The plan was dangerous. One wrong move and Vylma would probably pay with her life.
The plan was that Vylma would accept to help Grimmel. She would be on his side, or it would seem she was on his side until the war started, then Barvik would attack Grimmels army from behind while Berk attacked from the front. Vylma could get as much information of Grimmels tactics, how big his army was and every weapon against dragons he had and from there; Berk and Barvik would know how to destroy Grimmel.
It was good Grimmel had no idea who Vylma was but she still needed a disguise because she did resemble her father, even if Vylma looked more like her grandmother, Vala. Vylma was glad at that moment she hadn't heritage her fathers green eyes and she had her mother's blue eyes. The hair could be coloured by coal (Astrids idea) so it was black instead of auburn.
Risks couldn't be made, no one could tell Grimmel who she really was which was the hardest part. Berk would be easy to tell them not to tell Grimmel or leak it out to the world, Berk hated Grimmel too much and liked Vylma too much to tell Grimmel or risk it to leak out to the world.
Barvik was a different story. With the island being bigger than Berk, the population was bigger as well and telling everyone there what was going on and them to keep quiet who their queen really was, would take more time and having more people who maybe would disagree of fighting together with another village when it wasn't their fight.
Vylma had spoken to the council and she had their support as long Barvik's army also had hers to fight in a battle that wasn't theirs. Vylma had spoken to the army of men and woman, telling them it was their own choice if they wanted to fight alongside her and Berk, in a war that wasn't theirs. It wasn't many who came forward and signed to fight on her side, but the first volunteers encouraged the rest and Vylma could only watch and smile as the warriors laughed and slapped each others backs as they wrote down their names on the paper roll. The paper roll she needed so Vylma knew how many warriors would fight by her and Berk's side.
Hiccup, Astrid and Magnhild was going to the hidden world when Vylma was talking to Grimmel on his island, so Grimmel was focused on Vylma's visit and not what was going on around him. Sure, he could have men anywhere so they needed to fly above the clouds and be discreet. Astrid didn't need to go, but she talked her into it and Hiccup couldn't say no. Berk could survive a few hours without the chief and chieftess being home, even if they needed to prepare for a war.
The war was nearing, even if no one knew when it was. Grimmel was coming. Barvik and Berk had a plan that could cost Vylma's life if Grimmel found out who she really was before the plan began.
Darkness covered the sky, making the air turn cold and vikings and dragons go to bed. Every house was in darkness and only the moon made Berk light up. But a small fire was lit in the Haddock house as Hiccup sat by the dinner table, looking right into the soon dead fire.
His head a was filled with one question and it made it impossible to sleep when it was buzzing in his head and making him feel awful.
He had left the warm bed, carefully not to wake his wife and walked out of the room. The footsteps he heard walking down the stairs, made him realize he had failed.
"Can't sleep?" Astrid held the fur blanket that was draped over her shoulders with both of her hands. The house turned cold when the fire wasn't in flames. She sat down next to him, her body turned to him as she watched Hiccup with a concern face.
"Am I too selfish?" he asked. The question that was buzzing in his head was out and maybe now he could get an answer to it.
Astrid narrowed her eyes at him as she didn't really understood what he meant.
"I'm leading my own people into a war I could easily stop if I just gave up Toothless, but I can't and the people are paying the price for it."
Astrid took his hands, making the blanket fall off her shoulders and reliving one of his tunics she often slept in. "Hiccup, if anyone in the world knows how much Toothless means to you, it's Berk. He became your friend when everyone else made you seem useless and he has saved you so many times... it's like we don't deserve him... or you." Hiccups eyes widened at her last words. Her hold on his hands loosed. "Sometimes it feels unbelievable you even decided to stay here after 15 years of being an outcast, even more unbelievable you want to be chief to a tribe you didn't feel welcomed in." She looked down at her lap and withdrew her hands completely from his. "I say it again; I don't deserve you and it feels like a miracle you even decide to be with me, after all I did."
Hiccup grabbed her hands and held them tight, making her look at him. "Astrid, if anything; I don't deserve to be where I am today. I became friends with Berks former worst enemy and if you didn't stop me that day after Gothi decided that I would kill the monstrous nightmare, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't have been sitting here as chief of Berk or having a few years of my fathers love and pride or I wouldn't have found my mother. And I would definitely not have Astrid Hofferson as my wife nor have four children with her. I'm glad I had those rough 15 years, because I wouldn't be here today if I didn't."
Astrid breathe out from her nose and slowly let her eyes roam the room. "And somehow we ended up here." Hiccup pressed his lips together and nodded. "I'm glad we did…. Not with the war that we're going to face, but that we are here; as a family. And with everything we have been through, we are going to survive this too."
Hiccup leaned forward and grabbed the blanket that had slipped down from Astrid shoulders and he placed it back up. "I really hope you're right about that." he mumbled and held the blanket in place in front of her chest with his hands.
She placed her forehead to his and she closed her eyes, feeling warm with the blanket and his body close to hers. "Have hope, babe. We are not going to Valhalla yet."
He kissed her forehead and let her last words sink in. He didn't want anyone to go to Valhalla and he didn't want let Toothless go either.