Hello, everyone! This is the long awaited sequel to 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'! Uninspired title is still uninspired. I am still amazed at how well-received that story was and I hope you will like this one as well. Although I still need to edit the mess down the line…

For the readers who asked me about 'The Hidden World'… so far I have no plans regarding that movie. To be honest, it was a good movie, but I had to put it as my least favorite of the trilogy. For a wild second I was thinking of taking this into full AU territory and continue with the TV show but… I do have a bad record of losing motivation. I'm hoping that by posting this I will get my creative juices flowing again.

2020 will be a crazy, nerve-racking year for me so I don't know if this story will be finished by the end of it. I do not know when the second chapter will be up, hopefully soon, I need to look it over and add some stuff that I stupidly forgot about the first fifty times I edited it.

I hope you will all have a wonderful new year and happy belated holidays!

(And I apologize for the wait. I wanted to put this before the end of the year but I was lazy.)

Chapter 1: Counter Attack

Hiccup woke up with a start. He took several moments and several deep breaths, standing still in his bed as his eyes slowly focused on the dark wood of the ceiling. When the foggy veil of sleep finally scattered and the realization eventually hit him, his eyes widened.

He was in his room. In his house. Back on Berk.

He blinked for a while, fresh memories of being in that white room and watching along with the entire population of the village their future, five years from now, swimming in his head in dizzying circles. It felt unbelievable, too fantastic to be true and definitely dream like.

While Hiccup was quite a realistic person, he couldn't deny his wild imagination. All those war machines that made the tribe call him crazy had to have come from some bizarre fantasy. This wasn't any different. It was a dream, just a wacky thing. Nothing to be concerned about. So, with shaky breaths, Hiccup pushed himself off the bed taking a second to check his left leg.

A very bizarre fantasy indeed…

He didn't know why he paused and stared at his foot. The images came back to him and he nearly slapped himself because why did he feel like there was something missing there? Why was he expecting a prosthetic he never had and never would have? It was preposterous! All that came from his mind; a bottomless desire of fitting in or in this case, of making the village fit with him!

As the remnants of sleep faded away, Hiccup could feel his awareness coming back. He shook his head and walked to his dresser, going through the mundane routine of changing clothes and then the morning wash. The house was silent and Hiccup didn't have to see, to know that his father was gone already, off doing chiefly stuff that he had no business with.

Descending the abrupt stair, he rummaged through the cupboards for a light breakfast. As much as he tried, the dream was still so vivid and fresh in his mind. It was a very nice and twisty 'what if'. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he would have liked to live in such a world. Naturally, the thought that he wasn't a useless waste of space helped in that regard.

But even so, it made him question things that probably shouldn't be questioned. He knew deep down that because it was a dream everything was made up so the facts had no connection with the reality. It was sort of like a chance for him to do something worthwhile since really, there was no way for him to become anything right now.

He groaned and burrowed his head in his hands pushing away his meal. His head felt so heavy with thinking that for the first time in his life he wished he wasn't that smart or curious. He needed something to take his attention away. The hearth was still warm but the house was beginning to cool. He supposed he could go in the forest and find some wood. They needed to restock and maybe he could get some fresh air and clear his mind a bit. A few hours of mindless work in the forge wouldn't hurt either.

Before Hiccup even got up there was an urgent knocking on his door. And then it was banging.

For a second he pondered the safety of answering. Gobber usually invited himself in, and the villagers respected the Chief too much to dare raise the noise to such a level. They might be rude and direct but they still had their own type of manners.

When the banging didn't stop, he willed himself to get it over with. The worst he would get was a glare for stalling.

So, Hiccup calmly walked to the door, threw it open and saw… Astrid punching Snotlout in the face. Well… that was something he wouldn't mind seeing every day. He didn't even notice that he was smiling until Fishlegs pointed out next to him.

"I know, I was wondering when she would snap."

The bulkier blonde's voice halted his train process and that's when Hiccup realized that the twins were also present and currently throwing in jabs and ideas on what Astrid should do next to his cousin.

"Uh… wh-what are you guys doing here?" He finally stammered.

Tuffnut was suddenly in his face and Hiccup, in desperate need to regain his personal space, stepped back in his house. "You don't remember?" He spun around to yell at the other kids. "He doesn't remember! Looks like we're going with my plan to release the dragons and let them blow up stuff in the village."

He and his sister banged helmets cackling evilly all the while. Fishlegs was scared and looked like he was going to be sick. Snotlout was still nursing his bleeding nose and seemed a bit dizzy and Astrid placed her hands on her thin hips and watched them all as if they were idiots. Which they were, to be frank.

She finally shoved the blond male twin out of the way and faced Hiccup. "Last night we saw our tribe five years in the future, living in peace with the dragons, going at war with Drago Bludvist, meeting your supposedly dead mother, watching your father uh die, and you saving the village and being titled the new Chief." She declared in one breath. "Am I missing something?"

"Just the part when my mind broke." Hiccup said in a very concerning calm manner. Astrid of all people was actually giving him a worried look. "I'll meet you in the forest in a bit."

He vaguely thought that he hadn't mentioned where in the forest they were meeting but he was in no state of mind to care. He was standing and staring dumbly at the closed door and all he could think was 'it was real' and 'what the Hel is going on'. And then his mind broke again because his father died! Was going to die!

He was panicking all over again. He was remembering the scene all too well; the Night Fury, Toothless… Oh Gods, Toothless! Where was he? With the Queen? They were back in their own time but only he and other teens remembered anything! His father left the house like it was a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary but for Hiccup everything was spinning out of control.

What was he going to do? What could he do?

He blinked at the door and then felt like hitting himself because the others came to see him and he was supposed to meet them and talk things out. Right! It was a good start. There was no point in panicking. Nothing has happened yet and if they knew what will happen then maybe they could do something about it.

They could change things!

He ran out of the house with a speed that he had never thought himself capable of. He ignored the tiny voice that said he was supposed to be at the smith shop. It was the least of his worries in that moment.

He was not letting his father die! Stoick the Vast still had decades to live!

His feet (two of them!) automatically took him to the edge of the forest that was their secret spot when they were about 6 years old and still hanging out together. The others were already there and spread around the now very small space.

Astrid stood up when she saw him and smiled shyly. Hiccup forced himself not to stop and stare because timid and Astrid didn't go together. Never! He took a deep breath and paused on the fringe of the somewhat circle they formed.

"So, it wasn't a dream…" He moved his attention to the others.

For once, the twins and Snotlout looked serious and dare he say, anxious. Fishlegs was twirling his thumbs and watching the grass at his feet with an intensity that worried the slightly older teen. Astrid was emotionless, but he caught her looking at him with relief and trust. Seemed like the movie had changed her opinion of him, and if he was honest, it also revealed what he did not know about her as well.

Astrid was the one who broke the ice, as he silently predicted. "When I woke up this morning I asked my father about it but he had no idea what I was talking about. Same thing with my mother, my aunt, my cousin, everyone!" She pushed the bangs out of her eye in her usual nervous gesture, even if they settled back in the same place afterwards. "It's like it never happened to them, they weren't there."

"Except they were…" Muttered Fishlegs. "But they forgot."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Snotlout's voice was a bit nasally, but his nose didn't look broken. He still had some crusted blood around his upper lip though. "Are we the only ones who know?"

"What can we do?" Wondered Ruffnut crestfallen. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to ride a dragon. Her brother thought the same. They really liked the destruction Barf and Belch could do. "Nobody is gonna listen to us."

"Especially us!"

"Especially about something like this!" Stressed Astrid.

A cloud of gloom covered the group as they each got lost in their own world. Hiccup knew more than anyone else how stubborn the villagers could get. Earlier, the movie helped change their minds but now they weren't stuck to chairs and forced to watch humans and dragons coexist. Right now, they had no proof and even if they somehow managed to find their dragons they couldn't just fly them to the plaza and hope. He frowned and it took more than a few seconds to realize that the others were staring at him.

Hiccup flinched. "W-What?"

Astrid rolled her eyes as if he was the slow one. "Well, what are we gonna do?"

"Me? You're asking me?" Snotlout was about to reply but the blonde shield maiden elbowed him painfully.

"Your decision is much more likely to make sense." She quipped.

"Yeah, and nobody wants to go with our plan…" Said Tuffnut with an uncaring shrug.

Ruffnut pouted. "Even though it's more awesome."

Fishlegs nodded and the act encouraged Hiccup a bit. He glanced at Astrid and her eyes for a split second fell to his feet. He couldn't help tense and then the conversation about the Queen came back to him. They made eye contact and she inclined her head. It surprised him how easily he understood her.

"Okay…" He started and settled down on the grass. "But first, I have to tell you guys some things."

Fishlegs didn't miss the exchange and it made him curious. But he was going to withhold judgment for now. Everyone made themselves comfortable and Hiccup began to tell them about the discoveries and theories he came up with during the movie, conveniently ignoring Astrid's certain actions.

The story along with the debate that followed regarding the best course of action lasted well after midday. Fishlegs was seeing the logic in Hiccup's thinking and even dropped his own input. Astrid reminded them that the dragons were already injured and starving during the raids and that must have made them more violent and less patient with the Vikings. Snotlout and the twins were excited to hear that a dragon, possibly the size of an Alpha, could exist in Helheim's Gate. It was short lived after realizing that if their parents managed to find it during an expedition there would be fewer chances of them coming back alive.

"So, it's decided then." Hiccup declared. "We act normal for now. We'll try and keep an eye on the dragons in the Kill Ring and during a raid we should keep an eye out for Toothless. Perhaps the dragons remember but they don't wanna show up and scare everyone…"

"I should also start taking notes about what we've seen of the dragons." Fishlegs jumped in excited. "Everything I remember from the Dragon Manual is nothing compared to what we've seen!"

Hiccup smiled at the larger boy's enthusiasm despite Snotlout's and the twins' exasperation. He nodded in approval and everyone got ready to leave. It was late in the afternoon and Hiccup was reminded that he neglected his duty at the forge and that Gobber was sure to ask questions.

"In that case," Astrid spoke climbing nimbly on her feet. "We'll meet tomorrow in the Great Hall to talk about the Dragon Manual and then we'll see from there."

"Yeah, Snot-man is not into that. I'm more of an action kind of guy if you know what I mean." But Snotlout's blatant winking went completely ignored by Astrid who was already walking away with her axe swung over her shoulder.

She briefly waved to Hiccup as she ran back in the village. Tuffnut and Ruffnut laughed at Snotlout's crushed chance while Fishlegs quietly decided to retreat. All in all, the plan was not perfect or definitive by any means, but it was a good start.

/\\\

The next morning saw the smart half of the group at a table in the Great Hall pouring over the small book that included all Viking knowledge of dragons. Gobber wasn't very pleased that Hiccup arrived at work at the end of the day but he let it slide, being the good mentor that he was. Right now, both Gobber and Stoick were eyeing the three teens hurdled over the book so intensely and wondering if they missed something.

"So… what do ye think?" Asked the blonde blacksmith in a whisper.

Stoick was thoughtful. He was frowning and he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was a good sign or not. Hiccup was never one to hang out with the others his age due to obvious reasons. He was short and lanky and could barely lift a shield not to mention an axe.

"He's been out all day yesterday… Didn' tell me where."

The Chief made a guttural sound that might have been an understanding hum. "And now he's researching dragons… I understand the Ingerman boy but the lass? Hofferson's daughter's already well on her way ta become a good warrior. She only needs field experience."

"So, what yer saying is…" Gobber trailed, his face expectant.

Stoick looked at him smiling. "It's good. Maybe Hiccup can learn something from them."

Gobber rolled his eyes but he was also approving even if he found everything a bit suspicious. Hiccup was usually a spluttering mess around Astrid and now by some miracle he could talk to her like a normal human being. Not to mention his mysterious whereabouts the other day.

The fact that he was studying dragons wasn't that big of a surprise since the boy was obsessed with proving himself to his father and the quickest way to do that was to kill one of the beasts. But what were the chances of Fishlegs and Astrid both studying at the same time? Could they have talked about this? Was Hiccup with them yesterday? Gobber really wanted to know but at the same time he felt like he should give the boy some space. He could always catch him at the forge.

/\\\

"I can't believe this!" Fishlegs was over the moon. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged knowing looks above his head as the blonde boy kept jotting down notes and theories. "Hiccup, I think I need more paper because there is just so much! Oh yeah, oh yeah, Fishleeeegs! Whoo!"

Hiccup laughed weakly. "Yeah! Hehe! Y-You should tone it down a bit, 'Legs!"

Astrid was shaking her head smiling. "Wow, I've never seen you so happy since Snoggletog days when we were young."

"I can't help it, guys! There is just so little in the Dragon Manual and so much we've learned only by watching. Imagine what we could find if we could actually approach dragons and study them up close! Oooh! I'm getting goosebumps only thinking about it!"

"Yeah, maybe we should just leave this to you then." The young heir finally said. Astrid nodded beside him but Fishlegs was beyond listening.

Together, the two snuck off out of the Hall. The weather was nice for being close to winter but Hiccup wouldn't bet it would stay the same. They walked in a comforting silence all the way to the forge, Hiccup sneaking looks out of the corner of his eye to the young shield-maiden.

Astrid herself, was well aware of his attention. She refrained from showing any awareness but she had to admit, deep down, it felt very good when it was him doing it. Knowing that she could evoke such emotions from males was never a subject she thought about very often. She had more important duties to complete, training to do, expectations to meet. She simply didn't care about boys.

For some reason, it was different with Hiccup. Maybe because they were close when they were young; maybe because she still, in some way, felt bad for him, she still felt guilty for abandoning him. But she couldn't lie, there was more to it than that. She remembered the brief kiss on the cheek. It was an impulse; there was no deep reason for it. She just did it because she was touched by his trust, trust that she wasn't sure she deserved. She sighed as they reached the forge and turned to each other, Hiccup displaying a light redness over his cheeks.

"So, see you around?" She ignored his start but looked amused as he tried to pull himself together. Seems like he still was skittish around her when alone.

"Um… yeah, right. Uh, I-I've got some… stuff to do here. And Gobber'll probably question me, I'm sure…" At her slight frown, he waved his hand as if batting away her worries. "I'll be okay. He's easily distracted."

And by that he meant that Gobber will most likely focus on him and Astrid rather than him and everyone else which will make it easier to lie to him. Embarrassed he could do, bold-face lying… that was harder to accomplish with someone who knew him since he was a toddler.

"We'll talk some more tomorrow."

The blond nodded and left him alone right as he spotted the blacksmith limping down the stairs of the Great Hall. He decided to go right to work and perhaps the man would feel less inclined to interrogate him while he was dealing with volatile, dangerous instruments.

Alas, it did not happen. By the time the sun came down, Hiccup was nursing a burn on the side of his hand and grumbling about snooping adults and their sick joy of flustering young and accident-prone teenagers when carrying around molten metal of all things! It was dark when he entered his house and no surprise there - his father was not home.

He learned to accept it long ago, but the memories from that room, of the care and love that he'd seen in his father's eyes when he looked at him… it made it painful to see the cold, empty house that he'd come to take as normal for years. It was suddenly a strange, unfamiliar place. With a heavy heart, Hiccup trudged upstairs, locked the door and settled in his bed waiting for sleep to claim him.

/\\\

The next morning, Hiccup woke up slowly. For a few moments he was numb, stuck in a world where everything didn't matter; it was only him and the peaceful warmth of his bed. And then, reality called and he groaned.

'Did all that really happened?'

Doubt was once again gnawing at him. He shook it off and prepared for the day, ignoring the chilling hearth and vacant house. He ignored breakfast and went straight to the hall, hoping to catch Fishlegs and see what he has done so far. Hopefully, everything wasn't a dream and he won't embarrass himself in front of the village.

Like always.

As he walked, he noticed the graying sky. Rain meant no raids, but there were no thunders or flashes in the distance, only a cold winter wind blowing. So wrapped up in his weather analysis he was, he didn't notice the large body in his path.

He fell down surprised from the impact.

"Hiccup." It was his father. Even more surprising.

"Oh, h-hey dad." He pulled himself up before the man even thought about offering his hand. "Watcha doing?"

"I was just talking with Hoark. He needed some help."

"Ah."

They both started walking towards the mountain, stuck in an awkward silence. Stoick stared ahead, the very embodiment of his name. In comparison, Hiccup was looking down at his feet. It spoke volumes of their relationship when standing next to each other felt so unfamiliar. The Viking heir remembered what he had seen in the movie, the ease how he talked with his father, the closeness that existed between them.

For a second his mind wondered… if changing the future, actively interfering, would it somehow affect his relationship with his father? Would they still be as close as he had seen or would he damage whatever connections are left between them? Already having to lie and hide things from him and Gobber felt so wrong… However, he only had a vague idea of what was going to happen. So even if he didn't want to change the future he would still do it only because he knew what he knew and it would affect his actions regardless…

His eyes scrunched in frustration, hidden away by lazy bangs and his drooping head. No matter how he sliced it, everything would be different. There was no going back. He had to try everything in his power in order to create a decent outcome that could benefit all. Dark thoughts of failure and disappointment still haunted him but it wasn't bothering him as much as it should. He has lived with those for a while now. It only added a bit more to the huge weight already present.

He had to try his best. And he wasn't alone for this.

"Dad…" He looked up, suddenly calm and determined. "Can I ask you something?"

Stoick's expression didn't change, but he took a moment longer studying his son before nodding. "Sure."

"We keep captured dragon in the Kill Ring, right? What-What dragons are there now?"

The man raised an eyebrow at the random question, but he complied. "There are three. Nadder, Gronckle and a Zippleback. We're gonna use them ta train some new recruits in the future." Hiccup nodded thoughtfully. "Why ye asking?"

The boy shrugged. "Just curious. Thanks. Hey, can I go ahead? I see Fishlegs."

They were almost at the doors, ten steps or so and the blond boy was holding a book up to his nose, trying to divide his attention between the book and not bumping into people. Stoick motioned for him to go and he watched the short teen run off with a weird expression.

Something unusual was going on with his son but he couldn't think if it was good or bad. He knew for sure he was telling this to Gobber. It was painful to admit that his best friend could probably interpret the lad's actions better than him. But he didn't know how to go about fixing it so instead… he let it go for now.

Like always.