{Hiccup's POV}
Everything seemed to freeze in that moment. We'd...been winning the war. When the Hooligans showed up, the Berserkers retreated even though they hadn't left yet. I only took my eyes off Sylvi for a moment and she was shot out of the sky, crashing hard. I rushed to protect her at the same time Alvin went to kill her. I held him off, I got a punch in. Then his men shot met in the leg with an arrow and I fell back, I still kept myself between Alvin and Sylvi though. Alvin kicked Inferno from my hands, the his leg hit the side of my face. I coughed hard as I saw him raise his sword, if he killed me then he'd leave the island alone. I accepted my fate and closed my eyes waiting for the strike but all I heard was my mother's voice cry out, "Stoick!" The blow from Alvin's sword never hit me, panting I opened my eyes and saw Stoick over me, standing weakly with a sword though his back and front. My eyes widened when he coughed up blood. He'd...saved my life...
"And...here I was thinkin I wouldn't get to see ya again before I died..." Stoick tried to laugh but failed as his legs gave out and he fell back a bit, I reached forward and caught him so the sword wouldn't pierce him more. Alvin only snorted with a smirk and walked away.
"Well I'm done here..." He said, I glared but heard Stoick cough again and suddenly didn't care about Alvin. This man just saved my life, a man I thought I hated because he hated me. A man I told I'd never forgive and to stay away from me. A man...I told I wished I hadn't been born too, just took a sword in the back and through his front to save my life.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" I yelled at him quickly as Gobber came over and pulled the sword out then covered the wound the best he could as I laid Stoick down on the ground.
"Hiccup...I'm sorry I never protected you before, was never there for you when you needed me, that I wasn't...the father you needed me to be, but...it's never too late to change right? You...told me that." Stoick panted hard.
"Its okay...I forgive you..." I saw his eyes begin to close and his breathing pick up past. I didn't care I'd just said I forgave him. I did. For Thor's sake I really did forgive him. All this time I said he'd never change, he'd never be the father I needed him to be and he...saved my life. I never even knew he was on the island. I'd told him to stay away from me. But he'd come anyway and now he was laying in my arms, bleeding profusely.
"That...makes me happy to hear son...I don't deserve it after..." I cut him off shaking my head, I felt tears forming and I had no idea why either.
"I told you, it's okay. I know...how hard it had to of been to lose mom when I was a baby...I get it...I was different, and difficult because I was like her. You knew that and you...always thought I'd end up dead like her too...Its okay...dad, I understand. I...forgive you. Everyone...deserves a second chance. Including you, so stop talking now...Stay with me. You're not...going to die, you hear me!?" I told him quickly. "IRIS!" I yelled out.
"Ssh now son. I'm old, I've lived my life...These cannot be healed...And there is no saving me...I can...die in peace knowing you're alive and I got to save you once, when I failed to do so many times...Protect your family...and live long, Hiccup..." Stoick told me as he coughed again. I felt a wetness staining my cheeks, I really was crying. Crying that I was about to lose him.
Now crying, I couldn't hold back doing so. I held my father's hand while my arm kept his head up. "Please...don't die...I can't...lose you too...I can't lose another father...Don't go...You'll be okay..." I tried to tell him though I couldn't even assure myself. Sylvi was behind me, she was crying too and my mother had come over. All the dragons were landed and bowing their heads in respect and sadness like the night Rosethorn had passed away. I never wanted to feel this pain again, losing a father.
Stoick put his hand on my face, "Hiccup...That night you found...Nightstar in the ring...She was...wounded before she fell, its...why she did. I had...the men move her to the ring...so she wouldn't get hurt...I was...going to get you after the raid was over so you could...help her. I only...wanted to protect her, to prove I was sorry for everything...and show you that I could...change." Stoick explained. My eyes widened, Stoick was...trying to save Nightstar...and I...Gods what did I do. That's why my father told me to listen and talk to Stoick...Because it wasn't what I thought it was and I let my anger get the better of me.
"I'm...sorry. I should of listened to you...I'm sorry dad. But you'll be okay...I'll...make a dragon rider out of you yet. You can even...come live here with me. We can...be a family again. We just have to get that wound fixed up...I promise you'll be alright. Just hold on." I told him trying to smile.
"A chief...doesn't cry son. I always said...you'd become the strongest of them all...And I was right...You do have the heart of a chief...and the soul of a dragon. That is who you are son...I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner that you would always turn out the be the one to change the world. Don't you be givin that up either...You keep fighting, and you change this world." I cried harder now.
"I will...I promise." I told him with a nod.
"At least I got to see you and your mother...one last time." Stoick panted closing his eyes a bit, cringing at the pain.
"No, no. Come on dad...You gotta stay with me. You can't die...Please...I need you. I need my dad in my life...I can't lose another dad. I can't lose you. You're...Stoick the Vast, you never...give up. Keep fighting, stay with me..." I tried to tell him.
"I'll always be with you Hiccup. Near or far, I am your father and you never walk alone..." I couldn't hold it together, I broke down. "I love you son."
"I love you too dad..." I reply to him. Stoick smiled and his eyes slowly closed. I felt his body go limp in my arms, his head turned to the side as he stopped breathing. My body shook violently as tears fell freely from my eyes and cried over him. Sylvi wrapped her arms around me and cried lightly as well. I could believe it...I lost another father, another father I couldn't save! And this time...It was Alvin's fought. When I got my hands on him...I was going to kill him. I didn't care if it wasn't me. I would tare his throat from his body and watch him die out at my feet for this. I didn't know where Alvin was now, he left and took his armada with him. The Berserkers were gone too.
"Chief..." I heard Audun say quietly, I lifted my head, silent tears still falling slowly from my green eyes. I didn't say anything but my head lifting was the general command I was listening. "We've...prepared the pyre. Whenever...you're ready." I slowly rose to my feet, eyes closed.
"Ready to bury a second father?...No. That is something no one is ever ready to do, and now I have to do it a second time..." I said lowly. "Prepare the funeral...And assemble everyone on the beach." I added, I walked over and picked up Inferno clutching it in my hand tightly. I handed it to Gunnar now, "Open the passage in the hall, assemble on the beach in 10 minutes. I will hear no excuses..." I said walking away. I didn't care where I was walking, I just couldn't be there right now. I couldn't watch my father's body be moved onto the pyre, where it would have to be set ablaze by my arrow and set to sail burning at sea.
(15 Minutes Later)
I reached the beach and as I had ordered, everyone stood assembled there. Around us were arrows, weapons. Everything showing that there had been a long battle fought with many lives lost. Alvin was now responsible for taking Ella and Erik's parents, their island and village away. Now he was responsible for the deaths of 45 of my men, injuring many more men and dragons included. Now this, having to bury a second father. One I never thought I'd even see as a father again, one I thought would never do what he did for me. He saved my life, confessed to me he actually had changed. I was in the wrong that night, I didn't give him a chance to explain. I brushed him off and now...he was gone. I saw the pyre set up, my father's body draped with a cloth and his helmet set atop of his chest beneath the cloth. "When...ever you're ready lad..." Gobber told me.
I saw Sylvi standing with our kids, her father, brother, and mother. My mother standing with the Hooligans. Astrid and Fishlegs stood near my wife. Viggo, Eret, and Ryker in line with them. "Do it..." I said. Gobber handed me a wooden bow and arrow with the tip wrapped in a white cloth. Tuffnut and Snotlout put their hands on the pyre and pushed it towards sea of the beached area then stepped back as Gobber began in a cracked tone.
"May the Valkyries welcome you. And lead you through Odin's great battlefield. May they sing your name with love and fury so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you've taken your rightful place at the table of kings. For a great man has fallen: A warrior. A chieftain. A father...A friend." I adjusted my arrow on the bow and lit it with a log still glowing from when it had burned.
"There do I see my father, my mother, my brothers and my sisters. They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla...Where the brave shall live forever." I said as I brought the arrow back on the bow string raising my arms before a tear fell from my eyes and I let it go. It landed on the table which held my father's body, right between his feet and began the slow burn. Behind my I heard other bows raise and strings be pulled back. I knew these belonged to Gobber, Sylvi, my mother, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Astrid, Audun, and Gunnar. With the sound of string being snapped back to place, I saw 10 more arrows fly over head and land on the pyre, the blaze intensifying. I lowered my head now.
"I'm sorry dad. I know...I'm not the chief you wanted me to be and I'm not...the peace-keeper I thought I was...I don't know who..." I trailed off as I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked to see my mother there.
"You came early into this world. You were such a wee thing...So frail, so fragile. I feared you wouldn't make it..." Valka started, I looked towards the burning pyre again. "But your father, he never doubted. He always said you'd become the strongest of them all. And you have, Hiccup. Neither of your fathers doubted you, and both of them are right. You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon son. Only you can bring our worlds together. That, " She placed her finger under my chin and raised my head to meet her eyes. "Is who you are, son." With that she kissed my cheek and stepped back with the rest of the crowd as I looked towards the pyre which was completely ablaze now.
"I...I was so afraid of becoming my father, both of them. Mostly because I thought I never could. How do you become someone that great, that brave, that selfless...I guess you can only try. And that's all I've done for so long. A chief protects his own, and for as long as it takes...I will keep trying, and keep protecting until this world is finally at peace with one another, and dragons. I won't give up my dream of having peace, and I won't stop being who I am just because some people want to cause pain and suffering wherever they go." I said firmly now facing the two tribes gathered. "So we're going to clean this place up, and we're going to keep doing what we do best. Spreading peace to the world. This is Fury Isle. A bit busted, trampled...But its home. It's our home. Those who attacked us are relentless and crazy, but those who stop them. Even more so." I said encouragingly.
I saw Sylvi look now with her wide eyes and a shocked smile. "We may be small in numbers but we stand for something bigger than the world can pit against us. We are the voice of peace, and bit by bit...We will change this world," I paused now as I saw them all lift their heads, nodding and smiling at what I was saying. "You see we have something that they don't. They have armies, and they have armadas. But we," My smile grew now as Toothless came over and tossed me in the air with his head as I landed on his back. "We have...Our Dragons!" I called out, Toothless roared shooting a blast in the sky as both tribes began to cheer, clapping and hollering.
"Hiccup I'm so proud of you!" Sylvi rushed over to hug me now, I kissed her deeply, then got off Toothless and hugged all of my kids tightly.
"So we're going to put this place back together, and we're going keep fighting until there is nothing left to fight about!" Everyone cheered louder and instantly began to disperse to clean up and rebuild again. I faced my wife now and kissed her again. "So what was it you wanted to tell me before that whole mess started 6 days ago?" I asked her.
"Oh not much, just that you're going to be very busy soon..." I arched my brow at her confused now. "Hiccup...I'm pregnant again." Sylvi told me. My eyes widened, she was...pregnant again. And she still charged into battle! Oh Odin and father's above help me. "I'm about a month an a half along according to Iris...I've been trying to tell you for days but you were really busy with everything, then the war happened." Sylvi rambled on but I only kissed her smiling.
"Syl...Shut up. First off...You knew you were pregnant and charged into battle on Nightstar against Outcasts and Berserkers! What is wrong with you!? You could have been killed, you almost were when you fell! Are you trying to put me in an early grave?" I shouted, she winced a bit. I took a breath and held her close. "Secondly...I'm beyond thrilled you are alright...And lastly...I'm beyond happy that we're having another child. But I swear this is the last one. We're have 5 kids, and this baby will make 6. We're so done having kids..." I chuckled.
She giggled nodding, "I can agree to that." Sylvi and I shared another kiss before I mounted Toothless and began to oversee the repairs. Today was hard, it really was. Being at war for 6 days, winning, losing someone I thought I hated, now a rebuild and my wife being pregnant again. I really just didn't know how I did it sometimes but I managed. I knew I had two fathers watching over me, and I was looking out for a bunch of people down here on ground level. I smiled to myself, how could I not. Even with all that happened lately, my life was still perfect. My father's death would take its toll but right now, I was happy to be alive and it was him who made it possible. Both of them, Thurmond and Stoick saved my life somehow and made it so I could keep going. I looked to the sky now.
"Stoick...I forgive you for everything. I see now that you've always loved and believed in me, you just had a hard time showing it. You two better not fight up there either...Thank you for everything dad, and I mean that to both of you." I chuckled. It was as if they heard me because the clouds cleared and the sun shined through. I rubbed my hands together. It was time to get this village standing tall again so I could run it and continued to bring peace to the world bit by bit.