The Gift Of Power | Wattys 2020 (Dance of Power Trilogy: Book 1)

Before The Storm

Stoick sat in the hall, his face in his hands. Listening to the chaos erupting all around him with a detached sort of interest. The Meathead man's father, Bloodheart, had been, understandably, furious. Shouting for Hiccup's immediate execution. Claiming that his son had been wrongly accused, and that Hiccup's actions were a brutally rash outburst from a dangerously unstable and violent man. The fact that he had simply murdered someone on the words of an emotionally damaged and unreliable orphan, instead of consulting the council, simply solidified this fact.

Bertha was having none of it. She adamantly refused to even consider the possibility of Hiccup being executed for avenging one of her Tribe members. Instead, she was questioning the reliability of Stormheart's father. Loudly proclaiming that if Bloodheart was trying to defend his son by slandering Heather and Hiccup's characters then he was obviously just as bad as his child. Many of the council members supported Bertha's statement and Stoick had to agree that she did have a valid point. The man's words against Heather and Hiccup may have had slightly more bearing if the evidence against his own son was not quite so damning.

There was no denying the fact the the Bog girl was assaulted and most likely raped. Anyone could see that the moment that she had walked into the hall. That she had enough sense of mind to recognize her attacker and relay every horridly explicit detail to Gothi afterwards, simply showed her true strength of character. Stoick seriously doubted that Heather would mistakenly accuse another of the disgusting attack. Astrid's statement about how Stormheart had been following her and her friends around since he arrived, and how uncomfortable he made them all feel, seemed to support the claims from the serving maids in the mead hall. The vile man had managed to amass quite the reputation during his relatively short time on Berk.

There had been an extended period of shouting then which nearly ended with Bertha putting Bloodheart's head through one of the hall tables. Then the Meathead chief, Brawlknife, had stood up to say his piece. Shamefully admitting to the gathered council that this was not the first episode of the sort. Apparently, there had been many claims on Freezing To Death relating to Stormheart's behaviour. The families always rescinded the charges before anything could come of it though. Following this unsettling proclamation, Stormheart's father had been promptly escorted from the hall. On a one way trip to the village cells for some one-on-one interrogation.

With him gone, the serious talks could finally commence. The most important issue on the table was, of course, what should be done about Hiccup. Justified or not the public execution of Stormheart was not acceptable without the council's support. Vigilante killings simply could not be tolerated on islands that were dependant on each other for survival. Feeling a surreal sense of despair, Stoick watched through his hands as the rest of the council deliberated the fate of his only son. The son that he had just gotten back and now may be forced to exile. Or worse...

Gobber sat beside him, mostly keeping his thoughts to himself. A small smile on his weathered face. As if the old smith knew with certainty that nothing was going to happen to Hiccup, and who knew? Maybe he was right. Those two had always been unreasonably close. Perhaps Gobber knew something that Stoick didn't. It was very likely, since Gobber already knew so many things about Hiccup that Stoick didn't.

Maybe Gobber could tell him how Hiccup had become this. What had happened to him that turned him into a ruthless killer? Was it the traumas of his childhood that made him unable to feel remorse, or was it something that happened later? Some event during Hiccup's absence that had turned his precious little boy's heart to ice.

Stoick felt lost. Lost and ashamed. Was it all his fault that the boy he had once been preparing for the chiefdom was now too volatile to trust with the power? He should have loved the boy more. Spent more time with him. Maybe then, they wouldn't be here now. Trying to decided whether to execute or exile the only family that Stoick had left...