43. In that moment
The flight back to Berk wasn't eventful. After Hiccup explained everything they actually did what they went to Dragon Island to do. Introducing the gang's dragons to the ones on Dragon Island took a while, mostly because Hiccup and Storm had to overlook the process, but they managed with a few hours of darkness to spare.
Hiccup was in the lead of their group, he would be the first to reach Berk, giving him enough time to hide Toothless from wandering eyes. The other were behind him and had small packs of dragons following them, except for Eret and Storm who were all the way at the back. Those two were a safety net for the 'wild' dragons.
They weren't rushing back to Berk, keeping a slow and steady pace so the dragons wouldn't be overwhelmed. The dragons were calm, they didn't know where they were going, but they had no reason to panic. The riders on the other hand…
Snotlout didn't know what to think anymore. His wimpy cousin was back, and he wasn't how he used to be. Snotlout didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that Hiccup had been hiding from them or the fact that Hiccup had finally managed to stand up to him and Snotlout didn't even know it.
Hiccup was back and Snotlout was scared that everything was going to change.
The old Hiccup was clumsy, destructive, a nuisance, at least that was how they saw him back then.
Now, Hiccup was smart, confident, a natural leader, everything a heir should be. The title of 'heir' was a safety net for Snotlout, sometimes it was the only thing keeping the tribe at bay when they wanted to fuck his shit up for his stupid decisions. The title was always a safety net, all those years ago it was the only thing really keeping the tribe from exiling Hiccup after he destroyed Berk time and time again.
After Hiccup left, the title was passed on to Snotlout. Spitelout was very happy when that happened, way too happy, Snotlout knew even back then that his father was so happy because he thought that Snotlout would be easy to control.
Spitelout had always envied his brother for his position as Chief, and when Hiccup was born a hiccup, he began pushing the idea that Snotlout would be better as the future Chief. Snotlout had believed his father for a long time, until he got the title and Stoick did nothing to prepare him for the position.
Okay, Snotlout could admit, Stoick tried to prepare him, but everything just seemed too difficult. Snotlout figured out long ago that he was better at following orders than giving them. Stoick had warned him once:
"Every victory you face will belong to the tribe, and every loss will be just yours to bear."
Those words scared Snotlout, he knew that admitting his faults was something that didn't come easy, something he needed to work on and something he tried to forget. Snotlout tried to be the person his father wanted him to be, but he failed time and time again, and little by little he understood that Hiccup had been the strongest in the village for a long time.
Hiccup had told them the condensed version of what he had been up to for the past five years, and it was a lot. The looks he shared with Storm had so much emotion, from happiness to heartbreak. Those looks held stories that he didn't have time to tell in detail, those looks belonged to someone destined to lead.
Snotlout could admit, Hiccup was the best choice.
Snotlout spared a glance to Hiccup. Hiccup who was in the lead, effortlessly taking the head role. Snotlout looked down at Hookfang and stopped a laugh from escaping. Hiccup brought back the dragons knowing full well who they were, who they belonged to.
In that moment, Snotlout decided that he was going to see Hiccup back at Berk, without that stupid helmet and with his title back where it should be.
The twins were used to chaos. Chaos that they made themselves. They strived to be the main reason people were annoyed, but they had always had competition, competition by the name of Hiccup.
Both were still beating themselves up because they didn't connect the dots. They figured out who the dragons were, but they hadn't managed to figure out who Dragon Boy was. The biggest curve ball was Storm. She had been calling herself Hiccup sister from the start, and it didn't seem to be a strategy to throw Berk of their trail. This whole situation radiated chaos.
Hiccup leaving, and coming back without anyone knowing, him finding a sister in the middle of his disappearance, declaring himself an authority on dragons and getting mixed up in a war. It was pure chaos waiting to happen. The twins were jealous.
Before he left, Hiccup was the biggest nuisance in the village, a title that the twins wanted. The twins had always looked up to him in that regard, and now that he was back, it was easy to fall back into old habits.
They would never admit it, but they still looked up to Hiccup. After five years away, he was even cooler than before. He could command dragons, he fought in wars and made allies, he saved lives and messed with dragon trappers. He was cool.
Cool enough for Astrid to have a crush on him, again. Everyone thought they were clueless, but the heart-eyes she kept giving him were hard to miss, at least they noticed it, the others seemed oblivious and would not believe the twins if they told them, so they didn't.
The only thing that bothered them was the fact that Hiccup never strived for chaos, he just happened to stumble upon it. Yet sometimes, it seemed like he wished for chaos subconsciously: getting involved with trappers, getting involved with Storm, not telling the truth from the start and many more choices that could lead to chaos.
The twins looked at each other, then at Hiccup.
In that moment, they decided that following Hiccup was worth more than the chaos that came with it.
Fishlegs hated being confused, but it seemed like the confusion had been following him for a while. And the cause for all of this confusion was Hiccup.
First, the patrols, they came out of nowhere. Granted, they were more Storm's decision than Hiccup's, but they worked as a team and that mean Hiccup approved of her plan. He took the patrols at face value at first, but now, with the attack that Berk suffered, he couldn't help but think that Hiccup and Storm knew that something might happen.
The thought wasn't farfetched, after everything that Hiccup told them, it was clear that the pair was used to dealing with these things.
It hurt Fishlegs' brain to think about it, about how much Hiccup had suffered and how Fishlegs was at fault. Sure, he didn't tell Hiccup to leave, he didn't force Hiccup to bond with Toothless, but he left Hiccup when he needed a friend the most.
Fishlegs had never forgiven himself for dropping Hiccup's friendship when they were younger. Back then, he was scared to be left out, to be like Hiccup. And now? Now Fishlegs looked at Hiccup and saw someone whose friendship was worth more than anyone could offer.
Storm and Hiccup had something that Fishlegs longed to have. They had a friendship so strong, that they weren't even friends, they were family. That was something that Fishlegs threw away all those years ago.
In that moment, Fishlegs decided that he would do anything to earn back Hiccup's friendship.
Astrid's chest warmed with every smile Hiccup gave. He seemed free, the burden of hiding having lessened after he told the gang who he was. It was refreshing to see him be himself. He told her the truth not so long ago, and it seemed like he didn't regret it.
Remembering how he was before he left was strange. The man flying in front of all of them and the boy who she remembered were two different people, but she held both of those people close to her heart.
The boy had hesitantly showed her the truth long ago, and the man brought back the truth with confidence. After hearing some of the things he went through, she had a hard time comprehending them, but she knew Hiccup hadn't lied about anything.
She knew Hiccup was the bravest person she had ever known: he befriended a Night Fury, then he left without knowing where he was going, and he came back when his home was in trouble. It took bravery to do all of those things and it took endurance to not turn cold and hollow.
Hiccup didn't turn cold and hollow, but he certainly changed a lot and Astrid couldn't ignore that Storm was some-what responsible for that change. When Hiccup had told her some stories from his past, Storm was always in them, one way or another.
"I wish I had Storm before leaving, maybe then I wouldn't have even left."
Those words stayed with Astrid. Those words showed her that Hiccup found what he needed the most: a family that accepted him and encouraged him to be the best he could be.
Astrid was thankful that Storm was who she was, and did what she did, because Astrid believed that without Storm, Hiccup would have changed for the worst. A little part of her wondered how would things have gone if she had had the courage to be the rock that Hiccup needed. Astrid tried to burry that part of herself, that was something not worth thinking about.
It was clear to her. Hiccup was the person he was because of Storm, because of Toothless, because of Shadow. To her there was no question that he needed them and they needed him. They had a bond like no other.
Astrid looked at Hiccup, then she looked back at the dragons who were following Stormfly. A better age was coming to Berk, and Hiccup was the one to thank for it.
In that moment, Astrid decided that she would follow Hiccup to the end of the world, no matter what.
Living on Berk had its challenges, like not being a part of the past the people shared. Eret was quick to admit that he was lost. Turns out Dragon boy, one half of the 'Dragon demons', was the heir of Berk, the person who left Berk about five years ago and never looked back. And, to add to the confusion, Storm wasn't actually his sister.
Okay, the best way to express it would be: Storm wasn't actually related to Hiccup by blood. Because blood or not, those two were family.
Eret's head was full of questions he had no answer to. Why had Hiccup even left? Why was he hiding who he was? Why was Toothless the one who made it clear who Hiccup was? In addition to that, why had no one thought of asking him what kind of dragon Hiccup rode? He would have told them! He knew that one of them rode a Night Fury!
The biggest question he had was not even related to Hiccup or Berk at all. Who was Storm?
She hadn't grown up on Berk, she didn't share a childhood with the gang. Yet she was so dedicated to helping Berk, but she was hesitant to say she was going to stay.
"Where will you be heading?"
"I have no idea, where ever the wind, and Shadow, take me."
She had ties to Berk, she had Hiccup. Why was she so hesitant to give herself hope of a place she belonged? Berk had started to feel like home to him, he was man enough to admit that the 'demons' had a big part in making it so. He may not have a past on Berk, but he had a past with the pair. He knew that the past didn't dictate who he was, but he still had questions.
Eret looked at Hiccup and then at Storm. She had promised him a talk, he would ask his questions then.
In that moment, Eret knew that no matter what answers he got, he trusted the pair with his life.
Berk was in sight. It was still dark out, but the sun was going to come out soon. Hiccup looked back at everyone and caught Storm eye. With a nod, he leaned forward and sped off to Berk. By the time everyone would reach Berk, the sun will be starting to rise, with it vikings will start leaving their homes.
They will be greeted with a sky full of dragons and Hiccup will be down there making sure things went okay, Storm will stay in the sky to make sure everything went smoothly and no dragon got too spooked. If push came to shove, she would be the one to lead the 'wild' dragons away.
They hoped Stoick told the tribe they would be coming with dragons, because if he didn't, things could turn sour. Hope wasn't the only thing they had, they also had a plan that consisted of the gang backing up anything that had to do with dragons, because if Stoick believed that the pair were responsible for the attack, he could take the pack of dragons the wrong way.
Like many other times, they had a plan and hope.
