Chapter Ten
A/N: Kind of just a set-up chapter. Not overly exciting but it foreshadows what's going to happen later on. (And one extremely mushy romance moment near the end...I guess I'm just a sucker for that stuff... XD)
Also, has anyone read the HTTYD book series...? I'm thinking about buying it for my birthday and was wondering if it was any good... (Yeah, I know it's for 12 year olds but...meh.)
"Easy now..." Stoick says as he helps Hiccup ease out of the bed. Placing a hand in the center of his son's back, he offers him a gentle nudge to get him on his feet. Both Stoick and Astrid tense up when Hiccup wobbles a bit, seeming off balance and dizzy. Luckily, he catches himself and doesn't fall.
"Just take is slow..." Astrid urges him. She and Toothless hover very close to him, just in case.
He flashes them a look, his eyebrow arched. "G-geez guys, I feel okay n-ow. I'm not that fra-gile. Besides, It's not like I'll shatter if I tr-ip or something."
Astrid frowns at him. "We're only trying to help." She reminds him. "And you shouldn't talk so much. You heard Gobber, Gothi says your throat will improve as long as you don't strain it!"
He sighs but doesn't speak. That little bit of speech had been enough to make his bruised throat sting almost unbearably. He swallows the pain and focuses on not falling over himself. Within a few seconds, he manages to straighten up and take a small step away from the bed.
Toothless coos at him from where he's just climbed into the rafters, causing his Rider to smirk. The Night Fury jumps down and goes over to him, sniffing Hiccup's cheek and purring, loudly.
Hiccup then decides that this is worth a little bit of pain. "Hey, bud." He whispers. "I'm gl-ad you're okay too..." He shivers at the memory of his nightmare. I'll never let that happen...not in a million years.
Stoick pats Hiccup's shoulder and smiles at him. "And we're glad you're okay. You had us worried there for a while, son."
Astrid nods, despite herself.
Hiccup finds himself blushing, coyly at them and nods. "S-sorry." He mutters. "I didn't mean to s-scare anyone..."
"It's not your fault." Astrid suddenly grumbles, her tone dark. Clearly, she's thinking about Dagur. All of them are. At the thought of him, goosebumps crawl all over Hiccup's skin. He tried to kill him...and nearly succeeded. Hiccup would have been dead if not for Gobber. And Toothless...Thor only knows what would have become of him if his Rider really had died.
Stoick nods again, deciding this isn't what they need to be thinking about right now. After all, Hiccup just woke up! He survived being strangled by Dagur the Deranged! That's a cause for some happiness, right? Right. "Why don't you go lay down and rest a little more. I'll make you something to eat and then go inform the villagers that you're awake."
The villagers? Hiccup tilts his head. "The villagers know?"
"Of course they know." Astrid snorts. "They were threw a fit when they heard what happened! And who can blame them? It's no wonder they want a war-" She freezes, flinching as the word escapes her mouth. She hadn't meant to bring that up just yet... Oops.
But Hiccup hears it all the same. "War?" He gasps, looking at his father. "What does she m-mean 'war'? War with wh-who?!"
Stoick sighs and shoots her a glare. He'd meant to tell Hiccup later, after he was feeling better. "Dagur left a note in the Forge. Gobber found it when he rescued you. Apparently, by attacking you, Dagur was declaring war on us."
And there it is. The room-bending dizziness washes over Hiccup in a powerful wave. He staggers dangerously but Stoick catches him, lowering him onto the bed. But Hiccup isn't in the mood to sleep.
"So...we're at w-war with the B-Berserkers?" He breathes.
Stoick only nods. "The village is unanimous. They want revenge for what Dagur did to you, as well as for him breaking the peace treaty..."
Hiccup frowns, wanting to argue that war isn't the solution but his throat feels too tight. He literally can't make a sound. Heck, he can hardly force air through its swolleness.
Seeing his distress, Astrid continues by saying, "And besides, even if we didn't want war, Dagur's declared it. We can't stop him now. He'll attack Berk, even if we don't agree to fight him." She watches as he lowers his head in defeat, knowing she's right.
There's got to be something we can do... Only then does Hiccup remember something. Something that sends a chill down his spine. The Book of Dragons...Dagur must still have it!
"Hiccup?" Astrid asks, touching his shoulder again, as if afraid he's gone back into shock by the horrified look on his face. "What are you thinking...?"
Hiccup does his best to ignore the pain when he forces out, "Dag-ur ha-s the Bo-ok of Dra-gons!"
Stoick and Astrid exchange shocked looks. "He what?!" Stoick barks.
"How did he get the Book of Dragons?!"
Hiccup shakes his head. "Snu-ck into my ro-om while I was go-ne..." He's not sure how this news will go over with his father... Will he be mad?
Stoick's expression is dark at first, his brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly, however, his eyes widen in understanding. "That's why he's waging war with us..."
"What?" Astrid asks. She and Hiccup both flash him confused looks.
"Dagur knows we have dragons. His men are no match for us. The only reason he feels confident enough to take us on is because he has the Book and thinks it will help him win!"
"That makes sense!" Astrid gasps. "He thinks the Book will tell him how to defeat our dragons!"
"He's not wr-wrong..." Hiccup admits, flashing a look at Toothless. He remembers how Dagur took him down so easily, so quietly. No one even knew until Hiccup went outside. "It helped him kn-knock out Tooth-less so he could c-cut his tail and lure is i-into the Forge..."
"We need to get that Book back." Astrid concludes, gaining a nod from Hiccup and Stoick.
"And the so-oner the better. If we g-get it away from him soon enough, maybe he'll b-back down and we won't h-have to fight." Hiccup smiles, pleased to have an option to stop the war before it can even begin.
"Except..." Astrid frowns, suddenly.
"What is it?" Stoick asks her.
"Dagur isn't on Berk anymore, right? Our patrols didn't find him. That means he took the Book of Dragons with him when he left..."
Stoick nods. "I'll have a team go to their island and retrieve it."
Hiccup frowns. More people getting put in danger...this is exactly what he wants to avoid. Scooting to the edge of the bed, he says, "No."
Both Astrid and Stoick look at him, bewildered. "What?"
"You both know as w-well as I do that if you send one of our boats within a hundred y-yards of them, their ship will be sunk b-before it can reach the shores..." He reasons. "Our only ch-chance is to send someone with a dragon...a fast one."
But they aren't fooled. Stoick folds his arms over his chest and glares at his son. "I know where you're going with this." He growls. "And there's no way I'm letting you fly in there, all alone with no backup!"
"But I w-wouldn't be a-alone!" Hiccup points out. "I have Toothless!"
"Hiccup..." Astrid mumbles, noticing the determined glint in his eyes. Already, she knows what he's thinking. If Stoick doesn't approve, he'll go anyway. He's just stubborn like that. He always has been. And the fact that he thinks this is his fault doesn't help...
"No." Apparently, Stoick is just as stubborn as his son. "I won't allow you to risk your life again. Not after what just happened."
"So you'll send someone else in there to be killed?!" Hiccup barks, wincing as his throat seems to scream in protest to his raises voice. "Face it, Dad. T-Toothless and I are the only chance we've got to avoid w-war. Sending anyone else would mean a s-suicide mission."
When Stoick says his next words, he leans in very close to Hiccup. His voice is firm, almost angry. "Then we'll go to war." He says pointedly, as if daring Hiccup to talk back.
And Hiccup doesn't. He knows there's no point in arguing anymore. His father has made up his mind.
But so has he.
Hiccup's eyes narrow, silently challenging his father's decision.
Stoick shakes his head and finally backs off. "Now, I've got to head back to the Great Hall to make plans. Hiccup," He eyes his son, who is now glaring at the floor. "Get some rest. You've been through a lot today."
Hiccup only grunts in response.
Figuring that's good enough, Stoick thumps down the steps. He tugs on his cape and helmet and heads out the door.
Immediately, Hiccup stands up. He doesn't seem to care that Astrid is still in the room and perfectly capable of stopping him from leaving. He simply yanks open a drawer and takes out his vest, shrugging it on.
Astrid watches, feeling conflicted. Should she try to stop him...?
Hiccup doesn't say a word as he leans over and pulls his riding gear out from under his bed.
"Hiccup-" Astrid begins. She's interrupted when he suddenly shoots her a look as if to say 'don't even go there'. She frowns and bites her lip. It's obvious he shouldn't go...but there's something he said before...something that rings sort of true to her.
"Face it, Dad. T-Toothless and I are the only chance we've got to avoid w-war. Sending anyone else would mean a s-suicide mission."
And he was right. She can picture it, easily. They send a ship out to sneak onto Berserker land, one of the enemy ships spots them...and suddenly Berk's boat is full of holes, sinking to the bottom of ocean. A handful of men and women trapped on board, or forced to jump into hypothermia-inducing waters, only to be captured by the Berserkers... But with a dragon...it might just work.
"Hiccup." She starts again, a new goal in mind.
He sighs as he stands up but doesn't turn to face her. "Don't try to stop me."
"I wasn't going to." She admits.
He arcs an eyebrow at her. "What?"
"As much as I feel like a total traitor for admitting it, I think you're right. The only chance we have of avoiding a war is to send you and Toothless. You're the fastest and the stealthiest we've got."
He stares at her, waiting for the punch-line.
"But your father is also right." She continues. "You're not in the best condition right now. Plus, Dagur will be there."
Hiccup shudders at the thought of seeing him again... "What are you getting at, Astrid?" He grumbles, watching her suspiciously.
"I'm saying...let me come with you."
He frowns. "The whole reason I'm doing this is to keep the people I care about out of danger. Bringing you with me kind of defeats the purpose."
She shakes her head. "Well it's either bring me...or I confiscate your leg. You can't fly without it." She reminds him, sporting a defiant smirk.
"You wouldn't!" He growls.
"Wouldn't I?" She plants her hands, firmly on her waist. "Besides, I can help you! Stormfly is the fastest after Toothless and we can be a distraction if it becomes necessary. Her spine shot is great for that!"
She makes a good point... He admits to himself. And if something does happen, it would be good to have some backup... He groans, racking a hand through his messy, sleep-tangled hair. "Fine." He mumbles. "You can come with us."
She visually brightens, relieved that he didn't force her to wrestle him to the ground and take off his prosthetic... "When do we leave?" She asks.
"As soon as possible. Meet me at the beach as soon as you and Stormfly are ready to go." He tells her, earning a tight nod from the girl. Without warning, she reaches out and grabs his shoulders, pulling him in for a warm embrace.
"I almost forgot," She says softly. "I'm glad you're back." With that, she releases him. But not really. One of her hands remains intertwined with his. After a moment of hesitation, she leans in and presses her lips against Hiccup's.
The dizzy boy gets even dizzier under the feeling of her kiss. His cheeks flood with warmth and his heart cranks much faster than before. He's pretty sure if they don't separate soon, he'll pass out again. Luckily for him, Astrid pulls away, smiling bashfully.
"See you later." She says.
He nods, dumbly. "S-see you..."
With that, she turns and rushes outside, enjoying the feeling of the bitter-cold air against her hot cheeks. She's suddenly really glad she decided to ask to go with him. She's sure she wouldn't have been able to handle it if he'd left without her...and she didn't have any idea if he was still alive. Plus, this way, they have a better chance of recovering the Book and returning home, safely.
Of course...Stoick will probably kill them both for disobeying his orders and going behind his back... again.