The Thunder Rolls c4

AN: So, been a long time?

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Year Three

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Hiccup

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"You've been through so much." Hiccup's soft voice floated through the closed space of his cell.

A strong winter wind was blowing in through the icy bars above, and it chilled him through layers of wet clothing- they'd been soaked through when he'd fallen into the Unforgiving Lake, and the most he'd dared to shed was his heavy cloak. The dark, frosty article of clothing had been set aside on the opposite wall to 'dry' although he knew it wouldn't dry in this air. It would only freeze. "I'm sorry. Someone should have been there for you."

"We were lone travelers." Came the reply that sounded far more calm than he would have been. "My mate and I knew the difficulties and risks before we set out on our own."

All Hiccup could do was stare down at his shaking hands and try not to let the tears fall from his eyes. He stared at the shackles on his ankles and wondered not for the first time how his kind could be so cruel.

"You are not one of them." The elder Nightmare insisted, which surprised him enough to make him jump and look up. "Small one." The beast went on, a little gentler now. "You are not as you believe. In my time I've seen the worst and best of all beings. I've seen the destruction that your race can cause. I would not say lightly that you are different."

The Monstrous Nightmare leant over to place his forehead against Hiccup's own, and the human teen marveled over their immediate connection. The dragon was most assuredly a healer or some kind of wielder of magic, and that thought alone should've sent Hiccup running.

It didn't. In fact, it made Hiccup feel warm and safe- almost like he felt with Toothless, and that was quite a feat, considering he'd only met the Nightmare about thirty minutes ago.

"Not all human's are bad." Hiccup gave an uneven sigh, and grasped either of his arms for some measure of warmth. "I mean..most of them are, but some of them..."

"I imagine you have stories to tell, young one." Bronzewing seemed to smile with his eyes. The muzzle around his head was pulled too tight for his jaw to open more than a few inches, but luckily, dragons rarely needed to open their mouths more than an inch or so to speak.

"I don't know where to begin." Hiccup found himself fiddling his fingers agitatedly, a habit he'd tried to outgrow. For the better part, his efforts had been a success, and it often worked well for his mysterious, dark alias as Halen Hyme. However, he felt no need to pretend whilst in the presence of Bronzewing. Those big, almost milky yellow eyes studied him intently in a way that was not unkind.

"Start with today. At the beginning." Came the rumbling reply, and Hiccup shut his eyes.

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Three Hours Earlier

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"Fine craftsmanship." Hiccup noted, turning the small, decorative hatchet over in his hands.

"Excellent attention to detail." Gilden agreed from somewhere behind him. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder, and they shared a look.

"And marvelous effort put into this years beguiling, gentlemen." The hatchet came down on a stray metal block next to the counter and promptly fell into pieces, raining down onto the floorboards.

"Worth a try." Came the sly remark from a second Berserker who'd joined his friend across the counter. Hiccup was dusting off his hands and had yet to look up. "You people get more intuitive every year."

"And you people get less crafty." Hiccup returned lightly, smiling slightly as he began polishing tiny statuettes for something to do.

"I don't believe I seen you around the last time I was here." The second Berserker answered while his friend left the shack, grumbling to himself. "Strange."

"I must've been in the back. I never miss a Berserker visit if I can help it." Hiccup looked up with a smile at the person with whom he was conversing and couldn't help but suck in a long, shocked breath.

"You alright there, friend?" Dagur the Deranged asked, casting a curious look at Hiccup before going back to admiring the selection of swords on the racks. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"I-I..." Hiccup stuttered, blinking as he dropped the statuette on the floor. I have, he thought as he quickly averted his face in favor of bending over to pick up the figurine. Hiccup had been eleven years old the last time he'd met this particular Berserker- would the crazy redhead remember him? It had been seven years...

What would he do if Dagur recognized him?

"You know, you look a bit familiar." Oh hell.

"Do I?" Hiccup forced what he hoped was a normal tone and stood up, still not completely looking Dagur in the face. "I don't think I've met you before."

"You kind of remind me of a boy I used to know." Hiccup could see Dagur's big blue eyes narrow in slight suspicion. "'Course, he had two legs. A fishbone of a viking from a little trading island...what was it's name..."

"Well, I certainly don't come from such an island." Hiccup grinned nervously, walking around the counter and thrusting a hand out in front of him. "I come from the Northern Puffin Isles. My name's Halen Hyme."

"Odd name." Dagur commented slowly, but stuck out a large hand to take Hiccup smaller one in a firm grasp that made his bones creak. "I'm Dagur the Deranged, Chief of the Berserker tribe. But I'm sure you knew that already, don't you?"

"Yes, well, word travels fast when everyone's everyone else's friend." Hiccup smiled uncomfortably, but had to trust that his changed appearance would hide him from further detection...he had changed, if only a little.

"Ah, what a joy it is to visit the Peaceful Country." Dagur sucked in a great breath of air, closing his eyes. "The place simply reeks of flowers and harmony. To feel the sun on your face...quite dreary in the homeland, regrettably."

"Heh." Hiccup gave a weak grin, backing into the establishment again, watching as Dagur sighed and faced the skies with his fists on the straps at his hips.

"You can't find sunshine like this in the isles."

"However truthful that may be." Gilden edged by Dagur to get behind the counter. "I'm going to have to ask you respectfully to step aside for the moment, Chieftain. Traffic stops for no one."

"Of course, craftsman. I and my men will just be on our way, then." Dagur gave Hiccup one more look-over and then seemed to debate with himself for a split second. "Say, Halen, are you attending the festival later tonight? If you've not been here long, I hear it's not an experience to miss out on."

"Oh, yeah, the festival." Hiccup chuckled nervously, trying for all his life to choke it down as Dagur moved to the side to allow for more customers to browse. "Uh, no I don't think I'll be able to make it, I have...important business at home."

It sounded like a lie even to his own ears.

"Regrettable. Maybe we'll meet again under more casual circumstance. I have a few pieces myself I think you would be interested in back on the ship." Dagur made a face as though sad, and then clapped his hands together once, violently. "Well! As the man said, traffic stops for no one! Berserkers! Move along!"

"Bye.." Hiccup gave a strangled grin as the Chief Berserker finally moved past him with what he supposed was intended to be few friendly slaps on the shoulder but felt like being hit repeatedly with an iron glove.

"Look out for that one." Gilden murmured as soon as the warriors were out of earshot. "Friendly now, but those sort can turn hostile at the flip of a coin. We'll be lucky if our peace-tainted air will be enough to hold them off until tomorrow morning."

"Let us pray." Hiccup smiled and nodded to the two other workers who were taking over he and Gilden's shift for the time being.

Gilden had pulled him aside earlier and told him that he had something important for him to do later on in the day. It was nearly evening now, and Gilden was leading him towards the docks, on a path the teen hadn't taken many times before. One ridden with tall grasses, rough rocks and dangerously high roots.

"Where are we going, Gilden?" Hiccup asked as they neared the water. Down this way was storage sheds (usually reached by much friendlier paths than the one they currently stood on) extra wood and old rickety boats that needed repairs.

"Somewhere prying eyes won't see us." The old man answered, and looked behind them for good measure. "Under normal conditions, we needn't be so secretive, boy, but given the current events going on in town, I thought it'd be best to take precautions."

"Does it have something to do with that?" Hiccup asked as they made their way to the beginning of the docks. Out on the water, just beginning to darken with the fall of dusk, was a small boat attached to one of the poles of one of the docks by a long rope.

"Smart lad." Gilden winked at him and then gestured to the rope. "Pull that in for me, boy, you're forty years younger."

"Excellent excuse." Hiccup grinned and immediately took hold of the rope, hauling in the small but surprisingly heavy boat. It took a minute or so, but eventually it was ashore, and it would have been an understatement for Hiccup to say that he was taken aback. In the little boat was what looked like a glass box with holes on the top-and it was at least half way full of seawater. Something was moving inside.

"Is- is that a..." Hiccup's eyes were wide, and he gulped before trying again. "A..."

"A rainbow scauldron." Gilden nodded gravely, but there was a little smile on his face. "A newborn."

"But- what is it doing here?!" Hiccup sputtered. "Wrinkly, if word gets out- how did you- why is it here?" He blinked large hazel eyes at the old man, no longer feeling anticipation but instead feeling anxiety, and a bit of fear for both of them. "How? Why?"

"Slow down, boy, you're giving me a headache." Gilden smiled at him and then grasped his arm to pull him back just before a shower of white water and steam erupted from the holes on top of the box. "First of all Halen, I know how risky looting one of these is. Secondly, I'm not looting it- I'm SAVING it. This is one of the rarest breeds known to any of our islands, and were someone less than caring to get their hands on it, say the Berserkers, it would be dead and skinned by the time night had fallen."

"Well, yes." Hiccup waved his arms around, trying to get his point across while still looking around in fear, eyeing the bushes and leaves waving in he breeze. Don't get him wrong- he completely wanted to pull the rare dragon closer and examine it, speak to it, take notes on it, but simultaneously wanted to push it back into the water and make a run for it. "But Gilden! Why are we standing here in the open with it-"

"I want you to take it."

"...what?" Hiccup choked, looking to Gilden's eyes to see if he was serious.

"Boy, how long have we worked together?" Gilden's smile was knowing and kindly, no part of his demeanor seeming at all menacing or untruthful. "How many long conversations have we had behind our counter? On our walks to the great halls? How many times have I patched up mysterious burns and brands?"

Not knowing what to say, Hiccup could only stare, and silently plead that nothing horrible would come from this conversation. If anyone, even Gilden, had found out about Toothless-

"I know you like dragons, boy."

Oh no.

"I'm almost completely sure you care for them as well. That you handle them."

"Gilden," Hiccup started, shifting uncomfortably, mind in a panic, going through different scenarios of how he could possibly handle this. "It's not what you think-"

"I know." Old Wrinkly smiled then, and placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Suddenly, and hitting him width such force was a sense of relief when the old man pulled him just a bit closer in a rough embrace. "It's okay. Dragon's...from the beginning, I knew you were something special, kid. There hasn't been a dragon charmer in...oh, decades upon decades."

Speechless, it was all Hiccup could do to not simultaneously faint in relief and cry in gratitude.

"Thank you." The teen blurted, seeming to take Gilden by surprise, as the man's own blue eyes widened just a fraction.

"For what?" The man smiled, eyes crinkling. "I haven't done anything."

"Thank you for not hating me." Hiccup's words spilled out almost without consent from his brain. It was humiliating, but tears had begun to gather in the corners of his eyes, and he grasped the other man's forearms. "For not thinking I'm some kind of freak- I mean, you don't, do you?"

"Freak..." Gilden's eyes were soft now, and Hiccup let out a shaky sigh when the old man laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, and then on his head. "I don't know where you come from, or what your life was like before you came to our country. But I promise, that whatever you do, you will always find a friend in me. You can trust me, son."

"That sounds like something someone I can't trust would say." Hiccup tried for a joke, and wiped a few stray tears away. It was embarrassing...but what he could say with certainty was that Gilden was the first one to ever show him kindness, and the only one to ever show any interest in him. Back on Berk, with all his inventions and drawings, even his own father hadn't figured it out...

"Dragon's."Gilden seemed to be musing now. "Yes, yes, it's been quite a while since someone like you has come along. You're talented, Halen, that's nothing to be ashamed of. You're unique." His eyes met Hiccup's with all the unshakable truth and grandness of one of his mountains at home. "Let it be your strength."

"I don't think I understand." Hiccup sniffed, pulling himself out of the reverie of sadness he'd fallen into. "You want me to take the scauldron? To...hide it?"

"Do whatever you like with it. I myself have no experience on the matter, and therefore have no advice to offer. However..I know that you know how to handle these kinds of situations delicately. Anyone with eyes and ears could know that." Old Wrinkly's eyes smiled. "I also know that you will do the right thing."

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"There was another man." Hiccup recalled suddenly. "Or...boy. He reminded me of one of the other kids from my home village, but he was nothing like him, except for his hair and eyes." Thinking and scrunching up his face like it was a bit hard for him to recall, he tried to pull a name from his not-so-recent memory. "He was from the Outcast Islands but he helped me when he could've just turned away and saved himself."

Bronzewing blinked his great dragon eyes and blew steam from his nose, warming Hiccup until he was almost at a comfortable body temperature. When he took his next breath, Hiccup smiled at his words. "There have been evil dragons in the past." The elder Nightmare admitted. "I expect it is not so impossible for there to be acceptable humans."

"Acceptable." Hiccup smiled. "High praise, elder."

"If there is any human deserving of praise, it might well turn out to be you, hatchling." The dragon again blew a wave of pure dragon heat towards the shivering boy and Hiccup breathe a sigh of relief. "Still, you have much to learn...much to experience."

Suddenly, the dragon lifted it's head just a bit higher and turned towards the barred window far above their heads, and then to the equally stable cell door.

"A prime example, little one. Stand and back away towards the wall."

"Huh?" Hiccup's eyes widened. That was the absolute last thing he expected to hear from the dragon.

"You have likely seven moments."

Scrambling to get to his feet, struggling to make his limbs move as he wanted them to, Hiccup moved to the far wall.

A few seconds later, there was an ear-shattering roar, and a familiar whistling screech.

Toothless? Hiccup thought in surprise a moment before half of the entire opposite wall exploded in a fiery purple blaze.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried in surprise and delight. "You found me!"

"You made it no easy task." Hiccup smiled as the familiar rumblings of the dragon-speech reached his sensitive ears. "I'll handle the guards, follow me out, I hear at least fifteen humans in the vicinity."

"Got it." Hiccup quickly pulled a couple of strange pins from the confines of his unruly hair and began picking his way out of the iron shackles. When he was done with his wrists, Toothless gave him a croon of affection and a gentle head-butt before completely destroying the door with a swing of his mighty tail and slipping out into the hall beyond. Almost immediately, the sound of war-cry's and roaring could be heard echoing along the stone walls.

"Quite a friend, Hiccup." Bronzewing approved as the boy made quick work of his own bindings and then set to the dragon's much sturdier confines. Hiccup then replaced the small pins and hastily deducted the how the dragon bindings worked before setting the Nightmare free. "And quite a heart. You have my gratitude."

"You're weakened, Bronzewing! You need to escape through the hole, now!" Hiccup ushered the large Nightmare over to the gaping hole as best as he could. "Before reinforcements come!"

"I'll see you again one day, I hope." Bronzewing blew a final warm breath of air over the entirety of Hiccup's shivering body and then bode farewell before lifting off gracefully into the cold night sky.

Hiccup smiled a little and watched until he was sure that the great dragon wasn't being pursued. Which, the boy admitted, would only be possible for a dragon-rider like himself. Their cell was on the interior edge of a cliff, after all, above the unforgiving waters of Lost Isle. Impressive that the thieves were able to just make it to the mainland, in these raging waters- the moon pushed and pulled the waves with the ferocity of a goddess, and it was a miracle in itself that the dingy ships didn't cave to pieces where they were docked.

Perfect night for flying- not so much for sailing. The sky currents were strong and steady, unlike the ground winds.

"Time to go." Hiccup smiled and made his way quickly out of the cell and into the damaged hallways, all the while slipping on his icy cloak and dropping the stiff hood over his face. Passing several empty cells, and peering through each for good measure, Hiccup soon found himself confronted by one of the men who managed to slip past Toothless' rampage.

"I told them you were a slippery one." The man snarled, baring disgusting teeth with a bit of blood due to a dripping scratch across his forehead. "Soon's I saw yer leg, I knew you were a crafty lad. That ther's no piece of junk, no amateur job. It's the makin' of a great craftsmen."

"Well, you're half-right." Hiccup said as he reached for his staff and then realized that it had been taken from him the moment he'd gotten caught trying to free a Deadly Nadder from it's trap- the whole reason he had been hauled in just a couple short hours prior. Something he hadn't had the chance to tell Bronzewing before Toothless' jailbreak. "Maybe you're not as stupid as you look after all."

"I've cut men's tongues out fer less an insult." The man growled. "Now, you die, dragon-huggin' scum!"

The man gave a mighty war cry as he charged at Hiccup, who in the back of his mind, was reeling. Sword fighting had never ever been his forte, as was the same case with most weapons, and visions of a blood lust-driven Tuffnut and his equally brutish sister charging him similarly with blunt javelins came to mind. This sword however, was not blunted for training purposes, was instead sharp as sin and stained an awful rusty color from what Hiccup assumed was the blood of it's previous victims. Let's not forget now, Hiccup was weaponless, there was that little fact to take into account.

And so it was with a possibly less than dignified yelp and pure luck that Hiccup managed to duck out of the way in time. Instead of chopping his head off, the metal clanged against a stone wall, throwing sparks, and it was all the hours of tree-chopping and tunnel-digging did Hiccup himself manage to land a well-placed blow to the man's stomach, which knocked the wind out of him and downed him long enough for the boy to make a break for it.

Even after the couple years he'd been away from Berk, with the time to practice on his own and build confidence, he he was no better a soldier than he was when he'd left. Still mostly a pacifist, Hiccup spent time that he could've spent sword fighting and javelin-throwing on studying dragon languages and learning about new species and things such as medicines and his own original inventions. He simply didn't have the time or will to do it.

And, honestly speaking, he wasn't sure he had the constitution to do it either. Hacked up flesh and running blood still creeped him out if it wasn't coming from dinner or one of his own wounds.

Where Hiccup ran, he felt ice under his boots- this should've been warning enough for what was to come- and before long, he was slipping into a wall make of crudely smoothed stone.

"Ugh." The last cell of the prisoners quarters was right behind him. He could feel the cold bars against his back.

"There you are!"

Hiccup jumped and then scrambled to get up. but in a flash, the sword was upon him and slashing against the tough leather protecting his chest, finally making a clean cut into his shoulder.

The boy yelled in agony and the horrid man smiled, eyes alight with the intent to kill as he drew his sword back again and aimed for his face.

'This could be it.' Hiccup realized, cold and pained as he kicked as best as he could while dodging to the left, hearing the sharp and terrifying clang of metal against metal met his ears. So close, he felt phantom pains on his ear, neck and head. 'I could die here.'

Before the savage man could pull back for another strike, however, he gasped and Hiccup opened his eyes to the sound, not realizing he had closed them. Strangely...the man was without his wicked sword.

'Am I dead?' Hiccup thought and looked down at himself as though to check that he weren't run through. The man in front of him looked just as astounded and blinked before squinting just behind Hiccup with a growl. 'What the..? Why's he looking behind-'

The sound of sliding metal made him shudder and suddenly the sword was again in close proximity with his face- this time, with the tip pointed toward the soldier who stood over him.

"..Huh?" Hiccup asked in a shocked and baffled noise as the sword - now revealing itself to be attached to a pale hand and wrist- proceeded to slash a good cut across the mans face, despite his attempts at blocking the flashing blade. Confused for a moment more, Hiccup quickly came to the reasonable conclusion that the person in the cell, directly behind him, so close in fact, that he could feel warm breath against his neck, was not out to kill him, but to wound the soldier in front of him. So, he moved to the side to give he or she more room to work and quickly slipped the metal pins from his hair again. At the same time, the figure in the cell reached both arms through the bars and began attacking the dreadful soldier in earnest, slicing one horn off of his helmet and spraying blood from where he cut deeply into his leg before the man retreated to the other end of the hall.

'Poor fool.' Hiccup thought with both confusion and a strange satisfaction. 'Why doesn't he run?' He asked himself just as the door to the cell screeched open and a masculine figure in gray, faded clothing came out slashing and hacking in a wild fury that seemed at the same time...very graceful. Hiccup knew instantly that he could never match those quick, fluid movements no matter how much he trained.

Maybe I'm the fool, he admitted to himself as the soldier quickly caught on to the fact that if he remained, he wouldn't come out of the fight alive, and turned to retreat. What was to stop the strange man from the cell from attacking him now?

"I'll get you for this!" The savage man was yelling as he ran, slipping gracelessly on the ice in his mad dash for the "T" at the end of the hall. Where he hit the wall in his panic to turn, his hands smeared blood on the stone. "The both of you, you'll regret crossing savage! I swear it!"

"Shut up and die!" The man in the gray clothing hissed and threw the sword with such a strong arm that the blade buried itself in the tiny space between two adjoining blocks as if the stone were soft butter. Whether it was a mistake or on accident- it was terrifying and so accurate and forceful that the sword stuck firmly out from the wall, straight as an arrow.

Hiccup could only take one look at the man who had saved him before he gave a short nod, dirty blonde hair swinging in his face before he too was gone, taking a different direction than the wild soldier had taken, footsteps hurrying through the hall into the distance like he knew every turn.

And he was alone. Nothing but the blood streaking the walls and splattering the floors gave any indication of what had just went on. This, and the cold shock that had settled in Hiccup's chest. The boy only gave one glance around him and hurried off to find his dragon, leaving the ugly sword buried in the stones.

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AN: As usual, sorry for the long wait! Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think! Any ideas? Things should pick up action-wise after this chapter, or possibly the next one. Reviews are what I write for (ehem! I lied, but they are nice). Happy summer!

Uploaded: July 10th, 2016