𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter twenty-five; hiccup
❝ mutiny! ❞

"SNOTLOUT!"

Hiccup growled and kicked his legs up at his cousin lounging back in his Monstrous Nightmare's saddle. It wasn't long before Eret's ship below was as small as a fishing boat, the members upon it scrambling as they tried to understand what had just happened. Hiccup was trying to understand, too.

Wings ripped through blue sails and the ship below rocked. Hiccup continued to shout, furious as he saw Yrsa stumble, trying to catch herself before she was tossed overboard.

"Dragon Riders!"

Toothless shrieked. Hiccup caught sight of him clawing up the mast and jumping to the tops of the broken sails, readying a blast only to fall short, realising who had come to mess everything up.

"Put me down!" seethed Hiccup, tugging at Hookfang's claws that were wrapped tight around his arms.

"Put you down?" snapped Astrid to the left, soaring in with Stormfly, her axe ready. "Are you insane?!"

"I had a plan!" argued the chief's son, continuing to struggle. His cousin laughed, albeit enjoying the annoyed shouts and yells of the young man below. "Snotlout, what━what are you doing?!"

Snotlout just smirked, perching his elbow on Hookfang's horns to peer up at the Zippleback drifting beside them. He winked at Ruffnut. Oh, great, grumbled Hiccup. I'm now Snotlout's unwilling wingman. "See how well I protect and provide━?" the short, but stout Viking gestured a lazy hand down at Hiccup.

"Ugh!" groaned Ruffnut, rolling her eyes so hard Hiccup was prepared they'd fall out. "You're so━whoa!"

Only barely did she and Tuff manouver their dragon away from the nets flung from the contraptions at the boat's oarport. Below, Yrsa struggled to her feet, racing towards the trappers with her axe she had managed to retrieve. Helrose, very confused, peered back at her under her wing━it took a moment for the dragon to realise she wanted her to follow. She started after her with a jump.

The Twins darted out of another webbed trap. "What is with all the nets?!" yelled Tuffnut.

"Hey!" Ruff, twisted Barf's head downwards and her Twin and Belch followed. They spun out of the next projectile. "Watch it! That was━" her last word was but a breath of surprise, or maybe sheer awe. Eyes widening, she sat up in her saddle to gain a wondrous glance down at the trapper manning the nets. Eret son of Eret pulled the lever back, and Ruff's shocked face turned into a sultry smirk. "Close ... oh ... my ... me likey..."

Great! Hiccup thought as he swung his legs back and forth, trying to create momentum as he worked his way out of Hookfang's grip. Just what everyone needs! Ruffnut falling for a trapper! Snotlout's dragon glanced down at him with a narrowed glance that said, what are you doing? Stop it. It's annoying.

Ruffnut threw her arms out with a pleasant sigh as the next net flung up. Tuffnut turned to stare at her, outraged. "Take me━!" the net encased her and Barf flung his neck a little, just as annoyed.

Hiccup finally gained enough momentum to slip from Hookfang's grip a little. With a final grunt, he swung his legs up and pushed away, spinning out of the dragon's hold and diving free-fall back to the boat. Slipping his hands down, he flung out his wings, the familar jolt hitting his stomach as he wavered in the wind, his descent jagged.

"HEY!" Snotlout shouted after him. "Rude!"

Eret aimed towards him, but Astrid had his back. Having landed on the boat, previously helping Yrsa take out the trappers by the nets, she jumped and toppled Eret away, "Hold your fire!"

The net was let loose, but the aim so far off, Hiccup could weave down and away. Astrid and Eret rolled across the wood of the boat.

Hiccup pushed his body upwards to grab the rope of the sails. His hands burned as he slid down, but broke his fall enough to jump and land, safely, back on the deck. Toothless jumped down after him, the ship rocking a little at the impact. He nudged his rider, but Hiccup ignored him to shout, "Uh, what are you guys doing here?!"

Yrsa reached his side with Helrose, holding a hand to Toothless to keep him back so Hiccup could fold his leather wings back into his suit. The trappers were all dumbfounded by the amount of Riders landing on their small boat, their dragons barely fitting. Stormfly squawked, flapping her wings at Astrid who finally got up, kneeing Eret in the groin as she did so. He gasped, clutching in between his legs as he rolled over. An ... interesting way to keep him down, but Hiccup guessed it worked ... he just seriously felt for him at this moment. A knee to the groin from Astrid? Oh, gods, the pain he remembers ...

Not far from them, Fishlegs squeezed Meatlug in beside Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare huffed, annoyed but pulled up a wing to let the Gronckle shuffle in. Barf and Belch settled themselves on the stern, necks long enough to peer around the mast at the trappers, curious. Following━with a great big thud━came a hefty Hotburple. To no one's surprise, Grump was alseep as soon as he touched the deck.

"We're here━" cried his rider, furious at Hiccup and Yrsa, "━to rescue you!"

Hiccup tugged at his hair before gesturing widly at Gobber, "We don't need to be rescued!"

"Wait," Tuff faltered, shoulders slumping. "Really?" he threw his head back, devastated. "Awe! Way to ruin the fun, Hiccup!"

He stared at him, incredulous. A bottle of fury was rising up in his chest━he should have seen in coming, but it didn't make him any less frustrated. Did they not trust him? Did they not think he could do this? He was trying to do the right thing! "What do you mean━?"

"Enough!"

The boat shook━more than it had before. Hiccup froze up immediately at the voice, lips pursed as he heard Skullcrusher growl. Glancing back, he couldn't help but be a little sheepish ... oh, yes, his father was definitely angry.

Even Toothless hunched back behind Yrsa, covering his ears and eyes with his paws. He knew what Hiccup was in for, and the dragon couldn't watch. Thanks for the support, Hiccup thought bitterly.

Stoick the Vast jumped from his saddle and landed with a mighy huff. Taking a moment to fix his helmet on his firery red hair, he glowered at Hiccup down his large nose.

Eret pushed himself to his feet, trying hard to regain his pride after his encounter with Astrid, "Well!" he announced, puffing out his chest. He approached the chief, arrogant. "Didn't you just pick the wrong ship, eh? I'm Eret, son of━" Stoick's hand enveloped the trapper's entire face, shoving him to the ground at Grump's feet. He went to get up again, but Gobber just smacked his mace onto his head, and the trapper hit the deck. Grump huffed at the movement, annoyed to be woken. He moved his head, setting it onto Eret's back━

"Ooof!" he was met with a mouth-full of splinters and wood. Hiccup heard a muffled, "Get this thing off of me!"

"Anyone else?" Gobber offered happily. Eret's crew looked away, shuffling willingly to the capture of the Dragon Riders. "That's what I figured."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. He had everything under control! Watching his father turn to face him like he was still just a fifteen-year-old boy made his jaw tic. He wanted to make him chief, and yet here he was, sending the entire cavalry after him because━what? He didn't trust him? He didn't think he could do it? How was Hiccup supposed to be Chief, how could he believe his father believed he could take the pads and cloak when here he was, completely disregarding his choice. Hiccup could fix this! He knew how to fix this. What was better? War? Was that what his father expected of him as chief? To bring Berk to a full-blown dragon war?

"You two," his father pointed at him and Yrsa, "saddle up. We're going home."

Clenching his hands, Hiccup replied back a short, "No."

The other Dragon Riders all shared anxious glances. Even Yrsa winced to herself, running fingers along Toothless's and Helrose's scales. But Hiccup wasn't going to back down. He refused to. Why couldn't his father just see?!

Stoick gritted his teeth and tugged at the greying red hair of his thick beard, "Of all the irresponsible━"

That set Hiccup off, "I'm trying to protect our dragons and stop a war!" he snapped. His father wanted him to be chief? This was the chief he was going to be. A mediator. Not a warlord. And maybe his anger stemmed from hurt or disappointment, but it was matching his father's toe-to-toe. "How is that irresponsible?!"

"Because war is what he wants, son!"

Biting his tongue, Hiccup had to look away. Five years have changed a lot, but not everything changed. He still felt like he was talking to a brick wall. A stubborn, big, Viking brick wall who was supposed to be his father and his Chief━not ever the best combination. The boat grew silent as the argument ceased, but the tension did not. It was suffocating, reminding Hiccup of the ash in his lungs when he first woke up after the battle with the Red Death.

Gazing briefly at his father, he faltered to see not anger in his eyes, but instead a breath of shame. Hiccup froze, brows lifting in━shock? Sympathy? He didn't know. All he felt was a sudden stop of his heart at the slump of his father's normal rigid, stoic composure with a dreadful sigh. His gaze flickered down, and this was the first time he's never been able to look Hiccup in the eye. He looked ... older; as though he had aged ten years in just seconds.

When he spoke again, there was no anger, no frustration ... but an ache━a horrible, mournful ache that made his voice low and hoarse like he had swallowed embers and charred his voice. "Years ago," began Stoick the Vast, "there was a great gathering of chieftans to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a strange from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin."

His eyes drifted off into the distance, dull and far away.

Hiccup knew this wasn't going to end well. His breath hitched to see his father so vulnerable, or maybe the anticipation of what was going to happen ... to know why the man who feared nothing was terrified of a single man from a far off land.

"He carried no weapon," continued the chief, "and he spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons. He claimed that he, alone, could control the dragons and that he━alone━could keep us safe, if we chose to bow down and follow him."

The other Riders laughed, sniggering to each other. Hiccup stayed silent, sharing a quick glance with Yrsa who had no shine to her cheeks. Astrid glanced at Snotlout, hollering with a hand to his belly with a scowl. Fishlegs quickly copied him, glancing over at Ruff in hopes to impress her. But the older Twin was too busy wiping her own hysterical tears. "Stupid━" she snickered and her brother clapped his hands together to cry, "━Ah! Good one!"

"Aye," agreed Stoick, grave, "we laughed, too ... until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out, Then see how well you do without me!"

The laughter slowly fell away to see the grief upon their chief's face. Hiccup didn't realise he had grabbed Yrsa's hand until he felt her squeeze his fingers tightly. His heart was thundering, stuck in the back of his throat as his stomach twisted.

His father stared at the ground, shoulders tense. "The rooftop suddenly burst into flames, and from it, armoured dragons desended, burning the hall to the ground ..." he gazed up at the sky, eyes glistening with prayers to Valhalla, "I ..." his voice caught, "... was the only one to escape."

A sombre silence settled on the ship. No one was laughing anymore. There was no humour in the story told. Even Eret son of Eret hung his head beneath Grump.

Stoick took a deep breath and returned with his usual scowl, meeting Hiccup's gaze to say sternly, "Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with."

But Hiccup's mind was made up. He let go of Yrsa's hand, if not even more determined than he had been before. He couldn't let that happen to Berk. He couldn't. If war with Drago Bludvist meant that ... he had to stop it. "Maybe ..." he murmured, turning to Toothless.

His father gritted his teeth, "Hiccup━"

"I'm still going to try." Swinging his leg over the saddle, Hiccup settled in, brows set, nostrils flaring. Toothless shook a little, getting ready to take flight. "This is what I'm good at, and━and if I could change your mind, I can change his, too."

Yrsa was watching him with an encouraging smile and nod. At least someone was on his side. It made him feel a breath of relief to think he was doing the right thing. Hiccup met her gaze briefly, not sure whether she'll follow or stay, but he grasped tightly on his saddle and said, "Come on━"

With a swift click of the Night Fury's tail, they were up in the air.

As he went, Yrsa was already onto her saddle. As everyone watched the heir take to the sky, they didn't realise she was there to follow. Whispering to Helrose, there was a cry━

Stoick realised. "No!" he shouted, but it was too late. "Yrsa━get back here!"

But there was no reasoning. Hiccup and Yrsa were gone. Stoick gritted his teeth, watching their dragon's silhouettes disappear before he spun his shoes and snapped, "Astrid!"

The blonde's gaze snapped over, startled.

"Lead the others back the Berk," he ordered angrily. She nodded, heart still racing after the story he told. She glanced up at her friends, now disappeared. She wanted to go after them. As if knowing the look on her face, the chief growled. "No. I have had enough mutiny for one day."

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟

     a/n: imma be honest, I was iffy about making yrsa follow hiccup cos he meets his mother and has that whole part of the movie that is really based around him. But if I didn't switch it up, that means I'll end up having three httyd books that go on the same journey in httyd2. And considering yrsa was there for toothless, I thought I'd keep the flow going that she's there to see the sanctuary, and hopefully make it work where hiccup still gets the growth in meeting his mother, but also not making yrsa seem like she's just there. So we shall see hehe.

     I got a drawing done! Just a quick comic of yrsa braiding hiccup's hair. I'm actually currently working on a full on paint so I can't wait until you can see that 😆 I just imagining hiccup just helping yrsa become so comfortable in herself to the point where she is so poised and still snobbish and such, but she just lets her walls down around him and starting to around the others where this fun loving, happy side of her comes out, quite like the personality of a Devilish Dervish 😁😉