Veil's Point of View
His steps were quiet.
Deliberate.
Each one radiated authority—an aura carved in blood and ash. Even the humans could feel it now. They flinched. Trembled. Some whimpered like prey animals. Because that's what they were.
They always had been.
He walked toward the broken man—the insect—who lay screaming at my claws just moments ago. The one who had dared to look at our princess... our child... with eyes that deserved nothing but ruin.
But my Alpha said the death was his.
So I obeyed.
I always obey.
The insect tried to crawl away again—his remaining leg twisted beneath him, his destroyed arm trailing blood like a trail of guilt. It was pitiful.
And then he stood over him.
Hiccup. My Alpha. My king.
He crouched low, expression unreadable.
"This is your penance," he said coldly.
And without hesitation—without any remorse—he plunged his clawed hand into the man's chest.
The body arched in agony. A wet, tearing sound echoed through the arena. Bones cracked. Blood sprayed.
And with a slow, cruel twist, he ripped the heart free.
It beat once in his grip—then stopped.
He stood slowly, turning to face the people of Berk. His birthplace. His cage. His forge.
And he spoke.
"This is the village of Berk," he declared, voice ringing with steel and ice. "The nest of insects that broke a child... and in doing so, gave rise to something far greater."
I felt my heart ache.
"My glorious Alpha," I whispered to myself, wings shivering.
He lifted the heart high for them all to see.
"From this decay... I rose. From your neglect... I became an Alpha. Stronger than any of you. Stronger than this world deserves."
Oh, how I wanted to stand by his side. To be pressed against him. To serve not just as his dragon... but as his mate.
I remember when I first saw him.
Small. Dirty. Lost.
Just a boy in the forest. Starving. Bleeding. Hiding from everything. And yet—his eyes were already so cold.
Not weak. Not broken.
Forging himself.
I watched him over time. Watched as he studied, hunted, bled, and grew. He was never like the other humans—always more. He spoke to us with awe. With hunger. With fascination, not fear.
He wasn't becoming something new. He was shedding what the village had tried to chain him with.
From hatchling to Alpha.
From boy to beast.
From human... to king.
And the day he found me—trapped in a hunter's net, bleeding, snarling—I saw it. He didn't free me because he was kind. He freed me because I deserved it. Because I was strong enough to serve him.
And when he dominated me, claimed me as his—
I fell.
I fell so completely.
I loved him not because he was gentle. Not because he smiled.
But because he killed without mercy.
Because he led without fear.
Because he looked beautiful bathed in blood.
My beloved.
My Alpha.
My... king.
But now... now I can only watch from a distance. Because he has a queen.
Luna.
And even though I burn with jealousy, I can't hate her. She's worthy. She matches him in power, in presence, in darkness.
And worse...
She's willing to share.
With the human girl. Astrid.
Perhaps... perhaps if I find a way. If I prove myself enough. If I serve not just him but her, she will allow it. As she has with the other.
Maybe one day... I can call him mine, too.
But for now, I will watch.
And wait.
Because nothing—nothing—will take me from his side.
Not while I draw breath.
Hiccup's Point of View
I stood over the corpse, the heart still cooling in my hand.
The blood soaked into the stone. The arena stank of death, acid, smoke, and something else—fear.
It was time.
I dropped the heart at Stoick's feet.
"That's enough," I said, voice sharp as a blade through the mental link. "I've wasted enough time on this rock."
I turned toward my flock—my family.
"Fang," I called, snapping my fingers. "Ready."
The Monstrous Nightmare roared in response, dropping low beside me. Flames curled from his nose as he extended his wings in reverence. Freya came skipping to my side, still beaming from the spectacle Veil had gifted her.
Without a word, I lifted her up onto Fang's back, then turned and offered a hand to Astrid.
She hesitated only a moment—then took it.
I pulled her up behind me, her arms wrapping instinctively around my waist.
Luna stepped toward me, glowing with silent power. She gave me a look—one of heat, pride, and something darker—and then climbed onto Veil, who lowered herself in absolute obedience.
And like that—
The Alpha, his Queen, his daughter, and his second mate took to the sky.
Fang roared as we lifted off, wings tearing through the smoky air. The rest of my Vanguard joined us, flying in perfect formation—Razorwind, Thrash, Ironbark, Torrent, and Veil beside Luna.
I looked down once more at the arena.
At Stoick.
Still standing. Still stunned. Still trying to hold onto a crumbling throne of tradition and failure.
I called out, loud and clear.
"Stoick!"
His head snapped up.
I met his eyes.
"In two days' time," I said, voice booming across Berk, "I'll give you what you've always wanted."
He looked confused. Hopeful. Pathetic.
"The location of the dragon nest."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Since I'm leaving this place behind," I continued, "I might as well give you the one thing you've desired since the day I was born. The only thing you ever truly chased."
I smiled—sharp and cruel.
"A chance at glory."
"You have three days to prepare for war," I declared. "And if you manage to do what you've always dreamed... if you manage to win..."
I leaned forward on Fang's back, my voice turning to frost.
"Then I will be your son once more."
A long silence.
Even the wind held its breath.
"Is that a deal... Chief?"
And with that, I gave a signal.
Fang screeched and flared his wings, and together—my flock rose.
Into the clouds. Into the storm.
Out of reach.