Chapter Forty-Four:
Exodus

Making a deal with Glitork was like trying to bend an iron bar with your bare hands, or so Hiccup found.

Before reaching for his dragon, Hiccup made sure to speak to the Goblin. Glitork had been at the back of the goblins' mutiny, and although the shouting campaign had not ceased, neither had the Wizengamot's disastrous attempt to reach a peaceful 'understanding' — which, as Hiccup saw it, more resembled a proper 'shut up' to the crowd of yelling Goblins.

"I need you on this, Glitork." Both man and goblin stood behind the line of trees, Glitork far less interested in his peers' riot, even though he had been the one to start it. "Only one thing has been stolen, and I can get it for you. You and the others can have all the Wizengamot, I don't care… but I need you to leave Granger to me."

Glitork gave him a cold, calculating look. "Tell me who's making me bargains, Hiccup Haddock or the Dragon Rider? For the way I see it, you seem out of one very precious dragon."

"He…" Hiccup raced his mind for an excuse to give the goblin, but none reached his mouth. "Look, it's complicated, I'm still…"

"You seem a bit off your depth, making promises you cannot sustain, bargaining things you cannot control… Am I wrong, Mister Haddock?" Glitork then drew a sinister grin, and Hiccup realised then that he took pleasure in his helplessness. There was no bending with Glitork.

He snapped out of it just then, raising his hands and walking away from the Goblin. "Alright, forget I asked." He said, more frustrated than ever when his bargain finally lit up in his mind. He didn't stop walking as he smiled. "When I get Toothless and hijack Granger out of here, I'll remember this, though." He spoke out, not bothering to look back, testing his next steps decidedly until Glitork finally called back:

"One resorts to threats when one finds themselves out of trades." He heard his horribly cold voice cut above the chanting goblins.

Hiccup stopped walking. "I have proposed a trade. You chose to ignore it."

"You had hope, and one poorly calculated plan." Glitork snapped at him. "Like a child throwing a tantrum, you've got nothing for me, boy."

"Then you'll have to trust either one of my options." Hiccup turned at last. "Because one way or another, you won't want to have me as your enemy." Glitork stood silently, listening. "Once I'm back on Toothless, and I will get there, you'll look back at this and remember which option you took."

Glitork's eyes glistened like waves under moonlight, a speck of white into complete blackness. And then the goblin gave a nearly indistinct nod. Glitork had bent at last.

"Alright, Dragon Rider." He drew the words venomously. "We have a deal."

"You want me to do what?" Dean's tone, which not an hour prior had been calm and understanding, now held unmistakable incredulity.

"I know what I'm asking, Dean…" Jack began explaining, but was cut sharply by Dean's retort.

"No, I don't think you do;" the older wizard began pacing in circles in the tent.

Seamus still slept soundly, still bandaged to his shoulders, but his skin seemed less red, the nasty bubbles of the burns almost faded. Outside, the Goblins kept their campaign of roars and insults. It was loud enough for Jack and Dean to maintain a high tone as they spoke — Azel was making sure that nobody outside would hear their conversation. Inside, however, their discussion roared fiercely. Jack had his hands raised as Dean eyed him furiously.

"Dean, I know you've already risked much, way too much on this–"

"—You don't—"

"—and I know what I'm asking you." Jack shook his head at the interjection, not at all willing to hear Dean's input. "I know this could mean you'd lose your trust with the Wizengamot. I know this would mean perhaps Granger would never trust you again. I know this would be betrayal on a major level, I know… I wouldn't ask this unless this was important. Because they'll come back. Whatever they stole here tonight will have them coming back either for me, or for the others, and I nearly lost the fight tonight. This is the only chance we've got."

Dean turned his back to Jack then, holding his head so hard it looked like he wanted to crush his own skull.

"Even if I could go with you…"

"No, you can't leave Seamus." Jack snapped. "Whatever happens, you can't leave him." Their eyes met at last, and everything was suspended in this fine line they'd been balancing on since the very beginning, between mutual despising and understanding: "I look at Seamus and I see Hiccup. I look at the risks, I see Hiccup… everywhere I look, he's…"

Jack's eyes watered then, and Dean could see them clearly despite those late night hours, for the torches and bonfires outside bathed the tent in a warm orange glow, and Jack himself looked as if he had been submerged in gold.

"I need to do this." Jack resumed. "I need to go and make sure that they won't hurt him. With me here, I'm just one more reason for them to return. But no matter what I do, Hiccup's going after them. He's made up his mind. I tried to stop him once, and I failed… I won't try that again, and I can't lose him for a second time; so all I'm left with is to follow him. And you've got to stay here with Seamus, you'll promise me that. So please, Dean… let me go…"

Dean remained immovable, breathing deeply, and Jack's eyes never left his. He nodded then. "Alright, kid." He said then. "But you need to promise me—"

"—I'll make them pay for it," Jack concluded.

But Dean shook his head. "That you'll follow that kid to the end of the world. You will not fail. You won't hesitate. Even if it kills you. You understand me?"

Jack's voice came out deeper than before. "You have my word."

Dean drew out his wand, waving it once before a golden net suddenly formed, linking Jack and the end of his wand in a glowing thread.

"Desisto Sectari," He sang, and Jack felt as if a strange weight, which he had not even realised he'd been feeling, were lifted from his very centre, extracted from his blood.

The entrance to the tent ruffled, and Azel's head popped up from behind the tent's flaps. "It's time to go, did you get it?"

Jack nodded at her, and then looked back at Dean. "Thank you." And he made to leave, walking toward the exit when Dean's hand rested on his shoulder. They exchanged one last look, and although they didn't speak, it was like they could finally see themselves behind the other's eyes. Dean released Jack, and the boy followed the girl into the dark night.

"Toothless, not now!" Hiccup cried to the dragon as the creature remained impassive, swiftly — if not comically — preventing his attempts to climb to his back. The night was still dark and starry, but the glowing strokes of the sunrise had begun painting the eastern skies when the boy found Toothless at the edge of the woods, far from people's view, but still close enough to hear the ongoing complaints of the goblins.

"What do you want me to say, I'm sorry?" The boy tried again, but Toothless did nothing more than remain in his untamable position, his back turned to his rider, and his eyes closed in stubborn annoyance. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you hurt Jack."

Toothless growled deeply, now rolling his eyes.

"Okay, look…" Hiccup stepped away from Toothless, running a hand to his forehead to dry the sweat. "I'm sorry I made you hurt him, and… I-I know you missed him, but come on, we had one of them in our hands, we had McNair, we needed to make sure—"

Toothless growled again, louder this time, and Hiccup shut up.

"Okay, fine." The boy crossed his arms stubbornly, kicking a stone he found close enough to his foot, and after looking around and finding no better solution, he sank to the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. And pouting. "This is so stupid…"

Hiccup observed the forest. It wasn't silent in his surroundings and it definitely wasn't silent in his mind. "Look, I didn't want to hurt Jack… I think…" Another growl seeped from Toothless, but this one lower, more dragged. "I mean, it's not like I…" He began again, but it was hard finding the words. "I just wish he weren't here… things would be so much easier if he wasn't here…"

Toothless remained quiet. Hiccup wasn't sure whether the dragon was even listening.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, bud…" The boy's eyelids felt heavy, nearly closing in. He took a deep breath. "I'm not sure of anything anymore, I don't know who I can trust… I'm not sure I can trust anyone, much less him… He's hurt me too much… I know you missed him…" Toothless now gave a new sound, a thin whistle that seemed to sing from deep within his throat. "I missed him too… but you're all I have bud… I need you with me… please…"

A soundwave of screams and gasps rose up from the clearing. But it was not from the goblins this time.

Both Hiccup and Toothless turned their heads to the far ends of the Black Army's camp, and they noticed how some people had excited their tents in a frenzy, running with their wands raised. They began shouting in the distance:

"The Obscurial!"

"He's getting away"

Hiccup squinted his eyes to the dark field. "Jack?" He whispered as the other boy half ran, half flew towards them in a black, smokey mess. When he was near enough, he saw Azel right on Jack's step, running after Jack like there was no tomorrow.

"Protego!" He heard Jack cast behind himself, and a bright red blast exploded on his shield.

"What's going on?!" Hiccup jumped to his feet, but Jack was panting and gasping, mumbling so quickly it was hard to follow. He then saw that the boy smirked. "Azel?!"

But Jack interjected. "No time to explain, we've got to go now. I need you and Toothless to chase me, fight me, even. Lightly, though." More blasts hit Jack's shield, and Hiccup noticed that Azel had managed to crack his protective charm.

"Just trust me, Hiccup, please!" Jack grabbed Hiccup's shoulders, giving him a 'wake-up' shake. "Follow me, will you?" Then Jack eyed the dragon. "Will you do this for me pal?" Jack pleaded to the black creature, who had now stood proudly, and smiled at the black haired boy in that awful Toothless's-only-way, ready to lick his face when the boy shushed him.

"Pretend to be mad at me." He told the creature. "Then I'll be all yours."

And just like that, Toothless gave out his worst menacing growl, roaring in what should be either the most pathetic or the most adorable sound ever made by a dragon.

"You'll listen to him, then?" Hiccup complained, starting to climb over Toothless' back. The dragon seemed to pay him no mind, enamoured by Jack's presence.

"Guys, they're near and I'm almost breaking your shield." Azel's voice echoed above the invisible wall Jack had conjured, and they saw how thin it had become, for her weakest spells now seemed to penetrate deep into his protego charm. Behind her, a horde of wizards was closing in on the trio, some of them picking up their brooms. More blasts began hitting the shield, and it was a matter of seconds until it shattered. "You've got to go, now!"

Hiccup understood what he had to do.

"Expulso!" He aimed at a tree somewhat near Jack, but the spell blasted so far from the boy that he'd be amazed if anyone actually believed that scam.

It all happened too fast. Jack exploded into the Obscurial; Toothless opened his wings proudly, raising dust and earth like a shockwave; Azel shattered Jack's Protego charm; the wizards gathered just then at the point they had just taken off from, and Dragon, Rider and Obscurial flew freely into the breaking dawn.

Nobody noticed as Merida's fiery-red curls and Angus half-man, half-stallion form passed undisturbed through the clearing. All the wizards were too busy chasing the Obscurial, on the Dragon Rider's trail, but she knew it'd be pointless. She had seen Toothless flying. There was no match to his speed and evasiveness. Taking the distraction they had provided, she swiftly galloped on the Centaur's back towards Granger's tent. Once they were close enough, they could distinguish a heated discussion inside, a thick, raspy voice she recognised that belonged to a goblin and the sharp tone of the Minister.

Granger sounded both exhaustive and defensive. "...so you expect me to forsake the lives of the ones held hostage at Gringotts? That's absurd! I…"

"Gringotts won't fail to protect them, Minister, you should not fail to forget it was my race who kept it running to keep your business secure…" Glitork sounded relentless, but cold.

"I wouldn't dare to forget so…" She replied. "But how can you expect me to let all those people at the Black Order's mercy? I have no guarantees…"

"I believe you have more than enough people to split into… plus I reckon you're needed elsewhere, the Arrow-girl and her traitor Centaur shall explain to you better…"

Merida froze where she was, but Angus acted before her, shaking her off his back, so she gracelessly descended his hump. Giving the Centaur one last scared look, she took her wand and murmured "Muffliato!", before all but storming into the tent.

It was a strange sight, it was only Granger, with her wild brown and bushy locks and yet impeccable vests cornered to her desk by short and repulsive Glitork, who still proudly wore his dirty Gringotts' tux as he made his obstinate demands. Merida swallowed dry at the Minister's effulgent expression. She tried greeting, "Minister—"

"Don't tell me this was your idea." Granger accused, exasperated, in a way Merida raised her hands in peace.

"It wasn't… all of it," She began. "But we need you on this."

"We?" The Minister eyed sceptically at Glitork. "You put her into this?"

"Your Dragon Rider has persuaded me into this, ma'am." He explained in his dragging, yet cold tone. "Perhaps you should beware that your allegiances own their own agendas, and those differ greatly from yours."

"I'm perfectly aware of their agendas. They seek the Black Order."

"Precisely," Merida started, but Granger was about to snap.

"You're not welcome here—"

"I don't care." The red haired spat then. "You will listen to me if you want any chance of saving any of them." She raised her voice, enough to cause Granger to cease talking. Glitork's thin lips pulled into a sinister grin. "The Black Order stole only one thing fer one reason, and we know what 'dey can do. Whatever it is, it'll help 'dem reach the next underworld; and last time 'dey reached it, the Raptum happened. The Dragon Rider is not chasin' the Obscurials right now; instead, he's preventin' 'deir next move. We all should be doin' just that right' now."

There was a moment of silence when Granger held Merida's eyes, contemplating, her face hard and unreadable.

Glitork gave a short cough. "The Dragon Rider had agreed to retrieve the loot if I promised to keep you safe from the other goblins' ambush. And you said you have listed all the remaining pieces, Minister… I'd like to look into the list, so I could tell you what's gone missing. And in return, you'll have the Goblins escorting the rest of the Wizengamot down the caves of Gringotts… we'll have them running from there. I can promise you that."

"I haven't had the best experience making agreements with goblins." Said Granger drily.

"We, goblins, have an adamant sense of negotiation. We keep our promises the way we described them. It's your business to read amongst the lines."

"It should be a betrayal to your kind to share this secret with me." Granger's voice was more soothing, but still wary. Glitork gave a disgusted grimace.

"The only betrayal on my part would be not to recover Gringotts… I believe we're both out of options."

The Minister eyed him again, weighing his words. She then turned to Merida. "How do you plan on reaching them?"

"We've got a portkey. 'Dey'll activate it as soon as 'dey find the next gate."

"And if I agree to your terms, Glitork, you'll personally lead the Goblins and the Wizengamot safely, in and out of Gringotts, save the hostages they've made there? And you'll keep them safe and alive?"

Glitork bowed his disproportionately huge head. "We have an agreement."

The Minister then nodded, her lips pursed, uneasy. She then turned to her pile of parchments, pulling a long, dirty looking one. "Here," she offered it to the goblin who took it eagerly, for the first time his impassive expression giving way to an intense curiosity. His black eyes glimmered as they ran through the delicate lines scribbled on the list. Outside, the tent seemed to clear, the skies starting to gain a light silvery glow. Merida and Azel remained silent, apprehensively waiting as the goblin read. Finally, Glitork raised his eyes from the parchment.

"Nexus Sanguinis…" He murmured.

"The what?" Merida and Granger asked simultaneously.

"The stolen item seems to be a silver piece, a locket, which when given to the legitimate blood carrier, could hold the lineage of one's blood. In a way, it could show you where you came from. Your family, your descendants and your ascendants. It's an extremely rare piece."

"If it's so rare, yer could know who it belonged to?" Merida asked.

"There are few wizarding families requiring such items, the ones who still carry them have been either cast off from their ancestry or got lost after years of diluting their blood to non-wizarding kind. The last one ever made over a decade ago belonged to the Crowne family."

"Crowne?" Granger asked again.

"That's Azel…" Merida said, her voice nearly dying down in her throat. "The Locket holds Azel's family name."

The goblin gave no answer. Merida's face paled visibly as more questions flooded her mind. "Does she have any idea that it relates to her? Does that mean they'll target her next?"

"It'd be best to keep her in the dark, for the time being." The goblin suggested, the razor-sharp coldness on his voice now dimming to a more objective, yet careful tone.

"If she's in trouble, they don't know it's her yet. She came out unscathed." Granger reminded her with an encouraging nod. "We've got time."

"Would you at least tell me what just happened?" Hiccup asked once they found themselves kilometres away from the clearing, the Black Army camp far, far behind them. The sky had been set ablaze in what had to be the most auspicious golden aurora Hiccup remembered in years.

Jack had shifted back into his human form, collapsing over Toothless, keeping a wary distance behind Hiccup's back, but the insides of his knees still kept contact with the other's legs. "Azel and I got Dean to remove my tracking spell… But we've been ambushed by that bloody man from the Wizengamot, he screamed bloody murder when he saw we were about to escape."

"...so?" Hiccup asked, not fully getting where Jack was at.

"So Azel pretended to be chasing me, Merida and Angus went after Granger, and I started to run after you. I only hoped you and Toothless would be on speaking terms." He attempted laughing.

Hiccup tilted his head a bit, looking at the top of the head of his best friend — at least he hoped he could still call Toothless that… "Well…"

Toothless's flapping ear smacked the side of Hiccup's face so hard that a red mark immediately began forming on his cheek.

"I take it as a yes…" Jack tried, but Hiccup did not respond. The cold wind was cutting their faces in a rushed manner, so harshly, yet so comforting… It was hard to breathe through their nostrils only… Hiccup hadn't realised that he missed this, being so freely in the air. Beneath then, the world seemed to run in a blur above canopies of shadowed pine trees.

Toothless growled again.

"What, do you want—?!" Another loud smack was heard, this time on Hiccup's other cheek. "Ouch, would you stop this, you useless thing…" Another louder smack, this one filled with petty fury. "Ugh, quit it, you idiot!"

"What's he doing?" Jack leaned over to the side, and he caught Toothless's head turning towards him, the most provocative expression plastered on the dragon's face.

Hiccup grunted in annoyance. "He wants me to apologise."

Jack's eyes widened, most definitely not expecting that. "I beg your pardon?"

"He wants me to tell you I'm sorry!" Yelled Hiccup, shooting at Jack an angry look before seeing the innocent expression painted on his face. He sighed back at Toothless, which only threw one demanding shake of his head before looking forwards to the horizon again.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup started, his mind rushing for the words, Jack's heart searching for its beat. "I shouldn't have tortured McNair, knowing it'd hurt you… I didn't want to do that… I didn't want to make Toothless do that either…"

Jack shook his head, not sure of how he felt about Hiccup's meek apology, "Hey, it's okay…"

"No, it's not." Hiccup's tone now was weaker. "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have let that go for so long, I should've stopped the moment I saw it was hurting you…"

Toothless flapped yet another smack of his ear towards Hiccup, but the boy now managed to dodge, leaning back to avoid being hit.

"Ugh, damn you," He hissed to the dragon, before taking another deep breath. "Alright… I'm sorry about… fighting you before… I didn't mean to say what I said, it was wrong and… I'm…"

Jack didn't dare drift his gaze elsewhere. Hiccup didn't face him as he apologised, but his straining voice told him more he could fathom. A small part of him found some satisfaction, basking in this glorious moment: Hiccup, who had been so inconsiderate to his feelings, weeping and apologising so meekly… However, the main and better part of him just wanted the other boy to heal that one wound, so the tears would finally cease and all the red would be made clean... Instead, they held onto that treacherously heavy silence until the boy's breathing went back to normal.

"Hiccup," Jack squeezed the boy's shoulder, and he realised that he had not yet seen how this new Hiccup reminded him so much of the boy he had known years before… "I already forgave you. It's fine..."

The boy in front of him never turned back, hiding the tears he had been holding. "Okay." He said at last. Some disappointment stung in Jack's chest.

"Thank you, though." Jack added, unsure whether to keep his hand on Hiccup's shoulder, opting to let him go. "For apologising..."

The boy's apologies still tried escaping his lips. He swallowed them dry. Jack attempted his luck further:

"I have a question, though… And I'd like you to answer as honestly as you can, no shortcuts, no roundabouts..." To that, Hiccup found no nerve in himself to say no. "About Astrid… Rescuing her is my priority as well, nothing will change that, but I need to know… were you… together?"

A cold feeling washed over Hiccup, talking about Astrid was hard, but talking about the nature of their relationship with Jack, of all people, seemed harder.

"I don't…" He tried with his words. "I don't think I know how to answer your question."

"It's a simple question, Hiccup," Jack's patience was wearing off, though. "Was she your girlfriend, yes or no?"

"It's not a simple answer, I don't know." Hiccup breathed out in agony. "I don't know what Astrid and I were any more than I know what we… oh, nevermind…" He held himself then, fearing he'd gone too far. However, Jack was having none of that.

"What we were?" He concluded for him, yet Hiccup remained silent. "What would you say we were?"

Hiccup looked everywhere in the horizon, hoping to find the answer in between the clouds. "I don't know. Best friends, maybe."

"Oh no, we were more than best friends."

"Best friends don't leave each other the way we did." Hiccup retorted over the deafening wind. "Best friends ought to be the next best thing after brothers; brothers don't do what we've done..."

"Even siblings have worse fights." Jack snapped. "I ought to know, I've had one."

Hiccup had no answer to that. "I've forgotten about Flee…" He said before he could hold himself back, immediately apologising, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's fine," Jack had returned to his normal tone, somewhat enjoying his black hair flailing in the wind, loving the air. "Just for the records, though… We were something, you and I… I know that much."

Hiccup swallowed dry, looking down, yet he could not hold the smallest smile from pulling the corners of his lips.

"Yeah…" He muttered. Toothless rolled his eyes before smacking his ear on Hiccup's face one more time.

Hey Guys! Go here

Life has been absolute, marvelous chaos... Europe has been good to me, although I tell you, I can't beat any of the Austrians, nor the Irish, nor the German when it comes to drinking.
I've been working a lot as well... if not on all sorts of random jobs, I've been doing a lot of self reflection and self actualization. It's bullshit what they say about finding yourself, though, I've never been more lost. In a way, I think we all are... I've decided to embrace this chaos.
You see, I'm haunted by the perspective that life lacks inherent meaning... it's the nihilistic sense that regardless of whatever I do, it'll all come down to an existential irrelevance on the bigger scale. Yet, I've been stubbornly pleasing myself by doing all things meaningless, like kissing that sweet girl with the long black locks and sweet scent, or the shy and beautiful guy with soft hands and chapped lips... I've been indulging a little... Funny enough, after I meet those people, somehow they all have to return to fucking Germany of all places, I wonder what is it that Germany has against me (lol).
A few years ago, I read Nick Burd's Vast Fields of Ordinary, and it ended with the following sentence: 'The World is vast and meant for wandering. There's always somewhere to go.'
So, me and my nihilistic/borderline-absurdist ass dragged ourselves to Edinburgh. And I tell you, you can't live in a place like that and not end up writing Harry Potter. The place breathes magic, it was absolutely the most exhilirating experience... I fell in love with the place, all over again. Also, no one beats the Scots when it comes to whiskey.
Me and my depression are on good terms. I'm still not sure what the point to anything is, you see, but I'm working on trying to enjoy the drama. I only know for sure that I have this one life, and I want to live through things. I walk around this godforsaken winter at two in the morning at times and just feel the wind blowing my hair and I let the street lamps bathe me in gold and light and I just feel my lungs taking in the air. It burns and it tickles and my body is not suit for this weather yet, but God, it burns to live. My dumb brain wants me to burst and scream 'I LIVE I LIVE I LIVE' to every person I meet, but that'd be too dramatic, even for me.
I want to live, I swear I do. I hope y'all do too.

Also, I still need to take the offer of a coffee in Southern France as soon as I get my ass back in France.