Archive of Our Own

“DRAGO!” Hiccup growled out as he dismounted his mate’s back and made his way over to the man as he removed his helmet, unsheathing his sword Inferno as he did.

Drago turned his attention to the young Night Fury and smirked. “This…is the Dragon Master? The son of Stoick the Vast? What shame he must feel.” He said as he stalked towards Hiccup, trying to intimidate him.

“All of this loss, and for what? To become unstoppable? To rule the world? Dragons are kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together!” Hiccup said through gritted teeth, fighting hard with his instincts and the anger he felt because of the cruel man in front of him.

“Or tear them apart.” Drago said venomously as he unhooked his prosthetic arm, showing the young dragon his stump in an attempt to falter him, but Hiccup stood there unfazed as he took in the prosthetic the man held in front of him.

‘Did he really think showing me a prosthetic arm would make me waver from fear? Wow. Kinda lame.’ Hiccup thought.

“You see, I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned, my family taken. But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons and liberate the people of this world.” Drago continued, circling around Hiccup slowly.

“Then why a dragon army?” The young Night Fury asked with crossed arms as he kept his eyes on Drago as he circled him.

“Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.” Drago reasoned as he came to a stop in front of the young dragon.

Hiccup glared at him, a growl forming in the back of his throat. “Or maybe, you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you…and to get rid of those who won’t.”

Drago laughed and smirked at him. “Clever boy.”

“The world wants peace. And we have the answer, back on Berk. Just let me show you.” Hiccup explained as he lowered his sword, showing that he didn’t want to fight.

“NO! Let ME show YOU.” Drago growled out, then he began to bang his staff against the deck below them, yelling wildly as he summoned the new Alpha to him once more.

Hiccup felt the pull again and gritted his teeth as he resisted the urge to transform and follow his orders. He saw Kala whine and scratch at her head as the Alpha closed in on them.

“No dragon can resist the Alpha’s command. So he who controls the Alpha, controls them all.” Drago said with a sadistic grin as the Alpha stood behind him.

Drago then began to yell wildly once again as he commanded the Alpha to do something, and from Kala’s reaction, Hiccup noticed it was to put her under his control. She screeched and thrashed in pain as she fought the control of the Alpha. Hiccup could feel the pull on himself get stronger as well as the Alpha’s intense stare bore down on the both of them. He tried the best he could to reach out to her and snap her out of it, but with how painful the pull was getting he could barely move.

“Witness true strength. The strength of will over others. In the face of it, you are nothing !” Drago shouted, seeming as though he thought Hiccup was frozen from fear.

As Drago was talking, the Alpha was able to gain control of Kala. Hiccup saw her pupils shrink down to slits that were frighteningly narrow in size. She slowly turned fully towards her mate, growling as she slowly approached him. Hiccup gritted his teeth as his eyes closed tightly. He knew full well that he wouldn’t be able to say a word with how difficult it was to fight against the Alpha’s pull.

“Hiccup!” He heard, and he was able to catch a glimpse of his dad as he ran at full speed toward him and Kala. Hiccup gave him what he assumed was a look that told him to back off, but it didn’t seem to register with him in the slightest as Kala prepared a plasma blast pointed his way. “SON!”
Before Stoick could even get close to the two Night Furies, Kala released the plasma blast, hitting Hiccup dead on. Stoick watched in fear as his son hit a wall of ice hard, being knocked out from not only the plasma blast, but the impact against the ice. Just as Stoick was about to rush to his son’s side, a large piece of ice broke off the wall and fell on top of Hiccup in pieces. If the blast hadn’t killed him, the ice surely did.

“HICCUP!”

~~~HTLANF~~~

Kala was able to break out of the Alpha’s control when she heard Stoick shout Hiccup’s name. She panted as her eyes dilated again, the feeling of the Alpha’s pull disappearing. Kala then transformed and moved forward a couple of steps, not understanding why her mate was lying under ice.

“Hiccup..?” She asked, becoming worried and rushing to his side trying to move as much ice from his still form as she could.

Stoick fell beside her and helped, then rested his ear on his son’s chest to check his heartbeat once he was lying on his back. Tears then formed in his eyes as he pulled Kala into a tight embrace.

“No…” Kala breathed out, not wanting to believe the truth in front of her.

Her mate was dead.

She clung onto Stoick’s arm as tears began to flow down her face. “No, no, no. NO..!”

Kala lowered her head with her eyes clamped shut and screeched her lungs out as it finally sunk in that Hiccup was gone. The other riders heard the screech and immediately knew what it meant, tears coming to all of their eyes as it hit them. Kala wouldn’t screech in such a way unless something truly terrible had happened.

As the small family was mourning the loss of the young Night Fury, Drago was able to get his Alpha to summon all the dragons and left the Sanctuary to head toward Berk, not being noticed in his departure by the falling apart team.

The riders and Gobber stood a few feet from the small family, all mourning the loss of Hiccup in their own ways. Snotlout was fighting against the tears, Fishlegs was letting his sorrow be known as he cried, Ruffnut was covering her mouth as the tears flowed down her face, Tuffnut was clutching his head out of shock as tears fell from his eyes, Nanna was covering her eyes as the tears flowed, and Gobber was crying about the same amount that Fishlegs was.

Valka stood a good distance away from the group as tears slipped down her face, shock being the only emotion at the forefront of the woman’s mind.

But out of everyone, Kala was the one in the most pain. She continued to screech in agony as a waterfall of tears flowed down her face, her grip on Stoick’s arm tight to the point her knuckles were white.

The longer it sunk in, the more painful it became for them all. But there was one thing that hit all of them like a Bewilderbeast. Kala had only two years left before she followed behind her mate. Only two years of life remaining.

As that realization sunk in, Stoick’s grip on his daughter tightened as tears streamed down his face and the others rushed over and joined the hug.

It took around fifteen minutes for the majority of the Berkians to stop the tears, but they stayed in the hug as Kala wept a bit longer than the rest, wanting to give the young dragoness as much love and support as they possibly could.

Once she was out of tears to cry, the group separated from the hug, but Stoick stayed put.

The chief then pulled back slightly, turning his daughter to face him and he wiped away the remaining tears. He gave her a sad smile as they locked eyes, which Kala returned just as sad.

Valka then approached the two, her grip on her staff tight as she messed with it from nerves. “I’ll start to gather the materials for Hiccup’s send off..if that’s alright with you..? Or would you like to do it the way your species would Kala..?”

Kala looked down at her mate’s still form as she contemplated Valka’s offer. After a minute had passed, she looked up at the woman.

“He deserves a Viking send off…he was born one after all…” The dragoness decided.

Valka smiled slightly and nodded, then left to start gathering the materials. Gobber hobbled after her to help with what he could.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Once the funeral boat was properly set up, Kala, Stoick and Valka pushed the vessel off the shore as everyone readied their bow and arrows. As the three Haddocks backed away from the ocean, Gobber handed a bow and arrow to Stoick.

Stoick then began the eulogy as he readied the arrow. “May the Valkyries welcome you, and lead you through Odin’s great battlefield. May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we may hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla…and know that you’ve taken your rightful place at the table of heroes. For a great young man has fallen. A warrior. A leader. A son. A friend.”

The chief then lit his arrow, making sure it was well lit with flames before he released it. The arrow arched through the sky and met its target, beginning to set aflame to the boat floating gently in the water. Everyone except Kala followed suit, each arrow meeting the wood of the ship and expanding the fire that had spread from Stoick’s arrow.

Once all the arrows were fired and bows were put aside, Kala transformed into her dragon form as Stoick began the dragon version of the eulogy.

“May the Ancients welcome you, and lead you through the fiery fields of Sovngarde. May they guide you through the wind-filled skies, so that you may soar free amongst the fallen. For an adolescent has joined Akatosh in the stars. A fighter. A son. A beloved mate.”

Once he was finished, Kala took to the skies and flew around the fiery boat from above. She released multiple plasma blasts upon the vessel, adding to the flames. She then proceeded to roar in remembrance of her mate, her sorrow and love for him making the roars all the more emotional as she continued to circle the slowly sinking boat.

Valka made her way beside her husband as they watched the boat slowly descend into the watery depths. “He came early into this world. He was such a wee thing. So frail, so fragile. I feared he wouldn’t make it. But you…you never doubted. You always said he’d become the strongest of them all. And you were right.” She gave Stoick a warm smile as tears pricked at the edges of her eyes as they locked eyes. “He had the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon.”

“Aye. That he did.” Stoick said with a sad smile as he looked towards the ocean once more, the boat halfway sunk, his daughter still circling it as she continued to roar in remembrance.

~~~HTLANF~~~

After some time passed, Kala landed on the beach once more and transformed, wiping away tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

Stoick rested a hand on her shoulder with a sad smile. “He’s in good hands now, lass. It’s time we head back.”

Kala took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. Hiccup died not only protecting us, but protecting the rest of the tribe as well. We have to make sure his sacrifice was not in vain.”

“Uh, with what?” Tuffnut asked with a raised brow.

“He took all the dragons.” Ruffnut pointed out exasperatedly, waving a hand dramatically around them to prove her point.

Kala gained a small smirk as she remembered that there were quite a few baby Scuttleclaw hatchlings playing within the Sanctuary while they spoke outside on the beach.

“Not all of them.”

Valka’s eyes widened as she put together what Kala was getting at. “The baby dragons.”

The two Haddocks then proceeded to lead the others into the Sanctuary. Valka took the lead and led the group to the main area of the nest where they found nine Scuttleclaw hatchlings playing together.

“This is how we’re getting back to Berk.” Kala said with a smile as she gestured to the babies.

Stoick chuckled and patted Kala on the back. “Clever thinking Kala. Hatchlings. Never would have guessed.”

Kala smiled at her father, but their tiny moment was broken as they heard Eret speak up.

“Uh…not to shatter your plans or anything, but there’s nine of them and ten of us. And from what I can tell, these little ones ain’t big enough for two people. One of us would have to stay behind.” Eret explained as he looked over at the baby dragons playing just a couple yards away from the group, seeming to completely forget that he saw Kala transform earlier during the send off.

“Correction. There’s ten dragons. You miss the entire second half of the send off dude?” Snotlout asked, a bit annoyed as he motioned toward Kala then crossed his arms.

“Oh. OH! Oh that was you. Well that makes much more sense now. Ignore me then.” Eret said with raised hands as he backed away from the group a bit.

Once that was settled, Kala and Valka helped the others wrangle the baby dragons and they were speeding out of the sanctuary in no time, but not without difficulty.

Kala was at the front of the group in hybrid form, Stoick right by her side on his Scuttleclaw (which was very obedient compared to the other hatchlings), as they navigated through the maze of caves leading to the outside. The others struggled to follow behind the two Haddocks as their babies flew erratically, not wanting to listen to their riders.

“Fly straight, WILL YA?!” Ruffnut complained as she fought with her Scuttleclaw.

“I don’t want to die!” Fishlegs exclaimed as he held onto the baby dragon for dear life.

“We can’t fly these things!” Tuffnut shouted as his Scuttleclaw zipped about every which way.

“Yeah, no kidding!” Fishlegs said just before he crashed through a snow pile they passed by.

Nanna was able to steer her baby dragon close enough to Kala and struggled to keep the baby from veering away from the Night Fury as she spoke. “Won’t the Bewilderbeast just take control of these guys, too? Hel, won’t it take control of you?”

“They’re babies. They don’t listen to anyone!” Kala said, but as she glanced towards her father she smiled a bit. “Well, most of them don’t listen to anyone! And I may be able to fight the control as long as I stay in human form. I’ll be alright Nanna.”

Kala’s attention was then caught by Gobber as he began to speak between his struggles.

“This…is…” He was then cut off as his Scuttleclaw crashed into an ice wall then recovered as though nothing had happened. “very dangerous!” The blacksmith finished right before his dragon crashed yet again and recovered just like before. “Some might suggest this is poorly conceived.”

“Well it’s a good thing that I never listen.” Kala chided with a laugh.

Gobber was able to steer his dragon close enough to his apprentice, conversing as they flew past breaks in the walls of the maze. “So–what IS your–plan?” He asked, getting cut off each time they passed a section of wall.

“Yes, what is your plan lass? You never did explain it before we mounted up.” Stoick added to Gobber’s question, rather curious as to what was going through his daughter’s mind.

“Get back home and beat Drago’s ass.” Kala said determinedly as she easily dodged an iceberg.

“Oh great plan.” Gobber sarcastically said just before his dragon crashed into the ice yet again.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Once Drago made it to Berk, he ordered his Bewilderbeast to take control of all the dragons. As the Berk dragons mixed with the Sanctuary dragons and Drago’s armored dragons, they flew as a single swarm behind Drago’s Alpha as it climbed onto the island with Drago standing atop its head.

Drago smirked down at the gathering Vikings below and spoke loud enough for them all to hear. “Your Dragon Master is dead.”

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd as they tried to take in the new information.

“Hiccup?”

“S’not possible.”

“No one can protect you now.” Drago added with a smirk, then he ordered his dragon to attack the village.

The Vikings below were scattered and thrown into chaos as the Bewilderbeast destroyed buildings and the land itself with its ice breath.

As the sun creeped further into the sky, Kala and the others arrived back at Berk to see much of it destroyed and encased in ice. All of their eyes widened in fear and worry as they took in the damage before them.

“No…” Kala breathed out as she scanned over the island as they drew closer, tears forming in her eyes.

“He took all the dragons!” Fishlegs noted fearfully as he spotted familiar dragons within the swarm above the Bewilderbeast’s head.

Kala spotted Drago atop the Alpha and growled, her pupils narrowing significantly from the pure rage that consumed her. Stoick noticed this and rested a hand on her shoulder, which got her to look at him.

“We’ll help the tribe. You worry about Drago.” He said, which got a nod from the young Night Fury.

As Kala split from the others, Stoick signaled to the rest of the group to land.

A Viking noticed this and pointed. “Look, it’s Stoick!”

All the Berkians began to cheer as they saw their chief and the Dragon Riders speeding towards Berk.

“What?” Drago asked, turning to look and glaring as he saw the group going down to land, but he raised a brow in confusion when he didn’t spot the black haired girl among them.

“DRAGO!!”

Before the man could turn, he was blown off the head of the Alpha by an explosion that was set off by Zippleback gas. Drago landed on the ground and groaned slightly from the impact, his hook landing just out of reach.

Kala landed and took notice of Drago trying to grab his hook. She then grabbed her sword and threw it. Her Inferno unsheathed and ignited as it landed in the ground between Drago and the hook, which made the man shout in surprise and anger.

Kala approached him, a growl forming in her throat as she glared at the man responsible for Hiccup’s death. Her growl grew in volume as Drago tried to move for his hook and the man froze.

“It’s all over now.” Kala growled out.

Drago took notice of the Alpha as it rose up behind Kala. “Or is it?” He asked as a smirk pulled at his lips.

The Night Fury’s eyes widened in realization, but just a split second before she was encased in the ice the Alpha breathed at her, Kala was able to transform into her dragon form and use her wings as a shield to protect herself. Drago laughed as he watched her become frozen solid, not realizing that she was fine.

Stoick’s eyes widened in horror. “No!” He yelled as he rushed to the ice that covered where the young dragoness once stood. He hit at the ice helplessly to try and free her, some tears escaping as he did.

After a few more hits, he stopped and backed away when he saw the ice start to glow. The ice then broke in an explosion as Kala was freed and unharmed. She looked completely livid, her head and back fins glowing an electric blue. She then roared at Drago out of pure rage.

Drago’s eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, but before he got far, Kala pinned him down growling menacingly. She then transformed into her human form and grabbed her Inferno, glaring at the man she had pinned.

“This is for my mate and fiancé!” She shouted, then plunged her sword into Drago’s heart, pulling it out in one swift movement as she stood from the now limp body of Drago Bludvist.

Kala panted as she sheathed her sword then she glared up at the Alpha and screeched as her wings and tail came out of hiding, her back fins still glowing from anger.

The Alpha took the hint, not wanting to fight the enraged female, and released all the dragons from its control. As all the dragons were landing on the island, the Bewilderbeast sank into the sea and left Berk behind.

Kala then looked down at Drago’s lifeless form and huffed as her wings and tail went into hiding as she attached the hilt of her sword to her leg once more, her glare harsh as could be.

“May Hel forever freeze your soul you bastard.” She growled out.

Her attention was taken away from the body as the dragons roared in victory at defeating Drago and his Alpha. Kala smiled, but that quickly faded as something finally clicked. She had wondered why her memory went blank during the conversation Hiccup was having with Drago, but now she knew why.

The Alpha was able to get control over her and forced her to kill her mate. That’s why she didn’t remember it. It all made sense now.

Stoick looked at his daughter and saw the tears as they began to fall. He rushed to her side and hugged her tightly as he realized what had dawned on her. The dragoness clung to him as she wept, glad that he was there and secretly grateful that he prevented her from bolting.

~~~HTLANF~~~

“Then why a dragon army?” Hiccup asked with crossed arms as he kept his eyes on Drago as he circled him.

I glared at the man as he slowly made his way around my mate, trying my best to refrain myself from attacking him.

“Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.” Drago reasoned as he came to a stop in front of Hiccup.

Hiccup glared at him with a growl forming in the back of his throat and my own glare sharpened.

“Or maybe, you need dragons to conquer people.” My mate said. “To control those who follow you…and to get rid of those who won’t.”

Drago laughed and smirked at him. “Clever boy.”

“The world wants peace. And we have the answer, back on Berk. Just let me show you.” Hiccup explained as he lowered his Inferno, showing that he didn’t want to fight.

“NO! Let ME show YOU.” Drago growled out, then he began to bang his staff against the deck below us, yelling wildly as he summoned the new Alpha to him once more.

My head was then taken over by pain as the Alpha tried to take control of me and I whined, scratching my head to try and stop it somehow as the Alpha closed in on Hiccup and I.

With the amount of noise ringing through my head and the pain I was in, I could just barely register what Drago said next.

“No dragon can resist the Alpha’s command. So he who controls the Alpha, controls them all.” He said with a sadistic grin as the Alpha stood behind him.

Drago then began to yell wildly once again as he commanded the Alpha to do something. I screeched and thrashed in pain as the noise became worse, my eyes becoming blurred, and my hearing slowly getting fuzzy. It was becoming more and more difficult to try and fight off the pull of control that bore down on me.

“Witness true strength. The strength of will over others. In the face of it, you are nothing !” Drago shouted.

That’s when things went blank. I lost complete control of my body and struggled against the Alpha’s control relentlessly. It felt like ages before I got control of my body again and I became very confused, yet also scared and worried at the scene before me. I saw what I hoped was just my mate and father-in-law knocked out.

I slowly made my way over to them and nudged Hiccup’s hand.

“ Hiccup..? Hiccup, wake up…please… ” I whimpered out.

Hiccup didn’t so much as twitch from my touch. I tried nudging him a couple more times as tears formed in my eyes, but I knew deep down he would never wake again. I then tried nudging Stoick to see if he would wake.

“ Stoick..? Come on, please wake up…I can’t lose both of you…not like this… ”

My attention was torn from my mate and father-in-law as Drago laughed maniacally.

“Oh how sad. The little Night Fury doesn’t even know she killed her own family! Ha-ha-ha! Poor, poor little Kala. Forever destined to be alone for all of eternity.”

Tears streamed down my face. “ NO! No, you’re wrong! I would never kill them! They mean too much to me! ”

“And yet, look at what happened. They died by your hands. Or should I say paws? Ha-ha-ha! They both died from your plasma blast and there is nothing you can do about it!”

“ NO! No, no, no, no! They can’t be dead! They just can’t be! ” I screeched.

I transformed and knelt beside Hiccup and Stoick, shaking them both in an attempt to wake them.

“Wake up, please! You two have to wake up! You can’t be dead! You just can’t! I can’t lose you both! Not like this! Please! Hiccup!! Stoick!! Please wake up!! HICCUP!! DAD!!!”

~~~HTLANF~~~
“DAD!!!” I exclaimed as I bolted up on my now fur covered stone slab, tears flowing down my sweat ridden body as I shook violently from the nightmare.

I turned to the door of my room as it slammed open, Dad having his hammer in hand as he scanned the room for the supposed threat. When he locked eyes with me, the tears flowed even harder than before as he set the hammer aside and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back.

I clung to him as I buried my face into his chest, just allowing myself to bawl as the nightmare replayed in my head.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Stoick and Valka were startled awake when they heard the yelling coming from Kala’s room. They looked at one another terrified and bolted from their shared bed, Stoick grabbing his hammer in his haste out of the room.

The chief ran up the stairs to his daughter’s room and slammed the door open, scanning the room for the supposed threat against his remaining child’s short life.

When he locked eyes with the young Night Fury, he was a bit confused. Why was she not lying in her bed? But then it clicked and he set his hammer aside and hugged the young woman tightly, rubbing her back.

Kala clung to him as she buried her face in his chest, just allowing herself to bawl. Stoick knew then that she had woken from a horrible nightmare and his grip on her tightened slightly.

Valka stopped in the doorway when she got to the room with worry filled eyes. Stoick looked at his wife with a look that told her all she needed to know. She rushed to her family and embraced them from Kala’s other side, her grip tight.

Stoick and Valka locked eyes sadly, then focused their full attention on comforting the weeping dragoness between them, no words needed to be said as the small family of three grieved.

~~~HTLANF~~~

It took around a month for the village to come to terms with the loss of Hiccup. In that time, no repairs were done to the damage left behind by the battle.

Once the month had gone, people slowly began to clean up the destroyed buildings and break away the ice that remained. Stoick supervised the repairs, instructing what needed to be done and where the debris could go for the time being.

As the repairs to their home were under way, Gobber, Valka and a few other tribe members were working away on a statue in honor of Hiccup. They worked for weeks, chiseling away at stone, slowly forming a detailed statue of the late young Night Fury. Gobber spent quite some time making sure the boy’s wings and tail were chiseled out accurately, the tribe silently agreeing that he deserved to be depicted that way so as to never forget that side of him.

It took around three months for the repairs to be completed, and another two for the statue to be finished.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Gobber hobbled his way up the stairs to Kala’s room and knocked lightly as a warning before he entered. “Rise an’ shine little flame! Brought ya breakfast.”

Kala whined as she sat up rubbing her eyes from her stone slab, her midnight locks a tangled mess from all the sleeping she has done in the past six months. She had lost a significant amount of weight, her cheeks just a bit sunken in since she had refused to eat until a couple months ago. But even then, she only ever ate a few fish each day, which wasn’t enough to get much meat back on her bones. The weight ever so slowly gained back as the weeks went by.

Gobber smiled and sat down on the slab facing her as he handed her a plate with a couple of fish. “Eat up.”

She smiled slightly and tore at the fish, eating slowly as she tried to wake properly.

“Any nightmares last night?” Gobber asked his apprentice, a shake of the head being his answer.

“No…it was a night filled with dreams for once…”

“Care to talk about ‘em?” The blacksmith encouraged, trying to get the young Night Fury accustomed to conversations again.

The young woman thought for a bit as she picked at the cod in her lap. “Well…it was about the life Hiccup and I could’ve had…what our wedding would have been like…what it would have been like to raise hatchlings of our own…that kind of thing…”

Gobber smiled. “Now tha’ sounds like a good mix of dreams, doesn't it? Speaking of Hiccup. There’s a ceremony goin’ on today in honor of ‘im.”

That got Kala’s attention as she looked up from her meal with a tilted head. “What for..?”

“Well, to keep his memory alive of course! Valka, me, and a few others in the tribe have worked tirelessly the past five months on a statue for him. Not ta mention your friends have been working hard this past month to get the Academy good to go. The ceremony’s for the reveal of the statue and the reopenin’ of the Dragon Academy.” Gobber explained with a smile.

“Oh…when is it..?” The young dragoness asked.

“This afternoon. Would you be up ta goin’?” The blacksmith asked, silently hoping Kala would say yes.

Kala thought over his offer. She hadn’t left the confines of her room since the aftermath of the battle, her heart too heavy with grief to do much of anything besides sleep and cry her eyes out. But, it’s a ceremony in honor of her beloved mate. And from the sounds of it, a lot of time and effort was put into it all.

She smiled softly as she imagined what Hiccup’s reaction to it would be and looked up at her mentor. “Yes…I’ll go to the ceremony…”

~~~HTLANF~~~

It took some help from Valka, but Kala was able to get a proper bath and get all the tangles out of her hair, the tear stains washed away along with any dirt and grime that caked her skin. Although, Valka did have to resort to cutting Kala’s hair to her shoulders from how matted the hair had become in the past six months, so much so that it was a struggle to brush it out past her shoulders.

The clothes that Kala wore were very similar to what she wore when she was a teen. She had on a loose green tunic with leather strands around her wrists, gray pants, a loose leather belt around her waist, a brown bear fur vest, and fur boots made out of the same brown bear fur as the vest.

The dragoness smiled sadly as memories flowed back to her as she looked at the outfit that looked identical to the one Hiccup once wore as a teenager.

Valka rested a hand on her shoulder when she took notice of tears in her daughter’s eyes. “What’s the matter dear?”

“N-nothing Mom..just thinking.. Hiccup used to wear this exact outfit when we were fifteen..” Kala said as she wiped at her eyes.

Valka smiled sadly. “I see. Well, all the better for today then, isn’t it?” She asked with a small laugh.

Kala giggled and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so..rather ironic too if I’m being honest.”

“Most definitely. Would you like to wear your cloak?” Valka asked as she lifted the long forgotten black cloak that Hiccup made all those years ago.

Kala looked at it and ran her hands over the wolf fur as she read the engraving on the inside of the cloak.

‘ For the dragoness that stole my heart. - HHH ’

She smiled and traced the initials, her eyes then falling to the second line of the engraving.

‘ Belongs to Kala. If found, take back to the Isle of Berk or Dragon’s Edge. ’

Hiccup had added the engravings secretly one day when they were around eighteen and living on their own on Dragon’s Edge with the rest of the Dragon Riders. She hadn’t noticed it until weeks later and it brought tears to her eyes when she finally found them.

Seeing them now, the tears began to form all over again.

“It’s up to you, dear. I can leave it in your room for you if you decide not to.” Valka said with a soft smile.

Kala nodded as she thought over her offer. “Could you just put it in my room for me..? I..don’t think I’m ready to wear it again quite yet..”

“Of course. It’ll be on your desk chair for you when you change your mind.” Valka said, patting Kala’s shoulder as she made her way to the young woman’s room.

Kala sighed and messed with her fur vest as she waited for Valka to come back downstairs, not wanting to leave the hut alone. After a couple minutes, her mother came back to her side and grasped her hand gently.

“Ready?”

Kala nodded and Valka smiled as she opened the door and led her daughter out of the hut for the first time in six months.

~~~HTLANF~~~

The Berkians were all gathered near the bridge that led to the Dragon Academy, the statue covered up as Stoick stood in front of it. The Dragon Academy was also covered so as to hide the renovations that the riders had done in the past month.

Kala and Valka made their way to the front of the crowd as Stoick began his speech. Some of the tribe not registering that Kala was finally out and about, while others whispered a greeting towards the young dragoness as she passed.

“First, I’d like to thank all of you for the hard work you all put in for the repairs of the village. Amazing work, all of you. Secondly, I’d like to thank Gobber, Valka, and the rest of the team that worked hard day and night on the statue. I am ever so grateful for the time and effort you all put into making it, as I’m sure we all will be in just a moment. And lastly, I’d like to thank the Dragon Riders for working so hard at replenishing the old Dragon Academy. I look forward to seeing where you all take it. Now, as I am sure you all are eager to see it, why don’t we see how the statue turned out?” Stoick said and the tribe cheered.

As the chief stepped to the side, dragons flew to the statue and gripped the cloth that was covering it. They then flew away with it, the statue coming into view as the cloth slipped away. Once the cloth was finally gone, a statue of Hiccup in his hybrid form stood before the Berkians, his sword in one hand, and a journal in the other. The amount of detail that was put into it was breathtaking.

Kala stared at the statue’s face for what felt like ages, not able to tear her gaze from her mate’s stone eyes as she took it all in. She didn’t even register that tears had begun to fall down her face until she felt both Gobber and Valka rest a hand on her shoulders.

“Well? What do ya think lass? We do a good job?” Gobber asked with a smile.

“I…have no words…it’s beautiful Gobber…” She breathed out, not taking her eyes off the statue as she did.

Kala slowly looked over the statue, taking in every little detail she possibly could and engraving it to memory. They had gotten everything right, from the messiness of his hair to the tiniest scale on his flight suit. They even somehow managed to make his sword look ablaze. If she squinted, she could even make out the detailing of his freckles on his exposed skin. They even had Hiccup’s wings splayed out behind him and his tail curled ever so slightly in front of him. There were truly no words to describe how utterly happy Kala felt as she looked at the statue of her late lover.

“Let this statue remind us of not only our victory over Drago, but of the progress we have made in the past five years. Let it be a reminder of what we are capable of when we work in peace with our dragons. And let it be a reminder to our enemies that we will not back down from a fight and will come back stronger than ever!” Stoick shouted and the tribe cheered in response.

Stoick then signaled for silence and smiled. “Now, as you all remember, Hiccup was a determined lad and was eager to teach anybody and everybody about dragons. Whether that be how to handle them, tame them, or Hel ride them! So in honor of that, I’m proud to say that the Dragon Academy will be up and running once more for lessons!”

The tribe went nuts with hoots and hollers of joy, each and every person overjoyed to hear that the Academy was back.

“Yes, yes! It is all very exciting! The Dragons Riders will be taking over as mentors for the new generations and anyone who is in need of refresher lessons. Classes will start back up by tomorrow at sunrise for anyone who wishes to attend. With that said and done, who’s ready to see the new and improved Academy?!” Stoick asked, and he got excited cheers from the tribe as an answer.

Like with the statue, dragons removed the cloth from over the Academy, revealing the new and improved arena to the Berkians. It was still the same circular area that it was before, but now there wasn’t a single sign that there had ever been a dome in the first place. Where there once was barriers around the edges from the first renovation, there was now just railing for people who wanted to watch training from above. The cages now were opened, the doors and lock mechanisms removed to allow the areas to be open. Some of them were decked out with training equipment, while others were set up as a type of classroom. The stone of the arena had been cleaned of any burn marks or scratch marks left behind from years of Dragon Training or incidents during the early years of the Dragon Academy.

Another detail that had been added was landing strips around the edges of the Academy on the exterior and stairs that led down into the arena. The entrance door had been fixed up, too. Instead of the double gates, there was now only a set of heavy double doors that could be locked on either side. There was also an emergency dome that was hung high above the Academy in case they ever needed to resort to trapping in any feral dragons. The dome had been upgraded as well, now having smaller holes that could keep the tiniest of dragons from escaping it.

The one thing that stood out to Kala the most though, was the new sign above the entrance. Where there once hung a curled up Night Fury was now two Night Furies resting their foreheads together in mid-flight, their tails wrapped around one another’s as their bodies made the shape of a heart and Norse runes underneath them that read out ‘ Dragon Academy ’.

Kala covered her mouth as tears threatened to fall from her eyes yet again as she took in the changes that had been made.

Her attention was broken as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, then she looked to see that it was Snotlout and the rest of her friends.

“Whatcha think of the renovations cuz?” Snotlout asked.

“I…they’re amazing..! I never imagined that the Academy would ever look like this..! I love it..!” Kala said, genuine joy and excitement clear in her features.

“That’s good. So, what do you say? Wanna be our leader again and help out with the Academy like the good ol’ days?” Her cousin asked with a smirk.

Kala smiled wide and wiped away her tears, her eyes closing with the tilt of her head. “I’d love to..”

~~~HTLANF~~~

The following weeks were filled with lessons for riders in training and riders that needed to refresh their memory. Kala was now getting back to her old self and was now looking as healthy as ever, the ceremony a few weeks back being a contributor to her new found energy and determination.

“Alright, which of you can tell me the warning sound of a Terrible Terror?” Kala asked as she was teaching her small group of new trainees in one of the classrooms in the Academy, Sharpshot resting on her shoulder happily as she scratched the top of his head.

One of the girls raised her hand hesitantly and Kala smiled at her.

“Yes Asta?”

“Um..isn’t it a hissing sound they make when preparing to use their fire..?” The timid girl asked.

“That’s exactly right! Terrors make a hissing sound as a warning of their attack to make their enemy aware of their presence.” Kala explained and Sharpshot demonstrated for the trainees and shot the target that was resting to the side in the classroom.

Kala’s attention was torn away from the kids as Tuffnut rushed into the Academy and hunched over just outside the classroom to catch his breath. She took Sharpshot off her shoulder and gently placed him on a desk.

“Take notes on how Sharpshot moves and how the size of his body could possibly be of use. I’ll be right back.” Kala said before she left the classroom and raised a brow of confusion at her friend. “Tuff what’s going on?”

The male Thorston finally stood straight once he could breathe properly again and gripped his leader’s shoulders. “There’s someone here to see you. And she made quite the entrance!”

“Someone’s here to see me? But who? I haven’t gotten any Terror mail from any of our friends about a visit.” The dragoness asked, even more confused than before.

“Oh trust me, K. You’ll know when you see her.” Tuffnut said, pushing her into the direction of the entrance of the Academy. “Now go on! I can finish the lesson with the tikes. Terrible Terror day right?”

Kala nodded. “Yeah. Just ask them where we left off and go from there. Just. Don’t goof off again. Please.”

Tuffnut gave a thumbs up and made his way into the classroom. Kala sighed and left the Academy, making her way through the village and following the commotion that could be heard near the plaza.

Kala raised a brow and made her way to the plaza, pushing her way through the crowd. When she got to the front, her eyes widened significantly. Her mother Revna was standing before her in dragon form, growling at anyone who tried to get close to her.

“Mother?!” Kala exclaimed, utterly shocked that her mother of all people was the one Tuffnut was going on about.

‘What is she doing here?! What about the Isles?! It’ll die without her there!’ Kala thought worriedly.

Revna’s gaze snapped to her and her electric blue eyes softened as she took in her daughter’s human appearance, the growling coming to a stop and being replaced with purrs.

“ Hello my little starlight. ” She crooned out joyously.

“What are you doing here?” Kala asked as she walked over to her mother and rubbed her head in greeting.

“ I was starting to worry. You and Hiccup have not come to visit the Isles in almost seven months. I began to miss my children. ” Revna reasoned as she sat on her haunches, her tail loosely wrapping around her legs like always.

Kala bit her lip and looked away from her mother, not knowing how to break the news to her. “W-well you see…”

“ Where is your mate my dear? He is usually connected to you by the hip. ” Her mother asked as she looked around the plaza, which was now starting to become less crowded as the tribe slowly dispersed to get back to their day to day chores. Although, she didn’t seem to register the statue of Hiccup that was in the center of the plaza as she looked around for her son-in-law.

Kala looked up at the sky as she blinked away tears, silently praying to Thor for some much needed strength for the conversation that was about to transpire, and asking the gods to allow Hiccup’s spirit to be by her side for support.

‘Please help me..’

“He’s…” Kala tried, but began to get choked up and needed to clear her throat as she looked at her mother once more. “He’s no longer with us Mother… He passed away over six months ago…in the heat of battle…”

Revna’s eyes widened as tears formed in her draconic eyes, her earplates flattening against her head. “ Oh I am so so sorry my little starlight…I know how painful losing a mate can be… ”

Then something happened that Kala wasn’t expecting. Her mother transformed into her human form and hugged her tightly, which was returned in vigor as the young Night Fury was trying her best to not break down right then and there.

The woman looked similar to Kala for the most part, besides the fact that she was standing at the height of six feet and five inches, whereas her daughter stood at the height of five feet and eight inches. She was a very built woman as well, a result of the amount of decades she has been alive as well as from the training she would do with her late lover Lief, Kala’s father.

Revna had long, flowing black hair that was a more raven color compared to her daughter’s midnight locks. She also had the same pale skin that the young dragoness had, which was covered in scars from fights the woman had gotten herself into over the years.

Her attire was a simple blue dress made of a thick cloth that had a leather apron covering it, and a set of fur boots that matched her daughter’s. Her hair was styled into a thick braid that was made up of many smaller ones, some rocks and crystals from Night Fury Isles decorating the braids. She also wore a necklace made up of the same rocks and crystals scattered throughout her hair.

“I will be here for you for however long you have remaining my little starlight..” Revna whispered as it hit her that Kala had about a year and a half left of life to live.

Kala smiled as tears welled up in her eyes again, burying her face in her mother’s chest. “I’d like that..”

~~~HTLANF~~~

“Mom, Dad, this is my mother Revna. The woman Hiccup and I would go visit each month. She was living on Night Fury Isles.” Kala explained as she introduced her birth mother to Stoick and Valka.

“It’s an honor to finally meet ya Revna. Kala has told us quite a bit about you. I am Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. Welcome to Berk.” Stoick said with a smile as he offered a hand to the woman.

Revna took his hand and shook it. “The honor is mine, Stoick. Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter when I could not. It means the world to me that she was able to find a family to call her own.”

Stoick chuckled and smiled wide. “Ah it’s not a problem! She’s a mighty fine woman. I’m proud to call her my daughter.” He said as he rested a hand on Kala’s shoulder.

Kala smiled at her father as an embarrassed blush dusted her cheeks.

Revna then looked at Valka and smiled. “You must be Stoick’s wife. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. My name is Valka.” Valka said, a smile of her own.

“You know, Kala and Hiccup never did mention you. Have you and Stoick recently wed?” Revna asked.

Kala pursed her lips and balled up her hands, completely forgetting that she never got the chance to visit Night Fury Isles after everything that happened almost seven months ago.

‘Oh boy..this should be interesting..’ The young Night Fury thought.

“Oh, it’s a long story. I’m actually Hiccup’s mother. I was just absent for a long time, but I’m back now and that’s what matters.” Valka explained.

“I see. Well I will not pry as it is not my place to know.” Revna said, which made Kala mentally sigh in relief.

‘Thank Akatosh..’

“So, what’s this Dragon Academy I keep hearing about?” Kala’s mother asked as she looked at her daughter with a knowing smirk and a tilted head.

Kala blushed and laughed nervously. “W-well..”

~~~HTLANF~~~

Kala trekked her way through the village and let out an exhausted sigh as she sat against the statue of her late mate, the sun slowly beginning to set after a long day’s work.

“Gods Hiccup..what a day it’s been.. We’ve started to get the new trainees their own dragons today and some of them are a little too eager to start flying lessons. Asta, the shy little thing, is struggling with finding the dragon for her. She’s so nervous when she’s around them all. I’m sure if you were here, you'd be able to help her break out of her shell in no time at all. You always seemed to be so good with kids. Makes me wonder what you would’ve been like if we ever started a family. You’d probably spoil our hatchlings to death any chance you could.” Kala giggled at the thought.

“My mother seems to be adjusting to tribe life pretty well. It took a couple weeks to get her used to even being in the village, but she’s getting better at it the longer she’s here. It’s still an adjustment for her when it comes to me calling Valka Mom and her being called Mother, but I think she’s starting to get used to it. They actually get along pretty well. I was worried that they’d bicker all the time because of how different they are culture wise, but they proved me wrong.”

She looked up at the statue and leaned a bit more on it as her arms rested limply atop her legs. “Dad’s been working hard as usual. There’s a chieftain meeting coming up soon and he’s trying the best he can to prepare for when he has to leave for it. I think it’s going to be somewhere like Berserker Island, but I can’t exactly remember where he said it was when we talked about it.”

Her eyes widened slightly as she remembered something. “Oh! Dagur and Mala came to visit a couple weeks ago. They’re having a baby. Dagur thinks it’s gonna be a boy, but Mala has a gut feeling it’s a girl. I’m not sure which gender it will be, but either way I know that baby is going to be spoiled.”

Kala smiled sadly and looked down, moving so that she was leaning against the statue on her left side. “Nanna and Heather adopted a little boy. His name is Dagwood. He’s a very feisty and clumsy little tike. Ever eager to show his mothers that he’s a capable warrior that can protect them. I have a feeling that he’ll become just that as long as he stays true to himself and works hard. They’re thinking of enrolling him in the Academy once he’s old enough. But I may not live to see that day. And if I don’t, there’s not much I can do about it. But I know he’ll do great things.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Your scent is completely gone now..not a single thing of ours has it anymore..but that’s to be expected I suppose.. I just wish it wasn’t the truth..”

Kala tried to keep from crying, but each time she spoke to the statue, she always seemed to end up with tears welling up in her eyes somehow. She wiped at her eyes and huffed. “Look at me..such a crybaby now.. If you were here you’d probably do the most ridiculous dance in an attempt to see me smile. You always knew how to get a laugh out of me no matter what mood I was in. And it always worked. Gods, how I miss your shenanigans.”

She looked up at the statue again. “You’re probably goofing off up there, huh? I wouldn’t put it past you honestly. You’re probably pulling crazy flight maneuvers and crashing like the clumsy boy you are. Just don’t break anything or lose any more limbs. I wanna see you intact when I get up there, ya hear me?”

Kala rested her hand against the statue as she looked down with her eyes closed again. “I’ve only got about a year and two weeks left. It’s crazy how quickly Akatosh has made the time go lately. Then again, it could be because of how busy I have been with mentoring at the Academy and working in the forge with Gobber. There are times now and then where he’ll mistake me for you because of how messy my short hair has become. Not to mention, my clothes. It’s funny, but in a sad way. It brings sad smiles to our faces each time he does it and helps us feel like you're there somehow. Working on a project or order right alongside us like you used to.”

Kala scooted closer to the statue, her legs curled to her chest as she did. “I miss you..”

Her attention was broken as she felt a tug on her tunic sleeve, looking over at the person who tugged to see it was Asta.

“Um..Ms. Haddock..?”

“Yes? What seems to be the problem dear?” Kala asked.

Asta twiddled her thumbs as she looked at the ground of the plaza. “Um..w-would it be possible for me to try and tame a dragon again..? I-I think I’m ready to try again..”

Kala smiled and stood, offering her hand to the girl. “Of course. Let’s go gather some for you to pick from.”

The young girl smiled and took the offered hand of her mentor. Kala then began to lead her away from the statue with a soft smile as the girl talked about which kind of dragons she wanted to try and tame this time.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Kala was cleaning up the Academy after a long day of training, many targets broken from the attempts the trainees had taken. The day had been filled with teaching the trainees to signal their dragons to attack the targets with special hand signals that each trainee had to create that would suit each duo.

As she was finishing up with getting the broken targets into a burn pile, she smiled when she saw her friend and teammate Fishlegs enter the Academy.

“Hey Fishlegs. What’s up?” She asked as she dusted off her hands and made her way over to him.

“Hey. The others and I were wondering if you’d be up to racing us? Just for old time’s sake.” He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Kala smiled and nodded. “Sure. Just around the island or?”

“We were actually planning on leaving the island. Maybe finding a good cluster of sea stacks to make it more challenging.” The Ingerman explained.

“Alright. Let me just lock up and I’ll meet up with you guys.” Kala said and Fishlegs nodded before he left.

Kala met up with her friends a few minutes later and transformed into her dragon form, shaking her head at the feeling. It had been a little over a year since the last time she had transformed, it had an odd feeling at first.

She gave her friends a determined look and once all nine of them were ready, they sped away from Berk.

Snotlout and Hookfang were ahead of the others for the first couple minutes, but once Kala got used to flying in her dragon form again, she was at the lead in no time.

“There’s the Kala we know!” Ruffnut exclaimed as she sped past Barf and Belch.

Kala roared happily and did a loop, but then she noticed that something was off. She felt too light. Like something was missing. Then it clicked. There was no one on her back controlling her prosthetic.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn’t register how close she was getting to crashing into a sea stack just ahead of her.

“KALA!!” Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins shouted to get their leader’s attention.

When she heard the shouts, she finally noticed and screeched in surprise as she tried to come to a stop, having to claw the sea stack from getting too close to it in her attempt. She clung to the side of it as she breathed heavily at the thought of what could have happened if she didn’t snap out of her trance in time.

The others had their dragons hover close to the stack she clung to, worry clear on the riders and dragons faces for their friend and leader.

“You okay cuz?” Snotlout asked, his worry prominent in his words.

Kala nodded then transformed into her hybrid form. “Y-yeah..I-I’m okay..”

“What happened, K?” Tuffnut asked, sounding just as worried as Snotlout did.

“I..was confused about why I was so light..but then I remembered why I was and..well..it distracted me..” The dragoness explained.

Her friends gave her sympathetic looks and she gave them a slight smile.

“Guess I wasn’t ready to fly in dragon form yet..” She said and gave a sad laugh.

“We should head back. Want a ride or?” Ruffnut asked.

Kala shook her head. “No I’m alright..I can fly back on my own in this form..”

The others nodded then they all made their way back to Berk once Kala released her claws from the rock.

As they landed in the plaza, Kala’s eyes widened when she spotted a certain blue and yellow Deadly Nadder looking at the statue of Hiccup. She smiled wide and dashed over to her adopted sister, embracing her in a hug.

“Stormfly!”

Stormfly purred and hugged her sister back with a wing and her head. “ It is good to see you again sister. ”

The Nadder then pulled away as she felt her sister’s body shaking ever so slightly. She gave the young Night Fury a worried look and began to look her over for any injuries.

“ Why are you so shaken? ”

Kala smiled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “I may or may not have almost crashed while racing the others..” She admitted.

“ You what?! What do you mean you almost crashed?! You’re such a skilled flier. How did you almost crash? ” Stormfly asked, very worried but also confused as to how Kala of all dragons would get so close to crashing.

Kala bit her lip as she avoided her sister’s gaze. “It was the first time I’ve transformed into my dragon form since Hiccup died..and I got distracted as I was trying to figure out why I felt so light..then I remembered that it was because Hiccup wasn’t there..”

“ Oh Kala.. ”

“But I’m okay now! I just wasn’t ready like I thought I was.” Kala reassured her.

“ If you say so sister.. ” Stormfly said as she watched her Night Fury sister be called away by her trainees.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Kala trekked her way back to the village after a few hours of being in the cove to decompress and get her energy back. She stretched her arms over her head as she broke the tree line and reached the outskirts of the village.

“ There you are my little starlight. I was looking everywhere for you. ” The young dragoness heard, turning to see it was her mother Revna.

“Oh. Hello Mother. Yeah, sorry. Took some down time in the cove. What’s up?” She asked with a small head tilt.

“ I was wondering if you would take me to Dragon’s Edge? I am rather curious as to what your old home looks like and I would very much like to see the cave you found the journal in. ” Revna asked, which earned a small smile from her daughter.

“Sure. When do you want to head out?”

“ Would now be alright? I know how busy you are these days and it seems like you are rather free today. ”

Kala nodded. “Yeah, I chose to take a day to myself. We can go now. Not like I have anything else to do.”

Revna smiled and nodded as the young Night Fury transformed into her dragon form. The two dragons were then in the air in no time and heading in the direction of Dragon’s Edge, Kala in the lead.

After about an hour of flying, Revna noticed that her daughter began to slow and crooned at her to get her attention.

“ Are you alright my dear? ”

“ Huh..? Oh…y-yeah…I’m okay…just… ” As Kala was responding, her eyes fluttered closed and she lost altitude, but snapped out of it just before Revna rushed after her to catch her, gaining the lost altitude back as she continued. “ Just tired… ”

Revna gave her a worried look. “ You are most definitely not fine. You just passed out briefly. If you keep flying like this you will pass out again. Come here. ”

Kala sighed and transformed into her hybrid form, landing on her mother’s back and hiding her wings and tail once she had her hands resting against her. “Okay, fine…you win…” She said, yawning as she rested her head atop Revna’s and closed her eyes.

Thankfully, since the two Night Furies are such fast fliers, they made it to Dragon’s Edge about fifteen minutes later. Kala awoke from her nap as Revna landed and she looked around with a soft smile.

The outpost looked rather intact for not being maintained in over three years. Although, there were some areas that were falling apart on the huts, clubhouse, stables and training area. Nature seemed to also be reclaiming its home as well seeing as there was overgrowth very clear on every building.

Kala dismounted her mother’s back and ran her hands along the wall of the stables as memories filled her head of the time her and the riders spent here. Some tears welled up in her eyes as she entered the stables and stood in the same spot where she and Hiccup performed their mating dance for the first time.

“This is where Hiccup and I performed our mating dance..” She breathed out as the memory played out in front of her as though she was physically witnessing it before her very eyes.

Revna walked over to her and looked around. “ You two did it in the stables? Odd choice, but there is nothing wrong with that. All that matters is how the moment made you feel. ”

Kala smiled and wiped at her eyes. “Yeah, you have a point. We just didn’t see the need to go anywhere else. Okay! Enough sappiness. You wanted to see the cave, right?”

Revna nodded. “ Yes. Is it nearby? ”

“It’s kinda on the other side of the island, but also in the center of it. It’s in a really odd spot honestly.” Kala explained as she left the stables.

Revna followed behind her and gave her a worried look. “ Will you have enough energy to get there? ”

“I should be fine as long as we walk there. Walking doesn’t drain me as much as flying does.” Kala said as she led her mother further into the island, retracing her steps to find the cave she and Hiccup were led to almost four years ago.

It took them a few minutes of walking in a calm silence before Kala sped up when she spotted the cave. Revna dashed after her daughter and followed her into the cave, taking in the dulled rocks and crystals that decorated the place.

“It used to glow when you would enter it, but I think that’s gone now since the Isles is gone.” Kala said as she lightly ran her hand along the wall of the cave as she walked further in, making her way to where the pedestal stood and once harbored the journal.

“ It is rather interesting that the rocks and crystals in this cave acted as the ones on Night Fury Isles once did. I wonder..perhaps hiding the journal here physically changed how this cave looked from the amount of time it hid within. ”

“Hiccup and I always wondered that ourselves after we found the Isles. But we were never able to come to a proper solution. Especially since we rarely had time to come back here. Guess it’ll forever be a mystery.” Kala said sadly as she ghosted her hands over the pedestal, a small smile adorning her lips.

~~~HTLANF~~~

“So how goes it with the trainees?” Gobber asked as Kala sat in a chair against one of the walls of the corner she chose to be nestled in within the forge as he worked away.

“Good..Einar has gotten better at controlling his Hobblegrunt finally.. He’s been having a hard time getting her to listen to his signals..” Kala explained, sounding very tired as she did.

Gobber smiled sadly, knowing there were three reasons for the tiredness of his apprentice. One being how hard she’s been working, another being that it was the two year anniversary of Hiccup’s passing, and the last one being that it was her last day to walk among the living.

“And what of little Gyda?”

“She’s top of my class.. Gyda has shown a lot of progress and gets along with her Razorwhip very well.. It’s rare to see them without the other..reminds me of Hiccup and I..” Kala said with a tired smile.

Gobber chuckled and looked at her. “Aye. The two of ya were inseparable. So, has Asta broken outta that shell of ‘er’s at all?”

“Not yet..she’s still struggling with bonding properly with her Gronckle.. But he’s a very patient dragon and is very kind..so I’m sure in time they’ll have a very unbreakable bond..” Kala said as she thought back to how her shy trainee has done thus far.

“Have ya talked with the others about who’ll take over their lessons for ya, little flame?” The blacksmith asked solemnly.

Kala nodded ever so slightly, wincing in pain as she did. “Yeah.. The twins are gonna take Einar..Snotlout wants to take Gyda..and Fishlegs will be taking Asta.. We decided that they’d be put with the mentor that best suits them based on their dragons..”

“Aye, that sounds like a good way ta do it.” Gobber said with a nod as he turned back to his work. “Have you said all your goodbyes yet?”

“Yes..all except you.. I was able to say goodbye to everyone before coming to see you..” The young dragoness said.

Gobber smiled sadly. “Well I’m honored to be the last one. Saved the best for last, did ya?”

Kala stifled a painful laugh. “Y-yeah…I…w-wanted to be in the f-forge before I went…”

Gobber turned to hug her, but he saw that she was limp against the corner she tucked herself away in with her eyes closed. He gained a sorrowful smile as he hobbled his way to her still form. He ruffled her messy hair as he looked to the sky as tears formed in his eyes.

“She’s all yours little flame. May the two of you spend the rest of eternity together in Valhalla and Sovngarde.”

~~~HTLANF~~~

I felt someone scratch me on the underside of my maw and I whined as I batted the hand away. I heard a soft chuckle and the hand went back to its scratching.

“Rise and shine, milady.~” I heard and my earplates perked up slightly.

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times to clear the blurriness to see none other than Hiccup in front of me in his human form.

“Hey. There’s my love.” He said and I was fully awake not even a second later.

I tackled him, purring happily and nuzzling him. Hiccup laughed and nuzzled me back.

“Yeah, I missed you too.”

~~~HTLANF~~~