Chapter 2: Learning Experience
A/N: So, I'm not dead. I have, however, been busy. Good news is that I saw the Hidden World yesterday, which meant that I was inspired enough to finish this chapter. That being said, I'm currently changing some stuff to match the elements from the movie, so I apologize if anything from the last chapter doesn't match this one. I'm currently working on fixing it. Also, while I'm writing again, it will be a lot slower because of school, but I do get some breaks here and there. To make for the long break though, I thought a nice, long chapter would be a good way to start writing again.
Now, this means that this chapter contains some MINOR SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE HIDDEN WORLD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Enjoy! Don't forget to Fav, Follow and Review! Appreciate y'all!
In the eighteen years that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock IV had been alive, he had never heard a statement so blasphemous, terrifying or exciting. Ever. Dragons, he thought to himself, alive? Real? And my crazy, reclusive uncle rode them? If he had heard this statement in Berk, he would've scoffed and shoved the elder Hiccup aside.
But after the whole ordeal in that special cove, along with the waking up on another island that was unknown to him, maybe there was at least some element of truth in what was being said. I mean, he thought, trying to process his grandfather's past, if there used to be dragons here, then why did they disappear so suddenly? Where did they go?
Are they ever going to come back?
"I can see you are somewhat confused by my statement," his grandfather's voice rattled his train of thought, throwing Hiccup IV back into reality.
"Uhhh, umm uhhh…"
"It's ok, I would doubt myself too, you know, if my grandfather pulled the stunt I did and admitted that trolls and goblins and demons were real," he chuckled softly, picking up a walking stick and going across the beach. "Come on, let's talk a little bit of a walk, I'll explain everything." Slowly, Hiccup IV got up, wiping the sand off of his shirt and trousers before following his grandfather across the beach. They walked in silence for a good few minutes, as Hiccup III seemed to be wanting to absorb the sights, sounds and feeling of being back…well, wherever they were. Meanwhile, Hiccup IV took in the sights and sounds as well but in an effort to attempt to figure out where they were. The first thing he realized as soon as he had gotten up from the sand was the biting chill in the air, not enough for snow but colder than the summer breeze in Berk. The sand also looked to be mixed with bits of rocks and sediment rather than shells, as it was rougher and darker, so that must mean they were more north than Berk, but only slightly. Yet, none of the islands immediately north of Berk were named Vanaheim, and they certainly weren't as large as this even if a name had been changed.
The sun began passing into a large cluster of clouds, causing the air to become significantly colder, to the point where Hiccup IV began to noticeably shiver, yet his grandfather seemed to be getting on just fine. He kept looking up towards the sky, faded green eyes scouring the clouds for something, a slight smile on his face. "Where are ya, bud?"
"Huh?"
"Oh, uh, sorry, not you, I was talking to Toothless."
"Your imaginary friend?"
"Wha-no, you…I'm not crazy, you know."
"Then why are we here?"
"I'm here for a reason, to see an old friend, you just had the unfortunate circumstance of being next to me when my ride picked me up."
"Then tell your ride to take me back."
"No, why would I do that? You can finally learn about the-"
"Because this is kidnapping-"
"about the actual history of your forefathers-"
"of a prince of a respected tribe under the authority of the Church-"
"You know you're being difficult right now, right?"
"Then take me back."
"No, you need to stay."
"Yeah, well, I don't want to. But, I can make a deal with you: take me back, and no one will know you kidnapped me."
"How about this deal: you stay and learn."
"No, come on, open up a dialogue with me."
"This is a dialogue, I'm the elder and you are doing what I say, so you're gonna stay and learn."
"You know, this dialogue feels very one-sided…"
"Deal?" Hiccup IV wanted to retort, but at this point, he saw way he would be able to win anything with a retort or even a compromise. He suspected his grandfather wouldn't get him killed, so the only choice he had now was to just go along with it and at least see what his grandfather wanted him to learn about.
"Deal." Hiccup III sighed happily, spending another few moments looking up at the sky, that same smile still on his face. He slowly got himself up, coughing a few times, and began to walk inland towards the small mountain. Hiccup IV got up and followed, somewhat at a difference, but he'd since ceased looking at the sky.
Eventually, they came to a small clearing at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by large, enormouse boulders that almost formed a wall between them and their surroundings. His grandfather sat down, motioning to Hiccup IV to gather kindling and from nearby for a fire. Annoyed, he scrounged around for some small branches and a few pieces of tree bark from the dead and scattered trees on the island before heading back towards his grandfather. They set up the kindling and the branches and the logs and he got started on making a fire, watching his grandfather sit there quietly, intently twisting a small twig in his hand.
Once the fire was going, Hiccup IV sat on a small stone slab across the fire from his granfather, wondering what they were going to talk about next. However, they continued to sit in silence, his grandfather twisting that twig, until he said, "I'm sorry. For…Well, you know, 'kidnapping you', and…well…ummm…not really being the great family member."
"Oh…uhh…thank you…I guess…" Hiccup IV rubbed his neck, unsure of what to say next. "So, why am I here?"
"Huh?" Hiccup III turned back to face his grandson.
"Why am I here," he said, gesturing to himself.
"I told you. To learn about your history," he pointed between the two of them, "to learn about OUR history."
"But, I already learned about all of our history-"
"From who?"
"The…my teachers and my father…"
"No, wrong. That's not history. Not the real story, anyway. They won't tell you the real story, and part of that is my fault, at least. Well, actually, most of it."
"And why is that?"
"Well…Did they ever tell you why I made war with Drago?"
"Yeah…They told me you were the only one to stand up to him, the only Viking stupid enough to declare war on a Chr-"
"If you can really believe a man like Drago was a Christian, then let me clear something for you," Hiccup III leaned forward on the log, "He only got 'baptized' after we defeated him, and then the only reason we went after him years later was because he was the only other person who knew of our secret."
"Really? You destroyed villages and cities and raided ships and made war with everyone to protect your secret?"
"Don't believe me, huh?"
"No, not really. I mean, you killed innocent people!"
"Really? How so?"
"Well…I…It doesn't matter! My teachers all told me so! And now because of you, Berk has to be occupied by the Kingdoms and…"
"What did your father tell you about that?"
"About what?"
"The deaths of innocents. Did he ever speak of that?" The question was the first thing in a long time to stump Hiccup IV so thoroughly. He thought back to all of the times his father talked about Hiccup III, and while he remembered his father always speaking of how Asher never fully received his father's attention and ignored his advice, he never spoke of killing innocents.
"It was probably because he didn't want to talk about."
"I take that as a no?"
"Well…uhh…"
"Want to know another little thing they won't tell you about?"
"What, are you going to say dragons again?"
"No, actually, I was going to ask if they ever described Drago to you…"
"Oh, well, yeah, he was a mainlander, he…"
"Wrong." Hiccup III leaned back a little on his log, looking smug.
"What do you mean wrong? How do you know if-"
"Have you ever met a European with a name like Drago?"
"Well…no-"
"Exactly. Drago was from the East. And he was no saint, leading masses of starving and poor peasants to salvation. He was a warlord who led an army. And years after he tried to destroy us the first time, he brought back an army to try to do it all over again. So, we fought him off, and yes, we then chased around the North for years, but after we finally got him, we found ourselves at war with the Kingdoms, because they guaranteed him protection."
"What for?" Hiccup III chuckled, before picking up his walking stick and a log from the fire, "follow me."
"Why?"
"There's something I want to show you. And no, it's not dragons, you're not ready for that yet." He began walking inland more, forcing his grandson to get up and follow him.
They walked in silence for a few hundred yards before coming to a cave. Hiccup briefly stopped outside of it and gave it a once-over, as if making sure the cave was the correct one he wanted, then proceeded to walk inside, grandson following close behind. Inside, Hiccup IV saw stacks of crates and barrels, with boxes of papers everywhere. There were also some weapons, chests and even a few books out in the open. What tipped off Hiccup IV that something was weird was how it all appeared organized, like someone had left something here rather than abandoning it. His grandfather kept walking on, occasionally glancing at the seemingly endless crates and books stacked on the barrels and chests. He stopped at a particularly intact chest, almost no cobwebs or wear on it, unlocking it with a code and opening it. He handed his grandson the torch before rummaging through the papers, fingering them and squinting his eyes at the texts.
Eventually, he found the one he was looking for. He turned around, smiling, handing the letter to his grandson, "Here. Read it." Hiccup IV looked down at the letter, noticing the seal of the Kingdoms on the top left corner.
"What is this," he asked.
"Read, and see for yourself." So, Hiccup IV read it. At first, he saw, it just appeared to be a letter discussing business in the Archipelago, and since the date was the same as the date his father signed the peace treaty, he assumed it would be all about the peace that had been achieved with the pacification of the Berkian Vikings.
He was wrong.
After only four sentences discussing the peace with Vikings, the letter began speaking of creatures in the region that had long since gone underground, and that the task of "unearthing these monstrous demons could begin" with the surrender of the one group of people that knew of their existence.
The Berkians.
He kept on reading, and the letter spoke not of his grandfather's crimes, but instead of legends of a man who could control dragons, who could make them obey his every command, and rode on the back of the most powerful beast the civilized world had ever seen. It praised the decision to make an alliance with the "savage known as Drago" in order to join the war against the Vikings, and the difficulties faced by "the Berkian chief's crowning as the King of the Wilderwest by the united tribes of the Archipelago". It contained praises on the monks who wrote false stories about Hiccup's endeavors, and the bravery of those who lied to be portrayed of Hiccup's raids on the towns and cities, when in fact no innocents had been killed. Finally, it praised the bravery of Hiccup's second son, Asher, who effectively removed Hiccup from power and signed a humiliating peace treaty with the Kingdoms, turning it into a puppet state.
The back of the letter spoke of the campaign that razed what the author called, "New Berk", but more frightening was how Hiccup's daughter, an aunt that Hiccup IV never knew about, had been given to one of the reformed Viking chiefs, as a token of a new peace, an arranged marriage that she wanted no part in. It talked about methods that would be used to find the demons below the surface, all the while flooding Berk with Europeans and destroying Berkian culture while finding and collecting all information related to what was finally referred to as "dragons". There were other, lesser things that the letter talked about, like how the Berkians were only spared execution because it was thought when the dragons were found, they would be the ones to force the dragons to reveal themselves fully and possibly show the Europeans how they would be trained.
It referred to the campaigns to destroy the Vikings as a success not only in war, but also in burying history, as it stated the majority of the Europeans and many of the newer Vikings were being taught about how their previous ways were evil, burying any public rumor of dragons to all but a few.
But what disgusted Hiccup IV the most was how it spoke of his father, how his firstborn son would be indoctrinated in the ways of the Kingdom, who he would marry, where he would be allowed to travel and what he would be allowed to eat just after he was born. It even spoke of a plan for his own father to be coerced into mistreating his own son, because "it would be best, on the chance the demonic dragons reappeared, to have a member of the bloodline that endured similar hardships as the grandfather that would be able to calm the dragons and pacify them, leading to the next King of the Dragons to be a servant of the Righteous and Holy Kingdoms of the North".
His mind went blank. Everything he had been taught about all through his childhood was a lie. "Where did you get these," he asked his grandfather, his eyes never leaving the papyrus in his hand.
"When my son signed the treaty, many people were still on my side, and the letter, along with others, came into my possession not long after I was removed. This is just one of a number of letters like it that were sent to all the different lords and kings of the Kingdom. The reason I got it was because no one was going to know it went missing, and if they did, it would be blamed on bad communication lines," He pulled out an entire stack, "these are some other documents you should read."
And read them he did. Hiccup IV read all of the documents, some of them trade reports, others letters between generals, but all spoke of the same thing: the success of the occupation of the Viking Archipelago. It spoke of razing islands where resistance was among the highest, like islands called 'Berserker Island', 'Outcast Island', 'Wingmaiden Island' and 'Caldera Kay'. The larger islands further from Berk, at least the ones that were allied with the Berkians and crowned Hiccup III King of the Wilderwest, suffered executions and harsher penalties to prevent them from allying themselves with Berk, should Berk ever rise up.
These executions were made in the company of Hiccup and his advisors, the ones all of the letters blamed the start of the conflict on.
There were other, smaller things he read about, but none really put a dagger in his heart than the true history of what happened in the past, how nearly everyone he knew had lied to him.
Even his own father.
"Why…Why did my father do this?"
"Your father…He…Well, it's partly my fault really. You see, while I was off at war with Astrid and the others, I let an old friend named Gobber take care of him. While he was in his teens, Gobber disappeared, and from what I know, a traveling missionary watched over him. At the beginning, I was fine with it, but I should've listened to Astrid. That missionary filled your father's head with lies about how the Kingdoms were in the right and I was in the wrong, and eventually, convinced your father to sign a separate treaty and allowed the armies of the Kingdom to occupy the island. We were all forced to come home, surrender ourselves, and watch as our friends from other islands were killed. Only my closest friends and the Berkians were spared, but we were still forced to watch as the Kingdoms' soldiers put every nearly every non-Berkian to death. I remember them crowning my son immediately after that. He was only eighteen, not even married yet, and he had watched hundreds of people be put to death."
"Why would they do that?"
"So we would never rise up again. They wanted to control us, and they executed their plan perfectly," he lowered himself onto the dry cave floor, "You know, that was the last day I spoke to your father. We were all being escorted to our new homes on the far side of Berk, and he stopped me, asking me if I forgave him. I asked him if he would ever forgive himself, and that because of him, all of the blood of the innocents were on his hands."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing. There was nothing he could say." He paused, staring at the ceiling for a moment before saying, "I regret saying those words to him, though. While I was by no stretch of the imagination a good father, I always cared for him when I was home, both him, Stoick II and my daughter, Ingrid. Most of the time, when they were younger, I was the only one who went off to fight and Astrid stayed home, but eventually, we both were needed. Stoick II was sixteen and Ingrid eighteen, so they could come with us to war, but Asher was only ten, so Gobber watched him while we were gone, until Gobber disappeared at fourteen. The missionary watched him after that, but when Asher was 17, we came back and had to tell him that Stoick II, who was probably his best friend after that missionary, was killed." Hiccup III sniffed a little, and his grandson saw tears welling in his eyes. "That was the day I not only lost Stoick, but I also lost Asher…You know, Asher idolized Stoick growing up. He wasn't as strong as Stoick or Ingrid, and Astrid and I knew he wasn't going to be a warrior, but…well, he was one of the smartest Vikings I knew. After he lost Stoick, though, I never saw that flare again. He kept to himself, and all but ignored me. Still loved his mother, though."
"What happened after the executions? Between him and everyone?"
"Oh, all of the Berkians left shunned him, but soon we were the minority on the island. But, he frequently sought us out on the other side of the island, always wanting to talk to people that he had grown up with. A few were polite, most were not, but among almost everyone, it was the same: no one wanted to speak with him. Everyone closed their doors to him, except for one, his mother."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. While everyone else stayed away, Astrid just couldn't leave her son out there like everyone else. I never spoke a word with him, but he always came by in the evenings to talk with her. When you were born, he even brought you over to show to Astrid only."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah. Astrid always admonished me for not shunning my son, but one of the only times I saw him after the executions was to see my newborn grandson." Tears that had begun welling in his eyes earlier began to slowly streak down from Hiccup's eyes. He wiped them quickly, but they kept coming, and even Hiccup IV felt his eyes beginning to wet.
He felt sorry for his grandfather, someone who was betrayed by one of his own, not on purpose but because out of blindness, Asher thinking he was doing the right thing, only to be betrayed and outcasted by the only people who had ever cared for him. It was a bad deal all around, and he was just one of the pawns in this game.
The two talked for a little more on what had happened in the aftermath of Berk's defeat, Hiccup IV learning about the other side of the Kingdoms' history, the side that not many people under their rule heard about. Eventually, they walked out of the cave together and were engulfed by the blackness of the night, the only source of light coming from the Northern Lights and the stars. They went back to the site of their campfire, which had long since gone out, but provided enough light between the embers and the sky to illuminate the area well enough. A silence overcame them, both awkwardly looking up at the stars, until Hiccup III spoke. "Do you want to know where it all began?"
"Huh?"
"Everything. The dragons, me, my father, the wars, do you want to hear about everything and where it all started?"
"Is it a long story?"
"Well, do you want to hear the whole story?"
"Yes, I would like to."
"Even if it involves dragons?" Hiccup IV grimaced, maybe his grandfather was finally losing his mind. He'd still not seen a dragon, and was starting to think this was all fake.
"Yes. Even if it involves…Dragons."
"Well…" He cleared his throat, "As I said before, there were dragons when I was a boy. Where they went, only a few know, and even fewer have even seen it. Dragons that were the size of mountains, so large that when they moved, the earth beneath them cracked and crumbled. Dragons so small that you wouldn't be able to even see them with your own eyes. Dragons of all shapes and sizes, colors and patterns you could never imagine! They all existed, every single one of them, right up here, alongside us. But not long ago, they decided to retreat into the earth, protecting themselves from our world, full of violence and hatred and war, back into their hidden world beneath the surface…"
"Ok, but what does that have to do with you? Or me?"
"Hold on, I'll get there," he paused, setting down his walking stick, "Alright. I'll keep it short.
"Back when humans were at war with the dragons, when I was fifteen years old, I was not big, strong and tough like your average Viking. I was skinny and thin," he looked down at himself and chuckled, "Well, skinnier and thinner. I was considered by the village to be a hiccup, which is normally what you would call the runt of the village. I didn't have many friends other than Gobber, I wasn't allowed to do what were considered the cool jobs at the time, and my dad as definitely let down by my slim chances of ever being the typical Viking. It made it worse that we all thought my mom was dead and-"
"Wait, what do you mean you thought your mom was dead?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll get to that later. Basically, I was the runt of the village and some people did not like me, and my father was not the most understanding man. All I wanted for the longest time was to be a Viking like the rest of them, but since I wasn't able to do it the normal way, I went about trying to be like one of them my own way. I invented new weapons and tools to try to impress them, but they only failed in the most spectacular ways. Eventually, I decided to try to take down a Night Fury, the most elusive of the dragons, using my inventions. During one of the nighttime raids, I actually managed to hit him, but I also managed to cause a massive amount of damage."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah, it was bad. I was reamed in front of the entire village and my father said that I didn't hit the Night Fury, not even Gobber believed me at this point. But knew, somewhere deep inside me, that I hit the Night Fury. So I went out, to the cove beyond Raven's Pointe, and there I found him. Wrapped up in my bolas was a Night Fury, and for a second, he already looked dead. But when he woke up, I knew that I had a to kill him to become one of the Vikings. I tried, but I just couldn't do it. I looked at him, and I saw myself. So, I let him go, and…well…he gave me a pretty big roar in my face. Hah, he gave me a pretty good scare. He ran off after that, and when I got back home, I found out from my dad that I started Dragon Training the next morning while he went on another expedition for the Dragon's Island."
"Is this the one that all of the dragons are hiding on right now?"
"No, this one is different. Anyway, Gobber said something the next day during Dragon Training that got me thinking, he said, 'Remember, a dragon will always…always…go for the kill'. So I started thinking to myself, 'Why didn't the Night Fury go for the kill?' I went back to the cove looking for him, and when I saw him, my question wasn't answered, but I saw that he had lost a tailfin from the bolas. That night, I read through the Book of Dragons, looking for any information about Night Furies, but I couldn't find any. The next day, I asked Gobber during Dragon Training, but I lost my focus in the ring and almost got Astrid and I killed. She was, of course, very mad, and told me to decide who's side I was on. So, that night, I took some fish to the cove, to try to help Toothless survive."
"Toothless?"
"Yeah. My Night Fury. Now, quiet, this is the best part. Anyway, I was taking him fish to help him survive, and maybe even become mutual acquaintances with him, so I gave him a fish, and noticed he had retractable teeth. I mean, how cool is that? Retractable teeth! But, he regurgitated half of the fish, almost like a peace offering, and had me eat it. Even though I accepted and, I still can't believe I did this, ate the raw fish, he was still weary of me. But, after seeing me draw a picture of him, he decided to try it, and began drawing a bunch of lines in the sand, making me dance around them. Then, when I ended up in front of him, I tried to touch him, but he was still weary. So, I decided to put my trust in him, closed my eyes, and stuck my hand out for him to decide. Then, he touched his face to my hand, creating a bond of trust we still have even today.
"So, that night, after hearing from Gobber about how 'a downed dragon is a dead dragon', I started experimenting with him on a series of prosthetic tails I made for him. In exchange for helping him fly again, he began to show me all of the little secrets and quirks dragons had, which I used in dragon training to survive. This led me to placing first though, and soon I was getting a lot of attention from the rest of the village, to the point where Astrid was jealous of me," he laughed a little to himself, "Anyway, Toothless and I took the first fully functional tail on a test flight, and that was the first time I ever flew. I still remember the excitement of going that fast and being that high in the sky. We almost died, and for the first time ever, I felt alive. Like, truly alive. There's no feeling like flying on the back of a dragon, weaving through the rocks and then rocketing into the clouds at unbelievable speeds, it's amazing. The freedom of it all is just astounding. It really is…
"Anyway, the next day, after the test flight, Astrid and I fought against a Gronckle to decide who would be the one to kill the dragon and finish first in Dragon training."
"What's a Gronckle?"
"Oh, it's a type of dragon. I'll show you all of this later. So, I won that fight, and I was given the 'honor' of being the one to kill the dragon. This made Astrid jealous, so she followed me to try to learn how I got so good at dragon training so quickly. She, umm…well, she met Toothless, and we, uhh, took her on a little romantic flight. But, during that, we discovered the Dragon's Nest and saw the Red Death, a dragon the size of a mountain that controls them.
"So, that night, I decided to try to show everyone on Berk that dragons could be tamed, but it backfired, and my Dad captured Toothless and found out that only dragons could find the way to the Dragon's Nest. He disowned me, and then left. I was hopeless, broken, and ready to just give up. But Astrid, she saw something in me that day, and convinced me to do something…well, she convinced me to do something crazy. I gathered up the captured dragons we had, she brought the other teens, and I showed them how to train dragons, and we rode them to the Nest to rescue Toothless and everyone there. We fought and it was a hard battle, but we came out on top, and everyone made it home. But, well, let's just say I became a matching set to Toothless," he held up his prosthetic, old and rusty, with a smile, "but by killing the Red Death, Toothless and I brought a new age of peace on Berk, and dragons and humans could live in peace, together." He leaned back, still smiling, and closed his eyes, as if imagining the site of Berk just after the peace with the dragons.
"So, what happened after that?"
"Well, there were some other enemies that we had to deal with, like the Outcasts, who became our allies, the Berserkers, who also became our allies, and the Dragon Hunters. We fought all around the Archipelago, going on adventures to places no one else had seen before. By the time we were your age, we had our own outpost on an island called the Dragon's Edge, fighting the Dragon Hunters Ryker, Viggo, Krogan and Johann. It was in my conflicts with these three that I decided to avoid war at all costs, and since I had a history of turning my enemies into friends, it also led me to believe that anyone could be convinced to join our side.
"A few years later, I would see how wrong that was. That was when I first heard of Drago, a man who would stop at nothing to enslave all dragons and use them to conquer all of the known world. I tried to get him to stop, but my actions would end up getting my father killed and nearly everyone else I knew, including Toothless. Drago controlled a Bewilderbeast, a large Alpha dragon that could control other dragons, which he used to control all of the dragons at the Sanctuary."
"What's the Sanctuary?"
"Oh, yeah! I didn't tell you! My mother, who we all thought had died, was alive. She had been living with the dragons in a fortress of ice, with another Bewilderbeast that protected them all. I met her, and she showed me some things about dragons I never knew. But…Drago, he nearly took that all away. He attacked the fortress, killed our Bewilderbeast and took control of all of the dragons. Worst yet, he used Toothless to try to kill me, but my Dad saved me, taking the shot himself. After that, Drago left to go to Berk and destroy it. Again, I was broken, but after we gave my father a burial at sea, sending him to the Valkyries to take his place in Valhalla, I realized, with the help of my mother and Astrid, what needed to be done."
"How did you get back to Berk? You had no dragons, and I'm guessing there were no ships-"
"Smart, aren't ya? Alphas can control dragons, but the only ones that they can't control were the babies, so we rode some of the babies back to Berk, where I got back Toothless and we fought the Alpha. Toothless I guess had been holding out on us up until that time, because he activated his Titan form, becoming the King of Dragons and besting the other Alpha. And so, after that, I was made chief of Berk, but we were still at war with Drago's army and the warlords that were taking his place."
"So, was that the end of it?"
"Oh, no. A little over a year later, the warlords brought on Grimmel, a dragon hunter who was famous for killing all of the Night Furies, all except Toothless. Grimmel raided Berk, and his attack was bad enough to force us onto a new island, one we called New Berk. So, while he was hunting us down, Toothless was being drawn away by a Light Fury, and soon we all began to see that there was no way the dragons were going to be able to stay with us. After we defeated Grimmel, we let the dragons go into hiding, and well…the rest I've already told you." Hiccup took a deep breath, and his grandson could see that tears were once again forming in his eyes.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"
"Oh it's nothing, I'll…I'll be ok." It dawned on the both of them that this was the first time Hiccup IV had called his grandfather 'grandpa'. Hiccup IV immediately felt guilty. His grandfather had been dealing with these burdens for all those years, exiled on his own island, left to rot in the mountains of his home, his best friend gone and the rest of friends dead or missing.
It brought shame to Hiccup IV to have treated his grandfather like this. "I'm sorry," he said.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I…well…I didn't know about any of this. I know I was raised separate from you, and everyone on Berk kept you away from the village, but I knew you existed, I knew who you were, but I never sought you out, I never once tried to talk to you to get your side of the story, I never-"
"You were only doing what you thought was right. You shouldn't blame yourself for this."
"But I am. I did nothing to talk to or meet with you, even though it would've been the right thing to do. No one told you to make friends with a dragon, but it was the right thing to do. I had a chance to do that, to learn all of this earlier and make a real difference, but I didn't. I just, I just ignored you like everyone else."
"But, you know what? You didn't ignore me last night. Now, if there's one thing I've learned from my adventures throughout the world, it's that it's never too late to do the right thing. People will try to tell you what is right and what is wrong, but ultimately, it falls to you to make that choice. It was the right choice to save Toothless and end the war with the dragons. It was the right choice to embrace my role as chief of Berk after my father passed. And it was the right choice to let Toothless go and have a family, safe from the violence and destruction that civilization is bringing upon the earth."
"Yeah, I guess. But-"
"No buts. You made the right choice last night, and now, you are learning because of it. Think about it, if you had sought me out earlier, then you would've been found out by the guards, and there would have been severe consequences for both of us. Instead, we are here, on a secluded island, where no one can stop me from telling you the truth. Right?"
"Yeah, that's true. So…it all worked out in the end?"
"That's right. All you have to do is stay true to yourself and believe in yourself. Hold your friends close and love your family. Be the best version of yourself you can be. If you do these things, Hiccup, then everything will work out in the end. I mean, look at me letting Toothless go. If I had kept him around, war would've spread faster and further, and far more people would have been killed. Instead, the dragons can live peacefully apart from us and have their own families, safe from the fear of death by hunters. It was the hardest decision I had ever had to make, but it was the right thing to do."
"Yeah, you're right." He looked down, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the dirt beneath his feet. His head was still reeling from everything he had just learned this night. Finding out your entire life was a lie and you were on the side of evil really can take a toll on one's mind. "I just…How do I start…you know, being like you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You were a great leader. Even the Kingdoms acknowledged that you were a skilled tactician and fighter, but in your stories it's like you were a leader in every sense of the word. You said by my age you already were living on an outpost, fighting your own battles with your friends against an enemy a lot larger than you. I haven't done anything like that. I just…how do you become a good leader?"
"Well, one, it was a different time when I was your age. We were given a lot more freedom because we had fire breathing dragons to protect us. Our enemies were also not an entire nation, but roaming armies. Now, civilization has changed the world. Wars are fought not between cities, but between nations. Whereas our enemies rarely numbered in the few thousands, armies fielded today can range into the tens of thousands. There are stories I heard from the few traders that visited me on Berk that a land in the Far East that has armies fielding hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and Vikings in the Varangian Guard told of massive battles that blotted the earth. The world has changed, and there's no place in it for people like me anymore. And I have come to terms with this. I'm ok with it. Change is always happening around us, and I'm too old to keep up with it any longer."
"Come on, Grandpa, you know that's not true-"
"No, it's alright, I know it's true. I used to be the one leading the change, I used to be the progressive one advocating for change, but now, the world has changed too much, and I no longer recognize it. That means it's up to people like you to change it, to make the world a better place."
"I…I don't think I'm ready for that." Hiccup III laughed.
"Of course you're not! And that's ok! Fate has a way of preparing everyone for their destiny, mine merely started at a younger age. That doesn't mean the change you can bring about at a later age won't be greater. Everyone's journey begins at a different time, and often you never know it until you're already on it. Yours, then, may have begun, with what you've learned tonight. Right?"
"Yeah, yeah I guess so. You're right."
"I know I am. Now, get some rest. I suspect Toothless and company will be here tomorrow, they wouldn't just abandon us on an island for longer than a day or two." He took off his large overcoat and laid it down on the ground before slowly lowering himself onto it. Hiccup IV found a nice spot of grass and dirt. He folded his fur vest into a pillow and laid close to the warm embers, closing his eyes and relaxing. "You know, son, you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age."
"Really?"
"Oh yes," he heard his grandfather yawn, "You're worried about who you are going to be in this world, worried about impressing the people you will one day lead, and just trying to find out how you will fit into all of this. I was the same way. Just be patient. Everything will come in due time."
"Ok, Grandpa. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Hiccup."
The sky around him was dark, yet he felt like he could reach out and touch it yet. Thin wisps of white powder swirled around his outstretched fingers, curling and touching every nerve in his finger.
The cold air bit into him, sharp needles stinging his face but the fiery feeling in his stomach warmed him to the environment he was surrounded by.
And when he looked down, he saw a multitude of lights, reflections of the moon on the water, everchanging on the waves. He could see small islands shrink to the size of a coin as they rose higher and higher…
Higher and higher…
Hiccup woke up in a cold sweat.
Immediately he noticed the dark silhouettes of the rocks, outlined by the pale glow of moonlight, the orange, flickering embers of the fire still glowing, and the sleeping form of his grandfather next to it.
He took another second to look around, but he saw nothing around him. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, but sleep kept evading him. He couldn't stop thinking about what his grandfather told him, and what the letters said. Part of him wanted to reject it, saying the letters were forged and that his grandfather was just trying to brainwash him.
But logic forced him to dismiss these thoughts. The letters were real, he had seen the seals on letters sent to his father and they matched. There was no way a letter of the Kingdoms would contain lies, and it seemed pretty authentic. His grandfather, too, seemed to be telling the truth. His story of what happened afterwards matched the documents and the letters he read in the cave, but he still just couldn't come to terms with it. What am I going to do after this? I can't just go back to Berk and live like nothing happened, he thought to himself. At the very least, the island would be on alert as the prince had gone missing. He would be questioned. Thoroughly. The slightest of holes in his story would be exposed, and since no boats were missing, he wouldn't be able to say they just sailed off. What would happen to him when they found out he had been told the truth?
Nevermind that, he told himself, you can worry about that later. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The moon and the stars were providing just enough light for him to see his surroundings, so he got up and began walking around for a little bit to stretch his legs. He picked up his fur vest and brushed some of the dust off of it before putting it on. Maybe I'll go back to that cave, see what else is being hidden in there. He began walking in the general direction of the cave, looking for the landmarks he remembered on the way there earlier, eventually stumbling across the entrance. Seeing he didn't have a torch, he grabbed an old torch behind a rock near the entrance and a few stones. Taking a piece of flint from his pocket, a little kindling and a cloth from his vest, he made a small torch and walked into the cave.
Again, he saw the barrels, the chests and the crates, all holding secrets from an age previously unknown to him. He wished he could pour through the notes and documents, the books and the letters all night, but instincts told him that what was really important must be near the back of the cave. So, he continued on down the cave passing the chest they had opened before. A few minutes later, he came to a large opening, the cave turning into a large cavern with what looked like a aqueduct running across the ceiling. He traced the contraption, and saw a system of gears and pulleys that extended it down from the very top to just above his head.
Is this some sort of lighting system? He walked over to a small bowl at the bottom of one of the pulleys, and took a whiff of the black liquid inside. "Oil," he noted. Cautiously, he lowered the torch into the bowl, a whoosh coming from the oil as it ignited. Standing back, he noticed a small lever on the side of the pulley, and pulled it. The bowl immediately was sent to the top, dumped into a cauldron at the center of the room and sending the oil down the pipes and around the room. It was amazing watching as the whole room was lit up from the fire, illuminating everything in an orange glow. Finally, the circuit completed, and he saw a lone table and chairs right under the main cauldron, illuminated by what looked like a super strong glass at the base of the cauldron. He set the torch and in a holder. "Ok, now, where do I start," he muttered to himself.
Everything in the room was amazing. He had browsed through the Book of Dragons, fascinated by the amount of detail in it, awestruck at the variety and the uniqueness of all of the dragons. He pictured each of the illustrations as living, breathing creatures, flying high in the sky or cutting through the waters of the North Sea, faster than any ship. He read descriptions about the raw power they each possessed, from explosive fireballs and scalding water to poison and supersonic booms. No wonder my grandfather wanted to keep this a secret, he thought to himself, everyone on the mainland would want to use these creatures as weapons.
He looked through the maps his grandfather made, and was amazed at how far it stretched. He must have had to unfold it a thousand times on the floor before it reached its full size. It stretched from Berk in the middle all the way to what was labeled as the Far East, with mountains drawn in as reaching above the clouds, as far south as the desert kingdoms of the Muslim lands. But it was the Western part of the map that caught his attention. On it, Hiccup had drawn in the crude beginnings of a new continent, with the crude labeling of Vinland. So, it seemed that not only did his grandfather prove that dragons could live among people, but he discovered a new continent, one beyond the point most people believed marked the end of the world.
There were other amazing things, too. While these were not on par with the Book of Dragons or the Map of the World, it was still very impressive and intrigued the curious Hiccup. There was a book full of inventions, both weapons and non-weapons, that surpassed anything he had seen before. There was a book full of sketches and drawings, both of people and landmarks. Some of the landmarks and people he recognized, but most were new to him. He tried as hard as he could to commit all of it to memory, but there was too much in here for one night.
Feeling exhausted, he set down the latest book he had found on Berkians and their dragons, a training manual, and leaned his head against the back of a chair. He glanced around the room, looking at all of the artifacts and chests before resting them on what looked like a large wardrobe flanked by several chests significantly larger than the others. He walked over to them and began opening them, not expecting what he found inside.
Inside were suits of armor. Not the traditional ones the soldiers of the Kingdoms used, but lightweight, leather armor combined with scales of some kind, even helmets. He opened up all of them, taking note of the different styles and composition of the sets.
Removing each one from the chest, he saw more clearly the layout of each piece and got an idea of how his grandfather looked when he was the same age. He examined each one, admiring the craftmanship not only in the metalworking, but also the leather work, the sewing, every detail carefully planned and executed in a fashion that he had never seen before. Everyone was something he had never seen before, and part of him wanted to try them on.
"Well, why not," he told himself. They were in great condition and his grandfather probably wouldn't mind. It's not like he'd be using it anyway.
It took him a while, but finally, he found the one suit that fit him better than the others. There were no scales of armor on this one, as it was mostly leather, but he noticed the gauntlets and the shoulder pads of it were made of a thicker leather. The suit itself was filled with compartments, and the pants were full of gadgets like a dial on the belt, some loops of leather than connected to a large compartment extending along his sides to his armpits, and some sort of holster for something, not a sword but almost like an object.
After putting it all on and testing the fit, he grabbed his grandpa's sketchbook and flipped through the pages, wondering how his grandfather looked at his age in this armor. He found the page that showed Astrid and Hiccup together, and guessing from the date, his grandfather was about eighteen at the time it was drawn.
Same age, same fit. Weird.
He turned around and observed himself in the mirror, looking at how well he fit into it and how it looked. He glanced back and forth between the mirror and the drawing, noticing how similar he and his grandfather looked. The hair, build, height were all basically the same. The face was nearly identical. The only difference was that Hiccup had no scar on his chin and no freckles and had both legs. He looked down at his two feet, imagining what it would be like only having one foot. He slipped on his boots and tried walking around in it, noting that he was able to move pretty well with it on. He explored the chests a bit more before finding something new that he hadn't seen before, a shiny, cylindrical object with a few buttons on it and a dragon's head as the cross guard.
Curious, he pressed the buttons, but nothing happened, to his disappointment. He did notice that it was about the same size as the holster, so he clipped it in, a perfect fit. "Guess I'll find out what that's for later," he told himself, "Ooh! Wonder if grandpa will let me keep this armor!" He assumed he wouldn't but he would try to make a case for it. After all, no one was using it, it looked pretty cool, and it didn't have any stuff about dragons on it, so it could be ok, right?
He picked up his still-burning torch and walked out of the cavern, pulling another leave that he saw snuffed the flames by closing everything. Ok, my grandpa was super smart, he thought as he walked out of the cave.
When he made it outside, however, something felt different. He couldn't really put his finger on it, but something was off. He stopped and looked around. Nothing had changed, but something told him that he was no longer the only one on the island with his grandfather. Patting down the suit, he found a dagger held in his left gauntlet and pulled it out, ready to run or fight if need be.
Once he got back to the campsite, the first thing he saw was that his grandfather was missing. The large fur coat he wore was still on the ground, but his grandpa was not on it. Frantic, he looked around for a sign that maybe his grandpa went to stretch his legs, or maybe he went to the bathroom, but the tracks led to nowhere. He began to yell out, "Grandpa? Grandpa!"
"Grandpa, where are you?!"
Grrrrrrrrrrr
The sound froze Hiccup in his place. The hairs on his neck spiked up, goosebumps formed all along his limbs, his breathing quickened and his heart felt like it was about to burst. His hand started shaking, and he had to drop his torch to steady the dagger with the other hand.
Grrrrrrrrrrr
There it was again. A low, guttural sound, like something coming from a dog, but larger and more menacing. Slowly, taking deep breaths, he began to turn around. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee…" he muttered to himself, although he was unsure if repeating Hail Mary would protect him. Ever so slowly, he brought his eyes forward to where his ears had heard the growl from. "Holy Mary, Mother of God-"
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
"Pray for us sinners-"
GrrrrrrrrRRRRRRR
It was getting longer and louder, increasing in volume.
"Now and at the hour of our death!" He brought forward the dagger and pointed it at the rustling bushes, expecting at any moment something was going to jump out at him. And as the growl got louder, his voice started to shake and also get louder, "Hail Mary, full…f-f-full of grace-"
GrrrrRRRRRRRRR
"The L-l-l-Lord is with thee, blessedarethoughamongstwomenandblessed-"
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The rustling was increasing, and he heard footsteps pounding behind the bush.
"-isthefruitofthywombJesus! HailMaryMotherofGodprayforussinnersnowandinthe-"
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ROAR
"-hour of our death!" He braced himself to fight as whatever was hiding in the bushes prepared to reveal itself.
From within the bush, a pair of dark, green eyes cut through the dark, with black slits locking right onto Hiccup. The growling ceased, and it pounced.
