The end of the Edge. This was it. Huge clouds of fire and ash gathered over the island as the volcano burst. A shellfire dragon mounted with as a machine of war was deviously abused by Viggo Grimborn in an attempt to once and for all end Hiccup Haddock and his gang of dragon riders. This was the Edge, masterwork of the twenty year old heir to Berk. The home for his gang as they were discovering more and more of the world. Their base of operations was not just a bunch of houses and fortifications built on the side of a cliff, held together by transport ladders and sliding ropes. It had been their home. Had been, yes, as it was now about to be destroyed.
A great tremor passed through all. Everybody stiffened and looked up. Behind the Edge, they saw a great black mass being exerted from the mountain. The earth shook. Toothless immediately grabbed Hiccup and forced him to sit upon his back. He nudged his head trying to indicate: "Get out of here, now!" in every possible way. Hiccup snapped out of this sudden fear and took off.
"Everybody," he yelled, "Get to your ships! The mountain is about to erupt. Sail, if you wish to survive!"
To illustrate his point, at that moment the mountain let out a huge roar, coming from the depths of Niflheim, suddenly unleashed in a no longer speechless world. It was followed by an explosion and part of the mountain turned to grey smoke, hurdling to the west coast of the island.
Dagur quickly took over the call. "Head for Berk! Head for safety!" Hiccup swirled over the island looking for any stranglers. To his surprise there were some dragon hunters actually trying to barricade themselves against the volcano. And they were using the trees. "Idiots", Hiccup thought, and he yelled, "Are you really going to fight fire with trees!? Get out of here!" He moved in and Toothless grabbed two of them. The other ones quickly turned around and ran to their ships.
"You idiots actually think you can stop this surge with chopping down trees? Get to your ships and head for Berk. Get yourself to safety!"
The dragon hunters mumbled a little "thanks" when dropped on the beach.
Hiccup flew back again. The dragon hunters made him wonder. Where are Fishlegs and the baby eruptodon? He moved towards the centre of the volcano, where he and Astrid had witnessed the departure of Viggo. Half the cliff had vanished, and much lava was pouring out of the caldera.
"Curious, didn't see that from afar," said Hiccup to Toothless. "You thinking what I'm thinking, bud?"
And surely it was there, the eruptodon greedily and happily ate every last drop of lava as it came pouring downhill. It was like a true feast for them. But behind them Fishlegs was half conscious on the back of Meatlug, urging them on to save his friends.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup shouted, frightened he might collapse due to the hot air and toxic fumes "FISHLEGS!"
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs yelled back. He was ecstatic to see him, obviously. So much so that he did in fact almost drop off Meatlug. "Y- y- you're alive!"
"Yes, I know! No follow me, and get the hell out of here!"
"No, Hiccup, I need to make sure the baby eruptodon is fine"
"You can barely stand yourself! To them this is a feast! Now get a good hold on Meatlug, and follow me. That's an order!"
Meatlug practically flew after Hiccup alone, caring not in the slightest what his rider wanted him to do. So they got out alright.
Hiccup climbed a little higher to get a good overview of what was going on. Behind him the volcano continued to erupt, with an added tremor now and again. Lucky for him, there were not much boulders flying around. Yet. The Edge lay in ruins. That was not wholly surprising, and they themselves were largely responsible. But now half of it had collapsed in on itself, and a secondary lava flow now went straight for the Edge. Doomed, that was. In the docks, at the bottom of the docks, every dragon hunter tried to escape, many of them being escorted by a dragon rider. "Good," Hiccup thought. "They finally see some sense." He and Fishlegs flew down to the rearmost ship that just raised its sail. It was guarded by Dagur and Shattermaster.
"The Edge is lost, dad! We need to get out now. Lava is coming this way!" said Hiccup
"Shattermaster, push!" Shouted Dagur in his ever tactful way to his steed.
In response Shattermaster thrust himself against the last ship, springing the ropes that bound it to shore and sped it forward. A few of the hunters that did not see this coming lost their balance and fell overboard. Toothless quickly grabbed them and put them back aboard.
"Great one brother. Maybe next time a bit more subtle?"
Dagur said something inaudible in response.
"Can we all get them to Berk?" Hiccup said
"Sure. You fly ahead and make everything ready. I'll get this bunch of backstabbing, dragon hating, damned sons of …"
"Dagur, they are not our prisoners! They just followed Viggo's orders. They'll be no problem. We must have peace now! Just try and be nice. Please?"
"Alright Hiccup, see you back home."
At that Hiccup flew to the start of the column and found the yellowish-blue colours of Stormfly. He flew towards it. Now he could discern the shape of his girlfriend, but she was… fighting!? "Faster, Toothless."
He jumped off Toothless in quite an agile move, landed on the spot just 2 feet in front of Astrid when she was about to strike someone with her axe. "Hiccup!" Two voices shouted in dismay. "You just ruined our fight." He turned around to find Heather standing there with her double axe waiting to parry Astrid's blow.
"O, hi Heather. Milady." Hiccup said with a very red face. Even redder when he saw that he landed in a place that was very likely to be axe-torn in the very near future.
"You idiot, I almost had her!"
"Don't make me laugh, Astrid," said Heather. "Like you would ever get a shot near me."
"Let's take a break, shall we?" said Astrid. Heather just nodded, grinning from ear to ear, knowing she scored a point against her friend, if only a mental one.
Astrid quickly punched Hiccup, hard in the upper arm. "That's for ruining my fight."
Followed by a deep kiss that made Heather look away, red as a tomato. "Guys, come on, I'm right here!" She looked away, but only became – were it possible – even redder as she looked straight in the face of Fishlegs. Quickly she turned back to the snogging couple.
"And that," Astrid said, "is for everything else. I'm glad you're still alive, Hiccup."
"We need to get to Berk. Fishlegs, Heather, stay here and keep an eye out for Snotlout and my dad. These hunters are not to be harmed."
"On it, Hiccup."
"Milady, if you would join me in flight?"
"If you can keep up."
A few hours after they left, Hiccup and Astrid flew over Dragon Island and made a final resting spot there, to eat a little. The two of them told their dragons to stay behind and moved into the very heart of the caldera, where the red death used to live, and saw how beautiful everything now was. Of course, it was still a volcano, and the lava at the bottom was not really friendly, bubbling a little bit every now and again, but it did add to the charm of the place. Plants started growing inside the caldera and making a lush green edge at the top, that reflected the late afternoon light into the dense and heavy atmosphere inside. The bubbling lava acted as the crackling sound of fire in a cold winter night. And it teemed with life. Everywhere they looked they saw dragons. Mostly boulder class, of course, but some of the nadders and monstrous nightmares that used to be commanded by the red death still roamed these caverns. It was delightful. Even the smell of sulphur in the air was hardly noticeable with the greens on top. Hiccup wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and gave her a wee kiss on the cheek.
"If it is going to happen, now is the time, Hiccup," he thought to himself, and whilst they stood side by side gaping at the scene in front of them – so raw, yet so beautiful – he started to hum. Well, at first. Looking for the words his father once told him. Eventually the words formed in his mouth and even before realizing it he sang softly:
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning…"
Still not looking at her, but staring blankly ahead of himself. Astrid heard him, and started to blush. He was doing it! He really was!
"… and gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me."
Now Astrid was utterly flustered. She knew the text, of course, but to hear those words coming from his lips was like a waterfall of soft kisses over her body, followed by goose bumps forming from her neck downwards.
"No scourging sun, nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey. If you will promise me your heart, and love …"
Now Hiccups voice stalled, he no longer had the breath to sing. Astrid turned aside and made him look at her, before she sang:
"And love me for eternity. My dearest one, my darling dear, your mighty words astound me. But I've no need for mighty words when I feel your arms around me."
As if to illustrate this specific point, she literally fell into Hiccups arms, making him hold her in a reflex so she wouldn't stumble.
Hiccup now looked her straight in the eye and sang on:
"But I will bring you rings of gold, and even sing you poetry, and I would keep you from all harm, if you would stay beside me."
Now they both laid down on the rocky floor Hiccup playing with Astrid's hair and she feeling the muscles on his arms and breast.
"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry, I only want your hand to hold, I only want you near me."
As she sang she thrust herself on top. It slowly became a wresting contest. Astrid was not going to let Hiccup be on top!
Now they both sang:
"To love and kiss, to sweetly hold for the dancing and the dreaming, through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your laugh inside me."
Volume moved up, as the wresting continued, as together they sang:
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning. I'd gladly ride the waves so white, if you will marry me!"
Finally Hiccup was on top, with his arms pressing hers to the ground. Astrid on her back, defeated, let out a small sigh: "Yes," was all she uttered.
A heartfelt kiss followed, and like everywhere here too they fought for dominance. As their tongues twisted and saliva mixed, it was Astrid who finally succumbed to his invasion. By allowing him dominance over her mouth however, she used this as a small diversion to gain momentum and throw over their positions, so she was on top. Now she was where she belonged. He gave himself to her, and it would only be a matter of time before she'd return the favour. But she had the power. That she now knew for certain. And he as sure as anything he knew that too. They spent another half hour just lying there in each other's arms, enjoying the lofty rustling of the wind on the top of the mountain and the small explosions like kindled timber reaching up through the caldera. The last rays of the sun slowly disappearing over their heads.
Now Hiccup and his newly made fiancé made their way off Dragon Island. Twilight barely showed as they reached Berk. There Hiccup took charge, ordering all preparations for a great feast to be held the next evening. A celebratory one, in honour of the victory he just achieved and the peace he established between the tribes of the Dragon Hunters and Berk. And a third reason appeared this night.
Today was memorable. Tomorrow would be historic.
And some feast it was. Such a feast as had only seldom been seen in Berk, or the Archipelago for that matter. It plundered half the store house on Berk, but everybody agreed it was well worth it. The moment Hiccup and Astrid returned from the Edge, the Berkians started preparing for the feast. A feast for not just the people of Berk. About three hundred dragon hunter soldiers would be present as well.
It was the third hour since midday when Windshear carried Heather as an avant-garde to Berk. She told Hiccup that the fleet was one hour out. And indeed, the first ships were now visible on the horizon. Preparations began. The Great Hall was still sober, though lighted by many candles, and made ready for the peace talks. Meanwhile the entire village was decorated, and the people in town were nothing short of ecstatic.
When everybody arrived, the two highest ranked people among the dragon hunters sat down in the Great Hall around a large table, specifically reserved for important meetings. To the right of them sat the Berserker chief, Dagur the Changed, and his sister, Heather. On their left sat the chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk, Stoick Haddock the Vast, alongside his second-in-command, Spitelout Jorgenson. On the opposite side sat the heir of Berk, as leader of the dragon riders, and de facto chief of the Edge, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, alongside his fiancé, Fearless Astrid Hofferson. Quick introductions showed that one representative was named Lars Grimborn (this would be Lars number 1), nephew to the late Viggo and Ryker Grimborn, and his companion was named Harald Ingvarsson.
"Representatives of the Dragon Hunter Tribe, welcome to Berk," stated Stoick, as host. "After one year of war the people of our tribes deserve peace. Yesterday you have lost a great many men, amongst which your chief and his brother, in the assault on the Edge. We hereby offer our condolences for their untimely demise. This is not the first peace talk to occur between our two tribes, but may this be the last one, and let us ensure that we come to a mutual understanding."
Lars nodded in agreement.
"Peace indeed is what we strive for. Not only have we been led to a dramatic defeat by my uncle, looking around on the island of Berk we see we have been misled when it comes to our understanding of dragons. My uncle was a truly gifted and wise man, but he had one flaw. He did not understand that care and compassion can be strengths in a leader, and no one has more clearly illustrated that to us then young master Haddock here. By your leave, Chief Stoick, we would ask the help of your son, in teaching us this new, strange way of living in peace with dragons."
"That," said Stoick, "unfortunately is something I cannot grant you. We have just fought a war, and insight in our dragon knowledge…"
"Kuch," Astrid coughed.
"Right," Stoick continued, "his dragon knowledge, would require trust, which is yet to be earned."
"That I understand completely, Chief Stoick," said Lars. "However, there is another issue for us that bears on this. Our tribe has been dependant on my uncle for near on twenty years. And though Harald and I stand here before you negotiating, we are only soldiers, and speak for the dragon hunter army. We are as of last week – since the attempted coup d'état by Ryker – in fact leaderless, and our people need a chief. We would ask Hiccup Haddock to claim that title. He has claimed absolute victory over my uncle. He has a right to it, and my people are in dire need of leadership."
It was quiet around the table. As many talks as Stoick had had over the years as chief, his jaws gave way, and he sat, staring with open mouth at the person who made this request. Hiccup said nothing and just sat as if deep in thought. After about half a minute, Heather was the first to break the sudden silence.
"If I may, Dagur,"
Dagur nodded.
"Master Grimborn, Hiccup has been your tribe's prime enemy for nigh a year. Do you think your people will even acknowledge him, let alone accept him as chief?"
"Miss Heather, I would not lie to you. It is a great change for my people, and I do not think it will be an easy step, for all. But we have need of true leadership, and a guide so to speak. I believe my tribe will be far better off with a former enemy at the reins, even as vassal to Berk, than in absolute anarchy. It will take a while, but we will adapt, I am sure of it."
"I am sorry," Stoick began, "but I simply cannot …"
"On two conditions," Hiccup interrupted. "I am not going alone."
"Of course not," said Lars.
"And there will need to be a change of name. Can't have the entire archipelago call you the Dragon Hunters, if you no longer hunt dragons."
"Ah. Good point. So we have a deal?"
"Then by your leave, dad, I will bring Astrid, Heather, Fishlegs and our dragons, to help rebuild the dragon hunter tribe. I will leave Snotlout in charge of the academy."
"Master Grimborn, we have a deal." Stoick stated at last.