Symphony of Shadows

33. Yorgen

The voyage home was full of nervous anticipation. She was nearly seasick at the thought of the entirety of Berk finding out about Hiccup's existence before she even reached the docks. Her gut twisted as she thought of different ways she could respond.

"Hello, Chief, no, your son is dead. That was just a false report. Don't listen to the Berserkers; they're all insane."

How cruel it seemed to rip out the hope of a father who had lost his son. How traitorous it was to deceive her chief because that was who she would be if she protected Hiccup.

A traitor.

She would have to resign from her position as Vordr effective immediately. Astrid was no longer worthy of such respect from the village she lied to. She could be content living out her life amongst the ranks of fighters during the raids...right? Someone else would have to take her place and her investigation of the dragon rider.

There was nothing worse than knowing she wouldn't be the one to bring him to justice. No one was better for the assignment than her...but just because she was no longer Vordr didn't mean she couldn't continue...surveillance. Yes, surveillance. She could still do that at least.

It pained her to think of how she failed to carry out her duty, though. She was thinking too far ahead; they'd only just kissed, and she was already committing treachery. Was she really going to throw away everything she had built? Her entire life's work?

Astrid liked being with Hiccup, but what if they decided to go their own separate ways? She would be left alone to pick up the pieces, to mend the wounds she had self-inflicted. It would be her choice to lie and help him, wouldn't it? He didn't exactly tell her the plan or if he even had one.

If Astrid did this, it would be her decision, and she'd have to deal with the consequences no matter what.

The guilt was already making her stomach churn, and she hadn't even gotten to Berk. She wasn't far from the tribe, actually. Her thoughts had kept her busy as she sailed, contemplating her path of action.

Maybe she wouldn't have to lie?

Maybe the Berserker didn't get a good enough look or didn't recognize Hiccup?

It had been a long time since the chief visited Berserker Island with his son. She could only hope that was the case. If only she had caught the damned Berserker, she had seen the flash of red hair and beard in the trees; she could've made it quick. She had reacted too slowly, and now she had to face the repercussions.

Soon enough, Berk's docks came into view, and Astrid couldn't tie her ship to the dock fast enough. She couldn't run into the village, though; that would be too suspicious, so she urged herself to relax and wait to hear any indications that the news had indeed spread.

She greeted Bucket and Mulch on the docks as they loaded all their fishing gear to head out for an afternoon fishing trip but made sure their conversation ended quickly. They seemed normal enough, given that it was Mulch and Sven, so her spirits lifted.

That didn't last long, however, as she entered the village and found it completely empty. The usual hustle and bustle of the Hooligan tribe was nowhere to be found, and her stomach sank. Astrid walked through the eerie, quiet town square towards the Mead Hall, and she could finally hear voices.

As she got closer, she realized that the voices belonged to one man: Stoick the Vast. She pressed her ear to one of the giant front doors and willed herself to calm down, but something was wrong. They barely, if ever, congregated in the hall spontaneously; she would have heard there was a meeting before she left.

"It's with great sadness...but we are Vikings; it's what we...will stand our ground..."

Stoick's voice was distorted through the door, but each word cemented Hiccup's future. He didn't want to come back—he'd made that very clear to her. Now he would have to face Berk all over again. Because of her. She was too late.

Footsteps marched somewhere in front of the doors, and she pushed herself to the side near one of her ancestors statues right as the doors burst open. Out strode the Chief, flanked by Spitelout and a somber-looking Gobber.

They knew.

The Chief whirled around, and the rage in his expression was obvious. She didn't think he would be this angry, more like disappointed. This was not the face of a father but of a man on a rampage.

He shouted, "Fine, I'll do it myself!"

The Chief stormed off, leaving behind Spitelout and Gobber, who gave each other the look.

"I'll go after him. Ya know how he gets. Plus, an extra set of fists will do him good."

Spitelout jogged after Stoick while all Gobber could do was nod. Astrid had no clue why Spitelout was talking about fists when Stoick was so angry about Hiccup, but she clearly didn't know the whole story. She figured Gobber would be her best option to gather any missing pieces of information.

Astrid walked a little farther out and then jogged to the blacksmith as if she had been trying to find him.

"Oh, Gobber, there you are! I just got back from the Eastern Market. What's everyone doing in the hall?"

He looked surprised at her arrival, but the shock didn't change his dreary mood as he looked off into the distance.

"Well, lassie. I lost a friend today, a good Viking. He might've been a Berserker, but he was the best blacksmith on that crazy island. Not better than me, of course. Still, Yorgen was a good man, yes, yes, a good man."

A...Berserker? This didn't make any sense; it didn't have to do anything with Hiccup. So he was still safe? She was beyond confused and slightly alarmed. She had gravely injured a couple of Dagur's men in the forest...had Yorgen been one of them?

Had she...killed him?

She swallowed thickly and wrung her hands in worry.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to him?"

Gobber turned to face her, and she could now see his red-rimmed eyes and ashy complexion. He was grieving.

She watched his expression change at her question, a rage similar to Stoick's taking over his features.

"That bastard dragon rider did it! Yorgen was charred alive by that blasted Night Fury! Dagur sent the message out to all the tribes, a warning that the Svikari had crossed the line. He's a murderer. I swear to Odin, if I see that bastard, I'll skin him alive! With my own bare hand!"

He marched off as he muttered a couple more graphic curses, and she decided against following him. He wasn't himself.

Astrid was relieved she hadn't been the one responsible, but what part did the dragon rider play in this situation? And how come the same day that she confronted the Berserkers, one of them ended up dead at the hands of the Night Fury?

Something wasn't adding up.