entry one!
001. back to the story
translated for reading
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    MEMORIES, LIKE goodbyes, are always bittersweet. Some memories are cherished for years to come, others are thought upon in breaths of sadness, alone and gazing out towards the dark night▬wishing that for even a second, one might see a glimmer of wings instead of stars. Memories are shared with laughter around a warm fire; they are shared in each others arms, in knowing glances and in the hearts as a whole. Berk▬Old Berk▬the home she was born, and where she grew up, was always cherished in such memories that both made her smile and sometimes made her cry. These two years she remembers fondly will always be loved in tender arms and chuckled at by the hearth▬and some days she will stand out on the deck of her home and gaze up at the stars, for a second wondering whether it was just her mind that played tricks on her like a wing would glint bright yellow, white and blue in the moon's glow. 

    These memories are special to Valkyrie Haddock▬or, as she was known back then, Valkyrie Frode. They were something more than a feeling that was both bitter to the taste and sweet inside her chest; these memories, written in this journal are the memories that truly made who she is today. Her friendships, her lessons learnt, her laughter and her sadness▬her stubbornness and her fight and her capacity to love and care for a group of people far larger than most. For in these pages, she grew from a vicious and determined young girl, to a fierce and loving young woman. These memories are very much her soul written out in words to read. 

    And they start on a day very much like any other▬as such these things always do. On an island quite like any other; mountainous, rocky▬an island that sat by itself in the middle of nowhere: Berk. Her home. It was some place twelve days north of Hopeless and always a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. A place that when even the skies were bright and sunny, there was a chill to the air and a bite to ones spleen. Valkyrie Frode knew Berk back to front like it was the palm of her hand. She has wandered through its cavernous tunnels under the earth. She has climbed to the tallest mountain peaks and stood on every sea stack. She has shivered inside its glaciers, discovered its many hidden secrets and treasures▬but most importantly, she has learnt about, she has trained, she has discovered, and she has ridden their dragons. She has conquered the skies of Berk until there was nothing left to conquer and still, she soared through the clouds once again. 

    In the three whole years since the war with the Berserkers had ended, Valkyrie Frode may have just done it all. She could name every tree, every crack in the cliffs and every sheep in the fields. And while her home may have changed a lot since then, she still knew which dragons loved their eating towers and which dragons loved to scare passing Vikings by their troughs. She knew her way from one end to the other, rushing along wooden pathways and taking a shortcut to Gothi's hut whenever she got impatient (there were a lot of stairs up that cliff).

     But just like her home as changed, so has she▬so have her friends▬so have everyone. Just like the tides drift in and out, the sun rises and sets and the moon then takes its place, as the wind shifts and the seasons pass ... people change, too. 

      After his success in the 'sheep-launching' business, Snotlout Jorgenson had taken a step into a career at the armoury. Instead of launching sheep from catapults, however, Valkyrie's friend turned into a screaming projectile at the early hours in the mourning, around about lunch, and late in the evening. As the 'Official Weapons Tester'▬a job only Snotlout Jorgenson would be idiotic enough to take▬, he was thrown out of catapults, could be seen running for his life from ballista arrows, and every now and then would be hanging upside down from professionally designed netted taps ... only problem, Snotlout still hasn't quite figured out a trigger to get himself back down, yet. This high-ranking position did nothing for his smarts▬nor his facial structure. Valkyrie would not be surprised if after so many times of falling face-first into snow, onto the grass, and near misses from sharp objects has pushed his pig-nose even further into his mean, square face. 

     The Twins: Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston delved deeper onto a path no one was surprised by. These days, the sister and brother spent their time devoting their lives to Loki▬the god of mischief. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, narrow-faced (and very narrow-minded), and sometimes endearing annoyances were almost identical in every way. Over the years, it has gotten even harder to tell the two of them apart. Not even Valkyrie has been safe from their elaborate tricks and pranks▬the Twins showed no fear and most certainly no boundaries. To this day, Valkyrie is still finding old, rotting fish scales in her room, and no matter what she does, she could never fully get out the horrific smell▬it lingered still; perhaps even forever. But in living so close to the pranksters left perfect room for Valkyrie Frode to produce her own devious tricks in retaliation ...

     Fearless and very beautiful, Astrid Hofferson was still always going to hold the well-known title of being the toughest young maidens on the isle▬purely because if anyone tried to tell her otherwise, she'd easily change their mind in some ... creatively vicious ways. Many would say she has put her aggressive tendencies into good use, lashing out orders laced with dragon venom on her tongue as leader of the Berk Guard. No one would ever try to defy a shield maiden with a temper as sharp as the blades of her axe, or the skies on her armour. They were all scared of her ... very much so. 

     The loveable Fishlegs Ingerman had now taken to a calling that really suited no one better. He spent his mornings and his afternoons taking strolls around Berk with the fresh younglings huddled on his Gronckle's back▬teaching them everything about the history of dragons, and their connection to Berk. From the horrific Dragon Wars, to the fearful night the Speed Stingers attacked, to the Screaming Death▬he made sure the new generation of Berk was no stranger to their scaly friends, and any other species that might visit from time to time. When he wasn't taking happy children on tours of the village, one would find the large, meaty boy hunched over a book in the dim candlelight to make sure he learnt even more! 

    He would often pass▬during his educational field trips▬the construction of the Dragon Hanger; a project that has taken almost two years now to complete▬one of which was where anyone would find any Frode these days. With the growth of Berk, and their knowledge of dragons, also came the growth of how many dragons found themselves injured; whether it be in fights, flight training, dragon racing▬or anything, really▬these dragons were in need of medical treatment, and so they found themselves at Berk's very own Dragon Sanctuary. What was once worked from the very hearth of Valkyrie's small four-wall home had now turned into an ongoing development, and they needed the room for it. Valkyrie's younger brother, Hott Frode, often led these constructions alongside their father, Mallory the Dragonbone▬though, these days, he is a little sensitive on the Dragonbone part. They had worked through the many winding Whispering Death tunnels underneath Berk, turning them into many pens, separated into stables for each Dragon Class. They had underground pools and tunnels that led out into the oceans for any Tidal Class friend. Wide, open and cavernous dwellings for Sharp Class species of ginormous size. And, of course, the cozy, comfortable homes for the sweet Boulder Class. 

    This Hangar had become so big, that they were not only a Dragon Sanctuary for sick, ill and wounded reptiles, but pens for any dragon that wished to stay or any Viking that had no room for their own stable and wanted to rent. They all interlocked throughout Valkyrie's home until it opened up to a vast cave just on the cliff's edge, where she could stand out at the growing deck and gaze out towards the endless ocean. But with such a project (and popularity) the work doubled. 

     Hott's days were taken up fully by construction. Her brother, now sixteen, took it all on with a heavy breath and squared shoulders▬though flying his Deadly Nadder next to his father's ferocious Monstrous Nightmare always made his chest deflate. Now that it was decided that Asrifth, the eldest son of the Frode family, would never meet their father's expectations to carry on as the head of the family, that pressure now fell onto Hott, his second-born son. These days, Valkyrie would watch with a worried eye, her brother labouring himself to exhaustion, and if he wasn't doing that, he followed their father to council meetings, to go fishing, to go hunting, to train▬anything that he had wanted to do with Asrifth, but never could, he did with Hott. And in three years, the charming, happy-going and gentle-minded boy had forced himself into something quite the opposite. (And something quite abhorrent). 

     Asrifth, the eldest son of the Frode family, couldn't care less about what his father once had planned for him. Not that anyone in this family dared to talk about the horrific rift that had taken place only recently▬they were Vikings! They ... uh ... they had issues in expressing their troubles in healthy ways. Valkyrie rarely saw him these days. In the mornings he was gone, out gathering herbs for Gothi. By midday, her brother had realised they needed more fish from the markets. By the afternoon, he and his Gronckle had disappeared off to read somewhere in the depths of the Hangar and by evening, he had already eaten and wanted an early night's sleep.

     Valkyrie's youngest brothers, Mak and Erik were still▬well, they always have been and always will be▬Mak and Erik. They were not twins (though many often made that mistake), Erik was younger by two years, though Mak was smaller in height. While the youngest who was nearing his early teenage years had a strong Viking chin and temper, Mak's height did not change his Viking stubborness▬they were all betting that he will outgrow them all. (An outcome Valkyrie can very much confirm). They and their equally troublesome Terrible Terrors, Fleecey and Meecey were often found throwing rocks at each other by the docks, or stealing apples right from wagons, or annoying Valkyrie when she was trying to rest. 

     For her days had never become busier. 

     Long ago were days of exploration and battles on the backs of dragons. These days, Valkyrie spent her time bandaging Windstrikers' wings, or boiling a salve over the fire for the gash on a Thunderdrum's side. If not that, she was helping her mother organise rent for new functional stable rooms. Once she is finished with that, Valkyrie raced up to check on Gothi and keep her company as she read through her many medicine books. After that, the eldest Frode travelled back down again to help round up runaway sheep, or helped unpack supplies off returning ships, or joined Mrs. Ack for tea, or brought back baked goods and apples to those working construction at the Hangar. Then she'd sprint her way to the Dragon Academy to make time for Hiccup and his ongoing grasp for exploration▬to which Zephyr would always have to startle her awake before she ended up falling right off her saddle. 

      Valkyrie Frode was a daughter, she was a Dragon Trainer, she was a caretaker for the sanctuary, she was a helping hand in the village, she was Hiccup's long-term girlfriend (which was a job in this village itself)▬she was everything all at once, and while she was never one to back down form a challenge ... at last, it had all become just too much. 

     Everyone had their own expectations they had to live up to. And after three years and no change between herself and the chief's only son, there was only one ending the people of Berk expected▬and already, they treated her, and expected her of the responsibilities surrounding such an outcome without any thought or consideration. And while she supposed she should feel grateful that they saw her as someone capable to one day help lead them, Valkyrie was now scared that if that would not end up being the case, she would disappoint them. But most importantly, she was terrified that because Hiccup was off everywhere and nowhere, each and every gaze of Berk adopted her in his place. Had become comfortable with her as the future instead of Stoick the Vast's living heir. 

    It gave her sleepless nights worrying about it. 

   And trying to figure out what she needed to do to help herself in this situation▬to make sure she didn't drop of exhaustion at every step▬gave her sleepless nights, too. When she was younger, priorities had always been easier. She was young; fifteen and carefree▬it was easy to set exploration and dragons as her main focus because back then, she didn't need to worry about anything else. Now, at eighteen, Valkyrie had more she needed to think about. She had not just dragons, but people relying upon her, as well▬and with them discovering less and less new dragons ... there seemed to be only one option. 

    Everyone else she knew▬her friends, had taken that step. They had moved on from those days to start their new lives centred on Berk. Valkyrie new it wouldn't be long before she would join them, but these adventures▬the Academy▬were more than flying out in hopes of finding new dragons and new islands; they were the only chances she ever received to spend time with Hiccup alone. 

    And time with him▬that was important to her. Without that, she was here and he was off somewhere. Not only did she spend those days wishing he was around and missing him, but she found that time important to continue to learn things about each other▬to appreciate where they've been and ponder on questions about where they might go. For her to just ... feel content and ... well, loved in a way that wasn't constant expectations and beliefs she felt she needed to fulfil. Loved in a way that wasn't trust in her to achieve great feats and to fulfil a role in a family that was so very Viking. Hiccup was different. He gave her freedom. Being with him made her feel that freedom. 

    (Tuffnut once told her she grew quite irritable without it▬she agreed with him, though never would she admit that to his face).

    But maybe there was coming a time where Valkyrie needed to learn that she couldn't keep chasing after Hiccup▬that sometimes, he needed to chase after her, too. 

    And she knew this decision was going to strike hard▬on both of them. But maybe it will also help Hiccup realise that it was time for him to move towards the future, too. 

    Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was always flying away from something▬most always his responsibilities that were set out for him back on Berk. The Chief's son hid it in adventures and his love for dragons, but Valkyrie knew him very well▬sometimes better than herself. After three years, Hiccup's tendencies had not changed much. He was still off everywhere and nowhere. She might still find him drifting aimlessly across the sea, hammering away at a new tail for Toothless in the forge workshop or sitting out on a lonely sea stack, lost in his thoughts. Though while his ways of life were still as stubborn as ever, Hiccup▬he, himself, physically▬has changed quite a lot. 

     She never once cared about his height. Being taller than him was something she very much prided herself on. Except now, Hiccup constantly was there, staring over the top of her head. His dark, auburn hair had only grown longer, which she loved to riddle with braids. She had begun noticing how sharp his jaw suddenly was▬and, well, he may be lean but perhaps he was right when he said being a blacksmith's apprentice had done something. Hiccup had always been cute, and not at all bad-looking▬but now, he was beginning to mature into someone (gods forbid she ever admitted this aloud to anyone) incredibly handsome. 

    Valkyrie had been chasing after him since she caught sight of him soaring over the armoury. Zephyr▬her beloved dragon▬was a Windstriker: a Strike Class dragon that had an immense ability for racing and a spectacular talent at high-speed skydiving. But even he, in all his beauty and wonder, could never overtake a Night Fury. She would never be able to catch up to Hiccup and Toothless until one of them slowed down to let her. 

    And with the cheeky look he sent over his shoulder, Valkyrie knew he wouldn't let up his speed any time soon. 

     "Why must he always do this," Valkyrie grumbled to Zephyr who huffed in agreement before she pressed her chest to his saddle and dived down for extra speed. They shot back up and spun through the sea stacks to try and cut Hiccup off. Sometimes she wished her boyfriend had a slower dragon, instead of the fastest, most intelligent and most deadly species in the Book of Dragons. Why couldn't he befriend▬oh, she doesn't know▬a Gronckle? That surely would make her life much easier. 

     She spun Zephyr underneath, keeping to Toothless's blindspot in hopes that Hiccup would start to wonder where she had gone, and slow down in a breath of concern▬but he knew her tricks. He glanced down, knowing exactly where she was. He grinned at her and Toothless folded his wings▬the two of them shot forwards with a defiant shriek into the blue skies. 

    "Hiccup!" cried out Valkyrie after him with an exasperated slump of her shoulders. Zephyr folded his wings, too and they darted across the ocean surface, splitting the water in two. Gritting her teeth, she accepted his challenge and tugged her dragon upwards. The two of them spiralled higher in the clouds, until she noticed a dash of black scales double back underneath. She rolled her eyes to the heavens, "Ugh▬!" and bent downwards to follow. 

      He slowed down enough to keep a pace just in front of her▬just out of reach. Toothless tilted his head to glance at them between his legs, and the gummy grin he held matched the same mischief of his rider.

    "Hiccup!" let out Valkyrie again, swerving to the left▬he only just swerved in front of her. She slumped forward, starting to pout in her frustration. "Stop it▬I want to talk to you!"

     He casually met her scowl over his shoulder. His brows shot up in faux surprise▬as if he hadn't known she was there the entire time. "Oh, hello there, Milady! What brings you to this far side of the Archipelago?"

     "Hiccup▬" she dragged on. "I have been following you since the armoury."

     Toothless's paced his flight and she finally could veer Zephyr in beside him and meet Hiccup's gaze. Yet, before she could say a word, he shrugged and gave her a crooked smile, "Well, I thought we'd try out the far north today."

    "Uh, yeah, okay▬" Val leaned forward a little in her saddle, "▬but can we talk about something first?"

    That crooked smile turned into a crooked grin, "Yeah, sure▬if you can catch me▬" and off he went again and Valkyrie's head fell onto the leather of her saddle. Zephyr matched her exasperated groan. 

    When she finally caught up to him again, she found him hovering over a stretch of ocean to which he could examine the three thick sea stacks huddled together in the distance. Valkyrie glanced back over her shoulder and saw their island of Berk just hidden in the clouds▬turning it almost the same colour as the sky. 

     "Hiccup," she said again once she finally made it to hover at his side. Zephyr threw his head, snapping out an annoyed squawk of greeting to Toothless. "I have chased you to the edge of the world▬" he made a face at her exaggeration, "▬are you happy?"

     He fiddled with his spy glass, turning the lens and peering through it with one eye. As he did, he joked: "It's not like you to refuse a competition, Val."

    "Yeah, but▬"

    "You know what?" he continued, and she huffed. "I'm just gonna say it. I have a really good feeling about today!"

    She propped her elbow on the front of her saddle, settling her chin on her palm as she moodily stared out into the distance. "You say that every time we go searching for new dragons. But, Hiccup, I need to talk to you about something, okay? It's important▬"

   "Whoa, whoa, whoa, look▬!" 

    Valkyrie was startled to an upright position as his spy glass was chucked at her. She barely caught it. Setting crossed her arms, glowering at him. He didn't notice. "Val▬!" he kept gesturing to her and then out to the distance. "Look! You see it? There's definitely some movement up ahead." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Long neck ... large head▬Behind that rock formation."

     "Yeah, but▬Hiccup▬"

     In the blink of an eye, he and Toothless launched themselves forward to the sea stacks to investigate. Valkyrie shook his spy glass after him, "I'm going to▬" she slammed her hands down at her sides, frustrated, "▬Gah! I hate him."

    Zephyr flapped his wings and went after them without her command, rebutting a knowing guttural squawk to which she immediately answered: "You're comments are not helpful, Zeph."

    They followed at a close distance▬managing to veer around the twisting rock the moment two voices called out a joyful: "LOKI'D!"

    Valkyrie realised with a sinking heart what had happened. She pursed her lips, hovering Zephyr above and watching the Twins high-five at the disappointed fall of Hiccup's face. Barf and Belch's twisted necks sprung back▬it had been them, all along.

     Tuffnut laughed, "You totally thought 'Barch' was a new dragon," he said to Hiccup who hunched up, guffawing out a defensive:

    "What? Oh, come on!" he clutched his saddle tight. "I did not." When they continued to laugh, Hiccup set his jaw and tugged Toothless away, "Let's go, bud."

    Valkyrie watched him soar off with a sad sigh. 

    The Twins shared a glance. "Wow," then muttered Tuffnut. "Who yakked in his mutton?"

    She rolled her eyes at them. She and Zephyr darted the way Hiccup left, leaving the Twins shaking their heads and scratching their identical chins. Valkyrie didn't need to wonder where he had gone as soon as she noticed the lonely sea stack standing tall where others had fallen. Once they drifted close enough for her to see his figure slumped at the edge, she set a soft hand onto Zephyr's neck▬his warmth bringing her some comfort to her aching chest, knowing that she was just about to make his mood only worse.

     Valkyrie sighed again, "Come on, boy," she murmured and they dived down to land. 

     Toothless glanced back as soon as they touched the ground. He purred a sweet, understanding sound, wandering over and Val reached out to gently brush her fingers against his scales, "I know, bud," she murmured quietly. "Just give me a moment with him..." she brushed past the Night Fury and as soon as her fingers left his scales, he bounded towards Zephyr▬he knocked the Windstriker onto the ground and the two dragons wrestled. 

     Seeing no flower in sight amongst the short grass and rock, Valkyrie slipped one out from her own hair as she approached Hiccup on the edge. She took a seat beside him without a word▬her presence gentle and comfortable; so comfortable that he leant against her without a second thought. Her fingers went straight to the hair at the nape of his neck, brushing through until she began to weave another braid beside one she did yesterday. 

     "Those guys are muttonheads," she told him. "You can't let them get to you."

     Hiccup watched her out of the corner of his eye, "I know what everyone's been thinking," he muttered. "I know you've been thinking it, Val. You think there's nothing left out there."

     Finishing her braid, she sighed and set her chin on his shoulder, staring out into the distance with him. "We have visited every island, every sea stack and every rock in the archipelago twice," she said gently and he sighed, shaking his head. "No new dragons have surfaced in a long time..."

     Hiccup leant forward and her chin fell away from his shoulder, "This can't be all there is," he said and she pursed her lips. "There has to be something more out there."

     "Hiccup," she shuffled closer, crossing her legs so she could sit and face him. "You can search until you reach the edge of the world, okay? But you're never going to find what you're looking for out there▬" she nodded to the horizon and he set his jaw. Valkyrie paused for a moment before she added, softer: "Maybe ... maybe it's time for you to land back down▬home."

      He hung his head, shaking it, "Val ..."

      "Everyone's moved on▬even Fishlegs▬"

    "I'm not like you guys," Hiccup stressed, and the look in his eye was almost pleading. Valkyrie chewed at the inside of her cheek. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to express what it is he meant by those words, "I▬" but came up with nothing. He slumped. To himself, me mumbled, "I can't give up. Not yet."

     Knowing that there was no chance to persuade him any further, Valkyrie started to play with the leather straps of his new gauntlets nervously. "Well..." she began and he glanced up, brows furrowed at the tone of her voice. Valkyrie took a deep breath. "It's time for me to land back down."

    His brows lifted in surprise▬she hated the hurt that flashed in his gaze. "What?"

    Valkyrie's shoulders slumped in slight exasperation, "I tried to tell you▬I've been trying to tell you, I ..." she closed her eyes briefly, "... I need to step away from the Academy, okay? There's things I need to do. I need to help Mum with the Sanctuary, and there's always so much Zeph and I need to do around Berk▬it's all ... I can't do everything ..."

     "But▬?" he didn't finish his sentence, but she knew what he was going to say. But when will they ever have time to spend together? 

     Valkyrie furrowed her brows. Her fingers moved up to his shoulders, brushing grass off the leather pads. Then, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Just ... think about it all, okay?" she said to him, rubbing his shoulder. "Perhaps ... perhaps you should give some thought into what's next for you and Toothless? Maybe there's a way everything can work out. Maybe you could join Astrid on the Berk guard? Or you could help out at the Sanctuary or start to consider ... well ..."

    Hiccup dully met her gaze, "What?"

    "You know..." she murmured to him knowingly. "Spend time with your Dad ... start to▬well▬learn the ropes a bit more..."

     Valkyrie watched the way he rolled his eyes at the very thought of having to think about ever being Chief, and she looked down. She squeezed his shoulder, "I should head back. Love you."

      He didn't glance at her as she stood up and her hand fell away, "Yeah. Love you, too..." he muttered back sadly. 

     Valkyrie hesitated as she started to make her way back to Zephyr. She turned to frown at the way he slumped at the sea stacks edge, but she knew there was nothing else she could say▬nothing else she could do. She pursed her lips and continued on, whistling Zephyr to come to her. Valkyrie left Hiccup alone, and hoped that he might stop to consider what she had to say. To consider landing down for even just a moment▬if not for Berk, then at least maybe for her. 

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     SHE SHOULD have learnt, by now, that things never go quite the way Valkyrie ever expected them to. She asked the gods for one thing, and they twisted it and mismatched it until what they gave her was merely a trick▬a play on what she had wanted; like a riddle. Gobber would always say to always be careful what she wished for, because the gods had funny ways of incorporating what she prayed and what she cursed▬and, constantly, once again, Valkyrie is also reminded how much she actually should listen to Gobber more often, too. 

    She woke up the next morning to the gods laughter▬or rather, the sound (and startled pain) of her brother, Erik, smacking her with his straw pillow. 

    "Hey!" Valkyrie screeched at the feeling, holding up her arms as he brought the pillow down a second time. "Hey! Stop▬Stop▬!"

    "Get up!" Erik whacked the pillow hard onto her stomach and she coughed, doubling over▬pillow, was a derogatory term to actual soft pillows. This thing was so old it might as well be made of stone. "Now!"

     "What is wrong with you?!" she flung out her fist to try and hit her brother in return but he easily jumped out of the way, watching her yelp as she lost her balance and hit the wooden floor of her home. Valkyrie lied there, groaning with her head slumped against something that rolled away. Thud▬her head hit the floor too and she looked up, scowling at the charcoal pencil Hiccup had left here. She blew at it and watched it roll further until it was under her bed. 

     Erik hit her again on the back of her knees. "Ow!" she cried out and tried to kick him. He was quick, dancing around her attempts. "You are▬" Valkyrie gritted her teeth and got onto her feet. Erik realised and his face paled. He held up his pillow as a weapon. "You are going to get it▬" she would have hit him if someone else didn't appear in the doorway. Valkyrie's hand fell as she locked Hott's gaze with a breath of annoyance. "What do you want?"

    Her youngest brother took the chance to strike her again in the stomach and she cried out. She latched for his tunic but he ran out of the way, shoving past Hott and out of the room, cackling. Hott snickered at her.

   "Did you tell him to do this?" she asked her brother. "Seriously?"

    "It was funny," Hott admitted. It was then she noticed that he was here, and not already outside helping their father with the Hangar. At the look on her face, he quickly explained. "You'll never guess what just happened: the Twins found Trader Johann floating at sea this morning."

     Her frown turned grave, "Wait, what?"

    "Yeah," nodded Hott, he grabbed her furs and chucked them over. She caught them in her arms, confused. "He has news from Outcast Island▬Dagur's escaped prison."

     Valkyrie felt her stomach drop. Her eyes widened and she kicked her brother out, rushing to ready herself for the day with a dreadful feeling weighing down in her chest. 

     She and Hott were the last ones to arrive at the Dragon Academy that morning. The two siblings stumbled through, pushing and shoving and arguing▬already in a spat over how Hott had 'accidentally' tried to shove Valkyrie into Hoark's pig pen. She had shoved him back and he unfortunately landed ... right in the sow's food. Now, he was gagging and picking carrot from his hair, covered in mud.

     "I ..." Hiccup stared, bewildered in front of his large map of the Archipelago. The rest of the Dragon Riders who were all feeling a bit strange being here again, all of them in the same spot for the same reason, matched his dubious frown. "What happened?"

     "Valkyrie pushed me," Hott whined.

     She shot him a withering scowl. "You pushed me. So I pushed you back."

     "It was an accident!"

     Snotlout rolled his eyes, "Well, glad something hasn't changed," he muttered sarcastically. "Yay!"

     "I have had a bad morning," grumbled Valkyrie as she came up to stand beside Astrid, crossing her arms and setting her weight on her hip. "Please tell me it isn't about to get any worse?"

    Hiccup winced, "I'm afraid it is. All we got out of Johann before he passed out was this: Dagur escaped from Outcast Island by commandeering his ship. He threw Johann overboard about here▬" he pointed to an area just off Outcast Island on the map. 

     "So ..." Snotlout didn't look impressed. He fixed the slight slant of his helmet on dark black hair, "... what you're saying is Dagur could be anywhere by now?"

      "Well ... technically, yes."

    "Oh, great!" his cousin nodded ecstatically▬every Rider rolled their eyes as they felt the sarcasm dripping off his tongue. "Great, great great, Hiccup. That's fantastic! That just leaves▬I don't know, let me think about this▬the entire ocean to search!" He crossed his arms and held his gaze upwards to the cliffs above. "No, thank you."

    "Master Hiccup."

    Hott jumped at Johann's sudden appearance. He stumbled into Astrid and she hunched up, disgusted at the mud he got onto her pauldrons. "Seriously?" she growled at him. 

     "You just like popping out of nowhere, don't you?" Snotlout grumbled at Johann who shuffled towards Hiccup▬he had come in so silently, none of them had even noticed. 

     "Johann!" said Hiccup, surprised. "You're awake."

     "And feeling much better. Thank you for asking."

     "We didn't," muttered Hott. He and Snotlout shared a disgruntled look at their least favourite trader in the business. 

     "Shut up," Astrid muttered to Valkyrie's brother. 

     Trader Johann shot them all a scowl, "More importantly," he clipped and Snotlout rolled his eyes, "I have more than a strong suspicion where our nefarious foe may be heading." He chuckled dramatically and Valkyrie made a face, weirded out. Johann gestured a wide arm up towards the edges of the map▬where the billowing fog bank surrounded their secluded home. 

     Hiccup frowned. He grew intrigued. "Outside the Archipelago?"

     "No!" he shook his head. "Just inside the fog bank on our outer group of islands."

     Valkyrie met her boyfriend's gaze▬the both of them shared a serious exchange, "We've never been out that far before," she murmured what he was thinking. 

     Trader Johann sighed. He held a hand to his forehead as if he had suddenly become ill. "When Dagur commandeered my precious ship, he also came into possession of a very important map▬one that leads to a graveyard of ships hidden in that fog bank."

     "Oh, wow!" Snotlout scoffed. "Yeah, that's the first place I'd go."

    Johann clenched his hands at his sides, "If I may be allowed to finish▬?"

    "Johann, last time we allowed you to finish," Snotlout pointed a stubby finger at the trader's nose, "we ended up on Breakneck Bog! So, no▬no finishing▬!"

     "Enough!" Hiccup held up his hands, silencing them both. He sighed, already exasperated before turning back to Johann beside him. "What's so special about the graveyard and why would he go there?"

     "Ah, well▬"

    "The short version, please."

     Johann's chuckles went flat. He pursed his lips, watching the way Hiccup crossed his arms and arched a brow. Valkyrie could see the utter trouble he held at the thought of not delving into some wild story. Eventually, Johann relented and muttered, "It's where I store all my treasures and wares."

     Valkyrie's jaw dropped. She wasn't alone. All of the Riders stared at Johann as if someone else suddenly stood there in his place▬a complete stranger. 

     "What the...?" Hott whispered to himself, shocked. 

     "Wow..." breathed Tuffnut. He sounded amazed. "Concise, to the point ... Who knew he had it in him?"

     "Oh! Which reminds me of the first time I was labeled as 'concise'! He was a young man, very ugly, I actually▬"

     "Johann!" Valkyrie didn't mean to snap, but she was already on the last edge of her nerves for today. 

     "Yes?"

     "Shut up▬!" she flung her hands out, smiling a sarcastic, sweet smile.

     Hiccup held his fingers out towards her, gently telling her to step back and she reluctantly listened, crossing her arms and huffing back at Astrid's side. He nodded to Johann, "Is there anything else?"

     "As a matter of fact," pondered Johann, "yes▬there is one ship you must avoid at all cost. It's called ..." he paused for unnecessary dramatic effect, "... The Reaper..."

     The Dragon Riders all held their breaths at the name. Some terrified, others grave▬Hott hunched up and whispered, "That's a creepy name▬" realising how cowardly he sounded, he quickly cleared his throat and announced, loudly to Astrid beside him, "▬But I can handle it!"

      She rolled her eyes at him, "Ugh!" and face-palmed. 

     "Riddled with booby traps from stem to stern," continued Johann in a menacing, breathy tone. "I barely made it out with my life the only time I dared venture aboard!"

     Despite the warnings of absolute danger, horrific graveyards of ships and Dagur's vengeful return, Hiccup grinned like it was Snoggletog. Valkyrie slumped at it, knowing that she was going to have to tag along to make sure he didn't do anything too stupid. "Okay▬" he propped his hands on his hips and spun to his dragon standing by, "▬Toothless, let's go." A playful thought struck and the Chief's son set his eye on the rest of them waiting. "Well, unless, of course any of you can make time out of your busy schedules..."

     None of them were amused. Purely because he knew very well that they weren't going to say no. 

     Tuffnut muttered lowly to Valkyrie, "You know, he's really gotten more smug these past few years..."

    "Tell me about it," she grumbled. 

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    EVEN VALKYRIE knew she missed this. Oh, how much she did miss this. For once, she did not need to worry about sick dragons or stable renting troubles. She did not need to worry about her father and Asrifth, or Mrs. Ack's many morning teas or trying to herd sheep back into Silent Not So Silent Sven's farm. For once, Valkyrie could really experience how much she truly loved the wind▬the thrilling rush of it cascading through her hair, and the absolute glee she felt to hold her hands up to the clouds and laugh. For once, yet again, everything in her life seemed simple. 

    (Sure, she was flying out into danger after a dangerous Berserker maniac who escaped prison, but it was simple▬).

    She loved the Sanctuary. Valkyrie loved Berk▬she loved its people and she helping those people. They were important to her. That life she was building was important to her. But this life? This thrill of adventure? She could not deny its addicting taste the moment she soared through it again▬to have something else to go up against; to have them all back together under one goal. However fleeting this might be, Valkyrie realised she was already cherishing it deep within her memory. For deep down, amongst it all, she was still a Dragon Rider▬a Dragon Trainer ... and this life ... oh, how much did she love this life.

     This time, she did not know how long it will be until she craved the peace and normality of Berk (well, as normal as it could be with Vikings...)▬until she missed the hearth of home and the warriors that welcomed her back to the island's shores. But right now, as she flew in beside Hiccup with a bright grin on her face, she was strangely happy. And she wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as she possibly could. 

    Zephyr gave her a grin, happy as well to be back out in the unknown. She could see the same smug look in his small eyes that had been in Hiccup's and she scoffed. "Oh, what are you looking at, boof-head? I already have one smug boyfriend, I don't need a smug dragon, too."

     He just squawked in reply before returning his gaze to the front. Valkyrie smiled at him and gave her dragon a tender scratch behind the head. "Are you ready for this next adventure, boy?"

      They dived down in steep formation▬Valkyrie couldn't stop the cheer of delight that escaped her lips that sent a smile onto Hiccup's face. She stayed close to the saddle, absolutely living for the way the wind nipped at her cheeks; for no cold mattered when she felt so free. Spinning out of the dive, they shot across the water and the smell of salt filled her senses as the ocean sprayed▬parting on either side her like columns of white-foam sparks. 

     "YEAH!" she cried, shooting back up. "WOOHOO▬!"

    Soaring in beside Astrid, she sent her a grin with eyes that glinted with a thirst for trouble. Valkyrie flicked her braid away from her shoulder, batting eyelashes, "Hey▬how rusty are you for speed, Astrid?" she asked her best friend innocently. 

    Never one to back away from a challenge, the blonde smirked, "Ooh, get ready to have your ass whipped, Frode!" she scratched her dragon's neck. "Stormfly▬go!"

    In unison, the two best friends raced to the front of the formation, zipping past Hiccup with shouts of glee. Valkyrie laughed as she and Zephyr spun underneath Stormfly▬they came out in the lead. Glancing back, she held a playful grin. "Forget to give Stormfly her chicken for breakfast today?" she taunted. Astrid just leaned forward▬swoosh! She and Stormfly shot in front of Valkyrie, and she cried out a surprised, "Hey!"

    She heard Hiccup shout for a 'V' formation behind them and just like that, the two girls fell back into line. Valkyrie knew what he was doing, and in passing she called out: "You'll have to be more sneaky than that!"

    He arched a brow, "Oh, really? Okay, okay. Not bad ... not bad▬Diamond formation▬!"

    Valkyrie rolled her eyes, sending a sweet smile over to Snotlout who was her adjacent in the formation to say▬look at him try! Her friend immediately hunched up and cried out a horrified, "Ew!" Around her, the rest of the team had easily returned to their old positions, scoffing and crossing their arms at Hiccup's assumptions.

    "How rusty does this guy think we are?" scoffed Tuffnut. 

    "Well..." Hott just pointed down where Fishlegs coughed, flushed to his saddle. Barf and Blech had him pressed▬flat▬against Meatlug. 

     "Yeah," managed Fishlegs, struggling to breathe, "guys ... a little tight on the diamond, aren't we?"

     There were chuckles as they all spread back out, drifting through the soft clouds. Valkyrie sighed, content as she leaned back in her saddle, peering sideways at Astrid across Hott who soared in the middle. "Just to be sure," she spoke up, "I totally won that race."

     Astrid gaped, "What? You did not▬!"

    The sky sparked flaming bursts of bright red and orange from behind. All three of them yelled, startled▬only just did they manage to veer out of the way as Snotlout sped through with Hookfang's scales completely lit aflame. "YEAH!" he shouted as he did. "Five thousand pounds of flaming muscle coming through!"

    Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Ever a class act..."

   They continued flying onto evening. Valkyrie's excitement slowly turned into a tired breath as she did her best to hide her yawn, hunching up. The others were in a similar matter, slouching in their saddles and trying to entertain themselves with little games and jokes▬something the group of them always did to try and keep themselves alert on long flights. And they have never flown as far as they have today. 

    Until finally, the group of Dragon Riders came across a wall of fog▬like an entire fortress that wrapped around them; the end of the Barbaric Archipelago. And at its very foundations, something started to appear in the darkened mist▬silhouettes that leered over; tilted and broken. As they got closer, Valkyrie started to see masts of old, sunken ships, torn sails that float aimlessly in the freakish, still sea and the remains of boats that had tilted onto their side▬half crushed onto the ocean floor, and the other half looming out of the blackened water. Some were so sudden that they gasped as they jolted their dragons upwards to avoid impaling themselves on the sharpened, broken figureheads. 

     And truly, in such a horrible, haunting way, was this very much a ship graveyard. 

     "I knew it," murmured Hiccup as they soared across a reef of shattered wooden vessels. "I knew there was more..."

     "Some of these ships?" whispered Astrid▬as if terrified that she spoke any louder, something lurking in the waters depths would show itself. "I've never seen anything like them before."

     This caused him to frown. "Okay," he decided, "everybody fan out. If you see any trace of Dagur, send a signal."

     The Riders split up. Valkyrie dipped Zephyr to swoop low near the broken masts of ships, not exactly sure what she expected to find. Maybe a rogue Berserker with a crossbow aimed from the surface of the water? Dagur hidden underneath the dark of the sunken ships, ready to burst out with a deranged war cry?

    Zephyr didn't like it. He hovered anxiously close to the water. Soon, Valkyrie had to pull them back up when he started to throw his head and squawk. "Whoa..." she murmured, startled. "Settle, boy, it's okay." She ran a comforting hand down his long neck, gazing down at the dark water depths with a new feeling of dread. Something lurked in the darkness that was making him nervous; but the waters were still ... too still, almost. 

    They regrouped on one of the ships that still remained floating. Valkyrie had no idea what had happened in these shallow waters, but it didn't settle well in her chest. Some of these ships, they seemed completely abandoned▬as if something had made the crew drop everything and run for their lives amongst a battle that destroyed half of their fleet.

     She landed beside Hiccup and he held his hand out, greeting her with a swift kiss on her cheek. As soon as he did, Snotlout hunched up and cried out a disgusted: "Ew!"

     "No sign of Dagur?" Hiccup asked her and she shook her head.

     "No," said Valkyrie, staying at his side. She felt a bit better with him there. "There's nothing."

     "So, we got here first," Hott shrugged, arms crossed over his chest. "What's the plan, then?"

     "We wait."

    Fishlegs made a face, "W▬wait▬Wait a minute," he stammered, not liking this idea. "For how long?" He gestured to his dragon trembling behind him. "This fog really gives Meatlug the willies."

    "He has a point," said Astrid. "We can't wait around here forever."

    "We can't just leave Johann's treasures here, either," said Hiccup. "Dagur will steal them."

     "And use the profits to build a new armada," agreed Valkyrie in a murmur, quite thoughtful. "He'd have the entire jackpot, here..."

     Ruffnut scoffed, "Not if we steal them first," she snickered wickedly. 

     Tuffnut stared at her, disappointed. "What?" he let out. "That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard!" His sister rolled her eyes. "I hereby disown you!"

     But out of nowhere, Hiccup suddenly started to grin. "Wait▬" he snapped his fingers at her. "Actually, you know what, Ruff? I sort of like it!"

     Tuff threw his arms out to his sister for a hug. "Welcome back to the family!" She just scoffed.

     "Here's the plan," Hiccup turned back to the others. "We search the ships, gather up Johann's treasure, and take it back to Berk. But keep your eyes open for Dagur. He could show up at any time."

    Hott jumped out of his skin when the sounds of loud hisses echoed up from the water's depths. "What was that▬?!" he let out.

   The sounds continued. They belonged to some creature, but Valkyrie couldn't see anything in the water, or above, or around them▬it seemed to be coming from everywhere. And to make a sound so loud, it would have to come from a creature very big in size. 

    Tuffnut didn't look bothered. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Uh ... has Dagur's voice changed?"

     Hiccup noticed something move in the water▬a ripple of yellow and black stripes as large as a small shipping boat. "Eels!" he cried out. "Quick! Everybody▬get to your dragons before they get spooked and take off▬!"

    Too late for that. Valkyrie spun to Zephyr only to hear just his squawk as he, Stormfly, Meatlug, Spikemoth, Hookfang and Barf and Belch all launched into the air. Val threw her arms up. "Seriously?!" she shouted after their dragons. "Zephyr!" she then grumbled.

    Snotlout crossed his arms. "Welcome to my world..." he muttered. 

    A loud thud from behind made them squeal. The two Vikings spun around to see one of the eels leap forth from the water and crash through the sides of the boat, landing on the deck with a vicious snarl. It was larger than any eel Valkyrie has seen▬she didn't even know they could get this large. Snotlout screamed and shoved Valkyrie forward in order to cower behind her.

    "Snotlout▬!" she shouted, furious. Then the eel reared back and both of them screamed in a very un-Viking way. 

     A mace spun through the air and struck the eel in the eye. It screeched and dived back under the surface. "YEAH!" shouted Hott, jumping up and down in his victory. "That's one for me!" He then raced over to pick his weapon back up, blowing kisses to an imaginary audience. Valkyrie made a face at her brother, embarrassed to be related to him.

    The only dragon that had not fled was Toothless▬mainly because he couldn't. Hiccup ran to the Night Fury and tried to calm him down enough to crawl up onto his saddle. "Come on, bud!" he said, a bit urgent. "It's okay▬It's only a couple of eels..." Hiccup faltered. "Really big, screaming, mean eels..."

     They took to the night sky to try and fight the eels off. But as he did, the Dragon Riders left on the boat started to stumble as the ship tilted dangerously towards the stern. They started to slide and trip, watching as the vicious monstrous eels wrapped their long bodies around▬and around▬the bottom of the ship, dragging them down into the depths. 

      "They're pulling the ship down▬!" shrieked Fishlegs and when he tripped, the rest of them followed. 

     Valkyrie cried out as she fell down the tilting deck, trying to twist her body to grab onto something▬anything. Snotlout managed to snag his hands around the broken mast and shouted: "FISHLEGS! GRAB MY FOOT▬Oh▬!" he grunted as Fishlegs wrapped his hand around his ankle and his whole body jolted, "▬you ate a full breakfast▬" the rest of them clung on, an entire chain down the boat and Snotlout grimaced with painful effort. "Agh▬! You ate everybody's breakfast!"

     Tuffnut grinned from above Valkyrie, holding her wrist tight. "We're gonna live!"

     One eel sprung from the waves and slammed its mighty head against the side of the ship. It sent a shuddering jolt through the wood and into their bones and Tuffnut's fingers sprung apart. Valkyrie shouted out in alarm as she dropped away from her friends. "TUFFNUT▬!"

    He looked down and his face dropped in horror. "Some of us will live!" he updated his friends. 

     Valkyrie closed her eyes just in time as she hit the ice-cold, eel-infested waters. They struck her limbs numb and she clenched her jaw shut, keeping her breath as it tried to force it from her lungs. Her vision was blurry or the waters were murky▬maybe both. She sank for a few seconds, her body frozen with shock. But as she started to find movement again, she kicked her legs and tried to push herself upwards▬only to find herself surrounded by the entire group of slimy, gross and very aggressive monstrous eels. 

     A light broke through the darkness. It propelled downwards in an explosion of bubbles, blinding Valkyrie in a burst of sonic purple. The eels all scattered, shrieking and twisting away▬and the currents spun around her; they would have dragged her further down if a hand didn't grip her wrist and pull her straight up. 

    Valkyrie gasped when she reached the surface. She coughed but the grip around her wrist kept her focused▬she reached up with her other hand and Hiccup dragged her up onto Toothless's saddle. She climbed up in behind him, slumping with relief. 

    "Thank you," she told him. 

    "You make a habit of falling," he replied as he veered Toothless back around to the boat that slowly drifted upwards to rest, balanced on the ocean waves. 

     Valkyrie shoved her boyfriend's back. "I'm okay, thanks for asking."

    "You're welcome, Milady."

    She smacked the back of his shoulder. 

    They touched down on the ship deck. The others crowded up to them as Valkyrie slid off Toothless's saddle, drenched and cold. Hiccup followed her and soon, she was standing in his shadow. 

     Snotlout was the first to speak. He did not look happy, even though he plastered the fakest smile on his face Valkyrie has seen yet. "Pardon me," he began politely, though the sarcasm didn't offer it much weight, "does anyone else think that Johann could have warned us about▬I don't know ... The giant screaming eels?!"

     Hiccup threw his hands up to shush him. "Snotlout," he snapped, "would you relax?"

    "No!"

    The Chief's son scowled. "The dragons will be back. In the meantime, we stick with the plan. We find Johann's treasure▬quietly▬" he added with another frown at Snotlout. 

     His cousin huffed and stormed away. He couldn't go far, though, so they just watched him cross his arms and sulk behind Fishlegs. 

     Hiccup sighed after him, shaking his head. He turned to Valkyrie as she pushed her wet hair off her face. "You all right?"

     "What's a day being a Viking without having a frozen spleen?" she muttered, managing a small smile. When she didn't get one back, Valkyrie frowned. "What is it?"

     At first, he didn't say anything but just set his eye on a ship in the distance. Valkyrie followed his gaze and saw a vessel perched underneath the full moon's glow. Its sails were in shreds▬wrecked like the rest of the ships. But there was a glint on its deck▬something reflecting in the moonlight. When Valkyrie narrowed her eyes, she realised they were cages. 

     "That's the Reaper Johann told us about," she murmured. Hiccup nodded. 

     "Yeah," he continued to scowl at it. "And I'm thinking of checking it out."

     Valkyrie pursed her lips, immediately against the idea. "You heard what Johann said. It's covered with booby traps▬one miss-step and you'll lose your other leg."

     Hiccup didn't appreciate the leg comment. She just arched a challenging brow. He sighed and set his hands on his hips. "Val," he began in a murmur, "think about it▬why is there so many booby traps if not to hide something? They obviously don't want people to find it."

     "Maybe it's better if it stays there, then."

     "Dagur's not an idiot. He'll see those traps and he'll be thinking the same thing. Better we find whatever it is, and not him."

     Valkyrie pursed her lips, realising Hiccup was right. She didn't like it, though. "I won't be able to convince you to stay, will I?"

     He flashed her a cheeky grin. "Nope. But it's adorable when you try▬" he quickly pecked her on the cheek and moved on back to Toothless.

     Valkyrie frowned at him as he took off. "Hey! I'm not adorable!" she called after him, flushed at the cheeks. "I'm vicious! I'm Valkyrie the Vicious!"

     She sighed, knowing that even if he heard, he would have just called that adorable, too. 

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

     FINDING THE treasures was easy. Figuring out a way to get the treasures back to Berk even once their dragons returned? Not so easy...

    They split up under the deck of the ship. They figured that if they got all the treasures on this boat first, they will be able to check the others once their dragons returned. Valkyrie found a basket and emptied it of all the fish bones (gross) and started to refill it with whatever she found. Jewels, books, weapons and all of Johann's miscellaneous treasures. She found a few that she was going to be keeping for herself. She felt that if she was going out of her way to do this for Johann, she should be getting a free reward (because the true reward of him shutting up will never happen). 

    Hott was in the room beside Valkyrie, and once she finished stockpiling up, she called out. "Hott! Get over here▬!" Before gripping the edge of the basket and starting to drag it across the wooden boards to the door. She gritted her teeth and struggled, heaving and pulling and watching it barely scrape the ground. "Hott!" she shouted, annoyed that he didn't hear her the first time. "Hott!"

    Valkyrie tugged a little bit too hard and yelped as she fell onto her backside. She watched, exasperated as all of the things she collected spilled back out onto the deck at her feet. She scowled. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me ..." Valkyrie clenched her fists and stood back up, annoyed at her bad luck. "I hate Johann▬Hott! Get your lazy butt over here and help!" she shouted again, confused as to why he hadn't responded. Sure, he was one for ignoring her, but after a few yells and threats, he usually came scrambling over. 

    She frowned and turned on her feet, ready to shout at her bother again▬only for something to knock her on her head, and Valkyrie was out cold. 

    When Valkyrie woke up again, she groaned and immediately pressed her palm against her forehead. Then, she frowned up at all of the familiar pairs of eyes staring down at her. 

    "Oh!" Snotlout then said, and even in her dazed state, she recognised his sarcasm. "So great to see you awake, Valkyrie. If only you could have been awake when▬let's think about this▬?" he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, that's right, when Dagur got here and put us in a cage!"

    She continued to frown at him, rubbing her head. It hurt. "Huh?" grumbled Valkyrie, not in the mood for his sarcasm. "What? What do you mean Dagur...?" her eyes widened as what Snotlout said finally hit her. Valkyrie jolted upwards and glanced around. Snotlout wasn't wrong when he said cage. She gaped to see four walls of bars around them. The eerie green glint to them under the moonlight struck her as familiar. 

    "Huh," she muttered, completely ignorant of everything that was happening around her. "That's crazy, these look like the cages on the Reaper..." It slowly dawned on Valkyrie. "Wait ... these are the cages on the Reaper..."

     Valkyrie launched up onto her feet, nearly knocking Snotlout's head. He cried out, annoyed as she spun around, suddenly very alert. That was when her eyes narrowed down to the face grinning back at them through the cage bars. A manic grin, deranged green eyes and spiked red hair▬Dagur the Deranged laughed at them, and in three years, the sound had turned into something even more crazed. Valkyrie never thought it possible. She noticed the scars on his face and arms, the rugged beard he supported on his pointed chin. 

     Dagur the Deranged smiled. "Valkyrie!" he greeted her with such delight but she didn't feel at all any better. Instead, all she felt was a chill down her spine. "It's so good to see you!" 

     She took a sharp, furious breath through her nose. "Is it?"

    "So kind of you to finally wake up and join us!" the Berserker cackled and the sound rang out shrilly. "We have so much catching up to do!"

     Valkyrie glanced around. They were on the Reaper. She could see more cages like this one with strange, eerie green bars and the ripped sail on the mast above them. Hiccup was nowhere to be seen, which could either mean Dagur had done something to him or▬Valkyrie hoped▬he was still searching this boat and wasn't caught yet. But if he hadn't been, he will be soon. Dagur and his men had surrounded the Reaper; they were waiting for Hiccup Haddock like vultures circling their prey. 

     And just as if she had willed him into existence, the trapdoor to below deck shuddered open. Almost immediately, Toothless noticed the man standing at the cage doors and he lit a vicious glow in the depths of his maw, ready to fire. Hiccup glanced around and he threw out a hand. "Toothless, hold▬!" He  took a deep breath, glowering as he saw Dagur and his men waiting. 

    They did not take a step further, staying rigid still at the trapdoor entrance. Valkyrie noticed something in Hiccup's hand▬a round cylinder that he quickly hid behind his back.

     "Hiccup!" exclaimed Dagur the Deranged with a wide, manic smile. "Did you miss me?" He pouted. "Because I sure missed you..." his smile slowly dropped into something bitter and poisonous. "Every day for three years, I thought about you." He hitched a slight chuckle and stepped aside, showing Valkyrie and her friends stuck behind bars.

     Hiccup's eyes widened. He flinched▬as if to run to them, but stopped himself. "Valkyrie!" He let out, and his cheeks flushed with a new type of anger as he narrowed them back onto Dagur.

     The Berserker Chief held a hand to his heart at Toothless. "And you too, Mr. Night Fury." Hiccup's dragon snarled.

     Hiccup stood up straight, clenching his hands and Valkyrie clutched the iron bars. "I'm sorry," she told him. "He got the drop on us while we were searching▬"

     "You mean he got the drop on you," Hott couldn't stop himself and she scowled at him. "You know, because he knocked you out▬"

     "Ugh, quiet!" Dagur shouted at them and they pursed their lips, silenced and startled. "Can't you see my brother and I are having a moment?"

     Hiccup stormed up to him as far as he dared, gritting his teeth. "I am not your brother," he snapped, "and we are definitely not having a moment!"

     Dagur blinked, taken aback. "Oh," he muttered, almost upset. "Well, I was." He then beamed once again. "Look at you!" he told Hiccup like they were best buddies and he hasn't tried to kill him multiple times. "All grown up!" Dagur leaned in, cheeky. "And quite the ladies' man, I'd wager▬Hmm?" He nodded not-so-subtly back at Valkyrie and she rolled her eyes. 

      "Dagur, what do you want?" demanded Hiccup. 

    "Duh," Snotlout shook something out of his face. Valkyrie only just noticed the blonde braids draping down from his helmet and over his eyes. She and the others stared, dubious. Even Dagur and some of his Berserkers matched their disbelief. "He wants the jewels."

     Tuffnut pointed an aggressive finger over Snotlout's shoulder. "He's not getting my family's jewels! No way! And I'll protect them at all costs!" He then frowned back at Snotlout. "Also, what is with that hair?"

     He laughed, sounding very smug. "Ha! It's royal hair, I'll have you know."

    Dagur rolled his eyes and turned back to Hiccup, muttering: "Haven't gotten rid of the Greek chorus, I see. Anyway, yes, I'll take the jewels." He nodded at Ruffnut. "His too."

     One of the Berserkers guarding the cage elbowed Ruffnut's stomach through the bars and she coughed out the jewels in her mouth. "Hey!" she shouted, furious. "Watch it, pal!" When the Berserker laughed, she spat the last jewel in her mouth and it lodged in his throat. He spent the next few seconds wheezing and stumbling around to try and get it out. 

     Dagur pursed his lips. "Oops, thought that was the guy. Never can tell with those two. And I'll also take whatever it is you're hiding behind your back." He scowled at Hiccup. Toothless prowled up to his rider's side, growling. "Come on, hand it over like a good boy. Brothers share, you know."

     With a nod at his men, Valkyrie and the others all hitched their breaths, gasping to see crossbows pointed at them. A simple but deadly threat. If Hiccup didn't pass over whatever he found, Dagur would give the order to shoot them. 

     He locked Valkyrie's frightened stare and didn't hesitate. Hiccup passed over the mysterious object he found. It looked like an artefact▬wrapped in fraying cloth and carved with intricate hands with golden casings and a dragon mouth at its head. "You know, you're not going to get very far with that thing, right?"

    Dagur threw his head back. "Oh, boy, here we go! Must we always do the same dance, Hiccup▬" he pulled him into his side and Hiccup hunched up, livid, "▬you and I? Not that you're not a fabulous dancer."

     Toothless snarled and the Berserkers readied their aim on the Dragon Riders. Hiccup shoved himself out of Dagur's grip and crouched down by the Night Fury. "Easy, bud▬" he said quickly, eyeing their crossbows, "▬not yet."

     "That's right, Mr. Night Fury," chuckled the Berserker Chief. "Today is not the day, but it's coming! And soon. Now, if you'll excuse me." He spun around to his men. "I've got people to see, an army to build, revenge to plot. Oh! So much to do and so little time!" He giggled, as deranged as his name suggested. "Isn't this exciting, Hiccup? You▬You must have been so bored over the last three years."

     Hott considered this. "Yeah," he admitted. He didn't look ashamed of it either. "I've been really bored."

     "Alas▬!" Dagur ignored him and marched towards the edge of the boat, "▬My time here has come to an end. Farewell for now, brother. Until we meet again on the field of battle."

     He and his men disappeared over the side of the boat, landing on small vessels that were waiting underneath. They set off into the sunrise, leaving them trapped, alone and taking the strange object with him. And by the look on Hiccup's face, Valkyrie could tell that whatever that object was, it being in Dagur's hands was not good▬at all. 

     As soon as they were gone, Hiccup sprinted to the cage. He crouched down at the lock, trying to figure out how to open it.

     "Don't▬!" Valkyrie stopped him. He glanced up at her with a frown. "Forget about us. Go after him!"

     "Yeah!" Snotlout shoved in beside her. He blew the braids out of his mouth and Valkyrie grumbled, unable to believe him. "What are you waiting for?!" Hiccup just arched a brow at his new hair.

     He stood up and clutched the green bars, glancing them over with a frantic look. "Are you guys sure you'll be okay?"

     "We're fine!" said Astrid, urgent. "Go!"

     "I'm not fine," Hott muttered until she elbowed him. He cried out. "Less fine▬!"

     Valkyrie wrapped her fingers around Hiccup's hand on the bars. He met her gaze, hesitant to leave her. "Go," she told him, letting him know that she'll be okay. She squeezed his fingers before stepping back. He nodded at her, a promise that he'll come back before racing to Toothless and throwing his leg over the dragon's saddle. They were gone into the sunrise in the blink of an eye, faster than lightning. 

     The group of friends all shared a glance.

     And just like that, they all pushed and shoved each other to try and make it to the front of the cage in order to watch Hiccup go after Dagur. There were a few screams and angry shouts as they almost piled on top of each other, looking over heads, peering between shoulders and pushing faces out of the way. "Hey, I was here first▬!", "▬Snotlout, get your stupid braids out of my face, I can't breathe▬!", "▬Ow! Astrid▬!", "▬Fishlegs, you're squeezing me into the bars▬!", "▬Hiccup, blow up his boat▬!", "▬Ugh, Tuffnut go away you smell like a boar pit▬!", "▬Aw, thanks! How could you tell▬?"

     Meanwhile, Hiccup closed in on Dagur's ship. He watched them ready a catapult and dived, missing the large boulder with ease as it flew over his head. "You missed, brother!" he shouted. 

     But Dagur only chuckled. He shook his head with a disappointed sigh. "Hiccup, you should know by now..." An evil smirk donned his lips. "I never miss."

    Hiccup realised too late. His eyes widened and he felt his heart drop down into his stomach. He pulled Toothless around, "NO▬!"

     He watched the boulder soar over the waves, heading straight for the Reaper in the near distance. His stomach clenched when it hit its mark, shattering through the side of the ship and all the way down to the bottom. The Reaper tilted dangerously. 

     It started to sink▬rapidly▬with Valkyrie and his friends all still imprisoned on board. 

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     a/n: yeah, guys, be prepared - they're all gonna be pretty long chapters. i'll have a rtte design for valkyrie next chapter xx

    hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! it's a bit rushed at the end but ... eh?

     anyway, love you guys!!!

     (minimal editing).