The Runaways of Berk

THE ONE AND ONLY

"Ah, yes, forgive me. You must all be exhausted and in need of rest. Help yourselves to the supplies. My men and I will be on the upper decks if you require anything further," Viggo said before he continued,

"Tomorrow will mark our arrival at the heart of the Empire—the capital. I recommend that each of you take this opportunity to rest and replenish your energy, for you will be meeting our esteemed Emperor. I am confident that he will find great interest in each of you. It has been a pleasure meeting all of you, and with that, I will leave you to get some rest." Viggo stated, before leaving them all with a smirk on his face.

Empire?

Of course... Draconian Empire... it dawned on him that they were going to the heart of the Draconian Empire. The mention of Dragon's Edge being the capital clarified the grandeur of the empire, and Viggo's role as a council member indicated his proximity to the Emperor. That meant Viggo had a very powerful role in this Empire.

Despite the apparent strength and dragon-friendly nature of the Draconians, Stoick couldn't bring himself to trust them entirely. The loss of his son and wife by a dragon, lingered, making him wary of this dragon-friendly tribe.

Yearning for clarity, Stoick sought answers about the Draconian Empire. The burning questions revolved around the identity of the Emperor and the true extent of the empire's reach. The colossal size of the Draconian ships and the formidable presence of soldiers hinted at the empire's substantial scale, requiring vast manpower for such advanced naval constructions.

This also meant that the Emperor, whomever it might be, was a very powerful man. In Stoick's eyes, the Emperor was a figure to be feared and respected as he had been able to keep such a vast empire under his control.

The hushed conversations among the Vikings revealed a spectrum of opinions on the Draconians and their dragons.

One villager expressed deep scepticism, "So, Stoick what do we do now... we can't obviously trust them they have dragons as pets for Odin's sake."

"So what if they have dragons as their pets, they seem nice one of them was playing with me wee child," the Viking stated in his thick accent.

Stoick, amidst the varying perspectives, took a measured stance. Acknowledging the reservations and the potential dangers posed by the dragons, he reminded his people of the current reality.

"Yes, I realize they have dragons, but that doesn't make them our enemies, not yet anyway. They are helping us, even knowing our history with dragons. It makes me think that, for now, they are our friends and we can trust them. Even I have doubts, especially about Viggo Grimborn. However, we need to know exactly who we are dealing with, and that will only happen when we see this Draconian Empire and its Emperor for ourselves."

Stoick urged his people to prioritize rest, replenishing their energy, and attending to the injured. Gobber, his trusted friend and second in command, supported the decision. "Aye, Stoick is right. We can't decide anything now. We need to wait until we have more information to make a plan."

With a collective nod, the Vikings began to accept the wisdom of cautious optimism and the necessity of gathering information before making any irrational decisions in this very unfamiliar territory.

As the Vikings gradually made their way to the barrels for sustenance and furs for the night, others sought herbs to relieve them from the lingering fever acquired during their harrowing ordeal in the frigid ocean. As the camp settled into a quiet slumber, Stoick remained vigilant. His gaze swept across the Hoffersons, peacefully asleep, and a sense of relief washed over him. He had feared they would take their departure from Berk on the day of their daughter's tragic death the hardest.