Lots of dialogue in this one, but it's all for a good reason. Enjoy !
Rant Over
The titanic red-bearded chief boomed the last name on the list, his voice thundering through the hall with shattering morbidity.
" And finally, Astrid Hofferson. Assigned as Junior Assistant Commander of the first assault wave. "
The girl's face remained as inexpressive as an iron mask. But she was glad, even if she already knew she would get the assignment. Murmurs of agreement rung around her as the crowd's expectations were met.
" Get a good night's rest everybody, we sail for Dànor at dawn... "
Marcus didn't know what to expect.
He stood before the door of his very own house, hesitating as if it were a stranger's. Despite Hiccup's best efforts to introduce the situation to him in a manner that would cause as little damage as possible, his mind was still rocked. He was told that Lucia and his brother had already met them, these strangers called 'Mother' and 'Father'. His brow lost it's crease, he forcefully relaxed his shoulders.
Summon. Your. Courage.
He finally let go of the breath, and set his hand on the cold iron handle.
Hiccup sat astride Toothless, in armour. The rest of the air wing landed in the grassy field behind him. The large green field had been permanently left unsowed as a means for large-scale landings. Indeed, landings and take-offs with a single rider and dragon were rather easy to perform from the city centre itself, making use of the diverse ledges and hooks set upon the sturdy red and blue rooftops. But when it came to large formations, with maybe ten-to-twenty pairs, a large surface of flat land was needed.
The boy shed the helmet from his face with his left arm, the other patting Toothless's neck, a habit Aerika had always found adorable. Well, maybe not when she first met them.
The girl jogged over to the teenager and his night fury, hair waving like a patriotic flag in the wind. She stepped to a halt as the boy dismounted, looking down at the straps of his harness to loosen them. The grass bowed in waves with the wind around them.
" Hey " She greeted.
The boy's chin shot up. When he realised he was staring, his cheeks blushed and he cracked a stupid grin. " Oh ! Um...Yeah. Hi ! " He managed, scratching the back of his neck embarrassingly. Toothless thought he'd vomit right here and there. But instead he grunted, and trod off in direction of a less sickening crowd of dragons who were currently debating the use of a tail in sharp turns wile carrying heavy equipment.
" So, how did the drill go ? " Piped the teenage girl.
" I um...Yeah, well. It went well."
" Cool " She grinned. " So, I just finished the reconfiguration of the ammo stacks for the trebuchet..."
" Oh ! Right ! And ? " Inquired Hiccup, struggling with the straps of his harness, though trying not to let it be too obvious.
" Well, I decided it would be more efficient to make three stacks of ten projectiles instead of two stacks of fifteen, and I had them moved closer to the loading ramp and it really improved the loading time."
" Good, good. That's good..." Mumbled hiccup, frowning and tugging at the harness.
" Do you need some help with that ? "
" No, no... It's fine it's just a little jammed. I just need to twist the-..."
" -Here, lemme help."
Before the boy could protest, Aerika stepped closer and gently pulled at the buckle. She nimbly slipped her finger in-between the two pieces of Drekian iron and lifted. The leather strap came undone and now hung limply from Hiccup's belt. Aerika looked up and grinned. Her face dauntingly close. Hiccup blushed, again ( I know ! ), and stared. Grinning like and idiot.
Aerika broke the moment, slightly amused. " So, should we Uh...Grab lunch at the hall, or something ? "
Hiccup snapped out of his gobsmacked dase. " Yes ! Yes, definitely..." They started making for the hall, when not two steps later Hiccup paused. " Actually no ! " He brought a hand to his forehead, as if suddenly remembering something. " I have to talk to our visitor, it's very...Important and..."
" It's about the war isn't it ? " Assumed the girl, suddenly more serious now.
Hiccup pursed his lips and nodded.
" You go then." She smiled, brushing her braid from before her eye. " I'll see you tonight then ? "
" Of course you will." Deadpanned the boy. " You're sleeping in my forge. Remember ? "
" Right." She nodded, glaring at her shoes as if it were their fault, and feeling like a complete idiot.
" See you then. "
" Yeah "
The boy walked off towards the beach, where the small Roman encampment was set. Aerika watched him distance himself.
The boy was led into the large circular tent that towered above all others from the centre of the camp. It was a stripy red and white, with some sort of ornate golden cone at the top, which was in fact the central pillar that ran down it's middle to hold it up. Inside, Hiccup found a large double bed adorned with furs ( The admiral had obviously brought his wife in the quest to find their children, how could he not ? ), a small cupboard decorated with a silver fruit dish and a crystal decanter.
The Admiral turned around as Hiccup entered, smiling grimly as a greeting.
" So, how did it go ? " Inquired the boy uneasily.
" Well..." Sighed the old man. " My daughter is married, my youngest has befriended a dragon, and my eldest is a one-eyed top military official."
Hiccup somehow felt guilty. In a way, the state of all on the island could sourced back to his actions. The man was disappointed. His prosthetic scratched at the carpet beneath him nervously.
" But it could have been worse I suppose." Continued the Roman. " They could have never found this place, and died at sea or stabbed by criminals. I guess I should thank you, they say you gave them an opportunity."
Hiccup nodded humbly. One of the major differences between the old Hiccup, and the new Hiccup, was that he now knew when to humbly accept a compliment, rather than immediately deny it with clumsy and embarrassed stuttering.
The Roman's tone shifted to that of an interrogation. " Tell me, what is their standing on the island ? "
Hiccup, was not deterred by the tone. It was impressive, but he made it a point not to be intimidated. " Well, wealth isn't a major indicator on Dreki. But they are one of the most wealthy family of the community."
" Why is that ? " Pushed the Roman, turning his back to the boy as he served two glasses of wine from the crystal decanter.
" For one, Marcus is one of the three most important military leaders of the state, along with WarBear and myself, leading a third of our army. Secondly, Lucia is the only woodcrafter artisan here, she holds a monopoly on wooden furniture..."
" So, soldiers and furniture ? " Smiled the old man.
" Exactly."
" Are they respected ? "
" What do you think ? " Returned the boy, a little acidly.
" They're one of the first founders ? "
" Along with our Healer, Qwynel and I..."
" ...And the oldest man in the family leads a third of the army. I imagine they must be quite respected." He chuckled.
" They're happy." Assured Hiccup. He knew his own father would never ensure that he was happy, he'd never do that for him. And Hiccup would rather be smote by Thor than have his father come looking for him. Then again, he didn't have a father anymore...Didn't he ?
" I know they are. " Said the man calmly as he stepped over to the boy with a glass of excellent wine in each hand. He pushed one towards Hiccup.
Hiccup politely declined." No thank you."
The man raised a mocking grey eyebrow. " Liver not strong enough ? Too young ? "
" No." Chuckled the Drekian. " I am simply not in the business of denying myself simple truths, and one of these is that I don't like the taste of wine." Time to raise his own eyebrow.
" I see." Mumbled the Roman, and kept the glass for himself.
Hiccup steered the conversation back on track : " So, what do you plan on doing ? "
" Well, I can't take them home, that much is sure. Two of them hate me and the other doesn't recognise me, my wife wants us to force them to come back. Though I doubt you'd appreciate us robbing you of your island's only furniture crafter and one of your three commanders."
" You assume right." Smiled Hiccup.
" So I've decided to go with the next best thing : Ensure myself of their happiness and safety, make sure they're not on the path to decadence...I've talked to Lucia's husband by the way."
" Or did you interrogate him ? " Mumbled the teenager. "He's a good man." He was a good man.
" I know, he has as much ambition as my daughter. She seems happy, he does too. Though I suspect he only gets a quarter of the bed at night, there's too much of her mother in her."
They both laughed lightly. A small silence followed.
" Listen..." Started Hiccup, carefully choosing his words. " I'm glad you and your wife are content with your children's situation. But you might have heard, that we are on the verge of-..."
" ...-Of a war against the entire archipelago, I know. I thought you'd come to us..." He took a sip of wine "You need allies."
Hiccup nodded, hands solemnly crossed behind his back, chin held high, though not too high .
" I've thought about it. And I would, if only for my children."
Hiccup's heart sank at 'would', his shoulders slumped down as far as he'd let them.
" But I'm sorry. This isn't my army, nor is it my war. I don't have the power to involve the Empire into this. If anything, my superiors would appreciate the Vikings butchering themselves, we've been waiting decades for an opportunity to restart our advances into the archipelago."
Hiccup stared at his shoes." I see."
" But I don't regret this decision. Because I know it's a fair fight."
The boy raised his head to look the man in the eye. " What do you mean ? "
" I mean you're a smart kid. And a decent leader. The rest of you are smart too. You're also strong people, and over half of your current population are fire-breathing dragons for Jupiter's sake ! You have the strategic and technological advantage. I don't know what you have on that hill over there, but I know it isn't there to offer the enemy tea and biscuits..."
" But what we fear are the enemies numbers."
" And I'm sure you have a plan to cut them up with maximum efficiency for every monthly battle this war will bring ! We both know how bad Vikings are at adapting their strategies."
Hiccup nodded. He was right.
" We leave at dawn." Informed the Roman. " If you win, make sure you write it down. And make sure my children's names are in there." The man chuckled.
Before the two could give official farewells, a Roman guard ( with one of those head-brushes ) penetrated into the tent. " Hiccup Chief of Dreki, a woman by the name of Qwynel has called for you. She's waiting outside the tent."
Hiccup shook his head. " How many times do I have to tell you people ? Dreki isn't a chieftain, hence, I'm not a chief ! "
The soldier stood emotionless, immune to the boy's irritation.
" Thank you anyway." Sighed the boy before turning to the Admiral. " Farewell then, tell your empire not to shoot if they see someone riding a dragon."
The Roman laughed. " No guarantees they'll listen ! "
Hiccup exited the tent.
Dreki's forests had always held a certain calm to them. Much like the pine forests of other islands of the Archipelago, this one swayed and sighed in the wind. Pine needles dropped to the moist ground, contributing to the soft carpet, sometimes breached by roots. In winter, snow slid down in clumps from the branches who bowed under the weight of the powder, interrupting the sacred silence. In autumn, the silence was replaced by the consistency of the rain. And the rest of the year, the rain was replaced by the wind. The point made, is that regardless of the time of year, Dreki's forest remained serene and peaceful. And somehow above all the pathetic ministrations of dragon and man.
To be truthful, the Drekians found most of their reassurance in their friends, drinks, and the island's imposing mountain. But the mountain would not seem so protective, motherly, and providing if it weren't for it's green fur that spread from it's base to the rest of the island. And many a troubled dragon or human could be provided with a meditative walk amongst the pines thanks to this protective setup. The mighty and imposing mountain, coupled with the lush and serene forest had the Drekians grateful for the lands they settled.
Hiccup found the old woman leaning against a pine's trunk, blowing smoke rings from her pipe. " You called ? " He said with hushed affection.
The woman turned and smiled, as if she had just seen a grandson for the first time in many weeks. " Ah ! My dear Hiccup. There you are ! "
" How are you ? " He smiled, reaching in for an embrace.
They hugged. She smelt of bark and smoke. When they pulled themselves apart, the old woman took his chin between her index and thumb, turning his head from one side to other, inspecting him.
" My my, you've started growing some stubble haven't you ? "
The teenager chuckled " Yeah a little..." Breaking free from her clutch.
" Walk with me." They set off in a random direction through the woods. " How are you my boy ? "
" I'm alright, considering what's about to happen."
" Hm..." She mumbled gravely. " And how are things with Aerika ? " She nodded with a lighter, knowing smile.
" Whaaaaa-...I don't know what you're-...Why would you say tha- WHOA !" The boy tripped over a root, and barely recovered his balance.
Qwynel laughed heartily. " Oh lad, you may be the youngest and most innovative leader this far north, but you need to learn to keep your cool when we so much as mention girls..."
" Yeah, tell me about it." Scowled the boy, brushing a few pine needles from his armoured shoulder.
" You may not realise it, but you've changed. "
" What do you mean ? "
" I didn't follow you into that Roman's tent, but I've got a pretty good idea of what you were saying." She blew a smoke ring. " More importantly, I know how you said it : You're more sure of yourself."
" Maybe..." Acquiesced Hiccup. " So what ? " He didn't see the point of her telling him this.
" I see it when you order the troops. You don't suggest orders like you used to. You impose them, like any leader. You've lost you're stutter." She remarked, gesturing with her long wooden pipe. "Except maybe in front of Aerika." She added mischievously.
The boy grabbed his hair. " I- Urgh. Will you drop that ?! "
" Never." She laughed. " But in all seriousness." She stopped, turned to the boy, who now stood taller than her. She lay a bony finger on his chest plate, prodding it with every syllable she insisted upon. " You've. Changed. For. The. Better. Boy. I don't think you see it...Maybe you should take the time to realise it. Despite the war, and everything else. Don't loose track of who you are."
Hiccup was puzzled. He wasn't speechless, nor shocked. Simply surprised, and had nothing to say.
" Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best be heading back. My dear husband must've gotten the tea ready by now, he's been such a dear these past few days."
Hiccup's head turned as he watched the old lady walk off contently, blowing smoke rings. A few steps, and she turned around, as if suddenly remembering something. " Oh and Hiccup ? Few people get the chance to have a teenage sweetheart around these parts. We're all married off. Make the most of it. " She winked and resumed her course towards the village. Leaving Hiccup to stand there, drowning in his own thoughts.