Stoick decided to wait until Dagur and Ryker left the hut completely. He needed to speak to Hiccup in private about Viggo. It would do no good to lose his temper in front of the other two men. Dagur was protective of Hiccup and Ryker, whether he hated his brother or not, would protect Viggo. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight, especially in front of a child. Viggo may have been turned into said child, but Stoick had spent a little time with him and Viggo or not, the boy was too young to comprehend why people would be fighting over for a second…no third…time. He had to handle the situation delicately, something he wasn't exactly good at.
Gobber followed close behind, reminding him to stay calm and that they didn't know all the facts, and that maybe Hiccup had good reason for keeping it a secret. Stoick ignored him. There was never a good reason for his son to keep secrets from his father and chief.
For two large men, one of which with a wooden leg, they were able to move through Dagur's hut silently. Stoick gestured for Gobber to stay downstairs. He mounted the stairs slowly as he tried to come up with a way to approach the subject without seeming aggressive. Hiccup never responded well to it and this child may not as well. The problem was he always had trouble talking to Hiccup about such things. He thought back to when Toothless first entered their lives and how he had pretty much disowned Hiccup for doing something no other Viking had done before. That wasn't true. There was one other but Stoick didn't want to think of him.
And then there was Alvin. Hiccup believed he could change but Stoick refused to even consider the possibility only for his son to prove him wrong again. Was it possible that Viggo Grimborn had changed as well, more than physically? His death, or supposed death, had affected Hiccup greatly. Both times. The volcano incident had caused Hiccup to question himself, while Viggo sacrificing himself to save Hiccup and Toothless had made him grow up much faster than expected. Because this time it wasn't an enemy that threatened everything he cared about that had died over some silly trinket but rather someone who had inspired him and challenged him and made him become stronger and smarter and proved he wasn't the monster he let people think he was. Viggo had taught Hiccup about dragons and warfare in a way Stoick never could. And for That, Stoick both hated and admired the man.
There was soft talking above, causing Stoick to pause just below the loft, midway up the steps.
"Do I have to with Ryker?" the child's unmistakable voice asked.
"I'm afraid so," Hiccup answered.
Stoick peeked over the last step. Hiccup's back was to him and the boy appeared to be sitting on his lap.
"But I want to stay with you," the child whined, his small arms around Hiccup's middle. "I want to stay with you and Astrid."
"Oh bud, I wish you could. I really do, but it's not safe. If Krogan and Johann attacked again…"
"I don't care! I'll fight them. Just don't send me away. Ryker doesn't want me. Please…please let me stay. I'll be good!" Viggo pleaded, sounding as if he was in tears. "That bad Viggo, the one nobody likes, he won't come back. I won't let him come back. I promise."
Stoick couldn't help it. His heart ached for the boy. He watched as his son lifted the child up and hugged him tightly.
"Gods, Viggo…why do always have to make things so hard?" he breathed in the boy's hair. "I can't…we'll see. I don't know, okay? I'll talk to Astrid and Ryker. We'll figure something out."
Viggo gave a sniffle and small nod then buried his face in the crook of Hiccup neck and sobbed some more. Small Hiccup's escaped him as his body shook with the force of his emotions. Stoick watched silently for a few minutes then sighed softly. He'd talk to Hiccup later. Right now he had his arms full, quite literally. And he knew an upset child when he saw one. That boy may have once been a man but he was no longer. No doubt that was the primary reason Gothi had been summoned, not just to care for his injuries but also the help discover what had happened. She may hold the answers. If not her, Astrid would.
He ushered Gobber quickly and silently out if the hut.
"So now what?" Gobber asked, surprised Stoick hadn't confronted his son.
"We talk to Gothi and Astrid," Stoick said simply. He gave his friend a cheeky grin. "You get Gothi."
Before Gobber could object, Stoick mounted Skullcrusher and took in the direction Astrid was doing patrol. He'd take his future daughter-in-law over the old healer any day.
"You know you're lucky I like you!" Gobber yelled after him. He adjusted his helmet, already imagining the new dents Gothi was about to put in it, then headed to the clubhouse. "Gothi better be in a good mood or we're heading back to Berk without them, eh Grump?"
His dragon gave a rumble in response and curled his head under one paw to take a nap.
. . .
Astrid wasn't surprised when Stoick cornered her about Viggo. She stared at him for a moment before smiling and glancing toward Snotlout who was lazily sitting in a watchtower.
"Two days, I won," she announced.
He looked up with a frown, counted on his fingers then glared at her. "Damn it! I had tomorrow," he grumbled, slouching back as Hookfang climbed around the tower.
Stoick looked back and forth between the two before sighing. "So you all know?" he asked, somehow not surprised Hiccup had convinced his friends to keep the secret. He wasn't too happy that they had wagered how longer it would take Stoick to figure it out.
Astrid rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. "Well at first it was kind of hard not to notice he was unlike other kids we've dealt with. It was just little things. Like when he told us his name and then spelt it out for us. Then playing Maces and Talons with Toothless and asking if I hated him and apologizing if he hurt me. It was a lot of little things. Dagur figured it out first. It came more as a shock for the rest of us."
Stoick nodded in sympathy. "I can imagine. How did this happen?"
She shrugged. "According to Viggo, he was forced to drink something then woke up like…well that." She gestured to Dagur's hut. "Hiccup's been very protective of him. He blames himself for letting Viggo sacrifice himself. In the short amount of time they worked together they formed a bond. Now… Stoick, I've never seen him dedicate himself to someone as much as he has…except Toothless and…"
"You?" her chief asked.
She smiled and gave a small laugh. "Yeah. It felt odd but good having Viggo in my arms and laying next to Hiccup. I never thought about him and me actually having kids until then. It felt…I don't know…right."
Her chief nodded in understanding. He remembered that feeling, of lying in bed with Valka and Hiccup and how at peace he felt having them in his arms. Was that the feeling Hiccup had now? Was he ready to be a father and a husband. They were the biggest commitments anyone could ask for. It reminded Stoick that his son was no longer a little boy but rather a grown man, no far from being married and starting his own life.
"Is he a threat?" he asked, tearing himself away from his fantasy of becoming a grandfather. "Can we trust him?"
She pulled at the end of her braid nervously. "I don't know. I don't think so. Everyday his scars healed more and he began speaking more and more like an actual child. I don't know how much of the real Viggo is left and how much has become that of a five year old. All I can say for sure is if he wanted to hurt us or Hiccup, he's had plenty of chances. He could have killed me or him while we slept but he didn't. He could have given Johann the Dragon Eye but he gave it to Hiccup. He's not our enemy anymore."
"Perhaps," Stoick hummed. It was more to himself than her as he absorbed the information she had given him. He worried that the guilt Hiccup was feeling might be clouding his judgement. Hiccup wore his heart on his sleeve. He took everything to heart, made it personal. It was something Stoick had tried hard to help him over some since he was a child. It all tied into his son's almost constant need to prove himself even when he didn't have to.
Dismissing Astrid, he decided to Have a talk with Fishlegs and get a perceptive from someone who he hoped had not become attached to the child Viggo as much as Hiccup and Astrid had. And Fishlegs was much easier to find than just about any other rider, not that Stoick was interested in talking to anyone else…other than maybe Dagur, who seemed to have a firm handle on what was going on with both Viggo and Hiccup, strangely enough.
Fishlegs was tending his garden. Stoick didn't quite get the young man's fascination with plants and flowers but his section of the fort was quite peaceful by comparison. A nice place to retire after a weary battle.
Fishlegs looked up from the flowers he had transplanted when Skullcrusher landed nearby and gave a bright smile at seeing dragon and rider were careful to avoid his garden and multitude of plant life.
"Good day, chief," he greeted. Standing, he wiped his dirty hands on the end of his tunic then walked over to Stoick. "Taking a break from patrol? I have a hot tube you can relax in."
Stoick chuckled and returned the smile. "Maybe another time, Fishlegs. I actually wanted to talk to you about Hiccup's little friend."
As expected, the youth's face fell and he looked away. "What about VJ?"
Stoick gave him a moment to calm down and relax before pointing out he knew who VJ really was and that no one was in trouble. "You're Hiccup's best friend. You've been watching for him ever since the Red Death incident. All I want to know is; is he in his right mind around Viggo? He used to obsess about stopping him and then Viggo suddenly sacrifices himself for Hiccup and all is forgiven?"
Fishlegs looked up in surprise. "No, that's not it. Hiccup feels guilty, not just about Viggo giving his life for him and Toothless but for everything." He folded his arms across his chest and hugged himself, a sure sign that what he was about to say had to stay between them. "It's everything. Johann conned us into going to the ship grave yard. He tricked Hiccup into going on the Reaper and finding the Dragon Eye because Hiccup's the only one who could have got it. And if he got killed then he was out of the way. Johann would win either way. And he's the one who helped free Dagur and send him to the grave, too. I guess Johann thought he had a better chance stealing it from Dagur than us. And Johann was also the one that got Dagur and Heather involved with the Hunters, first just buying dragon proof cages and such then joining up to retrieve the Dragon Eye. Everything that has happened was because Johann kept pulling all of our strings, including Viggo's and Ryker's. Hiccup thinks of himself as a good judge of character but Johann played every singly one of us. If it wasn't for him we never would have encountered the Hunters. We never would have been at war with them…or even the Berserkers. And that's what's eating at Hiccup. He doesn't know how to deal with it."
Stoick rubbed his forehead. That sounded about right for Hiccup. He had to admit though, Johann had manipulating them all. But Hiccup had known the man all his life, ever since he was a child younger than Viggo was now. Johann always dotted on him, brought him ink and parchment and even helped him with his Latin when Old Wrinkly grew too sick to continue his lessons. Yes, Johann could get annoying with his tall tales but when Hiccup was little he always rushed to Johann to hear the latest one. That changed as he became a teen but it was natural. To think that Johann had been using them all this time was crushing, not just to Hiccup but Stoick as well. He had trusted this man with not just his tribe but his only child. If anyone should feel guilt it should be Stoick.
"You've spent time with the child. Is there anything remaining of his former self?" Stoick asked, steering the conversation away from the obvious guilt his son was experiencing.
Fishlegs relaxed further and took a deep calming breath. "If there is It's not enough to worry about right now. Once Hiccup restores him…that's another question."
"Restores him?" Stock's blood ran cold at the very thought.
"Well yeah," Fishlegs answered, confused. "He can't stay a child…can he?"
Stoick wasn't sure. More questions ran through his mind as he tried to understand why his son would ever want to restore an enemy to power. It made no sense. He still needed to talk to Hiccup and get a better understanding of what was going through his head. Yet at the same time he wanted to let the boy be. He obviously cared for the child. Was it right to leave him as he was or return him to his true form? And what of the injuries he had sustained prior to being changed? Would they reappear and finally kill him? Would he turn against Hiccup and try to steal dragons once more?
Stoick had more questions than answers and he wasn't sure what was best for his son and tribe anymore.
. . .
Viggo awoke with a start late into the night. His heart raced with a mix of fear and adrenaline as his nightmare replayed before his eyes. No, not a nightmare but rather a memory. A memory of clashing Hiccup's hand and telling him and Toothless to run. Arrows pierced his back, hitting vital areas and sending pain shooting through his spine and down into his knees. He had fought to stay standing to simply walking with his head held high. Thunderbolt was with him…No, it was his mother. She had gently nosed him, knowing he was dying. It was only a matter of time. He rushed surprised Hunters, men who once followed him but now followed Johann. The clanging of metal as slashed with his sword, killing the front men before they could fire their crossbows. An arrow in the stomach had knocked the air out of him but still he fought. He heard a growl behind him, felt his hair stand on end. The Skrill was pooling it's energy, causing electricity to crackle all around. It would the most powerful blast he ever witnessed and it brought a twisted smile to his face.
When the electricity ripped through the cavern, it tore through Viggo. He felt it through every inch of him, from his finger tips to his toes. It was worse where the metal arrow tips pierced his body. They burned and seemed to jump of their own accord. Or perhaps it was his muscles jumping from shock, creating even more damage. It went on for even, his body jerking as the wave continued through him to the men he was fighting.
The cavern shook with the force, causing a cave in. Large chunks of rock fell all around him. Two men were crushed. The other fell. Viggo shook for a moment more, his heart feeling as if it might explode. His lungs gave out first, making it impossible to breath. His body jerked and spasm, fighting for air. His heart pounded so fast and loud it didn't seem human. And just as he couldn't take anymore it all stopped. His world became silent then faded to black as his vision went last.
The memory made Viggo clenched his chest. It ached, as if he was experiencing it all for the first time. A small yelp escaped him as Thunderbolt snuggled against his feet. Confusion filled him for one brief moment and then he relaxed. Thunderbolt was his dragon. He had a dragon? When…why…? Other memories came back but they were seen through the eyes of a child. Wait…that wasn't right. He was a child. That didn't make sense. His mind felt hazy, as if their was a veil keeping everything just out of sight and filled him with the urge to cry out for someone. For Hiccup to hold and cuddle him and tell him everything was going to be alright.
Realization hit Viggo harder than ever before. He was battling himself. His grown up mind was battling that of his child self and the grown up was losing. It felt like someone was taking a knife and trying to carve out everything he had ever been.
Fear filled him. He didn't know how long he had. He couldn't remember the last time his adult half had been fully in control. He vaguely remembered Krogan standing over him, asking about the Skrill egg. He remembered a glimpse of Ryker fighting Krogan then nothing after. The Skrill snuggling his feet must have been the one from the egg. And Ryker…
He glanced across the room to the large form laying in the next bed. It wasn't Hiccup, Hiccup was in his own hut.
"Ryker," he breathed, surprised by the relief of seeing his older brother alive. A small sob of joy escaped him but he managed to stifle the rest. He didn't have much time. He couldn't let his mind fade back to that of a defenseless child.
He slipped out of bed and looked around. This wasn't Hiccup's hut so it took a little longer to fine parchment and charcoal. Once he did, he began writing as quickly and neatly as possible. For all he knew this could be his last time ever able to think as himself. He wrote three letters, one for Ryker and one for Hiccup and one for child self. Then he stared at them for a long time, debating if he should rip them up or not. The decision was not his own as a sleepy yawn escaped him and Thunderbolt climbed onto his back. He hoped Hiccup and Ryker understood what he wrote but soon that thought faded with the need to sleep.
"What are you doing?" Ryker grumbled as Viggo clamber up onto him. He rested his little head on the man's broad chest, the Skrill still attached to his back.
"Snuggling," Viggo murmured innocently, the Big Viggo gone and replaced by Little Viggo.
"Then sleep on your own cot," Ryker growled, clearly annoyed at being woken up.
Viggo stretched out and nuzzled his head just under Ryker's chin, already falling back asleep, this time into a restful, peaceful slumber. Ryker frowned down at him then sighed and adjusted his blanket to cover the child and Skrill as well.
"If that thing zaps me you're grounded," he warned. Then with his arms around the boy as if he were one of his own children, Ryker went back to sleep.