Disclaimer: I do not own "How to Train Your Dragon" or any of the characters in the movie. My purpose is to provide the perspective of Stoick the Vast as father, friend and chief.
Note: Sentences in italics indicate Stoick's inner thoughts.
Thanks to Crazy Trace for reviewing and suggestions.
I love my wife Ochie for her support and comments of this chapter.
Chapter 14: Frið við Dreka - Dagur 3
"Pain is temporary, but quitting lasts forever." – Lance Armstrong
"HEMMPH!"
"HEMMPH!"
I was slowly awakened to the lovely aroma of fish. Oh yes…Toothless. "Good morning dragon," I mentioned as I opened my eyes to see him sitting on his haunches, staring directly at me. Looking up I saw that rays of light were streaming from the smoke hole. Dawn. Removing my shawl, I got up and checked on Hiccup, seeing that he was still breathing and still warm. Good signs. I approached the Night Fury and gave him a gentle rub behind the ears and I was awarded with a lick on my hand. "It's time to get up and start another day. What say you dragon?"
"HEMMPH!"
"I agree," I replied as I retrieved three logs from the side of the fire pit and stacked them neatly in place atop of the burnt embers. "If you would please…" I asked as I motioned between the logs and the dragon. I was rewarded by seeing a stream of blue fire from the Night Fury. "Thank you so much." I went over and rubbed his head again.
Well this certainly cuts down on the need for kindling.
I opened the front door and peered outside. I noticed the fresh dairy products and a newly charred pile of soil. I brought in the milk and eggs and made breakfast, cleaned up and waited for Astrid to arrive. Bluetooth was with Astrid when she knocked at the door, carrying a basket of fish. "This is for my Nadder, Toothless. You and Chief Stoick can go on your way."
"Alright Tooth, let's go." I motioned to the Night Fury to follow me as we went to get some food for him down at the docks. Following that, we went to a knoll overlooking the cove where dragons were bathing again. It gave me a chance to see from on high how the dragons and villagers were with each other. "Here you go Tooth. We'll have breakfast for you outside today." I opened the basket and knelt by the side of the dragon as I tilted the contents of raw salmon to spill slowly onto the grass. I got up and continued my survey.
Each of the dragons appeared in groups of their own species. They enjoyed the contact that they had with not only each other but Vikings as well. They were clean, taking baths as needed, and I found that they didn't like cooked food but possibly tea. They could mostly fend for themselves, flying to wherever there was fish and making a meal for themselves, present company excluded. I looked back over to the town and noticed new construction around some of the houses, large additions made to accommodate dragons. Spitelout's house already had a stone foundation in place prior to setting of lumber.
What if the dragons don't want to become part of a family? Then what?
I made a point to ask Spite a little later about their new additions. I looked down at Toothless and saw that he was licking the inside of the basket, trying to get every last scrap of fish present. "I gathered that you liked your breakfast then?"
"HEMMPH."
"Alright then, let's get you washed up before I go see Gobber."
I could hear the clang of metal from some distance. Every strike caused the Night Fury to wince. That made sense as I remembered from dragon training that loud noises caused them disorientation and pain. "Gobber, can you hold up on the banging? You're causing a real racket out here." I shouted from outside of the smithy. Silence ensued as I saw the blacksmith emerge from his workshop with the Thorston twins in tow while Toothless sat down next to me.
"Ah, it's my apprentice swapper. How goes it, Stoick?" Gobber commented with his usual warm dry wit as the twins approached.
"So far so good. No deaths, injuries here yet?" I glanced, smiling, over to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They were both very subdued and I was curious as to this transformation.
"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, how goes it?" I asked the twins.
"Well sir, we don't know what to think," Ruffnut responded, holding her hands in front of her. "I mean, Gobber comes up to us yesterday and says that with Hiccup out that he needed us to help here. I mean we're glad to help but what about fire patrol?"
"Well, the main reason we had fire patrol was because of the dragons. With the war over and them settling here in the village there's probably less of a need for fire patrol. What do you think?" I asked.
Tuffnut responded, "Well Chief, I mean we agree with you on that but…it's hard! I'm not used to all of the work that's done here."
"A blacksmith is very necessary for the village. We need you and your sister to do this for the good of all of us. We're going to need a lot of tools to help make the housing for all the dragons. Now…can I get your agreement on that?" I asked. At this point I wasn't going to make him a 'deal'. "Now as for you Ruffnut, what was your specialty before fire patrol?"
"Well sir, I enjoyed stitching and needlepoint…"
"Perfect, how would you like to craft a saddle for your Zipplebacks?" I asked.
"But sir, I don't know anything about leather," Ruffnut whined.
"Is it similar to stitching?"
"Well, yes…" Ruffnut replied somewhat hesitantly.
"Then what is the problem?"
"Well sir, the leather is so much tougher to work with than cloth." Ruffnut whined again.
"Gobber, did you get the saddle that Hiccup made for Toothless?"
"Yes, I did. I have it back in his shop," Gobber answered. He knew where I was going to go with this as he went behind the curtain where I encountered Hiccup a little over a week ago. He retrieved the burnt and tattered remains of the saddle used by Hiccup. "Here you go. Oh I need to show you something as well when we're done here."
I gave Gobber a questioning look as I took the saddle from him. "Okay. Now Ruffnut, I know that when you all went to the Dragon Island you didn't have a saddle. How did it feel?"
"It was a pain in my ass," she responded with some interesting and colorful language.
I smiled. "Okay, now don't you think that something like this would be better on your ass?"
"Yes sir, I guess so." Ruffnut replied, seeing the logic in my reason, but unenthusiastic as all get out.
"Then for your ass, and to keep from falling off, and frankly to show your dragon that you care for it, wouldn't it be a good thing to craft a saddle for Thing1?"
"Yes sir." She responded as if being sent to clean the dragon stalls.
"Okay, good. Now both of you, I would appreciate your helping out Gobber here. Please continue doing so for the time being. Have your parents been told of the arrangements?"
Tuffnut answered. "No sir, we mentioned that we were asked to help out down here but that was it."
"Alright then, if it's okay to both of you I'd like to pay a visit to your parents later this morning."
"They should be there, sir." Tuffnut replied.
"Okay, good. Gobber, what is it that you wanted to show me?"
"Come with me." As we went back into the smithy, Gobber took a tallow candle and lit it before proceeding into Hiccup's area, motioning me to follow him.
I went back into the shop and slipped past the curtain, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim interior. "So what did you find?"
"Well, I found the plans for the leg but I also found these." Gobber pointed to a pile of drawings in the far corner of Hiccup's drawing table.
They were pictures of Toothless. Dozens of drawings of the Night Fury and an intricate detailed plan of the tail mechanism.
"You didn't see these before, I gather?" I had to ask.
"No." That was Gobber's honest and frank reply.
"He was hiding them in plain sight." It made sense. "I was in here…before the selection when you used the Gronckle. I came here, telling him that I was looking for him and I remember now that he was shuffling some papers and drawings underneath his journal, trying to keep me from seeing what was on them." Except for last week, when was the last time I was back here to see what he was working on? When was anybody back here? He knew he could leave these plans and drawings out because of his standing as the village pariah.
"Well, now we know what was on those drawings…" Gobber asked.
"Yes. Yes, we do." I answered with some regret. This was another sign of the double life Hiccup lived to protect Toothless and do well in dragon training. He was smart enough, though, to figure what he could get away with based on his observations of everyone, including me. He probably didn't expect me to come to into his shop like I did. "Let's head back out." I walked into the main area of the smithy, followed by Gobber.
"I'll get started on Hiccup's leg and give the twins Hiccup's saddle. It'll give them an example to start for their own. I'll also work on a new saddle for Toothless as well." Gobber responded.
"Alright...by the way, where's the twins' dragon, Thing?" I asked.
"He sleeps back at their house. He doesn't like the noise either." Gobber replied.
"Well, if that's the case then we may have a dragon free zone here."
It was still early morning as I approached the Thorston house, a smallish sized house located on the western end of the village. Toothless was with me as well taking in all of the sights and sounds of life here in Berk. I could see the Zippleback, Thing, resting behind the house as I knocked on the front door.
"Who is it?" A gravelly woman's voice emerged from the interior.
"It is Chief Stoick with the Night Fury," I replied.
A door opened to see a woman, middle aged with long, graying hair tied in a bun. She was in the middle of cleaning up the living area of her home, wearing a long gray dress slightly tattered on the bottom fringe but decorated in the style of the day. The house was laid out in the typical fashion but with four beds in the sleeping area. Blankets separated the beds from each other.
"Chief Stoick! It is an honor" as the woman bowed deeply before me. "Walnut...we have guests!" Miss Thorston called to the back of the house.
"I'll be right out" I heard a hacking male voice reply from what I was able to discern from the shadows. "Ah, Chief Stoick, it is truly an honor. How is your son, Hiccup?" Walnut Thorston was similar in appearance to his wife Peanut, graying hair framing a face showing the wear of bringing up twins. They were our candle and soap makers, taking any fat or tallow and making it into lye soap or candles as needed by the village.
"Thank you Mister Thorston. Hiccup is still sleeping and one of the teens is watching him as we speak. Now, I wanted to come by and discuss with you the arrangements for Ruffnut and Tuffnut. With Hiccup asleep, I need to have the village to continue to run properly and I've asked Gobber the blacksmith to take the twins on as apprentices for the time being." I managed to get out before I heard Toothless bark, apparently Thing awakened and was curious to see why we were here. "Hello Thing," I said as I greeted the Zippleback and was awarded with a warble before he went back to the side of the house after nosing and exchanging words with the Night Fury. "Okay, now with that out of the way…I want to ask if the arrangement with you is acceptable considering I did not have enough time yesterday to discuss this with you personally."
"For the twins, I think it's wonderful. It'll keep them out of trouble, it will. And it's a good job too, something that'll put meat on their bones and pride in their heart." Walnut's gap-toothed smile went from ear to ear as he spoke. "What about Hiccup? Won't he want to go back to the forge when he wakes up?" Walnut asked.
"Frankly Mister Thorston, I don't know what Hiccup will want to do. From what I saw, I think he would be a fine leader to take over for me at some point. He's proven himself worthy if I say so."
"Aye, I would agree with you there Chief." Walnut replied.
"So Miss Thorston, I understand that Ruffnut has done needlepoint and stitching in the past. Is that correct?" I asked.
"Yes sir. She's very good at it too." Peanut went over to a night stand beside a made up bed where she pulled from one of the drawers a piece of cloth. "This here is her latest needlepoint. It shows some hearts on here, her name, as well as maybe another name as it looks like it starts with an 'H'."
Hoo boy, I hope it isn't who I think it is.
"Well, Miss Thorston, it is quite good and the reason I brought it up was our need for saddles which will require working with leather. Do you feel that your daughter can work with leather as well as she can do needlepoint?"
"Chief, if I have to help her I will. If anything, leather work should be easier. The stitching doesn't need to be fancy but it does need to be tough," Peanut replied.
"Very good then, I appreciate your acceptance of this arrangement and I will see that the twins are aware of it as well."
It was mid-morning when Toothless and I walked to the Great Hall for the gathering. Before we walked inside there were several Nadders and Nightmares waiting outside of the doorway. My guess was that their Vikings were inside and felt uncomfortable going in as well. Again I found it captivating to see these creatures gazing out from the patio over the ocean, enjoying the view while lying down on the stone floor. I went by with Toothless when there was a squawk from one Nadder. Toothless turned and seemed to answer with a trill and a warble, motioning with his head to have the Nadder follow him, which it proceeded to do by standing up and walking behind us.
"I gather Tooth that this is a friend?" I asked as we entered inside.
"Well yes, I certainly hope so." I heard from behind as I turned around and saw Spaki Hofferson. His arm was still in a sling as I went and looked at the Nadder again.
"So I can assume that the splint came off your Nadder?" I queried.
"Yes, and she decided to stick around as well. Ingrid and I are both growing fond of her. She seems to be caring for everyone and Bluetooth seems to have taken a shining to her as well." Spaki started to scratch the neck of the Nadder, reducing it into a puddle of purring dragon. "Are we still on for the massage?"
"Yes, after I'm done here. We'll go up and take care of that as well after the gathering." I replied. "And I will see you there."
I turned and walked to the head of the table with Toothless by my side. I noticed that since yesterday that all of the walls were painted with a whitewash and that the chandelier was replaced. The tooth from the monstrous mountain was positioned against the wall behind me. "Alright…I call this gathering open for discussion. I want to first call to mind and share a moment of silence with those that have died, Vikings who lost their lives in a true battle that will make a difference here in our village."
I cast my gaze over the assembly of Vikings, Toothless and the Nadder. Almost the entire village was present, around a thousand Berkers. The Vikings here wanted to know what was next and frankly I did too.
"As you can see and are aware we have dragons among us now…I have found them to be caring and sensitive to us and I believe that they are willing to work with us here in this village. Why…I do not know, but from what I've seen so far they are good for all of us. With that said, I mentioned on Dragon Island that if you are unable to live with this arrangement then I will understand, but I intend on making this work. You are all welcome back at any time and I will not bring ill will to you or your kin."
I then paused to gauge the reaction of the crowd and continued as there was none. I then pointed to the tooth mounted on the wall behind me. "This tooth is a testament of the courage of those that went into battle that day. It is also a reminder to all those that go to battle to understand as much as possible about any enemy."
Wars and battles are fought when either one side or another fails to account for all of the capabilities of the opposing force and I wanted to address that now. "I…went into battle with what allowed us to find Dragon Island, but I…didn't know everything about the monster that was a part of this." I jerked my thumb in the direction of the tooth behind me. "I accept that failure and am willing to pay a price for it."
A murmur went up from the crowd before a Viking answered, "What are you asking for Stoick?"
"I am asking that you bring up a vote of confidence," I replied. There was an immediate uproar from the gathering that immediately quieted down as I held up my hand. "Never before have we suffered such loss in a single battle with the dragons as we did with this monstrosity. I allowed myself to be blinded by hatred to these creatures and because of that I would accept the voice of the gathering here today."
"What you did Stoick was something that any of us would do." I heard the remark shouted from the back of the hall. I turned to see who it was that said that to find Brainfart, confined to a chair near the back. I walked over to him and knelt in front of him as he was unable to stand or even move.
"Hello my friend…I…I am grateful and humbled by your comments." I replied gratefully, my voice shaking, as he gestured for me to get nearer to him.
He said in a whisper close to my ear, "You owe me" he said in a deadpan, monotone manner. I couldn't gather from how he said it what his clear intentions were.
I smiled forthrightly and without malice. "Yes, I know and understand, Brain."
A smile cracked Brainfart's lips. He knew I did wrong to him and knew that I would keep my pledge. What I didn't know was how far he would take this.
"So I ask for your vote." I voiced in front of the entire assembly.
Fortunately there were only a few dissenters, those that did not participate in the battle and who were unwilling to accept the changes I had started.
"I appreciate the trust that you all have placed in me this day and will do everything in my power for Berk." I answered after the vote of confidence. It showed to me that the village believed in me and I hoped that my willingness to bring this to the assembly now showed to all my feelings of what occurred.
"The next item to discuss, what in Hel's name do we call that thing?" I asked, somewhat incredulously. Nothing like what we fought against was in the Dragon Manual, so I was open to suggestions.
"It was death." I heard shouted from the crowd.
"Aye it was that. Death incarnate, but be careful…there's already a 'whispering death'.
"How about the Red Death, because of its red horns" another Viking shouted. "How about the Green Death, because it was green in color" another Viking replied.
"Well it seems that we agree that it was Death, but don't agree on the color. Those that want Green say 'aye'." A good number of Vikings responded. "Those that want Red say 'aye'." A similar number of Vikings responded. "Okay, it's about the same. So we'll call it the 'Red Death'." I decreed. "Have someone make a note of this in the Dragon Manual when recording this monstrosity."
"Speaking of the Dragon Manual, one of the five teens from the training cohort asked to stay on Dragon Island with five others. They will be our link with the dragons and I expect to start a supply line to them by sailing every other day until winter sets in. My goal is to see if we can trade or form an alliance. The first supply ship leaves for Dragon Island tomorrow afternoon. I was informed yesterday that we would have some passengers sailing with the crew." I saw Fishlegs' father in the crowd. "Mister Ingerman, make sure that you are aware of the time and that there are no problems. Others that are interested in seeing the island should be aware that the journey is a day and a half each way, or three to four days total."
I looked over at Spitelout, "Since we now have a different arrangement with the dragons, others have asked for training. If you are interested in training then you will have to see my nephew Snotlout Jorgensen. He is willing to help those interested in working with all of the species. Since we don't have any dragons that have yet to be with someone you may need to go to Dragon Island to have one find you."
I looked over to Toothless as I discussed my last point. "The last item on the agenda, is housing for the dragons. Even though most of the dragons here will probably be a part of a family, I would dare say that may not always be the case. So I would like volunteers to help build structures for the dragons that decide to stay. Get with the teens from the dragon training cohort and see what may be acceptable to our new villagers and yes, I am willing to call the dragons our new villagers."
"Now, regarding how we treat the dragons…I for one am treating the Night Fury, who is called Toothless, as an honored guest in my house. He saved my son, what else can I say? I do not…consider him as an animal as I did previously and I am beginning to find that he is worthy of my respect. THAT is the key element here…respect. So it is my intention to continue treating him in that manner."
I continued to scan the hall. "With our new villagers, we need to find out how smart they are if we are to talk with them, what are their likes and dislikes. I am asking you all to help in this fashion. Simple hand signals seem to work for now."
"As far as weapons are concerned…consider, just consider putting them away." A murmur went out from the gathering. I held up my hand. "We've been at war with the dragons that are among us now for three hundred years and we must be willing to show them that we mean them no harm anymore."
I heard someone shout "How do you know that they won't turn on us?"
"I don't." I answered with a response that was uncomfortable to those present in the hall. A slight murmuring coursed through those gathered. "I am not saying that I know how they will react. I can only guess, based on what I've seen so far. I'm not going to lie to you…this is all new to me and I have to look at what has happened and is occurring right now."
Another shout, "You're asking that we set aside three hundred years of distrust of the dragons?"
I jerked my thumb to the tooth mounted on the wall behind me. "Yes, I am…Just look behind me to see what I'm putting my belief in."
Silence filled the hall.
"Again, I am not ruling that you are to go without weapons. You must be willing to at least consider it. Spaki Hofferson, where are you?" I called out into the gathering.
"Right here, Chief" I heard Spaki reply.
"Are carrying any weapon with you right now?" I asked as I was guessing what the answer would be.
"I'm carrying a small knife. That is all I usually carry within town." Spaki replied.
I smiled to him as I inwardly frowned. "Would you consider using it or drawing it on your dragon?" I was surprised that the Nadder would be willing to tolerate even the presence of any weapon. Maybe his Nadder knew that the knife and its owner would not use it on her.
"No."
I smiled again. At least there was something here that made sense. "Alright, consider the example that is set here at this gathering. If you draw a weapon on those dragons, well, we all know what they're capable of and they probably know what we're capable of too. Keep that in mind, everyone."
Another question came from the crowd, "What are we going to do with all the crap?"
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Ye' know. Dragon droppings…poop…crap. It's piling up and around in certain areas of the village. Now…it's good to know that at least it don't smell, with them burning it to a crisp and everything but we need to move it." The Viking made a good point as we needed to keep the village clean.
"I'll take suggestions here."
"We could try spreading it out on the fields up on the plain above town." One of our farmers asked. "If you spread manure on the field then it helps plants grow. The manure from the training dragons before worked well enough but it smelled to high heaven with all of the fish that they ate."
"What was the difference?"
"They didn't burn it," the Viking replied.
"How do you intend to get it the fields?"
"That I don't know Chief. I was hoping for some help, maybe load up a couple of carts and do it myself but there's an awful lot to spread around." The farmer replied.
"I'll leave it to you then to handle the matter. In the meantime, if you have a dragon then it is your responsibility to look after them. That includes cleaning up after them as well." I was beginning to think of the growing number of 'piles' present outside my front porch.
"Last but not least, I want to address those that have lost loved ones…You are not alone. We are your family and we…help…family. Talk with your friends and neighbors to see what is needed by them if there was a loss or injury. Be willing to lend a hand and to share if you can. Goodness can and will come from all that has happened. Be willing to accept the good and to rise to the challenges that come our way, for we are Berk and with everything that happened, we will survive and succeed. The Gods have seen us through this and have good plans for us all. The Gods have and will bless Berk."
A cheer went up from the assembly as Toothless and the Nadder were surprised by the sudden noise. I went over the Night Fury and placed my hand on his neck. "Okay let's go and take care of that massage." I glanced over to Spaki who was leading the Nadder out of the door when Spitelout approached with Fang.
"I gather that we need to start building some more houses," Spite commented.
"Yes. I see that you've started an addition for Firewyrm. How is it you know what she needs and is it big enough for her and her mate if she decides on having a family?" I asked.
"I don't know. It's just guess." Spite answered.
I looked at Spite. Yes it's all guess at this point. "How do you know she'll accept it?"
Spite shrugged. "I don't and can't know, but I'm willing to find out."
I smiled. That's the only thing that we could do at this point, try and find out. "Okay, good luck and let me know of the progress. Also, get with some of the other veterans with Nightmares and see what plans they are making for housing. Maybe with all of the guessing something will work."
"Right!" Spite replied as he ventured out of the hall with Fang still perched on his right shoulder.
Toothless had his second massage and I could see the improvement to his right wing as there were fewer knots or hard places. He wasn't wincing as much and was doing what he could by himself to rotate both wings through a full circle at different angles. Spaki and Ingrid were finishing up while Stormfly waited patiently for them. Apparently the name was a combination of two choices between Spaki and Ingrid, 'Eye of the Storm' and 'FLY AWAY'. They planned on providing a shelter for both of their Nadders and looked forward to ideas from the veterans as well.
The rest of the morning was like yesterday, taking care of any business that was needed and mentioning to the villagers to see me at my house. Returning to the Great Hall, I noticed several more dragons sunning themselves on the outer patio as Vikings returned from the interior of the hall with food for themselves and raw fish for the dragons, followed by a quick but apparently satisfying rub. Toothless was just taking it all in as he walked by my side.
"Uhhh, I'm going to have to check what's for lunch." I said curiously. "I didn't think we had raw salmon on the menu." I went inside with the dragon, making our way over to the tables laid out with food. One table clearly had cooked food, goose legs, mutton, breads, root vegetables and goat cheese. However, the second table had raw fish stocked with salmon, cod, haddock, and flounder. Not a significant amount but enough that would be a snack, in my way of thinking, for the dragons.
Toothless' eyes were fixed on the second table.
"I guess you want some lunch?" I asked as I grabbed several plates and placed a half dozen salmon on them. I went over to Toothless with the three plates and looked at him. "Now, when we're in here, let me get the food." I placed the plates down on the floor in front of him as he set himself down and began to slowly savor eating each of the fish. I wasn't even going to think how I would pantomime that. I noticed Gobber grabbing some food as well.
"Now I'd never thought I'd see the day when Stoick the Vast would serve dinner for a dragon. Serve a dragon for dinner, yes, serve dinner for a dragon, no."
I smiled. "I need to get you one just so I can come up with some lines of my own. So…how are the twins?"
Gobber twisted on his mug hand while getting ready to eat a goose leg. "Good as expected. Both of them are only now just realizing how hard the job is. Gives them more respect for Hiccup. After your little pep talk this morning they seem more inclined to make it work as well. I will tell you one thing, what Hiccup did with that tail mechanism was sheer genius. I'm just hoping that I can get it made before he wakes up."
"Why is it so hard?" I asked, curious as to why Gobber was having difficulty.
"Tension." Gobber explained. "All of the lines running from the tail to the stirrups were under tension and I don't know what the right amount would be unless I try it on the Night Fury."
"We'll pay you a visit when you need him then." I responded. This would be interesting to do, to see if others can follow Hiccup's plans.
I returned home with Toothless after finishing lunch to find Astrid still keeping vigil on the inside of the house with her Nadder waiting patiently outside. When she left for the day, I went and checked on Hiccup.
Oh Gods.
The stump that was the bottom of his left leg was black.
Damn!
It happened so quickly.
I went outside and noticed a villager down in the village square. I shouted to him, "YOU SIR, PLEASE HELP. GET THE HEALER OVER TO MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW." He saluted and ran straight away to the village square. Toothless looked over to me with a look of worry on his face.
"Tooth, I will let you know that we have to take care of Hiccup right now. Come with me over to him." I motioned for the dragon to follow me to Hiccup's bed and with me kneeling next to my son I began to sniff at the blackened mass. It smelled of death. I then motioned for Toothless to do the same as he cautiously approached and sniffed as well.
A low moan escaped from the dragon.
"Okay, Tooth. Now the healer is coming and he is going to have to take care of this."
Please understand…I don't need to struggle with you.
I looked around for an inventory of what I had. I took fresh water and immediately placed it into a cauldron, setting it on top of the fire. I went and took extra logs and set them on top of the fire burning in the pit. I went upstairs and grabbed some sheepskins, bringing them down and laying them out on the table next to Hiccup. By the time I was finished, Pus arrived.
"What's wrong Stoick? I was told that you needed me straight away." Pus asked.
"Hiccup's leg…" I responded.
Pus glanced over to the bed where my son lay, seeing the uncovered and blackened stump. "Okay, this is not good. We'll have to remove the dead flesh and then seal it back up again. I see you've set the table, we'll perform the procedure there."
I took both of my arms, placing them underneath Hiccup, lifting him from the bed onto the sheepskins laid out on the table. "What do you need?"
"Well you have a fire going so I can heat up my tools there. As far as the water is concerned, it may take too long to heat up. My main concern is the dragon as I can't have him in the way."
"I understand. I had Toothless check the stump before you arrived so he realizes that there is a problem there. I will do what I can to keep him out of the way." I replied. "I explained to him before what we did on Dragon Island and I'll do that again here."
The eyes on Toothless radiated sadness and concern. It was possible he remembered what happened before at the island with Gobber. I could hear him utter a low moan as I went over to him. "Okay Tooth. What you and I saw is not good" as I pointed at Hiccup's leg. "Our healer will fix that and I will still hold up my end of the bargain with you."
"What bargain is that Stoick?" as Pus started washing his hands and arms.
"I promised him that I would get them both flying again." I mentioned.
"Well, I still don't see why we can't have them do that." The healer took and washed the entire bottom portion of Hiccup's left leg and stump with a lye soap and water, drying it with a sheepskin and then finished by sprinkling some uisge on the area he would remove. "How did the dragon react when it was done before?"
"We had him knocked out as we had to set his right wing."
Pus looked at me before he continued. "So he never saw what happened directly then?"
"No." I replied.
"Alright Stoick" the healer sighed, knowing that I was placing some challenges in front of him. Pustulent took a leather strap and cord, placing it around Hiccup's calf above the dead area. That would be the new bottom of the stump. Between the stump and the strap, he placed a thick cord that he would use as a tourniquet, tightening the cord to reduce the possibility of blood loss. Pus went and sprinkled some more uisge over the cord and strap and then his hands.
I glanced over at Toothless and could see the pained look on his face. "Okay Toothless, I want you to know that Pus is going to cut into Hiccup's leg." I got the attention of the Night Fury and pointed between the healer and Hiccup as I made a sawing motion over my left leg before pointing to Hiccup.
A low moan came from the Night Fury, followed by another as I approached Toothless. Kneeling in front of the Night Fury, I reached out and gently placed my hand on his head. "Dragon, I want you to stay, but you are going have to remain calm and quiet. Please." I looked into his eyes to see if he would understand, seeing the concern and sadness there.
Pus then removed one of the heated knives from the fire. "Stoick, do you have a bowl for the bad flesh?"
I got up off the floor, rushing to the kitchen to retrieve a bowl, any bowl. "Here" as I handed him the bowl and then stood next to the Night Fury.
Pus then took the bowl and placed it underneath the area that he would cut. He then took the knife to the dead flesh. A slight sizzling sound could be heard as Toothless let out a soft whimper.
"Stoick…"
"Pus, if you can, please continue, I'm right next to Toothless and I will be responsible for him, holding him back if needed."
Pus then continued his work, cutting away at the blackened skin to reveal the rotting flesh underneath. He was able to continue digging away at the dead flesh as it was removed in soft greenish pieces.
Toothless continued to softly moan.
"Stoick…"
"It's alright dragon. It will be alright." I stroked the Night Fury's head gently to ease its tension and apprehension, as well as mine.
The procedure continued until all of the dead flesh was removed, leaving the bone exposed. About a hand's length of Hiccup's leg bone stuck out from the area that the healer cleared. Pus then extracted a hand saw from the fire, a dull red from the heat. He began to saw the bone, cutting initially underneath, then with strokes on top.
Toothless began whimpering.
"Stoick…"
"I know, I'm right here too." I had to contain my own emotions as well as I saw my son cut into for the second time, losing more of his leg, and losing more of him.
Pus continued sawing the bone, finishing the cut then cleaning it with uisge. He had several flaps of skin hanging loosely around the stump as he removed the tourniquet holding back the flow of blood.
A loud moan emanated from the Night Fury, followed by a moan from Hiccup saying apparently, "Hurrrrrrts…."
"Stoick…" Pus voiced out.
I knelt in front of the dragon and I said as calmly as I could, "Toothless, we're almost done here. It will be okay. It will be alright. We're almost done." I stroked the side of his head as he continued moaning along with Hiccup. "Why did Hiccup moan?"
"His body is reacting to the pain. He won't remember what happened though." Pus replied as he finished with the blood vessels, cauterizing them with another knife from the fire, before finishing up with the flaps of skin. Pus took the bowl with the dead skin, flesh and blood and threw it into the fire. He finished by washing his hands in soap and water then sprinkling the newly cauterized stump with uisge. "Alright Stoick, I'm done."
"Toothless, follow me." I approached Hiccup, still on top of the table, motioning to the dragon to get closer to Hiccup. I could see the concern and sadness in his eyes, the worry. I motioned him to sniff the leg. Despite the fact that it smelled like the aftermath of a mead drinking contest in the great hall, the infection was gone, as well as another portion of my son's leg. The dragon sniffed Hiccup from head to stump, a look of worry still on his face.
"We've done our best here dragon. Pus is our best healer so Hiccup will get better. I swear." I gently placed my palm on his head. "Pus, thank you for what you've done here."
"Just keep the area dry and open for the time being and it will get better." Pus replied.
"What happened, why did it turn bad so quickly?" I had to ask. I've seen infections before but usually it takes days for it to turn to dead flesh the way it did.
"I don't know Stoick. It happens. For now, keep feeding him broth when he is awake and the swelling on the stump should go down in the next few days." Pus answered as he cleaned first himself then his knives with soap and water, drying them over the fire and then wrapping each of the knives in sheepskin.
"Pus I want thank you again for everything that you have done."
"And Stoick I want to thank you for keeping Toothless under control. I am grateful that I only had one patient here today."
I smiled with that, but it raised a valid question. Did Toothless understand what was going on and why? Did he allow the healer to proceed? It definitely wasn't he could understand what I was saying. More questions that I wanted answers to. "Do you think Hiccup will wake up soon?"
"It's hard to tell. It's only been a few days. The fact that he didn't flinch and moaned slightly would lead me to believe that it could be another week."
"I... I understand." I was saddened to hear that answer.
"Well I'm off, and it looks like I'll be taking care of your other patient today as well."
"Who would that be?"
"The Nightmare at the docks."
"Oh you mean Lefty?"
"So that's what you're calling him?"
"Well…I'm not, but apparently everyone else is."
"Well, I'll be checking his splint as well. So I will see you tomorrow, okay?" Pus asked.
"Very good…thank you Pus." As I clasped his right hand before he walked out the doorway into the afternoon sun. I closed the door behind me, going back to the table where Hiccup was laying. I picked him up and put him back into his bed, placing a blanket again over him but making sure that the stump was left uncovered. Toothless was right beside me, sniffing at Hiccup as well to see if there was anything else amiss. I cleaned up the sheepskin and placed it off to the side, to be washed later.
I sat down at the bench next to the table, looking at Hiccup and the dragon.
I openly wept.
How could this happen? What went wrong? "Oh Toothless, what am I going to do?" I looked over to Toothless who was now looking at me, confusion as well as sadness present in his eyes. "I know, I know…you don't understand what I'm saying. It's just…it isn't fair to Hiccup."
Who said life is fair?
I sighed, realizing that there will always be challenges in each of our lives. My challenge was Val's death and how to raise Hiccup. Hiccup's challenge was, let's face it, me, so there. Challenges will be a part of our lives.
That's what makes us Vikings.
"So the question now is how to proceed." I said openly while looking at Toothless. "We face it, head on. Get some rest, dragon. I'll take and watch him now." I pointed to the dragon and motioned him to get some sleep. He hesitantly set himself down next to the bed, curling his body and tail completely around it. I went over and placed a few more logs on the fire, trying to warm up the house and remove the chill in the air.
I continued to receive visitors, handling and resolving issues, later in the afternoon. I went and stayed just outside the open doorway. It was a beautiful fall day and I had a chance to savor the sights and smells of the village. Every so often, I would go inside to check on Hiccup and the dragon, finding both asleep.
Spite came over late in the day to see how things were. I mentioned what happened to Hiccup's leg and found him saddened as well. "He'll pull through. He's a Haddock" he said as I smiled at that remark. He left later, asking some villagers he encountered if they could provide me whatever was served at the Great Hall, which I accepted by allowing them into my house later. Toothless was up by then, looking at the villagers stream in with the usual; victuals for Hiccup and me, cod for him, some buckets of fresh water. I had dinner, fed Hiccup and cleaned up afterwards.
I just felt sad, saddened by the events of the day.
I have to continue the story...
"The continuing saga of the boy who would be a hero, chapter three" I sighed.
"So after returning to find the dragon's island, the Chief finds out that his son is leading in dragon training. Everyone that he met at the docks leave the Chief thinking that his son disappeared which concerned him greatly. The Chief's best friend, the blacksmith, was able to fill him in on what his son did while he was away. The methods that his son used were out of the ordinary and made the Chief think about how he was able to come up with these tricks."
I looked over at Toothless as he paid rapt attention to what I was saying.
"So the Chief, knowing his son and remembering what the village elder said, mentioned to his best friend and brother that he had a hunch. He thought that his son had to figure out how to do these things by watching dragons but where exactly the Chief didn't know. He knew, though, that he could wait until after dragon training was complete."
I felt tired but it was not from exhaustion. I hadn't felt like this in years, since Val's death. I knew its meaning. I knew I needed a routine to break this sadness until Hiccup woke up.
But what if he doesn't wake up?
"Odin and the gods have a plan not only for you and me but your son as well."
That is what Gothi said and I have to, no must, no DO believe it. I got my shawl and got ready for another night in my chair. I went over and placed my hand gently on the head of Toothless as he leaned into the attention before I removed it to retire for the night. I walked back to my chair, sat down and covered myself with the shawl.
"Good night Toothless. Good night Hiccup."
"Wake up soon son."
…
(lick)
Author's Note: The amputation Hiccup had on Dragon Island led to gas gangrene and progressed to the point of septicemia, hence the darkened stump. Hiccup's reaction to the pain is a primal reaction while still in a coma. Even though he is having an additional portion of his leg removed, he won't remember what happened. I believe that this is what would occur if a person were in a moderate coma.
Hiccup's GCS=12 E4 V3 M5 at this point. This means that he would be able to open his eyes spontaneously, that he would be able to vocalize words and would be able to withdraw from painful stimuli.
Thanks for reading.
Reviews are appreciated.