Chapter 2! The plot thickens! As it should when you read further in a book. Well, enjoy!
Chapter Two
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Matt asked Hiccup again. It was the next morning and Matt was still a little upset that he was being sent to Outcast Island.
"Matt, please!" Hiccup replied "I told you exactly why I want you to go."
"I know…I just…gah!" Matt said in a frustrated tone "It's going to be the first time that I've even thought of going back to Outcast Island, let alone actually talking with the man who almost cut my leg off."
Hiccup again rested his hand on Matt's shoulder and said "I hope you'll be able to come to peace with him. He has changed." Catching himself, he quickly threw in "Er, well I hope he's changed. It just doesn't make sense with why he'd attack us."
"Well…makes sense from my point of view." Matt replied, walking towards Wasatch "He was probably playing you, making you think that you were allies."
"He saved both my dad and I!" Hiccup countered quickly "I still owe my life to him."
Matt didn't say anything. This was one issue that he was going to disagree with Hiccup. Double checking the straps on his bindings, he heard a few dragons land behind him. Quickly turning around, he saw Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins.
"Ready to go Matt?" Astrid asked, stepping off of Stormfly.
"What do you think?" Matt huffed, walking up to her "I'm never going to be ready for this."
Astrid didn't say anything. When Hiccup told her what was going on and what he needed her to do, she knew Matt was going to struggle with even flying towards the island.
Hiccup quickly changed the subject by saying "Alright here's the plan." Opening up a map of all the islands that were explored, Hiccup laid it on the ground and motioned everyone to gather around. "The first ship disappeared here." Hiccup said, pointing to Dragon Island on the map "Then the second one was here." He pointed at a south of Dragon Island. A good three hour flight away. "Then the third one was here." Again, he pointed to an island south of the second one.
"All away from Outcast Island." Astrid pointed out "Instead of heading east, they're going south."
"That's why I'm doubting it is Alvin" Hiccup said, looking up at Astrid "I want to know if he's had anyone leave his island or something. If there's anyone that's having an issue with him or us."
Astrid nodded and said "I'll ask to check the ships and arena. Just in case."
Nodding, Hiccup then said "Snotlout and the twins are going to come with me. We're going to fly past the island where Matt and I found the ship. Fishlegs, I want you to keep running the Academy. If any of the students ask where we all went, just say we're gone trying to map out a new race course."
Fishlegs nodded, acknowledging that Hiccup wanted to keep this a secret.
"I'm guessing your mom is going to run the village?" Matt asked, seeing that Hiccup was trying to mask the fact that they were leaving.
"And Gobber." Hiccup added "You'll be back later tonight and we'll be back tomorrow. Long enough to not be noticed."
Matt nodded and looked up at Astrid "Well…let's get this over with." Almost immediately, he was spun around. Caught off guard by the sudden twirl, Matt was happy to Heather's face right in front of his.
"Thought I'd say good-bye and tell you to be safe before you left!" Heather said with a smile "You know, since I'm sure you'll come back with a broken arm or something."
"I just might." Matt said grimly "Not too excited to go there. You know how I feel…"
"You'll be fine..." Heather assured "Hiccup wouldn't send you there if he thought there was a real threat."
Matt just looked away, still not comforted with the fact he was going.
Astrid then walked up to Hiccup who was busy folding up the map. "Well…be safe!" She said with a smile "When are we going to go explore together again?"
"I really wish it was just the two of us." Hiccup said quietly with a frown. He didn't want Matt to hear. "But I don't dare send anyone else with Matt to Outcast Island. Also, I know you'll do a better job searching the island than the twins or Snotlout."
"Why don't you send Fishlegs with me instead?" Astrid asked "Let Matt run the academy. You know he can do it!"
"If he wants to be my right hand man, then I need him to be able to go to places that he feels like he can't go to." Hiccup answered, grabbing Astrid and pulling her to him "Think about it, if he can be that person for me, then I can spend more time with you!"
"Or to ride Toothless." Astrid said with a smirk.
Smiling, Hiccup leaned forward and kissed her. "Maybe a little bit of that as well…"
Astrid smiled as Hiccup pulled away, whispering "Be careful Hiccup. If Alvin or whoever is out there, don't let them get the jump on you."
"I should be the one worried." Hiccup quickly replied "If they are behind the attacks, I'm sending you straight to their island!"
"How many times have we been there when we were at war with them?" Astrid answered "This will be no different than then."
Nodding, Hiccup whispered "Well, I guess we better get going then." Turning to the twins and Snotlout, he shouted "Saddle up! Let's get out of here!"
Astrid then walked over to Matt who was still frowning. "Well, ready or not, we better get going."
Matt only nodded. Turning towards Heather, he quickly kissed her on the forehead and then slid his helmet on. "I'll be back. At least I'm hoping I will."
Heather just gave a small smile and then turned to Astrid "Be careful! I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thanks Heather." Astrid replied "We'll be back before you know it!" With that she climbed onto Stormfly. Settling in her saddle, she quickly shouted "Stormfly up!"
"Let's get it over with Wasatch." Matt shouted flatly. Almost instantly, the two dragons launched into the air and began to head towards Outcast Island.
Hiccup and the others just watched them disappear into the horizon. Finally taking his view away from the direction they flew to, he said "Ok guys, time for us to go." Looking at Heather he smiled and added "We'll be back tomorrow. Try to stay out of trouble 'till then ok?"
Laughing, Heather quickly threw in "No promises!" Then in a serious tone, added "You better do the same then."
Smiling, Hiccup shouted as Toothless took off into the air "No promises!"
Heather stared at the rest of the gang as they flew south. Sighing, she began to walk towards the Great Hall to meet with Gothi. Just as she did so, Snatch landed on her shoulder, cooing at her. Laughing, Heather began to stroke her dragon's head "Well…I guess it's just us two for the day." Snatch just growled quietly as he let her stroke his head.
"There it is!" Astrid called out, pointing to the island that was getting larger as they flew closer to it.
Matt reluctantly acknowledged the sight of the island by only saying "That was a fast flight…"
It was still morning, with the sun just about at noon. Though Matt wanted the ordeal to end as quickly as possible, he still wanted to flight to be long enough for him to try and find some peace about going.
"Don't worry Matt!" Astrid said with a jest in her voice. Coaxing Stormfly to glide next to Wasatch, she continued to say "If they were going to hurt us they'd be shooting by now!"
"I'm not worried about getting shot at." Matt said, facing Astrid "I'm worried about get captured when we land."
"Matt!" Astrid with exhaustion in her voice "We've been at peace with them for almost 7 years! They know how to train dragons and they've had a larger fleet than us for a long time. If they wanted to mean harm to us then they would have done it a while back."
"So why did I find this in our fishing ship?" Matt said, grabbing the Outcast sword that he found "Why was this on our ship?"
"That's why we're here Matt." Astrid argued "We're going to try and find out exactly why you found that on our ship."
Matt just shook his head, unable to vent the frustration that was building up inside of him. Sliding the sword back into a temporary sheath outfitted to his straps, he took a deep breath and continued onward. The anxiousness that was in him was building, making him a little light headed. Though nothing really looked familiar, other than the desolate landscape, he couldn't help but go into a flashback of when he was almost killed here. Well, the first time he was almost killed. When he was forced to train Wasatch.
Astrid guided Stormfly to land behind a hill next to the village. Stepping off her saddle, she quickly grabbed her axe and walked behind a boulder in a crouched manner.
Matt quickly jumped off of Wasatch and followed. Leaning against the rock, Matt asked "So if you're confident they don't mean to hurt us, why are we hiding?"
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful!" Astrid whispered peering over the rock. Seeing that it was all clear, she whispered "Stay girl!"
"You too Wasatch!" Matt said, drawing the handle of his sword. Turning to Astrid, he nodded and whispered "I've got your back."
Nodding, Astrid then bolted across to a burned and downed tree. Kneeling down she beckoned Matt over. Hunched over, Matt sprinted to Astrid and kneeled next to her. Looking over the tree, Matt saw the arena. Closing his eyes, Matt tried to shut out the memory of when he spent a night here.
"All clear…I don't see anything that shows them organizing for a war…" Astrid whispered, peering over the log "I'm going to move up a little bit."
Opening his eyes, Matt then said "Ok, but stay low…I'll be right behind you."
Nodding, Astrid leapt over the log and began sneak across to another boulder that was under a massive burned tree. Matt quickly followed her, moving along the same path. Suddenly to his horror, he saw Astrid get swallowed up in a net that sprung from the ground. Hanging from the tree, she yelled out of reaction "What the!?" Looking at Matt, she then yelled "Matt! Behind you!"
Extending his blade out, Matt spun around to see three Outcasts pointing crossbows at him.
"Who do we have here?" One of them shouted.
"No one that concerns you!" Matt yelled back, backing off slowly towards where Astrid hung. If he could get near her, he could try to cut her down.
"Wait a sec…" another said, peering at Astrid laying in the net "Oi! You idiots! That's Astrid!" Almost immediately, all three Outcasts lowered their crossbows.
Matt stayed on the defense, unsure of what to do now.
One of the Outcasts quickly jogged to the tree and began to untie a rope. Slowly letting Astrid drop, he then apologized "Sorry about that! We've been having trouble with a Gronckle that's been sneaking some food!"
Stumbling out of the net and dusting herself off, Astrid quickly returned "I'm glad it was meant for a dragon and not us!"
"What are you doing clear over here?" the lead Outcast asked, stepping towards both Matt and Astrid.
"We're here to see Alvin." Astrid said, pushing on Matt's hand to lower the sword "We have a few questions for him."
Reluctantly, Matt retracted the blade of his sword. Sheathing the handle, he took a step back and let Astrid do the talking.
"Well why didn't you just fly to the Great Hall?" the Outcast continued.
"I'd rather explain that while Alvin's here." Astrid replied with a small smile "I'm really here on behalf of Hiccup."
"Very well, come with me. Your friend too." The Outcast said, ushering them to follow him. Turning to the other two Outcasts, he ordered "Tork, Hagid, set the trap up again. We don't want that Gronckle stealing more food!"
As Matt and Astrid followed the Outcast, Astrid whistled out loud. Almost immediately Stormfly flew over the hill, with Wasatch following closely behind.
"Ah….that's where they went!" The Outcast said with a smile. Walking down a well beaten path, the Outcast then introduced himself "It's an honor to meet you Astrid. My names Guntor. I've been in charge of making sure wild dragons don't bug our farmers and livestock."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Guntor." Astrid said with a smile "That must be quite a responsibility."
Nodding, Guntor said "Aye it is…but one I enjoy. I've been releasing them on other islands so that they don't have to bug us anymore."
Matt couldn't help but feel shocked when he heard this. These couldn't be the same Outcasts 6 years ago that captured him and threatened to kill him; and almost doing it. Sighing, Matt shook his head slightly at the thought that he might have to forgive Alvin. The very thought seemed to tweak his leg. Stumbling slightly, Matt quickly double checked his brace to make sure it was on.
"Wait here." Guntor said, motioning to stop "I'll get Alvin."
Stopped at the entrance of the Great Hall, Astrid asked "How are you doing?"
"I don't know…" Matt replied, looking around the village "Everything's the same but different. I'm seeing that they did change, but I'm still getting some flashbacks…and my leg seems to hurt; even with the brace."
Astrid frowned and said "Maybe the problem isn't Alvin…maybe it's you."
Matt didn't say anything. Even if it was Matt's fault, he still didn't want to forgive Alvin. "Maybe…" Matt muttered, not really acknowledging what Astrid said. At this point their dragons were right behind them. It seemed Wasatch was on edge as Matt was.
Just as quickly as Guntor went inside the door, he came back out with Alvin right behind him. Matt's body suddenly froze. There he was. The same scarred face he saw when his leg was slashed and then crashed into the ocean. There was the man who stopped Matt from being able to snowboard professionally, or to even run and walk normally. If Matt hadn't had his helmet on, everyone would have seen him turn bright red out of anger.
"Astrid!" Alvin said with wide open arms "I'm surprised that you dropped by! Welcome back to Outcast Island!" Then turning to Guntor, he added "I heard you had quite the welcoming."
"Thank you Alvin. And yes we did!" Astrid said with a smile.
"So…why did you land all the way out there?" Alvin asked with confusion on his face.
"Well, for the reason why we came here." Astrid said. Turning to Matt, she then asked "Can you get the sword?"
Not saying anything, Matt walked up to Wasatch and pulled out the Outcast sword. Handing it to Astrid, Matt again took a step back from Alvin. For some reason his blood was inexplicably boiling with anger towards Alvin.
"Thanks." Astrid said. Facing Alvin, she then explained "We found this on one of our wrecked fishing ships. We were wondering if you could help us know what's going on."
Alvin took the sword and inspected it. Angling it so that he was staring down the flat side of the blade, he then said "Who's ever this is, it's beyond repair now." Testing the sharpness of the blade by rubbing his thumb along the edge, he continued "It's definitely one of our swords. The problem is most of my ships are out sailing. On fishing trips of course, but they're not here. If it is one of my men, I have no idea who might have attacked your ship."
"Ships." Matt threw in, to which he immediately regretted bringing attention to himself.
"I see…" Alvin said, eyeing Matt "I'm afraid I don't know you…"
Matt quickly glanced at Astrid who simply shrugged, as if motioning to introduce himself. Sighing heavily, Matt slid his helmet off and stared at Alvin.
"Why do you look familiar?" Alvin whispered, eyeing Matt up and down.
"This is Matt…you've met him before." Astrid said quietly, introducing Alvin to Matt
"Where did I meet you? I can't really remember…" Alvin continued, staring at Matt
"Maybe this will help." Matt said gruffly. Climbing onto Wasatch and strapping himself in his bindings; he then stood up on Wasatch and asked with venom in his voice "Remember me now?"
"Well blow me down and call me Thor" Alvin said, staring at Matt in awe "It's the Skrill tamer! I was wondering where you went." Looking at Wasatch, he added "I guess you really did train that wild dragon."
Matt just unstrapped himself and climbed down. Standing on firm ground, he quietly explained "I had to go home after you sliced my leg." Matt could hear his heart beating wildly, as if building the pressure that he was feeling inside of him.
Alvin was about to follow up with another question, but was interrupted when Astrid asked "So do you know anyone that would have attacked us? Anyone that might have a grudge against us or you?" She was trying to pull the attention away from Matt, after seeing a vein bulge in his neck.
Shaking his head, Alvin replied "Not really. All the ships I've sent out have been fishing ships."
Looking down, Astrid then said "Well…I guess that answers our question."
"If I find out one of our ships is attacking yours, I'll make sure I'll handle it myself personally."
"Thanks Alvin…" Astrid said, still a little depressed that they didn't get any answers.
Looking over to Matt, Alvin then said "He's a little quiet isn't he?"
Astrid looked at Matt and then said "Well…he's not too happy about being here."
"Why?" Alvin asked "Because of me?"
"Yes!" Matt said angrily. That was the last straw for Matt's patience. "When you slashed my leg, my life was changed forever! I couldn't do my living and couldn't even stand up normally for a while! I still can't use it as much as I'd like to!" Breathing heavily Matt quickly turned away from him as if to continue to hide from Alvin. Though he knew that he might have blew any cooperation from Alvin and the Outcasts, Matt couldn't help it. The anger in him was more than he had ever experienced; even when he was facing Dagur after he shot Toothless down.
Alvin stared at Matt who was still fuming. Nodding, Alvin slowly said "You know…You're not the only one I've hurt in my past."
"Really." Matt replied sarcastically, not looking at Alvin "Hard to imagine…"
"Let me finish." Alvin said, raising his hand "Every single person who I affected in a great way, such as yourself, I've tried to make restitution. That included Hiccup, Stoick, and even Astrid." With that he looked at Astrid. Facing Matt again, he continued "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I do want you to know that I'm sorry and if there is any way I can make it up to you, I'll be more than happy to do it."
Matt stared at Alvin for a second. His eyes still burning, he then said "It's a little late to apologize. The damage is done; I can't ever be the same again." Turning away from Alvin, Matt climbed back on Wasatch and strapped himself in. Sliding his helmet back on, he looked at Astrid and said "I'm ready when you are."
Astrid quickly turned to Alvin and said "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry about Matt…"
"Don't worry, I totally understand why he feels that way…How bad did I hurt him?" Alvin asked, looking at Matt who was busy keeping Wasatch relaxed.
"Well…he walks with a limp. He's using a brace to help stabilize his leg." Astrid answered "It's only been tough on him since he had to come here."
Nodding, Alvin then said "I hope I can make it up to him somehow."
"Give him time." Astrid said with a small smile "He'll come around."
Alvin then extended his massive hand to Astrid and said "Tell Hiccup to come by and visit. My island really enjoyed it when we celebrated Snoggletog with your island."
"I'll be sure to pass the message!" Astrid said with a smile, letting her hand get enveloped by Alvin's "Take care Alvin, thanks for the help."
"Good luck on finding who's doing this to you. Like I said, if I find out that one of us are raiding your ships, I'll deal with them personally."
Smiling, Astrid climbed onto Stormfly and then launched into the air. Matt quickly followed, letting Wasatch leave with electricity covering his body. Heading towards Berk, Astrid turned to Matt and began to say "Well…I'm glad you didn't explode earlier."
"I don't want to talk about it." Matt said with a serious tone, looking at what was ahead of him.
"But-" Astrid began to argue.
"Astrid. I don't want to talk about it." Matt said, looking at her "I'll let you know when I want to. When I'm able to." With that, he urged Wasatch to fly past her, taking the lead.
Astrid stared at Matt and then sighed. Even though he did go to Outcast Island, it hurt him more than helped. "Oh Hiccup…I wish you sent Fishlegs with me instead." She whispered to herself as she kept on watching Matt slowly get little farther away from her.
Arriving at Berk, Matt quickly unstrapped himself from Wasatch and jumped down. Landing a little harder than usual, he stumbled slightly when his leg gave him a slight jolt of pain. Grumbling to himself, Matt began to limp towards Hiccup's house; deactivating his brace as he did so.
"Matt wait!" Astrid said, sliding off Stormfly. Running up to him, she said "I know that it wasn't the greatest experience for you, but you've got to face that eventually!"
"I'm not going to just forgive Alvin!" Matt said loudly, turning to face Astrid. Mainly due to the circumstance, his leg quickly gave him grief. Grimacing, Matt quickly shot back "He may have done things for you and Hiccup. Hell, even the entire island of Berk. I don't care." Letting the steam vent a little, he added "He hasn't done anything for me or-"
"Matt! He saved Hiccup!" Astrid cut in "I was with Hiccup when it happened! We released the Screaming Death's mother and Dagur charged us! Alvin stopped him and then the rest is history!" Breathing heavily, Astrid continued "He helped Hiccup save Stoick, he saved Snotlout as well, and he helped fight the Berserkers off the island! I don't know what more you need for him to prove to you!"
"I understand what he's done for you, but you have to remember what he did to me." Matt retorted, eyes glaring "He stopped me from being an amazing snowboarder! He kept me from being able to try new things like sports or running!"
"He captured me! He held me hostage more than a few times!" Astrid threw in angrily "Hiccup was captured as was Toothless. He almost destroyed Berk by planting a nest of Whispering Deaths under the island!" Gesturing to the island, she continued "Look Matt! We still got over it!"
"Yes you did!" Matt said angrily "But mine's different!"
"How?" Astrid asked, crossing her arms "Convince me that your case is unique."
"I live with what he did to me." Matt said simply "He damaged Berk, you repaired it. He took you hostage, you replaced that experience with a good ending and have many, many other experiences to replace that memory." Breathing heavily, he continued with a louder voice "He sliced my leg and I have to wake up EVERY morning with the knowledge that what he did to me makes my day and life harder than it needs to be. I didn't care before because I didn't have see him again; but now that I'm visiting the very island where I was maimed and conversing with the man that did it, my mind can't take it anymore."
Astrid didn't say anything. She just stared at Matt with her arms still crossed. Though Matt was right about having to live with what Alvin did to him, she knew that he was still wrong about not forgiving and moving on. Sighing, she just shook her head and said just that "Your right. You do live with it every day for every minute. But don't think you can't beat it. Hiccup goes every day with problems like yours. He wakes up knowing that Stoick died saving him. That's got to be close to what you feel."
Matt just closed his eyes at that comment. No, it wasn't close to what he felt. What Hiccup went through would probably cripple Matt more than taking another sword to the leg or a lightning bolt to the back. A lot quieter, he corrected her, saying "No…that's not a fair comparison. I guess I was just psyching myself out." Looking at Heather in the eyes, he finished with "I still can't get over what Alvin did to me, but my problem is small compared to others. Especially Hiccup."
Astrid finally smiled and said "Matt…you're dealing with a real issue; but for this case, it might be better to let go of what happened and try to start over with Alvin."
Matt just stood there and thought about it. Shaking his head, he said "No. Not yet at least. I don't think I'm ready for that…"
Nodding sadly, Astrid began to lead Stormfly towards her house. Matt also resumed walking to Hiccup's house.
"Matt! Astrid!" A panicked voice called out behind them. Turning to see who was calling them, they both saw Fishlegs running towards them.
"Hey Fishlegs! What's going on?" Astrid said, concerned with the anxious look on Fishleg's face.
Catching his breath, he began to sputter "We…we found Toothless! He flew here without Hiccup or anyone! He has a nasty cut on his side and he's over at the arena now!"
"What!?" Astrid said in shock. Matt didn't even ask; instead he pushed on his lever to re-activate the brace and began to sprint to the arena. With a renewed energy, Matt ran harder and harder. Suddenly he felt himself picked up from the air. Looking up, he saw that Wasatch had picked him up and began to fly towards the arena.
"Thanks boy…" he whispered. Returning his attention to the arena that was getting closer, he had a hundred thoughts run through his head.
Wasatch hovered by the entrance to the arena, lightly dropping Matt. Landing hard on the stone ground, Matt ignored the pain that shot up his leg. Sprinting in, he saw Toothless laying in the center of the arena surrounded by multiple students; Heather was also in the group, already kneeling down and tending to a slash that was in his side.
"How long has he been here!?" Matt asked out loud, running to the downed dragon.
"Not very long!" Gustav replied, looking at Matt with worry "We were about to leave class when he showed up."
"How bad is it?" Matt asked again, looking down at Heather who was busy patching up the cut.
"Not as bad as Fishlegs made it sound I'm sure." Heather said, not taking her eyes off the wound "He can still fly and walk."
Astrid and Fishlegs arrived at this point. The group of kids moved away as Astrid knelt down at Toothless' head and began to stroke it. "What happened!?"
Heather shook her head and answered "I don't know…Fishlegs came and got me when Toothless arrived; that was…maybe a half hour ago."
"So where's Hiccup and the rest of them!" she asked anxiously. The answer was already in her head, but she didn't want to think of it."
Matt quickly began to shoo the group of students away, saying "Alright guys, we need to be alone now. Thanks for your help with Toothless."
"Is Hiccup ok?" Gustav asked quietly, letting the rest of the students walk out of the arena.
Matt put on a small smile and said "I'm sure he is…Hiccup survived the worse of the world countless times, so I'm sure he's ok."
Nodding, Gustav turned and ran to catch up to his friends.
Letting his smile slowly fade, Matt turned to the three and added "I hope he's ok…"