Valka couldn't bring herself to look at Stoick.

Seventeen years was a very long time. Seventeen years felt like forever...it felt like it had been forever since she had seen him.

She still remembers the night, that fateful night when she was taken by Cloudjumper.

She still remembers the hurt, bewildered look on Stoick's face as he watched his beloved got ripped out of his life. Perhaps never to see her again.

Valka thought she'd never see him again.

Funny how finding her son here would lead her right to Stoick. Here they were, gazing into each other with a hint of familiarity in their eyes.

They were a few paces apart, yet seeing each other once again did felt surreal.

Valka's heart was racing. Her thoughts spun out of control.

Should she stay and tell Stoick the truth for being gone all these years? Should she grab her son and leave while there's still the chance?

If she leaves, then Stoick will never know what happened.

After all, he deserved an explanation.

"Stoick..." Valka slowly raised her head, meeting his gaze, "It's been years. You probably didn't expect me to be here,"

Stoick nodded, but he remained silent. A stoic expression compressed over his face.

Silence fell in the crowd.

Bewildered, yet stunned looks exchanged everyone's faces. Nobody said a word until-

"Stoick! I heard the horn blew," Gobber came rushing through the crowd, "What happened? Are we attacked by outcasts or...?"

Stoick shot his best friend a murderous glare.

Clearly, he was annoyed of his best friend interrupting such a momentous occasion.

Realising what he did, Gobber quickly fell silent.

"That Gobber," Stoick muttered, annoyed. "Always disrupting moments,"

Valka gave a small nod.

"Stoick, I know I have some explaining to do," she began, "Please, hear me out. I didn't mean to hurt you for leaving you alone. I didn't mean to abandon our son so you had to raise him on your own. I..."

Valka drew a breath. A look of guilt crossed over her face.

"I...I made a terrible mistake," she lowered her head in shame, "but leaving was for the better. Believe me. I knew I couldn't stay. I knew I couldn't stand the fighting. I've tried to convince you all to stop the fighting, but nobody listened. So it had been better if I left,"

Valka looked at Stoick, expecting him to say something. Again, silence was his own response.

"I actually planned on coming back sooner," Valka went on, "but I was too afraid; afraid you wouldn't forgive me for what I did. I was afraid...afraid how you would react, Stoick,"

She waited for Stoick to respond. Nothing seems to come out of the man's mouth.

The two men who restrained Hiccup loosen their grips. They were too focused on the reunion between the Berkian Chief and his wife to bother with the young Viking.

Hiccup stared at his parents, surprised. Honestly, he hadn't expected this to happen; his parents reuniting.

Tired of Stoick's endless silence, Valka scrunched her face in frustration.

"Why don't you say something, Stoick?" she exclaimed, "You must be mad at me for leaving you. Honestly, stop being so stoic, Stoick! For the love of Thor, yell, scream, say something! Anything!"

To her surprise, Stoick moved closer, placing a gentle hand on Valka's cheek, caressing it softly.

His sea-green eyes stared deeply into Valka's full of content.

"Oh, Val, I thought I lost you," Stoick choked between sobs, "I...I...thought you were dead. We all thought you were..." he stared at his wife's face; a face he'd long to see.

"Val, you're just as beautiful as the day I lost you,"

Valka closed her eyes, letting a tear drop roll down her face.

"Oh, Stoick...I..." she let her words trail off.

Pulling off his helmet, Stoick moved his face closer until they were inches apart.

To Valka's surprise, she felt Stoick's lips caressed hers in a kiss.

Hiccup's green eyes lit up. A warm smile spread across his face.

Seeing his parents reunite warmed his heart. He never thought he'd live to see his parents together.

Growing up, he had wished to see his mother and father together.

Now, he got his wish.

"Val, where have you been all this time?" Stoick asked once he pulled away from their embrace.

Valka's cheeks flushed, "I...it's a long story. Like I said, I owe you an explanation,"

Before Stoick could respond, he was interrupted by an agonized roar.

Hiccup whirled around to find Toothless struggling out of the Vikings' grasp.

One of the men, a Viking with dark hair drew an ax, positioning it towards Toothless' neck.

Hiccup's eyes widened, shell-shocked. His blood suddenly boiled with rage.

He couldn't let the Viking kill his best friend.

"Chief! What do you want to do with the dragon? Kill it?"

Stoick saw the shattered look in his son's eyes.

If Hiccup claimed the Night Fury wasn't a threat, then the only thing Stoick can do is believe him.

"Release him," Stoick commanded.

Reluctantly, the Viking dropped his weapon, letting the Night Fury out of his grasp.

Once Toothless broke free, he rushed over to his rider.

Hiccup's eyes lit up as he embraced his best friend in a warm hug.

"Toothless! Oh, I am so glad you're okay, bud,"

The crowd gasped as they watched the young Viking reunite with the Night Fury.

Stunned glances exchanged one another.

Never had they witness such a sight.

All their lives, they have believed dragons were nothing but monsters that wreak havoc.

Seeing such affection between a human and a dragon made them question their beliefs. Perhaps they had been wrong all along about dragons.

"Um, a little help here," Hiccup whirled around, chuckling.

Bound by tight ropes, Ingrid struggled to break free.

Quickly Hiccup drew his sword and began cutting the ropes.

Once Ingrid was free, she sprung to her feet, dusting debris off her clothes.

Arrow stood up, letting out an agitated roar.

"I know, I know. Ropes give you chafing," Ingrid stroked her dragon, calming her down, "but you're free now. Everything is going to be fine,"

When Stoick met Ingrid's gaze, suspicions filled his eyes.

"Who are you?" he stepped closer to the stranger.

Startled, Ingrid swallowed a nervous lump in her throat.

With unfamiliar faces fixed on her, Ingrid never felt so out of place.

She and Arrow were outsiders, especially since these people (except Hiccup and Valka) were born-dragon killers.

Ingrid honestly felt like a fish out of water.

Although she had been out of Edon countless times, never had she ventured this far to the archipelago.

These Berkians...they were a strange, intimidating bunch.

No wonder Hiccup felt uneasy around them. No wonder he struggled to belong in his own tribe.

"My name is Ingrid, sir. This is my dragon, Arrow,"

Arrow backed away, growling at the many Vikings before her.

Some Vikings drew their weapons, prepared to defend themselves from this 'beast'.

Ingrid raised her hand, stopping them.

"She's just scared," she told the crowd, "She's not used to being around strangers, especially if they have weapons. So, could you drop your weapons?"

The Vikings exchanged odd glances then lowered their weapons.

"So, you are Hiccup's friend, I assume?" Stoick asked with a raised brow.

Ingrid nodded, "Yes. I'm from the Isle of Edon; a day's journey from here,"

Murmurs reverberated through the crowd.

Stoick became interested, "Ah, my son told me about your home. Well, you're welcomed to stay here as long as you want. I would like to know more of this Isle of Edon,"

Ingrid exchanged an uneasy look with Hiccup and Valka.

She didn't expect an invitation to stay since the plan was to discreetly find Hiccup and Toothless then fly back to Edon.

Though, Ingrid was rather curious about Berk.

Perhaps her father wouldn't mind her taking a detour.

"She'd love to," Hiccup declared, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"In fact, she and I could show you some things about dragons. I mean, that is if you let us,"

Ingrid raised a brow then whispered, "What are you doing? I don't think these people would be too keen on us showing them about dragons,"

Hiccup gave a light chuckle then whispered back, "Well, we'll never know unless we try,"

Stoick stared at the two dragons, deep in thought. He wasn't so keen about having dragons reside among his people.

All his life, he had believed they were nothing but beasts.

He may have witnessed his own son and that Night Fury bonded.

Even though that warmed his heart, dragons were dragons.

They were untamed, ruthless creatures that could turn against humans.

He had seen it all; fellow Vikings being torn from limb to limb by those meddling beasts.

Trusting those 'beasts' was something he would struggle with.

"For now, the dragons are to remain in the arena," Stoick declared firmly.

Hiccup's eyes widened, "What? But dad-''

"Hiccup," Stoick said sternly, "until further notice, these dragons must stay in the arena. I won't have them scaring off my people,"

Hiccup shook his head, "They won't do any damage, I promise. Trust me, Dad. Toothless and Arrow are trained. They won't hurt-''

"Dragons are dragons," Stoick heaved out a sigh, "I will have a think about it. Dragons may no longer raid us, but that doesn't mean we can't be too cautious,"

Hiccup wanted to protest, but he knew it would be useless.

One sided conversations was nothing new for him.

"Fine," Hiccup replied with a sigh, "but if you can trust me, I promise you they won't hurt you. I promise you dragons are not the beasts we thought they were,"

Valka looked over her son with sad eyes,

The boy was inseparable with his Night Fury. Being separated from his dragon hurt Hiccup, but Valka knew these Berkians were reluctant to have dragons roaming the place.

Keeping the dragons in the arena was for everyone's precautions.

~

"So, how did you find Hiccup? It must have been a surprise,"

After dismissing the village to carry on with their business, Stoick took Valka to their home to catch up.

Of course, Valka had some explaining to do.

Hiccup decided to come along to reunite with his family. It wasn't every day that he would see his parents together after such a long time.

It warmed his heart to know they have never stopped caring for each other.

He had been too young to remember when his mother was taken away. But it was finally nice to have her around now.

"Oh, it certainly was. I still remember that day," Valka replied with a chuckle.

The three Haddocks sat at their dining table enjoying a mug of ale.

Hiccup flushed at the memory, "Oh yeah, I remember. I heard a noise from outside. Thought it would be a wild creature or something, but it turns out my long-lost mother was out there,"

"I had stopped by at Edon at the time. I was on my way to the dragon sanctuary," Valka added.

Stoick raised a brow, "Dragon sanctuary?"

"She has been rescuing dragons, Dad," Hiccup declared with a smile, "That place is amazing. There are dragons of different species and...and there was a Bewilderbeast too; the alpha of the dragons. It was pretty cool,"

Valka chuckled at her son's enthusiasm.

When Hiccup talks about dragons, he would always go and on.

"A Bewilder-what?" Stoick furrowed his brows, perplexed, "I've never heard such a thing,"

As the three engaged in conversations, Hiccup was enjoying cherishing every moment of it.

"You have so much to learn, Stoick," Valka said, "I've been to different places, met different faces and I've learnt so much. I have many stories to tell,"

Stoick interlocked his fingers with his wife's.

"My dear, we got all the time we need," he replied with a smile, "How long do you plan to stay on Berk anyway?"

Valka exchanged looks with Hiccup before replying,

"It depends. We're needed on Edon. It is our home,"

Dismay filled Stoick's eyes.

"Ah, of course," he drew a breath, "It would be nice if you could stay awhile. Berk is your home after all, but I understand now why you left,"

Hiccup stared at his mug of ale, frowning.

As much as he loved Edon, it hurts that he left his own father.

Although they have had their differences, he still loved him.

He would stay up some nights thinking about him. Mostly Hiccup thought about how he was holding up on Berk without his family.

Berk was his birthplace. Edon was his second home he grew to love.

Conflicted, Hiccup needed a walk to clear his head.

"Hiccup, where are you going?" Stoick asked as Hiccup stood up.

Hiccup drew a breath, "I think I'm gonna go for a walk. I...I just need to clear my head,"

Valka looked at him, concerned, "Is everything alright, son?"

Hiccup gave a nod, "Yeah, I'll be back later. You guys probably need time to catch up anyway,"

Hiccup reached for the door then stepped out into the cool, crisp air.

A gust of wind brushed past him, running its invisible hand through his hair.

Winter was fast approaching, and the village were already preparing for the cold season.

Hiccup glanced at the forest in the distance.

A quiet walk in the woods was all he needed.

When he still lived on Berk, Hiccup would venture to the woods whenever he needed time alone or to hide from his personal tormentors.

He spent a lot more time there when he bonded with Toothless two years ago.

Right now, his thoughts were in an endless war with each other.

Berk or Edon?

Hiccup couldn't really choose because he loved both places.

"Hey, there you are,"

Hiccup spun around to see Ingrid sitting in his front porch.

While his family reunited, Ingrid decided to stay outside for a bit of solitude.

She was exhausted after a long journey, and needed a breather.

"Sorry you had to wait a while," Hiccup said, coming over to sit beside her.

Ingrid waved it off, "I understand. You wanted to catch up with your family. I mean, you guys haven't seen each other for years. Your father, he's the Chief, right?"

Hiccup hummed in response, "Yeah he is,"

Ingrid's eyes widened in realisation, "That would make you an heir, right? Wow, you and Gunner are so lucky,"

"Well, before Dad banished me, I was supposed to be the next in line," Hiccup shrugged it off, "but that's not what I want to do; being Chief. I would rather go off on adventures, rescue helpless dragons. You know, just being free,"

Ingrid nodded, "I get it. So who's the next in line?"

"Me. That's who,"

Hiccup and Ingrid looked up to see none other than Snotlout and the others approach them.

"Hey babe," Snotlout wriggled his brows at Ingrid, "the name's Jorgenson. Snotlout Jorgenson, heir of Berk and the most awesome drag- I mean, fighter. Yes! Fighter. I have a way with swords and maces. So I am guessing you're Ingrid, right?"

Ingrid shuffled in her place, "Uh, yeah I-''

"You're so not, Snotlout. We all know you're lousy with your sword," Astrid rolled her eyes; "I'm Astrid by the way. You can ignore Snotlout. He loves to boast and...hitting on girls, apparently. He's a muttonhead,"

"Hey!" Snotlout exclaimed, offended, "That's a lie!"

Hiccup noticed the uneasy look in Ingrid's eyes. He could understand it must be strange for her to come to a place that was so foreign to her.

The fact that people here killed dragons made her feel more uneasy.

"We're Tuffnut and Ruffnut," Tuffnut greeted her, "And between you and me, I'm the cooler, good-looking twin,"

Ruffnut punched her brother in the gut, causing him to sprawl on the ground.

"He's not. Really,"

"I'm Fishlegs," Fishlegs stepped forward with a smile, "It's nice to have people from outside Berk visit us. I heard the Isle of Edon lives with dragons. And they're assigned dragons from birth based on their personality traits, right?"

Ingrid gaped at him, dumbstrucked. She never thought outsiders would know about her culture.

"Yeah, that's true. We Edonians have lived among dragons for centuries. To you, that might seem strange. But-''

"Whoa awesome," Tuffnut grinned, "I've always wanted my own dragon. Well, after learning about how cool they are,"

Hiccup glanced at the others with a puzzled look.

"Uh, guys, mind telling me why you're here?"

The others fell silent, exchanging eager looks at each other.

Finally Fishlegs spoke.

"We want to train our own dragons," He declared, "It would be cool to ride on one,"

Snotlout grinned widely, "Mine would be cooler than all of yours,"

Remembering what Stoick said, Hiccup couldn't let his or Ingrid's dragons roam free.

He couldn't let the others roam around with their dragons either. Even they were really eager to train.

"Sorry, but my Dad made it clear; no dragons allowed until further notice,"

Ingrid noticed the dismay in his voice. She understood why he felt that way.

Though she was hurt for being separated from Arrow, Ingrid knew it was for the better.

"Oh, come on," Snotlout groaned, "Haven't you heard about being stealthy?"

Hiccup grew even more apprehensive where this was going.

"Uh, what are you on about?" he asked, lifting a brow.

"We can train our dragons at night," Ruffnut grinned, wriggling her brows, "Stoick will never know. Besides, we still have the dragons we use for dragon training,"

Ingrid turned to Hiccup mouthing, "Dragon Training?"

Guilt filled Hiccup's eyes. He didn't need Ingrid to know what people used to do with the dragons.

"No guys," Astrid said, crossing her arms, "Stoick will be furious. Look, as much as I want to train my own dragon- probably a Deadly Nadder- I wouldn't want to risk getting caught. I've been training to be a Shieldmaiden. If things go wrong, then that privilege will be taken away,"

The village knew how Astrid was serious about becoming a shield maiden.

All her life, she had trained long and hard to earn her privilege as one. She wasn't going to lose it for being disobedient to the chief.

Ingrid didn't know much about this Astrid girl. But she could relate to her in some way.

"Come on, live a little," Snotlout pleaded going on his knees, "We'll be careful. Promise,"

Hiccup glanced at the others then sucked in a breath.

"Well, to be honest, it wasn't fair for my Dad to keep our dragons locked up," he groaned, running a hand through his face, "Fine. I can help you train. But remember; discreet. You have to be careful," he paused, muttering, "I can't believe I am going along with this,"

Deep down, he sort of glad the others persuaded him.

Ever since Stoick's men took Toothless to the arena, all Hiccup wanted to do was get to Toothless.

"Don't worry. We'll be careful," Snotlout waved it off.

With a sigh, Hiccup followed the others down towards the arena.