Happy New Years and a belated Happy Holidays!
Thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far. Chapter again unedited but will be soon enough.
The cocoon was a whirlwind of activity, the dragons clung to walls to stay out of the way of the rushing humans. Soldiers ran from side to side, hauling weapons and saddles, any that had a free hand stopped to press it to the center of their chest just below their throat, a sign of respect for the returning prince.
Hiccup could see a few spies, still wearing the hair styles of the capital and walking with a soldiers dignity. It had taken them half a day, since Sloan was so slow, to get there yet already so many had returned home.
He could see the joy on their faces to be home. But he didn't have time to enjoy it for himself as soon as his feet hit the ground he was going to the council room, Toothless hot on his heels. He could see his mother surrounded by other council men, they were leaning over the table and discussing something. He didn't knock.
"Hiccup we've been waiting for you!" Valka chirped as soon as he stomped in.
"Have you? Because you certainly didn't wait to make this decision, which is a huge mistake might I add."
"What are you saying?" Another council men barked.
"I went to rescue the soldiers and dragons on that island. I overheard two men talking about how Drago was buying dragons from Eret. He stole military dragons and muzzled them. The Vitikeans had the decency to capture their own dragons, and they were much laxer when it came to restraints!" He finished furiously, "why wasn't I consulted?"
"Prince were sorry but the treaty was a 'time is of the essence' type thing, we couldn't ask them to wait for you to find time to sneak away."
"Something this big isn't something I'd struggle to find time for! I was here just days ago."
"Yes," Valka cut in, using her tired mother tone, "and you had just left when our soldiers met with the envoy. You don't have any tangible proof either. Take a look at the treaty, they wrote most of it, see if that will make you feel better." Hiccup squashed his embarrassment before moving to the table to look at the treaty.
Honestly it was very moral. It promised that the war dragons would be released immediately after they won. That they wouldn't keep dragons specifically for defense, that the dragons owned would be treated fairly and that the Bewilderbeast clan would be allowed to police the treatment of dragons. It truly would be a dragon Utopia. But it was to good to be true.
"We don't know if he will keep his end of the bargain."
"We'll just have to trust him then won't we? Our spies in the Unkonst army didn't find any evidence of him being part of the dragon trafficking ring, perhaps you heard wrong?"
"But I saw too, one of the people had a soldiers uniform."
"Do you have proof of this?" A male official who had just come in accused, it was Sloan's father. Hiccup swallowed.
"No."
"Uniforms get stolen boy, or perhaps you just didn't take your job seriously? Stop wasting our time just because your smitten with a girl in the Vitikean army." Sloan must have told his father right away. A few council men raised eyebrows and turned to him.
Hiccup snapped. "Watch what you say to me! You're speaking to your prince." Beside him Toothless stiffened, almost instantly the room grew unbelievably tense. Toothless's jays parted ever so slightly and the threat became uncomfortably clear.
Sloan's father raised his hand, touching it to his chest and dipping his head. "My apologies it seems I have spoken out of turn."
"Yes, I'm also sorry for reacting so viciously." His reply was the quick trained response of a prince, yet he did mean it, beside him Toothless settled back. It wasn't like him to be so hot headed. These days everything was weighing him down and stressing him out.
With another sigh he spoke again, addressing the council as there prince, "I would like to sign the treaty as well. It may not mean anything now but humor me. The future of the clan is also mine, if this decision is bad, or good, I would like to be a part of the decision. Even if it may only be on paper."
His mother smiled, grabbing a quill and inkwell from the table and handing the treaty to him. He stood at the head of the table and the council men stood straight as he signed. He set the treaty on the smooth table, the council men stood fast with respect. He wrote his name in the eloquent writing his mother was so proud of. And as the ink dried on paper and the council clapped in a show of support, he prayed, to anyone or anything, that he had not just signed to the demise of his clan.
Hiccup lay awake in his bed. He was in his old room, Toothless was asleep above him on a shelf that had been carved into the ice.
This had been the room he had spent his childhood in. A shelf for Toothless, a bed for him, a desk to study, papers pinned to the wall, and random inventions pushed into a corner. His room was his, but it wasn't what he wanted. He missed the hard pallet bed and sloped roof above his head.
How had he managed to get so attached to them he wondered. He had gone years without getting attached to the Vitikean, well he wasn't afraid to betray them for his clan at least. But he felt horrid, lying there staring at the reflective blue ice above his head, he felt like a betrayer.
He rose from bed almost silently, Toothless woke up as he stood and crawled down to join him. Hiccup put on his boots and shuffled on pair of pants and a green shirt. He grabbed a brown jacket with a fur lining and shrugged it on.
Toothless led the way. It wasn't a mission of stealth as much as a mission of not getting spoken to. He walked like a man with a mission and didn't meet a single persons eyes. When he was in the clear he mounted Toothless, who sprinted to the exit.
They burst into the night air and zipped through the sky. He urged the NIghtfury to go faster, hoping to make to Berk and home before anyone noticed. He needed to see the kids one last time. Even if they didn't see him.
Hiccup and Toothless made it to Berk in record time, and to Hiccups delight the barracks' windows were glowing with lamplight and a lantern hung outside the door. He ushered Toothless down nearer to the shore and walked the rest of the way to the barracks. The fur lining provided a thankful protection form the ocean winds.
A single window hung open, slightly crooked on it's hinges, to let the summer breeze in. Hiccup crawled to it and crouched beside it, he could hear the quiet voices of his students, no, the students. He felt guilty for coming back to eaves drop but they had read his mail twice.
He had arrived with steller timing as only after a few minutes Astrid spoke.
"I wonder where he is?"
"He's a spy Astrid, he's probably pretending something somewhere. Not that I care tough." Snotlout muttered. So they knew. Of course they did though, dozens of elite soldiers suddenly drop out of your army it becomes a little obvious that you've been duped. The rumors of the treaty couldn't have reached here to soon after that.
"Who's going to tell Fishlegs." Astrid spoke again.
"Not me." The twins quipped, but their usual gusto was lacking.
"If he is a spy then we might have to fight him."
"We won't graduate for another year yet, we'll be able to beat him by then. He trained us after all." Astrid shot back to Snotlout.
"Haven't you heard," one twin asked?
"It's not like you to be behind." The other chimed in.
"Heard what?"
"The graduation date was moved up, the examiners are flying out tonight and testing us tomorrow. This way if the treaty is real we'll all end up fighting." Snoutlout interrupted before the twins could continue the bickering.
"Are we ready for this?"
"Sure we are," Snotlout gloated, "we had a great teach- we all did well on that rescue mission right? Come on guys don't look so glum. If your worried Astrid then you can just hide behind me."
"Who says you won't be hiding behind me." Hiccup sat there for a moment, soaking in the playful banter he had grown so accustomed to. But what they had said worried him and before long he was slinking away again. They couldn't be allowed to graduate.
Not only would it be bad for his clan and their alliance but he didn't think he could fight if he knew they were somewhere on the same battle field as him. They would be slaughtered by his clansmen who were trained to ride dragons from birth, there was a reason that his clan was such a desired alliance. He would stop this graduation, he would stop all of them.
He arrived back at the cocoon breathlessly, his mother stood at the entrance a concerned look on her face.
"Where have you been?"
"Berk," Hiccup wheezed.
"Oh my boy, what have you done now?"
"Nothing mom. Well, actually…" He explained the whole situation to her, what he had heard and what he thought they should do. She listened intently, and when he finished she smiled. "Is this something to be happy about, mom?"
"Oh surely not but, ohhh, I can't help but be so proud of my son. Look at you, embracing something you disagreed with for the sake of your people, spying on people you were close with a single day ago. Your truly an amazing prince."
"Thanks." He hadn't thought of it as spying, he had gone to see them one last time; how had he even ended up spying on them?. He had spied on them and reported home without even realising it. What had he become? A man who could betray people without a single thought towards it. He was surprised to see the blur forming on the bottom of his eyes, and to feel the warm tears slidding down his cheeks.
His mother looked alarmed, and rushed forward, pulling him to her chest comfortingly stroking his hair. "I don't know what's wrong, but relax, your home now, your safe and it's almost over. This war is almost over."
He stayed like that for a moment weeping silently, not caring of how foolish it might be for him to be crying in his mothers arm, in the entranceway no less.
He was exhausted, mentally and physically. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Had he done this to protect them or his clan. He was tired of the fighting and the killing. He was tired of looking into mirrors and not recognizing himself or worse recognizing himself only when that cold expression haunted his eyes. He wanted to fly on Toothless without strain and rush. He wanted to explore and travel with having to silently crawl around enemies. He wanted to build something other then a weapon to bring about more death and war and blood.
He wanted to go back in time, and tell the girl he thinks he loves the truth, the he likes her too. That he wants her to wait and that someday when it's all over he'll come back if she'll take him.
He stopped crying, pulling away from his mother to dry his eyes. She laughed at him, "It's been so long since I've treated you as my child. Now Toothless be a good friend and take him back to bed. Don't worry about the council, I'll fill them in and tomorrow we'll finalize our plan of attack together. I think it might be a good chance to finish it all."
Hiccup nodded wordlessly, then let Toothless led him towards his room. He clambered onto the bed then reached up and hauled himself onto the icy shelf. Toothless leapt up beside him.
The boy and his dragon slept an empty and wakeless sleep.