Twenty Three: The Fate of Lieutenant Hiccup H Haddock

The funeral of Admiral Stoick V Haddock was a splendid affair with the great and the good of the Archipelago in attendance. Acting President Viggo Grimborn, Acting Vice-President and Security Minister Atali Winger and the whole host of Cabinet Members were lined up behind the family and close friends. Director Jorgensen, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins-with Tuff pale from his surgery but raving about his awesome scar-and Toothless all in their best, along with Gobber in his one suit, with his military medals pinned to his broad chest and a disparate group of men from the Bar. And standing at the front, immaculate in his dark green Berk Rangers Uniform was Hiccup. His tidied auburn hair was longer than regulation, brushing his collar but he was clean shaven and pristine, his buttons gleaming in the weak sunshine and medals resplendent on his chest. And he stood to attention as an honour guard of Naval Officers lowered his father's flag-draped coffin into place over the extra-large grave.

His emerald eyes focussed only on the coffin as good, respectful words were said about one of the most decorated Admirals in Archipelago history. They flicked up momentarily to the newish stone just beside the open grave, seeing the familiar words that he had paid to be inscribed on his mother's monument. And then he was called forward by the Priest and he took a shuddering breath. For a moment, he looked over at Astrid, seeing her staring back at him, her blue eyes filled with sympathy. She had buried her father previously so she could appreciate some of the emotions he was feeling...but not all. She ghosted a smile and he found himself returning it, feeling a warmth in his chest. And then he stepped forward.

"My father, Admiral Stoick Vastus Haddock was a great man," he began and then paused. "And he was loved and respected, a man with a host of commendations and medals, loved by his men, respected by his officers and peers. He loved his wife, Valka, my Mom. They were soulmates and spent every moment they could together-despite his tours of duty and her trips abroad for animal conservation. And I know they were both proud of me, their only child and my beautiful wife, Cami and our little son Sam." He swallowed. "But two years ago, everything was ripped apart. A man named Dagur Oswaldson, the terrorist Dagur 'the Deranged', decided my family were to die for a mission I had performed at the behest of my President. And so my wife, son and I were captured...and my parents were attacked. They were shot at, the car blown up and my father shot six times as he defended himself."

There was a silence replete with shock and horror. Few knew the story and Hiccup felt eyes focus on him.

"My mother was killed outright and my father was saved-but thrown into an irreversible coma," he continued, his voice almost cracking. "The man I knew and loved, the man we honoured died that day...even though his heart only stopped beating a few weeks ago. My wife and son were killed and I was shot and left for dead in a shallow grave. My friends saved me and I buried my family and swore revenge. But my father hung on, stubborn to the last. He died as I was in the middle of the mission where I finally stopped Dagur...and where we uncovered his links to President Drago Bludvist. The man had betrayed me and caused the deaths of my family...and Admiral Haddock."

Astrid saw him waver and she gently walked up to him, taking his hand and leaning close to him.

"You are doing them all justice," she murmured. "You can do this, Hiccup." He leaned close to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks," he whispered as she sat back down then looked up. "My father would be ashamed of what I became to avenge him. Betrayed by those who should've protected me and mine, I became a hitman, a killer for hire. I made acquaintance with the worst of humanity to get to the one monster who slaughtered everyone I loved. But my friends refused to let me give up on life...and when I was trapped by Homeland Security Agents, who wanted to finish Dagur off, I took their contract. And they helped me get what I wanted...but at the cost of missing my father's last hour. I avenged him, with the help of my friends...but what he said to me when I was younger was true: Revenge never rights the wrongs that have happened. It only reciprocates the evil first done to you and damages you as well. So I want to recall my father as he was: larger than life, vibrant, loud, powerful, proud. The huge man with the flaming red beard and the voice that could be heard all the way across a battleship. The man who had a ferocious temper...but who could be gentle and supportive to the lowliest apprentice seaman...or the skinniest fishbone of a son. I hope and I pray I will see him in Valhalla one day...but until then, I will miss him and do my best to make him proud."

Applause rang out as the seamen in attendance walked to their positions. There was a short pause as the Priest moved to the head of the grave and opened his service sheet.

"We commend Admiral Stoick Haddock to the soil, that he may be honoured and remembered and reunited with his beloved Valka. And that he will one day be reunited with his son and friends in Valhalla, Odin willing..."

Hiccup saluted, a rigid military salute that thickened Astrid's throat, seeing the furious concentration in his face. Gobber saluted as well as the casket was lowered into the ground to the sound of Taps and then two seamen precisely folded the flag. One presented the thick cloth triangle to Hiccup and the former soldier accepted it wordlessly and saluted them. People got up and mumbled words of commiseration to the young man as they passed. Acting President Grimborn paused.

"Your Pardon has been issued, Lieutenant Haddock," he said smoothly. "And may we call upon your services once more for the Archipelago?" Hiccup's hands tightened round the folded flag.

"I think you can expect my resignation on medical grounds, sir," he said tonelessly. "No man should have to go through what I did. And I cannot serve as I used to. There will be others to take my place." Grimborn nodded.

"Maybe it is for the best," he commented. "Your service was exceptional. And I doubt anyone will equal the shot you pulled off to finish Oswald Oswaldson."

"Thank you. sir," he said automatically as the President turned away-just as Gobber came up and hugged the young man.

"Ah, laddie-yer Dad would ha' bin very proud of yer," he said as Hiccup winced. His ribs were healing but nowhere near tolerating a Gobber bone-crushing hug.

"Ow..." the young man whined and the two-limbed bartender gave a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Gobber."

"I 'spect yer'll be seekin' yer own place now yer a free man..." Gobber said mournfully but Hiccup shook his head.

"Got no plans in that regard," he confessed, looking up and seeing a very solid shape standing at the back. her blonde hair scraped back into a bun. "Excuse me, Gobber..." His tone was distracted as he pulled away...and then walked past the rest of the mourners towards her. Astrid followed him and then paused, seeing him approach Bertha Bogby. The woman stared into his face and muttered a few words. He bowed his head and paused and then shook his head. Bertha said a few words...and then turned and walked away.

Quietly, Astrid walked up to him and rested a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked him gently. He stared at the ground and then shook his head.

"Bertha Bogby was my wife's mother," he explained. "Cami was her only child and Sam her only grandchild. She is the last of her family..."

"The former ruling family of BogThorpe," she finished and his eyes flicked up. "I visited their graves, remember? Doesn't she realise it wasn't your fault? You did everything you could..." He looked up with a melancholy smile.

"Grief isn't rational, Astrid," he reminded her. "And when something so heinous happens, you have to deal with the loss whatever way you can. I survived my own execution but Cami and Sam died. I understand why Bertha blames me. Helheim-I blame myself...and I always will. And though I know I was in an impossible situation, that I was betrayed all ways from Sunday, I will always imagine that there should have been something I could have done to have saved my wife and child."

"I understand," she said, her hand finding his. "But you have friends, Hiccup. People who care about you. People who want you. And no matter what you feel, remember that." His hand curled around hers and he sighed.

"I endangered them all in my quest for vengeance, Astrid. Mine. Not theirs." His voice was filled with loathing.

"Tuff and Ruff knew the risks-and they don't blame you," she reminded him. "They're adults..."

"...barely..."

"...and they made their own choices," she told him sternly. "Somehow, you have to learn to live with yours. You're not a god, Hiccup. You can't control fate or the actions of evil men. All you can do is defend those you love and the innocent. And you cannot save everyone...but you protected everyone in the Archipelago from the machinations of an evil man."

He nodded and his grip tightened on hers.

"One thing bothers me," he murmured. "Why didn't I shoot him when I had the chance?" She sighed and stared into his face.

"Because you're a good man," she reminded him. He snorted. "You are...and good men don't execute public officials who have committed crimes. They bring them to trial so that everyone can know what they did and see justice done. They believe in the law." He gave a bitter laugh.

"Even when the law hasn't protected them," he noted. "Must be mad. They never found Ryker Grimborn, did they?"

"No," she conceded. "He must have escaped."

"He's the Acting-President's brother, isn't he?" Hiccup pointed out. "Do you think Viggo Grimborn would turn in his own brother?"

"His brother was willing enough to turn on him when it suited him," Astrid replied.

"Maybe Ryker has something on Viggo?" Hiccup suggested, his eyes narrowing. "There is something bothering me."

"Something else?' she teased him and he managed a small smile.

"Drago Bludvist didn't have any problem admitting that he used Dagur to terrorise us and bring in the laws he wanted," he reminded her. "But he was adamant that he didn't issue the order to kill Oswald."

"Yet you said yourself, the order came from the President," she mused, inspecting his face. He looked concerned.

"Control of Heimdallr was always a Presidential prerogative," he said carefully. "But it is entirely possible that one of Drago Bludvist's staff could have issued the order in his name."

"Why?" she asked him and his eyes hardened.

"How should I know?" he snarked back. She sighed.

"Because Director Jorgensen will ask me why he should continue an investigation that is complete," she told him plainly. He shrugged.

"Because the person who ordered the execution of the former candidate for the Presidency of the Archipelago should be imprisoned?" he suggested. "I mean, that's a pretty chilling precedent to set...you challenge for the top job, lose and the state eliminates you so you can't try again?" She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"I'll look into it," she murmured and slid a card into his hand. "Call me, okay?" He smiled and kissed her back.

"You can contact me through Toothless," he reminded her. "Until I am sure that they are all gone, I can't risk my friends again." She nodded and with a final squeeze of the hand, she walked away.

"You don't find a girl like her every day," Toothless murmured as he and the twins walked forward from the respectful distance they had been keeping. "Why did you let her go, H?"

"Because I am falling for her," he murmured. "And I feel like I'm betraying Cami by doing so. I mean, I promised to love Cami..."

"Until death do us part?" Ruff suggested. "And that has already happened. I met your wife and she wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life as a hermit."

"Is that a crab?" Tuff asked hopefully. He was still moving gingerly though his spirit was completely undimmed. He and Ruff were wearing matching brown pinstriped suits and the effect was extremely weird. "Because spending the rest of your life as a crab would be officially cool, NF..."

"Muttonhead," Hiccup muttered, though he grasped Tuff's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He was touched by the male twin's bravery at the climax in that dusty collapsing ballroom and he knew Ruff was intensely (but secretly) proud of her brother.

"I should be calling you that," Toothless told him, standing at his side. "Did you get her number?"

"Yes," he murmured, flipping the card in his hand.

"And are you going to call her?"

"No."

"Why?" Ruff whined. "I want my happy ending..."

"Well, that lardass Fishlegs has called you and you've been on two dates already..." Tuff reminded her.

"Not my happy ending...my Hiccup's happy ending..." she amended.

"Oh Thor, I am definitely not your Hiccup..." the hitman told her firmly.

"You're my friend and I want to see you happy!" she reminded him. He sighed.

"Maybe...that's not my lot in life," he said. There was a pause.

"And maybe you need to make peace with what has happened and then move forward with your life," Toothless told him.

"That's pretty much what Astrid said," he admitted.

"Smart woman," the handler told him. "So was that all she said?" Hiccup paused.

"Not quite," he murmured. "I hope I've said enough to have Special Agent Hofferson looking into the very last loose end."

oOo

Back at her desk, Astrid made a thorough search through all the records that were public and that she could access through her own clearance to investigate the events of two and a half years earlier. However, no matter what she tried, she ended up being thwarted by the fact that Heimdallr's missions were classified way above her clearance level.

After a fresh cup of coffee, she walked over to Fishlegs's desk and tapped him on the shoulder, noting that his screensaver was now a picture of him and Ruffnut, huddled together over a pink cocktail stuffed with umbrellas, fruit and a sparkler. She blinked and then tapped him once more. He started and looked up guiltily, blue-green eyes wide in shock.

"I take it you're not concentrating on your current assignment?" she guessed and he eeped.

"Um no?" he gulped. "Ruff asked me to source some rocket launchers and..."

"And you know that abusing your government clearance to secure a deal on military grade ordnance for private unregistered contractors is a jailable offence?" she asked him dryly.

"Am not! They're fully registered to sell guns!" Fishlegs protested.

"But not rocket launchers!" she said sarcastically. "Look, can I get you to look something up?"

"Why do I get the impression this something involves me hacking some super-secret government system that we have no right accessing?" he moaned.

"Because that is precisely what you are going to do," she told him. "I need you to access the Presidential Commands and find out precisely who gave the command to kill Oswald Oswaldson!"

"But that was President Bludvist," Fishlegs said simply.

"Please check again-console, security footage, anything to confirm he personally sent the command," Astrid told him in a low voice. "Because he still denies the act even though he's facing multiple life sentences for his other crimes. We must be sure."

"I'll need to run the search from Director Jorgensen's console," the husky agent protested. "And he works pretty late..."

"Not on Thursdays," she told him smugly. "It's his Boar-Wrestling class. So he leaves early...and you can go in then."

"But messing with that kind of stuff...well, it's treason..."

"And issuing an order in the name of the President when you aren't also is treason," she reminded him. "Come on, Fish...you know you want to know."

"I'm very happy not knowing..." he told her quickly.

"No you're not. And nor am I. Or her..." She gestured to the picture. "Hiccup is her friend...and he was used. I want to know...by who..."

"Oh...all right..." Fishlegs huffed. "Will she know I did this?"

"I promise to tell her," Astrid said.

"Okay, I'll do it," Fishlegs conceded as Astrid grinned.

"Fantastic!" she said.

"What will you be doing? Watching my back?" he asked hopefully.

"No-I have a phone call to make," she grinned. "After all, this may be an Inter-Agency Matter...and I need to make sure we have friends on our side."

oOo

The manager of the shooting range didn't even bat an eyelid as Hiccup walked in, still in his uniform, though the top button was now undone and his uniform cap was tucked under one arm. He checked into a lane, grabbed his ear defenders and chose a Svenson and Larson .45 calibre Mk 1.7 pistol.

The other patrons were a little less sanguine and all stopped as he walked to his lane, set the target back at a suitable distance and pulled his ear defenders and glasses on. Then he lifted the pistol, took aim and flipped the safety off. He fired.

Dagur's face flashed in front of his eyes, the eyes fey and filled with hatred as they had been in that last confrontation.

"Where is Astrid?"

"Same place as your wife. I'll show you...if you drop the gun."

"I will let you live if you give me Astrid's location."

"You'd give up your revenge for her? Drop the gun."

He fired again, the shot holing the centre of the target. In his mind, he heard Dagur's screams as he methodically shot joint after joint. He hadn't believed he was capable of such cruelty but at the time, there had been no conscience, no regrets at all.

"What are you prepared to give up?" Dagur's taunting voice echoed through his mind.

My soul. My honour. The pride of my father. But not Astrid. Not her. Not after you took everything else. And he recalled his own words just as clearly as he fired again and again.

"You misunderstand me. This isn't a negotiation. I have offered to allow you to live. But I want you to talk. Where is Astrid?"

His hand was shaking as he ejected the magazine.

"You can't do this! I am protected. You and your friends and their families will be annihilated for this! I swear that! I..."

He slammed another magazine into the slot and fired again. Every eye was on him. He hadn't strayed from the bull...but in his mind, the round exploded Dagur's knee. The Berserker's howl echoed through his memory.

"Where is Astrid?"

"But you can't do this!"

He fired, his eyes not seeing the target but the bloody wreckage of the man who had haunted his nightmares for so long, the man who had stolen everything from Hiccup for the crime of doing his job and following orders.

"Astrid. Where is she?"

"Where we all end up!"

"WHERE. IS. SHE?"

"Time's up. She'll be gone now."

Tears were coursing down his cheeks as he fired over and over. Dad. Mom. Cami. Sam.

"Then you have lived too long," he said aloud. "I have lived too long." And he raised the gun to his head.

"What too you so long?"

"There should always be a Hiccup and Astrid, remember?"

"Why didn't you ask?"

"Remember-you have friends and people who care for you."

"There should always be a Hiccup and Astrid..."

His eyes were closed and he could feel his hand shaking. The muzzle was pressed against his temple. And all it would take is a little pressure and all the pain would end. A little pressure and he would end his story as a failure, a man who didn't have the courage to go on after avenging his family. A man who would leave his family and friends always wondering of they could have done more. A man who would finally dishonour his family.

No more Hiccup and Astrid.

Tears spilled down his cheeks as he lowered the gun and pulled out the magazine, then flipped the safety on. Swiping his face with his sleeve, he dragged off his ear defenders and glasses and grabbed his cap, leaving the gun on the counter. Unable to meet anyone's eye, he almost ran to the door, his head down. There was an audible sigh as he left from the other patrons, who were dreading the final shot.

But Hiccup was already in Gobber's car, flooring the gas and blinking away the tears. He knew where he had to go.

oOo

Astrid was toying with her coffee, idly stirring in a fifth sugar and watching the granules swirl and gradually dissolve as her contact finally slid into the seat opposite her. There was a pause as she looked up and he sipped his coffee.

"This is rather tepid," Agent Eretson said.

"You're rather late," she retorted as the man grinned back, his caramel-brown eyes filled with humour.

"Well, it takes a little time to sneak highly confidential files out of the AIS HQ," he admitted as she smiled at him.

"And I am grateful," she said, reaching for the package-but he moved it out of reach.

"Not so quick, Agent Hofferson...or can I call you Astrid?" he said smoothly.

"You can call me impatient," she replied brusquely.

"You really need to work on your people skills," he commented. "I need to know what this is about."

"OK-but if we find what I suspect we do, then I lead," she told him.

"And what are you expecting to find?" he teased her. "I guess from the file, it will relate to Oswald Oswaldson's death." She nodded.

"I lead," she insisted.

"Why?"

"I made a promise," she admitted.

"To an auburn-haired hitman?" he asked astutely.

"To a man who served his country and was betrayed by it," she corrected him. "Bludvist used Hiccup and his family as the currency to get Dagur to play his game and do what Bludvist wanted, to wreak the mayhem that almost handed him complete power over us all."

Nodding, Eret Eretson slid the buff folder over to the blonde agent and watched her carefully open it, her blue eyes skilfully scanning over the picture of the dead man and then flicking through the pages. She paused and read one report three times before she smiled and closed the file.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "That answers everything."

"So what do we do now?" Eret asked. Astrid finished her coffee and then nearly gagged at the hideously sweet liquid. She coughed and spat some out.

"Ugh. We go and see the one person who has the power to do something about this," she told him. "Do you fancy a trip to the Government Building?" He rose.

"I thought you'd never ask," he said.

oOo

The Cemetery in BogThorpe was quiet, the gentle sound of hoeing just audible above the soft crunch of his feet as he walked along the manicured paths. He knew the way to the old section and he headed unerringly for the stones he knew so well. But even now, he paused as he stopped in front of them. One was his own empty grave, carefully made to hide his existence and grant him the free rein to pursue the vengeance he had finally completed. But the others caused his chest to tighten and his heart to shudder.

CAMILLA BOGBY HADDOCK

BELOVED WIFE AND MOTHER

And...

SAMUEL STOICK HADDOCK

AGE 18 MONTHS

He dropped to his knees and rested a hand on each stone. His shoulders jerked as he sobbed, his choked sobs the only sound.

"I'm sorry, Milady. I'm sorry, Sammy. I'm sorry I lived. I'm sorry it took long to avenge you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. I'm sorry I'm not with you now, hugging you. But I'm too much of a coward to even kill myself..."

A hand rested briefly on his shoulder and he stiffened.

"Cami wouldn't have wanted that," Bertha said. There was a hitch in her voice, betraying her own sorrow. She was as well-built and tall as Cami had been petite, though both shared the same expressive blue eyes and long golden hair. "She loved you until the instant of her death. And I know she loves you now. She was so wedded to life, to helping others...she wouldn't want you to give up."

"I miss her," he mumbled thickly. She gently stroked his head.

"That blonde woman at the funeral seemed to want to help you," she said tightly. He sniffed, his head still bowed.

"She's a friend," he mumbled. Bertha snorted.

"She could be more," she guessed. He sighed, his hand still resting on his wife's grave.

"I...like her..." he admitted. "But every time I feel happy with her, I instantly feel guilt consume me. Cami is dead and I shouldn't even think about being happy, about maybe moving on..."

"You should!" Bertha snapped, causing him to finally look up. "It's over two years, Hiccup. And you are alive! Look-what did she tell those poor girls? What did she tell everyone who came to the Refuge? Not that their life was over, that the terrible things that happened to them were the end, but merely a comma in their story. That life continues and you cannot let the bad things win. You have to lift your chin and own the darkness, corral the pain and use it as your strength. You have to live-or they will truly have won."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save her," he whispered. "I tried, Bertha. I..."

"I know," she sighed. "And I think...seeing you at your father's funeral brought it all back to me. I was unkind...because you didn't deserve it. Because I miss her as well. She was all I have. She and Sam."

"I know. I'm sorry..."

"So you don't let my Cami down, Hiccup Haddock," she said sternly. "I forgive you. I know she never blamed you. And she and I want you to be happy. So do what you have to do-and be happy. Take the life you were given and live it. Go see that girl. Fall in love. Be happy."

"I...don't know what to say..." he murmured. She pulled him to his feet and stared into the shining emerald eyes.

"Remember I am always here for you, Hiccup," she said. "And one day, when you have another family, remember me. I am always available for honorary GrandMom duties. We are family. Nothing can alter that. I forgot it. But not any more."

He embraced her and felt strong arms wrap around him, hugging him fiercely. And he didn't mind the twinges his healing ribs gave him, because somehow, they didn't hurt.

"Live your life, Hiccup-and go and fall in love," Bertha said. "And I'll be here if you ever need me."