CHAPTER 29: Denial
Drago Bludvist was like a hawk in the skies. Quiet, but watching the events on the archipelago unfold, precisely like a hawk waiting to dive down and snatch up its prey. Bludvist was continuing to rearm and build up his Warlords for a revenge comeback against Hiccup Haddock for defeating him and his Bewilderbeast all that time ago.
Equally, the complete ruthlessness of Alfa Yurlin hadn't gone unnoticed in Drago's attention. When the Ancient Chieftan sent his vikings onto Old Berk, boldly, he grew a bit more respect for him. But with the annexation that's just happened, a blatant violation of sovereignty and a move that'd definitely risk an outbreak of conflict, that respect only grew higher.
Drago never took seriously the possibility of Yurlin in the future attacking him. He knew their ideologies were completely unworkable together. Yurlin despised him and his Warlords and the war of annihilation that he wanted to inflict on the Warlords was coming down the road. Two tyrannical vikings with opposing ideologies made such a conflict inevitable. But Drago considered it water off a duck's back - he wanted Yurlin to continue pushing his luck, to continue enacting aggressive territorial demands, to make the relationship between all of those tribes unstable, so he and his Warlords could then come in and take advantage.
He'd considered Yurlin to be on the side of the likes of Hiccup and all of the rest of them on that basis. And he could foresee a future in which those tribes would attempt to appease Yurlin so they could make him direct his aggression towards the Warlords. Many tribes on the archipelago after all feared Drago much more than they did Yurlin and the appeasement was already taking form in subtle ways, i.e Hiccup not taking action against Yurlin militarizing the island of Old Berk.
To many, Drago was the bigger evil, hence why the archipelago was gradually beginning to undertake a form of appeasement to Yurlin. Drago predicted that they'd eventually appease him so much to the point they'd deliberately direct his aggression towards the Warlords, and so to Drago it was paramount that he continued to build back up quick to be in prime position to take advantage of the instability.
"Hehe, the boy has caused further disunity among their ranks?" chuckled Drago Bludvist, as he wandered the shores of his military island.
Chaghatai Khan, Griselda the Grevious and Ragnar the Rock had all escorted Drago across the shores of his military island. Within the interior of it, his Warlords continued smelting iron, smashing swords on anvils, and ultimately the goal of achieving the strength they boasted during the days of Drago's battles against Hiccup and Stoick prior to the latter's death.
"Affirmative," said Griselda, "they're throwing all of them into a dilemma."
"Good, good. It is those dilemmas that we will thrive on."
"Drago sir, may I chip in and be the devil's advocate here?" Chaghatai asked, receiving a glare from Drago.
"Say something constructive man!" replied Drago.
"I just think...we need to consider how quickly the Ancients have gone through rearmament. We are very nearly within completion, but this tribe has just annexed a whole island without any troubles, are we not perhaps...underestimating them?"
"I said CONSTRUCTIVE!"
"I know sir, I know. But the last thing I want is for us to fight a battle we were underprepared for. The Ancient Tribe under Yurlin has become the fastest tribe on the whole archipelago since the dragons left to rearm up, and considering their background as a previously strictly pacifist tribe with no recognition or anything, should we not take serious the threat?"
"Are you calling our men and women WEAK?!"
"Absolutely not sir, of course not. If it helps...I was one of the weak ones for thinking Grimmel would hold up his end of the bargain?"
"Why are we talking about GRIMMEL! that slender man is DEAD AND WASHED UP! you ALL let yourselves down at the time," yelled Drago, pointing to Ragnar and Griselda too, "for being so gullible and prone to vulnerability."
"I only said that to try and mitigate whatever you may have thought about me sir. I don't want to be talking this way but I care about what we're trying to achieve. We shouldn't underestimate Alfa Yurlin in his desire to seek war with us."
"You must be deaf!" yelled Drago once again, "you were being this way the last time you silly dotard, and you're really starting to make me angry and wary of your true intentions!"
Chaghatai Khan's perspective on Alfa Yurlin was shared secretly by some prominent Warlord vikings. The truth was, Yurlin's whole ideology predicated on war with the Warlords and he despised Drago's guts. Many of them were alarmed at the pace at which he'd ruthlessly annexed Northern Market islands, but also his tribe was extremely militaristic, possibly more so than their own.
They were genuinely surprised at the Ancients having as much success as they were in getting away with territorial aggression, but also they were alarmed at the show of strength they were putting on at the same time. Never before had a tribe in the history of the archipelago achieved so much territorial gains, not only without any crossbow arrows being fired, but also with so much speed and ruthlessness.
The problem was, anybody who dared speak out about that to Drago himself would face severe punishment. They had to keep their thoughts a secret to keep their lives safe. Drago meanwhile was continuing to refuse to believe any such claims. He saw himself as THE one who came close to world domination with his dragon army. Nobody in his eyes could fight against him with any chance.
"Alfa...Yurlin?" said Drago, "you're Alfa Yurlin!"
Chaghatai Khan was flustered with a steaming hot sensation on his face. He was panicking at Drago's reaction towards him.
"W-what?"
"ARE YOU SOME SORT OF UNDERCOVER VIKING FOR ALFA YURLIN?!"
"No sir, I'm not!"
"Then do yourself a favour and SHUT...UP!" yelled Drago, his voice roaring as loudly as a bear roar.
Chaghatai Khan took a few steps back. He knew Drago could order his life to be ended via execution if he continued pushing his luck, so at this point, being all flustered and all with his dry mouth and steaming hot forehead, Chaghatai backed down and simply stopped talking altogether.
"Alfa Yurlin is bluffing. All he's doing is creating the very instability our men will need if we are to take revenge against Hiccup...HADDOCK!"
Griselda and Ragnar nodded along with Drago, not speaking themselves for obvious reasons. They too had hidden worries about Yurlin and the Ancients. They were draconian, militaristic, and completely driven with an ideology that'd only end in the demise of their vikings if they didn't convince Drago in time to take them seriously. They knew war was inevitable between themselves and the Ancients.
But Drago simply wasn't having it. He was surprised somewhat by Yurlin being able to annex an island so ruthlessly and speedily like that, but he still considered him water off a duck's back. A more extremist version of Hiccup - in many ways, Hiccup could've very easily ended up being like Alfa Yurlin in terms of political alignment, values and leadership and ideology. After all, the two of them hated Drago. However united they were in their hatred of Drago though, they were two completely different vikings. But had Hiccup gone down a dark route he could've easily ended up being what Yurlin was today.
"The one thing I further begrudge Hiccup Haddock for is sending away those dragons. My alpha needs to COME BACK and we will finish what we STARTED!" declared Drago.
Everyone in the Warlords knew the dragons weren't coming back - at this point, they'd been gone in the Hidden World for ten years, there wasn't a chance that was going to change.
The winds of the cold beach blew across the faces of the four prominent Warlords. Drago adjusted his fake arm attachment and he continued watching the endless void of ocean skies ahead from the sand. He was thinking about a lot of things. Thinking about somehow getting the dragons to return from The Hidden World reminded him of that dragon that had actually ended up caring for him, providing him with food and company, on that stranded island he landed on following his Bewilderbeast's rapid swim across the ocean following its defeat at the hand of Hiccup.
Drago's eyes looked like they were being hypnotized as he looked at the ocean and thought about that dragon. He didn't feel changed morally by that happening to him or anything, but he couldn't help but think about it. It was so odd and unusual to have been treated that way from a dragon, the things he was going to use the conquer the world.
Suddenly, Drago snapped out of it and returned to his normal self. He looked at the other three Warlords with him.
"As I say, Alfa Yurlin is a boy who bluffs with no action. He will fail and he will create the much needed instability on this archipelago for us to make the striking hit!"
With that, Drago gestured for the three Warlords to follow him back to the central formerly dragon cage of the island. He wanted to map out a few more things in regards to potential directions to sail to launch a revenge attack on Hiccup.
"We shall use him to create instability and conflict, and then that instability will open up the doors for us! he is so stupid and naive, easily fooled!" Drago further added, to once again no response.
Yurlin was anything but naive or easily fooled. He'd already bullied two Chieftans of the Northern Market islands, the former of which ended up being assassinated precisely by Yurlin's tribe, and he'd caused Kurt the Kourageous to step down and make the call for his tribe to not resist the Ancients upon their arrival.
But once again, Drago was too egotistical and stuck in the past to see the threat coming his way. He continued leading his Warlords back to the middle of the island to conclude the rearming plan of his people.