XLIV.
He held his three remaining possessions in his hand: a book, a shield, and a small children's toy.
On the top of the nearest mountain peak which overlooked Berk's sorry dereliction, Hiccup leaned up against Toothless' back and rested from his recent harrowing confrontation. The Night Fury napped beneath him. Hiccup could feel each slow inhale and exhale Toothless took, a comforting pattern reminding him of his best friend's constant presence. Well, constant now that Toothless had broken free from the Vigilante's hold. It seemed both novel and familiar to feel him there. The glowing blue lines amongst Toothless' dorsal fins had faded since his fight ended, and now Toothless consisted of nothing more than a lazy black rock curled up on the ground.
Hiccup wished he were sleeping, too, yet while he felt more than a little physically exhausted, his mind could not yet rest. Thoughts wrestled him with great vigor, and he needed to clear those before he could even think of retiring. He thus shuffled the three items in his lap, picking them up and examining each one in turn.
The book he held contained his own handwriting along with many a sketch of every dragon which lived on every island within a week's ride of Berk. The Book of Dragons he and Fishlegs had been updating, inscribing, and expanding for almost five years now smelled of old parchment and memories. Good memories. Happy ones. Flipping through the pages, Hiccup nodded fondly at every drawing, every note scribbled on the page. Descriptions of Scauldrons, Changewings, Stealth Dragons, Hobblegrunts, Gronckles, Golphins, Winterfleshers, Razorwings, Timberjacks, and Terrible Terrors.
Sometimes he paused his idle flipping to intently scrutinize a particular dragon. The first creature upon which he paused was the Rumblehorn, the species of Stoick's personal dragon, Skullcrusher. The next upon which Hiccup gazed was the Deadly Nadder. I hope Astrid's alright, he thought, glancing over the ruins of Berk. Some sensation in his gut informed him of her safety.
She's always been able to handle herself. Better than I've ever taken care of myself, that's for sure.
Something twitched at the edge of Hiccup's lips.
The sketch of a Night Fury and all Hiccup's written observations regarding Toothless engrossed him next. I'll have to add more chapters now, he thought, and glanced back at his sleeping dragon. "You never cease to amaze me, bud," he murmured, despite the fact the Night Fury could not currently hear him. Hiccup would have to express all his heartfelt love a later time – more than he already had, at least, after the Vigilante retreated. He already had collapsed upon Toothless in a grateful embrace, tears falling in the warm thankfulness that something recent in his life had gone right.
He had his best friend. And Hiccup turned one more page, and came upon a blank sheet, one that would be filled in the coming days.
Days which would be better than the last ones had been.
He certainly could feel something budding on his cheeks. Muscles pulled upward.
Hiccup placed the Book of Dragons reverently aside and turned his eyes to what else lay in his cross-legged lap.
The second item he pulled up into his hand, the wooden shield, depicted a portrait painted four years ago. Right in the center of the circular boards, a short, scrawny, one-legged boy grinned beside a regal, red-bearded father. It was the only picture ever painted of himself and Stoick.
That had been a good day, one in which Stoick expressed the great pride he felt toward his offspring.
Hiccup's lips smiled.
May I live in such a way that you'd be proud of me today.
Thank you, Dad, thank you, for all that you showed me.
The bravery of a chief. The ability to stand strong. To fight, to serve, to live another day, to watch another dawn rise up, to make each day upon which that dawn rose better than the last.
And now the Vigilante had retreated back to her mountain. The fight had not yet ended, as the gentle throb on Hiccup's right brow reminded him, but this last encounter had shown that the war could be won and peace return to the islands around him. Maybe even Drago would return, if he dared. Yet no more could that worry Hiccup. Not now, resting beside Toothless.
For there was a reason to celebrate, and a reason to believe Hiccup could win.
Suddenly, the maze of ice shards stabbing Berk's shattered buildings no more appeared so aggressive. There was a beauty, in a way, in how those aqua blue-green crystals glittered underneath the sun. Not everything was broken. Not everything would be broken. That ice could melt and be cleared away. The Hairy Hooligans – wherever they were – could return home.
His smile broadened.
The last object in Hiccup's lap was a poorly-sewn toy, something meant to be a dragon, but which over the years had become worn down enough to barely even be recognizably quadrupedal. The name hand-stitched in tan thread on the dragon's side, however, could still be read upon close examination. Then again, the young Viking needed not inspect the lettering closely to know what it read. The word was familiar to him: Hiccup. His name. A gift from a loving mother to her infant boy.
And as Toothless stirred beneath him, Hiccup mumbled thoughtfully to his friend, "You know, I guess I kinda like the idea of having a mom."
Though groggy from his recent sleep, the Night Fury let out a curious burble, one most clearly puzzled by Hiccup's latest comment.
"Yes," Hiccup chuckled, nuzzling the Night Fury nose-to-nose, "even if she's completely nuts and we're much better off apart." He glanced down at the toy still clutched in his left hand, nodded nostalgically, and remarked, "There's something in everybody worth saving. Her passion for saving dragons, extreme and misguided as it might be, is still admirable in its own way. And that's the part I'll choose to remember."
He stood up and placed Toothless in his full attention. "Well, are you awake enough to go flying, bud?" he inquired.
As a response, Toothless leaned in and with a gleeful chirrup covered Hiccup head-to-toe in an enormous, slobbering pink tongue. Groaning and laughing, Hiccup exclaimed, "Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!"
And it came to him, all at once: he was laughing. A true, carefree laugh. He pulled the dragon in close, still sticky with slobber, and cradled Toothless warmly, continuing to laugh from the sheer amazement he could do so.
"Let's go, bud!" he exclaimed, and the two flew toward the horizon. "Let's see what we can find."
The ocean spanned beyond them, infinitely, infinitely. It glittered brightly beneath the sun. Hiccup leaned in, urged Toothless faster, and the two of them skimmed the tops of the waves, then hurled up to the clouds, divebombed, twisted, twirled, rushed onward, onward, to the world beyond them.
For the two of them found nothing more exhilarating than flying. Here in the skies, they were free.
And so were dragons, many dragons. Thunderdrums splashing in the sea. Scauldrons ghosting deep below the ocean surface. Changewings coasting in the winds above.
Inspired by the creatures soaring in the highest clouds, Hiccup gently urged Toothless toward Dragon Island, suggesting to his friend, "That wouldn't be such a bad place to visit now, would it?" and the dragon barked agreement. Ocean scudded past beneath them eternally, at least until a dot of green appeared upon the horizon. That dot grew into a mound of foliage and rock. Into beaches and harbors and individuals trees. And… the sails of familiar ships resting inside a protected cove, bobbing up and down smooth waters beside a new-growing settlement.
The Hairy Hooligans had found themselves a safe haven even while the Vigilante had rained down ice on Berkian shores.
Fishlegs. Spitelout. Gothi. Gobber. Gustav. Brenda. Freda. Glugga. Phlegma. Ack. Mulch. Snotlout. The twins. Astrid. They were all alive, all safe, all well.
And all would be well, in the end.
THE END OF THE VIGILANTE'S WAR
I would like to profusely, wholeheartedly thank all of you for your follows, favorites, reviews, reactions, or silent internet lurkings as you've read through this fic. It means a whole lot to me - more than I really could express! Your feedback has warmed me and been fully appreiated, and I hope that this has been something at least somewhat worthwhile to read in return.
If you enjoyed "The Vigilante's War," I highly encourage you to follow and read my in-progress sequel, "The Vigilante's Legacy," which I have already begun posting at www fanfiction net / s/10827557/1/The-Vigilante-s-Legacy (without those spaces and with the proper periods between the "www", "fanfiction", and "net"... sorry... this website reformats links horrifically). It will be the final ending of my Alternate Universe in which Valka is Hiccup's antagonist. The link is here! Go check it out!