Slightly longer chapter now. This is while Hiccup's looking after Astrid, Stoick's in charge.

To Guest 1- Here's the next chapter! And cliffhangers do suck, I'm sorry-not-sorry :P

To Guest 2- Hackett will get his come-uppence, hold your horses! :D

To Guest 3- NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN TO THE BABY, DON'T WORRY! I'M GOING TO BE NICE THIS TIME! ^_^


A strangled, guttural scream split the smokey silence. The crowd parted before Stoick, Ingrid marching through with a bloodied axe, dragging the sorry carcass of a weeping Hackett. She threw him at her grandfather's feet, where he struggled to kneel, cradling the stump of his right arm to his chest, thick blood flooding down his front. Stoick ordered for him to have that staunched, "but only because you've got hell to pay." He snarled. "Ingrid, find your brother and sister. Calm down."

"Oh, I'm calm. You," She booted Hackett in the ribs, "have no idea how lucky you are right now. If Dad doesn't kill you, I will." And with that, she flounced off. Vadik arrived, out of breath. He sighed, defeated, when he saw he hadn't caught up. He shook his head, doubling over.

"You wanted in." Stoick reminded him.

"Yeah... but... she... is... fast... and... she... was... pulling... him along..." He took a deep breath, pressing his hands against his lower back, flexing his spine. "Ooh, everything hurts. Which way did she go?" Stoick pointed. Vadik saw the blonde marching off and groaned. "OK." He ran after her again. Stoick looked down at the whimpering Hackett.

"If you want any form of mercy, I'd keep your mouth shut." Hackett sniffled and nodded.


Under Hiccup's orders, Hackett's lost limb was attended to rather than simply bandaging it. Ingrid had appointed herself executioner, Vadik was doing his utmost to keep her under some sembelance of control, Astrid was bed-bound and under her mother's and mother-in-law's care while Alastor and Aloe took care of her various jobs. All four of them were seething- even Aloe- itching to get their own back. Their home had been salvaged and had been placed under repairs, but everyone wanted to be part of Hackett's trial. The council had been adjourned, the riders included, Hackett's traditionalist status was now mud. It was his friends that brought him before Hiccup and the council, shackled and shamed, shunned by his peer group. No-one had expected that of him, no matter how annoyed he became with the chief.

"Hacket Killian, you are brought to trial for treason against the chief of Berk, attempted murder-"

"I didn't mean to!"

"Attempted manslaughter," Hiccup continued with a frown, "arson and grievous bodily harm." Hackett looked confused. "Astrid's legs are broken." He wiped his nose on the back of his hand and scowled. "And she was terrified she'd lost the baby too."

"I didn't know they were in there!" He protested.

"And yet, you still tried to burn down our home! Why?"

"I was drunk!" Snotlout rose, stabbing the table rather than throwing his knife at Hackett's face.

"As I'm sure we're all aware, being under the influence of drink does not provide justification for bad actions, it simply shows us your intentions were not improvised, you'd been thinking about this for a while!"

"No!"

"You could have killed them!" Ruffnut raged, smacking the surface before her. "Aloe would have been crushed had Astrid not jumped in! Your second... flame-y thing burnt right through the supports! Are you saying your actions weren't intentional just because you were drunk? It looked pretty clear that those things you threw were ready-made!" Hackett was shaking his head, depserately looking for any form of answer.

"What about your daughter?" He demanded of Hiccup.

"Which one?"

"Ingrid! Look what she did!" He raised his stump.

"Oh, of course!" Hiccup exclaimed, smacking himself in the forehead. "We can't put him on trial, guys, he clearly needs compensation! Poor Hackett..." Hiccup's mock look of sympathy angered quickly. "However," he growled, "let's think about why she did that, mm?" He turned to the council. "Any ideas?"

"Well, maybe because he doesn't appreciate Vadrik." Tuffnut nodded solemnly.

"Or that he openly disrespected her father, the chief." Fishlegs added.

"Set fire to her home, where she'd grown up." Spitelout interjected.

"Nearly killed her sister."

"And her mother."

"And her unborn sibling."

"Astrid's legs are broken."

"She's currently living in cramped quarters with her grandparents."

"Well, well, well, quite a bit then." Hiccup diverted his attention to Hackett once more. "Are you still going to say that she took your arm without any reason?" Hackett hesitated, eventually shaking his head. "So you admit to all that then?" A nod. Silence ensued for a moment, Hiccup watching the older man's thoughts whirr behind his eyes.

A smirk.

"But I'm nowhere near as bad as you."


BOOM!