How Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
"Some say our destiny is tied to the land- as much a part of us as we are of it. Other say it is woven together like a cloth- so that one's destiny intertwines with many others..."- Princess Merida
I've lived through many ages. I've seen suffering in the darkness, as the Norseman invaded my Ireland, seeking only gold. I have seen the humans give firstborn children to Crom Cruach, in hopes of stopping a mad Tuatha de Danaan. Yet I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the Book. The Book that turned darkness into light. And I have seen the hands of its illuminator fell a god that felled the Tuatha de Danaan. It's these hands I- my Ireland- will need... and more.
Kells Forest. The light of the moon.
Brendan lay, staring up from by a small fire... He'd stopped to rest the night. This was the place, the forest. He'd spent many a day here in his youth... He chuckled as his companion, a rather old cat, curled up by him... They were safe in her forest, he knew. Or he hoped. He'd seen her, since, or at the least, he'd hoped it was her. The red-head sighed a moment, before uttering a short prayer, one for his own life... and hers. He never had been sure if she'd truly gone. The face had stayed with him, surely, at the least. It was the face that kept him to his duties, to his celibacy. She had died for his work. That kept him striving when his faith was weaker... But sometimes, he wasn't sure if it was about her sacrifice, or just about her. He closed his eyes...
"...Hello," said a gentle, familiar voice.
He sat right upright at that, much to her amusement. Her giggles still sounded as youthful. A woman stood in front of him now. Grown, but still in her white garb, her furred boots... And her face was unmistakable.
"...Aisling...?"
He was to his feet immediately, "Aisling, I thought I'd never see you again..."
"...I'd just enough for one more shift. But I need your help, Brendan..." she explained, "Ireland's in danger..."
"...What? What is it, Aisling...?"
Fear entered her face pulling him close so she need say the name no louder than a whisper...
"He's after me. Crom."
"...But... I killed Crom Cruach."
She shook her head... "Across the ocean, killing the firstborn... Crom Dubh comes. And he's thirsty to avenge his brother on the Tuatha De Danaan who sealed him... and the boy who killed him."
"...I killed his brother when I was no older than thirteen... How hard can he be to kill?"
She shook her head... "Crom Cruach was already weakened, imprisoned and kept from sustenance by my mother, the queen of the Tuatha de Danaan... We must quickly gain allies, if we're to seal Crom's fate..."
Meanwhile, an ocean away...
"...Beasty?" the king replied, "Is that really the best you can say?"
"It was no tim'rous beasty, sire. It consumed. And I deemed it better to escape live to warn your highness and family than to linger and risk the wrath... It appeared a serpent... or some sort of dragon."
The princess raised a brow...
"...ye expect us to believe a dragon's besieged ye?"
Still, this was the last in a number... though most of the other villages reporting such things were coastal, and reports had stopped months ago... This seemed different. No livestock was gone... but there were human casualties... Many simply wee bairns. This was too directed to be the attack of an animal, or at the least, the attack of a simple savage animal.
"By my mum's honor, I saw it wi' me own eyes."
Merida hummed a moment... "Which direction was the monster headed?"
The queen seemed surprised, "Merida! What on earth-"
"...Mother, if I know where it's heading, we can fortify. If we can fortify, maybe the next town can fare a bit better... And bring whatever this is down."
"...Certainly you're not-"
"I am, Mum."
"...I can't allow it, Merida."
"Mum, did you hear him? Twenty dead. Sixteen of them children."
The messenger dared speak now, while there was a pause, "...and it was headed this way, in answer to your earlier question."
Merida gave her mother a look... "Either way, if I go or not, it looks like I'll be facing it."
The queen sighed in defeat... "...Your father's going with you. For your protection."
At this, the king gave a hearty chortle... "...as if she needs it. But yes... It would look better on us than if you went and I stayed."
Merida nodded, with a slight curtsy.
"Thank you, mum."
Somewhere off the Coast...
A boy, with brown hair, walked the streets of their community with a purpose. One leg seemed to have a bit more bounce- this was because it was supported with metal, not bone.
"Hiccup, this is crazy," came a voice- a girl rushing after him, coming to a stop as he threw one leg over his mount- a most unusual mount... But then, this was a most unusual boy.
"Astrid, as long as there are dragons that are like that out there, or... giant... serpent... murder-beasts, or whatever that thing is, we've got a target on us... After all, we're the ones who raise dragons, we're pals with creatures. Without anyone to declare otherwise... Well, they might take it as an act of war... Besides. This thing might be on our doorstep next."
She nodded, seeing the sense in what he said... "Alright... But I'm coming with you."
He nodded, "I had a feeling you'd say that. We'll go together. Lay low. Avoid civilization."
"What, why?"
"...Astrid, we're vikings. In case you don't know what we did before killing dragons came along, it generally involved wanton murder, destruction, and a lot of burglary and barbarism. I don't think we're going to be welcomed anywhere."
She nodded... "Alright. So, then. We're going to Scotland to take down a giant serpent murder-beast, that may be bigger than the Red Death... just the two of us. I hope you have a plan, Hiccup."
"I've done something stupid already... and something crazy. This? This is something drastic."