Raya and Namarri wearily returned to the land of Heart, their fatigue evident from the battle against Astrid, the guards, and their arduous efforts to rescue the dragons. As Raya approached, she was greeted by her father, Benja, who was visibly relieved to see her. The others also returned and happened to be just as pleased to see them return.

"Raya, what happened?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"We were freeing the dragons, but the Hofferson girl attacked," Namaari explained in exhaustion.

"Has Sisu returned?" Raya asked.

"We thought she was still with you," Boun said in worry.

Then all of a sudden, the doors burst open and Sisu revealed herself. She sighed and shook the water off of her after she jumped out of the ocean and groaned. "I'm okay." She assured everyone. "I was just... distracted."

"By what?" Heather asks.

"I saw something underneath the ships," Sisu explained in concern, seeing Yin run over and try to leap on the dragon's back. Sisu picked up the young Night Fury placed it on her back and sighed. "It was... bigger than anything I have ever seen before."

"He has a creature in the water?" Boun wonders. "What could that be?"

"A Water dragon, maybe?" Raya guessed. "We will have to ask Hiccup when he gets back."

"We have to hope that they hurry," Benja said with a sigh. "I have little faith they'll take our plea and leave our land in peace."

-------

With Hiccup, he and Valka were on the back of their dragons. They flew off and headed for this sanctuary that Valka said might be able to help them.

"So, where are we going?" Hiccup wonders aloud. "What is this place?"

"This is where Cloudjumper had brought me after Berk," Valka explained.

As the characters emerged from the fog, they were met with a breathtaking sight - an enormous ice formation towered before them, its jagged spikes glistening in the light. Valka skillfully guided Cloudjumper into the heart of the icy structure, with Hiccup and Toothless close behind.

The wild ride led them into a vast, multi-level cavern, adorned with ice formations and columns of basalt rock. The chamber was alive with the presence of numerous dragons, their distinctive silhouettes looming in the shadows. As Hiccup and Toothless landed, they found themselves surrounded by an array of dragon species, their eyes eagerly scanning the mysterious surroundings for any signs of life.

Valka then landed and dismounted Cloudjumper, gesturing for Hiccup and Toothless to follow her. "Come."

Hiccup follows her down into a small hard-to-maver tunnel with rocks surrounding the difficult terrain. He tries to clamber over a tall rock, unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, Valka was maneuvering the terrain and rocks with ease. Makes sense since this is apparently where she's been for the past twenty years.

Hiccup came up to a long rock on an angle and was struggling to try and get up the ledge. Toothless rolled his eyes as he approached and tried to help.

"Here, let me help," Toothless said as he used his snout to push Hiccup up.

Hiccup crawls up and lands on the other side. "Thanks, Bud." He said to Toothless as he followed Valka. "So, where are we..." he then trails off as he enters...a stadium-sized chamber teeming with ferns, waterfalls, hot springs, and thousands of new dragons he's never laid eyes on.

Hiccup wanders in, basking in the amazing sight: a dome of sweating ice capping a geothermal micro-climate, filled with dragons of every shape and kind. Toothless came close behind and was amazed by what he was seeing.

"Oh, wow..." Toothless said.

Hiccup then spots Valka clinging to a basalt overhang, watching him. "This is where you've been for twenty years?"

She nods from her perch.

"You've been rescuing all of them all these years." Hiccup couldn't believe how much he had in common with his mother. "This is completely unbelievable."

"Well, now we know where you get it from," Toothless said when a dragon came up behind him and pushed up against him. "Hey, watch it, buddy!" He snarled at the dragon. "Personal space!"

valka chuckled as she was lowered from her perch with Couldjumper's help. "Come. This is why we are here." She said as they walked over towards the ledge. "This is who I brought you to see."

Over the cliff, Valka shows Hiccup the center of the nest, where they see an incredibly massive four-legged dragon with a pair of gigantic, tusks protruding from the sides of their heads similar to that of an elephant. They have a flat, almost hominid-shaped face with a wide mouth and pink interior that has somewhat flexible lips. It has two large eyes that can come in one to two colors. Situated between and around the eyes are a collection of short, almost antennae-like spikes that can vibrate rapidly. A large flaring crown of spikes fan out from the back of the head. Irregularly sized spikes continue along the breadth of the shoulders and then dwindle down to a single row along the back and dorsal aspect of the tail.

Smaller dragons fly by and respectfully bow before the king. Toothless even seemed to recognize the dragon and bowed to the dragon. "Toothless?"

"It's the Alpha Species," Toothless explained. "My mother used to tell me stories of them when I was only a hatchling. They were said to be the most powerful of all dragon species."

"He's right." Valka explained. "This is a Bewilderbeast. One of the very few who exist. "Every nest has a Queen. But this is the King of all dragons! And Drago has been trying to find mine most of all."

"Why?" Hiccup wonders. "Viggo and Krogan used dragons before."

"Oh, simple tricks aren't much compared to the likes of the Bewilderbeast, Hiccup," Valka explained the best she could. "With his icy breath, he created this place." She gestured upward to the cave. "A safe haven for all dragons."

"He did all of this?" Hiccup was surprised to hear.

"He protects us. We all live under his care. And his power gives him command over all dragons." Valka explained. "All but the babies, of course... who listen to no one!"

The babies pester Toothless, and Cloudjumper scares them off. They land on the Bewilderbeast, who wakes up, gently blows them off, and turns to face Valka and Hiccup. The Bewilderbeast blows a puff of snow gently onto Hiccup's hair.

Valka laughs. "He likes you."

Hiccup scratched his head to dry out the snow. "Wow." But then he became a little confused. "So, why did we come here?"

Valka sighed. "I was afraid when I became suspicious about Drago learning about the location of the Sanctuary. I was watching Drago in case he approached the Sanctuary when he approached Berk instead."

"So, he could still know about this place," Hiccup guessed he got her idea.

"We need to move the dragons before Drago comes for the Bewilderbeast. With one of these at his command... there would be no stopping him," Valka warned him. "And with him by our side, we can stand a fighting chance to stop any other dragons Drago might have under his command like Krogan."

"Then let's get them moved," Hiccup said with determination. "What do you need from us?"

Valka smiled as she saw Hiccup was more than willing to help her. "We need to get them prepared to travel."

-------

Drago's heart sank as he watched the magnificent ships under attack by a dozen dragons, liberated by Raya and Namaari in their bold attempt to free all the captured creatures. Despite their courageous efforts, they could only free so many, and as the dragons scattered into the skies over the lush forest of Kumandra, some lingered behind, driven by a burning desire for vengeance against the relentless Hunters who had imprisoned them.

A rumble of fury escaped Drago's lips as he witnessed the Hunters' relentless pursuit of the freed dragons. In a shockingly short span of time, they managed to regroup and initiate another capture attempt, showcasing a level of skill and determination that far exceeded what Drago had previously believed these Dragon riders capable of.

"They came here in peace, and yet they struck first." Drago snarled. "At Dawn, we strike back!" He cried in anger, getting cheers from the Hunters and other islanders. "We will not go quiet!"

Stoick snarled as he agreed and marched off. Gobber followed after him as he wanted to get some alone time to talk to his friend. "Stoick, we aren't still going along with this, are we?"

Stoick snarled as he marched downward into the cell areas. "You expect us to turn back now?"

"They attacked us in defense." Gobber defended their strike. "Hiccup doesn't have an interest in attacking us."

"Does he?" Stoick asked in anger. "We don't know what he is capable of anymore. We have to strike now before he strikes us again." He then made his way over to the row boats. "Ready the away crew."

Gobber stood in the middle of the ship's hall, watching Stoick depart to recruit an away team. As he wrestled with conflicting emotions, he grappled with the decision to accompany the mission to kill Hiccup and claim his new home.

Despite leaving them years ago and being absent since Gobber was uncertain if he could bring himself to harm Hiccup. He couldn't ignore the fact that even though he had taken their dragons, he had not attacked them. Even from a recent encounter, they had even refrained from harming Astrid when they had the opportunity.

----------

Gobber remembered years ago back on Berk when he would look out from the Blacksmiths shop and saw as Hiccup actually got along with the other kids of Berk. Back when he and Astrid were actually friendly to one another, while the twins were... themselves and Snotlout actually liked his cousin, while Fishlegs was... actually he was more or less the same.

Gobber's memories took him back to the days on Berk, gazing out from his blacksmith shop, witnessing Hiccup's camaraderie with the other Berkian youths. Those were simpler times when he and Astrid shared a genuine friendship, the twins were their usual 'unique' selves, Snotlout harbored fondness for his cousin, and Fishlegs, well, he remained much the same. He smiled and chuckled when he saw Hiccup trying to lift one of the many swords that were lying around from one of the recent raids on the town. But then he remembered a talk he had with Stoick just the other day.

--------

Gobber was summoned to Stoick's home to talk while Hiccup was out with the other children. "Hey, Stoick, I heard you were looking for me."

"Yes, Gobber," Stoick confirmed as he sat around a seating area he had in the center of his home. "I need to talk to you about Hiccup."

"Oh, boy, what did he do this time?" Gobber wondered, knowing Hiccup had a tendency to get into trouble.

"He didn't do anything, but this is serious," Stoick warned him as Gobber took a seat. "He has been causing a lot of problems recently."

"He's just a kid, Stoick," Gobber defended. "Kids are always like that. It's why it's good he has those others to help him."

"Well, nevertheless, he is the future Chief of Berk." Stoick reminded Gobber as if he didn't know. "He needs to know how to present himself. And I worry... that he might become weak."

"Stoick, come on, he is a growing boy," Gobber wasn't sure he understood where this was going. "Sure, he might be smaller than the other kids his age, but give him time."

"I want you to start training him at the forge," Stoick tells him.

"Huh?" Gobber wasn't sure he heard him correctly.

"Hiccup doesn't believe he needs to be training," Stoick explained his reasoning. "I need you to help him grow some muscle if any and stay out of the way of the village."

Gobber was confused. "So, you want me to take him on as an apprentice?"

"If that is what it takes," Stoick states as he stands back up. "Now, I have some other duties to perform."

Gobber wasn't sure why but he felt that this conversation was a little one-sided as Stoick left.

--------

Gobber wished it was under better circumstances taking Hiccup under his wing, but he thought that he could make the most of this.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Gobber called out as the young boy stopped playing and ran over to the blacksmith. "Are you ready to get to work?"

"Yes!" Hiccup said with glee as he jumped and ran into the Blacksmith shop and quickly drew his apron. He ran over to the forge and stood on a stool so he could reach it. "Just watch, Gobber, one day, I'll be the biggest, strongest Viking in Berk!"

Gobber chuckled when he heard that as he dropped a helmet on Hiccup playfully. "I bet you will, son."

----------

"Gobber?" Astrid called out, noticing the old Blacksmith seemed to be daydreaming. "Gobber!"

"What?" Gobber broke off his dream and looked towards Astrid. "Oh, hi, lass."

"What is wrong with you?" Astrid wonders.

Gobber sighed as he gestured for her to take a walk with him. "I have a lot on my mind, lass." He explained to the young girl as they left the boat. "Hiccup...alive. That..." He chuckled when he thought of it. "It's the best news I have heard."

"The best?" Astrid asked. "He betrayed us. He is building a dragon army."

"Is he?" Gobber asked her. "Do you truly believe that, or are you only saying that because our Chief says so?" He saw the hesitation in her eyes. "Since Hiccup has left, we have barely had any dragon attacks, and since those dragons left the arena, we haven't had any dragon sightings. What if instead of building an army, Hiccup brought them here to stay away from the likes of us?"

"They are nothing more than mindless beasts," Astrid stated. "You can't befriend dragons."

"That Night Fury defended Hiccup in that arena." Gobber reminded Astrid. "And he has been living with it for this long. Hiccup wasn't a warrior, but he was a son to me. Would you look me in the eye, lass, and tell me that if the moment came, you would strike him down?"

"For Berk? Yes." Astrid proclaimed, but Gobber could see the hesitation as she walked off.

"You were once friends with him." Gobber reminded her, getting Astrid to freeze. "You and him were almost inseparable. And then that Flightmare-"

"That Flightmare is the reason that my family's name has been brought to shame!" Astrid stated in anger.

Gobber understood her outburst and sighed. "You pushed him away after that. Worked yourself to the bone to be the best. And all of us encouraged it. But what you did was leave Hiccup behind, making him want to prove himself to the village. So he could have you back."

Astrid was confused when she heard that. "What?"

Gobber sighed as he rubbed his head. "Odin have mercy." He muttered to himself. "The boy wanted his friend back. After a few years, a ton of screwups, and one 'Hiccup the Useless' nickname later, he gave up on trying to be like you and tried to prove himself to everyone. You wanted to be a warrior and pushed everything else aside. Maybe it wasn't our best to encourage you, lass."

"I am one of our greatest fighters," Astrid reminded Gobber.

"And at what cost, Astrid?" Gobber asked her. He then walked off and made Astrid question a few things she once believed in. "A Chief protects his own." He reminded her as he walked off. "We said that he chose his side with the Dragons. So, doesn't this mean that Hiccup has been protecting his own?"

Astrid once again wondered what he was trying to get across and looked over to the jungles of Kumandra.

-----------

Back at Heart, Benja and the other Chiefs we're discussing how to deal with the threat of these invaders. With Hiccup still gone, it was going to mean they were down their best asset until he returned.

"Do we think they will take our plea to leave?" Chief Ross wonders.

"Not likely," Namaari stated. "They hate dragons, and the idea of peace among them... they're stubborn."

"I hate to agree," Benja said to them with a sigh. "But they didn't seem pleased with the idea of peace amongst dragons."

"Do we strike first, or do we wait for them to attack?" Chief Ross wonders.

"We won't strike first," Raya promises, surprising Benja. "We will wait to see what they will do. If they choose war, then we will fight. If they choose to leave, we should hear back from Erret soon."

Benja was proud to see how well his daughter was taking this chance of war. "I agree with my daughter." He complied with her and looked to the chiefs. "We will have to wait... and hope they choose peace."

-----------

Erret was watching the ships from a distance using a telescope. He saw that some were moving their equipment back to the boats and saw that might be enough to see they were leaving. He saw he needed to check in and walked back over to his dragon, Skullcrusher.

"Well, looks like that little strike last night scared them off," Erret told his dragon. "Let's go tell the people."

Erret then flew down to Fang and landed beside a few residents in need. He whistled to Skullcrusher, who was quick to assist the people in moving some stones to rebuild some of the last housing. It took them five years and a lot of work, but Fang was finally rebuilt.

"Thank you, Erret." One of the women said with a sigh of relief. "The work we are doing around here has been helping us keep our mind off the impending war."

"Well, that might not be happening," Erret promised. "Seems that our..." Then he heard a strange whistle as he looked upward and noticed an incoming flaming ball heading right for them. "Find cover!"

Before anyone could react, a large ball struck the surface of Fang, causing chaos as people ran around in panic. Erret quickly grabbed a nearby woman and sought refuge under Skullcrusher's wings. The attacks continued relentlessly, and Skullcrusher let out a roar that seemed to convey both anger and fear to Erret. In response, he unleashed a powerful blast into the air, a signal taught to the dragons by Hiccup in times of distress. The blast was so intense that it drew the attention of nearby lands, including the people of Heart.

As the situation escalated, a group of Vikings emerged from the woods and charged across the bridge to enter Fang. Some even swam across the water, led by Stoick, Dagur, Alvin, and Gobber. Meanwhile, some dragons began to fight back. However, a mysterious force caused them to screech in fear and pain, behaving as if they had been exposed to Dragon Root. An eerie tune filled the air, affecting only the dragons and causing them to act erratically.

"Skullcrusher, what is it?" Erret asks.

Stoick then saw that whatever was going on was helping them and nodded to Astrid and the other teens who came along. "Wipe them out!"

The war has officially begun...