The snow is finally starting to melt and sun stays up almost till 6pm so it is time for a new chapter.
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An in complete opposition to everything I though and planned less than two months ago, keep an eye on my profile. Something completely new might pop up very soon, not HTTYD related.
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Comments
Dragonrider's Fury: Soon, well relatively speaking. I estimate the book will take another half a year to complete on monthly schedule.
MysteryWriter175: Yes, they would be smart to be very careful who they talk with and how (cough cough)
erikatyusharon: I don't know about snatching anything. The leader is Viggo after all.
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Proofread by 3DPhantom
The guards at the Hunter camp, fortress really, had finally learned to recognize Heather and stepped out of the way without her needing to hint at the threat of the old healer's cane. She smirked briefly after passing them, but as she walked her somewhat relaxed feeling started crumbling. She glanced around without turning her head, looking for what had her on edge. There were big heavily armed hunters and caged angry dragons everywhere, nothing unusual there. No one even gave her any annoying remarks. That was new actually.
Despite their silence many of the hunters she passed still followed her with their eyes. She was getting even more attention than the first time she had walked through the place. The Hunter camp had never been a pleasant place to be in, with possible exception of the healers' house, but now she started feeling a real threat that someone might do something. She considered turning around and leaving with some excuse, but if she wasn't just feeling things and something was about to happen, trying to leave now would just have made things worse. Instead she started walking a little faster, hoping she'd at least be safe with the old healer.
Once she reached the healers' house, she pulled the door open and walked straight inside without even knocking or calling out. The old healer was leaning over a patient, testing the temperature from the patient's forehead. He raised his head following the creak of the door.
"Oh Heather. You're already here."
The man spoke faster than usual, and Heather started regretting she didn't opt to leave earlier. Well, it was too late now.
"What's going on?" She asked, going on offense. If something was up, she'd at least try to have some control of the situation. The old healer's expression showed he understood.
"There is someone who wants to talk with you."
A door creaked behind Heather. She turned around to face Ryker Grimborn standing in the doorway to the side room. He stepped aside and pointed inside. The message was clear and the swords on the large man's back sharp so Heather entered without a word. Inside Viggo Grimborn sat behind Svend's desk, tinkering with a game piece from the game Maces and Talons.
"Ah, young Heather. Please sit. I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable during our talk."
"And it is harder for me to move out of the way if you decide the talk isn't going the way you want," Heather said, but did sit down as asked.
"You surprise me," Viggo said with an exaggerated and totally fake expression of surprise. "This doesn't sound like the nice young apprentice old Svend told us about."
"I can be nice when I want," Heather said and leaned back, trying to look more confident than she was. "I also know when the discussion is too serious for yackshitting. I've heard enough about you to figure you'd see through any attempt at playing dumb."
"I will accept your compliment, though I doubt you're being completely genuine even now. At least you appear intelligent enough to make this quick. You are aware that our presence here has raised some opposition among people with… strange ideas of the beasts. I believe we discussed this briefly before."
"Yes," Heather answered, keeping her voice steady. "You were introducing your… house ornaments the first time I visited here."
"Right. Now a few people that feel pity for the beasts wouldn't be a problem, but wider opposition against the Chief and our alliance would hurt my business, and conflict with such rebels could be devastating to the village as well. I am sure a perceptive person like yourself has already noticed such sentiment within the village and the risk it poses."
"I would be lying if I pretended people are happy, but rebels? Surely you're exaggerating. The people of Fjoll aren't exactly in a position to fight you. I've heard some people say they wish you got driven out but not one of them actually thinks they can do anything about it."
"It may seem like that, for now," Viggo said. "Hopelessness is a powerful feeling, and a weapon, but it has its limits. Even the smallest amount of hope, true or not, can change everything."
Viggo gestured to a side of the table where all of the Maces and Talons game pieces were placed side by side. He held up the one in his hands.
"If even small group feel that they have a chance at a victory they might fight and, given even the smallest of victories, even if irrelevant in any material sense, can encourage others to fight." Viggo held the game piece over the board. "Then their forces grow until they can actually have a chance at victory."
Viggo swung the one piece, knocking over one of the ones on the board which fell the next one in a chain reaction that knocked over every piece.
"Or until they are crushed to the last man and woman."
He pulled his sword and swung in in single fluid motion to strike straight down at the line of fallen pieces, cutting them all in half with a single strike.
"So, you can understand my desire to address these dissidents while they are few in numbers, before the island falls into the chaos of battle."
"Addressing dissidents or addressing hope? I can see your worry, but I haven't seen any signs of even that small group you described. Is there something you fear might give your enemies hope?"
"Ahh, smart girl," Viggo responded. "There is nothing that would be enough to defeat us. In fact, I suspect something may happen that will end up beneficial for us, but people can do foolish things for even small reasons. See hope where there is none, and that alone can be a nuisance. Now to get back to why I am speaking with you. It would be tragic if friendly girl like you and your family got caught up in a war, so I'd like to offer you a chance to help us avoid that and of course I can guarantee our protection if things get worse.
"You want me to spy for you in the village, and I won't think for a heartbeat that you would accept no as an answer," Heather said, keeping her expression as blank as she could. "So how about we skip indirect threats and get to what exactly you are hoping for me to do?"
Ryker growled behind her but Viggo grinned.
"I can see why old Svend picked you as his conversation company. Have you considered becoming a Hunter? We could use a healer and some intelligence."
"That is one request for which you need to live with a no. I am quite satisfied staying right here."
"A shame, but not unexpected. As for your question, I need to you investigate if there is indeed organized plans against us, especially among people that were involved with these so-called dragon classes, and especially the kid that ran them."
"Hiccup," Heather confirmed, not that there was any way Viggo wouldn't have already known. "I've heard you have already… met him under conditions, and that neither left happy."
Viggo touched the burnt side of his face and retracted his hand fast enough to show he did not intend to do so. Heather had caught the man off guard and considered it a great achievement. She didn't have time to enjoy the thought as Viggo's expression soon twisted into a wicked smirk.
"Naturally you will inform me if there are any signs or even rumours about his presence."
"I doubt he'd be stupid enough to return since your presence here isn't exactly hard to notice."
"Perhaps, but then again. You could have said the same to those that dragged him out of our camp last year. There are people who don't need much to risk everything. That is exactly where rebellions begin."
Viggo got up from behind the desk and walked past Heather.
"From what I hear it isn't exactly a secret who joined those dragon classes. Find out what they are doing. It would be a shame if we had to capture all of them and interrogate them one by one ourselves."
His voice was as calm and eloquent as ever but made shivers go through Heather's spine as she envisioned screams echoing across the island. Viggo left her alone in the room with a new mountain of problems. That's what she got for allowing the old healer to lure her in and getting involved with the Hunters. She got up and walked out of the room. In the main room her eyes met Svend's, she turned away and left without a word. She walked across the camp as fast as she could without getting much attention.
What would she do now? Ignore Viggo's demands and suffer his wrath? Do exactly what he told her to and betray the village to be on the likely winning side and lose her home if she was wrong? Then again, if there was nothing major really going on it would not even matter if she did snoop around. No one would know she had spied if she only told Viggo she found nothing, or some vague thing that could be a source of hope.
The problem was that she got a feeling something had made Viggo worried, and he had specifically mentioned Hiccup and the possibility of him returning, but not being back. Despite what she had told Viggo, the dragon riding boy would be stupid enough to come back, she knew. He had taught half of a Viking village to like dragons to rescue one Monstrous Nightmare. The only mystery was what he would do.
Heather blinked and slapped herself on the forehead. She was actually thinking: 'What would Hiccup do?'
Something stupid obviously, and if there was any sign of him, she'd be back to the starting point on what to do. Well, she could still look into it and decide later.
As for answering the previous question: Hiccup might be stupid enough to try something, but not so stupid as to rush straight in without any planning or… help from the village. In an instant Heather made a mental list of people she knew that might help Hiccup and Fishlegs, that he might contact. Ivar had probably already left with the dragon riders. The old blacksmith would be an easy person to approach, though maybe not best to be their main contact. There were also lot of regular students from Hiccup's classes.
As Heather arrived back at the village, she had her answer walking out of one of the outlaying houses ahead of her. Gerd said a few words to someone in the building and started walking away. Heather did not remember who lived there but got the feeling Gerd shouldn't have either, at least not well enough to visit. Heather moved behind a row of houses and ran ahead of the other girl. She turned a corner, returning to Gerd's path right as she was passing the same corner. It was time to do some acting.
"Hey, watch it," Heather started with an annoyed voice that she quickly changed. "Oh, actually, Gerd, we need to talk."
"About what? How great the Hunters are?"
"About Hiccup," Heather said.
As soon as the name left Heather's lips Gerd tensed and her eyes widened. It might have been just ordinary surprise at the topic or general concern, but a gasp that escaped Gerd's mouth seemed excessive when discussing someone they had not seen in weeks.
"Why do you want to talk about him?" Gerd asked. She started talking fast but slowly calmed back to a more neutral expression and mannerism. Heather had a bad feeling about this.
"Well," Heather started, looking away, "He came up when I was talking to the Hunters' healer. Apparently the Grimborns are still a bit obsessed with him after what happened last year. Made me think about him. I thought it's nothing to worry about. The Hunters aren't exactly subtle about being here and no one really knows where they went, but… if someone is stupid enough to show up again despite the Hunters it'd be Hiccup."
"What makes you think I would want to talk with you about him, or anything really? I thought you only care about keeping you own ship on the surface."
"It's not like I have many options," Heather snaped and then forced a much calmer and uncertain expression on her face. "Just tell me, I am wrong and he won't show up to d… mess things up more."
"Fine," Gerd said and continued quickly. "Hiccup might be reckless sometimes, but I don't think he would risk his Flock to come back with the Hunters here. "
Heather turned her head back to face Gerd as the other girl spoke, but as soon as she did, Gerd averted her own gaze. They stood in silence for a long moment. Heather focused on observing Gerd who was tenser than she had any excuse to be. Heather cursed both of them in her mind and turned around.
"Thanks. Try not to get into trouble. Don't do anything that Hiccup would do."
She left cursing her luck or talent in getting information. The dragon kid was already back and if Viggo didn't know it already he at least suspected. Heather meanwhile was back to where she started, having to choose sides.
Which side was going to win, and how much would she impact it?