THIRTY NINE: The Dreams Are Still The Same.
"This was delivered half an hour ago," Fishlegs said, handing over a large packet, wrapped in brown paper and labelled in simple biro.
TALLON FURY.
Frowning, Hiccup grasped the package and grabbed a letter opener, then slit the brown paper and grasped the papers within. The previous day, he had executed his plan and ruined Eret, taking everything from him. To receive this now…was it a ploy, a blackmail attempt, an admission of guilt…maybe a plea for clemency? And then he stared at the contents. There were receipts, telephone records, bank transactions, tapes of conversations dated and detailed…and a simple sheet of paper ripped from a pad, written in what he recognised as Astrid's hand.
I know you have destroyed my husband and those he associates with. I can guess why. Please find herein proof I gathered to undermine his story and prove that Hiccup Haddock was innocent of the treason he was convicted of. I never had the opportunity to use this since his suicide but I am certain you can use this to clear an innocent man's name.
If I had my time again, I would still have done the same because I have reasons that justify every sacrifice I made. And know this: your vengeance has lost me everything I hold dear-and condemned innocents to death and slavery.
I pray that you learn to live with the consequences of your actions
Astrid Hofferson
Hiccup stared at the paper and then he looked up at Fishlegs, his mind whirling.
Astrid Hofferson. Not Eretson. Why?
"Look through these and please determine their veracity," he said abruptly. "And could you call my car? I need to visit the Eretson house."
oOo
The vainglorious white building was deserted and when he walked through the formerly graciously decorated interior, his steps echoed eerily. Slowly, Hiccup stared up at the sweeping staircase, recalling the image of Astrid as she walked down, the brilliant lighting turning her hair into molten gold. And then he walked forward, towards the huge reception room.
"They're all gone." The voice echoed though the halls as a mean old man limped forward. Hiccup started and stared at him. He was extremely ancient, leaning on his staff, his pointed nose and cold eyes familiar from many years earlier. His hairline had receded all the way to his ears but there was still a dandelion fringe around the very periphery of his head. The very wispy beard on his pointed chin wafted as the man approached.
"Mildew," Hiccup breathed. The old man frowned.
"Do I know you?" he asked suspiciously. Hiccup shook his head.
"I doubt we have met," he said evenly, staring into the man's eyes. "But I know of you. You used to be in the Island Council. You backed Viggo Grimborn in illegally ousting the former Mayor, Stoick Haddock. I checked the Council Records. You led the motion removing him and proposed Grimborn to replace him. You voted in a man who was ineligible to be First Minister and blocked all opposition until you were finally voted out of office."
"That's a lie," Mildew said defensively. "I never liked that Viggo…"
"You know that you are talking to a man who knows your bank records from the last twenty years to the last cent, Mildew," Hiccup told him sternly, his emerald gaze boring into the man's shocked face. "I have seen the transfers to your account from Viggo's. The money trail really isn't very subtle…" Mildew gave a false laugh.
"Ere…that were a long time ago and I'm sure we can let bygones be bygones…" he wheedled but Hiccup folded his arms.
"Your support allowed Grimborn to gain power and led to the oppression and corruption that has ravaged this island for years," Hiccup told him. "I am sure that the President will be lenient with you…in exchange for your testimony, co-operation, return of monies appropriated or wrongfully acquired over the years…"
"I'm an old man, you know…" Mildew whined but Hiccup suddenly lurched closer.
"Do you know what happened to the Mayor after you and your friends had finished framing his son, stealing his possessions and every penny he had and breaking his heart?" he whispered dangerously. The old man's eyes widened for a second before he scowled.
"You knew 'im," he accused.
"He was a great man who spent himself in the service of others until there was nothing left," Hiccup breathed. "A man who spent his dying hours wishing he could see his son again-a son who was innocent of the crimes Grimborn accused and convicted him of. A son who was denied his rightful appeal by the corrupt prosecutor and his evil old backer…"
"Yeh can't blame me for the boy's death…" Mildew replied.
"I blame you for Stoick's death," Hiccup told him, taking another pace forward, his expression dangerous. "You knew what sort of man he was, that he was a good man and you stood by while he was cast from the office he loved, evicted from his wrongfully-stolen home and left to die penniless…"
"I never had anything to do with…" Mildew began.
"You signed witness statements to the courts that you saw Hiccup Haddock gamble away tens of thousands of dollars at the casino," the billionaire said in a low, furious voice. And then he paused and leaned closer to the old man. "And you know-I never set foot in the place until I returned to Berk as Tallon Fury so I could ruin them and buy them out." Mildew back-pedalled in horror, his mouth gaping.
"But…but…"
"Where is Astrid?" he demanded.
"I…"
"You know-what you say right now may determine how long you go to jail and how much-or little-you are left with afterwards," Hiccup told him coldly. Mildew's eyes darted, seeing the stocky shape of Snotlout standing discreetly at the door.
"Freya's Home For Fallen Women," he sneered. "She's penniless. When the Bailiffs came-from me firm, of course, she just snatched her purse and jewellery box and left. Her husband and kids was already gone. Of course, the jewels were also included in the loan so we had to grab that off her…"
"You misunderstand," Hiccup said. "I own this place now-I always did. The guarantees Eretson signed to purchase the aircraft from me superseded all previous loans and the court upheld my claim-even had I not purchased all of his existing debts two months ago. The Official Court Officers found your people illegally here. The Presiding Justice of the Supreme Archipelago Court issued his judgement this morning and as of three hours ago, by court order, your so-called Bailiffs Office have handed over all of Eretson's illegally-seized assets to me, their rightful owner. And now, I am throwing you out." He extended his hand. "The jewels." Mildew blinked.
"I don't have them," he said shiftily.
"Snotlout-frisk him!" he ordered and the stocky man stomped forward as Hiccup retreated. Mildew backed away, waving his staff threateningly.
"Yer not having them!" he protested.
"Why?" Hiccup asked simply. "They're mine. Everything here is mine. It always was-and now I am reclaiming it." Snotlout grabbed Mildew's arm and wrenched him forward, seeing a bulky shape in the old man's satchel. Casting the staff away, he swiftly fished out a plain wooden box as Hiccup's eyes widened, for he had given the simple jewellery box to Astrid the Snoggletog before his arrest. He nodded.
"Can I leave you to hand him over to the cops, Snot?" he asked. "I need to go and see Astrid." His cousin immediately looked concerned.
"Are you sure, cuz?" he asked as Hiccup nodded. Swiftly, he lobbed Hiccup the keys.
"I have to," the billionaire said as he headed for the door.
oOo
Freya's Home For Fallen Women was a dilapidated building with peeling paint and a grim, slightly damp feel. Clustered down by the docks, it was in the poorest end of town, a refuge for women who were at the end of their luck. The Warden was very helpful and confirmed that an Astrid Hofferson had checked in and had a bed in the dormitory. Silently, he had walked up the four flights of stairs had led to the cramped room under the eaves, his tall frame forced to bend to fit into the camped space. There were nine beds crammed into a room that would be busy with two, with the most cramped space, the one that had clearly been added as a final afterthought, as Astrid's. He paused by the space and stopped, seeing a simple wooden frame enclosing a picture of Zephyr and Nuffink as the only proof that she was there. He looked: there was no night dress, no toiletries or any other clothes. She had lost everything-and it had been his fault. He had won.
And he found he didn't want to. All through it, Astrid had remained the Astrid he knew-an older, sadder Astrid but still decent, honest, determined and as beautiful as the day he last saw her. It was clear that though she had outwardly prospered. she was as much a prisoner as he had been, though in a more gilded and comfortable cage. And she was profoundly unhappy, going through the motions of a marriage that caused her pain every single day. He stretched out his hand and his fingers touched the image of the children, seeing their smiling faces and blinking at the shining eyes. Zeph had her mother's eyes and Nuffink…He shook his head. He was imagining things because the boy was Astrid's son.
Then he looked around. It was clear the children were not here and there was nowhere that Nuffink could stay in this place anyway. All the way through, it was evident that Astrid was a caring and loving mother and now he realised that she had lost her children as well.
Just as his father lost his only son, fighting with every means he could to try to save him and dying imagining that he had failed; that he, Hiccup, was dead.
But the children were innocent and despite every desire to extract revenge, Hiccup knew and liked them both and had tried to protect them. Nuffink was a bright, sassy kid who clearly loved his mother and hated his father while Zephyr was a very intelligent and artistic young woman who was constantly undermined by her father in a way that Hiccup could appreciate too well from his school days. Not that his father thad ever been other than supportive, but his cousin and other bullies had put a lot of effort into trying to break his confidence. Where were they? He hoped that they were not with their father, because his instincts were telling him that he still had to finish the job with Eret.
"She's not here," a hoarse voice said. He spun round and yelped as his head impacted the steeply-pitched roof, swallowing a curse and seeing a shabby shape stretched out on a bed in the shadows at the far end of the room. He nodded, his hand tenderly rubbing the aching point of impact.
"Sorry-any idea where she may be?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm not the boss of her," the woman growled. "Stuck up bitch! She stripped down the bed and checked the mattress before she remade it. As if she has any choice…" Behind his shades, Hiccup's eyes narrowed.
"There is always a choice," he murmured.
"Not here," the woman said, a hacking cough spraying spittle over her chin. "You only stay if you work and you pray. She didn't complain on her first night when we were got up for midnight prayers-about the only one. She don't smoke so she ain't got no sticks to bargain. And she don't say nothing but please and thank you." Hiccup turned back to the stairs after grabbing the picture.
"Thank you," he said quietly and vanished down.
"She ain't that kind of fallen!" the woman yelled as he vanished. "But I can see to you, honey! All I want is a pack of fags and you can do what you want with me!"
Shuddering, he accelerated down the stairs, heedless of his prosthetic leg because he had to get away from that vision, instead heading for the office. He found that it was incredibly hard to maintain his focus and it took a long moment to compose himself before he knocked and went in. The crumpled Warden looked up as he entered, his face serious.
"Astrid Hofferson," the billionaire said without preamble. The man nodded and flicked through his register.
"Ah, yes…she had the fewest possessions of almost anyone I have admitted here," he murmured. "Even the homeless and the escapees from bad marriages and pimps grab more than she did. Just her purse-and the picture of her children. I'm full but when I told her that, she just nodded and turned away-and I knew that couldn't send her out. She looked…broken. So I made an extra space for her. She looked like she needed a hand. And I know that in the past, she has donated and raised money for us and other charities. What is the point if we can't reach out a hand to someone suddenly in need?"
"Indeed," Hiccup murmured. "Do you have any idea where she is?" The Warden checked his ledger once more.
"Every woman here has to work to earn her keep, if she is able, to set her on the right path and give back what is given to her," the man said, his rheumy eyes unfocussing. "And the money earned helps keep them motivated and allows them to get what extras they need…" He ran his finger down the list. "She was assigned work cleaning in the offices of the Berk Tourism Board. Minimum wage. Ten hour shift. She just nodded and went there. I think she's on her first shift now…" Quietly, Hiccup nodded.
"Thank you," he said, reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his cheque book and scrawled a number in the box, then signed. "Thank you." He handed the paper to the man who nodded thanks and then shot to his feet.
"But…but…this says twenty thousand dollars…" Hiccup nodded.
"That's correct," he confirmed. "You need the money to provide more spaces for women who need your help…and I can afford it. Please contact my PA, Miss Shearer and we can set up a monthly donation to support your work." And then he turned away, leaving the man still staring at the cheque as he headed back to the car and drove recklessly all the way up the hill to the steel and glass monolith of the Berk Tourist Board. Funded by Viggo and Johann, the building was a testament to their hubris and their new vision of Berk-a Berk his father wouldn't recognise. Cold and gleaming, rather than warm and homely, the opposite of the Viking Island that his father had ruled and curated. Viggo and his ilk had all but destroyed what made Berk unique…and were only belatedly trying to curate that into a theme park to bolster their profits. Unreasonably angry at the thought, he parked directly outside the door and walked briskly in, heading straight to the desk and the rather rotund Security Guard sitting there with a giant yak sandwich.
It soon became obvious that while the man could confirm that there was a new cleaner up on the seventh floor, he had no interest or intention of letting the man come in to speak to her, even though Hiccup explained that he had a personal matter of great urgency.
"She's here to work, not chit-chat," the man said, still chewing. Crumbs and fragments of the sandwich were liberally spread down his long, full blond beard.
"Please-this is vitally important," Hiccup had begged him.
"Her shift ends at eleven," the guard said, taking another bite. "Her time is her own then. But now-she belongs to us."
"Does she have a break?" Hiccup asked pointedly.
"Yes-but you can't go in," the guard said. So in the end, Hiccup had to resort to bribing the security guard to admit him so he could go and talk to the woman. The man gestured to the lift at the opposite side of the lobby even as he pocketed the hundred dollar bills. And as he turned away, Hiccup had to force himself not to run, even though his pulse accelerated at the thought he had finally found Astrid. That he would finally be able to reveal himself to her. There had been a weight he had carried for too long at lying to her, mixed with a disappointment that she hadn't recognised him. Or maybe she had and she just hadn't said anything. Who would believe her? How could she believe it herself…because she had been told he had died. Now he owed her the explanation… He stabbed the button and the elevator doors closed.
He found her, as expected, on the seventh floor, wearing a plain grey uniform over her own clothes, sweeping the linoleum floor with a brush. Quietly, calmly, he walked along the long hallway, past glass-fronted offices and garish orange-painted doors until he was within a few feet of her and then he halted as she stopped working and looked up at the sound of his slightly uneven steps.
"I thought you would come," she said quietly, her blue eyes candid and lacking any fire. A bruise covered her right cheek. "I thought you would need to confirm your triumph."
"You make me sound like a monster," he commented. She gave a humourless smile.
"You brought them all down-and Thor, they all deserved it," she reminded him. "They are all monsters anyway. Eret is a liar, a thief and a traitor, Viggo a despot and traitor as are his brother and Johann Trayder. Ryker killed opponents and enjoyed the process. Johann took bribes and had plans to run down the economy to put people out of work and lose them their livelihoods just so his master, Drago, would be welcomed when they finally toppled the Archipelago Government! I know you did what needed to be done-for us all. They all got what they deserved…and so did I."
He walked a step closer, inspecting her. Her shoulders were slumped, her hands tight around her brush. She looked vulnerable and he felt his heart shudder, his instinct still wanting to protect her, to take her in his arms. But he didn't reach out for her.
"You had gathered proof against your husband-yet you never used it," he said. "Why?"
"Who could I give it to?" she asked simply. "First Minister Grimborn would never permit any reopening into Hiccup Haddock's case. He would block any investigation as he had done all the way along. The proof would vanish and it would be over. And, truth be told, there seemed little point after he had died…though I never gave up wanting to see his name cleared. And being Eret's wife allowed me access that I never had before. And he was careless, imagining I loved him, that I was cowed. So I gathered every scrap of intelligence I could until I had what I gave you. It should be enough-so you can do some good as well as evil and clear an innocent man."
"And not a word for your husband?" he probed.
"He threw finalised divorce papers at me as he raged at his bankruptcy," she replied, turning back and brushing the floor firmly. Her voice was bitter. "A final gift from Viggo, I suspect. He freed me at last. Too late."
"You could have left him earlier," he pointed out.
"I tried-and was prevented ever getting off the island. They treated me like a fugitive and dragged me back. I told you of the threats he made-and I would not expose you to that-especially after you did so much to help Fink. He swore he would have taken my children," she said softly, her eyes still fixed on the floor. "But it doesn't matter-not any more." He frowned, recalling the two shapes he had seen in the photograph and his concerns about their fate.
"What do you mean?" he asked as she lifted her eyes, tears swimming in her gaze.
"He took them," she whispered. "I tried to stop him-Thor, I tried-but he punched me, knocked me down and kicked me until I stopped struggling…and then he took them."
"Where?" The tone was stern. She swallowed.
"He gave Zeph to Johann as he escaped to settle his gambling debts to the man," Astrid said in a toneless voice. "Eret gave him my daughter for his whorehouse."
"And Fink?" She didn't even blink at the casual use of the nickname because she knew he was a friend to the young man.
"Eret took him with him when he fled to Icefell," she whispered. "And he hates his father. He won't help him fight against the rightful government. And Eret won't lift a finger to protect him. After all, he only took him because he was mine. My son, brave, spirited Finky will be killed there."
"No…" he breathed, turning away. "Dammit no…"
"Why do you care?" she asked him bitterly, dropping her broom with a clatter. "You were determined Eret and his family should be destroyed. Why do you really care about my children?"
"Because they're innocent," he breathed.
"Innocence never seems to matter to any of you," she spat, turning away.
"Then tell me why you abandoned your poor boyfriend Hiccup Haddock?" he snapped. She stiffened. "Your innocent boyfriend. I met him. He didn't kill himself-and he was told that you had married, that you left him when you promised to wait, to fight for him. It broke his heart. He just…gave up and died after that. He had hung on for years, imagining, hoping that you were still waiting for him.
"I would have," she whispered. "To the ends of the world…but it changed."
"How? You realised that you never loved him? That Eret was better in bed? That you enjoyed the high life and his ill-gotten gains?" he challenged her sharply. She shook her head.
"When Hiccup was convicted, Eret claimed all these debts against him that we knew were his…were Hiccup's. And Hiccup and his father ended up liable," she whispered. "It wiped out everything he and Stoick had. I was living with Stoick at the time-I had since my own family passed on…and when we became homeless, he told me that I needed to do something to make sure I was secure. You see, I had found out that I was pregnant. It must have been that last time, the night before he made the drop or a day or so before, in the cockpit of Toothless. And with the Trial being so quick, I didn't even have a chance to tell him before he was gone."
"Did…did he know?" Hiccup whispered. "Did you tell him?"
"How could I?" Astrid asked him sharply. "How could I say to a man who was locked up until he died that 'by the way, I'm pregnant with your child who you'll never see'? That I was abandoned and pregnant and penniless? That would have broken his heart. I knew he wanted children…he occasionally talked about it when we were drunk. He thought we had never properly discussed it, but I knew what what he wanted and I had sort of told him I would…because I knew he would be a great father. That's how they ended up called Nuffink and Zephyr. Those were names he had suggested on New Year's Eve as we stared at the stars and made our New Year wishes-I'm not sure it was a joke or not, but it reminded me of him and that was more than enough because I loved him with all my heart and having my Hiccup naming my children was one tiny connection to my lost love."
"And Eret?"
"He found out, of course," she said dully. "After we were married, though. He called me a whore and he didn't waste any opportunities to try to sow his own kid once I was delivered. But I never quickened. I managed to get some birth control pills and took them so I never gave the bastard a son, the son he craved. It was my one little victory, that he had to live with the knowledge that the children he boasted about were the children of a man he had framed for treason and stolen everything from. They are the reason I accepted him-security for my child-or children as it turned out. He could afford the best OBGYN and the hospital care I needed. He made sure the twins were cared for well. And he did indulge them enough to make sure they had chances in life. But he didn't love them-they were an asset. And now he's taken them."
"No," Hiccup said softly. "No. Not now-he can't take anything more now."
"Tallon?" she murmured. He stared at her.
"We'll get them back." She looked up cynically, hearing his urgent tone.
"How?" she asked him as he walked to within a foot of her and finally took off his shades. "And why would you care anyway?"
"Astrid-don't you recognise me?" he asked softly. "You think I would let him take anything else of mine?"
The sunglasses clattered to the floor, her eyes widening as she stared at him. She took a pace closer until they were inches apart, staring deep into the emerald eyes.
"Impossible," she mouthed.
"Not impossible," he said softly. Hesitantly, she raised a hand and gently threaded her fingers through his hair.
"It got darker," she murmured.
"A little," he admitted.
"You grew a beard…"
"Seemed like a good disguise…and there weren't many razors in Jotunheim," he murmured. "Bit disappointing compared to Dad's…" Her eyes flicked to stare deeply into his.
"And these are why you always wore sunglasses?" she asked him with at the faintest quirk up of the corner of her mouth. He nodded.
"You would have recognised me," he said. "And so would Viggo, Eret and others. It suited my mysterious persona as well."
"I think I did," she murmured. "Little gestures, your voice, the way you moved…I kept telling myself it was insane, dismissing it as being desperate because I knew you were dead. I knew you were dead."
"I'm not," he whispered. "It was a lie-to stop you trying to dig into my case. You must have been getting too close, asking too many difficult questions. I know Dad was trying to get Viggo replaced as Prosecutor. And if he succeeded, if he appealed to the Council of First Ministers, he could have been a threat…but if I was dead, there would have been no point. You would have mourned me and given up…"
"We did…but I never gave up," she whispered. "I kept on digging when I was with Eret. I stored all my papers in my jewellery box, hidden by the gaudy trash Eret gave me…" He lifted her hand and rubbed his finger over the little aquamarine and silver ring.
"You kept it," he murmured.
"It never left my hand, even for a second," she admitted. "Because my heart always belonged to you. Never to him, even for a second." Then he sighed.
"Why didn't you help Dad?" he asked and she sighed.
"He told me to marry Eret, to protect his grandchildren," she confessed. "And when I knew he was struggling, I sent him what money I could." She blinked and a tear trickled down her cheek. "He gave it away! He said there were others in more need than him. No matter what I did, he would never accept any money…"
"He always was stubborn as a rock." he sighed.
"I couldn't find him," she murmured. "I heard he was ill…but he had dropped off the face of the planet. And Eret knew I was up to something. He kept me on a shorter leash than usual or I would have gone down to the dockside and tried to find him. I had no one I could trust to look for me and when he finally stopped watching me so closely…I couldn't find any trace of him. I-I never found what happened…"
"He died," Hiccup whispered. "He suffered a stroke and he finally gave up. I had finally escaped and found him through Snotlout, my cousin…" Her eyes widened.
"Your security chief?" she mouthed and he nodded, smiling now. She shook her head. "I gave up, Hiccup. I couldn't find him. But you did…" He nodded and the sorrow in his eyes finally shone through.
"He didn't know me," he said softly. "He thought he was talking to my ghost. And I hope it gave him some comfort…but that was what finally made me swear vengeance. I knew, if he had been looked after properly, he would still be alive. So I swore that all of those who had abandoned and betrayed me should have to pay…"
"…including me," she realised as he nodded, slowly raising his hands to gently cup her cheeks.
"I was wrong," he whispered, leaning closer. "Dad told you to marry Eret. You looked after our children. You didn't betray me."
"I failed you," she whispered.
"Shut up," he said and leaned forward, his lips pressing against hers. Her eyes closed and she kissed him back, hands rising to dig into his hair as she urgently returned the kiss. Finally breaking apart, breathing hard, Hiccup looked into her face. "Milady," he breathed.
"Hiccup," she murmured and then her face fell, her eyes looking away. "But I thought you and your PA…" He chuckled and shook his head, his hands sliding down the grasp hers gently.
"No," he admitted. "I-I think she maybe hopes…but I don't see her like that. I have never seen her like that. She's a young woman who was rescued from what our daughter faces. And I found her only family, her brother who was a man who helped me survive the horrors of Jotunheim."
"I'm sorry," she whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her gently again.
"Astrid…I tried to hate you-but I couldn't. Because… you are still you. Brave, fierce, determined. And decent. I still love you. I have always loved you." She stared into his eyes and sighed.
"My heart was always yours," she murmured. "But how can you look at me now?" He chuckled.
"How can I not?" he asked her simply. "You're as beautiful as the day I was convicted and unwillingly left you. You're still my brave, fierce Valkyrie. And our children are in danger." She gave a weak smile.
"You know, they both talked to me about you-and they both like you better than the man they call father," she told him as he slid an arm around her waist.
"They are amazing young people," he admitted and then grimaced. "Gods, that makes me sound so old…"
"We are older now," she reminded him as he leaned down and grasped her brush and his glasses. He rested it against the wall and slipped the glasses in his pocket.
"But no wiser," he said softly. "For the dreams are still the same. Love, home, family…" He smiled and drew out the picture. Her eyes widened. "Come with me now, Astrid. You'll be safe and loved. Finally. And then we can go rescue our children." She leaned against him.
"Thank you," she murmured. "For giving me a second chance." He steered her as they began to walk slowly back to the elevator.
"No, thank you," he told her. "For being here. For still being Astrid. For still being my dream."
-o-
A/N: Title is from 'Those were the Days' : 'Oh my friend we're older but no wiser/ For in our hearts the dreams are still the same'. I recommend the Mary Hopkin version.
