"Isn't it a good thing the war won't take place on Berk?" Eret asked.

The gang and their kids (except for Vylma) stood around the table with the map in the great hall. Hiccup had read the letter he'd got Grimmel out loud to them and now they needed to rethink everything.

"Yes and no." Hiccup answered and scratched his chin while looking down to the letter that laid on the table in front of him, "Yes, because Berk won't be in danger and we don't have to worry about it burning down. No, because we don't know where the battle will take place until I met him this evening. We have to rethink every stargedy so it fits a place we don't know anything about."

"He could choose a island we have been to and it's not like we have fought on a random island before." Tuffnut pointed out.

"This is not like the battles we faced when we were kids." Fishlegs clarified.

"A maniac on our tails with a minimum chance of survival. Sounds to me like the battles we've always fought." Snotlout snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fishlegs right," Hiccup began and placed his hands on the table. "This is more like the war we had with Drago 20 years ago. And we all know how that went out." His voice went more quiet with the last sentence and the room went quiet as well.

Astrid laid a hand on her husbands shoulder and gave him a small smile when he peered up to her. "And that's why we're going to make a plan this time and not run right into battle hoping for the best."

Maybe not the best thing Astrid could come up with, but she had woken up to an empty bed in the middle of the night many times these last few weeks and had found her husband sitting downstairs staring into the fire, overthinking everything that could happen in the war and making himself incapable to think of a plan in the first place. Astrid understood he didn't want anyone to die like his father had. It had been to sudden and when his mother died two years ago, Hiccup knew he could lose anyone in this war.

Astrid had to calm him down when he started talking about himself dying. How she had to become the next chief and take care of the kids alone. When he started to talk about the kids losing them both, Astrid had to keep herself from overthinking. But she did. One night she broke down and cried when her mind was clouded with the images of their kids finding her and Hiccup dead on the battlefield.

Stoick may not have a problem of becoming the future chief, but both Hiccup and Astrid wanted him to be ready and they also wanted him to take over when they retire, not getting killed in a war. The story of how Hiccup became chief, was not the story they wanted for Stoick.

Hiccup placed his hand on top of hers and smiled back at her. He didn't need to say anything for Astrid to know he appreciated her words.

"Won't Berk be a target if the battle is one another island?" Magnhild spoke up and got all the eyes on her, "We don't know if Grimmel has a plan to come here with some soldiers to burn this place down before we come back."

Hiccup nodded. "You're right, but we need every warrior we can get on the battlefield."

"I can ask Dagur and Mala if they can lend some warriors that can protect Berk. I assume some will stay behind with the children." Heather said.

"Yes, we have a people who will stay behind with the children and it would be great if Dagur and Mala could send some warriors to help them out here if something happens."

Heather nodded. "Than I'll ask him."

I didn't know what else to write. So it ends here… let's go to chapter 44 →