THIRTY EIGHT: Ending and Beginning
Sneaking along the tunnels, Hiccup and Astrid found themselves within earshot the Johann's 'office' and they could clearly make out the voices from within. Hiccup tensed as he caught Viggo's voice-and it seemed the Hunter was getting a tongue-lashing from Krogan.
"Now Hiccup knows how many lenses we have-and how many we need!" he raged. "Your loose lips could bring us all down!"
"As usual, you're missing the big picture," Viggo replied calmly. "With Hiccup captured, we've won. We can demand whatever we want from those weak-willed Berkians and the Dragon Riders!"
"Have you forgotten about the King of Dragons and our Buyer?" Krogan raged. "This can only slow us down!"
"I'm sorry!" Viggo snapped sarcastically. "Who was the one who actually captured Hiccup Haddock? Perhaps your employer would like to hear about his star pupil's consistent failure?"
"How dare you!" Krogan raged, clearly on the brink of attacking the Hunter.
"This bickering is pointless," Johann cut across him, his tone bored. "Get rid of the boy!"
"Wait!" The word was out of Viggo's mouth so quickly that the listening Hiccup was shocked. Krogan turned on him immediately.
"Why do you want him alive?" he challenged Viggo. "He scarred your face, destroyed your brother...and decimate your empire..."
"And he has lenses!" Viggo reminded them. "His are likely to compliment our own...including the one we are missing! Or has your hubris got the better of you again?"
"You speak of him like your pupil-instead of a boy who defeated the Chief of the Dragon Hunting Tribe again and again!" Krogan scoffed.
"He humiliated you with defeat after defeat!" Johann accused him, slamming the man against the wall. There was the snikt of a knife. "Yet you don't want him dead...when you sent bounty hunters to kill him last year? So what changed Viggo?" His voice hardened. "You thought I wouldn't figure you out? I can smell betrayal a mile away! I didn't spend years snivelling at the feet of every Viking on the Archipelago to be destroyed by some two-bit crime lord!" But there was the hiss of gas and Krogan looked around. Already knowing what would happen next, Hiccup grabbed Astrid and dragged her-and Toothless-into a shady nook as an explosion sounded and Viggo erupted from the room, with guards in hot pursuit. Two archers emerged, about to run after him but two accurate blasts from the Night fury took them out as Astrid stared around.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked. "I won't leave you, babe. And I can't trust Viggo!" He nodded.
"I know-and I don't-but so far-he's done everything he said, including making a diversion," he admitted. Though he never mentioned anything about imprisoning me. That was a horrible shock... "Is Stormfly ready?" She nodded.
"We've got your exit covered," she promised. "But you're completely insane if you believe I'm leaving you in here with these enemies, Hiccup. I'm in this with you...because I think you need me!"
"And because you won't leave me anyway," he reminded her. She smirked triumphantly.
"Let's go, babe," she smiled as they ran down the corridor. There were roars and explosions as Hiccup suddenly veered left, his face lighting in relief.
"Finally," he gasped. "There it is!" And he walked forward into he room as Astrid guarded the corridor...until a stone shifted under his metal foot and the whole room shook.
"Look out!" Astrid gasped as arrows shot from the walls and Toothless batted the arrows away. Swinging onto Toothless's back, the Night Fury and his Rider barrelled forward, ducking the arrows as they headed for the column with the armoured chest perched on top. "Of course he runs into the hail of arrows...he's Hiccup..." she muttered to herself, lifting her axe and readying herself for the guards who were sure to come at the racket. And then she gaped as he reached the chest unscathed.
Toothless cooed as his Rider jumped off and cautiously approached the chest. Eyeing it carefully, Hiccup rested his hands on the worn wood.
"Doesn't look like there are any boobytraps," he said quietly, then lifted the lid...
...and stared into an empty chest. Betrayal welled up in his chest once more and he took an angry breath.
"What? Oh, they knew we were coming! Viggo tipped Johann off... Thor, how could I have been so stupid...?" He closed his eyes in frustration...as he heard steps at the door of the room. Astrid had backed into the room, her axe raised and eyes locked on the sagging shape of Viggo-with the Skrill walking at his back.
"Apparently...Johann wasn't as easy to fool as I anticipated," Viggo said in a halting, breathless voice. "And you...were not as gullible and trusting as I thought..." Astrid growled in her throat.
"You double-crossing..." she hissed. His eyes flicked over her unexpected presence.
"Not the only one," he commented roughly. "Hmm...you're getting better at this than I had thought..."
"The antidote!" Hiccup snapped. "Viggo-where is the ANTIDOTE?"
But Viggo just laughed at the pair, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"There isn't one!" he said abruptly. But as the one-legged Rider was gaping in shock, the older man continued. "You really don't know your Oleanders, do you, Hiccup?' he scorned him. "Red Oleander is harmless to dragons!" He took a shaky breath. "I knew there was no other way to get you to help me." He took another shuddering breath. "There is no way I would harm such a magnificent creature..."
But as Hiccup and Toothless shared a shocked look, Astrid edged closer.
"So why?" she snapped. "You've harmed plenty of dragons before! Why now?" But as the Hunter moved, she could see what Hiccup could not, even as Viggo's voice softened and truth leaked through into his pained words.
"When Johann and Krogan left me for dead, a Monstrous Nightmare saved me," he admitted, listing. The Skrill walked forward to sniff at Toothless-but it was calm, accepting of the other Strike Class dragon, rather than attacking...and recognising an ally. Cooing softly, the Night Fury nuzzled it back. "I have spent my whole life hunting and killing them...but now, I have come to respect them as equals." He stared into her blue eyes before looking across to the shocked Hiccup. "You taught me that, Hiccup." And then he walked forward to lean against a table, the arrows embedded in his back finally visible to the auburn-haired Rider. And predictably, the rider gasped.
"Viggo!" he shouted, running forward to the stricken Hunter. Astrid recognised that the wounds were fatal...but the sympathy in Hiccup's emerald eyes and the way he determinedly pulled the other man's arm across his shoulder made her proud that despite everything he had endured, everything he had seen, he was still the man she loved.
"Oh, this is it for me," Viggo groaned, his breathing hitching. "The end of the game..."
"Viggo..." Hiccup's voice was soft, sympathetic. "We can get you out of here...to our healer..." But Astrid was shaking her head, racing to the door as shouts approached and peering down the corridor. There was no one in sight but it was only a matter of moments as she looked back into the room. She shook her head, locking eyes with the dying Hunter. He nodded.
"Go!" Viggo said gruffly, snapping a cartridge into the base of his sword hilt. "I'll hold them off..." He pushed away from the Rider and walked haltingly towards the door. But Hiccup ran after him.
"No, Viggo-I won't leave you!" he protested, but the Hunter turned to him with a wan smile.
"Hiccup-I know you're more ruthless than you realise," he told the younger man. "Your friend-your partner there-is fierce and deadly and between you, there is more than enough determination to defeat Johann! I know you can do it...because you are the only one who cares enough about dragons to take the risk. You are my equal...and I think you can match them in ruthlessness now. Thank you...I concede the game..." And he grasped Hiccup's hand-just for a moment, staring into the troubled emerald eyes. Then he pulled away, leaving the young Rider with The Accomplice piece in his hand. There was a pause and then Viggo smiled, gesturing to the door.
"Viggo...I..." Hiccup paused and then nodded. "Thank you." And then he grabbed Astrid's hand and raced out of the door, with Toothless a pace behind. They heard Viggo ask the Skrill to leave-and the roar as it refused-as Hiccup already knew it would. Somehow, against all reason, Viggo, on his last day, had bonded to a dragon Hiccup always thought of as untrainable-and they were willing to face death together.
But as they headed for the exit, a patrol of guards intercepted them and for a second, Hiccup stared, feeling as if fate was trying to send him a message. But Astrid and Toothless were by his side and as his sword ignited in his hand, he screamed and they charged, engaging the guards with a ferocity that surprised them. The Hunters knew Hiccup as the Dragon Rider who was their adversary...but they had never realised he could be ruthless. There were yells and explosions behind them as Hiccup impaled one man, then ripped the sword out to almost behead the man sneaking up behind him. Astrid was screaming her fury, two men already dead, and Toothless was slapping men fiercely aside. But he felt something different, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and he knew what would happens. So he grabbed Astrid and flung her onto Toothless, his metal leg clipping into the saddle as he heard the explosion of lightning. Toothless was already accelerating away though the tunnels as lightning illuminated the entire complex in a brilliant eerie light as they pair went down.
But even as they emerged, a heavy chain net landed on them, slamming them to ground as they last echoes of the explosion echoed around the vale. Johann was already walking forward, a cruel, smug expression on his face. Hiccup gave a yell, Astrid gave a Nadder roar and Toothless shot a plasma blast into the sky as Johann walked forward, a mocking expression on his face.
"Is that it?" he scorned. "Your plan fails and a frustrated yell will be your final word? I expected more from Hiccup Haddock the Third!" And the disparaging way the former Trader said his name made Hiccup bunch his fists as Astrid smiled, her axe in her hand.
"Actually-it was Viggo's pathetic plan that failed," Hiccup told him smugly. "And that wasn't a yell-it was a signal..."
A spray of spines impaled the three men standing behind Johann as flaming apples rained down on the remaining guards, driving them away in confusion. The former Trader sprinted for cover, a spine slitting his sleeve but only scratching him.
"Coming in hot-and blowing out Snot!" Tuff yelled as Barf'n'Belch swooped in low, battering anyone in their way aside. Astrid was already flipping the net aside even as they could hear the twins arguing.
"I tell you-the gassiest record!" Ruff yelled at the top of her voice. "That's our calling!"
"Fine-have it your way!" Tuff replied in a disappointed voice as Stormfly swooped down and picked up Astrid while Hiccup leapt into the saddle and accelerated directly up into the night sky. Around them, the vale began to fill up with the sweet, green, almost-hallucinogenic Zippleback gas as the Night Fury soared up alongside the twins.
"Glad you guys could make it," Hiccup told them happily as Astrid soared alongside.
"Well, Astrid did threaten to axe us to pieces if we didn't come to keep an eye on you," Ruff admitted.
"Now will you PLEASE witness our record!" Tuff begged him and Hiccup nodded.
"We both will!" he agreed-looking over to Astrid. She rolled her eyes.
"Fine!" she conceded. "If we finally get some alone time afterwards..."
"I promise nothing," Hiccup smirked.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Tuff yelled as his head sparked the gas alight and an enormous explosion consumed the whole valley, destroying every guard tower, hut and weapon. The cloud rolled over them all and Hiccup and Astrid peered from behind their arms at the chaos-and the twins, who were charred, singed and thoroughly excited. Hiccup gave them a thumb's up.
"That has gotta be a record!" he enthused as Astrid cast him a Really? look.
"You mean after all this, you went with gassiest dragon? The dumb suggestion I made which everyone dismissed?" she asked him.
"I don't remember it like that..." Tuff protested. "I am very sure that I..."
"Tuffnut Laverne Thorston, if you say one more word, your dragon will have only one head and only one rider!" Astrid threatened him.
"Oh Thor, this is going to be a long flight back..." Hiccup groaned to Toothless, who was definitely making laughing noises.
"Hiccup-shut up and back me up..."
"Oh Thor..."
oOo
"Johann needs only one more lens," Hiccup reported to the others, once they were finally back on Dragon's Edge and Astrid and he had enjoyed a reunion with their daughter. "He's probably closer than we are because we still aren't sure what exactly we are looking for..."
"I can't believe that Viggo sacrificed himself to save you," Fishlegs said thoughtfully.
"And I've gotta hand it to you," Snotlout admitted. "It was pretty clever having Astrid and the twins follow you."
"We needed a witness for our record and he needed a back-up," Ruff explained cheerfully. "It was a win-win."
"And I'm pretty sure that's gotta be some sort of WORLD record for the biggest explosion," Hiccup told them cheerfully as they booth oohed in satisfaction.
"I still say it's the gassiest dragon," Astrid muttered, folding her arms.
"World record holder for the biggest explosion," Tuff said thoughtfully, rolling the words around his mouth.
"I like the sound of that," Ruff agreed, dancing on the spot.
"But...I'm not satisfied," Tuff told her. "One record? It's not enough!"
"We need more!" Ruff agreed enthusiastically.
"A whole book full of 'em! Records for everything!" Tuff said, his eyes getting that dreamy look as he began to plan another bout of twins insanity. "Longest moustache," he suggested.
"Hairiest nose!" his sister suggested. "Itchiest skin!"
"Longest metal coil passed through the nose and out through the mouth..."
Astrid looked at Hiccup and they both made gagging noises.
"And it shall be called-the Thorston Book of World Records!" they said as one, high-fiving and walking away happily. There was a collective sigh from the others, knowing what they would be facing for the next few weeks. But Hiccup was quiet as he and Astrid walked back to their hut, The Accomplice still gripped in his hand.
"It's weird having Viggo gone," she admitted as they made it inside and stared at Hiccup's Maces and Talons board. "It's almost like..." She couldn't say it but he nodded.
"I get it," he sighed. "We've learned a lot from him..." He sighed and kissed her gently. "I just need a moment..."
"You know I'll be waiting, babe," she reassured him and left as he stared at the board.
Viggo had been his opponent for so long, a cunning and manipulative leader who had run rings around Hiccup and who had forced the young Viking to re-evaluate his leadership style and hone his skills. Fighting against Outcasts and Dagur hadn't stretched him after the first couple of skirmishes and he realised he had become complaisant when beating them had become easy. Viggo had changed all of that, challenging the young leader and teaching him to handle defeat as well as victory, to plan several moves ahead instead of just 'winging it' and to be able to anticipate reversal and the unexpected. In many ways, he had taught Hiccup as much about leadership and tactics as his father, but coming from a very different standpoint. And though Hiccup irrevocably disagreed with his stance of hunting dragons, he had always admired the man's intelligence, his calm and his effortless authority. In the end, Hiccup had won-not just by defeating him when Ryker had turned on him but in proving his point to the Dragon Hunter.
He bowed his head in respect for the final death of his mentor and adversary...and then he gently placed the piece on the board. With a swift movement, he knocked over the opposing Chief. He had won the game...but somehow, the victory felt hollow. And with that, he carefully put the lid over the board and walked away.
He found Astrid in Hjordis's hut, bouncing her daughter on her knee. The child was starting to lift her head up and she smiled when she heard her Momma call her 'baby' or Hiccup call her 'Princess'. So when he arrived and sat quietly down, she had no qualms in moving to sit beside him and place their child in his lap, seeing he needed something to cheer him up.
"In the end, it was his choice," she reminded him. "We thought he was dead for the longest time-and he was granted a second life by the Norns. I thought he had wasted it by serving Johann and Krogan but in the end...he saw what you did. You gave him a chance...and he gave his life to save you. He befriended a dragon, babe. And in doing that, he saved you and made sure you know how close they are to the end."
"I still can't believe he's gone," Hiccup murmured softly and sighed. "A leader, a Chieftain, is defined by the foes he vanquishes and the battles he wins. And beating Viggo was always my greatest challenge. He was manipulative, cunning and ruthless...our most dangerous foe. For it to be over is just...a shock..."
"It's not over," she reminded him, wiping a little drool from their daughter's mouth. Val gave a gummy smile and grabbed at the rag. "There are still the small matters of Johann and Krogan..."
"And this is getting more dangerous," he sighed and then looked lovingly into her eyes. "They're very close...and are prepared to do anything to achieve their ends." Including executing me without hesitation... "I'm going to send a Terror-Mail to Dagur and see if he and Heather can come over here. I want to marry you. Now. Before anything else can happen." And then he paused, seeing her shocked expression. "If-if you still want to, of course..."
She leaned forward and gave a soft kiss on his lips, silencing his doubts.
"Hiccup-that would make me the happiest woman in the Archipelago!" she told him and he grinned, his face lit with relief.
"And me the happiest man," he said.
oOo
Even with his knowledge of Dagur's enthusiasm, Hiccup wasn't prepared for the rapidity of the response by the Berserker siblings, who arrived before the return Terror Mail could. In fact, Dagur gave the small dragon a lift on Sleuther so the little Terror only had to fly about two yards before he landed on Hiccup's head and stuck a leg out with the reply tied to it.
"BROTHER!" Dagur leapt down and grabbed Hiccup as he was trying to disentangle the letter, meaning the Berserker gave a bear-hug to both the one-legged Viking and a very irritated Terrible Terror. And while Hiccup managed to choke out an entreaty for air, the Terror promptly responded by biting Dagur on the nose, causing the man to release both his victims.
"AIR!" Hiccup gasped.
"OW! Why you little..." Dagur growled, for second sounding like his Berserk self before he took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. "I am the sea, calm and wide. My sense of calm comes from the inside...but my nose still hurts!"
"Dagur!" Astrid greeted before he could lose his calm demeanour and hugged the Berserker warmly, having already hugged Heather fiercely. "Thank you for coming!"
"Are you kidding?" Heather teased her. "Dagur has been waiting for the Terror Mail ever since Hiccup proposed and he was really excited when you finally found her..."
"And we wouldn't want anyone else to perform the ceremony!" Astrid said smoothly, her hand finding Hiccup's, for they both knew who would have been their first choice of officiant if circumstances had been different.
"And I would have to declare war on you if you chose anyone else!" Dagur told them seriously, causing everyone to share a worried glance. "KIDDING! Your faces..." Rubbing the back of his neck, Hiccup forced a wary smile onto his face.
"Hahahah! That's a good one!" he said with forced levity.
"Too much?" Dagur asked in a low voice. The auburn-haired Viking nodded.
"A little soon," he murmured as Dagur wrapped a strong arm around Hiccup's shoulders.
"Hiccup-you know that I will never harm you," Dagur said seriously. "You brought my sister back to me and gave me a second chance. You gave me Shattermaster-and later enabled me to meet Sleuther! I am always here for you...and it will be my greatest honour to marry you to Astrid...well, maybe after my marrying Mala-poos..."
"Well, we've sent Terrors to Mala, Throk and the Wingmaidens to see if they want to attend," Hiccup told him. "So at least you will get to see her an extra time..." Dagur's eyes widened in delight and he hugged Hiccup once more.
"Thank you, brother," he said in a choked voice and the embarrassed Hiccup patted the buff man on the back helplessly. Even with his anger management issues largely under control, Dagur had very labile and extravagant moods and the younger man sometimes wondered how the reserved Queen of Defender Isle would cope...and then he reminded himself that they had fallen in love.
Love finds a way, he realised, casting a glance over at Astrid, who was chatting enthusiastically with Heather, miming an axe-stroke to her friend. I mean, who would have thought Hiccup the Useless, the clumsy outcast of Berk would end up with Astrid Hofferson, the best female warrior and Shield Maiden in the Archipelago? Who would have thought she would accept me even though I have nothing again? Even though I am disowned and Outcast again?
And then she looked up and smiled at him.
Okay, maybe I don't quite have nothing...but I know that together, we can make it work. Me, Astrid and our daughter...somehow, we will stop Johann and end the threat to our dragons from the King. And then he smiled. But first...I have to stop the twins and Snotlout throwing me a bachelor party...
oOo
He was, of course, unsuccessful, as Snotlout, the twins (no one ever suggested Ruff couldn't come to a party where Tuff was), Dagur and even Fishlegs had joined in an evening in the Clubhouse of ale, mead, roast yak and embarrassing Hiccup thoroughly. Most of it was a blur of jokes at the auburn-haired Viking's expense and then getting him so wasted he couldn't find his own hut. As the others staggered off to their beds, the befuddled Hiccup stumbled along the walkways, in real danger of pitching over the edge and eventually being helped by Smidvarg and four Night Terrors to the safety of the landing platform. Giving up because the world was swimming so alarmingly, he had curled up outside the stables, mumbling a thanks to the small dragons who had stood guard over him all night.
Astrid's celebration had been much more controlled-because no one would dare anger Astrid by suggesting she get too drunk to feed her own daughter. But Hjordis, Heather, Mala, Atali, Minden, Nadia and Ruff (when she abandoned the bachelor party for the girl party) had pampered the warrior, shared tales and Astrid had relished the chance to get to know the Wingmaidens at last. Mala had been especially interested, for she was finalising the details for her own nuptials with Dagur and they and Heather had debated the details for a wedding dress. Hjordis reminded them all that Astrid was a Chief in her own right and the self-conscious blonde had shared the tale of her captivity and combat once more, to the admiration of the others. They had all promised to stand by her at the ceremony.
Dawn broke over the Edge and Astrid awoke alone, her hand sliding over an empty half of the bed. For a moment, panic rose in her throat and she sat up, breathing hard. Val was still asleep in her crib but there was no sign of Hiccup. Leaping up, Astrid hauled her boots and leather skirt on, grabbed a knife and sped down the stairs, hauling the door open and pausing on the walkway. She couldn't see any sign of him-so she decided to head down to get Stormfly to track him. Not pausing to travel all the way down the zig-zag walkways, she went to the nearest zip line and sped down, launching from the line and flipping to land on the platform...and then she saw him. Surrounded by Smidvarg and a guard of Night Terrors, the dishevelled auburn-haired shape was curled against the door of the stables, snoring gently. His pale face was warmed by the golden morning light and his auburn hair was gilded as she walked towards him, a smile on her lips. He looked so young, so peaceful that she almost didn't want to disturb him...but they had to get up and prepare for the wedding.
But there was still time for a few moments with the man she loved, so she gently lowered herself to sit beside him-and then she lay down alongside his curled shape, wrapping around him and feeling him shift slightly against her. She closed her eyes and buried her nose in his hair.
"Morning, babe," she murmured gently. He frowned and his eyes fluttered.
"Where?' he slurred and groaned. "Ow..."
"You've slept outside the stables," she told him gently, feeling his arms slide around her and pull her close.
"My head hurts," he whispered. "And my neck. And my head. And my back. And my head."
"I think you may be drunk," she whispered back and he closed his eyes with a wince.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" he groaned. She kissed his head.
"No, Snotlout, the twins, Dagur and Fish are," she told him gently. "They left you to wander off in the dark. Thank Thor that Smidvarg protected you." A bleary emerald eye fluttered open.
"Really?" he mumbled.
"You're the Dragon Master, remember?" she teased him and he grimaced.
"Don't feel like that now," he mumbled. "Feel like a Gronckle is chewing rocks in my head." She kissed him again then sat up, lacing her hands with his hand hauling him up to a shaky sitting position. He winced, turned green and threw up. And felt worse as Astrid broke out laughing. "Not fair..." he managed gruffly. "Remind me...why I want to marry you?"
"Because you love me, babe," she said unsympathetically. "And one day, I will teach you how to stop the twins and Snotlout tricking you into drinking..." He frowned.
"I guess I have that to blame for all of this anyway..." he mumbled, taking deep breaths and she sniggered.
"We both did," she reminded him. "Which was why I wasn't drinking last night!"
"Oh, thank Thor," he murmured. "Not ready for more fatherhood yet. Valkana is just perfect for me right now..."
"You, sir, are getting ahead of yourself," she reminded him tartly. "Besides-we have our wedding night ahead..." His eyes slammed open and he blushed, causing Astrid to start laughing again.
"Oh Thor...I had forgotten..." he gasped and then pressed his hand to his forehead. "I mean...I have only ever...um...twice, of which I can kind of remember once...and now...official..." She got to her feet and hauled him up, pulling his arm over her shoulders and finding his sense of balance had deserted him along with his ability to speak coherently.
"Let's get you home, babe and get you cleaned up," she said softly. "And then we're getting married this afternoon." He stopped and managed to turn to wrap his arms around her, pulling her close and giving her a deep and passionate kiss.
"Finally," he murmured.