Sorry for that gap in postings, life got the better of me and I'm just trying to stay afloat. Sorry that I can't promise a better posting schedule, I'm trying the best that I can right now.
The sun had set in the distance, rain clouds slowly dying out over the oceans. The last sprays of water sprung out against the southbound winds. It was dark and damp and thoughts of what was to come invaded the air. The atmosphere was different on the island. Not everyone could feel the shift. Those who did felt an uneasy pulse pushing through the veins of the ground around them. Its red blood pushed and pulled at the hearts of many, tugging them closer to the earth to whisper its secrets. The ground knew very much as it was everywhere and it heard everything and beckoned those to keep their ears open.
The dragon was in a state of dismay as he sat staring at the Great Hall. It was dark and it was getting to be cold. Still, the dragon did not move. He could not hear anything besides the gentle whispers of the wind as it swirled around him and beckoned him closer to the door. He knew he what he was hearing was nothing, but the whispers called to him. It tempted him, and he knew, eventually, he would have to listen. Too many questions were left unanswered. Too many theories left unproven. The answers he sought after were in that Hall.
He could hear soft footsteps slowly approaching him from behind. One soft crunch after another, then silence. He could feel a presence right next to him, bumping into his shoulders lightly and offering comfort just by being near. The dragon didn't realize it, but he had been tensed up before and now, his muscles were relaxed and his breathing was deep and easy. It was strange, the effect this dragon had on him. He was one of the very few people to make him feel this way, if not, the only one.
"What are you thinking?" Toothless asked questioningly, staring at the great doors of the hall. Vikings were stationed in front of the hall, standing at full alert. They stared into the dark night with sharp eyes.
The dragon did not take his eyes off of the doors. If he strained his ears hard enough, maybe he could hear something. Just maybe. The only words he could hear, however, were from the dragon next to him, prodding him with questions he already knew the answer too. Meaningless questions. Still, he felt happier with the questions than with the silence.
"You already know," Hiccup said softly. He couldn't get around how void his own voice sounded. How could he change in an instant and somehow not be able to return? He knew he had embraced a side of himself he never knew existed and he fell into momentary insanity and yet, he found himself not regretting the choices he made. He felt it was necessary, and he felt that the person he needed to become was that. He knew now it was the wrong choice, but he felt he might've needed it. It could make him stronger than he ever could've been before. That's not what was causing him pain, however. It was the fact everyone gave up on him. They turned their backs and gave up so easily on him.
Well, just about everyone.
That soft laughter filled the cold air. It brought life to an otherwise deathly still evening. When not even a voice stirred in the evening night, when his own thoughts remained quiet and focused, and when the world slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber save for the few souls awake and debating the fate of Berk inside the hall, his full and happy voice lifted the spirits of those long thought to be lost to a level of rest they believed they could never have achieved.
"I'm going in," Hiccup said and took a step forward. A paw rested on his shoulder and prevented him to move forward anymore. The dragon behind him pulled him back and pulled him close.
"You know you can't," Toothless said firmly. Hiccup shrugged off the paw and glanced over his shoulder at the dragon. He noticed his firm voice, but his face had a gentle look.
"I'm not as unstable as they claim," the Night Fury said in response, "I can handle myself fine. I have questions and I need answers." Toothless went closer to his mate and whispered into his ear, making sure no passersby or other vikings heard their conversation.
"Then let's sneak in," Toothless said softly, "We fly above the hall and we gently push the door open and we sneak in before they notice." Hiccup turned more to face the dragon and gave him a questioning look that then turned into one of slight humor.
"That has a low likelihood of working," Hiccup said with a slight smirk.
"Unless I distract them," said Astrid as she put her arms over the dragon's shoulders the best she could. Toothless looked over with a slight smile while Hiccup tried his hardest to suppress his surprise. A hand quickly wrapped around the dragon's mouth, preventing him from making any sudden noises that would attract any attention to themselves. Granted, they were just sitting not too far from the entrance and the guards and they could probably see them if they looked hard enough. Hiccup quickly removed the hand from his mouth and looked at Astrid with a slight glare, though, most of his look was one of amusement.
"How long have you been standing there?" Hiccup asked, trying to sound annoyed rather than amused. Astrid rolled her eyes at the dragon and pushed the question aside, motioning towards the door.
"I'm gonna go up there and see if I can't annoy them a bit," she said with a determined look. Toothless grabbed the viking as she started walking forward and pulled her back quickly. The girl looked back with a look of annoyance, and confusion.
"You know we're gonna need more than that to go on, right?" Toothless asked with a raised brow. The viking girl scoffed and looked at the dragon, shrugging off the paw that held her.
"And this is coming from you, right?" Astrid said teasingly. Hiccup cut between the two and pointed towards the door to regain their attention on the task at hand. The guards had stopped for a moment, glancing about themselves, then continued walking.
"Just, go and distract them, Toothless and I will go high enough above they won't notice us. We'll push open the door and slide in, hopefully without attracting any attention. This is a stupid plan, but honestly the only one we've got," Hiccup said, rubbing his head, trying to think of a better plan than that. Since there was only one entrance and exit, it was their only way to get in. Better than nothing.
The viking girl shrugged and walked off once again with no dragon to impede her further advances towards the great doors of the hall. The two Night Furies flew high into the night sky without a sound. They softly landed above the doors of the hall, letting the wind carry to them the faint echoes of a conversation being had below. All the pair could make out was the viking girl point to the guards and make a hand motion indicating something small. Soon enough, the two guards went after her, followed shortly by a third. They were not very happy by the looks of it. Almost made Toothless worry if he hadn't known the girl.
Hiccup slid open the door slowly and quietly from above and slipped into the thin opening they created. Once both were inside, they closed the door quietly just as the vikings were returning to the door. They waited a few moments and heard the men talk amongst themselves and when they felt sure they were safe, they moved forward.
"Of all the terrible ideas to actually work, why this one?" Hiccup thought to himself. The hall was a mess of interwoven support beams, letting the two dragons work their way across the hall floor until they were close enough to properly listen into the conversation.
The room was lit from a series of torches aflame around the table. The table itself was circular and had several of the most senior and experienced vikings sitting around it. He could make out Spitelout, Mildew, Gobber, and a few others. They were pointing, making motions, talking in heated, quieted voices. In the center was Alvin, looking the worse Hiccup had ever seen him before. Blood still coated him from the earlier execution and had dried onto his skin and clothing, making him look like a savage beast more than anything. Stoick was at the head of the table, looking out over the men as they quarrelled amongst themselves. He seemed at war.
The dragons could tell the situation was heated. There was no yelling for there was no need. Their voices were soft but strained. They radiated with their hate, their intensity, their dismay. Words did not need to convey any of their emotions. They wore them for all to see. Hiccup could see the look his father had. It was completely indifferent. For once in Hiccup's life, he couldn't tell what his father was thinking. It was strange to him. He rarely was unable to properly read him. It was like he was a different person all together. One little habit did catch Hiccup's eye. Whenever Stoick was angry or in distress, there was that way he held his eyes. The way he scrutinized every one of his surroundings, the way he looked at the situation and understood the consequences. Even though his father had a bad temper, sometimes he was able to keep his cool.
The viking's voices started to rise in intensity and volume. Soon enough, the room was filled with intermingled differing opinions, voices, and minds. Stoick's eyes began close as that look of scrutiny came to a close, and with a sudden outburst, he quieted the room.
"Will you all just shut the hell up and let me think clearly for one damned second!" the chief's voice boomed out over the chorus of voices. Sudden and quickly, the men when silent, returning to their original disturbed faces as they glanced at one another. Hiccup nearly fell from where he was sitting, sighing inwardly to himself.
"And sometimes he really can't," Hiccup thought. He watched as the chief stood for a few moments, standing over the edge of the circular table, staring directly at the fallen king who stood before his previous ruler. The two may have been at different heights, by they stood eye to eye. Each knew what the other was thinking. There was a history between them that no one spoke of. It was a different time, in a different world, in a different situation. Now, in a new era, in a refreshed world, and in a situation neither had encountered before, they stood eye to eye. Neither knew the answer, but both grasped for solutions.
Stoick stared at the man before him, giving a harsh look that he had trouble maintaining. His mind was conflicted to the point of an internal war. He didn't know if he could believe anything his man had said, he didn't know if he was the psychopath the other vikings had made him out to be, and he didn't know if his friend was still alive, somewhere inside the rough and hard shell.
"Why?" Stoick asked softly at first, "Why?" The chief asked again, gaining volume in his voice. The former Outcast looked at the chief and looked as if he was contemplating his word choice. One slip up and he could seal his fate as well as the fate of his two remaining men.
"To protect my home," Alvin said roughly. Anyone who was paying attention could immediately see he regretted the way he said it. The chief stared at him a few moments before bursts of comments from the surrounding vikings. Sneering insults and death threats came from all around him, but the former chief did not give them any attention. He stared straight ahead at the man before him.
"Trying to save your damned island I see! That rat's nest is a sorry excuse for a jail cell!" one senior viking sneered. The outcast looked down for a moment, then looked back up, staring around him with eyes that were filled with such disappointment.
"I told you to protect Berk, my home," The outcast said. This made the men around him laugh hysterically at his claims. They threw out questions, wondering how the man could even consider Berk his home. How could he, of all people, choose Berk as his home? Was it a desperate attempt to gain the trust of the Berk vikings? A ploy to make ends meet and get him on top? While they all suspected it was just a way to ensure his survival, the intensity of his voice, the look of his eyes, and the way his body moved just wanted to convince them all otherwise.
"Alvin, why would you call Berk your home?" Stoick asked softly, sitting back down in his chair. The chief was definitely intrigued and visibly showed it as well. His fingers were folded amongst themselves as he gazed with a somewhat sympathetic look at the viking in front of him. Alvin could easily pick up on the condescending atmosphere radiating from the chief, but he did his best to ignore it and continue on.
"I never stopped protecting it," He said, and quickly went on before anyone could interrupt him, "I did what was necessary to keep Berk safe. If that mean't becoming the bad guy to do it, then so be it. Yes, I made a call that costed many of our vikings their lives, but do you think for a moment I don't regret it? You think I don't remember their faces every single day? How many sleepless nights I endure because I can't forgive myself? I still did what I thought was necessary and we won the battle because of it. I made the decisions you never could! When I was banished, I made a promise to the vikings I lost that I would die protecting the home I love! You don't know how many problems I've solved before they ever came your way! You don't know how many times I've saved the island without you ever even knowing there was danger!"
The vikings around him stared, wondering if they could believe him or not. In all honesty, it was a convincing story. The vikings almost felt themselves believe it as well. They wondered if Alvin had begun to believe it himself.
"Ha, and what about the hostility, the invasions, the hatred you've shown, the people you've killed?" One viking blurted out as he rose from his place, displaying his fantastic aggression towards the former Outcast. Alvin was quiet for a moment, letting the world around him sink in just for a few moments longer. He wanted the silence to last one drop longer.
"If I created a tribe that looked to hate Berk, with former Berk vikings inside it, then all of Berk's enemies would be drawn to it. They would think we'd have an advantage, think we had inside knowledge of the island and it's tactics. In turn, we would hear their plans and we would relay them back to Berk, " Alvin said, maintaining a steady pace and tone as he moved forward in what some would call a confession and others would call a story. All eyes were on him as he finished his last sentence. There was only one question that was left unanswered. Relayed to whom?
"Mildew," Stoick said softly. All eyes then turned to the chief and looked with such looks of surprise. That arrogant fool was the cause for some unfortunate events, but he was too prideful and loving of Berk to even be considered a traitor.
Hiccup stared down at the chief, eyes wide and knowing. His heart raced and his body felt hot. That's who it was. That was the familiar voice, the familiar presence he felt. It was Mildew. Mildew held him and told him it was all going to be okay. He saved him. The man who hated dragons saved him. He tried to help them escape. The sudden realization made him feel so stupid for never realizing it before. It was Mildew all along. How did he never see it?
Words of protest scattered throughout the small gathering of vikings. Soon enough, the room was full of it. Eyes were looking directly at the senior viking as he sat unmoved by the sudden turn of events. His face shone with a sign of indifference, as if he had been preparing for the day he'd been branded as a traitor. A hand slowly rose into the air, letting the voices fall and silence take their place. Stoick stood, staring out into the gathering of vikings, making eye contact with each one of them.
"I do not doubt the integrity of Mildew when it comes to protecting Berk," The chief began, "I would ask you, Mildew, to explain your side of this situation." The old viking slowly stood from his seat, using the cane of his to help his tired bones rise. He stood there with a certain elegance, one that seemed to capture the raw emotion he was exerting.
"We made an agreement, a pact, to protect Berk at all costs. We both understood that Berk was not capable of making the hard choices. It, in many was, is the light of the viking world, leading the way to a brighter future. In order to make sure that is a reality, we made sure to become the villains in some aspect. Alvin became the outcast he is, and I became the shut in who the village despises on some degree. Dragons have taken much from me, but I am not the one to be spiteful. I understand these creatures more than I ever thought possible, and I'm able to rest my weary bones, if only for a few moments. I love the dragons now, I play with them daily and I make sure they are safe along with my fellow vikings," Mildew said, never taking his eyes off the Berk chief. He seemed intent on making it clear he wasn't trying to deceive his comrades. They didn't look convinced. The man they trusted, someone they looked up too in the aspects of being a viking, betrayed them all. They felt they had one more reason to truly despise him, beyond that of his gross personality. Mildew looked about for a moment, seeing the discord woven among the men and he sighed softly. He glanced at Alvin, and back towards the chief.
"I understand if I am to be banished from the island, many of you may not believe the truth and I certainly know I would have a hard time coming to terms with it as well," the old viking said softly before a small smile spread upon his face, "Just know I would do anything to protect my home, even make it look like I hate everyone and everything. Just know I love the dragons, and Berk. If that boy were with us now, somehow listening in on our conversation, I would want him to know how much I care for him, how proud I am to be able to call him a viking of Berk, and how I never wanted to cause him grief and pain like I did. Not just for him, for all of Berk. For that, I am eternally sorry. Just know I did what I thought was necessary."
Hiccup stared from his place, glancing over to Toothless who had a face of skepticism, but one of belief as well. Hiccup couldn't put his finger on it, but he truly believed the two viking's confessions. It wasn't something you could properly label, just a natural instinct, that feeling when one knows a person is telling only the truth. It was raw emotion that filled the room when the two spoke. To Hiccup, it was the one and the only truth to it all.
Vikings rose from their seats, angered and betrayed. They pulled swords and looked at the two vikings with glares so intertwined with hate and malice that it looked as if they were spawns demons. They had hostile intent woven in their expressions and moves of a killer. Stoick rose from his chair and slammed his hammer onto the table, shattered the ancient wood that supported it.
"Enough!" the Berk chief boomed, sending shockwaves of anger and disapproval throughout the entirety of the hall. His voice seemed to reverberate off the rock walls with an intensity that increased with every echo thrown back at the vikings who stood motionless. They fell completely at the mercy of an angered god who roared with thunder. The dragons watched on, almost engulfed with a hint of fear as to what the chief would do next.
Stoick looked at the men and waited for them to return to their seats. He walked around the table, glaring at each of the vikings, thinking about different ways to punish them for such disorderly conduct, such acts of aggression towards a member of their own tribe.
"I have no choice but to believe the two vikings before us today," Stoick said, hearing several angered outcries among his men before they were quickly quieted. He looked around a few long moments, knowing fully well he would not be able to control men who did not see eye to eye with him. He would have to ask the question and hope for the best.
"Those who will support their chief in these times of struggle, step forward and join me. Those who have made a pact against their leader, please, step away from the table," Stoick said firmly. he watched as the viking slowly stood and walked. Time ticked away as the men positioned themselves. The room became hotter, darker, and each second lasted longer and longer. Finally, the verdict was clear, rather, very unclear. The two opposing sides were just about even in number. The people of Berk who would side with their chief and believe the Outcasts, and those who would turn their back on them and fight against it.
"He's a master of manipulation Stoick! Think about it, dammit! Odds are, he's lying and he'll do irreversible damage to Berk!" one viking said loudly and angrily. Stoick looked forward at them, unperturbed from his mindset. His heart was set, and that was that.
"Those who stand afar, I understand you do not believe any of the words Alvin and Mildew have given us," Stoick said firmly, "You do not believe Mildew and Alvin had good intentions, you do not believe the boy and his dragon are a danger to us all, and you do not believe the dragons from the far east are the young Ryuu's parents."
Hiccup's heart stopped. He stood rigid, unable to move. His mind reeled back to the dock and Alvin whispering into Stoick's ear. That little piece of information that would change the entire game. The world as Hiccup knew it was flipped. He no longer knew who he could trust. Here he was, believing an Outcast, the people who tortured him and put him through hell. either he believed that, or he believed that Ryuu and Tatsuo meant no harm. He knew deep inside Tatsuo wasn't right, yet he knew deep down that Alvin wasn't right. They both had warped ways of thinking and he couldn't correctly pick the lesser of the two evils.
Suddenly, it wasn't about the fate of a murderer and his traitorous cohorts, it was about the very stability of Berk, what to believe and what not, who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Who do we trust, a boy we know nothing about who brought with him destructive events, or the man who terrorized the Berk vikings and caused hell up and down the viking world? It wasn't just about picking sides or picking who was right. It was where history could diverge into two different paths.
The question was, which was the lesser of two evils?