Of Axes and Dragons

About fate and war

Berk was not a peaceful place. It had never been, and as long as Hiccup had lived, he never thought Berk would ever be peaceful. For one thing, its inhabitants enjoyed conflict so much they had to engage in extreme sports and games just to keep their competitive spirits at bay. They also became targets to many ambitious kingdoms that attacked them to steal their riches and, above all, their mighty beasts.

What Hiccup never even imagined was that Berk would be the one to start a conflict, and with a Southern Celtic Kingdom, no less. That is why he was so surprised when all Berkians agreed to engage in a mighty battle with the kingdom of Dun'Broch. And truth be told, he only agreed to partake in this when Astrid convinced him he could find new dragon species in the southern regions.

And now he found himself in a viking ship, sailing across the seas of the archipelago and with one destination ahead. He was devastated because of the blonde's breakup, and although the dragons kept him good company, he felt lonely and lost. His best friend, Fishlegs, had decided to stay in Berk to take care of the island and the dragon eggs that had just been laid. Although the rest of the dragon riders and his mum were there, with him, all facing treacherous waters and unknown destinies, Hiccup found himself inside a foggy state of mind, in which he could only clear his thoughts through writing passages of his adventures and misadventures alike.

To Astrid's dismay, Hiccup had not yet taken in the new dynamic between the two, and since she was ready to move on, she found herself in the awkward situation of the nasty ex. She was known as the most fit for war amongst all the vikings, her being the leader of Team A, and the second on command when it came to the main dragon riders, but she knew only too much about strategies, and she knew she needed her old companion.

The blonde paced to and fro, debating with herself whether it was a good idea to ask Hiccup for advice, or to just talk to Valka and the riders about their plans for battle. When she was in the middle of her inside discussion, a friendly face approached her and hesitantly placed a hand over her arm.

"Astrid?" asked Eret, "everything alright?"

The blonde woman was startled, but soon waved off her initial surprise to replace it with the most polite smile she could muster.

Although her body felt at ease whenever he was around, she still hadn't wrapped her mind around the complexity of their relationship. She was used to trust Hiccup with almost anything, but there was something about Eret that went beyond trust.

"I don't know how to talk to Hiccup" she confessed, followed by a sigh, "he's my friend, and I need him, but you know how hurt we both are..."

The taller man nodded, and gripped Astrid's shoulder plate harder. He smiled back at her.

"Maybe just, give him his time. He's been awfully invested in that diary of his." Eret said, gazing sweetly at her, "tomorrow we will reach shore, by then you could try talking to him."

She dried a tear she didn't know was there and laid her head in his chest. It wasn't a hug per say, but she could feel his heartbeat against her ear, and he surrounded her with his massive arms. It felt like home.

As Eret had promised, the ship met the shore a day later. It was a virgin beach, and they did their best to have the most silent disembarkment possible. It was a matter of hours before sunrise that the vikings laid their tents, scattered through the woods, and prepared their invasion. Dun'Broch mainland was known as an impenetrable force, surrounded by complicated bridges, stone walls as tall as they were thick, and forests as wild as they were cursed. But the hairy hooligans had dragons and a thirst for battle only comparable to the Scots themsemves. And so, an hour after dawn, the battle begun.

Hiccup had been in the defensive line, trying his hardest to stop the advances of the Scots by sending plasma shots towards the horses, but never at them. It was a blessing that Toothless never missed a shot. His dragon was the fastest and deadliest, and they had a connection deeper than any man and dragon had ever had. That is why it absolutely surprised him when a single arrow was shot at him, piercing through one of the multiple leather straps that held him against his saddle, and feeling almost as if an expert shot had been aimed at the one strap that held it all together, he fell down the skies and right into Astrid's and Stormfly's way. The duo caught him mid air and put him in the ground, to then continue their own attacks. He watched as Toothless struggled to land in the least harmful way. They were in separated by multiple warriors, fiends and foes alike. He got up on his feet as quickly as he could and started opening his way towards his mount, but a hooded figure stopped him.

The person was at least a head shorter than Hiccup. Their head and body were covered in a black wool hood and their face covered with a metal mask. They were waring a chainmail and a tartan underneath, with green, blue and red stripes that Hiccup recognized as the royal family knit. The hooded figure had a bow crossing their shoulder, a sword hanging from one side of their hip and a quiver hanging on the opposite. They were honding a spear and their feet were protected by multiple layers of black leather and ties. Overall, they looked as deadly as they were small.

"Ah, hey, nice arrows" Hiccup verbally spat, instantly regretting dvery word he uttered, but unable to stop himself. "You must be the one who took me and Toothless down, nice aim!"

"Shut up!" the hooded stranger yelled, their voice were both high pitched and forced, as if it was almost painful for the person to speak, "I am the greatest warrior in the land, and I demand you to face me!"

Hiccup reached to the side of his flying suit, where his flaming sword usually sat. Of course, as lucky as he was, the sword wasn't there, and he felt helpless. Aware of his situation, he tried to back down, but he was completely surrounded in the chaos of battle. Instead of charging at him, the self proclaimed greatest warrior in the land turned around, grabbed a berkian by the collar and flipped him over as if he weighed no more than a pillow, and disarmed him, then throwing the sword at Hiccup.

"Square up, chief, don't you waste my time!" the warrior said, crossing the spear against his head and pulling out his own sword from its scabbard.

Hiccup hesitantly picked up the stolen sword and did as his opponent said, unknown to him that, the opponent himself, was to become his most trusted ally.