Empire at war (A Httyd Fanfiction)

Chapter 7: War on the horizon

A/N: I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, despite COVID 19 continuing to be a nuisance to us all. I'm going to escalate things pretty quickly and soon war will erupt between Hiccup and his enemies. Anyway, onwards to the next chapter!

(Hiccup's pov)

The following day came quickly, I had wanted to express my sincere apologies to Nuffink, but he has kept his distance from me and has remained in the embrace of Katerina. My regret was reaching an all-time high the more I dwelled upon striking Nuffink numerous times throughout his life, and whenever I had delivered such a blow to him, he'd shrink back in fear; the same fear that once reflected in my own eyes when I endured hell on Berk.

Currently, I was seated on my throne in the pulvinus of my arena and watching the spectacle of my finest gladiators fighting warriors, now reduced to slaves captured in foreign campaigns. This event was but one of many I have created for my people to witness and even partake in— witnessing and fighting in the arena against foreign warriors who robbed them of loved ones, there's also the Dragon Races where you not only earn fame but also wealth as well, and there is also the Trials where one competes in several ordeals of strength to climb to the mountain top of fame and wealth. These games and events served as a way to distract my people from the harsh reality of life, to indulge themselves in thrilling events, and witness the lives of some of the greatest foreign warriors the Red Maw has fought being snuffed out in my arena.

Unlike the gladiators of the Roman Empire who stood as slaves, my gladiators were free sons and daughters of Norway who stood as retired warriors who yet had some fight within them. They stood as some of my most gifted warriors and schooled many of the young men and women in the combative arts of a Viking, some of my finest warriors were forged in the sands of my arena and many more have helped me gain victory in my foreign conquests throughout Midgard.

But now I feel a subtle change in the wind; a coming storm that will threaten to wash away my empire from history.

A thing I would not see come to pass.

"Hiccup?"

My thoughts were broken by Astrid, once the girl of my dreams who couldn't have cared less about me, now seated by my side as Frigg, Queen of Asgard itself. Astrid's beautiful face was twisted with concern for me, she then raised a questioning eyebrow. "You were zoning out," she then continued, "are you alright?" I sighed heavily and waited for the roars of the thousands of Viking citizens to die down before answering my wife. "You know that I have been... harsh with Nuffink. And while his foolishness has upset me many times, I regret striking him out of anger," once more the roars of my people filled my ears as one of my gladiators struck down one of the foreign opponents, "every time I wish to offer my sincere apologies to Nuffink, he evades me."

Taking one of my hands and lacing our fingers together, Astrid then speaks. "Our son is... different," she then smirked, "much like his father." I chuckled lightly and then felt the pang of regret and guilt tugging at my heart, "Nuffink reminds me of myself when I was a younger man after I left Berk. Granted I didn't indulge in drugs and go off whoring. I desired to transform our homelands into something far greater than what they are and to do so, I needed to ally with the most dangerous and ruthless Vikings of our lifetime. I defied three centuries of tradition and have created the bridge of coexistence between man and dragon. And after striking down those who would tear down everything I've built, my empire has grown vast and it holds the promise of eclipsing all others in all of human history!" Raising my left hand and witnessing the crimson plasma that glowed in my palm, I continued. "All I want is for our son to prove himself a man, and quickly! His childish antics will bring a war the likes of which we have never seen before in our lifetime!"