Did Anybody See That? Chapter 9
Slowly, hesitantly, Hiccup tried to stand and walk with his new leg. It went out from underneath him several times. Each time, Toothless was somehow there to catch him. It was awkward, and it hurt like fire, but Hiccup was nothing if not determined. By the time he heard Spitelout's voice outside his cell, he could stand on his own feet again.
"I don't like being threatened, traitor, and we've already spent more time on you than you're worth. Whatever you want to say, say it quickly."
"Spitelout, I want this whole matter brought up before the Thing. I have the right to demand that."
The big man snorted. "That's a waste of time. The Viking council will give you the same verdict and the same punishment that we did."
"Maybe they will, and maybe they won't, but it's not my case they need to hear. It's yours, Spitelout."
"Mine? What are you threatening me with?"
"Viking law says a criminal gets a hearing," Hiccup answered. "Thanks to you, I didn't get one. I wasn't allowed to say one word in my own defense. That's a serious violation of a free man's rights. When the Law-Speaker asks why you did that to me, what are you going to tell him? Maybe they'll send me into exile anyway, but you'll be right there beside me."
If Hiccup was right, then Spitelout wouldn't be the only guilty party. Stoick would also be implicated, and the second-in-command knew it. Would Hiccup actually press a charge against his own father? The father had already condemned the son; everyone knew they didn't get along well. The tribe might become leaderless.
There was a long silence outside. Hiccup wondered if Spitelout might have walked away. At last, he spoke. "What do you want, Hiccup?"
"I want a real hearing, with the chance to speak for myself. And I want a guarantee that no one will hurt this dragon until my case is settled."
He heard Spitelout chuckle. "You're still taking the dragons' side? All right, you'll get your hearing, though I doubt it'll be a long one. And you've got your guarantee, for all the good it will do. You owe this village one dead dragon, and I'm going to enjoy settling the score." Hiccup considered that thought for quite some time.
The next morning, the cell doors swung partly open, revealing a double row of armed guards. Toothless was ready to bolt for freedom, but Hiccup held him back. "It's just for a little while longer, bud, and then we'll both be free again." He walked slowly because of his leg. He suspected this annoyed the guards, who wanted to move faster, so he deliberately kept his pace slow. They entered the Mead Hall, where the rest of the adult men of the village were already waiting. Stoick pointedly looked in any direction except at the accused.
"This hearing is to determine the guilt or innocence of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, on the charge of treason against the village of Berk," Spitelout recited. "To wit, on the thirteenth day of –"
"Can we get on with it?" Stoick asked with some irritation.
"We're going to do this by the book, to satisfy the young Law-Speaker here," Spitelout answered snidely, jerking his thumb at Hiccup. He listed the date, time, and the exact details of the crime. Then he asked, "Are you guilty or innocent of this charge?"
"Guilty," Hiccup said without hesitation.
"All righty then," Spitelout said, turning his back on the defendant. "If you have something to say in your own defense, then say it now and get it over with."
Hiccup stood. "First, I want to bring up something you said yesterday, Spitelout. You said I owe this village one dead dragon, and you're going to enjoy settling the score. What did that mean?"
"It means you were supposed to kill the dragon you captured," Spitelout lectured him. "You didn't do it; you failed as a Viking. So you owe us a dragon. That black one you were riding isn't as good as a Monstrous Nightmare, but it will do. As soon as this hearing is over and you've been sent away, I intend to kill it, and our score against the dragons will be even."
Hiccup smiled. "So you're saying that, if I killed a dragon myself, that would cancel the debt I owe the town? We'd be even?"
Spitelout quickly sensed the potential for trouble, so he turned to Stoick for help. The chief stroked his beard, trying not to look at Hiccup, which was hard. His rage had faded with the passing of time; now he had to reconcile his hatred of treason with his love for his only son. Finally he answered.
"If you had killed a dragon before you were convicted of a crime, and if that dragon was of greater value than the one you let escape, then the village would accept that you'd done your duty, and there would be no charges against you. Unfortunately, you've already been convicted, and even if you did kill another dragon, it couldn't be of greater value than a Monstrous Nightmare, because the Nightmare is the largest of all dragons. That line of thinking won't help you."
"No, Dad, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken on both counts," Hiccup replied. "That first hearing was illegal because I didn't get a chance to defend myself, so I haven't been convicted of anything yet. As for the value of the dragon I killed, what if I told you that, not only is it bigger than a Monstrous Nightmare, but its death means there won't be any more dragon raids on Berk? Is that a high enough value?"
That set the spectators to talking. Stoick and his second-in-command conferred urgently. Spitelout turned and faced Hiccup, not quite as sure of himself as he'd been when the hearing began. "As for the legality of that first hearing, we may have to let the Thing decide. As for your claims about this dragon you say you killed, you'll have to prove it in front of reliable witnesses."
"I can do that," Hiccup said. "Choose some reliable witnesses, and get a ship ready. Toothless and I will take you to the dead dragon, and you can see it for yourselves."
Spitelout started to object, but Stoick spoke first. "A ship? Where is this dead dragon?"
Hiccup looked pointedly at his father and dropped his bombshell. "At the dragons' nest."
There was dead silence for the span of a heartbeat. Then Stoick shot to his feet, his bench crashing to the floor behind him, and strode forward until he was less than a foot from his son. All charges and accusations were forgotten, and he was oblivious to the sudden hubbub among the witnesses. He didn't look angry; he was in the full throes of a life-long curiosity.
"How did you find the nest?" he demanded.
"Only a dragon can find it," Hiccup answered. "A dragon won't take you there willingly. Toothless will guide us if I tell him to, but it has to be on my terms. My terms are, neither of us gets bound or restrained."
"He'll just fly away as soon as we get out to sea!" Spitelout objected.
"With a crime as serious as treason, I can't leave you unrestrained," Stoick said, but his voice wasn't so harsh now.
In the back row, Gobber stood up. "Hiccup, are ye telling us the truth about all this?"
"Gobber, I've failed a lot of people in a lot of ways, but you know that being a liar isn't one of them."
The smith faced the chief. "Then I'll take responsibility for the lad. My life for his, if he escapes. Leave 'im unrestrained."
The chief slowly nodded.
"Thank you, Gobber," Hiccup said. "There's one more thing. I want Astrid to ride that ship as well. She's charged with helping a criminal, namely me. Once I prove that I've done my duty to the village, then I'm no longer a criminal, and there's no charge left against her."
Spitelout looked at Stoick and shook his head. Stoick thought, then nodded. "You stand together or fall together. Very well. Hiccup, do you give your word that you won't try to escape until this thing is settled?"
"I give my word, Dad." He knew he had everything to gain from this one chance to prove himself, and everything to lose by fleeing back into the wilderness in the dead of winter.
"What is the word of a traitor worth?" Spitelout demanded.
"He hasn't been convicted of anything yet," the chief growled at him. He turned to the guards. "Take him back to the training ring and lock him there, but not in the dragon cell. Provide him with decent food and water. Leave no guards on duty; they won't be needed." To Spitelout, he said, "Prepare a ship to sail tomorrow. You and I will be on it, along with Gobber, Hiccup, the Hofferson girl, that black dragon, and as many armed warriors as it will carry. If we get to the nest, and the dragons aren't as peaceful as Hiccup says, I want to be ready for a fight. If they are peaceful, the warriors will be the witnesses."
"Right, Stoick," the second-in-command nodded, and left the building in great haste.
"This hearing is still officially in session," Stoick shouted over the hubbub of the spectators, "and it will be in session until we've either seen the defendant's evidence, or found that there is none. You can all go to your homes. I'll let you know when it's time to gather here again." They filed out by two's and three's, talking intently about this most unusual hearing.
As the guards led Hiccup out of the Hall, the chief motioned for them to stop. "Hiccup, I'm giving you a lot of rope. Don't hang yourself with it."
Hiccup almost said, "Don't worry, Dad; you'll be proud of me this time." But he remembered the last time he thought he'd made his father proud. He just nodded. The guards led him away.