Dark Valkyrie

Twenty One: Faith and Hope

Twenty One: Faith and Hope

"It's okay, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. "We know."

Hiccup froze, his entire world crashing around him. He hoped and prayed that they didn't, that they knew something less catastrophic than the truth about his total and non-existent worth. That they had wasted their efforts and risked their lives and their dragons for nothing more than a worthless slave.

"Oh?" he managed, his emerald eyes wide and expression totally shocked. "Wh-what do you know?" Heather sighed, her expression sympathetic but Snotlout was leaning forward on Hookfang's horns and appearing exasperated.

"We can see the brand," he pointed out bluntly, his voice harsh in the silence. Almost jumping, Hiccup glanced over where his armour had been ripped away by the Hunter's axe-and there was the corner of the reddish-pink brand, clearly visible in the defect. He cringed back.

"It's...I..." he managed and backed up a pace. "I'm sorry," he murmured. There was a more awkward silence, punctuated only by the thump of feet as all the Riders dismounted and then as the twins came to stand on each side of the auburn-haired rider. Hiccup scarcely dared breathe in the pause and then they wrapped him in a Thorston sandwich hug. Ruff rested her head on his shoulder and Tuffnut pulled his face into his neck.

"It's okay," the female twin said. "You have nothing to apologise for."

"We should be apologising," Heather added. "We should have realised."

"Kept it a secret," Hiccup mumbled, his voice muffled. "Because knew when you knew that you'd reject me and realise you had wasted your time."

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs said in shock. "We would never..."

"Actually, we should," Snotlout cut in, his voice angry. "I mean, the law says he is a slave. That he can't be the Heir any longer, that anyone who finds him can claim him as a slave because he has been marked..."

"SNOTLOUT!" Heather snapped.

"I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what we should be doing," the stocky rider pointed out, his brows dipped. "Look, I know the law-and so do you. And so does he. That's why he ran, after all!"

"'Sright," Hiccup mumbled as Tuff stroked his head, still hugging him.

"That is just weird," Snotlout commented.

"Well, I don't see you trying to comfort our distraught leader," the male twin snapped back. Hiccup gently tapped his arm and as he released him, the one-legged Rider took an urgent gasp.

"AIR!" he choked and took a couple of desperate breaths.

"Um...sorry?" Tuff tried.

"Muttonhead! We're supposed to be making him feel better, not suffocating him!" Ruff snarked.

"Well, if we had wanted to do that, Butt-Elf, I would have made him sniff your hair!"

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Apart from the fact it stinks of rancid fish oil and is incredibly attractive to scauldrons? And gulls? Lemme think?"

"Guys!" Fishlegs said pleadingly.

"Will you two just SHUT UP?" Snotlout yelled as Hiccup sighed.

"You should go," he said wearily but Heather walked forward and touched his hand.

"You're hurt," she told him.

"I'll live," he reminded her, his shoulders slumped.

"Can we please get out of this rain and then we can angst away to our heart's content?" Snotlout snarked, ducking under Hookfang's wing. The iron-grey sky had broken and rain was steadily lashing down on the Riders. Hiccup's hair was sodden and rain was trickling down his pale face. He gestured as Toothless bounded forward and lifted his wing over his Rider with a worried croon.