(Legates Cato pov)

Our time has finally come.

For a decade, we've prepared for this mission, to retrieve a Night Fury for the Emperor and to find that dragon rider and make him pay for defying Rome. With orders from the Emperor himself and the backing and full support of the Senate, the Felix Legion was fully mobilized and prepared to bring glory and victory to our mighty empire.

Our armada contained one hundred ships strong and armed to the teeth. I wasn't going to take any chances with this, we were now exiled from home until we completed our mission. And I'll be damned if I fail the Emperors command.

Days turned into weeks and the blistering cold was telling us we were nearing the our destination. There were icebergs sticking out of the water our fleet made sure to stay clear, some of these icebergs were big enough to cause our ships serious damage.

Within hours of clearing out of the icebergs, we entered clear waters once more, and the moon light reflected over the water, almost shining. I sighed as I scanned the calm waters, we were making good time, now all we needed to do was show this dragon rider we don't swallow defiance so easily.

"Legates!" I turned to see my Tribune, he pointed in the sky and I looked up to see a flock of dragons. Perhaps thousands flying together, like a pack of locust, what were they doing?

"Sir! They're moving to the North!" My ships captain shouted, after following this herd for thirty minutes, we all moved toward the edge of the ship to see these dragons now hovering over the water, we all looked at each other in confusion. Then we saw it.

The water began bubbling and then two massive tusks emerged and the head of a dragon, it had spikes on its chin and large spikes protruding from back of neck, small teeth compared to body ratio, and coral-like scales, it's color was snowy white with charcoal highlighted tips. It was the biggest dragon I've ever laid eyes upon. This giant proceeded to spit out a mouthful of fish in the air, then the massive dragon herd in the air began diving for the fish.

After the giant dragon dove back in the crushing depths, a huge wave of ice cold water came up on deck and we moved out of the way. My Tribune looked at me and breathed out. "By the gods. That beast could've destroyed our entire fleet." I nodded but then shook off the fear. "Steady men! Find your courage!!" I barked.

Everyone turned toward me and I spoke once more. "We're on a mission from the Emperor himself! We will fight until or last breath to see our mission complete. Nothing, no man or beast will stop us from completing our mission!" The men roared in agreement, and they soon got back to their posts.

Honor. Pride. Glory.

We would deliver all three to our empire.

(Valka's pov)

I was accompanying the Bewilderbeasts herd for feeding until I laid eyes on a fleet of ships, I didn't want to get shot out of the sky, so I pulled out a telescope and gasped.

Romans.

I didn't think they'd venture this far out North. What are they doing here? Oh no. No,no,no,no this isn't happening. Hiccup mentioned running into a Roman Legates years past, this same Legates must be out here to find Hiccup. I needed to warm him of the danger lurking.

(Hiccups pov)
"They have one hundred ships and all of them are armed to the teeth, this Legates is hell bent on getting a Night Fury Hiccup." I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair, after all this time, that Roman Legates is back and with more resources at his disposal.

Our war council was gathered as we discussed what course of action we should take.

"We can't just wait for them to show up at our doorstep."

"Well we can't just give one our dragons to them either."

As opinion after opinion was spoken, I stabbed the map of the Archipelago. And everyone's attention was turned toward me. I looked exhaled and looked at my loyal followers. "Perhaps we should hit them now while they're still on the move. They won't expect us to attack them while they aren't mobilized, so I suggest we hit them now and finish them off."

Everyone began giving me worries looks and I sighed. "Look, the Romans don't care about the lives they'll take to claim a Night Fury. I will never let them use any dragon as an instrument of war. Are any of you willing to let that happen?" Everyone shook their heads and acknowledged my plan. "When do we leave your highness?" I smiled and put my helmet on. "Right now."

(Normal pov)
As Valka led the way for our dragon riders, Hiccup knew what the Romans are capable of, and as much as it pained the king to go to war with the Romans, he couldn't let them use dragons as war machines either.

"Hiccup!" He turned to his left to see one of his most trusted lieutenants. Heather. He took her in after nearly getting raped by pirate scum. She was personally trained by Mala and Hiccup making her one of their most trusted followers. Her dragon of choice wasn't a Night Fury, instead she chose a Razorwhip she found in a fight with a Typhoomerang, Heather named her new friend Windshear and together, the two have become an unbeatable force.

"Heather, this is going to be a fierce fight, you sure you and Windshear are up to it?" Hiccup challenged, Heather chuckled and nodded. "You know me Hiccup, I'm always up for a challenge." Hiccup smiled and nods, he's always viewed the ebony haired beauty as the sister he's never had and she viewed him as the brother she never had.

Valka and Cloudjumper soon came to a halt, as did the other riders. "Down there." She pointed down to the Roman armada slicing through the icy waters below. Hiccup then ordered his riders to fly low to the ships and look for any weaknesses and strike. Once the dragon riders regrouped on a massive iceberg, Hiccup discusses their attack plan.

"Alright riders, we'll attack from the rear and the sides, those will most likely be their weakest spots, once the element of surprise is used up, avoid arrow, catapult and ballista fire and...stay alive." Everyone chuckled but nodded, and with that the Strike Clan would show the Romans they aren't weak.

(Legates Cato pov)
The late morning air was cool, but the atmosphere was bone chilling. We were in light fog and this would be the perfect opportunity for an ambush of some kind.

My thoughts became a reality.

Explosions erupted throughout the fleet, our ships were being sunken one by one. I saw black blurs zooming past. "We're under attack!!! We'll not fail our Emperor!! Fight back!" My soldiers scrambled to their battle stations and began a counter attack.

We needed to get out of this fog and make these attackers pay. The explosions continued and I saw handfuls of my finest soldiers being taken out in a matter of seconds, sending them into a fiery crisp or sinking to the deadly cold water below. And our fleet, it was if they were toys, being destroyed by children. I heard voices in the air. I then noticed these Night Furies had people on their backs.

Dragon riders.

"Knock them out of the sky!" I roared, archers let loose their arrows but the riders evaded with ease, a purple blast erupted from a ship to my right and the ship was literally ripped in half; splinters, men and supplies went flying and eventually sunk to the crushing depths. A handful of my archers were taken out, and I walked toward a bow and drew arrows. "If you want something done right..." I gritted under my teeth angrily.

I aimed the bow toward the nearest rider, and I fired, the arrow almost hit the riders head, but he caught it and looked at me. That mask. This is the same rider I encountered years ago. The rider took a shield out and it transformed into a crossbow, the rider took aim and fired.

The arrow pierced my chest and I yelled in agony. That same rider yelled. "NOW!!" I looked to the sky to see an ocean of dragon riders and they all threw oil lanterns. Their dragons shot the lanterns in deadly precision and the oil combusted into flames.

"MOVE!!!" I scrambled to find cover, and unfortunately that fire leaked into the cracks of the ship where we held our explosive barrels.

BOOM!!!!

The explosive force sent our fleet adrift in random directions, the dragon riders continued their assault. Sinking many of our ships and killing many of Rome's finest. Rage boiled in my veins, I roared in outrage and I looked to see men in pieces, limbs scattered in the water and on the deck, blood and gore as well as other unspeakable horrors.

"Romans!" We turned to see the rider that shot me with an arrow. He pointed toward our burning fleet. "Leave now. While you still have your lives. This is your one and only warning." And with that the riders vanished in the clouds.

I looked at what was left of our fleet. We started with one hundred ships and thousands of men.

Now?

We had ten ships and not enough men to see our mission to completion.

We failed.

I rose to my feet, and pulled the arrow out and I groaned in pain; I then covered my injury and looked out toward the horizon. They'd just decimated our entire fleet, leaving us with but a handful of ships and thousands of my men dead. I looked the survivors, steel helmets littered all over the deck, men screaming in pain as some of them were burnt to an unrecognizable crisp and I saw fear.

The Emperor would kill all of us if we returned to Rome empty handed. He'd have his Praetorian Guard execute us all on the spot. We needed to bring back a Night Fury. And soon. For all our sakes, and for Rome's survival.

"S-Sir? What do we do?" I turned to see a soldier who had fear written all over his face. I couldn't blame him. All the surviving soldiers looked at me for orders and I sighed in defeat.

"Retreat."