I wasn't sure if I was going to update this on time. Recently my motivation for writing has been in this downward spiral, and even though this chapter only needed some minor editing, I just struggled with it. Fortunately this morning seemed to be better so I got it done! Hooray!
Thank you everyone for your reviews. Knowing that people actually want to read this does help and makes me so happy!
This chapter gets a bit dark towards the end. Don't want to be too spoiler-y but yeah. Dark. Pain. Blood. All that gory stuff. Haha. Enjoy!
Two weeks.
It had been two weeks of searching and waiting and pacing out the front of Stormfly's stables. No one in the whole archipelago had seen or heard from Hiccup.
Astrid was going crazy with worry. He flew a Night Fury for Thor's sake! Toothless was not an inconspicuous dragon, he was one of a kind! If they had touched down on any island with a Viking population, they would have been noticed.
Stormfly crooned at her rider, picking up on the girl's anxiety and crouching to run her beak-like snout through Astrid's hair.
"Thanks girl," Astrid reached up to stroke her dragon's smooth scales. "I don't like that there's nothing I can do, but sit and wait," she explained. "That's not who I am. There's this whole world out there and Hiccup could be anywhere! We have no leads. No direction. Nothing!"
"Astrid!"
The girl spun at the sound of her name. Fishlegs staggered into the yard behind the Hofferson's house. With heaving breaths and his hands braced against his knees, the large Viking gasped for breath.
"Astrid! You need-" The large boy paused to gasp. "-to get down to-" A wheezing exhale "-the docks. Now!" Fishlegs doubled back over to catch his breath.
Astrid's eyes widened, her gaze flicking from the winded Viking to the docks, beyond view on the other side of the village. Without a word, she took off running.
Stormfly was faster, catching up and crouching by her rider. Astrid jumped and was quickly astride her dragon.
They raced towards the water.
This was it. He was home. Finally! Gods, Astrid wasn't sure whether to be relieved or furious at him for scaring her like this.
Relief won as she spotted the ship tied up at the dock. She'd tell him off later, after she'd seen him and touched him and reassured herself that he was okay.
"Hiccup!" Astrid flung herself from Stormfly.
A black mass of scale and muscle slammed into her, sending her sprawling. Slimy dragon tongue bathed her face as the Night Fury danced around her.
"Toothless!" Astrid sat up laughing, using her hands to try and keep the happy licks away. The dragon stopped and sat. His whole demeanour changed in an instant. Now that he had returned to Berk and found Hiccup's friends, they needed to go and get him back.
Astrid noticed the change. She was also keenly aware that Hiccup had yet to reveal himself.
"Toothless? Where's Hiccup."
"I'm afraid I don't know where Master Hiccup is."
Peering around Toothless, Astrid recognised the boat and the man it carried.
"Trader Johann? Where- Where did you find him?" She lay a shaking hand on Toothless's neck, examining the dragon for signs of injury. At first glance he seemed okay, but his flying harness was gone, and his prosthetic tail fin flapped uselessly beside the real one.
"I found him on an island about a week's journeying from here," Johann explained. "Oh and what a strange and perilous journey it was."
Astrid stormed up to the man, accustomed to his garrulous tangents and extravagant stories. "Get to the point." She demanded.
"Toothless here was alone when he chanced upon my boat and he was most insistent we return to Berk." The trader wrung his hat in his hands, nervous of the expression on Astrid's face.
"Where?" Astrid asked.
"Oh, it was this little place to the west. I go there occasionally when the trade winds are kind. You see they make a particularly good- "
Astrid interrupted him before he could go too off topic. "Can you show me on a map?"
Trader Johann faltered, mouth snapping shut. He rushed back onto his boat.
"Are you okay?" Astrid took the opportunity to turn back to Toothless. She knelt to examine the newly healed wound on his paw. "Were you attacked? What happened?" The dragon shook his head and whined.
"Where is he? Where is my son?" Stoick stormed down towards the docks, through the crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion. "Astrid?"
"He's not here sir." Astrid stood to speak with the Chief, not missing the sag of the man's shoulders as she told him his son was still missing. The motion was minute. With the whole village watching, Stoick had to keep himself together.
Trader Johann returned with a map. Astrid held out her hand for it, taking the parchment and spreading it over a bench where the fisherman repaired their tools.
"The island is here," Trader Johann pointed out the small dot on the map. "As I said, about a week's sailing from here."
"So about a full day by dragon?" Stoick asked Astrid.
She nodded in confirmation. "Maybe a day and a half." She checked the coordinates again. It was a small island, maybe smaller than Berk, just outside of the archipelago. She thought they'd checked everywhere, but it was possible they had missed this one due to its size.
"Thank you Johann," Stoick clapped the other man on the back, forcing him to take a step forward from the force of it.
"Can we keep this?" Astrid gestured to the map.
"It is yours my dear."
She was already rolling the map up in her hands, planning their next step. "We'll need food and supplies. We don't know how long this could take, or what condition Hiccup could be in-
"Astrid, we can't rush into this."
Astrid stared at her Chief. "But Sir, it's Hiccup! He's been missing for two weeks and we finally have a lead."
"I know lass," Stoick took the girl aside. "You know I want to find Hiccup and bring him home just as much as you do," he told her. "But it's almost sunset. By the time we have everything gathered it will be night. We don't know what we could be facing on this island. Will we need a healer? Why hasn't Hiccup returned on his own?" The large man scrubbed a hand over his eyes. He had barely slept in the last two weeks. "We both know Hiccup has a connection to the dragons that we will never understand. If he could, don't you think he would have tamed one of the beasts and come home?"
"But if he is hurt," Astrid argued. "We need to get to him."
"Astrid, I know how much you care for him."
Astrid opened her mouth to argue, but what was the point? She was the one who had wanted to keep it quiet, but now that didn't seem to matter. Astrid just wanted him back "How?"
"I have eyes."" Stoick couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's expression.
"We will find him Astrid, and we will bring him home."
He led the Astrid away from the docks. Away from the crowd that had gathered. Many of the villagers had been hoping that Hiccup had returned.
"First things first," Stoick said. "You need to gather the other riders."
"No need for that." The crowd parted to reveal Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins.
"Yeah, let's go find Hiccup."
Hiccup's eyes sprung open. He stared up at the man whose death had eaten at his conscience for weeks.
"What, you thought we wouldn't find you? I have to say that's rather disappointing."
How long had the Dragon Hunter been watching him flounder in the water?
The gallons of briny seawater he'd swallowed sat heavily in his stomach. Hiccup rolled over and threw it all up while Viggo Grimborn cringed in distaste.
"I've got to say Hiccup; this is not one of your finer moments."
"Save it Viggo." Hiccup pushed up onto his hands and knees. Water dripped from his clothes to pool underneath him. "What do you want?"
"What I want?" The dark-haired man looked genuinely surprised at the question. "You know what I want. I want the dragon's gone."
Hiccup shook his head, his brows creased together. "You don't need me for that." He sat back into a kneeling position, gesturing out back towards the harbour. "What was the point of all this?"
Viggo bent forward. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong. You see Hiccup, you are very important to this operation. Some might say essential." The older man grabbed Hiccup by the arm, hauling him into an upright position.
Hiccup balanced on one foot in Viggo's bruising grip. He didn't understand. The confusion must have been visible on his face.
"I know you have the Dragon Eye lenses."
Hiccup tried to tug his hand free. "What does it matter?" He yelled. "The Dragon Eye is gone."
Viggo let him go and the boy lurched backwards. "More assumptions Hiccup. Don't you think it's possible that it also survived the fall into the volcano?"
Hiccup raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Of course, you are right this time." Viggo crossed his arms across his chest. "The Dragon Eye was destroyed, but I know of your talents in the forge." He leant in close towards Hiccup. "I know you made a new one."
Hiccup didn't ask how he knew. It was more than likely that someone had been spying on him, there was no point denying what he'd been doing. He hadn't been successful in recreating the tool anyway.
"It doesn't work."
"Not yet." Viggo grabbed at Hiccup again. "But I have faith. I have seen your work before." He began to drag the resisting boy towards the base of the cliff. It sloped gently upwards in a tumble of sand and clay. Hiccup had to hop, using the large scattered rocks to maintain his balance.
"You could have just stolen my work," Hiccup pointed out. "Was any of this really necessary?" He was being pulled up the hill now, high above the dark ocean.
"It's but one part to the plan." Viggo tugged painfully on his arm when Hiccup fell to his knees. "We planned to take you regardless. It was oh so very convenient of you to come to me. Imagine my surprise to watch you walk into town like you owned the place. You really did make it too easy. And now, we will ransom you off to you tribe in exchange for the rest of your work."
Hiccup pulled back against the grip on his arm, refusing to let the older man pull him to his feet. "It's not going to work Viggo. I'm not going to let this happen."
"Look at you!" Viggo let go and Hiccup sprawled back in the dirt. "You are in no position to quarrel." He advanced on Hiccup, edging the boy towards the lip of the precipice.
Hiccup kicked his leg out, sending the dark-haired man stumbling down. He rolled, becoming precariously close to the rock-face.
"Hiccup, this is beneath us," the man growled. He snatched Hiccup's leg, dragging the young man back. Hiccup kicked and fought to release himself from the man's unyielding grasp.
Viggo managed to grab the front of Hiccup's tunic, raising him up and slamming him into the ground. He lay there dazed, staring up into the clear night sky. Viggo loomed over him. One large hand wrapped itself around Hiccup's throat. The boy clawed at the hand.
"There are two ways we can do this Hiccup." The hand around his throat tightened. "The easy way; where you co-operate and tell Berk to hand over the Dragon Eye, or the hard way; where until I get what I want, I kill everyone you hold dear. I started with your dragon, but who will I take next? Your girlfriend or your father?"
Hiccup's eyes went wide. "You killed- No!" He managed to get his right foot up between him and Viggo, planting it on Viggo's chest. Adrenaline gave him a burst of strength and Hiccup shoved with all his might, pulling the older man's arms toward him as he pushed with his foot.
He sent Viggo flying over his head and over the edge of the cliff, but the grip on his arms meant Hiccup was pulled down too. They went tumbling down, twisting and scrabbling against each other as they bounced over the rocks. With a thud, they hit the ground, Hiccup on top. All the wind was knocked from his lungs. He gasped feebly, trying to draw in air.
Viggo was unmoving beneath him.
Hiccup managed to roll sideways. He lay on his back, head turned towards Viggo. It was obvious the older man was dead. His eyes were open, vacant and unseeing. Blood was pooling beneath his head. The crimson liquid shone silver in the moonlight.
Hiccup turned his face to the sky.
Gods, his head hurt. His chest hurt. Everything hurt.
The wind had picked up. Tossing about amongst the waves and spraying a fine mist across Hiccup's cold body.
A soft groan escaped his battered body and he closed his eyes.
Yep... So... That happened...
:)
He really is dead this time.
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