What!? Another Dragon Boarder Story!? Hope you enjoy this one! I'll try to update it regularly so that you don't have any delays! I think this chapter does a pretty good job setting the stage. I hope you think so as well! As per usual with all my stories, enjoy!
Just an FYI; this story follows immediately with the last story, The Slaver. I hope you have already read it to make ANY sense out of what's going on.
Chapter One
"Ship ahoy!" Gobber shouted, running as fast as he could down to the docks. After a full week and a half of missing, Hiccup was finally returning home!
"I was afraid I lost him…again." Valka huffed out loud, running alongside of the peg leg Viking "I don't think I can handle it if he…"
"Not to worry Val…" Gobber said with a smile "As long as that Night Fury's with him, nothing can happen to him."
Running along the docks with a group of people, the two saw some of Eret's men begin to tie the ship. Eret himself was issuing orders. When he saw Gobber and Valka, he smiled broadly and waved. "Told ya' I'd bring him back in one piece! He's pretty anxious to get off!"
As the gangway was lowered to the dock, Hiccup and Toothless were the first ones to walk off. Gently and calmly greeting the villagers, he slowly made his way towards his mom.
"Hiccup…" Valka said with relief "I was so worried…"
"Mom…" Hiccup said weakly, grabbing her in hug. Holding her for a few minutes, he never heard Astrid and Stormfly walk behind him.
"Hey Hiccup…sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving…like three days ago." Astrid whispered, gently resting her hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
Letting go of his mom, Hiccup turned to see all the dragon riders standing behind Astrid, all waiting for his orders. Everyone except Matt.
"Moving where?" Valka asked with confusion "What's going on."
"Gobber. I need to have a council. Get the men up at the Hall in five minutes." Hiccup said, ignoring his mom's question "We needed to have this council a while ago…"
"I'm not understanding why, but I'll get them all up there." Gobber replied with a concerned look "I'll be there in three minutes."
"Good." Hiccup said, looking back at his mom. With a tired, worn out face, he then said "Mom, I'll tell you everything up in the meeting. I need every dragon trainer we have to be there as well."
"I understand." Valka said, realizing that this was Hiccup acting as a chief, not as her son. "I'll go get Fishlegs at the academy."
"See you in a bit." Hiccup said, starting to walk towards the Great Hall. Feeling a hand rest on his shoulder, he turned to see Heather looking at him.
"I'm coming to this council too. Right?" She asked, unsure of what to do.
"Of course!" Hiccup said with a small smile "You're a trainer too!" Then, with his face darkening, he added "Besides that, the entire reason why we need this council is your fiancé. You have more right to this council than anyone…"
"Thank you…" Heather whispered, following Hiccup as he resumed walking. Valkyrie was right behind her, staying close to her trainer. Since Matt was taken, Valkyrie became super protective of Heather; seeing her happiness basically drained. Wasatch was also torn about Matt. The Skrill rarely took flight save when he went to go get something to eat. It seemed that with Matt gone, Wasatch's will to fly on his own only existed when it was necessary.
It didn't take long for them to get to the Great Hall. After a few meet and greets from some of the villagers, Hiccup and the entire group finally walked in through the massive doors. Gobber and a few men were already there, waiting for them.
"The rest are on their way." Gobber said with a serious tone. Then, as Hiccup got closer, asked "So…what's this about?"
"I'll tell you as soon as everyone is here." Hiccup said, giving a weak smile to Gobber "I'd rather not repeat myself."
"Of course. Of course…" Gobber said, knowing that it was serious.
"We're here Hiccup!" Fishleg's voice sounded.
As everyone turned, both Fishlegs and Valka ran in through the door, followed by a large group of men.
"I'm so glad your all ok!" Fishlegs gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Running the academy is hard by yourself!"
"If there's any a person that could do it though, it's you Fishlegs." Hiccup complimented, squeezing his friends shoulder as strong as he could. Though chief, he was still a weakling as far as muscles go.
"I think that's everyone." Astrid cut in, slightly pushing Hiccup to the head of the table. Shoving Hiccup in place, she then took her spot right next to him, ready to help explain everything that had happened while they were gone.
"Uh…yes, hey everyone." Hiccup began to say, standing up on a bench so that everyone could see him "Thank you for coming. I know it seems kind of strange for the chief to call a council right as soon as he gets back from a…adventure."
A few murmurs arose from the crowd, agreeing with this.
"So to begin, I have great news and terrible news." Hiccup began to say, scanning the entire crowd. Facing Astrid, he motioned her to stand on the bench with him. Taking her by the hand, he announced "The good news is, is that Astrid and I are finally engaged."
A cheer erupted from the crowd, causing a small pandemonium inside the Hall. Valka grabbed Hiccup and Astrid from the bench and pulled them into a big hug. Crying, she said to Hiccup "The only time I was this happy was when I married your father…"
"Thanks mom…" Hiccup whispered back. Wishing he could have just ended the announcement there, he finally pulled away from his mom. Standing back up on the bench, he motioned for the cheering to stop. "Also, this is leading to the bad news, Matt and Heather are engaged as well."
Another cheer rang the halls, creating an echoing roar. This was indeed better news than expected.
"Wait a sec." Gobber said out loud, catching the attention of a few other Vikings "Where is Matt? I don't remember seeing him since you got here."
A second murmur went through the hall, this time not as happy as the last one.
Turning to Heather, Gobber asked "Where is he lass?"
Heather just choked on her tears as she shut her eyes. Not able to really talk, she whispered hoarsely "…Gone…"
"Gone? Where?" Gobber asked, looking up at Hiccup with concern.
"And now, for the entire reason why I needed this council." Hiccup said, looking out at the crowd "Matt was taken by another ruler named King Bruvos. I can't go into details of how he got Matt, but all that matters is that we're going to get him back."
A profound silence settled in the hall. This was news that no one expected. Valka stared at Astrid in disbelief, not wanting to believe what happened.
"This is the same Matt that saved Berk. Six months ago, Matt left his old life to come and help us." Hiccup shouted, making sure he was driving his point across to everyone. "He sacrificed his leg to save me years ago. He sacrificed his back to save me again, as well as Heather and Astrid months ago. He selflessly fought for and with us recently." Looking at the silenced crowd, he then asked "So what I'm asking is who's going to fight with me to get one of our own back? Isn't that who he is to us? A fellow Viking?"
Heather listened as the crowd began to shout 'Aye!' one at a time, creating a wave of acknowledgment. It seemed surreal with how many were willing to go and get Matt back. It was honestly the first time Heather felt sure about something since Matt was taken.
"We protect our own. That's what we're going to do!" Hiccup reaffirmed, scanning the crowd.
"One question Hiccup." Gobber asked out loud "Do we know where this Bruvos lives?"
"No, but we have someone who does." Hiccup said, looking at Gobber "Savage was the person behind the attacks on our ships. He worked for Bruvos personally and he will take us to him."
"Is he willing to do that?" Gobber followed up with, surprised at hearing about Savage "I mean, did he offer to take you to Bruvos?"
Hiccup looked down for a second and said "No…not yet." Looking back up, he then asked "Gobber, I need you to fly to Outcast Island and talk to Alvin. Ask if he's willing to help us fight Bruvos. On top of that, if Savage doesn't tell us where Bruvos is, then I'm sure Alvin knows a thing or two to get him to talk. I know Savage isn't too excited to get back to Outcast Island."
Gobber smiled and nodded "I'll leave right now then."
"Thank you Gobber." Hiccup said, grateful to have someone as dependable as Gobber.
"So Hiccup. What do you want us, the rest of the island to do?" Valka asked out loud, waiting for Hiccup to tell her what needed to be done.
Hiccup looked at his mom, and then to Astrid. His mind went into a flash back of when his dad was chiefing the village. He was doing something that he never thought he'd have to do. Finally looking up from Astrid to the crowd, he said softly, yet loud enough for everyone to hear: "Ready the ships."
"Hey, wake up kid!" a voice sounded.
Opening his eyes, Matt stared up at a sailor standing over him. "What's going on?" he asked, getting an anxious feeling.
"We're here. We're disembarking finally." The sailor replied gruffly, walking away from Matt's hammock.
Sighing, Matt slowly rolled out of his bed. It's been a whole week and a half since Bruvos took him away from Hiccup. Since then, Bruvos hasn't mistreated him. He was given his own hammock to sleep in, a chest to put what few belongings he still had, and the same food that Bruvos got to eat; though he often turned it away and traded it with a sailor out of spite.
Pulling on his leather pants that were given to him, Matt grimaced slightly as he leaned against his bad leg. Waking up always put it on edge. Frowning, Matt then put on his snowboard boots and laced them up tightly. Opening his small chest, he then pulled out the brace that was supposed to be inside his riding armor. Since they were already in tatters, Matt just tore them open and wore the brace outside of his pants. After strapping on the brace, he pushed down on the lever and felt his leg stiffen. Testing the brace, Matt then stood up and walked to the deck.
It being midnight, the torch's light finally revealed Matt's face. Instead of the clean shaven face he had, it was scruffy. His hair was slightly longer as well. His face was visibly drained; replaced with a depressed look.
"Ah, welcome home Matt!" Bruvos said loudly, turning to see Matt step into the light.
Hearing home suddenly made Matt's stomach feel like it had a pit in it. He wasn't home, nor did he think he'd be going there anytime soon. Not saying anything, he just walked up to Bruvos who was waiting for him.
"I wish we arrived during the day…" Bruvos continued saying, ignoring Matt's silence "I'd be able to show you around the village." With that, he began to walk down the gangway.
Matt really didn't want to follow him. Wishing he could just stay on the ship, he felt himself firmly pushed by a crew member towards the gangway. Forcing his legs to put one step in front of the other, he slowly walked down to the dock with a slight limp.
"We actually arrived early." Bruvos said with a smile, looking back at Matt "We were actually supposed to be sailing another day or two."
"Lucky us…" Matt muttered, his facial expression not changing.
"Yes. We are lucky indeed." Bruvos repeated. Gesturing to a stone castle that stood on a hill, he said "That's where we'll be staying. I already have a room ready for you."
"Thanks." Matt replied "I guess it's going to be the dungeon?"
"What?" Bruvos said in shock "Of course not! That's only for criminals! And you Matt, are no criminal."
"Even if I refuse to teach you how to train dragons?" Matt asked, bringing up the entire reason why Matt was taken "You know I'll never do that."
"We'll see about that." Bruvos said with a shrug. Throwing his arm over Matt's shoulder, he began to guide him towards his castle. "I'm very excited about the future Matt, you should too! You'll be having luxury that you never even thought of!"
Matt put a small smile on his face and asked "Do you have instant hot water?"
Bruvos looked at Matt in surprise and said "Uh…no we don't…"
"What about fruits out of season?" Matt asked again "Can you get ice whenever you want? What about a machine that washes your dishes for you? Or something that washes and dries your clothes?" Matt kept on bombarding Bruvos with questions of his luxury, which just kept on blowing his mind.
"Berk had all these things!?" Bruvos gasped, staring at Matt who kept on walking towars the castle.
"Well, remember when I said I left a life for the one I had?" Matt asked, not bothering to look at Bruvos "Well, I had a lot of things going for me then. I had the world in my hand." Looking up at Bruvos with defiance, he continued to say "That's why you have a tall order to fill. I have very unique experiences that can't be replaced…or forgotten."
Staring at Matt for a minute, Bruvos just shook his head and laughed, saying "Well, when I took you on board, I knew you were going to be a challenge. I guess a little bit more of one than I expected."
Matt didn't say anything. He won that argument. He damaged Bruvos' dreams of training dragons, and that meant more to Matt than anything else at that point in time.
"So…I never told you this during the trip." Bruvos began to say, gesturing to the castle "I have a small family of my own. I'd like to introduce them to you tonight."
"Great." Matt muttered. The news of Bruvos having a family shocked him. He never talked about them or gave any mention about their existence.
"I have two children. Auger is the oldest. He usually comes with on trips, but when he's not, he's busy keeping order in the village." Bruvos began to say, but was cut off by Matt who said.
"I don't care Bruvos!" Matt said angrily, looking up at him "I had a family myself; I had a fiancé who I know is broken up because of what your doing did to me!" Breathing heavily, he added "I'm sure I'll meet your kids as time goes by, but you know what? Your family is the last thing that I ever want to worry about while I'm here. Right now my priority is to get back to my real home!"
Bruvos stared at Matt who by now was breathing heavily. Nodding slightly, he then said "I guess we're all tired from our journey. I'll introduce them to you tomorrow morning." Turning to a guard that was walking with them, he asked "Can you take Matt to his living quarters?"
"Yes my king." The guard quickly replied, walking next to Matt.
Matt just glared at Bruvos as he began to follow the guard. Finally taking his eyes off of him, he returned his attention to the castle that was now just a hundred meters away. Walking through the gates, Matt found himself in a courtyard that led to the main part of the castle. Watching two guards open the doors for him and his escort, he saw that the entire building was well lit with candles and torches. Gazing around the massive great hall, Matt was then ushered by the guard to follow him.
Reluctantly, Matt did so; walking up a flight of stairs, he found himself in a massive hallway. Gazing at the rows of mounted animals and dragon heads, Matt felt a pit in his stomach when he saw a Nadder's head that looked like Stormfly. Quickly shaking what he saw out of his head, Matt continued to follow the guard to a bedroom.
"Here you go." The guard said, gesturing to the room.
Matt walked around the guard to see the room he would be staying in. It was massive; probably the same size as Hiccup's house! In it was a plush looking bed, as well as a fireplace with a roaring fire inside of it. Walking in, Matt looked around the room. Fortunately, no trophies or dragon heads were mounted in his room. He could see that there was only one window, and it was small enough to only let a draft or small bird in.
Slam! Matt quickly turned around to see the guard had slammed the door shut and had left. Curiously, Matt walked up to the door and tried to open it. Feeling the heavy wooden door not even budge, he couldn't help but smile a little bit. "First time I've been treated like a prisoner." He muttered. Walking to his bed, Matt pulled the blankets off and took a pillow. Setting them in front of the fire, Matt laid one of the blankets on the ground and then the other one on top of him. He wasn't going to give in to Bruvos' hospitality.
Laying down, staring into the fire, Matt quickly began to think of Heather, Wasatch, Hiccup, Astrid, basically all of Berk. Silently swearing at himself, he whispered "Why didn't I just kill Bruvos when I had the chance."
The thought of 'what if' and also of home, made Matt tear up. He missed them, and he had no idea of when he was going to see them again; if he was going to see them again.
Trying to suppress the homesickness, Matt closed his eyes, and let the sleep overcome him.