Knight's Honor

The Not-so Friendly Reunion

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The Dragon Riders had returned home much later than they'd told Stoick they would, which was grounds for uneasiness. The news they brought only turned the uneasiness to absolute worry. Not only did they report in full what they saw about the Skrill, but also made it known Hiccup made nearly half of the Knights go back to their Island and that Hiccup and Toothless were chased by another dragon rider, and despite their best efforts, the Riders had no idea where they were. Fishlegs was with Hiccup during the chase but had gotten knocked into the sea and lost track of them.

Berk had some new for them. Apparently, Pate had gone missing the night before. There were so many boats that it was difficult to find the missing one, but it was assumed he'd taken on. Creighton appeared to be worried, but many others were more concerned about Hiccup's absence.

Most of the Riders set out again that same day. Bertha refused to let Camicazi go and it was the same with Mrs. Larson and Gustav, despite his loud protests. While they were gone the Chiefs and the most trusted Vikings discussed what to do. They hoped, that Hiccup had gotten lost, which was a possibility. Maybe he was chased and was forced to take a longer route home. Stoick did point out that while in the cells of Berserk, Hiccup had a secret plan he kept to himself.

Admittedly, most of these "maybes" were the result of Stoick trying to find a way to avoid the likely scenario; Hiccup was captured by Drago and was probably dead.

The plans they'd made less than two days before were thrown away when Fishlegs explained the Rider and the Skrill. All the Chiefs refused to risk their fleet against such a dragon. So they opted to go on the defensive. It's obvious that Drago and his allies would attack Berk with what they've got. Orders were given to improve the island's defenses and a watch was set. The Chiefs have hope that once a land assault begins, success would come down to the skills of their warriors, which the Chiefs have complete confidence in their abilities.

"Let them come!" Bertha boomed, loud enough for anyone standing outside to hear. "Drago's got a Skrill, but once it's taken down, we'll be on equal footing!"

"Not to mention the two Knights we have and some dragons," Creighton added. "I hope you can keep up though." He added jokingly.

The two chuckled before Tiberius spoke up. "We do need to consider that the Rider might attack our Island. I believe that's why Hiccup sent most of my comrades back. We ourselves have been fortifying our own island in case of an attack."

That was another source of comfort. Gabriela had assured them that Drago had very few dragons. As far as the two were concerned, they only had the Skrill. Plus, it was revealed that there's the possibility of Hiccup sending a huge flock of dragons to Berk.

For the Dragon Riders, no matter what consolation they could find or what hope they could come up with, the fact remained that their friends were still missing. And when the Riders reassembled before the Chiefs that night hours after searching, they were still missing. So was Pate.

"We found a boat," Ruffnut announced, for once a bit somber. "It bore the Stone Shield crest." As a counter-measure against theft, the Stone Shields branded their seal onto their boats. "There was some bags of food and a canteen."

"Was there a struggle?" Creighton anxiously asked. Ruffnut shook her head. "Where's the boat now?"

"We towed it back to Berk. It's tied up right now."

"Ruffnut, where did you find it?" Stoick asked.

"A few leagues north of here."

"Do we know which direction he was going?"