The Hero's Return

Chapter 19 - The First Step

Hiccup still not believed that he had survived and made a full recovery after digesting Astrid's infamous drink, the yaknog. Not only that, he still could not believe that he was dared to drink that shockingly slimy drink out of love. Even surprising was the fact that he was left standing after chugging a whole mug worth of it.

But all of that, it was not something that Hiccup was focusing on. For him, right now, it was a meeting that both he and Snoutlout were called to. Before them, sat the council of elders. They looked on, seemingly as nervous as the two young vikings. 

"Hiccup, Snoutlout, do you know why I called the two of you here?" Stoick asked, his voice was warm as his gaze landed at the shaking Snoutlout, who had been trying his best to stand firm only to rest on the confident and fearless Hiccup that he and the whole of Berk had gotten used to.

"No, chief."

"I invited the two of you here is to talk about the future of Berk. The two of you may know that Snoutlout had been appointed the next heir. But due to the fact that you had survived and came back to us, my son, the council and I both agreed for you, Hiccup, to reclaim your position and title as heir of Berk."

"You really meant it, chief?" Snoutlout instantly asked, his voice was not filled with anger as Stoick and others had thought, instead, it was filled with relief.

"Yes, Snoutlout."

"I have no problem with the decision that the council had made." Snoutlout answered with so much happiness and euphoric before he looked over at Hiccup, but what met him was a frozen Hiccup who had not uttered a single word.

"So, Hiccup, do you accept the responsibility of being the heir of Berk?"

Hiccup did not answer, nor he looked up, instead, he just stared blankly. His mind was drowning with thoughts and questions that he had not found the answers to. He knew that he wanted to be back with his people and to be close to Astrid, not only that, he could also see that his mother was finally happy, fitting back in with the Berkians and was reunited with the love of her life. Yet, for Hiccup himself, he had not figured out where he fitted in.

"Um... I-I... No!" Hiccup exclaimed in a panic, for the first time in his life, his hands were shaking in anxiety and his mind had nothing, no answer for the situation nor any ideas on how he could answer it. "Not yet."

Hiccup said inaudibly as he burst through the door, in just a matter of seconds, he was on top of Toothless as the two of them disappeared into the morning sky.

"What happened, chief?" Astrid asked.

"Why did Hiccup ran off like that?" Valka stepped toward Stoick, her hands were warm and gentle as she stroked lovingly.

"He rejected the position of the heir... or at least for now." Stoick's voice was broken as his eyes gazed at the fleeting shadow of his son on top of his nightfury.

"You need to give him some time to think about it Stoick. I am sure that Hiccup will come around eventually, it is in him, whether he knows it or not." Valka comforted Stoick the best that she could as she too, did not know if Hiccup could truly understand who he was. 

"I will-"

"I know that you wanted to go after him, Astrid, but I think that it is best if he handles his, himself." Valka said as she and everyone else headed back to their task. Everyone but Astrid, she just stared at the black dot, watching it shrunk and shrunk until there was nothing else but the blue limitless sky.

As for Hiccup, soaring in the air, he felt the questions slowly fade away. Up there, it was only him and Toothless as the two of them soar from one island onto the next, watching the islands changed to the limitless ocean then back to the countless of islands and cluster of massive rocks that the two of them were so used to.