La Coordination
Act Seven
Whew! The definition of the word 'awkward' now held a completely different meaning. Okay it was official if there was one moment in life that needed to be taken back and erased it was that one. It wasn't helping matters that she was still woozy as hell. At least that was over with; no doubt Stoick would work his magic and get Dagur out of Berk in no time flat! It was just a matter of time!
Rye helped her to her seat on the steps just outside the hall. The moment her backside hit the stone stair, Hea felt herself relax. This was way better than standing up! After becoming comfortable, Bug plopped her chin down on her lap. Aw, was she stressed too?
"Hea," Astrid was first to rush to her side, lowering her torso to her level. "Are you okay? Rye told us you weren't coming out after what happened."
"Nah," The herder backed away just for a second as her cheeks swelled. "I'm good! I wouldn't miss something like this." She proceeded to chuckle as her right hand extend out and landed between her dog's ears.
"You sure you're not feeling sick?" Hiccup arrived at the blonde female's side. "We can't have you out of commission now."
Her bottom lip poked out. "Right. No harm done."
"You shoulda seen the way you looked when you came down!" Snotlout said, wearing a rather inappropriate grin. "You were all limp and gray! Did you die up there?!"
"What do you think?"
"What were you doing riding Belch and Barf?" Fishlegs stepped forward.
Ah, wonderful time to explain her theory and make an even bigger fool of herself. "Well, I thought that since you guys were at the dock that we could survey the area for anything strange, you know?" Hea laughed just under her breath, while moving her free hand to her forehead. "Kinda backfired on me."
"Yeah," Ruffnut added from the back. "You're right about that!"
"Great idea, you almost got us killed up there!" Tuff shot a round of hot air out of his nostrils. "You coulda got us in a ton of trouble!"
A low toned growl from behind her made the sheep herder flinch. She glanced over her shoulder to see Rye with both of her hands clenched at her chest. Her dark brows had fallen over her eyes and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Oh geez, she wasn't mad was she?
"You two!" Before anyone could move, the older sister blasted her way toward the twins, fists ready for what seemed to be anything. "When all of this is over, I'm going to rip your heads off! You are in such deep shit right now! And that's just when I get through with you, wait until I talk to Stoick!"
"Ey!" The two jumped side by side. "We're just the guys with the dragon, remember?!" Ruffnut was first of the duo to flash her palms outward in defense. "It's not our fault, it was her idea!"
"Not in the face!" Tuffnut ducked.
"But you're the ones who shot into the sky like a couple of explosives! You know she gets sick!"
Fishlegs made a quick and mad dash for the oldest female and stood in her way. He reached out to the brunette and placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her mid-step. "Whoa!"
"Come on Rye," Snotlout came in second, standing just beyond the larger blond guard. "It's not a big deal."
"They almost KILLED my sister!" Rye shouted, taking a moment to push Fishlegs' hands off her shoulders. "It IS a big deal!"
Ugh, while this was absolutely necessary, because the two deserved every swear word and threat possible, her head was throbbing way too much for this right now. Hea lifted her head, her eyes locking with her sister's. "Rye, I'm fine, just got a headache. Tear them apart later when my head isn't splitting."
Fishlegs turned to her with a look of utter horror. "Don't say that!"
She pouted, "Why not? They deserve it." Especially after all the comments about her 'chesthams'.
"Come on," Astrid straightened out her back once again, turning to her peers. "We have other things we need to worry about right now."
"Agreed." Hiccup added. "The fate of Tuffnut and Ruffnut's severed heads will have to be resolved some other time."
Snotlout made a clear effort to groan loud enough to turn eyes his way. "What's to worry about?"
"Uh, maybe the fact that Dagur is here and he just might kill our dragons again." The group's matriarch moved her right hand to her hip. "He's already threatened us; we have to think of a plan to defend ourselves."
"Why? My dad, Stoick and Gobber are talking to Dagur right now, they'll fix everything! There's no point in planning anything. Instead, let's think of something fun to do."
"No, Astrid's right." The original dragon trainer stood by the strong blonde female. "We need to expect the worst, especially from Dagur. He's never given us a reason to trust him, so need a backup plan."
"You guys are paranoid!" The shortest member of the group rolled his eyes.
"Is it even that big of a deal to strategize a defense, say if he does go crazy and sets the village on fire?" Astrid hissed, her voice becoming a tad louder and harsher.
Wow, this conversation shifted pretty fast. What the heck? She hated to agree with Snot but things didn't seem too bad at the moment, why were they so worried? If anything Dagur was just socially unacceptable, he didn't seem dangerous. But if half of the stories and firsthand accounts she'd heard from Rye and Gobber about his last visit, then they should be apprehensive. Hm, maybe having a trump card in place wasn't such a bad thing anyway.
Hea looked back, watching as her older sister took a seat on the second step above her. Rye placed her left elbow on her respective knee and dropped her cheek into her open hand. Was she tired or just stressed out in general? Probably stressed seeing as everything was moving around so fast. Dropping the bomb of Dagur's visit on her at the last second had her heart racing no doubt. Poor thing.
"We have no idea if this 'meeting' is just a distraction from a real attack." Astrid continued on, her tone returning to its normal smooth depth. "We have to be on guard."
"If he came here with the idea of making a peace treaty, I think he might be being honest." Hea spoke from her spot on the stairs. "We should give him a chance."
"Yeah, you only say that because you weren't here the last time he was here." Tuffnut grunted.
"He made it pretty clear he was coming after Toothless." A frown deep set on Hiccup's face. "When he found out we had been lying he snapped pretty much. I wouldn't doubt if this didn't end well."
What was that supposed to mean?! "Hey!" She snapped back, angry tone grabbing all eyes and ears. "I'd be mad too if you were lying to me! In fact, I was mad when I got home and saw all this." Hea gestured, moving her arm out in the direction of the dragons. "It's hard. It's really hard to come home and have everything you ever known and believed in flip upside down. One day dragons are evil, terrible monsters and the next…" Her head dropped. "It's all different."
Silence. What were they thinking? Were they mad? Surprised maybe. But it was all true, at least for her it was at one point. Sure, things were much different now than they were one year ago but that didn't mean her past feelings vanished. Changed yeah, but they were still there.
"You guys gave dragons a chance. Even when we thought they were monsters." Her head lifted, only to see the group of riders looking back at her as if she'd spat in the face. "We should give him a shot too."
"Yeah," Ruffnut narrowed her eyes. "That's not gonna happen."
"While you have some valid points, we still can't risk being open to an attack." Astrid's baby blue's darted away from her. "We're 'giving him a shot' by letting him on the island. Isn't that enough for you?"
"For me?" Hea's cheek twitched as her index finger poked into her chest. "What's that about? I didn't say a backup plan was a bad idea! I'm just saying for village of 'changed Vikings' you guys are being really judgmental."
"And you're gonna give us lessons on being judgmental?" The male twin took a step forward, now wearing a scowl she hadn't seen in months, a real scowl.
Ooooooh no. He was not going there. Wasn't she allowed to make mistakes?! It was pretty common knowledge at the time she left that dragons were not to be trusted. So why were they surprised when she got home, especially after the history she'd had with the fire-breathing beasts! Now they were gonna throw it in her face that she was being judgmental at that time?! No way!
"I apparently learned my lesson." She hissed, head ducking into her shoulders. "I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."
Once again silence filled the area, all until the sound of a small sigh caught the sheep herder's ear. She glanced over her shoulder to see her sister looking confused. Rye's eyes were glued to the floor as her right hand stroked Phobos' back. What was she worried about, what she said? Sure it was a golden rule of Rye's not to give anyone 'the benefit of the doubt' but this was different. They'd all done that at some point, right? If they hadn't, dragons would not be considered pets on Berk.
"I just wish you had been there last time, Hea."
The echo of her name on his tongue made her flinch. Whirling back around, she saw Hiccup standing with both fists clenched and features tightening. What was he feeling? Had she given him something to think about or was he just worried about her state of mind? Either was possible. But why was her head telling her that he disagreed with her in the end?
I wasn't and I'm sorry for that.
"We can't argue about this." From the back of the group, Rye spoke out. Her pitch just above a whisper and apparent strain in her voice. "If we're fighting with each other and something really bad does happen, we don't stand a chance."
"I agree with Rye." Fishlegs gave a shallow nod of his head. "Dagur might be expecting us to fight about this and take advantage of it when we're not looking."
Did all of her speech really go in one ear and right out the other? Ugh! There was no getting through to Vikings. Even if that included the one she adored above everyone else. After all, wasn't he the one to teach her that everyone deserved a second chance?
"Fine." Hea clenched her jaw, turning away from everyone in the group. "You do what you do best and I'll do what I know is right. Like always."
Before anyone could say anything more, the sound of the great hall's doors opening caught their attention. Everyone at once gazed up to the top of the stone stairs to see the three older Viking veterans and the single Berserker leader. While the youngest of the group stood strong and with what appeared to be a lot of confidence, the three older men stood almost like they were uneasy. What happened back there?
"We have reached a decision!" Dagur allowed, throwing both muscular arms into the air.
Okay, if they had reached a decision why was he telling them first? Shouldn't an announcement like this be said in front of every member of the tribe and village?
"What's the good word?" Hiccup approached the stone stairs.
"In order to reach an agreement we had to compromise, both of us." Stoick stepped beside Dagur and looked right at his son. "In order to keep the peace between our tribes, we have agreed to let Dagur to have his domestic worker."
"What?" Hiccup's jaw dropped open.
"Only as long as this person agrees." The leader finished.
"And what if he say's 'no'?!" Snotlout rushed to stand next to his cousin. "Then the whole thing's off?!"
"No, not necessarily." Spitelout crossed his arms over his chest. "Either way, it will work out. But so long as this person agrees, we won't have a problem."
Stoick jerked his chin over his right shoulder, shooting a harsh and fierce glare toward Snot's dad. What was that about? Had they disagreed about something back in the hall or what?
"Dagur needs a cook for his armada." Stoick carried on, regardless of the silent panic that was running ramped through the teens. "So, as long as she agrees to it, we have chosen Hea to go with him."
Wha…what?! No, no, no fucking way! She couldn't have heard this right, there had to be something wrong with her hearing. The words 'Hea', 'go' and 'with him' did not come out of his, the leader's mouth! There had to be someone else that could go, someone else who wasn't busy who could take on this task! Could no one else cook on this damn island?! Why her?! She wasn't even a part of this tribe; there was no way he could force her to do this. She wouldn't, couldn't! This wasn't happening, this was a dream, she was still sleeping. That fainting spell had to have knocked a few screws out of her head!
"No!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Rye jumped to her feet.
"She's not going! You aren't separating us!" Her voice did not shake, it didn't seem like it was going to break, it was just solid, heavy and loud. "Hea has a duty here, you aren't sending her off!"
"Dad, we can't do that." Hiccup proceeded to climb a step or two, coming to level with Rye.
"We don't have much of a choice," Spitelout spoke for the village chief. "We have to make a decision; we have to get his peace treaty signed."
"Just because that piece of paper is signed doesn't mean we're safe!" Astrid barked, hands clenched at her sides. "We can't trust them, what's stopping them from taking Hea as a hostage!"
This isn't happening, this isn't happening. I can't go with them! I can't!
Hea pulled her eyes away from the Vikings and looked to the floor. She lifted her right hand to her face and placed her palm on her forehead. No fever, not even a drop of sweat, so what was going on? If she wasn't sick and she wasn't dehydrated why was her mouth so dry? Her fingertips traced down her cheeks, her digits just barely tapping at her lips. Was this shock? Or maybe even a silent panic attack? Could panic attacks be silent?!
Her gut twisted, turned and soured in a way she hadn't felt ever before. It was like her intestines were cramping and swelling all at the same time, all the while a round of acid dumped into her empty stomach. How could she feel nauseous now, even when there was nothing in her belly to throw up?
Okay so she said she wanted to give Dagur the benefit of the doubt but that did not mean that she was willing to leave with him! What the hell, where they listening to their conversation or something? So the price of her being as nice as possible was this slap in the face? No! There was no way she was gonna go through with this!
"I'm not going to kidnap and hold my own cooking slave hostage." Dagur's voice brought Hea's attention back to reality. "That's just…unproductive."
"Did you just say 'cooking slave'?" Ruffnut leaned forward, her lip curled. "Did anyone else hear him say, 'slave' or was that just me?"
"No!" Rye's voice made her flinch. "How could you think about doing this?" She asked, directing her question toward Gobber.
"I'm completely against this, Rye." He gave the smaller woman a look of sympathy she'd never seen in any Viking, other than Hiccup, before.
"Come on, isn't there anyone better than Hea?" Snotlout said from the back. "When I said unimportant…I kinda meant…like no one."
"It's either Hea or Ingerman." The boy's father's voice followed soon after his son's. "If Hea rejects the offer, we have to have our chef go. Because she isn't a part of our tribe, we need her permission first but if it comes to it, we might have to order Ingerman to go."
"My dad?" Fishlegs' high pitched voice sent goosebumps down her arms.
"It's worth getting the treaty signed." Stoick inhaled a deep breath through his nose. "We're compromising and so will the Berserkers. If not? Then we'll have the advantage in war."
"So, you're just planning to back up my sister and ship her out today?!" Rye's voice broke just for a second as she called out.
"Nope." Dagur shook his head. "See, I don't know if your sister is actually good at cooking. So, I made reservations to stay here in Berk for a number of weeks to test her skills. You'll have a good month or two to say good bye. Willing that she's as good as Spitelout here says."
Tuffnut's arm extended as well as his index finger. "You? You're gonna stay here even longer?"
"That's right."
"But this is all if Hea agrees." Hiccup turned to her and for a brief moment, locked stares with her. "Hea?"
Her eyes moved to the ground. This was all…happening so fast. She was supposed to make a decision right here, right now? How could they expect her to do that? By the way her crush had been staring at her; it was like he expected her to refuse the offer. And she agreed one hundred percent. She didn't want to do this…but.
"You do want peace, don't you?"
"Because I would both love and hate to destroy all the dragons you care so much for."
There was Toothless, Phobos…hell, even Stormfly. Her eyes shut tight.
Toothless…
"You didn't have to help me today, not after the way I've treated you. I'm guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you. Thank you for saving me today because you didn't need to."
Her eyes fluttered open. Without any trouble, she found the small black dragon. He sat in the back alongside the other rider's partners. He didn't look sad, mad, happy or even confused. Instead he sat with his ears erect and eyes wide open. The moment their eyes locked his head tilted to the side in the slightest manner. What was he thinking?
"I'm sorry Toothless. I'm so sorry I hit you at the party. I was scared but that was no excuse. I didn't understand you or anything at that point and I apologize."
He was a stupid animal, a completely ridiculous reptile that served her no purpose. It flew, ate, shit and took up space just like any other creature so what made it so special? Okay so it was cute…a lot cuter than any other dragon she'd seen before, especially when it/he was being sweet but that didn't mean anything! Bug was cute too!
"You don't mind if I talk to you, do you? I know it's stupid. Just don't go around tellin' everyone else we spoke, it'll look weird."
But if all that was true, why did she have to remind herself, convince herself of it all? And if she actually believed that the Night Fury staring back at her was 'just another animal' then why did her heart sink and crack at the thought of never seeing him again? If one of the sheep she watched over was slaughtered tomorrow without reason or just for entertainment, then she'd cry. And while sheep were sheep, livestock that was maintained and bred for food and clothing, that didn't make them any less worthy of life. He'd taught her that.
Every animal deserved a fighting chance. And if it came to having to kill something for food, every bit that was useable was used. That's how things were and the way it should be. He'd said that too. It took her a long time to come to terms with it but in the end, he was right. He'd always been right.
Phobos, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch all deserved a chance. Toothless deserved a chance. They were worth protecting, even if it meant leaving Berk.
Besides, she'd said it herself. She was going to do what she knew was right. They might not like it or agree with it but it was the right thing to do. If anyone else had been chosen for this, they'd do the same thing anyway.
Hea moved her vision away from the curious Night Fury and looked back to the one face that made her heart melt, even when he was mad or upset with her. Hiccup hadn't moved much, his gorgeous green eyes still locked on her. But by this time he had begun to tighten his features, brows furrowing on his forehead and head shaking in a motion so gentle, she was sure that no one else had noticed.
"I'll do it."
The moment her words translated in his brain his expression fell. No longer sending her near invisible messages to refuse, he took a step off the stairs he was in the middle of climbing when the decision came to light. His shoulders straightened, lips parted and once wrinkled eyebrows, lifted. His arms hit his sides and she could hear it; the sound of his skin hitting the fabric of his clothes almost hurt.
Don't be a hypocrite; you would've given the same answer.
"Hea, you can't."
Don't do this to me. Don't make me change my mind, you idiot.
Damn. He took another step closer to her, closing the distance like that would somehow change her mind. At this point, her eyes strayed to see everyone else frozen. Why wasn't anyone else talking? The world hadn't stopped, not just for the two of them. Were they all in shock, were they all just listening or was it just that this moment between them breaking every logical law of time?
"You don't have to do this. We can work something else out."
Shut up! Just quit talking! I don't need your input to make a decision!
"No," She spoke in a soft tone, even if the voice in her head was screaming. "I'm doing this. I want to."
"What do you mean you want to?" Astrid spun around, looking at her as if she were angry about something. Maybe it was her way of coping? "You can't honestly want to. Don't do this just for our sake!"
It's not for your sake. It's for his. Her eyes moved back to the black dragon, who was still looking at her. "I don't have to justify myself to you or anyone." Hea's attention flickered back to the riders. "I'm doing this."
"Are you insane?!" She flinched as her sister yelled just behind her. "Do you realize you're leaving me again?!
If leaving Hiccup was gonna be this hard already then how difficult was it going to be when it was time to leave Rye? But if she was going to do this for Toothless, she was going to do this for Phobos too. Even if the stupid Terror was more of a waste of scales than anything. At the end of the day, the fact that she loved that lizard was the very reason she was doing this. While dealing with Hiccup was something new, she knew exactly how to deal with her older sis.
"You heard the boss-man." Hea turned over her shoulder, looking at her kin with a set of pathetic eyes. "It's not gonna be for a while now. You just have to put up with me for another few weeks then you're free!"
Humor was always a nice way to deal with things, even if it was pretty inappropriate.
"I don't care!" Rye's louder shout made the whole area flinch. "I'm not letting you go, not again! Not for this!"
"She's your older sister, her duty is to take care of you whether she's afraid or not. So how do you think she felt when after she was better that you just packed up and left? She must have felt worthless."
"Then come with me." Hea turned forward again, this time gathering what strength she had left in her legs to stand up. She then lifted her chin and looked to her future leader. "Dagur, can she come with me?"
The Berserker shifted as he stood, as if her question had caught him off guard. A moment later he crossed his arms over his chest. "Gah, fine whatever. If she's useful for something, I guess? But if it gets this treaty going, deal."
The former sheep herder turned to her sibling, flashing her most stupid grin. "How about it? Up for this? You can come, if that's what you want. But I have to go either way." The cheesy smile faded. "I'm sorry."
"I…" Rye hesitated, both with her words and physically. "Hea, I don't know. You…"
"Come on." She felt like smiling on the inside but her lips stayed horizontal. "It'll be fun."
"I really don't know. I can't just decide that right now. I need to think about it." The four-eyed female grimaced. "What about Phobos? I can't just…I don't know."
"Can we all work out the details later?" Dagur moved down the stairs, in complete confidence with no sense of remorse or guilt. "If I am going to stay here, I need a room. Preferably one to call my own that is up to code."
"So, we're just gonna change the subject then?" Tuffnut finally spoke, his familiar voice and tone actually soothing her eardrum for once.
"Yes," Hea cleared her throat. "Let's move this thing forward. Deal's done."
"Good!" Her new boss arrived at her side, his hands now behind his back. "Oh, and I don't want any funny business." He turned to her in particular and narrowed his eyes. "Got it?"
"Yep."
"So do we like…" Snotlout lifted his arm only to pause seconds into talking. "…What just happened?"
"Yeah," Ruffnut responded. "I have no idea what I just saw."
As much as she wanted to scream/laugh/slap the speaking male and female, she resisted and walked past them without exchanging any words. If she stayed around to talk about this any longer who knows what would happen. She did not need to be convinced to change her mind now, not when this was all still so fresh. At this point almost anything was gonna persuade her otherwise.
If she could focus on the new housing arrangement for the time being, the idea of everything changing wouldn't be so foreign. It was just gonna take some time.
Act End.