"Astrid.." I heard Valka breathe beside me as her and Cloudjumper joined me at the front of the group, "Are you alright dear?" 

"Ugh, I'm just - I'm just so frustrated with everything!" I groaned, "Dagur and Mala's wedding is next month, we don't even have enough human allies to stand a proper chance against Drago, and we don't even know when he's going to strike! And now we're trying to turn Gobber, Snotlout and the twins into dragon riders! There's just so much going on that it's just so - so" 

"Overwhelming?" Valka inquired an easing tone in her voice. 

"Yes. Yes, that's it exactly." I heard a small chuckle come from her before she continued. 

"It's alright. You have so many wonderful friends that are here to help you, I'm here for you and so is Hiccup, if you just let them." 

"But... I mean how? They all have their own problems, tribes, even their own people that they all have to take care of! I just.. I just wish I didn't have to deal with all of this!" I finally concluded.

"It's easier when you have someone beside you to help you lead. I should know I am the wife of a chief you know." The woman smiled at me trying to lighten the mood, but her smile just barely missed the mark and became almost mournful as she turned to look up ahead where we still had yet to spot Viggo and Gobber, "You don't have to jump into anything yet dear but it might help if Hiccup knew who you were." With that she returned to the back of the group to check on everyone back there. As I found myself watching the group a terrible terror came my way. I found that the terror was Iggy the orange and black terror that mostly hung out with Fishlegs. I took off the note that was on his back as Hiccup and Toothless flew up beside me.

"What's the note say?" 

"Fishlegs and Eret have already started heading to Caldera Cay and they've met up with Viggo and Gobber..." I paused, my voice catching at the last sentence. 

"What is it? What else does it say?" Hiccup's voice showed concern as my hands began to tremble in shock. 

"Gobber knows who he is..." I muttered under my breathe, unsure if he had heard me I handed the note over in his direction feeling the paper leave my grasp as my eyes stared into nothingness. A sigh escaped from the boy beside me tearing me from my state of shock as he turned to face me again.

"Winter.. I.." another sigh, " I.. This was bound to happen at some point right? I mean you can't hide from everyone forever can you? My mom and I, we couldn't have stayed hidden from you guys with what's going on now could we?" he gave me a smile that I couldn't truly return as Valka's words entered my mind. 

"Hiccup I-" 

"Winter!" turning back front I found Fishlegs, Eret, Viggo and Gobber just ahead all with concerned, pale looks except Viggo who was impassive and Gobber who was filled with shock and regret. 

"Winter, what were you going to say?" Hiccup was curious, however, the words had already retreated the second they were interrupted. 

"It- it was nothing, lets just hurry the pace so we can arrive sooner, we've already wasted enough time as it is" turning away from his glance Stormfly flew us further ahead so that we were beside Eret, "do you have everything?" 

"Yes, everything is packed and with us for the meeting, how do you think Mala will distract our.. guests?" Eret voiced as he found the right words to say. 

"Honestly, I don't know." With that said our flight towards Caldera Cay was silent but for the twins near the back being watched by Viggo, Heather and Hiccup. "Aargh, can't someone make them shut. up." I gritted through barred teeth. 

"If only it were that easy.." Gobber sighed beside me, "Say lass have I seen ya before by any chance?"

"No. You haven't." Knowing Grump was fairly lazy, and slower I flew past them to the very front of the group hoping to find some peace for the continuation of the journey and luckily I did, however it all seemed to go south once the meeting started.

"Ugh.. Are you sure we can't just knock them all out?" groaning I rubbed my head against the oncoming pain. The twins were literally on the far side of the village, closer to the volcano and yet we can still hear them along with many, many explosions. 

"Yes, I'm sure." Mala stated clearly, while she was getting married soon her and Dagur were extremely focused on the task at hand, well as focused as Dagur can get. 

"Mala's right As- Winter, if we knock them out they will become quite suspicious of our actions although I do wish there was a way to quieten them," Atali winced with me at the sound of yet another explosion.

"Anyway, as I was saying, before we were so rudely interrupted-"

"Dagur! We've heard enough of your stories, please, we're here to figure out what to do about Drago," sighing I took away my mask to rub at my temples. So far we had come up with nothing that could actually help us in this battle, and the two people that we could even try to gain information from are dead, Johann frozen by what I assume to be another Bewilderbeast on Berserker Island, and Krogan most likely killed by Drago at least that's what Eret says most likely happened. "Fishlegs, have you found anything?"

Heaving a sigh said viking slumped in his seat placing down yet another one of the many scrolls he brought with, "No, I haven't, there's nothing new in here that could help us and I've calculated our numbers, we just don't have enough. Dragons we have plenty of, with the dragon sanctuary on our side, but we just don't have enough humans on our side to really win this."

"We can't just rely on the dragons alone, while we have enough to fight his dragon army, he has well trained trappers and warriors on his side that outnumber us and can bring down our dragon numbers. Might I also add that if Drago does indeed have a Bewilderbeast under his command that dwindles our chances further," Eret spoke up from his place at our table. 

"Especially if his dragon defeats ours," Hiccups hands were clasped upon the wooden table top his green orbs dark and glaring at his intertwined hands. A whisper was heard behind me, Heather and I twisting out of our seats to find the source of the voice. 

"If who defeats what?"

"Quiet you! I think they heard ya..." glancing up Snotlout and Gobber froze as they saw everyone gazing at them, most in defensive stances, but the three of us were only staring at each other, frozen and paling as recognition began to set in, "..Astrid...."