CHAPTER 36: Prelude
There was a giant gathering of vikings on the edge of New Berk, within the forest. Hundreds of Hooligans looked like they were contemplating as their voices uttered across the air. Hiccup was surrounded by his friends and family as he stood near the wooden contraptions on the edge built to transport vikings up and down the island.
The weather was mildly calm, cloudy, but calm. Whilst everyone else around the forest was talking with each other, Hiccup was talking to his family - Valka, Astrid and the two kids. He felt a huge weight on his shoulders - a weight he genuinely didn't want to have to be carrying at this point in his life, but one he sought to resolve precisely for the well being of Zephyr and Nuffink, and to rid them of any apprehension.
Awaiting at the very bottom of the island on the shores was the boat Hiccup was going to board to be taken to Ancient Island for the meeting. Throughout the day Hiccup had been preparing various bits of scruffy yellow paper to take with him, noting down what he intended on saying to Yurlin. The whole day felt like he was preparing for some sort of showdown, and the atmosphere across New Berk was that of a tribe on edge.
"Son, just know that I support you doing this, alright? of course we tried this with Drago back in the day but he couldn't be reasoned with. But this is a whole different situation altogether, you do what your father would've done and you'll have it resolved in no time."
"Thanks, mum."
"Your dad was quite the diplomat, putting Drago aside. You can do this for the vikings, Hiccup. These past years I've only gotten prouder and prouder of you."
Valka raised her hand out to Hiccup's cheek, as a motherly gesture. She knew the gravity of the situation that Hiccup was about to embark upon, and so she felt it important to make it clear to her son that he, no matter what, had her 100% backing.
"I can only try what I feel is the correct move, which is what dad would've wanted too."
"Exactly that, Hiccup. There's a reason why even Grimmel respected him, among all the other Chieftans. You're doing this not just for these vikings, but for your family and for the kids. I'm proud to call you my son."
Hiccup raised his arms out to his mum, embracing her.
"Thanks mum, I'll do my best," he whispered as his face was planted on her shoulder amid the hug.
"I know you will, I've no doubt about that."
After that, Hiccup looked at Zephyr and Nuffink and walked over towards them. They were both hanging out near a tree stump with tons and tons of vikings in the background, just talking in small groups with each other in the open nature of the forest at the very edge of the island.
"Don't you both worry about anything, alright?" Hiccup assured them, putting his hands on their shoulders, "this is just...viking business that tends to spiral out of control every now and then, it's just one big misunderstanding."
"Dad..." Zephyr asked, "do you think...Toothless would know you're doing this?"
That was the sort of question Hiccup hadn't expected to be asked, not least because recalling Toothless in a situation like this would only make him feel emotional.
"Like, given that he was here for our Snoggletog that night, when I met him, and then we rode on him...he clearly must've had a sense that we were putting on a Snoggletog show? if you're sailing to talk to someone who's doing bad things...will Toothless come back again?"
Hiccup gulped and nodded his head.
"Toothless' place is in The Hidden World," he hesitated to say, "he'll always be thinking about us. Put it this way, Toothless would've wanted the best for all of this tribe. I'm sure one day we'll see him again Zeph, don't you worry."
"Yeah Zeph," Astrid said, joining in upon overhearing the conversation, "Toothless was and is our family, think of the dragons like some sort of long distant family. They'd always want what's best for us vikings."
"I know," Zephyr said, "I just feel like I really miss him, you know? and I feel guilty about building a trap on the house when we were in the middle of Snoggletog...I know what you're about to do dad, you're sailing off to an island to talk with a bad person. I just want Toothless here with us whilst you go, to help us."
"I know, Zeph, I really do. When you miss someone you love so much, you'll feel this way. When I get back home when this is all resolved, I'll take you and Nuffink to an open plains on the island and I'll show you what me and Toothless drew when we first bonded, how about that? I'll take you both down a trip to memory lane."
Zephyr nodded, as did Nuffink. The two of them genuinely felt a protective sort of affection towards Toothless, even though they'd met him for one whole day after Snoggletog, and in Zephyr's case, two and a half days. They thought it'd have been really cozy and comforting to have a dragon like Toothless warmly guard and look after them, because the truth was, after hearing so many rumours across New Berk, they were both fearful of the future.
They were fearful about some sort of conflict brewing up. The dragons being back here was something the two of them genuinely wanted as a result. But Hiccup was even more determined to solve this issue knowing that was how his two kids felt at the moment. He missed Toothless as much as they did and he still had nights, ever since the rise of Yurlin, where he couldn't sleep, just crying tears as he missed Toothless and the dragons.
But as a dad, he wanted to curb their feelings of apprehension and that was precisely what he was going to sail off to do imminently.
"Your grandma and Gobber are going to look after you both, okay?" Hiccup told Zephyr and Nuffink, as hundreds of viking voices echoed throughout the large gathering.
Zephyr and Nuffink nodded.
"I'll only be gone for a day, maybe less than that. Alright? I love you both, I'll do anything to protect you, and speaking of Toothless, he'd have done anything to protect you, just like he did with me."
Hiccup brought Zephyr and Nuffink in for a big hug. He squeezed the two of them with pure love as he hugged them. After about ten or so seconds, the two of them stepped backwards and Hiccup gestured for them to go over to Valka.
"I'll catch you two in a minute shortly before I sail off, alright? you go with your grandma for now, me and your mum just need to finalize a few more things."
Hiccup stood back up from the knelt down position, before turning to Astrid.
"Do whatever you have to do, Hiccup."
Hiccup appreciated Astrid's words of support.
"I can't lie Astrid, I do feel slightly out of my depth here. That talk about Toothless just now is just bringing back everything...sort of emotionally, you know?"
"Hey, we had a good run with the dragons, that's all that matters. They're in the Hidden World, and I'm pretty sure it ain't gonna be the last time we've seen them. It's like you said just now to the kids, Toothless would want you to do this if it meant our safety and wellbeing."
"I know. I know. I just need to push through and achieve what I'm looking to achieve."
"Is Atali coming with you, by the way? I haven't seen her anywhere?" Astrid asked.
"She decided to stay behind here rather than coming. It's completely her call. I don't want her to feel like I'm pulling the rug from underneath her boots though. I had a meeting with Alvin, Dagur, Heather and Atali earlier on in the day, and that's when she said she wanted to stay put."
"Maybe it'll work out even better with her not coming? a kind of less is more situation?" Astrid suggested.
"Maybe so. We'll have to wait and see."
Before Hiccup was set to be transported down the island to the seas below on the rocky shores, he wanted to have a brief chat with his friends. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff & Tuffnut, all of those. It dawned on him that throughout this process he hadn't really spoken to them that much.
He walked up to them, with them all looking straight. The usual mischievous mannerisms of Snotlout and the twins were gone, in their place seriousness and solemn facial expressions.
"Well guys," Hiccup awkwardly said, standing in front of them all, with a brief silence after talking.
"Do I look like a guy to you?!" Ruffnut questioned.
It only took a split second for the mischievous personality of Ruffnut to come back. Hiccup chuckled briefly at her comment.
"Listen guys," he smiled, "I know I haven't really spoken to you all that much given what's going on, but don't think I've forgotten any of you. We've been through a lot together over the years, especially as teenagers. And I'm doing what I'm doing today precisely because I want us all to live together for many more years to come. We're like one big family really, aren't we?"
"Does that mean I get to be the grandpa and Valka's the grandma?" Snotlout asked.
"Are you still in that mindset, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, not taking it seriously.
"Evidently, Hiccup Haddock, I didn't have a shot with her. In all seriousness, you smash it, you do yourself, the 'Hiccup' way, and we'll all be on standby for you."
"Yeah, aha," Fishlegs said, "I wanted to say what...he said just now."
"I have a name, you know?" Snotlout said, looking at Fishlegs.
"I know you do, I know. I just wanted to say more or less the same thing as you to Hiccup. Without Hiccup here, where would we be? without you, I wouldn't have had a Meatlug all that time ago."
It felt so strange for every single one of them to be talking in such a serious manner considering their reputation as incompetents and jokers. But they truly understood the situation at hand. They knew Hiccup had to do this - for so long now they've been hearing the words 'Alfa Yurlin' and 'aggression' and so they knew this was a big situation, just as, if not, bigger than the emergence of Drago prior to him killing Stoick the Vast all those years ago.
Hiccup proceeded to hug every single one of them, shortly before he set sail. And before he was to be transported down the wooden contraption, he was going to give a final speech to the vikings around the forest at this part of New Berk, to let them know where he was going, what he intended on achieving, and all of that.
The wooden contraptions consisted of a giant overhanging collection of wood with thick layers of rope that had a big wooden platform attached. On that same overhanging collection of wood was a wooden handle on a roll where the rope was rolled. Rotating the handle would either decrease or pull the wooden platform up, taking any viking up and down the island.
It served as a fantastic method of getting up and down New Berk's monstrous heights.
As Hiccup prepared to head towards the wooden contraption with his family and friends watching, and all the hundreds of Berkians taking notice of his position now, acknowledging that their Chieftan was about to leave for Ancient Island, Eret was watching on, and he was the only viking out of the close group that Hiccup hadn't spoken to prior to leaving.
Eret deliberately hid himself, as he wanted to uphold his genuine promise to Hiccup that he would never intervene on this matter ever again. But amid the crowd, he whispered a few words to himself as he watched Hiccup make his declaration:
"Good luck fella, you're gonna need it."