No author's note from Emily this time around, I'm afraid. That's probably because I wrote most of this chapter myself.
Chapter Fourteen: The Knight's Lament
Hiccup's whole body felt heavy and sore as he walked up the steps to the Great Hall early that morning. He knew for sure that he definitely didn't enjoy patrolling until it was time for breakfast. But he also knew that to catch the gang in action, he was going to have to put in the extra effort. Stretching his muscles for the umpteenth time, he finally traipsed into the Hall and made a beeline to a table containing several council members.
"Nah, I agree with you." Ruffnut was saying as Hiccup came within hearing distance to the table. "If he doesn't get it soon, he'll get even more grouchy."
"Yeah but we have to be subtle." Fishlegs added.
"This is going to be tricky. We'll need all of our skills of stealth and- hi, Hiccup!" Tuffnut chirped in a voice filled with false cheerfulness. "We weren't talking about you!"
Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Yeah we were talking about Sven!" Ruffnut exclaimed, thumping Sven on the back as he choked in response.
"I'm too tired to even ask." Hiccup collapsed on the bench and put his head in his hands. "I thought caring for restless newborns was difficult but staying up half the night almost every night? I'll take the diaper changes and 2 am feedings again."
"Don't remind me." Tuffnut put his fingers to his temples as if warding off a headache. "I'm still trying to forget about last night's blowout."
"Oh yeah, we've all been there, buddy." Astrid said with a smirk as she walked up to the table and sat down next to her husband.
"Try a double blowout." Snotlout scowled.
"At 3 am when you haven't managed to fall asleep yet." Astrid added.
"Well if I see our mom," Tuffnut said to Ruffnut, "I'll be sure to apologize and get her a big bouquet of flowers."
"Yeah that might actually get the last traces of the smell out of the house." Snotlout quipped, earning himself a playful smack on the arm from Heather.
"Anyway," Hiccup drew out the word to get everyone's attention. "It was a complete waste of time. Nothing happened last night."
"Well we can't expect them to attack with half the village on alert." Astrid said through a sigh. "The issue is that they're obviously adjusting their strategy based on ours."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Hiccup pressed his palms into his eyes until little lights flashed in his vision. "They're anticipating our moves. It's a battle of wits between us and whoever is in charge. Gods, I wish I could know that much. All I can figure is that he or she is pretty clever. And we've got a lot of clever teens here, including our kids."
Snotlout tensed. "If you're implying that Inga, Dustin, or Vidar are involved-"
"No, I've pretty much ruled them out. I doubt a gang with people like Cale and Frey would allow kids that young to participate." Hiccup said, running his fingers through his hair.
"Well I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Ava isn't involved either." Tuffnut announced, looking suspiciously at his daughter in Svala's arms. "But she does look suspect sometimes. I'll have to keep an eye on her." The baby squealed and giggled in response to her daddy's voice, making everyone at the table smile.
"No, Ava's not involved either." Hiccup grumbled. "And neither is anyone under thirteen, I'm thinking."
"But that means you're suspecting your own kids." Heather stated. "Do you really think they could have anything to do with it?"
"Anna in a gang? I doubt it." Snotlout chortled. "About the only group she'd join is a book club."
"Yeah, I don't think Addie's got anything to do with it." Hiccup agreed. "Finn, on the other hand..."
"Finn I could believe." Astrid continued. "He's got the attitude for it. And the temper."
"But we can't just jump in and expect him to confess." Fishlegs furrowed his brow in thought. "We can't do that with any of our kids. We have to be delicate."
"Have you thought about what you would do if it turns out your kids are involved?" Heather asked almost tentatively, looking at Hiccup and Astrid and at Fishlegs and Ruffnut. "I mean you've got to crack down but I don't think you should banish them or anything."
"No, banishment would be a bad idea. Teenagers can be stupid but that doesn't mean they'll stay stupid. Banishment could create another Trista and no one wants that." Astrid said in a low voice, frowning when Hiccup visibly flinched at the name.
"She's right. We've got be be careful with how we handle the whole situation." Hiccup stretched his arms out as high as they would go and yawned. "But eventually, I've got to get some sleep."
"You should take a nap." Astrid said, rubbing Hiccup's back. "I can handle it for a bit."
"I'll never wake up." Hiccup sighed, not feeling any more rested. "Coffee's all I need, I'll wake up."
"I'm not convinced you wouldn't bleed coffee at this point." Astrid frowned. "All that caffeine isn't good for you."
Hiccup made a grumbling sound in his throat but finally acquiesced. "Okay, fine. Just a nap."
"I'll be in to wake you up at noon." Astrid promised as he slowly stood up.
As he walked through the Hall, Hiccup noticed his daughter sitting next to Brandyn, her hand clasped in his. He might have intervened but at this point, he'd be willing to let a yak stampede through town. Okay, he thought, maybe I am too tired for work.
Sleep would have to wait, however, because the moment he got outside, he spotted a bright green blur speeding past him. It was a split second before he registered what it was.
"Sharpshot!" he exclaimed, hoping the tiny dragon would hear him. "Here boy!"
The Terrible Terror skidded to a halt in midair and turned around rapidly to avoid losing altitude. Hiccup looked around to make sure no teens were present before inspecting the dragon for a message.
"Let's see what those nut-jobs have got you delivering, eh buddy?" Hiccup said soothingly as he found a tiny note attached to Sharpshot's leg.
It was a fairly short note and the handwriting was definitely disguised but Hiccup stared intently at it.
No hits for a while. Too much surveillance. CH is already suspicious.
-LE
OK.
"Hmm." Hiccup hummed to himself as he read the note again. His tiredness forgotten, he fed Sharpshot a treat and sauntered back into the Great Hall.
"Woah! It's noon already?" Tuffnut stared at him with wide eyes as he sat back down at the table. "Time sure flies now that we're getting old."
"What? No." Hiccup shook his head. "Look."
They all crowded around him to read the note. Fishlegs was the first to speak once they had all mulled the words over for a few seconds.
"Who's LE?" he asked. "Do we know of a teenager whose initials are LE?"
"Law enforcement!" Ruffnut piped up. "This is from one of your guys!"
"Great, ol' Law and I should go get a drink." Hiccup deadpanned exasperatedly. "I think it's a person, not a concept."
"Lulu Ellenbogen!" Tuffnut shouted, making them all jump. "I knew she was trouble!"
"Your imaginary girlfriend from when we were twelve?" Snotlout rolled his eyes.
"She was not imaginary, she was invisible! And she was very sensitive about that, you hurt her feelings by bringing it up so much!"
"Moving on!" Hiccup snapped at his bickering friends. "There's something off about these letters."
"They're smudged a bit." Astrid pointed out a few small smudges on the page. "LE is a lefty. But whoever wrote 'OK' isn't."
"True. So we're looking for a left-handed LE. And... someone else." Fishlegs sighed. "That doesn't really narrow down the search too much. And who is CH?"
"Chief Hiccup." Tuffnut replied automatically.
Hiccup opened his mouth to retort but then considered his friend's words. "Actually... you're probably right. How'd you figure that?"
"Well duh, it's your name." Ruffnut said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Uhh... no." Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah it is. Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third: Dragon Conqueror, Slap Bet Winner, Stable Boy-"
"Stable boy?" Hiccup cut her off. "When was I ever a stable boy?"
"When we had our own island." Ruffnut nudged her brother. "Can't believe he forgot about that."
"That never happened." Hiccup sighed, trying to be as patient as possible.
"Of course it did." Tuffnut insisted. "Or... did we just dream that?"
"Yeah, you definitely dreamed that. I'd remember you two getting your own island." Astrid pointed to the note. "But back to the topic at hand."
"I think our best clue is that this was written by a lefty." Fishlegs said thoughtfully. "Not as many of them."
"That's true. It wasn't any of our kids." Hiccup stated, peering at the words through narrowed eyes. "Could have been Thorein maybe. Or Morgan or..." his eyes widened.
"Or who?" Astrid asked tentatively after several silent seconds.
"Erick." Hiccup looked up and met her gaze. "Flip the letters and it's Erick's initials."
"Nah, Erick wouldn't do anything that stupid." Snotlout vehemently shook his head. "He's a good kid."
"Yeah, he is." Fishlegs agreed. "But he also just lost his sister and brother-in-law."
"And his girlfriend." Svala added.
"And his mother blames him for what happened to his sister." Astrid told them.
"But he's also smart enough to come up with coherent strategies." Hiccup ran his fingers over his face. "Gods, how did I miss this? It makes perfect sense. He always used to talk to me about some of the mechanical books he found at the library. Helped me with a couple of inventions. I bet you anything he knows how to pick a lock."
"And the guards said the kid who stole the Terror was skinny." Fishlegs continued.
"I'll go talk to him." Hiccup said, beginning to rise from his seat.
"No." Astrid said firmly. "I'll talk to him on his lunch break. Better to talk to him alone. You go home and get some rest."
"Astrid-"
"No ifs, ands, or buts." Astrid insisted. "Off you go. The rest of you all, go to work as normal. I've got this."
"You sure?" asked Fishlegs.
"Positive." Astrid said with a confident smile. "He knows me. I don't think he'll be any trouble."
The leather shop had dark windows, which wasn't unusual for the middle of the day. Astrid looked around to see Horst eating lunch with his daughter. Another glance revealed Cliff sitting on the side of the town square, leaning on his dragon as he ate his lunch alone. But Erick was nowhere to be seen. The Haddock matriarch turned toward the leather shop and pushed open the door.
"Erick?" she called tentatively into the dim room lined with saddles, belts, and miscellaneous leather clothing items.
If she hadn't heard a slight scuffle in the back room, she'd have left. Astrid immediately bounded forward and opened the door to find Erick, seated with his back to her and clearly fumbling with something she couldn't see.
"Hey, it's okay." she said, holding out her hands in a placating manner. "I didn't mean to startle you, I'm sorry."
"N-no, it's fine." Erick said in a slightly higher register. "But I was just... having some alone time and I don't feel like-"
Astrid strode forward until she was looking over his shoulder."Look, I really don't want to bug you but Hiccup and I-" she faltered suddenly when she caught sight of the dagger on the table that was dripping with what looked horribly like blood. "What... Erick?"
Erick roughly shoved his sleeves further down as he turned around, finally looking her in the eye. "Don't! Don't come any closer!" he said sharply.
"What..." Astrid's eyes flicked downward and she gasped at the sight of blood dripping from Erick's fingers. "Erick, what happened?"
"Nothing." Erick mumbled through gritted teeth. "Just go away. I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Astrid said in a gentle tone, slowly stepping forward to get a better look. Erick visibly tensed. "It's okay. All right?" she reached out and gently grasped his arm, holding on despite his weak attempts to pull away. "I just want to see-"
"Let me go!" Erick snapped, attempting to yank his arm out of Astrid's firm grasp.
"Erick!" Astrid said sharply. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and saying, in a considerably more maternal tone, "Let me see."
Erick's arm finally slackened in her grip. Slowly, she pulled the bloody sleeve up to reveal several long, deep red gashes up and down his arms. Blood oozed onto her hands and she inspected it. Astrid's eyes widened and she gasped in horror. Erick finally yanked his hand away.
"Just say it and get it over with." he snarled defensively.
"Say... what?"
"That I disgust you. That I'm... a coward." he replied almost scathingly, glancing down at his mangled arm with an angry scowl.
"I wasn't thinking that at all." Astrid said breathlessly, her eyes locked onto the boy's cuts and her heart freezing in her chest.
"Sure you weren't." Erick grumbled.
"No, I... I just don't know what to say." Astrid finally looked into those angry teal eyes. "I'm just... how long has this been going on?"
Erick made a huffing sound and pulled up his other sleeve to reveal dark scabs from his wrist to his inner elbow, some of which were still bleeding lightly. "Long enough to switch arms."
Astrid's body shook with suppressed horror. Fear rose in her and for one crazy moment, she felt like fleeing the shop and going for Mara, who would surely know what to do for this boy. In her entire life, a life which included its fair share of emotional agony, she had never once considered that anyone would consider damaging himself to cope with his own pain. The sight of Erick's bleeding arms frightened her more than any injury she had ever seen, including her husband's stump or her son's broken arm nine years before. But this boy she had watched grow up had reached a level of pain that seemed beyond her comprehension. Her heart ached as she looked into his eyes, which seemed to be crying out for help beneath the angry facade behind which Erick hid.
Finally, after a few seconds of silence, she shakily exhaled. "All right, umm..." her mind suddenly raced for the right words to say when she remembered the healing kit she'd taken to carrying since Finn had learned to walk. "I... I have a kit here, let me just-"
"No!" Erick took a step back and vehemently shook his head.
"Y-you're going to get infected."
"You're not putting anything on it!" Erick insisted.
"Why not?"
"Because this is what I deserve for all the things I've done!" Erick bellowed suddenly, making her jump. " I deserve this! And nothing you can do is going to change that!"
"Deserve... why?" Astrid tentatively stepped forward, her arms spread out in what she hoped was a placating gesture. "Sweetie, just... just sit down, okay? Talk to me."
His arms trembling, Erick backed away. "N-no. No, no, no, I'm not going to have a discussion about my problems. Just go away!"
"Erick, honey-" Erick buried his face in his hands as Astrid slowly stepped forward. "Hey, I want to help."
"You can't." Erick said in a muffled voice.
"Yes, I can-"
"Don't you get it?" Erick suddenly bellowed, his head shooting out of his hands so he could glare coldly at Astrid. "Nobody can help me! I'm a lost cause! The stupid, runty kid no one cares about. Just go away, Astrid!"
"No!" Astrid spoke over him in far too sharp a voice, making Erick jerk back in surprise. She took a deep breath before continuing in a gentler tone. "No. I'm not going anywhere. And you can't make me."
"You can't make me talk."
"Then I guess we'll just stare at each other for a while." Astrid took another deep breath, her eyes flitting to the still bleeding cuts on his arms. She looked back up into his eyes, hoping her face showed the compassion she felt for this boy. "Please, just let me wrap those up."
Erick pinned his arms to his side. "No."
"Erick-"
"I will bleed to death before I let you do anything." Erick said scathingly, finally averting her gaze.
"Okay." Astrid reached into her belt and pulled out a roll of clean bandages from the healing kit. "I'll let you do it. It's something, right? Here." she held out the roll of bandages.
Erick glared at the outstretched roll, shaking his head slowly. "Pointless."
Astrid held it out farther. "You don't want them getting inf-"
"They're already infected, Astrid. I'm not stupid." Erick snapped.
Astrid shook her head. "No, they're not, but they're close." she extended the roll even farther. "Here, please take it."
Erick stared at the roll for several seconds before finally taking it. Astrid watched as he fumbled with it in an attempt to unroll it. The once white bandages were smeared with his blood in seconds as his stiff arms and shaking fingers tried to work together but it was no use. Astrid forced herself to stay seated as Erick's face pinched in frustration, his arms and hands apparently not obeying his brain's desperate orders. The boy's face reddened in anger and his eyes brimmed with tears until he finally flopped down onto a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands, the roll dropping to the floor.
Astrid slowly reached down and picked up the roll. She pulled up a chair and sat down across from Erick, tenderly grasping his arm and pulling it down so that she could wrap it herself. Erick did not struggle but his shoulders shook and tears streaked down his face. The Haddock matriarch wrapped his arms as gently as she could before sliding down the clean bandages and taking his hands in hers.
"Erick," she asked sadly, finally leaning down so that she could look him in the eye, "what's wrong?"
The Larson boy finally let out a sob and hid his face in his hands. Astrid immediately leaned forward and wrapped him in her arms, allowing him to cry into her shoulder. For a moment, it was completely silent except for the sound of Erick's hoarse and muffled sobs.
"I... they said give it t-time." he whimpered. "But I d-did and it s-still hurts."
"I know." Astrid whispered, holding him tightly. "I know it does."
"I m-miss my dad. My sister. Why?" Erick wept. "Wh-what did I do to d-deserve this?"
"Erick," Astrid whispered, gently pulling him out of the hug so that she could wipe his tears away with her thumbs. Her heart broke at the expression on his face. She had never seen him so broken. "Sometimes very bad things happen to good people. I know you've heard that before but I've seen it with my own eyes many times. You didn't do anything."
Erick sniffed loudly. "It's my fault."
"No. No, it's nobody's fault. Aud and Curt... that was an accident, Erick. And your father, he fought that sickness so hard and his body just couldn't take it anymore. That was never your fault." Astrid responded, tenderly brushing his bangs out from in front of his eyes.
"I wanted him to go on the trip with me-"
"Which wasn't a bad thing." Astrid reminded him. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"It hurts so much." Erick shook his head. "I can't..."
"I know, Erick. I know what it's like to want someone so badly, it tears you up inside." Astrid wiped his tears again, her heart heavy with sadness for the Larson boy.
"How could you understand?"
"I've lost people too. My brother, my mom... my dad." Astrid's voice shook. "But what hurts the most..." she bowed her head, her heart leaving her chest to pound in her ears. "I... I haven't told anyone this, Erick. Not Finn, not Adri." she paused, gritting her teeth in an attempt to steel herself for what she was about to say. Finally she looked up at him again. "When Finn and Adri were little, I... I lost a baby."
"What?" Erick looked up and met her gaze. "Why... why didn't you..."
"Hiccup didn't want to tell anyone." Astrid explained, her voice trembling. "When we found out I was pregnant, we didn't say anything in case... well, in case this happened." She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She couldn't believe she was telling this story after so many years of keeping it to herself. "Everything was going well. I'd just started to feel movements and Hiccup was getting excited but one day, it just... stopped." her eyes burned with her own tears but she forced herself to continue. "It was a little boy. He wasn't big enough to survive. He wasn't..." she trailed off, wiping tears from her eyes. "I was so angry for a long time. But that was the year Adri got kidnapped and after that, I realized that I was spending so much time wanting the child I lost that I wasn't appreciating the ones I have." Astrid reached down and squeezed Erick's hand. "I know what it's like. To want a certain person in your life so badly that it consumes you. That you can't be happy again. But when you let that take over, you lose sight of what's in front of you. Of who's still there."
Erick sniffed and wiped his nose, averting her gaze again to stare instead of his hand clasped in hers. "You had that. I don't. My mom and Nik and his wife don't care what happens to me. I spend all my free time in my room hiding from them because I'm too weak to... I can't just get over it. Magnus won't let me see her kids anymore because she doesn't trust me." Erick's lip wobbled slightly as he spoke. "I haven't really spoken to Anna in years because I'm such an idiot."
"That's where you're wrong." Astrid gently countered.
Erick smirked slightly through his tears. "And apparently I can't even explain my situation right either because I'm wrong there too."
Astrid shook her head. "No, I... we do care, Erick. Me, Hiccup, Adri."
"Anna doesn't care about me."
"She does." Astrid placed her fingers on his chin and lifted it so he was staring at her. "She still has that picture you drew her on her wall. Never could bring herself to take it down."
"It's... it's just a picture..."
"That simple picture was the beginning of the best friendship either of you have ever had. She wouldn't let it end that easily. She couldn't if she tried." Erick stared silently at her, tears still dripping down his face. "I know my daughter. She's every bit as stubborn as her dad. As me. Got it from us both. And she hasn't given up. When she loves someone, she loves them with her heart and soul. That's why I know she and Hiccup will work their issues out one day. And so will you."
Erick rubbed his face, drying it of the excess tears. "She wouldn't want to be friends with me. I mean, look at me!" he gestured to his bandaged arms. "I'm sure that's not even the worst of it."
"She's a mess herself. That's why you two worked so well." Astrid countered.
Erick stared morosely down at his arms. "I just can't."
"No, I'm not... hey, I'm not saying this is something that has to happen now." Astrid placed her fingers on his chin and turned his face up so he could look at her. "But when you're ready, she'll still be there. And so will I. And so will Hiccup."
Erick shook his head. "I don't think I'm ever going to be ready. I feel worse every time I go home."
Astrid leaned forward slightly. "Why is that?" she asked. "What are they doing and saying, Erick?"
"Doesn't matter." the boy mumbled.
"It does if they're hurting you." Astrid said, reaching forward and gripping his hand. "Tell me, sweetie. Whatever it is, I'm not going to get angry with you. I promise."
It was several seconds before Erick was ready to speak but the moment he opened his mouth, it was like a dam within him had burst open. He told Astrid everything, about how his mother hadn't wanted another baby after Aud and had always treated him like a mistake and how his father had stepped in on his behalf until he died. He told her about Nikolas and how he had always been Lara's favorite and how, in her eyes, he could do no wrong. Through a fresh wave of tears, he shakily told her about his mother's behavior toward him since Aud had died, how she had blamed him and bullied him into believing that he was nothing but a burden to her. Astrid listened without interrupting him, all the while squeezing his hand reassuringly. When the youngest Larson was finished, she was silent for a moment, her mind processing everything she had heard. Finally, she spoke.
"I don't think you should be in that house anymore." she said slowly, as if she was coming to this conclusion while she spoke. "What Lara is doing to you is damaging. She's abusing you, Erick."
"No... no she's not, I deserve this."
"No one deserves this." Astrid said firmly. "And no one should ever be made to feel like they are a burden to their own parent. You and Lara are very different people and conflicts are bound to happen but these go beyond simple conflicts. She's making you feel unloved and unwanted when that's simply not true."
"It is true."
"No, it's not." Astrid gently brushed his tears away with her thumbs. "Because I love you, Erick. And I know Hiccup does too, and Adri."
"You're just trying to make me feel better." Erick mumbled, through he met her gaze.
"I wouldn't say something like that to comfort someone." Astrid calmly insisted. "When you were five years old, you became the greatest blessing that came out of my little girl's horrible experience. You gave her exactly what she needed and she did the same for you. How could I not love the child I watched grow up and whose very presence made my daughter's life so much brighter? It's more than just playing with Adri, Erick. You showed even from such an early age that you had a great deal of compassion. And I have always admired that about you and loved you for it."
"That's what he said." Erick sniffled and wiped his face. "My dad. He said that's what made me special. Compassion." he shook his head. "He was wrong though. I'm not compassionate. I've done so many awful things."
"Even if that's true," Astrid said in a maternal time, "I told you just after your dad died that you were loved. Whatever you've done, I'm sure you can be forgiven." she leaned forward and tenderly kissed his forehead. "But I want you to come home with us. In fact, are you busy? Maybe you should come now. I think you need some time away from everything in a different location. You can read a book, Adri's got dozens."
"We don't have many orders." Erick admitted. "I just don't want to leave Horst in the lurch."
"It's okay. I'll explain the situation." Erick shook his head and Astrid smiled kindly. "No, no, not that. Just that you need a bit of time away. He'll understand."
Erick sighed but finally nodded. He allowed himself to be steered out of the shop, feeling comfort in Astrid's gentle arm around his shoulders. After a few words with Horst, they made their way to the Haddock house in silence.
"Shouldn't you talk to Hiccup about this?" Erick asked as the cozy Haddock home entered his line of vision.
"I think, under the circumstances, Hiccup will be fine with it." Astrid explained. "You can sleep in the loft over the old dragon pen. It's nice and warm, sort of like an attic. We keep things there for storage mostly. The dragons prefer to sleep in the newer pen or in our rooms so it's perfect."
Erick smirked. "Leave it to you guys to have a dozen dragon pens."
"Only three." Astrid patted his upper back as she ushered him into the main room of the house. "I'm going to go wake up Hiccup and tell him what's going on. Then we'll go get Charger and your stuff. I think it's best for you to stay away from the house for a bit."
"You don't have to go through so much trouble for me." Erick mumbled.
"Yes we do." Astrid said reassuringly. "Really, make yourself at home."
She ascended the staircase, leaving Erick standing in the main room alone. He looked around, taking in all the sights that met his eyes. There were awkward clay cups and vases on display on shelves, projects that clearly were made by the Haddock children years ago. Erick sauntered forward to look at them. A small, painted bowl caught his interest. He remembered this bowl. He had helped Adrianna paint it as a anniversary gift to her parents. They had only known each other around two years at the time and they had had a grand time painting their project and each other. Hiccup and Astrid had been delighted with it and had thanked them both. Erick smiled at the memory as he inspected the awkwardly shaped object.
"Uhh... hi."
Erick jumped and dropped the bowl back on the shelf. Adrianna stood awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen, a book in her hands. The Larson boy's face reddened slightly.
"Hey." he said breathlessly.
"Did you need something?" Adrianna asked, glancing between Erick and the front door.
"No."
The girl blinked, almost like she didn't trust her own vision. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Erick replied lamely.
There was an incredibly awkward silence as the former friends stared at each other. Finally, Adrianna could stand it no more.
"I'm sorry, what are you doing here? Not like I want you to leave because I don't care, not that I don't care, I'm just really really confused because this is just super weird... and yeah." Adrianna rambled in one breath, gasping when she was done.
Erick raised an eyebrow. "You've been talking to Cliff."
"Ah... yes." Adrianna admitted with a shy smile. "He's an interesting character."
"Yeah, he is." Erick agreed.
The room went silent again. Adrianna fiddled with the book in her hands.
"So..."
Erick's blush worsened. "I'm... uhh..." he mumbled incoherently.
"Hm?"
The youngest Larson swallowed thickly. "I-I"m mvingin..."
"Sorry?"
"I'M MOVING IN!" Erick suddenly bellowed, making the girl jump in alarm. His face felt even hotter. "S-sorry... that was... ah sorry."
Adrianna stepped back, staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. "Whoa, wait.. .you're... what?"
The sounds of noisy footsteps on the stairs made both teenagers look up. Hiccup and Astrid descended the staircase, looking between the two of them with raised eyebrows.
"You didn't tell her yet?" Hiccup asked Astrid.
"No." Astrid replied. "You're the only person I've talked to about it other than Erick."
"Right." Hiccup said somewhat nervously. "Um... Adrianna, until further notice, Erick's going to beeeee moving in! Yeah-" he gestured awkwardly to Erick as he spoke.
"What? I-I mean, why?" Adrianna glanced at Erick, who shrugged.
"Oh, details we'd rather not divulge at this time." Hiccup told her, continuing to awkwardly gesture to the Larson boy. "He'll be in the loft in the barn, so bedtimes for kiddies won't be super awkward. Heh heh..."
Erick rubbed his face with one hand. "Well now it's awkward."
"Spoken like a true Larson." Hiccup smiled warmly at Erick, strolling over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come along then, I'll show you the loft."
"Okay." Erick said, allowing Hiccup to steer him outside.
Adrianna immediately whirled on Astrid as soon as the door closed behind them. "What?"
"Adri..."
"No... what? How- why?" Adrianna continued as if her mother hadn't spoken.
"Adrianna!" Astrid finally raised her voice over her daughter's objections, swiftly silencing her. "I know it's uncomfortable, but this wouldn't be happening if it wasn't ABSOLUTELY necessary. Okay?"
Adrianna blinked in surprise. Finally, her features softened. "What happened?"
Astrid sighed deeply. "He's just... going through a very hard time right now, and he needs to be surrounded by people who care about him. Not that I'm strictly referring to you, I mean anyone. He needs love and he needs to know.. he's important. I don't know how long he'll be here but until we know for sure... at least try to befriend him again. Okay?"
"Erm... Okay?" Adrianna bit her lip. "I-I mean... this... it's been hard, mom-"
"I know. But believe me when I say that he needs you to show that you at least care for him somewhat. Please?"
"Why do you say that like I don't care?" Adrianna asked calmly. "I do. I never stopped."
"I know you do." Astrid looked over at the door Hiccup and Erick had just walked through. "But... right now, no one is showing him kindness. And your father and I care about him and want to be his emotional support right now."
"Okay." Adrianna said softly. "I can try to be a friend to him. If he lets me."
"I think he will." Astrid brushed her daughter's bangs from her eyes and kissed her forehead. "Now, why don't you go join your boys?"
Adrianna smiled bashfully. "They're not my boys."
"Ohhh I think they are." Astrid gestured to the door. "You'll see it in retrospect if you don't see it now."
Adrianna rolled her eyes at her mother's knowing smile before going out to join her father and friend. As Astrid glanced out the window to see her daughter walking across the grass to the pen, she sighed. She and Hiccup had agreed not to talk to Erick about the gang quite yet. If the note was any indication, there wouldn't be any more hits for a while, giving them plenty of time to coax the answer out of the Larson boy. But something seemed distinctly off about the whole thing. Why did Erick feel the need to join a gang in the first place?
The only thing she knew for sure was that she didn't know the whole story. She only hoped that time would eventually yield the answers to her questions.
A few hours later, Hiccup, Astrid, and Erick walked to the Larson house in silence. None of them quite knew what to expect but they dreaded the confrontation. It definitely wasn't going to be pretty.
Lara answered the door directly after they knocked. She was drying her hands with a dish towel and looked distinctly annoyed at the interruption.
"Is something wrong?" she asked in a businesslike tone. "I don't want to be rude but I have a lot to do right now."
Hiccup felt a surge of annoyance that he pushed down. "Actually, we came to talk to you about your son."
"Whatever Gustav did this time, he's an adult and can handle the consequences on his own." Lara said almost automatically.
"Not that one." Hiccup told her.
"My Nikolas is-"
"Erick. We're talking about Erick!" Astrid exclaimed, gently pushing Erick into view.
Lara tensed. "Oh. That one."
Hiccup rested a hand on Erick's shoulders. "We'd like to discuss some things with you."
"Well it's going to have to wait. It's Mel's birthday tomorrow and I-"
"We weren't asking." Hiccup interrupted.
He, Erick, and Astrid immediately stepped into the house, ignoring Lara's furious growl. The Larson matriarch put her hands on her hips.
"Well? This isn't an investigation. State your business quickly and go." she snapped.
"Erick, honey, go on up to your room and get your things." Astrid said soothingly to the teenager.
Erick didn't need to be told twice. He immediately ran forward and pounded up the stairs.
The moment he was out of sight, Hiccup crossed his arms and stared directly at Lara. "It's come to my attention that there are some... issues."
"With Erick?" Lara sighed deeply. "All mothers and sons argue once in a while. You know that as well as I do."
"Don't play that game with us, Lara." Astrid hissed. "Don't act like what we're about to tell you is a simple, petty argument."
"I don't know what he's told you but I assure you, nothing is going on." Lara said in a softer voice. "I try to get through to him and he refuses to listen. I know he thinks I'm being too hard on him but I have his best interests at heart. I've done the best I can to help my family move forward and it's not my fault some decide to dwell on the past."
Hiccup shook his head and gestured to the staircase. "Lara, have you even looked at him? Really looked?"
"Am I supposed to be seeing something?" Lara asked, her voice barely concealing impatience.
"Are you seriously telling me you haven't noticed that he's lost weight, barely slept, and had his arms bandaged for the last several months?" Astrid prompted. "Are you really that blind?"
"Erick hasn't been taking proper care of himself." Lara insisted. "He's 16 years old. I can't make him eat."
"He's a minor." Hiccup countered. "Until he's 17, it's your responsibility by law to care for him. If he refused when you tried to make him eat or whatever, fine, but you're clearly not making an effort."
The calm pretense dissolved as Lara swelled angrily. "How dare you?" she said through gritted teeth. "I have given him food and shelter and clothes. What he does with them isn't my problem anymore."
"When's the last time you gave him a hug?" Astrid asked, her eyes narrowed. "Or told him you loved him?"
Hiccup waved a hand at Astrid. "No no, wait. Love isn't a necessity. How silly, who would need that?"
"Your sarcasm isn't as charming as you think it is, chief." Lara said the last word with disgust.
"Then let me make myself painfully clear." Hiccup replied with an icy tone. "You are not fit to be a parent. You're abusing your son and allowing him to abuse himself in multiple ways, and we will not stand for a second longer." Lara opened her mouth but he cut her off. "That you would dare mistreat your youngest son, the little boy that Olaf cherished with every ounce of his being, disgusts me. I may not be the greatest parent in the world. But I would never..." Hiccup swallowed hard. "I would never push my children away. Never like this."
"And by all rights, he's practically a son to us. If you won't raise and take care of him, we will. And not out of duty, but because we truly care about him. If you won't show him love, we will." Astrid added forcefully.
"So that's it then? You're taking my son from me just because he came to you with a silly sob story?" Lara shook her head and smirked. "You deserve him."
"If you think we're just doing this out of pity, you're sorely mistaken." Astrid's eyes flitted to the staircase. "You were blessed with a wonderful child who was more compassionate at age five than you've ever been. Whether or not we deserve him doesn't matter. But you definitely don't."
"That's why Erick is gathering his things right now." Hiccup said calmly, ignoring Lara's furious gaze. "We're taking him home with us."
"Erick!" Lara called up the stairs. "Get down here now!"
Erick came into view a second later, a bag slung on his shoulder and his feet shuffling. He avoided their gaze as he slowly descended the staircase.
"Unpack your things." Lara snapped, making him flinch. "You've deceived our chief long enough and you are not leaving with him." she turned to Hiccup with an icy stare. "I won't inconvenience him like that."
Astrid sauntered forward and put an arm around Erick's shoulder. "Don't talk to him that way."
"Do as I say!" Lara suddenly bellowed at her son.
Erick avoided her gaze and shook his head. "I want to go with them."
Lara stared angrily between the two Haddocks before throwing her arms up in disgust. "Fine. Take him. That'll be one less problem for me to deal with."
"He's not a problem!" Hiccup shouted. "He's your child!"
"Hiccup," Astrid met his gaze and shook her head, "let's just go. We can't convince her to act like a decent person." she squeezed Erick's shoulder. "Have you got your things?"
"Yeah." Erick mumbled in a trembling voice.
"Okay. Let's go." Astrid guided him out of the house.
Hiccup stayed a moment longer, his bright green eyes flashing. "You know, I think about Olaf all the time. How kind and wise and wonderful he was and how much he loved his children. I trust that he saw something in you that no one else did or he wouldn't have loved you so much. For his sake, I hope you find it in your heart to love Erick as much as Olaf did."
"Get. Out." Lara hissed through her teeth.
Without a response, Hiccup walked out of the house and jumped when the door slammed behind him.
Hiccup, Astrid, and Erick walked back from the Larson house in silence. Charger caught up with them a few seconds later, bounding next to Erick and making excited cooing noises. Hiccup walked with his head held high. He wasn't going to let any of Lara's words get under his skin. But something had struck a chord with his Erick and it wasn't long until he spoke up.
"Why do people say that there's nothing more important than family?" he asked slowly, not meeting anyone's eye. "Family is just... something you're born into. It's so arbitrary. Why should I prioritize it if my mother has been so cruel?"
"I guess because family is more than that." Hiccup replied thoughtfully, thinking his words through carefully. "To tell someone who has been abused that they have to lie down and take it just because they happened to be born to those people is damaging. More than damaging, it's enough to make them feel like they can't have something everyone else around them has." he sighed deeply. "I wish we, as a whole, would stop putting people in those boxes. Family is wonderful if you're lucky enough to be in a good one. But it's no more important than the people you come to love along the way." he breathed a laugh after considering his words. "Erick, you have no obligation to Lara at this point. Abuse cancels that out."
"True..." Erick muttered. "But what about yours?" he stopped walking for a moment and both Hiccup and Astrid turned to face him. "What if... what if, say, Finn was up to something bad? Family ties cannot come before the good of the village. Would he still become chief?"
Hiccup paused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I've been thinking about it too. And you're right. It would be wrong to put him in charge if he continues down this road." he leaned forward slightly. "Do you know something I don't?"
"No!" Erick exclaimed hastily. "I just... he's not very nice is all. Sorry, I don't want to pry..."
"It's okay." Hiccup assured him. "Listen, I don't love Finn only because he's my son. Well, that's how it started. But that's not why anymore. I've gotten to know him and I know there's good in him. I admire so many of his qualities I would hate to see his potential wasted. Addie's too." he sighed deeply. "But if something were going on, I'd want to know about it, Erick."
"There's nothing." Erick mumbled. "Forget I mentioned it."
Hiccup glanced at Astrid once Erick and Charger had continued walking again. The moment their eyes met, they silently agreed: there was definitely more to the story.
Since I wrote all of this chapter except some of the dialogue, I feel like it's not as good. But every time I say that, everyone tells me I'm wrong. So I'm not going to say it's not good, just that I'm not completely satisfied with it. There's not much I can do about that though.
Can't really think of anything else to say. We were looking forward to this chapter for a long time and I hope I did it justice. Erick's in a better place... but what's the rest of the gang up to right now? You'll see soon enough.
Continued prayers are needed for my sister because she still needs a car but I think she's a bit happier now. So that's a good thing.
Don't forget to review!
~KateMarie999
P.S. I've officially left the fandom but I'm still going to keep up with new material while I'm writing this series. It wasn't an easy decision but I decided it was for the best. I like the characters and universe because they're malleable but I haven't liked the direction a lot of the canon has gone as of late. It honestly feels to me like wasted potential, like there are fascinating things that could be done with the characters but that they prioritize things I'm uninterested in seeing. It's not because of Race to the Edge, I liked a fair amount of that, it's a lot of reasons I don't want to go into right now. I may enjoy writing for it and talking about my writing for it but I will henceforth stop offering my opinions on the material outside of the first film or posting anything about it online. I also have no desire to keep up with the fandom drama, choosing instead to embrace another fandom after a long hiatus. But the bottom line is that I will continue to write this series and other stories I planned on updating. I would just like to respectfully request that people not ask me to read their fanfictions for this fandom or discuss any fandom related matters with me. As you can see in this chapter, any and all non-canon material in this series will be facetiously referenced but they remain non-canon.
That all being said, I harbor no ill will towards you guys and it's been a good run. I announced my departure from the fandom on the 2 year anniversary of my initial joining of it so that's a funny coincidence. 2 years is pretty standard when it comes to my fandom involvement. I will always cherish this fandom for their support of my works and their viewership. I have come to see this series as my own creation more than a derivative of its source material and I'm glad you all have stuck with it despite my dozens upon dozens of OCs and the distinct lack of emphasis on the dragons. You all really are the best and this has been a great 2 years.