A/N: OH MY WORD GUYS! WHAT IN THE WORLD! THIS GOT SUCH AN AMAZING RESPONSE! HOW CAN ANYONE GET HOOKED ON A STORY WITH JUST A GLOSSARY AND A PROLOGUE?! I certainly hope this live up to expectations...
Anyway, I want to thank you all real quick for reading this and following and favorite-ing this thing! And big shout-out to all those of you who took the time to kindly review this! I really appreciate it.
Just a warning, this is the last mostly ready made chapter, so it might take a while longer for me to kick out the next one, but I'm pretty hyped so, keep your hopes up!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the HTTYD franchise, this is purely for fun, the idea of the Titan Wing dragons belongs to the lovely author of Return of the Dragon Rider whose name escapes me at the moment...and lastly, all OCs belong to me.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1 - Ten Years Isn't Long Enough to Forget
A dark blur shot through the sky above the island of Draconia. It sliced through the air like a hot knife through butter, it's aerodynamic build creating little to no air resistance. With a loud roar, the blur tucked its wings into its sides and spiraled upwards out of the clouds. It leveled out again once it pierced through the haze and glided gently above the false surface. Another dark figure sat up from its position in the saddle attached to the thick neck of the creature, spreading their arms out to the side and mimicking its mount.
Hiccup took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, watching the different colors of the dawn as they began to spread across the sky. The sun had just barely crested the horizon when Toothless had jostled him out of bed to go riding. He hadn't stayed angry at his friend for long if at all. It was a beautiful day out. It wasn't too cold, nor was it too warm, making it the perfect weather for flying.
Knowing the dragon beneath him loved the aerial stunts they had become skilled enough to perform, he grabbed the handles in front of him and leaned forward again. Toothless, feeling the movement, flickered his ears up, waiting for a signal. Grinning, Hiccup adjusted the stirrup attached to the tail fin, collapsing it. With another roar, this one of excitement, Toothless tilted sideways and dropped into a freefall. Hiccup held onto his friend's saddle for a time, grateful that his training had allowed him to pull the same maneuvers as his dragon. Finally, when they saw an opening in the clouds below, he flipped out of the saddle and tucked his arms to his sides. He whooped once when Toothless caught up to him, spinning in the air with a grin that was entirely gums.
Below them, both the ocean and a maze of sea stacks appeared. Hiccup looked at his friend who seemed to dare him. Hiccup smiled at the challenge and nodded. Toothless twisted around in the air, exposing his back to his rider. Hiccup reached out and grabbed for the saddle, climbing on and locking his boots in the stirrups. He looked at their current course, the ocean coming up fast.
With the adjustment of the tail fin, Toothless exchanged the momentum from his fall for speed as he opened his wings and carried them into the gauntlet. They dodged left and right, ducking under arches and spinning through tunnels. The dragon and rider performed one final steep dive to avoid a sea stack before gliding over the dark blue waves of the ocean.
Thoroughly pleased with their exhilarating ride and seeing that the sun was beginning to near the halfway point in its ascent to high noon, Hiccup once again adjusted the tail fin and the pair veered off toward the island, Toothless' wing dipping into the water and creating a small crest.
It didn't take long for the island to appear through the dissipating fog that enshrouded the string of isles. The large structures making up the various stables, living towers, training grounds, the academy, and lastly the great palace. The massive empirical complex housing the current royal family gleamed stark white in the sunlight. He smiled faintly, observing the contrast it gave to the other buildings that made up the great Dragon City.
He tilted his heel back in the stirrup, and Toothless powered upwards, his wingbeats steady and even as they flew at what was considered to be standard altitude. Instead of entering the city from the East through the beaches, he chose to cut around to the West and enter by way of the harbor. Toothless didn't mind taking the long route, he preferred spending more time in the skies than he did cooped up in the palace.
It wasn't as though their lives were uncomfortable, despite their line of work, but Hiccup's job demanded he stay near or in the palace at almost all times aside from mornings and patrol days. In other words, Toothless sometimes went stir crazy and needed to get out.
In order to better facilitate his dragon, Hiccup had made a harness and tail fin that would allow him to fly without aid if he so desired. Toothless knew full well that the option was open to him, but he was more inclined to fly with his rider than on his own should something happen and they be separated.
The pair soared over the harbor where the fishermen were unloading their haul. A few of them he recognized heard the scream of the wind on the Night Fury's wings and waved up at them. He returned the gesture before flying onward to the palace.
His home.
He smiled at the thought. It wasn't his home perse, but he did live out of it because of his position on the Black Guard of Draconia. More specifically, his position as the personal bodyguard to Princess Maeri.
He aimed for one of the many windows in the side of the West wall, Toothless gliding in and coming for a landing on one of the wide platforms presented. Sitting up from his crouch, Hiccup stretched his back and got out of the saddle, having to adjust to the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet; a common occurrence when one has been riding for over two hours.
He gazed at his surroundings. Other members of the Black Guard who inhabited this wing of the Palace were milling about with their dragons, heading for the training hall or preparing to take a flight. Still others were entering from the inner palace, having flown through the main halls from the North, South, and East.
Hiccup stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back, and sighed. He would want to change before the day well and truly began. He turned and started walking leisurely towards the dormitories. A few more dragons and their riders flew past the banister of the large hallway he moved down, some calling out greetings to Toothless who returned them in kind.
Reaching the end of the hall at a set of stairs, he looked up to see the giant black banner hanging like a flag above the steps, emblazoned in gold with the crest of Draconia. A dragon's head with the sun between its horns, representing and acknowledging the ancient myths. The same crest appeared on Toothless' prosthetic in like manner, displaying the pair's affiliation. It also appeared on the shoulder pads of his everyday armor, though it was a simple matte black rather than gold.
Climbing the steps, he came to another long hall, divided into two sides with two stories, spiral staircases adorned to look like the dragons that were common in the area - snake-like and long with four thin legs and wings near their heads. He climbed up the staircase on his left and walked down the upper hall, Toothless trailing behind him.
He found their shared room and pulled open the large and heavy door so Toothless could enter. Knowing that he would be in for a wait, said dragon immediately slunk over to the slab of heatable stone that served as his bed and circled before curling up for a cat nap.
Hiccup cast him a sidelong grin before stepping into the modest bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Time for a warm shower. He stripped off the light clothes he wore when not on patrol and turned on the water from the spigot on the wall. Instantly water began to spew out of the showerhead above down into the marble tub. Once it had warmed to a comfortable degree, he stepped in and washed off.
When he was done, he turned off the spigot and carefully got out of the tub, grabbing for one of the somewhat-ratty towels on the bar. Drying off, he tied it around his waist and opened the door to walk out of the room.
He blinked twice when he was met with the sight of a large flame-red dragon wrestling with Toothless who looked thoroughly annoyed as it bit and tugged his ears. Not far from them was another one of the Black Guard riders on his squadron, Valentino. He laughed as Toothless growled and finally propelled his body out from under the other dragon's bulk and wings where he was pinned. Hiccup smiled as his snarling friend bounded behind him and hid there, as though his human could hide him.
Fortunately, Valentino's dragon was as respectful of Hiccup as his rider and he simply sat back down on its haunches respectfully and grumbled an acknowledgment, it's sulfuric yellow eyes glinting happily in the light.
Valentino half-turned to see Hiccup and smiled his signature, cocky grin.
"Ah, Tannalus, mi amici, there you are," he said, turning all the way around and crossing his arms over his chest. Hiccup, or Tannalus as he was called, raised an eyebrow, wondering why one of his squadron-mates would come looking for him.
"What's up, 'Tino?" He asked the other, younger rider. Valentino winced, having come to dislike the nickname since he was out of his teens this year, but he sidestepped the issue and got to his point.
"Princess Maeri has called for your presence," he informed Hiccup, his dragon Fuoco stepping up and butting his side with his snout. Seeing the instant jolt to attention and the rigid stance of his superior, Valentino lifted a hand to stop him. "It's nothing urgent, she just said to get there as soon as you can. She's in her quarters, waiting."
"And how long ago did you leave her?" Hiccup growled. Valentino could have an empty and carefree head sometimes, but it didn't change the fact that he was one of the most skilled riders in the Guard. Valentino laughed slightly.
"Don't worry, my friend, I left her not three minutes ago. As her personal guard, your room is not far from hers if one flies," he said, with mirth in his golden eyes. Making sure his towel wouldn't come down, Hiccup darted behind a changing screen where he laid his clothes out each night before bed.
He pulled on the dark leather armor and tied his bracers onto his sleeves and his belt around his waist. Strapping on all his weaponry and throwing his hood over his head, he charged back out from behind the screen to find the two dragons and rider waiting for him.
"You want an escort, Tannalus?" Valentino inquired, obviously having nothing better to do since he hated boredom even more than escort duty. Hiccup shook his head.
"No, sorry Valentino. Besides, where's Felicia and Fiamma? I didn't send them out on any missions," he said, wondering where the other, more mature, Italian twin was. Valentino shrugged.
"She's in the training hall with some of her "girl-friends,"" the young man grimaced, putting air quotations around the last phrase, "meaning I'm not allowed to tag along."
Hiccup gave the younger of the pair a controlled grin while he laughed inside. It made sense that she would want time away from her brother since they had been joined at the hip ever since they were babies.
"I should go. She'll be annoyed if I don't show up soon," Hiccup said, Toothless shaking his head and ambling over to him. The black dragon nudged his rider, alerting him that he was just as ready to depart.
Valentino grinned and swung himself in Fuoco's saddle. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. Though I doubt she'll get annoyed with you," he said, intoning his voice in a manner that suggested that Hiccup and the Draconian royal were more than just friends. Hiccup grimaced. It was no secret that Valentino and the rest of his squadron believed they thought more of each other than they did.
In truth, or at least to Hiccup, they were no more than Guard and Princess, servant and royalty, though they were friends. He had a sworn duty to protect her, and went everywhere she did, whether she liked it or not.
He watched for a moment as Fuoco charged towards the large wall-sized open window adjacent to them and beat his wings several times before taking off and gliding into the sky, disappearing in the clouds. He shook his head after the younger man before turning to Toothless who looked ready to fly again.
Jumping onto his friend's neck, the dragon roared proudly and shot towards the same opening in the wall. Using their gained velocity, the Night Fury arced upwards and around, heading in the opposite direction as their comrade. Hiccup adjusted the tailfin gently, directing Toothless to curve his way up around one of the cubic spires that belonged to the princess.
Coming away from the tower for a moment as they reached the top, the pair swung around to where an open balcony stretched out from before the room, closed off with a gauzy scarlet curtain.
Closing the tailfin slowly, the pair came in for a smooth landing, marked only by the Night Fury's powerful wingbeats and his body touching down on the white stone. As soon as they had landed, Hiccup leapt out of the saddle once more and pushed his hood down, waiting for his charge to acknowledge his arrival and grant him entrance.
When no such summon came, he called into the room. "Princess? You sent for me?" Silence followed for a moment before a figure appeared behind the curtain and drew it back.
Princess Maeri Kasai stood there in her riding armor, designating her as the royal commander of the Dragon Rider Core. It was much like his own, but more pronounced with reds, golds, and very little black, while his was the opposite. Her long, straight black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, signalling to him that she had either gone on a ride without him or she planned to.
"Yes I did, Son Tannalus," she acknowledged, her gentle smile spreading across her face. She said no more.
"May I ask why?" He inquired, lifting an eyebrow in question. The smile disappeared and Hiccup frowned, aware now that this was something very serious if she was looking at him with a straight face.
"Come with me," she ordered, turning on the ball of her foot and striding back into her room. The Black Guard exchanged a glance with his dragon before following his charge. Inside, the room was lit with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and several single candles.
Respectfully, Hiccup stopped a few meters from the main area in which the Princess lived, staying in the outer ring of the room marked in the stone tile. He folded his hands behind his back and waited for her to explain her reason for calling him.
He didn't have to wait very long, thankfully.
"There is something coming, Tannalus," she began, her back to him, "something dangerous." Hiccup raised an eyebrow again and waited for her to continue. She had always been cryptic since he had met her, and likely she had been before then. He gave a quiet sigh, taking this side of her personality in stride.
It had been difficult in the beginning. She had been a rebellious teen when they first met, both her parents' pride and joy, but also the bane of their existence. She was constantly running off on her own with her dragon, not caring that everyone worried about her and that the future of Draconia was in her hands.
Hiccup had been assigned by Emperor Reseph himself not long after his ascension to the Black Guard. Not believing him to be any more than a "power grabber seeking favor with her father," Maeri had often disregarded him and his warning for her safety, blowing him off whenever he would warn her against something, and attempting to lose him and succeeding more than once.
However, nearly a year into his assignment, Maeri ran off into the fog surrounding an island known for dangerous dragons, not heeding Hiccup's repeated warnings not to go, having been there before himself on patrol. It was their first major argument, Hiccup having never raised his voice at her before. It had resulted in their only shouting match, which ended in Maeri flying off on her dragon, Shan.
Hiccup had followed not long after, and hung back for a while, but lost her in the fog. He found her not long after, slightly injured and being confronted by a small Titan-Wing. Hiccup and Toothless had fended it off briefly before antagonizing it and guiding it away. When they managed to return to the princess, she had lost quite a bit of blood.
Getting both the Princess and her dragon back to Draconia had not been difficult in itself, but what awaited Hiccup there was what was hard. He was nearly stripped of his rank as a Black Guard, but a recovered Maeri and Shan had stepped forward and attested to their bravery and selflessness. It had been surprising to hear it from her.
Since then, she had become more careful and rarely flew off without Hiccup at her side or close behind her. They had become better friends in more recent years, though Hiccup refused to step out of the boundaries set for him as her subordinate.
"Walk with me," came the Princess's voice, shaking him back to the present. He gave a nod and did as he was told, following after her. Opening her door, they immediately began to descend the large set of spiral stairs that led to the open hall.
"A Titan Wing has escaped the island," she said quietly once they were moving side by side. Hiccup couldn't help his eyes widening and whipping his head around to see her face.
"What?! How?!" He cried. The Core had been guarding the Titan Wing's islands in the fog for centuries. Never had a single dragon escaped since then.
Maeri shook her head, her hair swinging behind her. "It broke through patrol two nights ago and decimated a squadron. Only one made it back alive, just last night," she began, rubbing her hands together nervously. Hiccup's brow creased when she stopped altogether. "I likely shouldn't be telling you this, but I wasn't sure who to tell and I had to tell someone."
She took a breath and continued, quietly. "It attacked, un-"
"Wait, milady," he stopped her, "you really shouldn't be telling me this. It's not my place." And in truth, it wasn't. While he was one of the squadron leaders, and one of the highest ranking Black Guard, he was still not one of the royal family or a member of the war council.
She stopped him in turn. "No, let me tell you. It's very important." Hiccup shut his mouth and let her go on.
"The report wasn't clear as the rider was heavily injured and needed tending to, but we could gather that it attacked without provocation. He said it blasted out of the mist, spewing fire, and swinging its claws and tail, heading West," she continued, taking his arm in hers and pulling him to walk with her.
His whole mind screamed against the situation and the way it looked, but he listened to what she had to tell him as it was, as she said, important. They continued their walk until they reached the balcony that looked out over the training hall where Core riders and Black Guard were training and sparring. The sound of weapons clashing against one another in the background drowned out the chances of anyone hearing their conversation.
"It needs to be tracked down and brought back here. Before it harms anyone else," she mused, gripping the balcony with both hands.
"I doubt anyone will be able to track it down before then," Hiccup added, rubbing his chin in thought. He knew it would be a simple matter for any dragon to track down another, but Titan Wings could travel far and fast, and there was simply no way anyone could catch up with a three day headstart.
"Well, there is someone," she said, trailing off. Hiccup turned to her and raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Who?" He asked.
She turned to look at him. "You."
He was speechless. He could give her a thousand reasons why he shouldn't be her choice, but none of them would come out of his open mouth.
"Before you say anything, Tannalus, you are the most qualified to go. You are one of the best trackers in the Guard and one of the most trusted squadron leaders," she said, her large brown eyes meeting his, pleading with him to listen to her. His mouth remained open, still unable to sputter out a response.
"And besides, the dragon was headed West. You know the way back better than anyone, and it was a Great Northern Queen. Likely, it will be heading back the way you came," she finished, waiting for his response.
Hiccup clenched his hands into fists and worked his now closed jaw. All reasons why he shouldn't go were begging to be said.
He needed to stay here.
He needed to watch over her, do his job.
He needed to lead his squadron.
First and foremost, he didn't want to go back to the Archipelago.
He sighed. Her logic, however, was sound. He was the only rider who came from the Mid-Western world. He looked away and crossed his arms, deflating as he mulled over the idea.
"Please, Tannalus."
He shut his eyes and exhaled again, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Fine, I'll do it."
~oOo~
Astrid Hofferson's legs were killing her.
To make it worse, she had just jumped off a roof and onto the back of a Deadly Nadder, tackling the creature to the ground. It squawked at her when she tumbled off and turned to face it, her hand rising to the hilt of the axe on her back.
The blue creature roared at her, extending its wings to make itself look bigger and flashing the spines on its tail.
She really should have brought a shield.
Nevertheless, she remained unfazed by the display and even began a small charge at it to give her own threat display. Hissing in indignation, the Nadder scraped its talons on the ground and charged forward, tail raised to attack. Astrid met it halfway, swinging her axe and bashing the flat side into its skull before rolling away to avoid the tail.
The Nadder shook its head, disoriented, before turning to face her again. She got into a battle stance and waited. It shook its head once more before seeming to realize that she would not be an easy opponent and flying off to join the swarm of other dragons riding away.
She replaced her axe of her back, noting that the head had come loose and was not off-balance. She would need to visit Gobber later that morning.
The sun was beginning to rise over the ocean, and she could see that the day would soon be truly beginning as well. The last stragglers of the dragons were taking off, shrieking at their Viking enemies and trying to keep what food they could in their clutches.
Once the last one had been driven off, Astrid took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, glad that the fourth attack in two weeks was over at last.
For a long time, the dragon attacks had died down until there was barely one a year, but now in the last month or so, the creatures had returned almost fifteen times, near-decimating their village and hardly leaving them time to rebuild.
It was in this impossible climate that Astrid found herself wishing she were still a child. She could forget all of this and hide under a table with the rest of them. But she was a grown woman of 25 years, not to mention one of the tribe's bravest and most valuable warriors. She needed to maintain that reputation.
Right now, however, she needed sleep. The raid had lasted longer than usual, spanning two hours since the start of it at around 4:00. She dragged herself through the village, looking at all the pain and suffering of her tribe. Some were attempting to clear roof materials from their homes, cleaning up and assessing damages. They would need to work fast if they wanted to be prepared in time for the next inevitable raid.
She could see the Chief, Stoick the Vast, standing on the steps to the great hall, 10 years having done nothing to stoop his indomitable frame. She had once looked upon him with admiration and respect, but now she could see what lay beneath his proud exterior.
It was the same thing that lay beneath her own surface.
Doubt.
She knew they both wondered, quite against their will, what would have happened if his outcast son had stayed. Or rather, what would have happened had he not been banished.
Hiccup had been all but forgotten until recent times, as the problem with the dragons had never been so bad. But in recent times, it was impossible not to wonder what it would have been like if he had been allowed to continue. Would they have these problems? Or would his ideals have ushered in a new era of peace?
Either way, there was no turning back now. The dragons, while not volatile or dangerous, still could not be located no matter what they tried. It turned out that normal horde dragons were more loyal than they anticipated.
She put the thoughts aside however as she trudged up the hill to her house, opened the door, and stepped into the warmer area. It was reasonable fortunate that her house was sequestered in the back corner of the village, away from the pastures where the dragons normally consolidated their attacks, as she was able to return to the warmth and security the wooden board walls provided.
She propped her axe against a chair and pushed herself up the stairs to her bedroom. Finally reaching her destination, she flopped onto the mattress, her feet crying out in relief when they left the floor.
She fell asleep almost instantly.
A/N: Alright, so hopefully that wasn't too painful to read. It was long though. Astrid and Berk's bits are short, but I couldn't think of what else I wanted to put into that at the moment, but there will be more in-depth reveals about what has changed on Berk once Hiccup gets involved. So, I hope to see you all soon and hear any pointers you guys might have!
~IMSP *finger snap guns* out.
