it did. The young Night Fury's attention was turned towards Valka as she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"You know…your father would be every bit as proud of you as I am right now. That was very kind of you to give him his freedom." She said with a proud smile.

"Thank you..I..I'm glad you're here Valka.." Hiccup said as he wiped a tear off his cheek.

"And here I'll stay." She replied with determination.

Their attention was torn from one another as Gothi approached them. The Elder then gestured for Valka to kneel before her, which gained a confused look from the woman.

"You want me to? But doesn't the right belong to Hiccup?" Valka asked and Gothi shook her head in response.

"Uh, actually no. I refused when my dad wanted me to take up running the village. So, since you're the only other Haddock here and you've been in this position before, it's yours." Hiccup said as he stood beside Gothi with a light smile.

Valka's eyes widened in shock. "You declined? But why?"

"I'm not fit to be chief. I don't fit in with the Vikings, but I do fit in with the dragons. Not to mention, I don't think the tribe would be happy with a Night Fury leading them anyways." Hiccup explained with a shrug.

Gothi tapped Valka's shoulder again and gestured for her to kneel once more. Valka caved and did as told then Gothi used some charcoal to draw the chief symbol on Valka's forehead.

"The Chieftess has come home!" Gobber cheered as Valka stood and that got the rest of the tribe to cheer.

"Long live Chieftess Valka! Long live the Chieftess! Long live the Chieftess! Long live the Chieftess! Long live the Chieftess!"

As the tribe was cheering for their returned chieftess, Hiccup took the opportunity to rush after his mate. He slid to a stop as he passed their hut and turned to it, bolting inside to grab something. He searched for the item and sighed in relief when he saw it was still there, picking it up and inspecting it to make sure it wasn't damaged. To his relief, Kala's cloak was still in perfect condition.

'Thank the gods. Hopefully this will bring her some comfort. Now where would she have gone?' He thought, then it clicked.

"The cove!" He exclaimed, then bolted out the back door and made a break for the forest.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging trees and foliage with ease as he sprinted down the well worn path that he and Kala had made over the years with how often they ventured to the cove. When he reached the entrance, he immediately spotted Kala within.

She was hiding underneath the roots that grew into the cove from a tree above, creating a type of makeshift cave that came in handy as shelter from a storm every now and then. Her legs were held tightly to her chest, her face hidden between them and her torso. From where Hiccup was he could see she was crying from how violently her body shook.

Hiccup calmly made his way over to her and draped her cloak over her shoulders as he claimed the spot next to her on the ground. His eyes widened a bit out of surprise as she clung to him not a split second later, bawling her eyes out. Hiccup held her close and ran his hand through her hair.

"Hey, hey…shh…it's okay love…I'm right here…you're alright…shh…" He soothed, kissing her head as he ran his fingers through her midnight locks like he always did to calm her.

"I-I-I'm s-so s-sorry..!! I-I d-didn't m-m-mean to..!" Kala apologized through her sobs.

"I know…I know…it's not your fault…Drago forced you to do it…I know you would have never done that…he meant a lot to you, just like he did to me…" Hiccup reassured her.

Kala looked up at him, tears flowing down her face like a waterfall. "B-b-but I k-killed him..! H-how c-ca-can you s-sit here c-comforting me a-after all of t-th-this..?! H-Hiccup I a-a-almost k-killed you..!!"

Hiccup smiled softly and cupped her face, wiping away the tears that fell. "Because I know you would never intentionally hurt either of us…that's why… You were forced to try and kill me against your will…and that led to Dad dying in the process because he was trying to protect both of us… It's not your fault Kala…I promise it's not your fault… Dad died protecting us…he died protecting our tribe…just like a brave chief and father should…"

Kala's lip quivered as more tears began to flow, her heart shattering even further as everything that happened in the past day sunk in and tore her to shreds with the grief and pain that came with it all. She clung to him like her life depended on it and as if he would disappear if she let go. Hiccup pulled her close and held her with a tight yet gentle grip as he rocked both of them back and forth while running his hand through his mate's hair once more as he hummed a calming tune.

~~~HTLANF~~~

This…is Berk. A bit trampled and busted and covered in ice, but it's home. It's our home.

Back in the village, the tribe busied themselves with rebuilding the village, getting rid of the ice that was left behind by the Bewilderbeast, and disposing of the body of their enemy Drago Bludvist. A group of Vikings worked on building a giant statue of their late chief, Stoick the Vast, in honor of his sacrifice.

Those who attacked us are relentless and crazy. But those who stopped them? Oh, even more so!

The Dragon Riders raced one another in a Dragon Race to pass the time as the village was busy with repairs.

We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pit against us.

Valka and Gobber busied themselves with freeing the dragons Drago had under his control of the armor they were forced to wear. Each dragon was overjoyed to be freed of it and thanked the two Vikings before they took off.

We are the voice of peace. And bit by bit, we will change this world.

Gobber paused in his work and launched the black sheep into the air to indicate the last lap. Nanna and Stormfly were ready to catch it, but were beaten to it as Heather and Windshear caught the sheep before they did.

Heather winked at Nanna with a smug look which earned a playful glare from her wife.

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Came to help with rebuilding only to beat your own wife in a Dragon Race?" Nanna joked as she tried to get the sheep from her lover.

Heather laughed and kept the sheep out of her reach, signaling for Windshear to speed up as she did. "Consider it payback for not coming home when you promised to!"

Nanna shook her head with a smile and urged Stormfly to go faster.

You see, we have something they don't. Oh sure, they have armies and they have armadas…

Heather flew over the baskets and dropped the black sheep into Stormfly's basket with a loving smile.

But we…we have…

All the Dragon Riders land and congratulate one another on a good race, but their attention is broken when they notice Hiccup and Kala coming back into the village. They cheer when they see them and give them a group hug. Kala flinched, not expecting to get a hug from her friends so quickly and Hiccup gave her a soft smile of understanding, which she returned with a timid one of her own.

OUR DRAGONS!

~~~HTLANF~~~