Chapter Text
Hiccup glided lower as the drew closer and closer. The wind died down as they slowed, switching from a howling whistle to a soft breeze, as they prepared to land on the rapidly approaching island. The sky was a dark blue in front of him, the brightest stars beginning to peak through as the sun set into the ocean behind him, a purple ring lighting the sky around it. A crescent moon lay in the darkening sky above, shining a soft light over the island. Enough to see, but also enough to keep them hidden.
As the island left the horizon and drew closer below them, the twinkling lights of the town began to appear. They were faint, and few and far between. Most of the houses lay dark and dormant, with little activity even this early into the evening. Hiccup's stomach began to churn as his eyes flicked over town, images flicking through his mind at each building he saw. The docks, the training ring, the town square, the great hall, the forge, his home. Each one exactly where he had left them, yet it didn't feel the same. It felt so recognizable, and so foreign. He was home, but it wasn't his.
Pulling back on the reins, he guided Toothless into floating in a lazy circle, lapping the island while they waited for the others to catch up.
"So this is Berk?" Thorfinn asked from behind him, the man looking down from Toothless at the island below.
"Mhm." Hiccup nodded.
"It's… smaller than I expected."
Hiccup hadn't been able to put his finger on it at first, but Thorfinn was right. As a kid, Berk had been all he'd ever known. Of course he'd always known that Berk had been small, but the hills and forest around the small town had always made the island seem so big, so many places he could explore and hide. But now? He'd seen so much more. Places and people he could never have imagined as a kid. He had seen entire cities larger than the whole island of Berk, packed so dense with people that it made Berk seem like a ghost town.
"Yeah." He whispered. "Yeah I guess it is."
It didn't take longer than a few minutes for Skullcrusher to find them, the tracking dragon making quick work of catching up. The others wanted to take a second to look at the island, the place of Hiccup's birth and the goal of their months of travel, but Hiccup wasted no time. Once Skullcrusher glided up next to them Hiccup told Eret to follow them, and dived.
They dropped towards the island, gliding low towards the west side of the island, skimming over the trees as they searched the island. Hiccup recognizing the path he had taken so often as a boy, the same path that he used to fly hidden when he was learning to fly. His eyes skirted over the tree line, darting back and forth as they searched for the sight he knew. He started to over think as he didn't see it, beginning to wonder if he had missed it, when suddenly he spotted it.
A gap in the trees, where the thick snowy branches suddenly gave way, clearing up. Toothless burst through the trees straight into the gap in the woodlands, where the ground suddenly gave way. Hiccup pulled back, Toothless flapping his wings hard as they came to a stop, before gliding down into the cove below.
The ground thudded as Toothless landed, pufts of powder tossing up in the air his feet flattened the thin layer of snow blanketing the entire ground, The two of them dismounted from the saddle, the snow crunching beneath Hiccup's feet as he hit the ground just in time to watch Skullcrusher slam into ground behind Toothless, showering them all in a thin dust of snow. The dragon breathed heavily, it's breath turning to steam in the cold air, the temperature dropping as night arrived.
"This place is cool." Heather said as she jumped down from the dragon.
"Yeah." Hiccup said, shaking the snow out of his hair. "This is where I met Toothless."
"Ohhh."
They began unloading most of their supplies, creating the beginnings of a small camp in the tiny cave at the back of the cove. They lit a small fire, began unrolling their tents, and as they laid out their food, Thorfinn suddenly spoke up.
"Wait." He said quietly, a confused look spreading across his face. "Didn't they find this place."
The others all looked at him, stopping their unpacking.
"It's winter." Hiccup said, unfazed. "They won't come here. We won't be here long anyway."
They finished unpacking one by one, some of them settling into camp, others taking a look around the cove. Hiccup stepped out as well, looking around the cove.
The pond was lightly frozen over, the thin ice patchy and already showing small cracks. The rocky cliffs were dusted with snow, several of them sporting dark blast marks that Toothless had left all those years ago. The tree Toothless had liked to hang from had grown larger, its branches thicker and more numerous. The dark patch at the base of the trunk was still there, the burnt soil peaking through the dirt, right where they had left it. Although the town no longer felt the same, this place felt almost like home.
"Hey Hiccup, look at this."
Hiccup was drawn out of his trance. Turning around, he spotted Eret and Heather standing towards the other side of the clearing, by the large boulder Toothless often liked to sunbathe on. He walked over, stepping up to the side of them and looking down at what they saw.
Sat on the ground, dusted in a thing blanket of snow, lay a small cairn. The pile of stones was short and crooked, a layer of moss peaking out from under the snow. A group of random objects were spread out around it, including a notebook, a pancil, and some cloth. The pages of the notebook were cracking, the cover fading and its colors muted. The pencil was rotted and crumbling, only the charcoal tip remaining recognizable in the wood scraps. The cloth, which Hiccup imagined used to be clothing, was thin and bare, its threads coming undone, holes having been torn and worn away from the elements and animals.
"Are those…" Eret began.
"Yeah." Hiccup said sharply, sighing as he crossed his arms. "Those were mine. Definitely that one at least." He nodded towards the notebook, one of the few he had left behind.
"Hiccup…"
"There's a chance someone will come here." Hiccup interrupted. "Even though theres no recent signs of anyone coming here, they could be covered by the fresh snow."
"Should we move?" Heather asked.
"No. It's fine." Hiccup said. "But we should hurry. I'll go tonight."
"Tonight?!"
"Yep. Right now."
Without waiting for a response, Hiccup turned away and walked back towards the cave, hurrying to grab his stuff. He did his best to pack light, really only making sure to grab his helmet and sword.
"If I'm not back by morning, you guys should leave." He said as he said goodbye to the others.
They gave each other concerned glances, but none of them said anything to argue against him. Waving a last goodbye, he left the cave and crossed the cove. The snow crunched beneath his feet, his breath turning to steam before him as he breathed. He reached the entrance to the cover, the small crevice in the wall which led up to the forest above, and paused. The shield from when he was a boy, the one that he had gotten stuck in the entrance and always had to duck under, had been pulled out and was placed to the side. It leaned against the side of the cove, covered in a motley layer of moss vines and grime, clearly having been moved a long time ago. Glancing back towards the entrance, he realized that although it was small, it wasn't that small. Anyone his size, or even Eret's size would have been able to leap over it with no trouble. Only someone quite large would have had to move the shield to get in.
Furrowing his brow, he shook his head and moved on, pressing through the vine laden crack as he left the cove. Brushing dirt and plant bits off of his armor, he emerged into the forest. The canopy above was laden with snow, the thick cover blocking out the little moonlight and casting the forest path into darkness. He walked slowly as he made his way through the woods, being careful not to trip as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His heart began to race as he walked the familiar trails, each step taking him closer and closer to the one place he didn't want to be.
He rounded one last corner, pushing past ferns and branches as he abandoned the path and beelined straight for the edge of the forest. Soft rays of moonlight finally shone through the gaps in the tree trunks, illuminated his steps through the forest. He took the last steps towards the forest's edge, about to break through the foliage into the open, when he stopped.
He stood at the edge of the forest, bathed in moonlight, waiting. His breathing was heavy, heart racing as he stared out of the branches at the empty town. The houses stood dark and tall, casting shadows throughout the town. By that point the remaining lights in the town had been snuffed out, leading the buildings to look empty and ghostly, staring down at Hiccup as he walked into Berk once more.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the woods. He gripped his helmet and shoved it on, covering his face as he left the cover of the forest. As he walked through the grass, his pace picked up. His walk began to hurry, becoming a job, then a run, then a sprint. He darted towards the nearest house, ducking into the shadows as quickly as he could. Glancing around to make sure no one was out, he continued.
He continued making his way deeper into the town, ducking from house to house, sticking in the shadows. He slowly made his way towards the main street of Berk, the one that led through town straight to the great hall. Once he found it, he followed it north, slipping through alleys and gaps between houses as he made sure no one could see him. The further he traveled, the deeper into town he went, the more and more he noticed was wrong.
The houses looked old and dilapidated, even the best ones beginning to crumble. Many were covered in burns and scorch marks, holes in walls crudely patched with planks. Plenty had entire sections burned to the ground, exposing the rooms and halls inside. Several looked quite abandoned, the walls covered in cobwebs and dust, the windows cold and empty. And many didn't exist anymore, mere piles of charcoal and ash scattered throughout the town.
Hiccup shivered as he walked, his skin tingling as he walked through the town he once called home. It felt wrong to be here, like he shouldn't have come, like each house was watching him, judging him. He quickened his pace, hurrying through the street as he approached the great hall. As it came into view, his heart rate spiked. His palms grew steady as his pace stumbled, the shock briefly messing up his stride.
He didn't know why he hadn't thought about it before, it all somehow escaping his mind, but sitting there on a hill overlooking the town, in the shadow of the Great Hall, was his old house. The house where Stoick slept. It looked almost the exact same, some of the shingles deteriorating and vines creeping up the walls, yet mostly untouched. Hiccup teared his eyes away and hurried on, not baring to glance at the house as he walked past, trying to ignore the memories that flashed through his mind. All his nights hiding in his room, crying, being yelled at by his father at the table, watching the other kids playing, helping, being accepted through the windows while he sat sketching in his room.
He gritted his teeth as he pushed past, the house falling behind his view as he pushed towards the Great Hall. Its doors and carvings staring to tower overhead, looming above him. The Great Hall where he mostly sat alone, eating as late as possible at night so he could avoid the stares of others. As he approached however, he didn't continue up the stone path towards the hall. Instead he took a smaller path to the left, a small dirt trail that branched off, winding its way towards the side of the mountain in which the Great Hall was carved.
He welcomed the change from stone to dirt beneath his feet, the path feeling more welcome and homely than any other part of the town so far since he stepped foot in Berk. This part of the village, so removed from everything else, was one of the few places he truly felt welcomed. The path trailed lazily towards the mountains, growing steeper and steeper as it winded its way up the cliffs, until eventually it stopped. The dirt gave way to stone steps, each one carved into the mountain climbing higher as they rose upwards.
He walked up the stairs slowly, stepping carefully on the stone covered steps, no railing to guide him as he climbed higher and higher. His legs began to ache as he climbed higher, the stone steps winding their way high into the mountain. Just as he was about to stop for a second and take a break, they leveled out. He had reached the top, the mountain's peak covered in patches of light grass, stone, and snow. The wind howled louder up here, chilling him through his armor despite the leather underneath.
He breathed heavy for a second, allowing himself to catch his breath as he recovered, before looking up. There, hanging over the edge of the mountain, was the most unique building on Berk. Gothi's hut. It sat on wooden stills, high up in the air overlooking the village. It was built from an old boat, the rickety house built on top.
He walked forward and climbed up the wooden steps, the planks creaking beneath his feet. He stepped off the last one on to the balcony at the front of the house, turning to face the small wooden door. Memories flashed before him of standing here as a child, the many, many times he was injured and ran to Gothi for help.
Taking one last deep breath, Hiccup slowly reached up and knocked.
There was silence for a while, Hiccup listening hard to try to hear anything, but there was nothing. The window that sat next to the door was dark and cold, showing nothing. He reached his arm up again, clenching his fist as he prepared to knock, when there was suddenly movement. He heard a soft screech, something shuffling and the creak of old hinges. His heart pounded in his ears as he heard the door unlatch from the other side, the handle clicked, and the door swung open.
He didn't think it was possible for Gothi to look any older, but she did. Her normally braided hair was loose, much more thin than he remembered but still snow white. Her eyes looked exhausted, the lids still half closed, the bags underneath dark and large. Her face seemed to have grown more wrinkles over the years, her hooked nose pink in the cold, and her back a little more hunched than he remembered as she clutched her staff.
She yawned heavily as she opened the door, blinking slowly as she shook the sleep from her mind. She looked up at him for second, confused, before suddenly her eyes flew open. A terrified look spread across her faith as she stumbled backwards, brandishing her staff before her as she saw the figure standing before her, a black silhouette hiding in the moonlight.
Forcing himself to breath slowly, slowing his heart rate, Hiccup's hands shook gently as he reached them upwards. Taking one last breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, he gripped his helmet firmly and pulled it off.
"Hey Gothi." He said with a soft smile.
He stood there for what felt like an eternity, at the doorway of Gothi's hut, the wind softly ruffling through his hair as she stared at him. Her face contorted from one expression to the next as she stared at him with shock, awe, fear, confusion, and a billion other emotions in the span of a second.
Hiccup was about to say something else as he feared she wouldn't move, when suddenly, she did. She stepped forward, grabbing his arm with a surprising amount of strength for a woman her age, and yanked forward. He stumbled as she pulled him into hut, having just a split second to duck under the doorway to avoid hitting his head on the frame.
He tripped as he stumbled into the room, nearly falling over. He stood after catching himself, suddenly taking aback by how familiar the room looked. The room was small and rectangular, the roof barely tall enough to allow him to stand fully. The first thing he spotted was the back wall ,just as chaotic as he remembered. It was packed with shelves, each one covered with strange herbs, spices, ingredients and tools. There was a rack of plants, draping vines and roots dangling in the air, filling the room with an earthy aroma that reminded him so much of his childhood. Under all the racks and shelves was a thin and long desk, covered in chopped up plants, bowls filled with ingredients, knives and other tools all scattered about. To the right of the desk, on the back wall, was a small door that sat ajar, leading deeper into the house.
The right wall sported a tall closet in the right corner, but the rest of the wall was taken up by a bookshelf, packed with books of all sizes and colors, some new some tattered, other parts full of scrolls and loose papers, while other still were covered in carvings or small trinkets. On the left wall hung a large portrait depicting a Yule festival, filled with flickering lights and dancing vikings. Under the painting sat a small table with a single chair, an empty plate resting on the surface.
The door slammed closed behind him as he was pulled in the room. Turning around he came face to face with Gothi, the tiny healer managing to seem intimidating and terrifying despite sitting well below him. Her face was furled with fury, her eye twitching gently as she gripped her staff tightly.
"Gothi, I-"
He could barely get a word in before the old woman's staff swung through the air, the wood slamming into the top of his head with a loud crack. He yelled in pain as she drew her staff back, cowering as she began gesturing wildly, her staff waving around in the air.
"Gothi!" He hissed, wincing as he gingerly touched his hand to his head, "What in Hel's name was that for?"
She slammed her staff against the floor and stared at him angrily, before gesturing at him.
"I know, I know." Hiccup sighed. "Yeah I guess I have a lot to explain."
She looked at him expectantly, brows still furrowed, as if to say, yeah you definitely do. He hesitated as he thought about how to approach this, carefully choosing his words.
"Gothi…" He said softly. "You and I both know I never fit in around here. You of all people know that."
Her expression softened as he spoke, almost reminiscent.
"I eventually made a… friend, who Stoick would never have approved of. But he actually understood me, he cared, and so when everything came to a head with dragon training, I figured it would be easier for everyone if I just left. Berk could be rid of their useless heir, my dad would no longer have to deal with a son he was ashamed of, and I could be free. It was the best option."
Gothi began to chew on her lip, like something was bothering her, but she didn't interrupt.
"I've been able to do so much outside of Berk, go so many places, see so many things. I've finally been able to find who I am, do things I'm proud of. I'm able to be someone the old me would want to be. The stories I could tell, you wouldn't believe."
Gothi raised an eyebrow and gestured with her hand for him to keep going as he paused.
"I can't Gothi." He said with a small head shake. "I don't have time."
That wasn't entirely wrong, they were slightly pressed for time, but in reality there was too much he had to explain, and he had no clue how she would react.
"Just know that I'm happy now, I have new people who I care for, and a home where I'm happy."
Gothi reached forward and gently tapped his armor, as if to say well what about this?
"That's… an even longer story"
He really didn't want to have to explain Toothless right now, and although he wasn't convinced Gothi would hate him for the dragon, he wasn't about to take any chances. Before Gothi had time to say anything, or more accurately gesture something, he continued.
"Look Gothi… there's a reason I'm here. And you're the only person I can think of that can help."
Gothi guided him towards the table in the room, gesturing for him to sit as he spoke, her sitting across from him.
"A terrible disease has spread across my new home, one that they have no knowledge of. It makes people weak, barely able to move or eat, It causes coughing and vomiting, and it turns their skin green."
Gothi's eyes grew wide as he described it, coming to a conclusion that he already knew.
"Yeah." He muttered, his face growing grim. "I think it's the Scourge."
She began chewing her lip again, eyes gazing past him as she began to think. He waited for several seconds for her to say anything, but she didn't.
"Can you help? Do you have a… a cure? A treatment? Anything?"
She looked at him again, a sad expression across her face, almost pitying. Slowly she shook her head, before looking away. Hiccup's heart fell, his stomach churning as he began to panic
"Gothi I know what the stories say." He said hurriedly, scooting closer to her. "But I need to know if there's anything at all I don't know."
She sighed heavily, pausing for a second. Her chair screeched gently against the ground as she stood up gingerly, gripping her staff for safety. He began to stand up with her, but the motioned for him to stay. She hobbled to the other side of the room slowly, ruffling through the papers and scrolls piled across the bookshelf. Seeming unsatisfied, she then shuffled into the back room, the door creaking as she pushed past. He waited as he heard her rummaging around inside, searching for something. After what seemed like an eternity, she returned.
She walked over slowly, and dumped a small pile of loose papers and scrolls on the table. She made no gestures about them as she sat down, so he simply began reading through them one by one. His eyes strained to read in the dark moonlight that shined through the window, and some of the writing was rougher than others, but he didn't care. He muttered as he read, skimming through the pages faster and faster as he looked for something new.
"Scourge of Odin… signature green skin… fatal…"
He grunted as he reached the end and tossed it to the side, grabbing another paper.
"Preventing infection… burning victims… relieving pain…"
He tossed aside paper after paper, growing more and more frustrated as none of them provided anything new. Finally however, one of them mentioned the cure. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the word, rushing to read the paper. His eyes traced each word carefully, being extremely careful to not miss anything that could help.
"Only one cure… extremely rare… hoarded… eventually hunted to extinction."
He sighed as he put down the last paper, rubbing his forehead as he felt the frustration grow inside him.
"Gothi, I already know all of this." He said softly, looking up. "There's nothing here. I'm sorry for wasting your time."
He made to stand up but before he could, Gothi suddenly held out her hand. In it was a small, folded piece of paper, stained brown with time and with crumbling edges. He took it gingerly, being careful not to do anything to damage it as he gently unfolded it.
In the center was the sketch of a dragon, the lines rough and hurried, one he had never seen before. It was large and round, with three large horns protruding from its head. one on the top and two on the sides. It's back was covered in thin spikes, and it sported two large bat-like wings. Below the drawing was a single sentence also hurriedly scribbled.
"The green secretion of the Buffalord is the only known cure to the Scourge of Odin." He read.
He looked up at Gothi, who was watching him intently.
"This entire time," He said. "The cure came from a dragon?!"
She nodded slowly, her face showing no emotion.
"Ironic." He chuckled. "The only thing that can save the vikings is their greatest enemy."
He flipped the paper over, looking for more, but it was blank.
"Okay well, where is this dragon then? How do we find it?"
Gothi merely looked at him with a gently expression on her face, and shook her head.
"Really?" He asked incredulously. "There's nothing?"
Gothi merely shrugged at him as if to say that's all there is.
"Shit." He muttered, earning a scowl from the older woman.
He sat back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as he thought. How did one find a dragon that was supposed to be extinct, and that no one knew anything about. He leaned forward again and looked at Gothi, arms resting on the table.
"Gothi can I-"
There was a knock on the door.
Both of their heads whipped up, staring at the door fiercely. Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Gothi? Are you there?"
Hiccup jumped from his seat, the chair scooting back. He grabbed his helmet and slammed it on, hand immediately moving towards the hilt on his hip. He grabbed it and whipped it off, readying his stance as he prepared for a confrontation, when suddenly Gothi shoved him. He stumbled as he was pushed, almost falling over.
"Gothi!" He hissed, careful to keep his voice low.
She continued to push him backwards, gesturing behind him. He turned around, and seeing what she was pointing at he got the message. He hurried towards the closet, ripping open the doors and pushing aside the hanging clothes to step inside. Careful to not knock over the mop and bucket standing on the floor, he shuffled to the side until his eye was lined up with the doors, peering through the crack.
He watched as Gothi turned away from him, hobbling towards the door at her usual slow pace, staff clicking across the floor. She stopped in front of the door, waiting a second as she took a deep breath and to put on a fake tired face. After a second, she then stepped forward and pulled open the door.
"Hey Gothi," The voice said. "Sorry for waking you at this hour."
Hiccup could tell it was definitely a woman. She sounded young, but not a child. He already was confident he could take most Berkians in a fight, but he could definitely take someone young.
Gothi held up a hand and shook her head, as if to say it's completely fine.
"Harald keeps having nightmare." The young woman said. "He wakes up in the middle of the night screaming for his mother, and it's keeping the other children up. I was wondering if you had anything to help him sleep?"
Gothi stepped to the side, and waved the woman in, letting her step through the doorway.
Hiccup's eyes shot open and his heart rate sky rocketed so high his chest began to feel tight. His hands immediately felt clammy and he almost stumbled back as he stared through the crack.
The soft moonlight cast rays through the open doorway, making her braided golden hair almost glow silver. It was longer now, the single braid draped over her shoulder. The moonlight wrapped around her silhouette, the shining making her pale skin radiate in the darkness. She gazed warmly at Gothi, hands held gently in front of her as she waited. Her eyes were the same shining sky blue he remembered, the kind that seemed to be able to pierce his soul, but they looked tired now. There were dark bags under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in days, and the soft smile she sported looked heavy and forced. She still wore the exact same spiked skirt she had as a teen, the same metal pauldrons, and the same headband, but her blue shirt was now traded for a red one, and she wore a thick fur hood with matching fur arm braces.
He thought he had grown into himself, but Astrid blew him out of the water.
"Fuck." He muttered.