Hello lovely readers! I am so incredibly sorry for the late update. Really, I am. I had a lot going on in my life… my dad was in the hospital, I had finals, and a bunch of other stuff was happening. Also, school has been insane. I really am so sorry for how late this is! Sadly, this is the last chapter. If y'all want a new story, go ahead and check out the poll on my page or pm me or comment. I hope you all have enjoyed this; I know I have! To those of you who stuck with me, hiatus and all, thank you! To those of you who just found this and decided to read, thank you! Stay awesome, and enjoy!
Silence had fallen across the cave. The Outcasts had all gone out a long time ago, and Stoic was left sitting dejectedly next to Toothless. The dragon nestled into his side and stared up at Stoic forlornly with sad, green eyes. He grumbled and put his head down on Stoic's lap.
Absently, Stoic reached out and rubbed the dragon's head affectionately.
"It'll be all right, Toothless. We'll figure something out," he whispered, as if he were trying to convince himself rather than the dragon.
The villagers were starving, a week on minimal food and nearly no water was taking its toll, and tempers were strained. Stoic and a group of other villagers had organized a revolt, but it had gone horribly wrong. He and the others had lain in wait for the Outcasts who typically brought their food. The idea was they would jump them, steal their weapons, take the next round of outcasts and liberate everyone. Needless to say, it hadn't worked.
The Outcasts had yelled loudly when Stoic and the other men jumped them, bringing a tidal wave of other Outcasts crashing down upon them. The uprising was crushed, and they had all been subdued and punished. Stoic was made to watch as the other men were beaten, some killed, some turned loose in the forest. Not a finger had been lain on the once- proud chief.
Grief stricken, Stoic now sat in the dark waiting. He needed to be strong for his people, wanted to be strong for his people, but he wasn't sure how much more he could take. He lost his son, he lost his best friend, he'd lost some of his people, and now he was losing his resolve. Toothless was trying to entertain the children in the village. He'd bumble around the cave giving the tiny Vikings rides, and warming those who were cold. He still couldn't use his fire, and he hadn't been able to help Stoic in the revolt as he was supposed to protect the villagers should something happen.
However, even the happy-go-lucky dragon was starting to lose his spark. He exhaled softly as he laid his head in Stoic's lap and closed his eyes, remembering all the great times he had with his rider. Great times that were never going to come again.
The two sat in silence in the dark for what seemed like hours. It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, and it may even have been days. Time passed strangely now.
Suddenly, a great uproar came from the many outcasts outside the cave. Commands, screams, and unintelligible shouts echoed off the damp stone walls and planted hope inside each of the captives. Someone was coming to rescue them.
However, Stoic merely sat, well, stoically and stared across the cave towards the opposite wall. The shouts fell on deaf ears as he continued to stare vacantly. The villagers were beginning to stir and whisper excitedly among themselves. Their voices bounced off the cavernous walls, causing everything said to sound louder and louder until it was quite deafening as everyone became more and more excited. Still, Stoic did nothing.
Toothless stood up and began to bounce around excitedly, trying to alert everyone. Stoic did nothing. Then silence. The Outcasts stopped yelling. The stomps of running feet faded away, and there was absolute silence coming from outside the cave. The villagers whispered among themselves as they sat in the dark waiting for either rescue or death. Suspense mounted, and everyone grew more agitated the more they waited. Seconds, minutes, and hours passed and still nothing happened. The waiting game the villagers had grown accustomed to here was still very much at play.
Suddenly, a voice rang out above the din- quite literally. The voice called down from a small hole in the roof of the cave which had been the villagers only light source for the past week.
"Is anybody in there? I don't want you to miss the fun!"
With a start, Stoic shook himself out of his stupor. Looking around wildly, he found himself meeting the gaze of equally confused villagers. That had been Hiccup's voice. Hiccup was dead, and if Hiccup was dead, then who was talking?
Stoic hauled himself to his feet and growled.
"Alright, who is that? Who's there?" he said angrily, his strong Viking persona shining through.
"Oh, so you are in there. That's good. Okay, so the plan is that the twins are going to push the stone from in front of the door and you guys are all gonna run out. Snotlout, Astrid, Gobber, and Fishlegs are keeping the Outcasts busy. Don't worry about them. When you leave the cave, follow the twins back to the village. I know, following them seems stupid, but it's the only option.
"Are we all on the same page?" the voice that Stoic refused to hope was Hiccup asked.
"Who are you?" he roared.
"It doesn't matter! Do you understand the plan?" came the frustrated reply.
A chorus of 'ayes' responded to the phantom voice, and people began to mutter excitedly among themselves. However, Stoic was not yet satisfied.
"Who are ya? Where are ya?" he called out again angrily.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Wait, did you say Gobber was with ya?" Stoic growled in confusion.
However, the voice was silent.
"Hiccup? Hiccup!" Stoic yelled into the silence, forgetting that he was surrounded by his village.
Toothless pushed himself up under Stoic's hand as if to say, 'calm down'. He churred sadly and stared up at the roof where his rider's voice had just disappeared as suddenly as it had come.
"You're right. All right, everyone, I don't know what's going on, but let's be ready. It's time for these Outcasts to get off our island!" roared Stoic, stroking the dragon's enormous head affectionately.
Everyone yelled in agreement. An almost tangible apprehension settled over the villagers trapped in the cave as they lay in wait for their unknown fate. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Nervous murmurs passed through the crowd, but still they waited. Toothless flicked his tail back and forth nervously, the metal rod clanging off the stone loudly.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
They ticked by as still nothing happened. The villagers began to grow restless, moving and whispering not-so-silently as their hope turned to nervousness.
"Alright, settle down everyone, settle down. I'm sure everything is going to be-" Stoic started, but he was promptly cut off by a resounding bang that echoed through the cavern and shook the moist, moss-laden walls.
"What was that?" screeched a voice over the startled yelps of the Vikings.
"I don't know, everyone stay calm!" Stoic yelled over the din as yet another crash shook their prison.
Suddenly, an enormous crack broke the wall at the front end of the cave, the very end the Outcasts ventured through every day to deliver their daily dose of annoyance. The crack widened, and widened, blinding the sunlight deprived Vikings and creating a window to the outside world. Another bang and suddenly the window grew, another and it grew some more. As more rocks tumbled and crashed to the ground, the window stretched towards to the ground and became a door. A door that was completely Outcast free.
Everyone froze. Was this a trick? Were the Outcasts really waiting just outside, waiting to ambush them? As everyone waited apprehensively for something more to happen, two blond heads popped out from behind the stone, each grinning stupidly and accompanied by a green dragon head.
"Well c'mon everyone, what are you waiting for? An invitation?" screeched one of the heads in a distinctly female voice.
"That's stupid, we didn't make any invitations how are they supposed to know to come?" asked the second in confusion.
"I can't believe we're related sometimes," responded the girl with an eye roll.
"Well I can't believe we're related sometimes!" retaliated the boy stupidly, punching his apparent sister.
As the two began to claw at each other, fists flying, the villagers recovered from their surprise.
"Ruffnut! Tuffnut! For Thor's sake, cut it out. Do you have a plan?" Stoic cried exasperatedly, but also in relief.
The villagers rushed forward, the twins' family surging around them in a grateful reunion.
"Um, well, we need to go mmmf- get off me- we need to go- I said don't touch me! - we need to go that way!" Ruffnut managed to eek out over the wild family pushing and prodding her.
She pointed towards the woods, where a well disguised gash could be seen on a tree trunk. A trail blaze. Stoic, wasting no time, took the lead and led his now- excited and vengeful hoard of Vikings through the woods.
"This way, follow me!" Stoic exclaimed, as Ruffnut rushed to catch up with him after finally escaping her family.
"Where does this path lead?" he asked behind puffs of breath.
"To the village, with a quick stop at our camp to pick up some things," she replied with a shrug.
"But what about the Outcasts?" Stoic asked worriedly.
"I wouldn't worry about them," she said with a wicked grin.
Too nervous of the response to ask what that meant, Stoic continued along the path. His heavy boots crushed the pine needles beneath his feet as he ran, and his breath puffed out in large clouds in the freezing air. The cave, strangely, had been warm. Most likely from the sheer amount of people packed inside like animals. Now that they were outside, the chill bit them even more harshly, and no one was dressed for the temperatures.
Stoic's mind began to wander, and he began to plan for the days ahead and what supplies would need to be gathered first upon the return to the village. He planned how the villagers would stay warm, where they would stay, how they would get food, anything to distract him from the overwhelming sense of grief mixed with bitter hope hanging over him.
He knew it couldn't have been Hiccup, yet a small part of him wanted to believe that it was. It was ridiculous. He knew his boy was gone. His sweet, intelligent, brave boy.
"We're here," Tuffnut declared, coming up behind Stoic and Ruffnut.
"I was gonna say that!" Ruffnut groaned.
"Well I got to say it first," Tuffnut gloated.
"Twins!" warned Stoic lowly, "Get what you came for. Then lead us to the village."
They sauntered off to collect Thor-knows-what while Stoic surveyed the camp. The other villagers were huddled by the still smoldering fire in the center. Stoic curiously began to make his way around the camp, examining everything. He could see footprints in the dirt surrounding the fire, but one pair in particular caught his attention.
It looked to be the mark of a metal peg leg and a boot. Just as Stoic began to move forward to assure his disbelieving eyes, a Viking trampled the print, erasing it forever. Stoic sighed resignedly and continued walking, shaking his head. It was just a trick of the light and a hopeful heart. That was it. There hadn't actually been anything there.
The twins emerged from behind the fire carrying heavily laden bags. Stoic eyed them warily. Knowing the twins, it could be anything in there.
"Food for the dragons," Ruffnut explained unconvincingly.
Stoic turned a blind eye; he had bigger problems to worry about.
"Okay. Let's head to the village," he said.
Everyone began picking their way through the trees behind the twins as they raced down the mountain towards the village. Despite the excitement and relief at finally being free, an air of caution and apprehension had settled over the party as they came closer and closer to the village and the damage from the battle became more and more evident.
The stench hit them before the village even came into view. Buzzards circled overhead, and everyone tried to ignore the almost unrecognizable corpse of an outcast as they passed it. However, as the bodies became more and more frequent, more and more villagers had to stop or held a hand over their mouths. Their once glorious village was now a devastating graveyard.
In the distance, a dragon roared and Stoic froze. Suddenly confused, he whipped around.
"Toothless? Toothless!" he yelled, his eyes roaming the desolate place for the black dragon.
He had been with him when he left the cave. That was for sure. Where was he now?
Another roar echoed through the village. The people had long ago scattered to arm themselves, hide, clean, or salvage what they could. Everyone was simply relieved to be home, but this place only held misery for Stoic now. He'd lost his wife, his son, and his best friend here. There wasn't anything else. He continued to watch the skies for dragons, the ground for outcasts, and the hills for Toothless but it was to no avail. He saw nothing, and the only sign that something was happening was the chorus of roars growing steadily closer.
He braced himself for whatever was to come, but he was completely unprepared for the slew of dragons that suddenly landed in the road in front of him.
He stared them down, recognizing every single one. The riders slung off their dragon's backs and landed with thuds on the ground. Their shoes kicked up dust as they landed, and their somber faces stared at Stoic blankly.
He scanned the riders and made sure everyone was accounted for. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Gobber. Everyone was there. Everyone but Hiccup. He nodded to them and opened his mouth to talk when he froze, his mouth hanging open stupidly.
"Wait, Gobber?" he exclaimed in confusion.
The riders snickered, and Gobber shushed them with a glare.
"Hush now. Hello Stoic. Nice weather we're having here, eh?" Gobber said casually.
Stoic continued to stare at him then pulled him in roughly for a hug. He didn't say a word; he just squeezed his friend.
"I know, man, I know," Gobber said quietly.
They broke apart quickly, remembering that they were supposed to be the men in charge. Stoic stared over the riders, and he couldn't shake the wrongness of Hiccup not being there. He should be standing there with the rest of them, but he wasn't. He and Toothless together. Astrid stepped forward tentatively.
"Uh, Chief Stoic?" she said quietly.
"Yes, Astrid?" he replied, looking at the girl expectantly.
"Where's Toothless?" she asked, looking around curiously.
"I'm not sure. He disappeared after we left the cave," Stoic replied, electing not to tell them about Hiccup's voice warning them of their coming escape.
They all began to cast weary glances around the village. Avoiding his gaze. They knew something. He looked at Gobber out of the corner of his eye. The mutilated man was staring at the riders before him forlornly, and Stoic had known him too long to discredit a look like that.
"Why don't we all go inside? I'll see if there are some drinks or food and you all can tell me how you rid us of the Outcasts," Stoic invited warmly, a plan hatching in his head.
Not only did he need to make sure that his village was safe, but he also wanted to put off his search for his son's body for as long as possible. He could only hope that Toothless would show up before he had to go hunt him down as well.
The small party began to follow Stoic towards his house, which had surprisingly escaped the fight relatively unscathed. The roof was burnt and crushed in places, blackened beams jutted out into the too-blue sky at awkward angles, but the house was otherwise fine. Many of the other villagers had not been as lucky, and they could be seen darting through the village scavenging and looking for people who would open their homes for a time.
Gobber pushed open the door to the Chief's house gently, almost as if he were afraid it would fall off its hinges, and ushered everyone inside. Everyone sat quietly around the table without being told, and Stoic began to bumble about the kitchen looking for mugs and water skins. Triumphantly emerging from another room, he slapped the items on the table- an unspoken invitation for the riders to help themselves.
He lowered himself heavily into the large, oaken chair and stared down the parched teens and Gobber as they filled their mugs. Leaning back, he crossed his beefy arms and sighed as if to say 'I'm waiting'. Astrid looked up and elbowed Snotlout. She and Fishlegs exchanged worried looks over the table before an unspoken agreement seemed to be reached. Astrid would be their spokesperson.
"So how did you get rid of the Outcasts?" Stoic finally asked.
"Well it was all Hi- I mean Gobber's plan," Astrid started while Stoic raised a surprised eyebrow, "It was genius! So we used Snotlout and Fishlegs and their dragons as bait. It was actually really funny…,"
Outcasts cackled around a campfire in the early morning cold. Shadows still lurked in corners despite the rising sun, and the woods were dark and intimidating. Not a single Outcast ventured near them for fear of what might lurk within, and their wild tales of monsters told late at night certainly didn't help.
"Oi, mate, do you feel like someone's watching you?" a particularly hairy Outcast sporting an eye patch asked his equally grizzly friend.
"You're just imagining things, you dolt," replied the man, but privately he cast a wary eye out towards the trees.
Just for a moment, he thought he saw a pair of glimmering eyes staring back at him, but with a blink they were gone. With a disgruntled shiver, he turned back to the circle dismissing it as a trick of the light.
However, within the woods, just beyond the Outcasts range of sight sat two dragons, and two boys. A long, lithe red dragon with wickedly sharp fangs sticking out of its mouth and over its lip sat next to a Viking covered in muscles and arrogance. A small, dumpy dragon sat contentedly next to his tall but heavy-set Viking rider. The four lay in near silence in the dark of the trees until the sun peeked over the trees and the world began to brighten a little.
The boys suddenly exchanged glances, and with a nod, they began to run towards the Outcast camp as fast as they could. Breaking out of the trees, the two skidded to a stop and stared down the circle of Outcasts with equal parts terror and determination. All the Outcasts turned to look at them, and there was absolute silence as everyone froze and stared at one another.
Then all hell broke loose.
"Hey, stupid!" Snotlout yelled boldly before his courage failed him.
An Outcast pointed to himself in confusion, his heavy dreadlocks, with pieces of bone and shell weaved in for added affect, shaking about his head.
"No, not you, the ugly, one!" Snotlout yelled out again.
An absolutely hideous Outcast with scars riddling his entire body, one of which left his face in a permanent snarl, stood up and stared Snotlout down.
"Are you talking to me?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing and cracking his knuckles.
"No, he was talking to your mom!" Fishlegs said lamely.
Snotlout stared at Fishlegs as if he were the biggest idiot he'd ever met in his life, but the insult- if one could call it that- did the trick and suddenly the Outcasts surged forward towards the boys, led by Ugly.
"Um, Snotlout?" Fishlegs whimpered.
"Run, you fool!" Snotlout called over his shoulder as he sprinted towards the trees.
"Right behind you!" Fishlegs screamed over the roars of the Outcasts.
The boys darted through the trees dodging knives, sticks, arrows, and rocks as they ran desperately towards their dragons.
"Meatlug, come here, little lady, it's time to get going!" Fishlegs called, dodging yet another flying object hurled by the furious Outcasts behind him.
"Hookfang, get your butt over here!" Snotlout yelled, not nearly as sweetly, to his much more deadly dragon.
Both came running, their tails curling in excitement. The boys vaulted onto their dragons and took off, still dodging objects from the Outcasts the entire way. Fishlegs stared at Snotlout, his eyes wide.
"I can't believe it worked!" he exclaimed as the soared just high enough above the tree tops that the Outcasts kept following them.
"Don't speak too soon. We still need to get them to the cliff," Snotlout shouted over the wind.
The Outcasts, oblivious to their impending doom, chased after the riders angrily as the two continued to taunt them, and Hookfang and Meatlug sent down "gifts". Angry shouts from the Outcasts echoed up to them and Snotlout laughed.
"Hiccup was right! This is great!" he said excitedly.
However, at the mention of their friend the joyful mood ended.
"I hope everything is going well back there," Fishlegs said quietly.
Snotlout nodded in agreement. The four companions flew towards the cliff at the edge of Burke, steeling themselves for the fight that was about to come.
Astrid, Gobber, Hiccup, and the twins stood around the smoldering campfire. No one said a word. To say something was to acknowledge what was about to happen, and no one wanted to be the first to do it. Finally, Hiccup clapped his hands together and looked around at his friends.
"Alright, let's get going. Twins, you stay here until the sun is about that high," Hiccup said, pointing towards the sky," and good luck. Gobber, Astrid, are you guys ready?"
"As we'll ever be," Astrid replied with a half-grin.
After a few muttered 'goodbyes', Astrid, Gobber, and Hiccup took off into the woods toward the Outcast camp. With any luck, Snotlout and Fishlegs had already cleared it and this would be an easy job. Astrid's job was to give the villagers a heads up to the upcoming liberation while Gobber and Hiccup went down to the docks and unmoored the ships. The Outcasts would be trapped on the island, and after that it would be a scavenger hunt to find all the others.
Walking through the tall trees, no one said a word. An uneasy silence hung over them with a certain finality- they all knew this was the end of the line. Eventually, the time came for them to split up. They turned to face each other and say goodbye when suddenly a ragged and exhausted looking Outcast came flying out of the trees. He skidded to halt and tried to appear menacing as he stared them down, but his façade fell apart the moment he saw Hiccup.
"You- you died! You got hit by a dragon!" he stuttered out.
"Ya, ya. We already established this. Let's just skip to the part you try to kill us, shall we?" Hiccup replied snidely.
Gobber chuckled then blanched for a moment as the Outcast charged.
"I didn't think he'd actually listen to ya," he muttered in annoyance.
The three split, Astrid ending up across the clearing with Gobber and Hiccup alone. The Outcast stood between the three of them, conflicted as to who to kill first. He stood stupidly in the center of the clearing with a club raised above his head- slightly resembling a cave man.
"You guys go, I'll take care of bozo and the cave," Hiccup called, already breaking towards the Outcast.
"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed as Gobber pulled her away.
"I'll be fine, go!" he called back as they disappeared into the forest.
Gobber and Astrid took off through the trees, and the Outcast started to follow them until a rock slammed into the back of his head. He whirled around to face his assailant, who stood nervously on the fringes of the clearing, half-bent towards the ground, reaching for another pebble. Growling, he ran towards Hiccup, only to be hit in the head by a larger rock and knocked over. Groaning, he started to get up only to be pushed back into the dirt by a metal foot.
"I'm really sorry that I'm not sorry about this," Hiccup rushed out before slamming the man with a large branch.
The huge brute's head lolled to the side, and he went limp. Hiccup stood and surveyed the surrounding area; there didn't appear to be anymore outcasts. He dropped the stick, wiped his hands on his vest, and started towards the former Outcast camp. As he walked through the trees, he tried to plan what exactly it was he had to do. He had to warn them. Somehow.
Eventually, he made it to the camp, and the deserted camp fire and scattered utensils told a story of ambush and characteristic Outcast anger. Judging by the stampeded grass and muddy footprints leading into the forest, Snotlout and Fishlegs had played their part well. Moving his gaze across the camp to the sealed off cave, anger began to well up inside Hiccup.
How dare the Outcasts lock up his family and friends in there. How dare they. He stormed towards the cave before pausing. He couldn't very well just walk in; that'd be a disaster. He looked over the craggy rock face, and his eyes alighted on what could be- if he squinted- a path to the top. He decided to take the chance and scrambled up the side of the rock. On top, grass and flowers dotted it sparsely before gradually transforming back into forest. A small hole in the ground appeared to open into the cave below, and he quickly walked over and knelt beside it.
Peering inside, he saw everyone from the village- well, mostly everyone- milling about below him. His heart broke when he saw his father sitting forlorn and alone against the wall, his face expressionless. Stoic the Vast had been reduced to a meek and broken man, and that just couldn't be. Hiccup, feeling like a fool, stuck his face inside the hole. Complete darkness overtook him, and relief flooded him as he realized that no one would be able to see him.
"Is anybody in there? I don't want you to miss the fun!"he called down, an invisible grin flashing across his face as confused whispers erupted below him.
"Alright, who is that? Who's there?" came the unmistakable and furious reply from Stoic.
"Oh, so you are in there. That's good. Okay, so the plan is that the twins are going to push the stone from in front of the door and you guys are all gonna run out. Snotlout, Astrid, Gobber, and Fishlegs are keeping the Outcasts busy. Don't worry about them. When you leave the cave, follow the twins back to the village. I know, following them seems stupid, but it's the only option.
"Are we all on the same page?" he replied, electing to ignore his father; he didn't need to know he was still here- he just needed to think Hiccup was a ghost or something. That would work.
"Who are ya?" Stoic roared back angrily; Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't matter! Do you understand the plan?"
A few 'ayes' and one incredibly enthusiastic 'yes' responded. Chuckling, Hiccup stood. He could barely hear the shouts of his father echoing up from the hole, but eventually those stopped too. He walked back down the side of the hill and began to make his way towards the docks- his original destination. He hadn't gone very far when Snotlout and Fishlegs landed heavily in front of him, their dragons grumbling.
"Where's Astrid?" Fishlegs asked worriedly as he stared down at Hiccup.
"Change of plans. She's over with Gobber at the dock unmooring the boats," Hiccup explained as Snotlout hauled him up onto Hookfang.
"Shit," Snotlout hissed.
"What? What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, thoroughly lost.
Snotlout and Fishlegs remained silent for a moment as they coaxed their dragons into the sky. The wing beats and rushing wind began to stabilize as they soared high above the island towards the docks. Finally, Snotlout turned around to face Hiccup, his face tense.
"We only got about half the Outcasts. The others caught on and headed for the boats wanting to get off the island. We didn't think it was that bad until we remembered you and Gobber were down there, but now it's Astrid and Gobber down there…," Snotlout trailed off, ending his stream of consciousness.
Hiccup understood the unspoken message and nodded along. You don't have that long anyway so I wasn't really worried. Astrid has her whole life ahead of her.
They sped towards the docks, the sounds of fighting growing louder as they came closer. A quick scan of the fight showed that while Astrid and Gobber were severely outnumbered, they were holding their own. The two were backed against the mooring of a large ship, and Outcasts completely surrounded them. Stormfly had appeared at some point and was doing her best to protect her rider and Gobber, but there were just too many Outcasts. No matter how many she knocked into the harbor, they just kept coming, sopping wet, but they came nonetheless.
The riders landed on the pier, and the Outcasts scattered. The chaos that had been on the docks just moments before was now deserted. The Outcasts had completely abandoned their quest for revenge the moment the other dragons landed heavily on the pier.
"Get on!" Snotlout exclaimed, reaching a hand out towards Astrid.
The two Vikings raced over to the dragon riders and hopped onto their backs. Astrid hugged Hiccup excitedly, wrapping her lean arms around him and holding tight.
"I thought you were going to be gone! What are you still doing here?" she asked, then pulled back and punched him, "That was for leaving me."
"We still need to find Alvin, but after that I have to go," Hiccup said forlornly, watching his best friend's face crumple.
"Can we just not find Alvin and have you chill with us for a bit?" Snotlout asked, trying and failing to look like he didn't care.
Hiccup shook his head. They rode in silence for a bit, but Gobber and Fishlegs chatted away on Meatlug. Hiccup stared off into the clouds, then down at Berk, deep in thought. The grassy, green hills rolled into the dramatic cliffs that plummeted towards the sea. The forest loomed above the village, and sheep were hurriedly making their way into the village, darting in every direction and entering houses. Suddenly, Hiccup realized that those weren't sheep.
"Guys! Look!" he exclaimed, pointing excitedly towards the freed villagers who were now returning home.
"The twins did it!" Snotlout gasped, actually surprised that the two village idiots had accomplished something.
Astrid simply cheered. She stretched her arms out and threw her head back laughing, relief flooding her. All their work had paid off- the villagers were safe, and they were home. The Outcasts had left, and the only thing left to do was find Alvin.
"I have an idea," Hiccup said suddenly, turning back to the dragon riders, "I go find and get rid of Alvin, and you guys go into the village and make sure everything's okay."
"What? No! We're not leaving you," Astrid said angrily.
"It'd be better if I just took care of Alvin and went on my way. You guys should go home," Hiccup argued.
"He has a point, Astrid," Snotlout said, steering the dragon towards the village.
"Don't say that! And you can't land in the middle of the village with a dead guy on your dragon's back!" Astrid exclaimed.
"See? Dead guy. It's better to just drop me off with Alvin," Hiccup pointed out.
"No! That's not what I meant," Astrid protested.
"Yes, it is. I'm gone, Astrid. Time to let go," Hiccup said gently.
She opened her mouth to argue, but Fishlegs shouted from Meatlug, pointing towards the cave which had just become visible again as they circled the island.
"I see Alvin! He's over there," Fishlegs shouted.
Immediately, Hookfang jerked in the direction of Alvin, his wings beating furiously. Astrid was yelling angrily at Hiccup's back, but Hiccup leaned forward over Snotlout's shoulder.
"Look, I want you to fly low, but only low enough for me to jump off. Then I want you to go as high as you can. Don't look back. Don't come back. You got it?" he whispered, his voice barely carrying over the roaring wind.
Snotlout merely nodded. He didn't trust his voice as they approached what he knew was the end. He was losing a friend today, whether he liked it or not, and there wasn't much he could do about it.
As they approached the cave, Snotlout motioned Meatlug over to tell Fishlegs the plan. After a few moments of hurried speech and a few worried glances, Fishlegs and Gobber moved away, neither of them looking particularly happy. Snotlout started to descend, Alvin looking completely oblivious to the approaching danger before disappearing into the trees.
Suddenly, Hiccup threw himself off the side of the dragon, much to Astrid's surprise.
"Snotlout! Go back down! What are you doing?" she exclaimed as the dragon began to climb back into the sky.
"Astrid…," Snotlout huffed.
"Go back down! Go back down! Why are you doing this?" she screamed at him, even though she knew full well whose idea this had been and what was going on.
"Then we came here," Astrid finished, her eyes not meeting the chiefs.
She had managed to explain the whole story with no mention of Hiccup- at least she had tried. There had been a few slip ups, but the chief hadn't seemed to notice and Snotlout and Gobber always covered for her.
She chugged down the rest of her flagon of water, halting any further questions for a time. Stoic stared her down skeptically; he knew something was missing, and a question was still unanswered- where was Alvin?
Stoic opened his wide mouth, beard bristling, and asked the all-important question just as the door to the house flew open with a bang, announcing the arrival of the twins.
"Where's Alvin now?" Stoic asked, eyeing the twins warily as the stumbled clumsily into his house.
"Oh, he's with Hiccup," Ruffnut answered thoughtlessly before realizing her blunder.
"She means he's… um… passed on," Astrid tried desperately to salvage the situation as Ruffnut stared in terror at the furious Snotlout.
However the damage had already been done, and Stoic rose from the table, his eyes narrowing and his muscles flexing intimidatingly.
"That's not the first time you've said something like that. Where is my son?" he growled, ideas already forming in his mind.
"Stoic, why don't you sit down, it's been a long week. You know as well as I do that the boy's gone," Gobber urged gently, trying to coax his old friend back into the seat.
"No! I'm not senile. You all have until the count of three to tell me what's going on or so help me I will arrest the lot of you!" Stoic yelled angrily, his intense gaze searching each rider's face; he was met with silence, "One…"
"No, really, Chief, he's gone! She didn't mean it!" Snotlout exclaimed, all the while silently cursing Tuffnut.
"Two…"
"Stoic, this is madness! What are you doing? These kids saved you," Gobber attempted to reason the man, but Stoic was too far gone.
"Thr-"he didn't get to finish as Fishlegs cut him off.
"Stop! Hiccup was with us. You're right," Fishlegs whimpered, chorused by a collective defeated sigh from the others.
Stoic turned his furious gaze towards Fishlegs. He began to inch his way around the table towards the boy until the bristles of his red beard were nearly in the chubby teen's face.
"What was that?" Stoic growled, hardly daring to believe his ears.
"I said, Hiccup was with us," Fishlegs eked out, his eyes wide.
Stoic sank slowly into the seat beside Fishlegs, passing an enormous, scarred hand over his face. Finally he turned to all the riders in turn, his gaze finally landing on his best friend.
"Gobber, did you know?" he sighed, his mind still trying to comprehend what was going on- his son was alive.
"Not at first," the Viking admitted, "but after I escaped the Outcasts I ran into Astrid and Snotlout and when they brought me back to camp, there he was, right as rain."
"Where is he now?" Stoic exclaimed suddenly, sitting up straight in his chair.
"Well that's the thing now, isn't it?" Gobber replied soberly.
"You said he was with Alvin…," Stoic trailed off before standing up suddenly, "He's with Alvin! We have to get him! Help him! What were you thinking?"
Stoic began to rush out the door when he suddenly realized that he had no idea where he was going, nor how to help his son. He turned around, only to find Gobber reaching out, almost as if to stop him. Stoic looked at his friend in confusion.
"What are you doing?" he asked, staring at Gobber's outstretched hand, which was quickly retracted.
"There's more that you need to know," he said lowly.
"What? You can tell me on the way. We have to go get him," Stoic insisted, "Come along."
No one moved.
"What's wrong with the lot of you?" Stoic asked, growing worried as he noticed Astrid's heartbroken face.
"It's complicated, Stoic," Gobber tried to explain, but the chief would hear none of it.
"Astrid. Explain," he instructed, not trusting the others in the moment.
"He… he was dead, sir. He made a deal with Death so he could save the village. Today was the last day, and… he did what he needed to. We never could have done it without him, but he's going now," she rushed out, holding back tears as the words solidified what they had all already known.
"I don't understand," Stoic said, staring down the girl.
"The boy may already be gone, Stoic. There's no reason to get hurt more than you already have been. He didn't want you to know because he didn't want to hurt you," Gobber tried again to reason with the chief, but he would hear none of it.
"Is there a chance he's still here?" Stoic asked simply, a sudden swell of strength lifting up the previously brow-beaten man.
"Well, yes, I guess there is," Snotlout answered, much to everyone's surprise.
"Then I'm going to find him. Anyone coming?" Stoic called over his shoulder as he left the house.
The house was emptier faster than Trader Johann's boat on trade day.
Hiccup chased Alvin through the woods. Now that there was no one for the man to hide behind, he was fleeing as fast as he could like the coward he was. He had a large sword, but he wasn't about to use it. It was mostly for show, the man hadn't actually used it in combat for quite some time- and so he ran.
Unfortunately for Hiccup, his metal foot made running quickly difficult, and the pain in his ankle was only growing worse. He knew what that meant as other aches and pains had slowly started to return to his body- most alarming was the sharp pain growing in his neck.
Eventually, Alvin had gone as far as he could, the sheer face of a cliff stopping him in his tracks. He spun around, only to be confronted by none other than the very dragon rider he had started this whole fiasco to capture. Alvin's face drained of color as he came face to face with the boy. He raised his hands in front of him, his sword quaking feebly in his hand. His dreadlocks shook around his face as quivered, staring down the rider.
"Please, please, your village is safe. Just let me leave. Leave me be," he whined, his eyes wide as he stared down Hiccup.
He retreated until his back was pressed up against the cliff's face, his breathing coming raggedly.
"Spirit! Spirit be gone! Back to Valhalla with you!" he screeched, his voice rising to an astonishing pitch.
"Sorry, but I'm not quite finished here yet," Hiccup said with a vicious grin, stepping towards the Outcast leader.
"No, please, I'll leave! I'll leave!" he screamed, sweat beading his brow as he cowered in fear.
The "ghost" paused for a moment, considering the man's offer. Hiccup never wanted to kill another man. That was something he had never wished to do, no matter how horrible he was. Hiccup had always believed there was another option. Finally, he eyed the crazed Outcast leader.
"If I let you live, do you promise to leave and never return?" Hiccup mused, and Alvin shivered as he felt the piercing green eyes stare at his very soul.
"Yes, yes of course!" he sighed, relief flooding his adrenaline charged body.
"Do you swear, by threat of death and damnation from Thor himself that you will not come back?" Hiccup urged, needing a more binding oath.
"Yes!" the pitiful creature before him screeched.
"Then get out of here," Hiccup instructed, stepping aside and gesturing towards the forest.
"What?" Alvin asked in confusion.
"Leave now. Unless you'd rather join me in the afterlife," Hiccup added menacingly.
The Outcast took off into the darkness without a word. Hiccup stared resolutely after him until he was out of sight then sank to the ground, his back against the cliff's wall for support. He was exhausted. Everything hurt, his neck especially and it was growing worse with every passing minute. It was also becoming harder and harder to move. He shut his eyes for a moment and pushed his head back. It couldn't have been for more than a few moments, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was setting.
He stood up, and found that he could now move relatively easily. Confused, he looked back down where he had been sitting, only to find that he was still there. So here it was- he was gone.
He sighed, and began to pace the small gorge-like area he had found himself in. He turned and stared up the cliff and noticed the large trees hanging precariously on the edge, their tangled roots sticking off the edge at weird angles. There was a kind of beauty to the mess. A feeling of strength, age, and timelessness. He turned back around to look out into the forest only to find himself face to face with the cloaked figure who had become far too familiar.
"Can ya give a guy a warning?" he exclaimed, jumping backwards.
The figure chuckled, a deep, throaty laugh that rustled the seemingly intangible dark fabric of his hood.
"I guess it's 'my time' and all that mess, right?" Hiccup said with a sheepish smile.
"Something like that. Though if I had to judge, I would say I am a bit late," he croaked in his ancient, dusty voice and gesturing towards Hiccup's limp body, "I'm sorry for the delay."
"Oh, no problem. I was just looking around," Hiccup replied awkwardly; how exactly does one carry on a conversation with Death?
"I trust you finished your task?" Death asked, seemingly curious.
"Yes, I did. My village is safe," he assured the figure.
"It's a beautiful sunset tonight," Death remarked, staring up at the sky that had been dyed pink and orange by the setting sun.
"Yes," Hiccup agreed, not sure how to reply.
"So what do you think waits for you on the Other Side?" he asked, still staring at the sky; he waved a hand and a black cloud suddenly began to drift lazily across the otherwise clear sky.
"I'm not sure. My mother, I guess," Hiccup explained; he hadn't given the subject much thought.
"Well, then I guess we shouldn't keep her waiting, should we?" Death said finally, turning away from the sky and towards the cliff.
He walked- no glided- over the green grass, leaving brittle, dead stalks in his wake. As he approached the face, he raised his staff and knocked it three times against the weathered stone- each time with a resounding, echoing bang. A small, pinprick of light appeared at the point of impact, then swirled outwards, tendrils of light expanding, twirling, and stretching. Within a few moments, a wall of bright light occupied a part of the face roughly the size and shape of a door.
Death turned and stretched a skeletal hand out to Hiccup.
"Well, are you coming, boy?" he intoned, his figure still shaded despite the nearly blinding light.
"Yes, just a moment," Hiccup said, turning to look one last time at his home.
Fighting the tears that threatened to fall, Hiccup thought of all the good times he had here. How many times had he run through these woods as a child? How many times had he ridden his dragon, his best friend, over this island? He thought of his countless days surrounded by friends he considered more as family at the dragon training academy, and the innumerable adventures they had been on- and the impossible amount of trouble they had managed to get into. He smiled a bittersweet goodbye to his home and turned away.
He met Death in the door, their figures silhouetted against the light, and as he turned to face forever he heard one last word carried through the light as if on a breeze. A voice so familiar, a voice he had known since he was a child, and a voice he would never hear again, the voice of his father.
"…Hiccup?"