Sorry it took so long to update! Attempting to put together both sections took a lot longer than I expected. Please take any update time estimates with a grain of salt. Anyway, I am so excited about this chapter but I'll tell you why at the end.

Chapter Eight: Legacy

Adrianna had never been on a longer flight in her life. At first she enjoyed watching the endless expanse of icy water below her and the little spits of land that came into view. She would try to find shapes in the tiny islands as they zipped by and this activity kept her entertained for a short while. But, inevitably, boredom set in and she slumped on her dragon as the sun set. She was asleep within minutes.

Darkness enveloped the duo as they flew. Hiccup was feeling quite apprehensive about returning to the island of the Bog Burglars. True, he and Camicazi had gotten along pretty well last time they'd seen each other (which, as he kept reminding himself, was the day before yesterday) but they were such new allies and this seemed to come out of nowhere. Life could sometimes throw misfortune at them at the worst of times.

Finally, the lights of the Bog Burglars' village came into view. Hiccup leaned over and shook Adrianna away. It was definitely a good idea he'd thought to do that before they touched down. Because within seconds of Adrianna's awakening, dozens of flaming arrows flew through the air and came uncomfortably close to the dragon riders. Toothless and Lily barely avoided them and Hiccup immediately whipped out his shield. Adrianna grabbed hers too and blocked the incoming arrows from piercing her skin.

"CAMICAZI!" Hiccup bellowed as loudly as he could.

"YOU MAY HAVE WEAKENED US THIS TIME BUT YOU CAN'T KEEP A BOG BURGLAR DOWN!" came Camicazi's loud voice from the shore.

"I'M NOT ATTACKING!" Hiccup shouted. "IT'S HICCUP! I BROUGHT YOUR EELS!"

The arrows immediately ceased. Hiccup took this as a good sign that Camicazi had heard him and was going to give him a chance to explain himself.

Unfortunately, he was only half right. The moment he and Adrianna landed, Camicazi charged at him.

"You better not have brought in your battalion to attack us while we're sick!" she snarled.

"If I had, wouldn't you see it coming? You saw us." Hiccup rolled his eyes.

Camicazi looked up as if expecting to see a swarm of dragons approaching the island. When she was satisfied that the sky was clear, she turned back to Hiccup.

"Well then let me have our eels." she held out a hand. "Eels for the cure, as promised."

Hiccup reached into his bag and pulled out three of the slimy, smelly aquatic creatures. He placed them in the Bog Burglar chief's hand.

"Oh yes, these will do quite nicely." she said cheerfully. "You did a pretty good job. For a man, of course."

"Well it wasn't all me." Hiccup jerked his head toward Adrianna, who had been watching this exchange with a slightly open mouth.

"Ooh, a girl, I didn't think you were going to bring one of those what with your all male fleet last time." Camicazi came uncomfortably close to inspect the Haddock girl. "Oh, she must be your daughter. Yes, she has to be because she looks exactly like you except for the hair. And the nose, thankfully. You have a really big nose."

"Gee thanks." Hiccup mumbled. "Yes, this is Adrianna."

"I can see why you said she takes after you. She's every bit as shy." the Bog Burglar chief held out a hand. "Camicazi the Crazy, chief of the Bog Burglars. It's a shame we didn't meet under better circumstances but I'm glad we met anyway!"

Adrianna shook the surprisingly callused hand. "Uhh... yeah, me too."

"And as polite as you too. Doesn't look a thing like her brother though." Camicazi helped Adrianna off her dragon and looked down at her for a few seconds. "Smaller too. It's better to be small. You're much more stealthy that way."

Hiccup was taken rather aback by the idea that any of the Bog Burglars even knew what the word stealthy meant in the first place. They were so very loud and raucous that any enemies would hear them coming from a mile away.

"So I have to get you the cure now, right. Actually, we've been using so many ingredients that we're running out and a chief protects her own, you know? But I think we can spare a few. You'll have to find the rest yourselves but the healer made you some really detailed instructions so you shouldn't have too difficult a time finding them." Camicazi beckoned for them to follow her. "And you two should take it as well because you don't want to be getting sick on your quest."

Both Hiccup and Adrianna were surprised that Camicazi had thought of this. Perhaps there was more to her than the crazy warrior on the outside.

Once they arrived at their destination, the healer immediately grabbed their jaws and inspected their mouths. She tutted at Hiccup as she accepted the eels and added them to the mixture she was constantly stirring.

"He's got it. Early signs anyway. If he takes the cure now, he probably won't even feel the effects." she said in a very businesslike tone as she scooped a thick spoonful of something that looked and smelled disgusting. "Open wide!" she added before shoving the spoon into Hiccup's mouth.

Hiccup choked and swallowed it as fast as he could. Still shuddering, he felt like apologizing to Adrianna when the healer did the same to her. The girl nearly vomited right there but she forced it down and managed to keep it that way.

"Here's all you need." the healer said after the two Hooligans finally composed themselves. She shoved a few containers of ingredients and a bit of parchment into Hiccup's hand. "I was as detailed as I could."

"Thank you." Hiccup sighed. "I'd leave now but we've been out all day. It's probably best that we turn in for the night."

"That you should." Camicazi agreed. "You can stay in the same place as before."

"Okay." Hiccup nodded. "I really appreciate all you're doing for us."

"Well this means I'm allowed to call upon you for a favor someday. Not that I'll need one, of course. But if I ever did." Camicazi punched Hiccup's shoulder. "Now off to bed!"

As Hiccup and Adrianna walked to the house side by side, the girl tugged the parchment out of her father's hand and read it aloud.

"We're going to need a long, silver fish. Says here they're easiest to find on Outcast Island." she said clearly. "And there are some berries that can be found anywhere but... oh."

"Oh... what?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"But they're all over an island called... Maero."

Hiccup's stomach clenched at the word. "We'll just have to go then." he said through gritted teeth. "Get this over with."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Hiccup sighed deeply and put a hand to his head. "Go on."

"A few more things we can pick up on the way back because they're all on Healer's Island. And..." her eyes widened. "And... well that's it. Nothing else." she said very quickly.

Hiccup was too tired to find this behavior alarming so he continued to walk silently. Adrianna's eyes were fixed on the final, thankfully optional, ingredient. One powerful enough to heal anyone at any stage but almost impossible to find. She felt a prickle of fear at the words in front of her. The only time she had seen it used... no. She wasn't going to think about that. Besides, it was optional anyway.

"Don't think about it." she whispered to herself. "Just don't."

And so, as she rolled up the paper and put it in her satchel, she pushed the thought from her mind.

Finn had always been told two things: he had his grandfather's strength and build. Never before had he found these things to be so necessary, important, and convenient.

Lifting boxes full of medicine and things for Mara to the Great Hall, carrying barrels of water and strong mead for the sick, building stretchers and fixing carts with Gobber to then lift people and carry them up the Great Hall stairs to Mara, and much, much more work still had yet to be done. He was ever thankful for his endurance and proclivity for sweat-inducing hard work.

Not two hours after his father and sister had left Berk, the Great Hall had begun to fill with the sick. Mara finally cracked and instructed anyone not yet infected to tie a cloth over their mouth and nose, especially Astrid and Finn. She didn't want either falling ill, but due to the stubbornness of both Haddocks (and the boy following in his mother's particularly stubborn footsteps), they rarely wore the cloths.

It was late evening when Finn was helping Gobber, Spitelout and a few other men carry an elderly woman on a stretcher into the Hall. Mara noticed from the back of the Hall and she met them at the first fire pit at a brisk pace and tight, yet calm expression.

"Hello Gerda," the healer greeted the woman lightly, instantly checking her throat. She nodded to the men and directed them to the back corner of the room where she was keeping the elderly. Mara gave Finn a stern glance for not wearing his cloth (again) and shooed him away.

Finn licked his lips as he weaved his way back toward the door. He surveyed the village, his people lying on beds and makeshift mats throughout the room. Young and old, it didn't matter. Coughing rang throughout the room as did the occasional cry of pain. He frowned at the sight of Taryn's parents talking quietly to her as she lay on her mat on the left side of the wall, just below the shields of the Haddock heritage.

The shield of his father and grandfather caught his eye, and Finn found himself walking toward it with slow steps. Staring up at it, he was suddenly hit with the realization that his father hadn't been much older then than he was now. And he'd done so many things by that age.

Finn knew all the stories of the young, snarky, inventive boy turned legend within a short amount of time. He had most them memorized and could probably retell them all as if he'd been there himself. But up til now, that's all they'd ever been. Stories.

And now, standing in the middle of a village crisis with so much work to do and no legend father to guide him through it, Finn couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. He had his mother for sure and he was confident he could keep up with her and do what she asked and needed of him. But he wasn't his father.

At the age of fifteen, Hiccup had defied all tradition and sacrificed all ties to friends and family for what was basically a Viking's worst enemy; he'd pulled out all the stops and sacrificed his own life for a boar-headed, stubborn Viking clan that basically despised him and thought him a traitor; he fought and defeated a dragon the size of an island alongside his best friend and wound up losing half his leg over it.

After the Viking and dragon union, his father and Toothless had been known for their adventures and training dragons and discovering and traveling. His father was adventurous and curious and strong. Not like any other Viking on the island, but strong mentally. Finn never fully realized just how strong his father was. He didn't have the build, but he had the heart.

His father was a great, accomplished man. How did he honestly expect to assist in keeping the village together when his father had done so much more?

Blinking out of his train of thought, Finn realized he was staring hard at the image of his father holding a rolled up scroll and wearing a helmet on his head. When he glanced at the image of his grandfather, he could see the similarities for sure. Those were obvious. But it was hard to really see what similarities he had with his father. He had to be like him in some ways, didn't he?

A soft hand on his shoulder made him jump, but he instantly relaxed when he saw Benen come to stand beside him. His friend smiled wide at the image before him and nodded his head toward it. "I wish I could've had the opportunity to meet him."

Finn smiled softly. "He was a great man." He paused, his eyes roving to his father's painting again. "They both are."

Benen faced with a look of concern. "Are you alright? You seem awfully fascinated with your father lately."

"I don't know…" Finn shrugged. Benen waited patiently. "I'm okay, I guess I just… keep having these sudden realizations at just how much he's done… and how great he really is. I mean… you have a father who's literally a legend; people know his name from legions away. And to you, the man who's raising you is just your dad. Sure he's cool and he's weird and quirky and can chatter off a string of pointless information like a squirrel, but heck, he's still your dad." Finn cracked a smile at Benen's laugh for the truthful comment, but he quickly continued, "I just… I always wanted to be just like my grandfather. And I still do. But the more I really realize just how much my dad does… has done… It kind of makes me wonder how I'll turn out."

"You'll do wonderfully."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Please Benen, don't flatter me, my dad has done greater things in a span of a month than I have ever done in my entire life. How am I supposed to top that?"

"Who says that you're supposed to?" Benen asked quizzically.

Finn paused. "I…"

"I think," Benen began carefully. "That your father did what he did because he saw a problem that needed to be fixed. He shot down that dragon, as you well know, and try as he might, he just couldn't kill it. He saw the damage that he'd done and saw that everything he wanted in his desire to fit in with the others, it just didn't matter. It wasn't him. He'd have to find his own way of making a difference because doing things the Viking way was just not working for him."

Finn nodded in agreement. "And that's when he just couldn't leave well enough alone."

"Right," Benen chuckled. "No, that little troublemaker had to keep playing with the fire. And he ended up catching the whole woods on fire."

Finn crossed his arms with a slight eye roll. "Yes, but the forest re-grew into a harvest much more plentiful than before I'd say."

Benen chuckled. "Is that such a bad thing that he is basically the founder of a better world? What's so bad about that?"

"Nothing, I just…" Finn shook his head, blowing air past his lips in frustration. "I'm not saying that I have to do something better than he did but…" He shook his head. "Everyone's expecting me to."

Benen gave a soft "hmph" in agreement. "Well, you know what I think?" Benen turned Finn to see him face to face. He smiled when he remembered the boy was a good inch or two taller than him. "I think your father has begun a great legacy, one that will last for generations. And only a son with the strength and leadership of Stoick the Vast could keep that legacy intact to pass on to a third generation."

Finn brightened. "You think so?"

"I never lie." Benen grinned and squeezed Finn's shoulder. "Don't stress yourself out. Your time too will come. And you too will do great things. But only by preparing today will you be ready for that day."

Finn nodded with a wide grin. "Thanks, Benen."

"Don't thank m-"

A woman's sharp peal of pain sounded from the other side of the Hall. Benen and Finn jerked at the sound as the eyes of many searched for the woman. Finn saw Mara running across the Hall from the back toward the front and his stomach dropped when he heard Tuffnut call for her anxiously.

"Svala…" Finn broke into a run across the Hall, weaving around tables and mats. Just as he got to the vicinity of Svala's mat, she cried out with a second scream, stronger this time. Benen grabbed Finn from behind and dragged him backwards away from the scene.

"No, no, no, Finn, that's not your job. Stay back, son."

"But Benen, she's in pain, look at her!" Finn twisted, trying to get free.

"And do you know anything about this? What can you do, Finn?" Benen gently asked, struggling to hold the teenager in his arms.

Finn finally stopped struggling at his words and stood nearby as Mara and a few other women hurried around Svala, who was clutching her stomach and crying. Tuffnut held her in his lap, trying to soothe her and get answers from the healer but to no avail. Her pretty face contorted into a look of pure agony as she arched off the mat, a strong scream belting from her throat that bounced off the walls of the Great Hall.

Finn gasped at the scene, stepping backwards and nearly knocking a bench onto its side. Astrid ran into the fray a moment later and shared a few quick words with Mara. Finn saw her face go white and that's when she saw him and Benen standing there, and her eyes widened.

She stood and ran over to him, pulling him to the door. "Finn, honey, you have to go."

"What? Why-"

"Why? Because I asked you to, that's why!" Astrid snapped and Finn flinched with a pained look on his face. Astrid closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped."

Finn glanced over her shoulder when Svala cried out again. "What's wrong with her?"

Astrid shared a long look with Benen before facing her son. "It's the baby."

Finn gasped and shook his head. He struggled with words for a minute as he watched Tuffnut trying to calm his wife down. "Will… will it be okay? Will she be okay?"

Astrid swallowed thickly and shook her head. "I don't know, little man. I don't know."

Determination welled up in his chest and he stared at her hard. "What do you want me to do?"

Astrid nodded toward Benen again as she replied, "I want you to go to Benen's and get some rest. You're going to need it for tomorrow."

"No, I meant for Sv-"

"I know fully what you meant, Finn, and I want you to go with Benen." Finn frowned at her, looking so much like his father at that moment that she had to give him a small smile. Astrid stepped closer and gave him a short hug. "Childbirth is no place for a young man, whether its good or bad. You'll have a wife one day where it's your business to be present. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Mom, it has nothing to do with that, I couldn't care less about becoming a parent at the moment."

Astrid smiled and brushed his bangs off his forehead. "Perhaps not. One day you'll understand." She nodded toward Benen and trotted back toward Svala and the party of people trying to help her. Benen grasped Finn's arm and pulled him toward the door, the young man's eyes glued to the scene.

It was only when Benen caught sight of the blood at the edge of Svala's mat that he forcefully grabbed Finn by the shirt and dragged him to the doors.

Fire crackled in the hearth. Benen's small dagger dragged down the wood he was carving with a soft "creak" noise. He made it look so easy, shaving wood off a block to create an image. He'd taken up wood carving as a little hobby after he'd been freed. It was relaxing after a long day of stress or if one was tired and just wanted to let his thoughts run wild.

Finn had hoped the quiet house, the soft sounds of the fire and Benen's wood carving would help him relax. Benen had forced him to eat some fish and a little smoked jerky from a recent hunt, but no matter what he did or how hard he tried, he could not get Svala's echoing screams or the image of the blood from her mat out of his head.

Despite his past circumstances as slave, he wasn't afraid of blood or pain. He hated them with a passion and couldn't stand it when pain was inflicted on a person. He knew he wasn't afraid of these things…

But he knew from experience that he was easily traumatized by them. Within the first few months of Benen's life on Berk, he'd accidentally cut his hand on a sharp blade. Finn didn't remember much from the incident, but all he knew is he'd stared frozen in horror at Benen's bleeding hand one moment and the next he was fussing and running all over the house for a cloth to wrap it up and water to clean it and kept asking Benen if he needed the healer.

Once he'd calmed down and the issue had been resolved, he'd suddenly realized just how ridiculous he'd acted. It was just a scratch. Sure, Benen had gotten a nice scar out of it after the stitches came out, but seriously. It could've been so much worse. It wasn't a big deal.

But he couldn't be so petty. He knew it was deeper than that. His finger gently glanced across the hidden slave mark under his hair by his right ear and he knew that that week had scarred him in more ways than just the marks on his back that had never fully disappeared. The nightmares had eventually gone away and he'd made himself stronger, helped Benen recuperate and rebuilt his familial relationships.

However, still to this day if someone was in deep pain and suffering, and blood was involved, he froze. He wasn't afraid of it, he'd told himself over and over again. So why couldn't he just deal with it then?

"You keep staring at that fire with such ire, you just might set the house on fire," Benen chided, breaking his thoughts.

Finn huffed into his clasped hands under his chin with a mild shake of his head. "Sorry."

"What's on your mind?"

Finn huffed again. "Many things… But mostly…" He glanced at Benen and found he couldn't keep eye contact. He really didn't want to talk about this. Benen didn't mind because he'd learned to accept his past years before, but it was still a painful memory for Finn. However, Benen was the only one who understood. He bit his lip, fidgeting in his chair for a minute before asking, "Do you… still struggle with… things? Concerning… Maero?"

Benen took up his wood carving again with a patient expression. "Such as?"

"I… I don't know. I guess…"

Benen raised an eyebrow at the teen's growing silence until Finn finally sighed.

"Blood. I still can't look at blood and just… be normal. I'm not afraid of blood, I just…" He shook his head at a loss for words.

"After what you went through, it's your body's natural instinct not to appreciate seeing it, Finn." Benen replied after a few moments of silence. "It reopens a door full of memories you'd prefer to keep closed."

Finn remained silent, staring into the flames as he listened with a sullen frown.

Benen continued, "You… were abused a lot more than most boys your age. Ratri was an evil man and the worst of all the slave traders on Maero. And because he was so ruthless, he could afford to beat his slaves within an inch of their lives and not be prosecuted."

"How is that even legal?" Finn snipped.

"I suspect politics and government have little to do with the everyday life of a slaving outpost." Benen mused, taking up his carving again. "That being said, you were beaten very badly. Your senses became very accustomed and attuned to the smell of blood, and your body associates the look and smell of it with danger. Hence the first few seconds of frozen shock, then an adrenaline rush that you can't control."

Finn snorted. "And I'm sure you know this based on experience."

Benen cocked his head. "Only the best, though I experienced it as a man around your father's age. Over time you find ways to cope and pull through things. You have better advantages in this way than I did, not that I'm complaining. I could've had it much worse."

"Benen please, you say that like you were in paradise."

"Things could always be worse."

"Worse than slavery?! Worse than people treating you like trash day in and day out?"

"Finn." Benen stopped him with a sharp glance.

Finn shook his head and looked away. This is why he hated talking about this. Because he got too worked up and angry, and all Benen wanted for him was to let go of the past and rise above it. Easier said than done when years later he apparently still couldn't cope in some (albeit minor) areas.

But he was a Haddock and grandson of Stoick the Vast! What if someday he got challenged to a duel and someone got a cut? Or heck, forget the duel, he was a Viking for Thor's sake, there was bound to be blood somewhere down the road. He couldn't be a wimp about it! He'd never become chief or hear the end of it that way.

"I don't want people to think I'm weak."

Benen watched him long enough for Finn to make eye contact. "You, Fearless Finn Haddock, are many things, but you are not weak. And it would take a fool to think otherwise."

Finn cracked a smile, looking back into the flames when the fire crackled and a log fell. Benen took up his carving again when they heard a soft rapping of knuckles on the door. Finn stood as Astrid walked through the door, snowflakes swirling around her ankles as she closed it behind her.

"Mom, how'd it go? Is Svala okay?"

Without even taking off her coat, Astrid dropped her satchel on the floor and wrapped her arms around him. Though she hugged him tightly around his shoulders and pressed her face into his shoulder, he was startled to feel her trembling. Somehow he knew it wasn't from the cold.

"Mom? Mom, what happened?"

Astrid swallowed thickly, refusing to release him. "Does something need to be wrong to get a hug from my son?" Benen held eye contact with her over Finn's shoulder and he slowly looked down, a mournful expression on his face.

Finn pulled her back and looked at her with an almost stern expression. "Mom, I mean it. I'm not a little kid anymore, I can handle the truth. What happened?"

Astrid fiddled with her gloves for a minute and that's when he knew that the news was very bad. His mother didn't fiddle with things as his father did; she got straight to the point while his father tended to beat around the bush. Unless something was very wrong.

Finally, his mother looked up at him and he saw the red eyes, the white complexion, all borne of grief. Astrid's lip trembled as she finally spoke, "The baby didn't make it."

Finn froze, his eyebrows coming down to darken his eyes. "What… but sh-she was fine this morning-"

"The sickness made… him premature…"

Finn had never seen his mother look so grief-stricken. "It was a boy?"

Astrid sniffed and looked up at him through wet eye lashes. "It was a boy." Tears began to fall before she could stop them and Finn nearly yanked her into his arms. "They've wanted a baby so badly… They were so close."

Benen listened sadly from his chair as Finn held his crying mother. But as he listened to Astrid mourn for Tuffnut and Svala's lost child, Benen realized something. She was crying and holding onto Finn in a white-knuckled grip as if someone were trying to take him away from her. Rather than ask about this, he decided to ask the question that was a bit more important.

"How is Svala?" asked Benen in a soft voice.

"She's okay," Astrid sniffed loudly. "Mara thinks she'll pull through but... She's still sick. There's no telling how that will affect..." Childbearing. Benen nodded in understanding, freeing her from having to finish that sentence.

Despite the situation, something caught Benen's attention that confused him. The loss of any child was of course tragic and anyone should mourn the loss... but Astrid acted and behaved as if she herself had lost the child. She clung to Finn in a white knuckles grip as if he'd slip away from her forever.

As far as Benen knew, and as much as he'd ever been told, was that Hiccup and Astrid were unable to have more children after the twins' birth. Her kidnapping, horrible treatment during labor and harsh conditions for birth had proved to be too much for Astrid's body to take, and the only children they would have were Finn and Adrianna.

Another thing Benen had gathered over the years specifically from Gobber, was that Hiccup was very torn up about their inability to have more children. He'd wanted more and it took him some time to come to terms with it. However, it hadn't taken much time for Astrid to come to terms with it at all. Gobber had said that Astrid would occasionally make sweet faces at a baby as if she wanted more, but the topic never came up and as far as anyone knew, the couple hadn't tried for any more.

That was all the information Benen had on the topic, and frankly he'd never had a pertinent reason to ask. But now, with Astrid clinging to her only son and crying over the death of another couple's unborn child...

Benen couldn't help but think that there had to be more to the story.

Heavy stuff. I'd apologize for the angst but I already said it was coming.

The Finn and Astrid bit was written by EmmerzK. She'll be handling all of those sections but everything in them was agreed on by both of us. Same with my Hiccup and Adrianna sections.

One of my readers is a gifted musician and wants to compose music to accompany this series. Would anyone be interested in listening to it if he did? I would really love to hear what he comes up with but I don't want to be the only one listening to it.

Don't forget to review!

~KateMarie999