━━ chapter six
an outcast's greeting

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    ━━"Arrrgh! We've been here for hours and we haven't found anything!"

    Hiccup frowned at Sotlout, "We've been here for ten minutes! And you've done nothing but build that!" he pointed to a castle made of sticks and stones on the sandy shore, and Snotlout gasped in horror.

    "That," he stated as he walked up to it, placing a proud hand on the twigs keeping it together, "is Snotlout Manor. And all I need now is a queen━" he grinned to Astrid, and she just gave him a face full of her palm, pushing him to his butt, "━Aghh!"

    Tuffnut suddenly roared with rage and stomped a mighty foot onto Snotlout Manor, destroying and pummelling it to the ground. His twin watched with glee. Snotlout's hands flew to his cheeks, "What━what are you doing?"

    Tuff stopped to say, "Storming the Castle━" he flexed his muscles. "We Vikings raid each other's manors━Garrrrrr━" he stomped some more, and Snotlout screamed in outrage, tackling him off. They landed on the sand, rolling across it before coming to a stop in front of Asrifth. He turned up his nose and stepped over them, before returning his focus back onto the Book of Dragons he had━for some reason━brought along.

   Hiccup sighed, annoyed, "Asrifth, I thought you wanted to help get your dragon back."

   "I do," Asrifth mumbled, deciding to be annoying and kicking sand onto Hott's drawing. He glared up at his older brother. "But you're not going to find anything here."

    "Come on, guys!" the son of the chief tugged at his hair. "I'm telling you, Mildew framed our dragons! I saw dragon feet in Mildew's house and I watched him throw them into the ocean!"

    Fishlegs shuffled forward, coming to an awkward stance in between Astrid and Valkyrie. "I━I don't mean to be Norbert the Negative, but Asrifth is right. The ocean is really, really vast. And our chances at finding those dragon feet are as good as Snotlout and Astrid━"

    She glared at him, "Don't go there."

    Fishlegs went pink, "Going nowhere," he said in an abnormally high voice.

    Astrid sighed, "Look, they're right," she told Hiccup gently. "Even if Mildew did throw them in the ocean, they're not just gonna wash up on shore here━"

    "I found it!" Snotlout threw his arms up in victory by the edge of the water, and Hiccup grinned.

    "Great!" he smugly cleared his throat at Astrid. "Ehm ... you were saying?" His grin fell away when he saw what Snotlout really was holding.

    "I haven't seen this since I was a baby!" Snotlout grinned at the wooden bludgeon; small, the wood rotting away, but he still hit it against his helment with a happy laugh. "You never forget your first bludgeon!"

    Hiccup sighed, hanging his head. "Just keep looking ..." he told the others.

    They searched the watery shore for hours trying to find these dragon feet to prove Midlew's cunning plan. But nothing came up. In the end, it was only Valkyrie and Hiccup left on the shore line. She watched him brood, looking out towards the skyline where Dragon Island settled amongst the distant fog and rocks. She pursed her lips.

    Walking up to stand next to him, she looked out as well. She wondered whether Zephyr was gazing back at her, feeling the same desperation and loneliness. She knew she had to find a way to prove Mildew wrong, for her dragon.

    Hiccup sighed, "Why do I always end up feeling like the screw-up I was before I met Toothless?"

    Val glanced at him, and felt her shoulders slump. "You were never a screw-up━at least, not really," he sent her an amused scoff, and she smiled. "What I mean, is that the person you are now━you were always that person. You were always annoying, and stubborn, and the biggest knucklehead Viking ever."

    He frowned at her, "Thanks?"

    "But, Hiccup," she turned to face him, her hair drifting softly in the ocean wind. "That's the person that saved Toothless; persuaded your father that dragons weren't bad after all━persuaded all of us. Don't let Mildew take that away, especially when Toothless needs that part of you now, more than ever."

    She reached out and squeezed his hand. "But we all also need a break━we can't keep on searching out here forever. Have a rest, and we'll try something new tomorrow."

    He sighed, but followed her back up the cliff and home towards the village. They didn't let go of their hands. Valkyrie glanced down shyly at the feel of warmth from his palm against the cool Berkian climate. She thought back to the kiss at Snoggletog and smiled softly to herself. With the flutters in her stomach, came the want for mischief, and Valkyrie bit her bottom lip to stop her playful grin as they walked along the cliff-face, waiting for the exact moment to jut her hip out━

    "Whoa!" Hiccup would've tripped and fallen off the edge of the cliff if it weren't for Valkyrie holding onto his hand to pull his stick-figure self back up. She laughed, and he grumbled. "Val!"

    "You should have seen your face!" she wheezed, "You were all like━Whoa━!" she did her best impression of him and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips in disbelief.

    "Okay, I do not move my arms like that━" he gestured wildly and she pointed at him.

    "You just did, you doofus!"

    Hiccup gaped, scoffing in his amusement. "All right, that's it━come here━!"

    Valkyrie gasped, seeing him break out into a run after her. She shrieked in her delight and started off at a sprint up the cliff-walk. The two teenagers━two good friends that both knew deep down, one day, when they were ready and were old enough, they were sure to become more━chased each other back up to the top of the cliff, feeling the wind race through their hair and tunics. Val smiled to see Hiccup looking and feeling better, distracted for a few fleeting moments from the absence of his dragon━and Val from hers━to enjoy each other's company in the moon-lit evening.

    Reaching the top, Hiccup caught up with her and flung his arms around her waist, managing to pick the girl up. She cried out in alarm, not expecting it and the two of them fell back onto the ground amongst the grass. Sitting up, Valkyrie tried to get away, but Hiccup stretched out with a exclaim of, "Oh, no you don't━you're not getting away that easy━!"

    He pulled her back under and started to tickle her in the sides, and Valkyrie couldn't stop laughing. She wheezed for breaths in between, fighting his grip before finally getting a hold of his hand and twisting it over and Hiccup yelped, "Ow! Ow! Okay! Okay! You win━you win!"

    She let go and dusted off her fingers, victorious. "You never stood a chance," she grinned and he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

    Looking back out into the ocean, Valkyrie went to say something else when her eye caught a shadow in the distance. Hiding behind a sea stack━she wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't glanced that way. All laughter and jokes gone, she soon frowned and shuffled closer to the edge, "Hiccup..." she murmured, and his attention changed. His chuckles faded away, noticing the tone of her voice. "Why would one of our ships be anchored there?" she pointed to it.

    Hiccup appeared at her side, and fished out his looking-glass from the pouch tied to his belt. Twisting the lens, he peered where she pointed, and she saw his shoulders drop. "It's not one of our ships━" he jumped to his feet, grim and pale. "I gotta tell Dad. Come on!"

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    ━━"This is no time to panic!"

    The village was in a panic.

    The ship Valkyrie and Hiccup had spotted wasn't just any ship━it was an Outcast ship. Valkyrie herself was too young to have experienced the War of the Outcasts, led by the infamous Alvin the Treacherous, but she's heard the stories. Blood and gore and destruction, Berk nearly falling at its knees with traitors in the midst and burning ships at the port. The stories of Alvin were even worse━they said he stood ten feet tall, with an axe far bigger than any in the whole Archipelago and an appetite for Berkian children's blood instead of wine.

    How were they supposed to defend their home now without any weapons and their dragon stranded off the island. They were sitting ducks. Of course, there was panic.

    The whole Great Hall was in affray, shouting and cursing over each other as Stoick tried to keep the calm and quiet. His voice bellowed, echoing against the wood and stone, "That's what the Outcasts are counting on!"

    The doors of the Hall burst open, and in came running Sven the Sprinter. Dashing towards Stoick, even he was out of breath, clutching onto the back of a chair, "Stoick!" he gasped.

    "Sven!" exclaimed the chief, turning to him. "Did you get a count?"

    "I saw thirty men at least! All armed to the teeth!"

    Gobber growled, "Without my weapons, we'll never be able to fight them head on."

    "No weapons!" moaned Mildew from where he pushed himself to the front of the crowd. "And Outcasts on our shores! All thanks to your boy and his dragons!"

    "I don't have time for this right now, Midlew!" Stoick snapped at the cranky, old man and amongst the panic and churning of fear like bread in the mixer, she smirked, happy. "Mulch!" the chief turned to the farmer. "You and Bucket gather the elders and the children. Get them to Thor's Beach. They'll be save in the caves there."

    Valkyrie pushed forward from her family's side, coming to stand in front of the chief to say, "We can help fight!" she gestured to herself and the other teens. Snotlout, Astrid and the Twins all nodded, determined. Val was scared━the tales of Alvin the Treacherous grated around in her head, making her want to run for the hills. But she was a warrior, a Viking, she will not run for the hills. She will protect her home. "We've been trained as warriors!"

   "She may have been trained," declared Snotlout, "but I was born a warrior."

    Stoick clenched his jaw. He didn't want to put them in danger, but he knew just as much as Valkyrie did that they needed every weapon they could. So, with a relucant nod, he reached for his sheath and passed Valkyrie an old hatchet━heavy, bented at the blades and prickled with splinters. Val took it, holding it with a brave grit of her teeth. "It was Alvin's. But go with the others. You can help protect them."

    "Okay," she said, "I will━I promise," and marched her way towards where Mulch and Bucket started to herd together all the children and elders.

    Passing her parents, her mother stopped her with a tight grip on her arm. She met her gaze, and saw them welled with worry. "Be careful," said her mother. "You promise me? Stay safe."

    Valkyrie pursed her lips, and nodded. Glancing between her and and her father, she then said, "You too ... I'll see you soon━" putting aside her Viking warrior exterior for a second, Valkyrie hugged her parents tightly. Her father pressed a kiss on her forehead.

     Stepping back, she turned to her brothers. "Come on, guys━stay close. Asrifth, you're the eldest after me, look after Hott, Mak and Erik."

    "Definitely," he told her while Erik groaned.

    "What? Why do we have to be protected?" he whined as they walked to the group of elders and children. "We can handle ourselves! We're Vikings!"

    Valkyrie didn't have time for this, "Just do as As and I say, please?"

    The younget Frode grumbled but followed anyway.

    "Dad," spoke up Hiccup, and the chief turned to him. "Let me go get the dragons. At least if we have them, we can defend ourselves."

    Stoick sighed, but had no choice but to agree. "Go. But be careful. You don't know what Alvin is capable of."

    Hiccup gave him a short nod, and stepped out of the doors. Valkyrie watched him leave, feeling that same twist of fear in her stomach.

    "The rest of you!" announced the chief. "We'll head to the woods. Nobody knows that forest like we do."

    "And when Alvin comes looking for us there," added Gobber, throwing his mighty hooked-fist into the air, "he'll walk right into our trap!" there was a collective cheer amongst the Vikings, all of them ready to defend their home against the Outcast's bloody greeting no matter the cost.

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    ━━The walk to Thor's Cave a mix of silence, sometimes a child's whimper, an old croon's complaint or story of their battles back in the day, and Astrid trying very hard not to push Snotlout off the edge. "Quiet!" she'd snap at him whenever he thought it good enough to boast about how he'll keep everyone safe. The path to their safe haven was along a narrow, winding cliff-walk; not planked with wood, but instead still dusted with dirt and jagged from past landslides.

    Valkyrie kept glancing back, down at the ocean below and up at the top of the cliffs where it would be a good spot to host an ambush. She wished she had Zephyr with her; he would easily be able to scout the areas she couldn't see, take out any Outcasts that were cruel enough to prey on the elders and children━those who couldn't defend for themselves.

    Alvin's old hatchet was heavy on her wrist, but she kept a tight grip, ready to wield it if need be. Asrifth had to keep shuffling along Mak and Erik in front of her, who were whispering amongst each other over what could happen━maybe Alvin will jump up from the dephts of the ocean! What if he reaks through the clifface?! Hott helped, taking on a much more mature role for tonight to help his older brother and sister. The moon fell heavy onto the cliff-face, lighing up the path in front of them with streams of gleaming light and mist.

    Valkyrie tried to push down her fear. As a Viking, she needed to be strong━she will be strong. She will face this fear, and do what she was supposed to do; protect her home and her village because that's what Vikings do. She may be young, and inexperienced, but she helped fight the Red Death, Alvin should be nothing in comparison.

    (You were on the back of a dragon, then, however).

    (Shut up!)

    The other fear that clouded her was worry over Hiccup's safety, and whether he was able to make it to the dock, as well as Fishlegs's disappearence. They had searched the village for him before setting off, and he had been no where. Oh, please let the both of them be okay.

    Valkyrie trusted Hiccup to look after himself, and she still does, but that doesn't change her worry, her want to just check to make sure he did have himself handled. Whether it be watching from afar or having his back in battle side by side, she needed that reassurance, no matter the trust.

    She peered out to the ocean again, hoping to see a Hooligan sail heading out towards Dragon Island, but there was none yet. "Come on, Hiccup..." she muttered herself. "Come on, you can do this..."

    "Hurry up now!" called Mulch from the front of the group. "The cave is just up ahead," he stopped, glancing around back at them all with a frown. "Where's Bucket?"

    A little girl, barely older than five, peeked out from behind Astrid's leg, "He went back to get my Lamby."

   Mulch looked ready to jump off the cliff, "Oh, for the love of ... You lot," he pointed to the Dragon Riders. "Keep everyone moving," he sighed in his annoyance and started to set off the way they came. As he did, he grumbled, "Why am I always looking for Bucket...?"

    The Twins watched him leave for a few seconds, before in unision, reached down, and picked up some fallen sticks. Holding them up, they began to wave the group of Vikings forward, "All right!" stated Tuffnut. "Nothing to see here━onward, yeh troublesome beasties━ow━!" Gothi whacked him alongside the head with her staff in passing.

    Valkyrie came to Astrid's side, glancing back where Mulch had left. "I don't have a good feeling leaving him to find Bucket on his own."

    "Val," Astrid crossed her arms. "He's a grown man, he's kept himself and Bucket alive for this long, I'm sure he'll be fine."

    Val pursed her lips, but soon sighed. "Yeah ... I'm guess you're right ..." and like that, they continued on their way.

    They soon descended downhill, wrapping around the clifface and coming out onto Thor's Beach. The wind pushed against their tunics; the waves washed the sand back and forth, howling in agreeance with the breeze.

    It was hard to look up and see for any Outcasts now that the night grew darker. The Twins and Snotlout helped round everyone up to head into the cave while Valkyrie stood watch with Astrid, waiting for Mulch and Bucket to return. They waited for thirty minutes at the very least, and the pair were still nowhere to be found.

    Valkyrie shared an uneasy glance with Astrid, "Should we go after them? What if Alvin's men captured them?"

    "We only have one weapon," said Astrid, her voice filled with worry. "Do we risk leaving everyone here defenceless?"

    It was a hard call to make, and Valkyrie didn't know which to pick. She stared down at the hachet thoughtfully, turning it back and forth in her fingers. She couldn't help but wonder: what decision would Stoick make in this situation━what decision would Hiccup make? One a warrior, the other a mediator ... and both would never leave a man behind, but also never a group of children and elderly utterly defenceless. Valkyrie was given the role of defending them━but how could she defend both?

    She came to a decision. With a grit of her teeth, she went to hand over the hatchet to Astrid, planning on running back after the other two with nothing but her fists and stamina, when a shadow hung over from the entrance to the beach.

    Astrid gasped, and soon grinned. "Mulch? Bucket?!"

    But the laughter that followed made her falter. It crackled; like steel against rocks, scraping the very slither of everyone's courage to nothing. Valkyrie's breath hitched and she and Astrid rushed back to the others. They tried to get them into the cave quicker, but there was no point. Alvin the Treacherous and his men appeared, surrounding them with mighty swords and axes. In two of their grasps, was Mulch and Bucket.

    Val cursed, and quickly hid the hatchet from sight, keeping it amongst the furs of her winter fleece coat.

    Alvin the Treacherous wasn't ten feet tall, but he could at least be the same height as Stoick the Vast. His skin was as rough as rock, the same colour as sand on a early morning━and just as grinding. His eyes were dark as obsidian, as was his hair; matted with old braids and beads and dragon bones. He may not be as tall as the stories, but he was surely as terrifying.

    His men weren't any better. Just as Sven the Sprinter had said, they were armed to the teeth; with iron-plated armour covered with dragon tooth-spikes, helmets with menacing designs of human skulls and weapons glinting with razor-sharp-looking blades.

    "Well, look what we've got here!" Alvin smiled, showing yellow, rotting teeth. "Well done, half-wit," he gave Bucket a mighty