Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
After Duran had fully recovered, he had his men gather all of their things. He regretted the fact that not only could he not have Astrid, but he had to help Matthias as well. He had made a deal with a girl who wouldn't take no for an answer. He would find that missing boy, this "Hiccup", and then he would leave for good.
Astrid for the first time didn't seem concerned about Hiccup, instead she seemed more focused on Duran. "Matthias, who is this guy?" she asked, looking over to the marked English man who was busy packing supplies.
Matthias didn't hesitate to answer, "Duran is a convict, an escaped criminal actually."
Duran somehow stepped into the conversation, "I prefer the term "man on the run"."
Astrid was still curious, "How does he know you?"
"Well, remember how I mentioned about my time in Baal Bahram?"
"Yes."
"I got him out of there. He was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead, but he made me an offer I couldn't refuse at the time."
She raised an eyebrow, "What was the offer?"
"The "adventure of a lifetime", to search for the Holy Grail. I agreed to help him escape, and in return he would help me find the cup of Christ. I lost interest when I found and read the notes of Jesus and His disciples."
"Why? What was the matter?"
"There was nothing special about the cup. Any great power was found in Jesus Himself."
She grew even more curious, "Then why did you stick with him?"
"He still showed me the world to make up for it all, and he introduced me to my friends Atto and Snakehead."
"He knew Snakehead?"
"Yes. Snakehead was a lot like him. He was a liar and a coward, but something was different. He feared death, yet he was willing to give his life if he had to."
"Right." Duran interrupted, "This all very touching, but if we don't get moving soon mate, you can kiss your peg-legged friend goodbye."
Astrid became suspicious, "Wait a second, how did you know he only had one leg?"
"Well, I'm a-"
Matthias finished Duran's sentence, "Duran's a tracker, that's why he enlisted his help in the first place."
Duran quickly agreed, "Yes, you're quite right."
Astrid didn't seem to care about what Duran's profession was at the time, "Just help me find Hiccup, please."
"You have my word, I will find your friend." Duran held up his hand as if swearing an oath, "And yes, he'll be alive when I find him."
"So-" Astrid perked up her height to try and match Duran's, "Where do we go from here?"
"The slavers always stop at the docks at the base of Mount Ymir for resupply. And-" Duran glanced at Toothless with an intrigued look, "With some help from your dragons, we'll be waiting for them when they do."
Matthias shivered a bit, "Mount Ymir? No, we can't take any risks-"
Duran disrupted Matthias' sentence, "Oh come on old boy! You don't actually believe those legends, do you?"
Astrid didn't seem to understand, "What legends?"
Duran scoffed, "It was just a bunch of old wives' tales meant to keep their husbands away from the volcanoes if they ever got drunk. It was a legend that some sort of demon nested at the base of Mount Ymir, a demon that seemed to never stop growing. It killed men for pleasure, and kept the women captive for unknown reasons. But it's only myth. So, no worries."
Astrid remained optimistic in attitude, "Even if it is real, it's not going to lay a finger on any of us."
Matthias smiled, "Alright, let's get going then. Everyone mount up!"
Duran objected, "But, all I have is a boat! I can't keep up with these beasts! More than that, there's not enough of them to carry me and my men!"
"Let Toothless handle that." Matthias gestured to the Night Fury, who suddenly let out a high-pitched whistling sound. Suddenly out of nowhere came several more dragons, more than enough to carry all of Duran's African servants.
Duran seemed amused at the sight of so many massive reptiles, "I was about to suggest that."
"Sure you were." Matthias joked, "Now, everyone mount up! Atto, mlima juu."
Atto relayed the orders to the other tribesmen, "Sawa, kila mlima juu!"
The traveling party consisted of nearly twenty African warriors, not including Duran, Atto, and the Vikings of Berk. They all took off into the sky, tearing through the blanket of clouds and vanishing out of sight. It was only a matter of time now before they found Hiccup.
Meanwhile on-board the slave galley, known by it's "passengers" as the Golden Phoenix, Hiccup had regained consciousness and was brought before the captain of the vessel. Hiccup was taken to the captain because he had failed to maintain the rowing speed of the other prisoners due to his frail build.
"I trust that you slept well?" The captain chuckled as he ordered his guards to bring Hiccup forward.
Hiccup tried to jerk himself free, but it was no use."Whoever you are, I demand that you let me go right now!"
"Oh I assure you, you will be released in due time- if my master's conditions are met that is."
"What is it that you want exactly?"
"I want what every man wants; freedom from oppression, and from the oppressor. Personally, I am in this for the profit. My lord Ahriman wants someone in particular however. That is why you were captured."
"Why does this guy "Ahriman" want me?"
The captain let out a loud laugh, "He doesn't want you, he wants your friend. Your friend, Matthias. I would like to know where he is, and I think you can provide me the answer."
Hiccup reasoned within his own mind, 'I can't let them know anything about Matthias, they'll just kill me if I do tell them.' He gave a half-smile to the captain, "I don't know any Matthias, I don't even know who you're talking about."
"Ah, then perhaps I can freshen your memory a bit." He snapped his fingers. The guards tied rope around each of Hiccups wrists and then to the pillars in order to stretch out his arms. The guards then ripped open the back of Hiccup's shirt to reveal his shoulders and his spine.
"Please, I swear I don't know anything!"
"Oh, but you will when I'm through with you." The captain gestured to his bosun, "Five lashes." The bosun took a long, leather whip from his belt and drove it forward. Hiccup screamed out as the whip struck his back. "Tell me where he is."
Hiccup moaned, "I don't know, I swear!" The captain nodded to the bosun who struck Hiccup again with the whip.
"Tell me, and the pain will stop."
Hiccup muttered once again, "I said I don't know!" The whip came down again, marking Hiccup's back a third time.
The captain's patience grew thin, "Tell me!"
Hiccup yelled all the air out of his lungs, "I don't know!" A fourth mark was added to his back as he cried out in agonizing pain.
The bosun began to grow impatient himself, "Answer my master, you filthy dog!" and struck Hiccup for the fifth time.
Hiccup's answer remained the same after all the suffering, "Please, I don't know! You have my word! I don't know!"
The bosun prepared to give Hiccup another lashing, but was halted by the captain, "Perhaps the boy needs some time to think. Put him in the cage, he will remember soon enough." The captain heard a man call out that land had been sighted. A sinister look formed on his face, "He'd better." and he went up topside to answer the spotter.
Hiccup was cast into a damp, dark cell. Rats crept everywhere, and the only speck of light there was came through a grate in the ceiling. Hiccup tried to stand on his feet, but stumbled back to the floor. He looked up at the pale light shining down on him, "Astrid, I'm so sorry for all of this. All I wanted was to get you something special, and all I got was kidnapped. I just wish I could be with you right now."
A young man's voice echoed behind him, "Who's Astrid?"
Hiccup gasped and quickly turned around to see a young boy about his age who had a strangely dark complexion. "Who- who are you?"
"Please forgive me, it wasn't right to scare you. My name is Ardeshir, and I couldn't help but overhear your lamentations."
"Is there any way we can help?" another voice added as the man that followed it stepped into the light. The man was big, and very muscular.
Hiccup was impressed, "Who's he?"
Ardeshir answered with a proud smile, "This is my personal bodyguard Faridoon. It has been his sole purpose to protect me. We are both at your service if you wish."
Hiccup rubbed some of the bruises around his ribs, "If you want to help me, you can start by giving me some answers."
Ardeshir easily agreed, "Fair enough. Ask, and I will answer."
"Who is Ahriman?"
"He is the devil, the god of this earth, the prince of the air. Your friend Matthias might know him as Abaddon, Beelzebub, and he is also known as Satan."
"Matthias? How do you-"
"I don't, my father knew both your father and his. Well, that is- well you are Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, yes?"
Hiccup was shocked, "Yeah, that's me. But what does Matthias have to do with Ahriman?"
"I'm sure he can tell you, my job is to get you off this ship alive."
Hiccup was still unwilling, "How can I trust you?"
Ardeshir grinned a bit, "You can't, but you really don't have a choice. We're the only hope you have of seeing Astrid again. You do want to see her again, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Very well then, we-" his speech was cut off by a large crashing sound as the ship shook. "We must have run aground. That probably means we've reached Mount Ymir already. I hope you're ready for a fight, Hiccup."
Hiccup's sarcasm was obvious to the other two prisoners, "Sure. Pain, love it."
"You need not worry about it too much," Ardeshir reassured, "the Golden Phoenix has a very small crew."
"Well, that's entirely different." Hiccup joked, "I bet I could take them on with one hand tied behind my back."
"A real shame," Faridoon added, "I was hoping for some glory on the battlefield."
"One problem," Hiccup uttered, "I don't know how to fight and even if I did, I can barely lift a weapon."
Ardeshir smacked his forehead, "You have got to be kidding me!"
"It's all right, Ardeshir. All you have to do Hiccup, is get off this ship. Get off it alive, and fast. Can you do that?" Hiccup nodded in agreement.
Ardeshir smiled yet again, "If it's a fight we're getting ourselves into, I'll need my swords."
Faridoon seemed intrigued by that request, "Leave that to me." He walked over to the main gate of the cell, "Excuse me, guard! Yes, you! Come here for a minute!" The one guard met up with Faridoon at the front of the cage. This guard just happened to be the one with the keys latched to his belt. "Would you like to hear something funny?" The guard stared at Faridoon with a confused look. Apparently, this man did not understand English. Suddenly Faridoon grabbed the guard's shirt and slammed his head against the bars, "Sorry, I'll have to tell you later." The guard was knocked unconscious and fell to the floor.
Hiccup smiled and rose to his feet, "Quick, get the keys!"
Faridoon ripped the keys off the guard's belt and opened the cell door. The three grabbed their effects from a large pile of contraband equipment and began searching for a way off of the ship. The only thing that could save them now, was a miracle.
As these events went on, the captain of the Golden Phoenix was addressing the crew in his language, "Men, we don't have much time. Grab the supplies we need so we can depart. Any one of you that is caught chatting with the women will receive ten lashes, along with a night in the cage. That is all. We leave for Baal Bahram in fifteen minutes." The sailors groaned and complained as they went out to gather food, water, and other said supplies for the rest of their trip. The crew of the Golden Phoenix was somewhat small, the ship being mostly driven by slaves. There were only about twenty-five actual Assyrian crew members.
"So, what do you think of Captain Merikh?" One sailor asked another whilst cramming fish into a basket.
The other sailor sort of smirked, "Eh, to be honest I prefer Captain Bahadur."
"I know what you mean. What captain in the right mind doesn't allow us to have some fun with the local ladies?"
"Not only that, but all he ever talks about is the will of that "thing" Ahriman."
"Yeah. I mean, come on! Why can't we just do our job instead of trying to work out a master plan to conquer the world made by some man born and raised from the bottomless pit?" The one sailor looked over to see the other was gone. The basket was still there, tipped on its side. "Well, I don't blame him. He probably went to find one of those girls. It's his execution."
In the blink of an eye, the mumbling seaman was grabbed and dragged into the bushes. Soon afterward, more sailors began disappearing or keeling over mysteriously.
The frustrated Captain Merikh went out to see what the commotion was amongst his crew. "What's going on here?" he shouted as he looked down to see the majority of his crew dead or missing, along with the people from the docks. "What in the name of Ahri-"
"Hello, Merikh." Duran said from behind, Nice to see you."
Merikh turned around to see the tracker with his sword drawn. "Ah, Duran. It's so good to see you held up your end of the bargain."
"Yes, it is." Duran thrust the blade deep into Merikh's belly, "Too bad you're not going to hold up yours."
Matthias had finally made it to the docks, only to see Duran killing the defenseless captain. He quickly ran up to Duran who had just wiped the blood off of his sword. He looked down at the corpse, "Was it necessary?"
Duran lied with a nod, "Unavoidable. Come on, the slaves' quarters are down below. I've got your back." Matthias started to head below deck, but was struck hard in the back by Duran, who held him captive and blade-point.
Hiccup, Ardeshir, and Faridoon had managed to exit the vessel through a small window on the port side. As they swam for the shore, the rest of the Africans save for Atto boarded the ship and prepared to set sail. The rest of the Vikings from Berk approached the docks, Astrid saw Hiccup rise out of of the water along with his two new friends.
"Hiccup!" she shouted as she started running towards him.
Hiccup raised his brow as he saw the frantic blonde angel racing to embrace him, "Astrid?"
Hiccup was instantly nudged in the arm by Ardeshir, "Well, go on, what are you waiting fo-" He let out a loud yell as an arrow pierced his shoulder. Faridoon caught the young boy as he fell to the ground.
Duran ran over and struck the archer that let the arrow loose, "Hold your fire! They are of no threat to us!"
Astrid looked up to see Duran standing next to an injured Matthias. "Duran! What are you doing?"
"I found who I've been looking for!" Duran gestured to Matthias.
"What do you mean? Hiccup's down here!"
"I can't believe it! You really are as stupid as your brother; to actually believe me!" He laughed loudly, "Look on the bright side, I promised to leave and never return, which is exactly what I'm going to do!" Duran poked Matthias in the back with his sword, "Do it!"
Matthias refused, "Never! I'll die first!"
Duran knew Matthias' weakness however, he gave orders to the same archer, "Lengo la msichana ya dhahabu." The archer obeyed and drew back his bow, which he had now aimed at Astrid. Matthias couldn't believe the game Duran was playing with his sister's life. Duran poked Matthias again, "Do it, or I'll make sure it goes right through her pretty little head!"
Matthias let loose a weak grunt and placed his hand on the deck of the ship. He began speaking a Germanic incantation, "Luft und Wasser, Erde und Feuer, nehmen Sie uns, unser Herz begehrt."
Astrid could hear Matthias muttering the magic words, "No! You've got to stop him!"
Matthias looked down at his sister one last time, "I'm sorry, Astrid." and the ship burst into a blinding flash of blue light.
The flash cleared, the ship was gone, and Ardeshir was badly hurt. Astrid fell to her knees, "Matthias? Matthias! Please, don't leave me again! Please!" she wept bitterly, only to become really mad. She started yelling up the sky, "What do You want from me? He trusted You, and You took him away from me!"
Hiccup walked over to his girlfriend to calm her down, "Astrid-" but Astrid just kept yelling, "Astrid!" He slapped her across the face to snap her out of it. Astrid literally just broke down in Hiccup's arms, full of tears and heartbroken pain.
"Where was He when Matthias needed Him? Why did He just give up on my brother?"
"He hasn't given up, Astrid. I read those notes too. He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you". He isn't giving up, and neither am I. You need to just trust Him. Don't lean on your own understanding."
"But how can I even trust Him? How do I trust Him?"
"With all your heart, Astrid. With all your heart. He'll do the rest."
She softly stopped her crying, "Okay, okay. But, what are we going to do?"
Fishlegs stepped into the moment to make a suggestion, "Duran's actions make no real sense to me, unless-"
"Unless what?" Hiccup asked.
"Unless- unless he's taking Matthias to Baal Bahram."
Snotlout seemed a little squeamish, "You mean, we still gotta go to that hole anyway?"
Fishlegs nodded, "That's my best guess."
Ruffnut smiled regardless of the poor circumstances, "If it means kicking butt and taking names, I'm in."
"It will take- a while." Ardeshir wheezed, "the only- remaining village- is on the- other side- of the island. You'll- have to go- through the valley. It's a- a two day walk, and- the dragons are- exhausted."
Hiccup nodded his head, "Then we'll do what we have to do." and placed Ardeshir on a nearby cart. "It's getting dark, we'll camp here for tonight. Snotlout, get some wood to build a fire. Fishlegs, can you find me some dog-weed?"
"Sure, but what for?"
"To sterilize his wound." He gestured to Ardeshir, who was gasping for breath.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Great." Hiccup looked over to the young Hofferson girl, "Astrid, I want you to get some rest. You've had it very rough today. I'm going to get your brother back, I just really wish your birthday could have gone better."
Astrid prepared to punch Hiccup's arm, but was too tired to think up any smart remarks, "The best gift on my birthday is knowing that you're alright." She kissed Hiccup softly and slowly withdrew herself, "And I have more than I could ever want knowing that you're going to bring my brother back."
"I promise Astrid, I'll bring him back."
"Thank you." Hiccup got up and started to leave, "Hiccup? Can I ask you something?"
"Anything." He smiled.
"Do you love me?"
Hiccup walked back, and swept Astrid into a long, heart-warming kiss, "Yes, I do."
She smiled back, "Then, I love you too."
Hiccup blushed vigorously and lost his breath, "Well, um- it's getting late. You best get some sleep."
"Yes- I should." Astrid agreed, "Well, good night Hiccup."
"Good night, Astrid." Hiccup replied as he walked away from Astrid and towards the campfire that Snotlout had started. The journey to save Hiccup had finally ended. The real journey was about to begin.
