Within the following three days since the arrival of the Berserkers and Defenders of the Wing tribes, Hiccup had been working overtime not just with his allies, but in keeping the peace within his council and his own village.
He was well aware of how on edge Zyrah had been, but when she returned after her outburst during the council meeting, she had privately discussed with him how selfish she realized she was being, apologizing for internalizing all the chaos surrounding her. But Hiccup understood, she didn't need to apologize to him, but he recognized her respect for him, and her own pride wasn't everything to her.
"Hey, listen, you're still young and trying to navigate the chaotic life of being a Viking," he assured, "I remember feeling like I could control everything, but I soon realized the same thing you have. We all go through it at some point." She gave him a tense smile in return, burying her uncertainty.
"So what now?"
Well, waiting on the arrival of the Wingmaidens and Outcasts, along with Berk's two other rarely seen allies; the Bog-Burglars and Meatheads.
The Bog-Burglar's were an all-female tribe much like the Wingmaidens, the only difference was that they did not rely on dragons to carry them around, and they were legendary in the archipelago for their thievery and had been long-time allies of Berk for as long as Hiccup could remember. Bertha was the former chieftain of the tribe and had been good friends with Stoick once upon a time, occasionally visiting Berk for meetings, which is how he and Camicazi had become friends, but only that. He had received the news that Bertha had recently stepped down to allow her daughter to step into the role, and Hiccup could only imagine the sheer delight Camicazi would get from her new role. He was excited for another young chief to aide him, and he was also looking forward to seeing how she had changed. He could only imagine she had become more cunning and sly.
And then there was the Meathead tribe. Also another long-time ally of Berk, as Stoick had been tight with Mogadon, and their great-grandfathers respectively had struck up an allyship decades ago when the Meatheads had come to Berk's aid during a great battle with mainlanders. Mogadon had passed long before Stoick did, and so Mogadon's son; Thuggory, had been thrust into the chieftain role quite young, but based on what Hiccup had heard over the years, the young man had proven himself a worthy chief in battle. Thanks to his friendship with Hiccup, Thuggory also allowed and encouraged his village to form bonds with dragons.
Thuggory's arrival on the Edge would prove interesting, as in the past, when he, Hiccup, and the Riders were young, barely preteens, Thuggory had stood up to Snotlout's constant bullying on Hiccup's behalf. Alas, the Meatheads had only been visiting, and Thuggory couldn't stand up to Snotlout for Hiccup all the time, so Thuggory had given Hiccup a little pep-talk on how to deal with his troublesome cousin. And as much as Hiccup tried, things never worked out.
But now, all these years later, with everyone having changed drastically, Hiccup was anticipating chosen words to be tossed around, and not light-heartedly. He knew Thuggory did not care for Snotlout, given their past interactions. As for Astrid and Camicazi… he was aware they acknowledged and respected each other, so he didn't have much reason to believe there would be animosity between them, but he could never be too sure.
Meanwhile, Dagur was wandering the Edge, searching for the other young teenage boy Hiccup had introduced him to just the other day, having spotted the magnificent, golden Skrill the boy was riding. How was it possible that this teenager had wrangled one of the most sought-after dragons just after Night Furies? He had to find this boy and ask him. But he also had many questions for the young girl; Zyrah, as well, from the brief interaction, he could tell she was troubled, but quite fierce, based on her actions against one of Mala's Defenders.
Gods, what had Hiccup roped himself into after these past three years?
Elsewhere, far beyond the Edge, an airship flown by Deathgrippers appeared over the towering peak that overlooked the burnt remains of Berk. Grimmel the Grisly stepped foot off his airship once the Deathgrippers landed, inspecting the ghostly surroundings. Just as he suspected; they fled. He knew they would, and it was exactly what he wanted. He was going to chase that pathetic excuse of a chief and his gods-forsaken Night Fury and its mate till the ends of the realm.
As he was taking everything in, the other Warlords rejoined the hunter, perplexed as to what he was planning. After Grimmel's attack, they had expected Grimmel to appear with the Night Fury and Light Fury in tow, just as agreed upon, but neither had shown up. Had this legendary hunter completely forgotten the plan? Or did he have something in mind that he wasn't indulging them in?
"Grimmel!" Griselda shouted, "You ought to have a good explanation as to why you are empty-handed with the Night Furies you promised!" Grimmel rolled his near-colorless eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, I believe we also agreed you would follow Stoick's boy should he flee and then report back to me, and here we are, with no reports on what they're up to?"
"Where did you think he would go, Grimmel?" Chaghatai demanded, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired man. However, Grimmel did not take that question lightly, where else would the Berkians flee to? An empty island would be the obvious choice, no? So they would have room to accommodate the village and their dragons.
Taking Grimmel's silence for something of an answer, Ragnar then stepped in to inform Grimmel that there was some good news, which piqued the Night Fury killer's attention. Turning to face the Warlords, Ragnar called for one of his guards, who dragged a captive forward. Grimmel was hesitant at first, not recognizing any apparent tribal crests on the individual, who appeared raggedy and out of sorts.
"Who is this, and what purpose do they serve me?"
"Well, y'see Grimmel, this fella here is an Outcast member, just a low-ranking individual! But who does carry quite a load of valuable information."
"Tell me, how did you come to capture an Outcast? They are a fierce tribe." Grimmel observed. Although Grimmel originated from the mainland, he'd overheard many great tales of Stoick the Vast and his best friend Alvin, and their great feats, till they had a falling out that led to Alvin being dubbed "The Treacherous" and to him forming the Outcasts on a barren, desolate island. Grimmel was for once, genuinely curious of how the Warlords managed to capture an Outcast without having caused extensive chaos.
The young male Outcast initially refused to give the Warlords and Grimmel any knowledge of the state of politics in the archipelago, but he soon realized that he was not ready to risk his life quite yet, still unsure of his purpose in life. All it took was a threat of feeding him to the Deathgrippers alive that the young man spilled the truth, revealing that Berk had fled to a familiar, formerly inhabited location, and had called upon their allies to help, anticipating an attack from Grimmel. Needless to say, Grimmel was silently impressed with Hiccup pulling his resources together, readying himself for the coming battle.
"Hm, seems the boy is catching on. Letting me chase him… well, if it's a fight he wants, a fight he will get!"
"But, Grimmel! This could be a trap! If they're calling upon all their allies, we will not be able to obtain our prize so easily!" Ragnar protested. Grimmel rolled his eyes once more.
"Isn't that what makes being a hunter and a Warlord exciting?! The battles are meant to test you, it's the whole bloody point, your victory in the end is most rewarding! Each of you fought and proved your way to the top, don't tell me your Warlord positions have allowed you to grow soft and expect everything to be handed to you on a golden platter?"Grimmel cried, utterly astonished and disappointed in each of them. He expected more. The Outcast boy had given him everything he needed, why couldn't the Warlords see the obvious? All of Berk's allies, or most of them anyway, were dragon lovers, and likely had a decent population of dragons of their own. With all these tribes gathered in one place, all that was needed was to defeat the Berkians, subdue the Night Fury pair, and then the Warlords could take all the dragons at once. Each of the Warlords owned and controlled massive armadas, which combined, accounted for tens of thousands of soldiers ready to fight.
"We will win the battle that Stoick's boy is serving us, and we will all acquire our prizes. We will end this war with what we deserve." Grimmel proclaimed, a devilish, cocky smile crossing his pale face. He couldn't believe how easy Hiccup was making this! But before he could go any further, he had one pressing question on his mind, and he turned to the young Outcast, kneeling before him with a cold look in his eye.
"Tell me your name, my boy," Grimmel started, knowing the youngster would tell him.
"B-Burg…" Came the stuttered reply.
"No title to claim?" A quick shake of the head.
"Hm. Now, tell me Burg, what do you know of the Night Furies of Berk?" Burg cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"The… Night Furies?"
"Must I repeat myself? Yes, the Night Furies! I am the Night Fury Killer, and I am seeking an answer as to why there are two left!" Burg cowered in response to the outburst, admitting he didn't know much, but said that they were the Alpha pair guarding Berk's flock.
"Yes yes, I know that. What else do you know?"
"Uh… uh… that the female has a rider?" Grimmel cocked an eyebrow, that was new.
"What do you mean the female has a rider?"
"Exactly what I said. Young teenage girl, younger than Chief Hiccup. She's kinda got a reputation going the past few months." Grimmel shared a look with the Warlords, all sharing the same curiosity.
"What can you tell me about the girl?"
"Not much… I've never met her, and I would've if I wasn't captured," he replied, muttering that last bit very quietly to himself, "… But the story goes that she's the daughter of dragon hunters."
"A child of dragon hunters?" Griselda repeated.
"Dragon hunters that served under Drago."
"How do you know so much?"
"Word gets around," Burg replied simply, "Vikings like to gossip."
"So… let me get this straight," Chaghatai interrupted, "not only does Hiccup have a Night Fury, but the Night Fury has a mate… a female… who has a rider of her own, who is the child of hunters serving under Drago?"
Unbelievable. What kind of outrageous path of fate the Norns had laid out.
Grimmel remained silent, the gears turning as he worked on formulating a new-ish plan. He still wanted to obtain the Alpha male, but now also the Alpha female, who would be worth as much, if not more. Additionally, Grimmel was eager to learn more about the girl, too, who intrigued him due to her apparent history.
"Grimmel? What are you thinking?" Ragnar questioned, observing the lack of expression on Grimmel.
"A new approach, with new targets in mind," he replied. He quickly glanced at Burg, still uncomfortably struggling against his captor. The young Outcast wordlessly pleaded with Grimmel to spare him at least, his eyes begging. But Grimmel knew better than to blindly release a prisoner who had revealed vital information. The Outcasts wouldn't want him as a liability if he returned to them, and the other tribes also wouldn't want anything to do with him.
"And get rid of him." Grimmel finished. One of his guards stabbed Burg's neck with a needle filled with the venom of his Deathgrippers. Burg fought as the liquid coursed through his veins, slowly overtaking him. As his mind began to succumb, he couldn't find the strength to fight anymore as his limp body was tossed to Grimmel's six Deathgrippers carelessly, giving them a hearty meal for the first time in weeks.