Night Terrors Chapter 1
A/N
An unwelcome face from the past makes a surprise reappearance on Berk. Now Hiccup and his friends may never be the same, and one of them may be gone forever. Their only hope lies in a dragon who doesn't know how to fly. Rated K-plus, just to be safe; the language is all K.
o
"You are not welcome here."
Stoick's voice was flat and emotionless, his facial expression was neutral, but his body language was unmistakable. His presence on the town docks was like a stone wall, blocking any and all access to his island from the man who stood in the longship nearby. Hiccup stood about ten steps away, listening to every word but taking no action. His father had seen this situation developing before the ship even reached the docks, and "suggested" to his son that this would be a good time for him to listen and learn how chiefs handle unwanted visitors.
"This isn't like last time, Chief Stoick," Arngrim Dammen said smoothly. "I'm not after dragons, or slaves, or anything that's yours. I just want to sell some of my furs here, while I'm in the neighborhood. You once admitted that my furs were warmer and softer than anything else you'd ever seen, right? I promise you, that hasn't changed. What harm can a little innocent trading do?"
"Quite a bit," Berk's chief rumbled harshly. "I've seen what kind of man you are, and I'm sure that hasn't changed, either. I don't know what kind of game you're playing today, but you are not going to play it in my village."
"Very well – I won't set foot in your village," the Northlander nodded amiably. "I'll stay in my ship, and anyone who wants to trade with me can stand on the docks, or join me on board. Is that reasonable?" When Stoick didn't soften his belligerent stance, Arngrim added, "I remind you that free trade is one of the cornerstones of Viking society, Stoick."
Stoick thought about that. "I suppose you'll tell all the other traders that Berk is an unfriendly place for trading unless I let you swindle a few of my citizens. Am I right?"
"I'd hate to put it on those terms," the Northlander replied, "but if someone like Trader Johann asks me what kind of welcome I got here, I'm not going to lie to him."
"Will you give your word of honor to stay in your ship?"
"I do," Arngrim replied, touching his chest. "I ask only that my mother be allowed to come ashore to stretch her legs while I'm here. I think that's a reasonable request; we've been at sea for days." He gestured toward a gray, shapeless lump of fabric sitting on a bench seat. The lump wore boots and gloves, and a few strands of long, unkempt gray hair escaped from the opening of the hood that covered her head.
Stoick lowered his voice, which was always an effort for him. "Why does she hide her face?"
Arngrim leaned over to whisper in Stoick's ear. "She was attacked by an angry Changewing eight years ago. She survived its acid attack, but it wasn't pretty... and now, neither is she. She hides her face so she won't frighten people." Stoick shivered at the thought.
"Very well," he grumbled. "You may stay in your ship and trade with anyone who is willing to forget the past and make a deal with you. Your mother may come ashore... but she will be watched wherever she goes!"
Arngrim Dammen looked hurt. "You don't trust my old, gray-haired mother?"
"I don't know if she's trustworthy or not," the chief shot back, "but I definitely do not trust you!" He extended a hand toward the woman. "May I help you ashore?"
"You are very kind, Chief Stoick," she croaked. She stood stiffly, extended a gloved hand to take his hand, and awkwardly climbed over the gunwale onto the dock.
Stoick released her hand, then turned to Hiccup. "Son, go find the Hofferson girl," he said formally. "Tell her that the chief has excused her from all chores and responsibilities for the day. Until I say otherwise, her only task is to keep this woman company wherever she goes... and I mean that literally!"
"I'll go find her," Hiccup nodded, turned, and ran up the ramps to the village. Finding Astrid wouldn't be hard; he knew her schedule and her habits. The hard part would be convincing her that following an old woman around was more important than practicing in the woods with her axe. By the time he'd persuaded her that his father really meant it, the old woman had disappeared into the village and it took Astrid nearly half an hour to find her. She finally turned up in the women's bathhouse... which, Astrid had to admit, was a natural place to look for a woman who'd been cooped up on a small ship for days.
"What's your name, ma'am?" Astrid asked respectfully.
"I am called Auga Bjornsdottir," she answered slowly. "Thank you for keeping me company in a strange place. I'm sure a strong young girl like you has better things to do."
Astrid didn't want to remind her that she was under orders to keep Auga company if she'd somehow forgotten that. It was sad when older people began to lose their memory. "I'm glad to help. Is there any place you'd like me to take you?"
"Well... I don't want to be a bother, but my son tells me that this island has dragons on it. Is there a place where I can see them without putting myself in danger?"
"That's easy!" Astrid exclaimed. "I can take you to the training ring; there are always some dragons there. But it's a bit of a walk from here to there."
"That's all right," Auga said. "I'm not in a hurry." Astrid patiently led her to the ring, where she was treated to the sight of Fishlegs scratching Meatlug's belly with a rake. The old woman seemed to find that fascinating.
Meanwhile, it looked like half the village wanted to trade with Arngrim Dammen and acquire some of his furs. He was making deals, one after another, and his stacks of trade goods were steadily getting smaller. It looked like he would sell out his entire stock before the sun went down. Stoick checked up on him several times; Arngrim was a sharp trader who drove a hard bargain, but there was no evidence of cheating or deception, and the Northlander had made no attempt to leave his ship. Perhaps the man had really changed.
Hiccup had decided that, if he should be learning how to be a chief and handle situations like this, he could do a better job of it on Toothless' back. After all, nearly everything he did turned out better when his Night Fury friend was involved. The pair flew broad figure-eights over the island, keeping Astrid and Auga in view for a few minutes, then checking up on the Northlander's ship in the harbor. He could see nothing that ought to make him nervous, but he remained vigilant nonetheless, just in case his father asked him how he'd used his time today.
He overflew the training ring again and watched as the two women strolled around the perimeter, trying to get a better view of the dragon inside. A minute later, they were watching the dragons inside; Snotlout on Hookfang flew into the ring, followed by the twins on Barf and Belch, then by Stormfly who was flying with them. He flinched as the older woman tripped over a loose stone, then relaxed as she caught herself... and then he went rigid as he realized what he'd just seen.
"Toothless, land, right there!" he exclaimed as he pointed. The Night Fury grunted and swooped down for a quick landing on the other side of the ring from Astrid and Auga. "Guys, get up here, quick!" he shouted to his friends in the ring.
"What's going on?" Snotlout asked as he pounded up the ramp to join him, with Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut right behind him.
"Follow me," Hiccup said. "I may need some backup."
"That sounds like it might be dangerous," Ruff observed.
"We're in," Tuff nodded. The five of them walked around the ring, with Toothless padding curiously behind them as they approached Astrid and Auga.
"Is something wrong?" Astrid wondered.
"The answer is, 'Yes, but I'm not sure what,' " Hiccup replied. He faced Auga squarely. "You can drop the hood. Your secret is out."
"I don't know what you mean, young man," she answered slowly.
"I was watching from above when you tripped over that stone," Hiccup said accusingly. "The way you caught yourself was way too quick and agile for an aged woman. I think you're closer to our age. In fact, I think you might be Heather in disguise, playing some new kind of game. So, off with the hood and let's see what you really look like!"
"If you insist," she answered, in a voice that suddenly sounded decades younger. Instead of removing her hood, she pulled the ends of two knotted drawstrings and let her gray cloak fall away. Then she pulled off her gray wig.
Hiccup was right about her age. But it wasn't Heather. It was a sharp-faced blonde woman in a short dress with red flames around the waist, and something bulky and made of leather tucked into her furry belt.
"Skuld!" Hiccup exclaimed.
"Skuld the Sorceress," she corrected him.
"You mean Skuld the Not-sorceress!" Ruff countered.
"Skuld the Phony!" her brother added.
"We remember the trick you played on us last time, taking the credit for a solar eclipse," Fishlegs said accusingly. "You won't get away with it again, even if there is another eclipse!"
"Nice legs, though," Snotlout smirked. They moved to trap her against the edge of the training ring.
"I warn you, don't underestimate me," she threatened them. "I've been taking lessons from an old seid-kona, and my powers are much more formidable than last time."
Astrid grinned as she unslung her axe. "More formidable than nothing? What are you going to do this time? Predict two eclipses?"
"Or maybe she'll throw some of her potion bottles at us!" Tuff scoffed.
"My dad was right about not trusting Arngrim Dammen," Hiccup decided. "If he brought you here in disguise, then you're both up to no good. I'll let my dad deal with Arngrim. But right now, you're surrounded, you're outnumbered, and I have my dragon with me, so I suggest that you surrender quietly."
"Yes, you do have your dragon with you, don't you?" she purred. "I don't think I'll get a better chance to try my new trick than this!" She crossed her arms at the wrists and began hopping from one foot to the other. No one dared touch her as she chanted,
"Najeneun ttasaroun inganjeogin yeoja!
"Keopi hanjanui yeoyureul aneun pumgyeok inneun yeoja!
"Oppan dragon style!"
Then she uncrossed her arms and swept them outward, gesturing to all six teens and to Toothless who was just behind them...
...and with seven loud popping noises, the teens and the Night Fury vanished. In their places stood seven immobile Terrible Terrors, each of a different color.
It was hard to say who was more astonished, the teens or the sorceress.
o
A/N
Arngrim Dammen and Skuld the Sorceress are characters from the HTTYD comic books. I haven't read actually read them, but between the HTTYD wiki and the pictures posted online, I've got a fair idea of what the characters are like.