Chapter 9: Clashing
Eira gaped at the woman. "You're Hiccup's mother?" she said.
The woman nodded. "I am Valka. This is Cloudjumper." She nodded at the Stormcutter by her side. "Now, come." Before Eira or Hiccup could respond, Valka and Cloudjumper ran through a tunnel.
"Hold on!" Hiccup called as he, Eira, Toothless, and Swiftwings raced to keep up. "Wait just a minute!"
"This way."
"Come back here!"
Valka led them through a maze of caves filled with rocks jutting out everywhere, only pausing when she realized they were far behind. "Come." Then she was off again. The young Vikings had to scramble over the rocks and found it difficult to keep up with the older woman.
"You can't just say something like that and run off! You're my MOTHER?! I mean, what the -- do you grasp how INSANE it sounds?!"
"Come. Quickly!" They could no longer see her, but they followed the sound of her voice.
"I have questions! Where have you been all this time? What've you been doing?! They said you were dead! Everyone thinks you were eaten by-"
Hiccup and Eira finally reached an opening and were nearly blinded by the light. Eira looked around in awe as hordes of various dragon species flew around peacefully in a lush environment that seemed made for them. "Wow," she said.
Hiccup looked up at Valka and Cloudjumper, who hung on the cave roof. "This is where you've been for twenty years?" Valka nodded. "You've been rescuing them." Valka nodded again, this time, smiling. "Unbelievable."
"You're not upset?" Valka said. She appeared as if she were afraid Hiccup might start yelling at her.
Hiccup blinked. "What? No. I don't know. It's a bit much to get my head around, to be frank. It's not every day you find out your mother is some kind of crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady."
"At least I'm not boring... right?" Cloudjumper helped her climb to the ground, where she gave Hiccup a hopeful look.
Hiccup frowned. "I suppose there is that... one... specific... thing..."
"Do you like it?"
"I don't have the words." Hiccup glanced at Eira. "Uh, this is my friend, Eira. And this is Swiftwings and Toothless."
Valka curiously approached Toothless, stopping when he looked at her. She glanced back at Hiccup. "Can I...?" Hiccup nodded. Valka reached out and stroked the Night Fury's head. Then she examined every part of him. "He's beautiful! Incredible! And he might very well be the last of his kind. And look, he's your age! No wonder you get along so well. And retractable teeth! Ah! How did you manage to--"
"I found him in the woods," Hiccup explained. "He was shot down and wounded."
Valka's expression darkened. She approached a Snafflefang and stroked down his back. "This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps." She turned to a Raincutter and offered her the same treatment. "This Raincutter had her wing sliced by razor netting. And this poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare... then left to die alone and scared." She hugged the Hobblegrunt, causing him to turn yellow to signify happiness, before returning to examine Toothless' tail. "And what of this? Did Drago or his trappers do this, too?" She motioned to the artificial tailfin.
Hiccup chuckled awkwardly. "Heh. Well, crazy thing is... I'm actually the one who shot him down." Valka looked at him in shock. "It's okay though, he got me back. Right, bud? You couldn't save all of me, could you?" He playfully rubbed Toothless' head. "You just had to make it even. So... peg leg!" He held up his prosthetic leg for his mother to see. He and Toothless laughed, but the woman did not join in. Eira bit her lip and looked between them nervously.
"My own son," Valka muttered, face contorted in anger, "injured a dragon?!"
While Hiccup stared at her dumbly, Eira quickly intervened: "Yes, but he didn't know any better! As soon as he realized the truth, he changed course. Just look at them now!"
Valka examined Hiccup and Toothless, who smiled at her weakly. Then she nodded once. "What did your father think of your Night Fury friend?"
Eira let out a breath of relief. That could have gone very badly. She was glad Valka was at least somewhat reasonable. Still, the atmosphere had changed, and everyone felt it.
"He didn't take it all that well," Hiccup said carefully. "But then... he changed. They all did. Pretty soon everyone back home had dragons of their own."
Valka shook her head. "If only it were possible."
"No, really, I--"
"Believe me, I tried, as well. But people are not capable of change, Hiccup. Some of us... were just born different." Valka's expression saddened as if she were replaying the memories in her mind. "Berk was a land of kill or be killed, but I believed peace was possible. It was a very unpopular opinion. One night, a dragon broke into our house, finding you in the cradle. I rushed to protect you, but what I saw... was proof of everything I believed. This wasn't a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own. You and your father nearly died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon."
Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, it runs in the family."
"It broke my heart to stay away, but I believed you'd be safer if I did."
As Eira watched the mother and son, she could tell Hiccup was on the verge of forgiving Valka. She was all for forgiveness, but the issues had to be worked out first. If Hiccup was not going to bring them up, then the job fell to Eira. "You don't still honestly believe that, do you?" The others looked to her in surprise. "No one is better off without their parents. That's the sort of thing that can really mess someone up." She paused. "Hiccup turned out fine, but others aren't so lucky."
Valka looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear. Did you lose one of your parents?"
"Oh, no. I wasn't talking about myself."
"Eira is very empathetic towards others," Hiccup explained. "And I'm fine, really. The past is in the past."
"But wrongs should still be recognized," Eira said.
"I suppose they should," said Valka. "In time." She glanced at Swiftwings. "How did you meet this Windwalker?"
"We've been friends since we were young. I'm from Torvald, you see. There we love dragons, and everyone has the opportunity to befriend one."
Valka gasped. "Torvald? I thought that place was a myth!"
Eira smiled slightly. "No, it's real. We broke away from Berk when everyone refused to accept dragons. Now that Hiccup has changed things, we've restored relations."
"It is an honor to have you here. I am sure we have much to share with each other."
"Right." Eira pushed back a wave of uneasiness. She had to take things one step at a time, and everything would be fine.
"So, a dragon took you away," Hiccup said. "How did you survive?"
"Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm me," Valka said, smiling at the Stormcutter. "He must've thought I belonged here... In the home of the great Bewilderbeast!" She led the way to the center of the nest. "The Alpha species. One of very few that still exist. Every nest has its queen, but this is the king of all dragons." An immense, white dragon slept in a pool of water. Smaller dragons flew by and respectfully bow before him.
"Hold on," said Eira, "this is the King of Dragons? This is what Krogan and Johann were after." She approached the dragon and stared at him in awe.
"You've heard of this dragon?"
"We've met one," said Hiccup. "Well, I have. Sort of."
"You must tell me everything!"
"Yeah, sure." Hiccup joined Eira in examining the giant alpha.
"With his icy breath, this graceful giant built our nest. A safe haven for dragons everywhere." Valka smiled proudly.
Hiccup looked back at her in alarm. "Wait, that's the ice-spitter? He's responsible for all that destruction?"
"He protects us. We all live under his care. And his command. All but the babies, of course... who listen to no one!" The baby dragons pestered Toothless before Cloudjumper scared them off. They landed on the Bewilderbeast, who woke up, gently blowing them off and then turning to face Valka the Vikings.
"We were blames for the destruction of the dragon trappers' camp," Eira said, "but it was really you. I understand freeing dragons, but that kind of damage-"
"It is either us or them," Valka said. "Never forget that."
Eira looked at her with a frown, the uneasiness returning. "And you count yourself with the dragons."
"I've lived among them for over twenty years learning their ways, discovering their secrets..." The Bewilderbeast moved his head closer to the trio, and Valka curtsied while Toothless and Swiftwings lowered their heads. Then he blew a puff of snow gently onto Hiccup's hair. Valka chuckled. "He likes you."
"Wow," said Hiccup.
Valka smiled. "You two must be hungry."
"Uh, yeah. I could eat."
"Me too," said Eira.
Valka nodded. "Good. It's feeding time."
***
"Well, Stoick is satisfied for now," Astrid reported to Ingrid, who stood outside her house with Shadowwhisper and Krogan. "But Hiccup and Eira better get back soon."
"They'll be fine," Ingrid said a littler too tersely. "Just trust them."
Astrid frowned. "I do trust them, but I'm still worried, aren't you?"
"Nope!"
Astrid gave her an odd look. "Okay, see you later then."
Ingrid was glad to see her go. She noticed Krogan staring at her questioningly. "What? It's her fault we're in this mess. She's the one who set the dragon trappers against us." Krogan did not respond, as usual. The only person he seemed willing to talk to was Eira. Ingrid wondered what her sister had done to accomplish that.
Next, Snotlout started towards her. Upon seeing her hard expression, however, he frowned and backtracked. Krogan stared at her again. "It's his fault too!" Ingrid insisted. "He should have told me Astrid planned to follow us when we talked to Eret."
"You know," said Krogan, surprising Ingrid, "for someone with so much compassion for the enemy, you don't have a lot left for your friends."
This time, Ingrid stared at Krogan. She hated that he was right. When did he become so observant? Perhaps she should talk to Snotlout at least... The next day. First, she waited for Eira and Hiccup.
***
It turned out the Bewilderbeast was in charge of feeding the flock of dragons. Everyone flew out of the nest to the water. The alpha jumped out the water and caught the fish in his mouth, spitting them into the air for the dragons to eat. Eira had to admit it was efficient.
After the meal, Hiccup and Valka spent time flying together and exchanging stories. Eira followed at a safe distance, allowing them their space. She was sure they had a lot to talk about. Later on, she watched from a sea stack as Hiccup showed off his flight suit. Swiftwings nudged her arm and made a dissatisfied noise.
"I know, something feels off to me too," the girl said. "But maybe we're overreacting. Valka has spent years living without humans. She's bound to be a bit awkward, right?" Swiftwings gave her a look. "I'll be careful." Speaking of careful... Hiccup failed his landing once again and crashed into a mountain with Toothless catching him at the last second. "Let's make sure she's okay." She hopped on the Windwalker and took off for her friend. When she got close, she called out: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," said Hiccup. He got to his feet and shook off the snow. Swiftwings and Cloudjumper landed near him. Toothless sneezed, glared at Hiccup, then knocked his feet out from under him with a swipe of his tail.
"Incredible," Valka said, examining Hiccup's flight suit.
"Well, not bad yourself," said Hiccup.
"He's quite the inventor," Eira said with a smile.
Valka placed a hand on Hiccup's face and gazed at him fondly. "All this time, you took after me. And where was I?" Her expression saddened and her hand drifted to his shoulder. "Your friend is right. It was wrong for me to leave, and I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Can we start over? Will you give me another chance? I can teach you all that I've learned, these past twenty years. Like..." She massaged Toothless, which caused him to reveal hidden splitting fins. Valka smiled. "Now you can make those tight turns."
Hiccup looked at Toothless. "Did YOU know about this?" Toothless seemed to shrug.
"Every dragon has its secrets. And I'll show them all to you. We'll unlock every mystery, find every last species, together, as mother and son." Valka turned to Eira. "And your friend here, of course."
Toothless, apparently excited by the discovery, jumped around and then burrowed through the snow before popping out next to Cloudjumper and putting snow on his head. Cloudjumper dumped the snow right back onto Toothless. The Night Fury off the snow and showed off his tail fins to Cloudjumper, who was unimpressed.
Valka placed her hands on Hiccup's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "This gift we share, Hiccup... it bonds us. This is who you are, son. Who we are. We will change the world for all dragons! We will make it a better, safer place!"
"Yeah!" Hiccup said with a grin. "I mean...that...sounds... amazing!" Valka smiled and hugged him.
"Hiccup..." Eira warned as her uneasiness grew.
Hiccup either did not hear her or ignored her. "This is so great! Now you, Eira, and I can go talk to Drago - together."
Valka's smile fell. "What? There's no talking to Drago."
Hiccup looked at her quizzically. "But we have to-"
Valka gave him a hard look. "No. We must protect our own."
"I knew it," Eira said sadly, shaking her head.
Hiccup frowned at her. "Knew what?"
"Your mother is not all that different from your father as far as their beliefs go. They share the same philosophy but are on opposite sides."
"Are you saying Hiccup is not on my side?" Valka said in a warning tone.
"I'm saying he doesn't have a side - like me. We believe peace is possible between dragons and Vikings. It is Hiccup's dream to unite them. He assumed you meant the same when you said you'd change the world, but I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."
Valka's expression saddened. "Yes, I suppose I should clear some things up." She turned to her son with something close to regret in her eyes. "It is very noble of you to want to unite everyone, but it's time for you to grow up and leave childish ideal behind. I've seen the real world, and it's not pretty. We can't change people, Hiccup. All we can do is keep our beloved dragons safe by bringing them to the sanctuary."
Hiccup shook his head. "No, I don't believe that. Eira is right; you do sound like Dad. I don't want to grow up if it means giving up everything I believe. I don't want to be chief if war is inevitable. I don't want to go around saving dragons if that means people are sacrificed. I have seen a lot of the world too, and there were times I almost wanted to give up." He paused. "But then I saw something beyond the violence and destruction. I saw Vikings who had been our fiercest enemies come over to our side and learn to respect dragons.
"That's why I can't label Drago as a hopeless cause before even meeting him. Some of our greatest allies I once thought were hopeless causes. Everyone deserves a chance... sometimes more than one. I know it won't be easy, but..." He turned to his friend. "Eira understands people. She knows how to reach them. If she works with us, I know we can change people's minds." He looked at his mother earnestly. "Please, work with us. Let us show you what we can do... together."
"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Valka said quietly, "but I cannot put dragons at such a risk. It just won't work."
Hiccup lowered his head sadly. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I won't push you."
"Maybe we should just go," Eira suggested softly.
"Go?" Valka's face hardened, and Eira felt uneasy again.
"Yeah, it's time for us to leave."
"Oh, no. You can't leave. You can't ever leave."
Eira and Hiccup exchanged stunned looks.
***
A/N: Well, I hope you like my version of Valka! She is more like she was originally intended to be. I like the idea of her being the mirror image of Stoick. It gives Hiccup (and Eira) more of a challenge to overcome.