CHAPTER 44 - ONCE THERE WERE DRAGONS
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Hi everyone!!!
Here we have our epilogue of sorts?
This chapter was planned before HTTYD3 was a thing so don't go at me about copying - BUT I might have borrowed a certain monologue from the movie.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and I will see you all on the other end.
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*10 YEARS LATER*
The sun rose on another day on Berk.
Hiccup woke up to stare at the ceiling above him.
His wife of twelve years, Astrid Hofferson, was asleep next to him and he leaned over, kissing her head as he got up for another day.
He washed up as Astrid awoke too, also washing up and getting ready.
Hiccup caught his appearance in the mirror and sighed.
He had grown a beard but his age of 34 was very clear. He sighed as Astrid came to him. Her blonde hair had grown, and she now wore it in two braids.
Chief and Chieftess of Berk.
"How are you feeling, my Chief?" She asked and Hiccup sighed.
"Ready for another day..." He smiled and turned to kiss her.
A scream came from downstairs and then some arguing as Hiccup and Astrid pulled away. "I think the kids are awake."
Hiccup nodded as Astrid left the bedroom.
Downstairs, twelve-year-old Eira held a wooden stick and was threatening to hit her brothers, eight-year-old Emrys and four-year-old Aaric.
The three Haddock children could one moment be terrors together and the next moment, threatening to murder each other.
Eira's brown hair was reminiscent of her father, held in two braids as she wore clothes, merging her mother's and father's signature looks. Her mother's old kransen adored her forehead as her spunky, no-nonsense attitude was attributed from her mother.
Emrys Stoick was born days after Beltane when the island celebrated the start of summer and named after his ancestors. Eira wasn't too keen on a younger brother but the spare heir secured the Haddock line. A boy would usually demote the elder girl, but Hiccup changed the laws, as soon as Astrid announced her pregnancy. Now, Eira remained the heir and Emrys was the spare. His blonde hair shone in the Northern sun as the brown eyes of his paternal line shone through. He was inventive like his father and a prankster like his mother.
Aaric Eluf was conceived on Vali's Blot – the day of love and romance. Neither Hiccup or Astrid remembered much about that night, having given the children to their paternal grandmother for the evening so they could spend some time together. But drinking too much wine and beer led to things and they awoke, hungover in bed and a Chief meeting in hours. Astrid was surprised to find herself pregnant again, after agreeing with Hiccup that they would have no more children, but little Aaric was a blessing for them, although their friends never let them hear the end of how he came about.
"I'm going to murder both of you!" Eira screamed as Astrid quickly intervened
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She barricaded her daughter away from the boys as Hiccup descended the stairs and helped, keeping the children apart.
"Mom! They put a toad in my soup!" She cried as Astrid looked at the boys.
"It was Aaric!" Emrys cried as Hiccup frowned.
"Aaric is four and can't eat his food on his own..." Hiccup pointed out as Eira grumbled. "Emrys...how many times have we told you not to prank your sister?"
"She started it when she tripped me up last night – on purpose!" Emrys cried as Eira groaned.
"It was an accident!" Eira cried as Astrid looked at her husband. "Why did you even have to them?" Eira asked Astrid who scoffed.
"Because I don't need yours or anyone's permission if I decide to have a baby..."
"Except for mine..." Hiccup said as Astrid glared at him.
"Take them back!" Eira cried as Hiccup shook his head.
"We can't do that."
Aaric raised his hand. "Why? Where did we come from?"
Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other and shook their heads. "No... that is a story for when you are older...in about ten years?"
"Make it twenty..." Astrid winked at Hiccup and he nodded, smiling.
Eira and Emrys were fighting again and their parents pulled them apart.
"Stop!" Hiccup said sternly. "Our mornings can't keep starting like this. Emrys, apologize!"
"But..."
"Now!"
"Sorry..." He grumbled as Astrid took the stick off Eira.
"Now...both of you get ready..." Hiccup ordered, and the older siblings moaned as they trudged up to their bedrooms, grumbling to themselves and each other.
"You do know our mornings will be like this until they move out, right? Or we die?" Astrid said as Hiccup sighed.
"I think the latter will happen before the former..." Hiccup joked as they laughed. "I'm going to make sure they're not killing each other." He kissed her and headed up the stairs as Astrid turned to Aaric who was smiling at his mother.
"And does my baby want to eat?"
"Yes!" Aaric ran into his mother's arms and she picked him up, cooed at him and kissed him as they headed to the kitchen area.
***
Heather was making breakfast, cooking eggs and toasting bread as she boiled some milk too, comforted the bundle on her chest.
"Boys?" She called and her two sons, ten-year-old Isaak and six-year-old Balder appeared in the doorway.
Both boys looked like their father but Balder had inherited his mother's eyes, wonderfully being born two weeks before her own birthday at the end of the harvest festival. Both boys were mischievous, troublemakers and got on well, but Balder was sometimes left behind when Isaak and Eira went off on 'big-kid' adventures in the forest and cove.
"Where's your father?" Heather asked as Isaak sighed.
"Still asleep..."
Heather nodded and looked up before nudging her head. "Go wake him up."
The boys cheered and ran up the stairs.
In their parents's bedroom, their father was sleep. His fur blanket was covering his legs, but his torso was on show.
He was also snoring.
Isaak and Balder counted down slowly before screaming and then jumping on their dad, right on his groin.
Eret cried out in pain, sitting up. "Why would you do that? I need that!" He cried, in pain as he looked at his sons. "You two..."
"Mom told us to wake you up!" Balder cried as Eret looked at him.
"Yes...wake me up by throwing water on me not emasculating me..." Eret groaned, lying back down as his sons jumped in next to him.
"Sorry, Daddy..." Balder said as Eret sighed, kissing his head.
"No-one got majorly hurt...except for me and that is alright. I'm supposed to get hurt..." He replied as he playfully pretended to eat his kids who laughed.
"Boys?" Heather called downstairs.
"Alright...go. Let me get ready..."
Balder and Isaak jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs as Eret sighed, getting up and getting ready for the day.
His hair had grown as had his beard and he now wore a blue tunic and armor over it but his age was really showing. Thirty-eight wasn't looking too good on him but Heather loved him. He was intimidating but approachable enough to be the dock and trade master of Berk, promising to never let his pirating ways come back and haunt all of them.
Eret descended the stairs and smiled at his family.
Heather's dark hair had been cut short to just past her shoulder where it also had the odd braid and her clothes were like Eret's own. As General of the Berkian Army, she tied it back when she was in action, but in recent months she had left it open and Eret preferred it this way.
As Eret kissed his son's, he kissed his wife and then the little head of his baby son, bundled up against his mother's check – Leif Ove. Only a few months old but alert and responsive to everyone, particularly his brothers and parents. "How is he this morning?"
"Didn't sleep through the night something you wouldn't know as you slept like a pig..." Heather replied as Eret laughed.
"It's not my fault he wants his mother..." He replied as she glared at him. "Mi cara...sorry..." He kissed her, his arms going around them as Heather let it go. She had given birth a few months ago and was still very hormonal so no-one had to take her seriously if she snapped at them.
Leif fidgeted and babbled, and Heather sighed. "Finish breakfast. Let me feed him..." Eret took over breakfast as Heather sat at the table to feed her baby, keeping herself covered. Eret served breakfast and the family sat together, enjoying their morning.
***
The Ingerman household was filled with books and papers, mainly belonging to Fishlegs. He was asleep in the armchair, papers on him as two sets of footsteps tip-toed over to him quietly.
"Wake up!"
Fishlegs jumped up, looked around and sighed in relief when he saw his twin 8-year-old daughters, Hertha Gull and Inge Guvnor, standing before him. He laughed as they jumped into his lap, throwing all of the important papers off his lap.
Both girls had blonde hair and were identical in every way, which they used to their benefit to trick everyone. Their mother forced them to change their hairstyles, so now Hertha, as the older twin, wore her hair in a single braid and Inge, as the younger twin by fifteen minutes, wore her hair in two braids.
"Where's your mom?" He asked.
"She fed us and then went to the school to set up for the day..."
"And are you two going?"
They nodded and Fishlegs laughed. "Alright...but why didn't you wake me up? I wanted breakfast too..." He pouted as his daughters smiled.
"We can make you some?" Inge suggested but Fishlegs shook his head.
"No...I'll be fine...but I do need to get this all sorted out..." He looked at the papers and the mess as all three of them stood up.
"We'll help!" The girls said together as they helped gather the papers.
"Is your job hard, Daddy?" Inge asked as Fishlegs shrugged his shoulders.
"Well...I have to be on top of everything that is happening in the archipelago and I have to all of the information for the chief ready for him when he has his meetings. I must sort, organize and write up notes. It's fast-paced and unpredictable but I like it..." He smiled as they finished cleaning the papers, putting them into piles on the bookshelf
All in the day's work of the archivist and valet of the Chief.
As they finished cleaning, Fishlegs quickly ate some breakfast and gathered his things for the morning meeting in the Great Hall.
The front door opened and Ruffnut entered the house. "Oh good, you're all awake!" She smiled at her husband and Fishlegs came to her. "I'll take the girls to school. I think you have to meet with Hiccup."
"Like always..." Fishlegs laughed as he kissed his daughters before all four of them headed to the school.
***
"Mom..." Snotlout said, looking at Freda who was distracting her six-year-old grandson, Olav Manning from eating his breakfast. "Mom...he needs to eat."
"But he also wants to play..." Freda said, spoiling her only grandson.
"But if he doesn't eat, his mother will wring my neck in!" Snotlout said. "Feed him or let me do it."
"Snotlout..." His dad said from the other side of the table. "We raised you so don't tell us how to raise kids."
"Yes...but this is my kid..." Snotlout said. "My kid, my rules."
Freda rolled her eyes. "Where's Matilda?"
The door opened and Matilda entered, carrying a bucket of water. "Feeding the animals..." Snotlout said as Matilda put the bucket down.
Matilda's appearance had changed to merge her Celtic heritage and Viking marriage together. She wore armor like a Viking but retained her long skirt and furs, like a Celt. Her hair was decorated with beads, hairpins, and feathers and still retained her beautiful princess looks.
Their son, Olav, was born six years ago.
"Has he eaten?" She asked looking at her husband and in-laws.
"No... because Mom wants to play with him..." Snotlout looked at his mother as Freda pouted.
"Snotlout said he's already eaten?" She lied as Snotlout's mouth fell open.
"I did not!" Snotlout protested as Freda glared at him. "Feed him, Mom. Now...otherwise you will deal with a hungry child for the rest of the day. Is that what you want?"
"Is he not going to school?" Matilda asked as Snotlout shook his head.
"Not if he's hungry, he's not. Why would we do that to Ruffnut? You know what he is like is he is cranky!"
"And you would do that to me? Your own mother?"
"You're the reason he will be cranky..." Snotlout replied as Freda grumbled. "Where are you going today?" He asked his wife and she sighed.
"Great Hall for a Berkian meeting?" Matilda reminded him and he nodded. "You're supposed to be there too..."
"Right...yes...of course!" Snotlout nodded. "I knew that. I'm second-in-command."
Matilda nodded, not convinced as she turned to her son. "Have you finished?" Freda had quickly fed him and Olav nodded as Matilda gestured for him to follow her so she could get him ready.
"You should help her..." Spitelout said as Freda looked at him.
"You never helped me..."
"Snotlout is different."
His parents looked at him, his arms crossed glaring at them both. "I try to help but you two constantly undermine us and our parenting, adding to the work!"
Freda and Spitelout sighed. "Maybe we're making things difficult to teach you a lesson for the way you were with us!"
"I was a kid!" Snotlout cried as Matilda and Olav came from upstairs all washed and ready. "Ready to go?" He asked Olav who cheered as the Jorgenson family left together, Snotlout glaring at his parents one final time.
"We're going to keep making things difficult, right?" Spitelout asked his wife and she nodded.
"Definitely..."
***
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Ada fixed her clothes.
Her armor and furs – her Celtic and Viking heritage on full show as she stood tall.
Her hair had grown, and it remained open, with two braids on her right.
She was the Viking princess she was always meant to be.
She descended the stairs of her house and everything was familiar and perfect. Her hallucination from years ago, when Annelise had her captive, were not hallucinations but reality.
Her future had come true.
It had been a late night so she quickly cleaned up the house, before leaving, heading straight to the Great Hall.
It was full of life.
Hiccup and Astrid were sat with their youngest son, Aaric talking about island matters. Eret and Heather were cooing over their baby boy, Leif – the latest addition to the brood.
Fishlegs, Matilda, Snotlout and Ruffnut were all together, laughing and joking as Gobber was sat at the Chief's table reading something and arguing with Spitelout as Freda was with Valka.
It was their new norm and this was the kind of atmosphere that she preferred.
All their children running around and playing together as she sighed, smiling.
"Mama!" A young girl's voice came from her right and Ada turned to see her daughter, Njala Runa as Tuffnut, her husband of four years came to her.
"You alright? We thought we would let you sleep in for a little while longer. You got back pretty late last night..." He said, kissing her head and Ada nodded, holding her three-year-old daughter – looking just like she did in that dream.
"I'm fine..." She said. "What did I miss while I was away?" They walked towards the Chief's table as Njala ran off to play.
"Not much..." Tuffnut replied as the others acknowledged her.
"Did you catch Cunning Knut?" Fishlegs asked as Ada nodded.
"He wasn't happy about being caught by a lady but that's what happens when you defraud a tribal chief. He was hiding in a pigsty..." She added. "The smell was..." She shuddered and they all laughed.
"Tuffnut's turn to catch the next one..." Snotlout said as Tuffnut nodded.
Husband and wife bounty hunters.
***
HICCUP'S POV
This is Berk.
Welcome back.
As you can see, just another day of us getting things done.
What can I say about the last ten years?
Changes and good changes.
We've all found a new normal and I guess that is good.
Gobber still ran the forge and found an apprentice to take over – in the name of Isaak which I'm sure Eret was thrilled about.
Our kids all got on, fighting here and there as kids do but never major bust-ups. That was good and how we like it.
Mom decided to spend most of her time in a sanctuary to the Gods. There was a temple located on Oland that she spent most days and came back for a while too.
Tristan and Isolde were traveling, moving between Strathclyde and Berk and slowly making amends with Isolde's family in Scandinavia.
Most of the elders had retired, retreating to lives of solitude and prayer to the Gods of Asgard.
It was now our generations turn.
And then there is the yak in the room – dragons.
We had found a new normal.
It had been ten years and we never forgot them – I never could.
Memorials and statues around the island were our way of immortalizing our lost friends but they were not coming.
We talked about them between ourselves, just us riders because we were the only ones who knew really what it meant. It felt like a part of our lives had gone and there was no way of getting it back.
We told stories of the dragons to our children and some listened intuitively, the others were not interested.
Gathered around the Chief table, the children headed out to play as the rest of us went through important documents.
This was usual for us at the beginning of a new week.
"Who is expected to come for the Peace Celebrations?" I asked as Fishlegs grabbed a notebook and flipped a few pages.
"The Chiefs of the tribes of the Archipelago, Clan Donan, the King and Queen of Strathclyde, the Crown Prince and Princess of Strathclyde and the King and Queen of Galloway..." He said as they nodded in agreement.
The Peace Celebrations had been celebrated as a way for us all to move on from the Wars of Darkness (as they have been called for the past ten years). It was a dark stain on the Archipelago and so much was lost so it was a time we used to remember all that we lost and celebrate all that we won and gained.
"Are we positive they are coming?" Astrid asked as Matilda sighed.
"Well...it is kind of late to withdraw..." Matilda stated. "It starts in three days so they're all going to slowly start arriving..."
"Which means we have two days to make sure everything is up to the highest standards..." Hiccup said as they made the final arrangements.
The doors to the Great Hall opened, light pouring in as Eira and Isaak were dragged by Gobber. "Oh no..." Astrid said as she looked at the children.
"What happened?" Heather asked as Gobber sighed.
"Maybe I can show you?"
***
The dragon statues had been desecrated.
Paint scorches, and carvings had destroyed the memorial of the Night Fury and it hurt. I touched the statute, my forehead against as I heard Eret behind me. "Are you insane? Why would you do this?"
"Eira told me to!" Isaak cried.
"If Eira jumped off a bridge, would you do that?" His mother asked.
There was a pause before Isaak spoke. "Depends how high..."
"Oh, for the love of..." Eret was frustrated as I sighed.
Astrid put her hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay?" Astrid asked and I looked at her and nodded slowly.
"Dad...I'm sorry..." Eira said from behind us and I turned to her.
"It's fine..."
Astrid frowned. "No...it isn't!" She looked at our daughter. "What you did was irresponsible and unforgivable! These statutes are memorials! Why would you be desecrating a good thing?"
"Why do you even have statutes of dragons?" Eira cried. "Dragons are not good or nice. I've seen the books. That big one in the school that has all the dragons in it? We're supposed to fear them!" Eira cried as I looked at her in shock. "Razor-sharp teeth, breathing fire, scaly and pointy and large claws that can rip us apart!" Eira explained as the other children were scared, hiding behind their parents as I frowned, shaking my head slightly.
"What do you..." I shook my head. "Eira...do you not remember?"
Eira looked at me, her innocent eyes twinkling. "Remember what?"
***
"Hiccup...she was two years old when the dragons left..." Astrid said as they sat on the porch of the house as night had fallen. The fire pit was on and their children were asleep as the island was falling asleep around them. "You can't expect her to remember."
"I don't but..." I was struggling to find the words, to come to terms with all of this. "Dragons are a part of us, a part of her!" I gestured to the house. "How can she not know or even understand how we came here, why we came here 300 years ago..." I stood up. "I am here because of a dragon, she is here because of one. The Haddock line exists because of one..." He leaned on the railings, looking down to the island below. "How can the future of Berk hate and look down upon everything that is and made Berk?" I was defeated, unsure of what to think or do. "What kind of Dragon Master am I if my own daughter hates dragons?"
"Hiccup..." Astrid came over to me, put her arms around me and touched my hands. "All children are different. Aaric loves learning about the dragons and how fun and awesome they were..."
"But Aaric will not be Chief..." I said. "How did we let this happen?" We looked up at the moon. "How is our legacy supposed to go on when our daughter has turned into everything we fought against?"
Astrid kissed my cheek. "None of the children know what we did and trained with the dragons. They just know the stories of the dragons..." Astrid said. "If we can convince Eira how amazing the dragons are through stories alone, she might change her mind."
"But how do we do that?" I asked. "She's not exactly going to sit down and listen to the stories, is she?"
"No...but she might listen if we talk about it around her..." Astrid suggested. "And if that doesn't work, we'll just put on one those plays from when we were kids, remember? They told the story of the origins of Berk...well the origin that your ancestors wanted us to know and not the real version..."
"Good God Odin no..." I shuddered and she laughed, leaning her head on my shoulder. "We'll do something...but I won't let my daughter grow up thinking dragons are evil."
Astrid kissed my cheek and I kissed her lips as she pulled away.
She poured water on the firepit and headed for the door. "The kids are asleep...Hiccup..." She said, turning her head slightly to me and I raised my eyebrows, smirking.
I came to her, scooping her up in my arms as she giggled, covering her mouth to not be loud as we stumbled into the house.
I locked the door behind me as Astrid headed to our bedroom. I blew the candles out in the living room, threw water on the fire pit as I followed my wife up the stairs.
***
*THE NEXT DAY*
"This...is punishment?" I asked Eret as we stood on the docks.
Eira and Isaak were cleaning his ship, moaning and groaning as Eret stood next to me nodding.
"Yup..." Eret said. "This is how you punished bad behavior when you're a pirate."
I frowned. "But you're not a pirate anymore?"
"Nothing stopping me from disciplining them though..." Eret said as I looked at Astrid. "Keep cleaning and you stop when I say you stop."
"You can't treat me like this," Eira cried. "My dad's the Chief!"
Eret looked at me. "Can I treat her like this?"
I nodded and Eira was offended. "Keep cleaning..." I nodded and she groaned. Astrid nudged me and gave me a single nod and I smiled. "You know, if we had dragons, this would be so much easier."
"How?" Isaak asked as Eira scoffed.
"There would be no ship as they would've set it alight..."
"No..." I said as Astrid smiled.
"Some dragons could carry ten buckets of water in their mouths and they would pour it on the deck..." Astrid explained as Eret raised his eyebrows, realizing what was happening.
"And some other dragons had rough, tough scales that they would scrub the ship from top to bottom, even the limpets and barnacles attached to the outside..." He explained, pointing to the exterior of the ship.
Eira's eyes went wide, thinking we didn't notice but we did as she got back to cleaning the ship.
I looked at Astrid and she nodded – this could maybe work.
***
The next few days we dropped hints of the great things dragons did for us.
When herding the yaks and sheep manually, we dropped hints that the dragons would just look at them and they would go into the barns and pens.
When fishing out on the boats now took many hours, we told them that dragons could collect much fish to feed the entire village two times over and themselves in less than an hour.
The final preparations for the Peace Celebrations had been completed and the first two tribal chiefs arrived from the Hags and Bashem-Oiks.
The others would be arriving soon and we continued to get the island ready.
The Great Hall remained.
I stood watching and making sure everything was getting done and sorted correctly.
Eira was playing with the other children. "Dad...why can't you come play?" Eira asked and I shook my head.
"I have things to do..." I said, raising my eyebrows and smiling slightly. "If we had dragons, all of this would've been done a week ago..."
Eira groaned. "I know what you're doing..." She looked at me and I turned to her.
"I have no idea what you are talking about it..." I said and she rolled her eyes.
"You're trying to convince me that dragons are good..." She stated as the other children nodded. "Dragons are not good, Dad. They're dangerous!"
"Dragons are good. They help us..." I explained as Eira shook her head.
"Dragons killed granddad..." Eira said and I froze. "Didn't a Night Fury bite your leg off? And one kidnapped grandma!" She said as I sighed. "Dragons are not good Dad!"
"What about the Dragon Master?" Isaak asked as Eira looked at him.
"Who?" The other kids asked. "Who's the Dragon Master?"
"Dad talks about him..." Isaak said. "He controlled, mastered and learned about all of the dragons in the world."
Eira laughed. "Your dad is lying to you!"
Isaak frowned. "No, he's not!"
"My dad told me too!" Olav said.
"And our parents!" Hertha and Inge said. "They said the dragon master was a great man! He trained the dragons. He was a hero."
I looked at my daughter. "I've told you these stories and you refused to listen."
"Because they're not true. I'm not a baby. I can tell the difference between what is correct and what isn't..." She looked at her friend. "Their babies. Their parents will tell them that the sky is green and they will believe it."
"There was a dragon whose flame was so strong that it could change the color of the sky!" Isaak chimed in as Eira groaned.
"You're all liars and it's not working. Dragons are evil and there is no way you can prove to me they are not. And this Dragon Master is not real..." She left the Great Hall and I sighed.
I looked at the others. "You kids are good..." I praised them, giving them a thumbs up and they celebrated and laughed.
***
"Well...I have tried and failed to convince my own daughter that dragons are good and real..." I groaned, leaning back in my chair in the Great Hall. The decorations were up, the children were in school and I sat with some of the council as we went over the final checks. "She still thinks their evil...and she knows about Dad and Mom and...this..." I gestured to my prosthetic as Gobber slapped my back.
"She's a kid!"
"She's twelve and will have to take over Berk one day. She cannot be thinking this way and while I have tried to convince her dragons are good, she won't believe me..."
Astrid nodded. "Well...we all went through a time when we all thought dragons were bad...and then we got to know them."
I sighed. "It's not like I can get a dragon to come here!"
"I know..." Astrid took my hand and squeezed it. "But...things are hard to believe if we cannot see them..."
"We believe in Yggdrasil and the Gods of Asgard and we don't see them?" I reminded her as Astrid looked at me, her eyebrows lifted.
"Yes...but there is proof of their existence..." She gestured to the island. "There is nothing here that proves the dragons lived here with us, other than the memorial. And even to the children, they see it is just another statute..." Astrid explained.
"We removed all evidence of the dragons for their safety and ours..." Fishlegs explained. "But we have them on our crests."
"I guess she'll never believe..." I sighed and Astrid kissed my hand as the doors to the Great Hall opened.
"We have guests..." Freda said as we all looked at each other.
***
Heather screamed with delight at the sight of her sister, Ivy and Pedro Lombard.
Ivy screamed too as the sisters ran and greeted each other, jumping up and down in delight. "I think they are happy to see each other..." Eret said and I nodded as Ivy greeted Eret too.
"Pedro..." Heather stretched out her arms and hugged him as she stroked his new-found beard. "I like it. It makes you look manly..."
He pretended to be offended. "As opposed to when?"
And then Eret greeted Pedro. "You still came back?"
"You don't own this island to stop me from coming back..."
Eret looked at the other dockmasters. "You should've told me when you saw his ship in the distance. I would've ordered for it be attacked with cannons."
"And then you would've drowned my sister and I would've made our children fatherless..." Heather warned as I snickered.
"So...still setting up for the grand meeting?" Ivy asked and I nodded as she greeted me.
"Still some time left..." I explained. "I did get news though that Rose and Gawain will be attending too, and they should be arriving today."
"Yay! Sister reunion!" Ivy cheered as Heather smiled. "Now, where are my nephews?" Heather took her hand and led her to the house as Eret slapped Pedro's back and forced him to show him his ship.
I looked at Astrid who smiled. "Just another day of family reunions."
She laughed. "It's what we do best!"
***
The rest of the chiefs and leaders arrived, and we were ready for the celebrations tomorrow.
Astrid and I had our clothes laid out, the jewels waiting in their boxes as all of the children played together, and the Chiefs and Kings sat together with their wives and my council.
We all chatted, laughed, joked and reveled in the good times – the way things should be and could be.
Karolina and Gerherd talked about the struggle of having two children under five as Hamish and Elinor were talked about the progress of their own two children.
Eoghan and Joan were proud of the progress that Gawain and Rose were making and would make fine rulers of Strathclyde one day.
"So, how are things in the dragon-free world?" Eoghan asked as I looked at him.
"Good...but we have a problem..." I said as they all looked at me.
"What kind of problem?" Elinor asked.
"My daughter, the heir, hates dragons."
They all gasped in shock. "Why?" Rose asked.
"I don't know. She just hates them!" I said as Astrid sighed.
"She read the books and the archives and know about them taking Hiccup's leg, the attacks, Stoick's death, Valka's kidnapping and now she believes all dragons are evil."
"Even after we've told her stories of the great things they did. And our plan to subtly input how much easier and wonderful life was with the dragons, she's not interested..."
"Well...that's a hit to the ego..." Alvin grumbled as I glared at him.
"I mean, you can't force to know these things. She'll understand sooner or later, just how important dragons are to the island and to the Haddock line..." Karolina stated, and I nodded, as I turned to where the children were seemingly having a discussion of their own.
***
OMNISCIENT POV
As the adults discussed adult matters, the children were discussing, children matter.
As they sat together, they talked about who had the worst parents, the worst siblings and the best pranks.
And then Finlay mentioned the dragons, investing the children into the conversation as Eira groaned. "Dragons are not real! And if they were, they are evil creatures. They are larger than houses, breathe fire and have claws which can hack you apart!"
Some of the younger children were afraid
Finlay looked at some of the older children. "Eira...dragons are real. I remember them..."
"How can you possibly remember something that doesn't exist?" She asked as Finlay laughed.
"Because they lived here!" Finlay said as the Berkian children gasped.
"Dragons lived here?" Inge and Hertha asked together and Finlay nodded as the Berkian children, minus Eira listened intently to Finlay.
"Dragons roamed the earth. They were everywhere, flying high above us with their wide wings. They would help chop wood for us and haul it back to the Kingdom and help us rebuild our defenses when we were attacked!" Finlay explained as the children listened, disbelief in all of them.
"Were they scary?" Olav asked as Finlay shook his head.
"Anything bigger than us would be scary at first, but then they would always be kind and caring. Some were very bad but that was only because they had never known kindness. Once kindness was shown to them, they always reformed..." Finlay said as Eira rolled her eyes.
"And where did these dragons live? In your dreams? Your imagination?" She teased as Finlay looked at her.
"No...I remember them..." He gestured to the island. "I remember the dragons because they were here..."
"And where did they go?" Isaak asked as Eira rolled her eyes as Finlay shrugged his shoulders.
"My dad never told me. One moment they were here and the next they were gone. All of them flew away and we don't know where they went..." Eira laughed.
"Dragons are giant creatures. If they existed, they wouldn't just disappear..." Eira said as Finlay nodded.
"But they did...and your dad and your mom and all of your parents..." He pointed to the Berkians kids. "All of you parents know about the dragons. They were the first ones to train them and ride them."
"Dragon riders?" Isaak asked as Finlay nodded. "Awesome!"
"Why would our parents keep something like this from us?" Balder asked as Eira scoffed.
"Because it is not true!" She cried. "My dad's leg was eaten by a dragon. My granddad, Stoick the Vast, was killed by a dragon and my grandmother, Valka, was kidnapped by a dragon..." Eira shook her head. "My family do not like dragons!"
"Your dad is the Dragon Master!" Finlay cried as Eira groaned. "Your dad was feared by people all over the world. He trained the Night Fury and rode it!"
"Night Furies? The unholy offsprings of lightening and death?" Eira didn't want to believe it.
"Why don't you want to believe it?" Finlay said. "Because you're scared of the truth."
"No, I'm not!" Eira cried as the other kids agreed with Finlay, taunting her.
"Then ask your dad. Ask him!"
Eira shook her head. "I'm not entertaining this any further."
She left the group but it remained in her head and heart.
Were dragons real?
***
*THE NEXT DAY*
The Peace celebrations commenced as the island celebrated together.
The Berkians were dressed to the nines as offerings were placed before the memorials and statutes, including one of the dragons.
Eira watched this, as her father touched the stone that she had desecrated with Isaak.
He had been devastated by the destruction – could it be because Finlay was telling the truth?
Finlay and a few of the other children stood with her as Finlay elbowed her. None of them had let her denial go as they continued to pester her to ask her father.
As midday came, Finlay and the other kids were reading the stories of the dragons and Eira peered over to see.
She skim read from over them, some of the words which spoke of wondrous creatures, great battles and at the heart of it, a great dragon master who rode a Night Fury.
As the children wandered off to do other things, Eira stayed behind and found herself invested in the books and stories.
Her parents had told her all about the dragons, but it was like legends of people who could or could not have existed.
They forgot to mention any of this.
Eira saw the sketches of the dragons, her father's and uncle Fishlegs's handwriting, describing the dragons and their pros and cons.
And then a sketch of her father – Hiccup.
He carried a flaming sword, had no beard and was young as dragon sketches were around him, including a Night Fury.
As she turned the page, a sketch of her father riding the Night Fury, the dragon having a playful look on his face as Eira smiled.
And the words underneath;
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe of Berk.
Dragon Master.
Eira smiled and grabbed a smaller, leather notebook, flicking through the pages.
It was her dad's diary.
She read the entries quickly, all of them talking about the dragons, the new species they discovered, the things they learned about the dragons, speed records and tricks.
And on the last page was two sentences.
Today, my best friend gave his life for me. This chapter has ended.
Eira questioned, looking through the books again and was fascinated by it all and soon began to believe.
She read the many incarnations of the stories, her family looking for her outside as the celebrations were in full swing.
She read about the Bewilderbeasts, the Red Death, the dragon hunters, how Uncle Eret was a dragon knapper, the many adventures freeing and saving the dragons and even her own heritage of her own connection to the dragons.
Holding the diary, she walked to the Chief portraits on the wall at the far end.
Erik Haddock was Uther Pendragon – the first of her paternal line.
A betrayal led him to turn against the dragons and every ancestor had fought and killed dragons since then.
And then her dad, her hero and her defender, showed everyone that dragons were not evil.
Dragons were good but did evil things when controlled by evil people.
The stories of the warlords, warlocks, and witches in the diaries and books confirmed that.
And the dragons left – and no-one but her dad knows.
Eira was bursting with excitement, throwing the books and diaries back in the pile as she ran out of the Great Hall and searched for her father.
She needed more.
She had to know what happened.
"Dad!" She cried, her Dad standing in a crowd at the docks with her Mom and brothers, watching a boat race and cheering on Team Berk.
"Dad!" She cried again as she pushed through the crowd to get to the front and as she tugged his cloak but he was too busy watching the boat race and the crowd was mingling and pushing slightly.
"Dad!" Eira pushed her way to the front but then lost her balance and fell into the water below to Astrid's screams.
"Eira!" Hiccup pulled his cloak off and jumped in after his daughter as Eret, leading Team Berk on the boat, steered the boat towards the splash, leaving the race to save the Chief and his heir.
Ivy and Rose grabbed Heather's and Astrid's children away as she got Astrid to move to the docks.
They scrambled down with the others as Hiccup and Eira resurfaced and Eret threw them a rope before pulling them on board.
"Are you alright?" Eret asked as Hiccup nodded, checking his daughter over, before hugging her.
"Don't do that...again..." He said to her breathlessly.
"Dad...I'm sorry..." She said, coughing slightly. "I just got excited."
"About a boat race?" He asked her as Eret steered the ship back to the docks. The other boats called off the race and headed back too.
"No... about what I saw and read..."
"Which is..." Hiccup asked as Eret docked the ship. Astrid climbed aboard and ran to her daughter and husband, hugging them.
"Are you both okay?" She asked as they slowly stood up and Hiccup nodded looking at Eira. "Eira...you have to be more careful on the cliff edges!"
"I know..." She said, before smirking. "If we had a dragon, you wouldn't have had to save me like that."
Her parents looked at each other. "I beg your pardon?"
"I read it all and I saw it all and I used my brain..." Eira said as Hiccup frowned before Eira spoke, not stopping. "Sketches of you when you were younger and had no beard and you had this flaming sword and you saved dragons and you rode a dragon! And you are the dragon master!" She cried as Hiccup looked at Astrid, pride filling them. "You all rode dragons and united the Vikings and the dragons! You rode them and traveled with them and went on adventures together and then..." She paused and looked at her Dad. "They left...why?"
The children of the archipelago, the chiefs and Chieftesses, heirs and heiresses and Kings and Queens listened intently as the dragon riders smiled, looking at each other.
Hiccup dropped to one knee and smiled at his daughter, touching his face.
"I think it's about time we told you all a story..."
***
"There were dragons when I was a boy..." Hiccup was standing, the glows of a bonfire as everyone had gathered around to listen to the stories.
Only the dragon riders remained to stand, ready to tell the tales of their fascinating lives. "Ah, there were great, grim sky dragons that nested on the clifftops like gigantic, scary birds."
"Little, brown, scuttly dragons that hunted down the mice and rats in well-organized packs..." Fishlegs said.
"Preposterously huge sea dragons that were twenty times as big as the big blue whale..." Snotlout added as the kids gasped in amazement.
"Some had beautiful scales in bright, colors, matching their bright and strong magnesium fire..." Heather and Astrid said, recalling their dragons, Firecracker and Stormfly.
"Some could cover their entire bodies in their saliva and set it alight to intimidate their foe..." Pedro and Snotlout recalled their minds on their loyal Monstrous Nightmares, Blazeheart and Hookfang.
"Some were overtly friendly and wanted hugs. Smaller than others and suckers for rocks which they would cough up lava and create everything from glass to iron..." Fishlegs explained.
"Some had two heads. Two different personalities and flames on one dragon..." Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at their kids who giggled in delight.
"Some had four wings and protected you and rescued you. Similar to owls in their mannerisms, smart and brave..." Valka sighed, holding her youngest grandson in her lap.
"Some were lazy..." Gobber started. "So lazy that they were good for nothing but starting forge fires...but were incredibly loyal and when the time came, they would fight to defend!"
"Some had indestructible armor..." Eret said, his sons listening in amazement. "So hard, they could knock down houses by running into them and clear vast areas of woodlands by flying and using their wings as axes."
"And some..." Hiccup looked at Ada. "Were rare and beautiful. Loyal to the end, laying their lives down for you and would always be there for you, no matter what..."
"We traveled the seven seas with them..." Pedro added. "Going on adventures, meeting people and cultures and traditions. Everywhere we went, people saw them differently, either intimidated by them or adored them."
"They defended us in battle, against all the evils of the world!" Fishlegs said.
"But we couldn't protect them..." Ada sighed, stroking her daughter's hair. "They were used by evil people to control them and make them do things they didn't want to do..."
"Good dragons do bad things when in control by bad people..." Valka added.
The riders looked into the fire, seeing their memories of the dragons coming to life. "The years we spent with the dragons were the best years of our lives. Moments we can never forget, no matter how hard we try...but all goods things come to an end..." Hiccup sighed, as Astrid took his hand and they smiled at each other. "We had to let them go..."
"Some say they crawled back into the sea, leaving not a bone nor a fang for us to remember them by. Others say they were nothing but folktales, to begin with, and we're okay with that..." Hiccup looked at the riders and they smiled.
"Letting them go was the hardest thing we had to do but it had to be done. Protecting them and ourselves was more important. We couldn't keep risking each other's lives for our own happiness and Toothless..." Hiccup sighed as Astrid squeezed his hand. "Toothless gave his life for me and I am here because of him. I will never forget it...and neither will you..." He looked at Eira who nodded. "Now do you know how much the dragons mean to us?"
"Yes..." Eira nodded, hugging her dad. "I do...and I promise that I will continue the legacy and continue to immortalize the dragons. I'm sorry, Dad."
"Do not apologize...just...hug me..." He smiled as father and daughter hugged before the rest of the Haddocks hugged too.
Berk's future and its legacy were secured.
***
*AVALON*
The dragons had gathered.
Aurora stood in between her two young children; grown in the ten years they had been in Avalon but still children at heart.
The others were gathered around as a large pool bubbled slightly before them.
Aurora growled to Merlin the wizard who nodded, smiling at her as the dragons anticipated.
"Why now?" Freya asked as Merlin smiled.
"Because all good deeds are rewarded eventually..." He said as Kilgharrah flew above them, roaring and anticipating what was happening.
The waters before the dragons divided as Aurora felt happiness fill her.
Freya kissed Merlin's hand as the dragons roared and fired into the sky to celebrate.
***
*BERK*
HICCUP'S POV
The island slept but something was keeping me awake.
I stared at the ceiling and looked at Astrid fast asleep next to me, before I got out of bed, pulling on my tunic, boots, and trousers before descending down to the kitchen to throw back some meade.
The Peace Celebrations had ended after the bonfire where I told my daughter everything about the dragons. We had come to an agreement that I would start teaching and training her about the dragons and the legacy they left behind.
I stepped out onto the porch and looked out to the island that was still as large torches were alight above us.
A few guards were on duty but not a lot – no attacks would happen because those people would have to be very, very brave to attack an island filled with so many warriors.
I sighed, looking up at the sky. It was all clear, stars twinkling as the moon shone down on me. I drank some more meade and then frowned when I saw something black fly across the sky.
I shook my head and saw nothing and then looked at the meade.
Maybe, I was drinking too much too late.
I sighed, but then saw it again.
Something black flew across the sky.
Maybe it was my eyes playing tricks? I looked away and looked back and there it was again.
I was alert and then suddenly more black shadows flew across the sky.
Was this Ragnarok? Was this the end of the world?
Had I drunk too much meade and was now drunk off my face and hallucinating?
The door opened behind me and Astrid came out wearing her nightdress and a shawl around her shoulders. Her hair was open as she came to me. "Hiccup? Are you alright?"
I nodded, and then shook my head, grabbing her shoulder and making her look at the sky. "Please tell me you see it too."
"See...what?" She asked as I shook my head.
"I thought I saw..." I groaned as she stared at the sky. "I'm hallucinating. I'm seeing things. I've had too much to drink..."
"Hiccup..." Astrid spoke and I grumbled. "I see it."
I looked at her and then at the sky.
Shadows were flying across the sky.
"It can't be...can it?" I asked as Astrid looked at me in shock.
A collective roar was heard from above and the island shock temporarily, but alerted the others.
Everyone stepped out of their houses.
"You all heard that...right?" Eret asked the others and they nodded as Heather looked at the sky.
"Guys...look..." She pointed to the sky and as clear as day, their dragons were flying over them.
The riders were overcome with emotion as the dragons circled the island.
"Dragons! They're real!" Their children cried and cheered, looking up as emotions consumed the riders.
Astrid and I were joined by our children as we all looked up at the sky. "I can't believe they came back..." I said disbelief that they were here.
"Dad...look!" Eira pointed out one dragon in the distance, who was leading them. I concentrated long and hard on it and I couldn't believe as tears slightly formed in my eyes.
"It's Toothless..." I said as my Night Fury roared in the sky, the dragons suddenly firing their colored fire into the sky, lighting it up in different colors.
Toothless and I locked eyes and he smiled as I gave him a single nod, before the dragons circled the island one final time and headed back to Avalon.
Legend says that when the ground quakes or lava spews from the earth, it's the dragons, letting us know they're still here, waiting for us to figure out how to get along. Yes, the world believes the dragons are gone, if they ever existed at all. But we Berkians, we know otherwise.
I looked at my wife, my sons and daughter, my people, and my allies and smiled.
We'll guard this secret until the time comes when dragons can return in peace.
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Hi!
What do you all think??
That's it, everyone!
It's over!
I'll be doing some final checks and editing of all the stories before I disappear.
Okay, so the music above is, of course, Once There were Dragons which is beautiful music for the ending scene when the dragons return temporarily.
And when Hiccup is telling them all of the tales of the dragons, this masterpiece is what I am thinking;
It just makes perfect sense.
Now, I know you're all going to say why I didn't name one of Hiccup's sons 'Nuffink' and the reason is simple - I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT SLIMY FISHBONE FROM NAMING HIS OWN SON NUFFINK AS IF THAT PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL WAS NOTHING.
I'm still mad about that.
Anyway, the new looks of the riders were the same from Ada's dream back in chapter 16 but Astrid's look is that of the one she wears in HTTYD3 at the end as is Hiccup's.
Here is a recap of the others;
(Heather)
(Ruffnut)
(Ada)
(Eret)
(Fishlegs)
(Snotlout)
(Tuffnut)
Copyright belongs to all the rightful owners i.e. Vikings and the History Channel.
At this point, I have nothing else to say but thank you for joining me on this adventure.
Give me some time to get my bearings and I'll be back one final time.
Thank you.
xxx