Chapter 25: Conversations
After the long, tiring day, Hiccup entered his house to find his mother cooking dinner. Toothless immediately perked up and bounded to her side to investigate. Hiccup, however, did not feel hungry and told her as much when she asked.
"You should try to eat something," Valka advised. "You need to keep up your strength."
Hiccup hesitated. She did have a point. "Maybe I'll have a bite, but what I really need is some rest."
Valka held a plate of fish above Toothless' head and handed it to Hiccup. "And you deserve it. You did have a tough day."
"It was exhausting. I was so busy trying to keep everyone from running off in a panic that I hardly had time to get anything done. I don't know how Dad did it all those years."
"It's something that comes with experience." Valka tossed Toothless a fish before grabbing her own plate and joining her son at the table. "But you do need to make sure you're not overextending yourself. You can only do so much, and you need to focus on what's important."
Hiccup poked at his food. "And what's that? Saving dragons? Protecting Berk? I could accomplish both if I could convince the other islands we mean them no harm."
"Not everyone is willing to change. Even if there are good people out there, they will protect themselves from what they perceive to be threats, and you should do the same. A chief-"
"-protects his own, I know." Hiccup frowned. "But if everyone's so busy protecting themselves, nothing will ever change."
"Change will attract more people like Grimmel. You must consider all of the consequences of your actions."
Hiccup closed his eyes while he reflected on the problem. "You're right, I have neglected to think about the bigger impact. But that is going to change." When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with determination. "I will figure out how to deal with Grimmel and others like him without sacrificing my principles. I'll prove that he's wrong. Building a better world may require more sacrifices than I thought, but it will all be worth it in the end."
Valka nodded. "You are the chief. You must do what you think it best. I will support you, whatever that is."
Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, Mom." Feeling slightly better, he took a bite of fish. It was not bad!
***
Eira slept unpleasantly that night. She was in an unfamiliar environment, and her younger brother snored. She tried to put all of that behind her as she started her day the following morning. She talked briefly with her friends about their goal for the day, and then they headed outside, where they were greeted by Chief Reidun and several guards. Eira asked the chief to speak privately with her for a minute, to which she agreed.
"Did you rest well?" Reidun said while they walked along the edge of the village near the trees.
"I managed," Eira replied. "Thank you for your hospitality. I know this is an unusual situation. Are you sure your, er, allies are okay with all this?"
Reidun gave her a calculated look. "They would not approve if they knew, and they have no reason to find out. Do not think we are beholden to them. We are using them as much as they are using us. I am doing what is best for the village."
Eira dipped her head. "Of course."
"With that in mind, I am willing to work with you and your friends if it will benefit us. First, I need to know who I am dealing with. You said the men who are with you used to be your enemies. Can you explain?" Reidun stopped walking and turned to face the younger girl, looking at her expectantly.
Eira chewed her bottom lip, wondering if it was prudent of her to indulge the information. "Well..."
"Do not worry; I will not use the information against them. I will judge them based on how they act in my presence. I simply believe it might prevent problems down the road if everything is out in the open."
Eira thought that made sense, so she proceeded. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but I'm originally from the island of Torvald. We're coming back from a visit now. When I first moved to Berk, the dragon riders were at war with Dagur and Berserker Island. Dagur originally feared we would use our dragons against him, but then he became obsessed with fighting us until he learned to love dragons himself. Then we had to deal with Viggo Grimborn, who was the leader of the dragon hunters."
Reidun nodded. "That sounds familiar. We had some dealings with them."
"We ended up winning the war and destroying his business. It took some time, but he eventually joined us as well. And Krogan..." Eira hesitated, for this was the part that was most relevant to the current situation. "You know about Drago Bludvist, right?"
Reidun's expression darkened. "Yes, I am all too familiar with that name."
"Well, Krogan worked with him for a long time. Drago gave him an important mission, and Krogan tried to fulfill it but forming an army that used Singetails to attack us."
"A Singetail is what he had with him yesterday, correct?"
Eira sensed something disconcerting from the chief but could not place it. "...yes. Did the dragon flyers ever bother you?"
"More or less, but as I said, it is in the past. Why is Krogan with you now?"
Eira stared at her for a moment before responding, trying to figure her out. "We saved him from Drago's wrath for failing him. Then he helped us defeat Drago. Please be gentle with him. He is a lot more sensitive than he seems, and it took a lot for me to get him to trust me."
The look in Reidun's eyes eased. "I do not with to harm any of your friends. Thank you for the information. Now, you wished to talk to me about something?"
"Oh, yes. We were wondering if we could help out with your rebuilding. If you don't want us involved with the construction itself, I'm sure there's something we could do to help. We don't want to just sit around." Eira gave her a small smile to reassure her.
Reidun appeared thoughtful. "I think I can find some use for you."
***
"If you wish to help out around the village, I will not stop you," Reidun said to the small group upon her and Eira's return. "Feel free to mingle as you please. My men will alert you if you've stepped too far."
"Excellent!" Dagur said. He grinned at Eira. "This will be fun."
"I would like to speak to all of you eventually. For now, will you come with me, Dagur?"
When Dagur glanced at Eira, she smiled and said, "Go ahead. She doesn't bite. We can get started without you."
"I'll be right back!" Dagur said. He followed Reidun into the heart of the village, taking in everything. "This is a nice place you've got here."
"Thank you," said, Reidun, "though we've had better times. I apologize for keeping you from your island. This must be highly inconvenient."
"Yeah, but I understand. We're enemies and all. I've been there."
"So Eira told me." Reidun paused. "I am curious, Dagur. Why did you give up the fight against Berk and join them instead? Weren't you trying to protect your island from their dragons?"
"Sure I was... at first." Dagur allowed his mind to wander back to those days. He did not often think about the past, but he supposed there was some value in it. "I was trying to be a good chief, but I went overboard and ended up hurting my island instead. It was Eira who reminded me what was important. She never hated me, even when I was her enemy. She helped me sort everything out, and now I've never been happier."
"I see. And how was your island affected?"
"We're doing much better now. Maybe we have attracted more enemies because of our alliance with Berk and dragons, but everyone is happy to be fighting for something worthwhile. And, really, is life worth living if there's not something you're fighting for?"
Reidun eyed him curiously. "Interesting question. Thank you for your insightful analysis."
Dagur grinned. "Anytime!"
***
Reidun's guards gave the dragon riders (minus Dagur) a tour of the village, explaining the damage done by the dragon and where they could help. They ended in the center square, where the men left the visitors to decide their next course of action. "I think we should-" Viggo started.
"No," Krogan said suddenly. He took a step back, jaw clenched and eyes darting around wildly.
Eira had noticed growing agitation from him during the tour, and now she looked at him in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I can't do this." Krogan turned and fled.
The guards reached for their weapons, so Eira quickly said, "He doesn't mean any harm. Please let me handle this." The men still followed her as she pursued Krogan, but they thankfully kept their distance. Krogan stopped near the trees just inside the village but away from all the people. He turned away from her when she approached. "Krogan? What's wrong?"
"This village," he said without looking at her. "All the damage... It reminds me of..."
"Your village?"
"Yes, but also... all the villages I helped destroy."
Eira instantly understood. Images of his past still haunted him, and this village made the memories sharper. She moved around so that he faced her. "But you didn't harm this village." She brought her hands to his lower arms, and he looked up at her with pain-filled eyes. "Remember what I said before? You need to replace your bad memories with good ones. This is your chance to help instead of harm. I believe you will feel better if you focus on doing good for this people."
Krogan sighed. "I don't know if I can. I'm not built for it. I-"
"No. Don't believe Drago's lies. Of course you can do it. You have a natural instinct to protect people, after all. You're just out of practice." She smiled, dropping her hands. "I can help you."
Krogan glanced past her at the village. "But what if someone here recognizes me? What if there is someone I have hurt?"
"Chief Reidun already knows, and she doesn't care." His fearful expression told her he did not quite believe here. "These people will judge you based on what you do for them, not something they may have hard from your past. And if anyone does give you any trouble, they'll have to deal with me. Now, will you trust me and come back with me?"
Krogan took a deep breath, and upon letting it out, his expression softened. "Alright. I do trust you, Eira. Just... stay with me?"
Eira smiled at him. "Of course." She looped her arm through his, and together, they returned to Viggo and Oliver to resume discussion of their plans.
***
"And that is the current situation," Hiccup concluded. Vikings were once again gathered in the Great Hall, this time including members from Berserker Island, Defenders of the Wing Island, and Wingmaiden Island. They all knew about the other villages turning against them but were surprised at the news of Grimmel. "Now we need to figure out how to respond."
"I am concerned about this Grimmel striking out at us," Mala said. "We need to find out more about him and his means of battle."
"Yes, we will certainly send out scouts. Right now, we need to take his threat to starve us out seriously."
"I don't mean to be insensitive," said Atali, "but the Wingmaidens have never needed outsiders. We have always survived on our own. In fact, it is only our association with Berk that has made us targets."
"The same could be said for us," said Mala.
"And probably the same for Berserker Island," said Heather. "Does it matter? They're our allies, and we have to help them!"
"I am not suggesting otherwise," said Atali. "But if we can be self-sufficient, so can Berk. There is no reason we can't survive amongst ourselves."
"If we try to wait him out, Grimmel will eventually attack," Astrid warned.
"Then we must be ready for him," Mala said. She looked at Hiccup. "And in the meantime, it may be best for you to suspend your raiding activities. We do not need to give the other islands an incentive to attack us directly."
"But that's-" Hiccup said.
"-wise," Gobber said. "Very wise. We will take that under consideration."
Hiccup decided to let it go for now. "Does anyone else have something they would like to add?" He swept his gaze across the room, but no one moved. "Then we're finished for today. Let's meet again when we have news to share. Thank you for coming."
Even after everyone had dispersed, Hiccup remained at the table, going over his notes. Toothless and Astrid observed him nearby. "I'd say they took that well," Astrid noted.
"They're standing with us," said Hiccup. "That's all we can ask for. I just wish I didn't have to bring them into this."
"You didn't bring them into this. That was Grimmel and the Northern Alliance. None of this is your fault, Hiccup."
"But what if it is?" The chief looked at her with a pained expression. "You heard what Atali and Mala said. They were able to live peacefully with dragons for years without anyone bothering them because they kept to themselves. "
Astrid raised her eyebrows. "You think we should give up rescuing dragons?"
"Well, no, but we have to think about the effects it's having. If no one trusts us, we have to change that. My mom thinks I need to focus on protecting the people and dragons on Berk - and my dad thought that too - but that means giving up on trying to change anything." He sighed. "But I suppose that is what a chief would do."
"You're right." Astrid stepped in closer to him. "A normal chief would only think about his own village. Every other chief out there is focused solely on protecting their own island. It's completely rational, but that's not you, Hiccup. You do not have to be your parents to be a good chief. Protecting Berk is important, but it shouldn't be at the cost of losing who we are."
Hiccup smiled slightly, relieved at her words. "So, you think I'm doing a good job?"
"I think you're doing an excellent job considering the circumstances. Focus on what you do best, but don't be afraid to listen to others. I'll let you know if you're taking things too far."
Hiccup nodded. "Thanks, Astrid. I think it's good we're so different. It seemed to work out well for my parents." He frowned. "Until my mom ran off."
Astrid smirked. "Well, I won't run off. You're stuck with me."
Hiccup chuckled lightly. "That's good to know." Fishlegs' advice came to mind, and he wondered if this was a good time to bring it up. "So, uh, Astrid, I've been thinking about something..."
Astrid smiled at him. "Yes?"
Nervousness took over, wiping his mind of rational thought. "Has it been getting colder outside, or is it just me?"
Astrid gave him an odd look. "It is almost winter."
"Oh, I suppose it is."
"Maybe you should get more sleep. It's not good to overwork yourself." She started for the exit.
"Oh, I'll keep that in mind." Once she was gone, Toothless snorted in amusement. Hiccup shot him a look. "You be quiet."