During the next week, preparations were made with much gusto from New Berk. Teams worked on chopping down trees for building and skinning the leafy boughs for firewood. Gothi led daily expeditions to find medicine and returned every trip with exciting stories (written in the dirt and transcribed by Gobber) one of which included a very angry nest of hornets. Hoark turned out to be an excellent chef, and prepared meals with a team of volunteers. The auxiliary team oversaw everything else, such as fishing, mapping, and rationing, except for building plans which were taken care of by Edge Riders.
Hiccup appointed an Edge Rider to each part of rebuilding. Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins were respectively oversaw walls, roofs, and foundations. They didn't build them yet, but instead planned out how to make and build them. Gobber would go with them to find materials and supplies. Valka and Astrid were asked to take care of locations for the buildings. They would decide where the forge went, the town, the Great Hall, among others. They debated often until midnight. Eret was in charge of fortifying the island against natural disasters such as wildfires and lightning storms, and other disasters, such as Tuff-and-Ruff-caused-fires.
As for Hiccup, he overtook the job of overseeing everyone, and handling chiefly matters. Every morning new Terror mails came from different islands who demanded to know why their dragons had to be locked in to prevent them from flying away. He had to write back saying it was caused by Toothless's summoning, and to let them go, as it was too dangerous for them. Then he would take care of the Terror, rejoicing in the sight of a dragon again, albeit a small one and rather lacking of a unique personality. He had to send them off as quickly as they came, for fear a villager would see one and try to keep one. It was slightly cruel, for he knew that the villagers would be kind to the Terror and longed for dragon companionship. But he knew he had to stick the unwritten rule that dragons could not be kept here, regardless of their will or not.
Then the Terror mails would just repeatedly come back, demanding to know where he had gotten this ludicrous idea. He had had to repeat himself many times. He always felt sorrow when writing them, knowing he was taking away a vital part of each village he responded to.
They all still felt extreme pressure and sorrow; at times Hiccup would just push away all the paperwork and join Astrid in talking about their dragons. Hiccup would fret over Toothless, worrying if he had been caught or captured on his way to the Hidden World.
Life grew unexpectedly boring for the twins. No more could they explode random things at will. They had to manually light a match or mix a gas bomb, then wait for it detonate. They couldn't use any Zippleback gas either, as they hadn't thought to store any. Fishlegs had resorted to blurting out random facts about the unique flora and fauna they found on the island. He still seemed very solemn, and had lost his bright and eager vigor for the time being. Snotlout was not one to show tears, however he, like everyone else, would shed a few tears at night. His boasting had greatly decreased, and he no longer tried to upstage Eret. His life seemed humdrum when not randomly attacked by his own dragon. Astrid was perhaps the least changed on the outside. She still was a hard worker, offered sharp rebukes when necessary, and maintained her strong spirit.
Inside, however, she was as broken as any of them. No one else had noticed this; they always expected her to be emotionally surer and wiser than any of them. Astrid would feel hammered into tiny pieces when alone, having to comfort Hiccup and herself.
They were all still very broken, a part of them had left with the dragons. That part of them couldn't be rebuilt on their own. It could heal, but there would always be a imprint of their dragons. In the designs of their houses, weapons, and clothes. In the closets where now-unnecessary flight suits had been stored. And in them.
********************************************
One day, about a week after the Great War, as they had taken to calling it, Hiccup awoke to hear children laughing close to his tent. Very close to his tent. He groaned. The sky was only light pink. He strapped on his prosthetic, combed his hair with a few quick swipes of the brush, and stepped outside.
What he saw almost made his heart stop. A group of young children were playing a Terror, teasing him with pokes and shrieking when it nipped their fingers. They crowded around the Terror and stroked it.
He saw that there was a scroll firmly tucked in the Terror's hind claws. He dashed forward, hoping that none of the children had seen it. He reached down to take the Terror, when a child looked up and squealed. "Hey, we wanna play with the drag—" The young blonde girl stopped when she saw it was Hiccup. Her eyes went round and she slowly backed up until she rounded the corner of his tent. Hiccup heard the pounding of her footsteps as she ran away.
The other children had frozen in shock. They parted to let him take the Terror.
Hiccup tried to smile at the children and tuck the scroll away simultaneously. He knew he would have to dissuade them from this in the future. "Hey, make sure you stay away from dragons like this, okay?"
A few children nodded timidly, knowing who he was, but one ignorant brown-haired boy piped up," But we used to have dragons everywhere! It's just for a second!" The others rapidly elbowed him, and Hiccup honestly had to resist the urge to laugh as he watched them whisper," That's the Chief, Vik!"
Hiccup squatted next to Vik, who looked very scared. "I know we used to have dragons, but they moved on, remember? And this dragon here," He gestured to the Terror. "Has some very important news to tell me. "
Vik bowed his head. "I'm sorry," He whispered. Hiccup felt a rush of sympathy for him. "Tell you what, do you guys want to help me take care of him? You can feed and wash him."
Vik and the other children looked up with excitement. "Yes! Yeah!" They yelled.
Hiccup tugged the scroll from the tired Terror and tucked it in his pocket, then faced the children. "I'm going to go get some dragon feed, stay right here, okay?"
He walked inside his tent, and set the Terror down gently. He removed the scroll from his pouch and decided he would read it later. He set it on his desk and turned to take some bits of cod from a bucket.
He walked outside with the Terror nestled in his hand. He gave the cod to the children, instructing them not to give too many pieces to the Terror, and watched as they eagerly jostled around him to feed the Terror.
He felt very happy at seeing the children so excited, but it also came with a slight sadness. The children of the future would not know the joy of growing up with dragons, instead dragons would be mythical creatures of which they would never see.
When it was Vik's turn, he showed the tiny piece of cod to the Terror, and giggled as it licked it off his hand. He looked at Hiccup with big, blue eyes and said," Thank you, Chief Hiccup!"
He watched as the last child had their turn, and they began to gently pet the dragon. He turned around to get a bucket of soap and water to wash the exhausted messenger. He rounded his tent to get water, and saw Astrid walking toward him.
"Astrid! Good morning."
"Good morning!" She returned. "Mrs. Wilkings is looking for her son, apparently he ran away when he saw a Terror. Was it one of yours?"
Hiccup nodded. "It was delivering a message when the kids found it."
Astrid tilted her head. "Kids, plural?"
Hiccup took her hand and led her toward the children. She smiled when she saw them, and when they looked up, they jumped up and hugged her. "Astrid! It's Astrid!"
Hiccup turned to her. "They know you?"
She laughed. "I was helping the cooks one day, when they slipped into the kitchen and tried to sneak food. I helped them get their snacks."
Hiccup stared. "You can cook?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Don't be so surprised, every girl has to know." She turned to the kids. "Are you taking care of the Terror?" They nodded and she bent down to stroke the Terror. "Can I help you?"
Astrid helped them clean the Terror without getting wet, and then left them with strict instructions to be careful. Hiccup and Astrid walked into the tent, and he hugged her, murmuring on the top of her head. "How are you?"
Astrid hugged him back and sighed. "I'm okay." "You sure?"
"I'm sure." He felt her tense up against him, not sure what it was. Perhaps if he had paid more attention, however, he would have noticed how tense and worried Astrid actually was.
He let go of her and sat down on his chair. "I got this message from Yagfr Island." He picked up the scroll.
Astrid leaned over and smoothed out the crumpled paper, her expression growing solemn. She read the paper, and sighed. "They're still really reluctant to let their dragons go."
Hiccup said,"I was expecting that. Considering Yagfr's Chief has always been stubborn, and it's only the fourth mail to them."
Astrid asked him,"How many messages do you send each island?"
He replied,"About ten or eleven, but only one village has let their dragons go so far. And that's only because they're the closest."
Astrid grimaced. "I feel so guilty taking this away from them. I mean, they weren't raided or attacked like we were."
Hiccup acknowledged this. "Well, yes, but pretty soon the dragon trappers will be looting from them. We're trying to save the dragons beforehand."
Astrid replied," I know. How about we look at this new message more thoroughly?"
Hiccup read the short message, his head beginning to ache as he did so. They were very reluctant to let their dragons go, which was very understandable, but they did not get the point that there were always dragon hunters and trappers.
He took a piece of parchment and a pencil, then scribbled out a note back to the Chief of Yagfr. He again stressed the importance to let them go, trying to write in a sympathetic manner and yet convey the message.
He signed the letter, rolled it up, and tied it with a spare piece of string. "We should probably get the kids now. Do you want me to tell Mrs. Wilkingson?"
Astrid nodded. "It'll probably be better hearing it from you. I can send the mail, and I'll take the kids back."
They walked outside and he waved goodbye to the children. As he walked away, he heard Vik yelling,"Thank you, Mr. Hiccup!"
He had to stifle a laugh. Mr. Hiccup? He walked to the Wilkingson's tent, easily discernible by the small sign labeling it "Wilkingson." He heard a pot boiling and plates clanking as he walked toward it. He knocked on the side pole. "Mrs. Wilkingson?"
A head poked out of the tent, then Mrs. Wilkingson emerged from the flap. She looked hassled, with an apron clumsily tied and a baby cradled in her right arm. She saw Hiccup, and straightened up. "Goodness me, Chief Hiccup! I'm so sorry, have you seen Vik? I asked that girl of yours, Astrid, to ask you."
Hiccup nodded. "Yes, he saw a Terror outside my tent. It's fine, he was very polite. He should be here very soon, Astrid should be walking him here."
Mrs. Wilkingson smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry about all the fuss, Vik hasn't been very obedient lately, and the new baby," She rocked her baby. "Has been very demanding."
Hiccup smiled. "It's no trouble at all, ma'am. In fact, if you'd like to send him over sometime, Astrid and I could take care of him."
Mrs. Wilkinson laughed, now put at ease. "Ah, that should be fun! You two will be very good parents one day, no doubt about that. I've got to go now, the water's boiling. Thank you again!"
Hiccup barely registered her words before she disappeared into her tent. He started to walk away, processing her words. Parents? They weren't even properly engaged to be married yet!
He passed Ruff and Tuff's tent, and noticed voices talking from behind it. Curious, he rounded the corner of their tent to see what was going on.
Ruff and Tuff were standing around a table with many maps and pieces of rock on it. They were talking animatedly when they saw Hiccup. "Hey! It's H!" Ruffnut exclaimed. "Come check this out!"
He walked over to the table. Tuffnut pointed a finger at one type of gray rock. "See, when you asked us to do foundations for houses, we started to raise money for orphaned houses. Then Fishlegs told us that you wanted foundations for building houses. So we came across this!" He brandished the rock in front of Hiccup's face.
Hiccup took the rock and examined it. It was small, about fist size, and did not seem all that amazing. He looked at Tuffnut's eager face. "Is... this supposed to be something great?"
Ruffnut sighed. "Oh Hiccup. Your mind is so limited. So you see, we tested this rock with some dangerous things, to see if it would survive. We tried to burn it, we tried to drown it, and then Tuffnut buried it in the ground. Then, when we went back a week later, it was still there!"
Hiccup sighed. What else could he have really expected but this?
Hiccup sat at his desk later, after having demoted the twins to helping Eret with fortifications. He had asked Astrid to do this job with the job she shared with Valka. She willingly agreed to, yet Hiccup didn't notice the strain under her eyes.
He contemplated what to do next. Rebuilding efforts were going strong, they had covered all basic needs. The thing was, he didn't have up-to-date status reports on everyone's jobs. He had no idea how Fishlegs was doing with the walls. They couldn't build walls without a foundation, and couldn't build roofs without walls.
He decided that he needed to have a council meeting. The meeting would be for everyone who was overseeing something in the village. He would ask for everyone's report, and let them ask any questions. He knew he had questions for all of them, like whether they were actually doing their job and not slacking off like the twins.
Yes, he thought. A council meeting would work best. He hadn't had a council meeting in a long time.
He planned it out. They would meet at noon that day, and talk about reports over lunch. Then, after lunch, he would ask them some questions and let them ask some too. This way, any concerns they had would be addressed with everyone there.
Later, during mid morning, he walked around to everyone, explaining there would be a council meeting and they would have to attend. They all agreed to be there, so it would be very crowded, adding Gustav, Gothi, Gobber, among others.
When the time came for the council meeting, Hiccup arrived at the designated table, and saw the twins, Gothi, and Astrid already there. He sat next to Astrid, and asked her," How's it going on the materials for the foundations?" He didn't expect her to be done, he didn't even expect her to be halfway done. Not because of Astrid personally, but because of the fact it had taken the twins a week to get nowhere.
Astrid smiled wearily. "Finished."
Hiccup stared at her. "You finished? I just asked you to do it a few hours ago! How did you finish?"
Astrid looked at her hands. "I just worked fast. All the materials were really easy to find."
Hiccup was still gaping at her when Fishlegs and Snotlout arrived at the table. He shook himself out of surprise, marveling again at Astrid's speed and diligence. "Fishlegs, Snotlout, have you seen anyone else?"
Fishlegs pointed behind him. "I saw Gobber and Valka behind us."
Soon everyone arrived, and they all crowded around the table. Hiccup stood up, now feeling slightly nervous, and started off the meeting by asking," Okay, so, let's go around saying what we've gotten done for our individual jobs, and what we still have to do. Fishlegs, can you start?"
Fishlegs nodded. "Sure. For roofs, the woods on the south side would work really well. We've already got some people chopping trees, we would just have to do the planks next. The thing is, I don't know how or when we can get the roofs made, because the walls and foundations aren't completely planned yet."
Hiccup took notes on what he said, then directed his gaze to Snotlout. "Okay, Snotlout, what have you gotten for walls?"
Snotlout pulled out a blank piece of paper. "So, like, I was thinking wood? Ya know, for walls?"
Astrid facepalmed and Hiccup groaned. "Snotlout," He started off. "You need to have building plans, how you're going to get the walls up, and you need more materials than wood."
Snotlout scribbled on the piece of paper. Hiccup leaned over to see what he had written, and saw that he had drawn a house. A two-dimensional house. That was basically a square.
Snotlout showed it to Hiccup. "So, like this?"
Hiccup shook his head. "You know what, I'll just take walls. You don't have to do any of it for walls."
The meeting continued in this manner, and when they finished, Hiccup's notes looked like this.
Fishlegs- Needs walls and foundations before more work Snotlout- Is an idiot Twins- Recently demoted, no duties Astrid- Finished foundation materials and plans Valka and Astrid- Planned out locations for almost all of Berk, just some villages and Great Hall Eret- Fortifications secure, need direct water system to put out fires Gothi- Almost all herb stocks replenished; asked for apprentice Auxiliary- Fish surplus, mapping almost done, all families resupplied
He though the meeting went very well, and he almost dismissed them before he realized he needed to ask if they had concerns. "Great, do any of you guys have questions?"
Most of them shrugged, but Astrid's hand went up. "Yes?" He asked her.
She bit her lip before replying. "You know how you've been getting Terror nails from villages inside the Archipelago?"
He nodded. "Yes."
She continued. "What about the ones outside, like the Wingmaidens or Berserkers? Dragons were a huge part of their life, and we don't know if anything happened to them."
Hiccup's eyes widened in realization when he thought about what she had said. It was true, dragons had been an essential part of the Wingmaidens, Berserkers, and most of all, the Defenders of the Wing. They needed dragons to survive. Had their dragons left, too?
Valka looked curious. "Are they the villages you visited when you went to the Edge?"
Snotlout said," Yeah, they are. Wow, what did happen to them?"
Gobber joined in. "What are ya saying, Astrid?"
Astrid replied. "I'm saying, that we need to have some form of communication with them. Obviously they can't send us Terror mails, because it's too far, and they have no idea anything's changed."
Hiccup nodded. "We seriously need to catch up. They could be just fine, but hey also could be in trouble."
Gobber held up his hand. "Lad, you can't go around helping other islands. We've got enough trouble as it is. We've just started living on our own island."
Hiccup considered this. "Well, that is true, but wouldn't it also work to help them, and then restart when we get back?"
Valka leaned forward. "Back from where?"
Astrid responded," Back from outside the Archipelago. We could visit each island! Maybe just for a day, or two. Just to make sure they're okay. And we could even visit the Edge."
They fell silent as they remembered the Edge. Was it now crumbling, in shambles after having been neglected for three years?
Hiccup thought aloud. "If we went right now, then we could come back and start right back up where we left off. It wouldn't change anything, and wouldn't it be our duty to check the other islands?" Fishlegs nodded. "If they didn't have dragons, they could be in serious trouble."
Gobber looked as if they were all insane. "Are ya crazy? It is not anybody's duty but their own to check on themselves. If ya haven't gotten any mails yet, then they'll be fine. Hiccup, ya can't go frolicking off to some other island right now!"
Astrid jumped in. "Gobber, you just heard everyone's reports. Everything's almost done. This is a great time to leave!"
Gobber sighed, looking very put-off. "Well, I suppose I can't argue with all of Berk. If ya are so determined to leave, go ahead. But I won't like it."
Snotlout cheered. "Back to the Edge!"
Hiccup sat on his cot, getting ready to go to sleep. He was full of excitement and anticipation, as they were going back to the Edge! They would see all their friends, David, Mala, and Heather.
Although he couldn't quite shake off the lingering feeling of doubt. Gobber had planted a seed in his head, growing by the minute. They had just started living on a new island, and now they were rushing off, taking some of their best fighters with them.
He breathed heavily. Maybe, he thought, he would go see Astrid. They hadn't had a chance to talk after the meeting, and he wanted to see what she thought. Even though it was late at night, he knew she liked to work late.
He opened his tent flap and exited. He walked to Astrid's tent in the silvery darkness, his prosthetic thumping with every step.
He was about to softly knock on her tent pole, when he heard a crying sound. He froze automatically. Was Astrid crying?
He decided to brush open the tent very quietly. He stepped inside, looking for Astrid. She was huddled on the corner of her bed, her head buried in her knees, which were brought close to her face. She looked up when Hiccup entered, and he saw that her face was painted with tears.
"Hiccup!" She gasped. She wiped her hands on her face, trying to hide her tears when Hiccup stepped forward and stopped her.
He stared at Astrid's watery blue eyes. "Are you okay?"
Astrid began to nod bracingly, but then slowly shook her head. "No." She choked out. "No, I'm not."
Hiccup crawled onto her mattress and tucked her into his arms, not sure of what to say.
He had no idea she felt this way. A surge of guilt washed over him. He thought of the extensive work she had been doing, comforting everyone else, and he had given her an entirely new job today.
Her head was on his chest, and he felt her begin to cry. He wrapped his arms around her, and rocked her.
When her crying quieted down, Hiccup tilted her face up. Her nose was red and her hair frizzled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt this way."
Astrid's lip wobbled. "I've just been really emotional lately, with rebuilding and I have so many jobs and everyone's worried and so was I but I didn't want to show it and now we're going back to the Edge and the dragons aren't here with us and I just don't what to do!" She burst out in a string of incoherent words.
Hiccup softly said," If you feel this way, you need to tell me. You shouldn't have to carry this alone. You told me that, and now it's my turn to tell you." He kissed her gently.
Astrid breathed shudderingly. "Thank you."
Hiccup hugged her tighter. "I promise you'll never have to feel this way again. Just wait, when we go back to the Edge we'll have no work, just relaxation. You really need it."
She nodded, and the smallest hint of a smile appeared on her face. "Yeah, I think I do."
********************************************
In two days, they had prepared everything for the journey. All the Edge Riders were going, and Eret and Valka decided to go, as they had never seen the Edge before.
They had packed plenty of fish, water, and emergency supplies. Their ship was filled to the brim with all sorts of things.
Hiccup stood on the deck of the ship, waiting as Gobber and the Auxiliary riders gave the signal to take off. Astrid was beside him, smiling with no trace of stress or anxiety on her face. Snotlout, Valka, Eret, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs stood slightly behind the happy couple.
He heard Gobber shout," Oi, ready for takeoff! Best of luck!"
He reached for the ship's sail trigger, and pulled it open to envelope the wind. Gobber released the rope, and they were on their way.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day. The next chapter will be up soon. ~ScribeOfTheLegends