First Contact Chapter 22

Throughout Valka's celebration meal, Vikings wandered up to the head table, one or two at a time, and congratulated her on coming home. The conversations were strained; most of the people didn't quite know what to say to her. One or two seemed to think she'd forgotten how to speak Norse in eighteen years; they tried talking to her in baby talk, and were quite embarrassed when she answered them normally. At least they respected the chief's request to not mob her. She appreciated that.

After the first course was finished, Stoick stood up for attention. "While we're all gathered here, I think Spitelout has an important announcement to make." To his astonishment, Spitelout scowled and shook his head.

"I thought the marriage contract was all set, and you were going to clasp hands on it today. No contract?" Again, Spitelout shook his head.

Stoick turned to Mr. Thorston. "No special announcement about your foster daughter?"

"Yes, I do have an announcement to make," Thorston said as he stood, and as Fluffernut tried to dive under the table.

"Wait a minute," Stoick interrupted. "The father of the groom doesn't have an announcement, but the father of the bride does? Would somebody explain what's going on here?"

"I'll explain," Gunnarr Hofferson said as he stood. "There has been a slight change in the arrangements. Thorston's foster-daughter Fluffernut is not engaged to Spitelout's son Snotlout, the way they'd planned. I'm pleased to announce, after some rather unconventional negotiations, that she is officially engaged to my son, Varinn, instead." Scattered applause and cheers broke out all over the Hall, with Valka by far the most enthusiastic. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were baffled and speechless; Snotlout was just speechless. Varinn tried to dive under his own table.

"Thank you for explaining that, Gunnarr, and congratulations, Fluffernut and Varinn, wherever you went," the chief said, "but I still don't understand what happened. If you don't mind my asking, what caused the change in the arrangements?"

"Apparently, my son wanted the girl more than the Jorgensons did," Gunnarr replied. "I've always thought the two of them would make a fine couple. My boy made a pretty good bride-price offer – without consulting his father, I might add – and Spitelout let himself be outbid."

"Thorston didn't deal honestly with me!" Spitelout protested. "He never told me the girl was defective in her legs! My son deserves better than that – he's our future chief!"

A few people murmured at that. Not everyone was enthusiastic at the thought of Snotlout as their chief. They knew Snotlout all too well.

"You know, I've been thinking about that," Valka said with a hint of a grin. "It's a fact that my husband is going to have to let someone else take his place some day. Everyone assumes that my nephew, Snotlout, is the heir apparent, but –"

"Of course he is!" Spitelout exclaimed. "He's the chief's closest male relative. No one else is qualified."

"That's what I'm wondering about," Valka went on. "Gothi, what are the requirements for a Viking to become the chief?"

Gothi took the small piece of slate she carried with her, in case she had to "speak" when there was no dirt or sand to write in, and began scratching at it. Gobber watched over her shoulder and translated her drawings. "She says th' chief is usually the first son o' the previous chief, but anyone can challenge 'im fer the job if he's perceived to be unfit. He has to be battle-experienced, he needs to show that 'e can lead others in battle, he needs to be able to read an' write, an' he has to be a yellow pony with wings." Gothi whacked him with her staff. "Oh, I'm sorry – she said he has to be a male. We'll have none o' this progressive 'women in charge' nonsense that some o' the other tribes are tryin'."

"I see," Valka commented. "Is there anything in the laws that says he has to be a human?"

Gothi drew a few quick signs on the slate. "She says it isn't actually in the laws, but it's assumed, seeing how he has to be a member o' the village, an' villagers are all human."

Stoick nodded, with a growing smile. He'd grasped where Valka was going with this, and wished he'd thought of it. "So it wouldn't be against the rules for a dragon to become the chief, if he met all the other requirements?" Everyone saw the implications immediately. Hiccup was stunned; all the Vikings were talking excitedly or angrily or confusedly to each other, weighing the pros and cons; and Spitelout stormed up to the head table.

"Now wait a minute, Stoick! Our chief has to be a Viking! Maybe your son meets all the other requirements, but he can't even talk to us! How could he give us orders?"

"I can think of three ways," Valka answered for him. "He can write, he can speak his Forge language to someone else who knows it, or he can keep Agnarr nearby as the chief's official interpreter. Your son only has one way of communicating. I'd say Hiccup is better-qualified in that way as well."

"He can write?" Spitelout exclaimed. "How can that qualify him for a place of authority over our whole tribe?"

"Perhaps ye'd better ask Gothi about that," Gobber interjected. Gothi, who communicated only by writing, brandished her staff as though she was ready to beat Spitelout over the head with it.

Spitelout was beside himself. "A Viking tribe can't have a dragon as its chief! It's never been done! My son has got his hopes up!"

"Does he? Well, that changes things," Stoick nodded. "If your son thinks he's better qualified than the chief's only son, then he has the right to make a challenge. What would Snotlout prefer – a fight to the death, or just a ritual duel until the shedding of first blood?"

Spitelout stopped in mid-protest. He glanced at Hiccup. Night Furies weren't large, as dragons go, but they were a lot bigger than humans, and their reputation as fighters was unmatched. Hiccup flashed him a quick toothy smile.

After a few silent moments, Spitelout said, "We'll think this over," and returned to his seat.

"While you're thinking, let's have some more food," Stoick bellowed. That idea was a lot more popular with the crowd. The cooks brought out more platters of chicken, potatoes, and dark bread.

"Mom, did you just arrange so I will be chief over whole village?" Hiccup asked, still looking stunned. "Humans and dragons?"

"I wouldn't be the first ambitious mother who pulled some political strings for her son," she smiled, "but you'll still have to earn it, just like your father."

"I think I not do it just like him," Hiccup decided. "I do it my way."

"You'd better," she admonished him, but her attempt to look stern failed.

Agnarr translated all that for Cloudjumper, who looked at Hiccup, impressed. "A dragon would be ruling over humans! My Alpha rules over just one human. Should I bow before you?" he asked. Hiccup wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"Wait until I'm a king before you do that," he blurted out. "You don't show that kind of honor to someone who's just a chief."

"If you wind up in charge of a dragons' nest and a humans' nest, then you'll be more than just a chief," Cloudjumper replied courteously. Then one of the cooks brought him a third platter of fish, and he knew it wasn't polite in human society to talk with his mouth full.

The rest of the evening passed without any more protests or challenges. People began wandering out of the Hall as soon as the food ran low. The two dragons conferred privately. "I didn't follow everything I saw and heard here," Cloudjumper commented, "but the three of you seemed to work well as a team when the others confronted you."

"That's what the humans call 'family'," Hiccup nodded, "and yes, we did seem to work well together. It's strange – Mom and Dad weren't the greatest team when it was just the two of them, and Dad and I never made any kind of of a team at all, but now that it's the three of us, somehow it works."

As Stoick and Valka slowly walked home afterward, hand in hand, she took a break from looking at all the buildings to glance up at him. "I can see that not much has changed here in eighteen years. A Viking still can't resist the urge to start an argument with somebody if he gets the chance."

"One thing has changed, you have to admit," Stoick answered. "The dragons have become better at solving all those arguments than they used to be at starting them."

"True," she admitted. They came to their house, the house she hadn't seen since Cloudjumper had carried her out through a hole in the roof nearly two decades ago. Stoick opened the door for her and stepped aside to let her enter first. She stepped up to the threshold... and stopped.

"Stoick, you've got to be kidding!" she exclaimed. "The dust has to be an inch thick on your dresser! Is that a stack of dirty clothes in the corner? They look like they've been there for months! And how long has it been since you swept the floor in here?"

Stoick was speechless. He tried to come up with some kind of answer that wouldn't inflame the situation... until he realized that Valka was grinning. "I suppose some things really won't ever change," she chuckled, and then burst out laughing. He had to join her – he couldn't stop himself. They laughed together for nearly a minute. At last, he bent down, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her across the threshold.

"Welcome home," he sighed as he set her down, and closed the door behind them.

Cloudjumper lay down and curled up beside the door. Hiccup watched from a distance for a few seconds, then turned away. His mother and father had gotten something that very few people get in life – a second chance. They didn't need a Night Fury to be happy. Not tonight, anyway. He'd have his chance to get to know her better tomorrow, or maybe the day after.

Besides, Astrid and his children were waiting for him. It was amazing that he had found his mother again and gotten her home, but she wasn't necessary to make an amazing family.

He already had one of those.

The End

o

A/N
In case you didn't notice, the title "First Contact" refers to quite a few incidents within the story:

1. the Berk nest and the Dragon Island nest's first contact with the Bewilderbeast's nest
2. the Night Furies' first contact with a Bewilderbeast
3. Hiccup's first contact with his mother
4. Valka's first verbal contact with Cloudjumper
5. Stoick's first contact with Valka in 18 years
6. Stoick's first contact with Skullcrusher
7. Valka's first contact with her village in nearly two decades

Most authors manage to tie their titles into their stories once, maybe twice if they're good. I did it seven times! Take that, Stephen King!

When I started writing this, I just wanted to tell the story of Hiccup-the-dragon meeting Valka; it would take about six chapters, and that was all. But then I realized that Cloudjumper had to be in the scene, and the dragons had ways for Valka to talk to him, so I had to write about that. Then I realized that there was no way Stoick would just sit at home once he found out his wife was still alive, so I had to write about that, and the story just kept growing until it was more than triple the size I'd first envisioned. I toyed with the idea of redoing the entire second movie in the LightningVerse, but that's not a project I'm ready to tackle. Yet. (Fear not – I have some interesting ideas.)