Chapter Three
Dangers a plenty.
A/N: Thank you fantasygirl1999 for the review. You have reinforced my opinion of Kara greatly. I wasn't sure if her personality would even work for this, because she is so different from Merida.
Kara hurried through the stone halls of the castle, trying to get to the stable and Merida's horse, Angus. Her newly sharpened sword gave a comforting whack with every stride that the younger princess took. It had been many weeks since they heard about the Screaming Death's attack, but Kara could still not find any weakness and the dragon was getting ever closer. Two days ago Queen Elinor got another letter from the clans, it said that The MacGuffins had tried to fight the dragon but, even the blury warriors could not stop the monster. Then an hour ago, the Mackintosh Clan all ended up standing at the Castle Gates, saying that their land had fallen prey to the red eyed beast.
That only left the DunBrochs to stop the beast before it hit the Lowlands and after that, England, not that she minded that England would be wiped from exists, but Kara knew that she had to do something for it got that desperate. Everyone was looking to her for a miracle, and what would they say when it was already too late for the Scots to save their bonnie Scotland?
"Come on Angus!" She cried, running beside the already galloping horse and flinging herself on top of the Warhorse's back, pointing his noise to where she had hid things no one in Scotland knew existed. "Let's see if this is a good day to die or not, laddie." She told the horse grimly, her braided red hair flying behind her.
LFH
Kara entered a little unknown cove, after slapping Angus on the rear and telling him to find Merida and the boys. She could take care of herself, but if worse came to worse, Kara felt that it was better if her sibling had a fleet companion, when she wouldn't need one.
Looking around herself, Kara headed towards a tiny opening in a wall of the cove, which ironically was the back end of the fire falls. Grabbing leather harness, bags, and a warm fur lined cloak, Kara started her search. "Shadow?" She called, her Scottish lilt, making the name ring like a musical note.
Suddenly, a black shadow crossed behind her, knowing what beast was behind her, Kara turned around and grinned into the face of her friend. "There ya are, gel. Let's get this harness on ya, so we can save our Highlands." She told the big black horse standing beside her. A single white star shaped mark sat between the horse's hazel eyes.
Kara hurriedly saddled the horse, pulling the warm cloak around herself, knowing that she'll need it in the days to come. "Let's go save Scotland, Shadow." She told her, as horse and girl took to the road.
As the two ran, it felt like they were flying over Scotland, as she was heading towards Freezing to Death, Kara saw clearly the damage that the Screaming Death had caused Scotland. Where there was once dens, Lochs, clearings full of Heather, now was crumbling rock falling into chasmes of sea water. Spotting Angus, Merida, and the boys riding hard for safety, rocks falling into the water behind them, Kara turned her mount towards her siblings in fear.
"Merida!" She cried, leaning lower over Shadow's neck, urging the horse to go as fast as possible.
As the two sisters pulled abreast of each other, Kara grabbed Harris, swinging her brother in front of her lap. "We need to reach the docks!" She yelled over the wind, her arm wrapped securely around her brother.
"I agree. Where's Mum?" Merida asked, as the two powerful war horses brought their charges closer to safety.
"Inside the castle! Father was trying to rally the troupes to defend DunBroch, but our only chance is to reach Berk and get Hiccup!" Kara told her, the two sisters, one's hair wild and free, the other's pulled into braids and straight.
"I agree. But what about these wee devils?" Merida asked, as the equally similar horses galloped into the courtyard, driving men and women to the sides of the street.
"We need to get to Mum!" Kara told her, flinging herself and Harris to the ground as Shadow galloped past the thick wooden doors. Merida did the same with Hamish and Hubert, the five siblings running into the castle.
"Get me for what?" Elinor asked, looking up and down at her brood. Where Kara's usually elegant hair was now a bird's nest almost resembling her sister's. And the triplets all had wide eyes and their red curls this way and that. "And what the devil happened to you five?"
"No time." Kara told her, pulling her mother through the kitchen, filling a satchel on her shoulder as she went. "The Screaming Death has already hit the Loch of the Fae. There's nothing left but rock falling into the ocean, Mum." She told her,
"The rate that Dragon is coming, we'll be out of luck before sundown in a month." Elinor told her, as the two sisters swung up onto the back's of their horses.
"We have enough time to get help and find a weakness that we can use then." Kara told her, as both sister's checked their respective weapons and turned their trusty mounts to the docks.
"Be safe." Elinor said, watching as her two daughters left to save their country.
LFH
"So what's the plan?" Merida asked, as the two grabbed the packed bags from their horse's backs and swung down to the wooden dock beneath.
"Now...I'm still working on that aspect. I'll get back to you on that one, Frizz. But I know where Berk lies, so all we have to do is find a captain that can take us." Kara told her, knowing that their father had heard her plan and helped out in his own way, even if he didn't acknowledge it.
"Going to Berk now are ya?" A man asked, arms crossed over his chest. "I'm a heading that way meself. I could give ya a 'ift for a price." He told them, a kindly look in his eyes.
"What importance is it to you, eh?" Kara told him, her frozen blue colored eyes hardening even more. "We need to get there within a week's journey."
"Aye, I have done that before, but only when the Gods have been generous lassies." The man told her. "I'm Tunderfoot, by the way."
"Merida, and this is my sister Kara." Merida told him, grabbing onto their horses' reins and leading them aboard.
"I 'ave heard many things about Princess Kara of DunBroch, but never in my days thought I'd be giving the fair Shieldmaiden a ride to Berk."
"Never thought I'd be meeting the one that practically wrote the book of Dragons in my time." Kara replied, looking around herself in awe.
"Now, your Chargers can stay in the hold, I guess. There's plenty of 'ay and straw for them on the voyage. Everything's holed up tight. I guess ta two of you can stay in me cabin, I'll sleep with ta boys on deck." Thunderfoot told them, as his crew opened the sails and the sleek little ship set sail for Berk, home of the Dragon Trainer and their only chance of saving their beautiful homeland.
LFH
"Thunder, how many more days before we land on Berk?" Kara asked him, as the strong winds kept pushing the ship faster to their destination. Many of the crew, Merida included couldn't stand the strong winds, but Merida wasn't about to let anyone see that she had such terrible collywobbles.
"If the winds hold up like this, a couple of hours. Maybe around Sunset tomorrow, we'll be laying anchor in Berk. I 'ave never seen the likes of these winds in all of my days of sailing. The Gods must be keeping a fair eye on you two lasses."
"People tend to say that a lot, when I'm concerned." Kara mumbled to herself, a hand holding onto a rope, steadying herself as she stood on the ship's rail.
LFH
"Thunderfoot, says we'll be landing in Berk shortly, Frizz. Even the horses can't stand up to this kind of weather for this long. I'm surprised that you have." Kara told her gently, as Merida yet again threw up into a wooden bucket.
"I bloody hate Sea Voyages. Give me a good rump through ta woods or a merry chase following the wisps." Merida complained, pushing her red mane away from her face.
"I'll see if I can't find something to calm that unruly stomach of yours." Kara told her gently, leaving the room.
That night, the winds increased to an even faster speeds, throwing the already speeding ship into a frenzy. Thunderfoot said that there was a storm coming and to go below deck with her sister, but Kara stood firm, eyes always in the direction they were going.
The rain, winds, and thunder echoed around the sleek ship, slowing down their progress considerably. Suddenly a large Wave crashed into the ship, rocking the tiny ship into almost flipping over in the water. Large bolts of lighting hit closer to the ship, making Kara look up from her thoughts and move towards her sister and horses.
"Bloody Hel. I donna like the feeling of this next one." She whispered, hurrying to get her sister.
As the next bolt of lighting struck the ship, making it's wooden frame crackle with energy and splitting it in half. Kara and Merida were together, their weapons hastily buckled onto them, as the ship started to crack, another wave pushed the two red heads into the brine.
"Merida!" Kara cried, spitting out water, trying to frantically spot her sister.
"Over here!" Merida cried, grabbing onto the closest thing beside her, which was a trunk of something or other. As long as it would float, she didn't care.
"Oh thank the gods." Kara exclaimed, threading water to reach her sister. " Where's shadow and Angus?"
"I donna know, but I think they made it to the surface." Merida told her, leaning her wet curls on the trunk, across from her sister.
Many hours went by and the two sisters floated with the current holding on top of the trunk. They both had placed their weapons on it, not wanting to ruin their only defense. Sometime in the night, the storm stopped raging, quietly leaving the two sisters closer to their destination then ever.
LFH
"Stoick!" A young gangly girl cried, clambering around the many people in her way.
"What is it, young Gunder?" Stoick asked, looking up from his cup of mead.
"Fleet says that he spotted something out in the water from Raven's peak. But it's so far out, we'll never be able to reach them in time with the boats. We need your help." Gunder told him, breathlessly telling the much bigger chief. She was always being called to run errands, because not only did she know Berk better then most people, she was also quite swift on her feet.
"Find Hiccup and tell him and his friends to get them on their dragons. I'll be getting the villagers ready for survivors in the great hall." Stoick told her, standing up swiftly and walking out the door, Gunder running off to do another errand.
Gunder found Hiccup and his friends in the old Dragon Arena, now the Academy. "Hiccup!" She cried, running full tilt into the black Night Fury that was laying in the entrance sunbathing.
Toothless opened an eye and looked at Gunder, his look telling her that he didn't appreciate being run into .
"Sorry Toothless." She told him, going around the dragon. "Hiccup! There's a wreck that happened last night in the storm. Not many survivors. Stoick need you and the others to search and get them on your dragons. The ships will not be as quick as them." Gunder told him, tugging on the lager boy's sleeve.
"Thanks, Gunder." Hiccup told her, before turning to his friends. "Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, you guys are going to have to help survivors and such things. Fishlegs, you run recon. Find out how large the debris field could be and then let us know." Hiccup told them, each teenager settling him or herself on their dragon's back and taking to the sky. Gunder stared after them, awe in her young eyes. "I wanna be just like them when I grow up." She whispered to herself, heading home to finish the chores that she had left undone.