Author's Note: Hey there, i'm very sorry for the wait. unfortunately I was one of the unfortunately people that were affected by the massive freeze and wide blackout that effected the south of the US. Believe me when I say that we had rolling blackouts that lasted hours. I had to put things on pause until it was finished. That and had to recover from it once it was over. Still I did what I could and here's the chapter. Not going to say much more, so enjoy.
Chapter 14: Planning Part 1
Astrid and Tuffnut stood completely still for a brief moment before their minds finally screamed at them to act. Immediately the female blond looked about the cave, trying to make sure if Hiccup was somewhere else in the cave and they missed him, but alas the auburn hair teen was nowhere to be seen. Once this fact registered in her mind she went over to the others and quickly shook their bodies urgently, "Wake up, everyone!"
No one responded at first, but after a few more rough shakes, and then punching their shoulders, they started to awaken, groaning. "Ow, really Astrid, you have to do that?" Snotlout responded, eyes opening and hand going to cradle his aching shoulder.
"That really hurts, you know" Fishlegs is the next to wake up, sitting up and rubbing the now tender flesh.
"Hiccup is gone!" Astrid immediately said, once they all were awake.
"What!?" All three drowsy Riders responded back in confusion, their minds instantly catching up to them.
"He's not here, he's like not where he was last at," Tuffnut said, before pointing to the empty bed roll in the middle.
They all then looked before their eyes widen in alarm, their senses now being jump started as realization hit them. "W-Where did he go!?" Ruffnut asked for everyone, before looking up at her brother, knowing for a fact that he must have had last watch as she remembered waking Astrid up. "Bro, you didn't see him, did you?"
"No, apparently Hiccup acted like one of the stealthiest of dragons and managed to sneak past me while I was valiantly guarding everyone and-" Tuff was cut off as Astrid gave him a glare.
"You were asleep when I woke up."
"Wow, very nice bro," Ruffnut couldn't help but say back, but isn't surprised about it.
"How could you have fallen asleep?! We could have been attacked!" Snotlout chastised his friend as he put on his helmet and got up to his feet.
"We didn't, shouldn't that be the important thing?" Tuffnut argued back. "Besides that's not the important thing right now."
"He couldn't have gotten far, we just need to look," Fishlegs said, he too getting up, but then looked over at the dragons, eyes raising upon seeing them still snoozing. "Huh, that's odd, they are asleep, you think they would have woken up."
"That…or they weren't supposed to wake up," Astrid then commented, going over to Stormfly and gently scratching at her chin. The pleasant action slowly stirring the Nadder till her eyes flashed up, looking right at her rider. Ok, they weren't messed with, which was a relief.
The others then went over to their dragons, slowly waking them up, "You don't suppose someone snuck in here and took him, don't you think?" Ruffnut then asked out loud.
"No, if that was the case they would have caught or killed us as well," Astrid responded, looking at the others. "No…I think Hiccup left voluntarily."
"What? That doesn't make sense, why would he leave then?" Snotlout then asked, thankfully waking up Hookfang without an issue. "From the way he looked it seemed like he didn't want to be alone."
"We can ask that later, we have to find him now!" Astrid interjected and tried to get back at the concern at hand, her tone signaling the end of the discussion. Nodding, they all then called for their dragons to follow before heading for the cave entrance, rushing towards the nearly narrow entryway. Single file they walked quickly and squinted their eyes as they moved closer towards daylight, until they emerged out, the hard, rocky, surface replaced with a soft, sandy texture. Thankfully, the dragons didn't have a problem exiting, especially Hookfang even though he had to push himself through with force.
"Ok, get into the air and look everywhere, but keep low as we-" Astrid started to spew out order.
"Look!" Fishlegs pointed out, cutting her off and prompting everyone to follow. Everyone stopped moving and speaking and looked off in the distance, seeing something in the sand…Well, more like someone.
"H-Hiccup?" Astrid quietly spoke, eyes squinting some. Indeed, some yards away their leader could be seen…just standing there in the sand, eyes looking out into the water. He wasn't moving, nor anything giving off why he's there or reason why he's there.
"No one is around…from what I can see," Snotlout then said, looking up at the tall cliffs above, which overlooked the beach. "Yet that could change at any moment."
"No…I think we're ok," Astrid responded calmly, not taking her eyes off of Hiccup as they all stood where they were for a moment before she slowly started to walk towards him. The others saw this and started to follow right behind, the dragons doing the same, but keeping an eye out for any danger. The small walk happened in relative silence, except for the small crunching of sand, as they all slowly closed the distance between themselves and Hiccup, who is just standing there, still unmoving. Soon enough they were right next to him, a yard or two away depending on where either one is standing.
Hiccup seemed to have noticed but didn't acknowledge them just yet, opting to continue looking out at the water, watching the waves crash against the sea stacks, feeling the gentle breeze caress his hair and made his clothes sway. Both eyes closed as he inhaled, taking in the sea salt air. "Hiccup…what are you doing out here?" Astrid asked, looking around just to make sure they were safe. "Are you ok?'
The teen stood there in silence, he heard her but decided to look at the scenery before him just for a bit longer before letting out a small sigh. "I never actually understood how relaxing it is to just look at the waves…seeing how they move, the sound of their splashes…I could get lost looking for hours."
"W-What? W-What do you mean?" Snotlout then responded, eyes raising in some concern.
"Do you all know what it was like…after I had killed all those Berserkers and Outcasts?" Hiccup asked them, not in any negative way, but more like if they were interested in knowing.
They were still confused at this, but decided to play along…for now, "Umm…why do you ask?" Fishlegs asked next.
Hiccup closed his eyes, taking another deep breath to calm himself, mentally prepared himself to relive those negative feelings…ones he didn't want to relive again, but he did so as this was important. Don't ask why, it's just something he needed to do. "My body trembled…heart raced…and sometimes I would feel their blood on my hands…the feeling is sickening as it dripped down my skin, somehow marking me. Physically I would be very shaken up…but mentally I would be a mess. I'd freak out for a moment…but when I finally calmed down, I would close my eyes and I would see their faces…those cold dead eyes locking on with me…their chilling voices accusing me, calling me a murderer. It would shake me to the core…They wouldn't leave me alone, no matter what I did. what is worse is when I tried to sleep…my dreams turned into nightmares, where I would see every single person I have killed, all of them coming to life…before I see my latest kill. They would want to enact vengeance against me, but before they do, I would wake up."
Everyone was silent as they heard this, letting it soak in the more they heard, part of them still confused, but are slowly starting to understand. Hiccup was explaining the mental consequences he had to endure because of all the killing he'd done. Despite not facing it firsthand they still got a good account of it, and to be honest they didn't like what they were hearing. Still, it made them feel even worse as they knew Hiccup is dealing with all this far worse than anyone had. He was the one who is enduring those faces first hand and it left him in a worse state.
"Why are you telling us this?" Tuffnut asked, but for real as he's curious as to why he's sharing this, compared to last night when he was closed off.
Once again Hiccup took another breath, before looking down at the water, watching it crash into the sand, soaking it and pulling some back. His boots some distance away, remaining dry. "Because last night…was the first time since this all began that I didn't have a nightmare."
"What?" they all asked in confusion.
"When I tried to sleep all this time, I would have nightmares every single time…I would only be asleep for maybe an hour or two before waking up, leaving me exhausted…but that wasn't the case this time," Hiccup said next as he turned to face everyone, causing them to raise an eye of surprise. Last night their leader's facial expression was one who was at the end of their rope…but what they saw right now wasn't the case. He looked a lot better than he was before…a bit of the paleness is gone, his hair is fixed some, and there was a bit of calmness to him, almost as if he climbed just a bit out of the hole, he was in. "I'm not exactly sure how it happened…but last night I was able to get a decent amount of sleep…The only peaceful sleep, as there were no nightmares or anything to disturb me."
"That's good…I think," Ruffnut ended up saying, all of them were a bit slow at following.
"So…do you feel any better?" Astrid then asked, taking a step forward.
Once more silence fell over the group as Hiccup looked over at the sea, watching the waves again, "I'm sorry for the way I acted last night…I…I just had been through a lot and it all built up till I eventually exploded."
"It's alright Hiccup," Astrid tried to reassure, perking up a bit at the explanation.
"I mean you did give us a bit of a scare when we woke up and you weren't there," Fishlegs then said, earning a few looks from everyone, that piece of info not needed to them.
"I apologized for that…I didn't want to disturb anyone…I thought a little stroll would help and I got lost in the waves," Hiccup responded, taking another look before turning back to them. "The sleep did wonders…my mind cleared up and I can think clearly again…Not as good as usual, but enough."
"Enough for what?" Snotlout then asked for them all, the talk garnering more questions than answers, especially as their leader's attitude took a drastic turn.
"I'm going to help you all," Hiccup said simply, making them raise an eye. "I'll help you take back Berk."
"R-Really?" Astrid perked up, as did everyone else as hope started to swell up within them. This is the very thing they needed, and it looks like Odin answered their plea for help as maybe this can work.
"Why?" Ruffnut then asked, now getting looks from everyone, basically questioning a gift horse? .
"Just please don't question it…I don't know fully why, but I know for a fact that I have to do this…I need to help you all…I want to help you all," Hiccup responded back, speaking the truth, and not at all forced or fake. The sleep really did help him with his train of thought. Waking up he no longer felt tired like the previous times, not a single thought about the men he killed, nor any of the mental consequences that usually accompanied. They just disappeared from his mind, allowing him time to think freely without their distraction. It was then he decided to be alone and a walk would happen. He was surprised to find Tuffnut asleep but tried being quiet walking out, so he didn't wake anyone. He stopped a distance in the beach and just watched the waves. It was then he thought about his actions the previous night and realize that it was an unwanted outburst…and he shouldn't have done it. He felt bad dumping his frustrations on his friends, but it just burst. Despite his feelings being real at the time that was a place he didn't want to be…at least not now.
"That's good," Snotlout smiled, happy to see that his cousin is getting his head back on him. "With you on board we have a better chance."
"On one condition," Hiccup suddenly said, making them all freeze and look over at him in worry. Now nervous that this was too good to be true.
"W-What is it?" Fishlegs asked for them all, gulping a bit, and didn't like how that was said. This can't be good at all.
A serious expression now crossed Hiccup's face as he looked at their faces one by one, knowing that caught their attention. "If we do this…then under no circumstances…I can't kill anyone…I have done enough of that and I refuse to do anymore."
Everyone was silent upon hearing that, not expecting it but it wasn't surprising now they thought about it. Remembering how he shared his experiences with them, and how it put him in a dark place. There was no way they wanted him to relive any of that, nor could they force it onto him. Thankfully that was something there wouldn't be a problem with. "Of course, we would never ask that of you, we've always done things non-lethally," Astrid ended up saying for everyone as they were in agreement.
Hiccup just nodded slowly, mentally breathing a sigh of relief, "Because honestly…I feel if I kill again…just one more time…then it'll shatter me…and all the pieces can't be picked back up, I don't think I'll be able to recover from it."
"W-We understand," Astrid nodded, as did everyone. Even though he didn't speak as much, those words held so much weight behind them. They knew that what they witnessed last night was only a preview of what could happen if their leader is truly shattered. And to be honest that is something they wanted to avoid. They were lucky that he managed to patch himself up a bit, and didn't want to see what else could happen if he killed again.
"So…what do we do first then?" Tuffnut then asked, feeling like they best get started while they were on a roll, and change the subject again. They all looked at Hiccup for the answer, the one-legged teen looking back at them, knowing they were waiting for him to speak.
"Well…actually before we start planning…" Hiccup looked down, rubbing the back of his head…in embarrassment?
Sometime later they were all back in the cave, the fire reignited as they all sat around it, their dragons behind watching them. All the Riders looked on at Hiccup in complete surprise, never seeing him like this at all before. The leader of the group sitting on folded legs, a wooden stick in hand, and devouring a roasted fish that had been skewered on it. They all had shared a laugh when Hiccup had informed them that he was hungry and decided to take time to get some breakfast. Astrid and Fishlegs went off to the same stream where they found Hiccup and caught some fish to roast. The wait seemed to get to Hiccup as he was antsy to east something, mouth nearly watering at the sight and smell. Once they were fully cooked, they were all shocked to see their leader eating at it feverishly, almost as if someone was going to take it away from him.
Hiccup bit off a large piece of the fish, chewing it a couple of times before swallowing it nearly whole before repeating the process. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, you're going to choke if you keep eating it like that," Astrid warned.
"S-Sorry," Hiccup responded as he chews, but then swallowed the fish down, and realizing the skewer has nothing but the tail and head on it. "I'm just very hungry, I haven't eaten properly since lunch time when you guys left. Other than that, all I had was bread, but I had to eat small pieces to conserve it."
"No wonder the hunger," Snotlout responded amazed.
"We have plenty more, there's no need to rush," Fishlegs pointed out to a few more skewers roasting on the fire.
"Sorry," Hiccup apologized again before putting the skewer down.
"It's alright," Astrid said before looking over at the twins. "Hand him another."
"No way, I'm not risking him biting my hand off," Tuffnut responded, placing his arms behind his back. "I'm very fond and need them."
"Although it would look cool on you," Ruffnut giggled from the sudden thought.
"Then you hand him it," her brother responded.
"I'm not that stupid," Ruff frowned.
"You two are no help at times," Snotlout rolled his eyes as he reached over and picked up another skewered fish and handing it over to his cousin.
"Thank you," Hiccup said, taking the fish but eating it slower this time, glad now for his stomach being filled. In general, he was feeling much better than before, but there were still thoughts lingering in his mind, but he could push them away for now.
After a few more minutes Astrid allowed Hiccup to eat, "Better?"
Hiccup stopped for a moment, now noticing that all eyes were on him. He understood the question, but he wasn't sure to be honest. His mind is racked with thoughts but none of them translated into anything good…at least for now. "Truthfully…I don't know. All I can tell you all is that I can help you, but…when this is all over…I'm not so sure about how things will be. Right now, I don't want to think about it and just want to focus on freeing Berk."
"Alright then," Snotlout nodded. "What do we do first, do you have any information that could help?"
"Sadly…not really," Hiccup sighed sadly, realizing that he should have gotten a better scope of the village when he was last there. Anything to help him with planning. "I didn't see much, but the only information I know is that they are looking for me, so a good portion of their manpower is in the forest searching. That and they moved all the weapons out from the forge. Before you ask, no I have no idea where they took them, I didn't get the time to do that, or did I want to risk it."
The others looked disappointed in the response but understood. Still, they were essentially blind now going into this and needed as much intel as possible. What made it worse is that it's their own home, and they are clueless to how to go about. "Can't we scope out the village, and see what's going on?" Fishlegs then asked in curiosity.
"Maybe…but it could be a risk, especially on the dragons," Hiccup responded back, unsure how to proceed. "If any of the Berserkers or Outcasts look up they could spot us."
"Maybe circling around the island and staying high up could help," Astrid then suggested.
"Yeah…maybe…If we stay high enough, we should be able to get to the watch post on the mountain, that will allow us to get a better look at the village," Hiccup said next, the plan slowly coming together. Then he looked at everyone else. "Do any of you have the spy glass I gave you?"
"Yes, we do," Astrid nodded, as did everyone else.
"Good, maybe this could work out then," Hiccup responded, the hope from before slowly growing as he tried to think up the next move.
For a brief moment Hiccup forgot about everything that was plaguing him. All the events, feelings, kills, everything was gone as the wind blew past his face as he and the other soared through the air. After finish eating, they decided to go ahead and start reconning the village. Putting out the fire, and making it seem like they weren't there, just as a precaution as they were coming back and didn't want anyone waiting for them in case, they didn't leave any signs of their presence. They walked out onto the beach and began to mouth their dragons. Hiccup was hesitant when he stood next to Stormfly, which Astrid had asked him to ride with her, which he accepted. Yet, actually doing it was harder than he thought.
"You ok?" Astrid had asked in concern, everyone else seeing this.
"Y-Yeah…j-just makes me worried about Toothless," Hiccup responded, deciding to be truthful here now. No need to hide anything as it would be best to be honest with them.
"Forgive me for asking…but how did you and Toothless get separated?" Tuffnut asked.
Hiccup winced a bit, but then shook it off, "Now Is not the time…later please."
"We understand," Ruffnut said, everyone nodding and knew that their leader needed to focus.
That was a moment ago, and he got helped onto the Nadder's back as they took off into the air. Once the wind hit the teen's face, all worry and problems disappeared, and he enjoyed the freedom that came from flying, like he had been doing all this time…although this was under different circumstances. He closed both eyes and leaned his head back and enjoyed the ride for the time being. Little did he know is that the others were looking at him, all of them partially smiling at seeing the small, uplifted mood of their leader. They all knew it happened every time he was flying and were glad, he had this moment to relax as they approached their target. Despite the ride being short, it was all a nice escape.
The Dragons flew high into the sky, trying to avoid being seen by anyone in the forest, or in the village. They kept to the back of the island, away from town so they couldn't be spotted and tried keeping close to the clouds. So far, so good as they haven't heard any shouts…that is if they could hear it. Hiccup remembering how no one could hear him before, still, so far so good. Soon enough they were nearing the mountain that is usually used for looking out over all of Berk. "Ok, we can land right at the spot, and there should be enough shrubs to conceal the dragons."
Hearing that Hiccup's eyes then snapped open, a thought came to mind as he looked down at the lookout spot, an odd feeling overcoming him. "Wait…land a little away from the spot."
"Why?" Snotlout asked out in curiosity.
"Just do it!" Hiccup called out, his tone being one that asks for trust. No one else said anything else, still curious as to why, but in the end, they did what they were told. The dragons were maneuvered some yards away from the spot and they quickly landed in a thickly bushed area, one of which allowed the dragons to be hidden much to their relief. Once on the ground they all dismounted, "Stay low and be quiet."
"Why? You know it creeps me out when you get all like this," Fishlegs asked nervously, as he felt his heart race some. Knowing from experience that when asked to do things without explanation always never turned out good.
"Just follow me," Hiccup responded back, as he started to move while keeping low to the ground.
The others were silent upon this but decided to follow his lead. Astrid looked back at the Dragons and held a hand up, "Wait here." They all seemed to understand and stayed in place luckily.
They continued to move at a quick pace, keeping low but keeping to the bushes with Hiccup leading. The teen not sure why he took command like this all of a sudden, but he's trying not to question it as he didn't want to interrupt his flow. Plus, if his guess was right, they he might have just saved them all from getting spotted. They were getting close to the cliffside, thankfully the bushes stretched that far as it kept them hidden. Soon enough Hiccup stopped and grabbed the brush and pulled it apart, peering through it. "I knew it."
"Whoa, good call," Astrid responded in surprise, everyone else looking on in surprise and agreeing with their leader. They could see a couple of Berserkers standing on the perch that overlooked the village, apparently looking down and being on the watch for anything out of the ordinary.
"Those mutton heads are using our own spot against us," Snotlout sneered.
"This isn't good, we need this spot," Ruffnut said, shaking her head.
"We need to get them away from here, that or think of another idea entirely," Astrid responded, her mind already thinking up of ways to go about this.
"No…we're going to do something better than that," Hiccup responded, looking back at them, showing in his facial expression that he has something planned.
"What do you mean?" Astrid asked for them all.
Hiccup was silent as he looked at the duo, his breathing getting a bit uneven for a moment as he knew what he had to do but had to use a lot of will power not to crumble. "We're going to get information out of them."
A/N: Hope you like. Turn of events right? Well I figured if Hiccup got a good night's rest then his mind would somehow recover from what he has been through, and he can keep it together. In the end he wants to help get his home back. His mind is in a fragile state but he can keep going for the time being. I hope it makes sense and that is how I saw thing. Now the planning on rescuing Berk is happening and the next part is unexpected but will be good. I look forward to hearing from you all about this. Also if you have questions feel free to ask. Till next time.