Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait, been trying with this and I had to wait again for it to be checked over. I'm not going to give much more excuses as I know you want to get to it. So Enjoy.
Chapter 21: Aftermath Part 2
A fresh yawn escaped Stoick's mouth upon sitting up in bed, a large hand coming up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. The chief had woken up not too long ago, only to feel a small weight on his arms, only to suddenly remember it was his son. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the back of Hiccup's head, his auburn locks illuminated due to the light that seeped into the house. Looking upon his child's rising and falling belly Stoick determined that he was still sound asleep and could be like that for much longer. He couldn't blame his son for that, after all he's been through his son would be exhausted, and this might be the only decent sleep he could get.
A small smile graced his face as he caressed his son's hair with the back of his hand, not even a stir was made from the contact. This was good, he needed the rest, he has more than earned it. Looking further down he saw Toothless' head resting on his Rider's side, eyes closed and still being protective over the boy. The chief glad and content in seeing this, as Hiccup chose his dragon well, as the Night Fury showed loyalty beyond that of a normal Viking, and the chief was relieved he was still protecting his son.
He continued to look at the two sleeping forms a bit longer, part of him wanting to just lie back down and continue to sleep…yet he couldn't do that. After all that had happened the village would need him more than ever as they rebuild from all the damage that was caused. Meaning he would need to leave his son for the time being, something the man didn't want to do at all. Being the chief had massive disadvantages, as it prevented him from wanting to be just a father right now and help his son. He knew Hiccup would have so many things he would want to talk about, but it won't happen for a while. From experience like this he would wake up around the afternoon, he can guarantee that as it happened more than once. So, his son should be fine for now, he would make sure to come back before lunch, and dedicate whatever time he can get with him…after all in times like this Hiccup would need him badly.
A small grunt left his mouth upon swinging his legs off the bed and standing up, a low creak causing Toothless' ears to flicker, prompting his eyes to open, exposing his large green eyes. Stoick turned around and noticed the dragon, and held his finger up to his mouth, "Don't wake him."
"I'll try not to," The Dragon cooed, looking down at his rider, glad he's sleeping peacefully.
Reaching for his cape the chief slid it on before slipping on his boots, "I need to make sure the village is doing alright…can you watch after him?"
"Of course, I'll guard him with my life," The dragon nodded in understanding. He knew how important his rider's father is, so his presence may not be around as much as he wanted it. Still, he would watch after Hiccup no matter what.
Once dressed fully Stoick then walked around the bed, to the dragon's side, reaching out and giving him a few pets, "Thank you Toothless, I'll try and be back around Lunch." The Dragon gave a small warble as he watched the chief leave, remaining by his rider's side. Turning his head back he watched Hiccup's still form for a while before resting his head back down, closing his eyes and getting more sleep as well. He'll be up by time his rider is up due to the movement.
Stoick emerged from the house as the morning rays of the sun shined down upon him. The chief standing in place, eyes closing as he took a deep breath, enjoying the morning, and glad to be able to enjoy it once more. Taking a few more minutes to bask in the sun's rays he opened his eyes and looked upon the village. Already he could see the Vikings and dragons, all of them up and about, cleaning up and assessing more of the damages that were unaccounted for. Everyone was getting an early start to this, mainly the sooner they do it the sooner they could get done. Stoick then walked down the hill which his home rested on, going further into town. He crossed a few Vikings, some who were moving wheelbarrows, or carrying buckets of water. They stopped upon seeing their chief and flocked over to him.
"How are things-" Stoick barely got the sentence out of his mouth before he was cut off.
"Chief how's Hiccup?" one of the Vikings asked, the others nodding in agreement.
Both of Stoick's eyes rose in surprise, not expecting his son to be the first thing on their minds. It took him a moment to properly digest the question, as he was impressed. Despite being held captive by their enemy one of his peoples first concern was Hiccup…his son has definitely come a long way since before the war ended, and the peoples concern for him really reflected upon that. "He's ok, he's still asleep."
A small group had gathered, and all nodded upon hearing the news, some relieved yet some still concerned. By now news of their heir's deeds spread throughout Berk, and they knew it was him that was the main reason they were rescued. They all owned their heir a huge debt but knowing the teen he wouldn't care as he would say it was him just protecting his home. It just made them realize more how selfless the kid is, and how much of a good spirit he is.
As much as the chief wanted to keep the focus on his son, he knew that the village's status is important as well, "Anything new to report for the village?"
That question seemed to snap everyone out of their train of thought as they managed to speak in turn. "So far, most of the homes were ransacked but everyone is managing to clean things up."
Stoick nodded, knowing that damages to the homes would take priority as everyone needed their homes to rest when it came to it. Looking around he spotted one of the Vikings responsible for their food storages, "Henryk, have you gotten a full count on the food storage?"
Said Viking nodded as the eyes were on him, food being important as the whole village would need to eat, "Seems like the Berserkers went crazy with our storages at least half of our reserves are gone."
An irritated sigh left the chief, knowing that was going to be a problem. They would need to replenish their food supply quick but wasn't sure how many people were able to do so, "What about the livestock?"
It was then Silent Sven came up and started waving his hands about, basically trying to talk with them. Everyone just watched in confusion, not sure what exactly what he is trying to say. Thankfully that problem was solved as heavy footsteps approached, "He's saying that most of the livestock is accounted for…yet not all of them were spared."
"Gobber," Stoick called out, seeing his friend approaching. He then nodded at the assessment, knowing that despite having a good amount of the animals alive, just losing one could be detrimental to their survival. "Do what you can and make sure they are taken care of," he said to a few Vikings, and Sven, as they nodded and took off to handle the problem.
"What do we do about the food?" Henryk responded.
"How many able body hunters do we have?" Stoick asked.
"Not that much," Gobber responded back, garnering all the attention. "About five of our skilled hunters were the ones that were injured during the fight. Gothi informed me of it."
"Damn," Stoick cursed to himself, he just seems to not be able to catch a break. Rubbing at his head a bit he turned back to Henryk, "Get whoever you can and start hunting, we need to replenish the food anyway we can. Also check the wells, make sure they still have water."
"What about fishing?" another Viking asked in curiosity.
"As much as it would be a good idea, we can't risk going out on the water until the ships are checked over, who knows what the Berserkers and Outcasts did to them," Stoick responded back.
Whoever was left all turned as a few dragons landed near them, after looking they found it to be the Dragon Riders, all the teens were up and about as they dismounted their dragons and walked up to the group. "Ah, didn't expect you lads to be up and about," Gobber greeted them.
"Anything to help out the village," Astrid responded back.
"Better than cleaning the house," Snotlout silently responded, remembering how messed up his home was, and didn't want to be stuck picking it up. He would rather be outside doing something more productive.
"Anything we can do to help out?" Fishlegs asked the chief.
"Actually, I think there is," Stoick responded, now getting an idea of how to fix the fish problem. "Can you use the dragons to gather up as much fish as you can?"
"Of course," Astrid nodded, finding the task a simple one but beneficial for feeding everyone. "We can gather a lot quite easily.
"That's good, I was in the mood to go fishing," Snotlout smiled, relieved to be doing something he enjoyed.
"We can blow them right out of the water bro," Ruffnut smirked at her brother.
"Yeah, we'll get the most fish out of everyone!" Tuffnut high fived his sister with a huge smirk.
"It's not a competition you know," Fishlegs told them, knowing full well where this could go, and from experience it was never good.
"You're just sour that you'll lose," Tuff dismissed as he and his sister went to their dragon.
"You're right, because I'll win!" Snotlout then called out as he went to follow the two, Fishlegs rolling his eyes before doing the same, knowing that they would need to be dealt with.
Astrid lingered behind as she turned and looked over at the chief, who apparently notice this and looked down at her, "Yes?"
"Is Hiccup ok?" she asked in curiosity and concern. After the events of yesterday, she knew there was a lot going on within him. The others wanted to give their leader some space, at least to process everything so far. But that didn't stop the concern from growing as time passed, yet Astrid was the only one brave enough to ask about him.
"He's still sleeping, I don't think he'll be up for a while…yet I doubt he will be leaving the house anytime soon," Stoick answered honestly, knowing it was right to be truthful.
"I…see…" Astrid nodded, mentally sighing dejectedly. "Still…I would like to see him sometime today."
"Only if he wants to, I'm not sure where his head is at the moment, so we'll have to see about it," the chief suggested, only making the young blond nod back.
"Right…thank you," she responded before moving back a few steps before turning to join the others in mounting her dragon, knowing that she would be leading them for the time being. Still, her mind was on Hiccup as she really wanted to see him, but is still sleeping. It would be hard to keep him off her mind, but she would need to do her best to distract herself of the situation. She would try later on in the day and hope he would speak to her.
Stoick watched as the riders leave, prompting him to turn back to the remaining villagers, as they slowly started to disburse as he gave out more orders, the rest going back to their previous duties, leaving only Gobber and himself left.
"Berk will be returned to its beautiful self soon enough, with everyone working together, we'll get done in no time," Gobber responded, seeing how his friend was silent for a while.
"I know…we've bounced back from worse things…but to be honest my friend…the village isn't on my mind right now," Stoick responded back.
Gobber sighed as well, his apprentice being the most worrying of topics to everyone here. Most of the people talking about their heir and voicing their own concern for him. "I know what you mean, I was thinking about him last night and was hoping that things went well for you both last night…I figured you two would need to hash some things out."
"Kind of…we talked but…not too much as the day's events really did overwhelm him. I'm just waiting for him to wake so we can continue…I know there is a lot on his mind right now and I need to be there for him."
The blacksmith looked at his friend, knowing his parental side is slowly taking hold, and his chief side was being pushed to the side. At times Gobber had wondered where this part of Stoick was when Hiccup was growing up, as during those times the chief always put his parental duties aside. Being a father came second always…yet now it's being shown at this very moment. Still, better late than never. And at the moment, looking at his friend he could tell that he wants to be with his son, but his responsibility to the village is preventing that. Family, and his people, all of whom needed him, yet he could only give one as much attention at possible, especially during a time like this. As this moment Hiccup would be needing his father more than ever, "You know Spitelout and I can handle things so you can be with Hiccup."
"Really?" Stoick looked at his friend with surprise, hopefulness being ignited within him as he got a nod in return. He gave a smile as he was given an option to be with his son, something he wasn't going to pass up. "I may have to take you up on that."
"Stoick!" a voice called out, prompting both of them to turn, only to find Spitelout walking up to them, holding something.
"Ah, Spitelout, were actually discussing something about you," Stoick responded as he turned to him, trying to also get a look at what he held.
"Good timing, I guess, but first, there was something I wanted to bring up, didn't want to yesterday as most figured you and Hiccup wouldn't want to be disturbed…but someone found this while cleaning up," the elder Jorgenson then used both hands to hold up an unsheathed sword. Both Gobber and Stoick looked at it, seeing it as just a regular sword…yet on the hilt is the Berserker crest…yet not just the crest but one of the chief.
"Wait…is that…" Gobber trailed off with raised eyes.
"Dagur's sword," Stoick finished off in disbelief upon seeing the Berserker chief's weapon in front of him. All of them remembering how Hiccup had Dagur on the ground when they came, obviously he had disarmed him, and this weapon was proof of his son's victory.
"As you know it's customary for a Viking to have war trophy in honor of their victory…since Hiccup won against Dagur, then it means this sword now belongs to him," Spitelout responded.
A small bout of silence filled the area as the three of them just looked at the sword, knowing that the Jorgenson head was right. When a Viking won a huge fight, they would always bring a trophy back with them to symbolize their triumph…and since this sword was the only thing of Dagur's left behind this is the only trophy for the teen…yet Stoick was a bit hesitant as since Hiccup wasn't a normal Viking, he wasn't sure what he would do with it. Part of the chief wanted to forget about it and say to get rid of it, but it wasn't his call as it belonged to Hiccup, and it was his right to do with it as he pleases.
"Thanks, Spitelout…I'll take it back with me," Stoick reaches and took the weapon in hand, part of him curious as to how his son will react to it…Which only made him anxious about his soon to be talk with his son, still he would be there for Hiccup no matter what.
A low groan left Hiccup's mouth as he started to come to, both eyes blinking a few times as a yawn escaped his mouth next. As his vision returned to him the first thing he saw is Toothlesss' face staring right back at him. The sight of his dragon brought a smile to the teen's face, especially as seeing him awake caused the Night Fury to nudge at him happily. He let out a small chuckle before reaching to pet him, "Hey Toothless."
"Bout time you woke," the dragon warbled as he had to refrain from licking, knowing his rider didn't enjoy it as much. Still, it didn't mean he would stop doing it, only just for now. He had been waiting here faithfully, not leaving the room for a moment, and even forgoing eating for it. It was worth it to see him up.
The teen's smaller hand reached out and gently shoved his dragon back, enabling him the chance to get up, swinging his legs over and planting them on the ground before stretching his arms. Feeling a few good pops, he then looked around, mind not registering where he was at first until he realized he is in his father's room. Yet, his dad wasn't right beside him after looking, yet couldn't hear anything else in the house, indicating his departure. A small sigh left his mouth, part of him hoping he would have been there…but then had to remember that his father is still the chief and had a village to tend to, especially as they recover from yesterday.
"The villagers need my dad more than me," the boy sighed, head bowing down, just taking a moment to fully wake up…only for the memories of yesterday to come back…every single one, including the major choice he made…the end result only more than making him justified in his thoughts about the villagers needing his father more. "Besides…I can't be hogging him all the time, especially with what I did."
Toothless tilted his head, cooing softly, "I stand by your decision…it's better having you here like this than a shell."
"I just wonder if anyone is mad at what I did…could there have been more I could have done?" Hiccup started to speak out, hunching forward to rest his arms on both knees. "Maybe I should have just had him imprisoned instead…he wouldn't be a threat then…but no, he would be a dark shadow on the island just waiting for something to happen. Having that threat there wouldn't allow me to have any peace of mind…yet, what could have the alternative have been?"
"You did what you could and handled the situation in a way that anyone would handle it," Toothless warbled out, going in and resting his head on his rider's lap.
Hiccup sighed as he felt the familiar weight, and reached down to pet his dragon, "Am I selfish buddy? Instead of thinking of everyone else in mind, I only thought of myself in the end."
Before the question could fully set in, they both heard the front door open, which prompted Hiccup to rise up and head to the doorway. Standing in the threshold of the main area of the home he saw his father had entered, door closed and leaning something against the wall. The chief looked up, only for his eyes to raise upon seeing his son, "Hiccup, you're up."
"Yes…I just got up a few minutes ago," The teen responded softly, staying where he was as Toothless padded out past him.
Stoick moved in forward, towards the brazier and proceeded to stoke the flames, "I'm sorry, I had hoped to be here before you woke…but…you know."
"I understand," Hiccup nodded, looking down at the ground as he leaned against the door frame. "The villagers would need you at a time like this…besides I don't want to be anymore selfish and take up your time."
That last comment made Stoick stop poking at the flame, eyes raising as he looked up astonished at his son. Anymore selfish? Did the chief hear that right…no, he couldn't have but he had and is at a loss for words. Why would his son say he had been selfish, out of everyone he had been the most selfless out of everyone during all this. He put his own life and wellbeing on the line to save everyone and came out of it worse for wear….what would make him think like that? "Son…what do you mean? When have you been selfish?"
Both of the teen's hands clenched, not expecting to hear that, yet part of him surprised that his dad responded like that. Why hadn't his own dad seen and is questioning this? He best enlighten him, "With what happened yesterday…with Dagur."
"Oh," Stoick responded softly, automatically knowing where his son's train of thought was heading.
"I had Dagur in a vulnerable position, I could have ended his life then and there…this whole entire feud between Berk and the Berserkers could have been over with…I could have taken one of our dangerous enemies out, and he would never be a problem to us…to our people. They w-would have been safe from another threat…I could h-have ended that, b-but I didn't," Hiccup spoke up with a shaky breath, already finding remorse in his decision to the point of not being able to keep his words steady. "I k-killed too many people while on the run…I…It got to me in a bad way…I knew that if I killed one more time…o-one more life I'd take…It would have destroyed me. That's why I allowed Dagur to leave…that's what led me to making a selfish choice…instead of thinking of everyone's wellbeing…I only could think of myself, and what was best for me…"
Stoick was silent after hearing that, shocked at what his son is saying yet in no way could he believe this is his child's train of thought. True, if he had been in his son's boots, he would have ended Dagur's life, but the chief knew that wasn't his son. The teen would rather preserve life rather than take it, the lives he had taken before hand were accidental…or at least he wanted to think that. Still, he wanted to tell himself that despite that it didn't change his child in anyway. In the end he did let Dagur go, but he saved his village, he proved himself as heir that he's capable.
"Hiccup don't think like that," Stoick finally ended up saying, watching his son's head perk up at that and opened his mouth but got beaten to the punch. "No matter what you say, you're not a selfish person, you gave a lot to the village these last couple of days, all at the risk of your own physical and mental health…you've had to make decisions that someone your age shouldn't have had to…so don't go tell yourself that you're selfish. The decision you made with Dagur was yours, and yours alone, and I'm going to respect what you did."
Hiccup was silent after hearing that, not able to believe what his father said. It helped a little bit but why couldn't he shake those negative feelings away. Shaking away these thoughts weren't as easy as his father was telling him to. There was only one question that came to mind, but he was afraid of knowing the answer to it, "But dad…was letting Dagur go the right choice?"
*Knock!* *Knock!*
The talk stopped upon hearing the sounds coming from the door, a somewhat saving grace for Stoick, who turned towards the door and motioned that he would get it. Walking the small distance he reached and opened the door, both eyes raising upon seeing who it was, "Frida, Snotlout?"
Indeed, Snotlut and his mother were at the door, each one of them holding something, one small the other large, "Hi there Stoick, I was coming to check on Hiccup."
That surprised Stoick once more, mainly as this wasn't the only time someone asked about his son. Throughout the morning he would get the same question from the other villagers, all of them wondering how he's doing. Of course, they all heard what he had done, as gossip tends to spread among the village like a wildfire. Still, he was touched for the concern, and if only Hiccup could hear it maybe it would lift his spirits some more…but from the responses he got it seemed like he wasn't ready to face the villagers yet.
"He's ok, but I don't think he's ready for visitors right now," Stoick responded back gently. Little did he know is that Hiccup blew out a silent sigh of relief, knowing the response is true. Plus, he was glad that he couldn't be seen, and instead sat down by the table.
"That's understandable," she then held out a medium sized bowl, covered with a large cloth. A small aroma could be detected from within it. "Figured he might be hungry and would enjoy this."
Stoick raised an eye at the item but took it in hand before peeling the cloth back, the delicious aroma hitting him full force as he found cooked chicken underneath. Both eyes rose upon seeing that, not expecting it at all as he covered it back up before looking back up, "That's…kind of you, but are you sure?"
"Yes," she nodded with a smile. "Besides, that's what family does."
Snotlot then dropped down the basket he had, which was covered as well, "Well we managed to get a huge haul of fish since the morning…and well, I figured Toothless would want to eat something as well."
Stoick nodded at that, "Yes, he would like that."
"And uhh…chief…" Snotlout spoke back up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down. "If…Hiccup needs someone to talk with later on…you can tell me I'm there for him."
That comment made Stoick raise his eyes in surprise, but also mental chuckled at that. Sometimes it was hard to realize what a different person his nephew was around the presence of his mother. Without Spitelout around the young teen could relax and be a more open person and not have to be worried about being tough. And offering to help his cousin really touched him, "I'll let him know that, thank you."
With that the mother and son turned and left the house, leaving Stoick to pick the basket up and bring it back inside. Hiccup saw his father come back in and raised an eye at the items he had, "What the?"
"A little gift from Snotlout and his mom," Stoick responded as he placed the basket down in front of Toothless and opened it up. The Night Fury looked inside and raised both eyes in delight upon seeing nothing but cod. Wasting no time, he started to gobble some of the fish down, sating the hunger that had built overtime.
Hiccup approached the table and looked in, both eyes raising up upon seeing the chicken. "W-Why would they give us this? Don't you think they would have liked this themselves?"
"Well, your Aunt Frida thought you might be hungry and made it for you," Stoick explained simply.
"I…well, it doesn't feel right. Chances are the choice in food is limited, so wouldn't it be best if they kept it for themselves?" Hiccup rebutted, finding the gesture kind, but figured that Snotlout's family could use this food more than himself.
"I think they'll be fine; besides I honestly think they are grateful for what you did for them," Stoick tried to clarify as he sat down, urging his son to do the same.
"For what I did?" Hiccup repeated softly, looking back down as the thoughts from yesterday came back, now weighing down on him. "I didn't do much, unless you count letting Dagur live, which to me does more harm than good."
"Hiccup, like I said before, the decision was up to you, and I already said I respect what you did. That choice was something you shouldn't had to make, but you did, and I think it helped you grow more," the chief tried to escape and quell any lingering doubts he had within him.
"I know but…" Hiccup then started to rub his arm, still not fully convinced. A small bout of silence filled the home before Hiccup looked up at his father. "Dad…Did I make the right choice? What would you have done?"
Another bout of silence filled the room as father and son looked at one another, the teen waiting for an answer. All the while Stoick just looked at his son, mulling over his response in his mind. To be truthful, this was a question he was dreading to answer, mainly as he knew that the answer is one Hiccup wouldn't take lightly. It made him afraid as to how he would react to it, as it would further pulling him down into that pit of turmoil he's already in…but still it had to be said and he had to be honest.
"Truthfully Hiccup…I would have killed him. As the chief of the village, it's my responsibility to make sure everyone here is safe, and no harm comes to them. If there is a chance where I can make this village safer for everyone here, then I'll take whatever chance I can get. Dagur is a threat ever since turning on our treaty and making sure he never harmed this village again is something that would take a load off my mind," Stoick explained fully, yet was disheartened to see his son's eyes close and head bowed down. The chief stood up and went over to the teen, placing comforting hands on his shoulders. "But Hiccup…that's only me, you are different."
"How?" The teen responded in a low voice. "I'm the village's heir…the next chief, and I didn't take the opportunity to keep everyone safe again."
"Because, you have your own set of morals, you follow a different path than others. You made a choice that benefited yourself, but that doesn't change how I view you; it won't change everyone's view on you. You shouldn't have been in that position to make that choice, and I'm sorry you had to make it…but in all honesty, I'm glad you did spare him."
"But…how can you-" Hiccup was surprised but as he tried to respond back, he was cut off.
"Because I rather have my son here with me, instead of a mentally broken shell of yourself…Just seeing you here with me is enough to put me at ease," There was a brief pause between the words as Hiccup looked at his father in confusion yet surprise. "So…did you make the right choice? I cannot answer that, because there is no right or wrong answer, well from me at least. That is on you, you need to decide whether it was right or not. If it was the right choice, then there is nothing to worry about…if not…well I'll be here to help you no matter what, you don't have to go through this alone, as I'll always be here for you."
The silence returned as Hiccup took a moment to digest those words, still pleasantly surprise…but also a bit dejected. That was something he had hoped not to hear, he needed a clear-cut answer but…knowing it was on him…was troubling. He had no idea how to answer this himself, nor was he able to do so right now, not with all these feelings going on within him. Still, what made this a bit more bearable was the fact that his father still supported him no matter what, and he can tell it was all truthful. It helped some but the rest would be up to him.
"I…honestly don't know how to feel about it," Hiccup responded back, truly not sure if he could be good or not.
"That's alright Hiccup, just take your time in sorting all this out," Stoick responded, wanting to try and ease his son's worries, but he could honestly see that he has some confliction within him. He doesn't know all that is going into his child's head but if he could do anything to lessen the burden that is going on within him, then he'll do his best to help.
The teen's stomach then started to growl, he sheepishly then rubbed at his belly as the hunger was getting to him, and of course the smell of chicken wasn't helping at all. Hesitating for a moment, he then reached out and reluctantly took a piece to start eating. Tasting the wonderful meat helped as the food went down to his belly, sating his hunger. Stoick smiled and sat down, getting some food as well as the small family ate in silence. No words were needed, mainly as it did help Hiccup some, and tried to put things out of his mind. After a while Hiccup couldn't help but look over at the doorway, seeing the object his father had brought in as curiosity flooded him, "What's that?"
Stoick looked up at his son's eyesight, immediately knowing what he was talking about. A small sigh left him as he wanted to bring this up later but knew that it would need to be addressed now as it caught his son's attention. Standing up the chief went over and picked the weapon up and returned back to the table. Being careful he laid it down, right in front of his son's vision, taking note of the teen's raising eyes, "One of the other villagers found it when cleaning up…your uncle Spitelout held onto it till today."
"Dagur's sword," Hiccup couldn't help but say as he looked at the weapon laying before him, the very same that Toothless wrangled out of Dagur's hand. He had completely forgotten about it and gave it no mind after the fight. Now that it was before him, he honestly had no idea what to think, yet he did know why it was here. That was until his dad explained it.
"You won the fight against him…and of course by Viking tradition you have the privilege of having a trophy from him…since the sword was the only thing of Dagur's that could be found…well," Stoick responded back, not sure how his son would respond to this.
Hiccup just looked at the sword in silence, not able to tear his eyes off the blade, the very one the Berserker chief had used in battle. The very same weapon that might have beheaded so many people…sliced and diced them…and showed many of Dagur's prowess…yet most of all this weapon was mostly used to slay many dragons…forgotten blood staining it from multiple uses. This was the weapon of a warrior…a chief…and one of Berk's dangerous enemies…and now it was his.
Of course, this was a trophy, and he would never use it, it would mostly be kept hanging around as a reminder of his success. Yet, in all honesty this whole entire situation is something that Hiccup may not want to remember at all or praise. Everything he has done, all the killing, letting Dagur go, and thinking of himself…it all was something he didn't want to remember at all. Having this as a reminder of it, he wasn't sure if it was wise at all, but it was Viking tradition and he felt like this is one he should follow…but also, he shouldn't.
Not only was this weapon a symbol of his victory, but it also is a reminder of all the harm he has done.
"Hiccup, if you don't want to keep it, I understand," Stoick said, knowing what was going on in his mind.
"It's…well…to be honest…I don't know what I want," Hiccup responded in confusion, he had jumped when his dad talked but was glad for it. "There's just…so much coming at me at once that…I have no idea how to process this all."
"I understand…I shouldn't have brought this up then," the chief sighed, he should have known this, and chastised himself for it.
"I just…don't want to think about it right now, I just can't process it right now," Hiccup leaned back in the chair, finally taking his eyes off the weapon.
"I understand," Stoick nodded as he reached and picked up the sword, much to the teen's relief. He watched as his dad walked over to the far wall and leaned it against the wall before walking back to the table.
Hiccup kept looking at the weapon, still leaning against the wall. Despite the significance of it, he was still at a loss at what should be done with it. Many would see it as their heir's trophy of a battle won…yet to the teen himself, it would be an everlasting reminder of all the harm he did.
A/N: Hope you like. I know a lot didn't happen in this chapter, but I think this was needed for Hiccup to process things that he wasn't sure of. He still has a lot on his mind and needs to sort through these things. As for Dagur's sword that's something I put in last minute, mainly by watching the movie and show we can see dragon bones and the like, meaning they were trophies. So I figured using Dagur's sword as one would throw a curve ball at Hiccup, making him more conflicted. Either way I hope you liked it. Good news is that only a few more chapters are left. Maybe 2 or 3 I think. So this story is almost coming to a close and I thank you all who have stuck by it for now. Till next time.