-Hiccup POV-
Toothless and I had been flying for a day, finally reaching Berk. I decided to circle high above, hoping to keep our approach discreet. I had a feeling the village hadn’s warmed up to dragons, and my instincts proved correct.
The familiar traps and weaponry were still positioned as they’d been when I left. I’d have to keep Toothless hidden.
“Hey bud, why don’t you stay in that cave over there?” I asked, pointing to a sheltered hollow carved into the cliff face.
Toothless let out a rumble of agreement, and began to glide silently towards the designated spot. He landed, and I dismounted.
“Okay, Toothless. At all costs, you must stay there,” I instructed. The weight of my deception felt heavy.
I started walking towards the village, my heart pounding. Would they recognize me? A flood of possibilities—and anxieties—washed over me. Had I made a mistake? Maybe I should face BloodFury alone, gather allies like Heather and Dagur.
Suddenly, a cold, metallic object pressed against my neck.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” a voice demanded.
“Oh, sorry. I… I didn’t mean to intrude,” I stammered, trying to regain my composure.
“Answer my question!”
“My name is… uh, Henry. Can you let me go now?” I asked, hoping to buy myself time.
Slowly, the figure turned me around. An axe was held steady against my throat.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her voice sharp.
I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. It was Astrid.
“I’m here to help Berk,” I explained, trying to sound confident.
“Help Berk with what?” she asked, her eyes narrowed.
“A man named BloodFury is coming to take over. I can help you,” I said.
“How do I know you’re not lying?” she replied, her grip tightening on my arm.
“Looks like you’re going to have to trust me,” I managed with a weak smile.
Astrid grunted and dragged me towards the village. I glanced over at Gobber, who was busy forging weapons. Everyone stared at me as we passed, as if I’d committed some terrible offense. They weren’t used to visitors, I guessed. Or maybe they just weren’t used to seeing *me* return.
“Hurry up,” Astrid snapped, pulling me along.
We arrived at my house. Why were we here? She knocked, and my father answered.
“Well hello, Astrid. Who’s this?” he asked, his eyes assessing me with suspicion.
“I found him wandering in the woods. He claims a man named BloodFury is coming to attack Berk,” Astrid explained.
“Oh really? And how do we know we can trust him?” my father asked, his tone skeptical.
“I guess… you’re just going to have to,” I mumbled, feeling helpless.
My father sighed and instructed Astrid to take me to the dungeons. I could only hope they’d believe me eventually.
♤
-Astrid POV-
After locking the strange boy in our prison, I headed to the meeting hall. Chief Stoick had called everyone to announce the news about BloodFury. Despite my reservations, something about this boy felt… familiar. It was as if I already knew him, a strange, unsettling certainty.
I shook off the feeling and pushed open the doors to the main hall. The room was packed: Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout, Fishlegs… everyone was there.
“Now!” Stoick began, his voice booming. “We’re all here because a boy has come to Berk, claiming that a man named BloodFury is coming to invade.”
Chaos erupted. Everyone started talking, panicking, barely registering Stoick’s attempts to regain order.
“Everyone shut up!” Gobber roared, and the room fell silent.
“Thank you, Gobber. Anyway, for some reason, I trust this boy. So we must start preparing for a fight! And this boy shall help us.”
Stoick allowing a stranger to assist us? That was a first. I glanced at the boy, wondering what secrets he held. He was going to have to earn my trust, and I doubted it would be easy.