"Viggo Grimborn, you will be remanded to our dungeon until a proper sentence can be handed down," declared Heather, her tone strong and commanding.
The clamouring rang in the Great Hall like a swarm of bees around their nest. Upset shouts, insults, and questions merged into one loud hum as the audience reacted to the ex-Hunter's presence.
"Whoa whoa whoa, I thought we would talk first?!" said Hiccup, standing close to Heather on the step overlooking the crowd. Heather only eyed him without turning to face him, looking down at Viggo instead. The ex-Hunter stood tall and proud despite his bound hands and the guards flanking him.
"So this is how you treat a man who's seeking to save some valuable lives?" growled Viggo, holding Heather's cold glare.
Hiccup looked down disappointingly. Zephyr stood close to him, looking at Viggo sadly.
"I know you, Viggo," said Heather, holding her chin high. "Whatever you're seeking to do, whatever selfless act you claim you're trying to commit, we both know you're only doing it for yourself."
"And what could I possibly gain from coming here?" asked Viggo, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"You tell me..." said Heather, not buying any of it.
Viggo scowled.
The tension grew and the clamouring grew louder as the protests persisted.
Hiccup cleared his throat. "Um, Heather?" he said, and she turned away from the ex-Hunter, gesturing to her guards again.
"Take him away." The soldiers did as told, pulling back on their prisoner who struggled a little just to make their lives more difficult.
The crowd cleared out as Viggo was taken away and Zephyr tugged on Hiccup's arm with an expression that said, "We need to do something!"
Hiccup sighed and turned to Heather.
"Heather, you must reconsider," he said, meeting her disbelieving gaze.
"I can't believe you trust him," she said, clearly upset with his decision. "After everything he did? The people and the dragons he's hurt? I expected more from you... and after all these years... Who knows what he's been up to. I thought you said he died."
Hiccup could feel her suspicion about him. How in the world could he convince her? She was way more stubborn than he remembered her to be. Hiccup guessed becoming Chieftess of the Berserker Tribe had toughened her up even more after Dagur's resignation to become King of the Defenders of the Wing.
"I thought so too..." he said, looking down. "But I think he's really changed, Heather. Look, I wouldn't trust Viggo either if things were different, but... I have my reasons. You can understand that, right?"
Heather's eyes widened slightly and she folded her arms over her chest, turning away from him as memories of their teenage years rushed back to mind. She knew all too well he was referring to the Dagur fiasco. To believe in someone with a dark past - to give them a second chance. It felt so long ago.
"My story with Dagur is different," she said, turning back around to face him. "He's family. I couldn't deny that."
"I'm not asking you to trust Viggo's word, Heather," clarified Hiccup, letting her know he understood where she stood. "What I'm asking is for you to trust me on this."
Heather hesitated for a moment, struggling whether to go through with this or not. She had so many questions for him. She sighed, letting her shoulders drop.
"What could be so important for him to show his face again after all this time?" she couldn't help but wonder. She made her way to the tables behind them and took a seat, beckoning for him to join. "And even more importantly, where have you been? You just... disappeared; we didn't know what happened to you. Berk. The dragons? Gone, just like that."
"It's a long story..." admitted Hiccup, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The guilt for leaving everything and everyone he knew behind slammed him in the stomach like a hammer on a nail.
"I should've known you had something to do with the dragons leaving," said Heather, smiling warmly at him. "What happened?"
"In all honesty, that's the reason I'm here in the first place," he said, thinking back on everything Viggo had informed him about. "Apparently the dragons' departure has changed things for the worse I heard."
"One could put it that way..." admitted Heather, a dark shade washing over her eyes. "Tribes that worshipped dragons such as the Defenders of the Wing and the Wingmaidens have lost the one aspect that defined their people. And tribes that hunted and trapped dragons lost the only thing that brought them profit." Her features saddened. "Everything revolved around the dragons. And with them gone, the world turned upside down. And I'm not even exaggerating. It was the pedestal of civilization as we knew it. Vikings tribes are not only fighting to survive in this new world; they lost their identity."
Hiccup bit his lips, feeling guilty all over again for not considering how his actions would've affected everyone else. He'd created catastrophic consequences he hadn't even been aware of until now.
"What about you?" he asked, unable to help but wonder how the Berserkers were doing in this so-called new world.
"We're hold up alright," said Heather, sounding not too worried. "I can't say the same about my brother and Mala. It's been rough for them."
Hiccup exhaled, running his hands down his face. "We thought moving the dragons into the Hidden World would be the answer to all of our problems," said Hiccup. "Now it feels like it just caused more complications."
"Yep," agreed Heather. "And now people, mainly ex Hunters and Trappers, want them back. The most powerful tribes out there thrived on profit. They say you don't know what you have until it's gone... Truth is, they knew what they had; they just thought they'd never lose it."
Hiccup thought this through. At least now he had confirmation that what Viggo had been saying was indeed true. The world had fallen to its knees. It didn't surprise him that Heather didn't mention anything about an organization. This knowledge would probably be kept on the down-low as much as possible; it would be unwise to let word out that they were after the Dragon Conqueror. The last thing Hiccup would want if he was to lead this operation would be for his target's allies to stand in his way. He trusted Viggo's word. And he was willing to follow him all the way to put an end to this movement. He had too much to lose to stand back and see which way the wind would blow. This would be dangerous. He also had Zephyr to think about; she was the reason why he'd wanted to stop here, to begin with. Heather was one of his most trustworthy allies, and he knew he could count on her to keep his daughter safe while he carried on with the mission.
"Heather, I need to ask for a favour," said Hiccup. He paused. "But first I need you to set Viggo free."
"Hiccup, you and I go way back," said Heather, arguing against it. "And I know you mean to see the good in people. But I'm sorry. This is my island, and therefore my rules. There are enough power-thirsty maniacs out there; I'm not letting this criminal out of a set of bars ever again and there's nothing you can do to persuade me otherwise."
Hiccup tried to think of something that would convince her; tried to find alternatives to their problem. He needed Viggo. He had to find a way to get him off this island. But before he had a chance to think of something convincing enough, a guard rushed inside the Great Hall, panting and looking frantic.
"Chief!" shouted the soldier, running up to them and bowing despite the obvious urgency. "It's the prisoner! He's escaped!"
Heather balled her fists, scowling Hiccup's way. "I told you," she hissed before rushing outside the Great Hall to deal with the situation.
Hiccup was about to order Zephyr to stay close to him as he watched soldiers rush to the jail building. He spun around, and his heart sunk down to the pit of his stomach. She was gone. Of course she slipped away...
"Zephyr..." he barely whispered, sinister thoughts invading his mind about his missing daughter. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed her disappearance until now. And with Viggo apparently lose on the island, Hiccup began believing the worst. He chased after Heather, frightful for his daughter's whereabouts and safety.
He stopped next to the Chieftess as they approached the soldiers near the building.
"How could you lose a single prisoner? And one as dangerous as Grimborn?" snapped Heather, and Hiccup could see the frightful expressions behind the helmets' face-plates.
"Ma'am, he was holding a child..." reported one of the guards, attempting to explain what had happened and why they'd been unable to interfere. "We couldn't take the risk."
Heather looked over at Hiccup, her concern unmasked. Hiccup couldn't even begin to describe the feelings building up inside of him. They needed to act now before this escalated further.
"I want all our troops out there," ordered Heather, her tone authoritative and loud. "Don't stop until you find that little girl."
The soldiers nodded and set out immediately, grabbing whatever weapon they could.
Hiccup had a hard time accepting the turn of events, balling his fists to his sides.
"I should've seen this coming..." he mumbled to himself, gazing out darkly at the woods stretching past the jailhouse on the edge of town.
"Don't worry, Hiccup," reassured Heather, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They'll find them. Viggo won't get away with this."
Hiccup didn't reply, all too furious with Viggo and himself to leave this in the hands of those Berserker troops.
"I'm going out there," he stated, leaving no room for her to argue with him. "You stay here in case Zephyr comes back."
Heather nodded sharply and Hiccup took off, following the path entering the woods where the troops had gone. He left behind the open air of the plaza and into the thickness of the Berserker forest. The vegetation wasn't nearly as thick as the one back on New Berk, considering the island's centuries-long exploitation. Golden rays of sunlight pierced the canopy, showing flies fluttering by. He would've enjoyed the still and peaceful vibe the forest offered if it wasn't for the fact that his daughter could be in grave danger. He mentally punched himself for falling for Viggo's soft voice and promises.
Heather was right. He never should've trusted Viggo Grimborn, of all people, in the first place. He felt like a fool. He felt stupid. And that made him angry.
"You harm a hair on her head; you're a dead man, Viggo..." growled Hiccup, scanning his surroundings for any sign of the ex-Hunter's passage. He called out his daughter's name repeatedly. It felt like forever before Hiccup finally heard a sound. At first, he thought it could be the soldiers doubling back around to cover this part of the forest. But the rapid little footsteps confirmed otherwise.
"Zephyr? Zephyr!" he shouted, cupping his mouth. He was alert for a reply and Hiccup couldn't even begin to find the words to describe the relief that washed over when he saw her appear between the trees' trunks as she ran his way.
"Dad!" she called out, and Hiccup jogged to meet up with her. He lifted her off the ground and trapped her in his embrace, unable to keep the emotions from flowing freely.
"Zephyr, what happened?" asked Hiccup when she pulled away to look at his face. "Are you okay? What... what happened?" He studied her unharmed features, running his hand down her hair and face to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
Leaves ruffled indiscreetly to catch his attention, and Hiccup looked past his daughter's face to see Viggo standing and waiting patiently. Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed as anger lit back up like a breeze blowing on embers to help catch fire. He carefully put Zephyr back down and stepped forward.
"Hiccup, hear me out..." started Viggo, but Hiccup didn't wait for his sweet talk and took him by surprise. He closed his hand on his throat aggressively, slamming him hard against a tree trunk. Viggo groaned at the new pain and bared his teeth at the ex-Rider. Hiccup wasn't the young man he'd known him to be. He'd grown into a man and a father, and nothing would stop him from protecting his daughter.
"I should've known..." he hissed, his eyes turning a dark shade of green as he tightened his grip on his throat. "After all your flowery talk, you didn't really change. You're still the same devious snake you've always been!"
"Dad! No!" shouted Zephyr, running up to his side, begging for him to stop. "It was me! I helped him escape!"
But Hiccup didn't have the chance to ask to elaborate when Viggo slammed his elbow across his face to throw him off. Hiccup backed up, disoriented and bloody nosed. But he recovered quickly, shook off the pain, and threw himself at him. Viggo managed to duck the first blows, but his adversary was determined and managed to land a few powerful punches. The ex-Hunter growled low as blood filled his mouth. The spark inside lit up into a flame and he tackled the ex-Rider, slamming him hard against the ground and knocking the wind out of him. Zephyr desperately cried out for them to stop.
"I don't want to hurt you, Hiccup," said Viggo, panting as he straightened back up again. Hiccup glared up at him when he offered a hand.
Viggo scowled back, letting him know he wasn't enjoying this anymore than he was. Shouts from Berserker soldiers rang through the undergrowth, and Zephyr spun around in its direction before looking over at her father.
"Shall we keep going?" said Viggo, gesturing it was time to go now. "Or will all this effort be in vain?"
Hiccup paused, panting. He scowled up at him, tightening his lips angrily, but close his hand around his nonetheless.