Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the wait, I never wanted to put this much time in between uploads. I have someone beta reading the chapters and it took them a while to get back to me on this. Trying not to make excuses but just letting you know what's going on and why it took so long. Still, for those who still there I thank you so much for your patience. Now i'm not going to take up more of your time. Enjoy.
Chapter 16: The Plan
The crackling of the fire echoed within the dimly lit confines of the beachside cave. The vibrate orange and yellows flickering about as it illuminated the Riders as they sat down in a circle around the fire pit, small chatting mixing in alongside the crackling. The dragons were behind them, looking at the humans as they continued on with what they were doing, which happens to be planning on rescuing Berk.
After getting the information they needed out of the Two Berserkers the Riders promptly knocked them out as they weren't needed anymore. That and they were getting pretty mouthy on them and their words weren't needed anymore. Now the next part of their plan came next, but they would need to work fast if they wanted to keep up the element of surprise. As far as Dagur knew it Hiccup is the only other Berkian on the island and has no idea the Riders came back. It was best it was kept that way to make their plans more effective. Yet like every single plan they had, there were always a problem that presented itself, like now.
What would they do with the two Berserkers?
The teens knew they would only have a couple of hours to plan and execute things before they woke up and tried to escape…thus allowing them to run and alert Dagur. That would definitely blow their cover and make the surprise attack more difficult than it should be. Something needed to be done to prevent this…that is if it could be prevented. Well…there was one way to ensure it. The mere thought of that situation made Hiccup freeze, the feelings from before coming back to him and making him wonder if he had made a good decision back there.
The Riders all stood around the knocked-out Berserkers, most of them relived as they no longer had to deal with their lip, which was getting on their nerves. They turned back into their old, smart ass selves after Hiccup left, so this was an improvement. "So, what do we do about them now?" Fishlegs asked out loud.
"Bro and I know a few things we can do about them," Ruffnut asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, consider it payback for what they did to our village," Tuffnut agreed with his sister, both of them high fiving.
"I say we should bust in some of their teeth," Snotlout commented as he cracked his knuckles.
"No, we can't do that at all," Astrid said in disbelief, catching their attention. "We never have done something like that before when we had captives. I know we shouldn't start now, no matter what they did to us."
"Astrid is right, we never harmed anyone before and I don't think we should start now," Fishlegs backed her up in this, seeing enough violence and doesn't want to see more. "We shouldn't stoop to their level."
"Haven't you ever heard of getting even?" Snotlout responded back with folded arms. Yet truth be told he wasn't sure what should be done with them and only said something just to save face.
"Yeah, but not like this," Astrid responded back.
As his friends argued Hiccup was the only one looking at the down Berserkers, deep in thought on what should be done about them. And to be honest, the more the teen thought about it, the more confliction started to overcome him. He didn't want to kill them at all, he wanted to stick by what he had said before to his friends, because it's true. He can't kill anymore, he just can't as it could destroy him if he does. He wants to just let them go or at least take them somewhere else as most likely this area could be patrolled. That's all that needed to be done, and it would be the end of that matter.
That is unless…
A mental shudder went through Hiccup's body as a sense of déjà vu overcame him. A decision needed to be made, and it's one he wasn't going to like, he had to choose whether to kill or spare these people again…How the last time when he was dealing with Sten he chose to spare his life…which turned out to be a huge mistake for him as he came back to try and kill him again. What if…what if he spared these two and they somehow managed to come back to haunt him like before? He can't take that risk, not again…but then that would mean only one option…but he couldn't. He couldn't kill them…nor could he allow his friends to do it nor the dragons. There has been enough death as it was, and the mere sight of it as a result of his choice could still be the same thing and end in the same way.
"Hiccup?" Astrid's voice knocked him out of his train of thought, as he turned to look at the others…who were staring at him in concern. "What's wrong?"
"I…I don't know what to do," He responded in a low voice, looking away and down at their captives. The others took a moment to understand what he meant, their minds going back to what he had told them earlier. The realization off this fact caused the twins and Snotlout to feel a bit of guilt for their suggestions as it could have affected their leader. "I allowed one to live and it caused me trouble down the line…if I do it again how do I know the same won't happen?"
A small silence filled the room as they listened, no one were sure how to respond to that. Mainly as any wrong answer could make things worse, which frankly could be anything. Truly they were at a loss as they couldn't predict the outcome of the decision.
"Well…we're here…you won't have to deal with it alone," Astrid responded, walking up right behind him in reassurance.
"I wouldn't want to do that to you all…all because of my decision," Hiccup responded back, feeling a bit better but not all the way. The way he's feeling because of that one mistake is bad enough, but to make the others endure the same thing? No way, he was going to let that happen.
"Then how about it be all of our decision…" Astrid then said, turning around to the others and speaking up before Hiccup could turn around to protest. "All in favor of letting them live?"
Fishlegs immediately raised his hand up, Astrid then looked at the others who didn't react at all. A few seconds passed as her gaze was locked onto them, as it was like they were still in deep thought. Still, after a few more moments the twins relented and put their hands up, leaving Snotlout as the only one. In the end, seeing he is outnumbered, he sighed and raised his, thus showing they were all in agreement.
Astrid then turned back and looked at Hiccup's surprised face, "See? We all agree to it."
"I…I still don't know," he shook his head, now more unsure at the situation. The last thing he wanted was to put this decision on his teammates as things could still go wrong down the line. It felt good that they were willing to shoulder the decision alongside him, but the consequences that came with it could be disastrous later on. There was no way he wanted them to feel the brunt end of it if it came to that.
"Don't worry, we're here if something goes wrong, nothing what you went through won't happen again," Astrid responded, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Trust us on this, you're not only at all."
A small bout of silence filled the area as Hiccup was left with what she said. Looking at the others they all nodded back at him, showing they were in it together. This made him feel a bit better, but there was still some hesitation. Still, in the end he just nodded, deciding to trust in them, "I…a-alright….I guess it'll be alright,"
"Alright, lets hurry up then," Astrid responded as she motioned to the dragons, knowing they were going to be needed. The others moved to mount their dragons, Hiccup following Astrid, still not fully convinced if it's a good idea.
After dealing with the two, they were hidden in a spot far from the lookout in bushes, the Riders returned back to the cave, as it was the only private space they had and needed no interruptions. Once back they all went over what they had learned from the interrogation as Hiccup noted it all down in his notebook. It was then Hiccup spent a bit of time trying to think up of a plan, some tenseness filling the air as it was all on him now, again. He stopped, and looked up, only to see his friends looking at him, and waiting for him to explain what they are going to do. Hiccup on the other hand is quiet as he looked down at the drawing he had of Berk, circling key areas that would be important to them. He needed to be fast yet had to be careful when thinking of what to do, yet it wasn't helpful as his mind wasn't fully in the right place.
"You alright Dragon Boy?" Astrid knocked him out of his train of thought.
Hiccup looked up at her, sighing once eye contact was established, "Not really….just trying to go over this in my head to see if it'll work." The others looked at one another, finding that as a bad sign. Still, they trusted him with his judgement in the end.
"Can you tell us what you have so far?" she asked now, getting silence in return as she followed his eyes as they moved back to his notebook. Everyone else watched the exchange and waited for him to say something as everything from this point will be crucial. Hiccup then laid the notebook down in front of the fire, everyone gathering around to look.
"Alright there are five places of importance right now, all of which will be key to all this working," Hiccup responded as he pointed to five circled parts on the map. "Well…actually four…only five because of obvious reasons."
They all knew he meant Toothless, but didn't understand why he thought that the Night Fury didn't matter to them. Snotlout placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder in support, "He's important to all of us, don't think he isn't."
Hiccup smiled and nodded at it before going back to the map. "We have the farms, the academy, the jails, Great Hall, and food storage….the weapons, the dragons, our people, my dad…and Toothless. If we just head in there and start attacking then chances are Dagur's men could use either one of them against us, mainly against me."
"So, we would have to be stealthy," Astrid interjected.
Hiccup nodded, "As much as we can. The most important thing we can do is try and free the villagers and the dragons. With them on our side the fight will fall more in our favor."
"Yet how do we go about it? I mean five points, and they are all very spread out," Fishlegs spoke up, calculating the distance between all the points. "I mean we can't go after them all at once. The academy and farms would be furthest away from the village meaning we would be less likely seen, but the other three are in the village will be harder."
"Ruff and I have managed to be in multiple locations at once, believe us it's possible," Tuffnut said in confidence.
"That or we went back and forth quickly," Ruffnut responded next, correcting her brother.
"Actually, I thought about that," Hiccup responded, looking around at his friends as they gave him his attention, majorly curious as how to remedy this. "Not only do we have to be stealthy about it, but we also are going to need to divide ourselves and hit all five spots at once….or at least attempt to."
Everyone's eyes widen upon hearing that, stunning them briefly as they thought if Hiccup still wasn't in the right frame of mind. There wasn't a hint of jokiness on their leader's face and weren't sure if he was kidding. But after the act he put on earlier it was hard for them to know. "Uh….how can we do that? Isn't it best to stick together?"
"Not in this case," Hiccup responded with a shake of his head. "Too many things can be used against us. If we try and save the villagers, they could send word and maybe harm my dad. If we go for the dragons and they find out they could harm my dad and the villagers, and so on. The only way we can prevent this is if we can get to all of them at once…meaning we would have to separate and take a spot."
A small, stunned silence filled the cave area as nothing but the crackle of the fire could be heard. Astrid looked around at her friends, seeing their unsure expressions. Splitting up right now would be hard, especially coordinating things to go off at the same time, but this is all they have so far. She knew that a lot is riding on this plan and it seemed to be the only logical thing they have so far. She needed to back up Hiccup on this as she knew his confidence is a bit shaken, and anything negative would further bring him down. "It's the only thing we can do…I agree," That seemed to ease the tension a bit, but not a lot as Hiccup seemed to mentally relax at the words, happy to have some support.
"Do you at least have a way to go about this?" Fishlegs asked, curious but also worried about how things could be going.
"Well…after thinking about it I got a rough idea of what should be done…mainly first off if we could get the villagers armed, they could aid us in our fight," Hiccup explained as he pointed to one of the spots on the map. "Meaning we need to get to the weapons around the farming area, then we can try and deliver some to the villagers."
"Uh…bro and I have done a lot of sneaking before but trying to get into the Great Hall unnoticed would be nearly impossible," Ruffnut said in surprise, having no idea how to go about this.
"Yeah, there is only one way inside and it's guarded," Tuffnut followed up.
"You're not, Snotlout and Fishlegs are going to," Hiccup then announced.
"What!?" said teens responded with wide eyes, as well as everyone else.
"Hiccup I say this with as much respect as possible but, are you out of your mind!?" Snotlout retorted, thinking his time alone on Berk did more damage to his train of thinking more than he let on. "How do you expect Fishlegs and I to sneak into the Great Hall without being caught?!"
"I actually agree with Snotlout here, and that's rare," Fishlegs responded back in a small, panicked tone. "This is way too much pressure and besides last time I check I wasn't proficient in sneaking."
"Yet you two are the strongest out of us all, meaning you'll be able to carry the weapons to the villagers," Hiccup responded back. Normally those two wouldn't be his first choice as he surprisingly would have sent the twins as their pranks required them to be sneaky, but this also required heavy lifting. And considering that Snotlout and Fishlegs have the bigger muscles out of everyone it's only logical they could carry a lot of them.
"Well…that is true," Snotlout smiled smugly, easily placated about his strength.
Yet, the same couldn't be said about Fishlegs, who still had a worried expression. He is considerably strong and didn't show it as much, but the thought of trying to sneak in the Great Hall overwritten everything. "Even if we were ok with it, how would we even go about sneaking into the Great Hall, there is only one way in, and the doors make a huge sound when opened. We would be cornered in no time."
"Just use the back entrance," Hiccup then said calmly…making things went silent once more as everyone looked at their leader in confusion. They thought they heard him wrong but the fact that he wasn't wavering only made them realize he is telling the truth.
"Back entrance? What back entrance?" Astrid then asked.
Hiccup sighed, knowing full well this could get him in trouble, but the situation overruled it, "There is a hidden entrance behind the Great Hall. There is a pathway that leads up to a hidden door, which leads into one of the back storerooms inside."
"How long has that been there?" Snotlout then responded back in shock. "None of us knew of that."
"It's been there for a long while, my dad just told me never to mention it to anyone unless told," Hiccup sheepishly responded, knowing their reactions were spot on at how he envisioned it.
"How is it you know something like that and none of us do?" Ruffnut asked, still skeptical of this new piece of info.
"Being heir…has some privileges to it," Hiccup slowly responded, adverting eye contact. "Ones that have to be kept secret unless told otherwise."
"What other things do you know of that we don't know?" Tuffnut asked, curious and interested in what other secrets Berk had to offer.
"Let's not get off track here," Hiccup responded as he quickly changed the subject and pointed at the drawing of the Great Hall. "Luckily for you the Great Hall is large enough so no one can see Hookfang or Meatlug carrying you two or the weapons around back. Once you two collected the weapons that is."
"Collect the weapons?" Snotlout said, raising his eyes up in surprise, but not in the kind you would think. "Why do we get two tasks?"
"Because they are linked," Hiccup responded. "From what you all managed to find out the weapons are hardly guarded since Dagur figured no one can get to them…that and most of the man power is combing the forest. So, it should be easy for you two to get to the barn holding them. Any guards should be easy to take care of."
"Sounds simple enough but…it still seems risky, especially as we haven't seen this entrance," Fishlegs responded nervously.
"I'll draw you a map to it," Hiccup responded as he then pointed to another spot on the map. "Next is the Academy, we need to free the dragons if we're going to stand a better chance."
"True," Astrid nodded. "Plus, it's another thing they will have leverage against us."
"The Berserkers said that since the academy is so far out, they don't have anyone keeping watch from the village." Tuffnut started out, informing them. "That and the manpower down there is small so sneaking around them should be easy."
"That's good, which is why Ruff and Tuff you're taking care of that," Hiccup responded, yet the reaction he got wasn't one he thought.
"Easy," Ruffnut smiled. "We'll have them free in no time."
"Wow you two sound very excited for this," Snotlout couldn't help but say in surprise.
"This is our specialty," Ruffnut smiled as the two high fived one another. "Besides, we know the academy inside and out so we're perfect for this."
"Now I don't know how things are laid out there but if you two can activate the mechanism that raises the top cage you can free them easily," Hiccup explained to them, sighing in relief as that was easy. He didn't need any more problems or complaints.
Astrid then looked at Hiccup, it was just him and her left with tasks, and she's curious as to what task she'll give her….and was worried for each one. She just hoped he doesn't take the one task she knew he would take, "What's left?"
"You're going to free my dad," Hiccup announced, which made the blond stop breathing for a moment upon hearing that…then heard the rest. "I'm going after Toothless."
"Hiccup you can't do that," Astrid argued quickly, knowing that is what he would say. She can understand his reasonings but in his state of mind she doesn't think it's a good idea for him to be alone again. After everything they have seen she doesn't know if he'll be capable and break down again.
"I have to Astrid, this is the only way we can hit all five spots at once," Hiccup responded back, knowing he would encounter resistance, but rolled with it.
"Then let me go after Toothless and you go after your dad," Astrid then suggested, knowing full well she can be better at that task.
"I can't Astrid, and you know that," Hiccup responded with a shake of his head. "Stormfly can easily melt the bars off the cell, that or destroy the wall without much noise."
Astrid couldn't help but nod at that, understanding that reasoning, but still retorted, "Then you can go with Stormfly, and I go after Toothless. Besides, after everything you've been through, I think seeing Stoick will put you more at ease, the same with him."
Hiccup cringed a bit when his father was mentioned, oh how could he have forgotten about his dad's dad's reaction to all this? What would his reaction be when he found out what he did, all those kills and how brutal he was when interrogating the Berserkers. Would he be proud at how he handled the situation, especially as he's finally acting like a Viking? This feeling only got stronger from the last conversation they had, when Stoick told him how he may need to kill if the situation demanded it…and all those other times the situation did demand it. Yet…he could remember how compassionate and understanding his dad was when he admitted to killing, Stoick knowing how much of a blow it did to his son. He comforted him the best he could, and also his dad has changed so maybe…maybe he would understand as well…especially after all he went through. To be honest he wanted nothing more to hug his dad and not let go, to have his protection once more, as It would do his dad great to see him…but for Hiccup, not yet…he can't do it right now.
"I can't…not yet," Hiccup responded, making everyone surprised at this.
"What do you mean you can't?" Fishlegs then asked.
"I need to make sure Toothless is safe…I can't…I can't face my dad now…not until this is over with…I started this out…and I want to finish it…and I can't do it if I see him…I'll…I'll just lose it if I do," Hiccup responded back in a low voice, eyes looked back at the fire as he knew his friends concerned gazes were locked onto him. It took them a moment to slowly understand what he meant, and in truth they didn't like it, and made them more concerned for his mental state. Yet, they could get where he's coming from and how he could just shut down if the father and son were reunited.
"Ok then…but how are you going to free Toothless?" Astrid then asked in curiosity, deciding to respect what he's saying but it didn't mean she liked it.
"I'll get creative…that's what I'm best at right?" Hiccup asked, looking up at his friends. In all honesty Hiccup wasn't sure how to get his dragon out, but if he's chained up maybe if he can get Toothless to blast them off it would work. It's all he had and that is all he needed.
"Still, I don't like you going by yourself, you are going to need help," Astrid interjected, understanding but still not liking it.
"It has to be done," Hiccup responded back. "If Toothless is still in their grasp if things go bad, then they can use him against us, and that's the last thing I want to happen. Too many things have gone bad during this all, and I don't want Toothless to be one of those at all…If anything happens to him…then…then…"
Hiccup trailed off, not able to finish it, but the others understood what he meant. All this had to go right if everyone is going to come out of this alive. This only made their task that more serious as if anything went wrong then unknown consequences will follow, bad ones to be exact. The others then looked around at one another, all of them in understanding of where their leader is coming from and decided to move on from the subject. "So…what next?" Snotlout then asked.
"Once you have the villagers armed…wait for the Dragons to cause a commotion, having the Berserkers and Outcasts distracted with them will give everyone else the chance to ambush them. The rest will be up to us, as we can only hope that things go right from there. Plus, you need to watch out for the green bottle they used to put others to sleep. Not much can be done about them except handling them when coming across them. So you just need to do your best and overcome it," Hiccup explained to them all, as the actual fight will only be determined by skill from the villagers and the dragons. He saw them all nod in response, understanding it fully. "So, any questions?"
Everyone was silent as they looked around at one another, nodding at one another as they didn't say anything else. Astrid then spoke for them all as she looked at their leader, "I think we all understand."
"Good…we'll leave soon, so everyone get prepared," Hiccup responded as a small wince left him as he rose up, but thankfully his face was down casted as he stood up. He then turned away to head for the cave entrance.
"Where are you going?" Tuffnut asked.
"Just need to compose myself," Hiccup responded as he walked out, leaving everyone in silence. They then looked around at one another in a bout of confusion but let it bit as they, one by one, got up and went to their dragons, trying to prepare.
During this Astrid then went over to Snotlout and nudged him, causing him to turn around to see her, "What?"
"Talk to Hiccup," She then said.
"What?" both of his eyes widen at that, not expecting it.
"Hiccup needs someone to talk to right now, and I think family is the best way to go at the moment, even though some things you've done before are questionable," Astrid responded with folded arms.
"I don't think I'm qualified for it," the burly teen responded, knowing full well he wasn't the conversation type, especially towards Hiccup.
"I've tried already but I don't think doing it again will help, leaving you now. You're his cousin that should mean something to you seeing him like this," she said trying to be convincing. To her this is true as she thinks that words from family could help Hiccup a lot, even if it was a family member that wasn't that close.
"Well…yeah it doesn't but…" Snotlout rubs the back of his helmet in awkwardness, not sure how to feel about this. He wasn't into feelings as much and he never really had such conversations with Hiccup, but he was slowly trying to warm up to them but hasn't gotten that far with them. Plus, the way his cousin is really does make him concerned as he has no idea where this will lead. "It does worry me seeing him like this, but I don't think-"
"Just do it," Hookfang said as he nudged his rider, startling him some.
"What you too?" Snotlout complained, but saw his dragon point his head to the cave entrance. Turning back, he saw Astrid looking at him, agreeing with the Monstrous Nightmare. The teen sighed as he rubbed a hand against his face, knowing he's not going to get out of this. "Fine."
Hiccup hisses lowly as both hands rub at his stump, the reddish skin irritated and causing a bit of pain as his fingers made contact. Despite this he kept going, eyes closed, head leaning back as he kept massaging the stump. Slowly but surely the pain started to fade as he sighed in relief as the aches were leaving, allowing his body to slowly relax. Currently the teen is just outside the cave's entrance, sitting down in the sand with his prosthetic off, trying ease the irritation in his stump. Despite the rest from last night, it still bothered him, and seeing his friends seemed to get his mind off of it for the time being. Still, the pain returned, and he needed to tend to it, especially with what is going to happen. He wanted no mistakes, even if it was something done by him.
The crunch of sand caught his attention as he turned around yet both eyes rose as he saw his cousin walking up, looking a bit nervous yet like a fish out of water. Nothing was said as he walked up right next to him and looked down, "Uh…hey there."
"What are you doing out here?" Hiccup asked in curiosity, not expecting this.
"Just checking on you….especially after everything that has been going on," Snotlout said, looking away as things are feeling more awkward than it should be. He knew this wouldn't work but here he is now.
"I'm fine…well…as fine as I can be," Hiccup responded, trying to hide his stump from view, feeling embarrassed at having it off around him. A small silence overcame them as the awkwardness between them got bigger, both of them looking away from one another and not sure how to continue things.
"Ack, I'm not good at this at all, I don't know why this would be a good idea," Snotlout shook his head, knowing this wouldn't go well. "I'm just wasting time here; I can't help at all."
"Still…the thought was nice…and it's good not to be alone, especially after all I went through," Hiccup then said, actually glad at having him here right now. Although his cousin not being the perfect choice for talks like this, still he didn't mind him at all. This stopped his cousin's ranting as he just looked down in realization, remembering the stuff that was said much earlier.
"M-Must have been rough…hasn't it?" Snotlout then asked his cousin before sitting down next to him. A thought coming to mind as he felt now would be good to say it"H-Hiccup…I never really got a chance to get to know you as well, but I know that killing is something you're not known for…yet…how did you do it? I mean I'm trying not to cross any boundaries but…it's just a curious thought."
"No…it's fine…besides…talking about it kind of helps," Hiccup responded as he looked out at the water for a moment, watching the waves and listening to them for a moment. "I have no idea how I did it…I just did, but I didn't like it at all. Yet, I couldn't process it as I was always on the run…but I have been suffering aftereffects from it."
"That's rough…I can't imagine seeing their faces every time…still, it amazes me how you are still standing despite that," Snotlout said in a gentle voice. His mind forgetting about his task and just letting the words come out.
"I'm not as useless as everyone thought I was Snotlout," Hiccup responded in a bit of annoyance, finding those words a bit insulting.
"Not like that," the burly teen responded, quickly trying to correct what he said. "I mean…well…you're proving a lot of people wrong, in another way. I mean here you are, still going on despite all you're going through. I mean, you've changed my perspective about you, all in all you're a stronger than I gave you credit for. I mean…the act you put on earlier was concerning, as we all thought you were going out of your mind…but we were relieved to hear it was an act and not the real you. Everything you've been through left a mark on you…yet…I'm glad it didn't change you…at least not in any way that is bad."
Hiccup was silent at this, surprised at his cousin's words. True the burly teen didn't know how to be all talkative like this but is surprised at his words. That has to be the best way Snotlout complimented him, and in all honesty it was nice. This was the closest of a heart to heart they both had, and it was a good thing and it's helping some. "T-Thanks for that Snotlout…really."
Both of the teen's eyes rose upon hearing that, not expecting that at all. He wasn't sure how it helped but decided not to question it as he looked at the water as well and listened to the waves. Since he's on a good streak might as well continue with it the best he could. "You know, this plan will work, I know it."
"How? I'm not really operating the way I usually do, and I'm not sure myself," Hiccup doubted himself, but hearing a bit of confidence did help some.
"Because every single plan you have always work out…I do admit some of them don't go according to plan, but at the end of the day everyone always come out of it alive. Why should this be different?" Snotlout responded as the two looked at one another. "I mean I do have some hesitation, but I know for a fact things will go right. Just believe in yourself like you always told us."
Hiccup is once again quiet after hearing that, surprised to hear such words coming out of his cousin's mouth. It was rare to hear any kind of praise from him, but now was a good time as ever. It helped some and it was something he needed to hear. It didn't steel his nerves all the way, but enough to make things tolerable. "Maybe things can…I'll just be glad when all of this is over with."
"Same…No one messes with our home," Snotlout smiled, wanting to kick things into action now and reclaim Berk.
"Snotlout…thanks…despite not being good at this sort of thing, it helped," Hiccup responded, giving a small smile.
"No problem cuz, that's what family is for," Snotlout returned it, glad that this worked out even though this wasn't how he picture it. Yet maybe he should really think about engaging more with his family like this.
Hiccup then looked back down, the pain in his stump long since forgotten as he put his prosthetic back on, and thankfully no irritation. Once back on he stood up, "It's time…we should head out now."
"Are you sure you're ready?" Snotlout asked as he got up, wanting to be sure on this. Once it started then there would be no room for mistakes.
"Yeah," Hiccup then turned around and head back to the cave, his cousin not too far behind. "Let's reclaim our home."
A/N: Hope you like, the calm before the storm in this chapter, eh? Well the next chapter will be the one you all have been waiting for as they execute their plan in reclaiming Berk. And I can tell you I have been planning this out and hopefully it fulfills expectations. I'll try my best not to take long with the next chapter as I don't want to have the uploads spread apart. I'm getting closer to the end of my school semester so things will be picking up, just letting you all know about that. Either way for those who have stuck by this story, I thank you all. Till next time.