Riders of B E R K

Part 41: The Riders of BERK are coming

I had fed and fussed Toothless and Stormfly, showered, changed and grabbed a sandwich when I walked into the infirmary. I nodded to Gothi who gave me a stern look: she wasn't keen on me seeing the General but Hiccup was his son, his only child and I was the acting commanding officer. He deserved the same consideration that we afforded every other family member of a lost Rider. So she allowed me in and I entered the little room, pausing by the door and staring at the General.

He seemed smaller, his enormous bulk diminished somehow by the crisp white sheets and standard hospital grown. His usually ruddy face was pale but his flaming red beard was still impressive and his grey-green eyes were as sharp as ever. The gentle beep of his heart monitor was reassuring. He beckoned me closer.

"I was expecting you, Lieutenant," he said, his voice firm though a little weaker than before. It was strange to hear him almost speak like a normal person.

"Here I am, sir," I replied, sitting by the bed in what my mind had categorised as 'Hiccup's Chair'.

"Gobber has already been to see me," he admitted.

"I am the acting mission and base commander," I reminded him. "I was there. You deserve to know." He stared at me and for a moment, I read fear and concern in his eyes. He did love his son, but he still hadn't got the hang of properly talking to Hiccup or showing his affection.

"Tell me," he said hoarsely. I leaned close and took his huge hand.

"It was a trap," I said sternly. "Heather communicated with us and tipped us off about the attack. We decided that we had to treat it as a possibility-in conjunction with the local security services who agreed. And there was an attack-but it was a distraction, to get us down there and away from here. Hiccup know the whole thing felt wrong but he did as a good commander should-he checked on civilian and collateral casualties-and we were trapped at gunpoint by their security and forced to the Presidential Suite."

The General frowned.

"The Russian Finance Minister...Grigori Ulmarsov, I think...was there-but he was clearly serving Drago Bludvist. We were held at gunpoint and it was obvious there would be very heavy casualties if the Team stormed the building to retrieve us. Hiccup cut a deal to make sure the dragons and I could go free."

Stoick sat up abruptly, his face ashen. "Drago has my son?" he croaked and I heard the beep of the monitor accelerate alarmingly. I tightened my grip on his hand.

"Dagur was there as well," I said, "and Drago was talking to him as if they were concluding a deal. For Hiccup. For Alvin...and Dagur." Stoick sat back, his face set.

"Dagur will torture him," he said quietly. "I-I saw...by the Loch...and Spitelout told me what happened here...under my very nose..."

"Alvin wanted the Night Fury Rider," I told him calmly. "Drago handed him over to Dagur. Hiccup looked scared-but he and I had already realised the key target was here. Drago claimed the dragons weren't important. They are: they were the point. They wanted the base so they could pick them off when they returned-and kill the Riders." I paused. "Hiccup wanted one of us to get away because he knew they would be coming here. He got me away and I flew here straight because I knew they would invade the base."

Stoick looked into my face. "You were in charge?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Hiccup set the protocols in case they tried to use the backdoor that Spitelout left," I told him. "But I took the command decisions when they did. I gave them the choice-the choice that Hiccup would have offered. But I made my own choice as well and ensured there was a dragon there when they intruded into a dragon Pen."

"You left them to die if they didn't surrender," he told me. I nodded.

"I am not sorry, sir," I said quietly. "I have seen all Hiccup's wounds-his scars, his bruises, the amputation, the nightmares he suffers and the appalling lack of confidence he has as a result of all of the above. They did that to him. They chose to steal dragons and torture him. I chose not to let them get away with it."