A/N: Such a tiring week at work, so glad I can take a breath and blow off steam by writing. Anyway, onwards to Vikings partying!

(Normal pov)

After the humiliating, and catastrophic loss Boleslav had been dealt, the Kievan ruler had been drowning himself in wine; attempting to drink away the pain of losing his son, nearly his entire army, and being utterly humiliated by Haddock on the battlefield.

Grievances that would need to be answered for in time.

The remaining Kievan commanders were inside Boleslav's ship and were forced to hear their ruler's sobs of outrage and blaming the warlords who once served Drago for abandoning him and his Rus' brethren when they needed them the most once the bloodbath had ended. But when demanding why they left the Rus' to be slaughtered, the warlords merely scolded Boleslav as a parent would at their pouting child and redirected blame back on Boleslav by telling him that he couldn't temper his anger and hurtled his army at the Viking capital city, which resulted in a massacre.

"They're laughing at me within that city; Haddock, his queen, people, heirs, and that... vile whore Katerina, all them are drunk with victory over me and our Rus' brethren!" Boleslav snarled out while also chugging down a cup of wine. "They think I'll sail home at first light!"

"Maybe we should."

Boleslav turned to one of his Kievan commanders, Alyona who had served the rulers of the Kievan Empire for many decades. The current Kievan ruler looked at this female commander like she had gone mad and barked out. "And flee? Like a whipped dog?" Alyona ran a hand through her blond hair and looked into the eyes of her king and spoke bold words. "Our countrymen believed we came here simply to retrieve Igor's wife," she then snorted and smirked, "we won't be needing her anymore."

"My son's blood still wets the sand and you insult him?!" Boleslav seethed out.

"It's not an insult to say a man is dead," Alyona said in a bored tone, "Igor is dead, as is your bloodline."

"If we leave now, we lose all credibility," A commander by the name of Pavel said, "Haddock's Viking army can defeat us so easily, how long before our supposed "allies" turn on us and continue their world-dominating conquest in the name of their dead master?"

Boleslav knew Pavel was referring to the late Drago Bludvist's warlords, how that madman was able to unite the unlikeliest people to support his cause was an impressive feat, but with Bludvist now dead, the warlords could easily turn back on the agreement that was settled between the Kievan Empire and perhaps sack his kingdom, now that his army was all but gone.

If this suspicion came to fruition, he would truly lose everything.

"If we stay, we stay here for the right reasons," Alyona added, "to defend the Kievan Empire, not your pride. Whatever you said to the Stormhearts before this battle began is what utterly destroyed us!"

"Those two are but two women—!" Boleslav barked out.

"And Hiccup Haddock is but one man!" Alyona barked back before letting out a bitter chuckle and gesturing around them. "Look what he did to us today!"

"Haddock fights for his nation and people!" Boleslav growled out. "Those two harlots of the battlefield fight only to avenge their dead father—"

"You forget that they lead the finest warriors in the world!" Alyona said while cutting Boleslav off for the second time. "Had we had the Stormhearts and their warriors with us, we could've seen victory! But you led us into the jaws of death, and we barely escaped the fate our fallen endured this day."

"We are doomed," Pavel said while shaking his head, "the Kievan Empire is doomed—"

"ENOUGH!!"

Boleslav roared out while hurling his empty cup at his throne, he then ran a hand through his ebony hair while huffing and puffing in rage. Taking deep breaths, Boleslav then turned back to his remaining two commanders and inquired. "How many men do we have left?" Alyona and Pavel shared a look before turning back to their king and answering him. "No more than a thousand warriors," Pavel said before continuing, "but... their moral has been shattered. We not only came here to reclaim your late son's wife but also to cleanse these lands of the pagans and then merge them with our own so that Christianity can spread and flourish. How are we to spread our new faith without an army to help us? If you believe only a thousand men can do this then you have gone mad."

"Indeed," Alyona said, "what remains of our Kievaj army cannot hope to contend with Haddock's and our fellow countrymen who allied with us have fled these shores and returned to the embrace of Mother Rus' to recoup their immense losses."

"We are now surrounded by "allies" who can very well destroy us and take control of this coalition with little to no effort at all," Boleslav murmured out in realization, "this is exactly what Nikora and Eir were counting on. And I played right into their hands!" Releasing an enraged cry, Boleslav turned to the nearest table and flipped it over; items, maps, and weapons scattered on the deck of the ship and Boleslav's face flushed in rage. By denying the Mongrel Tribe and their leaders to partake in the battle earlier, he had planted the seeds of his own destruction in the process; losing his son, his army, grip on this colation, and now... his life and kingdom are at risk.

Suddenly, blood-curdling screams could be heard outside, Boleslav and his two remaining commanders all share looks of concern before drawing their swords and making their way outside and what they witnessed caused them to gasp in horror. The Mongrel warriors had rendered the Kievan ships to ash and what remained of the Kievan army were being slaughtered like sheep, and amongst this slaughter was Nikora and her sister Eir. Both rulers of the Mongrels then laid eyes on Boleslav and gave the man a sinister grin that caused a chill of fear to crawl down his spine.

"No no no no!" Boleslav murmured under his breath. "This can't be happening!" He then turned to his commanders to give them orders but let out a yelp of horror at the sight of two Egyptian Mongrels whose faces were concealed by the mask of their god Amun. These two Mongrels were armed with khopesh's and had these blades at the throats of his commanders.

"It pains my heart to see a man who was once so elevated plummet to such depths," Nikora said in a taunting tone, "your reckless strategy has cost you everything this day Boleslav." The Mongrel Queen raised her bloodied Kwan Dao at Boleslav's face, causing the man to hold his breath.

"The insults you and your son inflicted upon us is now answered," Eir said with a smirk, "your pride made you believe you did not need us in this battle. But when Haddock struck down your son? You lashed out with recklessness and that resulted in a crippling blow to your kingdom and your fellow Rus' companions... although, it would seem their futures are secured."

"What are you talking about?" Boleslav inquired.

"The Rus' who allied with you surrendered to Haddock and by the look of it, made a deal to pledge their support to him," Eir said smirking at Boleslav's shocked expression, "we do what we must to survive, even turn on those we call a friend." Both Nikora and Eir shared a smirk as Boleslav was drowning in confusion, anger, and disbelief.

They had him right where they wanted him.

Refusing to be slaughtered like an animal, Boleslav drew his sword and lashed out at Eir, but the Mongrel princess backed away from his strike and then proceeded to draw a sword strapped to her hips with the speed of a serpent and then hacked the Kievan ruler's sword hand clean off his body, causing Boleslav to scream in agony and clutch his heavily bleeding stump. He then saw Eir's bloodied blade mere inches from his face and he realized that this was indeed the end of his life, there was no way to escape his fate.

"P-Please," Boleslav said in a shaky tone, "forgive me—"

"You insulted us by believing we are inferior and you dare mock us," Eir snarled out while sheathing her sword, "such grievances cannot go unpunished," she then brandished her prosthetic arm and activated the blade while pointing it mere centimeters from Boleslav's face, "your life ends now Boleslav." Before Eir could thrust her blade into the Kievan king's face, Nikora placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "Not yet," she said before turning to Boleslav himself, "you may yet see another sunrise if you but fall on your knees and beg for our forgiveness." Boleslav glared at both Mongrel leaders and then spat in Nikora's face, causing her to groan in disgust and wipe away the saliva on her face. The elder Stormheart turned to Eir and nodded at her, the Mongrel princess then kicked Boleslav's leg in, forcing him on his knees and before her mercy.

Unfortunately, Eir Stormheart had no mercy to give.

She drove her blade through Boleslav's skull, ripped it out, and then decapitated the Kievan king and closed her eyes as blood painted her face. As Boleslav's corpse hit the deck of his ship, Eir grabbed Boleslav's head by the hair and inspected it. "Your son and those who fell under your command await you in the shores of the afterlife," Eir then continued, "may you find peace there." The Mongrel princess then discarded Boleslav's head and then turned to his remaining commanders, who were clearly shaken but did their best to mask their fear. Looking to the Mongrel's holding the remaining Kievan commanders at swordpoint, Eir nodded at them and Boleslav's commander's throats were slit wide open; blood spraying out of their wounds and wetting the deck of the ship, their corpses then hit the ship and they too joined their fallen king in the afterlife.

Eir then joined her sister as they watched their Mongrels eviscerate what remains of the Kievan army, the air reeked of fire, smoke, blood, and death. But it was a scent that both Nikora and Eir were very intimate with, and soon that scent would follow into Hiccup's capital city once they've taken it.

"Now that the man and his son who have insulted us and believed us to be inferior are now dead, what do we do in the meantime?" Eir inquired.

"We hold our position," Nikora said, "ensure that Haddock doesn't launch a counterattack to drive us out of his empire. For now, we make sure our warriors remain sharp by training, intercept the flow of traders who are loyal to Haddock to starve his people out, and we wait for Harald to give us a signal to attack. Once we take Hiccup's capital city, he will run and we will hunt him down and see our father's death avenged."

"Patience then," Eir grumbled out, "always patience."

Nikora smirked and nodded, she then kissed Eir's head and wrapped an arm around her sister, and held her close.

"Yes," she said in confirmation, "we must have patience, and it will be rewarded. I promise you."

(Later that evening— Zephyr's pov)

The celebration that commenced was truly a sight to behold— Viking party games ensuing in the Great Hall, musicians playing music for such a glorious occasion, and roars of celebration threatened to make me deaf, sarcastically speaking of course. After paying tribute to the families who lost loved ones in the battle earlier this morning, my father announced to everyone that handfuls of Rus' rulers have now pledged their allegiance to the Red Maw and the Scandinavian people, as well as swearing loyalty to Princess Katerina and acknowledging her as the rightful ruler of the Kievan Empire.

Rising from his throne, my father had a horn of ale in hand and boomed out. "Tonight we celebrate a great victory, and we honor those who gave their lives to ensure this empire flourishes," my father continued, "and in the aftermath of such a battle, the Rus' rulers who were allied with Boleslav have now pledged their allegiance to us and Princess Katerina! We now have a legitimate ruler to claim the Kievan Empire and new allies to come to our aid should we need it. These Rus' rulers who stood with Boleslav were once our enemies, but they have abandoned him and have joined me, they've joined us to ensure this empire endures for many more generations. May the gods ensure the peace between our two great peoples stays intact this time. Skål!"

"SKÅL!!"

Everyone boomed out while drinking their horns of ale and then resumed to feast and celebrate, among the crowd, I laid eyes on several of my friends and smiled at them before turning to my mother. "May I excuse myself and be with my friends?" Turning to me, my mother smiled warmly at me and nodded. "Of course," she said, "this is a celebration, after all, go and enjoy it." I smiled at my mother and kissed her cheek while nodding in thanks before making my way through the sea of Vikings until finally reaching my friends.

"Leyla! Dak!"

Both twins turned in my direction and grinned before embracing me, I returned the twins embrace and gestured around us. "Have you ever beheld such a feast before?" Both twins looked around and shook their heads. "I certainly haven't," Leyla said, "I know we Vikings have a reputation of throwing huge parties, but this... this is utter madness." Dak chuckled and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders. "Then we better enjoy it while it lasts!"

Dak has bright red hair, a light beard gracing his chiseled face, piercing green eyes, and a scar running through his right eyebrow. He wears a set of Huldufolk armor, a crimson tunic underneath the armor, and a wolf fur cloak draped around his broad shoulders. Dak is quite creative and resourceful and can tend to be very overconfident. He cares greatly for the dragons and his twin sister and is always aiming to do the right thing in the best interest of both humans and dragons. He is highly energetic and tends to get irritated with slowness. He isn't very good at planning preferring to just take action and charge headfirst into the unknown, my father frowns upon this mindset and urges Dak to rectify that way of thinking and plan before taking foolish action.

Leyla too sported red hair tied which was tied into a braid over her left shoulder and piercing green eyes. Like her twin brother, she too wore Huldufolk armor and had a wolf fur cloak draped around her shoulders. Leyla subconsciously tends to stroke her hair in a variety of uneasy situations. She can get anxious, especially when she doesn't know something or someone is in serious trouble. She places a great deal of importance in her Dragon Diary and feels inadequate without it as it was the only thing she and Dak had of their mother before she died during many of Hiccup's foreign campaigns. Leyla is also very nurturing and caring and is the best at mothering orphaned baby dragons that they come across. Leyla does give everyone— even Gudmundr and those who seem to harbor resentment towards my father— the benefit of the doubt. However, this positivity is not eternal and will admit her error. She is also a planner and favors strategy over impulse, unlike her twin brother.

"So, what are your thoughts on this alliance between these Rus' and our people?" Dak inquired.

"As long as they honor the terms our king presented them, I have no problem with it," Leyla said, "and of you Zephyr? What are your thoughts?"

Looking at the table to see my father and mother discussing with these Rus' rulers, I knew they were ensuring that they stay loyal to the terms they agreed upon and that they wouldn't do anything foolish or else they'd feel the wrath of Scandinavia for the final time. I know the Kievan Empire and its Rus' allies only came here to deprive Nuffink of his lover, but it does warm my heart seeing Nuffink so happy with Katerina. Perhaps now they could get married to solidify their relationship and rule together in the Kievan Empire and be a familial ally in those lands.

"I know our new allies won't do anything foolish or else my father will gut them with his bare hands," I stated while turning back to my friends, "but I do hold concern for those who will not take this new alliance seriously."

"You speak of Gudmundr?" Dak inquired, I nodded in confirmation and turn to a table placed in a dark corner of the Great Hall and see the old man glaring at my father with obvious resentment.

"The man is not to be trusted entirely," I said firmly, "if he intends to betray my father in any way, I will kill him myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Leyla said with a smile, "but we're supposed to be celebrating right now, let us set such subjects behind for one night and enjoy the moment!"

"Agreed!" Dak said while approaching a basin filled with honeyed brewed ale and refiled his horn. "Let us feast, drink, fight, and savor the celebration while we can!" Following her brother's example, Leyla filled her own horn with ale and the two twins grinned at each other and began drinking. Before I could join my friends in hoisting a horn of ale, I laid eyes on Leif the Commoner and he was treading through the sea of Vikings within the Great Hall.

"Leif!"

The young blacksmith followed the sound of my voice and laid eyes on me, I smiled warmly at him and approached. I could hear his accelerated heart rate thanks to the powers I and my siblings were blessed with at birth, and I could see his dilated pupils which meant he either desired me or just found me attractive.

"Hello, Princess—"

"Oh no, as of right now, you can dispense with the formalities," I said firmly while cutting Leif off while smiling at him, "please, call me Zephyr." Leif's flushed cheeks caused me to giggle and smirk at him. He's quite cute when he's embarrassed.

"Very well," he said while clearing his throat, "hello, Zephyr."

"Hello, Leif," I said, "please, join me! Leyla and Dak are currently drinking horns of ale, and although I'm always open to drink, I'd rather spend time with you." Leif's eyes widened in surprise and then a playful smile spread across his face. "Am I really worth the time of a goddess like you?" His flattering words caused my heart to beat faster and butterflies to swarm in my belly. "Hmmm, I think so," I said while grinning, "will you join me and see what transpires this night?" Leif nodded and we soon left the Great Hall to spend some time together at last and be normal.

(Within Haddock's tower)

Nuffink winced in pain as the healers concluded in treating the wound he had gained while fighting the now late Prince Igor Boleslav, the wound on his leg was deep and could've been fatal, but thankfully Halvor was able to get his little brother to the healers before he bled out. Katerina had held her breath the entire time Nuffink fought Igor and felt sick to her stomach seeing Nuffink on his knees before Igor, but she was then overcome with a wave of relief when Hiccup himself killed the man who had abused her long enough.

"You think I'm a coward," Nuffink said to Katerina while the healers had finished stitching and cleaning his leg wound to stop further bleeding and prevent infection, "I am a coward. Instead of accepting my defeat at Igor's hands, I fled back to the protection of my father and proved to him, my brother, family, and people that I'm weak." He said with a bitter tone.

"No, you challenged a great warrior, that in itself took great strength and courage," Katerina reassured her lover, "although you didn't deliver the killing blow, your father saved me from a miserable marriage and life. I'm now free of Igor's abuse and I now stand as your woman and partner."

"But could you love a man who cannot fight his own battles?" Nuffink inquired.

Katerina, who was cleaning Nuffink's leg wound then stopped and embraced her Viking lover and murmured in his ear. "I love you whether or not you're a coward, a prince of Scandinavia, or the lowest man in the world," she then continued, "I've wanted a man to grow old with me and love me, and that man is you Nuffink. Whatever happens, we face it together." Nuffink soon returned Katerina's embrace and quietly thanked the gods for blessing him with such a genuine woman he could spend the rest of his life with and who loves him whether or not he's bold or a coward.

"I feel the same way," Nuffink murmured in Katerina's ear and then asked a question that could forever change their lives, "would you marry me?" The woman pulled back and looks into Nuffink's eyes and sees them filled with hope.

She dared not to deny him that hope.

"Yes," her answer was immediate as soon as he asked, "yes, I will marry you." She said with a smile that shone brighter than the sun. Nuffink grinned and once more embraced his newly betrothed, Katerina returned his embrace and the two simply savored their time together and were eager to spend the rest of their mortal lives together.

(Within the Great Hall)

Whilst Hiccup's people celebrated throughout the capital city, they were all oblivious to the wolf embedded among them, in the form of Harald Forkbeard. The Mongrel was within the Great Hall in his Red Maw disguise, but he also had a wolf fur cloak around his shoulders and a hood draped over his head. Blending into the crowds of Vikings was easy, but considering that Haddock was not your average Viking and can smell someone's true nature with little to no effort, Harald was not going to take any chances and ensure his task within these walls was successful.

Although the cheerful cries of his... former countrymen filled his ears, Harald noticed a Viking sitting alone in a dark corner while twirling a dagger in his hands with ease. The Viking was old but built like an ox, his hair was long and done in multiple braids, and a well-groomed beard graced his face. Harald then noticed this man narrowing his eyes at the Blood King himself, and the Scandinavian Mongrel could see deep resentment in this man's eyes and knew this man could become an ally to help overthrow Haddock.

Taking a deep breath, Harald approaches the table this man was sitting at and poured himself a mug of ale, and then inquired. "You do not partake in celebration?" The man scoffs and shakes his head while turning back to Hiccup and Astrid and voicing his distaste for them both. "What reason is there to celebrate? Instead of slaughtering those Christians, Haddock spares them and makes them allies!" He snarled out in outrage. "It's a mockery to us all by sparing them! This alliance is also meant to solidify Prince Nuffink's whore claim to the Kievan throne." Harald hums in understanding and knows he'll have to inform Nikora and Eir that the remainder of Boleslav's allies has allied themselves with Hiccup to preserve the Rus' people and their futures and that Princess Katerina now has a claim to the Kievan throne and could back Haddock and his empire.

"Christians and pagans will always fight," Harald reassured the hot-tempered man, "surely this alliance will not last long—"

"Haddock will see that it solidifies," the man said, "when it comes to preserving his empire, Haddock never seems to fail." This man then eyed Harald and inquired. "Why do you shroud your face with that cloak?"

"Because I'm not part of this empire," Harald hissed out, "I stand with the foreigners who joined Boleslav and the Rus' hordes. I hailed from Scandinavia, but Haddock slaughtered my people, killed my father, and destroyed the life I once knew. So I fled your king's wrath and found myself in the embrace of the Mongrel Tribe. Its rulers lost their father because of Haddock and they have spent two decades swelling their ranks with the deadliest warriors in Midgard; men and women of all races, cultures, and tongues have come to these shores to destroy Haddock and his empire."

"Who are you?" The man inquires in a cautious and shaken tone.

"My name is Harald Forkbeard," he then raised a questioning eyebrow, "and you are...?"

"Gudmundr," he said firmly before continuing, "so, it would appear we have a wolf among us. What is your purpose within these walls?" Harald smirked at Gudmundr and shook his head at his question. "If you wish to learn more, we'd have to become friends," he then continued, "and although you harbor resent Haddock, I can see you still respect him as a leader, even though you don't always agree with his methods." Rising from the table, Harald spoke once more. "Remain sober and meet me with the cisterns of the city at dawn," he then added, "if you inform your king about my presence here, I will find you and gut you like a wild pig." And in the blink of an eye, Harald had vanished within the sea of Vikings, leaving Gudmundr alone at his table and he released a shaky breath.

The enemy already had one of their own on their side to betray his own people so that Haddock and his saga would be wiped from history.

Although Gudmundr should've informed Haddock of this threat, he knew that his supposed "king" would kill him sooner rather than later, and the two did not like each other at all.

Rising from his table, Gudmundr left the Great Hall and made his way back to his home to sleep off the ale he had drank and calmed his racing nerves. His conversation with Forkbeard was quite... sobering to say the least, and it made Gundmundr's mind churn with possibilities and scenarios.

Would he help the Mongrels and the foreigners overthrow Haddock? Or would he remain loyal to a man who has been his enemy for so many years and inform him of the wolf embedded among them?

Gudmundr decided he would sleep on it.

Either way, the fate of the Scandinavian empire was at risk, and Gudmundr wanted to see his people flourish until he drew his last breath. Haddock had led the Viking people to prosperity, Gudmundr couldn't deny that, but when he made an alliance with the Rus' Christians, that's where he drew the line and said in his mind that Haddock is no longer worthy of being king of the Viking empire.

Another could take his place.

Perhaps it could be him.

Sleep came relatively quickly for Gudmundr, and the old man was more than prepared to meet this Mongrel within the cisterns the following morning to talk more privately.

A/N: For those you guys wondering, Leyla and Dak are from that kiddy show garbage Dragons: Rescue Riders show, and I've decided to add a layer of maturity to them and see where it goes. Hope you guys are enjoying the story, and I'll see you in the next update!