To be honest, I cannot believe it. After over a year of writing this story, we have reached the very end of it.
While making this chapter, I kept listening to Marcus Warner - City of Sails, which helped me bump up on my writing. If anything, I recommend you guys listen to that track while reading this, but you can listen to whatever you'd like regardless.
Also, below the end of this chapter is a self-reflection that I would like for you guys to read. I express some things that I've wanted to answer, as well as hint as to what is next after No More.
Without further ado, please enjoy the final chapter of No More!
Four months later…
The sun hit Hiccup's eyes as he took a step out the door of his hut, into the morning light of Berk. He grinned proudly upon taking a glance at the village, taking in a deep breath of air before lightly letting it out...
It was wonderful.
Before he could make his way out however, a voice from inside the hut called for him.
"Hold a moment, Son! Don't forget to bring Toothless along! I can't take care of him and Skullcrusher at the same time, you know!" called out Stoick.
Hiccup looked back as he saw Toothless dash towards him, wagging his tail and panting happily with his tongue somewhat protruded, as if he were a dog. The nineteen year old grinned, chuckling as the Night Fury lightly nudged against him.
"Alright, alright." he said. "We can go flying. I just gotta go see Astrid first, alright?"
Judging by how Toothless responded, he had no problem with it. Hiccup then closed the door behind them as the two quickly made their way out into the morning of Berk, glancing around at it's wonders.
Months had passed since the war ended, and Berk had changed for the better. The blacksmith became a workshop for dragon saddles and weapons, the arena became the new dragon academy, the huts and homes extended out over the cliffs on top of well-built ramparts, there were places for the dragons to live and sleep in, and a dragon racing area for both humans and dragons had been set up out near the cliffs.
Along with that, Hiccup's nineteenth birthday had also recently passed.
As a whole, Berk had transformed into a place for both humans and dragons. A utopia for all to visit, or to even permanently reside in.
Hiccup smiled, watching as scores of dragons flew by overhead, thus making him chuckle at the sight of it. After all, it was all thanks to him and many others that this was possible.
While making their way to the plaza, he looked down at Toothless who walked beside him. "Well bud, I guess it's safe to say that we did it." he said grinningly. "Just look at what we've made Berk into..."
Toothless warbled in agreement, his eyes glancing between his friend and the road ahead, and upon reaching the plaza, they were greeted with dozens of villagers and warriors who all waved to Hiccup, addressing him with hearty greetings.
"Hiccup!" one would call out.
"Good morning, Hiccup!" another said. "You are looking fine today!"
"Hiccup, laddie! If ye need help with anything later, feel free to call on me!"
The young heir smiled, waving back at the townsfolk. Hearing them say aloud their greetings was significant, for it showed him that he had won the respect of everyone on Berk, even those who did not initially trust him nor his idea of dragons initially.
Nearing the workshop, Hiccup spotted Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins hanging about with their dragons. Aside from Berk's physical appearance, another change that came about in the following months was that of his friends' looks and personalities. Not only had they changed their clothing, but they changed physically.
Hiccup waved at them. "Hey guys!" he called out.
Immediately their attention turned onto Hiccup as they heard his voice and they swiftly approached him, giving him pats on the back and shoulders, and greeting him happily.
"Hiccup!" said Fishlegs. "Looking fresher than usual today, if I do say so myself. Did you get good sleep?"
"Aye, as usual." he replied. "Look listen- I am a bit in a rush right now. I came down here to ask if you guys knew where Astrid was. She might be waiting for me to come by to see her."
"Astrid? She left not too long ago. Both her and Stormfly went flying out towards the plains near the woods." said Snotlout. "In fact, she wanted us to tell you that she's there, waiting for you."
"Yeah, but judging by her look, she seemed a bit suspicious. A bit too suspicious…" said Ruffnut.
"Eh, it's probably nothing." replied Tuffnut, looking back at his sister. "Astrid smiles too much nowadays. Gives me the creeps though."
"Hmm… the plains near the woods you say?" he asked. "Are you guys sure she's there, or is this another prank of yours again-"
"No pranks, I swear." replied Snotlout, hands raised up. "Anyways though, I can't stay here for too long. Hookfang and I have some flight practice to do soon, and we've gotta sharpen up on our skills. Isn't that right, Hookfang?"
The Monstrous Nightmare rolled his eyes, turning his head around and facing away from him.
"HEY! Don't you turn your head from me you useless reptile!"
Fishlegs and the Twins laughed in response to Snotlout's small tantrum, their gazes focused on the lad, who continuously demanded the Monstrous Nightmare to turn around and face him. This, however, only fueled the sight for a spectacle.
Hiccup looked down at Toothless, shrugging. "Well, bud, guess we're going flying already."
Toothless warbled happily as he leaned down for Hiccup, allowing the young Viking to mount on top of him. He shifted his foot and prosthetic into place on top of the pedals, all while adjusting himself to the new setup for Toothless' prosthetic as he sat in his saddle.
Before taking flight however, he turned his gaze back to Snotlout. "Oh Snotlout, don't forget to tell Gobber that he needs to tighten up a bit on the saddles. Some of them get a bit too loose when in flight, so they need to be tuned a bit."
Snotlout nodded with a sigh. "Alright, but please don't force too much on me, will you? It's hard enough having to take care of Hookfang than it already is. I don't want be a messenger boy."
"Heh, I won't." chuckled Hiccup.
And with that, both Hiccup and Toothless were soon off as they swiftly flew their way towards the forests with haste. The young Viking held on tightly to the head his saddle, grinning.
"I wonder what she's going to say to me?"
…
A punch landed on Hiccup's shoulder as the familiar blonde-headed figure of Astrid approached him, giving him a serious look. "That's for being late, Hiccup Haddock!"
Hiccup rose a brow in confusion. "W- What?! What the Hel are you talking about-"
His words suddenly cut off however as Astrid pressed her lips against his own, giving off a smile underneath her kiss, and it wasn't until she let go that Hiccup noticed her grin.
"Oh..." he said. "But still, what was the point of punching me?"
"Because I love you, babe." she replied, grasping onto his hand. "Now, what say we go lie down in the grass like old times?"
Hiccup nodded as the two of them ran off into the grassy fields, laughing with their dragons following behind before eventually lying down on top of a small hill overseeing near the ocean. It was the same place where Hiccup first encountered Toothless when the Monstrous Nightmare attacked them.
As far as how Hiccup's relationship went with Astrid, the two were closer than ever. Not only that, but like Hiccup, Astrid had herself a new outfit.
Her old blue woolen shirt was replaced with a fresh red colored tunic, and with this, she also bore a hood, furred gloves, dark blue pants, and a new pair of boots. Along with that, her ponytail now fell over her shoulder, like a long braid.
If anything, the outfit showed off a more brighter side of Astrid.
As the two laid and sat down in the grass looking up at the clouds, Toothless and Stormfly nearby were playing around, chasing each other in circles with lap after lap around Hiccup and Astrid.
They chuckled, still looking up at the clouds passing by overhead.
"Quite the view today, eh?" asked Hiccup. "You know, these are among the most sightful clouds I've seen in a while. Puffy looking as well."
Astrid lightly giggled, smirking. "Heh, at least these clouds are better than what we saw in Norway. It was always just grey and wintry there. But here, it isn't bad at all."
"...Though speaking of Norway, have you received any word from Magnus or Eira yet? It's been months since I or the others last heard from them. But you on the other hand..."
"I actually have," nodded Hiccup. "We've been using Terror-Mail to send letters to one another, but overall, he and Eira have been doing fine. As for their child, it's just a matter of time as to when they'll be born."
"I see... Well it's good to hear that you two are still in touch." she said, leaning closer to him. "But for now, let this be a moment between the two of us. We've barely had anytime to ourselves, and I think it's time that we make up for that."
Hiccup nodded, leaning his head against Astrid's. "...So then, what do you see?"
"Hm?" she replied, arching a brow. "What do you mean?"
"What do you see in the sky?" he asked her. "Like- what does… that cloud look like?"
His hand pointed towards the direction of a cloud near to the right that flew over Astrid, and she gazed up at it as she began to quietly think. However, upon a further and closer glance at it, she could make out the shape and figure of what seemed to resemble…
"A Nadder." she answered, turning her eyes towards Hiccup. "It resembles the head of a Deadly Nadder, almost like Stormfly. Wouldn't you agree?"
Hiccup shrugged, resting his hands over his stomach. "I guess so."
"You guess so or you know so?" she asked him in a serious tone, receiving a slightly surprised look from him which made her chuckle. "...I'm only kidding with you. Anyways, it's your turn. Look up… there. What do you see?"
Her finger up pointed towards the direction of a cloud somewhat near Hiccup's left, flying by him in a swifter manner than the other clouds.
As Hiccup looked up at it, he tried to imagine what it was, and as he blinked a few times something came into his sight. It was the familiar figure of a Dragon which in person would contrast the color of the cloud. The answer was too clear.
"I see Toothless." he said, raising a finger towards it as his hand followed it. "Look, can you see? His head is leaned forward with the rest of his body, his wings are spread out, and the speed at which he is flying is faster than the other clouds going by."
"Oh yeah…" she said. "Well, from my view it looks like he's flying backwards."
Hiccup let out a light laugh, gently moving his head closer to Astrid's. "That's the Astrid I remembered when I first met her." he said. "It's good to see that there's that part of you which hasn't changed a bit…"
"Anyways, now it's your turn. What do you see over… there?"
Hiccup's hand moved in between the two of them, towards a bright cloud in the center of the cluster of other clouds overhead. As Astrid squinted her eyes at the sight of it, she slowly began to make out not one - but two figures standing together. They were holding hands, leaning their heads against each other like lovers. And before she knew it, something miraculous happened that had to be from her imagination.
The two cloudy figures rose their hands up and began dancing in the air together as if they were having a great time.
Though they had no facial expressions nor physical features to show what they were, Astrid could immediately tell by their outlines what- or rather who they were.
She looked back at Hiccup, using her elbows to help herself sit up before calmly leaning over him. She gave a smile. "I see you... and me…"
"Do you now?" he smiled back at her.
For a moment the two sat there in silence, looking back at each other with their eyes looking deep into one another. Then out of instinct, the two young Vikings began to move their heads closer and closer, until their lips met in a long and loving kiss which lasted for way more than just a few seconds.
As soon as they parted their kiss, the lover birds were once again looking back at each other, chuckling.
"I love you, Astrid Hofferson." said Hiccup.
"I know." responded Astrid. "I love you too, babe."
Astrid then stood to her feet as she offered a hand to help Hiccup up, to which the young lad gladly took, allowing himself to be pulled up to his feet until they were both up, standing tall and straight. "So milady, shall we go flying?" asked Hiccup.
"Thought you would never ask." giggled Astrid as they looked back at their Dragons, calling out them.
"Stormfly, come here girl!"
"Toothless!"
The two dragons spun their heads, looking back at them as they hastily dashed over to them. However, they came a little bit too close as they met with their riders. Unable to stop in time, they zoomed past Hiccup and Astrid and caused them to fall down to the ground almost on top of each other. However, this left them both laughing.
"Damn it, Toothless!" giggled Hiccup.
…
The two Vikings flew atop Toothless and Stormfly high above the village of Berk, sticking close to each other as they performed scenic maneuvers, moving upwards, downwards, sideways, in spirals, and even in ways wherein Hiccup and Astrid were actually standing atop of their dragons's backs.
And in the midst of it all, the two lovers, with nothing to lose, made a jump for it; a literal jump.
They both leaped off their dragons, spiraling and falling downwards through the air with delight, so much so, they managed to close the gap between one another and hold each other in a spinning, dancing hug.
...And then they separated, and from above their dragons came storming down, now falling with their riders.
"Yeah, baby!" cheered Hiccup as he and Toothless twirled downwards in circles, with Astrid and Stormfly now parallel from them.
Eventually the two of them reached out to their dragons to mount back on, and upon landing in their saddles they immediately pulled up. With Berk still beneath their feet, they looked back at each other with delight on their faces. This moment was the time of their lives.
"Ready to take this for a zoom, Astrid?" asked Hiccup.
Astrid smirked, holding tightly onto her saddle. "Don't mind if I do!"
All of a sudden, both she and Stormfly raced passed Hiccup, flying faster at speeds than what most dragons could handle. For a Night Fury however, it would be more than enough to handle.
Hiccup adjusted Toothless' prosthetic fin with a click of the pedals, and with lightning speed, the Night Fury sped fast towards Astrid and Stormfly, soon meeting parallel with them. To that, Toothless quickly adjusted himself, keeping up with their pace.
The young Vikings once more gazed at each other, positioning their dragons close enough for just a moment to reach out hold hands, before once again splitting off, their eyes gazing forward as their love for each other filled the wind blowing against them. Soon, began for the clouds, and flew as high as they could reach.
More and more, they ascended, until they found themselves gliding through the soft, puffy white clouds with the speed of the wind at their backs. And with that, they flew off together towards the distant, bright blue horizon…
...
"This is Berk… it may not be the best of places found in the world, but it's definitely the best for us. It's our home; my home. A place where one may go to find both humans and dragons working together in peace."
"To say that it's located solidly on the "Meridian of Misery" is just a joke. There is no misery here. Only the good life. Because you see, to many of us, Berk is more than just a random island in the middle of a big blue ocean. It is a utopia. A paradise that is out of this world... And we strive to bring peace to it."
"The enemy we fought long ago sought to destroy that peace, and when they came to us from far away lands to try and break us, we Berkians stood united against them alongside many others in our darkest hour, and through great struggle, we won it back."
"Time and time again, we will continue doing the same until our days come to an end. Though it may not be today, though it may not be tomorrow, I can tell you for a fact that it won't be anytime soon."
"Sure the enemy may have massive armies... They may have evil tyrants. But we have one thing that they don't have."
"...We have dragons..."
...The End...
...And that's it. That is the end of No More. But before you guys close this off, I have something to share.
Down below, I have written down somewhat of a self-reflection that I would like for you all to read; a few final notes. They are questions that I would've asked I were a reader.
One of them hints what I have planned next.
...
Question One: "What inspired you to make No More?"
Answer: The time I was considering to write this story was when I was watching a T.V. show called Vikings. That show had many inspirations that I put into this story, which in turn led to a long story. In my mind, I thought to myself; "Merging fantasy-esque Vikings with authentic Vikings? Now that is something."
Take Ivar the Boneless for example, the main antagonist of this story. He was based off Ivar the Boneless from the show, from how he looked and how he sounded, except his armor in this story was depicted a bit differently. The same for his brothers.
Kattegat is also an inspiration from Vikings, because the city in that show is, to some extent, the same city shown in this story, just with a different appearance. In real life however, Kattegat is just a strait between Sweden and Denmark.
...
Question Two: "What made you come up with the idea of Hiccup, Astrid, and the gang going up against Scandinavian Vikings, Germanics, and Rus'?"
Answer: It was the similarities that they had culture-wise. Some of the Norse tribes were peoples that migrated from Germanic tribes from Northern Germania and Southern Jutland back in the Roman days, but by then, Scandinavia was already populated by Nordic Germanic tribes. The Rus' (or Rus' Vikings) were Swedish Vikings who went over into Kievan Rus' and settled with the Slavs, so they too are Scandinavian.
...
Question Three: "Were there any initial plans that you had for this story that did not make it into the final cut?"
Answer: Yes, actually. Initially there was going to be:
An assault on Eret's Fort.
Separate battles for both the Iron Wolf and Broken Axe Clans.
Sieges on both the Iron Foundry and Forgework Harbor from two seperate point of views.
Astrid and the gang discovering Ivar's whereabouts after his return to Norway.
And Drago taking on Great Army remnants into his ranks.
However, I soon realized that, not only was some of this not interesting, but it would take too long to put in. So I scrapped it.
...
Question Four: "Do you view No More as a successful or unsuccessful story?"
Answer: In my opinion, neither. Though there were flaws here and there in the story, there were still elements that made people want to read this story. The introduction of characters, the dark theme it presented, and even the suspense it gave... However, as the story progressed, some people had lost interest in it. I believe that if I had taken a different road, the story could have come out much better. But at the same time, I like it in a way for what it is.
...
Final Question: "What story do you have planned next? Is it a sequel to No More?"
Answer: Unfortunately I do not have a sequel planned yet... HOWEVER, the next story I have planned is going to be a bigger step forward. It will still have Berk and the rest of the Archipelago, except the whole setting of it will take place in... something more, and something unusual.
What I can tell you is that the next time I see you guys, we will be flying on the wings of Midgard.
Until then, you will have to wait...
...
And thus, I would like to end it off here and thank you all for sticking with me through this long journey. You guys as a whole have been amazing!
Thank you for reading!