For Milady

ELEVEN: New Perspective

ELEVEN: New Perspective

Stoick stared to the south and cursed. His son was late. He had given Hiccup two days to fly to the Defenders of the Wing to see off the retiring 'Great Protector' dragon and then return...and he was late.

In truth, he understood why Hiccup had to go. The other Tribe were his allies, people who had fought at his side against the Hunters and for them to call him at short notice for the Ceremony was akin to an allied Tribe calling him for the funeral of a Chief or General. He sighed. Somehow, his son had grown up and become a Chief of his own-and though his tribe was the small group of Riders and their dragons, Hiccup was still their Chief, their leader. And he had meant what he had said: they were allies, fellow Chiefs, not just father and son.

But when he had learned that his son had been taken by Bounty Hunters, that he was being passed from man to man in search of the gold for handing him over to Viggo, he had been shocked to the core. He had been angry at Hiccup for losing Berk's gold in his plan to bring down Viggo and for the first time, he had seen his son fail, outsmarted by the cunning and ruthless younger Grimborn brother...the same man who had become so desperate he had sent the Bounty Hunters to capture Hiccup so he could kill him. To be honest, he had never considered that his son would take his words so much to heart that he would conceal his troubles-but that made the words no less true. And though he had forgiven Hiccup and supported the young man when they finally overcame and defeated the Grimborns, he knew Hiccup was still feeling guilt about the privations he had caused his people. The recovery of the gold hadn't dented his guilt.

Stoick rolled his powerful shoulders and felt the cold wind brush over his bare arms. His son was headstrong and brave, not hesitating to put himself in danger to protect his people or rush into peril to head off a problem. Hiccup certainly understood the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few...and he always seemed to be the few. Stoick had lost track of the times his son had fallen, been hurt or put himself in harm's way for what he believed was right and as a father, it hurt him every time he saw his boy wounded or struggling.

And that was why he felt so conflicted: because this time, he had placed his son in an impossible position-and he was the one who had wounded Hiccup by doing what thousands of Viking fathers had done in the past. Of course, he was annoyed that Hiccup had been so stupid to sleep with his girlfriend though he wasn't the first young man to act on his urges. Many of the Tribe were not pure when they took their wedding vows and though Hiccup was aware of his father's expectations, sometimes, Stoick had sympathy with his devotion to the girl who had been his love, his second-in-command and best friend.

And Stoick hadn't meant to conceal the contract from his son: in truth, he had forgotten until he received the letter from Bertha...and then there had never been the time to talk with Hiccup. And though he knew his son and Astrid were close friends, the Chief hadn't seen any especial partiality by the girl and had hoped he would have a chance to explain to his son. Seeing how devastated Hiccup was, Stoick had even broached ending the contract with Bertha when she arrived-but unsurprisingly, the Bog Burglar Chief had been adamant that the marriage go ahead. As Hiccup had so directly pointed out, the advantage was all on Bertha's side...and when he had been a father, just seeking protection and reassurance that his small, clumsy, un-Vikinglike son would be safe, that hadn't mattered. But now...he had signed away the life of the Dragon Master, the man who conquered the Red Death, brought an end to the war with dragons, defeated the Outcasts and Berserkers and now the Dragon Hunters, for negligible gain for Berk. The Bog Burglars were their allies anyway and they gained little in terms of defence or trade: Hiccup had every right to feel betrayed.

But a Chief did what was best for his Tribe and Stoick's reputation across the Archipelago also protected the tribe. He was respected as dependable, honourable and honest so that others came to him for mediation and valued his opinion. And Tribes were allied with the Hooligans because Stoick was the Chief. So that was his dilemma: maintain his reputation and keep to the contract or act in the best interests of his son and release Hiccup to be with Astrid, breaking the contract and his honour.