The Battle for Berk.

Hiccup didn't have time to react as his boots kicked above the drop and the rope pulled taut across his throat. Suddenly, the entire world was about the pain in his throat, the desperate need to breathe and the fact his vision was beginning to grey at the edges. He lifted his shackled wrists to claw at his throat but the rope was far too tight.

If he had been in his right mind, he would have thought: Why is it that NONE of my schemes never work as planned? But as he was strangling and his wild eyes fell on the shape of his father, mentor and son, all he could manage was: I'm sorry, bud.

Thuggory stared for all of half a second before moving, kicking ferociously back to slam the executioner aside and preventing the man pulling the second lever that would drop him down to the same fate. He moved as close as he could to the choking Hiccup, his movements limited by the short noose, and stretched out with his shackled hands to try to grab the other man's and hold him up. Fingers made brief contact and Hiccup stretched desperately, feeling the slightest ease on his neck. However, the crew acted as one, attacking their guards to distract them and allow Fishlegs and Elias to duck under the gallows and position themselves under Hiccup's kicking legs to ease the pressure slightly on his throat.

"KILL THEM!" Magne roared as he jerked Astrid closer. Stoick stared in shock as the Hofferson guards attacked his own men and Magne gave a nasty leer at the sight of his coup finally coming to fruition. "And arrest that...man!" His lip was curled in a sneer as he indicated towards the Governor. Stoick snatched at his sword as men began to scramble on the dais.

"TREASON!" he roared. "TO YOUR GOVERNOR!" Standing behind him and breathing hard, his face streaked with tears, the little boy stared in horror at the sight of his father kicking desperately and hanging from the noose. And then suddenly Arild escaped from Gobber, his face suddenly determined, his arm swinging round and his little dagger digging hard into the man's side.

Magne bellowed like an ox and his grip on Astrid loosened enough for the woman to urgently rip his hand and dagger away from her neck and tear herself free, hammering an elbow into his throat and sprinting forward to leap from the platform. She waved Arild to withdraw to safety as she galloped forward towards the gallows, elbowing a Jorgensen soldier roughly aside.

"HOFFERSON! Kill the Jorgensens!" she roared and sprinted on, punching another man and grabbing the sword from her hand. She could see Hiccup up ahead, his face deep purple as he strangled, still moving jerkily, his green eyes wide in a final silent plea. She ducked under a swipe, parried the strike at her head and kicked her attacker in the midriff twice before stepping over his groaning body, aimed and threw the sword with all her might.

Astrid had practiced with the axe and the sword since she was five and she had maintained her skills and honed them throughout the years. And now she used very ounce of skill as she flung the metal, tumbling hilt over point until the keen edge sheared straight through the rope and released the dying auburn-haired man. No longer suspended, he vanished through the trap door.

Hiccup hit the floor with a slam that would have knocked the breath out of him if he had any. But as he impacted, the noose loosened and he took a huge, painful gasp and sucked the air into his screaming lungs. Lying on his side over Fishlegs and Elias, who were struggling to get up, he pathetically gasped, his lean shape heaving with every desperate breath. His vision was still blurred and hearing very echoey as he became aware of fingers prising the rope from his abused throat and hands on his body. Head lolling, body unresponsive, he felt like a rag doll as Fishlegs pulled him to his knees.

"Captain!" the First Mate hissed. "What now?" Gasping painfully, Hiccup slowly raised his bleary eyes.

"...get....Magne..." he whispered painfully, gesturing with his shackled hands. Elias swiftly unlocked the restraints with the key Stoick had supplied earlier and Hiccup rubbed his wrists. Then he grabbed Fishleg's hands. "...Thuggory..." he rasped. His First Mate nodded and they scrambled up to the gallows-to find Astrid fighting there. The woman punched the executioner aside once more, stole his knife and cut the pirate free-then she leapt through the open trap door to almost land on Hiccup, followed by Thuggery who did land on the battered pirate. Rolling away, the older pirate got to his knees and was swiftly freed by Elias as Astrid crawled to Hiccup's side and gently pressed a hand against his cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice thick with worry. He grimaced and slowly got back to his knees, wincing as he faced her. The sounds of thuds from overhead confirmed that Fishlegs was making sure the executioner didn't cause them any further trouble. Astrid's eyes focussed on him and she couldn't help wincing: the weal from the noose was livid across his pale throat, his bruised face ashen and his glorious emerald eyes were still disorientated. He was breathing hard and he cast Thuggery a sideways look that adequately expressed: Way to squash me!

"...never...better..." he mouthed, his voice the faintest of breaths. Her azure eyes shadowed with deep anxiety, she lunged forward and her lips slammed onto his, her arms winding fiercely around his trembling shape and hugging him fiercely. He went stiff for a long moment, mind blank with shock...before returning the kiss, his arms pressing her slender shape hard against his heaving chest. A wisp of silken gold hair brushed his cheek and he reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers for a moment, oblivious to the others.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I was so worried..." Revelling in her closeness and the warmth from her embrace, he hitched the side of his mouth up in a slight smile.

"...think...like...worrying...you..." he smirked, his faint rasping tone still playful enough to reassure her. He leaned in and kissed her again. "...thank you...for...life...Milady..."

"Hiccup...are there more men on Magne's side than there were a minute ago?" Astrid asked, her eyes narrowing as she swept her gaze over the rapidly emptied square. Just as it had filled swiftly for the spectacle of an execution, the townsfolk had fled at the first sign of fighting. Green eyes narrowing, he leaned forward and nodded.

"...outcasts..." he growled, then slowly got to his feet, peering up to meet the worried expression on his friend's face through the trap door. "...Fish...give signal...to...twins..."

Back at the top of the plaza, Magne had straightened up, his hand clamped against his side. Arild's little knife hadn't sliced deeply into his muscle and he was a very powerful and stocky man so the small blade hadn't penetrated deeply enough to cause any serious damage. The boy was pressed back against Gobber as Magne snatched his sword and advanced, his eyes focussed on the small shape with deadly menace. Arild was hyperventilating as the man advanced: he was terrified of Magne, the man who had beaten him so cruelly and promised to kill him. But as Magne raised his sword, another blocked it, the impact thrusting the traitor back.

Stoick stood between the Jorgensen and his prey, his eyes flashing and huge form poised and balanced, ready for battle. "Get away from him!" the Governor growled. "You did your best to harm my son: you betrayed him and watched him exiled. You demanded he die by the most cruel means possible. And you kidnapped and threatened his son." Stoick lifted his sword and leaned forward. "Never again!"

"We both know that little brat isn't his son!" Magne hissed. "So stand aside and let me dispose of that trash!" Stoick slammed him back, his face puce with fury.

"That's my grandson!" he roared and flung himself at the traitor.

Gobber backed away, keeping his hook raised between the advancing Jorgensen men and Arild. The boy was backing away, wide-eyed and trembling. "It'll be okay, laddie," he said grimly as he pulled out a sword as well. "I promised yer Dad I'll keep yer safe and I willnae fail him!" Then the clang of metal on metal filled the air and he grinned as he counter-attacked the Jorgensen troops. "And these traitors need tae realise Gobber is nae pushover!" he growled.

On the roof of the Haddock townhouse, the twins saw the flash of basic semaphore from Sven's pendant and both shared a look before eagerly running to their posts. Fishlegs had sat down and explained the 'Captain's Code' to the crew, revealing that all Captains were required to learn it if they needed to prove they were real pirates and not disguised naval officers trying to capture them. There had been a long pause and the crew had felt bad that they had blamed and suspected their Captain but no one had bothered to apologise to him...even though Fishlegs had strongly recommended it.

But now they were swinging their cannons round -borrowed from the Night Fury-to aim at a specific target on Berk. Hiccup had ordered the twins to bring their favourite weapons (which they had named 'Barf' and 'Belch') on land and rake the town and harbour.

"Double powder?" Ruff asked and Tuff shook his head.

"Triple," he said with a crazed grin, his hands already packing the explosives into the shot.

"Whoa, whoa...that seems incredibly dangerous!" she pointed out, halfway through sealing the shot with the excessive charge.

"And?"

"Just putting that out there. We could be blown to Valhalla!"

"And?"

"AWESOME!" the female twin agreed, finishing loading her cannon. The two swung their weapons round. Tuff and his sister lined up their target.

"This may not work," Tuff admitted. "The range is too far." His sister lifted a hand.

"For two of us?"

"THORSTON SALVO!" they shouted and fired.

In the harbour, Alvin the Treacherous's ship completely exploded. A second round took out the second Outcast ship and a third sunk the final one. Then, without pausing, they lined up once more, this time heading landward. Tuff gave his sister a wink-and then they fired for the final time. And the Jorgensen House vanished in a fireball...

"That's our cue!" Fishlegs said and glanced over to Hiccup. His auburn head bowed, the Captain nodded and ducked out with the rest of the crew galloping after him. Astrid was already at his side, elbowing an Outcast aside and grabbing his axe while Hiccup wrenched a sword of a Jorgensen soldier and impaled him with it on the way. More Berk soldiers were pouring in and attacking the Haddock men and the pirates and battles were being fought all over the plaza and the surrounding streets. But Hiccup, despite his battered state, only had eyes for the platform and the shape that was fencing with his father...and the soldier attacking Gobber.

He sensed rather than heard Thuggory at his side and glanced up as the handsome man punched a soldier aside. Thuggory stared down at the slighter shape of Fury and dragged him back, just missing a slice from an axe and the younger man nodded. "You know, I was dubious about this plan...but the idea of firing the cannon from land is brilliant! All the Outcast ships are gone and that house..." Hiccup gestured fiercely at the platform.

"...his!" he spat. Thuggory read his face and grinned.

"And your gunners...are extraordinary! D'you think they'd consider transferring to the Nightmare?" Alarmed at the threat, Hiccup shook his head vehemently and accelerated forward with Astrid at his side. "Just a thought," Thuggory grinned and ran after them as they dodged through combats as they sped up the plaza. Anyone getting in their way was slammed aside or swiftly dispatched: everyone knew that they had no time. Ahead, Hiccup could see a stream of soldiers wearing the colours of Berk and attacking her legal Governor and he ground his teeth: he knew who had sent the army against his father. Spitelout. Magne and Snotlout's father who had decided his pathologically ambitious younger son was the better bet and had thrown his entire support behind the traitor.

"...there...!" he rasped and they ran forward, seeing Snotlout and Fishlegs run to join them. Glancing to his left, he spied Sven, Bucket, Mulch and Roar giving a good account of themselves, alongside the crew of the Nightmare, a bunch of seasoned and vicious cutthroats who were entirely more hacked off than the soldiers and retainers of the Jorgensens could understand. And as one, they carved through the men facing them...until they met the Outcasts.

Everyone knew the Outcasts, a tribe that inhabited the southern reaches of the Archipelago, guarded by the treacherous seastack maze known as 'Loki's Needles'. They had long ago been men driven from other tribes for a variety of heinous crimes and now the tribe clung to the ideals of thievery, treachery and piracy. But they despised anyone not an Outcast and Outcasts really didn't get on well with actual pirates. So the combined crews of the Night Fury and Nightmare threw themselves into the combat with gusto, swords clashes and cursing ringing through the air and general shouts and screams echoing over the plaza.

Reaching the platform, Hiccup and his friends faced a wall of Jorgensen soldiers and they attacked without hesitation, though Snotlout tried reasoning with them first. It was a sight that had the pirate shaking his head in surprise and realising that his cousin had learned the lessons of Governorship maybe better than Hiccup would have. Astrid screamed and attacked with her axe, her ferocity in battle impressive and scary at the same time. Thuggory fought lavishly and accurately and Snotlout was also a powerful and determined swordsman-when he got started. But Hiccup grabbed a second sword and glanced up, seeing Gobber fending off two soldiers and he glimpsed the small shape cowering behind the blacksmith. His eyes darkened and he allowed the anger to take him over, allowed the adrenaline to fuel his actions, pushing back pain, exhaustion and every doubt he may harbour. And then he lunged forward, swords slicing up and around in an elegant and almost unconscious dance that carved through the men facing him. And he was totally silent because his throat was so sore he had no option to shout warnings or obscenities to them.

In moments, he was scrambling onto the platform, his bloody swords clamped in his hands. Magne lunged forward but Hiccup spun his body into the way, his swords crossed to block Magne's attack. Hiccup stood tall and stiff, casting the slightest glance to the Governor standing behind him.

"...MINE...!" he croaked fiercely and flung himself at his cousin, a furious barrage of strokes slamming against the man's sword, driving him back. Astrid stared up at him, her azure gaze filled with worry. Hiccup was a ferocious swordsman...but he had been through the wars recently and he wasn't half-healed from the torments he suffered on the galley. And he had just been hanged: how could he hope to defeat Magne? But as she worried, she heard a voice that froze her heart and she snapped round in shock.

"Treacherous chit of a girl!" Her eyes widened and she glared as Lord Hofferson stormed up the hill, his troops at his back. "Treacherous bitch-just like your whore of a mother!"

"There is only one traitor here, my Lord-and I'm looking at him!" she replied, her anger welling in her chest like lava. "I have the proof of your treason...proof you bought and sent weapons to Drago...correspondence with the Lord of the North swearing allegiance. And promising to overthrow the leadership of Berk to clear the way for the invader. You are a traitor, a liar and a profiteer! You betray every tenet of House Hofferson and shame our ancestors!"

"Pah! Stupid girl!" he scorned her, drawing his sword. "What matters the opinion of men centuries dead when the all-powerful Drago is sailing for our shores? We ally...or we die!"

"WE ARE HOOLIGANS OF BERK!" she screamed. "We NEVER surrender!" And she charged him, her axe up and eyes flashing with rage. He laughed, swatted her aside and raised his sword above her. But Astrid was lithe and determined, rolling away and swiping her axe fiercely at his legs. Shocked and off balance, he jumped back and stumbled-and in that short moment she was up, her axe flashing down and clashing against his sword.

"I'll kill you myself!" Lord Hofferson growled, scrambling up as his daughter circled him, her axe readied in her hands.

"You can try," she growled, her eyes locked and chest heaving as she prepared for final battle.

On the platform Gobber and Stoick were fighting furiously against the Jorgensen and Hofferson troops, hopelessly outnumbered but undaunted. The two old friends lined up side by side, fighting as they had in their youth, decades earlier, and the troops realised that age was no barrier when the opponents were determined, skilled, experienced and a damned sight larger and stronger!

"I see yer finally decided what is important, Stoick!" Gobber grumbled, parrying an axe blow at his side with his hook. Stoick defended his flank and Gobber impaled a man trying to steal around them. He snatched a glimpse at the young boy, cowering behind the Chief's throne. Panting hard at the unfamiliar exertion, Stoick grunted.

"A lot of things seem less important when half your allies and fellow Berkians are trying to run you through," he growled. "Hiccup seems to care for that boy...and he is about the only person we have on our side! Apart from the bloody pirates..." Gobber gave his toothy grin and punched out another Hofferson soldier.

"Yeah...mebbe we should declare an amnesty in gratitude fer their help...if we survive this, o' course..." Gobber panted, resting against the throne for a moment. Breathing heavily, Stoick backed towards him.

"Maybe...you have a point..." he panted. "If we survive..."

Swords clashing and arms shuddering under the impact, Hiccup stumbled back a pace, breathing hard. Despite his best attempts to claw at a Berserker rage, his exhaustion just denied him access at the one moment he could use a murderous trance. He put all his efforts in but Magne, despite his wound, was far stronger. Hiccup spun, hissed in pain and ducked under a swipe, slamming his sword up and shoving the older man back.

"...You won't...get.. 'way...with...this," he breathed, his emerald eyes locked on Magne's face.

"I already have, you pathetic fool!" the younger Jorgensen taunted him. "You thought you could break me? But I hold all the cards! While you wallowed in pity and scratched a living as a pirate, I became the richest and most respected man on Berk, the Heir to the Governor and the ally of the all-powerful tyrant who will rule this Archipelago! And once you're dead, I'll hang your crew, consign that treacherous sow, Astrid, to a sanatorium and sell the boy as a slave. Oh...and I'll kill your father!" Breathing hard, Hiccup glared at him, feeling the rage at the litany of threats wrap around him, the scornful words igniting what he couldn't voluntarily.

"Thanks," he breathed, his swords slamming round, the rapid succession of blows hammering the opponent back. Magne stumbled and jumped from the platform, turning to run, but Hiccup leapt down agilely after him, grabbed his arm and swung him back-to find a sword slicing into his side at his belt. He writhed and twisted in sudden shock, keeping the cut shallow, but he hissed in pain and felt hot blood soak his side. Magne's laughter was loud in his ears as he pulled away, seeing the man lift his sword again...and then his own blade slammed up, plunging into the man's chest.

Magne stilled, his vicious blue eyes widening and he stared at Hiccup. His sword crashed down-to hammer against Hiccup's other blade, the weight of the stroke pushing his arm down...and suddenly easing as Magne's breath rattled and he folded. Eyes wide in blank shock, Hiccup stared at the man beneath him...the man who haunted his nightmares, who had ruined his life and been the architect of his downfall. He breathed heavily, a hand rising to the searing cut in his side. And then a scream alerted him. His head snapped round-to see Astrid on her back, her axe a couple of feet from her hand, her father standing over her with his sword raised to plunge into her body. His eyes were wild with madness and rage, no shred of any paternal affection left in his expression. And Astrid's azure eyes were pleading...desperate...

Without a conscious thought and motivated solely by instinct, he snatched the sword from Magne's chest, his arm swinging round to fling the sword with lethal accuracy. Hofferson jerked, his arms flinging wide as the sword impaled him. Disbelieving, he stared down at the point protruding through his chest...and then collapsed onto his face by his daughter. Astrid screamed and rolled away...then stared up at the swaying figure standing over Magne.

"HICCUP!" He flinched and his weary emerald eyes closed.

"'sokay..." he rasped. "...'sgone..." He staggered and she scrambled to her feet, seeing the blood on his hand. Her face distraught, she ran to his side, pressing her hand to his wound and eyes inspecting his taut face.

"Oh Gods," she breathed. "You're hurt..."

"Ahem...battle still going on?" Snotlout called, blocking an Outcast who was running at them. "Could use every hand we can get..." Astrid kicked another aside and grabbed her axe.

"Fine by me," she growled, pecking a kiss on Hiccup's cheek before throwing herself back into the fray. Hiccup grabbed his other sword and slowly clambered back onto the platform. Any Berserker rage drained his reserves and he had almost nothing to start with...now, he felt as wrung out as day old washing. He stumbled towards the throne and the little shape cowering in its shelter. His father was facing an equally huge shape...Alvin the Treacherous. Both the men were trading blows and very colourful insults and Gobber was pounding another Outcast Captain...Captain Savage, if he recalled correctly...into the ground. Staggering, he made it to the edge of the stage, swatted a Hofferson soldier aside and kicked Snotlout's current opponent across the head to knock him witless. The older Jorgensen spun, his sword raised as Hiccup beckoned him up. Frowning, the stocky young man clambered up to stand by his cousin.

"...leaders...fallen..." Hiccup rasped, gesturing wearily. "...time...to remind them...nothing...no one... left...to fight for..." Snotlout stared at him, at the horrible weal around his throat and realised he couldn't do this himself. It was the quickest and safest way to end the battle, sparing as many lives as possible...their own among them. Resting a reassuring hand on Hiccup's slumped shoulder, he planted his fists on his hips.

"PEOPLE OF BERK!" he bellowed. "THE BATTLE IS WON! THE TRAITORS MAGNE JORGENSEN AND LORD EGIL HOFFERSON ARE DEAD! STOICK THE VAST IS VICTORIOUS! RALLY TO YOUR GOVERNOR AND FIGHT THESE TREACHEROUS OUTCAST INVADERS! BERK! BERK! BERK!"

There was a crowded moment across the plaza as the various private militias realised that there was only one main player standing...and Stoick the Vast was very much alive, his booming voice roaring insults at Alvin the Treacherous. The Hofferson and Jorgensen men swiftly turned and began attacking the Outcasts as Thuggery lowered his sword in relief and the crews of the Nightmare and the Night Fury sagged in exhaustion, drifting in relief through to the platform and their Captains. Stoick lifted his fist and punched Alvin across the face, stunning him. Standing above the Outcast Leader, his sword hovering above the man's chest. Alvin gave a grimace.

"Eh...there's no need ter be so unfriendly, Stoick!" he wheezed. "I think we may 'ave a misunderstandin' 'ere. I surrender..."

"Louder, Alvin," Stoick growled, lowering his sword to rest over the Outcast's throat.

"I SURRENDER!" he shouted and the remaining Outcasts looked up...then dropped their weapons. The last few battles ended swiftly and a sudden calm fell over the plaza. Snotlout turned to his Uncle and gave a sigh of relief.

"Berk is yours," he said as Arild peeked his head out, saw the fighting had ceased and ran to throw himself against his father's legs. With a soft smile, the pirate leaned forward painfully to drop to his knees and embrace the boy with all his might.

"'sokay...bud...we're safe..." he rasped and the boy clung fiercely to him.

"My son!" Snotlout and Hiccup snapped round to see a blood-stained Spitelout stagger onto the platform, his face wild with rage. "You killed my son!" The father was the image of his sons: short and stocky, his hair still black and pallid blue eyes wild. But he was staggering with shock and his sword was clutched tightly in his hand. he stabbed the blade towards the kneeling pirate. "You killed my son!"

"...tried...to kill...me..." Hiccup said, his hand snaking sideways to the body of a fallen Hofferson soldier. Spitelout loomed over him.

"Er...Dad?" Snotlout said, his eyes focussed on his father. As the firstborn and usual favourite son, he was worried and very hurt that his father had decided to blank him for his treacherous younger son. "Older son right here..."

"Magne was our future, our hopes...my precious boy..." Spitelout told him tonelessly, walking towards Hiccup. "He killed my son." And then he lunged forward, his sword striking at the little black-haired shape of Arild, pressed against Hiccup. "So I kill his!" Spitelout exulted. But at the last moment, Hiccup spun, hissing as the blade sliced into his flank, carving through his flesh. He gave a loud gasp of pain, eyes squeezing shut as he clutched the boy close.

"Not...even...close..." Hiccup breathed, lifting his hand-holding the pistol he had grabbed from the soldier. Without even lifting his head or hesitating, he fired at point blank range and Spitelout pitched backwards off the platform.

"DAD!" Snotlout shouted, diving down to kneel by his father...but Hiccup was lolling, feeling the blood trickling from his flank. He looked down at Arild and the boy stared up, his face scrunched in pain.

"Dad..." he whimpered, his small hand pressed to his midriff. There was blood there as well and Hiccup stared in horror at the pain in his son's eyes. "Dad...I don't feel so good..." he whined. Eyes wide with disbelief, he gently pushed Arild back half a pace...to see the wound where the sword had tagged his son after to had passed through his side.

"Gods...no..." he breathed. "...help..."

As his son went limp in his arms, Hiccup looked up in despair, pleading as Stoick, Fishlegs and Astrid crowded round him...and then pitched unconscious onto his face.