The Big Four Part I: Chapter 6

A/N: Please disregard the part in the Author's Notes saying "things based off of shorts are events, not people" unless you don't consider the 'Riders of Berk' TV Series shorts. While I do recommend you watch them, I am trying not to include so much of it to the point where a reader who hasn't seen the series gets lost.

Also, in case you haven't noticed already, this takes place after the events of 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'. For those who haven't seen it or 'Riders of Berk' yet, spoiler alert!

Elinor had her hands cupped over her mouth, weeping in the tapestry room. She placed her hand on the line drawn between her and Merida from when Merida tore it in frustration on the day of her betrothal. The tear in the tapestry was mended, as shown by the line between them. She rested her head on her arms and continued crying.

"Oh, I'm just hoping you're okay," she whispers to herself.

"Ah! Done with the lords, finally! Elinor dear," says Fergus. He entered the room and tried to comfort her. "What would've happened if she didn't take that tunnel?"

Elinor wiped her eyes. "She would've died.

"But it's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her leave the castle that night. I should've just kept her inside no matter what it took." She buried her hands in her face. "She's a princess. I would've locked her up just to be safe and—,"

"Now don't say that," Fergus interrupts. Strangely, he didn't seem to have any problem with Merida just leaving. "She's a warrior, but also a princess. Besides, I'm sure that lad can take care of her."

Elinor looked up to Fergus. "You sure?"

"Aye. He may not look like one, but he's a chief. We'll get her back. I promise."

"Berk Dragon Training Academy, huh?" says Jack as they entered the place. "More like a kill ring."

"Oh. Yeah. About that… uh… it's complicated," says Hiccup, shying away from his past.

"Well, this is the Dragon Training Academy," Hiccup began to explain. "What we do here is pretty self–explanatory, and—,"

"We blow stuff up!" shouts Tuffnut. "Fire away!" he yells to the Zippleback. One head breathed out a dark green gas while the other fired a shot at a dummy, blowing it up. Once the smoke cleared, everyone looked up to find its head blown clean off in front of one of the cages. The front of the dummy's body was completely black.

"Alright!" yells Ruffnut. She grabbed Tuffnut's hand and they banged their helmets against one another.

"Are they always like this?" asks Rapunzel.

"More often than not," answers Hiccup.

"Well, that's pleasant. How attractive," Merida mentions sarcastically.

Snotlout took special interest in Rapunzel, even creeping up to her with a smirk on his face. "So. You're a princess, if I can remember correctly. You know, maybe we can, you know, someday go on a tour of the island? Just the two of us? Alone?" He reached his hand out for Rapunzel's.

"And she's also taken," says Hiccup, grabbing the left horn of Snotlout's helmet and pulling him away. "Sorry, Snotlout." He was placed in front of Gobber, who grabbed his helmet and pulled him down.

A cold breeze swept through the academy, causing most to shiver. Bunnymund was especially bothered by it. He looked willing to just go jump into a fire pit, no matter how painful it might be. He'd rather take burns than get frostbite.

"Welcome to Berk. Sorry guys, you'll just have to toughen up over the weather," says Hiccup. "But this isn't exactly the best weather to train in. Ugh, winter months."

Snotlout smiled. "Well, I've got my own heater," he says, mounting the Monstrous Nightmare. It burst into flames, not so hot that it would burn him badly. Snotlout sighed in relief before the Monstrous Nightmare flung him off into a wall.

"Hookfang!" yells Snotlout.

Bunnymund took interested in the heat and headed over to the dragon.

"Bunny, I don't think that's a good—," starts Hiccup.

Hookfang suddenly reeled back and shot a burst of flame at Bunnymund. Having quick reflexes, he easily dodged it with by sidestepping. "Oh, so that's how you want to play it," says Bunnymund, reaching for his boomerang.

"Okay. I don't think this is a very good idea," says Hiccup, placing himself between Bunnymund and Hookfang. He knew neither would fire at him, especially Hookfang. He faced Bunnymund, and Astrid decided to stand next to him, facing Hookfang.

Snotlout's attention shifted toward Bunnymund. "Wow. I must say that I am quite convinced by that costume," he says.

Hiccup sighed and facepalmed. "Snotlout, it's not a costume."

"Yeah, right." Snotlout turned away and headed back toward Hookfang.

Merida leaned over to him again. "Are all of your friends like this?"

"Just him and the twins. Fishlegs and Astrid make better friends for the more gentle soul.

"Okay, I think that's enough," says Hiccup. "On to the training session.

"Gobber has strategically placed thirty targets on and around the island. That makes six for each of us. That also means you'll most likely be out of shots by the time this is over, except for Hookfang. Each target is marked with a different color. Cyan for Astrid, burnt apricot for Fishlegs, mahogany for Snotlout, pistachio for the twins, and pitch black for me."

The last few words grabbed the attention of Bunnymund and Jack. "Did he say what I think he just said?" asks Jack.

"Yes, and he meant the color," says Bunnymund. "Now pay attention."

"Do I really have to? How is this training exercise important for me? It's meant for the dragon riders. Not you, not me," complains Jack.

"The goal is simple," continues Hiccup. "Just fire one blast at each of your targets and return to the academy. Six shot limit for most of us, so don't miss."

"Seems easy enough," says Snotlout.

But Hiccup wasn't finished yet. "Treat it like a race. Because this exercise is meant to train you to defend yourself against attackers, you will want to try to deviate others from their current paths. You might also want to watch out for anything that might come flying your way." He glanced at the others before continuing. "They've got Dragon Trappers. That's why Eret will be moving around various posts on the island trying to shoot you down. If he gets you, you're done." He eyed Ruffnut, whose mind was off in who–knows–where.

Gobber decided to finish the explanation. "Also, none of the targets are located in the village, so don't look there. Rather, look near places like the beaches, cliffs, and the cove. Search close to the village, but don't search in the village."

Hiccup nodded. "I'll see you all back here once we're all done."

Astrid and Snotlout were the first to roll out, followed by the twins and Fishlegs. Hiccup waited awhile before mounting Toothless. He turned to Merida, Jack, Bunnymund, Rapunzel, and Eugene.

"Anyone here got a good throwing arm?" he asks.

"Well, I can use this," says Bunnymund, holding out his boomerang and several egg bombs. "What exactly are you getting to with this?"

"Training. Just try to shoot us down while we're on our course," answers Hiccup. "But don't actually hit anyone. That's Eret's job."

"And us?" asks Rapunzel.

"I don't know. You can either join Bunny or just look around the village for the time being. I'll come by and get you once we're done."

Hiccup mounted Toothless and locked his prosthetic leg onto the pedal. "Let's go, bud." Toothless zipped out of the academy, leaving everyone else watching him circle before flying off in the distance.

"Well, I'm off to do that job Hiccup assigned me," says Bunnymund, taking a tunnel out of the academy. He reappeared above the cove. After a general scan of the area, he found two targets in the forest: one with mahogany rings and one with cyan rings. One for Snotlout, and one for Astrid respectively. A bola sling came flying across his vision, followed my Fishlegs and his Gronckle.

Meanwhile, Hiccup continued to search the outskirts of the island, scanning the beach for any targets Gobber may have placed. There was one marked for the twins, but that one has already been blasted at. Great. If the twins are ahead of him then that means everyone else is probably ahead too. Those two weren't always the brightest in the group.

He spotted his first target on the face of a cliff. Black would stand out in the snow, making it easy for him to find it. Toothless pulled back before flying straight toward it. After hearing the regular noise of the approach of a Night Fury, Toothless released a shot straight at the target. Half of it was knocked off the cliff, down to the ice below. The other half remained hanging, but only just. One down, five more to go.

Hiccup's course was interrupted suddenly. Not by Eret or Bunnymund, but by something he spotted off in the distance. It was a lone ship, bearing the same design as the ones used to invade DunBroch. Hiccup hesitated for a bit. Part of him told him to finish the training session and find out what that ship is doing there, but another part of him told him to return to the academy and tell Gobber. Alert the others. Stop something bad from becoming worse. But why is it alone?

Hiccup found the lone ship to pose no threat at all. After deciding to continue with the training session, Hiccup turned toward the cove. He easily dodged a net that Eret fired at him, only to be interrupted by Fishlegs and Meatlug. They bumped into Hiccup and Toothless, causing everyone to stumble mid–flight. They all noticed that they were about to crash into the forest, so Toothless pulled to the right while Meatlug pulled to the left.

Hiccup spotted Bunnymund emerging from the tree line. He fired off a warning shot with an egg bomb, so Hiccup decided to have Toothless pull up and fly over Berk. He knew that trying to run from Bunnymund would be a pointless endeavor. He could just keep taking the tunnels to get literally anywhere on Berk. To the cove, to the Great Hall, even to the Haddock House, should he ever need to.

Flying over the island, Hiccup checked back to find the ship still there. Astrid was circling around the island, and he spotted Stormfly take a single spine shot into the forest. That most likely means two or three down for Astrid now.

Hiccup found one of his targets placed carefully near the dock. The ships, for the most part, were dysfunctional due to one of Berk's biggest winters on record. The target stood tight between a ship and a cliff. Toothless took one careful shot at it, striking it on the first try. He had to make sure he wouldn't destroy the ship or take out the cliff. They quickly dodged an incoming blast from Hookfang before moving on to where they were originally going: the cove.

"I wouldn't go to the cove," says Snotlout as he flew by.

"Why not?" asks Hiccup.

"The rabbit's got that place on lockdown. I had to fly through smoke to hit my target there. Probably the second toughest thing I've had to do all week after keeping those guys away from Berk."

Hiccup decided to insist on heading to the cove anyway. Lockdown by Bunnymund or not, one of his targets could be placed down there.

They dove straight in, finding that Bunnymund was indeed watching the place. Finding one of their targets hidden deep in the place, the Hiccup and Toothless dove into the cove. As expected, egg bombs immediately came flying toward him. They quickly leveled out, took care of that target, and flew through the smoke back over the island.

Still finding that invader ship off in the distance, Hiccup finally gave in and headed back for the academy. He flew in to find the others waiting without Bunnymund. Their attention quickly turned to him as they found that he was finished so soon.

"Done so soon?" asks Gobber.

"No. I only marked three of my targets," answers Hiccup.

Gobber froze. "So why aren't you still out there?"

"Invader ship. Off in the distance. I don't know what it's doing there. It's all by itself. No fleet, nothing."

That surely grabbed everyone's full attention. "Them? So soon?" asks Rapunzel. "I thought they attacked here while we were in DunBroch, and that wasn't even two days ago. And why a single one?"

"I thought the same thing about why there was only one. Maybe they're trying to sneak someone or something onto the island? Worked with Whispering Death eggs a few years ago, but it's winter this time around. I doubt it'll work this time."

"Let's go check it out," says Jack, handing Merida her bow.

Hiccup and Merida left the academy on Toothless while Jack flew out on his own, leaving Gobber, Rapunzel and Eugene to wait for the other riders to finish their training. They flew toward the lone ship out in the sea. What is its purpose there? To observe? To lure? To sneak something onto the island? Have they already done their task, or did they just arrive here at Berk?

As they circled around the island, they found Astrid pulling up from one of her targets. "I've only got one left, Hiccup!"

"I'm not concerned about the training right now. Right now, I'm looking at that ship out there," says Hiccup. "Recognize it at all?"

Astrid took the best look she could at the vessel out there. "No. Why are you even concerned about it? That's not one of the attacker's ships that came here."

"But that is an invader ship used by DunBroch invaders. Trust me in this one."

Astrid snapped her head back to the ship and joined them in following it. It quickly started a course away from the island once those on board noticed the two dragons and Guardian flying toward them.

They decided to get as much cloud cover as they possibly could to follow the ship. It wasn't exactly the easiest job when it's the middle of winter, meaning it's freezing up there. Being used to the cold, Hiccup and Astrid looked as if they weren't even bothered by it. Obviously, no complaint from Jack. But Merida did complain only to toughen up later and remain silent.

Whoever was on the ship seemed to make no move in an attempt to lose them. The ship just kept moving without any sign of stopping. No direction changes, no hiding right next to pillars, nothing. Do they even know they're being followed, or is the cloud cover actually working and they think they lost the riders?

Eventually, a large island came into view. It looked like an island uninhabitable by humans with the darkened landscape and all. Dead trees were scattered around the landscape. But looking closer, Hiccup could actually see several structures on the ground. He hasn't been here in a while, but Hiccup still knew what that island was.

Outcast Island.

Surprisingly enough, the ship docked at the island. What, did Alvin just form another alliance with what is now an enemy of Berk, turning against them once again? Is some other trouble brewing on the island that they've been unaware of for who–knows–how–long?

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged glances before diving down toward the island. Nobody knew what was happening down there, but if the ship's going to dock at that island, then Outcast Island it is.

As they came down, they noticed the island was full of wild dragons, just like it always was. About half were Gronckles while there were some Nadders and Zipplebacks, and even a few Monstrous Nightmares in the mix. Fortunately, no Whispering or Screaming Death. Just thinking of what it did years ago made Hiccup shudder.

They landed in one of the blind spots on the island, or at least what they knew of the place. It was crawling with people wearing the invader emblem, so they were lucky to be able to land out of sight. Everyone left their dragons in that spot before looking over a pile of rocks into the island's arena.

Once they had determined it was clear, the four of them snuck down and jumped into the arena. It wasn't nearly as secure as the academy, so it was easy for them to get in. However, the interior build was just like the academy: a circular arena with several cages and exits lining the edges. They narrowly avoided a guard who passed by immediately after they dropped in.

The place was completely silent except for shoe brushing up against rock. No wild dragons, no voices, nothing. There was a tunnel leading to what Hiccup remembered was several cells for both dragons and humans alike. Having spotted neither Alvin nor Savage or even a single Outcast definitely raised suspicions.

They decided to head into that passage, thinking they could find at least something to help them.

After sneaking past several guards, they came across several cells. There only two of them were occupied; one with a Scauldron and one with a Thunderdrum. The Thunderdrum wore a muzzle and was chained to the back of its cell while the Scauldron was just chained. Several buckets hung above it, most likely filled with water. They were out of the Scauldron's reach however— its cell was huge, like they took down the barriers between several cells and raised the roof. Hiccup never remembered a single cell on Outcast Island to be that large.

"Whatever's going on, those behind it really hate Tidal Class dragons," guesses Hiccup as they passed by. He caught Merida attempting to reach toward the Scauldron and pulled her back to the ground just to dodge a burst of scalding water.

"One blast and you're done for," whispers Hiccup. "And they don't know how to restrain a Scauldron as well as they know the Thunderdrum."

The group heard several whispers, cueing them to move on before any guards come over. There were definitely some guards who heard that, and getting caught was the last thing they wanted to happen. Also, the wet rock on the other side of the cavern–like hallway was a dead giveaway that someone interacted with it just recently.

They moved on to find the cells holding human hostages. Many of them were packed with… Outcast tribe members? Hiccup suspected that it would only be a matter of time until they would come across Alvin.

They found Alvin at the very end of the cavern–like prison. He had his own cell to himself. His hands were tied behind his back. His back was turned, but it was pretty obvious he was awake. His cell was to the left of Savage and Mildew's cell. Both were asleep on opposite sides of the cell

"Stay back and watch for any incoming guards," Hiccup says to Jack and Merida. "Astrid and I will talk this out."

"And if there are guards coming our way?" asks Merida.

"You come rushing back over here."

The two of them nodded and turned the corner, leaving Astrid and Hiccup to confront the captive Alvin the Treacherous. Without saying a word, Hiccup opened the cell door. It creaked on the hinges of which it barely hung on, unstable like anything else on the island. Every structure seemed to look dangerous.

Without any warning, Alvin lunged straight at Hiccup and pinned him to the cell wall. He could've severely injured Hiccup if he didn't stop himself from head–butting him.

"Oh. Hiccup!" says Alvin, releasing Hiccup. Hiccup took a deep breath upon being let go. "What are you doing here?" He spoke in his usual croaky voice. It still sounded menacing, like he hasn't changed a bit since the last time they met a few years ago, fighting off Dagur the Deranged.

"I spotted one of their ships off of Berk. We followed it over here," answers Hiccup. "What happened to your island?"

"Dragon Trappers happened. It didn't take too long for them to take the entire island from us, to lock us up on my island."

"Look. I hate them too. They attacked Berk a few days ago. I was just lucky they could keep them off Berk without me."

"Without you?"

"When they attacked Berk, I wasn't around. About a day and a half's flight away from the place. Some other kingdom where the exact same people attacked. But as far as I knew, they didn't bring any Trappers. Alvin, there's someone they're working for. They wouldn't just attack some place and have other people attack some other place at the same time."

"Where exactly?"

"DunBroch. It's a kingdom far off. Met a few nice people there. Not all that impressive except for the castle itself, along with an interesting royal family. Plus, no dragons there."

"No dragons? Must be a boring place to live then."

Hiccup scoffed.

"So eh… how's life been back on Berk? How's Stoick been doing?"

Hiccup shuddered upon hearing his father's name. His death was probably the one worst moment he has ever lived through. But what was even more painful to know about the death of his father was the killer. From the view of some, they would say Toothless killed him because he was the one who fired. From the view of others, they would say Drago Bludvist killed him because he had the Bewilderbeast controlling Toothless. Hiccup was sort of split down the middle, although he wanted to convince himself that his best friend wasn't the one who killed him.

"Uh…" starts Hiccup, unsure of how to put it down. Knowing Alvin, one wrong word could send him into a rampage. "It's not something I like to think about."

But Alvin, surprisingly, was smarter than that. "Alright. What happened to him? Spit it out."

Hiccup sighed before taking in a deep breath. "Drago Bludvist killed him."

Alvin's eyes widened in fear. "Drago? That madman?" he asks, only to be answered with a sorry nod.

"Where is he right now?" demands Alvin. "I swear, I'll avenge your father no matter what it takes out of me!"

"He's already done with," interrupts Hiccup.

"Oh."

Several voices could be heard throughout the prison. Astrid gave Hiccup a nervous look, finding Jack and Merida rushing back to them.

"I better go," says Hiccup, using Inferno to destroy the cuffs. He left the cell and locked Alvin behind bars. Alvin simply nodded, knowing that there was no chance at escaping right now.

The four of them hid from the guards as they passed by. They dropped in on Alvin. "Who are you speaking with?" one of them demands. Alvin faced the guard and just spoke with himself, mimicking the voice of another person. He had his hands behind his back, like the cuffs were still on.

"Sir, there's no one on this island," says a voice from the arena.

"Then you're not searching hard enough!" booms a much more menacing voice. "I know there's someone on my island. You think that Scauldron blast back there was a coincidence? Do you think that preachy Alvin just talks to himself all of a sudden? Double your search!"

Merida and Hiccup exchanged glances. So they know they're on the island. It's time to bail, to get off the place as soon as they possibly could. But how were they supposed to sneak to the arena? And after that, there are no places to hide in the arena, so how would they get past that?

They silently snuck their way back toward the arena to find someone just leaving. Thinking the path was clear, the four started their trek through the arena.

"Going somewhere?" says a voice from behind them.

Everyone froze where they were before they were surrounded by guards from every direction. Everywhere they looked, there was a spear pointed straight at them. They pushed them into the middle of the arena, the dead center.

"Any ideas?" whispers Astrid, backing away from the guards. She held her axe in hand, while Jack's staff was pointed toward the guards who faced him. Merida had an arrow loaded on her bow, while Hiccup deployed Inferno.

"One, but it might be a bit risky," says Hiccup quietly, tapping his sword to the ground.

"What choice do we have?" says Merida, keeping her voice down. "It's either take the risk or we're done for right here, right now."

Jack frosted the floor, causing a few of the guards to slip and fall. Hiccup deactivated Inferno and stood down, holding the sword in his left hand.

"Is that really all you got?" asks the same voice. It was a voice Hiccup recognized, but he just couldn't seem to put his finger onto it.

Hiccup glanced up and out of the arena to find a familiar face. He looked different compared to the last time the two met, but that was years ago. It's…

"Dagur," whispers Hiccup.

He held the same evil smirk on his face that he always did. The kid's grown over the past few years. He was about a few inches taller, but his attire was mostly the same. Same armor, same helmet, same scars, even his personality was the same. Nothing about him changed at all.

"I've waited four years," says Dagur. "You and Alvin taking me down was merely a test drive compared to what I am now. In other words, you've got no chance of getting out of that ring. My whole armada is ten times bigger and stronger than what it was from before. After a little makeover, I only had to lay a finger on this island, and after the swipe of a sword, it's all mine. Again! And now that the madman Drago just so happened to take out one of my bigger targets, I can expect Berk to fall within the next few days."

"What do you even want, Dagur?" asks Hiccup, trying to sound as bored as he possibly could.

Dagur sneered at him. "What I've always wanted: the Night Fury."

Hiccup grunted, but he did know much more was at stake here. There's more to lose if he manages to capture Toothless. The stakes now included an alpha, the chief's dragon, but the biggest thing at stake always was his best friend.

"Aw. Brought along a few friends, haven't you?" says Dagur, eyeing Merida and Jack. "Well, I'm going to ignore you, Astrid. I think the two of us have already met."

Jack held his staff in both hands and pointed it at Dagur. However, Hiccup motioned to Jack not to even try. Hiccup nodded, sending the message to Jack that he had a plan.

"Well, I must say Dagur, this is quite impressive," says Hiccup. "I mean, you really are the same guy from the last time we met a few years ago, but man have you grown up! A true chief!

"I mean, look at your armada! How impressive." Hiccup held Inferno behind his back and activated the Zippleback gas mechanism. The cloud only grew and grew, and everyone could only hope nothing would ignite it.

Dagur noticed the cloud, but didn't know where it was coming from. Therefore, he only stood there in shock as it grew and grew. With every passing second, Hiccup and the others faded from his view.

Once Hiccup knew Dagur couldn't see him, he led the others out of the arena. After moving through many winding passageways, some of them Hiccup didn't even know were there until just then, they emerged near the blind spot where their rides were waiting. But the blind spot proved useless once they heard a horn, audible throughout the entire island.

Hiccup and Merida quickly mounted Toothless before taking off and grabbing an overhead view of the island. A Zippleback was creeping into the arena, and with one spark from one of the heads, the gas was ignited along with anything inside it. It left the whole arena in shambles, the dome collapsing upon itself.

Astrid joined them as they dodged several nets and bola slings flying their way. Several wild dragons sent continuous blasts of fire to the catapults, destroying many in the process. They went on to attack those who stood alongside Dagur. Hiccup saw a wild Gronckle fire a blast into the arena before it headed into the tunnel along with a Nadder. A few moments later, the Thunderdrum and Scauldron from earlier emerged from the tunnel and went on to continue fighting against Dagur.

Only a few catapults were left standing, giving everyone the chance to escape. They pulled straight up, grabbing the cloud cover as they flew back to Berk.

"Well, we're lucky those wild dragons came to the rescue!" says Merida, sighing in relief that no one was caught.

"Yep, I think we are lucky. But this isn't good. Dagur's back, and I don't expect this one to go down like the way it did last time," replies Hiccup. "He's grown, but I have too."

Everyone took a flight back to Berk. They landed in the academy to find everyone else just relaxing. Snotlout was trying to get into Rapunzel's head before he noticed them inside.

"You two? Last of all places? I think someone else is going down as best dragon trainer now, hmm?" teases Snotlout.

"Cut it," says Astrid. "Dagur's taken over Outcast Island. Again."

"Dagur the Deranged?" asks Fishlegs with a worried look on his face. "But I thought he was done for."

Tuffnut leaned over to him. "Well, he must be back stronger now," he says, trying to get into Fishlegs. "Man, that armada."

"He still brings it wherever he goes," mentions Astrid.

Gobber stepped forward toward Hiccup. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"Well, he's stronger than before," starts Hiccup, proving Tuffnut's point. "But he's still the same guy. Unpredictable, grumpy, and real full of himself."

"Sounds like you," Jack whispers to Bunnymund, who only scoffed and looked away from him.

"The trappers are working for him," continues Hiccup. "Honestly, I'm not so surprised because he is still obsessed with trying to kill dragons. Well, I'll keep telling him it won't work, but who is he to even trust anything I say anymore?

"But one thing's for sure. We know that these trappers are with the exact same people trying to get into DunBroch. I mean, why would there be three successive attacks on three different places? First Corona, then DunBroch, then Berk. If Dagur is working with the trappers, then he's also working with those trying to raid DunBroch and Corona. But he wouldn't want those two kingdoms. They're completely void of dragons, which is what he lives for. And those guys raiding DunBroch were neither his armada nor any Dragon Trappers."

"Meaning?" asks Rapunzel.                                                                                                                                    

"Dagur the Deranged isn't the only one behind all this."