Meeting and Greeting

Author's Note:

A new chapter, right on time! I kept my promise to post once a month so far! For the first time in forever ~

Once again, I have no good name for this chapter, so if anyone has any better names for this chapter and the last, please tell me in the reviews.

Hope you guys and gals enjoy this chapter!

ACDACDACD

It took Hush an entire day to reach Berserk Island even when riding Edge. He was careful to avoid any ships, which forced him to avoid several islands and popular sea routes.

By the time he reached his destination, the sun was already beginning to set.

The golden sun reflected off the ocean, painting it a lovely hue of orange. Sea birds begin gathering around large islands, either ready for a good rest or to head out when the fishes come to the surface.

Boats of all shapes and sizes swam in the yellow ocean surrounding Berserk Island, making it impossible to get nearer without being spotted. An issue that Hush had predicted will befall him.

He had set up a meeting with the Assassin's favorite informant, Trader Johann. The merchant knew all about the Assassins and the dragon-human society of the Valkyrie Isles (how, Hush does not know), and have acted as a useful informant because of his frequent travels.

Hush had Edge fly over to a tiny Islet a whiles away from Berserk Island, where Trader Johann was waiting for him.

"Ah, you must be the Assassin." The merchant greeted as Hush brought Edge to a landing. "Please, make yourself comfortable on my ship."

"You have my gratitude." Hush gave a small smile and a nod to the jolly merchant and, along with Edge, climbed up a ramp to board the trading ship.

The ship was a cog, a new type of ship that the people of the mainland have been using for trade. A generous amount of space beneath the deck provided for cargo storage or dragon hiding.

The crew consists of about 28 people who were supplied by the mainland Assassins to help the merchant in his journeys. All of them were well-trained actors and liars by the Assassins, but seeing the Skrill made more than one of them stop to stare.

Johann led the pair to a large door that, when opened, reveals the storage space below the deck.

"You friend can stay down there," Johann said invitingly, "It might be a little cramped, but we have plenty of fish to keep him distracted."

"Once again, you have my gratitude." Hush thanked the merchant as he encouragingly push his dragon into the cargo hold.

"There's no need for thanks, the Valkyrie Isles is one of my favorite stops." Johann replied, before quickly adding, "I know I say that t everyone, but the Valkyrie Isles is my most profitable trade partner."

Hush chuckled and led followed Edge into the hold. He could tell that the Skrill was uncomfortable in the tight space, so he rubbed the dragon's head comfortingly.

"Shh, it's alright." Hush whispered soothingly. "Just a while longer till we reach the island; until then you can have some fish."

Suddenly, Trade Johann popped his head into the cargo hold, "Forgot to tell you that I will be doing some business when I get there for about an hour. You can stay down here until the crowd clear up and everyone goes to bed."

Hush sighed and muttered to Edge, "A bit longer than I thought."

ACDACDACD

As the night dragged on, Stoick couldn't help but dread the meeting that he had agreed to. It wasn't just the fact that Hiccup now had the power to kill them all, but more because he didn't know what to say, or what he could say.

How do you tell the murderous son that you disowned five years ago after ignoring him for the fifteen years he had been alive that you need his help.

A part of him wanted to act like he had never met Hiccup before; that part wanted him to treat Hiccup as he is, an Assassin who kills for the greatest enemy of Vikings.

Another part of him wanted to beg Hiccup for forgiveness and just treat his son like his son.

But that would be bad leadership, especially among Vikings. No, he needed to be strong in front of his tribe. He needed to show that he is a man of his word, that he will place his village above all else.

In precarious times like this, he needed to set an example for his people. They need to know that they are strong enough to live through this.

That is good leadership, and Stoick isn't just a leader, he is a good leader. He will bring his tribe through its darkest moments-

"Damn that boy, he didn't give us an exact time. Guess we'll be camping out here till he comes." Gobber complained.

Stoick sighed and searched the dark night sky for the hundredth time. Still, no sign of him.

Stoick turned around and walked back towards the fire that the rest of his men had started in the center of the cove.

Stoick and his men had decided to make themselves comfortable after waiting for nearly an hour for the Assassin by building a fire. Snotlout and Astrid were keeping the fire alive while Fishlegs studied a notebook.

Spitelout just returned with more wood to keep the fire going when a screech was heard by all of the Vikings. Immediately dropping the branches he had collected, Spitelout pulled out his sword and joined Stoick.

Astrid and Snotlout grabbed their weapons and stood by the fire, their eyes scanned the sky for any sign of a dragon, like everyone else. Fishlegs was the only one unarmed, he instead reached into a pouch that he brought, which contained his secret weapon.

Another screech sounded through the air, unmistakably belonging to a Night Fury. Another roar joined in, this one Stoick could not recognize, and from the look on Fishleg's face neither does he.

Stoick signaled for his men to stay put in their hiding spots by holding his hand up. He didn't want Hiccup to know of the backup plan Stoick had in place. He was teasing them right now, seeing if they stuck to their agreement.

There was a moment of silence, suddenly the tell-tale screech of a night Fury ready to decimate something ringed through the sky. A purple light appeared in the sky, travelling at high speed towards the cove.

"Night Fury!" A Viking shouted, unable to contain himself.

Within seconds, Viking started jumping out of their hiding spots, either to run for cover or to take on the Night Fury and protect their chief.

The attack that was expected however never came. The purple light disappeared and the screech stopped.

"Everybody get cover!" Stoick shouted at his men, furious that Hiccup had managed to root them out so easily.

Before any of them could do anything, the Night Fury landed with a loud thud. A hooded figure was sitting in the dragon, who was growling at the Vikings that surrounded them.

The pair was quickly joined by another metallic looking dragon who also carried a hooded figure on its back.

The moment Stoick saw the hooded figure on the Night Fury he knew that it was his son. Everything else fell out of focus; the only thing that Stoick's mind processed was that the person in front of him was his son. It was a surreal experience, something that Stoick could not describe.

Hiccup wore a hooded robe that was as black as the night sky. His wrists wore those infamous bracers that was said to contain a hidden blade by the Vikings who witness the death of Alvin.

"Hiccup." Stoick greeted. His voice revealed nothing of his feelings.

"Stoick." Hiccup returned the greeting as he got of the Night Fury.

His voice was distinctively Hiccup's, yet it didn't sound remotely similar to the Hiccup that Stoick knew. It was cold, calculating; without emotion. The thought that this may be who his son has become scared Stoick. What have I done?

"That's a big council you have there." Hiccup pointed out. "How do you get anything done with this many idiots?"

Spitelout growled and stepped forward to address the Assassin but was stopped by Stoick, who placed a large hand on his shoulder.

Instead Stoick replied, "We make important decisions like this as a village."

"I didn't know you were bringing a friend." Gobber pointed out. He gestured towards the second hooded figure as he made his case.

"Never said that I wouldn't," Hiccup replied as his partner dropped of her dragon and walked over to stand by Hiccup.

The Vikings could tell that she was female from her body shape. She wore a brown hood and a mask that covers the bottom half of her face. The rest of her person was littered with metal pieces that matched those of her dragon.

"This is Heather, my advisor and partner." Hiccup introduced her.

Heather nodded in greeting to Stoick, but no one else. "I do hope that we can come to an agreement that will benefit the both of us." She said in her muffled voice.

"Same here," Stoick replied.

Hiccup looked like he was about to say something, but Heather whispered something to him which changed his mind.

Stoick knew that Hiccup was suspicious of the extra Vikings that he brought, so he decided to distract the Assassins. "Shall we take our discussion to the fire I've prepared?"

Hiccup and his companion both turned to look at the small camp Stoick and his men had set up. The two entered another hushed discussion before Hiccup replied, "That is a generous offer that we will accept."

Stoick led the pair towards the campfire where Fishlegs, Snotlout and Astrid were standing by. Before sitting down beside the roaring fire, Stoick quietly ordered one of the Vikings to gather up the other warriors and send them back to the village. He hoped that it would be enough to appease Hiccup.

While Stoick was giving his orders, Gobber took it upon himself to introduce Hiccup to the rest of Stoick's advisors. "Just to refresh your memory, this here is Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs. I'm sure you recognize them from, err, last time."

Hiccup and Heather nodded a greeting to each of them. They took note of the scowl on Astrid's and Snotlout's faces and the nervous look on Fishleg's.

While all the Vikings sat down around the fire, the two Assassins remained standing. They shared a glance before Hiccup started talking. "I suppose that I shall outline the proposal that we are offering."

Hiccup pulled a piece of paper out of his robe. The paper was similar to those used by the Mainlanders who used to come, seeking glory ad honor by slaying dragons. Hiccup then read the contents of the document out for Stoick and his council. "The Valkyrie Isles offer the Isle of Berk an alliance and trade partnership. In return for giving us live dragons, the Valkyrie Isles will give Berk resources to rebuild the village, food, medicine, and other supplies."

"Furthermore, the Royal Army of the Valkyrie Isles will protect Berk from any and all outside offences."

"In return, the Isle of Berk is expected to house Army personnel from the Valkyrie Isles at any given time. Berk is also expected to contribute to our collective war efforts against the Dragons of Helheilm Gate. Berk will provide warriors for the Valkyrie Isles' representative to train in the ways of dragon riding and combat."

Hiccup passed the letter to Stoick after reading the conditions of the agreement. "If you agree to our terms, you and your council have to sign the bottom of the letter."

As Stoick silently scanned the terms of the agreement, Fishlegs was silently thinking through what Hiccup had said.

The deal seemed to be a little too good to be true. The Valkyrie Isles would have to spend a lot of resources with little gains. The population of Berk is too small as it is to really be able to help much in the war. So there has to be a catch, right?

Astrid seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as she was eying the letter suspiciously. Spitelout and Gobber were having a hushed discussion about the treaty, while Snotlout peeked over Stoick's shoulder's to take a look at the contents.

"The letter states that we are to provide at least five warriors to be trained in dragon riding." Snotlout pointed out as he read the letter, "And these five men are to be drafted into the Valkyrie Isle's Royal Army. It says that they will answer only to the Valkyrie Isles."

"You didn't tell us that!" Astrid pointed out in accusation.

"I only gave a summary of the points." Hiccup explained himself. "I do not expect you to make your decision immediately. I'm only here to answer any question that you have pertaining to the treaty."

"It says that the treaty only lasts for a year." Stoick points out questioningly.

"Our estimates say that we can put your village back on its feet in a year. After that, we will write a new treaty that will be fairer for both sides." Hiccup explained.

There was a moment of silence before Spitelout finally asked the question that was on everybody's minds. "How do we know that you won't turn against us after we destroy Helheilm Gate."

"You don't" Hiccup replied simply, "You can't trust me, and I don't expect you to. To be honest, it doesn't matter if you sign the treaty or not, I will get what I want, with or without your permission."

"Your words mean nothing to me. It isn't real. I come and go as I please; I'll do whatever I want. "

"It's funny how we all set laws and agreements, but none of it's real, and everything is permitted."

By the time Hiccup ended his short rant, Stoick and his council were on their feet with their weapons in hand.

"If you try anything to hurt my people, we will fight to the death. We would rather die a warrior's death than give you the luxury of a quick victory." Stoick threatened in a dangerous tone.

Hiccup chuckled to himself and then turned to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to sign the agreement, or to take it back. But trust me when I say that you would rather sign it."

With that, Hiccup and Heather climbed onto their dragons and took off, leaving Stoick and his council to decide what to do.

ACDACDACD

"How'd the meeting go?" Thuggory asked as he looked up from whatever he was crafting at the workbench. There was always a lot of crafting involved in starting a new headquarter.

"It was perfect, thank you very much." Heather responded sarcastically.

"I'm sure they'll agree to our terms, they just need reassurance." Hiccup tried to assure his team.

"And you certainly did reassure them." Heather commented with just as much sarcasm as earlier. "To be honest, I don't think that meeting did us any favors."

"That bad, huh." Camicazi looked up from her crafting table, which was messy and nearly nothing to show for it (she hated crafting).

"I admit it could have been better." Hiccup said as he sat down on one of the benches. "But I feel a lot better now that I've let off some steam, scared them a little, and made sure that they know that I haven't forgotten what happened."

"You hardly even mentioned what happened before." Heather pointed out, although she disapproved of his methods. She understood that Hiccup was still angry at what they did to him, but she knew that constantly creating problems to confront them over will make matters worse for, not only them, but the entire Assassin Order.

"Well, you two can argue all you want, but results are results." Thuggory piped in. "Now can you guys please help out in setting up the headquarters? I already did a lot."

"Me too!" Cami quickly added.

"You hardly did anything." Thuggory pointed out.

"I did, I filled up the armory."

"You filled it with bombs, there is, literally, nothing else in the room except bombs. We should just call that the self-destruct room (you know, in case we need to destroy the headquarters for some reason) and build a new armory."

"That's not very nice of you. I cleaned the kitchen."

"If burning it to the ground and rebuilding it counts as cleaning, then, yeah, I guess so. In fact, all this time you have been doing anti-work. For example, you set the living quarters on fire-

"What!" Hiccup shouted, but was ignored by the arguing pair.

"-you managed to break the toilet, and now, you messed up that crafting table." Thuggory finished with both hands on his hips.

Hiccup sighed at his other two teammates' bantering and decided to take Toothless out for a spin. However, he noticed that Heather had managed to slip away unnoticed.

Shaking his head, Hiccup decided to give her some space. He knew she didn't like his approach, and even he had to admit it might not be the most effective way, but still…

ACDACDACD

"Those who vote in favor of the alliance, raise your hands." Stoick ordered his council.

The hands of Gobber and Fishlegs shot up immediately. Spitelout had his arms crossed over his chest; he clearly wasn't in favor of the alliance. Snotlout, too, didn't raise his hands; which left Astrid, who had yet to make her decision.

On one hand the alliance could, not only help the village survive, but may even make them prosper if they played their cards right. On the other hand, well, they're dragons and people who side with dragons; these aren't the kind of people you blindly trust. With so much power in their hands and with Berk at its current state, they are practically defenseless against a betrayal.

In a split second, however, Astrid made her decision and raised her hand, right before Stoick was about to say something.

It would have been pointless to turn down the alliance anyway. If Hiccup planned on destroying Berk, whether they accept the alliance or not, the village will still get destroyed. But if Hiccup was being honest, they could potentially save the village.

Of course the vote didn't really decide whether the y should accept the alliance, that kind of power belongs to the chief, and to the chief alone. The vote was just a simple way of showing Stoick where each of them stands on the issue.

Most of the council, know that Stoick had already made his decision, but he allowed them to debate the issue anyway for the slim chance that his decision might be change by a particularly good argument that Stoick hadn't considered.

"I have decided…" Stoick trailed off, it was clear that this choice was hard for him to make. From his face, everyone could tell that he didn't like what he decided but like the alternative even less. "I will sign the alliance."

ACDACDACD

It was midnight when Hush finally deemed it safe for him to enter the village. Only a pub remained open and lit.

It wasn't the rowdy kind of pub where there were constant bar fights and heated argument; most of those were closed so late at night. This was one of those quiet or at least relatively quiet.

When Hush entered, he was surprised to find that everything was civil and in order. Several guards who had just finished their shifts took up most of the tables. The rest of the spaces were filled, sparsely, by small group of friend or loners.

Hush walked over to the counter and bought two jugs of mead, one for himself, and the other for another patron who was sitting by himself.

Hush could have gave the second jug to pretty much anyone in the bar and get some information out of them (eavesdropping on the guards might also be beneficial, Hush decided), but that particular Viking that he was targeting was the only non-guardsmen who carried a sword and a knife. He could also see that he hid a pistol in his vest.

Hush noisily clanked a jug in front of said Viking. "Looking for a drinking partner, wanna help?"

"Leave me alone." The man growled dangerously at Hush.

"I will, after you finish the mead I bought you, these things aren't cheap." Hush replied as he sat down on a chair beside his new friend.

The man eyed the mead suspiciously before shifting his suspicious gaze to the man who paid for it. "Who are you?"

"I'm known as Hush, one of Trader Johann's crew." Hush replied as he took a swig of his mead. He usually drank in small sips, but he needed to put on an act for this person.

"Never seen you before," The man commented as he finally risked a sip of his mead to taste for any kinds of poison.

"Johann picked me up on the way here; he was impressed at my "innovative" organization system. To be honest my tribe has been using it for generations, but don't tell Johann that, he pays well."

The other Viking snorted and gulped down a god portion of his mead. He has determined from his previous sip that there was nothing in the mead.

"Speaking of which, I didn't get your name." Hush commented. "I gave you mine, how about you tell me yours."

"Name's Dogsbreath, I'm a fisherman around here." The man introduced himself.

"A fisherman, huh? Fishes are expensive around here, you make good money?" Hush asked.

"Nah, most of it is taxes." Dogsbreath muttered. Hush could hear the anger that the man was trying to hide in his voice and knew that he was steering the conversation in the right direction.

"Oh yeah, your chief is taxing everything, makes life for traders like us difficult."

"Yeah, well it pays the army, so that's something." Dogsbreath trailed off, he clearly didn't believe what he said was true.

"I'm surprised that there isn't a rebellion yet." Hush commented lightheartedly. He noticed that Dogsbreath tensed at the mention of a rebellion but kept talking. "Where I came from, people hate taxes like it's the cause of dragon raids. Anytime the chief tries to raise any kind of tax, there is talk of a rebellion."

The pair fell into an awkward silence after Hush's comment. Hush took the silence as an opportunity to eavesdrop on the guards who were sitting near them.

"I'm going into the forest tomorrow, hunting down the rebel base." One of the guard told another.

"Where?"

"Our spies say that it is somewhere near Dread Hill."

"Well, best of luck to you."

"I better be going," Hush excused himself, "I need to get ready for a long day tomorrow."

Dogsbreath relaxed a little upon hearing of Hush's departure, feeling more than a little relieved that he was leaving. "See ya."

Hush nodded back at Dogsbreath and walked silently out of the bar. He found a lead on the rebels, tomorrow he'll investigate.

ACDACDACD

Author's Note:

So much happened in this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it, I'll try my darnest to get the next chapter up before March ends, so stay tuned.

Also, there is a scene that was supposed to be in this chapter that I removed because it was too silly to fit in. It is just a little insight to what happens when Hiccup is restless and starts ranting to Toothless. But, I have decided to include a deleted scenes chapter when this story is over, so from now onwards, I'll keep some of the scenes I decide not to use (it can give you guys a little insight on how I think and stuff like that).

So, remember guys, let me know if you have any names for this chapter and the previous, I really have no idea and am too lazy to come up with something cool.

So, now to reply some reviews:

gamelover41592: Nice work on this chapter

Reply: Thank you! I hope you think that this chapter is good too.

Guest: Love it can't wait to next chapter

Bluetooth

Reply: Thanks man, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it.

Itharax: Very nice chapter! Really enjoyed it! Can't wait to see what happens in the next one!

Have a nice day!

Reply: Thanks! I hope that this chapter lived up to the expectations of everyone. I personally thought that I could have done better, but I didn't know where I could have improved.

Hope you have a nice day to!

EpicShadowz: That preview though. Hiccup, never stop being snarky.

Reply: Ha,ha. I promise that there is more to come (especially in the deleted scene).

Dracologistmaster: Great chapter, though I don't see Stoick's idea going over too well with Hiccup. I look forward to next update and seeing just how well Stoick and Hiccup get along next update.

Reply: Thank you! It didn't go over too well, but the full effects of Stoick's decision will be felt in the next chapter (I think). So, they are obviously not going to be best friends in the next chapter, in fact they might even get into a fight, who knows? Oh, wait…

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

adipose1913: Again, way to ramp the tension. The dramatic irony in this chapter is very well-written, although Stoick isn't off point when he says it wasn't hiccup's will to go back to the village, even though hiccup appears to have made peace with that fact.

Reply: Thanks pal, I really appreciate your compliments. So Hiccup was kinda forced to do it, but he hasn't made peace with the fact, he just chose not to show it.

Reilly.216 chapter 5 . Jan 27

Man, I have no idea how you do it, Khan. You just keep me on the edge of my seat, just waiting for a new chapter to come out. I don't know what it is that's gotten me so obsessed with Deliverance, but whatever it is, keep it up!

P.S I'm gonna hold you to that whole 'one chapter a month' thing! :)

Oh, and by the way, if you are able to push out two chapters in the same month like you said, go for it. But don't rush it. Quality over quantity, my friend. Quality over quantity.

Reply: Thanks man! I really don't know how I make my stories so interesting, I guess it's just the anticipation of what's going to happen next, especially since so many things are happening at the same time.

I did it! I updated this chapter on time! It would have been embarrassing if I couldn't get this chapter up on time right after making my announcement. I'll do my best to make quality chapters, but I start to panic whenever I near the deadline.

mc arno: super fanfiction!

Reply: Thanks! I just checked your profile and found out that you are French! It's so exciting to see people from other countries follow, favorite and even review my stories, makes me feel like a bestselling author. Merci Beaucoup!

Guest: 10/10 would read again

Reply: Thanks a lot! I hope that you would enjoy reading this story again once it is finished.

That's all! Remember guys and gals: review, favorite and follow to show your support! If you have any ideas for the names for this chapter and chapter 3, let me know in the reviews.

Thanks for reading!