Chapter 3: Conference at Caldera Cay
Location: Caldera Cay
Date: August 6
Time: 9:15 a.m.
(Hiccup's PoV)
Beaches. Trees. Volcano. Smoke. For Hiccup, it was all a sight for sore eyes. After two whole weeks of looking at nothing but water and too many potty breaks to count, the friends had finally reached Caldera Cay, the home of the Defenders of the Wing and their Great Protector, the Eruptodon.
"(Loud sigh) Finally! I thought we'd never see land again," sighed Astrid, relieved.
"Me too," agreed Hiccup. "I can't wait to walk without having to wobble again."
"And to eat fresh food again," added Fishlegs. "The bread's getting a little stale and we're low of fruit, vegetables and jerky."
"Yeah, even the salty yak milk was beginning to taste good," joked Hiccup.
The friends laughed.
Once the ship had settled onto the shore, Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut and Fishlegs hopped out of the ship and landed in the shallow water. As they walked on the sandy beach, they heard the sound of shouts coming from the trees.
"Intruders!" someone shouted.
Suddenly, several soldiers dressed in black uniforms and masks (with only their eyes exposed) jumped out of the trees and held up their swords. A young man with long red hair and dressed in a green tunic and black shoulder pads stepped from the crowd.
"Who are you, trespassers and what is your business for being here?" he demanded.
Hiccup quickly held up his hands in defense. "Throk, it's me, Hiccup! It's the Dragon Riders!"
Throk's fierce expression changed into a surprised one. "Hiccup Haddock? Is it really you?"
"Yes, yes," said Hiccup. "Please put the swords down."
Throk lowered his sword and shook the young chief's hand. "It's been so long, old friend."
"It sure has been," said Hiccup. "And a lot has happened to us since the last time we saw each other."
"Yeah, he's the chief of our tribe now," added Fishlegs.
"A chief, eh?" said Throk. He bowed before Hiccup respectfully. Behind him, the soldiers did the same. "It must be a great honor having to lead your entire tribe."
"Well, it has its ups and downs," said Hiccup, rubbing the back of his neck.
"One thing however is not right," said Throk. "Where are your dragons?"
"Well, that's the reason why we're here," explained Hiccup. "We need to take us to Dagur and Mala and we'll explain everything then."
"Then follow us," insisted Throk.
The former Dragon Riders and the soldiers headed down the path of the village ahead.
As they walked, Hiccup observed his surroundings. Ahead of them were the houses in which the soldiers resided. He could see statue of the Eruptodon that stood in the center of the village. Then he looked up at the great, smoky volcano overlooking the village. Then he looked down at his moving feet. Having to tell the tribe who worshipped dragons to release their own was not going to be easy.
It wasn't long before the group reached the spot where two stone thrones overlooked a great gathering place. On the first throne, sat a young man with unkempt red hair and a scarred face, dressed in armor with a Skrill symbol on the front. Sitting in the throne next to him was a woman with short blonde hair, dressed in black. On either side of the thrones sat two dragons: a green, panting Gronckle and a fierce-looking black-and-yellow Triple Stryke.
Throk approached the two thrones and bowed before the man and woman. "My King and Queen, our old allies, Chief Hiccup Haddock and his Dragon Riders have returned to us."
"Hiccup?!" cried the red-haired man, standing up from his throne. "BROTHER!"
The man ran over to Hiccup and pulled him into a rib-crushing hug. "Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! So good to see you again, brother! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!"
"Good to see you too, Dagur," said Hiccup in a strained voice.
Dagur released Hiccup from the hug but still kept his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "And did I just hear Throk say that you are a chief now?! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! Even better! Now we have one more thing in common!"
The blonde woman approached the two young men. "Welcome back, Hiccup Haddock. It is wonderful to see you again after so long," she said kindly.
"It's good to see you again too, Mala," said Hiccup.
"And say hello to Junior here!" added Dagur, gently patting Mala's belly which seemed to be bulging a little.
"Junior?" asked Hiccup, surprised. "You mean…?"
"Yes," said Mala with pride. "We are to be blessed with a child as well as an heir to both my tribe and Dagur's."
"Ooooh!" giggled Fishlegs. "A baby!"
"Congratulations!" said Astrid.
"When is he…um, or she due?" added Fishlegs.
"We are hoping it will be born towards the start of winter," answered Mala.
"And I have been making sure that my darling wife is has been comfortable and well fed," said Dagur.
"Well, hopefully, he or she is brought up better than you were," said Hiccup.
Dagur laughed his trademark laugh. "Don't worry brother. My days as a crazed maniac are long behind me. Mala-Poo and I will make sure the same thing doesn't happen to little Junior. Now where is Toothless? I wanna say hello to him too."
"Toothless is not here, I'm afraid," said Hiccup regretfully.
"What?! You mean to say you left him at home?!" cried Dagur incredulously.
"No, he's in another home now."
"All of our dragons are in another home now," added Astrid.
"What do you mean?" asked Mala.
"That's exactly what we've come to tell you about," said Hiccup. "It's something we need to tell to your entire tribe. And Dagur, will you fetch Heather? She needs to hear this as well."
"You bet, brother," smiled Dagur.
"But before you tell us your story," said Mala. "Would you care to join us for breakfast? You must be famished after your long journey."
"Starving!" answered Fishlegs.
"Thank you, Mala," said Hiccup, gratefully.
"You got any clams?" asked Ruffnut. "I'm allergic to fish just so you know. That's all we've been eating at that stupid new island."
…
10:05 a.m.
(Hiccup's PoV)
"It's so good to see all of you again," said Heather.
Hiccup smiled at the black-haired, green-eyed young woman. "It's good to see you too Heather."
"Seeing old friends again is such a good feeling," added Fishlegs.
"And eating the meals they provide for you," added Ruffnut, wiping her mouth with her arm. "We can't tell you how much we missed your cooking, Heather."
"Thanks, Ruffnut," said Heather.
"And you're gonna be an aunt soon," said Astrid. "You must be very excited and proud."
"I am. But I am also surprised that you arrived here without Toothless, Stormfly and the other dragons."
"You'll know why soon enough," said Hiccup gravely. "But it won't be easy for you hearing this."
"Hiccup Haddock?"
Hiccup turned toward Mala.
"We are ready to hear what you need to say now."
Sighing heavily, Hiccup dragged himself toward the throne area again. As he got close, he saw that every single member of the Defenders of the Wing had gathered before the thrones, anxious to hear what news he had brought. Then he turned his head toward the Eruptodon statue and then to the volcano. This won't be easy, he thought sadly.
Now he found himself standing before Mala and Dagur seated in their thrones. Throk stood beside the Mala's throne. Heather, the green Gronckle and the Triple Stryke stood around Dagur's throne.
"Now, what is it you wish to tell us all, Hiccup?" asked Mala.
"Well, it's kind of a long story," said Hiccup.
"Well, just tell us the important parts."
Hiccup turned to Astrid, Ruffnut and Fishlegs standing behind him. Astrid nodded encouragingly.
Turning back to the rulers, Hiccup started, "Well, to begin, last summer, I made a rather shocking discovery."
Dagur leaned forward in curiosity.
"I had found my long-lost mother."
"Wow! Really?" asked Dagur in awe.
"Yes, really," answered Hiccup. Then his face fell. "Unfortunately at the same time, my father passed away while protecting me from…um…well, from a threat."
"No!" cried Dagur.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Hiccup," said Mala sympathetically.
Hiccup noticed Heather had a look of heartbreak and sympathy as well. Hiccup knew exactly how she was feeling. She too had suffered the loss of family members – both biological and foster.
"Thank you," said Hiccup in a small voice. Then he cracked a smile. "But at least he got to have one last dance with Mom before it happened. And I also had to take his place as chief." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, Mom had spent her time away from home rescuing dragons from trappers and hunters. And with her help, we've spent the last twelve months rescuing even more dragons. Soon, we had built an entire Dragon-Viking utopia. Some of my people were thrilled with the idea. Others weren't."
He giggled a little, remembering how Gobber was constantly complaining about too many dragons to feed and clean up after.
"Unfortunately, we were making new enemies at the same time. The worst one was Grimmel the Grisly. He was a dragon killer. In fact, he was responsible for driving the Night Furies to extinction."
Throk grunted in fury.
"And he wanted to kill Toothless too."
"Then this makes him a worse man than Viggo," said Mala, anger lining her face.
"Indeed. So I decided that the only way to protect my people and our dragons was to move them to a safer home. So I decided bring everyone to the Hidden World."
"The Hidden what?" a woman from the crowd asked, surprised.
"When I was little, my dad used to tell me stories about a place at the edge of the world where all dragons had originated from since the dawn of time."
"I've heard legends about this Hidden World when I was young as well," said Mala.
"I believed everyone would be safe there. So we packed up all our belongings, ships, weapons, animals and other what-nots and headed west. At the end of the day, we stopped at a large island. Originally, we were supposed to make camp there but everyone insisted on staying there permanently. During that time, Toothless and I discovered a Light Fury."
Mala's face lit up curiously.
"She looked like Toothless. Only with white scales, stubbier ears and no dorsal plates."
The crowd murmured with interest.
"Toothless instantly fell in love with her and because I wanted him to be happy, I built a new tail that would help him fly on his own without my help. When he didn't return for a long time, Astrid and I went out to find him. Not only did we find him and the Light Fury, we found the Hidden World as well."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Unfortunately, the dragons that resided there didn't give us a warm welcome. Luckily Toothless saved us and brought us back to the new island. To our surprise, the Light Fury followed us. Unfortunately again, Grimmel had caught up to us and captured all the dragons."
Heather gasped in horror.
"But don't worry. We defeated him and got them all back."
Heather looked relieved.
Hiccup's face fell again. "Then we had to make the most difficult decision we ever had to make: To protect them from men like Grimmel, we released all of our dragons to the Hidden World. And that's why we don't have them with us. And it's also the reason why we came to you. There's no easy way for me to tell you this, but Mala you have to set the Eruptodon free. Dagur and Heather, you must do the same with your own dragons. As long as they're out in the open, they're in danger. But in the Hidden World, no harm will ever come to them."
Dagur and Heater looked at each other with uncertainty. Even Mala seemed to be pondering with this decision as well.
"That would make sense," Mala said at last. "But what about the Eruptodon's food source? If I must remind you, Hiccup, Eruptodons only consume lava. Without it, it will perish."
Hiccup looked over his shoulder at Fishlegs. The two friends shared a smile.
"You needn't worry about that," said Hiccup turning back to the Queen. "There are lots of rocky areas in the Hidden World."
Mala frowned. "What do rocks have to do with the Eruptodon's survival?"
"The Gronckles," answered Fishlegs. "They're always eating rocks and that's what makes their lava. As long as the Gronckles are always spitting out lava, your Eruptodon will never starve."
"And even if we do let it go, where will we all live?" Mala asked. "Without the Eruptodon to control the lava flow, our home will be destroyed."
"On my island!" answered Dagur. "I'll send for my armada to bring all your people and their stuff back to Berserker Island. We have plenty of room."
Hiccup saw Mala smile a little but still seemed uncertain at the same time. He slowly approached closer to the thrones.
"Mala?" said Hiccup gently, drawing her attention to him. "Remember when Viggo stole your first Eruptodon and both its life and the lives of all your people were at stake?" He gestured to the crowd. "I'm sure you would do anything to make sure it never happens again. Your Great Protector has done a great job protecting you and now it's your turn to be a great protector. Release the Eruptodon to the ancestral home all of the dragons as we did with ours and it will be safe for all eternity."
Mala finally smiled and nodded.
"Say no more, Hiccup Haddock. It will be done. Dagur, send messengers to your people and explain everything what Hiccup has just said." She stood up and faced the crowd. "As for the rest of you, pack your belongings. The sooner we can get all this done, the better."
"Yes, my Queen," said Throk, bowing.
Everyone bowed and headed toward their homes.
As everyone left, Mala turned to Hiccup. "Now that you mentioned it, Hiccup. For a few nights long before your arrival, we were certain we saw several herds of dragons traveling somewhere in the distance. And we've been hearing their cries as well."
"Yeah, and as we were coming here, we could have sworn we heard their cries in the far distance as well," said Fishlegs, nodding.
Hiccup grinned. "If I had to take a guess, it's because my best bud has been passing the word along to all the other dragons that are still exposed. He was probably asking them to come to the Hidden World with him and the other dragons. He was always the kind who likes putting other people's or dragon's needs before his own."
"So much like another certain person we all know," said Ruffnut eyeing Hiccup.
Hiccup felt his cheeks go red. "Well, I guess he does get that from me."
Mala grinned then suddenly bowed her head in sadness. "I always knew the Defenders of the Wing would come to an end anyway."
Dagur put an arm around her shoulder. "Nonsense, Mala-Poo. You'll always be the Defenders of the Wing with or without a Great Protector."
"Dagur's right, Mala," added Hiccup.
"Thank you, Dagur, Hiccup," said Mala, smiling softly.
"Now if you'll excuse me, honey, I'm just gonna spend a few last moments with my Shattermaster and Sleuther."
Dagur headed toward the green Gronckle. Shattermaster's eye pupils were wide with sadness. Dagur scratched his tiny wing-like ears. "I know buddy. I'm gonna miss you too. But it's like what my brother says, it's for our own good." Then he looked up at Sleuther, the Triple Stryke. "I'm certainly gonna miss you too and that sound your tail makes."
Sleuther twisted his tail making a clicking sound.
…
10:45 a.m.
(Heather's PoV)
Heather gently stroked her Razorwhip's silver scales and stared deeply into the dragon's neon green eyes. "I can't believe the time has come to say goodbye, Windshear. I'll miss you so much."
Windshear crooned softly as if to say "me too".
"Hey, Heather."
Heather looked up and saw Hiccup approaching her.
"Hey, Hiccup," she murmured.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just spending a few last moments with Windshear before she has to go. We've been through so much together. It's hard to believe that we won't with each other anymore."
Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel. It was hard for me letting Toothless go. For a short while, he was the only real friend I ever had. But if it makes you feel better, maybe I should tell you something that my dad had told me a long time ago."
"I'm listening," said Heather.
"When we believed my mom was gone forever, Dad told me that when you love someone, loss comes with that love. It's part of the deal. It hurts but in the end it's all worth it. There's no greater gift than love. And even though you won't see each other again, you'll always love Windshear and she'll always love you. So, in a way, you'll never be apart. You'll be together from afar forever."
Heather cracked a smile. "Thanks, Hiccup. I'll remember that."
…
6:45 p.m.
(Hiccup's PoV)
Hiccup looked all around. He, his friends and everyone of the Defenders of the Wing were all gathered on the beach ready to say farewell to Windshear, Shattermaster and Sleuther. The ship he and his friends had been sailing on had already been stocked with fresh food, water and other supplies for the next trip which was Wingmaiden Island. "Tell those young ladies there if they need a new place to stay, they are welcome to my island. If they want to that its," Dagur had said to Hiccup.
Mala had assured Hiccup that once Dagur's armada arrived, that was when they would depart their home of many generations and release the Eruptodon. The Fire Terrors* that inhabited the cave of the volcano would be safe where they were. "After all, no one would be foolish enough to climb down the mouth of an active volcano," Mala had said.
"So, uh, which direction is this Hidden World again, brother?" asked Dagur.
"As long as you promise not to tell a soul and I want you to hold your hands up so I know you're not crossing your fingers," said Hiccup firmly.
"I told you those days are over but okay," said Dagur, holding up his hands.
"West, where the sun goes down," answered Hiccup, pointing to the sun which was just barely touching the horizon. "The dragons will be able to find their way."
"Gotcha," said Dagur, putting down his hands.
The red-haired man turned to Shattermaster and Sleuther. "Well boys, this is it. Time for us to go our separate ways."
Shattermaster whined and nuzzled his rider.
"It's okay, Shattermaster. I'll see you again real soon. And besides, Hiccup already told us that no matter what we'll be together from far, far away."
"Actually, that's together from afar, Dagur but you're pretty close."
"Yeah, yeah. Together from afar."
Hiccup turned to toward Heather and Windshear. The raven-haired woman was leaning her head against Windshear's, tears streaming down her face.
"Heather?" said Hiccup softly. "It's time."
Heather nodded and released her grip on Windshear. The Razorwhip started to walk towards the shallow water, Sleuther and Shattermaster close behind.
"This is a hard day for both my husband and my sister-in-law," announced Mala. "But we shouldn't let this be a day to mourn. This should be a day to rejoice. These dragons are heading to a new home where they as well as all species of dragons will be safe from any danger in the outside world. And soon our Great Protector will join them. And so it is with great joy that we bid these dragons farewell and the best of luck."
A great uproar emerged from the crowd.
Hiccup turned from Mala to the three dragons who were looking over their shoulders at the crowd.
"Thor be with you, Shattermaster, Sleuther and Windshear!" called Throk.
The three dragons nodded then took off from the beach. The crowd cheered once again as the dragons began to head toward the direction of the setting sun.
Hiccup felt a familiar pain forming in his chest. But he took a deep breath and forced a smile. Mala is right, he told himself. This was a sad and happy time for everyone just it has been for him and his people.
…
Location: Caldera Cay
Date: August 7
Time: 7:45 a.m.
(Hiccup's PoV)
"Come on gang," Hiccup said to his comrades as they approached their ship. "We want to get to Wingmaiden Island as soon as possible."
Hiccup was just about to walk up the gangplank when he heard a voice call out, "Brother! Wait up!"
He turned and saw Dagur jogging towards them.
"Dagur, what brings you here?" asked Hiccup.
Dagur stopped to catch his breath. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Hiccup, now that I've stopped being a deranged fellow and I'm now a loving husband as well as a father-to-be and we Berserkers are at peace with your people again and now that you're a chief and everything…"
"Cut to the chase, please," said Hiccup.
"Oh yes. Yes, of course," said Dagur. He cleared his throat once again. "As Chief of Berk, do you grant us Berserkers permission to let us have that annual peace treaty signing thingy that we used to do once a year once again? And I promise not to sign with dragon blood."
Hiccup pondered for a moment then turned to Astrid, Fishlegs and Ruffnut. Astrid nodded approvingly. Hiccup smiled also approvingly then turned to Dagur. "Permission granted."
Without warning, Dagur threw his arms around Hiccup. "Oh thank you brother! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, Dagur," said Hiccup, his face squashed against the Berserker Chief's chest. "Now could you let me go please?"
"Oh yes, sorry brother," said Dagur, releasing his grip on Hiccup.
"That's okay," said Hiccup, rubbing his chest. "I'd better write down directions on how to get to our new island." He turned to Astrid. "Astrid, grab me a piece of parchment and a charcoal stick from the ship please."
"With pleasure, chief," said Astrid and she started up the gangplank.
Moments later, she returned with the parchment and the charcoal stick. With a smile, Hiccup took both from her. Then he knelt down on the sand, laid out the parchment and began to write down the directions. Once he had finished, he handed the paper to Dagur.
"We'll be expecting you the following summer," he said. "Oh and we'll also be expecting news of your baby's arrival too."
"Not to worry, brother," said Dagur. "You'll be hearing from me everything about little Junior. And we'll be sure to bring him along for the trip. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to fix Mala-Poo a healthy, nutritious breakfast. Now that she's eating for two, I need to make sure she gives herself and Junior enough vitamins. Well, good luck, brother!"
"Thanks, Dagur," called Hiccup as he watched the Berserker Chief head towards the path of the village.
Then he cast another look at the smoky volcano and whispered, "Good luck to you too, Great Protector."
Narrowing his eyes in determination, he marched up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship. "Set sail, gang. Next stop, Wingmaiden Island!"
Author's Notes:
End of Chapter 3. In the next chapter, we'll be seeing (or reading in this case) the Wingmaidens again as well as all their baby Razorwhips one last time. Can't wait! By the way, in case you're all curious, the reason I know the name of the island the Defenders of the Wing live on is called Caldera Cay is because I learned about it on the HTTYD Wiki website.
*The Fire Terrors appear in Race to the Edge Season 4 episode, "Out of the Frying Pan".