The cold bit across my face as I forced my eyes open to see the quasi-darkness that filled the room. The night had always seemed darkest just before dawn as I had come so accustomed to waking before the village since my forced ascension to Chief. A crisp cool breeze sweep through the skylight as my eyes traced the silhouettes in the room. I could easily see the shadowy mound that was Toothless in the corner and knew that Stormfly had found a perch downstairs. The dragons had begun sleeping inside more with us as winter approached.
When I was a child, I used to hate it here, saying it was nothing more than hail and snow but that couldn't be further from the truth. We had close to three months during the summer where the only snow was on the peaks, though the air was still cold. We were nearing the winter season, and snowfall would be coming to Berk soon. I had wanted to break the Trappers before the winter but with how many resources they have in the Archipelago, it seemed like that would be impossible. This effort would take months, though with the only other Leviathan-class dragon in the known world in a forced exile, no single dragon would challenge Toothless. With all the dragons we were setting free that came to call Berk their home, no army would dare outright attack us; even back when Johann and Krogan were working together with the Dragon Flyers on the Singetails, they wouldn't attack the dragon fortress that Berk had become.
I could take solace in that we were safe in that regard, and with their best assassin taken down, the warlords would have to resort to conventional warfare as the only method they knew. This, of course, would be a waste of time against us as the Berkian way of life was anything but conventional.
I could also take solace in the resting face that slept next to me. She usually woke with me when I got up but as I had not yet moved, she must've been enjoying the last few moments of rest. I smile softly as I study her beautiful features, her unbraided hair that she only lets down in front of me, her warm face that could fool anyone with the warrior that hid beneath it.
Stirring slightly, I brush the hair from her face to her side, behind her ear as I rest my forehead against hers and see her smile lightly. She was awake, she had to be. Either that, or her subconscious knew where she was and was happy for her. Either way, I let my eyes linger before she slowly opened hers and her smile widened.
"Good morning." I whisper as she closes her eyes again and opens them, inching closer and pressing her body to me. I could feel her hands find the sheets on her back and tug them closer.
"Good morning." She replies softly and we lay there in relative silence for a moment, just shifting between a soft, loving gaze to our eyes closing as our bodies adjusted. "What's the plan for today?" She asks after a few minutes.
"Dawn-lit patrol of the island. Check on Seamus and Agnar, check in with Gobber and the Riders and send that Terror Mail to my mother." I say as she nods solemnly, her grin fading lightly. Responsibility truly never rests no matter how much I wish it could. "After that, if all goes well, maybe find time for a relaxing flight, just us." I add and her smile returns as she nods.
"I like the sound of that." She whispers and kisses me lightly on the lips. We both then rise together and clean ourselves up, dressing and having a light breakfast together.
Following that, we finished suiting up in our flight suits. One of the benefits of the dragon scale flight suit is that it really helped offset the cold of the air and area we lived in. It wasn't perfect, but the wind wouldn't cut through it like our normal cloths and it retained heat like dragon scales. Astrid's flight suit looked amazing on her; form fitted to her body with Stormfly's scales. I admit, I might be letting my eyes linger just a bit longer than I should be, but she doesn't seem to mind when she catches them.
"Uh, uh. Oh, Chief. Head in the game, maybe we can find time today for you to do more than just stare." She teases as I smirk, shaking my head as she finishes suiting up.
"What, you mean like pinning you to the wall in the Dragon Academy and taking you there?" I retort playfully as she nearly trips and clears her throat with a flushed face and smile.
"Uh, yeah, I mean… I wouldn't say no to that happening again." She admits as I smile and grab her hip, pulling her closer and kissing her passionately. Breaking the kiss, my lips brushing hers as her face is rosary red, I nod.
"It was pretty awesome, certainly, got, the, blood… pumping." I tease, kissing her again ever so lightly as she audibly groans and pulls me in for a real one. Our lips linger as she breaks, shaking her head.
"I swear, you are the worst. And by worst, I mean best. Stop now or I'll rip that suit off you." She says in a very serious, although barely controlled tone as I could just barely see her lip as she licked it. Smiling, I nod.
"Decisions, decision. Maybe that's exactly what I want you to do." I answer playfully as she rolls her eyes and smiles.
"Yeah, me too. Patrol and check in with others first. Then we find a nice spot and see which one of us gives in first." She retorts, poking my chest before moving away as I nod, smiling.
"Challenge accepted, Milady. I'll see you give in first." I answer and she only shakes her head as we both make our way to our dragons. Heading upstairs, I pat Toothless down as he rises and she gets Stormfly up and within minutes, we both take off through the sky light in our room. Taking to the air and darting straight up, our dragons had become a sight to see when flying together. Spiraling upwards with both bellies facing each other before we each arc a different direction and level out together, we can see the sun barely rising on the horizon.
Soaring higher together as we circle Berk together from up high, looking out at the barely lit horizon and seeing nothing but calm and serene waters. I'm suddenly reminded of that time I had taken my dad up this high when he was still struggling to accept that the dragon way can be the viking way. He had talked about being able to see his people from this high, in peace and it giving him happiness. That may well have been what finally convinced him to open to the idea of getting a dragon, the utility of it an added benefit.
"I know that look, what're you thinking about?" Astrid calls out to me as we circle lower, taking in the quiet streets of Berk. Almost all the dragons except for the Stroker Classes like the Nightmare were sleeping in the pens below the city, and even some of them. The streets were calm and only a few houses had the flicker of candlelight. It brought me a degree of happiness not unlike what my father must've felt.
"These are our people, Astrid. Just rising for the day, peaceful. Yesterday was a struggle but look at the calm. This was what finally got my dad on the back of a dragon. Seeing the village from this height, knowing everyone was safe. It is a good feeling." I explain and I can see her expression soften into a light smile as she nods.
"I understand, Hiccup. It is a good feeling." She reaffirms as the sun slowly starts rising higher than the horizon. Soon, Gothi would be up and we'd be able to check on Seamus and Agnar. Hopefully, their recovery was going well, we could all use a bit of good news right now.
We ended up circling the island a couple more times, giving ample time for the sun to fully rise and movement to start being seen on the ground beneath us. The seas stayed clear and the sky quiet, the crisp cool wind was almost refreshing against the dragon scale suit and no longer chilled to the bone. Though off in the far horizon, with the sun having fully risen and beginning its ascent, to the north was a layered and endless view of dark clouds.
"Hiccup!" I call out, pointing out the clouds as he nods. "Heavy storm clouds coming our way, maybe a couple days out." I say
"We'll scout further north in a day or so to check out the storm front to see if it's snow or hail, and batten down the village. Come on, I see movement at Gothi's hut, let's check on Seamus and Agnar!" He calls back and I nod, turning Stormfly to follow him as he dives Toothless down towards Gothi's hut.
Landing, we are soon met with Gothi who exits her hut as she hears us land, with her stick. Motioning us inside, we follow and find both on a pair of beds. She was old and never spoke, but she was wise and observant. Seamus heard us enter and sat up slowly with a wince and nodded to us both.
"Chief Hiccup, General." Seamus says through a pained groan as Gothi props a pillow against his back.
"Hey, Seamus. How are you feeling?" Hiccup asks as we both move to his side.
"Better now, Gothi tells me I've a broken rib bone which will take time to heal. Agnar has a broken rib bone as well, though his left leg was dislocated. I should be up and out before he is, but Gothi says we'll both recover." Seamus explains.
"That's excellent, We're glad to hear that." Hiccup says as I nod.
"You both did more than we asked you too, we're glad you survived." I add as Seamus smiles weakly.
"I don't think we were on Krogan's list, we were just in his way. What-" He adds, hissing through a wince as he shifts. "What happened, no one told us?"
I glance to Hiccup who shifts uncomfortably and rubs the back of his neck as he glances to me and I can see him struggling briefly as I nod. Placing a hand on his shoulder he nods and we look back to Seamus.
"Hiccup and I tracked him down to the forest where he tried to ambush us. He knocked Hiccup off Toothless and they tumbled down a hill. He was trying to claim Hiccup's life but Hiccup gained the upper hand. Krogan didn't survive." I explain as briefly and without detail as I can as Seamus's eyes widen and he glances to Hiccup.
"Well fought, Chief. That man was evil, and you did us all a favor by sending him to the afterlife. I'm proud to call you my chief." Seamus says, extending his larger, burly arm which Hiccup takes in a forearm grip and nods.
"Let me know if you or Agnar need anything." Hiccup finishes before standing. I could tell he was still struggling with dealing with his actions when talking about it to others, but he was at least able accept the praise I knew the people who have for him.
Together, we both leave after that and head straight to the Forge where Gobber is already at, pounding away at some iron working on some project. We land and enter the Forge where Gobber greets us with a wave of his mallet attachment.
"Oi! If it isn't the Astrid and Hiccup! I was gonna be lookin' for ye lot a li'l later. I 'eard what happened with Krogan. Hiccup. You did the right thing, Stoick would've done the same. Maybe it doesn't feel right, I can see it on yer face, but it was." Gobber explains before we even have a chance to speak, it was helping me that much of Hiccup's support base supported his actions.
"Thanks, Gobber. Anything happen I need to know about?" Hiccup asks as Gobber nods, holding out a parchment.
"Oh, aye. I got this Terror Mail yesterday afternoon, after the whole Krogan thing. Yer mother is about a day or so from Hysteria on the boat." Gobber explains as Hiccup nods.
"Right! Reply to that, please, and tell her about what happened with Krogan. We can't promise to bring him before a summit to answer for his crimes thanks to what happened." Hiccup says.
"No, but I'm sure the those at the summit will be understanding and glad to see his reign of terror end one way or the other." I add softly, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder as Gobber nods.
"Astrid's right, he was a menace. No one is gonna be sad he's gone. Well, maybe except those war lords. Who even calls themselves war lords. I mean, honestly. They haven't done too well so far have they. Warlords. Pffah. More like Bore Lords." Gobber rants as he hits a sheet of metal, prompting both Hiccup and I to laugh quietly.
"So, can you send that mail?" Hiccup asks.
"You got it, Chief. I was gonna say, you have been working hard against the trappers and Krogan. Take a break. With winter on the horizon, Berk will be buttoning up. We've got food in the store to last months, we're actually prepared for this one. Due in no small part thanks to you, Chief." Gobber says as I nod, smiling. Gobber may smell bad and have a surly attitude but he was a pure of heart Viking.
"That's a great idea." I add with a smile.
"You too, lass. Berk's doing really well right now. Ain't nothing gonna happen til we hear from yer mother again or you decide to hit another trapper base. I've seen the stormfront, even the trappers will be hard pressed to do anything of value during this weather." Gobber adds as I nod.
"What about everything else that—" Hiccup begins as Gobber shakes his head.
"Look, Chief. You're chiefing is different than yer father's. Stoick was a very hands-on during times of great struggle and war. Thanks largely to you and yer riders, we have more allies now than we have enemies. We actually have a stockpile, trained dragons, trained riders and good trade. And with Mildew gone, no one really gripes about anything anymore." Gobber adds and I see Hiccup shake his head.
"No, Gobber, I-" Hiccup begins again before I interrupt him this time.
"Hiccup, Gobber has been with Stoick as Chief and now you, I think we can take his word for it. You are doing a great job, even if you do it differently, that doesn't make it less. Gobber, can you?" I ask as he nods.
"Say no more, lass. I can cover any griping for a couple days til the storm, and if anything can't be handled, I'll just hit 'em with a mallet and you can handle it later." Gobber adds with his smile and mallet held high.
"Alright, let's go round up the riders." Hiccup says, looking to me as I nod with a smile. Splitting up, we round up the entire air squadron of riders, the entire A team and Riders and have them meet us at the Academy which doesn't take long. Soon, everyone is there as Hiccup stands in front of them, pacing.
"Alright, riders. As you all know by now, Krogan is dead. I appreciate everyone's quick reaction to yesterdays events. That said, we're expecting a storm in a couple days, so we won't be hitting any trappers until the storm front blows over. Astrid and I will be flying to Berserker Island to check in with them. Snotlout, Fishlegs. I want you both to fly to Outcast Island and check in with Alvin, make sure they have provisions for the incoming storm. If they do, just come on back and button down. The horizon looked bad." Hiccup explains before glancing to Gustov.
"A team, we'll be keeping the ships anchored, so you will need to make sure our waters stay clear. If anyone spots anything out of the ordinary, find any of the Riders immediately and we'll rally to check it out." Hiccup adds as Snotlout leans back.
"As if, who'd be stupid enough to attack Berk now. We're like, a dragon fortress." Snotlout jests, though Hiccup's face is unamused.
"That didn't stop Krogan from nearly killing Seamus and Agnar, and murdering Arne." Hiccup retorts as Snotlout gulps and nods.
"Yeah, good point. Okay, Fishface, to Outcast Island!" Snotlout exclaims as Fishlegs rolls his eyes and nods.
"We'll be back soon, Hiccup. And just for the record, I speak for everyone when I say you did the right thing with Krogan." Fishlegs adds before taking off with Snotlout.
"Yeah, who knew our fearless leader had that in him. It was quite, spectacular." Tuffnut adds as Ruffnut nods.
"I concur, brother nut. Hiccup ended one of our most dire enemies who has consistently bested us." Ruffnut adds
"I concur with your concuration, sister nut." Tuffnut responds as we all shake our heads with light smiles.
"Okay, moving on. Tuff, Ruff, while Snotlout and Fishlegs are gone, work with the A team." Hiccup adds as the twins both groan.
"And suddenly, our fearless chief becomes a tyrannical dictator. Sucking away the fun we had planned for the day and replacing it with work." Tuffnut exclaims as I shake my head.
"What fun? Tuff, you guys were probably just going to annoy people with pranks." I retort as he exhales in a feigned expression of disbelief as my eyes narrow.
"How dare you, A. You know that is the very definition of fun!" Tuffnut adds as Ruffnut nods.
"Indeed, it is a matter of perspective, is it not. Much like the difference between a symbiotic and parasitic relationship." Ruffnut adds as I groan.
"Oh, boy." I mutter as Hiccup genuinely laughs.
"Okay, okay. Yes, I'm sorry, guys, you will need to work with the A team for now." Hiccup states as they both sigh and nod. "Astrid and I are heading out soon."
"As you say, my fearless tyrannical chief." Tuff retorts as the rest of them circle up.
Hiccup and I walk our dragons to the ledge and glance at each other with a smile, moving our dragons closer so our hands could touch as he nods.
"So, how about that nice, relaxing flight to Berserker Island." He suggests and I nod.
"Sounds perfect, I'm ready if you are." I add and he smiles, squeezing my hand.
"For you, I'm always ready." He says before releasing my hand. We then ready our dragons and take off together. The cool air refreshing as soon there is nothing beneath us but open ocean and nothing ahead of us but cloudy skies and a semi-clear horizon. From berk, there wasn't an island visible besides the neighboring sea stacks as a great deal of them had been demolished by the screaming death. Not that it mattered, the flight to Berserker Island was pleasant and one I'd enjoy. Plus, I always liked seeing Heather and my mind was already thinking of possibilities for Hiccup and I to disappear somewhere on their island. We'd see, maybe Mala would even be there.
