WELCOME to another episode of "the many many ways we can hurt Hiccup both emotionally and physically". Don't lie, that's why you're here.
So yes, Family on the Edge what-if. What-if as in "one of the dozens of ways this episode could've gone but didn't". that's why I'm here.
Hiccup & Heather-centric.
Do I have anything else to say? Hmm... as a certain individual would say. Nah that's pretty much it.
ENJOY THE READ :D
"Dagur couldn't be right about this mission being too easy, could he?" wondered Hiccup as he carried a barrel full of Monstrous Nightmare gel into Dragon's Edge's Training Arena as he and his team gathered their supplies for their mission.
"We've been watching these shipyards for weeks," said Astrid, hoping to convince Hiccup and wipe away the doubt that Dagur had settled in his core ever since the Berserker had shown his face here. "We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary."
"Dagur is still working for Viggo," chirped in Heather, assertively.
Hiccup and Astrid turned her way, aware of how distrustful she was of her own brother. After everything Dagur had done to her since they were just kids, it was understandable for her to feel wary of Dagur. Astrid might not relate to the same, exact sentiment, but after getting chased for so long by Dagur the Deranged, she understood her best friend's spite of the Berserker.
"He was just trying to keep us from attacking his master," she continued, scowling at Hiccup who was obviously still standing with a foot in both camps. "He's a liar and a spy."
Hiccup tried to hold her glare, blinking multiple times before dropping his gaze to the stone ground at their feet. Despite all the evidence pointing to Dagur probably working for the enemy, he still felt like they were looking at the situation from the wrong perspective. Hiccup had gone through so much with Dagur ever since they were kids. And, yes, he did try to kill him and all of his friends and family multiple times in the past for more than a few years...
But Dagur had changed. He was certain of it.
Clearly, though, he was the only one with this opinion. After having been exposed to so many situations that left him vulnerable and that Dagur could have made use of, the Berserker still didn't kill him or turn him over to the Dragon Hunters. And to Hiccup, that was saying something. He knew he ought to listen to his friends – his team. But Hiccup simply couldn't help feeling like they were wrong about him. But he had to put his trust somewhere. They were about to attack Viggo's shipyards. He had to choose a camp.
And between trusting Dagur, and trusting his friends?
Yeah.
The choice was obvious.
They were sticking with the original mission. They would attack Viggo's shipyards just as they had planned before Dagur's arrival on Dragon's Edge and before his warning concerning said shipyard being a trap.
Hiccup put down the heavy barrel and turned to face the horizon. They had to do this.
"Hey," said Astrid, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder pad. "We can do this. We've gone over the plan about a hundred times. It's gonna work."
"I hope so... If not, all of this plays right into Viggo's hands," said Hiccup, unable to keep his eyes from darting to the other Dragon Riders as they prepared for their departure.
He shot a quick look at the stables where they kept their temporary prisoner. The heavy metal gates remained shut. Hopefully, Dagur wouldn't attempt an escape while they went on with their operation. It wasn't so much because he feared getting backstabbed by Dagur while they were oblivious of his whereabouts than getting proved wrong and that the Berserker was indeed aligned with the enemy. He wanted to believe Dagur. He really did. And he hoped that after this mission they could see eye to eye and that Dagur had nothing to do with the Dragon Hunters.
"Hey," said Astrid again, shaking his shoulder to bring him back down on Earth with her and the rest of his team. "Let's just do this."
Hiccup met her ocean eyes, chasing away the doubt just like a wing clap chased away the smoke acting as cover for a Smothering Smokebreath pack.
"Alright, wings up, gang," said Hiccup, walking over to his dragon while Astrid joined her own mount, hopping on the saddle, ready for takeoff. "We have to hit that shipyard before the number of ships goes up again. If we wait too long, it'll be impossible to deal with."
"It's not like this is much fun anyway," said Snotlout, leaning forward on his Monstrous Nightmare's twisted horns, his boredom unmasked.
"No one said this would be fun, Snotlout," replied Astrid, taking a firm hold of the handles before taking to the air with a loud, "Yah!"
The Dragon Riders followed after their leader, taking to the air with powerful wingbeats until they were at a comfortable altitude for steady flying. They each took their rightful place in the V formation, instinctively knowing where to position themselves from flying hundreds of missions. There was a steady silence for a few moments where Hiccup gazed straight ahead at the horizon line, mentally bracing himself for the attack. Astrid seemed confident as if this was but another day. And Heather, well, she looked ready to take out that shipyard, the look painting her face letting everybody know she had no crippling doubt eating at her soul. Hiccup gazed at her for a moment as she flew as his wingman on the right, noticing her determination. He wished he could have the same certitude about Dagur. But he just didn't have it, and for some strange and unexplainable reason, he couldn't help but feel like they were making a mistake.
One big mistake.
The silence went on for a few more moments before Tuffnut predictably decided to speak up and break it.
"Okay, so, what's the plan again?" he asked from the back and Hiccup along with the rest of the team rolled their eyes in exasperation. "I didn't listen last time."
"Actually, we never listen at all," noted Ruffnut, holding up her index matter-of-factly.
"What else is new?" mumbled Fishlegs.
"Ah, gods…" sighed Hiccup before twisting around in the saddle to face the twins soaring steadily a row back. "Guys, coordinated attack. Use the sea stacks for cover and remember, stay out of arrow range."
"Oh, that's it?" said Tuffnut, cocking his eyebrow at his leader who replied with a warning glare.
"We always do that, why weren't you listening?" said Ruffnut accusingly, slamming her fist against his helmet, sending him whining.
"Quiet, you two!" snapped Astrid before twisting back around to focus ahead.
They soared steadily as they entered the concentration of sea stacks. The day was a beautiful one with a bright blue sky without a cloud in sight, but as they entered the fogbank, it was like they were leaving a dream and entering a nightmare. At first, it was nothing but a light fog where they could still see the sun glowing through the haze like a bright white ball of light. But the deeper they flew into the bank, the thicker the vapour got and the darker their surroundings became. Their world had gone grey without a trace of colour but for themselves and their dragons. The sea stacks grew larger, suggesting they were nearing the Dragon Hunter shipyards which, if their reconnaissance missions reported right, were located right by stone islets that couldn't even sustain the life of a patch of moss.
They flew quietly for a bit longer, zigzagging skillfully between the sea stacks and islets. Hiccup narrowed his eyes when he spotted a mast and its rolled-up sail among the thick fog. He quickly looked over his shoulder, catching his teammates' attention.
"Alright, gang," he said in a whisper, furrowing his brows seriously. "You know the drill. We go head-on, dragons blazing. We'll use the element of surprise. With the fog for cover, they won't know what hit them."
Astrid and Heather nodded confidently and each dove their separate ways, disappearing through the gloomy mist and out of sight. Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins trailed behind him, ready to play their part. Hiccup nodded to the remainder of his team before turning back around, patting his dragon's side.
"This is it, bud," he said, grabbing the handles firmly as he stared straight ahead at the shipyards growing closer. "We only get one shot at this. Let's not screw this up."
Toothless growled in reply before focusing fully ahead. When they were close enough, the Night Fury tucked his wings to his sides and dove down as straight as an arrow. The other Riders remained out of arrow range, barrels of Monstrous Nightmare gel ready to drop at the signal.
Hiccup flattened himself against the saddle as he soared above the black water, staying low and out of the Hunters' sight while he sneaked close enough to get a perfect first shot. Toothless perked his ear up at his rider and Hiccup nodded, pulling on the handles.
"Now, Toothless! Plasma blast, just like we practiced!"
Toothless didn't hesitate and fired the first series, alerting the crew of their presence immediately. But they were too slow to react in time and were knocked off their feet as the blasts hit the first ship, sending it aflame as the barrels full of explosives went off. Astrid and Heather played their part, hitting the yard right after Hiccup and Toothless which allowed their leader to move along while the two warriors acted as an effective distraction. Hiccup fired again, sending off another massive explosion as the barrels aboard the vessels caught aflame, causing a satisfying amount of damage with the need of very little firepower. Hiccup couldn't help but grin, patting Toothless' head as they moved on to their next position to fire.
Normally, according to the plan, it would soon be time for Hiccup to give the signal for Snotlout and Fishlegs to drop the barrels of Monstrous Nightmare gel which would take care of the remainder of the yard after their initial attack. After that, they would simply pick off the Hunters one by one until there was nothing left. But the alarming and loud sound of chains hitting stone had Hiccup's heart skip a beat as he turned to see a curtain of chains drop from the side of an islet, revealing rows of Dragon Hunters, crossbows in hands. A horrifying look flashed in his eyes as Hiccup realized his mistake. Dagur's warnings came rushing back like a bludgeon to the stomach. For a split moment, it felt like time stopped, and Hiccup watched wide-eyed as the first series of arrows fired.
He reacted in a heartbeat.
"Look out!" he shouted, leaning flat against the saddle. He dove down to avoid the raining sharp tips, hoping not to get impaled as he made a speedy escape trying to find cover before they were hit with another surprise.
He held on tight to the handles as Toothless roared sharply, flying clumsily as panic settled in his core. Hiccup looked back over his shoulder for any other bolt from the blue and yelped when an arrow grazed his upper arm, slicing through the cloth and wounding him. He hissed through bared teeth, ignoring the sting to focus on their getaway. They climbed up in a straight line as fast as his Night Fury's two wings could carry them, seeking safety out of arrow range.
Hiccup had Toothless hold and twist around when they were safe from the arrows. They watched the scene unfold before their eyes, staring through horrified eyes as the curtains of chains dropped and waves of arrows fired.
Astrid had been quick to notice and fired a series of tail spines followed by a blast of magnesium fire before taking off for cover, out of range from those Hunters. She zigzagged through the sea stacks, looking over her shoulder to see a boulder coming down on her. She gasped, leaning forward. Stormfly squawked in alarm and narrowed her eyes to slits. She reacted instinctively and dove down close to the water before springing back up for the sky. The boulder slammed against a frail sea stack, sending it crumbling with a disquieting rumble like thunder in the distance. Thankfully, Astrid and Stormfly managed to make it out without a scratch and join Hiccup and the others as they hovered above the shipyard.
"Guys! Get out of here, it's a trap!" said Hiccup, making a wild gesture with his bad arm. He immediately regretted it and hissed at the sting in his arm, pressing his right palm against the wound and staining his hand red.
"Hiccup, you're hurt," said Astrid, her concern unmasked.
"I'll be fine," reassured Hiccup upon seeing it was just a cut.
"Wait, I thought we talked about this," said Tuffnut, frowning in confusion. "We're supposed to blow up this place. Like, wha-bam, you know?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Snotlout, blinking in confusion.
Hiccup didn't have time to explain when another boulder was fired their way, able to reach them despite their distance from the shipyard. They split up just in time, watching as the boulder disappeared back into the fog, the sound of more crumbling stones suggesting it had made another sea stack a victim.
"He's right," said Fishlegs, closing back the distance after parting. "A shipyard like this one shouldn't be this heavily armed. Dagur was right."
"Oh, shut it, Fishface!" snapped Snotlout. "Pick a side, will yah?"
A series of net flew straight their way and the group fanned out in time, avoiding an unfortunate alternative before regrouping again; higher this time.
"You know what, actually, we're done here," said Snotlout, sold on the trap. He was ready to go home.
Astrid brought Stormfly to a hover next to Hiccup, gathering herself again.
"They knew we'd come," she said, meeting her leader's gaze with a grim look shading her eyes.
Hiccup held her gaze for a few seconds before returning his attention below.
This was a mistake.