That morning as told the night before, Hiccup woke up and got straight to work. It was helpful that he had some rope in his saddle bag too. Iduna, Agnarr, and the crew members woke up when he did. Hiccup took it upon himself to catch breakfast with help from Toothless and then got them cook fast. While everyone was eating around the small fire, the ship's captain decided to ask what the plan was.
"So building this raft...How are we going to do it?" The captain said.
"I'll go in to the woods with Toothless and round up some logs. We don't need many. Perhaps 12 and of decent size to hold the 5 of you. Toothless can blast them down and I have my dagger to cut off extras branches, I also have some rope to lash them together but vines would also be helpful so I can use the rope to tie to Toothless and he can pull the raft through the water. It's not going to be easy but it should work, enough to get us home." Hiccup stated.
"And I will never understand why your tribe hated you. You find new ways to amaze me every chance you get." Agnarr chuckled.
"Appreciated but this is basic survival Lord Agnarr. Eat up and rest, we're going to be at sea a while. Toothless can probably pull the lot of you for 5 hours at a time. North-West according to the map has many islands so every 5 to 6 hours we'll be taking a short break to eat or rest for the night. Captain, and crew you'll be coming with me so we can bring logs back. Your majesties, if you wouldn't mind locating some vines?" Hiccup asked.
"We're under your orders right now. We don't mind at all, come along Agnarr." Iduna smiled.
"Alright, lets meet back here in an hour. Your majesties, don't stray far from the beach area. We don't need anyone getting lost right now. The faster we build this raft, the faster we get home. That being said. Lets move out..." Hiccup said firmly. After that was said everyone did what they were told, their survival relied on Hiccup alone and they were thankful he had come searching for them or they might not have lived much longer.
(6 Days Later-Berk)
The day had come that they'd be traveling to Arendelle for 8 days, long time on a ship and barely anything to do. They all had their bags packed and loaded on the ship now they awaited Stoick to arrive on the docks for them to leave. It was early in the morning too, the sun was barely up. The crew was handling supplies and food. "So where are we going again?" Snotlout asked tiredly.
"A kingdom called Arendelle, 8 days boat trip as long as the weather holds." Fishlegs stated now.
"Isn't this...kind of weird guys. I mean...we found Hiccup's basket on an island East of here, right before the exit of the archipelago boundaries..." Ruffnut began.
"What are you saying sis?" Tuffnut asked curiously now.
"I'm just saying that...maybe Hiccup traveled outside the boundary...like Astrid said...he could still be alive and we just didn't search far enough?" Ruffnut offered.
"Its possible but Ruff...its been 5 years since then...if he'd wanted to come back or be found...we would have already. He could of sailed past the boundary, that's true but there's no guarantee he's still alive..." Astrid sighed out.
"Well we never found a body maybe someone saw him...It wouldn't hurt to look for clues is all I'm saying..." Ruffnut crossed her arms over her chest.
"Fine we'll...look around for anything but it's a slim chance. For all we know Hiccup is living on another island by himself, but keep this on the down low. Stoick doesn't like to talk about Hiccup..." Fishlegs mumbled as Stoick arrived finally with his bag over his shoulder.
"Good to see you're all here on time. Are we ready?" Stoick asked them.
"We are sir. Everything is loaded on the ship and the course is set." Astrid replied with a nod to Stoick.
"Good then. Set sail! We head East to Arendelle!" Stoick ordered, with that the ship pulled away from the dock and sailed in the eastern direction, everyone just standing or sitting on the deck bored. It was going to be a long trip for them with nothing to do.
(With Hiccup and Toothless)
9 days on that island and the raft was finally made. It took longer than expected but it was done, but it had yet to be tested so here they were on the beach just after sunrise as Hiccup got on Toothless after he'd attached the long rope to Toothless's saddle, there was a good 20 feet of it too. "Alright I want everyone on the raft. I have to see if its going to hold all 5 of you. If not, one may have to ride with Toothless and I." Hiccup said. Slowly the king and queen made their way on, then the captain and two crew members. They were all sitting as Hiccup looked at Toothless now. "Okay bud...nice and easy take off and lets pull the raft in to the water." Hiccup rubbed his neck.
Toothless warbled with a nod as he carefully beat his wings to lift in to the air, the extra rope helped too that way there would be some distance between them and the raft and Toothless could catch the best winds to glide on. They were in luck the winds were headed North today and it was clear and calm on the water. If they had this the next 4 days they might beat their original time and get to Arendelle sooner. Once in the air he pulled the raft in to the water slowly and hovered once out where the water was around waist length. "How's it holding?" Hiccup looked back down at them.
"Seems alright prince Hiccup. No leaks and the logs aren't shifting under the weight I think we're alright for travel." The captain told him.
"Great. You grabbed the fish and fruits right? Its going to be a long couple of days. We'll go as far as we can before Toothless gets tired and we need to stop. I left the blankets down there and bedroll, if you get tired rest. Are we ready?" Hiccup asked them.
"We are." They told him smiling, they were going to live and make it back to Arendelle.
"Your majesties...before we leave, I must ask something of you..." Hiccup said as he had Toothless hover closer to the raft.
"What is it?" Iduna asked gently.
"When we return to Arendelle...I want to ask for Elsa's hand in marriage...and I'm asking for your blessing to do so." Hiccup said calmly.
Iduna and Agnarr smiled looking at one another and then to Hiccup again. "You have our blessing, Hiccup. There is no one more brave, selfless, kind, and understanding like you. We'd be honored to have you as our son in law, thank you for all you've done for us and our daughters, Elsa especially." Agnarr bowed his head to Hiccup.
"I didn't do anything other than be myself. Thank you for giving me a chance, and a home. There is no one I love more than your daughter and I give my word she will always be happy with me." Hiccup returned the bow of his head to them.
"We believe you, you've never made a promise you couldn't keep. Now lets get home." Iduna smiled.
"Don't have to tell me twice. I left some rope down there to hold on to, we're gonna go as fast as we can, the raft is going to glide across the top of the water with our speed. There are no waves so it's the perfect time to cover more distance." Hiccup told them.
"Got it. Lead the way." The captain said as the five raft riders found the ropes to hang on to.
"Lets go bud!" Hiccup smiled wide as Toothless roared out and took off pulling the raft with him, Hiccup wasn't joking when he said the raft was going to glide across the water. On best guess, they were traveling 60 miles per hour and that was with Toothless gliding on the breeze only beating his wings every few minutes or so. Hiccup was happy, as soon as they were back he was going to get Elsa a ring, and propose to her. He loved her and there was nothing to keep him from her.
(With The Hooligans)
They'd been at sea for 3 days and were already annoyed and wanted off the ship. Heavy sighs or groans were all Stoick heard. "If you are so bored, get up and help the crew out." Stoick told them.
"Everything is done..." Astrid stated.
"Foods were separated, deck below and upper are cleaned, all there is to do is sit around. How many days left to go?" Fishlegs asked him.
"Calder, where are we right now?" Stoick asked to the one steering the ship.
"We exited the Archipelago an hour ago chief. Should arrive in Arendelle in 4-5 days if the winds stay with us according to the map." Calder replied to him. Stoick looked back to the younger Vikings who all sighed in boredom again.
"Why did we have to come?" Ruffnut moaned.
"Because Snotlout is my heir, Astrid is second in command to him, and the rest of you are emissaries to them for Berk. These are types of things you'll have to do Snotlout, best you all got a taste of it first hand." Stoick sighed out rubbing his head. More silence now.
"Chief...do you...think its possible Hiccup is still...alive?" Astrid decided to ask to break the silence, she knew it was a touchy subject but she had a feeling Hiccup wasn't dead and she wanted to see if Stoick felt the same way.
"I believe he is dead, I have no proof to say otherwise..." Stoick said quietly.
"But there is no proof to say he's dead either." Fishlegs interjected now.
"The basket was found, with his things and blood on it..." Stoick closed his eyes.
"He could of cut himself by accident, I mean if we found the basket on land...shouldn't his raft of been with it?" Tuffnut added now.
"The raft might of been destroyed with Hiccup..." Snotlout said siding with the chief.
"Then the basket wouldn't of made it to shore, it was heavy. It would of sunk but it was on land and far away from the edge of the water...Maybe Hiccup docked there for a while then decided to leave his stuff behind? He could...still be alive. We never found a body..." Ruffnut rolled her eyes.
"Listen, I know you all want to believe Hiccup is alive and well but truth is...its been 5 years and no one has seen him, he left us no trail to follow. I know what you believe in your hearts, believe me I do. I wish every day that Hiccup was still here, or that we'd found him...but we didn't and just like with my former wife...I have nothing to prove he's alive and at some point I had to let go of the hope to find him. If he is alive...I pray he is alright and decides to come home but for now...I have to believe he is dead, its easier than trying to hope he's alive and we'll find him, and ending up with disappointment when we come back with nothing..." Stoick explained.
"We understand sir. Sorry for bringing it up..." Astrid, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut said.
"Its alright, I know you want to hold hope he's alive somewhere but for me...its better to believe he's gone. At least I know he's in Valhalla with his mother...that's a comforting thought to an old, lonely man like myself..." Stoick tried to smile. No one said anything else about it, Stoick was right. If Hiccup was alive, he could be hurt, imprisoned, or worse and that wasn't a good thought for them. Believing Hiccup was dead made sense, there wasn't a worry if he was okay or not. But for Astrid, she'd hold hope. She didn't believe Hiccup was dead, the facts didn't add up.
(With Hiccup & The Others)
They were currently on another island riding out a storm after only two days of travel. Hiccup knew Toothless could handle it but he had trailing passengers on the raft and couldn't risk them so he'd wait it out with them on land. The raft had been carried inside a cave by the 6 of them to keep it from being damaged, and they were comfortably sitting around a fire that was made because of Toothless before the rain started. "How far from Arendelle are we, prince Hiccup?" Asked one of the crewmen. Hiccup pulled out the map and spread it on the cave floor looking over it.
"We're about here right now on this island...to Arendelle..." He said tracing his finger along the path, "Still 2-3 days, it depends on this weather. Toothless and I can fly in it, but the raft won't hold on those waves." Hiccup stated to them.
"Why don't you fly ahead of us, go to Arendelle and get a ship. We can wait." Iduna offered.
"No. I promised than when I went back it would be with you two...and I don't go back on my word your highness's...We'll go back together. Besides, I don't feel comfortable leaving you on a strange island with nothing to defend yourselves. Best we stay together, at least Toothless and I offer protection." Hiccup said firmly.
"We appreciate you going through all this trouble to save us, Hiccup...I hope Elsa and Anna are okay. We've never been away this long, and Elsa's powers without you around...I'm worried." Agnarr sighed.
"She's strong, I'm sure she's fine and handling things fine. I informed Kai what I was doing, she knows I'm out looking for you." Hiccup smiled.
"How was Arendelle when you left?" Iduna asked him.
"Fine. I took care of all business before I left and things were caught up. I'm sure Kai or Elsa has been keeping up on it all so you won't have a mountain of work upon returning." Hiccup said looking at Agnarr.
"Good to know, after all this. I just want to relax with my family." Agnarr leaned against the cave wall with his eyes closed.
"Take all the time you need, I'm with you on resting...what's say you bud?" Hiccup asked his friend who warbled, and crooned in response as he licked Hiccup's face. "Ick...you know that doesn't wash out bud..." Hiccup rolled his eyes in defeat as Toothless let out a deep throaty like chuckle. "Haha to you too...useless reptile..." Hiccup smiled as Toothless rubbed his cheek to Hiccup's purring contently.
"You and him are close, aren't you?" Iduna asked lightly smiling.
"He's my best friend, its because of him and you I have everything I do right now..." Hiccup replied.
"So when this storm is over, we're still headed North-West?" Asked the former captain of the ship.
"I'll have to judge the wind and waves before we sail. Given were we are now, this island is directly South of Arendelle. I believe we'll be more North bound when we leave. It should be a straight line to Arendelle from here, hopefully the wind will be with us again, a good northern breeze for Toothless may get us to Arendelle faster if the waters are calm." Hiccup stated checking the map again before rolling it up and putting it in Toothless's saddle bag.
"I have got to hand it to you, Hiccup. You've got more skills than we first thought when we met you 5 years ago, good to see your Viking heritage hasn't betrayed you and can get your out of a bad situation." Agnarr chuckled softly.
"Like I said, I was ignored on Berk so I had a lot of free time to myself. I studied maps, built things...comes in handy in tough spots like this. Now...it's getting late, we should all be resting for a long day tomorrow with high hope this storm ends." Hiccup smiled to them.
"Aye sir." The group nodded as they all got comfortable and laid down for the night. They'd already eaten too so it would be a quiet night except the thunder and lightening with down pouring rain. Hiccup didn't fall asleep right away like the others did, his eyes watched the storm from the mouth of the cave.
"Sound the bugle now, play it just for me. As the seasons change...remember how I used to be. Now I can't go on, I can't even start. I got nothing left...just an empty heart." Hiccup sang softly, he didn't realize the king, queen, and crew members were still awake and listening.
"I'm a soldier...wounded so I must give up the fight. Lead me away...or leave my lying here." He whispered out in to the night. "Sound the bugle now, tell them I don't care. There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere...Without a light I fear, that I will stumble in the dark. Lay right down beside...not to go on." Hiccup looked up at the sky now as the rain had begun to lessen.
"Then from on high...somewhere in the distance. There's a voice that calls...remember who you are. If you lose yourself...your courage soon will follow. So be strong tonight...remember who you are..." He sang gently with a soft smile. "You're a soldier now. Fighting in a battle. To be free once more...that's worth fighting for." Hiccup closed his eyes laying against Toothless.
"That was a lovely song, Hiccup." Iduna said lightly.
"Its something my mother used to sing, I remembered it from my dreams, and on stormy nights when I couldn't sleep...I'd sing it and remember her. She was like me, did wanted peace with dragons too but no one listened to her..." Hiccup said softly.
"I'm sorry she was taken from you dear. She seems like a wonderful woman." Iduna smiled.
"From the stories I heard, yeah she was. Rest my queen, we'll be home soon. I promised." Hiccup said tiredly.
"Rest well, Hiccup." Agnarr said to him, Hiccup nodded sleep finally took over.
(The Next Morning)
Hiccup woke up first to the sounds of birds chirping and sunshine coming in to the cave waking the others. "Morning. Looks like the storm is over...go ahead and eat. I'll figure out our bearings..." Hiccup told them as he stepped outside towards the beach area and checked the sand. "Still damp, storm ended a few hours ago. Clouds are headed West, good for us. Waves are minimal, and wind..." He paused to feel for a breeze. "Not a perfect northern one but its enough to get us where we gotta go." Hiccup smiled turning to walk back in to the cave.
"How's it looking?" The crewman asked.
"Its calm enough to sail. Eat up, we'll leave in an hour. The storm is headed West, winds are north-east but with Toothless we can stay a straight path towards Arendelle. We might be a day behind because we had to stop midday yesterday but we'll make it in 4 days for sure as long as we don't hit anymore major storms." Hiccup said as he reached for an apple in Toothless's bag and began to eat it while tossing Toothless 6 fish. Sure enough, an hour later the raft was brought out and set on the beach. Hiccup attached the rope to the raft, then Toothless. The 5 climbed on and they were headed North once more. 'I'm coming, Elsa...I'll be home soon with your parents too.' Hiccup smiled while looking ahead of them. They were almost there.
