Hiccup and Astrid made their way inside the Great Hall, looking around, trying to find their peers from Berk. The dragon-riding couple would not look long before they spotted their friends sitting around a table at the far end of the room alongside Heather. Hiccup and Astrid would grab their food before making their way toward the table. Once the two young lovers arrived, they greeted the group as Hiccup and Astrid pulled out unoccupied seats to join their friends. While Hiccup and Astrid were taking their chairs, the occupiers greeted them with their good morning.
"So, Hiccup, why are you wearing that outfit?" Fishlegs asked as he noticed the strange clothing Hiccup had on. That question got the attention of Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut. The three Berkians want to know why Hiccup wore an outfit from Night Fury's disposed of scales.
Heather laughed as she figured out what Hiccup had planned; meanwhile, Astrid groaned as she rolled her eyes, displeased at Hiccup's daredevil tendencies. Astrid knows that Hiccup's daredevil moments often lead Hiccup to be harmed, and there is no way of convincing Hiccup to stop once he makes up his mind to do something because Hiccup is stubborn as a mule.
Hiccup nervously laughed while he scratched his head as he noticed that Astrid was still not too thrilled about what he planned to do. "Don't worry, Milady; I don't only have Toothless watching over me. But hopefully, the Light Fury would be there if something went wrong," Hiccup reinsures Astrid. The former heir knows that Astrid worries heavily about Hiccup's reckless actions.
"You don't even know that the Light Fury would save you if something went wrong," Astrid replied to Hiccup's statement. Sure, the Light Fury seems to take a liking to Hiccup compared to the other humans. But it still does not mean that somehow Toothless did not catch Hiccup. That Light Fury would even save Hiccup. It was a thought that truly scared Astrid, but she knew she needed faith that nothing would go wrong with Hiccup's stunt.
Astrid's response piqued the interest of Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins. The four inspiring dragon riders would like to know why the seemingly fearless Astrid feared what Hiccup had planned. Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins could never recall when Astrid was scared. All their memories showed that Astrid had the most courage in growing up.
So, it was quite a shock to them that Astrid had revealed that she could feel scared. Because before this, they believed Astrid could never be afraid. They wondered what Hiccup had planned to do, and they were also nervous about today's lesson.
"S-so, what is today's lesson going to be, Hiccup," Fishlegs asked nervously.
"It's going to be a surprise," Hiccup answered. With that, the table's occupants would enjoy their breakfast while having a delightful conversation.
What Hiccup, Astrid, Heather, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins did not notice was that most villagers watched them like hawks preparing to attack their prey. The Berkians who chose not to train dragons could not fathom anyone in their right mind befriending the winged reptiles. Mainly after all the destruction and mayhem dragons have caused the Vikings over the centuries.
Seating at the table beside Hiccup's table seat is Eret, Dagur. Hilda and Gunner would also join in discussions with their neighbors. Overall, the breakfast was beautiful. Once finished with their food, Hiccup would lead everyone to a cliff before explaining to the inspiring riders that he would allow himself to fall off so Toothless could catch him. Hiccup's lesson plan had not only caused an uproar with the volunteers from Berk but also with the audience from Berk. Hiccup's lesson plan also caused them to be concerned about their former heir's sanity. Stoick was about to call this off, but unfortunately, Gobber would interrupt the chief of Berk.
"Laddie, are ya insane?" Gobber could not help himself from questioning his godson/apprentice. The blacksmith had finally got Hiccup back in his life again, and he would be damned if he lost Hiccup all over again.
"Trust me, Gobber, I've done this a thousand times before, and I wholeheartedly trust that Toothless will catch me before I land in the ocean," replied Hiccup trying to alleviate everyone's worry.
"We're not allowing you to fall off a cliff, Hiccup! Today's lesson is over," Stoick ordered loudly, unwilling to take that chance. Especially after having to live with the thought that his son had died. The chief of Berk was not sure he could go through that again.
"I'll be alright, Dad. Even if Toothless doesn't catch me, I have two emergency plans," Hiccup answers his father. Hiccup could understand why his dad was hesitant to allow Hiccup to perform his daring stunt. Hiccup knows that he would feel the same way if he and Astrid had their child disappear from existence and making Astrid and Hiccup believe that they were deceased before their child would reappear years later. Hiccup does not want to know what he and Astrid would do in that situation.
On the other hand, it felt good to know that Stoick cared about him. Again, it was not that Hiccup believed that his father did not care about him. Again, it was that growing up, Hiccup had always seemingly found a way to disappoint Stoick with the way Hiccup was doing things in his childhood. That was what had created a rift between Stoick and Hiccup. It had only gotten worse as the years went by before Hiccup left Berk.
"Hell no, you're not going to fall purposely off a cliff!" Stoick shouted at his son. Why did his son always have to be defiant toward his orders?
"What don't I understand is why Astrid would allow Hiccup to do something dangerous like that?" Hilda could not help but ask. Hilda's question calmed down everyone from Berk as they, too, were curious as to why Astrid was not trying to stop Hiccup.
"That's because once Hiccup makes up his mind, not even Odin can stop Hiccup from doing whatever crazy idea he thinks of doing," Astrid replied to her mother's question.
"Oh, come now, Astrid. I ain't that bad, am I?" Hiccup complained about Astrid's response. Astrid only replied with an unconvincing expression.
"Hiccup is stubborn like his mother," Stoick said, annoyed.
"Dad!"
"I don't know, Stoick. Ya was also pretty stubborn yourself back in the day," Gobber reminded his best friend.
"I am not stubborn, Gobber."
"Ya know ya were just as bad as Hiccup when ya were his age. Everybody knows that the Haddock family has always been the most headstrong people in the village."
"Gobber!" Hiccup and Stoick yelled at the exact moment, as embarrassed as they had ever been. Everyone else laughed at the reminder that Gobber made.
"What? Ya, both can't deny that laddies," Gobber teased sarcastically before laughing wholeheartedly.
"Anyways, let's get back to the subject of conversation," Hiccup says as he fights off the embarrassed blush. "Dad, please have some confidence that I'll be safe," Hiccup begged his father.
Stoick was going to deny Hiccup's request. But remember the advice that both Gobber and Hilda gave him on fixing his relationship with Hiccup. The Hooligan tribe's dominant figured that he might as well try to allow his son to show them what he wanted. Stoick wanted to show his son that he was willing to change. Stoick still had his doubts about letting Hiccup fall over a cliff. Stoick concluded he would only give Hiccup this chance, and if Hiccup were hurt or worse, he would immediately call off training dragons. "Alright, Hiccup, I will allow you to continue. But if you get hurt or worse, I will not hesitate to call off training dragons. Do we have a deal?"
Stoick's words brought shock to everyone. None more than Hiccup, as the dragon rider, honestly believed that his father would not allow Hiccup to do his daring stunt. Hiccup knows that this may be the only chance he could prove the extent of the bond between dragon and human. Hiccup is determined not to fail. "Deal," Hiccup answered his father's offer.
Meanwhile, as the dragons watched the humans arguing, most of them were not shocked by Hiccup's plan, as they had been around the former heir to know all about his daredevil tendencies. However, one dragon was not only shocked that Hiccup was willing to fall off a cliff but also concerned for the human. That dragon was Light Fury. As she was the newest dragon and she would not know about Hiccup's crazy ideas.
The white dragon was about to tail slap Hiccup on the back of his head to knock some sense into him, but Toothless told her that Hiccup knew what he was doing, which only confused Light Fury even more. What intrigued Light Fury the most? That was when Toothless said to her that Hiccup's suit allowed Hiccup to glide short distances without Toothless. Toothless had to briefly explain to Light Fury about Hiccup and Toothless' battle against Red Death was the inspiration that led Hiccup to create his flight suit, for if Hiccup was ever separated from Toothless mid-flight again, the human could land safely.
Light Fury is having doubts about Hiccup having a flight suit. The white dragon has never heard or seen a human fly before. She finds the idea a bit far-fetched. The only reason she was humoring the concept was that Hiccup had found a way to give Toothless the ability to fly after the rider had shot the nightly colored dragon out of the sky, which sadly tore one of Toothless's tail fin off. If Hiccup had found a way to create a prosthetic tailfin for Toothless? He might have found a way to build a suit that allows the rider to fly temporarily. In this case, Light Fury is interested in seeing Hiccup using said flight suit.
Hiccup takes a deep sigh before heading toward the edge of the cliff. Then Hiccup faces his best friend before asking, "Are you ready, Bud?" Toothless would nod to answer his rider/best companion's question. With his eyes closed, Hiccup allows himself to fall off the cliff. A few moments later, Toothless jumped over the cliff's edge, diving after Hiccup.
The residents of Berk rushed to the edge, worried about Hiccup's health. The people silently prayed that Hiccup wouldn't get any injury. Toothless is diving headfirst to gain more speed to catch up to his rider before Hiccup crashes into the ocean. A few meters before Hiccup could reach the raging waters; Toothless would catch Hiccup before flying back to the edge.
Amazement. What are the emotions that the citizens of Berk felt at what they had just witnessed? They also felt surprised and relieved that nothing awful had happened to Hiccup. The twins are jumping in place from the excitement they feel. "Could it be, dear sister, that our little Hiccy joined the crazy side?" Tuffnut asked his sister.
"It looks like it, brother Nut," Ruffnut replied to her brother's question.
"Let it be so? We'll welcome Hiccup with open arms."
"Yeah, think about all the weapons of mass destruction Hiccup had made before leaving Berk. Hiccup could now make us something so awesomely destructive," Ruffnut says. Everyone that knows how detrimental the twins could be felt a shiver go down their spines. Hiccup experiments were dangerous without the twins using them. The Berkians could not imagine the carnage Hiccup's creations could cause by being wielded by the twins.
"Hiccup isn't going to make any weapons of mass destruction for either of you two," Astrid answers knowing the twins would most likely use Hiccup's kindness as a weakness to get newly destructive weapons to use on everybody. The twins groaned, disappointed that Astrid had stopped them for the time being. Ruffnut and Tuffnut started mentally planning to recruit Hiccup to their side. The residents of Berk sighed in relief that Hiccup was not going to help the twins to become more hazardous.
"Anyway, the rest of the day, I want you guys to spend the rest of the day building trust with your dragons. Because tomorrow we'll leave for mine and Astrid's island," Hiccup announced. Hiccup wishes he could train them some more, but unfortunately, he knows that Grimmel and the rest of his enemies would not wait forever to make their next move. Hiccup knows that sooner or later; they will assault again. Hence, it was best to evacuate to a safer location so they could come up with a counterattack without any innocent bystander receiving any injury.
"Do we have to practice falling off a cliff? Cuz if so? I call pushing my sister off," Tuffnut announce loudly.
"No, Tuff one is falling off any more cliffs. I want you guys to practice flying and finding common activities to bond with your dragons," Hiccup answers to the dismay of the twins.
"So, why did you fall off that cliff for?" Snotlout questions his cousin worriedly and nervously.
"Because when you're in the skies, anything can happen. That is why humans and dragons need to be able to trust one another, at least. I wanted to show everyone the extent of a human and dragon bond. It's up to you guys to develop that bond," Hiccup answers Snotlout.
Everyone would be dismissed from dragon training shortly after. Hiccup, Astrid, Dagur, Heather, and Eret would answer any questions the soon-to-be riders had. Hiccup also took it upon himself to help his father to prepare the ships for the journey ahead of them tomorrow. Stoick is generally impressed with Hiccup of how well he showed his leadership skills in the past few days.
Stoick had even praised his son for helping with the preparations for tomorrow's journey, as well as Hiccup's leadership skills. To Stoick's shock, Hiccup seems not to believe that Hiccup is good at being a leader, which baffled Stoick, who would ask Astrid in private why Hiccup did not have any confidence in himself, "Astrid, I was wondering if it's okay if I ask you something about Hiccup?"
"Sure, Stoick," Astrid replied, curious about what Stoick wanted to ask about Hiccup.
"It's just that earlier. I was giving Hiccup praise for Hiccup's leadership skills when I noticed that Hiccup didn't seem to believe that he was a good leader. I was wondering why Hiccup is like that?"
Astrid looked in the direction of Hiccup, who was busy answering Fishlegs's question but sighed sadly before responding to Stoick's question. "I hate it when Hiccup does that." Stoick looks at Astrid, even more confused than before. "After being told by everyone that he was not good enough, Hiccup started to develop low self-esteem. It's to the point that Hiccup believes that he is nothing without Toothless. I've been trying to show Hiccup that he is more than Toothless' rider, but he still believes he is nothing special."
Astrid didn't have very much regret in her life. But Astrid heavily regrets pushing Hiccup out of her life. Hiccup and Astrid were once childhood best friends that did everything together until Astrid removed Hiccup from her life so she could focus on being the best shield-maiden that she could be. Astrid had been doing everything in her power to show Hiccup how much he meant to her over the years, but sadly Hiccup still does not realize he has value to the people he touched. It truly broke Astrid's heart to see Hiccup not have self-worth. Even though Astrid had not been the only one to say those things to Hiccup, she helped remedy the problem, neither. Astrid knows everyone from Berk should receive all the blame for their heinous actions towards Hiccup, including her. She will never forgive herself for not helping Hiccup during those days.
It was disheartening for Stoick to hear that his son felt he was nothing without his dragon.
Stoick would excuse himself from the conversation, "Oh, I see. I should fix my mistakes. Thanks for informing me of what I did, Astrid." Once that was said, Stoick made his way to find his son so he could make amends for his sins.
"You're welcome, Stoick," Astrid replied to Stoick. Astrid hopes and silently preys that Hiccup and Stoick can reconnect with each other. Astrid saw that Stoick was trying to fix his mistakes for raising Hiccup alone. Astrid empathizes with Stoick for at least trying to redeem himself to Hiccup. Astrid figured that being chief of a village that constantly needed you to lead them and being a single parent was not an easy balance that most people would have failed doing. Astrid does not know if she could do something like that, but she hopes that Hiccup and Stoick can have that father-and-son bond that they should have had because family should never be broken apart like how Hiccup and Stoick's relationship.
Stoick is determined to remedy Hiccup's insecurities. The problem is that Stoick is still having trouble communicating with his son. The reason is that Hiccup reminds Stoick so much of Valka. Stoick knowledge that Hiccup had always been more like Valka than Stoick. It had always deeply hurt Stoick that Hiccup was so much like Valka; it was the reason that the leader of Berk had tried to raise Hiccup with tough love like his father had done for him, but now looking back, Stoick realizes that was the wrong approach. Stoick wishes he could redo everything with Hiccup, but sadly that is not how life works. Stoick knows that the only thing he can do now is to be a better father to Hiccup. Hopefully, Stoick could make amends for the sins Stoick committed to his son.
That still does not mean that Stoick was for the belief that dragons were not killers. After seeing the destruction dragons have performed firsthand, it was hard to have your views turn 180. Stoick figured that maybe there were some excellent dragons. Especially after the stunt, he witnessed his son perform today. The Night Fury had saved Hiccup before crashing into the freezing, raging waters. But Stoick is not fully ready to change his view toward dragons yet.
Stoick had invited Hiccup to his home for the night. Stoick didn't want any interruptions while talking to Hiccup, so he asked his son to come to his house. Hiccup had accepted Stoick's offer of staying with the chief. Stoick wanted to reassure Hiccup that he cared about him privately. Sure, Stoick still did not care about the dragons, but if they meant a lot to Hiccup, Stoick figures he might as well try with his son. Maybe Stoick would have his son in his life again?
Another reason Stoick invited Hiccup to his home was that he had heard that Hiccup and Astrid had already shared a house. Stoick believed that the groom should not share a home with the bride until after the marriage. The last thing anyone needed was the rumor of Astrid being pregnant before the wedding. It was not that Stoick believed that Hiccup and Astrid would have sex before marriage. This problem could have made anyone think Hiccup and Astrid were doing inappropriate actions. So, it would be better for Hiccup and Astrid to be separate during the night.
Stoick heard a knock on his door before he would loudly answer, "Come in."
"Hello, Dad," Hiccup greeted as he entered his father's home. Hiccup felt the warmth from the cozy fire in the chimney of his childhood home. Hiccup noticed that Stoick was seemingly waiting for him, sitting on his chair like a king on his throne.
"Welcome, Hiccup," Stoick replied as gently as his voice could be. Stoick's voice is usually loud, but he figured that was the wrong approach to talking to his son. Stoick knows that if the conversation does not head toward the topic of dragons, there should not be any arguments, hopefully.
"Thanks for inviting me, Dad," Hiccup thanks as he takes a seat.
Stoick knows now is the chance to apologize to Hiccup for everything. "Hiccup, I want to say that I am sorry for everything that happened to you while growing up. I never wanted you to believe that you weren't good enough. I know that my apology may not mean anything to you. But I am genuinely sorry for everything that I have done for you. I hope you could find it in your heart to forgive your foolish father," Stoick apologized in his most sincere voice.
"It's alright, Dad. I should also apologize to you, Dad, for running away six years ago. I was just scared that you and the rest of the village would have killed Toothless before banishing me from Berk. I see now that my actions have hurt you deeply. I never wanted to hurt you but to make you proud of me. If I never run away like-" Hiccup's apology is cut short by Stoick.
"No, son, there's nothing for you to apologize for six years ago. The blame lies on me and me alone. You believed that I and everyone else would have killed your dragon had you come to me, and I would have mostly disowned you before banishing you. You were only protecting; what mattered to you. I might still not trust any dragons, but I now see how much they mean to you. I wanna tell you that I accept you for who you are, even if you're close to dragons."
Hiccup had tears of joy rolling down his cheeks as a warm feeling cursed through the core of his soul. The emotions Hiccup felt were understanding; it would make sense that the surface would bring tears to Hiccup's eyes. Because Hiccup always believed he was not good enough to be Stoick's son. The villagers of Berk told Hiccup countless times are growing up. So, to hear Stoick tell Hiccup that he accepts Hiccup for who he is despite how much Stoick hated dragons. It was a great feeling to feel.
Sure, countless times, Astrid and their friends had told Hiccup that he was much more than Toothless' rider. Unfortunately, Hiccup thinks they tell him that because they are his friends and betrothed. "I'm so sorry to be crying. I know I look weak right now-" Stoick would interrupt Hiccup again.
"Again, Hiccup, you don't need to apologize. I don't think that you're weak. You've grown stronger in your way."
The past few days, Stoick had seen how far Hiccup had grown over the years away from Berk. Stoick reminiscences when Hiccup was younger, and Hiccup didn't show any signs that he could be a leader. The present Hiccup had shown Stoick that he could be a great leader if given the opportunity. Stoick wonders if Hiccup, despite Hiccup's lack of characteristics of an average Viking, had the potential to be a great leader. Stoick ponders if he could have helped Hiccup grow into the man he is if Hiccup and Astrid had stayed in Berk. Regrettably, Stoick would never know what could have happened had Hiccup and Astrid never run away. The only thing Stoick could do was show his Hiccup he cares about him. Stoick will be forever haunted by the what if Hiccup and Astrid stayed in Berk. Because in life, our choices have consequences, good or bad. Stoick is sadly paying for his mistakes as a single parent while chief of his tribe.
Hiccup and Stoick would spend the night enjoying their company even though the son and father disagreed about dragons in general. Both Hiccup and Stoick know that their broken relationships are far from being fixed. Talking about their past is the first step in healing their relationship. When Hiccup and Stoick went to bed? Hiccup and Stoick hoped nothing would go wrong tomorrow as tomorrow would be a long day of moving the villagers to safety.
A red Terrible Terror with black stripes is flying towards a ship. This tiny dragon had a pair of yellowish-green eyes. The Terrible Terror had a note tied around its left paw. The small dragon received scars that littered its body from the whippings of the dragon hunters. This dragon was a gift from Johann a few weeks before Johann stabbed Hiccup in the back. Hiccup thought that teaching Johann how to use Terrible Terror would help Johann communicate with Hiccup and his friends faster. However, Johann had deceived Hiccup and his allies.
The dragon hunters had an undercover spy among the people of Berk, sending messages by Terror mail. The spy had waited for the perfect opportunity while the Berkians were getting ready for tomorrow's long trip before leading the Terror to the forest to spend the information that the people of Berk were leaving in the morning. The spy is also why Grimmel, Viggo, Alvin, and Johann have been able to invade Berk easily.
The tiny dragon lands on the ship's deck from the flight to the boat. "Ah, finally, some news from the Hooligan," Alvin says as he was staring to lose patience with the plan. The leader of the Outcast tribe wants to get started with making Stoick and Hiccup pay for all the terrible they caused him over the years.
Grimmel makes his way towards the cowering Terror. Over the past several months, the Terror had developed a fear of humans because of the beatings it received. Seeing the Terrible Terror in fear had Grimmel felt a wicked and sickening pleasure. The Night Fury killer believed that dragons were below humans and the winged reptiles were supposed to be fearing humans. The Terrible Terror whimpered as Grimmel took the note off its paw; the Night Fury killer smirked at the dragon's fright.
Grimmel quickly read over the context of the note. Once Grimmel is concluded reading, he lets out an amused laugh. "Be ready, gentlemen; tomorrow, we'll move out," Grimmel announced, to the hunters' delight. Viggo, Johann, and Alvin are ready to end the dragon riders.
Grimmel, on the other hand, does not care about what the hunters do to dragons except, of course, Toothless and Light Fury. Grimmel is excited to finally finish what he started many years ago, which was to put an end to all Night Furies alongside Light Fury.
Grimmel also wouldn't mind spilling the blood of Hiccup to make an example out of him. Grimmel thought that Hiccup's belief that humans and dragons could live together in harmony was childish and foolish. Dragons were cold-blooded killers who, if given a chance, would kill humans. Only his way is the true path toward a brighter future where humans would not have to feel fear because the dragons would be nothing but a memory.
Hey guys, I am sorry for the delayed chapter. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed/commented on this story so far. I hope you all have a wonderful day and stay safe out there. I'll see you in the next update. :) ;) :P