The Lost Boy IV - The Hidden World

14 - New rules

Once the kiss ended with the interruption of two warbbling Furies, Hiccup's mind started again to work. The two young men walked towards the camp, holding hands, one talking softly to his dragon, the other thinking.

After this invigorating talk making him remember what he believed in and was ready to fight for, Hiccup made a decision. He was planing on making it official soon, surely during the evening banquet which the vikings seemed found of during the building of the village.

He had decided to make official the settlement of New Berk on this island, and give up on the Hidden World. However, he was also planning on imposing a restriction of using the dragons for work, establish new rules so the winged creatured would be more free, and most avoid to keep them all in the village with them. Vikings, like dragons, needed more space from each other. They had to get a lesson from the overbusy former-Berk.

Anyway, New Berk was only a tiny isle in the huge fortress island, there was way enough space for letting the dragons live their own life, and let the ones who wanted to stay, live within the village, and let the ones who wanted to get back to their roots leave for the Hidden World. Hiccup decided that, starting from this day, they were no more forcing a dragon to stay, nore to leave if they wanted to stay. Dragons deserved to choose their own way of life.

Conscious these changes were not going to be easily accepted, nore easy to annonce, he asked advices from Gobber, Elska, Astrid and Fishlegs. They helped him write a speech for the clan. The news of the exodus had not been welcomed because it had been rushed, improvised, so Hiccup wanted to do the things right, this time.

As the ground floor of the brand new chief hutt served as a reunion place for the five busy vikings, the first story was supposed to be a relaxing place but was actually theatre of the commotion of five too energic young dragons.

As the travel to the Hidden World had made him tired, Joke had already eaten and was going to bed early to get rest. No one blamed him for that, the pregnancy seemed to be an excuse everyone was giving him without questioning.

Astrid quickly left the reunion to visit her brother and help him with the dragons. She couldn't help but laugh as she entered the room, seeing him lying on the bed and surrounded by the Night Lights.

If Nightsky was perfectly calm in his arms, Daylight had climbed on the bed-head while Duskstorm and Moonshine were wrestling by the foot of the bed, threatening to get under it at any moment.

Toothless was sound asleep in a corner of the room, Midnight sprawled on his head in the same passed out state, and Lumiverse was sitting near the bed, like a guard here to protect Joke, eyeing her youngest baby with a reproval glare.

Joke seemed half asleep, his head feel forward as Astrid opened the door, the light stroking his face waking him up in a jolt. He smiled and greeted her, she smiled back and walked to him. She had to avoid the two fighters, then greeted Lumiverse, before eventually sitting at the edge of the bed.

''So ?'' She teased. ''How are you doing, mommy ?''

Joke gave her a half-amused, half-mischievous look, but didn't say anything about the pun. Instead, he adressed her a more sensitive subject.

''What do you think about the decree ?''

Astrid looked up at the striped white Night Light moving over the head of her brother, while thinking about the question.

''I think this is a good idea.''

''But... ?'' Joke hesitated.

''No buts. Actually, it's great to try and put some distance with the dragons. Keeping them with us at every moment, especially keeping so many of them, it's getting stifling, for us and for them.''