When the Cold Wind is a Callin'

Chapter 1: The Holiday Season

The North is many things to many people. Hard. Fierce. Grim. But one word describes the North better than any other.

Cold.

Even in the dead of summer, snow still clings to the high places of the North. In winter though, cold infused the North, ice and snow blanketing forests, fields and valleys across all the various lands that made up the region, from the Highlands to the Norselands, from the Steppes in the east to Arendelle clinging to the southernmost portion.

Winter in the North was a time of hardship and this year appeared to be no different. People huddled in their homes, keeping fires burning in their hearths to stay warm, living off of the food they had been preparing and storing all year. All in all, winter was a joyless time in the North.

Except on the island of Berk. This year, winter had taken a much more positive turn.

The sun was rising in the east, the sunlight glittering off the fresh snow that had fallen the night before as the sky turned from dark purple to a bright pink. The rising sun began to waken life on the island. Sheep began to venture from their shelters into their frozen pastures as roosters in their coops called out to greet the day. One creature in particular was more active than the others however.

Flitting through the town that occupied the area surrounding the island's one safe harbor, a long shadow dashed across the white snow, kicking up flurries in its wake. The creature looked like a giant black salamander with large, bat-like wings. Two fins grew from the end of its tail, one organic, the other a prosthetic made of cloth and metal, colored bright red with a skull drawn in white on it.

He was a Night Fury. He was a dragon.

Racing up a hill at the edge of the village, the Night Fury leapt onto a house that sat on the border of the forest that dominated much of the island. Latching his claws into the wooden walls, the Night Fury pulled himself up onto the thatch roof of the house. Growling, he began pounding on the top of the room, shaking it and causing snow to go sliding off.

The thudding echoed through the simple home, especially in the room directly below the dragon. The room was a bedroom where a young man slept. He looked about sixteen years old with shaggy auburn hair, a slim build and a pale complexion. He woke with a start as the dragon's banging shook the whole room. Grumbling, he ran a hand through his hair and turned his green eyes towards the ceiling.

"Alright! Alright!" the young man called out with a slightly nasal voice as he threw off his blanket and sat up on his bed, "I'm up!"

As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, the young man revealed that his left leg ended just below the knee. Reaching to the side of his bed, the young man grabbed a prosthetic leg made of metal and leather before strapping it onto the stub of his leg. After flexing his leg experimentally, the young man pushed himself to his feet.

Moving to his wardrobe, the young man quickly grabbed some fresh clothes and threw them on. He threw a pair of long wool underwear on under his brown trousers and covered his foot with a black wool sock before pulling on a brown leather boot. He quickly tossed on a green tunic that he tucked into his pants and strapped on a thick leather harness before throwing a brown fur coat on over all of it. As he made his way towards the door of his room, he paused to pick up a horned, iron helmet sitting next to his bed and placed it on his head.

Exiting his room, the young man closed the door behind him as movement caught his eyes. Glancing over, the young man noticed a young woman exiting her own room just down the hall from him. She was of the same age of him with a slim build and an even paler complexion. She was dressed in black wool trousers that were tucked into her leather boots along with a brown fur coat over a leather harness and a light blue tunic. She wore a dark blue, wool knit cap that contrasted with her curly, fiery red hair peaked out from under the hat. In her hand, she carried a carved recurve bow and she had a quiver full of arrows slung over one shoulder.

"Mornin' Hiccup," the young woman greeted with a smile and a light voice thick with accent, her icy blue eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

"Moring Merida," the young man, Hiccup, replied with a smile of his own, "He wake you up too?"

"Toothless cud wake th' dead if he tried hard enough," Merida commented with a giggle. As if to answer, a roar came from outside as the roof shook again.

"He's getting' impatient," Merida observed, glancing up at the ceiling before turning her attention back to Hiccup and leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss. The two stayed like that for a few moments before Merida pulled back again, giggling at the goofy smile that crossed Hiccup's face.

"We shudnae keep him waitin'," Merida commented with a smirk as she walked past him.

"I suppose we shouldn't," Hiccup agreed with a chuckle as he turned around and followed Merida down the hall. At the end of the hall, Hiccup and Merida descended a flight of stairs to the first floor, which was occupied largely by a combination of a living room and a kitchen. As they reached the first floor, Merida and Hiccup came across a large man working in the kitchen.

He was a hulking man, standing tall over Merida and Hiccup with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He had the same auburn hair as Hiccup, long enough to tie into a small ponytail. A long beard covered most of his face, the braided ends fanning across his chest. He wore a sea green tunic along with brown wool pants and wool socks over his large feet.

"Mornin'," he greeted with a deep voice as he looked at the two teens with blue eyes.

"Mornin', Stoick," Merida replied.

"Morning, Dad," Hiccup echoed with a sheepish smile, "Hope we didn't wake you up."

"I rise with the dawn, son," Stoick answered before another bang shook the house, "Though I'll be cross if that dragon of yours puts a hole in my roof."

"We'll go take care of that," Hiccup replied as he walked over to a rack where a few hooded cloaks hung. Hiccup grabbed a forest green cloak while Merida grabbed a dark blue one, each wrapping the cloaks around their shoulders and securing them with iron clasps. They then each grabbed a pair of fur-lined, leather gloves sitting on a table nearby and pulled them on. They quickly made their way out the front door, Hiccup closing the door behind them.

The cold wind cut through the two of them, causing them to shiver as they pulled their cloaks closer, Merida pulling her hood over her head for extra warmth. As they exited the house, they looked up towards the roof of the building, where they saw the dragon looking down at them, grumbling.

"See, we're up, Toothless" Hiccup stated as he and Merida began making their way around the house, "Happy now?"

Toothless grumbled some more and made a face down at Hiccup. Hiccup smirked and made a face back at Toothless, causing Merida to laugh which the young man quickly joined in on. As they walked, the two of them suddenly stepped on a patch of ice which sent them sliding across the frozen ground. Hiccup grunted as he fell onto his back, before wheezing as Merida sat hard on his chest.

As Hiccup groaned in pain, the wind seemed to pick up around them and for a second he could hear ethereal laughter on the breeze before a snowflake floated up and landed on his nose. As the snowflake melted against his skin, a rush of joy swept over him before he started laughing. As Merida recomposed herself, she looked down at Hiccup laughing under her before a giggle crawled up her throat, quickly growing into a joyous laugh of her own. Up above them, Toothless added his own deep throated laughter to the mix as Merida stood up and carefully helped Hiccup to his feet.

"Careful now," Merida chided with a giggle, "It's a wee slippery taeday."

"Yeah, I noticed," Hiccup answered with a chuckle.

As the two made their way off of the ice patch, Toothless climbed off of the roof onto the snow-covered ground before rubbing his head against Hiccup, who smiled and pet the dragon's scales.

"Alright pal," Hiccup stated with a smile, "I take it you want to go for a fly?"

Toothless bounced up and down excitedly in response, earning a chuckle from both Hiccup and Merida.

"I'll take that as a yes," Hiccup commented with a grin, "Well, come on then; we should go get Boudica before we get the two of you saddled up."

With that, the three of them made their way around the house to where a small stable sat. As they approached the stable, they could see another dragon curled up inside. This dragon was sky blue in color, with yellow spines running down its back. Instead of having four legs like Toothless, this dragon had two, while its forelegs ended in bat-like wings with yellow claws at the corners. Its raptor-like head had a jaw full of sharp teeth that poked out from its mouth while its tail ended in a number of sharp spines. The dragon lay in a pile of hay, its wings and tail wrapped around it as it snored lightly.

As they approached the stable, a crow came flying out, cawing as it circled around Merida's head. Smiling, Merida held out her arm, offering the crow a place to land. The crow took the offer, landing on her arm before shuffling over and sitting on Merida's shoulder.

"Good mornin', Varis," Merida greeted as she reached up and stroked the crow's feathers. As she did, she noticed the dragon in the stable perk its head up, prompting Merida's smile to grow wider.

"An' good mornin' tae ye, Boudica," Merida said as the dragon picked herself up and gave herself a shake. Walking over, she pet the dragon on her head, prompting Boudica to chirp happily at Merida.

"Ye up fer a ride?" Merida questioned, to which Boudica nodded her large head excitedly, "Alright then, let's get ye saddled up."

Merida and Hiccup took a few minutes retrieving the two large saddles, both specifically designed for their respective dragons. After getting both dragons saddled up, Hiccup and Merida pulled themselves on to the creatures' backs and hooked their harnesses to the saddles. Placing his feet into the stirrups, Hiccup tested the lever built into one of them which worked Toothless' prosthetic fin, opening and closing it at his command.

"Alright, everything looks all set," Hiccup stated before turning his attention to Merida, "How about you, Mer?"

"Ready whenever ye are, Hic!" Merida declared with a smile as Boudica pawed at the ground impatiently.

"Alright!" Hiccup declared excitedly as he gripped the saddle tightly, "Let's go!"

With that, Toothless leapt into the air, flapping his large wings to carry him and Hiccup into the sky, Boudica and Merida following closely behind. Varis cawed from the ground before flapping his wings rapidly and chasing after the two dragons.

Hiccup let out a whoop of joy as he soared through the air on Toothless' back, the wind wiping around him. Looking back, Hiccup heard Merida's excited laughter as she and Boudica chased after him. After reaching a high point in the air, Toothless and Boudica evened out, gliding far above the island. Varis cawed as he joined them, gliding between Toothless and Boudica.

"Whit now!?" Merida called over to Hiccup.

"Now?" Hiccup questioned as a smile spread across his face, "Now, we have some fun!"

With that, Hiccup unstrapped himself from Toothless' saddle before sliding off the side and falling through the empty air, prompting Toothless to fall along with him as his artificial fin closed up. Merida gasped in shock as she watched the two plummet to the ground as Hiccup let out another cry of joy. As the two fell, Hiccup and Toothless looked at one another, the Night Fury smiling at the young man, his tongue wagging comically in the wind. Reaching out, Toothless batted Hiccup with one of his paws, sending the Viking spinning through the air, laughing as he fell. Slowing his spin, Hiccup grabbed hold of Toothless before pulling himself back into the saddle. Latching himself in, Hiccup flared Toothless' wings, causing the Night Fury to pull up just before hitting the ground. With the wind whipping in their wake, the two went swooping over the village, kicking up flurries of snow as they passed over the rooftops.

As the two slowed down, Hiccup let out another whoop of joy as Toothless began to glide over the bay.

"What do you think, pal?" Hiccup questioned as he patted Toothless on the side, "You think that impressed her?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of Merida's cry of excitement came rushing towards him. Turning, he saw Merida gripping Boudica's back as the two shot through the sky in a steep dive. They rocketed past Hiccup and Toothless, heading straight for a group of rocks that towered over the water just off of Berk's shores. Boudica's wings flared as they approached the rocks, slowing the Nadder to a more controllable speed. As they approached a pair of rocks that sat huddled together, Merida pulled Boudica to the side, prompting the Nadder to close her wings up again as go spinning between the rocks. Quickly opening her wings again, Merida and Boudica flew towards a natural bridge that connected two of the rocks. Unhooking herself from Boudica's saddle, Merida eased herself to her feet so she was standing unsteadily on the Nadder's back. Right before they reached the bridge, Merida leapt off of Boudica's back, prompting the Nadder to go swooping underneath the rock formation as the princess landed on top of it. The rock was slick with sea water and newly formed ice, causing Merida to slip and slide over the stone. She managed to keep her balance and when her momentum carried her to the other side of the bridge, she hopped off the edge and flipped forward before landing perfectly in Boudica's saddle as the Nadder came flying up from under the bridge.

"How's 'at!?" Merida called up to Hiccup as she latched herself back to Boudica's saddle, laughing with mirth.

"I guess that would be a no," Hiccup commented as he and Toothless looked on in surprise before the young man turned his attention back to the Night Fury, "What do you say, pal? Want to give it a try?"

Toothless grunted and nodded in reply, prompting Hiccup to laugh and pat the Night Fury on the head.

"Alright," Hiccup said as he gripped Toothless' saddle tight and took a calming breath, "Here goes nothing!"

With that, Toothless dove in the direction that Boudica had gone, folding his wings to increase his speed. The Night Fury easily spun between the two rocks before leveling out as he and Hiccup approached the rock bridge. Unhooking himself, Hiccup quickly pushed himself to his feet and stood unsteadily on Toothless' back. Just as they reached the bridge though, Toothless' artificial fin snapped shut, sending the Night Fury plummeting downwards just as Hiccup leapt off his back. The sudden shift caused Hiccup to go flipping through the air, sending him flying over the bridge as Toothless continued to fall with a startled roar.

As the two went falling through the air, the wind suddenly seemed to pick up around them in a swirl of snowflakes, changing the direction they were falling. Instead of falling into the icy sea, they landed on a lower rock that was covered in snow, hitting with a soft thump as loose flurries went flying in every direction.

Hiccup groaned as he pulled himself out of the pile of snow, shaking loose flakes off as he tried to steady his spinning head.

"Are ye okay!?" Merida called out in concern as Boudica landed on the rock and she slipped off the Nadder's back as Varis landed nearby. Pulling himself up, Hiccup glanced over at Toothless, who was pulling himself out of the snowbank, snorting flakes off of his nose.

"Yeah, I think we're okay," Hiccup replied with a smile, before he was nearly knocked back down as Merida pulled him into a hug.

"Daenae scare me like 'at!" Merida said, half angry, half relieved, "Ah thought ye were gaein' intae th' water fer sure!"

"Me too," Hiccup admitted, "The wind shifted though and pushed us over here. Lucky, I guess."

"Why's there sae much snow here?" Merida questioned as she looked over the small rock they stood on.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Look at all th' other rocks," Merida explained, gesturing to the other outcroppings that surrounded them, "They daenae hae nearly as much snow as this ane does."

"Weird," Hiccup agreed before shrugging his shoulders, "Anyway, I think we should be getting back to the village."

"Aye," Merida agreed, "'At's enough flyin' fer ane mornin'."

With that, the two climbed back onto their dragons and took off, flying back to the village, ignorant to the ethereal laughter that followed in their wake.

Later,

Hiccup sat in the smithy, the glow from the furnace warming and illuminating the shop, Toothless laying curled up on the ground behind him. He sat at his workbench, a sword laying in front of him next to his helmet. The sword was shorter than most, especially by Viking standards. It was made of finely polished steel that reflected the light back at Hiccup and the blade was curved and honed to an incredibly sharp edge. Old Norse runes were carved into the blade near the hilt. Hiccup stared at the blade pensively, lost in thought as he looked at his own reflection. He held his right hand in the air next to him, periodically clenching and unclenching his hand. His sleeve was rolled up to the elbow, revealing the spiraling red burn that ran the length of his arm. The burn resembled a pair of long, skinny dragons weaving around each other until they reached his hand where they faced each other on his palm, a fireball suspended between their open mouths.

Pausing, Hiccup shifted forward and reached out towards the sword with his burnt hand. He held his hand a few inches from the blade, hesitant to go further. Looking closer, Hiccup could see the space between his hand and the blade was starting to ripple like the air above a fire.

A knock from the door brought his attention back to reality.

"Doors open!" Hiccup announced as he pulled his hand away and rolled his sleeve back down, Toothless raising his head as he looked inquisitively at the door, "Come on in!"

The door opened and Merida stepped in with Varis on her shoulder and another young man in tow. The young man towered over the other two with broad shoulders and a heavy belly. He wore a heavy brown cloak over an equally heavy and brown fur coat and wool pants. Thick leather boots dripped with snow as he walked in and he rubbed his hands together for warmth, despite the fact that he already was wearing a pair of red wool gloves. A red wool scarf was wrapped around the bottom half of his round face and a small horned helmet sat on top of his head, his short, straw blonde hair sticking out from underneath.

"Oh, hey guys, what's up?" Hiccup questioned.

"It's getting' late," Merida explained, "Me an' Fishlegs came tae fetch ye fer supper."

"Wow, it's already that late?" Hiccup questioned, surprised, "I must have lost track of the time."

"Doing what?" the young man, Fishlegs, asked, "It's not like you've had a lot to do since Gobber left."

"Just trying to figure a few things out," Hiccup replied with a shrug as he picked the sword up off his workbench, absentmindedly clenching and unclenching his burnt hand.

"Still trying to figure out what Bemuhen is made out of, huh?" Fishlegs questioned, looking the blade over with his light blue eyes.

"It's not like any metal I've ever seen before," Hiccup explained as he looked at the sword again, "If I could just figure out what it is and how to get it…well, I could do some pretty cool stuff."

"Ah bet," Merida agreed with a chuckle, "Surely 'at's nae th' anly thin' ye've been workin' on."

"No," Hiccup agreed with a shake of his head, "I've been working on saddle designs for everyone and trying to upgrade my own. After what happened today, I was thinking of finding a way to lock Toothless' fin in place so I don't always have to be there for him to fly."

"That would be pretty handy," Fishlegs agreed.

"I've also been looking into some upgrades for my crossbow," Hiccup explained, laying his sword back down before turning to a nearby bench and picking the weapon in question, a finely crafted piece of machinery made of polished wood and metal.

"What are you trying to do with it?" Fishlegs questioned as he walked over to Hiccup's side.

"Trying a few things to make it easier to carry," Hiccup explained as he pulled down on the crossbeams of the weapon, causing them to click into place along the sides of the stock. Hitting a small button caused the crossbeams to spring back into place with a snap.

"Nice," Fishlegs commented with an impressed nod.

"Thanks," Hiccup replied with a smirk as he set the crossbow down again, "I've also been working on a way to load arrows into it faster."

"Ye're lucky ye didnae get killed loadin' it last time," Merida pointed out as she leaned against one of the workbenches, melting snow dripping off the bottom of her boots as Varis hopped off her shoulder and began going through a few of the papers sitting on the bench.

"Exactly," Hiccup agreed with her, "It's not something I want to risk again."

"Whit are these?" Merida questioned as she turned her attention to the papers sitting on the workbench, shooing Varis out of the way.

"Just some ideas I've been playing with," Hiccup explained, walking over to Merida's side and indicating to one of the papers, "These are some sketches for an artificial leg better suited to dragon riding."

"What's this one?" Fishlegs questioned as he wandered over as well and indicated to the sketch of a hollow broadsword with an unusual looking pommel.

"I've been playing around with some ideas based off utilizing things we have now that we have dragons," Hiccup elaborated, "Ways to use dragon scales, Nightmare saliva, Zippleback gas…"

"Black rock?" Merida added.

"Black rock," Hiccup agreed with a nod of his head, "This is one of those ideas. The blade folds into the pommel and can be extended out, like the crossbow. There will be a store of Nightmare saliva in the pommel that coats the blade as it extends."

"Why wud ye want tae dae 'at?" Merida questioned in confusion.

"Because then the blade can be ignited," Fishlegs elaborated, nodding his head in understanding, "How will you ignite the saliva though?"

"I've been studying the Zipplebacks and I think I've figured out a way to mimic what the igniter head can do," Hiccup elaborated, "I was going to see if I can't build my own igniter into the sword so you can set off a spark and ignite the saliva whenever you need to. I might even be able to store some Zippleback gas in the pommel for the wielder to utilize."

"'At sounds amazin', Hic!" Merida exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"I've never even heard of a weapon like this," Fishlegs commented as he looked over the sketches with wonder, "What are you going to call this?"

"Probably something simple, like a dragonblade or something like that," Hiccup answered with a shrug.

"Ye designin' yerself a replacement sword, Hic?" Merida questioned with a smirk.

"No, I like Bemuhen just fine," Hiccup replied with a chuckle, "But I'm sure if we put a sword like this into the right hands, that person could do some serious damage."

"No kidding," Fishlegs agreed with a nod, "Just got to make sure they don't light themselves on fire."

"I might have a solution for that too," Hiccup stated before he pulled out another sheet which showed various designs for pieces of light armor.

"Whit is this?" Merida questioned.

"Dragonhide," Hiccup replied solemnly.

"Hiccup," Merida said, slightly aghast, "Ye daenae mean tae…"

"No," Hiccup assured her, "Never. But dragons get old and die and as ghastly as it seems it might be useful to use what they leave behind."

"Maybe," Merida stated, though she didn't look fully convinced, "Whit wud ye use it fer?"

"Well, not only is dragonhide tough, it's also fireproof," Hiccup explained, "That could be handy for a dragonrider, especially because it should also be lighter than metal armor."

"Interesting, if a bit grim," Fishlegs agreed.

"It's all just ideas right now," Hiccup explained with a shrug.

"Well, Ah think Ah've had enough o' broodin' over yer inventions fer ane night," Merida stated as she took a step away from the workbench, "Ah'm starved an' Ah understand there's saeme sort o' feast gaein' on taenight in th' Great Hall."

"Oh right," Hiccup replied as he remembered what day it was, "Tonight's when Dad starts the annual Snoggletog celebrations."

Merida stared at him in confusion for a few quiet moments.

"Whit th' bloody Hel is Snoggletog?" Merida questioned.

"It's an annual Viking winter celebration that marks the end of the year," Fishlegs explained with a shrug, "It's all about togetherness, and happiness and giving and all that good stuff."

"Oh, Ah see," Merida replied in understanding, "It sounds a little like Hogmanay."

It was now Hiccup and Fishlegs' turn to look confused.

"What's Hogmanay?" Hiccup asked as he moved to grab his coat and cloak from a peg on the wall.

"It's th' end o' th' year celebration in th' Highlands," Merida explained as she moved towards the door, Varis flapping back up onto her shoulder, "Ah'll hae tae share saeme o' th' traditions with ye lot. After all, Ah'm sure Ah'm gaein' tae be learnin' a lot aboot Snoggletog."

Merida paused for a moment.

"Why's it called Snoggletog anyway?" Merida asked, looking at Hiccup as he put his coat.

"Beat's me," Hiccup answered as he put on his cloak, "I always thought it was a pretty stupid name."

Merida laughed as she opened the door and led them all out into the snow, Hiccup pausing to grab his helmet before closing the door and locking the smithy behind him. The four of them quickly made their way across the village to where the mighty Great Hall stood, eager to get out of the cold wind that tugged at their cloaks and nipped at their noses.

As they arrived at the Great Hall, they found it already bustling with people. Lanterns were being hung from the rafters and columns, making the Hall look brighter than Merida had ever seen it. At the same time, colorful decorations were being set up and strands of garland were being hung between the columns. All around them, Vikings and dragons alike were at work, happily helping one another set up the decorations.

"Wow," Merida said in wonder as she looked around, "Ah didnae think it wud be this colorful."

"This is nothing," Hiccup stated, walking past her into the Hall, "Wait until you see the tree."

"Tree?" Merida asked as she followed behind, "Whit tree?"

Fishlegs chuckled as he watched them go before his attention was drawn to a dragon that wandered up to him and nudged him with its nose. The dragon was a squat, round creature with a thick neck and a bulbous nose. It had a cavernous mouth filled with sharp teeth and black-on-yellow eyes. Its scales were brownish in color and had four stubby legs and small wings that looked like they could not support the dragon's weight.

"Hey, Meatlug," Fishlegs greeted the dragon, patting it on its head, "You been helping Mom put up the decorations?"

"Among other people," a new voice spoke up, bringing Fishlegs' attention to a young woman his own age who was approaching him. She was a head shorter than Fishlegs with a lithe but athletic build. She had shoulder length blonde hair that she wore in an elaborate braid that hung down and sat on her shoulder while her bangs hung in front of one of her cold blue eyes, most of it held back by the red leather headband she wore. She wore a red tunic that fit her form closely. Her shoulders were covered by iron pauldrons and a large food head that was held up by an iron ring. A fur skirt hung from her waist, with iron spikes and decorative skulls attached to it under which she wore a pair of navy blue leggings. She wore matching leather, fur-lined boots and bracers while a few wrappings covered her biceps.

"Oh, hey Astrid," Fishlegs greeted with a slightly nervous smile, "What's up?"

"Not much," Astrid shrugged as she pat Meatlug on the neck, "Just helping your parents set up some decorations."

She indicated over her shoulder to two people, a man and a woman. That man was thick and heavy set with dark brown hair while the woman was slim with blonde hair. The woman sat on the man's shoulders, trying to wrap a strand of garland around one of the columns. Seeing Fishlegs, she smiled and waved enthusiastically, which caused the man to lose his balance and almost drop her.

Fishlegs snorted at the sight before turning his attention back to Astrid.

"They look like they can use all the help they can get," Fishlegs observed.

"Exactly my thinking," Astrid replied before she reached down and took Fishlegs' hand before leading him through the crowd towards his parents. Fishlegs blushed before smiling slightly as he allowed the smaller girl to tow him along.

Later,

Soon enough, the assembled Vikings and dragons took a break from putting up their decorations in order to feast with one another. The sound of conversation, eating and dragons grunting at one another filled the hall, even to the back where a smaller table had been set up with on a raised dais. Stoick, Hiccup and Merida sat at the table, joined by three others. One was a bent old woman with long, braided grey hair and a helmet with long, tall horns on her head. An equally old and gnarled staff that was taller than she was sat next to her, leaning against the table. The second was a tall, muscular, gruff-looking man with dark hair and a short beard, dressed mostly in black, wearing a helmet with tall horns. The final person was a young man the same age as Hiccup and Merida, thick set and broad shouldered with black hair, blue eyes and a stubbly beard. He wore a black fur cloak over an equally black jacket and brown pants, his feet covered by brown, fur-lined, leather boots.

"And that's how I saved Hiccup and Fishlegs from the Terrible Terror when we were kids," the young man said to Merida, a cocky grin on his face.

"Right," Merida stated, cocking her eyebrow at the young man sitting next to her, "Ah think ye're full o' shite, Snotlout."

"Oh come on, Princess!" Snotlout whined, holding his hand out towards Hiccup, "Hiccup was there, he'll tell you I'm telling you the truth!"

"Yeah, of course," Hiccup said sarcastically, "Snotlout totally didn't run screaming from the house after the Terror bit him on the ass."

Merida laughed as Snotlout groaned with embarrassment and ran a hand over his face.

"Betrayed by my own cousin," Snotlout sighed, "What kind of world is it where blood means nothing anymore?"

Snotlout paused before glancing back at Merida.

"You know, I still got the scar from where it bit me," Snotlout pointed out.

"'At's wonderful, Snot," Merida replied with false sincerity, "Ah'm sure saeme poor, desperate lass will love tae see it saemeday."

"Really?" Snotlout asked in surprise.

"Nae."

Hiccup snorted at Merida's curt reply. As he laughed, he looked out over the Great Hall, smiling as he looked out at all the happy members of the village. Families eating with one another. Friends sharing drinks. Children playing with the dragons that were becoming so welcomed in the village. The sight warmed his heart as much as the fires burning in the firepits warmed the hall.

Suddenly, the doors were pushed open and a cold chill swept through the hall. While the abrupt opening of the door caught most of the Vikings' attentions, the presence of a stranger was what kept it.

After pushing the doors closed again, the stranger turned towards the center of the hall, allowing the Vikings to see his features. He was a large man, standing just as tall as Stoick and was equally thick. He wore a thick, red coat that hung to his knees and was lined with black fur that also covered his shoulders, a black, leather sword belt holding it shut while a curved sword hung from each hip. He wore an odd hat made of the same black fur as well as a pair of thick, brown leather boots. His hair was snow white and a thick beard hung down to his chest. He smiled as he looked around the hall, his blue eyes seeming to twinkle in the firelight.

The man had not entered alone either. Joining him was a large reindeer, its antlers sprouting high above its head as it regarded the hall with dark eyes. The man chuckled as he continued to observe the hall, his attention seemingly focused entirely on the decorations the Vikings had set up, patting the reindeer on its brown colored side.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Stoick stood up from his seat, eyeing the stranger wearily.

"Excuse me," Stoick began to say, prompting the stranger to whirl around and look at him like he just realized the chieftain was there.

"Oh, privet!" the man said with deep, raspy voice and an accent Hiccup had never heard before, "Hello! You are being Stoick ze Vast, da?"

"I am," Stoick replied, caught off guard by the man's friendly and forward nature, "Who might you be?"

"Of course, how rude of me," the man stated with a chuckle before bowing dramatically, "I am being Nicholas St. North, humble traveler."

"And zis," the man continued, straightening back up and patting the reindeer on the side, "Is my companion, Donner."

The reindeer snorted at the sound of his name.

"How did you get here?" Stoick questioned, growing more confused by the second.

"I traveled," Nicholas provided, "I am being traveler, remember?"

"Yes, but how did you get on our island?" Stoick pressed, "No boats have come in for days."

"I traveled," Nicholas replied as he looked around for help, "Zis is vord, correct?"

"Yes, yes, fine," Stoick sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Why are you here then?"

"I am looking for someone," Nicholas answered, "I vas hoping you could help?"

"You need my help to find someone?" Stoick questioned.

"No, no, not you," Nicholas stated with a chuckle before his twinkling eyes fell on Hiccup, "But maybe you."

"Me?" Hiccup asked in confusion as he felt all eyes turn to him.

"Da," Nicholas stated, a broad smile crossing his features, "I am theenking I will be needing your help, Hiccup Dragonrider."

A/N: And we're back! I know I said I would wait until after I finished Seven Days in Corona to start this one but all your feedback got me so excited I just had to start it. I really liked the way this chapter turned out and I hope you guys like all my additions! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!