Chapter Ninety-Three: The day after
They spent the night on the island, building a hideout out of shrubbery and fallen branches at the side of a big rock.
They had a small dinner that consisted of some fish they had been able to catch.
There was little taking and Hiccup could see how each of them kept glancing at the sky, as if they expected the stars to be blocked out by the familiar sight of a dragon and its rider.
But nothing happened.
Hiccups anger had long since cooled down and he felt awful.
He sat alone outside in the cold, leaning against a tree, staring at the churning sea.
How could he have messed up this badly?
"Hiccup, come back inside. You'll catch your death out here."
He flinched and looked up to see Conner standing there.
"In a moment." He muttered before looking back at the sea.
"You're lips are all blue and your fingers are too. Get in now." The older boy growled and lifted him to his feet.
"Listen up Haddock! No amount of self-pity is going to reverse time and make things undone. But if you have a little faith you'll see that things can always take a turn for the better! George can be an ass and he's never been especially friendly towards me or probably anyone but I still don't think he's one to abandon others like that. He just needs time to cool off!"
Hiccup snorted. "Or maybe I was just plain wrong. I always try to see the good in others. That's probably that got us here in first place."
"You seeing the good in everyone is what changed George in first place. I think he's one of those people that trust only few and have only little friends because they have been hurt far too often. But if they have friends, they are loyal to a fault. Like your dragon."
"But he left."
Conner looked at the sky.
"But he's not gone. And now get inside and warm yourself at the fire. "
.
.
.
The next morning was far too nice.
Summer was coming to the Archipelago and the sun shone down on them and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
But Hiccups mood was beyond dark.
They had no food; most of their possessions and belongings had sunk with the ship. They only had what they had on them when they left the wreckage.
Which basically meant only their weapons.
No spare cloths, no maps, compass or anything.
Hiccup sighed and turned around to his friends.
"The good thing is that this is home territory for me. I know where to go and where we are so that won't be a problem. What I'm worried about is Alvin. He wasn't on the ship so it's safe to assume he's on his way to the ancient lands or Berk in this case. We need to get there before him."
"The only question is how we get there." Hiccup muttered.
"Why? Can't we fly?" Illiona asked.
"We could. But these islands are crawling with Viking tribes ready to launch a bola at every passing dragon. If they see RIDERS on their backs they will think an invasion is starting and go to war. That is the last thing we need. Most of you never met Vikings but they are vicious, stubborn, mostly idiotic and unreasonable people. And they love war and fighting. So I'd rather not risk it."
"They? I thought you were a Viking." Hope asked.
Hiccup snorted. "Yeah, not really. I was born to Viking parents. But I was never a Viking. At least not in the eyes of everyone else and also not in my own. I'm something else, my own person."
"You share a lot of what you just mentioned." Josh offered with a strange gleam in his eyes.
Hiccup raised a questioning eyebrow.
"You are stubborn; when you set your mind on things no amount of reason can make you say otherwise, which makes you idiotic sometimes and yesterday was pretty clear how you think about fighting…"
Josh had no chance to ending that sentence because, despite being bigger and heavier than Hiccup, Hiccup had grabbed him by the collar and yanked down to his height.
"Finish that sentence." Hiccup growled. "What I did yesterday was not right and I know that. But I did it because that man had something I needed and because he is a murderer and rapist and thief and generally an abhorrent person. His death means nothing to me because a lot more people will die because of eh likes of him. I rage war against those people. But the first and foremost reason because I never fitted in with the Vikings was the reason that I'm unable to kill just for the heck of it."
Hiccup let go of Josh's collar as if he'd burned his hands.
"Sorry." He muttered.
"It's…alright." Josh muttered but retreated a few steps.
"So…how do we get to Berk?" Hope asked awkwardly in the silence.
"Can't we fly at night? We did that before." Conner suggested.
"Vikings expect to be attacked at any time. They would still see us coming from a mile away." Hiccup said and shook his head.
They were so caught up in their discussion that they didn't hear the approaching footsteps and the churning of the sand under a heavy weight.
Only when the stranger spoke they swirled around.
"Does the dwarf fancy a ride?"
.
.
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AN: Surprise, the story is not abandoned? Bet you get that a lot. Yeah well, I don't know if you know this situation but I really wanted to write and I knew exactly what I wanted to happen and all that. It's just that….I somehow couldn't write it. I don't know. It's kinda messed up.
Anyway, now that I graduated secondary school, high school, whatever you call it, I have lots of time. Yay!
Oh…I graduated two months ago….oh…hehe, sorry….
Anyway, we're back on course! Thanks to all that are still reading, you are amazing! (Bet you hear that a lot)
Love, Kate!