The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

Adjusting

Chapter 24: Adjusting

The ship finally stopped at the dock. The man stepped off but motioned for the others to remain behind. Still, Hiccup remained tense and eyed him carefully. He noted him as a tall, slender, middle-aged man with receding white hair, pale skin, light blue eyes, and a sharp chin. He was dressed completely in black, scaly leather and armored with a crossbow.

"I see you've laid out the welcome mat for me," the man said in an amiable voice. "How thoughtful of you."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him. "Who are you, and what do you want?" His right hand twitched, eager to grab Inferno. Toothless growled, so he rested his hand on his head instead.

"Ah, where are my manners? I am known as Grimmel the Grisly. It is a shame you have not heard of me... but I have heard of you. Chief Hiccup, hmm? Do I say Chief Hic-cup or do I just call you Hiccup? What do you prefer?"

Hiccup did not humor him with a response. "You only answered one of my questions."

Grimmel's lips twisted into an amused smirk. "I apologize. Let's get to the point, shall we?  I am the Night Fury killer. I've hunted every last one but yours."

The statement should have been shocking, but instead, it made Hiccup want to laugh. "You killed every member of the deadliest, most elusive dragon species known to man? I find that hard to believe." For starters, if he missed one, how did he know he hadn't missed others? But that was beside the point as this guy was clearly trying to intimidate him.

For a split second, annoyance flickered in Grimmel's eyes. "Whether you believe it or not, I want your dragon, and you will give him to me or I will-"

"I will never give him up! He's my best friend." Toothless growled in confirmation.

Grimmel's expression hardened. "You wish dragons to live free among us, like equals? A toxic notion, my boy. History has shown that we are the superior species. What if word of your misguided ideas were to spread? It would be the undoing of civilization as we know it."

"That's precisely the point. We want civilization to change. Why is that such a bad thing? We want to improve it. We may be able to accomplish a lot as a species, but we can accomplish even more if we work together with dragons." Hiccup took a deep breath, for what he was about to suggest carried certain risks. "I can prove it to you. Let me show you around Berk. Give me a chance to change your mind."

"No! You're the one who's mind needs to change. I see you are still very much unaware of the harm you have caused just around your archipelago... but the other villages have noticed."

"Only because you've fed them lies about us."

"I'm afraid not, but go ahead and persist in your ignorance. It will only lead to your downfall." Grimmel turned to his ship. "I will give you time to think about your options. Take all the time you need, for I am not opposed to starving you out. Or if I'm in the need of entertainment, I could simply destroy everything you love." He flashed Hiccup a wicked smile before boarding his ship.

Hiccup waited until all sails were past the horizon before facing his tribe. "Well, that could have gone worse. At least we know what we're up against now."

"You must not underestimate him," Valka said severely. "By not attacking us today, he did not reveal his weapons or strategy. We still do not know what we he is capable of."

"But we can defeat him if we work together." Hiccup glanced at Ingrid as she approached with Snotlout. "Did you get anything from him?"

Ingrid shrugged. "He's a grumpy old man who's upset that the world's changing, probably because it threatens his power. In that way, he's not much different from what we've faced before."