Chapter Twenty – Life Goes On

Part One – Riders, and Dragons, of Berk

The following morning; the Great Hall of Berk,

Breakfast had finished an hour earlier, but the hall was packed: with southern- chieftains, northern- chiefs, their advisors, and families. Most of the Vikings of Berk, who of course already knew the story, had returned to their daily activities and duties.
Most of the southern warriors were either waiting on their boats, or talking with Vikings from the village. The latter group would here parts of the story from those they talked to, and could hear the rest from those now present, in Berks' Great Hall.

Hiccup, Astrid, Valka, Fishlegs, and Heather sat at the head of the hall; their dragons curled up, nearby. They would join in the telling; when Hiccup needed a break, or when they had something to add to the story.
Hiccup began by reiterating his account from a few days earlier: the attack on the Ancestral Home of the Night- Furies, six centuries earlier, the tragic results, and events that followed.

"Gods have mercy…" Chief Gregor exclaimed. "So these … 'Hunters' attacked; with no provocation; killed, or caused the deaths of, six Night- Furies; and ran off…" He grunted, "Not that it fixes anything, but at least they got what was coming to them."
Several others voiced similar comments, a current of mutters moved through the hall; then the massive room fell silent.

"They did," Hiccup agreed. "But, unfortunately, the story gets worse before it gets better…" He sighed, and continued. "In the years that followed; word of the agreement, between the Night- Furies and the Asgardians; spread, among the dragons. When humans, our ancestors, began to arrive in the region, a large number of wild- dragons chose to uphold their pact: abandoning their homes, on islands we've since settled, retreating further north. … Most of them sought shelter in what was once a safe sanctuary: an island, located within the formation that would later become known, to us, as 'Hellheims Gate'."

"But… wasn't that… the Red- Death!" Tyrone eyes widened. "Wasn't that where she…?"

"Yes: their attempts to avoid conflict put them at the mercy of the Red- Death; a massive, cannibalistic dragon with a virtually insatiable appetite…" Hiccup confirmed, sadly. "Her ultimatum; 'bring her food, or be her food'; was what triggered the night- raids. We lost hundreds during the wars; they lost thousands … some dragon- species went extinct."
Several minutes passed in silence, as the listeners processed this. Most of them were wide-eyed: some seemed to be trying to speak, but were unable to find words.

"Like the Buffalords," Lara said, in a choked voice. "They were hunted to extinction over a century ago…" she turned to Hiccup, "Right?"

"They were hunted to the verge of extinction," Hiccup admitted. "A few remain, however; thank the gods…" A shudder passed through Astrid; Hiccup put an arm around her. "The loss of the Buffalords would've been a double- tragedy: their saliva, mixed with the juices from the herbs they eat, forms the only known cure for The Scourge of Odin plague."

For three full minutes, the Great Hall was as silent as a tomb; finally, Chief Thommen found his voice. "How… How do you know this?"

"A few years ago, when we were at our outpost, in the far- reaches…" Hiccup said, after a long pause, "Astrid and Stormfly encountered a fishing- boat, while on patrol; found the crew below deck, dead, save for one … he scratched Astrid on the arm, before they could get away. Early the following morning, she … began to show symptoms."

"So you went looking for the cure," Leanne concluded. "And found it; a Buffalord."

Hiccup nodded, "A few minutes before Viggo and his Hunters arrived; he made a few … chilling revelations." He clenched and unclenched his free hand, several times. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves … or would you rather I start with this?" He looked around.

A long moment passed in silence; which told Hiccup his earlier 'Viggo reference' had been circulated. Finally: Chief Tyrek said, "Why don't you explain these 'chilling revelations'; then pick up where you left off? We'll hear the rest, in full, when we get there." – There was a general murmur of agreement.

Hiccup nodded; "Once his Hunters were in position, and he saw Astrid, Viggo told me I 'should've left well-enough alone: his fishing- boat was no place for me, or any of my riders'."
He paused, giving the listeners a chance to put the pieces together.

Several people stiffened; Chief Thommen's eyes narrowed, "His fishing boat?"

"Viggo often referred to himself as a 'savvy businessman'," Hiccup elaborated. "Told us he was 'keenly aware' of the Buffalords' unique quality; and went on to say, quote, 'it's quite simple, really: supply and demand. He knew where to procure a supply, if he could only generate a demand'." Hiccup took a deep, calming, breath.

"You don't actually mean…" Sabrina was wide-eyed, and white-faced: as was most everyone else in the hall.

"Viggo planned to release The Scourge into populated areas, so he could make a fortune, selling the cure." Hiccup confirmed. "We detoured to the boat, on our way back to The Edge, though none of us landed: Astrid gave the crewmen the last- rites, then… we burned it."
A slightly longer pause, a silent tribute to Viggo's victims, followed Hiccup's words.
"We've faced several enemies; over the past five years," Hiccup continued. "First was Alvin and The Outcasts; next the self- styled 'Dagur the Deranged', Chief of the Berserkers' Tribe: he eventually … 'displaced' Alvin, recruiting The Outcasts into the ranks of The Berserkers. When we defeated them; Dagur and most of his warriors, were imprisoned on Outcast Island." Hiccup looked around, "Is … everyone following this, so far?"
No one spoke up; so Hiccup continued, "We had a few years 'off', so to speak; then Dagur escaped, and joined forces with The Hunters; eventually that came apart, and it was us against The Hunters. The 'Dagur- situation' became … 'complicated', and not in the way you'd think. Next was Drago, and now the kraken- lords." He gave a small smile; "That's a basic summary of the past five years… Think of the rest as a big collection of short- stories, that fill in the pieces."

Another minute passed in silence; then Bergan whistled, "Ok: that's a long story…"

Chief Tyrek frowned; "How, exactly, did the 'Dagur- situation' get 'complicated'?"

Hiccup turned to Heather, she nodded; he turned back to his fellow northern- chiefs. "Have any of you ever wondered why Dagur's father, Oswald the Agreeable, broke from the … 'traditional' Berserker- way; why he started signing peace treaties, ending wars?"

Most of the northerners in the hall blinked, exchanging surprised glances. Then Chief Ephraim spoke up, "Now that you mention it, yes… Didn't think much of it at first; figured it was a trick to make us drop our guard; but he upheld his end, until Dagur did for him." He shook his head, "Hard to believe a son would kill his own father, but…"

"He didn't kill his father; according to him, Oswald the Agreeable vanished. Dagur claimed he let the story stand, and spread, to serve as proof that he was 'tough enough' to be Chief of The Berserkers' Tribe." Another long silence followed Hiccup's revelation.

"Two questions…" Chief Grayclaw said, breaking the silence. "First: Why would Dagur tell you this; and second: how do you know he was telling the truth?"

"Dagur didn't tell me," Hiccup admitted. "He has a sister, who he set adrift when she was only a few years old; she was taken in, raised, by members of another tribe. But this is her story; I should let her tell it…" He turned, "Heather?"

A chorus of gasps rose from around the hall, as Heather stood; her head held high, "I don't remember much about my…" her voice caught; Astrid gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, "my father; just a few faint memories; but the first time I met Dagur was when he attacked my foster- tribe. After that, I drifted from place to place; ended up in the far- reaches, that's where I met Windshear. She was wounded, pretty badly; but I'd been to Berk, knew dragons weren't monsters, so… I helped nurse her back to health, befriended her. Then we … started looking for the Berserkers, for Dagur: to avenge my foster- parents, and tribe. I didn't know he was my brother, yet; was about to finish him off when Hiccup and Toothless got there, explained what … what my horn meant." She hesitated, glanced at Hiccup. "Once I knew… I had a lot to think about, so I went off on my own again; before I left, Hiccup told me about a conversation our fathers had, just after they'd signed the first peace- treaty between our tribes…" She took another deep breath, and continued. "My father signed those treaties because he wanted to stabilize the region, make it safer … for… for me to grow up in."
Another pause, and a deep breathe. "Hiccup also told me that, when I was ready to continue that legacy, I had a place waiting for me … on their team."
"A few days later, by chance, I found out that Dagur had joined forces with The Hunters … I thought I could help Hiccup, and the rest of our team, by getting close to Dagur; I did the 'family sticks together' thing; went 'undercover', tried to get information on The Hunters."

"Without telling your team?" Chief Tyrek asked, though not unkindly.

Heather dropped her gaze; "I've made some mistakes, bad choices … I told Astrid, the first chance I got, but made her promise not to tell the others; I didn't think they, Hiccup, would let me take the risk." She glanced around the hall. "There were Hunters nearby; so, on top of not being able to talk openly; Astrid and I had to fight one another, or we'd blow my cover."

"By the time I found out; they'd had been undercover too long," Hiccup explained. "Any changes in the way either of them acted would've attracted attention … I was essentially locked- out."

Chief Thommen raised an eyebrow, "What would you have done, if you had the chance?"
Murmurs of interest filled the hall, and then faded to silence; a number of people leaned forward, on their benches.

"Weren't we going to pick up where we left off, before?" A few people looked disappointed; Hiccup grinned, "I'm just trying to keep events in-order; if we start jumping around, it'll get confusing very quickly. But, since we're on the topic…" The sense of anticipation rekindled. "I would've asked Heather to suggest, to The Hunters, that she and Windshear lead decoy- hunts, close to our base: traps for us; opening an opportunity for her to ask after real hunts: locations, headings, to avoid. She sends that information on to us; we move-in, while she and Windshear were miles away: doing what they were told, where they were told … so they couldn't be blamed for The Hunters' losses: someone else must've told us where to strike."
He paused, for a ten count; to let the listeners processed what he'd said so far. A few people muttered comments to those nearby them; everyone looked impressed.
"When, at last, Heather met Viggo, he asked for a private word: told her he suspected there was a traitor in his organization, and asked for her help in exposing the spy…"

"To make me think I'd fooled him," Heather sighed. "He already knew I was the informer; wanted me to–"

Hiccup cleared his throat; he grinned, eyebrow raised. "Spoiler alert, Heather."

"Right, sorry…" Heather nodded, grinning, a little sheepishly.

"No worries," Hiccup shrugged, and turned to the crowd. "Viggo's request would've tripped one of my … 'safeguards': giving Heather an opportunity to divert suspicion onto a much larger group." He smiled, "The Berserkers, and former- Outcasts … if Heather suggested one of them may've cut a deal with us; information in exchange for leniency, when Viggo fell..."

"Heather would've become his only insider in the Berserker- camp; his only chance to find 'the real' spy … and he would've had to trust her to do it!" Tyrone shook his head.
A full minute passed in silence; then he raised an eyebrow, "So… about those Outcasts?"

Somehow, all of this had taken only taken an hour and a half; they had as much time again until noon. Which was when they'd planned to stop for lunch, and to stretch their legs.
Hiccup gave a general summary of Berks' first weeks with dragons, and described some of the ways in which dragons contributed to everyday life. – This was, of course, of great interest to everyone in the hall. (Waves of Deadly- Nadders using their spiked tails to plow fields; Monstrous- Nightmares scaring fish into nets… the list seemed endless.)
Astrid described several of their skirmishes against The Outcasts, with contributions from Hiccup and Fishlegs. Heather told the story of her first visit to Berk, which was also Hiccup's first direct encounter against Alvin; the account of Hiccup's first 'name game', targeting Alvin the Treacherous, drew howls of laughter from the listeners.
Finally, around midafternoon, Hiccup considered the crowd; "How about we clue up here, for today? I think that's enough to process for one day; the real eye- opener can wait till tomorrow."

Alana raised an eyebrow, "The 'real eye- opener'? You're kidding, right?"

Hiccup grinned, "You'll see…"

The following morning,

From the moment the first of Berks' guests arrived in the hall, to the moment the last person sat down, low murmurs filled the hall. They'd all seen it, on the table in front of Hiccup: A cylindrical, ornately decorated object; his hand never more than a few inches away from it, at any one time.

"That's it, isn't it; the Dragon- Eye?" Alana asked, from where she and her parents sat, on one of the nearest benches to the front. Her lip twitched, "The 'real eye- opener'?"

Hiccup nodded, holding it up for all to see. "It is … the most comprehensive source of dragon- knowledge we know of; knowledge that can only be accessed, with the help of a dragon." He set the device up, on its stand, and moved aside to make room for Toothless; the black- dragon breathed a low flame into the narrow end of the device; the sides glowed, then a beam of light shot out the wide end: projecting a map onto the sidewall of the hall. "Berk is down here," Hiccup said, moving forward to point out the island on the map. "The rest … is the far- reaches."

"You said you have an outpost out there?" Thalia asked; she sounding a little dazed, her eyes fixed on the map.

"Yes; it's right over…" Hiccup traced a finger along the map, and then settled on another island. "Here; The Dragon's Edge. We stopped at a number of these islands," he gestured to several islands. "It doesn't show here, but The Hunter's main base was here…" Hiccup pointed to what appeared to be a section of empty water. "And this, is only the beginning…" He turned a dial, on the side of the Dragon- Eye; the image changed to that of a dragon, surrounded by notes describing the dragons' various qualities. Hiccup turned the dial again, and again, and again; and, with every rotation, the image of a new dragon replaced the one before. Some the listeners recognized, others were new to all of them.
After about five minutes, Toothless extinguished his fire: allowing the projection to fade from the wall. Hiccup turned to face the crowd, "The projections from the Dragon- Eye vary, based on the class of dragon breathing into it: A Deadly- Nadder would unlock information on dragons from the Sharp- Class; A Gronkle, the Boulder- Class … and so on."
He shook his head; "If I talked you through everything we've learned from it, without stopping for anything; we'd still be here a week from now, and we still wouldn't be done. Part way through our fight with Viggo; the one time he caught us by surprise, he managed to steal it…" A chorus of gasps rippled across the room; Hiccup nodded, "The information is so complete, protecting it has become an extremely high priority; when not use, its kept locked away… I, alone, hold the key to its new home: I'm willing to share the knowledge it contains, but it will never again leave my sight."
The listeners exhaled, in near-perfect unison; the knowledge that Hiccup was the only one with direct access to the Dragon- Eye was … something of a relief, to all present.
Hiccup's expression relaxed; he smiled, "But enough of that… Viggo's been dead for months, and this is one heck of a story…"

Hiccup began by describing Trader Johann's arrival on Berk, with the news that Dagur the Deranged had escaped from Outcast Island. Then the journey to the graveyard of ships, where Johann had once kept 'his treasures and wares'; adding a brief reference to the Snow- Wraith tooth, the key for the Dragon- Eye, he'd acquired earlier the same day.
Fishlegs took up the tale, then: describing the islands they'd visited, in their hunt for a place to establish their outpost – and placing careful emphasis on the importance of staying clear of Melody Island, and its two resident Deathsong- dragons.
Astrid talked about The Dragons Edge: The base, how they'd gone about building it; and, in due course; how they'd come to meet Skullcrusher.

When finished explaining how Skullcrusher had attacked their outpost, to make them leave before they were wiped out by a two- hundred foot tall rogue- wave; Chief Ephraim exclaimed, "So you're saying he attacked your outpost to protect you?"

"There are all kinds of reasons why a dragon might attack," Hiccup replied. "They might be defending their nest, or an injured friend; they may've had a bad- experience with humans, The Hunters once attacked a colony of dragons so make them lash out at Trader Johann – the next human they saw: so he'd call us for help, lure us away from our base. And, yes: most dragons do have a strong instinct to protect… before they started to learn our language, their only option was 'keep attacking them till they leave the danger- area'."
This resulted in several minutes of conversation; as the northern- chieftains, their families, and advisors discussed what this might've meant, in their individual cases. More than one face showed unmistakable sadness, and remorse.

Finally: Leah shook her head, "Why would dragons want anything to do with humans, after everything that's happened?"

'If everyone held a grudge every time they were wronged, the world would be a dark place.' Toothless replied, turned to look at her. 'Not all humans are the same, just as not all dragons are the same… I believed I was the last of my kind, when Hiccup and I first met; I knew loneliness, of a sort no words can describe; yet on Berk, among humans, I found a home and friends.' He paused, to gather his thoughts. 'And that is only part of it: these new lives are more … meaningful, vibrant, than those we lived before, on our own. While the past must not be forgotten, it is beyond our ability to change; the present is, and the future, like the sky, is waiting.' The Night- Fury gazed around the hall. 'There's still more to this … 'tale,' he chuckled, flicked his tail, and more dragons chuckled. '…Than you have heard; listen to the rest, and soon, perhaps some others here may be ready … to see the world, as we do: from above.'

"As you can see; dragons also have a sense of humor." Hiccup pointed out, grinning, his eyes flicking to the foot of the hall. "It's usually harmless..."

"Dahl-flop youg-hanny phi-knick!" said a voice at the far end of the hall.

"He said 'that's easy for you to say!" Tuff called, as he and Ruffnut followed Snotlout into the Great- Hall.

"Unless you get in the habit of picking fights with … a Skrill, for instance," Hiccup added. "I wouldn't advise doing that – for reasons 'someone' continues to insist on demonstrating … Really, Snotlout: you've got to get past this whole 'revenge on the Skrill' thing."
His cousin scowled, crossing his arms, but saying nothing, while everyone else struggled to hold back his or her laughter. With a much dignity as one could manage, while muttering "grundle-sere grill", Snotlout turned and stalked out of the hall.

They concluded, for the day, at about the same time as the previous afternoon; finishing with Hiccup's describing Viggo's 'truce offer', and Astrid explaining how it led to their forming an alliance with The Defenders of The Wing.
They would finish story the following morning; and, maybe, introduce them to some dragons that afternoon. (Hiccup exact words were: "We'll see how things go.")

Part Two – Into The Skies

The following morning,

Part Three – Fond Farewells (?)

Ten days later,

AN: Sorry about the (new) cliffhanger. I'd like to get some feedback on this before I add the rest. (I'm thinking of pairing some of the Southerners to dragons: open to suggestions on who, and to what kind of dragon.) Thanks for reading, and commenting!