CHAPTER 9: Decision
Hiccup gathered his closest family inside the house to make a decision on whether to send someone from the tribe to Ancient Island, to just get a look at the situation. Nobody knew the true nature of the Ancient Tribe under Yurlin, and Hiccup, not wanting to get involved in anything anymore since becoming a father, would only be willing to do something minimal like this.
He still didn't quite understand what the problem was either. The Ancients withdrew from their own treaty that they proposed with the other tribes because of some sort of disagreement - so what? albeit it was probably odd for a tribe to withdraw itself from a treaty that it created itself. Still, Hiccup didn't quite get it.
Plus, Drago Bludvist was still out there. He had no idea where he was geographically, whether he was near the vicinity of Old Berk, or on any of the islands around Old Berk, whether he was on Dragon's Edge or whatever was left of it this many years later. So if he was going to send someone to Ancient Island, he'd only want to do that with a safety gurantee.
One thing Hiccup knew for sure - he definitely wasn't going to go to Ancient Island. He just didn't want to chance coming across Drago again. He also didn't want any of his closest family to go there either. Not his mum, not Astrid, not even Gobber. He just didn't want anything to do with outside affairs anymore - he's been and done all that in his youth, and since the dragons were sent by him to The Hidden World, he's loved the conflict-free era of the last ten years.
"I don't know what I'm trying to achieve here, let alone what I even agreed with them," Hiccup said, sat in his house with his mum, Astrid and Gobber.
Hiccup didn't feel the need to alert the entire tribe about the situation. Why would he? he was only deciding whether to at least make contact with a tribe he's practically only just known to exist, led by a man with a name only heard by Hiccup twice or slightly more. Although it sounded like an ever emerging crisis initially, Hiccup felt no need to alert the tribe.
"I couldn't agree more, son," Valka said, "I don't even know who these people are but it's been ten whole years...you don't need to going out there anymore, we're safe up here and it's best for the kids."
Astrid completely and utterly agreed with Valka.
"Yeah Hiccup, I'll have to agree with that. We're not our young selves anymore...we've got Zephyr and Nuffink, the dragons were and still are our legacy, and Drago as far as I'm concerned can continue aimlessly sailing his ships wherever they take him - he's nothing to us anymore, he's no threat, and we don't need to be making any contact with any of the tribes in the central archipelago."
Astrid fully meant all of that. As a mother, Zephyr and Nuffink were her priority. It was in their best interests for the tribe to not involve itself in anything going on outside their island. It's been ten years of prosperity and peace since the dragons left. Astrid didn't want the kids going through anything of that nature.
"You know, this is probably the old me coming out here, mum and Astrid...but part of me is ever so slightly curious to just get an insight into the Ancients under Yurlin. Dagur was keen to stress to me that he rules like a Chieftan with endless power with a strong ideology. Again, I don't know what he's talking about exactly, but...they seemingly have an admiration for us."
"Curiosity kills the dragon, son. Our experience with Drago and Grimmel should've taught you that," Valka intervened.
"I know...but Yurlin even knows that I lost dad precisely because of Drago, he seems to genuinely take a liking to us. I'm not saying that I'm going to send anyone out to meet their tribe, but the curiosity in me...it's like when I studied Toothless when he was trying to fly out of the cove that day after shooting him down. I was just...curious."
Gobber was tapping his prosthetic arm on the table, as he looked like he was in deep thought.
"Aye, what if I were to go out there?" he said.
Hiccup looked at Gobber with surprise.
"You heard me."
"What?" Hiccup questioned, "we still don't even know what we're trying to achieve here Gobber, and I've already said none of us need to or will be going to any island. This is our home now."
"If Stoick was here he'd have granted me the permission Hiccup. I'm the diplomatic man around here and I can do whatever I can to help out, you've just gotta put your faith in me."
Astrid subtly looked at Hiccup and nodded a no. Valka gulped and wasn't sure how to react.
For Hiccup himself, he was caught in a very big dilema. He was curious to just test the waters with the Ancients, get to know them, get to fully understand Yurlin, and so on. For a tribe to withdraw from a treaty it had created itself, that had led to the curiosity in part for Hiccup. But equally, he didn't know what he'd be trying to achieve with sending someone to Ancient Island, and ultimately, a tribe he had never heard of until fairly recently.
Even with Dagur, Heather and the rest informing him of the situation. Hiccup just couldn't decide. He didn't want Gobber to risk his life going back to the central archipelago with Drago lurking.
"I just don't think it's worthwhile Gobber. I know my dad would've allowed you and did allow you to go across to other islands to establish contact with these other tribes but...do we really want to go through this all over again after ten years? we've been at pure peace here."
"What's the hassle in at least tryin'? building links can enhance that peace, I've got the gist of it down - I go over there, I talk to them, maybe I'll even hand over a written note from you Hiccup given Dagur's claimed they love you on their island...and we can just test the waters a lil bit? plus, I myself have been mighty bored since the Snoggletog Pageant now I ain't writing the script anymore, I need to get around a bit."
Hiccup could see the logic in Gobber's comment. Ultimately talking to other tribes would be the way to building links with them. But Hiccup had tried that with Drago ten years ago when trying to reason with him, and it didn't deter him.
But if Gobber was serious about this, then Hiccup ultimately considered backing down and just letting Gobber take a trip across the seas to at least make contact with Alfa Yurlin's tribe.
Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.
"I suppose the curiosity in me has won...if you really wanna do this Gobber, then you can do it. But we need to make sure a couple of other of our vikings go along with you."
"I'm built up for that, mate..." a spying voice uttered from near the wooden door of Hiccup's house, catching everyone by surprise.
It was Eret, son of Eret. Upon making his sneaky comment, he walked in through the door of Hiccup's hut and closed it - he had been listening in from the outside the whole time.
"Oh come on...not another one?" Hiccup complained.
"What's wrong, Hiccup? I'm the guy who knew Grimmel back before he came to Berk to try and kill your Night Fury - I'm the guy who foolishly worked for Drago himself. I'll be the perfect human shield, Drago wouldn't know what'd hit him if he saw me again after all this time."
To Hiccup, that actually wasn't a bad idea. Eret, being a former Drago ally, and having known Grimmel before he went on a rampage to Berk coming after Toothless, would most likely be able to fend off any encounter between him, Gobber and Drago on the central archipelago. Valka was understandably unsure about the whole idea at all, and Astrid was just sitting back without any input. She was thinking about Zephyr and Nuffink's safety above anything else.
"I know Eret, but you'd be going to an island of a tribe we've only just fully learnt the existence of...when I tell Dagur and the rest about our plan to do this I'll need to know more about what it is they want us to achieve. Are you absolutely sure?"
"Am I absolutely sure?" Eret chuckled, "Hiccup, I'm the guy who took Drago's oppressive behaviour to the chin. Don't ask me if I'm sure about sailing to a new tribe with none other than Gobber. Come on now?"
"Are you really gonna allow this to happen, Hiccup?" Valka asked.
"My mum is pretty concerned, you guys - and I am too. Just...if you really want to do this, just be careful, please. I'll have to probably write up some sort of message for you guys to take over to the Ancients. Dagur, Alvin and the rest can sail you over to Ancient Island on the boat they came from after I've informed them of the plan."
"Is any of this required?" Valka further asked.
"Mum, to be honest with you I'm kinda peer pressured right now but I'm also curious to see where this leads...we don't know whether this Yurlin viking is a potential ally for us to keep in contact with, and hey, Dagur wants us to try and calm whatever issues down, so as long none of this is severe and remains purely trivial and non-dangerous, I guess I'm persuaded enough to at least get the ball rolling."
Valka still wasn't sure. But whatever her son decided, she'd support him in doing it, out of her love for him.
Hiccup had finished writing a letter for Gobber and Eret to deliver to the Ancient Tribe. Below were the contents of said letter.
Dear to whoever it may concern,
I am writing to you on behalf of my tribe, the Hairy Hooligans. Truth be told I've not got a fully clear idea on what's been going on down in the archipelago for the last ten years but I'm having this letter delivered to you at the request of Dagur and Alvin. Alfa Yurlin, is it? this is Hiccup who's writing to you.
I've heard your name a few times and although I cannot and will not commit to meeting you, given I'm now a dad with two kids - their safety being my priority, I've sent Gobber and Eret, apart of our senior vikings, to meet you just to talk about the situation. I know Drago Bludvist is still alive and it breaks my heart to have heard that.
But let me just say, I am grateful for the alleged words you've mentioned about my dad, Stoick the Vast. I do miss him, and if you truly mean what you said as I've been told by Dagur and the rest, then I do appreciate it. My tribe has enjoyed the peace of the last ten years, we'd like to keep it that way for the future for all of our kids.
Many thanks, Hiccup Haddock.
Dagur, Heather, Alvin, Atali and Mala were all stood at the edges of New Berk in the dark cold night. Gobber and Eret were also stood with them, with Hiccup, Valka and Astrid there too. They were surrounded by the forests of New Berk as they looked over the edge of the island, seeing the clouds.
"Honestly Hiccup, we'll appreciate this so much if it works. We just wanted you to come in and try and cool off whatever tensions the Ancients have with us at the moment. Again, Yurlin is quite the dictator...Chieftan I mean, so hopefully he can be reasoned with."
"Dictator?" Hiccup questioned.
"He leads by fear, he's got a cult of personality - say one bad thing about Yurlin if you're an Ancient viking, you'd be severely punished for it. We know this because of the rumours across the archipelago about there being work camps on Ancient Island for...political opponents."
Hiccup didn't quite catch on entirely with what Dagur just said, so from what he heard, he wasn't able to grasp the severity of that.
But it didn't sound good - no tribe punishes its own vikings for talking against their Chieftan. Hiccup almost didn't want to believe it.
In any case, tomorrow, Eret and Gobber were to be taken to Ancient Island to meet the tribe and potentially its Chieftan in Alfa Yurlin himself, and he was to receive Hiccup's letter from Hiccup himself.