The sun was shining, the winds were blowing gently and the echos of laughter could be heard throughout the village of Berk. In the month since the riders had left on their quest the people of Berk had been doing their best to continue on as they waited for the teens to return. Everyone had been very pleased when two huge Timberjacks and a trio of Whispering Deaths had appeared riding rafts full of lumber and few sacks of precious metals had arrived only two days after the questers called. The surplus of supplies kept Gobber busy in the forge making weapons for all hours of the day.

In the absence of his princess and the surprise arrival of several "guests" over the following weeks Steinar had kept very busy with his own project. He had taken it upon himself to help teach the children valuable lessons in their schooling in the new school he had built for them. He had persuaded Stoick the value of education would go a long way in helping the next generation of Vikings defend their home from threats. The school would also keep the children busy until they were old enough to start dragon training.

At the moment Steinar and his students were finishing up a special project he'd been working on. After learning that the Vikings kept chronicles of their families exploits, as well as trees to show who was related to one another, he decided to create the Dragon Chronicles identifying every dragon on the island by name, pack, and image. The project would help match up dragons and riders in the future. It was also a great way to distinguish Berk's dragons from wild ones. The little ones had loved the idea of drawing and coloring pictures of the dragons and some of them had even come up with good names, though it was mostly the adults who did that. In turn the dragons had fun modeling for the pictures and taking turns telling spellbinding tales of their pack's glorious history.

"Alright children we need to finish up your pictures of your Terrors. Remember to make them as accurate as possible and include their bios underneath. When your done with them I'll add the pages into our Dragon Chronicle," Steinar told his class. He had implemented one of Hiccup's suggestions in letting the children bond with the Terrors and practice training them before they moved up to bigger dragons when they got older. Both the children and the Terrors seemed to get along quite well with one another.

"Steinar I'm done I'm done! Look doesn't my picture match up perfectly with Fang?" Uta, the little girl with the lamb doll, asked jumped up and down waving her picture all around. On her tiny shoulder a blue and green scaled Terror nipped playfully at her ears. He too was proud of his young mistress's work.

"Uta is a talented artist. She might even be better then Bucket," Fang informed the Daypeace. He and the other Terrors were the last pack of dragons to be illustrated and of course though their images were the best seeing as how the children took so much time making them. "We can't thank you enough for suggesting this project Steinar. Keeping our history alive orally is a great between dragon packs, but with a written copy of our history our stories will last forever."

"No need for thanks I'm just doing my best to be a service to the people of Berk. Now is everyone finished with their pictures? Ah good let's have them, now no need for shoving one another. Okay let's bundled them up and bind them together. There now, the Dragon Chronicles is finished thanks to all of you!"

"Yeah we did it!"

"Alright we're done finally."

"Do you think Hiccup and the others will like it?"

"When are they and the others coming back? Its been almost a whole month since they left of their quest. Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"Children I'm certain that their is no need for alarm. Hiccup and the others know what they are doing. I just talked with Princess Nissa the other day and she assured me that they were on their way back. Hopefully they'll arrive home in the next day or two. Now why don't you all go scampering back to your parents homes. I have to deliver this Chronicle to Stoick. I'll see you tomorrow."

Steinar smiled as he watched the children run off with their dragons chasing after them. It was nice to know the younger generation was embracing peace between humans and dragons though he wondered if that would extend to other tribes. Dismissing the thought for now he hurried to the Great Hall to meet up with Stoick. When he got there he noticed Gobber was trying to calm his friend down as the chief paced back and forth anxiously. He was clutching the magic opal mirror in his hand so tightly that Steinar feared it would break. He cleared his throat drawing the attention of the two men. "Have I come at a bad time? I was hoping to present you with the finished Dragon Chronicle. The children just completed the illustrations of the Terrors and wanted to know what you think."

"I'm sure that whatever they did it was a fantastic job. I'll look at it later, Gobber, would you please take it for now?" Stoick said distracted. He glanced at the mirror's reflective surface anxiously. He had tried to call the questers, but had received no response. He was starting to sweat profusely at the thought that something might have happened to his son and the other riders. "Why haven't the called? Its been two days. What if something has happened to them? They could be hurt or lost. We should send out a search party to find them."

"Stoick you need to calm down and take a few deep breaths. Hiccup and the others are fine. They told us they'd be back on Berk soon. They probably just have the mirror buried at the bottom of a satchel is all. Trying to dig that out in mid flight would be impossible," Gobber told him as he patted his friend on the back. "Its best that you don't get yourself worked up in a tizzy. You'll see Hiccup and the others will return in no time with enough booty to satisfy the whole island and wondrous tales to be sung over a hot mead."

"Gobber is right Stoick. If something had happened I'm certain I would have sensed it with my Dragon Heart through the bond I share with Ula and the princess. I can feel them drawing closer to the island every second. I wouldn't be surprised if they show up right now in the village square."

The doors to the Great Hall were flung open as Mulch rushed in. "Stoick, the riders have been spotted by one of the ships! They'll be here within the next few minutes! Everyone's gathering in the square to greet them!" Steinar gave the chief a triumphed look that he ignored as they all rushed out of the hall to greet the return of the successful questers.

Everyone was cheering and hollering joyfully as the riders settled down into the square as the Daypeaces reverted to their human form. The teens were instantly surrounded by their families receiving hugs and kisses from their worried folks. The dragons were calling out to other members of their packs. Little Lumina was jumping up and down racing around introducing herself to everyone while Orli snuggled against Toothless listening to the murmurs of astonishment from the Vikings assembled.

Stoick rushed over to Hiccup engulfing him in big hug nearly breaking the poor boy in half. "Hiccup, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see you again. You were gone far longer then I liked. I know that you want to be like your mother, but please don't go on another quest for awhile please."

"Okay I promise Dad can you put me down now please your starting to hurt me," Hiccup told him gently. Stoick released the boy who took a few deep breaths trying to get the air back in his lungs. "So, how have you been Dad? What have you been up to since we left?"

"We've finished with the inventory awhile ago. We managed to find more supplies though I hope you found more resources on your quest for the future. The timber and metals you sent back helped a great deal although we could have done without the influx of the dragons over the past few weeks."

The teens looked at him confused by what he meant when Steinar cleared his throat. As everyone looked at him he let out a series of different roars calling for other dragons to appear. As they waited he explained what had happened first by showing the completed Chronicle. "It has taken this past month, but we have finished a very important project. Every dragon that belongs on Berk has been cataloged, named, and we have begun the process of pairing up dragons and humans. As you can see the children have found happiness with their Terrors and the adults have started to bond with some of the other dragons though we have a way to go with that."

"Steinar, what is going on? Why were you making those calls?" Ula demanded. Her eyes widen as the teens felt smiles appear on their faces as several familiar shapes appeared from all corners of the island in the square. There were two Timberjacks, three Whispering deaths, a quartet of Snaptrappers along with a family of Changewings who greeted them with respect. Lumina could barely contain herself as she rushed over to introduce herself only to have Orli pull her back with by the tail. "Oh, I didn't expect this."

"What are you all doing here? Why aren't you on your islands with your packs? When we told you about Berk we didn't think that any of you would come here to take up residence," Nissa laughed.

"Alpha thought it would be a good idea for us to see how the symbiosis between human and dragon worked in case humans came to our island in the future. Tunneler agreed and so the five of us were chosen to come live here. We've taken up residence in the forest tending to its needs," Pine, the female Timberjack explained. She introduced them to her mate Fir.

"We've been kept quiet busy using our sharp talons to help carve boats and build houses. Its a lot of fun actually, we don't normally get to be this creative."

"Besides tending to the forest the three of us have been assisting Mulch and Bucket on the farm making the land fertile," Whisp, a male Death added. His companions were Hiss and Murmur who talked about helping out on the Dragon's Outcropping creating wells for fresh water and storage places for food. It had been a challenge learning to get along with other dragons nearly breaking out in brawls, but it was slowly coming together.

"What about the rest of you? I don't smell your scent in town and none of the packs mentioned you helping out with preparations on the Outcropping," Meatlug voiced.

"What about you four? Have you managed to avoid getting into arguments with yourself long enough to find a place to settle?" Belch asked.

"Last time we met up with you Snaptrappers you couldn't agree on anything. So why come to Berk?" Barf wondered.

"Simple curiosity really. Some of us wanted to learn how to work together better without all of our heads arguing with one another. We've talked with some of your fellow Zippleback's who have have been helping us learn to work in unison instead of arguing with one another."

"The four of us have taken up residence on one of the nearby sentry islands. Its a good enough distance that we can live comfortably while at the same time be in roar distance to warn of approaching dangers. There are plenty of mud wallows for us to play in."

"Swiftwing wanted to follow up on your visit and Obsidian thought it would be a healthy experience. So here we are. We've also taken up to living on one of the sentry islands making daily patrols. This place is certainly interesting place to live. We've sensed some magical properties near here which is very interesting considering none of you practice magic."

"Enough about these dragons what about the two you brought back with you? Who are these lovely ladies oof!" Gobber found himself being bawled over by an energetic Lumina. The little Skrill couldn't contain herself as she started yapping away.

"Hi how are you? My name is Lumina what's yours? You smell funny like a lot of burnt shinnies. Do you have a shiny collection like my old parents? What's your job? Do you know where I can find a lady name Gothi? She's going to be my human!" Lumina babbled happily. She sniffed the air and jumped off the fallen Gobber darting among the crowd sending everyone stumbling about. She finally came to rest at the foot of the old mute who was looking down at her with a calculating look. Lumina shrank under the old woman's gaze bowing her head with talons drawn in to show she wasn't a threat. "Are you Gothi? The riders told me that you are very wise and you're a healer. The twins thought that we'd be a good match. I promise to be a good little dragon and do whatever you tell me to do. Please accept me."

Gothi knelt down smearing some black tar around Lumina's eyes. The Skrill tried to wipe it off, but the elder held fast giving her a stern look. The Skrill calmed down realizing that her eyes didn't hurt so much from the sun thanks to the tar. Realizing the purpose of the tar; she rubbed her head affectionately against her human's hand a strong bond forming between them as strong anything. At last Lumina had found a home.

"Well at least Lumina and Gothi have bonded. That's nice to know we didn't bring her home only to be rejected again. Oh before I forget everyone as you can see we found the Nightfuries. A full disclosure of our heroic deeds and long torment will be told tonight over our welcome home feast. As for right now may I introduced Toothless mate Orli?"

"A pleasure to meet you all, I hope that we all become friends and that I prove myself worthy of being a dragon of Berk. Who knows, I may even form a bond with one of you," Orli told them politely. She seemed to be enjoying the attention she was getting and bowed her head in respect to the chief acknowledging him as her new leader. "Your son has told me much about you Stoick the Vast. You seem like a strong capable leader who cares deeply for his pack, I mean tribe. It is an honor to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm very pleased to see another Nightfury. I had thought my son's quest to find your pack would be in vain though I'm happy to be proven wrong," Stoick told her. He patted her head before bellowing to the entire crowd. "Tonight we'll feast in the Great Hall to celebrate the return of our young questers. Let us share in their bounty and add their stories to our songs of heroic deeds!" The whole island joined in the cheering at such a glorious idea.

That night the Great Hall was filled with happiness and cheer as the fires crackled warmly. Plates piled high with delicacies such as wild boar, salted salmon, and fresh cabbage were being served as an abundance of amber spiced mead was passed around for all to share. Dragons were curling up in the corner sharing their bounty and sharing stories with one another. Everyone was in good spirits as the teens started telling their tales and sharing their bounty with the tribe.

"As you can see from my newly finished maps we managed to explore more then double the known region. I have marked each island we've been to with a name, notes about what we discovered and warning of where Vikings shouldn't go. The maps are drawn to scale so it will be easy to use them. I urge you all to take a look at them at some point," Ula informed the tribe as she handed out her maps. The master one would be placed with the other maps in the Hall's archive while the smaller ones would be given to the families.

The riders took turns talking about their adventures sharing the highlights and displaying their bounty. At first no one really cared about the dozen or so new plants and animal species they identified, but when they started talking about the isles full of dragons that perked everyone's interest.

"We were in the fight of our lives when we went up against those Timberjacks. Our hatchets could only deflect the youngsters attack for so long and trying to get them to listen to us was a challenge in itself. At the same time we were wondering if the others had survived the cave in or had become dinner for the Whispering Deaths. We'd lost hope for awhile. Imagine our surprise when the Twins crazy antics saved us," Astrid regaled the group.

"What can we say, everyone enjoys a bit of pain once and a while," Ruffnut replied hitting her brother in the head for emphasis.

"It was amazing to learn about the symbiotic relationship between the two dragon species and how it benefited the whole island. I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't witnessed the results ourselves. I wrote all about it in the Book of Dragons for future generations to enjoy."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it Fishlegs, but not as much as the metals, lumber and of course amber we found. Take a look people we got two full bags of this stuff. Ladies I'm sure you'll enjoy using it for jewelry and spice, but think of what we can trade this for. This is some quality amber!" Snotlout said as he passed around their bounty to everyone assembled. The women were in awe at the quality of the amber imagining all the uses they had for it. Combined with the metals and lumber it was a good haul from one island.

The Twins too turns sharing the adventure to reach the Snaptrapper's home. The struggle to survive the storm and nearly losing Astrid to the sea frightened the younger children until they started laughing at hearing how the riders had to strip after finding shelter. Several of the adult men teased the boys for going along with Ula's insistence they bathe only to be hushed by their wives.

"Trying to out fly a whole pack of Snaptrappers without being lured in by their sweet scent is crazy. We were surrounded on all sides and no matter where we went we couldn't escape them. When force to fight we attempted to keep the four heads from agreeing which was easier then you think. When you combine our heads with Belch and Barf there's nothing we can't do. Well you know except maybe dive bomb and jump onto the flailing necks of wild Snaptrappers trying to calm them down without getting eaten. That's what Nissa and Hiccup did to get them out of their frenzy. After that we all shared a mud bath that was a lot of fun."

"Not after having to get clean it wasn't! I'm just happy our bounty was enough animal fat and salt to help make new bars of soap. We can even add in some of those flowers to make a fragrance. Oh here's our bushels of plants and herbs. We managed to keep the stuff pretty fresh. A lot of it can be used for medicine, but those seeds and bundles here are for planting new crops. Wait until you taste the fruits they are to die for."

"This fruit is tasty Mulch. I won't forget that I ate this anytime soon," Bucket said cheerfully.

"That's good to know because it will be a while before we have this fruit again," Mulch replied.

It was Fishlegs turn to regale the tribe with tales of adventure and fun on Trollapolize Island. When he got to the fact that the trolls actually existed and could perform magic Gobber started pumping his fist and poking Stoick with his metal hand. "See I told you trolls exist. You didn't believe me, but I was right!"

"Well they don't steal your socks so you were wrong about that!"

"Can I continue my story please? It was fascinating to watch the trolls in their native habitat. The underground grotto was such a dazzling place with its sparkly cave tops and homes carved out of rock. Did you know trolls are nocturnal and that they are excellent musicians using their clubs to create a variety of sounds to listen to. What is most fascinating was their ability to create spell beads to perform their magic even if it was only the females who could do it. It would be wonderful if we could perform magic spells unfortunately they said that you have to be born with the talent to to do so."

"If you think the trolls were fascinating try finding a Changewing! Their acid breath was nasty. Swiftwing had such a temper. I was really concerned that they were going to kill us! We were very fortunate that you and Toothless were able to convince Ruby and Seasonscales to speak up otherwise we'd all be dead."

"It was easy Hiccup I just had to act like the princess I am. No one defies royalty if they want to avoid getting into trouble. Besides both of them were more then ready to confess their secrets. I think the best part of that adventure was getting the gem necklaces and awakening their power."

"What power is that?"

"Keep listening Steinar and you'll learn. Snotlout you want tell your dad how you procured that gold necklace?"

Snotlout was only to happy boast about their adventure. He was making wild gestures as he explained how they searched for treasure for hours. He talked about how they followed Lumina's trail and the fight of their live against the Skrills only for the others to interject when he started going on how he single handily discovered their weakness and went about saving them.

"You should be really proud of your kids they were totally amazing! My old pack was, " like grrrrrrr kill slaughter the intruders" and they were like "take that you overgrown lizard!" It was scary watching everyone fight because Skrills are very dangerous when angered. They had their talons slicing and firing white hot lightning bursts. The Twins nearly died a few times when they got separated from their dragon and Stormfly's fire wasn't deterring them. I was so impressed by the partnership between Hiccup and Toothless. It was Nissa who managed to clear the way, but my parents wouldn't give up the chase. Ula was going to sacrifice herself to save us, but then I totally went primal on my parents! I showed them I was a real Skrill with the talons and teeth to match! I thought we'd never get away lucky for us Nissa managed to attract the Smothering Smokebreaths. I'm glad that Snotlout got to keep his one shiny!"

"I deserved it after the trouble we went through with your pack. I never want to go up against another enraged Skrill pack as long as I live."

"At least we made the right choice in adopting her into our pack. Without her we would have never discovered the Mysterious Island or the Valley of Night."

"Astrid right, okay here's what happened once we found the Mysterious Island," Hiccup said. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as he talked about their march through the forests and gorge as they followed the pull of magic. The kids gasped when Hiccup talked about nearly being eaten alive by a giant worm. The girls were giggling when they got to the part about meeting real life fairies.

"You're making that up! There is no way you met tiny little people who could perform magic," Spitelout laughed. It was to crazy to believe. "Did you hit your head to hard son?"

"Its no joke Dad, we did meet fairies! They used their magic to heal us and fed us. They even showed us where the malfunctioning Gateway was hidden. This Gateway wasn't like the usual ones, this one not only let you travel through space it also did time. I nearly got my head blown off by some weird guys in red coats or something!"

"It was destruction on a whole new level. We could have died," Tuffnut pointed out.

"At least then we wouldn't have to work so hard to fix the Gateway. Singing was not much when you can't carry a tune," Ruffnut said.

"At least fixing the Gateway let us find the Nightfury pack. That was an epic adventure on itself."

"Oh really, please tell us how you avoid death once more and made friends with a full pack of dangerous dragons," Mildew muttered only for a well placed mist by both Steinar and Ula knocking him out for a majority of the next week and half. Both Honor Guard members kept a close eye on the old man knowing he would betray them the first chance he got and they were determined to avoid that.

"The Valley of Night is the most beautiful dragon habitat in the world. There were woods, meadows with a huge lake and sparkling bay. The encircling cliff faces were dotted with multiple caves and the beaches were warm. It was a virtual paradise. We saw many different generations. They were lead by Orli's grandfather Mungo. He listened to us and then accepted us into the group even after Roald, a rival male wanted to kill us! For a minute I thought we were goners until Toothless's mom and dad vouched for us."

"My heart nearly exploded out of my chest when I was reunited with my family. I learned that my original name was Trygve and that I was loved deeply. My mother Dagny is very beautiful, kind, and prepares a delicious honey flavored fish dish. My father Hadrian and my brother Elvy are magnificent specimens. They are calm, patient and very brave. My brother takes good care of his mate. My little sister Elysia is quite the mischief maker. She loves pulling pranks and her favorite thing to do was tackle me in attempt to get me to play with her. My family accepted me injury and all. Elder Mungo was right when he said it was fate that led me to being lost and found."

"I'm just pleased that destiny brought us together. You are a true honorable Nightfury. Don't be so modest Toothless, tell them how you fought the traitor Roald to save your human's live. Speak of your noble deeds fighting him in a challenge and not cheating as he did; how you and your pack saved our home," Orli encouraged her mate nuzzling him. At this point everyone was waiting to hear about the great battle, but Toothless was tongue tied.

The riders and their dragons took over as Nissa linked the whole tribe together in her mindscape reliving their memories. They felt as if the joining of the human and dragon happened to them as they witnessed the transformation. Their parents were so proud of the way they handled the crises managing to save the Valley from destruction admiring their cunning and ingenuity. While the other Vikings rejoiced in a successful kill of an obvious dangerous dragon Stoick could sense how much the killing of Roald affected his son and dragon. He hoped they would be able to deal with it. The memories ended showing the bonds of trust between the Nightfuries and the riders.

"Everyone I know I am not the only one who is proud of what these teens accomplished. A month ago they went out on what many would consider a nearly impossible quest to find the missing Nightfury pack all while exploring the archipelago wonders bringing back treasures and knowledge. To have accomplish their goal while sustaining minimal injuries under the harshest of circumstances is a testimony to what kind of Vikings they are. I say they have proven themselves worthy of the honor of being seen as adults in the eyes of the tribe. From this day forth these riders are to be given the responsibilities and glory given to all adult members of the tribe as their stories are forever made part of our history. Three cheers for the riders," Stoick announced joined in loudly by the whole tribe cheering and congratulating them. The riders and dragons all hugged one another proud of themselves for accomplishing the impossible.

The rewards reaped from a successful quest can't always be measure in monetary value or the amount of honor you receive. Nor can it be determined by the length or if you return successfully with all your limbs intact. Sometimes the best reward is the memories you form on the journey with your friends that will last a lifetime.