The group rejoined, with Rurik and Konall standing by Zyrah's side. It was ultimately decided that having a plan would be most beneficial instead of just dropping everything and running. Hiccup was always about planning, so it struck the others out of character that he hadn't formed much of a plan.
"Okay, look. Say we do leave Berk with everything and the dragons. Where do we go?" Zyrah questioned, her eyes scanning Hiccup's map of the archipelago.
"We could go to Defenders of the Wing or even Berserker Island." Fishlegs proposed.
"But Grimmel might suspect we flee to one of our allies, not just putting us in danger, but the others and their dragons. I don't think Mala would take too kindly to either of those suggestions." Astrid pointed out.
"What about Firewind?"
"Absolutely not. Our families should not be put at risk." Rurik defended.
"Okay, with those ideas not working, Outcast Island isn't an option. No point in bringing unwanted attention or posing any threats on our allies by bringing it to them." Hiccup stated, "So then, we gotta look for any islands not inhabited by other tribes or dragons."
There was a pause as ideas swirled through the group's heads, their options were extremely limited, and time was running out.
Zyrah's gaze fell on the left part of Hiccup's map, which remained empty, unfilled. There could possibly be islands to the west.
"What about the western part of the archipelago? I've heard traders talk about a vast land to the west that hasn't been explored as much. There could be islands nearby that we could scout." She suggested with a shrug.
Hiccup exchanged glances with the others, considering her suggestion. It could be viable. But if they opted for that, how would they go about leaving?
"Okay, let's consider the West." He agreed after a moment of pause.
"We could scout in groups." Konall interrupted, eyes glancing towards him, "Grimmel is probably expecting us all to flee as one, but we could throw him off by doing the usual. Doing our scouting missions." Zyrah's eyes flickered as she seemed to catch onto her boyfriend's idea.
"While we do our scouting missions, we could also send messages to allies about Grimmel. We don't know exactly who he's working with, but it can be assumed that he also has powerful allies."
It could not be ignored that Zyrah had a knack for planning and even leadership. She knew how to take and reframe a situation, looking into possibilities others hadn't considered. And in the last few months after her birth parent's deaths, she'd stuck by Hiccup's side, becoming his second shadow. Wanting to learn from him and bounce ideas off each other. Rurik had deduced his sister clinging to the young Berkian chief was some form of her coping with her grief and trauma.
She had always joked about not needing more brother figures, having four older brothers, one being only months older than her. That said, Hiccup needed a younger sister figure, and it was evident he'd found that with Zyrah.
A mutual understanding and appreciation of each other's knowledge, morals, and faith, and course, being Night Fury riders.
As Zyrah spoke, Hiccup was focused on her words, taking everything into consideration.
The raven-haired teen showed promise. Hiccup was sure of that.
Meanwhile, the dragons were huddled together, and Blueheart was livid.
I swear to Thor, I cannot believe you almost walked yourself and our daughter into a trap!
We didn't know it was there! We happened upon it!
Blueheart! Calm down!
Calm down?! How can I calm down when the self-proclaimed "Night Fury Killer" is out there setting traps in the woods? Putting all of us at risk!
Toothless? What are we going to do? Meatlug questioned.
I-... I don't know yet. He admitted.
Let's hope Hiccup comes up with a good plan to keep all of us safe...
The Riders had finally agreed to conduct scouting missions in groups, while Hiccup would send messages to Berk's allies about the situation, informing them of the plan. He was especially confident in Defenders of the Wing and the Berserkers to be of aid.
After a week, Fishlegs and Astrid came back with the same conclusion.
"The Edge," Astrid announced.
Realization dawned on Hiccup as soon as she dropped the name. The Edge... was perfect! It would be just out of course of where Grimmel might expect Berk to go. It'd been abandoned for a couple of years now.
"My gods, why didn't I think of that before!" He exclaimed. As enthusiastic as he and the Riders were, Zyrah, Konall, and Rurik were left in the dust.
"Sorry, but what's the Edge?" Hiccup explained how the Edge was the Rider's first post that they built themselves as teenagers. Many adventures and conflicts were held there, but the time soon came for them to return to Berk with new responsibilities. They hadn't been back since then.
Sure, it'd be a bit of a tight spot for all of Berk, but it was better to return to a place they felt familiar with than just staying on a brand-new island with little defense.
With everyone agreeing on the Edge, Hiccup and the Riders began organizing small groups of the Berkians with their dragons to be led to the Edge. Hiccup and Zyrah were the last to leave.
It was going to be a hard trip, and Hiccup glanced back once more, seeing his village burnt. There was little that remained, and now he was beginning to doubt that he would be able to return. Generations of the Haddocks led the Berkians in the war against the dragons, and now, because of him, nothing was the same and never would be the same again.
As the pair flew, with Nightfire hovering around her parents and blowing fireballs into the sky for fun, Zyrah glanced over at her best friend, worried for him.
"Hiccup?" She could see the solemn expression on his face. The way his shoulders slumped...
"Zyrah... what am I going to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"How can I lead in these conditions? How can I guide the Berkians in the right direction? How can I lead you and the Riders with the new enemies we're facing now? When it was us against the dragons... it was more cut and dry; we did the same thing every day."
"Well, Hiccup. In case you forgot, you and Toothless changed all of that. I don't have an answer for how to lead, I wasn't born the daughter of a chief. The world around us is constantly changing, and if you don't change with it... you're gonna get left behind. You, of all people, have been at the forefront of change for the Archipelago. You can't let the bad guys around us change that."
"You can also take credit for helping the world change." Zyrah scoffed.
"I don't think so. My island was just as cut off from the rest of the archipelago as Berk was. Sure, we ended our war with dragons long before... but my island's chief wasn't ready to face the others. He wanted to keep us safe. Maybe we could've met sooner... I dunno. I was a child of circumstance. You know that."
"I guess so, but our bonds with these two definitely influenced others." Hiccup affirmed, giving Toothless a loving pat on the neck.
"I'll take your word for it. Now let's catch up with the others. I wanna see the Edge!"
YOU ARE READING
Left In The Night
Fanfiction(REVISED) Even with Drago gone, the aftermath of his reign opens old wounds. Leaving Zyrah, the unwanted child of two of Drago's former hunters, to uncover her history. And her beloved female Night Fury brings Toothless to his roots. A/N: This fic...
