▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Vikings clamor as they enter the Great Hall, the rain pouring overhead, dousing out the fires Grimmel caused.

Thunder bellows across the sky, lightning clashing against the sky, causing some to cower away at the sight.

"Everyone inside!"

Snotlout's father motions for people to get inside quickly, many complaining while others remain outside.

"It's the middle of the night!"

"All right! All right," Hiccup yells over the crowd, his seat besides (Y/N)'s at the front of the room, Astrid and their friends surrounding the rest of the table.

"Settle down!!"

"Fishlegs?" (Y/N) questions, looking to her left at the man.

He groans weakly, loopily glancing at her and slamming his face on the table.

"Fishlegs, buddy, buddy!" Hiccup snaps his fingers, waking him from his daze. "Have you ever seen that species of dragon before?"

Fishlegs pushes himself up, letting out a high-pitched whimper before collapsing once again, (Y/N) cringing at the sound.

"I have," Valka gains Hiccup's attention from her seat besides Astrid.

"(M/N) and I helped one a while back, Deathgrippers.." she trails off, her shoulders pulling up at the thought of the dragon.

(M/N) nods along, rising from her seat and crossing her arms. "They've got venom in their tails, one strike and your dead." She warns, her voice shaky as she looks to her daughter.

Fishlegs groans in agreement, his head still low as he points to the two women before giving them a thumbs up.

"Let me at him!" An angry man shouts in the crowd, others yelling in agreement.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind!" A man agrees, "and by 'mind-I mean 'fists'!"

He swings around, punching a man in the face as he grunts in pain, falling backwards.

"Did you miss the part where we almost died?" Hiccup demands, silencing the crowd as he stammers. "H-Have you seen our house?!"

"This is a new kind of enemy," He taps the table for emphasis, looking over the people. "I didn't listen, and I underestimated him, now that's on me."

He looks out to the crowd, guilt eating at him as he sees their faces. "But I will not do that again."

Snotlout grunts as he rises, banging his fists on the table. "We're Vikings! We don't run from a fight. At least I don't." He stops himself, puffing his chest out and glaring at Eret.

"You might."

"I agree with them." Eret ignores Snotlout, pushing past him and walking around the table as Snotlout continues to aggressively point at him.

"We haven't seen the last of Grimmel. He's a predator. Singleminded and patient."

Eret sighs, stopping by Hiccup's side and looking down with a frown.

"He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"I'm with Eret," Valka rises, gesturing to the man as (M/N) nods and rises. "We have to take this threat seriously."

Snotlout double takes, kicking his chair away as he look between the three in disbelief.

Hiccup looks to his mother in thanks, nodding to Eret before facing forward.

"Grimmel is just a sign of the times. Our enemies are getting smarter, more determined," he pauses, waving his arms away from one another.

"We're not just overcrowded. We are exposed and vulnerable. Short of full-blown war and risking everyone we love, I don't.."

(Y/N) looks to Hiccup with a raised brow. Hiccup glances to her, the two making eye contact as the crowd waits for their answer.

Hiccup nods to his girlfriend, (Y/N) sucking in a deep breath before taking her place next to him and looking out.

"I don't see a way of staying here any longer."

The crowd instantly reacts, all shouting in disagreement and disdain.

(Y/N) cringes as insults were thrown her way, she stand her ground, waiting patiently for the crowd to calm down, but they just kept going.

"What would Stoick think of this?!"

"(F/N) would be disappointed!!"

The statement caused the girl to gasp, her hands turning to fists as people threw insult after insult.

"Hey!!"

The crowd grows quiet as Hiccup's voice echoes through the hall. He looks out, his eyes pulled into a harsh glare as his fists shook.

"Anybody who has a problem with what (Y/N) has to say, come and take it up with me!!" He yells, some people flinching away at his voice.

(Y/N) stares at his with wide eyes, her lips trembling as a wobbly smile made its way into her face. Hiccup glances to her and nods, grabbing her hand and rubbing his thumb across her palm.

"Hear her out!" Astrid speaks up, the crowd now calm and some nodding their heads.

Hiccup looks back to (Y/N), making her smile as she faces the front, her hands pulled behind her.

"If we want to live in peace with our dragons, we need a better plan."

"So..what are you saying, Commander?" Gobber slowly questions, raising a brow.

"I'm saying we need to vanish." (Y /N) replies, running her hand along her arm.

"Completely off the map!" Hiccup firmly nods, "Take the dragons to a place where no one will find them.

"And where might that be?" A man asks, suspicious.

"The Hidden World." (Y/N) answers, Astrid raising a brow at her before nodding.

"The hidden what?" A woman demands.

"Out to lunch," Ruffnut says in a bored tone, lounging on a dining table seat with Tuffnut.

"Yeah," he cackles, leaning back.

"My father was obsessed with it when I was a boy.." Hiccup speaks up, the crowd watching with raised brows.

(Y/N) hands him the book, grabbing the map and unfolding it for him as he continues.

"He made notes and maps in search of the ancestral home of all dragons," Hiccup shows off the book, gesturing to the map a moment later.

"Tucked away somewhere beyond the edge of the world. It may be the solution we need. We're dragon people! It's where we belong."

The crowd grumbles, still unsure.

"This is our home.." (Y/N) speaks up, some looking to her and waiting for her to continue.

"My father left me to protect it!" Hiccup agrees, the crowd relaxing slightly and looking at one another. "But Berk is more than this place."

"We are Berk!" (Y/N) loudly emphasised, smacking her hand on the table to get the point across.

"The people, the dragons!" Hiccup nods, firmly pointing to the Vikings. "We say, Berk is wherever we go."

The crowd remains silent, some whispering in confusion and looking around with uncertainty.

Ruffnut looks around, biting her lip just as her brother stands up and slams his fist on the table, his helmet hanging slightly off his head.

"I'm with them, who else?!"

——