Chapter Text
Hiccup was beginning to wonder what was taking the twins so long when he finally spotted the approaching Zippleback. The dragon had a somewhat dazed yak clutched in its paws, and the twins were each holding a chicken…with a third one perched on Tuff’s helmet.
“Uh, are you sure she’s safe up there?” Hiccup called out as soon as they were close enough.
“Don’t worry about her,” Tuffnut assured him. “She held on just dandy throughout our evasive maneuvers.”
That was not at all promising. “Do I even want to ask?" he queried warily.
“Let’s just say that Spitelout thought we were stealing these animals,” Ruffnut revealed before turning to her brother. “You know, that would have been a grand prank and so much easier to pull off with Barf and Belch’s help. Why didn’t we think of that before we left Berk?”
Hiccup was less than amused, something that Ruff must have seen when she glanced back at him.
“We would have returned them after a day or two,” she hastened to clarify, though that did not prevent her from rolling her eyes.
“Anyway,” her brother drawled, “we had to do some fancy flying to get away from all the weapons he was throwing. I did manage to catch this, though,” Tuff smirked, holding up a mace made from a particularly shiny metal, one that Uncle Spitelout must have traded for as they had nothing like it back on Berk.
At Tuffnut’s explanation, Hiccup felt his cousin’s hold on him tighten as she buried her head in his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment at her father’s actions or because that anger could so easily have been taken out on her or Snot, but he had a strong feeling it leaned heavily toward the latter.
“Hey, we’re far away from him now,” he murmured just loud enough for her to hear. “He won’t be able to hurt you and Snot again.”
She let out a watery sigh. “Maybe not physically, but…”
“I know the memories are painful,” he conceded sympathetically, “but they only have power over you if you let them.”
Sylvie nodded, her face still pressed into his shoulder as he squeezed her hands where they were clasped around his middle. He wished he could offer more comfort, but in their current position, this was the best he could do.
The silence that fell between the cousins was…a little melancholy. Yes, they were getting away from some very painful experiences, but there was a fair smattering of good ones, too. It would take a while for them all to recover from their various traumas, but at least this move got Snot and Sylvie away from their dad. They had been doing so well this past month, thanks to not having to deal with him on a daily basis…well, other than that brief time between trips to the nest and the past few days as Mildew and Uncle Spitelout led the riot against the dragons, but that was all in the past now. Hopefully, they would never need to see Uncle Spitelout again, and that distance would allow them to heal.
As they got further from Berk and closer to the former nest, Hiccup vaguely registered the twins chatting between themselves, though he couldn’t help but feel that even their normally cheery tone was a little strained, forcing him to realize that none of them were returning to their destination completely unscathed. Unfortunately, it was too close to winter for them to go scouting further afield, so this would have to do. Plus, he wanted to be a part of that group when they did search for a new, permanent home, and that was currently not an option, seeing as he was still recovering from his last trip to the old nest.
Alas, that last thought took a firm grip on him, bringing his fight with the dragon Queen to the front of his mind. He tried to distract himself, but with the island looming ahead of them, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the location where that living nightmare had occurred.
His heart raced, and he struggled to breathe, feeling almost suffocated by the weight of the memory. He could practically feel the flames reaching out toward him and-
“Hic?”
He blinked as his shoulder was shaken, his cousin’s voice barely audible past the ringing in his ears.
“Hiccup!”
“I-I can’t-” He gasped as black spots began swimming in his vision, everything spinning around like when Toothless decided to show off, but rationally, he knew that wasn’t what was happening right now.
“Close your eyes,” Sylvie directed, even going so far as to rest her hand across his face, forcing him to follow her instructions. “Toothless has everything in hand,” she assured him. “Just breathe with me.”
He did his best to follow her lead, but his heart was in his throat, his stomach was flipping around madly, and any conscious thought was slipping through his fingertips faster than he could grasp it. Even Sylvie’s words were cutting in and out, and he could barely feel her pressed against his back. Toothless’ repeated rumbles somehow broke through the haze, though, the vibrations reverberating through his body and helping to ground him as he attempted to slow his breathing, a feat that was easier said than done.
It was a slow process, but eventually, he was able to get his breathing under control, his senses slowly returning as he slumped in his cousin’s hold.
“Are we almost there?” he asked wearily, feeling like he had just fought another battle with the dragon Queen, though in a way, he supposed he had.
“Just another minute or so,” Sylvie answered, much to his dismay.
His panic had felt like it stretched out for hours, but apparently, it had been no more than a brief moment. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or distressed by that news.
“Will he be okay?” Ruff called out, sounding extremely close.
“I’m fine,” he replied, his voice ever so slightly strained.
“You’re clearly not,” she retorted, her concern more than apparent in her tone.
“Then I will be,” he amended his statement, hoping that would eventually prove true.
“We’ve passed over the destruction, if that helps,” Sylvie shared, slowly removing her hand from where it had been obscuring his vision.
Hiccup hesitantly cracked one eye open, steeling himself for what he might see, but as had been reported, this side of the island was vastly different from the bleak beach they had fought on. Taking in the peaceful forest, a lazy river flowing through it, he let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding, feeling a bit of the tension leave him—not all, but some.
“I know Snot said, but…who would have thunk?” he said in shock as most of the dragons dispersed, looking for a spot to settle.
“I try not to,” Tuffnut responded flippantly. “It takes too much effort.”
While Hiccup doubted that was true—the twins could prove quite smart when they wanted to—he was grateful for the remark as it brought a levity that they all needed right now.
As he watched the Nadders who were carrying their belongings continue to follow Hookfang and his cousin, he asked the others if they knew where they were heading.
“There was a pretty big cave over yonder,” Ruffnut disclosed. “It should work as a shelter for now.”
Hiccup got a glimpse of it as they came in to land and had to agree that Snotlout had chosen well. The cave was more than large enough to fit them and their dragons with room to spare.
“We might need to figure out a way to block the entrance once the colder weather hits,” he observed, “but with the dragons providing extra warmth, we should be able to manage.”
“Or we could build a house,” Tuffnut proposed.
“If we were planning on staying here, then I would agree,” he replied, “but I think it would be best if we put a bit more distance between Berk and us before we settled down permanently…just to be on the safe side.”
“You don’t think they’ll chase after us, do you,” Sylvie asked nervously.
“No, but with the fog no longer surrounding the island, I don’t doubt that curious souls will arrive, wanting to explore or look for dragon trophies,” he mused, his voice laced with disgust at the very thought. “We’ll need to be extra careful, possibly even setting up patrols, though I believe the dragons would not be opposed to helping out with that. We should be fine for tonight, but I’ll have Toothless set up something of a schedule for the dragon patrol tomorrow. And once we’re somewhat settled, we should do a bit more scouting, get the lay of the land.”
“That can wait for tomorrow, too,” Sylvie claimed, helping him out of the saddle. “Right now, you need to rest.”
He was inclined to protest, but after his restless night and his panic on the way here, he was feeling pretty run down. Maybe he could still manage to help in some way…just sitting down.