Lightning And Death Itself Ending #2b

A/N What will Hiccup do – stay in the nest or return to Berk? I couldn't decide which of two endings was best for this story. So I'm posting both of them. This is the second half of ending #2.

o

The sun finally rose on a scene of carnage. From the shoreline to a mile out, the sea was littered with burnt pieces of ships, floating sails and oars, and uncounted Berserkers who didn't live to see the sunrise. Over a hundred dragons were circling overhead. Every few seconds, a dragon would swoop toward the water and pluck something out. Stoick quickly realized they were rescuing the few survivors from the enemy fleet.

After several minutes went by and no more survivors were found, the dragons flew easily toward land. Each of them deposited its human cargo just behind the line of Vikings, where one or more warriors would sieze him and hustle him off. The Berserkers put up no resistance – they were tired, wet, cold, burned, stunned, demoralized, and cold some more. Once a dragon let go of its prisoner, it flapped up to the heights that overlooked the village and perched there. Berk was starting to look like a dragon's nest.

At last, the three black dragons landed near Stoick. The other Vikings gave them plenty of room, even though they'd proven themselves to be peaceful already.

Stoick wasn't sure what the protocol was for greeting a flock of friendly dragons, so he decided to treat them as a friendly tribe. "Good morning, Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless. You and your dragons did some very good work for us last night. You saved our village. We thank you."

The three Night Furies nodded politely. Then his son, the Hiccup-dragon, stepped forward.

WE WISH TO PROPOSE A DEAL.
YOU HAVE POWERFUL ENEMIES.
DRAGONS NEED ENEMIES OR
WE FIGHT EACH OTHER.
WILL YOU ACCEPT AN ALLIANCE?

Stoick read the runes twice to make sure he understood. Then he spoke in a low, tired voice.

"Hiccup... just once... I wish you and I could get together without you turning my world upside down. An alliance between Berk and the dragons' nest? What would our fathers say?"

THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT WILL MY FATHER SAY?

Stoick looked to Gobber. He really needed some wise advice right about now.

"We know what th' dragons can do to people they dinna like. I'd feel good, knowing they were on our side, Stoick. What are th' terms of this alliance?"

It was Astrid's turn to write on the rocks.

WE WILL LEAVE ONE DRAGON HERE.
IF YOU ARE ATTACKED, TELL THAT DRAGON.
IT WILL FLY TO GET HELP.

"That's it?" Gobber asked. "What do we do for ye?"

YOU GIVE US AN OUTLET
FOR OUR AGGRESSIONS.
WE NEED THAT

"It seems reasonable," Stoick nodded. "I'll have to bring it before the council, but I think they'll accept it, and we'll make out a written agreement. That one dragon you leave – would it be one of you?"

NO, WE'RE NEEDED IN THE NEST.
PROBABLY A DEADLY NADDER.

"You're needed in the nest," Stoick repeated sadly. "Does that mean you're not going to...?"

Hiccup took over again.

WE HAVE TO GET OUR FLOCK HOME.
WE'LL BE BACK TO DISCUSS THIS.

Stoick nodded slowly. The Night Furies rose into the air, roared and growled for a few seconds, and led all the dragons out to sea, except one Nadder who would serve as Berk's first watch-dragon.

That Nadder would be replaced by a different dragon twice a day, so no one would have to spend too much time away from the nest. It didn't take long for a new tradition to spring up in Berk – throwing a fish to the watch-dragon for good luck. Once that happened, there was never a shortage of volunteers in the nest to serve as watch-dragons.

Back in that nest, the atmosphere was relaxed, even jubilant. There were no more fights between dragons. Just knowing that they might have enemies to fight was enough.

"Dragons and humans are actually dependent on each other now!" Toothless mock-complained. "Hiccup, I could almost regret turning you into a Night Fury. By the time you're done changing everything in sight, there won't be anything left of the world I've always lived in."

"Don't hang all the blame on my tail!" Hiccup replied with a toothy grin. "It was Astrid's idea for us to help defend Berk. All I did was point out how it would be good for us as well as them."

"Point it out?" Astrid sputtered. "You yelled, 'Who wants to attack something?' so loud, the whole nest could hear you!"

"And they all wanted to attack something, which means it was a good idea," Hiccup added. "Now Berk has an air force, our nest has a safety valve, and everybody's happy."

"Everybody except our parents, I think," Astrid said with a touch of sadness.

"Oh, yeah. That," Hiccup nodded. "Toothless, can you mind the nest for the rest of the day? Astrid and I need to go back to Berk for a while. We have to say our goodbyes."

"For what it's worth, I think you chose wisely," Toothless nodded. "It took all three of us to solve this crisis. I doubt I could have done it alone. This nest needs all the Night Furies it can get." He took a deep breath and let it out. "To be honest, so do I." He watched them as they flapped up the cone and out of the nest.

Hiccup sought out Gobber first, and explained his decision (and his suddenly-healed leg) by scratching his runes in the dirt. Gobber nodded.

"Ye weren't the best apprentice I ever had, but ye tried hard. Ye make a fine dragon, though, an' no mistake about that. Drop by an' say hello now and then, will ye?" His voice dropped to a near-whisper. "An' take good care o' that young lassie, too! She's a fine one!" He made a clucking noise and winked.

As he left the smithy, he heard Ruffnut's unmistakeable voice from overhead. Astrid had her up in the air again, and judging by the way she was whooping and waving, she was having the time of her life. No surprise there.

People all over town were stopping to watch them whipping back and forth across the sky. He noticed the other three teens taking an unscheduled break from their chores, gazing up at Ruffnut with palpable envy. Fishlegs murmured, "I would so love to do that." Hiccup walked up to him, nudged him with his head, and glanced at his own back with a warble.

"Me? Go riding on you?" Fishlegs fumbled for words. "That's kind of awkward. I mean, you're really Hiccup, and riding on Hiccup is... is that okay?" Hiccup repeated the gesture, showing some teeth this time. "Okay, okay! Never make a dragon mad, that's what I say." He climbed onto Hiccup's back.

"Hey, how come he gets a ride?" Snotlout demanded. Hiccup scratched in the dirt.

HE ASKED FIRST

Then he sprang into the air. Fishlegs had a moment of terror and almost fell off, but then he leaned forward and found his balance. "Oh, yeah!" he shouted. "I think I just took a level in 'awesome'!" So this is how Toothless felt when I was riding him, Hiccup thought. It's kind of fun. His passenger was really getting into it as he caught up with Astrid.

"I'm the queen of the world!" Ruff was shouting, raising her fists over her head.

"And I'm the king!" Fishlegs called, with a matching gesture. Ruff looked startled, even irritated; she wasn't expecting company in the air. When she saw who it was, her irritation turned to a more speculative look. Hmmm, Hiccup thought. Could those two be...? Nahh!

Of course, the other two teens had to have their turn when the first two rides were done. As Hiccup came in for a landing with Snotlout, his passenger leaned forward. "Don't tell anybody I said this, cousin, but you turned out okay!" They all asked the dragons to visit now and then, which they agreed to do. Hiccup made a mental note to retrieve Toothless' saddle from the cove; he or Astrid might well be wearing it themselves soon. Oh, the irony...

"Oh, and one more thing, Hiccup?" Snotlout said. "I've decided to be nice and let you have Astrid as your girl. I'm not going to chase her any more." Hiccup grunted and nodded politely.

Then it was time for Astrid to explain things to her parents. Hiccup went to find his father. This wasn't going to be fun.

"I saw this coming," Stoick said sadly. "I've spoken to the Hoffersons, and they're agreed that you and their daughter are a couple, in whatever way you dragons do those things. There won't be any outraged kinfolk tracking you down to avenge her honor. That's about all I can do for you. Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?"

DAD, I LOVE YOU, BUT THIS CAN
NEVER BE MY HOME AGAIN.
I'VE CHANGED TOO MUCH

"When I lost your mother, I thought my world ended. Then when you disappeared, I thought it really ended. Then I got you back, with some changes, and now you're leaving again?"

I CAN VISIT.
I'LL BE HERE FOR SNOGGLETOG

"Do you really have to go?"

NO ONE HERE MISSES ME EXCEPT YOU.
WITH THE DRAGONS, I FIT IN.
THEY DEPEND ON ME

Stoick shook his head. "If the others are depending on you, I suppose you have to do what you have to do. You're a chief now, I suppose. You have responsibilities, and I know how that is." He sadly rested his hand on his son's head, no longer appalled at how the scales felt. "I had dreams of you taking my place some day. But you've found your own place, doing it your own way like you always did. I guess you've become a man, in a dragony sort of a way.

"I'm proud of you, son."

Night Furies aren't supposed to cry.

But if they have to blink back a few tears now and then, no one holds it against them.

THE END
(of the second ending)

(which means it really is the end)