aspectabund

(adj.) letting or being able to let expressive emotion show easily through one's face and eyes.

It was a pleasant day back at the Edge. You silently ate your dessert and watched as Hiccup flipped through the Dragon book, looking quite focused in it.

After coming back to the island, neither of you continued talking about the theme on the cliff. You didn't know whether Hiccup didn't have anything else to say, or simply chose not to. But you were glad you weren't discussing it once more. It was bad enough then and you didn't want to go through it again.

Your train of thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the doors barged open and revealed Fishlegs who seemed to be out of breath.

"Guys! Guys!" Fishlegs exclaimed, stumbling in the room with quick steps. Though his smile faltered after seeing it was only you and Hiccup present in the clubhouse. 

"Where are the others?" He asked quizzically. And Hiccup explained how they were all in their huts. While they were talking, you spotted something in Fishlegs's hand that piqued your curiosity. It was a piece of paper neatly folded and you wanted to know what it was, but you weren't that nosy to ask.

And it turned out that you didn't need to.

"Okay, it doesn't matter." Fishlegs waved his hands dismissively. "Anyways, I saw trader Johann on the way back and he gave me this treasure map he found."

"And I checked it out and it has something to do with a dragon eye lens!" A wide grin split on Fishlegs's face when he said that. And your eyebrows arched up to the sky in surprise.

"Yes! The drawings show a clear depiction of it! The only thing we have to do is find the place." Fishlegs spoke excitedly and Hiccup and you shared the same look.

"Well then? What are we waiting for? Lets go!" You beamed, looking at the boys with an expectant expression. Hiccup seemed down with the idea, but Fishlegs didn't look the same.

"Yeah, maybe later. Meatlug has to rest first. It was a pretty long trip." Fishlegs replied with an apologetic look. But you reassured him that it was no problem and after that Fishlegs left, but not before leaving the paper for the two of you to see.

You were the first one to view it and you found what made Fishlegs think that there was a dragon eye in there.
There was a drawing that perfectly fitted the Dragon Eye's description. After briefly examining it, you handed the paper to Hiccup and continued eating a piece of cake.

The clubhouse was quiet as Hiccup was reading it. The only sound filling in the silence was the bird chirping in the distance. That is, until Hiccup spoke up and said something you never would've expected.

"Hey, wanna check out this place?" Hiccup asked elevated and you stopped eating.

You turned to face him with an uncertain look. "Just us? But aren't we all going? The others might get mad."

"Come on, we should spend more time together." Hiccup smiled and leaned in to peck your lips, catching you off guard. "Think of this as a date?" 

Even if you wanted to look for the treasure with the gang, that didn't stopped your eyes from lighting up at the word 'date'. A date sounded like a perfect escape from all the drama happening in your life right now. And as much as you felt unsure, you couldn't help but agree immediately. "Well I can't say no to a date."

-----

The two of you were out of the island in minutes. And on a fast pursue for the island.

As time went by, the guilt of leaving the gang behind was slowly replaced by the eagerness of wanting to find the treasure. Of course if it really existed you weren't planning on spending it yourself, it will be split as if all of you found it together. Because neither you nor Hiccup was selfish to keep the treasure to yourselves.

"There." Hiccup called out and pointed at an island below. It looked nothing out of the usual, just a normal island in the middle of the sea. There were sets of riddles the two of you had to figure out in order to find out where the treasure was located. And it was no problem since Hiccup solved them right away. It was terrific because it meant that you didn't have to waste the whole day trying to crack the riddles.

The treasure was supposedly in the cave the two of you entered in the moment. In the beginning it seemed nice but as you went deeper and deeper into the cave, suspicion slowly started to form in your gut. In any other case you would've encountered some booby traps by now or any kind threatening traps for that matter, but so far there weren't any signs of danger. Everything seemed pretty normal, and it shouldn't be like that. This was a treasure hunt after all. What's the point if they didn't make any attempts to hide the treasure?

"Don't you think this is a little off?" You asked, an echo of your voice quickly following afterwards.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup hummed, clearly too invested in the map to even check out his surroundings, to see how weird the situation really is. After taking a moment to think, you realized that you might've been paranoid for no reason. Maybe the person who hid the treasure just wanted to get rid of it and didn't want to waste their time making complex obstacles.

After Hiccup looked at your direction, his eyebrow quirked up, you were certain that your suspicions were nothing to be bothered with. So you shook your head dismissively, murmuring a soft 'nothing' and then moving the flambeau around to see if there was anything helpful on the walls. Usually there would be some symbols or writing indicating that you're going in the right path, but as you walked you didn't see anything. And that was pretty odd.

After walking in the dark cave with only a flambeau to guide you through the path, you stumbled upon a clearing in the cave. The bright sun rays shone from the top of the open ceiling and in the middle of the place there was a big treasure chest, uncountable golden pieces all haphazardly scattered around it, hundreds of coins laying on the floor. You quite frankly, hit the jackpot.

"Oh my gods. It is real." You breathed out incredulously, taking slow steps towards the center. All doubt about this place vanished in a second, your mind was too preoccupied taking in the amounts of gold you just found.

"Am I seeing things or is there literally a pile of gold in front of us?" Hiccup gasped, lowering the paper down and now staring at the sight in front of him with utter disbelief. 

"We're going to be rich!" You couldn't help but let a shout of joy as Hiccup and you locked eyes, matching wide grins spread on both of your faces. But even if you were surrounded by all this gold, you were more interested in what was inside the chest, if the treasure map was correct then the object inside could be worth more than all of this gold combined.

As if he was thinking the same thing, Hiccup instantly went to the chest first and carefully opened it. You peered over his shoulder to see what was inside and hoped that it wouldn't be empty. But even if the wooden chest was big enough to fit dozen or more items, inside there nothing but one small object, yet it was enough to make you cheer.

"A dragon lens! Yes it's there!" You exclaimed happily. Due to your lack of patience you instantly rushed towards Crystal and opened the small satchel that stored the Dragon Eye. Fortunately you took it just in case the dragon lens was here and it was a major relief that you found it. You took it out and smiled, wondering what new things you might find out this time.

"Let's try it out." You said, spinning around. 

All of the sudden something flew down from the open space above and it took you a moment to realize it was a rope or such, landing directly onto Hiccup and trapping him where he was. 

"Hiccup!" You yelled, confusion laced in your tone as you tried to figure out where the rope even came from. Toothless roared in surprise, but before any of you could make a single move, people started coming out from both sides of the boulders. You stood frozen in shock, your mind still too busy processing what was going on. You stayed like that for a short moment, not able to even start reacting in any way. But you didn't fail to notice the insignia on these people's clothes and you definitely didn't fail to recognize who they are.

Dragon Hunters.

Hiccup somehow managed to get out of the rope, but before he could take another step forward, someone grabbed him. He was yanked back in a headlock and you gasped in horror. Toothless jumped in front of the men, making a few of them back away in fear, but still they kept their fighting stance. 

"Ah, the infamous Hiccup Haddock. We meet at last." A deep voice spoke, though you didn't recognize who it belonged to, it wasn't a familiar voice and you certainly haven't heard it before. Then the owner of the voice came out of the group of men that were blocking the view and you got a clear look of him.

The man had short black hair, a neatly trimmed, french-cut beard clung to his face. His large brown eyes glanced around the place, the deep dark circles underneath them made him look like he hasn't had a well rest in a decade. But when his eyes landed on you, a shiver ran down your spine.

"And you must be (Y/N)?" The man asked, a bitter smile appearing on his face. 

"Who are you?" You shot back instantly, wondering who this person is and how he knows both you and Hiccup. 

"Ah, how rude of me. My name is Viggo Grimborn and I believe what you're holding belongs to me." The man presented himself and your face stilled after you recalled who this man was. It was the person Indrix was talking about, her trading partner. And after putting two and two then Viggo might also be the person Heather was meeting, the leader behind the Dragon Hunters.

"It's ours now." You countered with a scoff, clutching the wooden object tighter in your hands. You glanced down at the Dragon Eye, there was no way you were going to give it to him. It was far too precious.

"Technically you stole what belonged to my family for generations. Now I politely ask for it back or-" 

"Or what?" You cut him off with a laugh. His men were no match for the two dragons standing in front of them, one wrong move and they could all be roasted in a second. Even though Viggo seemed somewhat offended by your interjection, he regained his calm expression straight away.

"You don't want anything happening to your dear friend Hiccup, do you?" Viggo's chilling voice echoed through the cave and the confident smirk on your face fell into a straight line when your eyes traveled back to Hiccup, still held captive in the man's grasp. You looked back and forth between him and Viggo, that is until your eyes picked up movement from the opening above and you spotted a few archers standing there fully armed and ready to fire. So even if the dragons did attack they wouldn't be able to dodge all of the arrows that could be shot at them. 

"(Y/N). Don't give it to him." Hiccup ordered, fully determined. Yet he was in no position to have any say in the situation because his life was on the line and it was your choice only what you were going to do.

The man holding Hiccup pulled out a sharp knife and placed it against Hiccup's neck. His face was so dark and sullen, eyes awfully empty and cold. The man looked like a person who wouldn't hesitate to jab a knife through someone, he looked exactly like someone who doesn't give one damn about taking someone else's life. And that's what frightened you the most. 

"What will your choice be then?" Viggo hummed mischievously. You wanted to wipe away the triumphant smile on his face so badly, to make him regret ever messing with you, but under these circumstances it was clear that he had the upper hand.

Even if you were set on doing everything it took to get Hiccup out of their hands, your lips still opened and closed in uncertainty. Giving up the Dragon Eye is basically writing every dragon's doom and there was no telling whether you'll be able to get the Dragon Eye back, ever.

But no matter how much you resisted handing over the Dragon Eye, deep down you knew what your choice was. 

It took everything in you to start walking towards Viggo who was smiling victoriously, his penetrating gaze was so unnerving you found yourself dreading to approach him. There was a glint in his eyes that screamed that this is not the end of it, that there was another cunning plan behind this.

"Release Hiccup first." You ordered and stopped where you were. Toothless and Crystal stopped following you as well. The men seemed even more frightened now that the dragons were closer to them. 

But Viggo's reply was firm and unchanging, "No." 

You were even more reluctant after this and subconsciously took a step back which caused Viggo to rise a brow at your hesitation. His narrowed eyes bore into yours, almost like he was staring into your soul and you just wanted to get this over with.

"Hand it over or I'll run him through!" The man holding Hiccup yelled threateningly, inching the knife even deeper to Hiccup's neck to the point where a small streak of red started appearing. Hiccup's whole face scrunched up in pain and Toothless immediately jumped forward with a dangerous growl probably resisting every urge not to fire at the men. While everyone present in the cave backed away noticeably, Viggo didn't even flinch. He didn't blink nor move a single muscle and it left you watching with gaping lips, pondering how can someone be so calm after Toothless's sudden movement.

"Patience Travour." Viggo's steely eyes darted to the man, sending him one of the scariest death glares you've ever seen and that instantly shut the frustrated man. After seeing how the man was on his last nerves, you didn't want to any chances. You found yourself marching towards Viggo, feeling as everyone's gaze was burned into you. You were just about to give Viggo the Dragon eye, until Hiccup shouted.

"Don't do it!" 

Plea touched the edge of his voice. There were so many other emotions mixed together and it pained you to see him like this, he would do anything but would never give the Dragon Eye away and here you were willingly doing it. But you didn't have any other choices, it was either him or the Dragon Eye.

You were speechless, to the point where even when you wanted to apologize, 'I'm sorry', only came out as a whisper.

You didn't want to look at Hiccup while he shouted your name, you were too racked with guilt and you didn't dare to spare a glance in his direction. Viggo's smile seemed to widen as the Dragon Eye was nearing his hand. After seeing how much he wanted it back, you fullheartedly believed that Viggo would snatch it away from you before you even gave it to him, but you were wrong because he motionlessly accepted it without no rush.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, (L/N)." Viggo said, but your eyes immediately started darting in every direction, expecting a sneak attack to happen any time soon. Though  everybody remained in their places, fully composed. Except for the man holding Hiccup, with one kick he catapulted Hiccup forward, sending him falling straight to the ground and on his knees. 

"Hiccup." You gasped worriedly and sprinted towards him along with the dragons. But it soon turned to be a grave mistake. The ground began to shook so wildly you started losing balance, everyone had absolutely no idea what was going on and what was causing this supposed earthquake. Yet after looking around, you saw that all the other Dragon Hunters fled the scene as fast as they even came. Not a single one of them in sight.

When you wanted to follow them though, it was too late. The ground split in half sending all of you plummeting down into the dark abyss, all the riches and gold fell down quicker, echoing a loud clink after they came in contact with the ground below. The dragons wrapped a protective wing around you and Hiccup, shielding you two the most they can before impact. 

It was pitch black when you opened your eyes, you couldn't see a single thing. Yet you still heard the coins falling from above and some even landed on your head, making you cry out in slight pain. 

"No, no, no! We have to go after them." You heard Hiccup say from somewhere, but it was pretty far away and it made you wonder where they were in this complete darkness. You started aimlessly following his tone until the cave was lit up by Toothless's single plasma blast and for a second you got a clear view of your surroundings.

But even if it was quick, you still caught a glimpse of bones on the ground, multiple in fact and it was an obvious sign that you should get out of this place asap. Who knows what danger lurks in here.

"Why did you do it?" Hiccup asked angrily. "Why did you gave them the Dragon Eye?"

"Its not like I had a choice Hiccup. It was either that or you. And you know I care about you more than an object." You argued back. The room was dimly light up by Crystal's blazing mouth and you could see Hiccup in front of you, looking around the place.

"And now because of this everything is ruined." Hiccup murmured.

"Oh so you're saying its my fault that we're stuck here?"

"I didn't say t-"

"Well what would've you done if you were in my position?" You asked and Hiccup finally stopped and looked at you, his face more softer now. Probably realizing that he would've done the same thing. "Exactly." You added with content.

The second you finished speaking, there was an ear piercing screech that echoed through the cave. Even if Hiccup and you had no idea where that came from, it was enough for you two to put an end to the quarrel and saddle up as quick as lighting. None of you were going to risk staying here and finding out what made that sound, the main objective now was to find a way out of here, wherever this was.

As Toothless and Crystal flew as fast as they could, you still kept hearing the viscous holler from behind, reminding you that something back there was hot on your trails. It didn't sound familiar at all, it was definitely not a Screaming Death or a Whispering Death dragon even if those were the dragons that lived underground. Or the ones you knew so far. 

In the midst of all the darkness there was a beam of faint light far ahead, it was enough motivation boost to make the dragons fly faster towards it since the shrieking dragon from behind seemed to get louder. The beam of light got bigger as you neared it and upon approaching it, it was fortunately big enough to fit both Crystal and Toothless.

You had no idea where it lead to, but it was probably far better than the thing from down there. You flew out and ended up still being in the cave, but a different part of it. After flying a bit more, you ended up finding another exit out of the cave. One you assumed the Dragon Hunters came from.

The dragons scanned the area and circled around the island and the sea, there was no way they could've escaped that fast. Ships weren't fast enough. But even after searching every direction of the sea and every part in the island, the Dragon Hunters were nowhere to be found. As if they vanished in thin air.

As much as you hated it, both you and Hiccup agreed that trying to find out clues would be a waste of time and that you should go back to the Edge and own up to your mistakes.

-----

"You lost the Dragon Eye?!" The whole island shook because of the gang's obnoxiously loud voices. Of course this was the utmost expected since you and Hiccup basically went behind their back and it was your fault it got taken away. And now the two of you were cornered by the very pissed off vikings who were yet to find out what happened.

But they didn't let neither of you speak because they bombarded you with questions and concerns over what's going to happen now. In the end Hiccup somehow managed to explain the whole scandal alongside answering some of their questions.

"Did you at least get any gold?" Snotlout asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, its all buried underground now." You replied and finished off with a sigh. You were looking forward to spending that gold but now its all gone and probably won't be found ever again.

"Great! Now what are we going to do?" Ruffnut huffed.

"Yeah! We have no clue where this Viggo guy is! Good job Hiccup." Tuff added with the same irritated voice as his twin sister. Hiccup pursed his lips guiltily, silently accepting all the blame but you couldn't just stand there and watch.

"No, it was my fault. I was the one that begged him to go look for the treasure alone." You replied, talking a step closer to Hiccup and placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at you in confusion but you shushed him with one look.

"Well way to go (Y/N). You couldn't just wait for us. So greedy." Snotlout commented and you rolled your eyes. Of course from their perspective it seemed like you wanted to go look for the treasure and keep it for yourself, when in reality you just wanted to spend some quality time with Hiccup and this hunt was a great excuse.

"Okay leave them alone you guys." Astrid piped up. Her and Fishlegs stayed rather quiet while the others released their backlash. But you were grateful that there is at least someone that has a bit of understanding of the situation.

"We're going to fix this, alright?" Hiccup urged them on, trying to bring back the positivity in the room and he only got a few murmurs and nods in response.

Bit in the midst of all this confusion, you couldn't help but wonder how the Dragon Hunters knew you were coming and how trader Johann got the the map in the first place. It seemed like it was connected in a way, but you highly doubted it. Trader Johann was a nice person, he certainly couldn't do something as mean as betraying Hiccup and you.

Or at least that's what you hoped for...

-----

"So what are we going to do now?" Fishlegs asked eagerly glancing around at everyone individually. All of you were huddled in the warm clubhouse with the intention to form a plan for the retrieval of the Dragon Eye. It would take a lot of time to strategically craft something when you had absolutely no idea where to even start from.

You had no knowledge of where anyone's base was, not Viggo's nor Ryker's. The only thing you could use in this situation is the island you and Hiccup found prior to this when you were following Ryker. That was the only trace so far.

After explaining about the place and how you found it, the gang were disgruntled to say the least. Of course they were displeased about not taking them, but under the circumstances that would've just been a waste of time.

"Anyway, the best thing we could do is go to that island and try to find any information." You proposed and got nods in approval. Hopefully someone will break if threatened with just the right intensity. If not then you'd have no other choices except to miraculously stumble on a Dragon Hunters sailing ship with hopes that they will have any information.

"The place didn't seem so guarded, the cages were left on their own. So freeing the dragons should be our second obligation." Hiccup added and you remembered all the hopeless dragon's that looked up as Toothless passed, yearning to be released. It was a pitiful sight really, but even more sadder that you couldn't have helped them in any way.

The next couple minutes passed with everyone suggesting ideas, most coming from the twins but they were all outrageous. In the end you constructed the perfect plan for this surprise attack on the Dragon Hunters.

"Alright, lets go." Hiccup said and stood up, everyone else following right after him. You all saddled up and set course to the island you partly forgot where it was located. But thankfully Hiccup knew exactly where it was so there wasn't any problem.

-----

Unlike the last time you were there, the island was completely empty, no cages could be spotted anywhere. It was surprising because the last time the cages covered the ground for miles, but now they were nowhere to be found.

"Are you guys sure this is the island?" Fishlegs asked, looking at Hiccup's direction and occasionally glancing at you for clarification. Could it be possible that this was another island? Since it was dark the last time, you couldn't quite see the whole isle and because of that, coming here might've been a mistake.

"No, this is definitely it." Hiccup said positively and then pointed down. "Look, there's the base."

Everyone's gaze fell down to the ground where there was a big tent, around it multiple people roamed doing their everyday errands. They all wore the familiar Dragon Hunter uniforms, so distinguishable even from afar.

"What's the plan?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup. He opened his mouth to speak but Tuffnut cut him off and this time it wasn't something absurd or foolish.

"Lets corner that guy, he looks like he'll spill everything." Tuffnut said, pointing at a Dragon Hunter that was far away from the rest. He was in a perfect spot because if you happened to land next to him, his colleagues wouldn't know.

"That's actually a good idea Tuff." Hiccup said with a smile and Tuffnut instantly started boasting to Ruffnut.

The dragons all swiftly landed on the ground, surrounding the scrawny Dragon Hunter who gasped in fear. He tried to escape but it was futile because the others blocked his way and he was too scared to pass through the angry dragons.

"What do you want from me?" He finally exclaimed after being cornered from every side. The boy's head snapped left and right, taking a look at each dragon as they were nearing his form.

"Answers." Snotlout said and everyone hopped off their dragons simultaneously. Death glares were plastered on everyone's faces as you were attempting to look the most threatening as possible. A fearful hum left the boy's mouth as he started backing away slowly.

"Where are the dragons?" Hiccup questioned.

"T-They were shipped to another island!" A squeaky stammer emitted from the boy. You assumed that he was new in the job because otherwise it would take ages for the Dragon Hunters break and snitch on their boss.

"Where?" Snotlout's feigned angry voice came to the side accompanied by Hookfang lighting his whole body on fire and snarling his sharp teeth. This added to the Snotlout's frightening appearance and the boy looked like he would faint any time soon. He was definitely not prepared for this job.

"To Viggo's base!' The boy chirped fearfully.

"Tell us where it is." Snotlout said with an assertive tone and in response got a hesitant look from the boy. It was the first time he was reluctant, but after what Snotlout did, you doubted that anyone would stay quiet.

Snotlout grabbed the boy by his collar and pulled him close to his face, glaring him with a fierce expression. "If you don't tell us exactly where it is, the dragons will tear you apart limb by limb. So if I were you, I'd start talking right now."

The boy looked scared out of his mind, his breathing increased its pace intensely and it almost seemed like he was hyperventilating. You felt a surge a pity for the poor fellow. Snotlout's action might've worked nicely if it was someone who was more tight-lipped, but from your perspective, this boy would've cracked with a less extreme threat. Yet it didn't matter because the boy started talking as expected.

He gave the correct coordinates and marked the island on our map, hands shaking while he did so. Even if it was sad to see the boy so spooked out like this, you couldn't help but laugh at the the tough act Snotlout was pulling. He pretended to be like the stereotypical bad guy in the story. It hilarious in a way.

"Why did they ship them away?" You asked, approaching the boy who surprisingly still hasn't fled by now. His head snapped in your direction and a reply came straight away.

"They're going to sell the dragons." He replied and everyone got the memo. With a shudder, you remembered the time when Crystal nearly got sold. If you hadn't arrived in time who knows where she would be right now. You were thankful you rescued your dragon before anything happened to her.

"Where is the dragon eye?" Hiccup's voice piped up and the boy looked at him.

"Please, that's all I know. I'm new here." The boy pled earnestly. His shoulders slumped down and eyebrows creased together. While everyone was skeptical of this answer, thinking that the boy was withholding crucial information, you actually believed his word. They kept pestering the boy to talk but he was unresponsive and only said the same three things over and over again. 'I have no idea', 'I'm new', 'I don't know what a Dragon eye is' and so on, so on.

After three minutes of the twins continuously asking, you decided to step in and stop them, saying that the boy was telling the truth and you were just losing precious time. They countered you of course and even though you were relying just on simple assumptions that the boy wasn't lying, you stood strong on your ground.

Hiccup stepped in to stop the quarrel and both you and the twins stared at each other challengingly. Nobody wanted to back away, but you had to be smarter person and end it already since there was no point of fighting.

"We're going now and if this turns out to be a lie then you better hide and pray we don't find you." Snotlout made a comeback with his threats again and you chuckled silently, not wanting the boy to find out you're all fooling with him the whole time.

"And don't you dare tell the other Dragon Hunters." Astrid joined in the fun, her natural glare made everything she said ten times scarier. You remembered how intimidating she struck you when you saw her for the first time, but she turned out a pretty nice friend after you got to know her. Though the boy didn't know about her friendly nature and there was no doubt that he was scared shitless. "And if you do tell them, then... The dragons will have a big feast, if you know what I mean."

It seemed as if the boy understood the what she was referring to because his eyes went wide in a millisecond. If he did in fact tell them then he will be the next meal, though that was just an empty threat. The boy nodded rapidly, seeing everyone's penetrating gaze on him. After that everyone went away to their saddles with a satisfied look. Snotlout did an 'I'm-watching-you' movement while walking away and everyone grinned secretly.

You were the last one still standing and walked over to the poor terrified fellow.

"I suggest you quit this job and find another place. They'll trail this back to you so you better leave while you still can." You said calmly. The look on the boy's face was mixed, gratefulness and fear both stirred together. The Dragon Hunter still looked too shocked to even form an audible reply so you just turned on your heels and went to Crystal, since the others were waiting impatiently. You only hoped that the boy would listen to your advice.

After all of the dragons lift off in air and you took a quick look down to find the boy had collapsed on his knees with had a hand against his chest, looking like he had witnessed death himself.

"What did you tell him?" Ruff asked and you grinned.

"That he should't mess with these vikings, we mean serious business." You replied boastfully and everyone else agreed with a cheer.

"Did you see me there? I was so badass. I'm surprised nobody put me in some play because my acting skills were so natural. I wasn't even trying and the guy nearly pissed his pants! Hey maybe I should actually join a play-" You listened to Snotlout brag about himself and laughed at the beginning but then stopped paying attention to him because once Snotlouts starts talking about himself then there is no ending. You all made fun about the spooked boy and how easy it was to get information you needed and after the gang said their fair share of jokes, it was time to start thinking about a plan to get the Dragon Eye back.

"Lets fly in, dragon blazing. We'll snatch the Dragon Eye and get out of there, simple as that!" Tuffnut suggested excitedly and Ruffnut hyped him up. And though his plan sounded so wicked and awesome, it was still not a bulletproof plan. If you followed his idea, so many things could go wrong.

"Hm, anyone else?" Hiccup asked, nodding at Tuffnut. You were certain Hiccup was thinking the same thing, but he probably didn't want to break Tuffnut's spirit by saying no.

"I say we release the dragons first and then get the Dragon eye." Fishlegs piped in. To that, Hiccup gave a nod once more and looked around at all of you in case anyone had other ideas. Albeit, everyone stared back with an expressionless look.

"If we do attack with dragons blazing, Viggo will be gone with the Dragon Eye before we can even find him." Hiccup concluded when nobody replied. Tuffnut's face fell and displeasure crossed his face after hearing that his plan wont be put into motion. "And if we free the dragons it could be the same. Viggo could be informed about our presence there and he will flee with the Dragon eye." Hiccup added, now looking at Fishlegs instead.

Sure it might seem like he was belittling their plans, but in reality Hiccup had already thought about the outcomes and was now opening their eyes to the setbacks they were unaware of. He listed all the ways this whole mission could go downhill.

"So what do you think we should do then?" Astrid said.

"I suggest we split up. Half us will surprise attack and release the dragons while the rest will sneak in and take the dragon eye." Hiccup replied contently. It wasn't a master plan, something that he had been thinking for ages. Instead it was a combination of both Fishlegs and Tuffnut's ideas and you saw the smile that broke on their faces once they realized that.

-----

Since Viggo's base was pretty far from the island, you had to take stops at random places and rest. Of course you encountered various dragons that jeered you all awake from your slumber and you had to move away from there as fast as your sleepy legs could carry you.

But now after having flown for full two days, you were more than ready to finally confront Viggo and get the Dragon Eye back. The talk died down when a certain island appeared at last and it made you all look at each other. It was Viggo's base.

"Everyone know the plan?" Hiccup asked for clarification and immediately got 'yes' from the gang. "Okay. Fishlegs, (Y/N), we're going to get the Dragon Eye. Astrid, Snotlout and the twins you'll free the dragons. All good?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Ruffnut cheered, throwing his fist in the air. Her and Tuffnut head-butted as expected and Snotlout joined the fun with a joyous exclaim. Astrid on the other hand didn't look so happy to be stuck with them, she just looked at Hiccup and silently pleaded to come with your group. Though she was with them for a reason, and she knew it. If something were to go wrong, Astrid could fix things straight. Without her, the others would just panic and get captured.

After that, Hiccup, you and Fishlegs went first and circled around the island to get a better look of the premises and what you're dealing with. The defences we're expectantly high unlike other places you've been to and it would really be a challenge to go pass them. Though from the backside it looked totally unguarded. No Dragon Hunters, no catapults, no nothing.

When you spotted the big and ornate tent, you knew it had to be Viggo's headquarters and that's where the Dragon Eye might be. There weren't any guard in front of it like you would expect, and there wasn't even anyone in sight. It was completely deserted. The three of you stared at each other quizzically, this was so easy you were almost beginning to think it was a trap. Which is why your caution levels were off the chart.

Hiccup and you jumped in the tent with an attack stance, if anyone was in the room they would be too stunned to move so you and Hiccup would have the advantage and you could counter them straight away. Though, to your surprise, the tent was vacant.

You'd think that the commander's headquarters would be guarded the most since it holds so many valuable things such as battle tactics, next attack, map of where the riches are kept. And if you were someone else, this would mean that you have hit the jackpot. Though, you weren't interested in any of those. Fishlegs peered his head from the curtains and looked around with a quirked up eyebrow.

"Search the tent." Hiccup said and all of you went into separate corners, opening and closing cupboards, throwing papers and objects scattered on the shelves. Of course a clean search would've been ideal, Viggo wouldn't know that you've even been there. But in this situation, time wasn't on your side and the others will start causing chaos any minute now. You heard Hiccup hum in concentration, but you didn't pay much attention to it, instead you kept searching. That is until a loud click sounded in the room and then a gasp followed.

"I-I found it!" He said incredulously, excitement laced in his voice. You and Fishlegs both spun around and rushed over him. And there it was, the Dragon Eye still undamaged in Hiccup's arms. The tension in the room disappeared immediately and you all stared at the cylindrical object with gaping grins. But deep down, you felt a knot of doubt starting to form. This whole retrieval was far too easy and you thought that the moment you step out the tent, all of Viggo's army would be waiting outside.

Just as you were about to exit the place, someone else walked in and had your heart beating like mad. The cunning man himself stood before you, Viggo. A moment of silence passed after that, and even though in reality it was probably only two seconds, it still felt like an eternity. Everyone was frozen in spot, Viggo being too shocked to find you all have infiltrated his base even his office and you were too stunned to move just because you were caught red handed.

A loud explosion in the distance, which was definitely caused by the gang, was your cue to get the hell out of there. "Run!" Fishlegs was the one to break the tense silence with his shriek, he pushed past Viggo like there was nobody there and ended up nearly knocking the black haired man. He was shoved to the side and visibly staggered on his step, nearly falling down onto the floor.

You passed him with a smirk, feeling unusually triumphant about the successful mission. Viggo finally got a taste of his own medicine. But now even if he helplessly shouted 'guards', the three of you were already long gone in the forest where the dragons were waiting.

When you lift off from the ground, the corners of your lips lifted up in a smile. The sky was filled with colour from all kinds of dragons that have just been released. They roamed in all direction with roars of joy. There was no better sight than freedom.

"Did you guys get it?" Snotlout asked impatiently. They popped out of nowhere and it had you jump a bit.
Hiccup shook the Dragon Eye in his hands for everyone to see and the rest of the gang grinned in relief after seeing the familiar object is right where it should be.

"Are all the dragons freed?" Fishlegs questioned and got a positive answer. Astrid replied that they emptied every cage, even the once inside the cave. This would undoubtedly be the biggest dent in Viggo's business ever. If these were all of his captured dragons he had then he would be left with absolutely nothing.

"Now all is left to do is to go home." You smiled and after that you all set course to the Edge, feeling the utmost victorious after a long while.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Vote and comment if you did! ❤