"No-good stinkin' Death Rider. Now, my gorgeous face won't be able to get its beauty sleep." Snotlout complained to no one in particular as he walked to have the night guard.
When he reached there he took a two plates of fish left there so he could give to the prisoners for dinner, and walked over to Astrid's cell first. When she saw him, she sighed.
"Of all the people…"
"Hey there babe. Brought you your dinner. Listen, I know what they're saying about you are lies. We both know our relationshi…"
"Let me stop you there. We don't have a relationship, and we never have. Yes, I am married and have a child, so there's no taking it back. I don't want to talk to, see, or hear you unless you have something productive to say." She was in his face now, the only reason she wasn't punching him was because of the bars.
"Well, for someone who says that, you seem to be awful close." He smiled and puckered his lips hoping for a kiss.
"In your dreams Snotface." She took her food and dumped it on his head.
Unfazed by her obvious denial, he said, "Don't worry about that babe, accidents happen, I'll get you a new plate of food."
"I don't want your food, and I don't want your charity. Just go away." She walked over to the dark corner where she seemed to disappear into the shadows.
Snotlout walked away, finally understanding that his "friend" wanted to be left alone, and walked to feed the next prisoner.
He took the food and threw it on the cell's dirt floor. "There's your supper demon." He spat at him, hoping to make him mad.
But he said nothing, nor did he do anything. He just sat there, staring at Snotlout through the eyes of his mask. The green eyes seemed to say enough, their forest-like hue showing no signs of attack, or peace. They seemed to stare daggers, while at the same time, staring comfort. This man would be harder to figure out that Snotlout thought it would be.
"So, the Death Rider, huh? Bet that name is all talk, after all, you do seem on the skinny side." Hiccup gave no response, all he did was stare. "Hey, you gonna eat your food, after all you live with dragons. Dirt must be minor compared to raw livestock." Snotlout stereotyped dragons, trying to make the man behind bars angry, but to no use.
"You know what Snotface?" Hiccup softly asked, to the surprise of his old bully.
"H-how do you…"
"I know many things about you Snotlout, one of which is your attraction to my wife. Back off." his voice was full of sincere anger, and it scared Snotlout.
"Your mind games won't work on me, Loki spawn." Snotlout tried to size him up, but his voice was shaky.
"Isn't that what you used to call your old cousin? Loki spawn?" Hiccup asked, making Snotlout even more scared.
It was true though. Snotlout and the twins would call him that due to one fact. His birthmark. Hiccup had an odd birthmark, or at least that's what they thought it was. It was a black speck, right on the back of his neck. Once when a night fury was in the woods, his father sent a hunt after it, but it fled only leaving a few scales.
A few black specks that matched Hiccup's birthmark on the back of his little 4 year old neck. All the villagers began to resent him, and Hiccup didn't know why until he was 9, when he discovered the scales in his father's desk drawer.
Him and the other kids his age were friends back then, but suddenly everything changed. Their parents all told them about the cursed heir, and their innocent, viking, 4 year old minds twisted the tale into something worse than it actually was. Nobody knew about the bullying, but they knew they weren't friends either.
"You shouldn't get involved in things you don't understand." Hiccup scolded him in a mocking manner. At that, Snotlout ran for the hills, or in this case, the chief's house.
When he was gone, Hiccup picked up the fish and observed how it was completely clean. Then, as he flipped up his mask and ate it he took the cloth on the floor that he had laid down. Of course Snotlout would try to throw it in the dirt. How predictable.
"Job well done Hiccup, job well done." He smiled at his cleverness.
I was sitting at my house, eating my dinner, and holding an ice block to eliminate my headache when Snotlout burst through the door.
"Chief...pant...Stoick...pant... the Death Rider...pant… knows…"
"Now, hold on there. Take a breath." Stoick said and Snotlout fell on the floor in exhaustion. He wasn't exactly in shape. Not that he was fat or anything, but he sure wasn't skinny either. Stoick walked to, and hovered over his nephew. After a few more gasps Snotlout said, "TheDeathRiderknowsinformationaboutHiccupandIdon'tknowhoworwhyandIthoughtyoushould
know."
Despite the fast paced, quiet, raspiness of his voice, Stoick could decipher every single word. He was used to this type of ranting from Snotlout.
He ran out of the house, leaving Snotlout there, and headed to the forge where Gobber was working late night.
Gobber held a hot iron sword he was working on, but almost dropped it and burned himself when his best friend came running in.
"Gobber, I need you assemble everybody for a council meeting."
"Why? Is it for a new law to ban people sneaking up on others and nearly burning their only hand off?" Gobber asked, shooting an angry glare at Stoick.
"This is serious."
"I know, but still it'd be nice to know that limbs are safe." He said and hobbled off to gather the council members.
"So, do you understand the plan?" Alvin asked. Him and Pache have been working on the plan for quite a while now, and was about to head to get something to eat.
"Of course I understand the plan. I'm 5 years old after all." She half-bragged.
"Of course you are. And you being 5 also means that you must be really strong as well."
"Yep, I'm a big girl. That's what my daddy says."
"And, you know because you're a big girl, you have to deal with big people problems, right?"
"Of course. I used to read the letters my mommy and dad sent to each other. Sometimes I feel bad that they have to be apart, and wish I could help. But if my dad knew I saw the letters, he'd ground me forever." Her face paled at the very thought of it.
"Good." His smirk became so terribly treacherous that it frightened the young girl, and she knew seeking this man's help might've been a mistake.
"Wha…" two outcasts came and grabbed her, then tied her up.
"Because you're such a big girl, you must understand that why I'm doing this. You see, Stoick has been a thorn in my side for so many years.
"Who's Sto…"
"We used to be friends, but when I tried to do something different, he banished me from the Island, and anyone who liked the idea of what I was doing. I was close to giving up on my revenge on him, until you flew in on the back of that skrill." He gestured toward Striker who was tied up and held down by 6 outcasts.
"Drea…" her mouth was gagged before she could finish calling for her friend.
"You gave me another chance at what I do best, being treacherous. And due to that fact, I guess that makes you pretty treacherous as well." He seemed to stare right into her soul, and she wanted to cry, but held strong. "Welcome to the real world, a world without flying through the sky, without a wonderful father who'd do anything for you, and without any hope for anyone to save you."
With that, he snapped his fingers and the outcasts took Dreamstriker and Apachexaterrascorpioarosalight away. But, they weren't going to the dungeons, they were walking toward a boat. "Tomorrow night boys, we attack Berk!" He shouted and the Outcasts cheered.
"He knows about Hiccup. No matter how much he denies it, he's a liar. I knew it!" Gobber said.
"I say we go and question him right now. Drag him by his hair if we have to!" Spitelout said.
"What if he escapes? He could order all his dragons to take my sheep! Not the sheep!" Not-so Silent Sven shouted.
Soon all the members of the council were shouting at each other all at the same time. Only when one of them reached for his dagger did Stoick intervene.
"Everybody BE QUIET!" They did as their chief said. "Now, I understand how you all feel about this, but we must remain calm."
"But Stoick, surely you of all people would want to speak to him immediately."
"More than you can imagine." He responded. "But, we can't go about acting like madmen because of it. We'll have the trial moved to tomorrow night instead of three days. Sven, can you alert everyone?"
"Of course Chief." He answered and ran out to do his job.
"Spitelout, can you guard the prisoners tonight? I can't think of anyone more suitable for the job." Other than Gobber, Sven, Ogden, Aurtha, etc. He thought.
"Definitely." His face taking a proud shape as he walked away.
"Gobber, I need you to ready the weapons. Everyone's going to need theirs for this trial. After all, if those dragons somehow do decide to attack, which is unlikely, we're going to have to be prepared."
"Aye." He answered and hoveled off.
"Everyone else, you're dismissed." Everyone left, talking quietly to themselves so their chief wouldn't hear their gossip.
But he heard every word of it. He always did, but they didn't know, and he didn't show it. He'd heard talk about his son, about his wife, and about him. He'd heard the good, and the bad. His favorite one used to be about how when he was a baby he'd popped the head clean off a dragon's shoulders. Now, it's the one about how his son might someday come back, and kill the Death Rider due to the act he was so good in dragon training.
How wrong all the rumors were, despite what everyone thought.
Back on the island of Freyja, Toothless had a full-on search party going on for Pache and Striker.
"Sir, I don't think they're on the island, they must've left." One of the scouts reported.
"No, they must be here somewhere." He denied it, even though he knew it was true. When he went into her room, most of her clothes, which wasn't much, were gone. All the necessities that she needed were gone, meaning she took them with her. Even her scent was off the island. No other dragon could smell it, but he could. As soon as he saw her room empty he knew she was gone, but searched nonetheless for his brother's daughter, hoping that he hadn't lost yet another loved one.
But it was too late, and like the little slippery girl she was, she'd escaped right under his nose.
He sighed, "Send a couple scouts along the nearby islands, and if they, or any sign of them is spotted then you report back to me immediately."
"Yes sir." The little terror said and flew off.
He looked out to the horizon, hoping to see his brother come back, to see his niece and her skrill riding back toward their home, but he knew it wasn't going to happen.
"Please be safe, my little Treacherous niece." He whispered and half-laughed.
