It had been a week since the Haddocks arrived at the Hidden World. Everyone was having a great time in their own way. Zephyr and Nuffink would spend the day playing with Night Lights and other baby dragons. Astrid doing battle exercises with Stormfly. Hiccup and Toothless would go exploring a different area every day. At night after everyone ate their dinner, they would all go on a nightly flight.
Hiccup seemed to be the happiest out of all of them. He had the best of both worlds in the palm of his hand. Nothing could ruin his mood.
After the nightly flight was over and his family had gone to sleep, Hiccup would take out one of his many notebooks and sketch out everything he remembered seeing throughout the day. All the dragons, the realms they lived in. He would draw his kids playing with the babies. He drew Toothless sleeping, playing, flying, climbing, etc.
As he finished up his last drawing, a thought came to mind. What if he extended their vacation a bit? It would take much longer than a month to even make a dent in their exploration. Hiccup shook his head. Astrid would never go for that. Frequent trips back and forth, maybe. He could also take solo trips out here if they didn't want to come. He looked over at his sleeping wife as she cuddled their children and smiled. "Eh, I'll talk to her about it in the morning."
Over the next few weeks, Johann slowly regained his strength and managed to start building a small boat capable of getting him off the island. As he worked, more of his memory returned. He remembered searching for the King of Dragons and finding it. Only his plan of domination was ruined when that one-legged boy, Hiccup, ruined it. Oh, how he loathed that sorry excuse for a Viking. He couldn't wait to wrap his hands around that scrawny neck.
First things first though, Johann had to find some Hunters and get his fleet rebuilt. Maybe Krogan's employer would help him out. Both would benefit if he promised that boy's head on a spike.
Johann laughed at the thought of ripping Hiccup apart and forcing that pesky dragon of his to watch. Oh how sweet his revenge will taste.
Two months later:
Hiccup woke up to the smell of fresh bread baking and the most tantalizing cuts of boar meat cooking over an open fire. He swung his legs over the cot and sat up, stretching, before reaching for his prosthetic. "Smell good, milady. What's the occasion?"
Astrid looked over at her husband and gave him a small smile. "I figured this would be the best way to ask if you think it was time to head home?"
Hiccup stood up, walked over to his wife, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Feeling homesick?"
Astrid shrugged. "A bit. The kids miss their friends. And we left Gobber and Spitelout in charge."
"So Berk is probably burned to the ground by now," Hiccup figured. "Might as well stay here."
Astrid pulled herself away from Hiccup, turning to face him. "Hiccup, enough jokes. It's time to go home. You can't honestly expect us to live the rest of our lives here. Do you?"
Hiccup shook his head. "No, I don't expect us to live here forever, but you must admit there's so much to explore and learn about here. Uncovering every stone and naming every dragon species would take several lifetimes. I want to be selfish and stay here with you by my side, but I won't do that."
The blonde warrior stared at her husband quizzically. "What are you planning?"
"I've been toying with the idea of going back and forth between here and Berk," Hiccup answered. "Dragons have been my calling since we were kids. The gods gave me the gift to train and understand them. Would I love to have you and the kids stay here, yes. But I can't have the best parts of my life together. It just won't work out that way."
"You would leave your family, your tribe, to live in a cave, studying dragons, just like your mother?" Astrid wondered.
"No," Hiccup stated. "I would never do that. But you have to understand that my heart and soul feel like they are being torn apart. I love you. I love Zephyr and Nuffink. You three made my life complete. I can't ignore my calling though. I'm trying to figure out how to have both without tearing myself in two"
"So if we left today, right now, would you get on that boat and come home with us?" Astrid questioned.
"Yes," Hiccup replied.
"Would you make plans to return and continue studying dragons?" Astrid asked.
"I wouldn't come back right away," Hiccup said. "I would consider, coming back at the end of every year after Snoggletog and spending a few months here before returning home. You and the kids would always be welcome to join."
Astrid pondered over Hiccup's words. Deep down in her heart, she knew she couldn't ignore his gift forever. He spent ten years fighting against his calling. She knew that he was trying to find a way to stay with his family and fulfil the duties the gods had bestowed upon him. She didn't like it and it broke her heart, but this was probably going to become their new normal.
"Well if we're going to have a winter home here, we need to find a place to build one," Astrid finally answered with a small, but pained smile. She watched as a sense of relief came over Hiccup as his shoulders relaxed and he smiled back at her.
"I know the perfect realm to build a home," Hiccup said. "We'll all go take a look after breakfast."
After sailing for several weeks, Johann finally managed to make it to the Northern Markets. As he wandered through the markets, he found no one familiar. Instead, everyone selling their food and wares were a bunch of young Vikings that looked like they just took over their parents' businesses.
He decided to ask one of them for information since it would seem he was more out of the loop than he thought. So he walked up to one that was selling fresh fruits and vegetables. "Hello there, young man. By chance, could you tell me where all the dragons have gone?"
The young seller shrugged. "No clue, sir. They disappeared overnight about ten years ago. I was 12 at the time, fighting off a nasty case of Eel Pox. Thought it was a fevered dream, them leaving like that, but judging by my parents' reaction when I brought it up, they told me they weren't coming back."
"And where might you be from, young lad?" Johann asked, quite pleased that this kid was a talker.
"Berserker Island," the seller replied. "After the dragons left, the island couldn't sustain the two tribes that had merged, so we all moved to a bigger island not far from here. Chief Dagur said his brother found it a few years prior and named it Dragon's Edge, which is still its name today. Would you like a map? You look like someone who could use a kind place to live."
Johann just smiled. "No thanks, lad. I know how to get there. However, I am in need of a crew. You see, I am the only survivor of my ship after a deadly storm took the lives of everyone aboard. I barely made it myself. So I've been sailing these open waters in a makeshift boat for weeks. Do you know where I might be able to find men looking for work?"
The seller looked at Johann with pity. "You could try the tavern, but be warned, many of them in there used to work for some awful men that liked killing dragons."
"I'll take that into consideration," Johann said before slithering away in the direction of the tavern.
Johann entered the tavern, loudly slamming the door as he came in, thus getting everyone's attention. He watched, bemused, as several stared at him like they'd seen a ghost. A few looked confused about who this man was, boldly entering their territory.
"Judging by the looks on everyone, most of you know who I am," Johann said. "For those of you that don't, allow me to introduce myself. I am Johann, one the most feared dragon hunters in the Archipelago. Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I am alive and out for revenge."
The tavern stayed silent to the count of five before everyone burst out laughing. Finally, one man stood up and walked over to him. "Johann, once upon a time, you might have been feared by a few islands, but not enough to make the history books. Besides, the world no longer needs dragon hunters, not after Berk's Chief made them disappear overnight. Dragons are nothing but stories of the olden days. We tell our little ones stories about them so they don't get out of bed at night."
"Berk's Chief? You mean Stoick?" Johann asked, confusion covering his face.
The man walked back to his table. "No, he died. The story goes he went toe to toe with the Night Fury and lost. His son, the one that's missing a leg, took over the tribe. About a year into his new role, he got on Grimmel's bad side, killed him, and sent the dragons away before moving the tribe to a new island. We spent a couple of years lookin' but ultimately decided to give up and go home to our families. We all have a new line of work. I, myself, became a breadmaker. Amos, over there, became a farmer. We've all moved on." The man took a swig of his mead. "Time you do as well."
Johann felt rage boiling inside him. He let out a guttural scream and began destroying anything he could get his hands on. How dare that brat get rid of the dragons. How dare he change the course of history. How dare he turn his men into bakers and farmers. He needed warriors, and warriors is what he will have.
"One of you is going to give me all the information I need," Johann demanded, breathing heavily. "If not..." He picked up a knife and threw it at the bartender, hitting him right between the eyes. "... you will all die. Now tell me where is Hiccup Haddock, and where did he send the dragons?"
Author's Note: Thanks to anyone that is reading. I hope you guys will enjoy the story as much as I have had writing it.
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