Author's note: Hello ! I know that I said in the beginning that I would sprinkle in some Mericcup in here and yes I still would since they have history in this fic but I've decided that Hicstrid would be the best canon pairing for this particular fic. I would still love to explore Mericcup in this world (although the time frame would be waaay before this fic's setting) in a spin off (let me know via reviews if you wanna see that too!)
Thank you to everyone reading, following, favorite-ing and reviewing!
Anyways, sit tight and enjoy!
Chapter 4
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III looked up from the maps he was drawing and put his attention to his village. Toothless purred loudly before scurrying outside to see what was happening. Dragons roared and screeched in reply to the resounding noise of the horn being blown at the top of the tallest post.
He donned a fur coat and walked out of his home. It was the start of the coldest season, though it didn't really matter since it was cold all year round in Berk. He shuddered as a gust of cold wind blew across the island, a number of voices yelped as hay and clothes flew into the air. The horn echoed with the roars of the dragons.
He spotted his wife flying above the island in circles with her dragon. He squinted to see where she was looking and saw the Northern Lights slowly stretching to their skies. It danced and changed colors beautifully against the setting sky. Hiccup called for Toothless who quickly made his way towards him. He secured the buckles of the saddle and hopped unto the dragon's back.
"What do you think happened?" Astrid asked the moment Hiccup was within earshot. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern, knuckles white upon the reigns of her dragon.
"Something bad enough for them to call for help," Hiccup answered. "We have to fly to the Core."
...
The people of Berk huddled inside the Great Hall. The crackle of the fireplace echoed as murmurs about the Northern Lights can be heard from each mouth, clearly worried about what it meant. It has been centuries since the lights have been lit and not only that: today was the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is traditionally one of the days the Kingdom of Burgess celebrated the most: it was the day the first kingdom rulers were given the gift of winter. One of the Vikings noted that the Crown Prince Jackson Overland Frost was supposed to be crowned on that day, too. Burgess has been one of their longest and strongest allies, dating back before Berk had even made amends with the dragons.
"Thank you for coming despite the short notice," Hiccup spoke loudly to break the noise. The villagers looked over the long table before them where the council sat. "As you've all seen, the Northern Lights have been lit."
"Yeah, no kidding!" Ruffnut called out from the crowd. Astrid shot a look at her then urged Hiccup to continue.
"The lights haven't been lit for centuries so we don't know how big of a danger's to come," Hiccup continued. "So we need to strengthen defenses, be prepared for anything that might come: outcasts, rogue dragons, plague, fearlings-"
"Fearlings?" the crowd gasped. The murmurs started again but this time it was louder and more fearful. Hiccup raised a hand and tried to hush the crowd but to no avail.
"Now, now!" Valka stood up, raising her hands, "Let's not be frightful, we don't really know for sure about what happened but it's better to be prepared for the worse case scenario."
"And historically, the Fearlings are the only ones able to shake Burgess!" Fishlegs chimed in from the crowd, although the information did not help with calming the people down.
"Thank you for the input, Fishlegs," Hiccup sighed and nodded at the blond. "We're going to raise our defenses. Make sure you're ready for a fight, have a good amount of armor and weaponry ready, prepare the infirmaries just in case."
"And as stated on the decree agreed upon by our ancestors, the leaders are to head to the Core if any of the alarms are lit," Astrid, brushing her bangs away from her eyes, read from one of the older scrolls from their libraries. "Hiccup and I will be heading to the Core. We'll alert you immediately once we've learned about the situation."
"And if you don't return?" Tuffnut asked.
"Then prepare for war," Hiccup frowned.
Bunnymund tapped his foot twice and several giant egg golems sprouted from the ground. "A'right, we have to prepare this place for the coming of the other leaders," he announced. "Dust the place off and rid the chairs of vines. I want this place in shipshape!"
He hopped to one of the seats and began clawing away the overgrown plants from it. His kingdom was closest to the Core so it was his responsibility to keep the place in top shape before meetings, although meetings hardly happen these days. He firmly scraped away the roots, apologizing to the life he disturbed. To be honest, he preferred for the place to be in the state it was in. Nature and man-made creations merging together, creating a safe haven for all creatures. The crystal roof of the sanctuary provided a good amount sunlight for the flora that lived grew inside.
A loud thud awakened him from his thoughts and he quickly turned to where the sound came from: an egg golem had dropped one of the seven chairs , "Be gentle now, would ya? This place is a relic!" He shook his head and returned to his task.
His ears and nose twitched as his senses detected incoming people. He told the golems to continue working before hopping to the main doorway of the sanctuary. Bunnymund pushed the gem-studded stone door and stepped out of the dome.
He tuned in his ears to locate where the people are coming from. Buzzing. Flapping. Sky. Wind. Wings. He opened his green eyes and looked up the sky to see a flying elephant with the Sisters of Flight surrounding it. The elephant was adorned with brightly colored cloth as saddles and painted on its face were delicate designs of flowers. Bunnymund smiled and waved at them as they came to a halt and landed near the dome.
A woman with fair skin, pink eyes, and a warm smile flew towards Bunnymund with arms opened wide. She wore a pink and violet silk saree with gold embroidered accents, the fabric complimented her iridescent turquoise feathers. "It's been so long, Edmund!" she chirped, pulling away from the Pooka.
"I've missed you, too, Thia," Bunnymund smiled. "Do you need any help?" He motioned to the other women unloading the baggage from the elephant's back.
"No, it's alright! My girls can handle it," she shrugged and flew inside the dome. "The others aren't here yet?"
Bunnymund followed her inside. The seats were clean of plants and his golems were dormant. "Afraid so, it would take a day or two for the Northerners and Southerners to get here." He walked towards the round table and sat on his chair. Each chair has a symbol that represents a kingdom, his was a single egg shaped Jade gem.
"And Count can only travel in the evening," Toothiana smirked, hovering over the table as her warriors handed her the maps and scrolls. "What do you think happened?"
A dark expression fell on Bunnymund's face and as if on cue, the sun hid behind the clouds, rendering the dome dim. "We can only assume the worst right now." He crossed his arms across his chest. "North would usually send messengers to notify us about the situation."
"Hiccup, I don't think this is a good idea," Astrid yelled as they flew. "We should head straight to the Core." She could see Hiccup shaking his head but it was hard to really tell with all the clouds around them. "Let's at least fly above the clouds."
Hiccup looked back, his eyes softened under his mask, "Alright." With a swift motion, Toothless vanished above the clouds. Astrid braced herself for air resistance as Stormfly flew higher. "I just wanna check the kingdom. And if Jack and the others are still there..."
"There's a high chance that Burgess' defenses are up, we're gonna get attacked, Hiccup." Astrid sighed. There was no logic that could reach Hiccup once he was set into doing anything. Tell him that he's too scrawny to fight? He'll make a weapon. Tell him it's too dangerous? He'll walk right into a nest of an alpha dragon. She knew it was no use to tell him about the dangers of certain things. He already knows the stakes.
"I'm gonna take the chance that they don't," Hiccup said. He glanced at his compass and map, they were almost there.
Author's notes: Penny for your thoughts?