Hiccup drew up his hood against the cool breeze, clasping his hands around the cup of calda for some much-wanted warmth. He'd been in and out of the Archipelago- with a prejudice for staying out- for three years and he'd already lost his ability to be immune to the chill.

Toothless warbled next to him, puffing up and releasing a sigh of hot air. The dragon curled his tail closer around Hiccup, letting it dangle slightly off the edge of the rock.

He was on watch tonight, keeping an eye out for the last of the dragon trappers scuttling through the archipelago. He and his friends had been going on missions- and the rare campaign- to rid Rome and its neighbours of dragon-murdering filth since he showed up and started teaching people how to befriend dragons. Lately it looked like they'd finally managed to succeed. But even still, Hiccup was vigilant. Vigo and Ryker had been difficult and trying opponents, he wouldn't be surprised if they pulled some final trick from their hats as a last-word.

But even still, with the happiness that came with stopping them came sadness. The only reason he still visited the north was for these missions defending dragons and, rarely, people. Could he really finally say goodbye when all this was over?

He and his friends had built a temporary base of operations for these missions, nicknaming it 'the edge', and had found it to be the perfect spot. Their  spot. If anything it would make a great vacation location when they finally wouldn't be coming back for working.

It was his last link to the archipelago. Could he really let it all go?

A shadow shifted to his left, along the rock wall this watchtower was built into. Draconic in nature, something flying past. More likely friend than foe but Hiccup couldn't take that chance. His ponderings would have to wait even longer.

He pulled himself up to his feet- well, foot and intricately made appendage- and peered into the darkness, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword sheathed at his side.

A dragon had attached itself to the rock face, there was a slight turn in the rock where it rested, he could only just see it.

Toothless shifted and stood as well. Hiccup didn't know to call out, threaten or just watch. He decided it best to let the dragon come to him. Toothless sniffed and growled, it sounded like he was picking up something strange.

Change of plan.

"hey, you can come closer, I won't hurt you," he assured the dragon, letting his hand drift away from his sword, "are you injured?"

The dragon shifted but didn't move closer.

"it's okay, I can help."

It still didn't move, but something else did.

The hair on the back of Hiccup's neck stood on end, he heard a slide against rock, just barely audible. It was enough.

Hiccup whirled around, sword out in seconds with an audible hiss, only to be met with a staff.

Toothless growled, keeping an eye on the dragon at Hiccup's back that had shifted closer.

"who are you?" Hiccup grit out, staring into a strange mask with curled horns and small slits for the eyes.

The attacker just pushed him back with their staff, swinging for his head. Hiccup used his momentum to dodge the blow and feinted for the attacker's side, aggravated when they blocked the real attack to the shoulder. They were quick.

The attacker gave a flurry of blows but was restricted by the close quarters. This section of the watchtower was hidden into the rock along the side of the edge. Below them was the sea, the ledge they fought along was small. Much too small for the long-staff they wielded.

Hiccup fended off the blows with his gladius, barely noticing Toothless ward off the dragon with a restrained plasma blast. He herded the attacker closer to the wall where he could use his weapon to the advantage.

Hiccup pushed them back a few steps but before he could follow them they used their moment of pause to twirl their staff and knock it against the floor, letting out a melodic sound that reminded Hiccup of a dragon's scales clicking against themselves... and something else.

It reminded him of the sound the red death made.

Surprised Toothless turned, not controlled but definitely shocked. Hiccup wasn't much better. The attacker used their moment to attack again, this time their dragon was able to make it onto the ledge as well and quickly pounced on Toothless. Hiccup glanced for just a second but it was enough, the attacker used it to their advantage and swept his legs from beneath him.

It was ridiculous, though, they had no hope against a night fury-

The dragons went tumbling over the side, the strange attacker's dragon spiralling up into the side after extricating itself from whatever death-grip Toothless had likely had on it.

Hiccup tried to get up but the attacker shoved their staff into his face. This was ridiculous, he'd practically let them win because of his stupid hesitation.

"my dragon can't fly on his own he'll drown!" Hiccup yelled, pleading with every god he could that this attacker had some kind of empathy.

They did not.

He was seconds away from continuing the fight when another thought occurred to him; who was this person? He needed answers. They seemed to have befriended a dragon as well, there was no way they'd actually leave Toothless to die. Maybe the waiting game was worth playing here.

Several more dragons landed along the ledge, one grabbed him by the shoulders and took off as the attacker stepped onto their dragon. Regardless of hope, Hiccup screamed to them of Toothless, and still they did not stop to save his friend.

The dragon dropped him to the ground in a giant cave of ice, the whole place was dark and cold but regardless he couldn't muster up the emotion to care.

"we have to go back for my dragon!" he yelled into the cave, knowing full well the attacker was nearby.

Around him, hiding in the gloom, were more dragons. He reached for that shadowy power Pluto had granted him, taking in his surroundings. He couldn't hold onto it long with his mind so all over the place, but he had long enough to survey his surroundings.

The place was a maze of ice, he gathered that much just from the trip in, but now he'd been dunked in one of its antechambers he could see full well how easy to get lost it would be.

A dragon nipped at his heels and he stumbled back.

He slipped a cylinder from his belt and bent it across his thigh, dull-green light bloomed from the edge then a flame sizzled to life. he waved it in front of him hypnotically, letting the dragons focus on it.

"I won't hurt you," he whispered, crouching in the circle of dragons that surrounded him and let them come to him. The snout of the dragon was a hairsbreadth away from his palm when the attacker shifted, crouched on a rock not far away. The dragons parted to let them through then sealed the two together.

"who are you?" Hiccup asked, hand drifting to his sheath were his sword should have been. Unluckily he'd dropped it when he'd been lifted by the dragon back at the edge. "are you some sort of vigilante?"

They twirled their staff and slammed it against the floor, the dragons opened their mouths and lit the room up with fire.

"the better question is who are you?" they asked.

'So you can talk.' Hiccup though bitterly to himself.

"I asked first." He said.

"I am the defender of dragons." They answered.

"you've been doing a pretty shoddy job. no offence." Hiccup drawled.

"you are not from here," they accused, "you and your friends are Romans. What are you doing this far north? And involving yourselves with the Archipelago's problems?"

"we're defending the dragons. From Vigo and his dragon traffickers and trappers." He answered, "you may want to give me a good reason for all this because you just dumped my dragon in the ocean to die without a thought and I'm not patient with people who harm dragons on a good day. Hurting my friend makes me a little twitchy."

"fair enough." They grunted, signalling once more with their staff.

From a crevice in the ice a dragon flew down, carrying Toothless. It dropped him next to Hiccup then joined the crowd of dragons watching.

Uncaring for judgement Hiccup threw his arms around Toothless as his dragon leapt for him.

"Toothless! Oh gods, I thought I lost you bud, no I'm fine don't worry," his words rushed out as his dragon sniffed him and curled around him.

All the while the stranger watched on, head tilted in curiosity.

"how did the Romans learn Norse?" they asked.

Hiccup froze, not having realised they'd been conversing in Norse. He had some trouble with that thanks to Pluto. He was perfectly capable of controlling when he spoke in which language, but sometimes he would subconsciously switch. It was the only issue he'd had with being bi-lingual which was annoying because it wasn't even the kind of issue one would usually have.

"long story," he answered.

"who are you?" the stranger asked again, a threat in their voice, "I am just as impatient as you. I've been dealing with Vigo as well, I don't need Romans trying to attack the dragons here. They are under mine and the kings protection."

"we don't fight dragons, they're our friends!" Hiccup defended.

The stranger stepped closer and Toothless growled a warning, "I see."

"you don't need to fight us," he specified, "my friends and I are trying to stop all these people from hurting dragons."

They paused for a moment, surveying him.

"you didn't answer my question," they said, "who are you?"

"no one you'd recognise," he said.

"try me."

Hiccup had to suppress a laugh. This strange vigilante dragon-person had recognised him as Roman, surely they didn't think they could name every dragon riding soldier in Rome? This was ridiculous.

They stalked closer, ignoring Toothless's growls, instead pulling some fancy hand-trick that caused him to fall asleep. Hiccup's hand twitched towards the dagger at his hip, but before he could unsheathe it the stranger had come close to his face and he was backing up, fumbling for a decision. To be frank he had no idea what was going on, this was uncharted territory. No one else in the archipelago was a dragon rider, that was what he'd always thought. Who was this person?

His indecisiveness had him stepping back under the stranger's studying glare. He stumbled as he reached the edge of the dragon circle and in his moment of stillness the stranger got a good look at him. Launching back like they'd been burned by being so close.

"Hiccup?"

What?

It was morning before anyone noticed Hiccup was missing.

Not for lack of caring, but they hadn't planned a watch schedule or agreed to change shifts at any point, deciding they would be perfectly safe. Although Aeliana may have snuck out to do a border-check, and Charlotte definitely flew a few laps around the island around mid-night.

But it wasn't till everyone was in the main room eating breakfast that Atticus pointed out Hiccup seemed to have slept in.

"he likely pulled a watch last night, probably fell asleep at one of the towers, he'll be here in a bit." Aeliana said, rubbing some stray sleep from her eyes.

He was not there in a bit.

It was Atticus's turn to do the washing up that day and as he finished up he glanced out of the room to find that Hiccup had not come by, as evident by his untouched plate of food they had left for him.

Atticus flew to the watchtowers looking for him and after that proved fruitless he visited all the other spots the group used to watch over the island and keep look out. Hiccup wasn't there.

It was when he went to check Hiccup's cabin that Aeliana caught him looking and immediately grew worried when Atticus told her Hiccup didn't seem to be anywhere on the island.

By mid-day they had checked everywhere and were worried.

"we need to track him, he could be in danger. Maybe Vigo snuck in and captured him?" Verlin said pacing the length of the dome, Jael fidgeted with the map of the edge, painfully aware of the situation thanks to being on a record of sober days.

"what if he's just gone for an especially long flight?" Charlotte suggested, "we've all done it."

"it's been hours," Aeliana said, "Hiccup would leave a note."

"maybe Mala sent a message for help, or the wing-maidens." Jael suggested, obviously trying to persuade herself to believe it.

"no he'd wake us," Atticus said, "he's missing, there's nothing else to it. we need to track him down and find him, he could be hurt or in trouble. He can fend for himself just fine, but Vigo has proven to be crafty."

"agreed," Aeliana said, "lets get something of his from his cabin and let Spike catch a trail."

"wow what an invasion of privacy, I'm gone for a few hours and you want to rifle through my stuff? Not cool."

The group looked to the front of the dome, Aeliana's hand flying to a sword, and found Hiccup standing there with Toothless as if there was no problem at all. Behind him was a stranger and another dragon- a Stormcutter by the looks.

"Hiccup! Where have you been?" Atticus threw his hands in the air in exasperation, and Aeliana shot him a glare.

"it is a seriously long story, and you will not believe it," he said.

"try us," Charlotte said, arms crossed.

Hiccup gestured to the stranger, "guys I'd like you to meet Valka, she's been fighting Vigo as well." The stranger nodded a greeting and removed their helmet, "she's also my mother."

That night Hiccup could not sleep.

He lay staring at the ceiling of his cabin thinking in circles.

His mother was alive. Alive and a dragon rider. Eighteen years she'd been running and flying around being a crazy vigilante dragon lady and he'd thought she was dead. His heart ached at the thought. She said she'd thought it best to stay away. That Berk couldn't change. He could understand that to a degree but it didn't change the fact that she'd left him. A newly born babe and she'd just left him on Berk without a thought.

Well, he couldn't assume that, but that's how it felt.

What would his life have been like if she'd been there? If she'd been able to support him? How much pain and loneliness could he have avoided?

He wanted to cast aside the sadness, she was here now and he couldn't change the past but there was still a lingering ache in his chest.

He focused on his breathing, it was getting harder. There was a lump in his throat he couldn't chase away and a weight on his body that pushed the air from his lungs. If he focused on his breath maybe he could stop thinking of his mother, of his past. Maybe he could get some damn sleep.

His breath rushed in and out of him and he entered the best form of meditation he could when his whole body wanted to seize with sobs. If he relaxed and focused well enough maybe he could reach that power of Pluto's he could barely wield, maybe it could help him gain some wayward wisdom about all this.

But the cold feeling of that power slipped from his grasp every second he reached for it and sleep ran from his fingertips.

Toothless warbled, bringing him out of his trance. The dragon was worried for him, could feel the tumultuous emotions raging in his mind.

"I'm okay bud," he sighed, sitting up, "just can't sleep."

Toothless chirruped again, twisting on his slab to leave some room beside him where Hiccup could sit.

With a sigh Hiccup took the invitation, carrying his pillow over to his friend and snuggling against his warm scales. He had tried to figure this out with everyone else, but the advice everyone else gave made no headway with his emotions. Once more it was Toothless giving him the only working coping mechanism. Or at least the only one that allowed him some rest.

He fell asleep to the sound of Toothless's rhythmic breath, letting it lull him into something close to calm.