Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD
A/N: Okay, guys, this is where it gets complicated. This story is not the sequel to This Is Berk. This, and the five to follow, are set within the four year time gap covered in the final chapter of TIB. Essentially, they are 'midquels', if you will. Now, on with the show!
Warrior or Whisperer
It was a beautiful day, one of the first clear skied days in many weeks. Toothless-Hiccup were revelling in it; after the almost daily spring showers, and the cold Hiccup had caught from trying to fly in said showers…it was good to soar freely.
They were heading back home after flying out early in the morning to Dragon Island to check up on the furthest reaches of their territory. Hiccup stretched out on his dragon's back, his head resting comfortably between Toothless' split-apart spines, one hand shielding his eyes. *I could stay up here forever* he hummed.
Toothless crooned contentment and agreed, *Same here*. It was so peaceful…
Yet that peace was broken not long after, when they heard a dragon – a Spike-Tail, by the sound of it – calling out to them.
*Alphas!*
The voice was familiar. Hiccup sat up and looked around, before spotting a Spike-Tail off to his right and some way behind them. Toothless veered and swept around to come closer to the dragon. Once he saw who it was, a wide grin split Hiccup's face. "Eret! Sky Fire! It's good to see you guys!"
"Likewise!" Eret grinned back. Their dragons glided alongside each other, and Eret inquired, "So how are things on the isle of Berk? I assume things have settled down now that the, err, dragon hunter debacle is over."
"It's Berk we're talking about, things never settle down" Hiccup said jokingly, "but things are back to normal, for us anyway. So, what brings you back to the archipelago?"
"I think I'd better wait until we get there, tell you and Astrid together. It's really important" Eret explained.
Hiccup shrugged. "Alright. So, how have things been for you and your crew?"
"Oh, well…we've been fine. It's been a lot easier with a bigger ship….and harder, there's more deck to swab. Oh, and Aksel has a dragon now, so that's been interesting" Eret revealed.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, a Fire-Scale we rescued from a trap. Aksel took care of her whilst her wing was healing, and the next thing we know, she's following him around like a puppy. He tried a bunch of names out on her and she seems to like Cinder the most. Course, it'd be a lot easier to name our dragons if we could just, y'know, ask 'em."
Hiccup sighed. "Eret, believe me. If I could give you the ability to understand dragons, I would. Heck, if I could make everyone able to understand dragons, I would. The thing is, I cant. I get a splitting headache every time I do it, and apart from Astrid and my parents it only ever seems to last a couple of hours at most" he reminded the other man.
"I know, I know. Still, maybe you could let Aksel in on the whole 'hearing thought-speak' thing. Or at least ask his dragon her real name" Eret suggested.
"If she likes the name Cinder then it's probably because that is her name, or at least close enough. But I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me" Hiccup prompted.
"You're not going to like it" Eret warned. When Hiccup merely raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue, he went on, "You know we have a circuit we sail, and on the way we check in on villages we've already helped with dragon problems, make sure things aren't going down in flames, literally or otherwise.
"So far it's been okay – I mean, sure, there have been the usual naysayers in every tribe…but they've gotten more vocal lately. Stubborner, as well. I was at a market and one vendor asked if I rode a dragon, and when I said yes – probably should've lied – he refused to sell me anything. Called me a 'dragon lover'. As if that's some kind of insult" Eret scoffed.
Hiccup frowned. "And this is in every village you guys have helped? Is this why you've come back?"
"No, that's not it. And it's not in every village we've helped, but from what we gathered, it's happening all over the place. More and more people are speaking out against dragons as well as for them. Apparently, they're calling themselves 'human purists'."
"But surely, the tribes you've helped must know that the dragons aren't" –
"See, that's the other thing. Some places were putting up anti-dragon artillery. They said the local dragons were setting things on fire, breaking and stealing stuff, but we couldn't find anything that would make them go rogue like that. The villagers didn't care. I suppose you can't really blame them, though."
A memory stirred in Hiccup's mind…a bitter old man doing everything he could to drive the dragons from Berk, or worse. "It might not have been dragons that caused all the trouble" he pointed out.
"What, you think they're being framed?"
"It wouldn't surprise me. I've seen that happen before" Hiccup recalled, before scowling. "And I have a pretty good idea of who's behind this whole 'human purist' idea."
Eret winced a bit. "Thing is, boss…I'm not sure it is him. Adulfr, I mean" he admitted. Hiccup gave him a sharp what-are-you-talking-about look. He hastily continued, "All I'm saying is, I think this was sort of inevitable. My grandmother used to say, making a change is like throwing a pebble into a pond – it causes ripples. What we're doing, that's like chucking a boulder into the ocean and causing a tidal wave."
Hiccup still thought it must be Adulfr trying to stir up trouble…but to his surprise, Toothless agreed with Eret. *Maybe he's right. Maybe this is just humans being humans and it isn't some big secret plan* he suggested. After all, one of them had to be reasonable.
*I guess so, but I'm still not happy about this. I just wish there was more I could do*.
*So do I, but we can't help everyone*.
Upon their return to Berk, Sky Fire followed Toothless' lead and they swept down to land outside Hiccup's house. Helena was playing with her friends, Oswald and Camacazi, whilst a pair of luminous green eyes in a head that seemed too small for them peered out from between her mother's paws. Selena was helping Valka and Agatha keep an eye on the children.
The game was abandoned almost immediately upon their arrival. Helena greeted her father and Eret with her usual infectious enthusiasm, begging "Wanna fly!" until Eret scooped her up and tossed her into the air.
Hiccup dismounted; Toothless padded over to nuzzle Selena and Ebony, whilst Hiccup kissed his mother on the cheek and smiled politely at Agatha. He laughed at the sight of Eret trying to keep his balance with both Helena and Cammie clinging like monkeys to his legs. Ozzie had retreated to Valka's side and was peering shyly at Eret from behind a fold of her cloak.
"Ah! Defeated by four year olds, what a cruel fate. Hello, Valka, Agatha" Eret nodded to the women. His eyes landed on Selena, and then inevitably on the kit she was cradling. "Aww, and who's this little cutie?"
"She's my dragon" Helena announced cheerfully, releasing Eret's left leg to toddle up to Selena and crouch down to pet the baby Night Fury. "Her name's Bunny" she added.
"Eret has some important news – so important, it could wait for us to get back here" Hiccup said wryly. "I take it Astrid's still in the Hall?" he guessed. It was Gripe Day.
"Last time I checked" Valka nodded, "Do you want me to go and fetch her?"
"No, we'll go up to her" Hiccup decided, vaulting back into the saddle. "Eret and I are just going to see mummy, okay darling?"
"Kay!" Helena was playing tug-of-war with Ebony and a much abused strip of cloth, and not really listening.
From the front of his house to the doors of the Great Hall was little more than a leap…call him spoiled, but Hiccup had grown out of the habit of walking up hill. Why trudge up all those stone steps when he and Toothless could just land right outside?
Once the men had dismounted, Eret removed a scroll from his saddle bag and sent Sky Fire off to entertain himself. Then the older man put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and simply asked, "Bunny?"
"Oh, that. No, we named her Ebony" Hiccup corrected, "after Toothless' mother. But then Helena realised that Ebony sounded a bit like 'a bunny', and the next thing we know…but I'm sure she'll grow out of it. She's only four" he reasoned.
Eret looked sceptical. "Grow out of it, huh? You mean like you did?" he wondered. Toothless chuckled. Hiccup rolled his eyes at both of them.
They went inside the Hall. Astrid was sitting in the throne, listening to the various requests and complaints of the villagers queued up in front of her and trying not to look bored. She perked up considerably when she glanced up and spotted Hiccup and Eret. As soon as she'd finished sorting out the most recent person, Astrid got to her feet and announced, "Gripe Day is hereby postponed until further notice. Unless your request is urgent"-
Several hands were raised until she added, "By which I mean life-threatening", at which point they went down, "then I am going to have lunch, and that's final" she finished.
"You heard her! The Chief's had enough of your whining, come on, everybody out!" Snotlout declared, herding the queue of villagers towards the doors. Meanwhile, Astrid walked over to her husband. He kissed her and asked, "Long morning?"
"Ugh, you have no idea" she grimaced, resisting the urge to drop her head onto his shoulder. "Hi, Eret. I didn't know you were coming back" she remarked as she shared a hug with him.
"Ah, I've got something to tell you. Well, give you, really" he explained, unrolling the scroll in his hand and reading it aloud. "Ahem. Ragnar the Bold, Chieftain of the Smoking Bay tribe, hereby invites Hiccup Haddock, Dragon Whisperer of the Hooligan tribe, to the Althing of Iceland to present his case for an alliance between the dragons and the people of Iceland to a Gathering of Chieftains. Then there's the date and time and place, formal stuff, blah blah…so, what do you think?"
Hiccup and Astrid looked at one another. "He wants me to go to…Iceland...and try to persuade the chieftains there that they can live in peace with dragons?" Hiccup tried to clarify.
"Pretty much. I'd have thought you'd jump on an opportunity like this, boss" Eret remarked, "You call yourself the Dragon Ambassador – this is kind of what an ambassador does".
Hiccup shook his head. "No, no, it's not that I don't want to. Like you say, this is an incredible opportunity. It's just…how far away is this Iceland? I know it isn't in the archipelago."
"No, it's to the southwest. How long it takes to get there depends on the wind, because you'd need to rest on the ship at night. There's nothing but open ocean for miles between Iceland and the southernmost islands of the archipelago" Eret informed them, before adding, "the Crashing Tide II is waiting for us just south of the Rookery. Weather willing, it'll take us five days to get to Smoking Bay from there. The Althing lasts three days."
Agitated, Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "See, that's the thing. I would love to go, but can Toothless and I leave our pack for that long? Not to mention, Bunny is only a few months old; I don't want Toothless to have to leave her and Selena this early…"
Eret raised an eyebrow and pointed out, "You said 'Bunny', not Ebony."
"Eret, I told you why Helena calls her that."
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you're calling the poor thing Bunny."
"If Helena has decided that her dragon's name is Bunny, then I'm the last person who should be arguing with her" Hiccup reasoned, before admitting, "and besides…it's sort of growing on me."
When Toothless, Eret and Astrid all gave him are-you-kidding-me looks, he got a bit defensive. "What?! I think it's cute that Helena gave her a nickname. Besides, when her little ear-flaps perk up, she kind of does look like a bunny. A black, scaly one…but still!"
Eret said sarcastically, "Well, you've got me convinced!"
"Let me see that letter" Hiccup said instead, trying to get back on topic. Eret handed it to him; he read it and immediately noticed something. "Eret, it says here that this Gathering is supposed to take place just over a week from now."
"Oh, uh, so it does."
"Which means I only have one day to decide if I'm going to this Althing or not?"
"Uh…yeah…bad timing, huh?"
"Eret…when Ragnar asked you to give this invitation to me, you did tell him I might not be able to come?"
The other man winced. "….See, the thing is, he didn't really seem like the type of guy you say 'no' to…"
Hiccup groaned. "You committed me to come to a very important gathering before you even knew if I could?!"
"Oh, like you've never done that before" Eret retorted.
Astrid held her hands up to cut off the oncoming argument. "That's enough, you two. It doesn't matter now; what's done is done."
"Well, what do you think about this?" Hiccup asked her, waving the letter in his hand.
"If I were you, I'd go. This is a chance to make a difference beyond the archipelago, Hiccup, you'd be stupid not to take it" she said, before adding, "but it's not up to me. You should talk to Selena, but at the end of the day, the only person who can decide whether to go or not is you. And Toothless, of course."
"Yeah. Exactly" Eret agreed with the chief, nodding. "Now, uh, I don't mean to impose…but did you say something about lunch?"
Hiccup felt torn. On the one hand, the idea of travelling to a distant land to establish peace between the humans and dragons there, almost seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, it meant leaving the pack for what might be two weeks or more, leaving Selena with a newborn kit to take care of, leaving Helena.
After the disasters that had happened when he'd left Berk during the war, despite knowing it wasn't his fault…Hiccup couldn't help but feel wary of flying so far away. Too far to be able to return in a hurry if anything should go awry.
*What do you think we should do?* he asked Toothless, whilst Eret and Astrid were busy with their own conversation over lunch.
*I think we should go with Eret to this…whatever he called it*.
*Really?*
*Yes, really. You want to change minds about dragons, don't you? This is your chance. The pack will be fine on their own for a while*.
*Are you reading my mind?*
*You know it doesn't work that way. I just know you. We've left Berk many times and nothing has happened – and we're not at war anymore! There's no one to attack our Nest, and if anyone tries, Urchin will blast them with ice*.
*What about you, Selena? Would you and Ebony be okay?*
*Of course* she purred, watching fondly as Helena, Cammie and even Ozzie fed Ebony scraps of fish. *I'm sure Stormfly will help me look after Ebony, won't you?*
*Of course Astrid and I will help* the blue dragon chirped agreeably, *She's such a dear little thing*.
*And I'll be happy to watch over the pack in your absence, Alphas* Cloud Jumper offered…although he was secretly hoping that they would not be away too long. He had patience, but not for many of his fellow flock-mates antics, whether they had wings and tails or not. In most cases, it was the latter, except for Valka of course.
It seemed he was outvoted. *Well then…I guess we're going to Iceland, bud* he remarked to Toothless, who purred happily.
*That's settled, then. I have a question*.
*What's that?*
*Do you think Selena and I look like bunnies?*
*You mean when you prick your ear flaps up? Of course not…you look more like giant kitty cats* Hiccup teased.
*I will jump on you* Toothless warned, glaring at his other half through narrowed eyes.
Of course Hiccup pushed his luck. *Or maybe really big hares* - "Agh!" he cried out, as Toothless followed through with his threat and knocked his smaller half over. He pinned Hiccup there and the man struggled, protesting "No, no, don't you dare, don't you – ah! Ha, ha – no – ah!" He was helpless to stop Toothless tickling him.
The adults stared, and began to chuckle; Hiccup tried to glare at them all or ask for help, but couldn't catch his breath long enough; then Helena and Cammie scrambled over to gleefully join the tickle fight, only for Toothless to release Hiccup so they could gang up on the smaller ones. It was pretty much chaos after that.
Lunch had nearly been over anyway.
*I hate boats* Toothless moaned. They were flying towards Iceland, after a very long journey that meant spending four nights on a ship, because there was nowhere else to land. Toothless had gotten seasick. He really hated boats.
Hiccup patted him comfortingly; he'd felt a bit under the weather himself on board ship. He could handle loop the loops and corkscrews in madcap flight, but a tilting and pitching deck? That was another matter entirely. Still, it would be four days before they had to endure nightly travel by ship again.
He might have to rethink this whole 'going to distant lands' thing, or at least come up with a nicer way to get there.
Gradually, a large landmass swelled on the horizon and grew to engulf it as they flew closer. It was off to their right, and if they flew straight on, they'd go right past it. Sky Fire leaned into the wind; Toothless followed his lead and they shifted to fly towards the island. It was the largest one Hiccup and Toothless had ever seen; far bigger than any island in the archipelago.
"Well, here we are" Eret announced, "Hiccup, Toothless, welcome to Iceland. Great view, isn't it?"
A great view indeed...snow capped volcanoes towered, their rocky flanks with rivers of cooled lava snaking down. Real rivers tumbled down through valleys and over waterfalls, across plains of hardy grass and wildflowers, pouring out into fjords and inlets and bays. Smoke rose from the craters and steam from hot springs, as if the whole island was alive and breathing.
There was life there, too. Not just the plants, but the animals; including plenty of dragons. They swarmed around the volcanoes, and dived into the ocean – this was a good island for dragons. It was also a good island for humans, and there were many villages on the coast and further inland. Hiccup hoped he would be able to convince them they could live in peace alongside each other.
"They call it the land of fire and ice; no prizes for guessing why" Eret remarked. "Don't worry, we've checked – there are no giant cannibal dragons living in any of the volcanoes."
"Oh, well that's good to know."
"Smoking Bay is on the far side of the island, beyond those headlands there. By the way, Smoking Bay is the name of the town, the tribe and the bay. It's kind of confusing."
"Why is it called"- Hiccup didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before they heard the rush of wind across wings, and their dragons dived out of the way of an attack. A temperamental Fire-Scale shrieked *Trespassers!* at them, body engulfed in hot flames.
*No threat!* Sky Fire screeched back. This happened every time.
Toothless was more direct. *Begone!* he roared commandingly. Caught off guard by having a dragon give him orders as an alpha would, the Fire-Scale turned tail and fled.
Toothless and Sky Fire resumed their flight path. After a few moments, Eret cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, what were you saying?"
"Oh, right. Why do they call it Smoking Bay?"
"You'll see when we get there" was all Eret would say.
It wasn't long before they came in sight of the bay, and it was obvious where the name had come from. All around the bay were volcanic springs with steam billowing from the hottest. It really did look as if the bay was smoking. They could see the Crashing Tide II dropping anchor some ways offshore, and the rest of Eret's crew flying out towards the sprawling town that surrounded the bay.
Toothless and Sky Fire swept down, overtaking the other dragons and landing in a cleared circle. The townspeople surrounded them, staring and whispering. A heavy set middle aged Viking with a thick but neatly braided black beard stepped forwards. He had spear wielding guards on either side, and to his right there stood a thin man with a dragon brooch pinning his cloak.
The riders dismounted. "Chief Ragnar, it's good to be back so soon" Eret declared with a charming smile and a bow. "As requested, I have brought Hiccup Haddock with me to attend the Gathering at your invitation" he went on, gesturing to Hiccup with more of a flourish than was perhaps necessary.
Hiccup gave a respectful nod to the Chief. "Thank you for inviting us here, Chief. Toothless and I are honoured." Beside him, the black dragon met Ragnar's gaze and gave the same respectful nod.
"You're welcome! I am glad that you could come. Call me Ragnar, and welcome to Smoking Bay" the chief flung an arm out to gesture at everything at once. He then waved a hand at the man on his right and continued, "You must meet Ormar, my right hand man."
Hiccup held out a hand to him and remarked, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, no, the pleasure is all mine" Ormar responded, as they briefly gripped the other's forearm. "It's an honour to meet the famous Dragon Whisperer, and your magnificent Night Fury" he praised, looking at Toothless as if the dragon was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. His stare was unsettling, but Toothless refused to show discomfort and stared challengingly right back.
"Don't tell him that; his ego is big enough as it is" Hiccup joked. He ducked as Toothless swatted a broad-finned tail at him. *Just kidding* he said placatingly. Well, mostly.
"You've had a long journey, and not all of the chiefs have arrived. Come! First, we will eat and drink" Ragnar insisted. He led them up through the town, past the muttering crowd that had come out to watch the dragons prowling through the streets.
Not all of them were content to simply mutter. "This is a town, not a dragon's nest!"
"We don't want those fire-breathing fiends here!"
"It's not called Smoking Bay cos we want it all set ablaze!"
"Go home, lizard lovers!"
Toothless glared at the nearest shouter, but Hiccup gestured for him to follow on. *You need to be on your best behaviour, Toothless. All of you; Sky Fire, Cinder, everyone* he warned.
"You see what I mean?" Eret was saying. "This is just insults, but if Ragnar wasn't right there, it could be getting ugly."
"I know, Eret. We'll just have to ignore them; they can't make us leave, not if their chief has invited us here."
Ragnar took them all to a long, low building with intricate carvings on the lintel, and dragon horns mounted above the door. "There is no room for the dragons inside, but we have fish for them to eat" he said, gesturing to the barrels of herring that were being prised open. The wind carried the sharp reek of them to the dragons, who craned their necks eagerly, nostrils flaring.
Leaving the dragons to devour barrels of fish, Ragnar led his guests into the building, where a long table and benches had been set with plates of food. He had Hiccup sit on his left as a guest of honour, and asked numerous questions about what had happened since they last met. Hiccup deflected most of the attention onto Eret; not that he was embarrassed, but the most noteworthy things that had happened were also things that needed to be kept secret.
"We never should have listened to Adulfr" said Ormar, shaking his head regretfully. He then asked Hiccup, "Had you encountered the man before? From what I gather, he was attempting to seek revenge on you for some wrongdoing?"
"I had no idea he existed until he decided to reveal himself" Hiccup admitted. "He wanted revenge for my dragon killing his father; what the witnesses failed to mention was that Hauke tried to kill me first. Not that it mattered to him."
Ormar looked slightly alarmed. "Would your dragon always be so ruthless at your command?" he asked.
"Ruthless!" Eret exclaimed, "That's good, you should change his name to that. It still kind of sounds the same."
Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he knew Eret was only kidding. "His name is fine the way it is" he retorted, before turning back to Ormar. "Toothless would do anything to protect me, and I him. I didn't ask or command him to kill Hauke, or to kill anyone. He merely…took matters into his own claws. He does have a mind of his own, after all."
"Yes, yes, of course. I meant no offence" Ormar apologised.
Hiccup waved it off. "It's fine. It just gets a bit tiresome, having to explain that Toothless isn't some vicious demon of the night ready to strike at my command. Now, if you ask us to show off our flying prowess, that never gets old" he admitted.
"And you say Toothless has a big ego" Eret scoffed. Hiccup shrugged. He didn't need an audience, he just loved to fly, but he had to admit there was a thrill in seeing the wide eyed amazement on people's faces as they watched him and Toothless rule the skies.
"There are rumours that you can read the creature's minds" said Ragnar, "and turn them to your will."
"With all due respect, those rumours are nonsense" Hiccup replied. "Of course I can't read dragon's minds; I just know them well. It might seem like some kind of magic, but it's just knowledge, practice and a bit of natural talent."
"Now, see, Chief, what did I tell you?" Ormar interjected, "Ridiculous, all of it. It gets worse, would you believe" he said to Hiccup, "I've heard talk of blood magic, or that the gods cursed you, or that you're not really a man at all, but some kind of…"
"Lycanwing?" Hiccup finished for him.
"He's a man, alright" Eret put in, "just ask his wife."
Hiccup kicked his friend under the table. "I know that Adulfr spread a lot of bad rumours about me, but none of them are true. I'm just a man who loves dragons and wants to bring our worlds together."