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Things were getting desperate.
The battle had been raging for hours now and Hiccup was sure that they were all reaching their limit. Astrid was going strong but in the brief moments they crossed paths he could see the stress and haggard news around her eyes.
The twins were as vibrant as ever but their jeers and shouts had been trailing off and they were both slowing down. Snotlout and Fishlegs had taken to tag teaming the enemy ships together when it became clear they should start conserving energy.
There were just so many ships. He had given the order to evacuate the children and elderly an hour ago, he and the dragon riders were just stalling for time now. Toothless flicked his hands with his long ears to get him to pay attention to the battle again.
Worrying about the evacuation efforts could be done when they weren’t about to be shot out of the sky.
“Yeah, yeah. I got you bud.” He murmured as he and toothless started another dive to fire a shot at their artillery. The high whistle as they reached speed was near deafening but to Hiccup it sounded like a battle cry from the gods themselves. Men and sailors shouted to each other to get down and some even jumped overboard as the explosion rocked the lead ship of the fleet back and it started sinking, making a sort of blockade in the entrance to Berk’s hamlet.
That should buy us some time. Hiccup thought grimly. He had no idea where he would take his people after all of this was over. The village was already burning and he couldn’t justify himself and his people staying here when all of the archipelago was gunning for their heads and their dragons. They needed somewhere safe to live and Berk just wasn’t that anymore.
He had been chief for four years. And things were already going to Niflheim. He had married Astrid two years ago and everything was peaceful and Berk was thriving. The dragon riders were growing in numbers and Astrid and Snotlout had taken great pleasure in making sure they were up to snuff. Astrid had made the obvious choice for general and Snotlout for Berks first line of defense. Fishlegs and the twins for his closest advisors.
Hiccup hadn’t been happier. His mother had decided to make regular visits to Berk and aid in the migrations, he knew exactly where things had gone wrong and fell into chaos so quickly. The dragon hunters had learned from the last war, they prepared and gathered a far larger army. This was something he couldn’t hope to fight, Viggo who was always three steps ahead and Dagur who was unpredictable, Drago and his army. none of this compared to Grimmel and his preparations.
Hiccup hadn’t even known there was an enemy until he was already attacking Berk.
Hiccup called for a retreat when he saw another fleet approaching from the west. The escape boats were in that direction and they would need to defend them before they reached them. Astrid was on his wing and guarding his back before he could blink and the rest of the riders made for higher altitudes with the sound of the horn, out of the range of the bolas and flaming catapults.
The rush of battle and blood and fire and horror was something Hiccup was used to by now having spent his life living and fighting as a Viking. They just barely made it away from their pursuers but not without heavy losses. The somber air that was present in all of the still living Berkians was disheartening to say the least. Hiccup knew this was the time for the chief to step up and reassure their people of their uncertain future but he was so tired. He was also still covered in the blood of a rider who had been shot down and had been caught out of the sky. The scramble to direct people and get an idea of what they had and who had lived was mostly over.
Dragons soared alongside the ships and those too hurt to fly were being bandaged alongside the people. Most of them carried supplies and equipment that had been managed to be saved from the village.
He needed to work out what their plan was. He needed to hug Astrid and tell himself that they would be okay. He needed to eat an entire yak. He needed to sleep for a week. Hiccup needed a lot of things but he sucked it up and squared his shoulders, drawing the attention of everyone around him as he walked purposefully through the crowd and came to a decision as he stood atop an empty barrel. Those on the closest ships turned to listen to a hush falling over all his people and eyes snapped to him. A chief was the person who made the hard decisions and protected his people, not sleeping on the job, he snarked to himself silently as his gaze swept through the crowds.
Astrid stood by his side as unmoving as a statue and a pillar of strength he drew on as he opened his mouth to address the Vikings around him.
”People of Berk! Our home has been taken from us! Now we look to the seas in front of us for our new home! We are Vikings! We are Dragon riders! If our enemies thought we would roll over and die because of a little fighting they are dead wrong! We will find a New Berk! And grow stronger in the adversity they have thrown at us! Only the gods themselves can tell a stubborn Viking to back down and give up! Those of us who watch from Valhalla are roaring for our next great adventure! We will give them a good show, won't we!” The Vikings roared back as he threw up his fist to the sky and wondered if his dad really was proud of him.
”Set a course for new lands! We carry on!” He yelled as he turned to the sun rising behind him. Astrid did the same and snuck her hand into his, giving him a proud smile that he returned as they looked at the sky.
Things would always look better in the daylight. He remembered his mother telling him once. And well- she hasn’t been wrong yet.
They don’t make it to the next island let alone new Berk. Grimmel’s fleet comes out of nowhere and decimates the Berkian ships and no one is spared. People are dying left and right and Hiccup doesn’t know much beyond killing the next attacker. He sees Astrid and Stormfly falling from the sky and he’s stuck on the opposite side of the battlefield, stuck roaring his grief at the next man wielding a sword at him and his vision turns red and he loses all sense of time.
Women and children were ordered to fly away on any available dragons and escape to safety ages ago. All the fighters had accepted that this would be their last stand, they wouldn’t be walking away from this but every man they killed was a man that wouldn’t get the chance to hurt his people and Hiccup took his flaming sword and leapt into battle without any hesitation. Astrid wouldn’t let him do it alone of course and so she fought by his side. But then a ship broke off in the direction of the fleeing children and Hiccup went after them as the fastest one on a night fury and sank any ships that dared to try and follow.
Then Toothless was shot out of the sky and they managed to land on the command ship. Hiccup saw Astrid fall and then he was fighting and fighting, Toothless was injured but roaring like a devil behind him as he screamed his fury.
When he next saw what was in front of him it was grimmel looking like shit on his knees in front of him, burns and cuts all bleeding heavily as Hiccup held a sword, not his own- he had lost the flaming one a while ago, to his throat and the ship was on fire and sinking around him.
”Chief of Berk. Hiccup Haddock the third, son of Stoik the vast and greatest dragon master of the age. You’ve lost. All of Berk is burned to the ground and your people are dead and scattered. I've won, the Night Fury is dead and you are minutes away from bleeding out as well. Any last words?” Hiccup’s face was a mask of stone.
The man was on his knees in front of him and yet everything he had said was true. Hiccup truly had lost everything.
“I might have lost but you haven’t won Grimmel.” Hiccup said his calm voice was a sharp contrast to the roar of battle still raging beyond them.
The ship sank even lower.
”Yes I have! Can you not see the destruction around you? I did all of this and I have killed the last Night Fury! No more will people and dragons coexist like you have tried and failed to accomplish. I have won!” He spat, blood dripping from his lips as his wild furious eyes found him.
”People will always find a way, you can’t kill an ideal Grimmel.” Hiccup said unmoved. He was numb, he couldn’t let himself think about his dead friends or his injuries, he comforted himself with the thought of seeing them all again very soon, because Grimmel was still half right, he wasn’t going to live long he could feel that well enough.
”So what?! You think all this fighting and dying was pointless? Your ideals and stubbornness will just continue on? War will always come to those who make friends with dragons! I’m not the first and I won't be the last! Your peace won't last forever!” Grimmel shouted with what looked like the last of his strength.
”We’re Vikings, it’s an occupational hazard.” Hiccup said, savoring the look of indignation on the man's face as he swung the blade for Grimmel’s neck, blood sprayed once more and Hiccup fell to his knees as the ship filled with seawater up to his knees.
He couldn’t bring himself to turn his gaze to the large unmoving black figure to his left as he stared up into the sky. The sun set on Hiccup's last day alive, it felt so much longer than just a day since he held Astrid’s hand, and all he could think about was how much he had wanted to do and all of his regrets. Some of the good times flashed through his mind as well. He had lived a life worthy of a Viking at the very least.
Soon he’d be in Valhalla and he’d be able to see his father again and maybe all of his friends. Though, he felt selfish for hoping they were there.
Soon.