Hiccup leaned on the wood rail of the ship, admiring the clear aquamarine sea before him. The cold wind sliced through his hair and blanketed his face, bringing with it the thrill of adventure he had missed. The salty tang of the sea filled his mouth, and he lazily turned around to block the incoming gust of wind.
He walked to the center of their small ship, for the fifth time around examining the fascinating rigging. As a boy, he had been interesting in ships, watching as his father sailed off in them. Being the brilliant inventor he was, he took every opportunity to enhance his creations.
The handsome wooden boat was rather small, yet large enough to accommodate the size and cargo of several Vikings. The boat had a top level, in which he now stood, with a strong railing encircling the outside. The second level was belowdecks, and was where they slept and took their meals. There was one room for Valka, Ruffnut, and Astrid. The other room, larger than the first, had to fit Hiccup, Tuffnut, Eret, Snotlout, and Fishlegs. Below that, there was a room where they had stored all necessary cargo, packing mountains of food and cratefuls of weapons. Everything from cabbage to maces were stuffed there.
The entire outside of the ship was adorned with the customary Viking charms, old shields and blunt spikes of metal. They had built this ship in a hurry, enlisting the help of many of the villagers to chop wood and sew sails. It was as tight as a drum and as buoyant as a leaf.
Hiccup overheard voices, and saw Tuffnut and Ruffnut gathered around the side of the ship. They were yelling obscure words at the water, all the while holding fishing poles in their hands.
Hiccup shook his head in amusement. They wouldn't catch anything, with the ship moving at such a pace. The fish couldn't bite the bait with the end of the fishing-string skimming over the water.
He strode over to them. "And what are you two doing?"
Ruffnut turned to face him and almost slapped him with the handle of her fishing pole. He barely ducked in time. "We're fishing." She snorted. "What does it look like? He's so clueless, look at him." She added, talking to Tuffnut.
Hiccup looked over the edge at their fishing lines. Both were bouncing on the water as the ship moved along. He pointed at one. "You do realize you're not going to catch anything like that, right?"
Ruffnut blinked. "Like what?" She testily inquired.
Hiccup replied," See, your lines are bouncing on the water, not hanging down so the fish can grab it."
Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "Now, Hiccy, have you ever heard of fish grabbing lines in the water? No one wants to catch the plain boring line, they're all wanting to get that exciting one on top of the water, where they can all see."
Hiccup sighed in exasperation. "Just— just forget I said anything, ok? Good luck with those fish." He walked away from them, mentally wondering how their brains worked. He looked up, and tried to gauge the time. With no accurate sundials on a ship, he had to guess by looking at the sun's position.
It seemed to be early in the afternoon, maybe two or three o'clock. This was now their third day of traveling, they had left at noon three days ago.
Traveling seemed like the longest and dullest thing to be doing, with dragons they would have been well outside the archipelago by now. On a ship, many of them became very bored, whiny, and seasick.
Remembering seasickness, he descended the stairs to the level right below. He gripped the rail tightly to avoid falling, as the steps were damp with seawater tracked in by Snotlout. Briefly he wondered how Snotlout had gotten wet, then decided not to ponder it. Some things were best left unexplained.
He stepped down to the floor and headed towards the door of the boy's room. Once in front of the heavy wooden door, he called out," Fishlegs, are you still in there?"
He heard a thumping sound, and a feeble voice calling,"Yup, I've been stuck here and I'm likely to be here for the rest of the—"
Hiccup winced and slightly gagged at the splattering sound. He pushed open the door. Inside, Fishlegs was hunched over a bucket with a very annoyed Snotlout sitting across the room.
Snotlout saw Hiccup, and pointed at Fishlegs. "Tell him to stop!" He whined. "He's interrupting the peace." He looked cross, grumpily sitting on his bed.
Hiccup ignored him, and walked over to Fishlegs. He tried to avoid looking into the bucket, instead picking up a new bucket and switching them out. He grimaced as Fishlegs projectile-vomited again. "Ugh." Fishlegs groaned. "I hate ships."
Hiccup walked over to his own bed. "Well, you're stuck on this ship for a while before we can get to the Edge."
Snotlout flopped down, his head facing up. "When are we gonna even get there? This takes so long!"
Fishlegs raised his head. "Well according to my calculations, it's—"
Snotlout snorted. "Rhetorical question, Fishy. I don't care about your calculations."
A flicker of annoyance crossed Fishleg's face before it turned sickly green. He dipped his head back into the bucket.
Hiccup heard footsteps outside the door, coming from the top level. He heard voices talking. He called out. "Who is it?"
A gruff voice replied," It's Tuffnut! H, that you?"
Hiccup got up and walked over to the door. He leaned his ear against the damp wood. "Tuff, is it just you?"
"Let me in! Of course it's just me, but I have a wonderful thing to show you!"
Hiccup exchanged a dour look with Snotlout. "Oh boy, here we go." He placed a hand on the doorknob, and carefully turned.
The door flew open, and Tuffnut emerged, with a large fish in his hand. The fish was, of course, dead, and produced a sour fishy smell. It did not look fresh, not even remotely. Seawater dripped down Tuffnut's arm. "Look." He boasted, swinging the fish around. "Look at his beauty! And Hiccup said we wouldn't catch anything."
Hiccup held his nose, as the scent of fish was disgustingly overpowering. "Tuffnut, that's great and all, but get that out of here!"
Snotlout stared with an open look of incredulity. "Seriously?" He asked Tuffnut. "That fish is so dead! What did you do, go to the fish cemetery?"
Tuffnut raised his eyebrows in a show of mocking. "Ah, naysayers." He reprimanded them. "Look, it's a fish. How dead it is, does not matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll walk away from this rudeness and find someone who appreciates my fish."
He walked away with a disgusted look on his face. Hiccup rolled his eyes, and pushed the door shut after him. "Well, that was interesting."
Fishlegs piped up," Well, I hope he doesn't eat it. That fish could be poisonous if he tries to cook it."
Snotlout laughed. "Now that's something I'd like to see. Ahh, just imagine the look on his face."
All at once, they heard a sharp metallic clanging sounding throughout the ship. Hiccup looked around wildly, before leaping up with Snotlout. Fishlegs dropped his bucket, and covered his ears.
Snotlout cried," It's the alarm! We need to get up there."
Hiccup flew out the door with Snotlout on his heels. They heard Fishlegs totter after them, making retching noises. "Fishlegs, come on!" Hiccup ran up the stairs.
The above deck was filled with all the passengers, staring up at the blue sky. Hiccup ran over to Astrid. "What is it?" He panted. "We heard the alarm."
Astrid pointed up at the sky. "Look!"
Hiccup jerked his head up, and saw two miniature dots high above them. They looked like...
Dragons.
Wild dragons?
Tame dragons?
They didn't know.
They stared up, wondering what to do. Hiccup asked them," When did you notice them?"
Eret replied," Just now, mate. Rang the alarm fast as we could. Is everyone up here?"
Hiccup looked behind him and saw Fishlegs emerging from the stairs. "I'm here! I'm here! What are you looking at?"
Ruffnut pointed at the dots, and as they all stared up again, the dots seemed to get closer.
And closer.
Until they saw the hard glint of blue Razorwhip, and the bright red-black of the Triple Stryke.
There were shouts of exclamation all around, and cries of joy. Heather and Dagur did likewise as they saw the company on board. They leapt off their feet, and embraced their fellow riders.
Now of course there were questions in their minds, lingering feelings of doubt. They wondered why they took such a lowly arrival, arriving on this small boat instead of on their grand dragons. But they didn't waste time with curiosity, this was a time for joy! Their friends, comrades of two years past were here and reunited with them.
Heather and Windshear touched down on the boat first, rocking it rather wildly. She cried," Hey! You guys!"
Astrid was at her side in an instant, showering her with hugs. Fishlegs and Snotlout joined them, with Eret and Valka curiously looking on.
Hiccup watched as Dagur leapt down from Sleuther a moment later. He looked stunned to see them. "Hiccup?! How-What-What are you guys doing here?"
Hiccup ran over to the happy group, taking part in the frivolity and amazement. He hugged Heather and Dagur, and took a moment to pet Sleuther and Windshear. It felt wonderful to feel dragon skin again.
He spotted Valka and Eret looking unsure, standing outside the group, so he took them and introduced them. "Heather, Dagur, this is my mom, Valka, and a friend, Eret. Mom, Eret, this is Heather and Dagur. We met them while we were on the Edge."
Valka's face brightened. "Heather! Dagur! It's so good to finally meet you."
Heather grinned. "Likewise, Mrs. Haddock."
Valka shook her head. "Now, call me Valka, dear. None of this Mrs. Haddock nonsense."
Dagur was staring at Hiccup. "Brother!" He laughed. "What happened to you? You got even taller! Well, you're still a shrimp, that hasn't changed."
Hiccup tried to put a dissuading expression on his face at that, but his face broke out in a huge smile. "Dagur! Hey, good to see you too!"
Dagur and Heather had changed their appearances very little. Heather's outfit was still Razorwhip themed, with her customary leather top and glassy skirt. However, instead of her side braid, it was now braided down her back. Dagur had evidently opted for a more kingly look, being the King of Defenders of the Wing. He wore a black tunic and a belt adorned with a few white slashes. An axe with a black handle was strapped to his back. Everyone had greeted each other, hugs went around, and general cries of joy filled the air. Eventually the initial excitement died away, and they gathered around, eager to share news.
Heather smiled brightly. "It's so good to see you guys again! How's it going?"
Hiccup shrugged. "It's ok. Everything's fine, for the most part-"
He was cut off abruptly as Astrid jabbed her elbow into his side. "You've got to tell them. They're probably wondering what actually happened." She whispered into his ear.
Hiccup sighed. All eyes were on them, two pairs expectant and the rest dreading. He faced Heather and Dagur. "Ok, so a lot of things happened. Some good, some bad. I guess I should start from the beginning."
He explained how things had gone after they had left the Edge, beginning with how a year after, Stoick had retired and passed on the job of Chief to Hiccup. He talked of Drago's arrival, how they had met Eret, and eventually how he had found his mother.
It was hard for him to find the right words for the next part; he had to describe how the battle went, how their alpha's battled, and what happened when Toothless killed Stoick.
He left a heavy silence after, then continued on with the eventual downfall of Drago.
After, he went on to tell them about his first year of Chief, terribly busy but profitable. Then explaining Grimmel's arrival, how he threatened to take down every Night Fury.
Then came the Light Fury, how Toothless had eventually won her, and how he had become accepted as the rightful alpha in his rightful place. But then came the hardest part.
He told of the parting in a few simple sentences, deeming them explanatory enough. There was a long silence afterwards.
Heather, who had a few tears in her face, broke the silence. "So, why are you here? Shouldn't you be at New Berk?"
Dagur nodded. "Yeah, you've got an island to build and villagers to support. You're the Chief now, you should be there."
Hiccup replied grimly," I know. But we thought that it would be a good idea to check on other islands, and..."
He didn't want to introduce this idea to them, that it would be better for Windshear and Sleuther if they let them go. It was similar to how he had sent relentless letters to neighboring islands, except this was in person. And Heather and Dagur were their friends. He didn't want to do this to them, especially since they were so far from the dragon trappers. But he knew it had to e done.
He picked up where he had left off. "And we think that all dragons should be free. So..."
He left the thought hanging, waiting for them to realize what he said.
Heather took a step back, flattening herself against Windshear. "No!"
Hiccup sighed. "Heather, I know you really don't want to do it. But eventually-"
"I don't care, I don't care! I know why, but unlike you guys, we have a choice! Our dragons will be safe!" She fiercely cried out.
David stepped forward. "Look, you can't just sail in here and expect us to let our dragons go. They're our dragons, Hiccup!"
Hiccup held up his hand. "I know, believe me. But dragons don't belong with us. If they stay with their humans, other humans will try to trap them, sell them, slaughter them. You guys know how cruel people can be to dragons! You've seen it happen!"
Sleuther and Windshear glanced around nervously, unsure of what was happening. Dagur slowly shook his head. "No, I can't. We can't."
Hiccup's heart twisted. This was worse than sending letters to dissuade, far worse. Here, he was actually standing in front of the people he had to confront. He was speaking real words and seeing their real reactions and responses.
Hiccup tried again. "What about what your dragons want? Windshear does have a lot of family on Wingmaiden island, but we've never seen another Triple Stryke."
Heather shook her head violently. "No! Hiccup, we can't. They're a part of us!"
Hiccup scratched his head awkwardly. "Look-"
He was interrupted by a hand tapping on his shoulder. He turned to see Astrid looking up at him. "Let me. I think I can convince Heather. It'll be better without everyone crowding around."
Hiccup considered this. Heather did trust Astrid the most, far more than any of the others. He nodded. "What should we do for Dagur?"
Astrid shrugged. "I'm not sure, just let me try to convince Heather." She left his side and walked over to Heather. Astrid took her downstairs, presumably to the girl's room.
Hiccup faced everyone else. "While they're gone, Dagur, how about you tell us your news?"
Dagur nodded briskly, as if trying to shove the idea of letting Sleuther go into the back of his mind. He said," Well, not much really happened, compared to your news. But, umm, well Heather is sole Chief of the Berserker tribe. She's doing pretty well, but the dragons still can't fly over the island without being affected by the King. Nothing we can do about that. Umm, so, Defenders of the Wing! Mala and I are doing pretty well, she just gave birth to our son!"
Here there were gasps, and Fishlegs squealed. "Ooh! That's so exciting!"
Dagur smiled. "Yup, it's been amazing. We named him Oswald. Figured Dad might like that." He chuckled softly.
Hiccup smiled. Mala and Dagur were surely excellent parents, although one fairly crazy and the other insanely stern. "Anything else?"
Dagur thought for a moment. "Nope, not much of importance."
Snotlout broke in. "Well what are you guys doing so far away? I'm pretty sure we're still in the archipelago."
Dagur stared and skeptically looked around. "Hey, uh, is there something wrong with Snot-hat? I mean, something else."
Valka's eyebrows flew up. "We're outside the archipelago?"
Dagur nodded. "Of course. Defenders of the Wing island is right there." He pointed off the ship. Tuffnut and Ruffnut ran to the side, squinting their eyes once they reached it. They turned back around. "Guys! It's right there!"
Hiccup and Fishlegs dashed to the side. On the blue water, Hiccup could barely make out the trees and shore of Defenders of the Wing island. Fishlegs bounced on his heels. "Oh, land! Sweet, wonderful land!" Dagur laughed. "Well, someone's seasick. So, you guys wanna visit Defenders of the Wing island?"
They abruptly changed course; they were now headed toward the island. As they zoomed closer, going faster as the wind was in their favor, the island became more sharply defined. They could see little had changed, from the statue of the Great Protector to the orderly cabins.
As they were about to dock at one of the great harbors the island boasted, Astrid and Heather emerged from the belowdecks. Heather's face was slightly red and her eyes were wet. She saw Hiccup, wiped her eyes, and hurried off to Dagur.
Hiccup shot her and Dagur a worried glance, then went to Astrid. She looked worried and slightly sympathetic. Hiccup asked her," How did it go?" Astrid sighed and leaned against him. "I think I may have changed her mind, but I feel so awful doing it. It's different for her, she's had Windshear since she was a hatchling."
Hiccup nodded and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, she does have a close bond with Windshear. But it's better for Windshear. Dagur too, he's already lost one dragon."
Astrid put a hand on his chest. "Yeah. Remember Shattermaster? Gods, that was so long ago."
Hiccup smiled, and opened his mouth to reply, before Astrid looked around curiously. "Wha-How are we already at Defenders of the Wing island?"
"Apparently we need to work on our sailing. And our sea-mapping. We were already around here, we just don't realize it. Good thing we did in time, or else we would have no idea where we were."
They stood in silence, taking the view of the staggering rock cliffs of the island. The ship rocked back and forth wildly as it hit the dock. Men and women in black tunics and uniforms shouted orders as they drew the boat closer and tied ropes to the dock.
There was an overwhelming scent of fish; the salty tang invaded his nose and made him sneeze. The dock was wooden and old, though very large. A team of villagers worked there, throwing lines and hauling fish. Great piles of shining fish flopped nearby.
Dagur jumped off first, then held a hand out to the rest of them. Once they were all safely on the dock, Hiccup saw Mala trotting toward them-with a basket on her arm.
Dagur grinned, and nudged Hiccup. "Here comes my wife! And," He added. "One screaming, adorable baby."
Astrid gasped. "You guys have a baby?"
Dagur held out a hand toward Mala, who had reached them, slightly out of breath. Inside the basket was a blanket, and in the blanket was a baby.
It had pale gold hair, fuzz adorning the top of its head, and the tiniest fingers and toes Hiccup had ever seen. His heart immediately melted. The baby obviously took after Mala, with her sharp nose and narrowed eyes, but he could plainly see the Berserk in him.
Astrid gasped again. "You guys have a baby! Why did no one tell me this?"
Mala smiled warmly. "We do. Meet Oswald."
Astrid smiled. "Oh my gods, he's adorable."
Mala looked down at her baby with love, but the expression disappeared when she looked up again. "Not that I can't say it's not amazing to see you all, but what are you doing here?" ********************************************
Mala arranged for them to meet in one of the council rooms, a small building with one room, completely enclosed and guarded. They all entered, and sat around a round wooden table. Mala sat down last, and handed Oswald off to Dagur, who cradled the basket and cooed into his face.
Mala gazed at all of them, assembled together for the first time since two years ago. She lifted her head, asking," So, first things first. Why are you here?"
The Berkians all looked to Hiccup. He swallowed, unsure of what to say. "Mala, it's a long story. How about I start from the beginning?"
He recounted the tales of which he had already told Heather and Dagur, what happened with Drago and Grimmel. He hesitantly embarked on the notion of freeing their dragons, knowing two things. Mala would react harshly to this, her personality sharper than Heather or Dagur. And the Great Protector was a key part of their village. Letting it go, was as good as destroying their village.
He said," Mala, we know how important the Great Protector is to your village. We've seen how important it is. But dragons can not stay in this world without being tracked down, trapped, or killed."
Mala's eyes narrowed and she leaned forward. "Hiccup Haddock, what makes you think that this is something new? We have always dealt with dragon hunters. There is no viable reason to let our dragons go. It may be different in the archipelago, but we are safe here."
Hiccup met her eyes. "Mala, this is different. Our enemies are getting smarter. They know how to subdue dragons, capture dragons, and control dragons to the point where their own alpha can't control them. They've already come for us, and now they're coming for you. This is a chance to save the Great Protector before anything bad happens!"
Mala slammed a hand down. "Do you realize that if you take our Great Protector, our village will burn? We have lived here for centuries and we plan to live here for many more." Her eyes were knives directed toward Hiccup.
Hiccup sat back, and lowered his voice. "We have to take precautions sometimes. For your village, for your people. Grimmel was worse than any other person we've ever dealt with. It's not long before they come outside the archipelago. You can't be stuck on tradition for matters like this. Here, it's saving your village, or leaving it vulnerable with a targeted dragon."
The air was tense, they were all on guard. Eyes flickered between Mala and Hiccup, unsure of what would happen next.
Mala suddenly stood up. "Thank you, Hiccup Haddock. We'll resume this tomorrow. I must talk with my council." She took Oswald from Dagur, and they walked out, Dagur glancing back at them.
Hiccup put his hand on his forehead. "Well, that went well."
Snotlout snorted. "That's for sure."
Valka looked after Mala and Dagur. "She really loves the Great Protector, doesn't she?"
Astrid stared at her. "What?"
Valka smiled. "You can see by the way she talked, she is very fond of the Great Protector."
Hiccup nodded. "Well, that's customary. Leaders usually get attached to the Great Protector."
Fishlegs looked up. "Hey, didn't Mala and Throk willingly let the last Great Protector go? You know, to Vanahiem?"
Astrid interjected," Yeah, but it left behind an heir. If the Great Protector leaves right now, then there won't be any others to protect the island."
Hiccup sighed. "Well, then they would have to move, right? And they said they can't do that."
Astrid rested her head on her hand. "Well, then what will we do?"
They were all given separate rooms to sleep in. Mala had promised them they could stay for as long as they needed to, as a sort of recompense for their past help.
Hiccup lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His head was a whirlwind of thoughts. He pondered how to convince Mala, and how he could convince Heather and later, Atali.
He lay awake for hours, not able to sleep without Toothless. He missed the soft snoring and the faint light from his reptilian friend.
Eventually, he got up, deciding he couldn't sleep. He reattached his prosthetic and quietly tiptoed out of his room. He walked alongside a hallway, and exited out a door. He came out onto a deck, and sat down, staring up at the star-ridden sky.
He heard footsteps behind him, and tensed, getting ready to leap up. He looked behind him and instantly relaxed when he saw Astrid.
"Hey. Couldn't sleep?" She whispered.
He nodded, and she sat down beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder.
He tucked an arm around her, and softly asked," Do you ever think we're doing the wrong thing?"
Astrid sighed. "I know it is, but it feels so wrong. If someone tried to take our dragons away and free them, we would have seen them as an enemy. But now, that's what we're doing."
Hiccup nodded. "But Grimmel changed everything."
Astrid nestled next to Hiccup. "Yeah." She let out a breath. "How about we talk about something less morose?"
Hiccup smiled. "Sure. Can you believe Mala and Dagur have a baby?"
"I know, right? He's so adorable. I asked Mala earlier, and he's seven months old. She let me hold him, too."
Hiccup's heart swelled. The thought that Astrid would make an amazing mother crossed his mind briefly.
He thought that maybe he should talk to Astrid about marriage. They had discussed it once before, when Gobber had started pressuring them to get married.
Astrid had said that they would get married someday, they were betrothed and in love. But she wasn't ready yet, and she wanted a bit more freedom before becoming the Chief's wife.
Hiccup had understood this, of course. Being the Chief's wife was an exhausting job, and Astrid was already general of Berk. Being Chieftess would mean all attention on her, pressure to produce the next heir of Berk, and she would share many of his jobs.
Yet he still wanted to marry her. She was Astrid, the girl he'd been in love with since Thor-knows-when. He told her everything, she supported him. Maybe he would ask Valka for advice.
He was cut out of his thoughts when Astrid spoke again. "How are you doing?"
Hiccup shrugged. "I'm okay, but I still miss Toothless. It's weird sleeping by myself.
"I know. I miss Stormfly so much. I miss all the dragons. It's so hard to adjust to them being gone."
"Maybe, but they'll always be with us. Even if not physically, we'll always remember them."
They sat there for a few minutes more, enjoying each other's company and the night sky, remembering their dragons.
********************************************
Thank you for reading! Have a great day.
~ScribeOfTheLegends