Hiccup leaned against the side of the ship, watching the horizon. Something was off. The boat was going in the wrong direction. Every time he tried to bring it up to Dagur, the older chief would tell him not to worry and that they were taking a safer route around the Hunters.

The Berkian was inclined to believe him, but something told him Dagur was hiding something. He didn't push too much though, because he didn't want to come off as paranoid. It was bad enough he'd woken up the entire ship the night before with his screams. Jorn had to give him something so that he'd sleep easier.

He still didn't like not knowing where he was. It made him feel uneasy and trapped all over again. He wanted off the ship, but he was in no condition to attempt an escape if need be.

Hiccup shook his head. No, these were his friends. They were helping him and Astrid get home. They were taking precautions to stay out of the Hunters' line of sight. What he was feeling was just an after-effect of being on Skade's ship. He's safe here. No harm will come to him.

The young chief didn't realize it, but Astrid had come to stand next to him. She made no sound or sudden movements. She didn't dare try touching him. All out of fear for how he might react. Ever since he got on to the boat, he seemed agitated and wary of those around him. He refused to go below deck, insisting that he was fine staying above.

Astrid couldn't relate to what her husband was going through, but she understood. He spent a month trapped in a dark, dank cell and was denied basic necessities to live. He was treated worse than how the Hunters treated dragons in some ways. Then when he wasn't in a cell he was bound to a chair and tortured for hours if not days at a time.

According to Jorn, Hiccup had tried to keep track of the days, but the Hunters put a stop to it as soon as they found out. They did everything possible to keep him disoriented. Even for Vikings what they did to him was beyond cruel.

There was an unspoken code of the Archipelago, even among enemies, that no prisoner was to be treated like they were less than human. Food and other basic necessities were to be provided. It didn't have to be lavish, just enough so they didn't die from the elements. Vikings and other types of warriors had the right to go out bravely fighting, not huddled in a corner from the cold and starvation.

From what Astrid could figure out, Hiccup got really lucky that he lasted as long as he did on that ship. If Toothless hadn't rescued him when he did, Hiccup might not have lived for much longer. He would have died in the middle of the ocean. His soul would have never gone to Valhalla and he'd be stuck wandering those waters for the rest of eternity, wondering what he could have done differently.

Astrid shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Hiccup was alive and well. They weren't going to let the Hunters get him again. The dragons were safe in the Hidden World. Everything was going to be alright from now on.

"Where are we going?" Hiccup asked, acknowledging that she had been standing next to him for quite some time.

"We're heading home," Astrid answered. "To New Berk."

"No, we're not," Hiccup corrected, his tone made it clear he didn't want to be lied to. He pointed to a cluster of seastacks in the distance. "Those seastacks mark the outskirts of old Berk's back borders. Toothless and I flew over them hundreds of times whenever we went exploring. Often stopping to rest or just to get away. So I'll ask again. Where are we going?"

Astrid hesitated for a second, finding her words. "Somewhere safe. We're helping you finish your journey."

Hiccup turned to give her a look of confusion as realization struck. "No, I have to do it on my own. You can't be there."

"I think your ancestors will make an exception, just this once," Astrid reasoned. "We won't step foot on the island with you, or follow you to the sacred site."

Hiccup seemed to accept this answer for now, but he was still upset. "Why did you hide this from me?"

"It was Dagur's idea," Astrid admitted. "He wanted to surprise you. Jorn and I went along with it, thinking if we got you there, it might help you."

"Help me how?" Hiccup asked, his tone nearing the edges of anger.

The blonde chieftess gulped. "Help you make peace with what happened. We don't expect you to forget and act like it never happened, but we also don't want you to suffer more than you already have. Maybe talking to your ancestors will help. Going to Saman gives you a way to talk about, without having to tell us."

Hiccup's hardened look of anger softened to a mix of appreciation and worry. "I-I want to tell you guys. I know you deserve to know what happened, but I'm not ready. I don't know if I ever will be. Ho-How am I supposed to talk to my ancestors about it, if I can't even tell you."

Astrid gently placed her hand on her husband's chest. "You'll find a way. And even if you don't, you'll feel better just seeing them and telling them about how you're going to be a father."

The young chief's eyes lit up at the thought of fatherhood and hopefully getting to tell his dad all about it. "I think I can get behind that idea."

After a couple of days of smooth sailing, Saman finally came into view. It wasn't a huge island compared to old Berk or Dragon's Edge. It could never sustain a tribe for more than a generation, maybe two if they could stretch the resources it offered.

Originally it was home to several dragon species until Volund found the island and claimed it for his bloodline. According to the journals Volund and his sons spent over two years going back and forth from Berk, clearing out the dragons while building an altar for future Haddock men to visit. Supposedly after the last dragon was killed, Volund covered the island in traps as a way to deter them from ever coming back.

Hiccup really wished he still had the journals which had a map of the island that marked where the traps were. Unfortunately, Skade had burned them when he set his boat on fire.

Just then Dagur walked up next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Hiccup flinched but didn't pull away.

"Hey, brother. How are you doing?" Dagur asked.

"I'm fine," Hiccup lied.

Dagur knew the younger chief was lying, but didn't push. Instead, he took off his satchel and handed it over to Hiccup. "Here. I have a feeling you'll be needing these if you're to complete your journey."

Hiccup cautiously took the saddle. "What this?"

"A gift of sorts," Dagur replied looking down at his feet, refusing to meet his friend's eyes.

Hiccup opened the satchel and pulled out a leather-bound book roughly the size of a dragon egg. He set the bag down and started to skim through it. It was a journal. Not just any journal but, "My grandfather's journal."

Dagur said nothing as he glanced up to look at Hiccup's expression before looking down again.

"How did you get this?" Hiccup asked. "It went missing when he was still chief. Lost after a dragon set his home on fire."

Dagur rubbed his neck nervously as he forced himself to look up. He let out a wry chuckle. "Yeah, funny story. Not funny haha, but funny my grandfather stole that from your grandfather during a dragon raid. He thought it held Berk's secrets. Like weapons and tactics. We were losing the war and peace talks weren't going well. In the midst of it all the dragons began attacking. So he used the opportunity to steal the book. Just as he was running away, a dragon set your grandfather's house on fire."

Hiccup didn't know what to feel. Anger at Dagur's grandfather for stealing something so precious. Relief that it was returned. Excitement that the journal could probably offer him aid on Saman. Confusion as to why it took so long to be returned.

He decided to settle on confusion. "If you've had it all these years, why wait so long to give it back."

Dagur shrugged. "I didn't know what it was. It was passed down to Dad when he made chief a few months after the whole thing. According to his own journals, he was told to never open the book until the time was right. I found the journal after Mala and I got married. I just assumed it was a dusty old book and stored it away. After the battle against the Hunters, I started going through Dad's journal. In one of them, he described this book perfectly. So I pulled it from storage and opened it. I didn't get very far before I realized who the journal belonged to. "

"Why not return it once you realize?" Hiccup asked, starting to feel anger seep in.

"I didn't know what to do," Dagur answered. "I certainly wouldn't have been able to explain it. I had to go through my family's journals to figure out how we came to possess it. I finally figured it out a couple of days before we set sail. That's when, against my better judgment, I read the journal itself. Not all of it, but just enough to know that this journal will help you."

The brief bout of anger was quickly replaced with a mix of relief and excitement. Hiccup wouldn't have to worry about being lost on Saman. He had his grandfather's words to guide him.

"Thank you, Dagur," Hiccup said. He looked at the horizon where Saman was resting. They had maybe an hour before they reached the sacred island. "I'm going to go study this."

I wrote this story years ago, lost it, rewrote most of it from memory, and posted the rewrite only for it to flop. Earlier today, I found the original while going through an older phone. I managed to recover most of the story. I spent a few hours merging the original into the rewrite since both have elements I like. And now I'm sharing it here, hoping it will do better with the fixes.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'd love to hear what you guys think of it, so please consider dropping a review or just hitting that little follow button.

Until next time.