TAKING IT BACK

Chapter Prolog: Sneak Peak
{}{}{} All those years ago, when Berk had been a place of peace, were a joy. Young vikings would frolic around the plaza, play with their dragons and even reenact the famous battles between Hiccup and Drago and Hiccup and the Red Death.

Yes, with Hiccup leading the people of Berk, all was well. It was rough at first, of course. Hiccup had been thrown into the position of being chief with hardly any training. But that was his fault. The late Stoick tried to get his son to take the responsibility of chief seriously, but every time the subject was brought up, Hiccup hopped onto Toothless and disappeared into the world of clouds. It was hard trying to cage a free spirit, Stoick knew that all to well.

It took a couple months to get most things settled down. And even longer to get all of the ice off of Berk. It would have been impossible if the dragons weren't there to help. Their fire was quite handy indeed.

But the shadow of misery doesn't stay away. It's always there, watching; wincing at all the joy and feeding off of all the pain. Most of the time, the shadow will just stay away, leaving the world be. It knows that it can't beat off the light if it ever decided to attack. Of course, that won't keep it from trying every now and then.

Berk had been facing troubled times. The archipelago is full of vikings. Some of whom don't care for those in hardship. Berk, since the dragons moved in with them, had been a superpower among the other islands. Not once did Berk ever gloat or force their ways onto the other islands, they thought they were all equal. But after the battle with Drago, some of the other islands saw their chance to cut Berk down a peg or two.

Berk didn't deserve what happened the year after Drago. Hiccup didn't deserve what happened next.

Two islands, the Druiders and the Outlasts, teamed up for only one purpose. To tear Berk to the ground.
And they did it. Berk was in ruins, not even their dragons were safe from the surprise attack. Yes, the misery had struck full force.

Poor, poor Hiccup. He didn't even remember what happened to the island, other then it was attacked and all but sank into the ocean. The only thing he remembered was the screams of his beloved Astrid, hanging on the edge of a cliff with raging waters and sharp rocks beneath her. She screamed his name over and over, but Hiccup didn't know what he did or what happened to her.

Then he woke up.

He was laying face first on cold wet rock, a calm ocean in front of him. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but he did know Berk was in trouble.

And he was going save it.

Hiccup stood up on a weary foot and an aching prosthetic. His story, a new story, began now.