"Come on Thorfinn, get on for Odin's sake."
I shook my head, my white braided hair swaying as I took another step back from the wooden pier. The boat bobbed gently in the harbor, its hull creaking against the dock posts with each small wave that lapped against it. Even that gentle sound made my chest tighten.
"We'll just be going an hour in, no turbulent waters or anything."
I shook my head again, more vigorously this time. My hands had begun to tremble at my sides, and I could feel the familiar heat starting to bloom across my scar beneath my shirt. The burn mark always seemed to react when I was afraid, as if it remembered something my conscious mind couldn't quite grasp.
That was until a younger voice sounded out, clear and encouraging through the salty morning air.
"You can do it Thorfinn, I believe in you."
I looked at the two people on the boat, both watching me with patient expressions despite my obvious reluctance.
Stoick the Vast stood near the bow, his massive frame making the already substantial fishing vessel look modest. His red beard as fluffy as ever, and his green eyes held that same steady confidence I'd come to associate with the chief over the past three and a half years. He was holding his hand out to me, palm up, waiting.
Hiccup, now five years old and no longer the toddler I'd first babysat, sat cross-legged at the edge of the boat. His brown hair was getting longer, almost reaching his shoulders, and his green eyes, so like his father's, sparkled with excitement. He'd been pestering both Stoick and me for weeks about taking him out on a proper fishing trip, not just the shallow water excursions near the shore.
I looked at the water that was slowly swaying the boat, the dark blue surface reflecting the morning clouds, and shivered. The sight of it made my throat tighten, made my breathing shallow. I could almost taste the salt water, feel it filling my lungs, drowning me from the inside out.
I clutched my chest, as I felt it beginning to burn up.
But then I looked back at those two pairs of green eyes, both watching me with such faith, such certainty that I could do this. Hiccup had started bouncing slightly where he sat, his small hands gripping the edge of the boat as he waited for my decision.
I released a long sigh, watching my breath mist slightly in the cool morning air.
"Fine, okay you guys win!" I yelled back, my voice cracking slightly on the words.
I stepped forward on shaking legs and grabbed Stoick's giant hand. His palm was rough with calluses from years of wielding weapons and working with his hands, not like mine were smooth for that matter.
The moment my feet touched the wooden deck, I felt the vessel rock beneath me. It was a gentle motion, almost soothing, but it sent panic shooting through my system like lightning.
My knees buckled slightly.
"Whoa there," the boy said with a grin, patting my hand reassuringly. "It's not so bad once you get used to it."
Stoick then jumped back to the pier, his boots thudding against the wooden planks. I watched nervously as he worked to dismantle the bowline knot that held the boat in place. The rope fell away, and suddenly we were only connected to the dock by Stoick's presence.
Then he jumped back onto the boat.
The vessel rocked dramatically under his weight, tilting first to one side, then overcorrecting to the other. I felt my stomach drop as the deck shifted beneath my feet, and without thinking, I lunged for the mast, wrapping both arms around it and holding on for dear life.
Quick, panicked breaths emerged from me as I pressed my cheek against the rough wood.
"Oh come on lad, it isn't that bad," Stoick said, and I could hear the amusement in his voice even though I couldn't see his face. "You'd think we were sailing into a hurricane."
I tuned him out as best I could, focusing on the solid feeling of the mast against my body. But I could feel the wind beginning to fill our sails, could feel the boat moving as Stoick pushed us away from the dock and into the open water.
The gentle rocking motion grew more pronounced as we moved into deeper water, and with each sway, my panic grew.
"Why did I let you talk me into this? Why did I let you talk me into this? Why did I let you talk me into this?"
The words spilled out of me in a desperate mantra as I repeated the same sentence over and over. My scar was beginning to heat up under my shirt, that familiar burning sensation that always accompanied my worst moments of fear or stress. I wanted to tug at my clothing, to somehow relieve the discomfort, but I couldn't release my grip on the mast.
As the boat continued to move further from shore, the familiar screams began to resound in my mind. But this time, unlike the formless terror that usually accompanied them, something else appeared in my consciousness.
Wood.
I was standing atop wood, but it was different from this boat
And we were... moving.
I was on a ship, but not this small fishing vessel. This was something massive, with towering masts and billowing sails that stretched up toward a gray sky.
A woman stood at my side, burly and strong-looking. Her hair was the same snow-white color as my own, though hers was longer, and braided until it almost fell to her hips whipping around like well... a whip.
She reached over and ruffled my hair with a calloused hand, and I could see her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear what she was saying over the sound of wind and waves.
At her other side was a man almost as big as Stoick, with black hair like a raven's feathers and similarly dark eyes that seemed to hold secrets. A sword lay on his hip.
At my other side, however, was another boy. A little older than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. He had silver hair that was lighter than mine, almost like moonlight, along with dark eyes that held a spark of mischief. A thin smile was spread across his face as he watched something in the distance that I couldn't see.
I felt something... different as I looked at these people. Though I wasn't sure what.
Then the scene changed abruptly, and the smell of burning timber filled my nose, acrid and choking.
A storm raged above us, dark clouds swirling like a maelstrom. But it wasn't just a storm, there were shapes moving within the clouds, massive forms with wings that blotted out what little light remained.
An engulfing blast of fire erupted from above, no, not fire, lightning. But it wasn't natural lightning. Differing bolts struck different places, one landing squarely on me and I was sent spiraling through the air, tumbling over the ship's rail and into the churning sea below.
"THORFINN!!!"
A yell echoed across the water, desperate and filled with anguish.
I thought I heard my name, but it was quickly drowned out by a multitude of roars that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
I gasped as I fought my way to the surface, the cold water shocking my system. Salt burned my throat and nose as I struggled to stay afloat. Waves crashed over my head again and again, trying to drag me back down into the depths.
But then I spotted a piece of floating wood, part of the ship's broken rail. I managed to grab it, wrapping my small arms around it and using it to keep myself above water. From there, I could see the scene of devastation, the burning ship, dragons tearing it to shreds with claws and fire.
Though I looked up to the sky, a bolt of lightning steaking through it, revealing the outline of a certain dragon.
It looked like a Skrill but it was much, much bigger.
The screams of people mixing with the roars of the beasts.
I could feel my breathing becoming more ragged as the memory, for that's what it was, I realized, a real memory, played out in my mind. My chest was tight, my chest burning as it was washed by water and salt from where I got hit.
That was until I felt a certain touch on my leg, small and warm against the part that was supposed to be beneath the water but wasn't.
The scene disappeared from view as if someone had blown out a candle.
Hiccup's hand, that was what had been on my leg. The five-year-old had moved closer to where I still clung to the mast, and his small fingers were resting gently on my shin in what was clearly meant to be a comforting gesture.
"It's okay, Thorfinn," he said quietly, his young voice surprisingly steady. "You're safe. We're all safe."
Stoick approached us both, moving carefully so as not to rock the boat too much. He tried smiling as he gently pried my hands from the mast, his touch firm but patient.
"Come on, lad. You can't see anything with your eyes screwed shut like that."
I wanted to keep them closed, wanted to shut out the sight of the infinite blue surrounding us on all sides.
"Don't close them," Stoick's voice reached my ears, gentle but insistent.
I did as I was told, even though every single one of my instincts wanted to do the opposite. The rational part of my brain knew that this was just a small fishing boat on a calm day, that Stoick was an experienced sailor, that we were safe. But the terrified child in my memories couldn't distinguish between then and now.
I didn't want to see the water, didn't want to imagine it suddenly turning rough and dangerous, beating against our small vessel, trying to swallow us up, trying to drown... me.
I didn't want to, didn't want to...
"Open them," Stoick whispered into my ear once more.
I felt that small hand settle into my own as Hiccup moved even closer. His palm was warm and slightly sticky the way they normally were for him. Slowly, reluctantly, I pried my eyes open, expecting to see the same ravaging waters from my memory.
Yet, I didn't.
The sea was calm, almost eerily so. Like a vast lake that stretched beyond the horizon. The surface was so still that it reflected the sky above, creating the illusion that we were floating through clouds. Small wavelets lapped gently against the hull, making soft, rhythmic sounds that were actually quite soothing.
I looked back, expecting to see Berk looming large behind us, but it was just a small dot in the distance. We'd come much further than I'd realized while lost in my memories and panic.
I felt a strong hand settle on my shoulder. I looked up at Stoick, whose weathered face showed nothing but patience and understanding. In his free hand, he was holding a rock, a piece of granite about the size of my fist, gray and solid-looking.
He handed it to me, which made me stop holding Hiccups' hand.
"Bang your head against the rock," he told me, his tone matter-of-fact.
What? I stared at him in confusion. Why did he want me to bang my head against a rock? Was he crazy? Was I crazy?
"Come on," he encouraged, gesturing toward the stone in my hand.
I looked up at his expectant green eyes, then over at Hiccup, who was watching the interaction with curious interest. Taking a deep breath, I sighed and...
BANG
The impact sent a sharp pain shooting through my skull, and I immediately regretted following Stoick's bizarre instruction.
"By Thor's hammer that hurts!" I yelled as I let the rock fall from my grasp, my free hand moving instinctively to rub the sore spot on my forehead.
I could hear Hiccup's delighted laughter as he clapped his hands together. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed, bouncing in place.
But that laughter was tuned out as I heard another sound that made my eyes widen in amazement.
THUMP
THUMP
Two distinct thuds echoed as something hit the wooden floor of the boat.
I looked down at what had been a single stone just moments before. The rock had split clean in two, both halves now lying at my feet. The break was so clean it looked like it had been cut by a master stonemason, revealing the lighter gray interior of the granite.
Stoick reached down and lifted my chin up with one massive finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. His green eyes were serious now, intense in a way that made me pay attention despite my lingering fear.
"This is what we vikings can do, Thorfinn," he said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute conviction. "We can crush mountains, level forests..."
He gently turned my face toward the calm sea around us, and I found myself looking out at the endless expanse of blue without the same paralyzing terror I'd felt before.
"And we can tame seas."
A/N: This story is getting absolutely no traction lol. Stones, comments and reviews are still appreciated though.