Sorry this took so long. Remember to vote on those two songs I posted earlier. I need a tiebreaker.

Enjoy!

***

Hiccup sighed, looking at his work. Making the saddle had taken most of yesterday and pretty much all of the following night. If he didn't fall off during practice today, there was a chance he'd probably just pass out mid-flight.

If they got in the air.

Toothless reclined outside, basking in the dawn moonlight, watching. When he saw that the saddle was finished, he got up and nosed Hiccup's arm. How's it coming?

"All done, I think," Hiccup replied. "Want to try it on?"

Toothless obligingly turned to the side a bit, allowing Hiccup to lay the saddle on his shoulders, just in front of his wings. The straps were a little trickier. They consisted of a wide leather band that stretched between the dragon's forelegs and was connected on both sides to metal rings that Toothless would put his front legs through. The rings had buckles that attached to the saddle, keeping everything firmly in place without causing Hiccup or Toothless any irritation. The saddle had places for Hiccup to put his feet, the left side of which was more of a pedal and connected to the prosthetic, allowing Hiccup to control the prosthetic without making any erratic movements. Hopefully, this was the answer to Toothless' flightlessness.

I really hope this works, Toothless murmured as Hiccup pulled everything into place, mimicking the feel of the saddle being fastened together without actually doing it.

Me, too. If this doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do, Hiccup worried. Is that comfortable?

Toothless nodded. Plenty. Let's go try it out.

Hiccup slipped the saddle off and they walked outside. To Hiccup's surprise, there was a large Nightmare perching on one of the ruined buildings. His scales were a grim combination of deep maroon and black. His back and neck spines were long and jagged, and his amber-colored eyes seemed to glow. There was something very off about this dragon, but Hiccup couldn't figure out what it was.

Toothless hummed a greeting, and the Nightmare gave a short hiss back. The sound was strangely haunting, almost hollow, like wind blowing through a dead forest. He seemed preoccupied by the sight of the saddle in Hiccup's arms. He didn't do anything, just sat there, staring.

Toothless cocked his head, warbling something. The Nightmare didn't seem to want to answer at first, but then made a sort of grinding sound with his teeth. In answer, Toothless warbled again, sounding indignant, and swept his tail around behind Hiccup, pulling him closer. The Nightmare hissed and inched closer. Hiccup rested a hand on the Night Fury's folded wing, and what he heard didn't help his jumping nerves.

I am not mad, Scorch, nor am I being controlled. This is by my own choice.

Scorch cried out loudly at that, attracting the attention of several dragons who were close enough to hear. They came forward slowly, keeping a careful eye on both Toothless and Scorch.

Toothless growled back, standing straighter and looking the Nightmare right in the eyes. You are forgetting your place, Scorch. Hiccup is a part of this herd just the same as you are. What on earth was Scorch trying to get at?

"What's going on?" Hiccup whispered to an ashen-faced Twig. "What are they saying?"

Scorch thinks you're controlling the Alpha. He thinks the flying sickness has got him too bad and that you shouldn't be a part of the herd anymore. She swallowed hard, and it was clear by both her face and Scorch's posture that "you shouldn't be a part of the herd anymore" meant "you should die".

If you threaten a member of the herd, Toothless rumbled warningly, then you threaten me as his protector.

In answer, Scorch raised his head and let out a growl that shook off some of the tiles on the roof he was standing on. Twig, along with the rest of the herd, drew in a sharp breath, shocked. Even not touching the Nightmare—which Hiccup was starting to realize would result in either injury or death—his message was clear: I don't threaten you. I challenge you.

***

"Well, this is just great," Tuffnut grumbled, swiping cobwebs out of his face for what seemed to be the billionth time that morning. It was barely 7:00 in the morning, and his day was already complete yak dung. He wasn't allowed to go home, per Mom's orders, he didn't have any food, and he was lost in the woods with no form of shelter. "Simply brilliant."

"Hey, at least we're not down in the training ring breaking our backs for Magnus. That's something, at least," snapped Ruffnut. Oh, yeah, she was here, too. That was also bad. Secretly, though, Tuffnut was glad his sister was out of harm's way. It meant that when he froze to death tonight, he wouldn't be alone.

Then, of course, they would start arguing over Thor knows what, and Tuffnut would completely forget why he wanted his sister to be with him in the first place. It was a cycle.

"Yeah, but now we have nowhere to go," Tuffnut countered, "and I'm starting to think that you don't know where this secret hiding place is, after all."

"Yes, I do," Ruffnut insisted. "Astrid said it was just past Raven Point. How hard can it be to find?"

"We passed Raven Point an hour ago!" Tuffnut yelled. "Mom and Dad let us go because they thought you could find the blasted hiding place! Now we're stuck out here with nothing, and it's your fault because you couldn't get more specific directions."

"My fault? My fault?! Magnus is the one being evil! He's the reason we're doing this in the first place! If you want to blame anyone, blame him!"

Tuffnut glared at his sister. "Yeah, but blaming Magnus isn't going to get us to the hiding place. Finding the meeting spot is. Which you coincidentally have not found."

"Stop pinning this on me!" Ruffnut shot back. "I know where we're going."

Tuffnut arched one eyebrow, daring her. "Really?"

"Really." Ruffnut stood her ground.

"Well, then, by all means, lead on, dear sister," Tuffnut replied cooly, gesturing to the vast expanse of forest in front of them, knowing that she did not, in fact, know where to go.

Ruffnut stared at him for a minute, then ground her teeth together and marched back the way they'd come. Tuffnut smirked and followed her.

When they got to Raven Point, Astrid was standing there with her axe, sharpening the blade. She looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching and got up. "About time. I thought you two weren't going to show up."

"We would have gotten here sooner if someone hadn't tried to find the hiding place beforehand," Tuffnut said, looking pointedly at his sister. She scowled at him.

Astrid spun her axe in her hand and walked off. "This way," she said. The twins hurried to catch up to her.

"I thought you said the hideout was just past Raven Point," Ruffnut said.

"It isn't," Astrid replied. "The walls have ears back in the village. I needed to make sure we wouldn't be caught."

"So you gave us the wrong directions on purpose," Tuffnut finished.

"Yep. Through here." Astrid moved a thick curtain of vines aside with her axe, revealing a narrow, dark tunnel. She led the way, with the twins following close behind. They had to keep a hand on one another, as there was no light source. Tuffnut kept a tight grip on his sister's arm, accidentally stepping on her twice. Ruffnut was so disoriented by the all-consuming blackness that she barely noticed. At least Astrid seemed to know where she was going. Finally, a soft glow started to cut through the tunnel. It was a small lantern, filled with fireflies. Astrid picked it up and they continued on their way.

"I had to make sure that anyone who found this tunnel wouldn't be able to make their way through very easily. That's why it was so dark to begin with," she explained.

"I think it worked," Tuffnut replied, his voice barely above a whisper, feeling a little claustrophobic in the narrow darkness of the tunnel. Astrid smiled grimly.

At last, they reached a chamber at the end of the tunnel. More firefly lanterns were set on the ground, with several cots made of pine needles and animal furs off to one side. A few other kids were in the chamber, too: Tuffnut recognized Fishlegs and Snotlout and his younger brother, Gustav.

"Are there others?" Ruffnut asked.

Astrid shook her head. "No, it's just us. Mom was thinking about sending Asta with me, too, but she didn't want to put more on my plate than there was already."

Tuffnut nodded, slowly wandering around the room. That Astrid was the leader of their little band wasn't surprising; she had that natural charisma about her. But it also put more pressure on her. Tuffnut could see the strain in Astrid's eyes when she'd said Asta's name. At least he and Snotlout got to stay with their siblings.

"So," Ruffnut said, trying to make conversation, "how long have you been here?"

"Ever since my dad got arrested," Astrid answered, her voice wavering a little. Tuffnut felt a pang in his stomach. Any subject even remotely connected to Hiccup made Astrid seem to retreat inside of herself, like she thought that by hiding from the topic, she could avoid the pain of the loss. Tuffnut hadn't known Hiccup that well beyond him being the heir and Gobber's apprentice, but he'd seemed like a nice guy who'd been happy to do his part to support the village.

And, for no apparent reason other than sheer cruelty, Magnus had killed him.

"I heard he's getting released soon," Fishlegs said, trying to be supportive while still avoiding that subject. "At least there's that."

Astrid sighed. "Yeah, but then Magnus will have him in the arena all day just like everyone else. We can't expect any of the adults to help us this time. We're on our own."

Several of the kids gulped. Yes, most of them were almost adults now, but they were still greatly accustomed to the safety net that their parents' protection and guidance provided. To suddenly be thrust into a situation where they didn't have that anymore was terrifying.

Astrid continued. "Look, I know you guys are scared. I am, too. But hiding in a cave isn't going to fix anything. Like it or not, our parents' war is about to become ours, and we have to be ready."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Snotlout suddenly interjected. "I thought we came out here to get away from Magnus. That was the plan, right?"

Astrid turned around, staring him down. "You may be content with hiding out in the woods indefinitely, but I'm not. I refuse to let Magnus destroy what hope we have left. If that means taking the fight to his front door, if that's what it takes, then I am fully prepared to make that sacrifice. You do what you want, but I'm done letting Magnus push me around."

Snotlout raised his hands, trying to mollify Astrid. "It's not that I think it's a bad idea. But without Hiccup or his father, the rebellion's dead. There's nothing we can do, Astrid."

Astrid was quiet for a moment as she considered this. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and deliberate. "We have. To do. Something."

"And we will," Fishlegs said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But not yet. We're not capable of taking on Magnus right now. "

"Yeah, we could!" Tuffnut suggested enthusiastically. "We could totally take him on!"

"And live?" Fishlegs added.

Tuffnut's excitement deflated faster than a popped balloon. "Oh. Yeah, probably not."

"Snotlout has a point, though," Astrid said. "We're nowhere near ready to fight Magnus. We need allies. For now, our main objective is survival."

"Who are you planning on asking?" Ruffnut replied.

"I don't know yet. But Berk's alliances broke off when Magnus became chief. If we could just get to the nearest one, we might stand a chance."

"How are we going to leave Berk, though?" Fishlegs asked. "Magnus practically keeps the ships under lock and key. There's no way we'll be able to steal one without getting caught."

"We'll have to build one, then. But once the other tribes hear about what Magnus has done, they won't let him get away with it."

Tuffnut opened his mouth to argue again, but the look on Astrid's face stopped him. He'd thought he was bad off, being sent into the woods, having to leave home. But for the first time, he realized just how much Astrid had suffered at Magnus' hands. Her boyfriend had been trapped his entire life in the jailer's house, subject to every frustration, every explosion, right up to the day he died, and she hadn't been able to do a single thing about it. Her dream of being in the Berk Guard had been snatched from her fingertips. Her father, the rock of the house as far as Tuffnut knew, had been arrested. Her mother and baby sister were in peril. This was personal for her.

Whether it was plausible or not, Tuffnut wanted Magnus gone just as much as everyone else, and if that meant building a boat with no prior experience, then so be it. He was all about crazy, anyway.

"Where do you want the supplies?" he asked suddenly. Everyone stopped and stared at him. "For the boat. Where do you want the supplies, Astrid?"

"You actually think that's a good idea?" Snotlout asked incredulously.

"Not at all. Which is why I'm in favor of it. I vote we give it a shot."

"Aw, heck," Ruffnut muttered. "Me too. Crazy boat idea for the win."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Astrid asked, one eyebrow raised. "If memory serves me correctly, you two are inherently good at being bad."

"Maybe that's what we need," Tuffnut replied. "You've been trying to do this your way. The whole point of going against Magnus is being bad. We're the rebels, after all. Whatever Magnus wants us to do, we should do the opposite."

"And risk our lives in the process," Snotlout muttered.

"Point being?" Astrid asked, shutting him up. "Does anyone else have a problem with the boat plan?" Snotlout started to open his mouth again, but Gustav elbowed him in the ribs to keep him quiet. When no one else spoke up, she nodded. "Let's do this."

***

Yay, the latest chapter is finally up!

QOTC: Do you watch Once Upon A Time? If you do, what's your favorite ship(s)? Mine are Rumbelle, Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, and Henry and Violet (if someone can tell me that last ship name, I'd appreciate it).