CH 35: Believe It Or Not

"I've been riding all my book and movie lives." 'Dragons!'

"Thur Berk and beyond."

"Every second of every minute of every day for over eleven years."

"I've fought for peace in fictional worlds in war."

"Now it's time for me to face my life as I chose it in the name of Hiccup." 'Hiccup.' 'Hiccup?' 'Hiccup!'

"This stories future depends on one single moment on one impossible day."

"The day we've been waiting for all our past four years."

"The Day Of The Dragons

2"

I'm pretty sure I say some other stuff here but I'm too lazy today so I'll leave it to your sharp memory, or wild imagination.

Kendra helped me walk back to Lanie's house after I fell in the forge. I was using my new crutch and could sorta walk, but even so she still held my arm for extra support.

The others left for their own homes since it was already really late.

It was dark and made darker with the cloudy and moonless sky. The only light left was from the watch tower torches, the lanterns that hung sporadically across the village, and the light that peeked out of the windows of people's homes.

It was cold outside. All the sweat I worked up in the forge was making the frigid air even colder for me. I was shivering pretty badly but the cold assaulting my body was being kept to a minimum thanks to how close I was to Kendra. I could tell she was feeling the same because her body was shaking a bit, she like me had sweated heavily due to being coped up in the sweltering forge for hours.

"Sorry about this. I sure you'd rather just go home with your sister."

"It's ok, I don't mind. I actually don't live at home with her or the rest of my family, I usually just stay wherever; camp out in the woods, sleep on the tables of the Great Hall, sleep over at a friend's house whenever I can, sometimes even in the spare room in the chiefs house. I'm really not picky where I stay. Now during the winter I sometimes stay at Cal's home but I tend to stay more often with Lanie at her place."

"Why? Shouldn't you stay with your family? Sounds more comfortable and less complicated then just house skipping."

"I do still live with them as often as I can but ever since dragon training ended and I started studying healing it's just not the same. I know they miss me and want I'd just stay with them but really I just can't."

"Family shame?"

"It's not that. They love me it just I couldn't stand not only being compared to Red who did very well but also dragging them down and being one of the very few noncombatants in Grissgom."

"If they miss you and want you to stay with them then you should. You have a home to go to you have a place at their table that you can sit and talk with them. Don't make them wait and worry, it's not nice to them."

"I know. I love that they keep the light on for me to come home whenever I want and that they celebrate whenever I do, but"

"But what? Sounds like you have the life here. I don't see why you would be so reluctant to go home."

"I want to go home with my family but I can't yet. I don't know if you could understand but I have to change and….."

She paused again but this time it looked she did have something to say but not sure how. "If you don't want to say"

"No it's just that when I go home I want it to be for the right reasons."

"Hate to say it but it sounds like you're making a bigger deal out of it then you should. Your home is your home, that's all there is to it."

"What about you? You ran away from your home."

"I didn't run away from my home. Your right thou I'm the last person who should be giving you advice about home. But if nothing else I really do think you should go back home. It's a good thing for everyone."

"I should say the same to you. Your family must be worried since you left." No I'm sure they're not but her concern is nice. Misplaced, but nice.

"Seems like homes just a problem for both of us huh?" I comment to her.

"True, seems like that's just how it is for us."

I could see a smile creep on her face, and I could feel one come to mine as well. Bizarre to say but it seems like the two of us can relate. If Chapskin and I can relate in our misfit pasts, then Kendra and I are the ones that can relate with our current home problems.

It not the same thou, she has a home to return to and I don't. Also I'm dealing with secrets, dragons, being hunted, and oh yeah the past I never knew.

Still it nice to talk to someone who can kinda relate. I appreciate Lanie's efforts to understand, but she has had a smooth life and family so it's not like she can understand or empathize with having a strained family life. I can sympathize with Kendra since it seems like she has personal issues that she wants to overcome before she can face anything.

"So do you still want to know about the marriage Cal learned about, if you're still interested that is." She reminds me of what she mentioned back in the forge.

"Yes please."

"Cal actually only briefly told me about it, but afterwards because it came up had a talk with the whole family about the wonders of the birds and the bees."

"Ohh! All of you at once?"

"Yes. All four of us had to sit there as she not only explained the mechanics but her own experience on the subject."

"Ehh. That's"

"It was…. very uncomfortable yes."

"So what did your mom tell you about it? The marriage, not the uhh other thing."

"Cal is the lead negotiator here in Grissgom, she brokers many deals and relations with other tribes. One day she got this summon from Berk. Berks a strong tribe she said it would be foolish to ignore it. She left and when she came back, well she kinda offered it to me."

"She what?"

"She told me that it might be a good thing for me to marry someone in your leadership position. She wasn't ordering me or anything but I could tell"

"She thought it was for you own good, right."

"Your right. I'm Lanie's apprentice because I never did well in dragon slaying. She probably thought that this would be positive for everyone involved. I get married and status, Berk gets whatever it was they wanted, and Grissgom gets a close relation with a very powerful tribe."

"Everybody wins. Well I wouldn't have. No wait not that I wouldn't marry you or anything because it's not like you aren't pretty or that cause you are"

"Please stop. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are a nice person but"

"Let me guess, you have someone else in mind? Someone you love?"

"Actually yes, but for me it's hard to admit my feeling for her. I actually think I never will tell her."

I heard 'her'. It wasn't a mistake. Do I proceed?

"Ok… is that all you know?"

"When I declined, Cal told me she would approach my sister's about this before informing the chief. I don't know if she did or not but I can promise you that it's probably still in her head to try."

"Pointless now. I'm no longer with Berk so marrying me would really be more loss for your people than gain."

"What does that mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Just thinking you guys really lucked out on a potential disaster."

We reached Lanie's house, Kendra brings me inside where we find Lanie huffing tiredly while holding what looked like a map triumphantly over her head. "I win."

"Uh ma'am?" Kendra looks at her like she had just seen something strange.

"Oh umm welcome back you two. Did you do what you needed Hiccup?" She asked hurriedly to distract from herself.

"Yeah I did." I release myself from Kendra's support and start using the crutch I just made.

Looking at Lanie I can pretty much figure what happened to her, Toothless was playing around with her. But Kendra can't know that.

"Are you alright Lanie, you look like you were chasing around a three year old." Kendra questioned.

"I am fine Ken just exhausted from looking everywhere for this." She held up the map she was holding before putting it away on the table.

"And you won?"

"Yes….. I did. So would you like to stay for dinner?"

I look at her angrily but it seemed she didn't realize what she said till she saw me. She returned my gaze with an apologetic one.

"Thank you but recently Red's been pretty insistent that I stay with them."

"So are you?" I ask.

"For the tonight I guess I'll at least have dinner with them. I suppose I will see you two tomorrow."

We said our goodbyes and she left to go to her home. She seems to think that family situation is complicated but I doubt it's anything bad, probably just her thinking she didn't belong. First she said she was adopted and then doing badly in dragon training, she probably feels ashamed and thinks she did them wrong.

It's probably presumptuous of me but I do want to help her. She still has a chance after all.

I turn to Lanie and ask what happened to her while I was gone.

"Hiccup your dragon really enjoys taking thing too much. I was looking for this old map that I wanted to show you but once I did he took it from me and I spent the better part of the afternoon chasing him to get it back."

"Sorry bout that." Toothless jumped down and walked up to my side looking like he regretted what he did but I could also see he had actually had a lot of fun doing it and didn't regret anything.

Lanie started dinner, since she was so busy playing around with Toothless it seems she even have a chance to eat herself. I was the same since all I did while I was out was work in Chapskin's forge and talk with his friends.

Once she was done and she passed me a bowl of some herbal broth. I actually complained because I actually felt like having something solid but she said that with my stomach wounds I should avoid solid foods and only have light meals. Hearing her say that just made me feel even hungrier, but this is her judgment as a healer so I don't think I should argue against it.

While eating I felt like asking her about what she knew about Kendra's home situation. "Sorry Lanie do you mind if I ask about Kendra? I heard she has some family issue that's keeping her away from staying with her family. Do you know what that's about? I mean she is your apprentice?"

"Are you worried? I could imagine. I think that the two of you are very similar, I believe even more than you and Chapskin. You both have scars of losing your mothers, trouble with your fathers, and trouble yourselves to death with little secrets."

"And I guess we also have a connection because we both confide in you."

"Yes, that's true too."

"You said she lost her mother?"

"Yes, she died from illness. After that however Cal and her family adopted and took care of Kendra like their own. It was not until after dragon training and becoming my apprentice that her family estrangement began."

"What happened?"

"I think it would be better to simply ask her. My telling you would be a rude violation to Kendra's privacy."

"I doubt she'll tell me. I'm a stranger to her, no reason for her to trust me with something personal like that. Actually I already did and just got a vague reply."

"I'm sure Kendra is someone you especially could trust. It is like I said, I believe you two are similar. Just remember, if you want others to trust you, you have to show them trust first."

"I really hope you're not saying what I think your saying."

"Consider it my referring my apprentice as someone you can trust if you feel like you ever need help. While I am referring people on who you can trust here in Grissgom, I am sure you could confide in anyone here about Toothless and they would still help you."

Her recommendations a bit bias since these are the people she lives with and naturally trust. However regardless of how much she trusts them it'll be hard for me to do the same. I really can't be sure of what kinda reaction we would get by introducing Toothless to any group of Vikings.

Still I guess that if she thinks so I can keep that as a final option if things go so far that I urgently need help.

We decide to call it a night and turned in. In the Guest/Patient Room I slept next to Toothless who used his wings to cover me. It was warm and very comfortable. Lanie went to her room in the house

Morning.

"Lanie the sun's not even up yet, what are we doing?" I grip as the three of us walk thru the forest.

"You are taking me to get my ingredients, like we agreed upon yesterday."

"Ok fine I'll ignore how hypocritical that is since you're the one that keeps saying I should rest. But does it have to be so early?"

"Not a morning person."

"Not when I feel like I haven't slept, kept having this addictive dream about two birds ignoring a bee."

She put her hand on my forehead and started poking at my body.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking that your condition is improving. You seem to be better. I was worried that you might have injured yourself with all that you did yesterday but it seems that you are better than I expected."

"Ok then and the reason we're up before anyone else?"

"If we leave now we can return sooner and spend the rest of the day actually resting before the rehearsal dinner tonight."

"Ok I get it. If we go now we could be back before anyone notices we were gone."

"Right."

"Just out of curiosity but what time do you think your daughter will wake up to come and see you?"

"Not until after dawn I am sure, most likely sometime around noon. In case she does come early I left a note saying I went to the forest to recover a lost bag."

"What bag?"

"The one I told them I lost in the forest when I was out with Toothless but do still have thanks to him."

"Convenient excuse."

"It is proving such."

"Let's go for a trip then. You do know where this place is, right."

"I've been their only twice. I have the map that I found last night to guide us if we need it."

"Oh yeah that's right rarely used plant. You know I haven't even heard the name of this place."

"Healers Island."

"Really?"

"Not an imaginative name that's for sure but it is an accurate one. The islands environment is ideal for the growth of all kinds of medicinal herbs."

"So every herb possible?"

"Not every just many. Every healer is told about Healers Island as well as pass on a map to the island. It an ideal place to get rare and valuable healing herbs and other materials."

"Sounds like the kinda place you would want to be stranded if you were. Just out of curiosity but how long did it take you to reach there by boat?"

"About five or six hours if I remember correctly, but that was a long time ago."

"Oh yeah we can defiantly make it back long before lunch time if we hurry, right buddy."

'Gone and back unsuspected, easy.'

Checking we have what we need I get on Toothless who's ready and probably desperate to fly.

"I did not think about this before but you have done this before right Hiccup?"

"Yeah, I've ridden Toothless loads of times."

"With someone riding with you. I will not fall or anything right."

"Oh no, I've never ridden with someone and as far as falling goes don't worry I got this." I try to console herby showing my new self-made crutch. If I do need a cane then I need one that I could use with both Toothless' saddle and for my own needs.

"That thing better have a backup flight tool."

"Nothing like that, yet. Before my torture I had this riding harness that I would hook into the saddle to keep me on. I'm sure they destroyed that so I figured I needed something new, so I made the cane with something like it. Here watch this." I started to pull some leather cords and straps from the crutch's holding compartment. It was a thick leather belt that wraps around my waist and cords hooking to Toothless's saddle. I made it behind Chapskin's back while he was distracted on something different "It's not as good as the one I had before but I can improve it later and having it stored in the crutch means that I have it at moment's notice. I do need a harness because at top speed I would easily go flying right off. I also made the retractable shaft so that it doesn't get in the way in-flight."

"You really put a lot of thought into that thing."

"I plan to modify it later with some more things I could use. Here let's just get going before its lunch. By the way you didn't happen to bring breakfast?"

She reaches into her bag and pulls out a canteen. "That's not water is it."

"Nope, sorry no solid foods just yet. And you do have to drink this whole thing by the end of the day."

"I can wait."

We climb onto Toothless, but she held me so tight to me that I almost couldn't breathe. "Lanie let up!" she did but once Toothless took off she redid her iron hold on me.

Lanie was quiet for a while when we first flew, she was scared enough that she almost strangled me holding on to me too tight. She eventually let go once we level off. I look back and see her staring at everything around us.

"Not bad?"

Her eyes were wide as she tried to take in the rapidly changing below us and the dark night sky around us. With the cloudy sky there were no stars but the light of the moon was shining thru the clouds giving some light to the flight.

"I think you're the second person ever to fly like this."

"And you are the first. Why have you not done this with anyone else?"

"That would be hard with them trying to kill me."

"What about the others that helped you? That's the one part of your story I never understood. What happened to your friends? You had their help or didn't you? And just what happed that made you drifted apart?"

"Didn't I tell you already? It simple really they got strong I stayed weak. I told you that already no?"

"It's just hard to imagine that that is the whole story."

"Probably not but that's all I know. I really just was never told anything while I lived in Berk. I'm sure they had their own reasons but they never would have told me so I wouldn't know."

She kept looking around the sky. Her eyes really said it all, wonder.

Had thing really worked out in some way I wouldn't the only one who can enjoy this. I know it's the sights that amaze but there's also the feeling of it. When you first take off and your body feels like the ground is trying to pull you back down, and then the climb where the air hits you and all you can hear is the rush of wind blowing past you, how you feel the wind just surrounds you and blows you back. Then the level off. The hard and heavy pressure you feel just vanishes and all your left is with this weightless and unrestricted feeling, it's like holding your breath underwater for so long but then when you climb to the surface and breathe it all feels like relief and life just refill your tightened chest.

It in flight, in all those little moments that I feel not only closer to Toothless than anything else, where all my worries and pain are left behind caught by that binding feeling down on the ground. For a brief moment I can see ideas of hope where for one second I did something right, where Toothless and I can fly for no other reason but for fun.

'Congratulation we can finally fly free and without any life or death reasons or countdowns to danger. Just like when we first met and flew right? Well almost the same, we got company this time. Truthfully if we had done things right back in that prison, it could have been Gobber riding with us.'

"I don't plan on repeating past mistakes. Especially not the ones where others died because I messed up."

'We won't. Were finally looking up, let's not fall or drop the ball again.'

I can see Toothless nod at my statement, I didn't say it loud or expect a response, it was more me promising myself. But just because I promise myself doesn't mean that I'm alone to do it.

"Whispering to yourself Hiccup?"

"Not on purpose."

"What's on your mind now?"

"Plans."

"More for your new cane? It's already the most uniquely made tool in probably the whole world."

"It's not and that's part of my worry."

"You say that like you know it is true. It certainly seems to be the best invention I have ever seen."

"It's nice, but I know that there could be others that could do much better work then what I've done."

"So then what are you planning if not your invention?"

"Well what I'm planning is what I will do after Grissgom."

"So you absolutely intend to leave when able."

"I got plenty I want to do, just don't know how I want to approach it. Besides there's no reason I would stay in Grissgom."

"What is it you really want to do? You say you have things you want to do but just what could that be? Truthfully the only things I can imagine you doing now that you escaped from Berk is find a place to call home and live your life."

"I'll do that eventually, but for now as someone who befriended and understood a dragon I feel I have a responsibility to follow thru on what I started."

"That sounds like a declaration to fight. Your war again?"

"Nope just my hope to stop anymore fighting."

"You mean like an end to the Dragon War? Do you think that we really can archive that?"

"I don't know how doable it really is but I do intend to try. But what I don't intend to do is fight."

"You want to stop the fighting without fighting?"

"That's my plan for that front. I know that it could take years or even my whole life but it is what I plan to do for human dragon relations. If one day we could get both sides to stop attacking each other I will consider it a success."

"You said 'on that front', does that mean you have more in mind?"

"I got some information about some places I feel I need to go. I think that I should be going their first before I do anything here. If not to satisfy my curiosity then to find a safe place to rest and heal."

"Where? I know Berk is one place you intend to return to but where else could you have to go to?"

"I want to go to the continent. Before I got here I saw Trader Johan and he gave me a package from someone on the continent. It was something very important to me so I really want to get the chance to give her my thanks. Second to that there's a place called Kalonna that I really owe to pay a visit to. If nothing else it might be the place I could make home till the end. I also have this other thing about a stupid religion I think I might check out but hopefully I won't have to."

"Sounds like your just trying to pile your plate as high as you can."

"It's good to be busy."

"Even if you collapse?"

"Worrying about that now seems redundant, I already feel like I'm on my last leg. So as I see it better to try and finish something before that happens."

"Even then it's not good for anyone if you fall."

"I appreciate the concern but I really STOP!" Toothless hearing my cry halted immediately and we stayed hovering over the icy sea.

'What is it! What happened!?'

"AHh!? Hiccup what is it?"

I was looking down and trying to make sure I saw what I thought I saw but right now as high as we were it was difficult to tell if it was nothing or something. But I do see something, even as high in the clouds as we were I could still see it

"Bud, bring us lower."

"What is it!" Lanie was sounding concerned, scared at what I was yelling about.

"Look down." I could see what it was now. "You can't miss it."

She does so and sees what got my attention. "What in midgard?"

In the middle of the ice there was a graveyard of hundreds of marine life.

Once we get close enough we see fish, turtles, sharks, dolphins, and partially covered in ice "Is that a whale!?"

'Is this all Hiccup? It's just the queens offering made by the various water wingtypes. Water wingtypes aren't very active during the freeze so they just lay out their offerings on top of the water before the ice fully sets, that way the others can bring in both the seas offering and their own while they rest under the ice till it breaks and can bring their offerings in person. And of course you can't understand what I just told you.'

"What happened here?" Lanie questioned the scene before us.

"I don't know. I've never seen or heard of anything like this before." And there's a good reason for that. It's on the ice now but once it thaws all of this will sink to the bottom of the sea. No ship or Viking would ever see this due to the ice but there is one group that would find this advantageous.

"Dragons. This must be like their version of a winter storehouse."

'Alright you got it. Who needs a common language when you got brotherhood to communicate with.'

"How do you figure?"

"It would make sense, a dragons main diet contrary to Viking knowledge is fish."

"Really? Then why the raids?"

"I don't know about that but this would make sense. After all if their main food is from the sea then it would help to keep a supply of it over the ice where it's easier to get. Also it better for them because they can get more fish from the sea than they ever can from the village raids. I can prove that it's for dragons look around and see the proof. Dragon prints all over the ice and snow and on the whale, marks that the flesh was picked at like a crow to pray."

'That's not entirely right, but without knowing about the queen its good enough.'

"Hiccup."

"Lanie, no we are not doing that."

"I did not say it yet."

"But it's obvious what you want to do. You want to steal some of what is here for the wedding, specifically a shark since that's what your daughter wants."

"What's the problem with that?"

"Lanie like I said this is like a dragon storehouse. I don't care if they do it all the time, I'm not doing the same. We're going to your healer island, getting your plant, and going back."

"Hiccup this could not be any more perfect. There is a way to pacify my daughter's wedding insanity right there. If you present it yourself it would go a long way to earning peoples trust in you."

"I don't care what it would accomplish. I am not being a thief to dragons. The point of learning about dragons is to make things better, not do the same thing to them that causes the fights. Now let's go."

"Hiccup listen to me if you can't agree to do this for me I have a way to force you hand."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do. So I will continue to convince you but if by the time we return this way you can't agree to do it I will go over your head."

"Don't care. Now let's get back to what we came to do in the first place."

Toothless took off into the sky and back to the direction of Healer's Island.

'Munch munch munch.'

"…..Toothless did you just take some of the fish we found?"

'Hey it's not like anyone saw us. Besides it was just lying their begging for me to eat it.'

"See Hiccup he doesn't seem to mind just taking a fish or two."

"That is not the same thing!"

Stare