Thirty One: The Dragon Master.

The Chiefs and assembled audience all stared in shock at the tall shape of the newcomer, taking in his strange clothes, the calm, stern expression on his face and the pride in his amber eyes. The torchlight gleamed off his pike as he looked across the Vikings facing him. He nodded to Chief Stoick and the man nodded back, having seen Throk when the Defenders of the Wing sent supplies through to Berk after Viggo's blockade.

"Who are you?" Madguts sneered, his hand dropping to his sword and his black leather armour creaking as he moved. Throk gave him a dismissive stare.

"I am Throk, Right Hand of Queen Mala," he said, indicating to the tall woman at his side, her long black gold-embroidered tunic and trousers very unusual, the cool look in her green eyes and page cut strawberry blonde hair unfamiliar to them. "She is the ruler of the Tribe of Defenders of the Wing on Caldera Cay. We are allies of Hiccup Haddock and the Dragon Riders."

"As am I," the third person said. A woman with silver armour and red hair in a ponytail, she wore a headdress that seemed akin to a crown and there seemed to be a young silver dragon clamped to her back. Grabthroat rose to his feet and stabbed an accusing finger.

"No more dragons here!" he yelled as she looked at him with cool contempt in her green eyes as Toothless gave a welcoming warble.

"I am Atali, Chief among the Wingmaidens," she announced. "We do Freya's work in protecting and nurturing the young Razorwhips who are born blind and helpless. Until they are ambulant, they remain paired with a protector. My young charge, Skytoucher, will remain on my back until he is ready to fend for himself." And then she scowled at Madguts. "Resume your seat, foolish man. Unless you threaten me, he is of no danger to you. The dragon stays." Astrid looked at the allies and frowned.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Throk gave a small smile.

"Hiccup Haddock sent a Terror Mail to us both to head here with all haste," he revealed. "He believed that many of the Chiefs would arrive with a closed mind and would need additional testimony to the evil of the Hunters."

"And I believe that he was correct," Queen Mala announced, her cool voice condemnatory. "These fools do not believe our ally-or choose to ignore the evidence presented." She walked forward. "I am fully your equal, a Chief and Queen on an island that has defied those who would harm dragons for centuries," she announced.

"We greet you," Bertha announced before Mogadon could open his mouth. "And you, Chief Atali. It is good to see more women represented." Mogadon scowled.

"Speak, then," he invited ungraciously.

"Our island is unstable, dominated by an active volcano," Mala announced. "Our Tribe is shielded from the caprices of the lava by a dragon called the Eruptodon, whom we call the Great Protector. Viggo knows without it, our Tribe would be destroyed by the ferocious eruptions and lave flows. So he distracted us by misinformation and stole our Eruptodon. He wanted to use it to awaken the volcano on the Edge to destroy the Dragon Riders. He was entirely happy to destroy our Tribe and kill us all by stealing our Protector to use against others."

"The Dragon Riders outwitted him and returned our Great Protector, preventing our destruction," Throk continued. "They became our allies. Since then Viggo has attacked us, damaging homes and injuring our people, our civilians."

"As allies of the Riders, we have observed their movements, revealing the Hunters to be ruthless and cruel, targeting innocents on Berk and Caldera Cay," Atali said clearly. "No one who claims the Hunters and their Tribe are innocent is being truthful. They are armed and fully committed to profiting from the enslavement and destruction of innocent, intelligent dragons. Against a treaty you all signed, I believe. And I saw representative of Tribes with your-your-your and your symbols!" She pointed unerringly at Mogadon, Madguts, Norbert and Grabthroat. They all shared glances.

"And that is why you are so Helheim bent on going after Astrid," Hiccup said suddenly, his eyes sweeping over the Chiefs. "You are all getting pressure from the families of those slain when they were attending dragon auctions and fights, when they were violating a Treaty that you signed-and in order to keep them quiet, you try to bury your culpability and instead try to blame my wife for their and your transgressions!"

"I wouldn't say that," Madguts growled.

"Only because you don't know what half of those words mean," Grabthroat snarked.

"I'd say more like three quarters," Alvin commented. "And I know dishonesty when I see it."

"So do I," Norbert added, leaning forward. "There is more." He looked piercingly at Astrid and she felt her skin crawl at his expression.

"Yes," she said and looked over at Hiccup. "Viggo claimed they had branded Hiccup. That he was a slave. And while a single man existed who would perpetuate the lie, he was in danger. He has no brand...but the allegation would destroy him. And while the Tribe existed, they could harm him. Or try to claim him and sow enough doubt to rob him of his birthright. But they no longer exist and everything they owned is No Man's-so no one from the Hunter Tribe could make any claim, real or false, against Hiccup."

"Sounds suspect to me," Mogadon commented.

"And a bit suspicious, even to me," Alvin commented, looking apologetic.

Hiccup unfastened his leather tunic and pulled it up, pulling the neck of his red fabric tunic open to reveal his tattoo.

"I have no brand," he said coldly. The other Riders stepped forward ad they all revealed their tattoos. "None of us do. We have a tattoo to mark our victory over the Dragon Hunters. And Viggo, Krogan and their leader..."

"Leader?" Norbert sneered. "You never mentioned him."

"Oh boy," Dagur murmured, looking over at Heather. But Hiccup faced them boldly.

"We defeated him," he said. "He had captured Heather. He was ruthless and amoral. He tormented her, having sent bounty hunters after Astrid. We attacked his base and released Heather, then I faced him. We ended his men and destroyed his base. He is dead." Madguts leaned forward.

"What was his name then?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Hiccup said honestly. "He wore names and faces like clothes, disguising who he really was. But he commanded Viggo and Krogan and all of their resources. making them more brutal and more vicious than ever before. Under him, they attacked innocents without hesitation and slaughtered more dragons than I would have imagined possible. But he swore to kill Astrid and I. I had to end it. We ended it. He is dead, buried at sea without any commendation to the Gods. I hope he's enjoying Helheim!"

They all stared. Hiccup was acknowledged as Stoick's boy, taunted by other Heirs when he was younger as a disappointment, a runt and a fishbone-but clearly intelligent and brave enough to be worthy as an Heir. All were secretly impressed that he had solved the problem of the raids that his father had obsessed about for decades-yet appalled that he had broken every taboo and befriended a dragon in the process. Yet Hiccup had triumphed and saved his Tribe, losing a leg in the process and irrevocably changing the face of Berk.

His father had stoically backed him and the Treaties with all the other Tribes had been signed over the first year, once the Berkians had realised that concealing the dragons wasn't an option-the Berserker and Outcast wars had proven that. And slowly, others had joined them-the Berserkers and the Outcasts had dragons in some degree while the Bogs, though they didn't ride dragons, did use the small ones for conducting messages. The other, more stubborn and traditional tribes had rejected any change to the status quo but had agreed not to hunt dragons-so they were only able to drive them off their islands but no longer profit from any kills.

Yet Hiccup had proven his mettle, in defeating Alvin and Dagur and in inventing devices that were the envy of the Archipelago. He had travelled to all islands, to give advice about rogue dragons and he had always been polite, generous and clearly a compassionate young man. Yet here he was, wishing an enemy eternal torment....and that caused all the Chiefs to pause. And there was an edge to his light, slightly nasal voice that was more in keeping with his impressive father than a man they believed was an easy touch. It gave them an inkling that it wasn't always a good option to cross him.

"Agreed," Dagur said.

"But the main issue is that your woman attacked and destroyed a Tribe," Madguts snarled.

"No, your problem is that she attacked and destroyed a Tribe using a dragon," Hiccup yelled back and then he paused.

"What do you mean 'your woman'?" Bertha growled.

"I am a warrior and I speak for myself!" Astrid added. "I stand by my own actions and answer for them."

"Yet your husband here is defending you and..." Grabthroat interjected sneeringly but the young woman glared at him.

"We stand together," she said, feeling him tense by her. "I am his General and his protector. He protects me. I love him with all my heart. When I thought him dead, when I saw what torments they had put my beloved through, I was filled with rage and hate. We were at war and our Chief had been tortured and poisoned. Would any one of you, any man of yours sit back and shrug-or would they swear bloody vengeance and make those who attacked your leader pay with their blood down to the last most distant relation?"

"Option B, I think," Dagur murmured as Alvin nodded.

"It's the Viking way-and no one better intimate the lass ain't a Viking," he added.

"And doubly so if the bastards were lying about your leader being their slave," Bertha added, leaning forward. Mala nodded.

"Such behaviour is so dishonourable that nothing like that could be tolerated," she agreed. "The attackers were cowardly, ravaging my village as we offered shelter to Astrid. Innocents were hurt because they attacked without care or warning."

"And in war, there has to be a winner and loser," Bertha said, casting a deeply unfriendly look at Ulric Grimborn. "You reap what you sow, Grimborn. Your previous Tribe was a bunch of heinous dragon murderers and they chose to attack innocents in their war. And in doing that, they made their own innocents fair game. Viggo played the game of targeting innocents first-you can hardly whine when it comes back at you."

"But she did it on her own!" Mogadon shouted.

"And that is your real issue," Stoick said slowly. "That one woman on her dragon with a few trained wild dragons erased an entire Tribe. And you wonder-how many more of us could to do that?"

There was an eloquent silence.

"Probably only Fishlegs...and me," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs is an exceptional dragon trainer and he knows more about dragon ecology and behaviour than any of us..."

"Eco...what?" Grabthroat asked, frowning.

"How animals interact and live within their natural environment and how the whole system works in harmony together," Fishlegs supplied helpfully from the Riders. The traditional Chiefs all rolled their eyes in boredom.

"But Fishlegs is a good man, a man who has a little Berserker blood in his veins but will only lose his temper if you push him so hard you would be insane to go that far," Hiccup told them clearly.

"Awww...thanks," the husky rider said.

"Hey! Why not me?" Snotlout asked, miffed, his fists planted on his hips. Hiccup rolled his eyes but Astrid was quicker.

"You are a dangerous foe, Snot-but you can't control Hookfang most of the time-so you could never train wild Monstrous Nightmares to help in an attack that could raze an inland to bare rock."

"Really? That is what you did?" Ruff asked. "That is so seriously awesome!"

"Though I'm sure we could..." Tuff began but his twin punched him to shut him up.

"No, we couldn't," she pointed out. "Barf'n'Belch is explosive, with no fire. Astrid's Nadder can literally vaporise everything in her way!"

"Okay...you have a point," Snotlout grumbled. "How much longer is this going on?"

"Not long," Hiccup said. "The other person is me. And I am the one you have to worry about. I can train any dragon. Toothless is acknowledged as a leader of the dragons. They will all do what he says. He is an Alpha. And between us, we can control pretty much any type of dragon. I have been called the Dragon Master-but to be honest, I prefer Dragon Trainer. Master has a rather sinister connotation and implies supremacy-and at heart, I'm a decent guy. I stand for peace, for tolerance and for befriending and protecting dragons. And while you adhere to the Treaties and do not threaten what I hold dear, I will remain an advocate for peace."

"I sense a but," Norbert commented.

"You are correct," Hiccup said. "You see, I love Astrid. I love her with all my heart. And losing her would be the worst thing that could happen. She protected me. She rescued me when I was dying. I heard her voice and I knew, through the dark and the pain, that I would be safe. As I fought the grip of death, I was fighting to be with her. And when I recovered and found her gone, I fought to be strong enough to go out there and find her. She protects me-and I protect her. I am the voice of reason and peace to her anger and vengeance."

Then he walked forward and looked each man in the eye in turn.

"Astrid is my wife," he said. "And if anything befalls her, if anyone decides to try to banish or to kill her, then I will no longer be the voice of reason or of peace. I will be a man bereft of his heart. And without Astrid, I will be filled with pain and anger. And I will share that liberally with those who took the woman I loved from me. I will share my anger as a flood of fire from the skies. I will share my pain with these responsible because I will slaughter every single one of their line, their clan, their Tribe, their friends. And I will leave them alone and bereft and haunted by the knowledge that their own actions caused such devastation and death-and that the utter desolation they feel is the merest infinitesimal fraction of the pain I feel at losing Astrid. And as Dragon Master, I will ensure that every dragon is your enemy. That your ships sink, your crops are torched, your homes burnt to the ground...every single day until the end of my life. Is that clear?"

A breathless silence filled the hall as they all stared at the skinny auburn-haired viking whose gentle voice had grown hard and determined and who had promised the most terrible vengeance on them if they dared sentence Astrid.

"I will make what happened to the Dragon Hunter Tribe look like a day in Valhalla," he said, staring at Ulric and the man gaped.

"But...but...she said she was only sparing us, sparing the women and children because that was what you would have done..." he gabbled. Hiccup nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I would...now. But if you Chiefs, if your Tribes choose to try to take Astrid from me, that man ceases to exist. And I really don't think that any one of you could survive the wrath of the man who would be left in his place."

Dagur puffed out his cheeks.

"I think...I had a lucky escape when I captured his father that I didn't kill him," he murmured to Alvin and the Outcast nodded.

"You and me both," he replied in a low voice. "He's the son of Stoick the Vast, alright-and I think we both know he is the best ally imaginable, that he will stop at nothing to honour the pacts he has sworn and tender help when requested. But the flip side seems to be...he may be the son of Stoick the Vindictive as well."

"But Astrid's actions were the actions of a Betrothed avenging heinous hurts to her husband-to-be," Hiccup continued to the Council. "We were at war and when she believed I was lost, she set out to avenge me, like the Valkyrie she is. Astrid is a warrior, a woman who was trained from early childhood to fight and when she believed I was gone, she defaulted to what she knew. She ended the war. And while the Treaties hold, you have nothing to fear."

"But...you have dragons," Mogodon protested.

"You have a much larger Tribe and far more warriors," Hiccup pointed out. "You have more longships, more catapults and more archers. The Shivering Shores have a ferocious Navy that everyone fears. The Murderous...well, what more do I need to say? Berk is small and we have been ravaged by raids for years. We are small in numbers and poor in terms of gold-but we are ferocious and stubborn and we have our dragons."

"It's not fair," Madguts growled.

"You were offered the chance to train dragons," Hiccup pointed out evenly. "You rejected it as not being the Viking way. But I believe the Viking way is to adapt, to survive, to explore. And to use what assets we can to make the best life for our people. I doubt any of you would accuse my father of not being a Viking..." And he gestured to the massive shape with the best beard in the Archipelago, the huge bearskin cloak and horned helmet. Stoick nodded and then scowled at the others.

"I think if you can find a more Viking-like Viking then I would be shocked," Dagur commented. Alvin chuckled.

"I can give ole' Stoick a run for 'is money but I know what yer mean," he commented in an amused voice.

"...but Dad accepted that using Dragons was in the best interests of the Tribe-in ensuring that our fishing fleet was protected, in rounding up boars for food and in protecting the island from pirates and anyone else who wanted to attack us..." Hiccup explained. "Berk is stable. And my father does not seek conquest. He only wants his people to be safe and secure and fed. And that is what I wants well. I desire to travel, to explore, to find new dragons and new islands...and project my own. Astrid is my own. The Riders are my own. Our dragons are my own. Berk is my own. And dragonkind is my own. All else...is not my concern, unless I am asked for assistance."

"But she must pay for her crimes!" Ulric shouted, walking forward.

Astrid hung her head.

"He's right," she said in a soft voice but Hiccup turned and took her hand, lifting her chin and staring into the beautiful blue eyes, filled with self-loathing and guilt.

"No, he's not," he told her gently. "Because in a war, terrible things are done. On both sides. And while many of those who have fought against us are gone, many are not-and especially some who gave orders and profited from Berk's starvation and the theft of our gold. And it is my right, the right of conquest, the right of the victor, to demand every last member of the Grimborn family brought to my feet to be slain, if I so choose." She looked up and shook her head.

"That isn't who you are, Hiccup," she whispered.

"I would be, if I had to be to protect my own," he told her. And then he turned back to the Council and Ulric.

"Astrid is paying for her crimes," he said coldly. "Because she is a decent woman. She regrets the deaths she caused. She still sees the faces of men she killed in her nightmares. And that guilt, that pain will remain with her for the rest of her life. And I will help her deal with it, throughout our lives together. She has seen my scars-and I know hers. Together, we will work through it. And I understand it isn't the execution you want or the banishment you seek as a gesture to your Tribesmen who were spitting on a Treaty you signed with us...but I do not care." His voice had hardened.

"Hiccup..." Stoick's voice was soft but the young Viking shook his head.

"You will go back and tell the families that their menfolk were guilty of breaking the Treaty with Berk and their deaths were their own fault," he said. "If anyone wants to take it further..." He paused and just smiled...and it was a smile that promised no mercy. "Astrid killed my enemies, those who killed and harmed innocents, who targeted dragons; enemies who were without honour and tried to kill me by torture and by cowardly poison. She ended the war. She destroyed the Tribe that were our enemy. She is home and she is my wife. And as a member of the ruling House of Berk, she is protected by me and my father. And by every Hooligan on Berk."

"That's Stoick's son," Bertha said in a satisfied voice.

"Take your vote," Hiccup said, his hand tight around Astrid's. "I have said all that needs to be said."

Mogadon looked at him and then at the Chiefs.

"Votes to convict?" he asked. Madguts raised his fist, followed by Grabthroat and reluctantly by Norbert. He nodded. "And to acquit?" Bertha, Alvin, Dagur, Stoick, Mala and Atali all raised their fists. Norbert made to open his mouth to protest but Throk glared at him and surprisingly, the Hysteric Chief subsided-though Toothless's growl may have had something to do with it. Finally, Hiccup raised his fist.

"A majority to acquit, I think," Dagur commented. Mogadon sniffed.

"Eight - three," he agreed as Alvin chuckled.

"He voted her free yer, lass," he commented. Astrid gave a shuddering sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said but Mogadon shook his head, causing her to stiffen.

"You are not welcome on Meathead, Murderous, Shivering Shores or Hysteria," he said. "You are released to the custody of your husband. And you are not to take up arms again..."

"Unacceptable," Hiccup said sharply. "She is my General and she will fight when Berk needs her."

"You are not take up arms again without the express orders of your Chief," Mogadon said coldly. "That is all. This Council is at an end."

As the scrape of chairs sounded as all the Chiefs rose, an immediate and very loud hubbub breaking out as the Vikings all started discussing the events they had witnessed at the top of their voices. Ruffnut sidled up to greet Throk while Fishlegs nodded to Mala and Heather welcomed Atali. But Hiccup turned to find Astrid wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a very tight hug. Swiftly, he managed to turn the hug into a kiss, staring into her eyes before he kissed her soundly.

Smiling as she pulled back, ignoring the whoops of the twins, a vomiting noise from Snotlout and a loud 'awww' from Fishlegs, she looked into his eyes.

"Remind me never to get you mad, Babe," she murmured as she saw him give a small, self-conscious smile.

"I think, no one but you can guess the despair I felt when I thought I was gone, when I thought I had lost you," he told her. "And no one knows that I fought death itself to be back with you. That every scenario was me fighting to get back with you. And in the end, you saved me. I know my destiny has always been with you. And I would burn the Archipelago to the bare rock to keep you." She rested a hand against his cheek and felt him press into the gentle touch.

"And you already know what I would do if I lost you, my love," she sighed. "I don't deserve you. I can feel the blackness back there, trying to pull me back. And I don't want to become that Dark Valkyrie again." He leaned forward to kiss her again.

"With me at your side, my Astrid, you never need to be," he said. "You have me and Toothless and Stormfly. And between us, we will keep you in the light." And then he smiled, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "And of course, there's the small matter of our wedding night..."