Hello my fellow readers again! Here's another chapter! And this one introduces a new character!
This one I think is my longest chapter but there are quite a few developments that needed to happen.
But here we go!
Enjoy! XD
"Everyone settle down!" the Speaker commanded. She waited until the entire chamber was quiet before she continued to speak. "The emergency gathering will commence. Please, come forward Senator Drago."
The large man with well maintained dreadlocks approached the podium and addressed the chamber. "The sudden rise of these attacks surprises none more than myself. I was assured that these people were dealt with several years ago but as we now see, that was not completely true. I have already created a committee designed to continue the investigation from before and track down the remaining criminals."
"Thank you, Senator," the Speaker bowed her head in respect. "The floor is now open." A message crossed her computer and announced the next speaker. "Stoick Haddock, Governor of Berk. Please approach the podium."
Stoick stood up and approached the front of the chamber members and began to speak. "Thank you for hearing me out, Senators. With the holidays starting soon, this is the last thing any of us want in our lives. I apologize for my absence prior to this day, for my own nephew was a victim of these people no more than two week ago and he almost died from a horrific reaction to whatever was injected into his body. How many others have died from allergic reactions and we don't even know because the doctors didn't know? How many more have to be harmed before they are taken down? As Governor of Berk, I have submitted an emergency bill to my Congress to allow the residents of Berk to conceal carry without a permit."
The chamber burst out into horrified exclamations at the announcement. "That is completely illogical and unsafe!" Drago bellowed.
"It is only unsafe to the criminals attacking our residents," Stoick countered. "If they are unsure if the person they are attacking is armed or not, the likelihood of them proceeding lessens. I'm not forcing anyone to carry against their wills, but I am allowing those that would like to protect themselves and their loved ones the opportunity to do so. Most of us in Berk are descendants from Vikings and are natural warriors and protectors and I will give my people every opportunity to protect themselves!"
"This is madness!" Drago shouted again. "An entire population of people armed will cause more problems."
"To who?" Stoick asked. "The law abiding citizens of Berk or the criminals bent on harming us? The people of the Berk have a right to defend themselves!"
"I agree with Governor Stoick," another senator spoke up. "Until we can find these perpetrators we cannot, in good conscience, deny the people their right to defend themselves."
"Thank you," Stoick nodded. "Besided, I am putting it through the legislature and not making an executive decision. It's for the people to decide. I am not in their everyday lives and have no idea how they feel, think, and act. It's not my business. However, it is my business to ensure they have every means available to them to provide for their families whether it be food, jobs, homes, or physical protection!"
The Speaker quieted the room once the murmurs of discussion got too loud and allowed Stoick to continue. "As a citizen of this country, like all of you here as well, I would like the investigation to be publicized to the best of its ability."
"I'm not sure what you are referring to, Governor Haddock," the Speaker responded. "The investigations are accessible to the public once completed."
"Untrue," Stoick shook his head. "I tried to gain access to the investigation from several years ago and everything was denied to me as a Governor. I can assure you that the common public can't access it either."
Another wave of murmurs moved through the chamber and the Speaker's brow furrowed. She then proceeded to try and look them up on her computer but was shocked to find that even she was denied access. "That should not be. Why would this be sealed off?"
"Everything about this situation doesn't feel right," Stoick said.
"Why are you here again?" Drago spoke. "You're not even a Senator."
"You keep beating around the bush, I soon will be," Stoick retorted. "I was invited because, for some reason, Berk has been the main target both times these people have reared their heads. The number of people attacked is three times that of other places. I'm not saying that the others aren't important but I find it strange and worrisome that Berk is the focal point."
"Makes one wonder why," another senator pondered.
"Exactly," Stoick agreed. "Why Berk? We are a smaller city that borders a small forest and sits on a nice portion of the sea but we don't have the same export importance as, say, Meridian or Berserk Bay. Is it because we are smaller that they don't expect anyone would do anything about it? If we could see what the previous investigation team did to stop these people the first time, we can start now and prevent more people from getting hurt."
"What makes you think that the previous methods would work?" Drago argued. "It could only make it worse."
"True," Stoick admitted. "But we need somewhere to start. There have been no eyewitnesses from the victims to help identify them and the closest we have gotten was just the shape of two male figures running from the scene."
"That witness being your own son," Drago pointed out. "What a coincidence."
An uneasiness fell over the chamber at that new bit of information. Stoick looked at Drago in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing," Drago shrugged. "I just find it interesting that with Berk being the main target, as you say, it was your nephew who was attacked and your son that has the only eyewitness testimony. That's a lot of coincidences."
Stoick narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "It is, I'll admit, which is why I want to get this resolved as quickly as possible."
"And!" Drago added quickly. "You allowed a minor to view government files."
"Is that true, Governor Haddock?" the Speaker asked.
"It is."
The chamber exploded into cries of distress and disbelief at the admission. "Governor Haddock," the Speaker began. "No non-government employee is allowed to view active files of a case. Let alone a minor."
"I know that, Speaker," Stoick nodded. "These files were already closed and available to the public. I had gathered them for curiosity's sake when I began to notice an increase of reports about drug overdose and when I couldn't make heads or tails of it, I asked for an outside opinion."
"Your own son," Drago pointed out.
"Yes, my own son."
"Who had no business looking at those files in the first place. He has no experience, no specialized skills, nothing that would have benefited the case."
Stoick took a deep breath before speaking. "What do you hope to gain by attacking my son? I didn't ask him because he had any special skill, I asked him because he was an outside source that could look at the info with a new point of view."
"He's still a boy with no-" Drago started but was cute off immediately.
"This boy is the one to notice that the bruises weren't bruises but puncture wounds; this boy was the one to rule out voluntary drug overdose due to the locations of said wounds; this boy was the one to come up with the idea of a randomized serial attacker since there was no pattern in any of the victims; this boy was able to see danger where others did not with just a few pieces of paper given to him; this boy is the reason we now know these attackers are back and we, as a people and community, can fight back. You should be thanking him for having a keen eye, not tearing him down."
The room was quiet once Stoick finished his defensive rant against Drago but the fire in the governor's eyes didn't die as he glared at the current senator.
"Your son is the one that discovered this information from a few closed files?" the Speaker asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Stoick nodded as he turned back to her. "He just told me what he observed and his theories and I brought it to the attention of my local authorities to dig deeper to see if any of it was true before it was confirmed that these men were back."
The Speaker sat quietly thinking about the new information and made a decision. "I will ignore that a minor had any hand in uncovering this plot but I will commend him for his observation. I don't like the idea of minors viewing government files, but they are public and can't stop the public from viewing them. No mention of the minor will be discussed outside this room or given to the public until this case is closed. I will not have these vile men and women going after a minor.
I will also work on getting the old investigation files unlocked so that we may understand these criminals better. In the meantime, I suggest every city does what it can to protect its citizens from these people until they are brought to justice. Thank your son, on behalf of all the Archipelago, for his help."
"I will," Stoick beamed proudly as Drago seethed quietly to himself.
The air was getting colder and the wet breeze was not helping as it cut through his thick parka. Hiccup grumbled to himself as he shivered and pulled the coat closer to himself, his left leg already feeling sore from the prosthetic rubbing against his dry skin. He brushed it off and began to climb the large fallen tree truck and jumped to the other side.
He made his way to the frost covered cove, the light bouncing off the ice starting to form on the water. "Hey, Toothless!" he sang as he walked over to a large rock and placed down his backpack. Hiccup began to unpack its contents and turned around when he heard a rustling behind him. "Hey there bud!"
A large black wolf exited a wall of hibernating vines and bounded towards the teenager, tackling him and began to lick his face with his warm tongue as it stood over him. As Hiccup cried out in joy at the animal, the wolf reared up on his hind legs and began to paw him on the head as his tongue hung out the side.
"It's good to see you too!" Hiccup chuckled. "Sorry I've been away for so long. Been busy. But you can handle yourself right?" He got a big wet lick from the wolf, making a few strands of his hair stand up.
Once he wiped the slobber off his face and fixed his hair, he turned towards his backpack and stuck his hand in making Toothless run around in a circle and then sit on his hind legs. "What? You think I have something for you?" Hiccup asked, receiving a small bark in return. "Well...you would be right!" Hiccup pulled out a large steak and threw it across the cove. "Go get it!"
Toothless bounded towards the meat and hungrily began to eat away at it. While the wolf was occupied, Hiccup turned his back and finished unpacking and organizing the objects he had taken out. He had not heard that Toothless finished his treat and began to stalk towards him.
"Look out, Hiccup!"
He whipped around just in time to see that Toothless had veered off his path and began to sprint towards the entrance Hiccup had gone through. Hiccup quickly reacted, seeing that Toothless was bent on attacking the newcomer, and put himself between the wolf and his target. "Whoa! Whoa! Easy boy! It's okay, he's a friend."
Toothless relaxed his posture ever so slightly and stopped growling but was still staring down the intruder with caution. "Fishlegs!" Hiccup exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The blonde teen slowly uncurled himself from his defensive position and lowered his shaky arms. "I..I was going to go by your house and talk to you but I saw you leave and I tried to catch up. I didn't plan on... well, this."
"You just gestured to everything."
"Well, yeah!" Fishlegs squeaked. "Look at this place! I didn't know it existed and that you have a pet wolf here. It's cool but scary."
Hiccup sighed and held the bridge of his nose. "This is a disaster."
"Why?"
"Are you going to tell the authorities?" Hiccup asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Normally, yeah, but since you seem to have control over it, I don't think so. I only cried out because it looked like it was going to attack you."
"'It' is a he. Fishlegs, this is Toothless. Toothless, Fishlegs." Toothless growled slightly but then turned and walked away. Hiccup chuckled lightly. "He was only playing."
"I'm seeing that now," Fishlegs smiled as he looked around Hiccup. "How did...when…?"
Hiccup smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it just kind of happened. One of the times I came here, I found him nearly dead and wounded so I nursed him back to health. I don't know how he even got here. His breed isn't even native to this area but with his missing leg, I decided to take care of him."
Fishlegs looked at the wolf again and Hiccup turned to watch him as well. "He's not going to attack anyone is he?"
"No," Hiccup assured. "He was just protecting me. Come here." He grabbed Fishlegs' hand and brought him closer to the wolf, quieting his cries of protest and explained what to do. "Just put your hand out like this and let him sniff you. Once he trusts you, everything will be fine."
Fishlegs followed Hiccup's command and held out his hand for Toothless to sniff as he smiled nervously. He flinched ever so slightly when he felt the animal's cold, wet nose on his hand but chuckled excitedly at the contact. "I never thought that I'd ever see a canis lupus, let alone touch one!"
The wolf walked away and began to explore the cove, now satisfied that Fishlegs wasn't a threat. "Don't go too far Toothless, I have another surprise for you!" Hiccup called out before turning to his friend with another cocked eyebrow. "Canis Lupus?"
"Yeah…" Fishlegs blushed. "I was really into animals when I was younger. I was a bit of a nerd about it."
"You don't have to be ashamed about that," Hiccup patted Fishlegs on the shoulder as he walked back over to his backpack. "I was just surprised. You always just seemed to be a gamer to me."
"I kinda pushed that side of me into a closet and went towards the gaming side because I thought it would get me more friends as I got older. I was right, for online friends; didn't do much for my social life," Fishlegs shrugged as he followed Hiccup. "What was this surprise you were speaking of?"
Hiccup smiled as he finished assembling the pieces he had brought with him and held it up to his friend. "What does it look like to you?"
Fishlegs looked at it quizzically, tilting his head side to side. "It kind of looks like a leg."
"Yep," Hiccup nodded proudly. "I made it for Toothless. His missing leg makes it hard for him to get in and out of the cove."
"You custom made him a prosthetic?"
"Yep. I tried some pre-made ones online but they didn't work nor did they fit properly on him. I am hoping that this one is the one to finally work."
"How many have you made?"
"About 4," Hiccup shrugged. "Come here, bud! Let's try this one."
Toothless trotted over to the two boys and wagged his tail in excitement as Hiccup held out the prosthetic for him to sniff. Once the wolf satisfied his curiosity, Hiccup began to hook the prosthetic around the wolf, constantly talking to him to keep him calm. After Hiccup was satisfied that the leg was snug, he nodded at the wolf.
"Give it a shot, big guy."
Toothless sniffed at the fake leg once again before putting weight on it and moving his shoulders around to get a feel for it before taking his first step. Then another and then another until the wolf was running around the cove excitedly, howling every once in a while.
"Does he like it?" Fishlegs asked.
"It seems like it!" Hiccup beamed. "He had thrown off the other ones by this time. Yes! That's it bud!"
Hiccup whooped, clapped and cheered for his animal friend as he ran around and jumped from obstacle to obstacle as if he had never lost a limb. Fishlegs also joined in, swept up in the excitement.
"So," Hiccup asked once he had come down off of his high and sat down on the nearby rock. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Oh, um," Fishlegs stammered. "Now I know it may be a bit personal and I'm being unnecessarily nosey but you don't have to answer. Although if you don't I feel like you're admitting it anyway-"
"What is it, Fishlegs?" Hiccup chuckled at his friend's nervous rambling.
"Are you and Astrid secretly dating?"
The question took Hiccup completely off guard and he gaped at Fishlegs dumbfoundedly. It took him a second to bring himself back to reality and uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "N-no, we aren't. Why would you ask that?"
"I just happened to see you two dancing in the hallway at homecoming and you two just seemed comfortable together," Fishlegs admitted. "She was definitely more happy to be with you than she had ever been with Snotlout."
"I promise, we are not dating," Hiccup verified firmly. "I wouldn't do that to my cousin. But," he added sternly as he stood and placed a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder. "What you saw, you can't repeat to anyone! For some reason her father absolutely despises me and she said that if word gets around that we've been hanging out, he'll pick her up and move her across the country. I don't want that and she definitely doesn't want that."
"So you two are just secretly hanging out?" Fishlegs clarified.
"Yes," Hiccup nodded.
"I won't say anything," Fishlegs promised as he crossed his heart. "But the way you two were looking at each other was just...you know...intense."
Hiccup nodded and turned away to sit back down on the rock but to also try and hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks. For some reason, that dance made him so nervous and he was not prepared for the way he felt. His throat was tight, heart was pounding, he could feel the back of his neck getting sweaty, and his whole body was charged with this really warm feeling.
Maybe it was because Astrid was dressed up so nicely for the dance, seeing her beauty accentuated with a few strokes of makeup, her hair styled in a way that perfectly outlined her face, and the beautiful dress that moved with her natural curvature had just sent his heart reeling. It took every ounce of his self control to not lean in right then and there and kiss her and that's when he finally understood: he was absolutely in love with Astrid Hofferson.
"It was a little intense," Hiccup admitted. "I was just trying to teach her to slow dance and we got carried away I guess." He realized what he just admitted and snapped his head up to Fishlegs. "You didn't hear that from me. Astrid always knew how to slow dance."
"She wasn't proud of that fact I'm assuming."
"Nope," Hiccup chuckled.
"But you do have feelings for her," Fishlegs stated. Hiccup's lack of response was all the confirmation he needed. "Are you going to tell her?"
"No. She's with Snotlout. I'm not going to make her life more complicated," he sighed. "I think as of the moment she just needs a friend more than anything. Maybe when the time is right, I'll tell her but I don't want her to run away from me."
"Will you be happy like that?" Fishlegs asked as he sat down next to his friend.
"I am happy knowing that she will be happy," Hiccup smiled. "And if that ends up with her being with someone else, Snotlout or not, I will support her either way."
"You really have it bad," Fishlegs chuckled.
Hiccup blushed and elbowed his friend in the stomach. "Shut up. She was my first friend and I want to make sure that she's happy. Just like I would want to make sure you're happy."
"I'm sad I never got to be a part of your friend group when she was with you," Fishlegs lamented. "I would like to have seen her more comfortable. I would offer for you to join our group but with her there…"
"It makes it pretty much impossible," Hiccup finished. "I know. Hey, maybe after high school things will be different. I mean Astrid doesn't have to follow her father's orders and can be her own person, for one, so maybe we can later."
"That would be awesome!" Fishlegs exclaimed excitedly. "How do you think Snotlout would react?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "We're starting to make up some bonding ground after the whole drug thing so I think he'd be alright with it. If he and Astrid break up, it's up in the air."
Hiccup and Fishlegs continued to sit and watch Toothless run around the cove for several more hours, chatting away about mindless subjects and their plans and ideas for the future. It was nice for both boys to just sit and relax for the first time in a long time.
Astrid opened her locker and was met with a surprise that just brightened her morning. On the top shelf was a box of chocolate dipped strawberries, hand dipped and decorated from the looks of it, and a note.
Happy 17th Birthday! Hope you have a great day and I promise the strawberries taste better than they look. ;)
She smiled happily at the box, knowing exactly who they were from, and grabbed one to eat on her way to class. It was amazing as always and she could help but remember the first time Hiccup had found out that chocolate covered strawberries were her favorite treat.
Astrid was excited for the BBQ. It would be her first one in two years and she couldn't wait to spend time with Hiccup again. She worked extra hard on making sure that everything looked nice so that her father wouldn't complain about being embarrassed in front of a politician and so her mother wouldn't have to exert herself.
She had begun to notice that her mother was becoming lackluster, slow, and tired easily. Her father said that it was because she was stressed from all the responsibilities around the house so Astrid did whatever she could to ease her mother's stress.
"This looks amazing!" Emily exclaimed. "Making it extra special?"
"Yep. I want them to feel at home," Astrid explained.
"Or maybe you just want to impress him?" she asked as she nudged her daughter.
"Impress him?" Astrid questioned innocently.
Emily laughed lightly at her. "You'll understand once you're a little older but I can see it already. You're at that age now where your feelings mature and your view on boys changes."
"Why would I change my view on Hiccup?" Astrid began to worry that she may actually grow distant from her friend and she really didn't want that to happen.
"It would be a positive change, honey," Emily assured when she saw the fear in her daughter's face. "It's nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. We'll talk more once you make your first leap into womanhood."
The doorbell rang at that moment and Astrid beamed in excitement as she ran to open the door but her father was already there. She could see that Hiccup was looking rather uncomfortable under her father's stare but Stoick steered that gaze towards himself when he began to speak.
Astrid approached and waved at Hiccup and Stoick happily, who both waved back. She gestured for them to follow her to the backyard. "Go on, son," Stoick motioned for Hiccup to walk in as the two parents continued to chat.
Hiccup carried a large bowl in his hands and walked as if he was treading on thin ice. "Why are you walking like that?" Astrid asked.
"I don't want to trip and fall," he explained. "Dad worked hard on this and I don't want to spill it."
"What is it?"
"It's a fruit salad."
"Fruit salad?" Emily asked. "What's in it? Everyones is different."
"Well, it's cherries, bananas, oranges, and apples in whipped cream," he replied.
"No jello?" Astrid asked.
"Nope. Mom was never one for jello. She said it reminded her too much of the hospital," he stated as his face fell slightly. Astrid felt sorry for him and placed a hand on his shoulder as she smiled.
"I'm sorry again about Valka," Emily sympathized. "I wished I got to know her better. She seemed like a lovely woman." Hiccup just nodded and gave her a weak smile. "I'll take the salad and Astrid will give you a tour of the place."
She freed his hands from holding the bowl and Astrid immediately grabbed one and began to lead him around. She explained that her house wasn't nearly as interesting as his but she proudly showed off her mother's garden and went over every plant her mother seeded. "Now these are the strawberry plants."
"There's so many," Hiccup pointed out.
"Yeah," Astrid smiled bashfully. "Mom plants extra because strawberries are my favorite. I tend to just pick them off the bush when they're ripe and eat them. She makes sure I don't run out of them when they come in."
"That's so cool," Hiccup beamed. "Your personal supply of strawberries. Do you just like them plain or do you also like them with toast or pancakes?"
"Definitely in any style. Plain, on pancakes, in pie, on ice cream, in smoothies but I think my favorite is chocolate dipped. When I can get my hands on those, it's like I'm in heaven. I could probably eat them all day."
"I'll have to keep that in mind."
"Come on over kids!" Emily called. "Food is ready."
The two joined the adults and sat together and ate as they chatted. Emily and Stoick seemed to hit it off pretty well and did most of the chatting with Hiccup and Astrid chiming in every once in a while. Her father was unusually quiet but Astrid wasn't going to let herself be bothered by his silence.
Astrid didn't even notice he had left until Hiccup asked where the bathroom was and Emily gave him the directions. "Where's Dad?" Astrid whispered to her mom.
"He went to make me some tea," she explained.
"You're not feeling well again?"
"Just getting a little tired," she assured. "It helps boost my energy."
She watched Hiccup and her father re-enter the backyard but they seemed different. Her father seemed more annoyed than before and Hiccup looked...worried? She could put a finger on it but she smiled at him as he came and sat down with the group.
The rest of the gathering went on without a problem, even if it seemed like her father was staring down Hiccup and he in return was studying her mother's teacup like it was a new thing to him. Stoick helped Emily and Harold clean up, leaving the two kids alone. Astrid finally spoke up as she saw Hiccup stare at the teacup as it was taken away.
"You've never seen a teacup before?"
"'What?" Hiccup jumped. "Yeah, I have."
"Then why were you staring at it like it was the newest discovery?"
Hiccup fidgeted and wrung his hands as he looked towards the door and windows of the house. "Can we talk in the garden? Away from the house?"
"Sure," Astrid nodded and led him over to the raised beds. Once in between the tomatoes and the squash, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Now spill."
"Now I could be completely wrong," Hiccup began, still very nervous. "But I think you should make your Mom's drinks from now on."
"Why?" Astrid's interest was now peeked.
"Like I said I could be completely wrong but something is telling me that he was lying. God, I hope I'm wrong. I just can't imagine why he would do something like that but sometimes people surprise you and-"
"Hiccup," Astrid cut off his rambling. "What are you talking about?"
He looked around again before answering. "I think your Dad put something in your Mom's drink that shouldn't be in there."
"What do you mean?"
"As I was coming back from the bathroom, I went through the kitchen and I saw him preparing the cup. I was going to ask if he needed help when I saw him pull out a strange bottle and pour a few drops into the cup."
"A strange bottle? Why would that get you worked up?"
He fidgeted uncomfortably again before continuing. "It looked like the bottle we have for liquid rat poison."
Astrid's mind froze as she tried to put the pieces together. "You think my Dad is poisoning my Mom?" she clarified.
"I really hope I'm wrong and if I am, I am so sorry," he quickly added again as if he was trying to defend himself. "But I figured I'd tell you to be safe than sorry."
"But you seem to be certain. Why?" Astrid asked. She wanted to be angry at Hiccup but the fear in his eyes told her that he wasn't making this up.
"You father saw me standing there and he aggressively got into my face, demanding to know what I was doing in the kitchen and what I saw. I lied and said I didn't see anything and that I was just coming back from the bathroom. He really freaked me out."
Astrid just stood there staring at her friend as he looked around nervously. "So you want me to make my Mom's drinks now?"
"Only for a few days," Hiccup added. "If your Dad is poisoning her, she should be improving, but if I'm wrong, you can punch me to your heart's desire."
Astrid smiled at him. "I wouldn't punch you if you were wrong. Better to be safe than sorry."
Hiccup seemed to relax and smiled back. "I really, really, really hope I am wrong."
"Hiccup!" Stoick called. "It's time to get home. I have an early morning tomorrow."
Astrid escorted Hiccup to the front door and waved at the Haddocks as they left her residence. She went back outside to help finish cleaning up only to see her mother collapse suddenly.
"Mom!"
"I'm okay, honey," Emily said. "Just got a little dizzy and lost my balance. I just need to rest for a minute."
"Here," Harold came up and offered the teacup to them. "This should help."
Hiccup's words echoed in her head and she took the teacup but pretended to fumble it and drop it on the floor. "I'm so sorry. I'll go get you a glass of water." She ran inside and got a large glass of water, hoping and praying that Hiccup was wrong.
She was brought out of her memory with the sound of the warning bell ringing. She tossed the head of the strawberry in the trash can and headed to class, the memory leaving her in a strange mood until she returned to her locker for another strawberry.
When she saw Hiccup in class, her heart fluttered and she felt her cheeks warm up. She still was trying to understand what happened to her as they danced but all she knew was that she liked it. She secretly thanked him for the gift and continued towards her seat.
A few weeks had passed since Davina had been buried but Dagur was still furious at the world around him. He had taken his frustrations on everyone and anyone that he could get his hands on but nothing helped. He even tried channeling his aggression towards the Hooligans football players at the homecoming game but it did nothing against superior strategy.
He had scared off everyone that was even remotely close to him with his firecracker temper, including his parents, and he was now alone aimlessly walking down the streets of Berk. Dagur wanted some way to release the pent up anger inside of him but all his other methods didn't work.
He even punched Bobby a few times and it did nothing but scare him away, which angered him even more. He needed someone he could pound on that wouldn't be terrified of him afterwards and he could come back to again and again. And, no, a punching bag at the gym wouldn't suffice.
The smell of grease and oil hit his nostrils and a familiar voice rang in his ears causing a grin to slowly creep across his face. He was by the auto shop and noticed only Hiccup was working there at the moment with no visible customers nearby. He walked around the back, waiting for Hiccup to leave the shop and clear from the view of the cameras so that he could relieve some aggression.
"Hello, Hiccup," Dagur smirked as the boy rounded the corner with a plastic garbage bag.
Hiccup jumped at the greeting and turned around quickly. "Jeez, Dagur. You startled me. What are you doing back here?"
Dagur didn't respond vocally but he responded physically. He approached the tall, lanky boy and forcefully shoved him causing him to trip over the garbage he had dropped. A hiss of pain escaped Hiccup's lips as he examined the few scratches he had received on his hands from trying to stop his fall.
"What the hell was that for?" Hiccup asked, annoyed.
Dagur was once again silent as he grabbed Hiccup by the collar with both hands and shoved him against the wall. He smiled as he saw the younger boy struggling to find the ground with his feet but they were just a few inches away and he couldn't make contact. He looked at Hiccup eager to see fear in his eyes but all he saw was confusion and it boiled his blood even more.
"You are pissing me off," he seethed. "I am going to make you fear me as I have everyone else in the damn town."
"Why?"
"W-why? Did you just ask me why?" Dagur blinked in confusion, receiving a nod from him. "Because everyone else fears me. I am going to beat the snot out of you until you are so scared of me that you will run away when you see me coming." Dagur readjusted his grip on Hiccup so he could raise his right hand and prepare for the first strike.
"Go ahead," Hiccup shrugged unconcerned.
Dagur blinked once again and shook his head. "What? You want a beating?"
"No one wants to get beat up, Dagur," Hiccup said matter-of-factly as he rolled his eyes. "But you seem to think that violence will make you feel better so swing away."
"What are you talking about?" Hiccup wasn't reacting the way Dagur had envisioned and it was throwing him off. Truthfully, everything about the boy threw him off but he would never admit that.
An exasperated sigh came from the boy before he spoke. "I've heard what you've been doing. Beating up on everyone more than usual, especially those that inconvenience you in the slightest. But even after all of that, here you are, ready to start whaling again. Did any of those other acts of violence make you feel better?"
"Of course they did," Dagur said aggressively.
"Okay, maybe for a few minutes because of the adrenaline but afterwards, you still felt angry and empty," Hiccup nodded. Dagur's stunned silence was all the confirmation he needed. He motioned to the blocking the two were in with his hands as he continued. "This isn't going to help you heal, Dagur. You need to reconnect with your family and friends, not push them away. Losing a sibling, I can't even imagine what that is like, but I did lose my mother and I know the pain of losing a family member."
Dagur couldn't move or react. Is he trying to counsel me? This entire scenario was going completely wrong and he needed to rectify it. "Shut up!" he screamed. "I can handle this on my own. Everyone else is weak and spineless and I don't need their help. Now, shut up so I can strike you."
"You're the one who feels weak."
"Excuse me?" Dagur asked through clenched teeth as he tightened his grip on Hiccup's collar. How dare this toothpick call him weak.
"You couldn't save your sister," Hiccup continued. "You couldn't protect her from those horrid men that attacked her. You couldn't help her fight the drug. You feel like you let her down and your family down for not being strong enough to protect and fight for her. Isn't that why you are beating up so many people? You're trying to assert dominance on others to prove to them that you're strong but you're only trying to convince yourself."
Once again, Dagur just stared in silence at Hiccup. A part of him was screaming at him, saying that he's right but another part of him was just boiling over in anger at his words, telling him to just strike the boy to shut him up but his body wasn't reacting.
"But I could be wrong," Hiccup shrugged. "If I am, go ahead and start pounding."
"Glad I got your permission," Dagur smiled. He continued to stare at Hiccup as he pulled his arm back further to strike but hesitated when he saw that there was still no fear in his eyes; there was understanding and sadness instead. No pity, no anger, no bitterness. He couldn't wrap his mind around it but something caved deep in his soul.
Dagur let out a pained scream and swung at Hiccup but never struck the boy, instead his fist contacted the brick wall, breaking the skin on his knuckles and possibly the bones as well. He didn't care. He just felt tired and released Hiccup from his grip as he closed his eyes in surrender.
His mind was numb but also ablaze with thousands of thoughts he couldn't keep track of. He was trying to wrap his mind around everything, trying to accept what was happening but he stubbornly refused until he felt arms wrap around him.
His eyes flew open and he realized that Hiccup was hugging him silently. Dagur's first thought was to throw him off but, once again, he body refused to react. Instead, his entire body relaxed, dropping his head onto the boy's shoulder and let himself cry for the first time in years. He had no idea how long he stayed like that and he honestly didn't care at the moment.
Once there was nothing more he could cry, Dagur did feel a sense of relief deep within his soul but he was still angry. "It's not going to ever go away," Hiccup spoke as if he could feel what Dagur was feeling. "It will slowly get less painful over time but never go away. I still feel anger and sadness about my mother's passing but I read somewhere that grief is just love continuing in our hearts."
Dagur finally pulled away and turned away from Hiccup, refusing to let him see his face. "Whatever. That's some sappy shit."
"Doesn't make it any less true," Hiccup said. "Your sister is gone but your love for her remains and no one can take that from you. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you human." There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "If you ever need an ear, I've heard I have a pretty open one. Don't hesitate to talk to me but I have to get back to work before I get too far behind."
Dagur heard Hiccup walk to the garbage bag and toss it into the bin before heading back inside to the auto shop and continuing his work. His mind was still whirling about the encounter but he had to admit, he did feel a whole lot better. His mind wandered until he came to the conclusion that would bring him closure: he was going to find the ones that killed Davina.
So there we go! Lot's happened here. See you soon!
