Forty Three

Predictably, Stoick had hated the plan. He had argued hard against allowing Hiccup to go anywhere near Outcast Island again, fearing for his son's sanity as much as his safety. But Hiccup was as stubborn has his father and he had insisted, reminding the Chief that he would be with Toothless, Astrid and Stoick himself. The fact that they were sneaking onto Outcast Island with Alvin the Treacherous hadn't elicited any trust on the part of his father and Hiccup, exasperated, had demanded to know what was the deal between the two men.

Stoick had shut him down immediately, shouting Hiccup down as he hadn't since before he had slain the Red Death. He hadn't noticed the boy had stiffened in fear, hadn't seen the flash of terror in the green eyes or observed the way the boy had curled on himself to protect himself against any violence...but Astrid had. And so had Alvin. The Chief had stormed out leaving the boy with Astrid, Snotlout and the former Outcast Chief. Alvin by rights should be in jail but the agreement had been that Spitelout and Snotlout would act as his hosts and though no one was happy with this-Alvin had really wanted to stay close to Hiccup in the hope of picking up some more dragon training tips-it had been reluctantly passed by the Council of Elders.

"I see yer Dad ain't changed, 'Iccup," Alvin mused gruffly, never taking his eyes from the unsettled boy. Hiccup warily looked up into the astute gaze.

"Pretty much who he has always been," he sighed.

"And yer relationship ain't the best, if yer don't mind me sayin'," Alvin added.

"It's fine," Hiccup said defensively. Alvin tutted.

"'Ow can yer expect me ter bare me 'eart ter you if yer won't do me the same favour?" Alvin asked him slyly.

"It won't work, Al," Hiccup told him tiredly. "I need to know what's between you and Dad...or the deal is off."

"Yer can't go changin' the terms of the deal now, boy!" Alvin protested.

"Watch me!" Hiccup told him in no uncertain terms. "I am the leader of the dragon riders and the Heir and next Chief of Berk! If I suspect there is something going on that may compromise the mission, I won't have you on it. And that will void any hope you have of us helping you get your Tribe back...Al."

Alvin stared in shock. In truth, He had assumed that the thin, beaten and injured boy who was clearly really badly struggling after his ordeals on Outcast Island, would be easy to manipulate. Yet Hiccup remained as stubborn, sharp and inventive as ever. The big Outcast sensed there was now a harder edge to the boy...just enough to counter any weakness Alvin may have hoped from his captivity. The Outcast sighed.

"Yer Dad and me was mates when we were young...like you and Snotlout," Alvin said easily. "'E were the Chief's son and I were just a commoner. But we disagreed about 'ow things should be done. One day, during a Monstrous Nightmare Raid, I disagreed with yer Dad's orders. So I disobeyed 'em. But there was casualties..." Hiccup, Astrid and Snotlout stared at the big man. They could all tell from his tone that casualties meant fatalities. Hiccup narrowed his eyes: the man's tone was flat, missing its usual overlay of forced geniality. Alvin was telling the truth...for once. He gave a big sigh.

"Things was never the same after that," Alvin admitted. "When Stoick became Chief, it were only a matter of time before 'e banished me." Hiccup sighed. He could understand his father's reticence: he knew Alvin wouldn't obey orders during the mission. Would he banish Snotlout if he did the same as Alvin? He stole a small look at his cousin. He suspected Snotlout would have the insight to admit some responsibility and try to do better...not that he expected Snotlout to ever own up to him. But Snotlout had been surprisingly supportive to him since his exile and the smaller boy had been touched by his confidence in him.

"And that's why you've been waging war on us ever since?" Hiccup asked him pointedly. "You disobeyed an order and caused people to die. You were banished for a similar offence...and yet somehow it's Berk's fault, not yours?" Alvin glared at him and his fists clenched. Hiccup paled but faced him steadily, breathing hard. He had Astrid at his side and her hand found his in response to the stiffening of his body at the threat. The Outcast noted something else as well-the gleam on each hand. He frowned.

"Yer married?" he gasped. Hiccup smiled thinly.

"Not your business, Al," he said. "You were on the same invite list as Dagur, Savage and the Screaming Death!"

"That 'urts me, 'Iccup," Alvin said in that grating, wounded voice that put Hiccup's teeth on edge. "After all we've been through. When 'ave I ever tried to..."

"Al-if you say another word, I will let Toothless eat you," the boy said, his eyes glittering coldly. The Outcast sighed. Hiccup was being far more tolerant than Alvin deserved and he knew not to push his luck any further. The boy nodded to Snotlout. "Will you be okay with him?" he asked his cousin. Snotlout smiled brashly.

"Hookie will keep an eye out for me," he said cheerfully and the two started down the steps from the Great Hall to the Jorgenson house. Hiccup turned to Astrid.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently. She squeezed his hand, her eyes suddenly sad.

"No problem," she sighed as they began to walk slowly towards the Chief's house. The whispered hisses of whore and slut were still painfully audible as they achingly walked down. Hiccup gave a small, brave smile.

"I've gotten used to it," he sighed. She stopped and he turned to stare at her.

"Those are for me!" she told him blandly. He stared and then swung his fierce forest green gaze over the villagers. He knew they had made up their minds and wouldn't pay any attention to anything he said. So he grabbed her face in his hands and deliberately pressed a long and sensuous kiss on her lips. Then he grabbed her hand and walked silently down the steps. She could tell from the tremble in his hand he was upset.

"They have no right..." he growled and she suddenly burst out laughing. He stared at her.

"You know, I was saying exactly the same thing when they were insulting you!" she sniggered. "It made my blood boil!" He stared at the ground.

"At least with me, something had happened," he sighed. "Not that I wanted it or enjoyed it being thrown back at me every two minutes but there was something there. With you...nothing had happened. Or has, even now." He sighed. "Chalk that up as another area I'm Useless in..." She stopped him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hands cautiously slid to her waist.

"Hiccup...I told you I loved you and I do," she sighed. "You married me for incredibly honourable reasons and I can never thank you enough for that. And if...one day...you feel ready and w-want to...you know...I wouldn't want to with anyone else..." He rested his forehead against hers and kissed her very softly.

"You know, I will never deserve you, never be good enough for you," he whispered. "But somehow, after being framed for attempted murder and treason, exiled to Outcast Island and tortured and ruined by Dagur, I still end up home, married to the girl of my dreams. Please don't wake me up if this is a dream because I would die happy now." She kissed him back.

"That's really sweet," she told him. "But this isn't a dream and your poultice needs changing again."

"Oh, joy," he sighed and let her lead him home.

oOo

The team searched for half a day before finding what they needed: a large Dragon Root, not far from the other in Mildew's poorly tended and very inhospitable cabbage field. Meatlug had docilely dug it up and the dragon and Fishlegs had taken the Root straight to Gothi's, earning them amazing amounts of disapprobation for driving her already troublesome Terrible Terrors to set not only her decking but her roof on fire as they fought tooth and claw over the Root.

Hiccup met up with the rest of the team in the Great Hall. The Fleet had already sailed under Spitelout and Gobber, tacking fast and direct for Outcast island as the boy stared at his team.

"Fishlegs has gone with the Dragon Root to lure the Screaming Death," he told the team. "The Fleet will engage Dagur's Armada in port and destroy as much as it can. Astrid, Dad, Alvin and I will sneak into Outcast Island while the rest of you launch a full frontal assault assault to cover the fleet. We will attack from behind...and between us, we should capture and defeat him. As soon as the Screaming Death turns up, Dagur will have nowhere to go and will surrender."

"Er, 'Iccup-what if we've already defeated Dagur by the time the Screamin' Death arrives?" Alvin asked with a scowl. Hiccup gave a grin.

"Then I have a plan," he said calmly. "But you have to let me lead this, Al. You interfere and it will probably tear Outcast Island apart-literally!"

"It's true," Astrid confirmed. "It's destroyed a heap of islands...Sundew, Thor's Rock, Half Moon...and it almost took out Dragon Island before all the dragons combined to defeat it!"

"Very interesting..." Alvin growled with a calculating look on his face.

"Alvin-not gonna happen," Hiccup told him sternly. The big Outcast gave a yellow grin.

"'Iccup, yer wound me!" he protested lightly, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around the boy's skinny shoulders. There was a sudden silence and Hiccup went rigid. Astrid stared at him with wide, worried blue eyes: his face was bloodless and his eyes dark with absolute fear. He was hyperventilating.

"Remove. Your. Hands," he said through gritted teeth. Alvin inspected him and his grin broadened.

"So the rumours were true!" he realised. Hiccup pulled away violently and stumbled back a handful of paces.

"Touch me again and I'll gave Toothless kill you!" he said tonelessly.

"Then 'ow am I gonna 'old onter you on the flight?" Alvin asked him pointedly. Hiccup gave a thin smile.

"I'll be with Toothless so he can throw you off and incinerate you if you try anything!" he reminded the Outcast. Alvin raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, boy!" he snapped. "I ain't gonna risk not gettin' me tribe back and me revenge on Dagur." Stoick came to stand by his son and almost laid a hand on his shoulder but stopped himself. Hiccup sighed.

"Son?"

"Dad-it's okay for you. Just not an enemy who's imprisoned and hurt me in the past," he remind his father, relaxing a fraction as Stoick's huge paw curled around his skinny shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Hiccup nodded.

"I think I have to do this," he admitted. "You'll be there, Dad. And Astrid. And I'll be on Toothless. He won't let anything happen to me." He offered a wan smile. "Trust me, Dad. I know what I'm doing this time." His father gave him a final squeeze and then stepped away. Hiccup swallowed and faced his team.

"Mount up!" he commanded in his raspy voice. "We head to Outcast Island!"

oOo

The journey to Outcast Island was trying because Hiccup had to fly with Alvin. Not that he had any desire to travel with a man the size of his own father who was treacherous to the core but it was the only option: Alvin couldn't travel with Stoick and Hiccup wouldn't trust him with Astrid. So he was sitting behind the boy, his almost-death grip tight around the slight boy and suffering from newfound vertigo. Toothless kept growling every time Alvin moved or spoke and Hiccup had been stiff with his instinctive need to protect himself. All in all, it had been his worst flight on Toothless.

It hadn't been helped by Alvin continuing to try to engage Hiccup in conversation, chatting to him as if he were an old friend and reminiscing about their previous 'adventures'. It had taken every scrap of the boy's patience to keep his cool and not just ask the Night Fury to ditch the big Outcast in the ocean. "You mind loosening up on that death grip?" Hiccup asked with forced patience. Alvin clutched at him as they swerved a little in a strong gust of wind.

"Sorry. They all tend ter be death grips," the big man muttered. But his grasp loosened a little as Toothless slapped the man with a wing. "Ow, 'Iccup! Yer dragon still don't seem ter like me very much!" Hiccup paused.

"You know what? You're right- he doesn't!" he snapped. "You got him banished, you captured us both and locked him in a cage for days. He could smell the wounds on me after we escaped you finally. If I let him, he would kill you without hesitation." He looked up and saw Astrid mouthing something to him from Stormfly- probably along the lines of 'are you alright?' He shrugged but nodded. He had survived far more than any teen should have to and he knew he was wounded and vulnerable but he was determined to see this through. This was his chance to defeat Dagur and ensure his safety. He leaned forward and Toothless accelerated as the cliffs of Outcast Island rose from the mists in front of them. Hiccup felt his anxiety rise. "Wait, wait-we can't just fly straight over the island. They'll be expecting us!" he said suddenly.

"We ain't flyin' over the island-we're flyin' UNDER!" Alvin growled and his huge hands grabbed Hiccup's shoulders. "Hold yer breath!" Alvin added. The boy went rigid with fear as the Outcast suddenly wrenched him in the saddle and his prosthetic twisted in the tail assembly, collapsing the prosthetic tail fin. Toothless spun sideways as Hiccup began to panic. How the Hel had Alvin worked that out?

But Toothless was fighting to stay in the air, roaring and flapping fiercely. Astrid and Stoick were arrowing towards him as Alvin tightened his grip on the panicking boy. "Moment of truth, boy!" he growled, his beard tickling Hiccup's face. Hiccup was shaking now, his pupils wide with terror. "I thought yer were goin' ter trust me!" The dragon gave a warble, feeling his Rider's fear. Astrid was almost at his side and Hiccup closed his eyes for a long second-then nodded. He looked slightly at Astrid and pointed down, into the grey ocean...and then he nodded.

"Do it, bud!" he shouted. "Just do it!" And they dived into the water, the cold taking his breath. He felt rather than heard the splashes as Stormfly and Thornado followed him but he was trying not to panic as Alvin gestured angrily towards a dark shadow-a passage in the cliffs and Hiccup directed Toothless towards it. The dragon skulled forward rapidly, undulating into a tight passage rapidly. Alvin's grip remained horribly tight as they suddenly rose up and broke surface in a rocky seacave. Hiccup gasped hungrily for air as the Outcast swam away from him, heading for the rocky beach. Hiccup threw his head back to get his sodden hair off his face and gasped as his bandaged throat pulled. He grasped Toothless who readily towed him to the shore as Astrid, Stormfly, Stoick and Thornado all broke surface. Alvin pulled an ugly scowl.

"I see yer made it!" he grumped. "'Urry up! They ain't gonna 'ang around and I think yer fleet attackin' may give the game away!" Stoick peered at Hiccup and Astrid caught his hand, giving it a squeeze. He managed a watery smile, his entire body tense at being back on Outcast Island. Alvin started up a wide passage and then turned to them, his face suddenly confident. "This tunnel will take us right ter the 'eart of the island!" he informed them.

"How do we know the tunnel hasn't already been found by Dagur?" Stoick asked him gruffly. Alvin cast him an unfriendly glance.

"Because I've got a man on the inside who assures me it's clean!" he snapped back. Hiccup gave a weary smile, gently touching his neck.

"Mildew," he said. "He saved my life," he added tot he astonished gazes of the others. "It's okay. He's loyal to Alvin-and hates Dagur. Both Dagur and Savage hate him so he knows Alvin is his best option."

"Son..?" The tone was concerned. Hiccup nodded.

"Dad-I have to do this," he insisted quietly. "And we promised Alvin. Let's go. The others will be depending on us!"

oOo

Fishlegs was still mentally kicking himself for boasting that Meatlug was impervious to Dragon Root as they flew through the seastacks around Short Pine Island (or Snotland) where they had last seen the Screaming Death, the Dragon Root dangling from a rope attached to Meatlug's saddle. A very nervous Fishlegs was sitting in the saddle, peering worriedly around. In his heart he knew he was the only choice for this job but just for once, he wished Meatlug was a little...quicker. He patted her guiltily: she loved him and didn't deserve the thought.

"Here, Screaming Death!" he called unenthusiastically. "Here! Here, Screaming Death! I've got some delicious Dragon Root for you!" And then he paused as the familiar roar echoed through the air and a shadow flew over them. He gave a loud whimper. He recognised the shape.

"Oh dear..." he murmured.