Chapter 51
Hiccups POV:
It's been a week since I got back from my trip and I have been busy with a whole lot of construction, sorting and questions. I had built a shrine in the desert to the gods of Egypt made of pure white marble on the outside and black marble with gold indents on the inside. It was quite a project but I like to think it was worth it in the end to show my gratitude to the Egyptian gods for their donation to my island and their gifts. The temple was like one you would find in Egypt with light shining into it through an opening in the ceiling that shined down onto gold and basalt statue of Isis sitting on a white marble throne on a platform. Surrounding his statue was statues of the other gods all-looking to him were the other Gods on platforms of their own with bowls of fire that is kept alight by monstrous nightmare gel. The way the temple was built is you walk down a few stairs when you enter with torches hanging on the walls where you would walk down onto the platform that held Isis, which was the surrounded by a twenty-foot deep pit. There were small paths that lead to each of the gods over the pit and behind each statue was a black marble support beam. I put the gold indents in the wall in the shape of hieroglyphics naming the gods and what they represent.
Besides that, I had built large white marble bookshelves in the vault to hold the new gold items and I still had plenty of room which I had the feeling I would need it. Another renovation of mine is the vault in my armory that was like my regular vault and by that, I mean nearly impenetrable. The way it worked was the door was three feet thick with a bewilderbeasts head in the center and the lock on the inside of its mouth. To open the mouth, I have to twist both tusks opposite ways, which slowly cranks open the mouth. When the mouth is open I just reach in with my stone of good fortune and like with the lions head I reached the back of the mouth by shoving my full arm in and just unlocking it. When that was done the doors would open up with the mane of the Bewilderbeast and its face with the tusks would separate and the doors would open. My new weapons vault was a circular room with pure white marble floor, roof and walls but behind the walls and roof was five feet of gronkle iron. In the center was a large gronkle iron dome and surrounding it were smaller domes.
As for the lion's head that once held my star sword, it now rested inside the vault as the lock to the dome in the center. The way it worked is the lions head held the lock whose key was hidden on my island and once unlocked the dome would twist open with the gronkle iron shell sinking into the ground and the lion's head sitting on a stand. Once the dome was down it would reveal my star sword standing on its tip on a single gold stand. In one of the other domes was my Mayan shield resting on a gold stand but instead of a lion's head was a Quetzalcoatl head.
Besides the construction and organization, I had also revisited Berk the day after I got back and I have not been back since to not only avoid my dad who was so horrified by what happened to me he turned so white I thought he was a ghost. When he snapped out of his horror and pulled me into a hug that was so tight I'm pretty sure he would have broken my ribs if it weren't for my gronkle iron armor. When he let go he yelled at me for an hour straight about putting my life in danger like I did but I just told him I wasn't going to just stand by and allow that insane high priest kill innocent people. He let it go after this but told me that he didn't want me going on any more trips for a while since he felt I needed more time to recover from my latest adventure. Gobber agreed with him but only because he was out of Gronkle Iron and he whispered that he missed having me in the forge to talk to. I had to admit I also missed working in the forge with him and I was looking forward to getting back to hanging with him and making weapons like in the old days. This brings us to where I am now which is sailing to Berk with a large supply of Gronkle iron. It didn't take me long to move all the stuff into the forge where Gobber was waiting for me to help him forge some new weapons for the long line of people outside. I walked into the forge smiling at Gobber as he smiled back before he said.
"It's good to have you back on Berk lad!"
"Good to be back Gobber." He looked at the forge and began heating it up.
"I really do miss having you around lad." He switched his prosthetic hook for a hammer. "It gets lonely working in here all day." I chuckled.
"Oh please Gobber, you just miss the gronkle iron." He chuckled at this.
"Oh please, I enjoy having you around lad and I love it when you come back to Berk after long trips with so many stories to tell."
"Yeah because I always bring back more gronkle iron when your store is running low." He shrugged.
"True but to be fair before todays delivery I only had two small balls of the stuff left."
"Well you could always make someone a fetching pair of indestructible earrings." A Viking in the line stood out with his hand rose, which resulted in Gobber and I simultaneously saying. "Not going to happen Gunner!" We looked at each other and laughed before we got to work on the weapons with me melting down some gronkle iron for a sword.
"So lad did those El Dorado people have any interesting new weapon ideas because you know how I love a good weopon." I poured the melted gronkle iron into a mold.
"Well they just had the standard Mayan weapons you know unless you count that stone jaguar being controlled by a mad high priest." He chuckled.
"You know lad you've never shown me the types of weapons they have."
"Didn't you see them in the armory when you and my dad visited my island."
"Well we did have a lot to see on your island lad which reminds me." He turned to face me. "Why in the name of Odin do you have such a big house?" I shrugged and focused on the sword I was making.
"I just like to keep myself busy I guess since you know I can't stay still for too long or else I get twitchy."
"I know that lad after all it caused more than a few accidents like that time you got the back of my shirt lit on fire."
"How long are you going to hold onto that?"
"As long as it takes for my chest hair to grow back fully." I laughed at that.
"Oh come on Gobber to be honest that smoky smell was better then your normal smell."
"Oh hardy har har lad just get back to work." I chuckled before I began pounding away at the metal.
3 hours later
Gobber and me had passed the time with making weapons and having a good laugh at jokes and accidents that had happened over the years that brought smiles to our faces. I admit I love the forge I have at home but I missed this old forge and the crazy old smelly blacksmith who came with it. It was at that moment I looked out at the line that only seemed to grow longer with every weapon we produced. I turned back to Gobber who looked up from the axe he was pounding into proper shape before I could say anything he just smiled at me and said.
"Go and get lunch lad I can handle things from here and you could use the meal to put some meat on those bones of yours."
"You do know I'm all muscle now right?"
"Yeah but the dragons could still use your arms for toothpicks." I rolled my eyes before I made my way out of the forge and up to the great hall for lunch with Toothless following.
Ten minutes later
I was sitting at a table alone enjoying a meal that was tough and tasteless and as strange as it must sound I loved it since it was the type of food I grew up with. I smiled at the memories of my more happier childhood memories as I turned to Toothless who was busy chowing down on some fish by the table. I admit I also liked it when I was just able to enjoy my meal alone without anyone bothering me like the villagers, teens or the children who wanted me to tell them my story again. It was at that moment that the teens entered the Great hall and began looking for a place to sit and eat and when their eyes landed on me I knew my peaceful lunch was over. They walked up to my table and each took a seat with the twins on my left side and Snotlout on the right while Astrid and Fishleggs sat across from me. I tried to ignore them but itt they made it impossible with their constant questions about my trip and request for things. Eventually I got so annoyed I gave a hand gesture to Toothless to signal him to roar which he was all too happy to do. This shut them up as I asked.
"What will it take for you lot to leave me alone to enjoy my meal?" Ruffnut from her position of holding onto my arm answered.
"A trip to your island where we can have a little time alone." Tuffnut then said.
"My own dragon or at least some of those cool flamethrowers you have with some explosive bombs." Snotlout then said.
"A solid gold suit of armor with matching weapons which shows the world how great I am along with my own dragon to help me look down on the unworthy." Fishleggs then said with hope in his eyes.
"A few minutes to see your library and at least see how many books you have and possibly borrow a few." Astrid then growled.
"A fight with the winner getting the flightmare." I sighed and rubbed my fingers through my hair and turned to Ruffnut as I pulled my arm free.
"Not happening even if my life depended on it." I turned to Tuffnut. "If I did that then Berk wouldn't survive a day with you around and my dad would never forgive me." I turned to Snotlout. "I am not making armor for you let alone out of gold after all the beatings and insults you gave me when I still lived in the village so deal with it." I turned to Fishleggs. "If I let you into my library then I would have to get my Thunderpede to pick you up and throw you out and even then you'd still try to get back in so the answer is no." I turned to Astrid. "Specter is a valued member of my team, not some prize to be one or lost and even if we did fight I would beat you easily with every form of combat I know."
I then got up to begin leaving but Astrid had different ideas if her trying to punch me from behind was any indication with emphasis on trying. Before her fist could even touch me I stepped to the side and grabbed her arm before stepping to the side and swinging her into the wall knocking over the portrait of one of our past chiefs. I held her against the wall by the shoulder and looked into her eyes as I said.
"Don't try that again Astrid because frankly I'm tired of you acting like this since you refuse to look at he bigger picture." I leaned in closer. "With the Specter alive we can prove to everybody that those who were said to freeze at the sight of the flightmare weren't frozen out of fear but paralyzed by his breath."
She just stared at me in what I assume was shock before I let her go, as what I thought was a blush began to form on her face. I looked over at the painting that had fallen on the floor and picked it up to rehang it on the wall but as I did a parchment fell out of the back. I looked it over and saw that it was a bunch or riddles that must have lead to something. I looked at the first riddle telling me that where the master knee pointed was where my first clue began. I looked up at the painting and saw it was a painting of the Hamish's which gave me the answer to what this map lead to. Hamish the first was our richest and most revered leader but when he died his son hid the treasure with his father and nobody has ever been able to find it since. Before I could read more of them map it was snatched out of my hand by Gobber who looked at it and said.
"All of these were, meant to be destroyed."
"Well I guess they weren't so could you give it back Gobber." He pulled it away.
"Lad when me and your father were young we went after the treasure and were lucky to come back with both our lives and friendship intact so for your own good Hiccup." He looked me right in the eye. "Forget you ever saw this." He then walked away with it as I smiled at him thinking this was over.
5 hours later
I was in a clearing with my whispering deaths, Ruble, Gas and Flash, Sharpshot, Gnaw, Stonetooth and Freya doing an excavation for the now buried treasure of the Hamish's. As I watched Stonetooth dig up a small golden Viking statue I thought back to how it all came down to this moment in time. It all started with me stealing the map from Gobbers shop before I went back to my island to gather up a team which consisted of Toothless, Sharpshot, Gas and Flash, Diggs and Dune. When that was done we went to the spot on the beach which the map indicated where I then had to have Toothless melt some of the ice to get a piece of key since it implied Freya the goddess of fire. After we got the piece Toothless and me had to get out of the glacier as fast as we could as it began coming down. After that I recognized a stone serpent statue where the map said we could find the next piece in the mouth but unfortunately Toothless and me couldn't get near it due to the winds surrounding it. Fortunately I came prepared by bringing Sharpshot in case something like this came up or if I needed him to get into a small space that neither my dragons or me could fit in. I just sent him to collect it and we were off to the next part of the map which was in the forest where a big wall with things drawn onto the stones was found. I knew from the map I needed to pull out the stars but when I tried to pull one out the wall nearly collapsed on me, which made me, realize I needed to pull two out at the same time. Now I originally brought Gas and Flash along incase I needed an explosion to break through something but they came in handy here as well. After we were inside we found multiple pedestals with different pieces as another test but unfortunately it was also a fireworm nest without a queen which resulted in us being baked alive until I took the reflective piece. After that the floor gave way and we fell down a pit which Toothless was able to stop me from hitting the ground to fast and getting injured. When we reached the bottom, I had my dragons light up the cavern we had landed in which revealed a slot in the floor which each of the key pieces fit in perfectly. I twisted it a few times before a pedestal rose from the ground and a secret door opened to another cavern which held the treasure along with a scroll with a message telling me to be proud of who I am and inside was picture of Hamish the first and his real son who turned out to be a Hiccup as well. Once I was done two more pedestals rose from the ground with one holding a feather and the other a mace and following them was riddle telling me to take one that would give me true wealth. Then the cave began to collapse on us so I made the decision to take the feather which made the platform rise to the surface.
Once we broke the surface I sent Sharpshot home to get some of my boulder class to do some digging and Freya to gather up the Fireworms and lead them back to her nest. I looked around at all my dragons working hard to dig up the treasure but was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming towards me. Toothless and I turned around to see who was coming only to find my father and Gobber coming towards me. When they saw me however my dad ran up and hugged me so tight I was having a little trouble breathing and as soon as he put me down he kneeled down in front of me and asked.
"Are you alright son?" I shrugged.
"Well I can't complain since me and my dragons are currently digging up a fortune." Gobber then asked.
"You found the treasure of Hamish the first?"
"Yeah but I admit it was a bit difficult but not that tough."
"Lad when we get back to the village you are telling us the answer to every one of the riddles."
"Sure, but right now I've got to supervise the dig." My father said.
"If that's the case then we'll stay here with you while you tell us everything."
"Okay but don't distract me from my work."
"Alright but I just need you to answer one question before anything else." I shrugged.
"Sure, what is it?" He sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"Hiccup what in the world possessed you to do this since I know it wasn't the wealth since unless you were robbed and they emptied your vault then you don't need the gold."
"I did it because I like a good adventure and because I wanted to get away from the village and the other teens." Gobber walked up.
"Snotlout demanding armor, twins asking for explosives with Ruff flirting, Fishleggs begging to see your library and Astrid trying to get your flightmare?"
"Yup!" My dad then said.
"Now Hiccup I get that they can be annoying but that's no reason for you to go on a trip that might get you killed."
"Please dad this was nothing compared to the dangers I've faced in the past."
"That may be true but Hiccup you make me worry with these trips." I snorted.
"Well stop worrying because as long as I have my dragons I couldn't be safer." He just sighed and nodded before Gobber asked.
"So how did you find the treasure."
"Take a seat because it's a long story." They did so before I began my tale of finding the treasure.
Four hours later
I was laying down in my bed going over today's events in my head besides finding the lost treasure of the Hamish's. I had to tell my dad and Gobber how I solved the clues but I did have to stop after telling them about finding the key piece in the glacier since they apparently spent a week digging in the sand for the piece. I had a bit of a laugh at that but a glare from them got me to stop and continue with my tale. By the time I was done telling them about my little treasure hunt we had unearthed every treasure from the ground and transported it all to my vault while all the fireworms were now all in the fireworm nest with Freya. As for the treasures that I found now in the vault all rested in appropriate rooms and I have to say I knew I was right to make more shelves since I needed more room for the treasures. As for the picture of Hamish the first and his son it was now framed and in my art gallery while the riddle was also framed but hung in my trophy room with the key on a white marble pedestal in front of it along with the feather standing up behind it. Eventually I was able to fall into the sweet embrace of slumber but I had the feeling that my next trip to Berk was going to be rather annoying.
2 days later
I was now taking a stroll through the village with Maelstrom and Snowbell at my sides since they wanted to get out a bit while the pack did a hunt on a boar I let loose in their forest so they could practice their hunting skills. I closed my eyes as I walked enjoying the sound of people walking around the village doing their daily activities. I was brought out of my thoughts when my wolves began growling. I opened my eyes to see some of the local children walking towards me and let's just say I did bot have a good relationship with them. When I was still Hiccup the Useless they'd often spend their days throwing stones and insults at me while people just ignored it. I tried talking to their parents about it but all they did was talk to my dad about me not letting their kids play their game which got me a talking to as the kids laughed at me. When I excelled at dragon training they came to me asking for tips on how to take down dragons that I mostly did my best to ignore them. Now these days they'd always ask me to repeat my tales from the places I've been and the things I've done. Heck one time they actually asked me if they could come on my next expedition but I just told them that my trips are dangerous and most of the places I go to are no places for children. This shut them up for a bit but when they continued pestering me and stowed away on my ship on my last trip to the Mayans. Fortunately I found them an hour after I left and brought them back to Berk and long story short their parents were not happy with them. This time however they had a glint in their eye that I did not like one bit and if them jumping in front of me and growling was any indication neither did my wolves. It was when they were right in front of me did their leader Gustav Larson say.
"Hey Hiccup how's it going?"
"What do you lot want I'm a very busy man."
"You're walking through the village."
"Yeah because it helps me plan out things."
"Well you could be a little nicer to us, I mean what did we ever do to you?"
"Continuously throw stones at me along with insults then tell your parents I was getting in the way of your games which got me yelled at by my father on multiple occasions." They all let out uneasy chuckles and looked down at this.
"Yeah sorry about that."
"Just tell me what you want so I can get on with my day."
"Well we were wondering if you were looking for some apprentices."
"Why in Midgard would I want apprentices?"
"Oh you know so you have people to look after your island while you're away and to pass on your fighting and dragon riding knowledge."
"My dragons have been trained to take care of the island for me while I'm away and if my enemies found out I had shared my secrets with another person then they would no doubt try to capture that person and torture them to discover my secrets." I rubbed my hand through my hair. "Besides who would I take on as an apprentice and I mean there have been some promising some children in the Mayan city and in Egypt but I doubt their parents would allow their children to leave the city for another part of the world."
"Well why don't you choose someone from Berk like us?" I chuckled at this.
" Like who?"
"Us!" I looked down at them and snorted.
"After all the pain you caused me when I still lived in the village?"
"I take it that's a no?" I answered sarcastically.
"How'd you guess?"
After that I walked past them to find a quiet place to sit down and think but unfortunately shortly after I found a peaceful place to sit down I was confronted by the children's parents who did not look happy. It was Gustav's father who spoke first by saying.
"Alright Hiccup what's the big idea of turning our kids down as apprentices." I just kept patting my wolves' heads as I answered.
"I am not looking for students right now and besides your children aren't the type of people I'm looking to teach."
"And do you mean by that?"
"They lack discipline and are too young to be going with me on my adventures." They all glared at me after the first part.
"What do you mean by lack discipline?"
"I mean that I need a student who knows not to hurt people just for being different and has parents who let them get away with causing this pain claiming its just a game." It was Gustav's mother who replied after groaning and running a hand over her face.
"Don't start this again when they were just having fun."
"And do you think it was fun for me when I walked home with bruises and scratches from the stones they threw at me."
"Now listen Hiccup they're just children who didn't know any better."
"And it was your duty to make sure they did know better after I reported it and all that happened was you reported to my dad that I was ruining their fun." Gustavs father then stepped in again.
"You had that coming for ruining their game!" I felt my blood boil before an idea came to me so I stood up.
"You know what why don't we play their game except this time-" I leaned down and picked up a few stones and took a few steps back. "You're the target."
"What?" I then began throwing the stones at them as they tried to shield themselves but with my aim it was easy to target their exposed skin and when they tried to walk away my wolves cut them off. "Alright we get it, we were wrong not to yell at our kids to stop throwing stones at you and we'll be sure to make them understand how wrong it was and punish them when we get home." I stopped throwing stones and smiled.
"Good now would you please be so kind to leave me alone." He just nodded before they began walking away as they rubbed their skin where bruises were beginning to form. "Oh and by the way one more thing." They turned to face me. "If you complain to my father about this or try and convince me to take your children as students again then you'll be answering to my entire wolf pack."
Maelstrom and Snowbell growled at them in confirmation, which sent the adults running. I chuckled at the sight and went back to my walk so I could continue planning my next trip to see where I'd land up next.
AN: Hey all I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and feel it only right to tell you how I'm able to update so fast. You see I work in the IT department in a large company and spend my days helping to solve computer problems but when there are no problems I get to relax and write. Lately things have been slow allowing me to write more so I can post sooner. Keep in mind though that things aren't always like this and when work does pick up I'll be too busy to write so just deal with days like those and be patient. Until then I will leave you with this hint to the next chapter but until then I hope to read your reviews another ARABIAN NIGHT.