WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!
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Hey guys! :D What's up? Well, I hope you liked "The Isle of the Mender", and I hope you enjoy this one, too! I'm DEFINITELY going to have some seriously sinister fun writing it. :)
So, anyways, that's all! :D Enjoy chapter 1! :D
"Okay…" said Fishlegs as he paced in front of the other riders; Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut watched him curiously. "Snotlout," said Fishlegs, pointing a long, smooth pointed stick at Snotlout, "you're going to be playing the part of Grimbeard the Ghastly."
"Oh, yes!" cheered Snotlout, throwing his fist into the air. "Yes! Go Snotlout! Go Snotlout!" He sauntered off to the other side of the room, and Hookfang snorted at his rider's boastfulness. With a swishing tail, Hookfang knocked Snotlout off his feet, and Snotlout protested with a yelp of, "OY!"
"I don't understand why we're doing this," said Ruffnut.
"I don't understand anything," said Tuffnut.
"Guys, this is important," said Fishlegs. "We're reenacting the horrible tragedy of three hundred years ago. Alright, Ruffnut, Tuffnut…" He looked down at the sheet of paper in his hands, and then, he pointed his stick at them each in turn. "You two are going to be acting as the members of the dragon rebellion."
"On second thought," said Tuffnut, brightening up, "maybe this isn't so bad after all." He and his sister turned and began towards the other side of the room, where Snotlout was waiting. Then, they thought of something, and turned back towards Fishlegs.
"Wait," said Ruffnut. "What does a dragon rebellion do, exactly?"
"I'll give you the cue when it's your turn," said Fishlegs. "Okay...oh, hold on...Tuffnut, nevermind! Ruffnut will be a member of the dragon rebellion, and you will be playing the role of Thugheart."
"Heh heh, cool name!" said Tuffnut, grinning.
"Alright," said Fishlegs, "Astrid...you're going to be acting out the part of the dragon Furious."
"What? No!" said Astrid, crossing her arms angrily over her chest. "Why do I have to act out the part of that dragon? Why not get Snotlout to do it instead of being Grimbeard the Ghastly?"
"Because then," said Fishlegs, "you would have to be Grimbeard the Ghastly."
"Which would be hard to do," said Tuffnut, "because you don't have a beard. Unless you're considering growing one."
"Um, Snotlout doesn't have a beard either, Tuffnut," said Ruffnut flatly.
"What? He doesn't!?" said Tuffnut, and his eyes widened. "All these years...he lied to me!"
"Blah blah blah!" said Snotlout, mimicking the twins by making his hand "talk" like a puppet. "Can we just reenact this stupid battle and get it over with?"
Fishlegs growled angrily and rolled his eyes. "That's what I am trying to do, Snotlout!" he said hotly, and then, he turned back to Hiccup. "And Hiccup...last but not least...you are going to be playing the role as Hiccup the Second."
"Huh," said Hiccup, shrugging. "Fitting."
"Hey!" said Tuffnut, beaming. "Hiccup and Hiccup have the same name!"
"I was named after Hiccup the Second," said Hiccup, moving to the other side of the room to stand beside the rest of the riders.
"What? No way!" said Tuffnut. "And that would make you Hiccup the...the...um...what comes after second?"
"Third," said Hiccup. "Hiccup the Third."
"Right!" said Tuffnut. "Heh, I knew that! Wait…" He paused, frowning. "How many Hiccup are there?"
"Let me guess," said Snotlout, rolling his eyes to the roof. "Three."
"No way!" said Tuffnut. "Wow!"
"Guys, can we please focus?" said Fishlegs. "This is important!"
"I don't think it's important," said Tuffnut.
"Probably because you rarely think," said Snotlout.
"No, Fishlegs is right," said Hiccup. "If we're going to learn the history of Berk, why not learn it this way?"
"Exactly!" said Fishlegs. "Thank you, Hiccup! I've found over experience that the best way to learn, is to act it out! It makes the learning experience funner than ever! In which case…" Fishlegs pulled out a notebook and flipped to the appropriate page. "I will be the narrator," said Fishlegs, "and you will act out what I say, alright?"
"Alright," the others agreed, nodding.
"Okay!" said Fishlegs, beaming, and he looked down at the paper, and began to read.
"Three hundred years ago, there once lived a wise but arrogant Chief named Grimbeard the Ghastly. This is where you come in, Snotlout."
"Oh, right," said Snotlout, and he stepped into the light, already in his "Grimbeard the Ghastly" character, chest puffed in pride and hands balled into fists. "Oh, look at me! Wise, brave, all powerful Grimbeard the Ghastly! Bow to me, fools!"
"Grimbeard's wife gave birth to a son," said Fishlegs, "and they named him Thugheart."
"That's me!" cheered Tuffnut, leaping into the scene. "I'm Thugheart!"
Fishlegs cleared his throat.
"Right, sorry," said Tuffnut. "Carry on!"
"And then," Fishlegs went on, "Grimbeard's wife gave birth to a second son. This one, they named Hiccup the Second."
"Oh," said Hiccup, stepping forward. "Um, yeah, I'm Hiccup the Second."
"But Hiccup the Second was born as a runt to the tribe of Berk," said Fishlegs, "and so, Grimbeard the Ghastly took his son to the top of the cliff and left him there."
"Oooh, yes," said Snotlout, and he seized Hiccup by the arm and dragged him to the corner of the room. "Hiccup the Second, I hereby banish you!"
"He's a baby right now, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, "you don't have to tell him he's banished."
"Oh, right," said Snotlout. "I leave thee, my runt of a son!" Snotlout turned and stormed opposite, back to the other end of the room.
"But Hiccup the Second wasn't killed," said Fishlegs. "Instead, he was taken by dragons and raised by their kind. One dragon, named Furious, took to Hiccup the Second like a brother."
"Oh, is that me?" said Astrid, crossing her arms and throwing her braid over her shoulder. At Fishlegs' nod, she moaned, "Fine," and stepped forward reluctantly.
"Now," said Fishlegs, "as I was saying, Years later, when he was older, Hiccup the Second had a run-in with his father, Grimbeard the Ghastly, and Grimbeard welcomed Hiccup back with open arms."
"Hiccup the Second," said Snotlout, bowing, "though I totally ditched you on a mountain when you were a newborn, I hereby welcome you back into the family."
"Thanks, Dad," said Hiccup.
"Once he was welcomed back to Berk," said Fishlegs, "Hiccup the Second began to show his father that dragons weren't the monsters people thought them to be, and soon, Hiccup the Second became Grimbeard's favorite son, and Thugheart was pushed aside from his father."
"Hiccup the Second, you're amazing," said Snotlout, putting his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Get lost, Thug-dung."
"It's Thugheart," said Tuffnut, crossing his arms.
"This caused Thugheart to become very, very jealous," said Fishlegs.
"Look at me," said Tuffnut, throwing his hands into the air. "I'm jealous. This is me, so envious I'm nearly green…"
"Are we done with this?"
"Not yet, Astrid," said Fishlegs, and then, he continued reading, "And Thugheart plotted against Hiccup the Second. He lied to his father and said that Hiccup the Second planned to overthrow them with the dragons, and that dragons were cheating, murdering monsters. So, Grimbeard, furious with his son, set up a chess game in hopes of catching Hiccup the Second off guard."
"Oooh!" said Snotlout. "Wait, we need a chessboard…"
"Got one!" said Ruffnut, and she pulled a large chessboard, pieces already set up, from a nearby cabinet and hauled it onto the table.
"Okay, Snotlout, you sit on the left," said Fishlegs, "and Hiccup, you sit on the right."
Once Hiccup and Snotlout had taken their seats, Fishlegs stepped back again, flipped the book open, and read once more.
"During the game, according to Grinbeard's scheme to rid himself of Hiccup the Second," said Fishlegs, "...oh, Astrid, you're here, too...yeah, stand beside Hiccup...perfect...Grimbeard drew his sword, stood, and plunged the blade straight through his son's chest."
"Hey!" Hiccup protested, but Snotlout had already stood up and tackled him to the ground.
"Die, Hiccup the Second!" shouted Snotlout furiously. "Die!"
"Stay in character, Hiccup!" whispered Fishlegs harshly.
Hiccup sighed heavily. "Oh, no!" he cried, clutching his chest, dramatizing his voice and his actions. "The horror! Smote by one's own father! The terror, the horror! No! Think of the children! The poor children!"
"You're dying, Hiccup!" called Fishlegs.
"Right, sorry," said Hiccup. "UGH." He shut his eyes and fell limp beneath Snotlout, feigning death.
"But before Hiccup the Second's death-" Fishlegs read on.
"Oh, wait, so I'm not dead yet?" said Hiccup, perking up.
Fishlegs sighed. "Not yet...Hiccup the Second told his father the truth, that Thugheart had betrayed him, and that the dragons weren't evil. Only now did Grimbeard the Ghastly realize what he had done, but by then it was too late. Hiccup the Second died in his father's arms, his father's sword in his chest."
Hiccup flopped back against the floor again, "dead", and Snotlout put the back of his hand against his forehead. "Oh, what sorrow!" said Snotlout dramatically. "I banish my son, welcome him back, and now I kill him! I regret it! What sorrow!"
"Grimbeard the Ghastly was furious at Thugheart," said Fishlegs, "and so, he banished his son, making him the first Outcast."
"YOU," said Snotlout, pointing at Tuffnut, "ARE BANISHED!"
"But I don't want to be banished!" whined Tuffnut.
"LEAVE MY PRESENCE," said Snotlout. "SHUN THE THUGHEART! SHUUUNN!"
"But that was the least of their problems," said Fishlegs. "For the dragon Furious, hatred burning in him for his brother being slain by Grimbeard, led a dragon rebellion against him. This is you, Astrid. Lead the rebellion."
"I don't want to lead the rebellion," said Astrid, crossing her arms.
Hiccup giggled, and Snotlout jabbed him harshly in the ribs. "Hey! Dead people don't laugh, Hiccup."
"Sorry," Hiccup said, and then, he fell silent again.
"Astrid, please," said Fishlegs.
Astrid groaned. "Fine," she said, and then, "Oh, to death with Grimbeard the Ghastly! He killed Hiccup the Second! Slay him! Slay him!"
"And so the dragon war began anew," said Fishlegs, and he slammed his book shut. "The end."
"What?" said Hiccup, sitting up. "That's it? That's the end?"
"Wait, you mean there's no reunion?" said Ruffnut. "No nothing after that?"
"Well, obviously, Thugheart was the founder of the Outcast Tribe," said Fishlegs, "which wasn't really a good thing, of course. It passed down from father to son, and now we have Alvin the Treacherous, current Chief of the Outcasts. And of course, the Berkian throne inheritance passed down from generation to generation. And now our current heir to the throne is Hiccup the Third."
"Huh," said Astrid, frowning. "It's kind of weird to look back at where it all began, you know?"
"What happened before that?" asked Tuffnut, interested. "What about Hiccup the First?"
"Hiccup the First was not only a Chief," said Fishlegs, "but a king, and not just a king, but also the king of the entire archipelago. He made peace with the dragons while he lived, and the generations after him tried to follow in his footsteps, but...well...obviously, a lot of bad stuff happened, because by the time Hiccup the Second was born, dragons and vikings were at war again."
"History's a crazy thing," said Hiccup, getting to his feet and brushing off his shirt. "Well, I'm glad we had this little...history lesson, Fishlegs."
"Yeah," said Snotlout, nodding. "It was kind of fun to kill Hiccup."
"Thank you for participating," said Fishlegs, smiling. "See? I knew you would enjoy it!"
"Well, I'm going to do one last patrol around the Edge before it gets too late," said Hiccup, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "I'll see you guys in the morning."
"Night, Hiccup," said the twins and Snotlout.
"Oh, and make sure the Night Terrors are on duty before you head to bed," said Astrid, as Hiccup made for the door.
"I will," said Hiccup, and he left the Clubhouse with Toothless. As soon as they were outside, he mounted his dragon, and the Night Fury took off into the light of the setting sun.