How to Train Your Dragon Rider

(3.13) Epilogue

[A/N: HA, you thought that was the chapter. It wasn't. We've got one more.]

Five years later

I hadn't been to Berk in a long time, no matter how many times I wished to go back.

At the year mark, I told myself to go back, that it was done, but I knew better. I had dealt with the remnants of Grimmel's allies within the first fourteen months. It was a challenge, but it became easier with every dragon that I saved.

I lost myself along the way, somewhere I became so much a dragon. My flight suit began to resemble its own species. A combination of Night Fury and Alpha, one of my own design. I gained a name for myself, the Dragon Lord. It was not something that I was inherently proud of, but I couldn't just change it easily. 

Toothless and Kaida married, if you want to call it that. They had three eggs, creating a new type of species that I dubbed 'Night Lights.' They were Sobek, the youngest male, Cosima, the only girl, and Drexel, the oldest male. They were actually pure chaos. Driving all of the other dragons absolutely crazy no matter the time of the day.

It was two years before I even got the freedom to go visit, but I only did for a moment. I knew that if I interacted with them, I wouldn't be able to leave again. So I planned only to coast by. I flew with Kaida, only because she could hide me easily in the daytime, when I arrived at Berk what I saw was almost unexpected, emphasis on almost.

It was beautiful, the houses were made of stone, something that we hadn't done before. At the old Berk, even though I hate calling it that, the only house that was stone wasn't a house at all. The Great Hall was the most impressive and apparent place in all of Berk. But here, everything was stone, which was an amazing thing to see. It meant that there hadn't been any attacks in a long time.

That was the only thing I wished more than anything else.

I landed Kaida just on the inside of the trees, she was happy for the rest, and I observed Berk life from where I was. Astrid was just as beautiful as when I first left, she was speaking to someone that I didn't really bother to pay attention too. I took a step closer to her, and a stick cracked underneath my foot.

I left on the back of Kaida before she could get any closer, gone into the wind.

At year three, I didn't get the chance to go back. A hoard of dragon trappers rose from the south, and it took all year to take them down. I even found a Skrill. I called him Jadrack, we were fast friends, and I was able to actually learn a lot from him. He taught me the way of lighting, which was something I didn't think about trying before.

But lightning was a strong spark of fire, a powerful discharge that took me a long time to master. It was pretty fun for me to strike the ships of dragon trappers in warning. A large amount of the trappers believed I was a new dragon, not the I would disagree.

I was a species all on my own.

Year four was just as bad as year three. But it was finally done, after nearly five years and hundreds of dragons lost in the process, I was done.

I could go home.

I raced home faster than I had ever gone before but when I reached the island, I couldn't bring myself down. I sent the dragons to their riders. I could hear the shouts of joy as the dragons returned. So much excitement, so much happiness, but I couldn't bring myself to join them.

I flew to the cliff side, the same that I left from, but I was much changed.

My mind was heavier than when I left, full of grief, but joy. I leaned on my staff more than before, injuries I gained during battle weighed me down. But I was still me, I was still-

"Hiccup."

It was her voice.

"Hiccup."

I turned to face her, and she was in my arms in an instant. Hugging me, and whispering how much she missed me. It took me a moment to wrap my arms around her, but I when I did it was a tight hug.

"I missed you so much Hiccup. Gods, I was so scared you wouldn't come back." She pulls away and presses a kiss to my lips. "I was so scared."

"I'm sorry." My voice cracked as I spoke. "I tried to come back sooner, but it became so much. More and more where coming, and I couldn't come back without being sure that you would be safe. That you all would be-"

"Mommy!"

My heart broke. She pulled away from me, wiping her tears from her eyes and turning around. A little girl was in the tall grass, smiling brightly.

"Zephyr my love, come. Come here." She walks to the little girl, meeting her halfway in the grass, crouching down beside her. She pulls her into a hug, whisper something in her ear that I couldn't hear.

I leaned my head against my staff, smiling lowly at the little girl. I was starting to feel the effects of the past few years, my burns from so many years ago were affecting me even more nowadays, taking the energy out of me faster now. The little girl shyly started to walk towards me, Astrid a few steps behind. I looked to Astrid.

"You have a daughter." My voice broke as I spoke, some part of me thinking the worst. She smiles brightly.

"We have a daughter."

Instantly there were tears in my eyes, I crouched down to eye level with the girl and smiled brightly at her. She was still shy, but slowly she approached me. She confidently took a seat on my bent knee and held my face in both hands. She poked and prodded at my face, looking for something. She did this for a moment, before stopping and throwing her arms around me.

"Papa!" She shouted excitedly. I smiled brightly, dropping my staff and wrapping my arms around her.

"That's right." I pull her as close as I can and smile at Astrid while holding her. She joins the hug, the three of us stay wrapped up tight in a pile on the edge of Berk. It wasn't long before Toothless, Kaida, and the triplets joined us.

One big happy family.