Chapter 9 - Burden to Bury, Burden to Carry

Hiccup awoke in a cold sweat to find unfamiliar surroundings. The sky was covered in a green canopy similar to the tree thickets behind the palace gardens. In fear, he looked around for any evidence that he was somehow brought back to Central Berk. Nothing but green which seemed to float in and out of focus. A dash of light. A river glistened to his right, reflecting some unseen and unnatural light source. It trickled by, leaving him behind in its due course. Ferns tickled his cheeks and in his hair were twigs and leaves. He rubbed his eyes. He had to be sure it was real. The forest was unearthly, but still present when his vision adjusted.

There was the sound of a high-pitched, breathy song's echo that weaved around the branches, swaying with a brisk─ but oddly enough, not cold─ wind. The haunted air was more chilling, reaching for him and caressing his face with smooth, ethereal fingers. Every few beats, the sound fell away to a low note only to start again a beat later, much higher. It was calling to him, willing him to stand, asking for company. It yearned for recognition with a reverent tone. Innocent and light, it snaked around him and urged him forward. He stumbled, blind. The roots in the undergrowth were dragging his left foot, pulling it into the earth. But despite this, the song seemed to say it was okay. To come forward, mindless of terrain, and embrace the essence beckoning him. At some point, in the back of his foggy mind, he felt like one of the sheep herded throughout the Kentri Forest that made up the middle stretch of the Berkian Peninsula before climbing up into the Lower Ouran mountains to the West. But this wasn't the Kentri. No forest sang like a shepherdess.

Several times Hiccup fell to the ground, but when he went to free his legs, there was nothing but greenery, no matter how many times he separated the grass and the shrubbery. After dull shock subsided, he realized he was dressed differently. No princely uniform clung to his pathetic, wimpy body. Aside from the lack of feet, lost to the undergrowth, his legs were bound in tightly wrapped cloth up to his knees, where loose-fitting material was tucked in─ weird pants, he guessed. A green, formless tunic was tied at his midriff by a section of rope, and around his shoulders and chest was a thick cloak that fell to the ground behind him, clasped to his chest by a simple gold pin. There was something off about it. He didn't think he owned anything like these. He didn't think anybody did. Not in the past five hundred years, at the least. Who dressed him?

Where was Astrid? Toothless? Memories returned in fragments but made little sense. The somber voice continued to rise and fall, crying for him. He walked on.

The forest began to thin, opening up more and more. The air was clearer and the singing was closer. He picked up his pace, stomping angrily when his invisible feet dragged him back again. Gaining speed, his easy plodding turned into a frantic jog─ it was the fastest he could go. The voice became more tangible, more understandable. No, the song changed. There were no words before. Now, something had changed and lyrical verses were greeting his ears unsteadily.

─ shall give my brother my──
All under the── tree
That he shall take with him wherever─
Ye ride so carefully through── with─

One child they took to Freya─
All under the── tree
The other they took to the hall of Valhalla
Ye ride so carefully through── with─

Hiccup gasped as the woods gave way to an open meadow, empty but for a pond. And standing in this pond...

─ her.

She stopped singing just as he escaped onto the plains, pure and holy and he wholly undeserving. Was she the one singing the first song? Why was she here? Where was here?

The woman turned her green eyes to his. She was wearing an ivory dress that draped off her fair shoulders and trailed into the waters, sending soft ripples to the far end by some reeds and water lilies. Golden belts and trimmings framed her slender figure. Light orange-blond hair curled around her flawless face and fell neatly around her shoulders and breasts. A band of gold rested around the crown of her head, draping in a dainty cascade of several falcon feathers through her locks. Her thin lips were smiling effortlessly, light and pink.

"Hello, my child," her voice flowed, like the Skyward Seas' fabled Silks. It was said that they were as soft as the clouds, nearly absent when felt, but always missed when gone. It sang like the song before, but new meaning came with each word now.

Hiccup knew in an instant who he was talking to and knelt on one knee, bowing deeply with his hand across his chest. He understood now why his Prince attire was cast aside for simpler fabric. "My humblest apologies, Berkian Goddess of Love and War, Freya."

"Do stand, young soldier," her hand was suddenly cupping his chin, warm and supple and so far above the likes of him. "It is not your time to fall."

He stood, her hand still holding him steady, and felt a pang of guilt. "I─I'm not a soldier. And, even if─ even if I was one, I deserve to fall..." The words left his lips and stubborn disdain settled on his face.

Her hand trailed his cheek and combed lightly through his hair, a fond smirk appearing on her features. "Your body may have left, but your heart will always be Berkian. Do your best to remember that, young one. It may not seem true in the seas ahead, but to persevere is to serve your Goddess well."

The wind was gentle, making little sound, but creating a soothing atmosphere all the same. The hallowed ground accepted his dirty footsteps in light of her grace, and the overwhelming peace settled deep in his bones. He refused to keep her eyes in his for longer than a breath, her beauty truly surpassing the physical reality of the Earthen Seas. Looking down, he sighed. "Why would a Goddess speak to a wayward Prince?"

After a long, painful while with no answer, he peered through his bangs to see that she had turned around and walked back to the pond. Turning to him, she beckoned him to the water's edge. Urgently following her direction, he stepped to where the water lapped at his nonexistent feet. He was about to ask about it, but thought better of it and waited for his Goddess's speech.

She chose to answer his unspoken question. "Your feet are gone for two reasons, my dear," she spoke to the other side of the pond rather than to him, "one foot has already left the Earthen Seas. The other is not holy and cannot touch the soil of the Skyward Seas. For you to come to this realm without certainty of your death, I had to make sure you would not die simply because rules were broken."

Hiccup perked up, but not because of his foot. "W-wait, I'm not dead?" The memory of the sword striking down on him came back full force and his body began to ache. "The pirate─ I was─ he didn't kill me?"

Her laughter was a short measure of heavenly music. "The Gods have a plan for you, Prince Hiccup. We needed a brave, courageous soul with the heart of a dragon. Of course, the bond you share with the─" she pursed her lips and composed herself in an instant, leaving the boy unsure as to whether he had witnessed it, "─the bonds you share will be great assets to you in the… Cause for Peace. As such, you have my Blessing for the safe return to Berk whenever you choose. There is just one condition." She led him into the water until it was up to his waist.

Hiccup's life was spared by her. He felt he owed her that much and more. He nodded and she whispered into his ear, swirling runes into the water around his body while he attended to the instructions.

You must… find the key…

The tavern in the outskirts of Senja was crowded for a midweek evening. The bartender slid overflowing steins down the row, although they remained largely ignored past the first chug. The majority of the attention was paid toward the staging area meant for local instrumentalists. Some regular, probably Mr. Lout Jorgenson─ commonly referred to as Snot by other locals─ was heckling a stranger into a fight. People usually ignored his instigating tactics, but when the newcomer took to the challenge, everyone had to see who on the Earthen Seas could possibly go up against the stocky young adult. He, unlike other bullies, had the brawn and guts to back up his statements. Well, most of the time.

Peering over the other customers, the bartender scoffed. The person taking his steps into the light of the entire bar was a skinny lad with shaggy brown hair, a small braid behind his ear was nearly invisible from this distance. On the young man's last step, gasps and finger-pointing commenced. The bartender walked around the side of the bar and leaned around the masses to get a better look. What he saw certainly shocked him, despite being used to many a stranger at his establishment over the years.

The boy was missing a foot.

Not only that…

The bartender went back to his post and pulled a notice paper he'd meant to tack onto the bulletin for a couple days now, maybe weeks. He was notoriously bad at keeping the kingdom's reports updated. Thankfully many people didn't go to taverns for news.

The notice had an artist's rendition of the Prince of the Berkian Peninsula and a handsome reward that would set up a family of ten for a lifetime. No one had ever seen the Prince before, and the rendition wasn't the most accurate, so the odds were that the Prince would never be found. Especially not after three years. The drawing was supposedly from the only portrait in the castle of the boy when he was the age he went missing. The boy in the picture had relatively straight, flat hair that was as dark as the penciled lines, although the bartender believed it could be brown, if his hunch was right. The ink had dried on this paper long ago and the darker colors were indistinguishable. The eyes, however, were colored in green ink, a striking trait of the Haddock royal family. This green put the untamed woods of the Kentri forest that grew along the length of the Peninsula, lush with fern and brush undergrowth and evergreen canopies stretching to the skies even in the harshest of winters, to shame. The age listed was sixteen years, but in all honesty, the portrait looked much younger. Regardless, it would mean the Prince would be around nineteen years of age currently.

There was nothing about the Prince missing a foot, though.

A week had passed after they escaped Central Berk before Hiccup woke up to find his left foot missing, nothing of the eerie forest remaining except in his memory. The stitching on his stump was haphazard and it had smelled terrible. Astrid would come by and clean it for him twice a day, and bring news about what had happened and where they were. As it turned out, Gobber and Sir Ithel had climbed aboard. Ithel had seen Gobber leave the castle in a hurry and decided to follow because it was in the opposite direction of all the other people. It was Sir Ithel that took on where Hiccup left off and dealt with the quartermaster of the Red Death, currently renamed the Night Fury. Astrid and Toothless, being the only members on board that knew anything of sea navigation, sailed straight out of the bay past the city of Utoya. It was in the middle of the Sea of Dragons that Hiccup came to. Gathering his senses, he had begun giving orders for maps, pens, notes, as well as for inventories of supplies and the ropes and sails and commands for steady sailing. It wasn't long before others simply did as he said, soon referring to him as Captain.

In this fashion, they sailed east until they came across a widespread triangle of three small, rocky islands. Having nearly run out of supplies, however, these islands were useful in collecting food, wood, weights, among other things better spotted with a nose─ most humble thanks to Toothless. The Esyrani claimed that these islands were similar to Anoi's geography from what he had remembered. Hiccup thought it strange that he could recall geography but not his family, but said nothing.

In truth, it was Toothless that had woken Hiccup the first time after the business with the Goddess. He had been complaining that Hiccup was mumbling incessantly about keys, feet, gold, and green nonsense and that it was hard to fall asleep, although no one else had heard. It was a startling wake-up call in his mind when Toothless screamed at him to shut up from rooms away, but it was nice to be able to feel something again. Not that he could say that for anything below his left knee. Needless to say, he was gracious to Freya. In the morning, he had relayed to Toothless what had happened while he was out, but the Esyrani shrugged it off as blood loss-induced delirium and went about his business with the sails. Not even the ink stained onto Hiccup's right hand could convince the Esyrani. It's just some bruise, it'll go away.

Some bruise. It was vague in its shape, but there were more than blacks and blues. It seemed to almost form a shape, the black encircling the blue. A hint of red trailed at the bottom of it, nearing Hiccup's wrist. He guessed it could have been a bruise, but somehow the colors would shift each day, as if coming closer into focus. Or maybe he was still recovering from incredible blood loss and occasional hallucinations were completely normal.

And so, for three years, they stuck to the begrudging routine of sailing back to smaller towns on the Berkian Peninsula to pick up ragtags and orphans, rejected sailors and willing workers, or simply those fed up with the bourgeoisie, and offer them work aboard the Night Fury. Some came for a short trip; some were in for the long haul. Others jumped on eagerly, while others needed some sort of proof. As it turned out, said proof was usually settled with a sword duel, a bribe, or both. More often than not, however, the sword was mightier than the gold. Of course, no one turned down a coin or two when offered.

Where was this money? Hiccup had found several chests and trunks in the ship's stores near the orlop deck, two floors below the main deck. Never would he have thought to bring riches from the palace, nor would he want the crew members to know that he was in fact one of the highest-ranking of the bourgeoisie, even if only by blood. It seemed Drago's ships were either paid well or had several part time jobs. Either way, the stores were more than enough to take on a few hired hands for a year. Although he supposed he would need more if he wanted to spend his life out on the seas, or at the very least, far away from Central Berk. And who knows how long it might take to find the Key that Freya had mentioned? It could be ages. Regardless, he knew he would have to settle for true piracy sooner or later.

Hiccup ruffled his hands through his hair again. He had been mentioning to Astrid, sitting across from him in a booth at the back of a wayward bar, that the Berkian trade ships had increased in numbers since their group's past excursion from Sorna back to the Berkian mainland for recruitments. Before she could respond, an oil-stained hand shoved into his shoulder. In an instant, Hiccup was on guard. Toothless, keep an eye on the exit. Be sure to clear it when I tell you.

Aye, Captain. A dark-skinned man sitting at the front of the bar gulped the last of his drink and sauntered closer to the entrance, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. His eyes were downcast and he paid little attention to those around him.

Hiccup was turned around by the stranger's hand plucking at his shirt from over the backrest of the booth. To his surprise, it was a young man near his age, the beginnings of a moustache dusting his upper lip. Greasy black hair waved out from a snug bandana. His arms appeared thicker than his skull.

But what was thickest was his breath. "You don't look like you're from around here."

"Well, I'm not," Hiccup brushed him off and rolled his eyes toward Astrid. She smirked and shook her head. Don't start anything.

The man turned his stare toward the blond. "Well, hello, my fair lady," he got out of his booth and walked over to Astrid, kneeling and taking her hand, "what lovely complexion." He kissed the back of her hand, and judging by her facial expression, Hiccup believed it to be just as slimy as his attitude.

"Far too beautiful for this guy," he nodded in Hiccup's direction. "Is he bothering you?"

"No," she said curtly, "but you are," pulling her hand from his and kicking him back with a delicately strong heel.

Hiccup glared at Astrid. "I thought the plan wasn't to start anything."

"He started it!" She growled under her breath.

He rolled his eyes and stood, brushing down his attire. He'd changed out of the outlandish Prince coats and ruffles for a white string-tied button-up and a red sash around his waist that held his scimitar. On a belt hooked around his leg and attached to his waistband, a small knife was hidden. He wouldn't use either if he didn't have to. Rolling his shoulders, Hiccup walked in front of Astrid and gave the OK signal behind his back to her. She unsheathed the knife from his inner thigh and tucked it into the holster under her skirts, also no longer bearing any royal resemblance. They did this for several reasons. One, Astrid would have a knife handy in case things went sour. Two, Hiccup did not like to cheat and preferred to remove the temptation from his person.

"No one kicks down Lout Jorgenson," the man introduced himself in third-person, "not even a girl─ get outta my way!" He made a move to throw the scrawny stranger out of the way. That was a mistake.

Hiccup hit the man's wrists with his palms, deflecting the momentum to the table behind him. The man named Lout tripped full force onto the table, tipping it and spilling half-empty plates and cups. The mixing of various ingredients became slop as it fell on his head, face, and his shoulders. The entire bar was silent.

"Stage. Now." Lout picked himself up and glowered.

"What? Is your pride so hurt you have to take it out on someone without a skirt?" Hiccup picked at his fingers nonchalantly, deciding not to look up. Besides, he'd gotten a piece of food stuck in the nail.

From underneath Lout's cloak, he pulled an axe. It was a little startling, but Hiccup kept a hand near his own hilt without a change in facial expression.

"I'm not afraid to use this, you know," Lout took a step forward, pushing them back toward the stage.

And I believe you! He had to think of a way to turn this around.

Oh, please. You really think he can beat you? Toothless snorted from across the room.

It's not that… he just seems bullheaded. Hiccup smirked. Think he'll join?

Are you serious? He'd turn on you as soon as you dropped your guard. Or hit on Astrid and get knocked around. On second thought, bring him aboard!

Hiccup grinned and relaxed his posture. Before stepping on to the raised platform, he held out his hand. "Here, if you beat me, I'll leave with my tail between my legs. If I win, you're joining my crew."

Lout barked a loud laugh. "Your crew? What are you, a pirate or something?"

"Try pirate captain," he extended his hand again, more firmly. "I'll prove it."

Lout smacked his hand away and pointed to the stage, candles at the corners already lit as if everyone had been expecting a fight the moment the table flipped. That was a fair assumption. "Talk with your skill. If you have any."

"So you accept?" An eyebrow raised in question.

"Like you'd win against my muscles!" The man made it obvious his arms were quite large, probably from ungodly amounts of self-satisfaction to deal with his bruised ego. "But yeah, sure, whatever."

Hiccup took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage, body bathed in unnecessary candlelight. All eyes were on him. This was not the usual pace of things for them, considering Hiccup preferred the quieter techniques of attaining crew members.

But he chose to think about that later as he faced Lout, already on the stage. The man was brandishing his axe, easily hiking it back and swinging a few times for show. Hiccup was about to ask if they were ready when the axe's blade skirted by, nicking his nose. He leaned back in time to dodge the second blow. Shifting his weight back onto his good leg, Hiccup pulled out his scimitar, the black hilt catching hints of blue in the candlelight.

Lout whistled. "I bet that sword's worth a pretty coin in the markets. I'll be sure to sell it when I take it as my prize!" He thrust the front of the axe directly at Hiccup's chest, but found it blocked by the sword's flat side, illuminating his shocked face.

Hiccup grimaced. The guy had some strength, which was probably a given. Outmuscling him would be a nightmare. His eyes flickered to the dull side of the blade only for a moment. Ducking, the sword allowed the axe's momentum to push forward to hit nothing but air, forcing Lout's balance to become unsteady. Hiccup crouched and aimed to hit the dull side against the man's shins. But a blunt force to his back knocked the air out of his lungs and he fell, the scimitar kicked from his grasp.

Lout had used the momentum to bring the axe downward, using its flat face to slam into the boy's back. It was an excellent move, Hiccup admitted sourly. When he pushed himself up and reached out for the sword, however, Lout stepped onto his ink-stained hand─ not his sword hand. The Prince gaped but otherwise showed no pain.

Neat little trick that Sir Ithel had taught him.

Many people, if they succeeded in knocking the still considerably heavy scimitar from Hiccup's grasp, immediately went for the weapon if they saw him reaching for it. So, instead of injuring his sword hand, why not allow the other to assume he had the high ground? Besides, the scimitar─

"OOOOWWWW!" his opponent screeched as his unworthy fingers gripped the scimitar's dragon hilt. The heat instantly seared layers of skin and Lout backed away in pain.

Spinning on the floor, Hiccup's metal prosthesis─ a gift for a Captain from Sir Gobber, a wonderful blacksmith─ smacked into Lout's heels and the man fell. Using the negative space in his metal leg, he kept spinning until his sword was hooked and tossed into the air. He stood on his good leg and caught the sword's gently warm hilt in his left hand. Readjusting his grip, he spun around and dug his blade into Lout's already rebounding swing. Hiccup had heard his opponent's heavy footsteps and grunt early enough, but his hand still recoiled from the surprising amount of force.

Both released their stance and jumped in again, exchanging hits and swings, misses and near-deadly blows. The rhythm of the footwork and the metal clashing against metal served as a sharp, quick beat that kept Hiccup's body in check as he moved with Lout's attacks. His right arm was cut open in several places, judging by the rips in the shirt and the trickling of blood staining it. But Lout looked worse for wear after a few minutes. His axe had several chips and his blows were sluggish. One last thrust and Hiccup was able to use the dull side to push the axe's wooden limb to the ground, a mere fingertip's length from his metal foot. Lout slumped to his knees, barely conscious.

Away from the crowds gathering near the stage, Toothless flicked his gaze toward the bartender. He had made his way to the backroom and reappeared with several local guardsmen. Alarmed, Toothless's posture straightened. Hiccup, we've gotta go!

In his mind, Hiccup saw the guards and hoisted Lout's arm around his shoulders. He turned to Astrid. "Looks like we've got ourselves a new cannon gunman."

"Ooh, he'll like that," Astrid agreed, running up to take Lout's other arm over her shoulders. Damn, he was heavy.

They ran as best they could toward the entrance. That was, until a guard was flown past them, crashing into a nearby booth filled with screaming customers. Hiccup glared at Toothless, who was already wrestling down the second guard with tooth and nail. Forcing a sigh, he heaved forward and ran for the door, Astrid and Lout in tow. Moments later and Toothless reappeared, running like the wind past his Captain.

Toothless, force them to unfurl the sails! We need to catch the eastern wind as soon as we climb aboard.

Already ahead of you! Toothless picked up speed as a deep laugh purred in his throat. He was already at the boat's port side and climbing the ladder that several sailors had chucked over the railing

I see that. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

He could have said it was a narrow escape, but it really wasn't. The outskirts of Senja didn't have much in the way of defense, so they were cleared for international waters before a second alarm could be raised.

A/N:Long time, no see! In this case, over several months… please don't kill me! ;-;

I've had to commit nearly full time on my thesis, I was struggling through classes, and I found out I'll have to apply for a third job to keep myself afloat. That and diagnoses of anxiety and depression, which I've known about for years. But recently, I've even neglected my art, which I always enjoyed. Hopefully, writing a bunch for my thesis will also make me want to write more for this. I've been wanting to write a bunch for this for a long time, so be prepared to see chapters coming a little more quickly!

The breathy voice-turned-song in the beginning was a type of herding call named kuhlning which turned into the song called "I Riden Så" by Gjallarhorn. I changed it to English because the verses I picked were important.

Also, on AO3 and DA, there is a map excerpt for this chapter that shows the travelling routes of the chapter. This will be done for any major development in a chapter with a lot of movement. Elder the 1st (their FF name) suggested this a little while ago and I've had the time to implement it! Thanks a bunch!

A big thank-you to those who follow this piece. It really means a lot to me that you guys enjoy this. I've enjoyed it so far and the story in my mind really wants to be written. Thank you, readers!

Have a great day/night! :)