CHAPTER 37: Hiccup's dilemma
Hiccup thought he had firmly concluded his decision but he was in a state of dilemma over what to do.
First, it was the revelation that the only viking he left behind during his exodus from Old Berk to escape Grimmel had rose up through the well known and respected Pacifist Tribe to become the Chieftan and subsequently the dictator in the form of 'Chancellor'.
Then, it was the shocking revelation that practically shook the hall in its corners - that Drago Bludvist was still alive and his Warlords made their return known this past year alongside revealing that their bloodthirsty tyrant was alive after keeping it hidden for nine years prior, following the defeat of Grimmel.
The way it went was this, in a nutshell - Defeat of Grimmel, the dragons across the world join Toothless to go to The Hidden World, including the wild dragon that Drago supposedly bonded with on that abandoned island. As that wild dragon flew to go there at the exact same moment Hiccup said goodbye to Toothless, Drago climbed onto said wild dragon to get a ride across the archipelago, dropping off at the point where the former Warlords reconvened after Grimmel's defeat, with the wild dragon leaving for good.
After that, nine and a half years after Grimmel's defeat, the Warlords finally reconvened to the old island that Grimmel originally visited before embarking on capturing Toothless, and they had revealed that their original leader was still alive to the whole archipelago.
Grugg Hawkon had come to power as the Pacifist Tribe's Chieftan at the early part of the ninth year after the Hooligans left Berk, and about three months after he did was when the Warlords emerged and revealed Drago Bludvist, culminating in this moment right here right now - ten full years since the events of Grimmel and his defeat, it's been a year since Hawkon came to power, and quite a few months after Hawkon came to power was when the Warlords had revealed Drago to be alive still.
In effect, what this meant was when Hiccup himself had emotionally said goodbye to Toothless before flying off for The Hidden World, Drago, at that moment in time, had hitched a ride onto the wild dragon he supposedly bonded with, taking a flight across the archipelago to escape that island after being stuck there for one whole year after his and his Bewilderbeast's own defeat at the hands of Toothless. The wild dragon would fly out of instinct and a sensing that the new alpha was guiding them all from the world to The Hidden World.
None of this left Hiccup's mind - in fact, the more he thought about it the more messed up it was. At a moment of great sadness and crying, that moment the dragons had finally left them all for The Hidden World immediately after Grimmel's defeat, the man who was singlehandedly responsible for the death of his dad, Stoick, was flying in the air on a dragon that was heading for The Hidden World by instinct. Hiccup couldn't bear it.
It was an hour after that insane gathering inside the hall and Hiccup was sitting at a table in his hut, forehead firmly rested into his palms as his elbows were planted firmly on the wooden oak. He had a depressed sort of feeling. Gobber was looking after Zephyr and Nuffink whilst Astrid, Valka and Hiccup himself spoke about the situation - he didn't want his kids hearing this kind of talk about a dangerous tyrant like Drago.
Dagur was waiting outside the hut, he was told that a final decision was to be made.
"I just can't add it all up...I thought we saw the last of Drago when we defeated him at that time. It's utterly puzzling to me," Valka said, crossing her arms as she wandered aimlessly around the table, unable to contemplate anything due to the nature of the situation.
"We have our own lives on here, can we really afford to go back there and throw ourselves into the exact same situation, especially nowadays with no dragons in the world?" Astrid asked, taking a skeptical perspective on what to do.
"God it only makes me wonder what Stoick would imagine. That man got to live but Stoick never made it, and it was all because of him," Valka replied, saying all of this out of a state of guilt.
She couldn't understand why destiny meant that Stoick had to die but Drago somehow got to live and survive all the way to now. That was what made her feel guilty - she missed her husband, and she knew Hiccup missed his dad. Even more so now. Stoick led the archipelago with his morals, the Hooligans were the most morally correct tribe in existence and that was in thanks to Stoick himself.
As for Hiccup, he was recalling the moments in which Stoick had firmly warned him about Drago, five years after the vikings and dragons made peace from the defeat of the Red Death. That moment he uttered his name to his dad, 'Drago', and seeing his dad's eyes drop from a sense of fear, and then being told about the great gathering of Chieftans at the time which made up Drago's past. He really wished his dad was here now to be able to talk to him and guide him.
On top of that he also had to deal with a vengeful Grugg Hawkon who managed to, through impossible circumstances, manipulate and win over the Pacifist Tribe to become its Chieftan and subsequently dictator in the form of 'Chancellor', which geographically meant his reign of power was close to islands like Old Berk.
Being a viking dictator meant that Hiccup now potentially had Hawkon on his back. The saving grace was that New Berk was so tall and built like an asteroid it was impossible for any invading tribe to even attempt an invasion. But still, it wasn't a good feeling to think that a man who used to be a Hooligan, craving revenge on him for leaving him behind, was now in a position to enact it from becoming a dictator.
"It's not just Drago, we've got Grugg to deal with as well - and Dagur told us back there that there was going to be a clash between the two of them, Grugg and Drago that is - and because of a supposed ideology sort of thing. Something about them being sworn enemies, Hawkon seeing it much more so? does Drago even know Hawkon?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know son, but if there is to be a war of sorts, I think I'm agreeing with Astrid here when I say that life has moved on. We're thriving here, our island is built like a barrier, nobody can get up and we're protected from whatever boats viciously dance on those waves of the seas," Valka said.
"I think this is the line of agreement Hiccup. Let Drago do whatever he wants, the fact is, without dragons in the world now there's absolutely nothing that either Hawkon or Drago can do to us," Astrid added.
"But part of the rise of Hawkon was the fact that their tribe, the Pacifists, had a whole consecutive period of wild dragon attacks, obviously they were the few that never entered The Hidden World - but if bonded with something could happen. It's those wild dragon attacks that supposedly enacted a dangerous, unprecedented change of mind in the eyes of those guys, a radicalized change which led to Hawkon."
"It's been ten years, those dragons aren't gonna be the same anymore. The one dragon that Drago bonded with on that abandoned island was done at a time when the dragons were still with us...ten years on, none of the ones still remaining in 'our world' are going to be willing," Valka said.
"I just don't know, mum and Astrid, I really don't know. We've got Zephyr and Nuffink to look out for, but what if something was to happen on the archipelago?"
"It's beyond our control. Let Hawkon be petty over the fact he was beyond a lost cause back in the day. Let Drago roam about and never find us. Times are different now Hiccup, I think Stoick would've said the same thing at this point," Astrid said.
For Hiccup, as he was stuck in this dilemma, it boiled down to his children. He was a dad now, Zephyr and Nuffink were his priority alongside leading the tribe until old age. The last thing he wanted at this point in his life was yet more conflicts to deal with, and potentially one with a guy who had a personal vendetta against him.
Equally though, on a moral basis, would it be right to just leave the archipelago alone like that? under the hands of two potentially vicious tyrants? both of which have history with Hiccup? he thought long and hard about this as he stared at the wooden table.
"I...I think we should probably go and get Gobber..." Valka said, heading for the door.
"Okay...okay..." Hiccup said suddenly, tapping the table with his palms as he reached a decision.
Upon hearing her son, Valka no longer reached for the door and remained put inside the house to hear what he had to say.
"You're both right. Me and Astrid, we've got Zeph and Nuff to look after and raise...we've had a peaceful decade here. I don't want my kids to go through what we went through not just with the dragons but also with other vikings across the ocean. We're staying, and for the sake of the kids and our safety we're not getting involved in anything."
Valka patted her son on the back.
"Good decision son, how are you going to spill it all to Dagur though? he's waiting eagerly outside."
"I'll just have to be upfront with him about it. As hard as this has been to decide, the archipelago is no longer our home territory anymore. New Berk is our new home which will live through many generations of our tribe just like Berk did. That's all there is to it really."
Dagur stared into the skies as a couple of viking kids ran around in the final portions of melting snow as the green nature returned from the Snoggletog days. He could only imagine the implications of the decision Hiccup was about to make. As he did this, he heard the door of the house creek and out came Hiccup.
Dagur looked towards him and walked up to him slightly.
"Heya, we've reached a decision, a final one this time," Hiccup said, moving away from the door.
"Sure," Dagur gulped - he could tell from Hiccup's body language, tone of voice, and general vibes, that it wasn't the ideal decision that was coming up.
"Look...I've got a family, I've got a whole tribe to keep fed, as my dad would always say to me as a boy - we've thrived pretty well on here for the past ten years. I am absolutely horrified that Drago somehow survived despite his defeat with his Bewilderbeast, and I'm not saying Hawkon isn't potentially a cause for trouble. But this is where the line is drawn for us - I don't want to risk the lives of all those we love for somewhere we haven't been for the past ten years...this island here is our new home and it has been for the past decade. We will keep in contact with you all and we'll send treaties to you if we can map out our paths and your path from here to your island - but we're not going to get involved, I'm sorry."
Dagur did all he could to hide his worry by nodding and smiling.
"No no, that's fine Hiccup, that's fine..." he said, his voice trembling as he struggled to keep himself together, "I guess ultimately it's just a good thing we've managed to find you guys...we'll definitely form treaties and map out the ocean so if need be we can come back here and discuss these matters again, if that's okay?"
"No that's perfectly fine Dagur, before you leave we can map it out and then when you sail off you can finish it off."
"So I just wanted to say Hiccup...it's been an absolute pleasure catching up with you after all these years, we can ignore the past as we've done and become the closest of allies, your tribe and my tribe. You have a really good family here, the tribe looks to be doing well, and you're very much like your dad. I'm just so glad you were able to forgive me for the past."
"It's nothing, seriously - when you grow up you mature."
"Exactly. I suppose with all we've discussed, and now just so you know what's going on, I ought to return to the archipelago to let the lads know of the situation as well as Alvin and the other Chieftans. Again, thank you so much Hiccup, I'll see you again soon my friend."
Dagur and Hiccup embraced each other. Dagur could only pat Hiccup on the back like a brother, and Hiccup did the same.
"Take care of yourself, and before you go, we can draft up the map, I've got tons of paper inside that we can use," Hiccup said, stepping away from the embrace and directing Dagur to come inside the hut.
As Dagur did so, with Hiccup looking away, his face went from delight to a blank stare of worry. With the Berkians ruling themselves out of getting involved in anything that might happen on the archipelago, it wasn't good news. But at least now Hiccup and the Hooligans knew of Drago's existence and Hawkon's.