Chapter Fourteen: Endings are New Beginnings
"Someone help him with that!" Matt shouted, carrying a large sack of supplies to the ship.
"No, no! I got it!" Hiccup replied, wincing as he carried his own.
"Hiccup, you're rib is broken. It'll take some time resting to get it whole again." Lydia called out, grabbing the sack from him. Hefting it onto her shoulders, she walked along side of him.
"…Thanks…" He replied, embarrassed that she was helping load supplies to the ship taking them home.
After a few days after Ukiah officially took over as Chief of Thariin, he had already proven to be a leader that expected action and results. In a good way. The market was opened up and repaired from any fire damages, allowing trade to slowly start building up. The nearby grass fields were being plowed to plant extra crops for the next spring, and the few ships remaining were being converted to fishing ships. Buildings were already being framed for repairs, and he himself was busy helping repair the walls around the village. Though still skeptical of their new ruler, the people were grateful that he had put their interests ahead of his own; being the reason why the arena wasn't torn down yet. The only thing he had done for himself was to designate a crew and ship to take the Riders back home.
"That should do it." Ukiah grunted, dropping a sack of apples on the massive pile. "Should be enough to get to Berk. If not, your dragons can fish along the way; or you can make stops at some islands along the way."
"Thanks, Ukiah. I was thinking it was going to be a long flight back." Hiccup grimaced, wincing as he turned around. "At least Astrid and I will be able to recover a little bit."
"That's the point. I wasn't going to let you two try to fly all the way to Berk." He replied gruffly. Looking down, he shook his head as he gently kicked Arrow away from the sacks. "Back off, you terror. Those aren't for you."
Arrow looked up and growled angrily at him. The baby Sand Wraith was hardly a baby anymore. Now at the same height as Ukiah's knees, he was getting a lot bigger from when they first saw him. Hissing angrily, he then waddled over to the gangway of the ship and began to flap his wings. Slowly, even awkwardly, he began to lift off the ground. As he kept on going, he slowly began to move forward faster and straighter.
Hiccup smiled with Ukiah as they watched him 'fly' away.
"He's really getting stronger." Ukiah whispered.
"He is. He's got a lot of people to look up to. Lasher included."
Ukiah nodded, finally tearing his eyes away from Arrow. "I'm going to miss you, Hiccup."
Surprised, he quickly looked at Ukiah with a caring expression. "I am too, Ukiah."
"It's different, you know." He began to say, walking to the edge of the ship. Watching the docks bustle with people, either carrying materials to repair the damages, or those helping load up Auger's and the ship he was on, he shook his head. "Even when I was staying with you guys back at the Edge, I never felt like I was bound to stay. Like you guys weren't dependent on me to be there. It's so different here. These people, even if some don't like me, they need me. I can't just…leave like I'm used to doing. These people need me."
"You're already seeing the good you're going to be to these people." Hiccup commented, tenderly leaning on the ships railing to watch the same thing he was. "I'm happy for you, you know that? Finally finding a purpose for yourself."
"Like you." He replied.
"Well, yes and no."
Ukiah looked at Hiccup with a quizzical expression. "What do you mean, yes and no? Don't you think you found your purpose?"
Hiccup let a sad smile grow on his face. "I know that whatever my purpose is, it's going to involve dragons. Making the world a better place for both them and us. I'm just unsure of how, or even where."
"What do you mean where? Berk of course! That or Dragon's Edge."
"You see…that's the thing. For the longest time, even after founding Dragon's Edge, I still don't know where I belong. I'm like you. I have to keep searching, looking for something. Something that will explain to me what I'm supposed to do. What happens after Dragon's Edge hmm? Do I…simply exist with what we learned and know? Or do I keep going further and further away to the point I can't simply return to Berk."
Ukiah stared at Hiccup with furrowed eyes. "You know, Hiccup…I understand what you're saying a lot more than you think I do. And this is all I'm going to say. Trust those close to you."
Hiccup looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I know you won't do anything to jeopardize your friends. Fishlegs, the twins, Snotlout, Heather, Matt, and more importantly Astrid."
Hiccup swallowed, recalling how close he was to losing her.
"Listen to them. I think they'll be able to help you discover your purpose."
"What about you and your help?"
"Me? I think that little bit of advice was my portion of help." He replied with a smile. "Besides, I'm going to be a month's journey away. It's not like I'll be able to stay in touch with you. Better say what I have to now."
Hiccup smiled at his friend as he stood up and walked towards the gangway, just as the rest of the Riders began to board the ship.
"Well, good luck to you guys." Ukiah announced, grabbing Fishlegs with his one arm. "Try not to have any more adventures on your way back. I don't know if your bodies can handle it."
"Hey! Speak for yourself, Ukiah." Snotlout snapped. "It just so happens that I hope we run into a rouge dragon or something like that."
"Uh-huh, sure." He replied, shaking his head at him.
"I still don't get why I wasn't chosen to be chief. I was almost chosen to be a king! Clearly I'm supposed to be a ruler!"
"Keyword, almost." Matt interrupted, walking up to him with a scowl. Looking at Ukiah, he then grabbed him in a hug. "Take care, Ukiah. I can already expect good things to come from you."
"Thanks, Matt. Don't let anything happen to Hiccup. Or Heather."
"Trust me, I've already got plans to help me with that." He whispered, giving him one extra squeeze.
Letting go of him, he turned to see Heather helping Astrid walk towards them.
"Well, Ukiah. I guess this is good-bye." Astrid called out, pulling away from Heather. Limping on her own, she let a smirk grow on her face. "Just don't do anything where I have to come here to save your butt."
"I'll try not to." He joked, shaking his head at the order. "Make sure you actually rest a little before you climb on Stormfly."
"Mmmm…no promises." She laughed, wincing slightly at the sudden movement. Slowly, she grabbed him in a hug. "Seriously, be careful. I only want to hear good news coming from Thariin, got it?"
"I promise, Astrid, only if you do the same."
Nodding, she gave him one last squeeze before letting go.
"Well, I guess this is it. Kind of crazy." Heather announced, walking up to him. "I'm happy for you, you know that? You finally get a place that you can call home. One that you get to build up yourself."
"Yeah, it's…it's different, that's for sure." He admitted, turning to look at Thariin. "Won't be as exciting as living with you guys though."
"Might be healthier for you." She laughed, grabbing him in a hug. Kissing him on the cheek, she whispered. "That's for saving Matt. I never had a chance to tell you that."
Ukiah smiled, knowing the significance of her showing some affection. "Take care, Heather. I hope you enjoy your home like I will with mine."
"I'll give it my best shot."
Ukiah turned to see the twins walk up to him, to which he simply braced himself for whatever lunacy they would say.
"So, since you have two dragons…" Tuffnut began to say.
"With the added responsibilities of being the Chief of Thariin." Ruffnut added.
"We will gladly take Lasher with us to ease up your new burdens."
"We'll have plenty of chances for him to use his destructive behavior in a beneficial way." Ruffnut continued to sale, sounding professional and businesslike.
Tuffnut then got emotional, thinking of what they were asking. "I mean, he's an awesome Triple Stryke that likes to fight and break things! It's almost inhumane to keep that…that raw destructive nature contained!"
"And there it is." He whispered. Shaking his head, he laughed as he explained. "It'd be wrong to keep him bottled up, I agree. Thankfully, he'll have plenty of chances to let loose in helping defend Thariin and Gorthurk. I don't think he needs to be in your…extracurricular activities."
"Hmph! I shall seek the Chief of Berk's help with this! We will get that majestic beast freed from your awful, prisonlike clutches!"
"I'm sure you will." He quietly replied, shaking his head at them.
"Are you guys ready then?" Lydia spoke up, walking out of the ship's hold. Smiling, she gently grabbed Astrid in a hug. "Thank you all so much! You changed my life!"
"Thank, Ukiah. He's the one that brought you to us." Matt replied with a large smile.
"Princess!" Snotlout cried out, rushing past everyone. Grabbing her hands, he gripped them like his life was depending on it. "Please! You have to come with us! We'll have all the adventures you'd ever want! It'll be romantic! It'll be with me! I can be your knight in shining Gronckle Iron!"
Everyone loudly groaned, some even face palming themselves at the request.
Smiling, Lydia leaned forwards and pecked him on the cheek, almost making him collapse. "I know it would be an adventure, and possibly romantic…maybe." Looking at Ukiah, she smiled as she continued to say. "But I can't leave Ukiah to rule Thariin alone. I'm his advisor. It wouldn't be fair to him or Thariin if I left with you."
"But…but-"
"Hiccup Haddock!" A loud voice sounded from the dock.
Every moved to the side of the ship, looking to see who had called him. Standing there, surrounded by his men, was Auger. In his cleaned up, though still dented armor.
"Princ- er, King Auger." Hiccup greeted, smiling at him below.
"Send your father my regards." He commented, doing a small bow to him. "Tell him that if he ever needs help, or finds himself being attacked, he can send for us and we will come with the fury of a hurricane!"
"That makes two of us." Ukiah added, guiding Lydia down the gangway. "I expect an invitation to the next Council of Chiefs, understand, Hiccup?"
Hiccup nodded, smiling as the gangway was pulled up onto the ship.
"Set the sails!" The ship's captain ordered.
"Be careful. I also expect word if you find Zekir and Darien." Ukiah continued to shout. "I too want that threat taken care of."
"We'll keep you informed." He shouted.
At that, the ship began to slowly pull away, getting more speed as the sails caught more wind.
Ukiah continued to wave at his friends, suddenly getting misty eyed. The ones that changed his life, and arguably his fate, were leaving him with his new life and new friends.
Shadows then zoomed past them, making them look up to see their dragons follow after the ship.
Frowning, he tried to wipe his eyes discreetly, which didn't work out.
"I know you'll miss them. But look at what you have to look forward too." Lydia consoled, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm not sad that I'm staying. I'm not sad at all actually." He confessed, watching the ship continue to sail into the distance. "I'm just going to miss them. That's all. They were the ones that called me family."
"I'll miss them too. They didn't just affect your life." She whispered, finally wrapping an arm around his waist. Pulling him close, she continued to hold him as she watched the ship disappear.
Freezing, Ukiah looked down at Lydia. He had no interest in having a relationship, at least, up to that point. Now that he was letting his life change completely, he slowly began to nod, as if agreeing with himself. Slowly, almost awkwardly, he wrapped his only arm around her, also pulling her closer to him.
With that, they watched the ship finally disappear into the distance, leaving them and Auger with their piece of the world.
"Here, I'll take that bag." Heather called out, taking the two bedrolls.
"You sure?" Matt asked, watching her start to strap it to her saddle.
"Of course! You don't have many options in regards to saddlebags. It'll be easier for me to take the camping gear, while you take some supplies."
Matt shook his head as he hefted his duffle bag loaded with food and water. "If you say so."
"Wh-where are you two going?" Hiccup called out, staring at Matt with wide and concerned eyes.
"Uh…leaving?" He replied sheepishly, looking at Hiccup with an apologetic look.
"What? Why?!" He cried out.
At this point, Astrid struggled to stand up, using a pair of crutches to help her. Hobbling over to them, she too looked concerned at what she heard.
"Well, for two reasons…" He began to explain. "Heather and I want to…spend some time alone. Talk about what we're going to do at her home. As well as Darien and Zekir."
"I told you, Matt. We're going to search for them as soon as Astrid is taken care of!"
"Hiccup, it's more than that. You can't tell me the stakes aren't higher now. Darien has the Dragon Book, which is the next best thing to the Dragon Eye. We can't wait. We need to be active now."
Wincing at the grasp, he tried to argue with him. "But Astrid-"
Matt quickly reached up and gripped his shoulders. "I know. She needs to recover. You do too. You're rib still needs to repair." Gesturing to Heather, who was talking to Astrid, he continued to explain. "We're still healthy. More or less. Let us go and search while we fly home. Besides, the second reason is that I need to go check on Teton. It's been a month and some weeks since he…since he was hurt. This will help us get home faster. With the chance of finding Darien and Zekir."
"But-"
"Hiccup, we're going. You don't need us anymore." He continued to assure. "We'll still help you out, we still plan on visiting Dragon's Edge, and more importantly, we're going to fly with you against whatever Darien and Zekir throw at us. We're not abandoning you. I couldn't get myself to do that."
Hiccup stared at Matt with saddened eyes. "I don't want…I mean…"
Matt let a wry smile grow on his face, waiting for him to finish his thought.
Sighing, he shook his head and choked out. 'I…I just left Ukiah, now you're leaving. Seems like our numbers as Dragon Riders keep getting smaller."
"We're not leaving you. We never said that." Matt reaffirmed. "I told that to you the night I announced I was going to live with Heather, and you supported me with that."
"And I still do. I guess the reality of it is hitting me now." He admitted. Looking down, he couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Hey! Buck up!" Matt laughed. "Honestly, as much as Dagur drives me up the wall, I'm probably going to visit Dragon's Edge a lot more than you think I am! Besides, I can't rest until we get some closure with Darien and Zekir. So I'll be actively searching for them with you. But honestly, they could be anywhere. And they're not going to show themselves until they're ready to mess with us again. The best thing we can do, is to prepare ourselves to receive them."
"You're right. I know it. Astrid knows it. Everyone knows it." Hiccup continued to say, nodding in agreement with him. "I guess I assumed you'd be with us for the trip."
"Sorry, but Heather wants to get home too. She's only been there for a few days before she came with us on this bit of an adventure. We'll be able to cut a week and some days out of the journey if we fly. And I promise I'll lose my mind if I have to stay on another ship for a whole month."
Smiling, Hiccup tenderly grabbed him in a hug, pulling him as tight as his rib would allow.
"Tell Stoick thanks. And that I'm making the most of my decision." He called out, walking over to Astrid, who still looked unhappy with the announcement that they were leaving.
"I will." He replied, walking up to Heather. Gently taking her in a hug, he whispered. "Thanks for coming with us, Heather. Even after you were welcomed back home. Seems a bit selfish on our part for taking you away from that."
"Hey, I wanted to come." She laughed, also hugging him back. "Besides, after all that you guys have done for me? It hardly pays you back."
Hiccup smiled, about to say something just as a cry of pain sounded off. Whirling around, he and Heather laughed as they saw Matt holding his shoulder and Astrid glaring at him.
"Well, I guess Matt has a better chance of keeping his arm if he leaves now." Hiccup teased.
"I doubt it." She replied back with a shake of her head. Turning to Hiccup, she looked at him with a concerned expression. "Hiccup, what are we going to do about the Dragon Book? Aside from Darien having it, what about us as Riders? It helped us train dragons!"
"I know…" He replied, looking dejected at the subject. "It's a loss that's not really possible to replace. Except for one thing. The Dragon Eye."
"Hiccup, the Dragon Eye is destroyed. Gone. Are you sure you don't have a backup book?"
Shaking his head, he tenderly pulled out a paper to show her.
Confused, she looked at the paper to see a drawing on it. Still confused, she studied carefully, until she recognized it. "No. Really?! You think that you can-"
"I do. All I'll need is some time." He replied, gazing at the drawing. It was a draft of a cylinder object. A new Dragon Eye!
"The information wasn't in the actual eye. It was in the lens that you could swap in an out of it. That's what I plan on building. Something to let us see what those lenses hold inside them."
Smiling, Heather nodded in agreement. "If anyone can do it, it's you Hiccup."
"Thanks." He replied sheepishly, tucking the paper back into his tunic. "Fly careful, will you? The last thing you need is another random adventure. You and Matt!"
"Don't worry. We're only keeping our eyes out while we fly home. We're not actually going to search for them." She affirmed, walking up to Windshear.
"Gah, maybe it's a good thing I'm no longer part of the group." Matt grunted, still rubbing his shoulder in pain. "I might be a cripple by the time I'm thru with you guys." Looking down at his leg, he then mumbled. "Well, more of a cripple anyways."
"Come on, we're burning daylight!" Heather laughed, watching him climb on Wasatch and strap himself into his bindings.
"Take care guys. Be safe." Hiccup called out, standing next to Astrid and holding her close.
"Seriously. I'll beat you to Valhalla if something happens to you two." Astrid growled, still glaring at them with no sign of letting up.
"I have no doubt…" Matt replied, rubbing his shoulder with extra energy to try and quell the pain. "Don't worry Hiccup! It's fall! Winter's around the corner and I still aim to snowboard this season! Count on me living at the Edge a ton during the first snowfall!"
"Oh, and I thought you'd want to visit us to say hi. Guess I shouldn't be surprised as to why you'd come back." He teased back, smiling at the two.
"Take care! Get better you two!" Heather yelled, launching Windshear into the air.
Matt tipped his beanie hat, and then followed, leaving a trail of lightning behind.
The two limped to the side of the ship, watching them continue to fly west.
"They're happy, aren't they." Hiccup observed quietly, watching Matt barrel roll around Heather.
Looking at him, Astrid let a small smile grow on her face. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say that. Kind of like me."
Hiccup's head snapped directly to her with a raised eyebrow, silently asking to explain what she meant.
"I get to be with you. On a ship going home. Recovering from…injuries. Knowing all my friends are content with their situations…yeah, I can say that I'm happy too."
"If you're happy, then I am too." He replied quietly. Squaring up to her, he whispered. "No matter what Darien or Zekir do. No matter what kind of crazy psychopath we run into; I'll always be happy with you by me and flying alongside."
Astrid smiled, knowing that whatever they would go through, they would still have the same feelings for each other.
"I was so terrified seeing you taken away. I couldn't even think of anything else." Hiccup continued to whisper. "The invasion, Bruvos, home, the Dragon Eye, even the Dragon Book…nothing mattered. I could only think of you." Grabbing her arms, careful not to jostle her, he looked into her eyes.
Staring back up at him, she saw him slowly close his eyes as he moved closer to her. Closing her eyes too, she leaned forwards and felt her lips connect with his.
Holding each other close, and still kissing each other, they let the time pass on. Regardless of what happened, they still loved each other. One thing they both knew without needing tell each other, they were going to go through everything together.
And like that, it's finished. I hope it was enjoyable. If you couldn't tell, this will tie into Seasons 5 & 6. Which is a great connection to the next announcement. But first, a few special thanks:
TheWhisperingWarrior: For being THE most dedicated to following my stories. Almost always reviewing, and consistently PMing me, he's been great. Thank you so much for your support.
FandomsPotatoes: For the encouraging PM's. She's been around and reviewing me for a long while now. I hope the future stories are ones you'll particularly enjoy.
Cartwheellou: For PMing me and following me since the very first DB story. Again, I hope future stories are enjoyable.
A special thank you for the those that did review and follow. I hope you continue to do so in the future!
Now, about the future. I got a few things to talk about:
First, I'm not going to write another Dragon Boarder for a little while. I'm going to wait until Season 6 of RTTE comes out. I already have an idea for the story line that will happen, as there are quite a few BLARING differences my story and the actual show. So I want to see the ending and make sure my story will be complete when it comes out.
Second, I'm a little burned out from the Dragon Boarder. I feel like the quality of the stories are still good, but I feel that I've been skimping a bit. I need to recharge and recover before I attempt to write possibly the last Dragon Boarder story. Possibly. Depends on what happens in the show and how motivated I am.
Third and final reason, I really want to write something new that's been in my mind since the beginning of 2016. I love the Dragon Boarder. It's a great series, even if it's a biased opinion. However, I want to write something else. It has no ties to Matt or Ukiah. The draft I have for it is called A Hunter's Fate. It'll be a whole new adventure that will change some events in the RTTE, creating a different "what if?" scene. That's all I'll say right now, but that will be the next story I publish when I publish again.
Again, I really hope you enjoyed the story, and I hope you all stay around for this new story. If not, then I guess I'll see you when I post the next Dragon Boarder!
Thanks for the support! Until I post again! Read on!
-Dustnblood