42. The cornation of the new cheif

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She had been deafened to the audience's applause and endless rounds of cheers, but before long they finally came back to her ear. Her senses were finally returned to her as she noticed people picking up and leaving, parents leading their children away. Even most of the dragons were going back to their pens beside the houses or going into the barn to take a well-deserved nap. The parade was over, it seemed, and people were packing up to go back to their houses and resume their normal activities.

Or so it seemed; upon closer inspection it looked as though they were passing by their homes, the crowd just moving on in one single line, not a single person going into a house. They all headed towards the Great Hall, pulling themselves up the stairs to get inside. There was something else going on, some big event that required everyone there; judging by the fact that children were allowed, it obviously wasn't business or war-related.

Astrid seemed lost for a moment, wondering what to do next. By now the others were probably wondering where she was and setting out to find her themselves. She felt she should go back and ease their troubled minds and not leave them panicking over needing to find two missing people. Her priority was Hiccup, to find the boy and bring him home, and currently there was no sign he was here...

But curiosity had gotten the better of her, this island of dragon riders and the Dragon Conqueror plaguing her every thought. There was something else going on here, something she was missing, and she needed to know what.

She hid herself among the throngs of Vikings and made way for the Great Hall herself, ducking her head down so no one else would take notice of her. She looked to the sky once more, and found that the Dragon Conqueror was now gone, as if he was never there.

'Who is that guy?' she wondered.

Astrid hunched down and kept her hood pulled down over her head, grasping the fur lined sides tightly and threatening to rip it over her head in an effort to remain unseen. She walked closely among the multiple villagers to hide amongst them like a leaf in the forest, one of the crowd, completely unseen. Despite what she had told the woman during the parade, she was a trespasser, and she had her doubts that the woman she spoke to during the parade really believed her. In such small enclosed communities where everyone knew everyone on islands surrounded by miles of open sea, it was far too easy to tell who was an outsider and who wasn't. She only hoped she could get to the bottom of whether these people were hostile or not quickly so she could get out of there without anyone noticing her.

From underneath her hood, she could see all the dragons returning to their wooden dens next to the houses, or going inside the large barns to nestle in the hay and take their nap. Some were going off to large structures all over town to get a meal or to weird stations where they rolled around blissfully in warm coals or got their backs scratched by the metal spikes. This place seemed to perfectly accommodate dragons of all kinds and cater to their every need; Fishlegs would most certainly find this place interesting if he ever saw it. But to Astrid it seemed this place was almost meant more for dragons than humans. The Dragon Conqueror had most likely planned it so: gaining the people's trust so they would have no problem while the beasts overran their village and he'd have a big enough place to house all his pets. That jerk probably had this whole village wrapped around his little finger, giving them a good show and offering protection so they would do whatever he said. He had taken control and they hadn't even known it; it seemed he fully lived up to his name as 'Conqueror.'

She carried herself upon the large stone steps lined on the sides with stone statues of Vikings holding swords triumphantly over pits of fire, watching in protection of those who took passage. It was a great step up from the simple stone stairways on Berk that were now crumbling away from years of abuse. Going past the large statues that stood beside the great opened doors, the young shield-maiden took in the sight before her. An extravagant Hall far richer in design stood before her, with tapestries hanging from the ceiling and large opened windows filtering in sunlight and the fresh air of a new day. The pillars held at their tops metal-sculpted dragon heads, with tapestries of dragon symbols curling down upon them, each depicting one of the many classes of dragons, and at their sides torch pits that burned brightly with roaring flames. There was even a second level where numerous arched entrances could be seen, in the same design as the classic wooden Viking homes, each as ornate and lavish as the chief's home had once been on Berk. Astrid had hardly even noticed the additional wooden stairways leading up to that higher level on-looking the scene below.

All around on both floors benches were lined up around the fire pits and tables build around them, circling around the main platform with people filing in to take their seats in preparation for the major event to come. The excitement and impatience was quickly building like a catapult tensed up ready to shoot at a stray dragon as they had in the old days. The whole area was as busy as a beehive, teeming with activity; besides those that were crowding to find seats, there were several others running around fixing up any last minute decorations. They hung up more banners along the pillars underneath the dragon's heads, carried bowls of flowers to place at the tables, and polished up any metal in the room until it shined. At the front were several people lining up with large stone slabs with torches yet to be lit, a group of elderly Vikings taking their place behind each of them.

Everyone was too busy to notice Astrid; she silently thanked the gods and released her ironclad grip on her hood and stepped forward. She had to squeeze her way past multiple people clamoring around to find seats for the event. Some people even knocked her back by accident into one of the tables, though she managed to pick herself up right after.

She could feel the heat of the torches get to her from underneath her hood, the air a bit too stifling even when she hid within the shadows and felt the cool air from outside get to her. Whether from the heat or the nervousness that someone still might spot her, she began to sweat a few beads, feeling the drops run down from her forehead. She wiped her brow and made her way over to find the chief, that orange bearded man from the beginning of the parade; a man such as him, even amongst similarly built Vikings, would surely stand out with his air of authority. Astrid couldn't even begin to think of what she might say to the man, and there was absolutely no way she would believe any kind of story she tried to sell. He would be able to sniff her out immediately and it would only be a short jump until they found the others. But despite the risks, she needed answers as to just what was going on, and when Astrid Hofferson wanted something, she got it.

Instead, she found something a LOT more interesting.

There, in the far end of the room by the window, were almost all of the dragon riders that participated in the parade earlier. She could recognize the riders of the Changewing, the Whispering Death, the Nadder, and the Thunderdrum. They were all gathered around in a circle talking amongst themselves, the subject of their conversation intelligible to her. Sneaking around the base of the pillar, she could make out a few more people, including the pregnant woman who flew upon the Skrill.

And next to her was none other than the Dragon Conqueror himself, still clad in his black armor and with his face blocked by his helmet. His Night Fury stood right behind him, looking between his master and the pregnant woman; from all appearances he seemed to be the only dragon in the room. She could hear him laugh from underneath his helmet, and though muffled, she could swear the tone was vaguely familiar. She couldn't place where, though... until he took his helmet and undid the straps, removing it from his head.

Oh Gods... it was him.

There he stood, with unkempt, windswept auburn hair, his hardened jawline bearing sparse amounts of stubble giving him a more mature look than she had ever seen on him. For once he held his head up high, he stood tall and proud, reflecting the leader that people had always expected him to become. She had always figured he would remain the same as he always did regardless of the years, and she would be able to recognize him in an instant. Now, though, she could swear she was looking at a different person entirely, especially when sticking his head atop the armor of the mighty Dragon Conqueror and putting him beside the most dangerous dragon that ever existed. It was as if she was in some mixed-up, parallel universe of the Trickster Loki's design, where skittish, fragile boys like him were remade into warriors as some jest so as to laugh at the baffled faces of others like her. But no amount of time or case of alternate reality would change those forest green eyes that she had grown to miss, the ones that shined with glimmers of hope even in a dragon's blaze.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the lost heir of Berk - once believed dead and now here he was, alive and well.

Astrid grasped the sides of the pillars with her hands to brace herself against the storm of emotion raging within her, gasping for precious breath. Her heart pounded against her chest with all the ferocious strength of a blow to the chest from a war hammer from the inside out, her thoughts cloudy with blurred, mixed words and images like multiple colors combined to leave compound of dull mud. The boy she had come to love, the boy whose memory always led to regret, was here now, here for her to see, talk to, and bring home. She never thought she could see him so soon, or even at all - and on the off chance she had, she figured it would be as a bloody corpse. She started to advance towards him, hands out and ready to hold him, tears welling up in her eyes, not caring who really saw.

"So, do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" The rider of the Whispering Death asked. Astrid was snapped out of her euphoric stupor and quickly bolted to hide behind another pillar, watching them from behind.

"Girl, definitely," Hiccup and Syn said at the once, suddenly looking at each other and stifling their chuckles before bursting out in laughter. Juliane awed looking at the happy couple, while Leif just rolled his eyes with a smile and kept quiet.

"What do you think she'll look like?" Juliane asked happily.

"Well, I'd imagine I'm gonna have a pretty beautiful daughter," Hiccup answered in a soft voice, looking at Syn fondly with a warm smile on his face. He held out a hand and gently placed it on Syn's stomach, while another held her by the shoulder, pulling her in slightly close. "So of course... she's gonna have her mother's eyes."

Looking at the couple, Astrid was floored - Hiccup never had any sort of confidence when talking to girls. He'd freeze up and babble and sputter when one so much as looked at him, and any clear sentences would end up being about any irrelevant topics. It was how he acted any time he got near her, at least in the few seconds she'd bothered to entertain his company. Wait... did that mean that Hiccup liked her? She supposed it was possible, given how skilled of a warrior she was; even if Hiccup never made any direct advances towards her like Snotlout did, the chance was very strong that he could have held some kind of infatuation with her.

"Very cute, Hiccup," Syn said sarcastically, but with a smile and a chuckle, moving his hands away and crossing her arms. "Very cute."

"What? Your eyes are beautiful!" Hiccup exclaimed jokingly and while waving his arms out. Syn blushed slightly at the comment, draping a lock of hair back behind her ear and turning away only for a moment before looking at him again. Only a few years had passed since their marriage and all the young dragon rider needed to do was look into those eyes to fall in love with her all over again. She understood because it was the same feeling she got whenever she looked into his eyes. Those strong, insightful eyes that reflected nature in its truest form and saw the world in a way no one else could. She could gaze into those eyes and never have to leave Selardalr at all, seeing the world and all it had to offer in full just from his gaze alone.

"Don't worry, lovebirds. I'm sure the baby will be cute, no matter whose eyes she gets," Arne said with a wary grin crossing his arms. Hiccup and Syn broke free from their mutual trance and turned to him, smiling and chuckling while turning their red faces away from each other. Hiccup sheepishly scratched the back of his head while Syn held her elbows and focused her gaze instead on the soon-to-be-born baby inside her.

"What are ya gonna name her?" Sven asked.

Hiccup and Syn blinked and looked at each other once more. They honestly hadn't thought that much about their baby's name, and when they did, they just couldn't make up their minds. There were just too many beautiful names for their beautiful baby, and they had looked in too many books and heard too many suggestions to prove such. In fact, it wasn't long after Syn received the news that she was pregnant and word spread out to the village that little competitions had formed to try and offer names for the child. But they knew they wanted her name to be special, something a little less generic or standard - more than anything they wanted their child's name to have a special meaning.

Syn pursed her lips together, thinking of a new name among the endless list of those she had already heard. "Agatha?" She suggested.

"No, too formal," Hiccup said shaking his head. "Maybe Alin?"

"Ew, no way!" Syn exclaimed holding out her hands in repulsion. "I know. How about Astrid?" She said in a teasing voice and with a sly look while pressing her index finger against Hiccup's lips. The joking intention completely missed Astrid, however, who at the mention of her name hid herself behind the pillar again, slamming her back upon the base. For a second she believed she might have been caught, though how that woman knew her name was a mystery to her, doubting Hiccup would have told her. The small movement had caught Toothless's eye and he turned to face the pillar, but the Night Fury quickly decided it was nothing and returned his attention to his rider.

Hiccup's face burned bright red at the thought of his ex-crush. "Okay, that was really mean!" He said. His face fixed into a flustered scowl for a few moments; Syn knew he had gotten over Astrid years ago. Astrid, on the other hand, heard his tone and began to think that maybe Hiccup did like her, maybe as much as she liked him. She felt butterflies flapping inside her stomach, but she was overjoyed to think that Hiccup might feel the same way about her that she did about him.

Syn giggled. "I love you, you big goof," She said before giving him a peck on the cheek. The moment she did, his scowl faded away and turned back into a loving smile.

"I love you too," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes, and after a few more seconds of looking at his wife, his eyes widened with an idea forming in his head. "Wait, I know! Livia Valka !"

"Livia Valka?" Alta asked.

"Yeah!" Hiccup said. "Come on! Please?"

Syn thought over the two name - she recognized the second one as the name of Hiccup's long-deceased mother, taken by the dragons from Berk and never seen again. She had always felt bad when she asked Hiccup for more information about his mother only to hear that there was nothing else he could tell her. Apart from her name, Hiccup had no knowledge of her identity, his father having selfishly kept her memory to himself, probably thinking Hiccup had no right to grieve when he had no conscious connection to her. She had to admit, she liked the name; it was very beautiful and it would help to bring Hiccup closure for what had happened, for some phantom pain that might exist over the loss of the parent he would never know.

"Okay then, Livia  Valka it is!" Syn cried out joyfully and wrapped her arms around her husband's chest. Hiccup had to step back a little from his wife's sudden motion, but caught himself on the first step back and held her firmly. The others clapped and gave their words of agreement over the baby's new name, even Toothless barking in joy.

Their small celebration was cut short when Hiccup heard a sharp cry from the crowd, a call-out of "Daddy!" Hiccup turned around and noticed Alvis running up to him through the aisles of people, running like a wolf in search of prey. He broke into the circle and leapt forward, Hiccup yelping in surprise but still managing to reach out and grab him at the last second. The boy was smiling brightly, bouncing in his father's arms and giggling, excitement lingering in between the parade and the ceremony taking place.

"Oh, Alvis!" Hiccup cried. "You gotta stop doing this. One of these days you won't have my split-second timing to help you out."

Astrid dared to peek out once more and see the energetic child Hiccup was holding, laughing and hugging him. This whole island was turning out to be one big headache - before one question could even be answered, a thousand more would appear. First an island of dragon riders, then Hiccup turning out to be the Dragon Conqueror, and now he apparently had a super-fan of a child. It was just like the once-embarrassment of Berk to get himself into such a complicated predicament.

"So, I take it that you enjoyed the parade, squirt " Arne asked ruffling Alvis's hair.

"Yeah, dad's was my favorite part! You were riding up there with Toothless and going, 'whoosh, whoosh, zoom, zoom!'" Alvis said darting his arms around in all direction to try and mimic Toothless' amazing speed in the air. The Night Fury cocked his head and rumbled, thinking how silly his rider's child tended to act at times. "And the running on the houses and the diving and the swinging around on houses, it was so cool!"

"Actually, he was running around, then swinging on the houses, then zooming around on Toothless, then diving." Sven pointed out.

Juliane rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Sven, I don't think he's all that preoccupied with order." She said wryly.

"Oh, man, I can't wait until I'm old enough to be a dragon rider! I'll get a super cool dragon just like Toothless and then I'll train with him and be the best, most awesome-est rider ever, just like dad!... I mean, not better than dad, 'cause nobody's better than him, I mean..." Hiccup laughed, keeping his ego in check even while his son was stoking it. He was doing much better than Toothless, who held his head up proudly and looked as regal as possible, as he always did when he received praise. Hiccup just chuckled and gave his dragon a playful punch on the head, with Toothless giving him a glare in return.

"That reminds me," Leif spoke up. "Those graduates from the Dragon Academy were looking pretty good up there. Not bad for your first class, Mrs. Headmaster."

Syn smiled proudly at Leif's compliment. After Hiccup left on his trip around the world with Toothless and Alvis, she had been chosen to take charge at the Academy as its new headmaster and lead teacher. The group she had been flying with were her first group of students who graduated, beginning when they were only twelve years old. The rule of the academy was that a child could enter at the age of Twelve, and would graduate at age seventeen, after which they were considered full dragon riders and be allowed to join the new Dragon Defense Force that had been formed in order to defend the island against potential threats as well as qualify to compete in Dragon Races. Syn had proven herself to be a very capable teacher, creating an organized schedule for classes and individualized lesson plans based on multiple dragon species and flying drills and techniques. Though some people had to admit, she did tend to get a little rough with other lessons such as reading and writing, and she gave out a ton of homework.

"Thanks, I'm glad all those hours of teaching and dealing with procrastination paid off." She said with a shrug.

"Vikings complaining about reading, why am I not surprised?" Arne asked sarcastically.

"You know Vikings; unless it involves beating something with a bludgeon, it's work." Hiccup pointed out.

"So I heard a lot of people were asking if they could enroll next year. Is that right?" Juliane asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm up to my neck in applications, and not all of them are from children." Syn said holding her head at the swarm of Viking adults who wanted to sign up for her classes. She could barely get a word in from the way they all crowded up to shout out their requests all at once. She was starting to think she might have to place a limit on the class size, not being able to teach so many at once. "I'm just glad we got that nursery installed; I'd almost think we wouldn't have enough dragons for them all."

It was Hiccup and Syn's idea together to create the Dragon Nursery that currently stood next to the Academy. It was before Hiccup left that he discovered around the time of the Viking winter holiday celebration Snoggletog that the dragons took that time to migrate to a volcanic island to lay their eggs and nurture their young. Needless to say everyone was in a confused panic when the dragons just up and left, but things eventually settled down when they returned with Hiccup and Toothless leading them. After explaining things, Syn proposed that they create a similar breeding environment on Selardalr; the nursery had everything they needed to ensure young dragons could grow healthily and safely. They needed to spend a few years with their parents once they hatched, but once they were of proper age and size they would be brought to the Academy to be paired with new riders. It always warmed Hiccup's heart to see the day they chose their dragons, and new bonds were made.

"Wait, isn't there a rule about adults signing up?" Sven asked.

"There isn't, actually." Hiccup said. "We only thought of children 'cause we figured they'd be a little more open-minded. And we set the age requirement thinking younger kids would be more liable to get hurt - kids and dragons need a little experience with each other before they can start riding together."

He remembered that's how it was for him and Toothless while patting the dragon on the head while Toothless purred. Hiccup knew all the playful experiences he had shared with Toothless had served another purpose besides him learning about dragons - it facilitated the trust needed for them to fly together. He felt it would be a good idea for learning riders to do the same and get comfortable around dragons before actually getting to the big stuff.

"Can't believe even the grown-ups get to join classes and I don't. Mom, Dad, can I sign up now? Pleeeease?" Alvis begged.

"Sorry, little bud, but you're gonna have to wait until you're older." Hiccup said. He wouldn't say it, but he was just as anxious for the day Alvis would finally get in and start learning to be a dragon rider. How proud he would be to see his boy flying the skies on his own dragon.

"But four years is gonna be like waiting forever!" Alvis whined. "Can't we just... say I skipped 'cause I'm a special case?" All the adults just laughed out loud at the boy's impatience, so loud even the other people around them could hear them amidst the rambunctious chatter.

"D-Don't worry, Alvis." Syn said after finally managing to calm herself somewhat, wiping away a stray tear from her eye. "Those four years will just fly by, so to speak, since you'll have your hands full being a big brother and taking care of your little sister."

"Oh, yeah!" Alvis shouted. "Is she gonna be here soon?"

"Healer said she's expected to come any day now." Syn said, patting her child on the head and straightening out his hair.

"Wait, seriously!?" Hiccup shouted. "Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"Oh, you mean there was a good time in between setting up defenses, organizing the races, planning for the Parade and your coronation to be chief to tell you?" She smirked. From behind the pillar, Astrid's face was one of complete bafflement. What did that woman mean by coronation to be chief? Was that what was going on - the island was selecting a new chief, and they were planning on it to be Hiccup? It wasn't common but there was no rule against choosing an outsider to be chief if he had commendable qualities, but Hiccup didn't really seem to fit into that category.

"Alright, alright, I get it, I'm a busy guy, soon to be even busier." Hiccup said, letting go of Alvis and holding his beloved wife by the waist.

"Hiccup!" Cried out a gruff voice. "It's time." The small group of young adults looked to see Harold emerge from the crowd of people approaching them, with a stern look on his face.

"Okay, okay." Hiccup said, looking down and not letting the soon-to-be former chief see the small grin on his face. By his internal sense of time, Hiccup was fully aware they still had at least six more minutes until the ceremony was to take place. It could be said that Vikings were never for punctuality, but Hiccup had a stronger suspicion it was Harold's fatherly instincts speaking for him; he would probably never get used to him and Syn together, he thought.

At this point Astrid had seen and heard enough; she feared that if she stayed any longer in this place her head was going to explode. Hiccup was here, he was alive, so all she had to do was drag him back to the ship so they could take him to Berk and he could be chief there. Berk was his home, the place where he was born, where all his family and neighbors were, it was where he was always meant to be and it was where she could be with him. She was prepared to jump out from the pillar and grab him to make a run for it, but she froze in place when the pregnant woman promptly gave Hiccup a good luck kiss.

On the lips...

Jealousy began to boil inside of Astrid, her entire form seething with deadly anger, more than the shield-maiden had ever felt in her life. How dare that girl kiss her Hiccup, her Hiccup! No other woman was going to so much as touch her Hiccup, over her dead body! Hiccup was hers, he had always been hers - he was a Berkian by blood and yet some random skank of a dragon lover though she could just lock lips with him. Her mind began racing with all the ways she could punish this thief for taking what rightfully belonged to her, a solid punch to the eye, a chop of her axe, wringing her by the neck, whatever gruesome means possible. She had hardly even noticed herself drawing her axe from its sheath, her very soul yearning with the desire, the intent to kill. But she was stopped when Hiccup proceeded to follow the Orange-haired large man from before while the last of the villagers scattered into their seats. She quickly hid behind the pillar where she knew no one could see her and remained quiet, trying to not to draw attention to herself while still gritting her teeth in anger watching the pregnant woman take her seat near the center of the room.

With everyone now gathered in the Great Hall, two Vikings shut the doors, the large wooden structures slamming shut with a loud crash. On the upper level of the Hall, a choir of men and women gathered together and sang out in harmonious joy; whispers and murmurs ran silent as the melodious voices echoed in clear and strong voices echoed across the walls. Sprits were both calmed and uplifted by words that spoke directly towards them:

Verdig kongen av storhet, båret på dreki vinge

Hjertet av gull skinner, o skaperen av fred

Vi krone deg med håp, stolthet og tro.

Vakker hav og himmel, hjem Selardalr

Følg kongen av flammen

Hiccup kneeled down upon the last step of the circle, with Harold standing at the top, facing the group of elders that had gathered and now lit the flames with the help of the dragons. Red, Violet, Boomer, Quaker, Storm, Harold's green-yellow Rumblehorn named Titan, and Toothless all gathered behind each elder and kept their eyes focused on the young dragon rider. Harold finally turned, carrying in one hand a beautiful, shining sword, the other a powerful looking hammer, both inscribed with ancient Nordic runes. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," the chief said once the choir had ceased their song. "You have been chosen to become the next chief of our tribe."

Hiccup remained silent while rising up and ascending to the topmost step, his face betrayed no emotion, remaining perfectly calm. He stood face to face with Harold, staring the former chief straight in the eye, the former giving him the most serious look he had ever mustered in his life. They both knew it served as a test, the previous chief looking to see if here and now he had found a truly worthy successor, someone who would carry on the great new legacy he himself had created.

"Do you renounce and forsake all previous alignments outside of this land, and swear loyalty to this tribe you will govern?"

"I do," Hiccup said immediately. Astrid let out a sharp gasp at his quickness to throw away his allegiance to Berk.

"Do you swear to put aside your own needs and sacrifice of yourself to ensure this tribe's happiness and prosperity?"

"I do."

"Do you solemnly swear to lead the people with honor, and to protect this tribe at any and all costs?"

"... I do."

At last he handed Hiccup the two objects, Hiccup taking the sword in his right hand and the hammer in the other. Astrid was floored to see how the fishbone who once could barely lift a bludgeon without collapsing in on himself could now wield two weapons effortlessly. Hiccup then turned to face the crowd, holding the two weapons upright and gazing straight ahead, giving to all the tribe his most regal and mighty appearance. The entire crowd looked at him with a mixture of pride and awe in their eyes.

"Sword of the All-Father, grant unto him wielder the wisdom of Asgard so that he may lead with the brilliance of the North Star." Harold announced. "Hammer of the Thunder God, grant unto him divine strength so as to safeguard this tribe from all who seek to rend it asunder!"

The elders chanted repeatedly in low, reverent tones: "Frelser mann og drage, bestige nå for å lede veiskjebne." Again and again the words repeated, while Harold stepped in front of Hiccup, carrying a small wood bowl with ashes. He dipped his fingers inside the bowl and drew a small symbol upon Hiccup's forehead, a horizontal line with an arch running above it, sealed with a vertical line running between the two. Once he completed, he went down the steps until he stood at the very bottom, bowing his head and speaking clearly above the elders.

"Som han er anerkjent av gudene til Valhalla, oger født vitne av folket, jeg presentere deg...Sjef Hikke sjefen for den slanke ulvestammen!" He chanted in prayer.

Once the chief reached the last step, the elders silenced themselves, and he too turned to face everyone, announcing in jubilant power. "As of today, I step down from my position as a chief of this tribe. My people, I give you Hiccup, the Dragon Whisperer, chief of the Silent Wolf Tribe!" Upon the call of his title, Hiccup twirled the weapons in his hands,  stomping the sword with a loud clang of steel.

"Hiccup, chief of the Silent Wolf Tribe!" Immediately, everyone got up and started chanting and applauding. They threw up their hands in the air and screamed and cheered, tossing their helmets up and letting them collide with each other before crashing back down. The dragons shook the whole room with their roars and let loose their streams of fire, reaching up into the air and illuminating Hiccup's back. The whole room was alive with exuberance and joy, all except for one person.

Astrid, no one had noticed the look of absolute shock on her face, stepping back a few times before she finally rushed towards the door and slipped out.Silent WolfTribe? Hiccup, 'the Dragon Whisperer'?! Hiccup, chief?! Angry, astonished, and all around confused, she escaped the village and made her way back to the beach with speed to rival a dragon's. She had to tell Stoick about this!

.....~~TO BE CONTINUED~~

Meaning of the chant-

Worthy king of greatness, carried on dragon wing

The heart of gold shines, o creator of peace

We crown thee with hope, pride, and faith.

Beautiful sea and sky, home Selardalr.

Follow the king of flame

And here are the words the elders were chanting over and over:

Savior of man and dragon, ascend now to guide the path of fate.

As he is acknowledged by the Gods of Valhalla, and is born witness by the people, I present to you... Chief Hiccup of the Silent Wolf Tribe.