"I think we're doomed." Heather whispered.

"No, we're beyond doomed." Hiccup whispered back.

Eret stepped forward. "Well, didn't you just pick the wrong ship, eh?" he said. Stoick didn't respond. "I am Eret!" Eret said, offended by being ignored. "Son of-"

Stoick put his hand over Eret's face and shoved him backwards without even looking at what he was doing. Gobber hit him on the head with his hammer, and once Eret was on the ground, Grump laid on top of him. Eret tried wriggling away, but it was useless.

"Get...this...thing...off...me!" Eret panted, breathless.

"Anyone else?" Gobber asked. No one said anything. "Hmm, that's what I figured."

Stoick pointed at Hiccup, and then moved his finger to Heather. "You two. Saddle up. We're going home."

"No," Hiccup said without missing a beat.

Heather could almost see the anger rolling off his father's in waves. "Of all the irresponsible-" Stoick started.

"I'm trying to protect our dragons, and stop a war!" Hiccup defended himself. "How is that irresponsible!?"

"Because war is what he wants, son!!" Stoick shouted.

Hiccup lowered his gaze, looking as though he would rather say a million things than stay quiet and yet had nothing to say.

Stoick sighed heavily, and then began to explain. "Years ago," he began, and Heather and the others kept silent in order to listen, "there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon, and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons. He claimed that he alone could control the dragons," Stoick continued, "and he alone could keep us safe, if we chose to bow down and follow him."

At that, the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs laughed.

"Stupid," Ruffnut cackled, shaking her head.

"Ah, good one." Tuffnut said, wiping a tear away from his eye that fell due to how hard he was laughing.

"Aye," Stoick nodded. "We laughed too. Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried, Then see how well you do without me! The rooftop suddenly burst into flames," Stoick went on to say, "and from it, armored dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground."

"I..." Stoick continued sadly, "was the only one to escape."

That shocked everyone. Drago Bludvist, this new enemy, killed an entire hall full of Chiefs. If he could do that back then, then there was no telling what else he was capable of.

"Men who kill without reason," Stoick said, "cannot be reasoned with."

In their mind, it was all the more reason to go after him now, before he attacked Berk.

"Maybe," Hiccup said, turning back towards Toothless.

"Maybe not," Heather agreed, turning and striding towards Windshear. Her husband felt the same way she did about this situation, and she knew it.

"Hiccup...Heather-" Stoick began warningly.

"We're still going to try," Hiccup said. He jumped on Toothless' back, and Heather mounted Windshear. "This is what we're good at," Hiccup said. "And if I could get you to change your mind...I can change his, too." He patted Toothless' neck. "Come on," he whispered.

"Come on, girl," Heather said to Windshear. The dragons spread their wings, and shot into the sky.

Astrid mounted Stormfly as silently as possible. "Let's go," she whispered to her dragon.

"No!" Stoick shouted, and Astrid froze. "Lead the others back to Berk!" Stoick commanded. "I've had enough mutinyfor one day!"

Heather and Hiccup flew through the sky over a bed of clouds. They were silent. Completely silent.

The only sounds to be heard were the beating of Windshear's and Toothless' wings. Heather let her mind wander, thinking about everything Hiccup's father had told them about Drago.

A man so dangerous had to be stopped. He just had to be stopped, before he grew more powerful to the point where he was unstoppable. The Edge, Arendelle, Hope, the Razorfuries, their dragons, and Berk were all in danger if Drago was on the loose.

No one was safe.

Not until Drago was gone.

Across from her, Hiccup balled his fists, took in a deep breath, and screamed in fury, punching the air as if it had wronged him. His anger driven shouting continued for a good five seconds before finally, he stopped screeching, flopping against Toothless' back breathlessly.

Toothless cooed in concern, and Hiccup ran his hand over his dragon's scales. "Don't worry, bud," he said. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise."

Heather looked down at Windshear's neck for a brief moment before turning her gaze back to Hiccup. "Not a bad idea you had back there," she commented. "With Eret, I mean. If you'd had more time, you could have changed his mind. I know you could have."

She hoped she was reassuring him by saying this, but in the end, it seemed to just make him more frustrated. "I know I could have," he said. "I was so..." He squeezed his hands together and let them drop against Toothless' back again. "If I had more time."

Heather turned Windshear so that the Razorwhip flew right alongside the Night Fury, their wings just inches away from each other. "Your Dad's just trying to protect us," Heather said. "You know how it is, wanting to protect someone and never let anything bad happen to them. I know how that is, too. We both do."

Hiccup sighed, and Heather could imagine him remembering all the times he saved her, and all the times she flipped around and saved him right back. The biggest and most memorable time was probably when they first met. Without him, she wouldn't even know where she would be as of this moment.

He saved her then.

Hiccup and Heather were so willing to do anything for each other. They were protective of one another, so Heather understood where his father was coming from when he was protective of him and in extension, her.

"I know," Hiccup said, digging the heels of his hands against his eyes. "I know, Heather. I just wish he would let me try. Give me the chance, maybe. I don't know why he wouldn't. I honestly don't know why..."

Heather nodded, lifting her head. As soon as she did, she froze. "Hiccup," she gasped, pointing ahead of them wildly.

Rising out of the clouds, was a dragon. She could tell that much instantly, but the thing that was most terrifying was the rider.

The rider of the dragon was wearing a blue mask with odd, horn-like spikes that shot out from the sides of it. It reminded Heather of the ice structure created by the "ice spitting dragon" she heard about.

Hiccup groaned. "Aw, come on, Dad!" he shouted. "Seriously!?"

When he finally sat up and got a good look at the rider, Heather could almost see each and every one of his muscles stiffen and go rigid. Toothless jerked to a halt, as did Windshear beside him. The mysterious rider and dragon sank back into the clouds, and was gone.

"Ooookay..." Hiccup said, holding it out probably longer than what was necessary. "No sudden moves."

Heather agreed silently, her eyes scanning for any sign of that mysterious rider. Then, suddenly, another dragon and rider shot out from the clouds and arched above Hiccup and Heather with grace, the dragon flapping its wings.

"Hiccup!" Heather gasped. "Is that a..."

"Night Fury!?" Hiccup sees.

The two formed a defense line as best as possible with only two people and two dragons. Toothless and Windshear bared their teeth at the Riders and dragons, but it was clear that the dragons themselves were uneasy, and that was a bad sign.

Was this mysterious rider Drago Bludvist himself? If so, then great. It just meant that Heather and Hiccup wouldn't have to worry about tracking him down.

If not, they might have had an even bigger problem on their hands. Maybe these Riders are the dragon thief with the ice spitting dragon. Maybe that's where the idea for the helmet came from. Who knew? Heather certainly didn't.

"Alright, hold on," Hiccup chanted to himself. Then, he looked at Heather. "Hold on," he said. "Any ideas, Heather?"

Heather shook her head. "None," she said.

Heather hardly got a chance to finish her thought before the Night Fury and it's Rider came in from behind them. She barely had enough time to shout "AAHHH!" before it crashed into her, grabbed her by her arms, and hoisted her higher into the sky.

"Windshear!" Heather shouted. "Spine shot! Windshear!?"

The poor Razorwhip was being circled by dragons as well. Four of them to be exact. Two of them grabbed Windshear and pinned her wings to her side while the other two stood by, probably for backup.

"Heather!" Hiccup shouted. He flew Toothless straight towards her...

Dragons appeared from behind him.

"Look out!" Heather screamed. "Behind you!"

Toothless tucked his wings around his body and barrel rolled out of the way. Heather kicked and thrashed and struggled against the dragons holding her, but it was to no avail. They weren't holding her tight enough to cause pain, but they were holding her tight enough. Squirming was useless. There was no escape. She was helpless.

She hated being helpless.

Toothless turned and dodged another dragon, but more appeared out of no where, and eventually, Toothless was overwhelmed.

Then, suddenly, there was a SNAP, and Heather could only fear the worst. The snap didn't come from the dragons, or herself, or Hiccup.

It came from Toothless' prosthetic tailfin.

The next thing she knew, Hiccup and Toothless were falling towards the ocean below them. Hiccup was screaming, and Toothless was roaring, flapping his wings desperately in a pathetic attempt to stay airborne.

"Hiccup!" Heather screeched.

Hiccup hit the water, and instantly began sinking. He tried kicking; he really, really, really tried kicking, but he couldn't stay up no matter how hard he tried. He knew the connection rod on Toothless' tail had snapped. It snapped, and since it had, there was no way for him to keep flying.

His prosthetic weighed him down. Toothless grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tried pulling him to the surface, but to no avail. They were sinking, down, deeper and deeper into the ocean.

Heather. Hiccup thought about Heather. He had to get up to her. He had to get her away from those dragons...if that was Drago Bludvist, who knew what he would do to her. He couldn't die here. He couldn't die now. He had to find out whether or not she was alright. He had to make sure she was safe, and if she wasn't safe, he needed to protect her. He needed to save her.

"HEY!" Heather screamed as the dragons continued taking her on. "You left my husband back there!" she screeched, kicking her feet desperately. "The drop was too big! He'll drown!"

She wasn't set down, and none of the dragons went back. She felt overwhelmed by fury and terror.

But mostly fury.

She kicked and screamed bloody murder, thrashing wildly against the Night Fury's grips on her arms. She jerked and wailed, demanding to be let go. She wondered if she could do that thing Hiccup did to get away from Hookfang back at Eret's ship. She tried kicking her legs up and using them to push out of the dragons' claws, but it didn't work, and even if it did work, she didn't know what she would have done.

They were too far away by now. She wouldn't be able to swim back to Hiccup before it was too late. Either he would drown, or she would drown before she even got close.

And she didn't want to leave Windshear, either. The minute they were set down, she would attack, grab Windshear, and go back for Hiccup and Toothless.

She could do that. She would do that.

The dragons continued flying, and Heather kept her mouth shut, mentally planning her next moves. Then, all at once, they came to another lion's mane-like structure of spiked, jagged ice, much like the first one Hiccup and Astrid had come across. Heather held her breath, and the dragons swooped towards it.

They flew over a thick piece of ice, and under another one. Just like that, they were inside a cave, lit by nothing. Shapes moved in the darkness, and Heather ignored them. She was waiting. Waiting to be set down so she could get Windshear and race back to find Hiccup. Waiting for just the right moment to-

More dragons flew in from another tunnel, carrying a Night Fury and its rider in their claws. They dropped Hiccup and Toothless onto the ground around the same time Heather was released, as she wasted no time in running towards him.

"Hiccup!" she shouted. He pushed himself up slowly on his hands, keeping his head down. He coughed and hacked up sea water while Toothless nudged him worriedly.

Heather finally made it to his side, and she knelt next to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. He was soaking wet and freezing cold, not that she cared. He was still alive. His heart was drumming against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat in their embrace, but she didn't give it that much thought, either. She was relieved it was still beating at all. "Don't scare me like that again," she snapped. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

He nodded and gagged, spitting up more salt water.

"Think you're alright?" Heather prompted, and Hiccup nodded, rising to a stand. He looked at the area and dragons surrounding them in confusion.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Before Heather had the chance to answer, the dragons started to growl and Hiccup pulled out Inferno. He activated it and started swinging it in front of one of the dragons. The rider watched in the shadows as the dragons followed the glow of the sword, calming down.

The flames of the sword began to die down, so he switched it off and took a capsule from his ankle hostler that he put inside the weapon. He spun low to the ground, releasing a green gas that he ignited to make the dragons back off. He then stood up and cautiously approached the dragon with his palm up to do their signature move. But before he could touch it, the rider jumped inside the circle.

The mysterious Dragon Rider stepped forward again, a staff in hand. The mystery person swung it and hit the ground, and instantly, the dragons around them opened their mouths, a slow, burning fire kindled in their throats. Hiccup drew Inferno and swished it through the air. Windshear and Toothless stood behind Hiccup and Heather protectively, the Night Fury wrapping his tail around Hiccup's legs while Windshear did the same to her rider.

"Who are you?" Hiccup asked slowly. "Are...are you the Dragon Thief?"

"Drago Bludvist?" Heather questioned.

No response. The human kept looking at them strangely, moving like a dragon around them. It was really beginning to creep Heather out.

"Do you even understand what we're saying to you?" Hiccup finally blurted.

The rider moved towards them slowly, a hand outstretched. Hiccup shoved Heather behind him with his free hand, his other hand holding onto Inferno tightly. "Stay behind me," Hiccup ordered.

Heather wanted to tell him that she could fend for herself, but there was no arguing with Hiccup, so she did as she had been asked, keeping her hand hovering over her axe should she have to use it.

Toothless growled. The rider put forth a hand, and then, Toothless flopped over on his back, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Heather took a small step towards Windshear, just to make sure this weird rider didn't do the same thing to her dragon. Toothless looked fine, but still...they might need a quick getaway.

Then, the rider put a hand towards Hiccup. Hiccup took a step backwards, as did Heather. All at once, the masked rider withdrew the hand as if something had burned it, and stepped back.

"Hiccup?" a feminine voice whispered. It was muffled from behind the mask, but there was no mistaking what she murmured. Hiccup stiffened all over again, as did Heather. Sure, Heather had shouted Hiccup's name a lot since meeting this weird dragon lady, but now, this woman was speaking as though she actually knewwho Hiccup is.

Well, since it was a lady, at least that ruled out the possibility that she was Drago, but that really didn't make Heather feel much better at this point.

The woman took off her mask. Her eyes were a shade of green, her hair long and auburn with a few tiny streaks of grey in it. Not a young woman, then, Heather reckoned. Maybe in her forties, sounded more accurate.

"C-Could it be?" the woman asked in shock. "After all these years...how is this possible?"

Hiccup looked tongue tied. "Ah...should I..." he began. "Should I know you?"

The woman's shoulders slumped. "No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "You were only a baby."

Hiccup and Heather squinted at her, Heather's mind racing. The woman looked back up at them and sighed.

"But a mother, never forgets," she whispered.