This chapter is one I enjoyed making since I was inspired by the very early chapters in the story, where it was based around Hiccup's lifestyle rather than during his time of war.
As for the reviews. I'd like to thank dabzzygirl (who is now named Aspielady) and KorrieChan for the reviews last chapter!
Now with that out of the way, let's move on in the story!
1 week later…
The morning sun hit Hiccup's eyes through the opened window as he woke from his good and comfortable nightly slumber. He looked around the room of the newly built hut he was in, and as his eyes fell upon Toothless who was wide and awake, he smiled.
He yawned, slowly getting out of bed as he sat up. "Good morning, bud. I assume you had a good sleep last night?"
The Night Fury warbled happily, landing his head on Hiccup's lap whilst giving a Dragon-like smile to the young Viking, and to this, he smiled at Toothless as he gave off a hearty chuckle.
"Alright, alright!" he said, giggling. "I'm up, Toothless… Now, what say you and I go see how things are running? I'll just grab my cloak and we'll be off to-"
Toothless immediately sprung his head off of Hiccup's lap, running downstairs with haste as he made his way out the door, with the lad being able to hear everything that was going on. He shook his head and laughed.
After a moment passed, he forced himself to stand up before he grabbed his cloak that laid against the chair by his work-desk and began making his way out.
Upon exiting his hut and shutting the door behind him, he spotted Toothless sitting on all fours, still giving the same cute and gummy smile to the Viking.
Hiccup grinned. "Right then, let's take a walk to the Blacksmith. Afterwards, we'll find the others and see what they're doing. Along with their Dragons."
Toothless once more warbled as he gladly followed behind the young Viking, beginning their short walk along the path towards the smithy.
By now it had been a week ever since Hiccup captured Jyornstad and settled in it with the others, and much of the damage caused to him and his friends had begun to heal. The numbers of the Tribes present had now also started to increase, mostly made up of the Hairy Hooligan and Warsung Tribes.
But, the improvements didn't stop there.
Hiccup even took the opportunity to not just rebuild the camp, but as well as to expand it out more, and renovate it to the point where it had huts and structures that were similar to those on Berk, making the place feel almost like Berk - and it was all within the course of a week.
Best of all however, the outpost was renamed in honor of the Dragons that aided them, and it was with great approval from the others to remind them that they were under the protection of the mighty winged reptiles.
They named the base; 'Dragon's Wake.'
To everyone, all seemed to be going good and decent now that they had a chance to stand… but Hiccup deep down did not feel the same as everyone else did. Especially since he felt that the base was one Viking short. One Chieftain short.
And that Chieftain was obviously his father, Stoick.
Despite the thought however, Hiccup shoved it aside as he continued making his way forward along the dirt road, until he finally reached the Blacksmith where the Warsung Chieftain resided in.
Magnus hammered down on the weapon he was working on, wearing his blue wool shirt and brown vest without his armor, and as Hiccup got closer to him from a distance with Toothless following behind - he looked up at the younger Viking through the window of the counter, and he gave him a smile.
"Good morning, Hiccup!" he said as the lad entered the Smithy. "Did you have a good enough sleep last night?"
"Best I've had in a long while now. In fact, probably one of the best I've had in years because of that Slavemaster who always woke me up with his bad breath and ugly words."
Magnus lightly chuckled. "But it's Olaf, remember? ...Though I will say, he was quite a disgusting man. He didn't brush his teeth or tend to his hygiene like how everyone in Kattegat did. Never had I seen a Scandinavian so filthy who hardly washed himself."
Hiccup nodded. "Well it's Olaf, remember?"
The older Viking stopped hammering at the sword he was working on, and looked up at Hiccup with an expressionless look as if he had done something wrong. Then, after a short moment passed by... he began to chuckle in a hearty manner.
"Alright then," he laughed, before joking on with; "Ya like stealing my lines, bácraut?" mimicking Hiccup's impression as he cursed in Norse.
Hiccup placed his hands up as he made a lip-roll, replying back as he impersonated Magnus' voice. "My apologies. I won't do such terrible things again, Alföthr."
That was it. A great boomed of laughter followed as the two Vikings filled the room with loud howls like a pack a wolves. After a few seconds passed by, they patted each other's shoulder before giving a brotherly hug, all before settling down.
Hiccup sighed with a smile on his face, making his way to Magnus' work-desk as he sat in the chair that stood by. He settled his neck and shoulders down, allowing himself to breathe slowly and recover his breath from laughing.
"So…" he began, clearing his throat. "How long have you been working in here?"
"Not for long." replied Magnus as he continued hammering at the blade of a weapon. "However, I did decide to continue working on my... project as you would call it, and I've officially decided on what it will be. It's something that will help me in future battles."
"Judging by the blade, I guess it is a new weapon?" Hiccup asked, receiving the mix of a nod and shake of the older lad's head.
"You could say it is a new weapon. After all, when I rummaged through the Blacksmith and inspected the ores that the enemy stored here, I decided to use them for my own since they were just what I needed. But soon enough, you'll see what kind of weapon it is."
The younger Viking nodded, still watching Magnus hammer down on the blade he was working on. But as he reached over for the tongs and used it to grab the blade, his eyes fell on the forge, and he sighed with a slight frown.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked.
"The forge is out of flame again… Hiccup, mind giving me a hand of some sorts?"
The young man stood to his feet, giving a wink to the smithy as he whistled for his Dragon. "Toothless, mind lighting the forge?"
Toothless, who was looking around the room, heard Hiccup's call, and thus turned to face him. Upon command, he walked over to the forge and opened his mouth, showing off a purple light, and with a light breath, a small flash of fire came out and successfully lit the coals of the forge, allowing for Magnus to continue with his work.
The older Viking placed the blade into the fire with the tongs still gripping, and upon removing it after a minute, he gave a happy grin, satisfied with the outcome of the fire's work.
"Such an excellent fire! Your Dragon did a great job with such little effort, Hiccup." he complimented, bowing his head to the Night Fury. "Thank you, Toothless."
Hiccup nodded back, giving off a slight giggle. "Hear that, bud? Looks like you might be a smithy like me someday, eh?"
The Dragon warbled with a laugh of some sorts as Hiccup patted the top of his head, and then the lad's eyes spun as he gazed back at Magnus who was still working. A thought immediately fell on him.
"Oh- uh, Magnus?"
"Hm?" the older Viking mumbled.
"I just wanted to ask you; has Astrid or any of the others been looking for me? I haven't seen them ever since I woke up this morning, or even while I was making my way here."
"...I believe they were looking for you earlier." the blacksmith answered, still keeping his eyes on the blade he hammered. "Eira right now is training with the men and shieldmaidens who are on duty, but I think the others are waiting for you in the Mess Hall. I remembered Astrid saying that's where she would be waiting for you, but you should go check to see if they're still there."
Hiccup nodded. "Alright - I'll see you later, then. Thanks for telling me, Magnus!"
With gladness expressing out from his eyes, Hiccup proceeded to make his way out the door of the Blacksmith, and the Chieftain from behind waved him a farewell.
Toothless once again continued to follow Hiccup, standing by his side as they began making their way to their next destination at the top of the hill; towards the Mess Hall.
"Well, bud. Looks like we're going to have a warm welcome waiting for us. Let's get moving."
...
The doors to the Mess Hall opened widely as Hiccup entered with an eager expression on his face, and upon going in, he saw his friends sitting at the long table in the center of the hall, with food and drink in front of them. Along with that, only one seat remained empty.
They all waved over to the eighteen year old, giving him a cheerful welcome.
Astrid spoke up. "About time you're awake. We saved a seat for you!"
Fishlegs then called out, waving his arm. "Morning, Hiccup!"
Hiccup chuckled as he waved back to them, but the moment was cut short as Toothless stepped forward and warbled upon sighting a large metal bowl filled with fish, laying near the table. The Dragons within the hall feasted out of it, and the Night Fury soon felt his tongue wet up with hunger.
The young Viking in response had no problem with it, and he thus pointed his hand out in gesture, allowing for the Night Fury to go feast along with the other Dragons. To that, Toothless darted forward.
Hiccup shook his head with a grin before turning his eyes onto the chair that was left for him, to which he then made his way over and proceeded to comfortably seat himself. From there, they began to converse.
"So... how is everyone doing?" he asked, spinning his spoon in the meaty stew that laid in front of him.
"All is fine." answered Snotlout as he drank from his mug of milk. "It's actually better than usual to be honest."
"Tell me about it." Heather replied, sipping from her warm stew. "A week passes by after we deal a decent blow to the enemy, and we already have a strong base set up in the enemy's own territory. Everyday this place is just improving. Plus, the sun is finally beginning to come out."
Astrid nodded. "And it's also beginning to feel almost like home, as if we were back on Berk. We've surely made this place look colorful - especially with all of the dyes we applied to the huts."
"Dyes?" asked Hiccup with interest.
"Yup." she answered back to him. "We began dying the roofs of the huts with different colors, being blue, red, and even auburn. I thought of your hair, so I suggested that color."
"Quite creative, milady." Hiccup complimented, causing Astrid to blush as she winked at the lad.
"We're also still continuing to expanding the base outwards." said Fishlegs, joining in. "But it may take some time since we're still filling in the old trenches that the enemy dug up. On the other hand, everyone is hoping that we'll eventually be able to turn this place into a village."
"It would sound like a good idea to call this place a home." replied Hiccup, as he took a sip from his stew. "...If only we weren't in a war."
And the lad did have a point. Everyone in the room knew it. As long as they were at war against Ivar and his Vikings, they could not take a moment to relax for too long. Otherwise, the bloodthirsty King could sweep in and take them out.
"...Can't disagree with you there." Astrid replied, setting her breakfast aside. "In times like these, we cannot hope to best Ivar as long as we sit here in Dragon's Wake and hope that the storm is waited out. We can only best them out in the field like true Vikings."
Hiccup gave a nod. "Exactly, Astrid. Though to be honest, the way you speak kind of reminds me of my father-"
"Hey, HEY!" Tuffnut called out, causing everyone to turn their heads towards the Twins. The two of them sat at one end of the table, and atop Tuffnut's head was a stack of mugs. "Can't you see we're trying to do something important here!?"
"Oh Gods…" responded Hiccup with a facepalm. "And what exactly could be more important than discussing how we should go on in this war?"
"We're trying to do a contest over here!" said Ruffnut as she stacked another empty mug atop her brother's head. "We call this game Drink and Stack!"
Astrid raised a brow. "Why?"
"Because the one playing has to drink the milk out of the mug before stacking them on top of their head. Whoever stacks the most wins, and I am winning!" Tuffnut replied.
"But those mugs were already empty." Fishlegs stated. "How can you play your own game if you're already breaking your own rule-"
"We drank from them earlier!" the Twins said in unison as they turned to face Fishlegs. But upon doing so, the stack of mugs started to become unbalanced, and just like that, they fell all over him like an avalanche.
The Thorston stared at the mugs in embarrassment, and then his eyes fell upon his sister. "This is all your fault!"
"Mine!? You didn't keep your head still, stupid! I placed them on your head one by one. You turned your head and they fell over, period. It's game over! Therefore, I officially declare myself the winner. Got any words to say, brother?"
Tuffnut said nothing. He merely turned his back to Ruffnut with his arms crossed, as he shook his head, grumbling as if he were a child.
Afterwards, a short period of silence followed among the group, all whilst the Dragons ate their fish. Then, Hiccup spoke up.
"You know." he began. "Now that I think about earlier… I believe there is a way of how we can effectively, and ultimately, take down Ivar... I think I have something."
All eyes gazed up at Hiccup. It seemed that he already had a plan forming up his sleeve.
"Oh?" replied Snotlout. "And what do you have in mind, exactly?"
"Before we were defeated back on the beach, Astrid and I, along with Fishlegs and Heather, went up against the main Clans that Ivar had under his command. Now that I think about it, I remember their names. The Bloody Berserkers, the Broken Axe, the Dark Eye, and the Iron Wolf. But now, I realize something…"
"Tell us." said Astrid.
Hiccup continued on. "...I now realize that without one another, those Clans are not as powerful. We took out hundreds of them in those woods that day, with only three Dragons and a hundred men at our side. We faced them off one by one, yet they were not strong enough."
Everyone's eyes widened with interest. It was as if they began thinking of what Hiccup was thinking.
"So wait." began Heather. "You're saying that if we go up against each Clan one at a time…"
"Then we can take them out easily before moving on to the next, and that includes the tribes serving each clan. This way, we can take down Ivar's army quickly and efficiently without having to face them all at once. This might just work."
"Brilliant idea!" Fishlegs smiled, slamming his hands on the table. "And who knows if we could free any more Dragons that Ivar has in his possession! Can you imagine it?"
"Who knows?" replied Hiccup with agreement. "All I can say now is that I have a plan I am willing to put into motion. And I think that-"
Before Hiccup could spill his words, the doors of the Mess Hall suddenly bursted open as a Hooligan scout came running through with haste. To Hiccup, it appeared as if the man had something important to share.
The man nearly fell to his feet upon stopping before Hiccup, before taking a moment to catch his breath.
"Scout! Is everything alright?" Hiccup asked as he stood from his seat. "You look like you were running from something."
The Viking raised his hand up, assuring the lad that he was fine. But when proceeded to straighten himself out, he began to speak of something that would quickly catch the interest of the group.
"I was running from nothing, sir." he replied. "In fact, I just came back from scouting with the group that Eira sent out earlier this morning. There's something that we saw along the road upon returning here."
"What did you see?" asked Astrid, arms crossed in a curious position.
"Vikings." he replied. "But they are not of the enemy; they are from one of our allied Tribes. When I saw them marching along the road, I noticed that they were walking without haste or alert. I think they know that you are here, sir."
"Did you catch their colors, or maybe even symbol?" the lad asked.
The Viking nodded. "Aye. We caught the glimpse of a banner which had a tan-colored fabric, along with the crest of a black Dragon. I believe it was a Skrill, or maybe-?"
Everyone's eyes immediately widened. By the looks of it, they all knew who was coming, and what Tribe it was. But Heather out of the whole group was the one who was surprised the most.
"If the crest of the banner is a Skrill," said Heather. "Then that can only mean that it's the-"
Before she was able to finish, the immediate and sudden sound of a horn blew loudly outside the Mess Hall as it emanated across Dragon's Wake, and almost instantly, everyone recognized the sound of the horn.
"That horn… it could only come from one Tribe."
...
The young Vikings all made their way out of the Mess Hall with their Dragons following behind. Nearing the center of Dragon's Wake, Hiccup could see that there was a large crowd of warriors and maidens gathered around near the gate; all of them curious to see what was happening.
The young Viking then began making his way through the crowd with the others behind him, and as the warriors around them noticed Hiccup, they all begun to make room for him.
Magnus, who stood from afar, noticed the group, and thus began his way over to them with a curious look on his face.
"Hiccup!" he called out. "What is going on?"
The young Viking's head spun to face Magnus. "We heard a horn sounding out, Magnus." he answered. "But it sounded all too familiar to us, so we had see who it was. And I believe I know who it is."
"Who, though?" the Warsung Chieftain asked.
Suddenly, the horn blew once more, this time closer than before. This in turn caused the crowd of warriors around to chatter amongst themselves, as they too knew who it possibly was. Magnus now understood the large gathering.
"That horn sounds familiar..." he said with an arched brow.
"That's what we all said." Astrid replied, eyeing the top of the ramparts. "But we need to make sure that we know who it is. We are certain it is-"
"Chief Magnus!" a voice called out.
From atop the ramparts, a Warsung warrior shouted out to the Chieftain with a look as if he had seen something, and before Hiccup knew it, the black-haired Viking darted towards the ladder leading up toward the rampart, which in turn caused him to follow up as well.
As the two of them reached the top of the wall, they looked at the man who stood at attention before Magnus.
"At ease, warrior." the Chieftain ordered. "You called for me. So what is it you wanted to show me?"
The horn blew a final time, and as such, Magnus turned his head to look in the distance.
From afar, Vikings wearing metal horned helmets quickly came into view. They flew their banners high, and their crest, which both Hiccup and Magnus knew all too well, became clear to them. The crest was was indeed the symbol of a Skrill.
Hiccup gave a look of hope at the sight of the army that marched towards them.
"The Berserkers are here!" smiled Hiccup, watching as more than two hundred Berserkers marched with discipline behind the man that led them all to Dragon's Wake.
At the front of the ranks was the Berserker Chieftain; Dagur.