Chapter Four

Part One – Master Strategist

Now that he had 'the floor', Hiccup took a moment to take in the assembled Vikings: the other Chiefs, and those who sat along the walls.
Finally, he said, "This entire war turns on the hostages these 'Kraken Lords' take … It is the source of their strength, but it's also their greatest weakness: their forces are not loyal to them." He produced a small scroll, and held it up, "I've selected twelve locations for initial battles: the first," he nodded to the Chief of The Shivering Shores, "is about eight miles south of the Shivering Shores; the others are several miles apart, to the east and west, forming a rough line. Each of you," he paused, nodding to his fellow Chiefs, "would send a force to one of these locations; augmented with a force of dragons, to provide aerial support." Hiccup paused, then, to give those listening a chance to process what he'd said so far.

The Chief of The Shivering Shores raised an eyebrow, "I agree with forming a defensive line, but why eight miles to the south? And so spread out?"

The gleam in Hiccup's eyes was one the people of Berk knew well. "With the loyalty of their forces so … 'uncertain', the Krakens will demand frequent reports from their 'recruits'; detailing their location, and activities; whenever they deploy. They'd be fools not to; and, judging by their past successes, they are not fools." Hiccup paused, to take a sip of water.
"Between the ships you send, and the dragons who'll be joining them, it'll be a simple matter to keep them at bay until their next check-in time. When they do, have a navigator make a careful note of the direction the bird flies in: those furthest to the east must angle more sharply west to reach their destination; nearing the center of their line, that angle will gradually decrease, until the bird flies straight." He smiled, knowingly. "Relay that information to me, and I can use it to pinpoint the location of the Kraken Lords' hostage- ship, or ships, as the case may be. Once I have a location, I intend to seize that ship, or ships; give the former- hostages safe- sanctuary on Berk. Once here, I will ask them to prepare letters to their wayward families: explaining that they are safe, and that I am willing to either arrange their immediate return, or extend that sanctuary until the Kraken lords have been … 'dealt with'."

Leanne, who'd joined her husband; along with Thom, Lara and Summer; gasped. Several people turned to look at her; but she seemed not to notice, "The day we arrived on Berk; you said something about Thommen being 'willing to alter his reports', since we were safe!"

Hiccup nodded, "I'll get to that in a moment." He turned to Tyrone, son of the Shivering Shores' Chief. "When I read about your encounter; several things jumped out at me, aside from the 'two banners' … I believe they launched that attack because they wanted you," he nodded to Tyrek; Tyrone's father, "to convene this council; and that they used it as a distraction to move ships around, and into our territory ... The two that visited Berk, and," he nodded at Thommen "the two that seized your family, at the very least. Through a friend, in the Scauldron population, I've arranged for him, and several dozen of his kin, to patrol neutral waters. With your consent, they're ready to extend their search into your respective territorial waters; they'll check for any… uninvited guests, and then continue on their way. Unless you see a Scauldron taking an… 'Unusual interest' in a cove or inlet, the area's clear."
He turned to where Ruff and Tuff were sitting, and called "Scauldy sends his regards!" The twins high-fived, and Ruff cried "All-right; Scauldy!"
Unanimous consent came so easily; Hiccup might have 'asked' them to keep breathing. Once the last of them had agreed, Hiccup asked an un-partnered Deadly- Nadder to relay word to the Scauldrons.

No one else made to speak, so Hiccup continued; "The Kraken Lords are using a highly- developed strategy… It is, of course, possible that they developed it slowly over time; but I felt I could not ignore the possibility that someone in their hierarchy might possess a grasp of tactics and strategy that, if you'll excuse my brief lack of modesty, rivals my own."
The silence that followed this statement went unbroken for a full minute, as the listeners tried to wrap their minds around the possibility.

Finally, Tyrone said, "If that's true, how're we supposed to…" His voice drifted to silence.

Hiccup's calm expression never wavered, "I'm not overly concerned about the possibility; at least… Not anymore."
Turning to Leanne, Thom, and Lara; Hiccup said, "No doubt Blackthorn and his men are stumbling through those woods even now; sure that the three of you had no way to get out, and that no-one knew you were there."
Turning to Thommen; he added, "And, as far as they know, the last time you saw your family was when they came and dragged them off … Surely you wouldn't dare give them anything less than the truth, while they hold your family as leverage." Hiccup's smile widened, "Or, more accurately: while they think they hold your family."

"Of course not," Thommen said, agreeably; he might have smiled, but his beard hid it. "And what, exactly, would I be telling them? Blackthorn said to leave a scroll with the details of this meeting on Berks' easternmost cliff top before sunset; they're going to send one of their over-glorified chickens to get it."

"The twelve battle locations, for a start." Hiccup looked around, at the other chiefs; and smiled, wryly. "After that: Whatever we want them to know; this is a Council of Chiefs, after all." He shrugged, "I have a few suggestions, but they're just that: suggestions." A full minute passed in silence. Then Chief Thommen blinked, nodded; produced a sheet of parchment, and began to jot down a few notes.

Tyrone was frowning, "But what if you're wrong about how these … 'kraken- lords' came up with their plan, though? … If they do have a strategist who's at your level, what's to say he won't figure it out?"

Hiccup let out a low chuckle, "Some people are gifted with strength, or skill with weapons; but my greatest weapon, has always been my mind. I learned to read people, at an early age: Learn how a person thinks, and you can discover where they are weak: if that person is an enemy, you know where to strike."
Turning to face Tyrone; he continued, "My plan is hidden behind what they expect to see, what they want to see: I designed it, specifically, to imitate the early stages of a Kraken- victory… Once they receive their report, they'll think they're winning."
Hiccup paused for a moment, to take a sip of water, and continued, "They will do what they have done so many times before, and they will expect the same result; but when the time comes, and they think their plan complete, it will fall apart before their very eyes."

It had taken Hiccup just fifteen minutes to describe his plan, to the assembled Vikings. The silence that followed went unbroken for almost six minutes.

Finally, the Chief of The Shivering Shores turned to his eldest son, and said, "If I ever start talking about attacking Berk, you grab the nearest shield, whack me over the head, and tell me to come to my senses – That's an order."
Tyrone, who looked as though someone had just whacked him over the head with a shield, merely nodded; his eyes still fixed on Hiccup.

Hiccup gave them a wry smile; "Nothing I've said is intended as a threat; merely that I did not spend the past four and a half years quietly subduing 'aggressive parties' for some self-styled 'lords' with delusions of grandeur to come trampling across the Archipelagos ... I'm just not having it."
This 'summary' cut through the momentary tension, as the listeners interpreted Hiccup's message: 'My goal is peace; don't start wars without reason, and we'll get along great.'

It took a few minutes, but the conversation soon moved on to the 'smaller details' of their deployment plan. All the while, Thommen confirmed and recorded the notes for his 'treacherous report'.

Part Two – The Dragon War; The Terrible Truth

Several hours later;

Once the official business was taken care of, Thommen turned to Hiccup, "Now that all that's taken care of, there's a question I'd be most interested in hearing answered."

Hiccup inclined his head, "By all means."

"We've been fighting dragons for three hundred years; it was just … the way it was… What started it?" Thommen's words immediately caught the attention of everyone in the hall, and the growing murmur of conversation quickly faded to silence.

Hiccup sighed, "The Three Hundred Year War; A tragedy to both sides…" He turned to Toothless, as though asking a silent question.

The black dragon, which had been curled up, behind Hiccup's chair, shifted. A moment later, the dragon spoke so all could hear, 'You begin; I'll pick up … where I did the first time.'

Hiccup nodded, and turned back to face the other Chiefs, several of them appeared surprised, by the contact. Hiccup took another drink, and a deep breath, and began to tell the story. "Ironically, all of this," he gestured around the hall, at the assembled dragons, "began during one of the night-time dragon- raids … I'd spent the weeks leading up to it working on a modified net- launcher; with what was then the usual idea in mind; shoot down a dragon, kill it, earn respect. I figured I'd get the biggest reaction by going for the most elusive prize: a Night- Fury. The launcher worked, but 'someone'," he nodded to Toothless, "bit through the rope on his end, and vanished into the night…"
He shrugged, "I knew he couldn't have gotten far, so I spent most of the following day looking for him… Around midafternoon, I saw some trees with broken branches; the first ones higher up, but getting progressively lower down, as it moved on; as though whatever had made them was losing altitude. Followed the trail, until it ended in a cove; and, there he was… still tangled up in the net. I looked him in the eye, and... a connection opened up, between the to of us; a connection he used to learn our language, and that, over time, allowed me to learn theirs."

Lara frowned, "Uh, sorry; but… when you say 'learn theirs' do you actually mean…"

Hiccup smiled, leaned back, and uttered a series of growls, and a low roar. A moment later; a Terrible Terror, carrying a water skin, landed on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup took the water skin, "Ah; thank you." The dragon trilled a reply, and flew back to his perch.
Hiccup turned back to Lara, turned his cup upside down, shrugged and said, "Needed a refill… and yes; I learned their 'native' language, and they learned ours … an exchange of knowledge, if you will."
"After that first encounter, I returned to the cove every afternoon; I'd learn a little more about dragons, and began designing an early version of a saddle, and my flight suit. A few days later, Toothless taught me how to imitate a Night- Fury call, and told me to use it if I ever needed his help… The following morning, Alvin and his Outcasts attacked. Those of us who weren't fighting took shelter in the arena, but Alvin sent a team around to seize hostages; figured it was a good time to 'call a friend'."

Toothless snorted; 'They weren't much of a challenge, but still: I hadn't had that much fun in years; I would say they screamed like four-year-old girls, but I've never actually heard any four-year-old girls screaming first-hand ... I have, however, heard shrieks of laughter, and the similarity in pitch was uncanny.' A roar of laughter, that took almost a minute to subside, greeted this comment.

"Afterwards, Toothless agreed to answer any questions my father had; his first question was 'why were the dragons raiding us for food'." Hiccup sighed. "That was when we learned the truth…"

Part Three – 'Fight With Us'

Toothless moved forward, to stand at Hiccup's side, and turned to look at Thommen; 'Since your question is similar to the one he asked, I will answer you as I did Stoick: Have you ever heard of the species of dragon known as the Red- Death?'

The silence in the hall became absolute. Thommen's eyes widened, "But … the Red- Deaths are just a legend…"

Toothless shook his head, 'Red- Deaths are very rare, thankfully, but they are real… and they are always hungry. The rest of us eat fish, and only fish, but the hunger of a Red- Death drives it to eat any food it can find… fish, sheep, she would have eaten humans if any were brought to her, and, of course, she would eat any dragon unfortunate enough to come within reach of her jaws: Red- Deaths are cannibals.' Toothless waited for a minute, to let that sink in, then continued; 'When I relayed the truth of our situation, and explained that, if freed from her influence, peace between dragons and humans could become a reality, Chief Stoick ordered his people to ready the Berk Fleet, and I agreed to lead them to her lair.'

By some unspoken signal, Hiccup continued, "Before we left Berk, I helped Astrid partner with Stormfly; Fishlegs with Meatlug, Snotlout with Hookfang, and Ruff and Tuff with Barf and Belch…" Several people frowned at the last set of names, and Hiccup shot them a look that seemed to say 'yeah, I know; right?'
"Once our preparations were complete, Toothless revealed that the nest was located on an island beyond the formation we know as 'Hellheims Gate': a structure through which only the dragons knew how to navigate. He also admitted that, on the few occasions our ships followed dragons there, they would deliberately fly over the shallow rocks, as he said, 'it was far better for those on board to run aground outside, than to meet the monster within'. He also directed us to a weaker section of cavern wall, which we were able to break through with a single volley of catapult fire… When the outer wall collapsed … there is no describing it: hundreds of dragons poured from the opening, rising into the sky; fleeing… Toothless called up to them: 'The humans know the truth now; The Death-bringer dies today!' … Many joined us, many more fled, and – for the first time in history, humans and dragons fought together."
"Eventually, the Red- Death killed enough of them that the rest fled; leaving the five we were riding. One by one, the others were forced to pull back, and it was just the two of us… The sky was dark with clouds, so we rose up, into the thick of them, for the extra cover; she followed. Toothless shot a few more plasma blasts at her wings, where a number of the other dragons had focused their attacks; he saved his last, though… We shot in front of her, so she'd see us, and than down… out of the clouds, and back towards the mountain that sheltered the nest."

Hiccup fell silent, and Toothless continued. 'As we shot downwards, Hiccup kept his attention on the Red- Death; we knew she'd breathe fire the moment she had a clear shot. When he saw her breathe her gas cloud, Hiccup gave the signal, I spun around, and launched my last plasma- bolt; it ignited the cloud, and propelled it back into her…' He snorted, 'We're only fireproof on the outside; most of us can't breathe enough gas at one time for such a technique to work; for her, though, it was another matter. She collided with the side of her mountain, and vanished in an explosion… what's left of her is still there, as far as I know.' He was silent for a moment. 'By sheer chance, her tail connected with us, knocking Hiccup out of my saddle… I caught him, and, while it wasn't my "best" landing, I got us back to the ground, while Hiccup had an "encounter" of his own.'

Toothless turned back to Hiccup, but Hiccup seemed lost in thought. The black dragon gave him a light thump on the arm, jolting Hiccup out of his reverie. "Huh? Oh, right…" He was silent for a moment, then continued, "To be honest, I barely remember getting knocked out of the saddle; everything just … turned white, like a sort of mist… Then it parted, and I saw… Him… Thor."
A current of shocked exclamations rippled through the hall, but no one disputed Hiccup's statement. Something about his expression, and his accomplishments… somehow, it seemed only natural that he would draw the attention of The Gods.
"Thor said that they, the Gods, have been monitoring our war with the dragons almost since it first began; waiting for the ones who would break the divide between our races… How, for centuries, humans have fought and killed dragons for the honour and glory; but never tried to bridge the gap … to actively seek a peace. He said that by joining forces, we had broken the divide between the races, and proven ourselves worthy to oversee the transition… Parts of the conversation were removed from my memory, because the time was not right for me to have certain information. He told me that, some day, the need for secrecy would pass, but in the meantime, I am to continue to strengthen the peace. First, that meant securing the dragons' place on Berk; now it means ensuring that the knowledge is, safely, circulated. Once we were at war; now we are meant to make peace."

Toothless considered the assembled Vikings for a moment, and then he let out a low chuckle. 'It seems appropriate, in a way… Our peace with the Vikings of Berk began when we joined forces with them, and fought our 'war' against the Red- Death,' he turned to Hiccup, 'with you…' He turned his attention to the other Chiefs, and those who accompanied them to Berk – except, that is, for Dagur and The Berserkers. 'Now it is your turn: Fight with us… Prove to us, that we can trust you.'

To Be Continued…