Later that evening, inside the Haddock household, Hiccup was on the main floor next to the hearth, skimming through his father's journal and an old map, desperate for clues about the Hidden World.
Meanwhile, the riders were decked out in their armor, hiding in crevasses and in hidden spots around the house, waiting for Grimmel to show up. Blueheart was hiding with them as well, alongside Toothless. Ana, Astrid, and Zyrah huddled together, watching closely.
Next to Hiccup was a Toothless decoy nestled under some blankets.
"Alright. Alright, come on, give me a clue here. Give me a clue, Dad." Hiccup mumbled.
As Hiccup scanned the notes, he heard footsteps from the roof, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. He quietly packed his map and the book away. He searched the house, looking for a silhouette to show up. And in the blink of an eye, from the sound of a singular footstep, Grimmel appeared and began pouring himself a drink.
Zyrah was astonished at the sheer stealth of the man.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind if I help myself. This is, uh... quite good." The white-haired man calmly introduced himself.
In response, Hiccup lit up Inferno. Up above, Zyrah chewed her lip anxiously. She didn't like how this was going, even if the atmosphere was calm. But it was tense.
"That is impressive. But let me finish my drink."
Suddenly, Grimmel whipped out his crossbow, shooting the Toothless decoy.
"Toothless!"
"Holy shit-" Zyrah whispered, receiving an elbow jab from Astrid.
Hiccup ran to decoy Toothless's side as Grimmel reloaded his crossbow, looking smug.
"What did you do to him?"
"Eh, nothing that he won't sleep off." Grimmel informed, taking a seat in Stoick's chair, "Ahh. Haha. May I? Chief Hiccup, hmm? Do I say Chief Hic-cup, or do I just call you Hiccup? What do you prefer?"
Hiccup sternly watched Grimmel, his anger slowly rising.
"You have no idea who I am, do you? Well, your father knew of me. Now, that was a chief. One of the greatest dragon hunters to have ever lived! What would he think of you?"
Zyrah saw the clenched fists of Astrid and Ana, respectively. No one ever talked badly about Hiccup like that when they were around.
"He did it right, you know. Making it his mission to destroy the beasts so that you could grow up in a better world."
"He changed his mind. Everyone did. Even other islands before us, too."
"And look where that got him." Hiccup's face fell at the jab.
"So, let's get to the point. I am the Night Fury killer. I've hunted every last one but yours. You are going to give me that dragon. Or I will-"
Zyrah's hand flew to her mouth, nearly losing her balance. He was just like her parents. Blueheart quickly glanced at her rider to assure her it was going to be okay. Hiccup was good at negotiations. Right?
"I will never give him up." He was already thinking of Zyrah's parents and what they tried to do. And now he could understand her anxiety.
"You wish dragons to live free among us like equals?" Grimmel continued, "A toxic notion, my boy. History has shown that we are the superior species. What if word of your misguided ideas were to spread? It would be the undoing of civilization as we... know it. Hmm."
Grimmel had caught onto the ploy against him. Eyes narrowed, he kicked at the tail filled with straw, causing Fishlegs to reveal himself from beneath the covers, affected by the serum shot into him.
"Did we get him?" He stumbled, falling over, asleep.
"Now!
One by one, everyone revealed themselves, surrounding Grimmel, weapons at the ready.
"Sorry to barge in!"
"You think you can come into my home, sit in my father's chair, and threaten my dragon?! This is Berk, and we have defended our way of life from far worse than you!"
"Oh. Haha. A fighting spirit, I love it! Only, I'm afraid you're mistaken. You've never seen anything like me!"
The madman whistled, calling his Deathgrippers to attack the riders. One of the Deathgrippers attacked from the roof, separating Astrid from Ana and Zyrah and sending her to the floor.
"Ah!"
"Astrid, look out!"
The Deathgripper attempts a strike on Astrid but misses. Grimmel then whistled again, calling for another attack, causing the riders to scatter.
"Look out! Son, get clear!"
"Ugh!
"Run!" Blueheart and Toothless helped get the other riders to safety; all the while, Toothless was carrying Nightfire.
Get her to the Great Hall now! Toothless ordered.
"Ah!"
Even though everyone else managed to escape the collapsing house, Valka and Hiccup were still inside.
"Have my dragon ready when I return, or I will destroy everything you love!" Grimmel taunted as he vanished into the night with his Deathgrippers.
The young chief and his mother managed to escape, only to witness all of Berk in flames, various villagers crying out, and the riders trying to ease the chaos.
Hiccup ordered everyone inside the Great Hall, with Blueheart, Toothless, and Nightfire already there, the poor hatchling was terrified of what had just happened, and her parents were doing their best to help her relax.
"Inside!"
"It's the middle of the night!"
"What are we doing here?!"
"Alright! Alright, everybody! Settle down, please!" Hiccup's pleas fell on deaf ears of angry and tired Vikings, some beginning to fight with each other already.
"Fishlegs, have you ever seen that species of dragon before?" The questioned Viking nodded in agreement but then tipped over onto the floor.
"Fishlegs!" Ana exclaimed, rushing to his aid.
"Let me at 'em!" Spitelout taunted.
"I'll give him a piece of my mind. And by mind, I mean fist!" A random Viking added, punching the man in the face behind him.
"Did you miss the part where we almost died? Have you seen my house? This is a new kind of enemy, and I underestimated him. Now, that's on me. But I will not do that again."
"We're Vikings! We don't run from a fight. At least I don't." Snotlout accusingly pointed at Eret, who did not pay him any attention, "You might!"
"I agree with Hiccup. We haven't seen the last of Grimmel. He's a predator, single-minded, and patient. He won't stop until he gets what he wants."
"I'm with Eret. We have to take this threat seriously." As the council discussed the matter at hand, Zyrah listened and observed quietly. She felt haunted, replaying memories from mere months ago. It was all too recent, and now things had gotten worse.
"Grimmel is just a sign of the times. Our enemies are getting smarter, more determined. We're not just overcrowded. We are exposed and vulnerable. Short of full-blown war and risking everyone we love, I don't... I don't see a way of staying here any longer." Hiccup announced.
What?
Obviously, a village of stubborn Vikings would take issue with the idea of just leaving. But luckily, Astrid gave Hiccup a chance to continue by throwing her axe into the table, silencing the crowd.
"Hey! Hear him out!"
"If we want to live in peace with our dragons, we need a better plan."
"So, what are you saying, Chief?"
"I'm saying we have to disappear. Off the map. Take the dragons to a place where no one will find them."
"And where might that be?"
"He's talking about a quest for the Hidden World."
"The hidden what?"
Out in the crowd, the twins mumbled and cackled together.
"My father was obsessed with it when I was a boy. He made notes and maps in search of the ancestral home of all dragons, tucked away somewhere beyond the edge of the world. It may be the solution we need. We're dragon people. It's where we belong."
Murmurs of doubt rippled through the crowd.
"Look, I know this is our home. My father left me to protect it." For a moment, it almost sounded like his voice was breaking, "But Berk is more than this place. We are Berk! The people! The dragons! I say Berk is wherever we go."
Even though Zyrah cared for Hiccup like her own brother, she took deep issue with the idea of him wanting to abandon Berk. It didn't seem like the right track to take.
As the crowd cheered, Hiccup noticed Zyrah's odd quietness. She had not said a word the entire meeting and that was unlike her.
"Zyrah? You… you okay?" The other council members turned to her.
"To be frank, Hiccup. No, I'm not." He watched her, wanting her to continue.
"What's wrong?"
"Let me put this bluntly. We cannot just up and leave Berk. It may not be my home island, but this is the only place we could easily fortify and defend. We're even more exposed and vulnerable if we leave with the dragons. We wouldn't have any heavy weaponry to defend ourselves! I'm not willing to take that risk!"
"So you suggest we stay here?"
"Hiccup, my fear is that if we try to leave with all the dragons, Grimmel will be able to figure out where the colony is. He declared himself the Night Fury Killer. And something tells me it's no coincidence that Light Fury showed up on Berk around the same time as Grimmel."
There was a pause as the group considered her words.
"She… does have a valid point." Valka agreed. "Drago was able to locate my hideout."
"We have to be extremely cautious. My father killed an Alpha Night Fury, and gods forbid Grimmel finds that island. If Drago could, so could Grimmel."
"Zyrah, I understand your concern-"
"Look, you're the chief. Do what you think is best." She cut him off, leaving the table and rejoining Blueheart, gesturing for Konall and Rurik to follow.
"Now what? Not gonna go anywhere 'cause Ms. Stabby says we shouldn't?" Snotlout prodded.
"What about the village?" All these questions swirled in Hiccup's mind, and he didn't know where to start. He began to doubt his suggestion to leave Berk, but he still believed finding the Hidden World was the safest choice for the dragons.
After a momentary pause, Hiccup chased after Zyrah, gently pulling her to the side.
"Zyrah, listen. I know you feel passionate about protecting Toothless, Blueheart, Nightfire, and the colony, I do too." He watched her features closely; he could tell she was listening by the way her eyebrows furrowed and her nose twitched slightly. With a sigh, he continued.
"You know I will do whatever it takes to protect them. You have to trust me, okay? You're like, the little sister I never had, and I wouldn't betray your trust."
Zyrah's stormy blue eyes flickered as she processed his admission.
Then she threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Hiccup." She quietly replied. Pulling away, she indulged him in her thought process of how they could possibly go about dealing with Grimmel.