Alvin had waited for this moment, to see Stoick's boy knocked down and restrained, to see that defiant expression challenged. No witty comebacks this time, no brilliant backup plan. Just a shove to the ground, a twisted left arm, and Hiccup was helpless. It helped that they had restrained the Night Fury, looping ropes around the thick blue neck. Alvin had been careful this time to allow for no escapes.
"I don't understand," Hiccup shouted as one of Alvin's men forced him to his feet. "How did you do this?"
Alvin maintained eye contact. "Good things come to those who wait, son. I ought to know."
The boy still struggled, although the larger man had a firm grip on him. Toothless did the same as they strapped a thin muzzle to prevent his fire and collared him. With a loud thud, the Outcasts loaded the dragon onto a cart and started rolling it towards a hidden ship.
Alvin nodded to Savage, who dropped the horn he had used to make the Night Fury calls. His second-in-command pinned the boy's arms back, allowing another Outcast to wrap leather straps around each thin wrist. A thinner strap looped Hiccup's thumbs together, in case he had learned to untie ropes. The boy's face twisted with pain, but he didn't stop attempting to escape.
"It'll be easier for you if you don't struggle," Savage told Hiccup, dragging him off the black rocks. "We'll only take it out on your dragon."
"Don't touch Toothless!" Hiccup grunted, digging both right foot and left prosthetic into the ground. He was attempting to use gravity to break the Outcast's grip, even with his friend loaded onto the boat. Realizing this, Savage stopped and swung a fist forward. A soft, meaty punch rang through the air.
Hiccup collapsed as the blow hit his stomach, making his feet slide against the wooden gangplank. He regained his breath as that same fist pushed him against the bound dragon.
How did I do it? Alvin marveled to himself. Oh, if only you knew . . .
The evening cast blue shadows on the rippling ocean. Stars glimmered like torches meant for a romantic dinner. Although the conversation carried from a craggy boat proved memorable, it provided no opportunity for serenades or sincerity.
"That must have been humiliating," Alvin said sympathetically, "having a metal statue like that placed in front of your house."
The old man sitting opposite him glared. Scorch marks lined his armor. They were sharing a jug of ale and cheese, the typical fare for a business deal.
Savage, who lurked in the corner, did not comment on Mildew's burnt clothes or electrified hair. He also did not mention that the boy had escaped with an accomplice from Outcast Island. Savage valued his head too much to provide that kind of sympathy.
"Still, it teaches you something," Alvin noted. "Hiccup will do anything for his dragon. Absolutely anything. And without the Night Fury, he has no power."
"So you'll get rid of him, and the dragon?" Mildew asked. His eyes gleamed with a newly acquired malice.
"I can't just invade Berk the way I did before," Alvin commented. "Dragons breathe from every corner of the island now. Tactics have to be a little more different."
"You need me then."
"You were going to give him up, if not for that Astrid."
Mildew scowled again. He clutched his sheep's wool and mumbled.
"Bork Week is coming up, isn't it? Celebrating the man who studied dragons when not killing them in self-defense." Alvin let an unspoken idea dangle before speaking it. "He never wrote about Night Furies. What if you were to add a few notes to his journals?"
The gleam returned to the older man's eyes. He sipped more ale.
"If I were to do such a thing, I'd be defiling valuable archives and sending the chief's son into the hands of his enemies."
"You'd be spared from the destruction of Berk," Alvin told him. "And outsmarting a weakling who's outsmarted you one times too many." His own face twisted when thinking of how the gods had delivered Hiccup to him on a gold platter, only for the boy to escape thanks to unaccounted accomplices.
"And Stoick's wrath?"
"Will mean nothing when he has no island to banish you from. Besides, he won't suspect you if you're careful. And you've always been careful."
Mildew considered.
"Hiccup took away what made you strong and reputable on Berk." Alvin made the words heavy in the darkness. "Did the villagers ever thank you for the dragons that you protected them from? Did they ever give you the least bit of respect?"
Savage gave a smile that the darkness shielded. Mildew was already halfway there.
"You'll always be respected on Outcast Island. We value intelligence and surviving by your wits."
Mildew raised his jug. Alvin clinked a tankard against his.
"You'll have your notes ready."
Alvin didn't mention why he wanted the boy: to train dragons for Berk's destruction. He sensed that Mildew would not agree to that part of the plan. Savage didn't mention Alvin's reasons either. He stood there in the corner, waiting for signals.
Many things that could have gone wrong. Gobber may have found the forged notes and realized the handwriting was different. Hiccup may have failed to retrieve the map from the cave.
Mildew kept assuring him, showed him every fake page, pinpointed ideal islands to serve as the place for the trait. He added the details about Night Furies being "hostile," so as to reduce the chances of Hiccup arriving with his entourage. Alvin knew his men could take care of the kids if they had no backup, but he didn't want any escapes to happen.
The gods favored him that day. Thor painted the skies blue and dotted the island with fair winds. Alvin couldn't believe that Hiccup had gotten off the Night Fury to explore the fake. No suspicion at all, none of those brains that the Outcast had seen in earlier scrapes. Just total trust in the unknown, in dragons. That's what made the ambush so gratifying, seeing that joy crushed out of him.
Alvin stepped on the boat after Mildew. He listened to the old man lecture Hiccup about deciding who to trust "next time". Bound and placed next to his dragon, Hiccup only offered a defiant glare. Alvin had to laugh.
"There won't be a next time." He shoved Mildew aside and ordered the men to raise the sails. "We're headed home! To Outcast Island."
The boy beat down his fear, attempting to cover it with a glare. The fear was still there, though, bristly and green like newly sprouted grass. Alvin locked eyes with him and kept his smile. It was enough to see Stoick's boy scared for once, and helpless.
Hiccup had stopped struggling once shoved next to Toothless. He seemed to have realized that he had lost. Alvin could practically hear the boy's worried thoughts: even if he knew to untie leather bonds with tied thumbs, how would he pull the chains off his dragon? And how to account for the army of murderous barbarians surrounding you in the open sea?
Alvin kept his eyes fixed on Hiccup. Hiccup stared back, still fighting his fear. The Night Fury also locked eyes with the Outcast, hostility mixed with terror for his human.
Good things came to those who waited, and it was a long boat ride. Alvin settled back. There really wouldn't be a next time.