"Shadowfire," Gyda said, sharply. "Go with your brother."
[But Mom-]
"Go. I will be fine, son."
Shadowfire and Frostfire stared at her, both giving her looks that said they did not believe her. She lifted an eyebrow and narrowed the other eye then jerked her head towards the cliffs and the water beyond it.
"Pale and the hatchlings need food, boys. Go feed the flock."
The two dragons sighed. Their wings flared and they rose into the air. Once level Shadowfire waited until Frostfire could land on his back. Both then headed out over the harbor and beyond. Gyda watched them for a heartbeat before turning towards the Great Hall. Stoick, Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber, and ever adult dragon that was and would be apart of that flock stood on the steps. Quickclaw and Bjorn also stood with them as both would act as guards for this small meeting. Gyda sighed and joined them.
Once inside, the humans sat at the Council table while the dragons found their own places. Gyda was not surprised that Toothless and Stormfly stood behind Hiccup and Astrid or that Sharpshot and Sneaky sat on the table before them. Moondust stood to Toothless' left, putting her behind Stoick. Windwalker stood to Stormfly's right, putting him behind Gobber. Gyda stood on the bare stone on the other side of the table, grateful that Meatlug and Wingblaze were going to watch Toothless' younglings and Windwalker and Stormfly's hatchlings so this meeting could take place.
"A'ight," Stoick said. "We be all here. What be so important 'bout this human ye call fer this?"
Gyda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sir, what I have to tell you will seem unbelievable-"
Stoick snorted, prompting Gyda to open her eyes. The man stared at her with a lifted eyebrow.
"Ye are from the future, lass. Ye can do magic and ye are trainin' me boy ta do so as well. Dragons be family instead of enemies. What be more unbelievable than that?"
"Your wife is alive."
Silence fell. Everyone, even the dragons stopped breathing. Gyda surveyed the reactions. Hiccup appeared shocked but also thoughtful. Gobber's jaw was dropped and he rubbed his head as if warding off a headache. Astrid was frowning. Stoick held no visual reaction but his eyes burned. The dragons looked between the humans and Gyda several times.
"I be in no mood fer jests."
"I am not joking. Your wife is alive. Has been alive since she was taken."
"Ye lie," Stoick growled, standing. "Me wife be taken in a raid."
"By a Stormcutter. Big, four-winged dragon that has a head which can swivel like an owl." Gyda grunted. "I know, sir. I knew in my cave exactly what happened to Valka. The tales showed us, sir. Hiccup was laying in his crib. The Stormcutter bit his way into the house and found Hiccup. Hiccup did not yell, cry, or scream. He giggled!"
"That sounds like the lad," Gobber stated.
Stoick glared at him. Gobber held up his hand and hook.
"Please continue," Hiccup said in the silence that fell.
Gyda sighed. "The dragon extended his wing claw. You, Hiccup, grabbed it, babbling in baby speak then let the claw go to clap your hands. Valka had been out. There was a raid, a bad one, going on. She stopped a Viking from killing a down Nightmare then heard and saw the Stormcutter bite into the house. She ran to protect you but stopped when she saw you and the dragon playing. The dragon must have heard her or smelled her because he turned and nicked you. That's how you got that scar on your chin, Hiccup. An axe landed between Valka and the dragon. It was-"
"Me," Stoick whispered falling back into his chair. "I threw that axe. The dragon spat fire. I raced to get Hiccup.."
"The Stormcutter took off with Valka," Gyda whispered.
"Ye knew?!" Stoick hissed. "Ye knew and ye made me think, made us think-"
"I knew what the tales showed, sir. I couldn't say a word about it in my cave. I was under an oath not to."
"Who?" Stoick growled. "Who demanded ye keep yer tongue still?"
"The gods you call Thor and Loki. Both bound me by an oath not to tell anyone from your tribe that Valka was alive while you were in my cave."
"And after, when ye be here livin' with us? Eatin' our food? Usin' our resources ta get a house? Were ye bound by yer oath then?"
Stoick voice rose with each question. Gyda glared at him.
"I was under no oath. I was asked by my chief not to reveal the future to his tribe. The tales show you all meeting Valka in the future. Five years into the future."
Stoick fell silent. Hiccup glanced at his father then stared at Gyda.
"Why are you telling us now? You warned us all that knowing what will come will change the path we follow."
"It's already changed, Hiccup. It was the moment I returned and you all got your memories back. The tales don't have you all talking with the dragons, not like you are doing now. The tales don't have Hiccup as the alpha of the dragons who live here. The tales had Bard trying to tear up the entirety of Berk because Alvin placed his egg here and he hatched in the tunnels he now lives in but without his mother and he really wanted to find his mother."
"But Bard is still a hatchling," Astrid stated.
Gyda grunted. "The tales had the dragons on some growth accelerant or something. Those four dragons hatched then were broad wing stage within what seemed like weeks and all four chewed holes throughout Berk."
"Why ye wait 'til now ta tell us 'bout Valka?" Stoick demanded.
"Pepper and Piper spoke of a human in her old nest," Gyda said. "The Terror that Hiccup sent to find her parents.. I asked him to do something else while there. I wanted verification that the human was Valka. With all the changes, I didn't want that, her, to be just some add on those who presented the tales put in. I wanted to make sure. I had already decided on this course of action the day the shield was painted. That's why Shadowfire and I went out for a solo flight. We knew we had to deal with this and were trying to find ways to fix it."
"Fix it?" Hiccup questioned.
"You all deserve to have all of your family here, now," Gyda said. "Not some random time five years from now. I had to leave part of my family behind to keep my children safe. Every day I have to wake to the knowledge I will never seen that part again. You all don't deserve that."
"Part of your family?" Astrid asked.
"The hatchling Ombra fathered," Hiccup whispered. "Shadowfire told me of him while Toothless was recovering from eating that eel."
Gyda closed her eyes and sighed. "The human he was bound to as well," she whispered. "That was..is…my older brother."
Silence fell again. Gyda kept her eyes closed but continued.
"I am sorry. This is something that should have never been kept from you all. If there is to be a punishment… please, I ask that you leave my children out of it."
"Ye said ye and Shadowfire be trying ta find was ta fix this," Stoick whispered. "What ye be thinkin'?"
"The tales showed Hiccup coming up with the Terrors flying messages back and forth during the time Bard would have been hunting for his mother. Shadowfire suggested we wait until that moment and see if we could get a Terror to track her down. I know the general area the nest she ended up is in so I figured I could point the Terror in the right direction and have he or she find Valka. I was going to send a message with that Terror explaining who I was and see if she would return home."
"Wait," Astrid said. "Hiccup's mother lives in the same nest as that Bewilderbeast who insulted him?"
Gyda opened her eyes. "Another reason I wanted to make sure that human was Valka. I don't have a clue why that Bewilderbeast was acting as he was. The tales have him kind, wise, a king," Gyda sighed.
"Is she safe?" Stoick asked.
"The Terror said the Stormcutter treats her like flock and that the Bewilderbeast holds a great deal of respect for her. I was going to ask him to tell you all but Sunchaser asked if he could go with her."
"That…dragon respects his mother but not her son?!" Astrid growled.
Hiccup placed a hand upon her wrist and she immediately shifted so she was holding his hand.
"Chief," Gobber said softly. "Ye know we canna have the ships ready. Ye jest need say the word and we be goin' after Valka."
Stoick did not speak.
"You can't," Hiccup answered for his father. "The Terror told Pepper and Piper's father that the Bewilderbeast ordered the nest moved. That the dragon did not want anyone else from this nest to find them again. The male Zippleback flew off to confirm it because Pepper and Piper don't want to leave."
Stoick still did not speak. Gyda resisted the urge to close her eyes again. If punishment was due her, she would stare it in the face as it approached her. Stoick stood. Moondust stepped back as Stoick shoved his chair away. He then walked around the table, heading for Gyda. Gyda watched his approach. Stoick lifted a hand and gently placed it upon Gyda's shoulder.
"Thank ye, lass," he whispered. "Thank ye fer tellin' me…tellin' us all this. There be no punishment fer keepin' an oath ta the gods and keepin' faith with yer chief." Stoick then turned to the others. "Iffen that Zippleback brings us news of this departure, we find another way ta search for Valka. Til then, we be stayin'. Devestatin' Winter be 'ere soon. The needs of the many-"
"Outweigh the needs of a few," Hiccup whispered but Gyda heard the resignation in his voice.
She knew he wanted to find his mother. She knew he wanted to have his mother in his life. She knew he was frustrated because there was nothing he could do. Gyda frowned.
"Chief," she said. "If the Zippleback return and they are gone, I know of a way we can search for them. Hiccup's already provided it."
"How?" Stoick asked.
"Those dragons he let stay here the night before Stormfly and the others left to go to the hatchery. They are from various parts of the world. I'm sure they'll mostly likely seek to stay here when they return to their own nests. They can look for us."
Kirka: Hehe, just a bit.