It had been perilous and almost a hit-or-miss kind of escape, but Hiccup, Viggo, and Zephyr managed to make it all the way back to the docks without much trouble. With all the guards sent out to search for their missing prisoner, it had been relatively easy to slip unnoticed. The trio had not halted or slowed down for a moment until they were safely back at sea, sailing away from Berserker Island.
Hiccup felt regret and guilt creep in his mind as they let the wind take them away. He looked back at the island, watching the silhouettes draw on the edge of the cliffs, looking back at them with predatory eyes fixating them. He easily recognized Heather's form, and part of him wished he could've done better about everything. He'd left his allies behind, and he hated himself for that.
The original plan had been to leave Zephyr under Heather's care. But Viggo made things rather complicated. His actions of the past had not gone forgiven by some people. Which was more than understandable and logical. Hiccup didn't blame his allies for disagreeing with him about Viggo. Even though he wished his friends would trust him, Hiccup knew they had the right not to. He'd proven it to himself how part of him still didn't trust in the ex-Hunter.
If Heather couldn't see eye to eye with him, then Hiccup doubted the Defenders of the Wing or the Wingmaidens would be any different. As for the Outcasts, Hiccup didn't exactly trust them that way.
Hiccup sighed in discouragement, accepting Zephyr would be along for the ride.
"The sun will be setting in a few hours," informed Viggo from where he sat, controlling the ship's steering handle. Hiccup followed his gaze up at the pale blue sky, calculating the time left based on the sun's position. "We better find a place to anchor down for the night."
Hiccup nodded.
Zephyr sat on the pile of crates at the front of the ship, looking out at the waves stretching as far as the eye could see. Hiccup joined her, holding her close.
"What is it?" asked Hiccup gently.
Zephyr sighed, hesitating for a moment before turning to face him, her sapphire blue eyes full of confusion and sadness.
"What did that lady mean? Why didn't she trust Viggo?" she asked, and Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, only to find no words.
He turned to Viggo who met his gaze, a silent discussion taking place. If she was going to come along on this journey, they had to fill her in about everything. It was something Hiccup had tried to avoid for so long. He didn't want her to know about the villainy and all the bad things that had happened and continued happening. He wanted to keep the darkness at bay so she could grow up in a world full of light. But Hiccup realized it would be impossible...
Greedy humans... always found a way.
...
Hiccup never thought he'd see his home island again.
Berk.
Part of him still addressed the isle as home. It had been his tribe's island for seven generations. His father, and his father before, all of his ancestors had lived on this wet heap of rock. They had built, over and over again – mainly because of the dragon raids. It felt like a lifetime ago Hiccup and the other kids were defending the village from the dragons.
The war with the dragons... it sounded like old tales. Unrealistic tales.
The sun had gone down when they reached the island. The fall of the night had been unkind, depriving them of the moon and stars as the dark clouds of an incoming storm covered their glow. The loud rumbling in the distance had announced its coming and it didn't take long for the rain to come down.
Luckily, they'd managed to reach the docks before the rainstorm started lashing down. They made their way to the Great Hall, working around the debris in the dead of night. The lack of lit torches and moonlight made it tricky to walk around without nearly tripping. It was like walking around a ghost town.
The gate of the Hall whined loudly as Viggo pushed it shut, cutting out the growling of the thunder and the hum of the rain.
Hiccup wasn't sure if he would've been able to light a fire if he didn't know this place like the back of his hand. The obscurity stripped him from his sense of seeing, but he still worked a way to find the flint in his baggage and throw a few sparks in the central fire pit of the Great Hall. The dry leaves and branches that remained at the bottom of the pit caught aflame almost instantly, lighting up the large room with its warm and reassuring glow.
"Whoa..." whispered Zephyr, staring around at the immensity of it. It was imposingly bigger than Berserker Island's Hall.
Hiccup scanned their surroundings for any wild animal that could've sought shelter too. But the place was completely empty of any living creature but themselves. The only thing that caught his attention was the state of the Hall. Tables and benches were flipped over like there had been a brawl. Colourful tapestries that told stories and used to hang from the ceiling were either on the floor or torn. Anything valuable had disappeared. Not to mention the dead leaves scattered everywhere and the tree branches that lay near the entrance. Berk had been stripped of anything valuable.
"Wow, they really wrecked this place," commented Hiccup, bringing his hands up to his hips, looking around slightly disheartened.
"What did you expect?" said Viggo, pulling out some food and water from their baggage as well as some blankets.
"Fair point..." said Hiccup, turning his way to help him out.
If it wasn't for the storm, Hiccup would've worried much more about Heather sending troops after them. But considering the weather, he decided it would be foolish for the Berserker Chieftess to even try. At least they could rest without worrying too much about unwelcomed visitors.
They ate and warmed up, the crackling of the fire singing its soothing lullaby along with the hum outside. Let's say it didn't take too long for Zephyr to fall asleep under a set of warm blankets. Hiccup made sure she was comfortably set before walking back over to Viggo closer to the fire pit.
There was a long but comfortable pause as both men stared at the dancing flames, their glow as hypnotizing as a Changewing's stare.
"So... you were telling the truth about this organization," said Hiccup, staring blankly into the fire.
"I'm hurt there was every any doubt," said Viggo, but Hiccup didn't react. He sighed. "I meant what I said back there, you know..." His voice was low and seemed to merge with the homely atmosphere.
"You've said a lot of things since you showed up," pointed out Hiccup. "Might wanna narrow it down a little."
"I gain nothing by helping you," he clarified, looking his way. "I am not after wealth or power, whatever you or your fellow allies might believe."
"You can't exactly blame us for suspecting there's more to you than you're letting on," said Hiccup, meeting his gaze stubbornly.
"Hiccup," said Viggo assertively. "I am nothing if not a man of my word."
"Heard that one before," said Hiccup, unimpressed. He took a sip from his mug before putting it down next to him on the bench. "I don't get it." Viggo turned to him, perplexed. Hiccup met his gaze, looking for an explanation. "Why bother at all? Why involve yourself in a conflict you could easily avoid? You've been doing it for the past 10 years. Why now? Why this?"
Viggo sighed, turning away. "Truth is..." he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Life is never made unbearable by its circumstances, but by the lack of meaning and purpose. I spent my entire life at war; spent my entire life bearing the responsibility and pressure inflicted by my own flesh and blood to keep my tribe on the pedestal. I've always had the power... but not anymore. When you and your Riders came along... everything changed." He turned to the ex-Rider. "You taught me more than you could possibly imagine, my dear Hiccup. My beliefs changed the day I should've died. And I cannot fight for something that I no longer believe in."
Hiccup took a moment to take it all in. It was... heavy. And he understood what he meant more than he could ever imagine. He didn't question whether Viggo was being truthful or not; whether he was making it all up to convince him. He believed him. And he trusted his word.
"I believe you," said Hiccup, and Viggo smiled back, a look of gratitude shining in the glow of his eyes.
...
Dawn came around, yawning lazily over Berk. The sky was tainted with pastel colours and brushed over with streaks of white fluffy clouds. The sun shone warmly through, making the puddles and the wet surface of the stone glimmer like gems.
Hiccup stood outside the Great Hall, enjoying the morning breeze and the sound of birds while the others came around. He turned around when he heard footsteps approaching and looked down to see Zephyr rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Good morning," said Hiccup, smiling down at her while she yawned.
"Hi..." she mumbled, looking out tiredly at the mess of a village that lay before them.
It had been hard to see when they arrived in the middle of the night, but now, with the sun to show them the world, they could see that the place had been turned upside down, leaving behind nothing but sticks and stones. No weapons. No furniture. Even the houses were missing wooden planks. Grass patches grew to become hay. The cracks between the stones of the plaza had grown weed like never before. Vines climbed what remained of buildings as well at the cliffside that made the Great Hall... along with Stoick the Vast's imposing statue. A sense of sadness filled Hiccup as he stared at the island that had once been his home. This is where he grew up. He had seen so much happen here. Berk had evolved so much in the 20 years he'd lived here. From the dragon raids to his Viking and dragon utopia. He wondered if he had a choice, if he'd choose to stay here, on Berk.
Viggo stepped out of the Hall, eyeing the wreck with a neutral expression. He met the ex-Rider's gaze and Hiccup turned to Zephyr, telling her to go inside and start packing up.
"So what's our next move?" asked Hiccup, folding his arms over his chest as he stepped closer to the ex-Hunter.
"Always in a rush, aren't you?" commented Viggo to which Hiccup replied with a stern face. Viggo chuckled amusingly before proceeding. "Every team, tribe, organization, or movement needs leadership... Regrouping does not simply happen out of nowhere or by itself. There needs to be someone to set the spark into a flame."
"Basically, we need to find their leader..." said Hiccup, resuming his complex talk with a poker face.
"Precisely," said Viggo, nodding carefully. "A flock of Night Terrors is nothing without an alpha. Human beings are no different. Once we take them down, said group will collapse."
"I don't assume you'd know who it is, do you?" asked Hiccup, cocking an eyebrow his way. He wouldn't be surprised if he already had his suspicions.
"Unfortunately, no..." replied Viggo, joining his hands to his back. "My best guess is someone who used to be in power and wants their title back. But that could be anyone; conquerors more likely."
"Actually, I can think of a few who could still be out there," said Hiccup, rubbing his beard thoughtfully, a grim shadow casting over his eyes as he stared ahead. "Griselda the Grievous, Ragnar the Rock, and Chaghatai Khan. They were the Warlords who hired Grimmel the Grisly to, well... kill me, and then capture Toothless in order to continue their dragon-poaching operations and conquer the world." He finished his deduction with a sigh of discouragement as he thought back on that war – the war that had forced him to make a final decision concerning the dragons.
"Hmm... Sounds like they could be potential suspects if you ask me," said Viggo.
"Except they'd know the location of the monolithic island," added Hiccup, searching the ground for more. "I don't understand why they'd wait so long to take action. They have the numbers – everything. It just doesn't make sense."
"Perhaps we might get more answers in the Northern Markets," suggested Viggo, taking a step forward, prompting to get going as Zephyr stepped out of the Hall with baggage trailing behind.
"That place housed unsavoury port teeming with pirates, weapon mongers, and dragon trappers last I visited," said Hiccup, reaching a hand out at Viggo as if to stop him right there. "I can't imagine how much worse it must've gotten throughout the years."
"Not to worry," reassured Viggo, lifting some weight off Zephyr's shoulders as he looked back at the Berkian Chief with a cocky smile. "It's still a very strong criminal underworld and is basically a black market nowadays."
"Then why would we go anywhere near that place, to begin with?" asked Hiccup, trying to read the answer off his face. "We have a kid with us, less I need to remind you?" Zephyr glanced from her father back to Viggo.
Viggo turned completely back around to face Hiccup, a serious and grim shade washing over his facial features.
"To find reliable answers, we need to ask people who are part of this movement. People who overhear; people who recruit," he explained, trying to make him see the obvious picture. "How do you think I found you? These are people who've suffered and are willing to do anything to be given a roof over their heads. Any promise one gives them they'll bend the knee. And what better place to find the answers to our questions than an island crawling with unfortunate Vikings?"
Hiccup looked down, tightening his lips as he struggled to find an argument against it. But Viggo was right. Of course he knew that. Hiccup took a moment to think; to think of the risks they were taking by venturing into hostile territory. The Northern Markets were the exact opposite of friendly or fair. He sighed heavily before lifting his chin back up at Viggo who raised an eyebrow expectantly.
"Alright," he said, biting. "If you think it'll give us a lead, then I trust you."
I'm gonna rename this story "Zephyr and her Two Dads". That would be more accurate XD