CHAPTER 17: Declaration

It was ram packed across the village. A wooden podium was set up alongside various council vikings guarding the vicinity in preparation for the arrival of Yurlin, who was set to make an anticipated speech explaining his decision to send vikings onto Berk, a bold decision.

Throughout the entire day, Yurlin had been nervous, but you'd have found it hard to notice it. It was his first overseas action that he had taken since assuming the position of Chieftan, and he put the men under order to retreat if they were attacked by any of the other tribes. So far, nothing of the kind had happened.

And as the day had gone on, Yurlin became more and more confident that his decision had paid off. By this point the entire tribe had heard of the militarization of Berk, the old island of the Hooligans, and Yurlin's popularity had soared as a result. Even among a few of the Ancient vikings who were scared about their tribe becoming an authoritarian dictatorship with a cult of personality, the one area they could possibly agree with Yurlin on was the need for living space.

Across the collections of huts where the thousands and thousands of Ancient men and women were gathered, only small utterances could be heard as they anticipated the arrival of their beloved 'heroic' Chieftan. The grey clouds made it look like it was going to rain, but the sun was starting to break through in the distance.

The wooden podium was positioned on a hill directly overlooking this portion of the village, and the Ancient council vikings were scattered all around it. After a few minutes, a much bigger delegation of vikings from the council started circling the area of the podium, and Yurlin, carrying heaps of notes and papers in his hands, came out from the delegation.

But surprisingly, not a single cheer came from the thousands of vikings ahead. Not a single bit. That was because Yurlin had instructed the council to inform the tribe that this was going to be a speech of severe importance, and so any cheering or admiration of applauds would hinder what they'd be able to hear. The cult of personality was forever going to remain, but on occasions like this, where Yurlin was being watched by the entire archipelago, he'd call for complete silence even before he began talking.

A couple of delegations from the Berserkers and Outcasts tribes, a couple of their prominent vikings, were also here to listen to the speech. They were invited to come here for it by the council, but they were under strict regulations - they were to make no negative comments or no critical statements about Alfa Yurlin himself or the tribe as a whole.

And it was the council that strictly controlled their travels here. Nobody was allowed to just sail to Ancient Island freely under Yurlin's leadership, and so the council had arranged their own boats and ships to take outside vikings to the island on rare occasions. Yurlin himself had personally approved the decision to send an invitation to those tribes in light of the decision he took to militarize Berk. He knew they would've wanted an answer, and they were going to get one.

The Wingmaidens weren't invited - the council hadn't given a reason for that, but it possibly had to do with the fact that they were an entirely all women tribe. Not that the Ancients told them that, they just point blank didn't send an invitation.

Mala's Defenders of the Wing tribe was represented effectively by the Berserker vikings because of Mala and Dagur being married. The Warlords were most certainly not invited because of the ideological differences between them and the Ancients.

Yurlin placed his notes down on the podium in front of him, and looked out to the thousands of vikings across the village. With all these eyes on him and with him just overcoming the most nervewracking hours of his life so far, he had a bit of sweat on his forehead but he nonetheless prevailed and proceeded onwards with his speech.

"Men and women of the new Ancient tribe," he said, his voice echoing into the air, "we stand this afternoon in circumstances that just 24 hours ago were unthinkable."

The Berserker and Outcast vikings in attendance, surrounded by a couple of Ancient council vikings to keep an eye on them, looked at the Ancient Chieftan with faces that could only be described as a mix between apprehension and bewilderment. It was as if they couldn't think straight.

"At my request, the council has arranged for us all to be in attendance for a speech that I hope will set the record straight and will permit me to give assurances for the benefit of not just our tribe's sovereignty, but the sovereignty of those other tribes across this archipelago."

"When I became your Chieftan, amid my aims and objectives was to destroy the poison of Warlordism and unvikings. Putting the sovereignty of our tribe first was very much a significant deal of that aim. Such an objective remains, and it will never change for as long as I lead this great tribe."

"On the basis of guarding our sovereignty and ensuring the Ancient Tribe geographically could not be threatened and attacked by such creatures, I can announce that we have sent a strong 2,000 group of our vikings onto Berk - the old island of the Hooligans, and as we speak it is being transformed into a militarized zone."

"The council and myself didn't take this decision lightly, and we want to make it abundantly clear that we have no territorial demands to make in this archipelago. Rather, we are simply doing what any other tribe would do in our circumstances. We are not only defending our sovereignty, we are also defending the balance of power of this archipelago. It cannot be allowed to become a festering hole of Drago Bludvist and his cronies."

"But there is another aspect to my decision - when we proposed and signed the treaty with the other tribes some time ago, to work together by all means necessary to take a stand against the Warlords and Drago, the hesitation I could detect from our fellow Chieftans and vikings created a barrier of hindrance. There was an idea among these Chieftans that we were being unfair...ruthless even. It was on that basis that we pulled out of that treaty."

"Such terms lose their meaning when we consider what Drago Bludvist did to Hiccup Haddock by murdering his father. In comparison to my decision and to what Bludvist inflicted, there is no justification for the sorts of names our decision has received. My council wholeheartedly rejects such names from the other tribes. Times like these call for unity, for cooperation, but if there's hesitation and notions that our actions in safeguarding our sovereignty is dangerous...what point is there to carry on such a hopeless alliance?"

"I am all for peace, and as I have stressed, we have no territorial demands to make. But as the sole tribe standing up to the Warlords and thus inevitably becoming the main target of the unvikings themselves, headed by Drago Bludvist, there can be no room for hesitations. And the outcries at my decision fly past me like a wingless bird. We have a destiny and I feel destined to take us towards that."

"No threats, no warnings, nothing of that sort will prevent me from the path I seek to take. My decision to militarize Berk will be overseen with this very perspective. It is abundantly clear that with Drago Bludvist alive and kicking, it is not me that should be at the forefront of such outrage for protecting our sovereignty, but instead towards the unvikings. And with the Berserkers and Outcasts and their fellow tribes throwing hesitations about our 'conduct' as if we're doing anything remotely immoral or threatening, it only confirms to me that this decision on our own intiative is the right one to take. If they won't join us, we will pursue our destiny ourselves."

"By militarizing Berk, we are not only preventing the Warlords from geographically having an advantage over us, we are also preventing the legacy of such an island from being poisoned by their ideology. Hiccup Haddock, as I have said on numerous occasions, is a wonderful viking with a dad he should be proud of. In many years to come their tribe will look back at this moment and thank us."

Yurlin moved his papers from the top of one another and he came to the conclusion of his speech to the entire tribe in the somewhat windy open.

"The Ancient Tribe is all for peace. We don't wish to come across as threatening to anyone. The unvikings would have you all think that. Allow me to repeat the proposal I made in my letter to the Hooligan Chieftan, Haddock himself. A treaty between our two tribes where we will cooperate and stand together in the face of Drago's tyranny. Our two tribes will control vast parts of this archipelago and will share the rewards of such a coming together."

"So let me repeat - we have no territorial demands to make on the Barbaric Archipelago. Our tribe is all for peace. No threat or warning from anyone or anything will prevent me from taking the path I seek. We will be the barricade between the Warlords and the other tribes of these islands. The Ancient Tribe, the new Ancient Tribe that is, will forever be a reliable ally that shares the values of the Hairy Hooligans in particular."

"The question is, will our fellow tribes who quite clearly sit closer to us on the ideological spectrum, join us or continue being a hindrance by throwing up aimless hesitations about our so-called conduct? time will tell. Thank you very much, men and women of the tribe!" Yurlin concluded.

Gigantic collections of claps could be heard across the village as they applauded, cheered and yelled their Chieftan and leader. Yurlin nodded and waved at the thousands of Ancient vikings as they became jubilant at the news of them successfully militarizing Berk.