Chapter 17

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Thought / Dreams / Event from the past

[Voice from the past]

"Dialogue"

"Dragon language"

Letter

Emphasis

Dangerous Tone

As soon as Citrus landed in front of the Great Hall as was ordered by Hiccup, the Human Alpha jumped off the Nadder's back and stormed into the Great Hall, never minding the fact that his body felt so hot and his head ache so much. "Emma!" He yelled as he ran in.

"Hiccup! You're back!" Emma said in relief, "Did you get the cure?" She asked worriedly.

"Here, inside is the Scauldron's venom." Hiccup said as he handed the jar, "Add water in so all the dragons can have some of it, hurry!".

Emma ran towards the water basin and took a half full bucket of water, she then poured the venom into the water and mixed it with her hand. "Everyone!" She yelled to the Riders who were waiting beside their dragons, "Get a cup and help your dragon to drink it!".

They rushed to do as they were told, grabbing a cup and took some of the water, then carefully made their way back towards their dragons and helped them to drink it. Hiccup also rushed to the water basin and took a cup full of the water, but instead of walking carefully like the others, he poured it into a bucket before taking off running towards his house where Toothless was still lying in his room, but not before he asked Emma to help his other dragons to drink the cure first.

"Brother, Brother." Hiccup called softly but urgently as he shook Toothless's body, "Open your eyes, Bro, you need to drink this." He was actually very worried, from what he heard, Toothless was the one who caught the sickness first, he was afraid that Toothless's condition was worse than the other dragons who caught the sickness later on. "Come on. I beg you, Toothless. Open your eyes".

The desperation in Hiccup's voice caused Toothless to stir and opened his eyes a slit, "Hiccup." He crooned so softly that it came out as a mere whisper.

"Brother." Hiccup said with a relieved sigh, "I have the cure, open your mouth for me, Brother".

Toothless moaned weakly, he felt his body very heavy and it's hard to move, but he forced himself to open his mouth. It's only a few inch apart, but it's enough for Hiccup to pour the water into Toothless open mouth and Toothless gulped it down.

Hiccup smiled in happiness, glad that Toothless had drank the cure. Now that Toothless had some of Scauldron's venom in his system, the venom would counteract the poison from Blue Oleander, his dragonic Brother would be up and about in no time. "Get some rest, Toothless." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around Toothless's head and pressed their foreheads together, "I will be here with you".

Toothless slowly but surely opened his left wing, "You need to rest as well." He crooned softly.

Hiccup smiled and nodded in agreement before laying down beside Toothless, then leaned on him after getting into a comfortable position. Toothless then lowered his wing and covered Hiccup completely, hiding him from the world. They smiled at each other before closing their eyes and went to sleep, they can finally relaxed now, Hiccup because he had given the cure to Toothless while Toothless because he had Hiccup safe on his side.

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Stoick, Gobber, and the rest of the few Vikings who had gone with them had finally arrived at Berk about half an hour after Hiccup returned, the Vikings who weren't waiting in the Great Hall for the dragons welcomed them.

"We're back." Stoick said as he got off of the boat, "How are the dragons?".

"They are getting better now, more responsive than before." Spitelout answered him before looking at the flock of dragons landing on the dock near Thornado, "Who are they? Another flock of dragons who want to have a Rider?".

"No. At least, I don't think so." Stoick shook his head as he also looked at the dragons, which were looking around and sniffing everything in curiosity, "Hiccup call them the 'Commanders' of The Helheim Nest. If I recall correctly, Hiccup mentioned something about a problem, so I think they are here to discuss something with Hiccup regarding a problem in the Helheim Nest".

"Where's Hiccup, Spitelout?" Gobber asked curiously.

"Ah, right." Stoick looked back at his Brother, "Where's my Son? I want to make sure he is resting and not going around checking on the dragons".

"You can rest assure that Hiccup is resting, Chief." Emma informed him as she walked over to them, "I had just checking on him, he is now sleeping under the cover of Toothless's wing. From the look of it, he will get better in no time now that the stress of having his dragons sick had left him".

"That's good." Stoick breathed in relief, he then looked at his dragon partner, "Thornado." He called the dragon over, "Can you tell the other dragons to wait until morning before they talk to Hiccup? He isn't well and need to rest. They are free to sleep wherever they want, as long as they don't destroy any house in the process." Thornado growled softly in response before walking over to the other dragons, Stoick then turned his attention to Spitelout, "I will be in my house if you need me".

"A minute, Stoick." Spitelout stopped him, "What should we do about Mildew?".

Stoick looked at him grimly, "I and Hiccup will have a talk with him in the morning." He told the man, "But keep an eye on him to make sure he won't do anything like this again".

"Understood." Spitelout nodded in understanding.

Thornado walked over to him after he told the dragons what Stoick said, then together they made their way to the Haddock house, with Stoick went in while Thornado settled on the ground beside the house.

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The next morning, Hiccup's sickness had gone, thanks to the undisturbed sleep he had the night before, and all the dragons in the village had cured from the poison of Blue Oleander. The first thing Hiccup did when he woke up that morning was to meet the Commander dragons with Toothless and discussed with them about the problem. When the people of Berk saw it happened, they regretted what they had done to the boy in the past, and couldn't help but feeling disappointed.

They regretted that they had treated Hiccup badly in the past, they practically turned their back towards the boy just because the boy accidentally did something to cause a disaster. They had seen now just how great the boy really was, he was a good leader who cared for his people, if only they had taken the time to get to know the boy, they would see this side of Hiccup sooner. They were disappointed that Hiccup wouldn't become their Chief anymore, the dragons had taken the boy in when they foolishly drove the boy away with their cruelty towards the boy. It seems that compared to all of the destruction Hiccup accidentally created in the past, losing the chance of Hiccup becoming their Chief was their greatest loss yet, and they couldn't blame anyone but themselves.

"Son." Stoick called as he walked over towards Hiccup, who was watching the Commander dragons flew back towards Helheim Nest, "Is the discussion done?".

Hiccup smiled at Stoick, "Yeah, Dad, I got the main problem and a way to solve them." He explained before turning serious, "But this problem is not something that I can solve myself, at least, not without taking a long time. I need your help, Dad".

Stoick blinked before nodding, "Alright, we will talk about this tonight. For now, we need to have our talk with Mildew." He answered seriously, for he felt that at the moment he wasn't just talking to his Son, but to the Alpha of Dragons.

Hiccup's position among dragons was just like his own position among the people of Berk, they were both Leaders. So, when Hiccup talked to him seriously like that, just like when Stoick himself talked during the meeting between the tribes, he knew that Hiccup didn't need his help as his Dad, but as the Chief of Berk.

"Heh, I nearly forget about that old man." Hiccup huffed before looking at Toothless, "I will have a talk with Mildew now, why don't you check on our flock to make sure everyone has recovered from the poison?" He suggested casually.

Toothless smiled his toothless smile, "Sure, just promise me you will make sure the point get across to that unpleasant man." He answered lightly, "Oh, and don't forget about your date with Valkyrie Girl." He added with mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hiccup's cheeks were tinted with red, "Shut up, useless reptile." He muttered before nodding to his Dad, ignoring the snicker from his dragonic Brother.

They walked to Mildew's house some ways away from the village then entered the house without even knocking, they didn't think the man deserve privacy after what he had done, and if they caught the man in the act of something bad, it's a plus.

"What a surprise." Mildew said, feigning surprise about their visit, "What can I help you with, Chief Stoick?".

"Quit with the sweet talk, Mildew." Stoick said as he glared at the man, "You planted Blue Oleander in Berk, you have endangered our dragons".

"What do you mean?" Mildew asked with a fake innocent expression, "I planted them because I want to increase the beauty of this village".

"Oh, beauty, huh?" Hiccup narrowed his eyes with a cold smirk, "Since when do you care about beauty? Considering that there's no beauty in this dirty hut of yours".

Even though Stoick put a ... stoic expression on the outside, he was rather surprised that his Son could smirk coldly like that, he had never seen the boy wearing that kind of expression in the past. A year away from Berk could really change someone, he figured.

"Ah, you can't accuse me like that, Hiccup." Mildew countered, "I don't think I did anything wrong with planting some flowers in the village".

Hiccup smirked darkly at the man, "Who say I'm accusing you, Mildew? I just ask you about since when do you care about beauty." He said as he slowly walked over to the old man, "The fact that you said that I accused you to do something when I was just asking, is a proof enough that you planted Blue Oleander in the village while knowing of it's effect to dragons." Then, once he got close enough to Mildew, he grabbed the old man's clothes and raised the man up until his feet left the ground, "Listen here, old man. I don't really care whether you think you can deceive us or not, we know for a fact that you want to get rid of the dragons, so I won't bother with the boring questioning session. I will just get to the point." He released his grip and let the old man fell to the ground, he stared down coldly at him, "If you ever harm any member of my flock again, I will personally drop you off to Outcast Island. Be grateful, that punishment is so light compared to what the dragons would do to someone who endanger their existence : Get rid of them permanently".

With that, Hiccup turned his back towards the old man and left silently.

Stoick and Mildew looked at the boy's retreating back before Mildew looked at Stoick, "You will just let your son do this?" He demanded, "That boy is no one anymore, he isn't your Heir, you can't let him do anything he want just because he is your Son".

Stoick stared coldly at the old man, "You better heed to his warning, Mildew." He said lowly, "That boy just now wasn't the Son that I have any right to say what he should or shouldn't do, because that boy wasn't just my Son, but the Alpha of the dragons. Hiccup isn't a boy anymore, he is an independent Leader who will do what he think is the best to do for his 'people'. The Pride of Berk".

"And you will just let him threatening me, one of your own people?" Mildew demanded angrily, "You are the Chief of Berk, it's your responsibility to protect your people, and as far as I know, I'm a Berkian still".

Stoick simply glared at the old man, "I will protect my people, there's no question around it." He said with threatening tone, "If Hiccup threaten my people without reason, then I will act as a Chief, regardless of the fact that Hiccup is my Son or not." His eyes then narrowed as he looked straight at Mildew's eyes, "What you need to remember is the fact that you had just committed a treason by poisoning our dragons. I won't protect a traitor, so if you ever make a move to harm our dragons again, I will gladly give you to Hiccup and the dragons so they can punish you accordingly." He followed Hiccup's lead and left the old man without saying another word after that threat, leaving Mildew staring at his retreating back in disbelief.

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"Astrid!" Hiccup called out as he entered the Cove, "Sorry, I'm late." He apologized sheepishly while walking to the girl, "Did you wait long?".

"Not really, don't worry." Astrid answered with a smile as she gestured to the spot across from her, an invitation for the boy to sit there.

Hiccup noticed that Astrid had set up a blanket on the ground as he sat across from her, "So, is this what I think it is?" He asked curiously as he looked at her.

"What do you think?" Astrid asked with a blush covering her cheeks.

"A date?" Hiccup guessed with a grin while blushing as well.

Astrid's answer was to pull a bag from behind her, "Kind of." She admitted as fished the contents of the bag, "I want to spend time with you, alone, so I thought we can have lunch together and then lazing around in here." She smiled at him, "After the scare from the dragon sickness, we deserve to have some relaxing time, don't you think?".

"Yeah, we all were worried sick for the dragons." Hiccup said in agreement as he helped her out by arranging the foods Astrid brought with her, "And I made you worried for me as well, I'm sorry".

"You are forgiven." Astrid answered with a cheeky grin, "Now, let's enjoy our lunch".

They shared a grin before digging into their lunch, which consisted of some pieces of cooked fish and chicken, some bread, and then some fruits for the dessert. They were silent while they eat, but the silence was a comfortable one, they simply enjoying each other company while taking in the calm atmosphere around the cove.

"So, Hiccup." Astrid said after a long time of peaceful silence, they had finished their lunch and was now watching the cove while leaning on a tree, "What's your favorite color?".

Hiccup looked at Astrid with a raised eyebrow, "Why do you ask that out of a sudden?" He asked curiously.

"Well, we are friends but we barely know each other." Astrid answered with a shrug, pretending that she didn't ask that because she wanted to know more about Hiccup so she could try to win his love, although a slight blush on her cheeks might give away her true intention, "I think asking questions is a good start to know about each other".

Hiccup hummed as he nodded in understanding, "Well, I like green and black, green because it reminds me of the forest where I love to spend my spare time in, and black because it's the color of the night sky. I love flying at night because the sky is so beautiful and the darkness of night always gave me a sense of protection, especially when I was flying with Toothless, because the darkness will hide us and no one can easily attack something they can't see".

"Except you." Astrid answered with a grin, "You shot down a Night Fury during night time, you hit something you couldn't see".

Hiccup winced. He still felt bad about it because he was the one who took away Toothless's flight, Toothless couldn't fly without him and it wasn't fair for Toothless. It's because he shot Toothless down that he could meet his brother, but he wished they would meet through a different way instead of him shooting Toothless down from the sky and ripped his dragonic brother's left tail fin.

Astrid noticed this and lowered her head in embarrassment and shame, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't say that." She apologized as she felt guilty for making Hiccup remembered something like that, it must hurt Hiccup so bad to remember that he was the reason his best friend couldn't fly.

"It's alright." Hiccup answered with a smile, "So, what about you? What's your favorite color?".

Astrid smiled back at him, "I like blue, especially the type of blue like the sky." She answered as she looked up at the cloudy sky above, "When I was flying with Stormfly in a rare times when the sky was clear and wasn't covered by clouds, I could see the blue sky and feel like I'm one with Stormfly and the sky itself. I feel free and no one can stop me." She looked back at him, "What do you do during your spare time?".

And so, they exchanged questions and answers, getting to know each other better and deepened their friendship, which later would grow more than that, they hoped.

"Wow, it's dusk already." Hiccup commented as he stretched himself, he felt stiff after sitting in one place for so long, he turned to Astrid and smiled as he offered his hand to help her up, "Let's go back." He suggested before remembering that he would discuss the problem with his Dad, "How about having dinner together with me and my Dad, Astrid?" He offered with a smile, "There's something that I want to discuss with you and Dad".

"Is it about the problem the dragons from the Helheim Nest told you this morning?" Astrid asked curiously as they walked back.

"Yeah." Hiccup confirmed, "I can solve it alone, but it will take a long time and I don't think I can have that much time. That's why I want to talk with Dad, as the Chief, and you, as the Heir of Berk, I need your help".

"Come on then." Astrid said with a grin, "The sooner we talk about this, the better." She then took off running, "Race you to the Great Hall!".

Hiccup blinked and watched the girl for a second before a grin broke into his face as he ran to catch up with the girl, "I won't lose in a matter of speed, Astrid!" He declared as he ran passed her.

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To be continued . . .

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