Finally, I've reached the last chapter of Part two! A guest reader asked about what was "Hiccup's dark side" talking about, and it was just a small callback to the first part of the story, The Gathering.

Chapter Ten: Calm Before the Storm

"No," Hiccup point-blanked as he walked through North's workshop, heading to his room.

"Come on," Merida pleaded as she walked behind him. "Just this once."

"No," Berk's heir replied again.

"Why not?" Jack asked. He tried to get ahead of Hiccup, but the boy simply stepped away. "It's a great idea!"

"Guys, no means no."

"Hiccup, you do realize you're turning down a duel between both Merida and me."

Hiccup stopped walking and turned to face his friends. He held out his arms in emphasis as he said, "There, that's it. Right there. You and Merida. You just want to kick my butt for no apparent reason."

"Actually, it's more of to test your skills," replied Jack. "But it sounds more fun when you put it that way."

Hiccup let out an aspirated groan before pushing the door to his room open. "You saw what I did during the battle with the Nightmares and that's enough." He paused. "And I want some rest." Before Jack and Merida had a chance to say anything, he slammed his door shut.

"You think he's scared?" Merida smirked.

Jack wiped the enthusiastic grin of his face. "I think I know what he's thinking about." The winter spirit turned away from the door. "Come on," he said, gesturing his head. "We should give him some time."

Merida glanced a look at Hiccup room for a moment before quietly following Jack. She quickly caught up to him. "You think he's thinking?"

Jack simply nodded. "Hiccup has it much harder than the rest of us. He should have some time alone to think about it."

As Merida and Jack walked away, Hiccup had his ears pressed to his door. Upon hearing silence outside, he sighed. Hiccup slid his back against the wall, sitting down onto the floor. Toothless lifted his head up from the other end of the room.

Hiccup dragged himself to his feet before getting up. He allowed himself to flop onto the soft mattress, slightly sinking into the bed. His eyes stared at the ceiling for a moment as thoughts whirled around his head. Toothless trotted over to Hiccup, nudging his rider's arms. Hiccup chuckled softly.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. "But I don't think that makes the situation any better."

Sitting up, Hiccup narrowed his eyebrows. He walked over the desk beside his bed and picked up the small leather book.

Grimbeard's memoirs. A present from his great-great-grandfather kept in the kingdom of DunBroch for three hundred years. Hiccup was given this book and his sword, Endeavour, when he first spent the night at DunBroch's castle, just after meeting Merida.

Flipping through the pages, Hiccup read through it's contents once again. How Grimbeard ruled the islands. How he had three sons. How one of them fell to the darkness. How Grimbeard regretted killing his youngest son. And how he renamed himself as Hamish the First, becoming one of the richest and most successful chief in the history of Berk.

How could Hiccup hope to live up to the achievements of that viking?

Almost a year ago he ended the dreaded war between the humans and the dragons. In the past few months, and proven with his battle with the Nightmares, Hiccup had become an expert swordsman, following in the footsteps of Grimbeard the Ghastly.

"Following his footsteps, huh?" Hiccup murmured aimlessly.

There was a hard knock on the door. Hiccup grumbled in annoyance. "Jack, Merida, I told the two of you-"

North suddenly peered his head in, looking suspiciously at Hiccup. The young boy sucked in his lips. The old Guardian raised his eyebrows questioningly. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure," Hiccup replied rather nervously. North stepped in, the door clicking shut behind him. Hiccup scooted over on the bed, making enough space for North to sit down. There was a moment in which the two sat in silence. With sweating palms, Hiccup twiddled his thumbs to calm his nerves.

North cleared his throat. "You're thinking that you might be his heir, aren't you? The heir to Grimbeard the Ghastly."

"How did you know?"

A wise grin appeared on North's lips. "Jack knows you pretty well."

Hiccup forced out a dry laugh. "He is team leader." His face evolved into one of worry. "I can't do it. It's too much responsibility. I don't… I don't think I'm ready."

"You are," Jack's voice suddenly said. Looking up at the door, Hiccup noticed that the other three of his teammates stood leaning on the doorframe. North smiled at the teenagers.

"You're worried for nothing," said Rapunzel. "You proved your fighting ability. You proved your teamwork. You lead a dragon training academy. You've got the skills, Hiccup, what are you so anxious about?"

"Commanding a group of five other teenagers and their dragons is one thing. Having power over dozens of islands and thousands of people is on a completely different scale. I have enough on my shoulders as the chief of Berk."

"You were the one who closed the ridge between humans and dragons," Merida added. "You can patch the small gaps between the different tribes."

"Think of it this way," Jack began, stepping in front of the others. "If you don't rise up, Alvin will. Your home, and everyone you love will end up living in hopeless despair for the rest of your life."

"There's my dad," said Hiccup. "He's an heir to Grimbeard the Ghastly too, especially the bloodline."

"Grimbeard's Memoirs referred to you," said Merida. "It has to be you, Hiccup, and no one else."

Jack nodded. "You're the next King of the Wilderwest."

"You really think so?" Hiccup asked.

"We know so," Rapunzel reassured.

"It is destiny," said North.

Hiccup had a sarcastic expression on his face. "Screw destiny."

Everyone in the room laughed at his. Hiccup found courage and determination welling inside of him. They all believed that he was going to become King of the Wilderwest, the King of the Vikings of the Barbaric Archipelago. Hiccup's gaze settled onto Toothless, slowly drifted towards his sword.

There was no way he was going to let them down.

"Alright guys," he said, standing up. "It's about time we head back to Berk."

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The Nightmare lurched backwards in fear as a mug filled with beer slammed into the rock wall behind it, falling to pieces. Pitch roared as he threw another at an attempt to hit the Nightmare. The creature whinnied before running off and disappearing into the sky.

The dark spirit took a deep breath in, trying to control his anger. "I can't believe they defeated the Nightmares. They've gotten much stronger."

"It's that Hiccup boy I'm worried about," said Alvin. "His message."

"'If I see that you even laid a single scratch on Berk… I will make sure you are nothing but ashes', isn't it?" Pitch scoffed. "Sounds more like he's picking a fight with you."

"Of course he is," said Alvin. "Only one of us will be able to rise and become King of the Wilderwest. The boy's returning. And soon."

"We'll be ready for him. All of them. And I can finally extract my vengeance on Jack Frost. I'll grind him into shaved ice."

"As for their little friends," began Alvin. "A life time of imprisonment? An execution?"

"Just seeing Jack's expression would be a priceless reward for me." Pitch chuckled sinisterly. "With me at full power, there is no way that little Guardian has any hope to defeating me."

"And I am the leader of the Outcasts, a renowned warrior who has even brought the mighty Isle of Berk to it's knees! I'll defeat the boy and deliver his remains to Stoick."

Regaining their confidence, the two men gave a toast to their upcoming victory in the ultimate battle between good and evil. However, both had failed to notice a figure.

He was hidden in the shadows of the Great Hall's large doors, just within earshot of the two figures of evil. He had listened to every single word between their conversation. When he was sure that there was nothing left for him to eavesdrop upon, he swiftly and quietly slipped away from the Great Hall, as if he was never even there.

Moving through the village with great speed and swift, he was never noticed by any of the Nightmares or Outcasts that patrolled the now controlled village.

He reached the forest. For a moment, he made sure that he was not being followed. Safely covered by the branches and leaves accompanied by the dark shadows of the night, he took off his hood. It wasn't a he in the first place, but a she. A proud warrior of Berk and second in the skill of dragon riding.

Astrid navigated her way through the woods. Eventually, she came to a clearing. A cove in the middle of the forest, the last refuge for those who refused to give up hope and to continue fighting against Alvin and the Outcasts.

She slid into the cove. With the chief in bad condition and Gobber and Gothi attending to him all the time, Astrid practically had a lot of power. She gathered the Dragon Trainers: Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and their dragons.

"Astrid," said Snotlout, "you're back. I should've gone with you."

"We would have attracted more attention," Astrid hissed. "That wouldn't have been helpful."

"I'm bored," Tuffnut suddenly said. "Sitting in this cove is no fun."

"When can we get some action in?" Ruffnut added impatiently. "We want to blow some things up."

"Enough about that," Fishlegs hastily interjected. "Any good news?"

A grin adorned Astrid's face. "Well, Hiccup, Jack and their team had just defeated an entire army of Pitch's Nightmares in another world!"

"Just the four of them?" breathed Fishlegs.

"I can do that," muttered Snotlout.

"You couldn't even handle a couple the last time they were here," smirked Tuffnut.

"I've got better news," said Astrid, earning everyone's attention. "Hiccup is returning to Berk."

"Took him long enough," Ruffnut muttered.

"This is the break we've been waiting for the past three months. You know what this means, guys," said Astrid, a determined gleam in her eye. "It's time to begin our counterstrike."

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And that's that! Thank you to everyone who has read and/or supported this story! But...it's still not over.

As if I have said, from the beginning, I have planned for The Defenders of Realms to be a three-part story. For those of you who would like to continue reading, part three will be entitled "The Archaic Kings", and will be published soon!

Part Three Summary:

Pitch has allied himself with Alvin the Treacherous, Hiccup's arch nemesis. As Berk falls and our heroes attempt to liberate it, Hiccup, Jack, Merida and Rapunzel now have to become part of a war that will decide the fate of all their worlds.

See you all next time!