Chapter 10- The Announcement

Hiccup hoped it was all just a terrible nightmare. He was hoping he would awake in his bed, his toes from his right leg peeking out from the soft blankets. He hoped for his beautiful wife to be beside him, her golden locks shining with the morning light and tickling his nose. He was hoping for his best friend to be sleepily waiting for him outside to get the morning started. He was hoping to hear the soft sound of waves crashing on the cliffs of Berk. But he didn't get that. He woke suddenly to near darkness, the only light coming from the hole overhead. His back screamed in pain from the hard ground. Hiccup moaned as he remembered the events from yesterday. He pulled his knees to his chest and yawned.

Hiccup bolted from the ground when he heard a voice suddenly say, "He really trained dragons?"

He turned to see Tuffnut leaning against the cave wall; he seemed to have all the cave members' attention as they sat around him. Hiccup saw Frey nodding his head. His eyes drifted to Hiccup and he smiled, "Look! The chief is awake!"

Hiccup groaned. Looks like Tuffnut finally snapped back to normal. Scar reached out and pulled Hiccup up. His head felt dizzy as he walked over to the others. Aradynn handed him a wet cloth.

"What's this for?" Hiccup stared down at it.

The men looked around to each other and silently laughed. Frey cleared his throat, "You suck on it."

Hiccup frowned down to the brown looking cloth. He looked to Tuffnut who just nodded his head. Pavel was staring at him with a large smile and thumbs up. He suddenly felt very embarrassed as all five sets of eyes stared at him. He hesitantly lifted the cloth to his mouth and sucked on it. It was damp, the moisture that hit his tongue was heavenly. It was water. He sucked harder. Very quickly, Aradynn reached up and grabbed the cloth. Hiccup gave him a sharp look.

"We have to save it," Aradynn said, "it's the only water we get until work."

Hiccup looked around in shock, "You've got to be kidding me. That's not enough water to keep six men alive."

He watched Aradynn smirk to Scar and say, "it was enough for four."

He ignored the comment and turned to Tuffnut, "Tuff, what did you tell them?"

Pavel embraced Hiccup and pointed to his chest, his brown eyes were wide, "Chief."

Hiccup backed away and moaned, "Tuff, what did you say?"

He jerked as Frey gave him a friendly slap across the back. Turns out, Tuff had told the men almost everything about Berk. Good thing the two of them knew so much about the other prisoners. He happened to include the part of Hiccup being Chief of Berk.

"Don't tell us we will have to bow to you," Aradynn whispered, "I bow to enough people."

"What?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "No! I- You don't have to do anything for me."

"Good," Frey said, "Besides, no one out there is going to bow to you." he pointed to the bars. Hiccup walked over and looked out; the halls were silent except for the distant sound of that infuriating drip. He could hear it, barely loud enough to notice, but continuing its steady rhythm no different from the night before. Drip. Drip. Drip. He shook his head and it was gone. The dripping was replaced by footsteps. A figure suddenly appeared to make his or her way down the hall. Hiccup quickly made out the figure to be Calder. He attempted to lock eyes with Calder as he marched down the hall. Paying no attention to Hiccup, he reached down and unlocked the doors. He opened it and backed away from the gates.

"Alright men, you know the drill."

Hiccup felt the five men brush past him. Their heads were lowered as they exited the cave and lined up on the side of one wall. Tuffnut followed, making Hiccup pull him back by the shoulder.

"Where are you taking us?" Hiccup said.

Frey turned his head and gave Hiccup a terrified look. Hiccup suddenly sensed Calder's cold stare. Without even thinking, Hiccup pushed Tuffnut out the cave and followed the men.

"Whatever, I always liked surprises." he mumbled.

He and Tuffnut walked beside each other down the hall. Calder was in the front leading. Frey was behind him followed by Aradynn and Scar. Pavel was skipping happily behind to keep up. They were far enough away from the rest to speak to each other.

"You shouldn't have told them about Berk," Hiccup whispered to him.

"Why not?" Tuffnut said, "It's all cool, they are prisoners just like us."

Hiccup sighed, "That's not the point, Tuff. What I'm trying to say is we are outcasts. Even if we are prisoners, we don't know who these guys are. What we tell them could come back and haunt us. From now on, it's just you and me. So try not to get yourself killed wherever you go, okay?"

Tuffnut nodded just in time for them to exit the cave. The two males' mouths' dropped at the sight of the once lively town. The square that had previously been filled with music and bustling with merchants and children was now silent. No one was on the streets. What was even more surprising was the cliff face overhead. Men carrying pickaxes were littered all over it coming in and out of small caves with huge boulders. Other men below were using their picks to break down the rocks being brought to them from above. Some men were climbing precariously high to reach loose rocks to knock them down. Every few minutes someone would shout out to warn the men below of falling stones. A prisoner walked by them, carrying a whole wheelbarrow of rocks towards the Cave Building. Hiccup shook his head with confusion. When he turned to Frey, the men were already walking towards the walls of rocks. Hiccup slapped Tuff's shoulder to get his attention and they ran after the men. Calder was gone. He always seemed to just disappear.

Hiccup stopped beside Frey, "What is all this?"

Frey sighed and turned to Tuffnut and Hiccup, "Alright, lads. Listen up, 'cause I'm only going to explain this once. As you know, this is a small island. Not many people live here, those who do are travelers, mostly staying until they can get back on their feet. In order to keep your share here, work is a must. This is more of an industry than an island, really."

Hiccup shook his head, "But I don't understand...We don't want to be here, they kidnapped us."

Frey huffed out a laugh, "Well...you know. Not everyone wants to be here; sometimes you need the extra push of motivation.

"By motivation do you mean an arrow pointed at your head?" Tuffnut muttered.

Frey smiled and shoved a pickaxe into Hiccup's hands.

Astrid opened the door to her home and let Toothless walk in first. The dragon hesitated; he sniffed the floor and looked around the room. Astrid took a deep breath and followed. Everything was the way they had left it. The fire pit still smelled faintly of ashes from Hiccup's attempt to make breakfast. Astrid's axe was placed neatly on its hook. Hiccup's papers were sprawled out on the table where he had left them. She closed the door and sighed. Astrid had made the decision to move back home. It wasn't that she didn't love her family, but they were getting too concerned. Ingrid couldn't last five minutes without bringing up the baby and how Astrid should really eat more than she does. Ekon was always talking about that terrible terror. Sometimes it became too much. Ingrid was hesitant to let her daughter go, but Astrid left anyway.

The first thing she did when she returned home was bathe. Snotlout stopped by and offered to take in Toothless for the night. Toothless was in shock, and he hardly noticed when Snotlout placed his hand on his head guiding him away from the home. Stormfly, on the other hand, was overjoyed that her best friend in the whole world was almost back to normal. She jumped excitedly around the house, knocking things to the floor. Astrid let Stormfly heat her bath, and she took off her clothes. When she looked in the mirror, she was almost surprised. Her stomach was getting larger. She felt bloated as she turned to the side. A small bump was definitely there. She pursed her lips and stepped into the tub. She would have to tell the village soon; there was no doubt about it. They would notice eventually, and some probably already had. But she had to wait. She had to tell Valka first.

Her heart broke as she thought of her mother in law. Somewhere, she was out there flying with her dragon, believing that she would return to find her son, her only child, alive. But that wasn't going to happen. She knew she would have to tell her that her son was dead. She shook her head at the thought. Astrid took her time washing her hair and soaping her body. She wrapped herself in a robe and detangled her hair. She went upstairs to their room and look at their wardrobe. She opened it. She froze at the smell of his clothes; the smell of him. She allowed herself a moment of calmness before grabbing her clothes and closing the door quickly. She threw on her clothes and an extra sweater; it was getting cold. The sun was beginning to go down, and Astrid didn't feel like going to bed just yet; she was still wide awake. She also didn't want to be left alone.

Usually, on a Sunday night like this, she and Hiccup would go on a flight. Sometimes together, sometimes alone. But afterwards they would always go to the Great Hall and have fun with their friends. Those were the good times. Now Astrid didn't know what she would do. She suddenly jumped at her door opening.

"Hiccup!?"

Her heart broke when she realised that it wasn't him. Valka had finally returned. She heard panicked breaths from downstairs. She climbed down the stairs with her hands across her stomach and looked at her mother in law. The woman looked tired from her long trip, but her eyes were wild. She searched the house, but he was nowhere to be found. She was about to climb the stairs when she noticed Astrid standing on the middle step. Astrid opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak. Valka's eyes traveled from her daughter in law's to the ground.

Her son was dead. Her only son. She had only just gotten him back. She had spent twenty years apart from her husband, only to lose both of them within little more than a year. Her eyes filled with tears as she felt her heart break. How could this be? She thought Gobber was lying. She thought... there was absolutely no way he could be gone. She knew what she had to do. She turned quickly, exiting her son's house. The sun was almost down, and the weather was cold, but she didn't care, she had to get out there, she had to escape.

Valka heard Astrid call out to her. She felt a sudden tug on her shoulder but brushed it off.

This could never last. She had no right to be on Berk. She had no right to return in the first place. She was useless here, the wife of the chief. The mother of the chief. But now she was nothing. According to the town, she died twenty-one years ago, maybe she should have just stayed dead. She called for Cloudjumper who immediately knew something was up. She began to jump on her dragon when she heard her daughter in law scream at her.

"Where are you going?" Astrid had her hands on Cloudjumper's head, refusing her the ability to fly. The dragon pouted to Valka who had tears running down her cheeks.

Valka shook her head, " I can't stay here, I'm sorry. I need to get away. I need to go home- to my real home."

"No, you can't leave! Please! Not now, you're supposed to be chief!" Astrid's stare bore into her.

"You are Chief. I command it. I'll write it on paper if you get me a quill."

Astrid reached up and placed her hand on top of Valka's. Her heart stung as the green eyes she had given her son looked down on her.

"Please," she said, "you can't leave now. Not now. I need you here."

Valka let out a humorless, crazed laugh, "You need me? No! I never should have come back here in the first place. I belong with the dragons."

"No, you don't understand!" Astrid squeezed her hand, "Please...you have to stay."

"For what?"

Astrid's eyes traveled to the ground. This was it, she was ready to let the secret out. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, Snotlout came running up to them. He was almost out of breath. Valka and Astrid both looked away as he approached them. He looked to Astrid first, "Sorry. I don't mean to interrupt... But the Warheads just showed up, they docked a few minutes ago. Roren's here. Astrid, he wants to speak with you."

Whatever Astrid was thinking about moments ago was completely gone. Astrid's face hardened as Snotlout's words sunk in. Roren. He was responsible for everything that had happened. He was going to pay for it. She was going to kill him. Astrid shrugged off Snotlout's arm and looked to Valka who was still trying to recover from the news. Astrid brushed her bangs away and looked to her.

"I need you. Come with me, please."

Valka looked at her with shock. Astrid sharply turned towards the docks, both Valka and Snotlout behind her. Berkians had come out of their homes to see the commotion. They all stood back watching Astrid storm through the village. Astrid reached out to one Berkian and stole the axe from his hands. She gripped it tightly as she walked on. Astrid only stopped when she saw Ruffnut and Eret walking towards her, seemingly confused. Her eyes traveled to Ruffnut's and they shared a moment. If Astrid was not so determined to find Roren, she might have acknowledged them more as she marched past them.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Eret asked Snotlout as they chased after Astrid.

"Dude," Snotlout just shook his head, "I'm pretty sure all hel's about to break loose."

Before Astrid could comment, she saw him. He was looking around Berk, enjoying the view. His men were behind him, talking with each other. Astrid stormed through the crowd and raised her axe. She saw his neck; that was her target. Before she could get even three feet in front of him, his soldiers already had their axes and swords up, yelling with fury. Astrid was pulled back by Fishlegs and Eret. She felt hot tears run down her cheeks but quickly gained control. She didn't want Roren to see her like that. She wanted to break him.

"You," she spat, "I'm going to kill you."

She heard Berkians whisper in fright. She heard Fishlegs whisper in her ear, telling her to lower her axe. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Roren looked at her with complete shock. His brown eyes didn't betray any further emotions. He reached up and stroked his chin. He turned to his men signaling them to lower their weapons. As they did, Eret reached out and lowered Astrid's arm with force.

"I'm so sorry about your loss, Astrid," Roren swallowed, he spoke loudly so all the Berkians could hear him, "I had no idea about the death of your chief until late Thursday night. You retreated so soon, we weren't sure how many men were lost in that vicious attack."

Astrid's chest puffed with anger and her face reddened, "We didn't retreat. You set the whole thing up! You knew Hiccup would come to your help, so you planned the pirates attack. You wanted Berk to fail. You are a murderer."

Roren shook his head quickly, "Now, Astrid! I know you are upset, but you can't possibly think that is true! We called for your help because those men were overpowering us. We cannot thank your men enough for their sacrifice."

Astrid blinked and her face fell, "Their sacrifice? Their sacrifice!? Hiccup, our chief is dead because of you! My friend is dead because of you! The peace treaty is off. I want you off of my island immediately or we will burn your boats and throw you in the ocean and watch you drown."

The town went quiet. Astrid watched Roren shiver; he looked to his men before returning to Astrid's glare, "Your island ? You cannot be chief. You have no blood relation to the Haddocks. By law, you must pick a new family blood line to be chief. Or, other steps must be taken."

Astrid saw something twinkle in his eye. That monster. He wanted Berk. Technically, with no chief, Roren could easily take over Berk and call it his own. Even more importantly, he was the one who caused Hiccup's death; he almost had a right to take Berk. But Astrid would never allow it; she would rather die than bow down to Roren.

"Sorry, Astrid," he said softly, "But...Hiccup had no heir... no other family. Looks like the Haddock line has finally died."

Astrid raised her head. Roren's mouth had a slight smirk. She looked to his men, they were all the same. She looked to the Berkians. They were almost as angry as Astrid. She squeezed her knuckles and spoke loudly as Roren turned, "No. Actually, it's not."

The crowd went silent. Roren turned his head with confusion, "What did you say?"

Astrid turned to the Berkians, speaking more to them than Roren. She took a deep breath, "The Haddock line has not died because- because...before his death... I mean...Hiccup and I..." she swallowed, "I am pregnant."

She could hear Roren actually gasp, she felt like smirking but her heart was beating too quickly. She looked to the crowd. Snotlout was staring up at her with an eyebrow raised, almost like he couldn't believe it. Eret gave her a thumbs up. Close to him, Ruffnut was watching her feet; Astrid couldn't tell what she was thinking. Fishlegs had tears in his eyes but was smiling. Gobber, who Astrid hadn't seen in weeks, had his hand over his mouth. He silently turned away and Astrid could see his shoulders tug with quiet sobs.

As Astrid's head turned, she saw Valka. The older woman looked at her with sad eyes. Astrid bit her lip as her mother in law slowly approached her. Valka's hand went to Astrid's cheek. Astrid smiled to her. Valka nodded her head. In an instant, she gently pushed Astrid out of the way and turned to Roren.

"I don't know who you are, and I really don't care," Valka shrugged her shoulders, "But I know you are responsible for my son's death. And for that, we hereby ban you from any contact with us ever again. You will leave, and never come back." she leaned in closer, "If you even think about threatening my daughter in law or grandchild, gods help you."

Roren's upper lip quivered with anger. He was about to argue when Toothless appeared beside him roaring as loud as he could. The Warheads screamed, Roren was the first one to their boats and within minutes, they were sailing away from Berk.

Astrid turned to the Berkians. They were still with shocked silence. Astrid gulped and her fists clenched. She cleared her throat, "I'm sorry for keeping it from you all. I guess I was just terrified. " Astrid looked directly to Valka who was still in shock herself, "you deserved to know."

Valka's mouth twitched into a smile and she shook her head. Tears filled her eyes as she embraced Astrid in a hug. A roar of cheers finally came from the Berkians. They chanted Astrid's name. Astrid's mouth dropped with surprised. Valka pushed her back and kissed her forehead ,"I guess this is why you wanted me to stay."

Astrid nodded, "will you?"

Valka engulfed her in another hug, "of course I will."

Astrid sighed with relief. She felt a weight fall off her shoulders now that the secret was out. She was overjoyed that the village had taken the news so well. Her heart fluttered at the thought, she was carrying the future chief. She only wished the future chief would have a father.

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