Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 34 - Last Hope

A/N: So, some information about this story for anyone who cares: It will be very long. By all rights, I should be breaking it up into multiple stories, but I want all my stats in one place so I'm not gonna do that :) I said a long time ago that this story would be separated into arcs. There will be four, each serving its own main plot. The first follows the introduction of Hiccup's life, his first visit to Berk, and his battle with the Red Queen, very loosely tying in with events from the first movie. The second arc will be Hiccup and Toothless' discovery of more Night Furies. The third arc will showcase a lot of the plot lines from the second movie: Hiccstrid; Stoick and Valka reuniting; dealing with Drago and his Bewilderbeast, etc. The fourth arc is still mostly undecided and not really important right now, so I'll save info about that for another day. Seeing as I'm over 100,000 words already and I'm not nearly finished with the first arc, you can understand why I tell you this will be a long story. Just thought I'd share some of my intentions for those who are curious to where the heck this story is heading.

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter! :))

HICCUP'S POV

Toothless must've felt the sudden influx of rage that coiled my muscles like a spring, since he immediately reacted to the change. He pressed closer to me, lowering his head as if preparing for a fight right there. His teeth flashed at Gobber threateningly, mistaking him for the target of my anger, but his gaze flickered to me every few seconds, waiting for my command. I had no doubt that if I asked him to attack, he'd find a way to break free of his chains to do so. Tempting as it might've been to unleash him upon our captors, I didn't want to risk any harm befalling him.

With that in mind, I breathed in deeply, attempting to rein in my emotions and think through my next steps strategically. Despite my epiphany, it was quite clear that Gobber was completely dumbfounded by the last few minutes. As he was my only apparent ally on the ship, it was prudent to keep him on my side. Having a panic attack in front of him didn't exactly help to accomplish anything useful.

*It's okay, Toothless. Stand down.* I told him, pressing a light hand to his nose. His posture relaxed immediately, though he remained glued to my side. Gobber mirrored his actions with a relieved exhale, lowering the hands—hand—he'd raised defensively.

"You alright there, laddie?" He inquired hesitantly, glancing over my form like he expected me to collapse at any moment. It would've been a fair assessment just a few seconds ago.

Now I stood tall, determined. "I'm fine," I insisted, proud when my voice came out even.

Gobber was unconvinced. "Really? I thought I was gonna have to catch you for a second there," he said pointedly.

"You said I was your only hope," I recalled, glossing over his statement like he hadn't spoken at all. "Did you mean it?"

Gobber frowned. "Yes...but you've made it quite clear that you don't intend to tell us where the nest is, so it's quite a foolish hope, I suppose," he remarked with a tinge of bitterness, but his words were quickly followed by a regretful wince. "Not that...I mean..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to put all our troubles on you. You're just a boy, after all. I know Stoick can be a little..." He trailed off, waving his hand around as he searched for the right description. "Well, you know." I held back a snort. I do indeed. "He's just always done his best to protect the tribe, and he can be a bit bull-headed in that regard."

"A bit?" I returned with a raised eyebrow.

Gobber's smile was almost sheepish. "Yes, well...I've always tried to look at things with a more clear mind...more objective mind. Sometimes that's what he needs. And I think this is one of those times. We can't force you to help us, Hiccup. This is our war, not yours." There was a calm resignation in his expression, but it was obvious how much the words pained him to admit. He didn't want to give up on the chance of ending the war any more than Stoick did.