𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠

Chapter 11 - The Great Kings

Cheering and laughing could be heard, as food was passed amongst the people.

Dagur, Heather, and Eret were laughing at something that Hiccup had said.

" Oh, man that was the best thing you've said these ten years." Dagur placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

" Yeah, where did you learn to be so funny Hiccup?" Heather asked, Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck.

" Ah, I don't know what you're talking about." Hiccup got up and held his hand out for the other's bowls.

They handed him the bowls and the exiled Prince placed them in a washbasin.

Hiccup scrubbed them, till they were clean and stacked them on the other piles.

Heather and the boys got up, as Hiccup headed out of the encampment of tents and up to a hill.

The four of them lied down, their dragons sitting not too far from their riders, snoring.

" Oh, man that food was berserk," Dagur exclaimed laying his head on the grass.

" Dagur you are berserk." Hiccup replied, Dagur hit him on the shoulder.

" Dude it was a compliment." Hiccup hit the buff man right back.

" What did I tell you Hiccup, this is the life," Heather told the Auburn haired man next to her.

" Your right about that." Hiccup sighed, as Toothless came over and leaned his head on Hiccup's chest.

" Ah, you overgrown lizard." Toothless huffed, as he closed his eyes and smiled.

" Hey, Dagur, do you ever look up there and wonder if our father watches over us?" Heather asked her brother, Hiccup stayed silent.

" Oh Heather, I don't wonder I know, our father is where ever you want him to be." Heather looked at Dagur weirdly, before nodding.

" Oh, I just thought he was, I don't know, in our hearts." Heather hit her brother on the head and the man winced.

" What do you think Hiccup?" Eret asked him, Hiccup sighed.

" I don't know, but somebody once told me, " Hiccup scratched Toothless' ears and looked up at the stars.

" That the great Kings of the past are up there and they're watching over us." Toothless opened his eyes and warbled in agreement.

" That whenever we need them, they'll be there." Heather smiled at her adopted brother's analogy of what as really up there.

" So a bunch of royal dead guys are up there watching over us, ha!" Dagur and Eret burst out laughing, Hiccup sat up.

" I take it back, that's the funniest thing you've said in your ten years." Hiccup didn't look at them, Heather scowled at her brother.

" Hiccup, think about it, why would a bunch of kings watch over us?" Hiccup didn't reply at first and sighed.

" Yeah, yeah, it's pretty ridiculous." Hiccup pushed Toothless' head of his lap and stood up.

The Night Fury looked at his rider with concern, as Hiccup dusted himself off.

" I'm gonna go for a fly, see you guys back at camp." Hiccup walked away, with Toothless following close behind.

" You guys are terrible friends!" Heather yelled at the boys, as she walked back to camp.

" Great, now your sisters mad, why did you have to laugh?" Dagur sat there and watched his sister and friend walk away.

" I wasn't the only one who laughed, Eret son of Eret!" Dagur shouted, while running after his sister and friend.

~ Line Break ~

Toothless glided over the pristine landscape below, the aurora dancing with the moon above.

Hiccup lay on his dragons back, his prosthetic sitting in the stirrup, Toothless crooned at his rider.

" I'm ok, just annoyed slightly." Toothless nodded, Hiccup rubbed his hand on his dragon's wing.

" I can't tell them what happened, I can't tell anyone." Hiccup sat up and pulled his dagger out from his belt.

The handle was rough and worn, everything about it made him think of the home he once had.

" He, he said, he'd always be there and I had to go and screw it up." Hiccup clenched the dagger and closed his eyes.

" It's because of me!" Hiccup yelled into the sky, throwing his head back.

In an instant, he threw the dagger away and it plummeted down to the earth, but instead of landing on hard ground, it landed on a log, floating in the river.

The log floated down the river, with its precious cargo safely trapped within a rotted out hole.

It's destination unknown and it's path uncertain as the log made its way North.

~ Line Break ~

The log sat on the bank of a semi-dried creek, outside of Berk, the sun shining off the blade within.

Gothi was by the waterside, sifting through her bag looking for a bottle to collect water, when she spotted the shiny object.

Gothi walked over to the log and peered through the hole, discovering the dagger.

She pulled it out and examined it, before placing it in her bag and heading back to her hut.

Gothi waddled into her hut, emptied the contents of her bag and sorted through it.

When she came to the dagger, though, it had her stumped, why would anyone throw away such a good dagger.

Gothi ran her fingers over the bottom side of the blade and felt a few small indentations.

She turned the dagger over and gasped, carved into the metal was an insignia, reading 'HHH III'.

Gothi got up and pulled the parchment of the royal family out, the day Hiccup was born.

She looked at the hand-drawn image and jumped up in excitement.

" Hann er á lífi, hann er á lífi!" She held the dagger up into the sky and kept dancing.

" Hiccup's á lífi, Hiccup's á lífi!" She ran out onto her balcony and took in a deep breath.

" You hear me, Stoick, your boy's alive!" She shouted into the sky, all she had to do was find him now.

Gothi grabbed her bag, her staff, the parchment, and the dagger.

She climbed down the incredibly long ladder and headed south, she knew one thing.

" It is time, my King, it is time." Gothi looked up at the sky and smiled.