"Now, we know why everyone is here this evening. Regarding the recent events surrounding Astrid and Hiccup, I ask you my council to take a vote on whether or not we'll allow our people to train dragons," Stoick opens once all of the council were accounted for. It was a part of Berk law that if something as huge, for example like moving the entire village to somewhere safe, it would need the majority of the vote from the council. The council members were: Gobber, Spitelout Jorgenson, Gunner Hofferson, Egil Ingerman, Herlefier Thorston, and Gothi. They were all located in the Great Hall.
It had been about three hours since his argument with his son, in which nobody had seen Hiccup since the former heir stormed away as angry and upset as anyone had ever seen of him. The aging chief was worried that something had happened to Hiccup. As Hiccup's father, he won't stop worrying about the auburn haired man's well-being. He silently promises himself that once this meeting was finished, he would go and look for his son.
"I vote against training dragons. There are too many things that could go wrong with the boyo's suggestion." Spitelout voted not to train the dragons to nobody's surprise. It wasn't that Spitelout hated his nephew per se. It was that he felt his nephew's talents were in the blacksmith, making great weapons for everyone, rather than being a leader of Vikings. He would be lying if he said he thought that Hiccup would be a great chief years ago. That's okay because not everyone was cut out to be a chief of a village. It was a lot of responsibility and not everyone could do that job. He felt like Hiccup wasn't one of those people that can do the job. But seeing his nephew now and comparing his nephew to the Hiccup of six years ago. There was something different about the auburn haired man. It was like there was some sort of aura around the former heir that was similar to the one around his brother, but at the same time it was also different than Stoick's. Maybe he was wrong about his nephew all those times where he underestimated the small boy?
"My vote is against training dragons. There isn't enough proof of it being even safe to do so," Egil voted. Egil, like his son, didn't care much for the violence. Sure, maybe there were good dragons, but they didn't know if all of the dragons were good. What would happen if a dragon attacked a villager out of the blue? There are still some unknowns with all of this that he felt needed more answers before they did something like that.
"I vote in favor of Hiccup. Just imagine the power we'll hold if we train dragons." Herlefier votes to no one's shock. It was well documented that the Thorston family were a bit out there in their craziness. So, it made sense that the head of that family would vote for something like this. Stoick thought that this would be the only vote Hiccup was going to get. Some of the villagers question why the Thorston family were a part of the council. The answer is that the Thorston family was one of the original settling families that has been helping Berk in its dire times in the past, despite how wild that family can be at times. Stoick did fear the day that one or even both twins become a council member.
"I also agree with what my brother and Egil are saying. I just cannot forget the lives of the innocent humans that the beasts have killed over the years. That includes my late great Valka. Who's to say that the dragons would not attack us when we least expect it?" the chief of Berk voted. With three votes against one for training dragons, he was hoping all of the last three council members would vote against the idea of training dragons. The elder of the village starts to write in her box of sand with her staff.
The villagers put a box of sand in the Great Hall for Gothi. The box was for the elderly woman to be able to communicate with her people. Gobber went to go translate what the elderly woman was saying. "The ancient hag said-," Before Gobber could finish what he was about to say, he was hit on the back of the head by Gothi's staff. "Ouch! I was only joking. No need hittin me like that," the blacksmith complains as he rubs the back of his head where he was hit. The elder rolls her eyes before pointing at what she wrote. "Gothi votes in favor of Hiccup's suggestion because we're sitting ducks staying here, where we all know Grimmel and the rest of Hiccup's and Astrid's enemies are going to keep on attacking us. This is the only way to ensure the safety of the villagers." Stoick's expression depleted hearing the wise elder choosing to betray their way of life.
To the shock of everyone, Gobber would agree with Hiccup stating, "I too vote in favor of the lad and lass." One would think that since the dragons took one of the blacksmith's hands and a foot, he would be against the thought of training dragons. Gobber wanted to get to know the man his former apprentice became, even if it meant doing things on Hiccup's terms. Sure, the blacksmith was not to excited about training dragons, but what choice do they really have at the moment? The blacksmith was never the same after Hiccup had left them. Now, by the grace of the Gods, he's getting a second chance with Hiccup. He'll be damned if he lets this opportunity slip through his fingers.
"What the fuck Gobber!?" Stoick hollered stunned that his best friend did that.
"Well, Stoick, what choice do we have at the moment? Sittin around here and waitin for Grimmel, Alvin, Johann, and the rest of those b*** that enslaved us to attack us again. That's a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of that?" Gobber replied sarcastically as he had ever been.
"You're siding with the beasts that have destroyed our homes, killed hundreds of innocent people, and destroyed so many more lives! Have you lost your damn mind Gobber?! They even took a hand and foot from you Gobber! How can we even trust them?!" Stoick screamed his questions at his best friend.
"I'm not saying that I trust those beasties, Stoick. Cuz I definitely don't trust them as far as I can throw them. All I'm trying to ask is what are we even going to do when those bastards attack us again? Remember, Stoick, they even had dragons on their side. Do you honestly believe that we could fight both a dragon army and a larger military force than us? Cuz I can't see us winning that fight without using our heads. If Hiccup and Astrid had dragons that could help us, it would be in our best interest for them to help us. Cuz beggars can't be choosers, Stoick." Gobber preached to his chief. "Remember that Valka wanted peace between Vikings and dragons. Well, it looks like the both of your son and Astrid had found what she would've wanted. If you don't do it for Hiccup, then do it for the memory of Valka," Goober added, hoping it would help his best friend to see the logic of the situation.
Stoick sighs sadly before nodding his head. That did make sense to the chief of Berk, but that still doesn't mean he wants dragons roaming around in his village freely. "I'll think about it. Gunner, what do you vote for?" With the votes tied at the moment with three apiece. Stoick is hoping that the head of the Hofferson family would vote against. After all, Gunner lost his brother and family's reputation from the dragons. Surely, he would not agree with the ideals of Hiccup and Astrid.
"I also vote in favor of training dragons," Gunner voted to the dismay of Stoick. Now they're going to have to train dragons whether he liked it or not. "I do know you thought that someone like me would vote against even the thought of training dragons, but with the help of my daughter, Hilda and I were able to see the good in dragons," Gunner added, trying to explain why he chose what he did.
"Yeah, until ya end up like Frozen Finn Hofferson," Spitelout quipped before chuckling at his own dark joke. It was no secret that the Hofferson and Jorgenson families got along like cats and dogs. Before Astrid had left Berk, it annoyed both Gunner and Spitelout that Snotlout had been trying to court Astrid.
In a blink of an eye, Gunner had an axe an inch away from Spitelout's throat. "Ya mind repeating that again, Jorgenson? I didn't quite get that."
Before an all-out brawl could break out, Stoick says, "That's enough of that, Gunner. Now we know what we're going to do about our certain situation. We'll let our villagers get to train dragons until this conflict is over. I'll make the announcement tomorrow morning. I'll see you all tomorrow." Gunner quickly puts away his axe as his chief ordered. With that, Egil, Herlefier, Spitelout and Gothi quietly left the Great Hall. Just when Gunner was about to leave to go spend time with his wife and daughter, Stoick asked him, "Gunner, do you mind if Gobber and I accompany you?" The older Haddock man figured that maybe his son was at Astrid's old home with her. This also gave them some needed time to talk about their children marrying each other. Maybe he could offer something for the bride prices.
"No, I don't mind," Gunner answered, not really sure if bringing Stoick back to his hut was a good idea because of his daughter's temper. He just hoped that over the years, Astrid learned how to control her anger. If she didn't learn how to contain herself when provoked, the head of the Hofferson family was sure that he would have to stop his outraged daughter from attempting to murder the chief.
"Alright, lead the way," Stoick says and with that, the three men headed towards the Hofferson's residence. At first, as they walked there is an awkward silence in the air that is looming over them. After a few moments in this uncomfortable silence, Stoick decided that he would be the one to break it. "So, Hiccup and Astrid are getting married." Who would ever think that his fishbone of a son ends up marrying a shield maiden, who was hell-bent on never marrying anyone? The chief of Berk remembered the times when Hiccup and Astrid were best friends. He used to have to drag Hiccup away from his beloved best friend, Astrid. The moment he got the young Hiccup back home, his child would always tell him that when he was older, he would marry Astrid to always be by his best friend's side. At the time, Stoick figured that Hiccup didn't fully understand what that meant because his son was at the tender age of five. But Finn's untimely death changed the young Astrid to the point of not allowing others in her life. Despite his worry and disappointment in his son at the moment, he also felt happy that Hiccup and Astrid were tying the knot with one another.
"Yeah, who would ever guess that my daughter would even allow herself to be married?" the Hofferson man replied. Gunner was glad that Astrid is happy in her relationship with Hiccup.
"So, what's the bride price for the wedding?" Stoick asked, trying to follow Viking laws on marriages. He just wished that Hiccup and Astrid would have revealed themselves earlier so they could have had the wedding done properly. That would also mean that Stoick has to pay whatever the bride price that Gunner made.
"Oh, no need for that, Stoick. I wouldn't charge you anything for my daughter marrying Hiccup," Gunner answered his chief's question. If it was anyone else besides Hiccup marrying his daughter, he would have made a price for the wedding. But since it was Hiccup, a lad he did care for and know that the former heir would treat his daughter with respect she deserves, the Hofferson man just didn't feel right about asking anything from his chief for Astrid's wedding with Hiccup. That was one of the reasons why Hilda and Gunner were about to go to Stoick to agree on a marriage contract between their daughter and Hiccup, before the two teenagers would take off. It looked like he and Hilda were right about having faith that Hiccup would be the one that made their daughter the happiest they have ever seen of her. As a parent, that is what you want, right? Your children as happy, healthy, and safe as possible.
"You sure about that? I mean I would pay just about any price you set," Stoick responds, confused as to why Gunner said that. Didn't he want a price for his daughter's hand in marriage? It just didn't make any sense as to why Gunner would say that.
Nodding his head to answer the chief of Berk's questions, they continued their way towards the Hofferson's hut. The three men would make it to the house to see Stormfly slumbering peacefully, perched on the rooftop like some kind of bird. Before anyone could stop him, Stoick picked up a stone on the ground and chucked it as hard as he could at the sleeping dragon's head. The aging chief wished that instead of the stone it was his weapon. But he knows that if he had done that, Astrid and Hiccup would probably not forgive him. Waking up from the moment the rock made contact with her head and ultimately disturbing her peaceful nap, the dragon looked around to see who had thrown the stone at her. It doesn't take long to figure out who did it because the human alpha shouted at her, "Why isn't that beast locked inside a cage where it belongs?!" Stormfly flies to the ground, getting ready to attack the man. Just when she was about to harm the rude man that dared harm her while she was resting, her rider's father gets in front of Stoick, preventing the Deadly Nadder from attacking Stoick.
"Stoick, why the hell did you do that?! Stormfly wasn't even harming anyone. I get that the dragons don't make you comfortable, but that doesn't mean you get to harm my daughter's dragon," Gunner explained as he got in front of the chief of Berk. Turning around to the blue scaled dragon then saying, "It's going to be okay, girl. If you promise not to attack Stoick, I'll make sure that you get some tasty chicken later." The Hofferson man remembered that his daughter told them that Stormfly loved chicken. Just mentioning the bird would make the Deadly Nadder excited. The blue scaled dragon would do just about anything to get a chicken treat. Stormfly bounced from paw to paw excitedly at getting some delicious chicken before flying back to the rooftop, and perching back on the roof.
Both the chief and blacksmith watched what transpired with the Deadly Nadder in amazement. All of their lives they have seen the Deadly Nadder being some of the most ferocious dragons out there, but to see this Nadder behave like that of a child when promised a sugary treat if it behaved itself, led them astonished to say the least. "Well, I've seen bout everythin now. How did ya even do that, Gunner?" Gobber couldn't help himself but wonder how the man did that.
"It was a tip from Astrid herself. She told me before I left for the meeting that Stormfly is addicted to chicken. I thought that maybe giving her a chicken treat would calm her down and it worked," Gunner answered the blacksmith's question as the three men entered the house. Walking into the home of the Hoffersons, a heavenly aroma greeted their noses. "Sweetheart and Honey, I'm home. And I brought some company." Gunner entered the kitchen to see his wife making something delicious with her back facing towards him. Pulling Hilda into a loving embrace as he complemented, "Smells great, Sweetheart. What ya cooking that smells so good?"
Turning around to give her husband a kiss before she would answer, "I'm making my Yak Stew. Who did you bring anyway?" Hilda asked, wondering who had shown up with her husband.
"Just Stoick and Gobber. Is Astrid here?" Gunner answered.
"No. She and her friends went out looking for Hiccup shortly after you left," Hilda replied to Gunner, who sighs in relief. He wasn't in the mood to break up a fight between his chief and daughter. Then the two of them went to the living room where Gobber and Stoick were waiting for them. Once in the room, Hilda greeted both of their guests. "Greetings, Gobber and Stoick. How are you two doing today?"
"We're doin great this evening," Gobber said with a warm smile.
"Yes, we're definitely doing fine this evening. I was wondering if Hiccup was here. I would like to talk with him if you don't mind," Stoick replied getting straight to the point.
"I'm so sorry, Stoick, but Hiccup isn't here," Hilda says watching Stoick's expression drop. "But if you wait a little bit, he might show up when Astrid gets back," Hilda politely offered.
"No, thank you. I don't want to be holding you all too long. I should get going," Stoick politely declined Hilda's offer. He figured that his son might be somewhere in the woods. The Haddock man remembered that Hiccup spent a lot of time in the woods, to the point the auburn haired boy knew the forest like the back of his hand. But the emerald-green eyed man knows that it won't be easy to find Hiccup in the vast areas of the forest. But who knows? Maybe he would be lucky to find Hiccup before night falls.
Turning around to head outside to go to the woods. Just before the large Viking chief could even open the door, Hilda's voice called out. "Before you head out there, Stoick, listen to the advice I give you. When you see your son again, don't try to force him to be something he isn't. Show him that you do care about him no matter what." She hopes that her chief would take her advice. She didn't want to see the Haddock family broken any more than it was already at the moment. She knows that Stoick wasn't always the best at showing and telling you what he felt. Hiccup had inherited this trait from his father. The blonde haired woman recalled how Hiccup's disappearance affected the huge man. She doesn't want that same pain for the man because she too knew that pain when Astrid left as well. It was a pain that she wishes on nobody else, so she decided that she would not allow him to push Hiccup away again. For his own sake, he needed to hear this.
What disturbed the woman the most is how Hiccup felt about being back on Berk. Astrid had told her that Hiccup truly believed that the villagers of Berk were not capable of change, before her daughter had left to go find Hiccup. In some twisted way, it made sense and she hated that he felt that way towards his own people. What would happen if Hiccup decided that the Berkians weren't worth his time and left again with Astrid? She wasn't going to find out what would happen if those events occurred. To do that, all of Berk needs to show Hiccup that they could and would accept changes to their way of life. First step of these is to mend the father and son's relationship. It was a daunting task, but she was determined to help them out.
"She right ya know, Stoick. Hiccup isn't a child anymore, whether you like it or not. He's a grown man now that is more than capable of making his own choices. The only thing you can do is show him that you're willing to accept him for who he is. I know it seems pointless, but ya got to try and hope for the best," Gobber added, unknowingly helping Hilda with trying to convince their chief to accept the changes that Berk seems to need at the moment.
"What we're trying to tell you is that if you continue to push Hiccup to change who he is, you'll certainly lose him for good this time. Just think about what we were saying," Gunner adds, trying to help nail in the advice to their stubborn chief. He too, like his wife, didn't want Stoick to feel the pain of losing a child again. He hoped that their words would help the chief understand that if he kept on trying to do things like this, that would only lead to Hiccup to leave. This is a second chance to right their wrongs and he feared that Stoick was too stuck in their way of life to see that.
"I'll think about it," Stoick answers before leaving the house. He gave it a general thought on what was said as he exits the house. Maybe they were right. To his disdain, he might have to try to do things on Hiccup's terms. He didn't want to lose his son again.
I do apologize for the delay for this chapter. I have been very busy the past two weeks to the point I couldn't work on this chapter as much as I would've liked. Special thanks go to corbiance for the idea of Astrid's parents for reprimand of Stoick actions. Originally, I plan on Gobber to do that but I ultimately deiced to fused our ideas together. I hope that it turned out good. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone that have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story so far. I do hope you all have a wonderful day and stay safe out there and I will see you in the next update. ;P
