Secret of a Dragon (An HTTYD Story)

Chapter Twenty-One: Preparation For Battle

10K!!! I'M DYING

Okay so I'm here to let everyone know that my horribly slow updates are about to get even worse. I've... slightly overbooked myself. I could be wrong, since for now I'm going to force myself to write as much as possible, but I doubt I can be on a lot.

The soundtrack attached is Ready The Ships -- the soundtrack for this moment :)

This will be a multi-chapter, like one of the earlier chapters was, with more than one section of one character's POV. Just letting you know.

But anyway, here's this chapter!

The entire tribe is in action when Hiccup finally steps outside of the Great Hall. Stoick had caused the massive movement by a shout -- "Ready the ships!" -- when he left. Hiccup can't make out everything that is being loaded onto the ships, but he can see a large variety of weapons and armor. The Vikings are preparing for a battle, and he knows that he can do nothing to stop it.

Almost every single person on Berk boards, ready to leave, except for the children and the elderly. Hiccup's heart breaks when he sees Toothless -- Crystal -- pinned to a huge, thick board, muzzled, chained, and trapped. The eyes of the Vikings who can bear to look at her are full of loathing or disgust. He can see the terror in her eyes. He unwillingly brought her into this. Now he can do nothing to get her out.

"Set sail!" a voice shouts. "We head for Helheim's Gate."

Hiccup stares at his father, who turns to see the trail of battle-ready Vikings making their way to the ships. Stoick glances away, and his eyes meet his son's. The chief's face hardens instantly, and he looks away; but Hiccup notices the very slight slump in his shoulders. As he walks, Stoick turns to Toothless angrily and mutters something to her, but Hiccup doesn't hear it.

He stares out to sea long after the ships disappear.

Lost in his own thoughts -- which mostly consist of blaming himself and mourning his father and Toothless -- he hardly notices the footsteps coming up to him. As Astrid steps into his sight, he looks away.

For a moment, they say nothing.

"It's a mess," Astrid speaks up. "You must feel horrible. You've lost everything: your father, your tribe, your best friend."

"Thank you, for summing that up," Hiccup mutters dryly. She isn't helping at all.

They pause.

"Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found her in the woods?" Hiccup sighed. "Would've been better... for everyone."

"Yup. The rest of us would have done it," says Astrid. "So why didn't you?"

Hiccup can't speak for a moment. Hadn't he said that exact same thing when Toothless hadn't killed him? Is killing truly the default in the Viking and dragon worlds when they meet? He and Toothless had both broken the unwritten rule in the same day, at the same time. They were expected by their respective sides to heartlessly slaughter the other if they got the chance. The question was, why didn't they?

"Why didn't you?" Astrid says again.

"I don't know," Hiccup murmurs, looking away again. "I mean, I couldn't."

"That's not an answer."

"Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?" Hiccup demands, turning to her.

"Because I wanna remember what you say, right now," Astrid shoots back unflinchingly.

"Oh, for the love of -- I -- I was a coward! I was weak! I wouldn't kill a dragon!"