Hello again, I want to thank you. I have already finished the preambles and I will start the story in a more formal way. I hope not to split the chapters anymore, but we can read them in full. The text in italics will be memories. As always, I hope you enjoy it!
A special thanks to those who have commended, your opinions are valuable to me, and it makes me immensely happy to know that you like it. As always, I am open to suggestions.
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Chapter 4. When the allies call.
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-Astrid! - Ventino shouted anguished at her friend who was lying on the lawn.
- What's wrong? - I thought we had talked about taking a break before we got home. - The lazy blonde answered.
- We have received a message from Keikruk, something big is happening.
Having said that, the blonde got up and received the note from her friend, "come back, emergency", it was all it said. These words made the heart of the princess beat strongly. It had been two months since the team of six warriors left Keikruk. Information of a possible big transaction of the traffickers, had forced them to penetrate in the coasts of the great continent of Wintek and now after hard battles they would return to house.
"Very good ladies, we have received a communication from Keikruk, we are asked to return," - the girl said with authority to her companions. "We do not know what is happening, mount your dragons and leave immediately. It is possible that we are under attack. I know that you are tired and hurt, but protecting our home will be a priority.
The five young women who looked at their leader, nodded and mounted their dragons in a hurry. They were only a few hours away, Ventino took a tiny red dragon from his shoulder and whispered - take us home - Immediately the creature flew towards its nest, located in the Keikruk forest. The way back was distressing, the anxiety and fatigue was marked in the face of the young. Each of the girls rode her own dragon. Astrid was accompanied by Stormfly. However, in the distance you could always see the watchful eye of Winstar, that strange dragon that no matter what, never left her alone. Their dragons were mainly nightmares and naders, the latter being the specialty of their tribe. For white warriors, dragons were sacred and should never leave their environment to serve human desires. However, they were respectful of the wishes of the creatures, could accompany them as much as they wanted and abandon them when they decided. Despite this, they knew the loyalty of the dragons, and knew that they could trust blindly in them.
After a few hours of traveling, they could see the great sea dragon that supported their town. The animal did not submerge. The warriors believed that the Howenh would keep them afloat until the day the prophecy was fulfilled and their tribe released the gods from the invisible chains of death. When flying over their village, the girls looked at each other strangely, everything seemed particularly normal. Except for the fact that the great sea creature was actually located near the barbarian archipelago. Something that had never happened before. The warriors decided to lower their dragons directly in front of the great hall. Astrid took her things and entered her house, wondering to find the house cold and empty. She immediately entered the great hall where an old woman called her to her table.
- You're back! We did not expect them so soon - commented the old woman
-Where is my mother? I entered the house, but it seems that it has not been there in a while.
"Your mother has gone to war," - the old woman answered simply - "I'm in charge now, but since you've returned, you are.
-Explain you please, and tell me about our position. Keikruk does not usually move so far north, I'm worried.
The old woman approached the young woman with her curved cane and answered: - You know how this works, princess. The gods will move our island to where we should be. How was your search, did you find the dragon?
- The auction turned out to be a false trail. However, we can not ignore those who say they have seen the mysterious dragon. It is a fact that he lives, but it feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. On the other hand, ... how do you know that Keikruk did not like some barbarian fish? - She said jokingly
The old woman laughed at the young woman's comment and replied with a smile - It's been two years since your coronation, I hoped you had accepted your destiny.
Never! - Astrid affirmed in a vehement whisper - How am I supposed to accept the fact, that the soul of a goddess resides in me, that will force me to act like her and not as dictated by my personality and my principles. But above all, that I will meet a man who I will fall madly in love with and who I will marry immediately. This may be what Kre wants, but it will never be what Astrid wants. I was born a warrior and I will die a warrior, this will not change. I will not give in to this destiny, not without fighting, that is why I decided to look for him, maybe he thinks the same as me, and grants me the freedom that the gods seem to want to deny me.
- Do not talk about your gods like that! - replied the old woman rudely - Heaven has entrusted you with a task, something that only you can do, but that will affect the future of innocent men and women. We will have new dragon tracks, for now let's focus on this battle. - The old woman walked away a little and relaxed her scowl - Since you left for Wintek, Keikruk began to move north, just in the direction of the barbarian archipelago. We sent two groups of scouts, and an intelligence team, who identified a large fleet of ships heading to the archipelago from the south, we fear that they will enter through Berk. The mysterious men do not carry shields or any distinctive symbol, but we know their goal is the dragons. There is a whole army established ten days sailing to Berk.
"I'm very worried about this situation," - replied Astrid. - "Keikruk has not stopped moving in the last three years, and I do not think it's because of the taste of the fish. In fact, the slave and dragon trade seem to intensify, even when we have hit their finances, and sunk entire fleets. It is as if the demand does not stop increasing, the attacks on the innocent have become increasingly violent, I fear that there will come a time when we can not face them. And look how life is, we will have to protect Berk, even though it is they with their riders and their "great conqueror of dragons" who sharpened the problem.
- You know it's not theirs - the old woman replied softly - I do not think the conqueror of dragons had a bad intention. According to information from Itali and Mala it seems that the riders do not harm the dragons. Even so, you know I will not defend them. Your mother left for the tribe of the wingmaidens, she will inform you about the situation and they will have to save the Razorwhips that reside there, this happened 5 days ago. There are numerous dragon nests in the barbarian archipelago. And although they are sufficiently protected, the problem are the dragons that coexist with the humans. As far as we know, a plan has been put in place to protect the females and babies who are in the care of the wingmaidens. We have also communicated with Heather and Mala, to protect the Erupciodon and the dragons of Berserker Island, but the problem is still Berk.
-What is our position in distance to Berk ?, We have never mapped this area - Astrid asked in a serious tone.
-We are two days flight to Berk, and half a day to the island of the wingmaidens. We would have to cross a good part of the barbarian archipelago to get there, we can not give them support in time if we go on Keikuk, "the old woman complained sadly.
-The Navy is located ten days of navigation to Berk and we two days in flight, which implies that it will take four days of flight to reach the position of the attackers, that is if we leave immediately. An aerial squadron could be a support, but we do not have much time, why did not they contact us before? We would have returned immediately. - Asked the exasperated young woman.
-Because we had not planned to contact them! - The old woman said in an annoyed tone - We can take care of this kind of situations; your squad is doing more than enough. It is your duty to look for the dragon, and by the way you are releasing slaves, it seems enough for six young women who do not exceed 20 years.
The longer the conversation dragged on, the more exasperated Astrid became, the more her team was tired from the long flights back, even one of her warriors was injured, but even so, she was not one of those who stood still and waited.
-Let me tell you that this young girl of twenty years, puts you in charge again. I'm not leaving my mother alone, especially surrounded by people I do not trust. I will talk to my team and we will leave immediately.
The old woman wanted to reply, but by the time she was able to do it the young woman had already left for the town. Keikruk was a paradise in many aspects, despite being on the back of a dragon, there was a whole ecosystem, no doubt the gods had cost some time to create something like that, and the white warriors were honored by the gift of their gods, one that not only gave them a home, but also reminded them that they had an important mission with the world. The paradisiacal "island" did not have many inhabitants, but their social system of art, trade and profession, allowed them to perfect their talents, and exploit them to the fullest. Their jewelry was beautiful and sold at great prices in different markets, they specialized in the treatment of metals, alloys and crystals, which allowed them to create more complex tools. Although they still worked leather, their clothes were made mainly from fabrics such as silk and cotton, all white with some gold and silver ornaments, giving their women an air of purity and neatness.
The houses were a little more normal, since the dragons did not usually sleep with humans, so they had a place on the island specially designed for their comfort, or as wild creatures they simply slept in the forest. To tell the truth, the only one who slept with a dragon was Astrid, because even though they tried they could not separate her from Winstar.
Astrid mounted Winstar and went to the area where her friends were, to whom she explained the serious situation, and went in search of support.
- I know you are exhausted, if I am frank I am also - explained the girl - but I feel we must be there, we are the most consistent team on the air, and with so many attacks we do not have many warriors available, but above all, We have been a family for the last few years and I do not believe I am able to interpenetrate with someone as I do with you.
"Do not worry, Hofferson, we know we're great," - a tall, thin young lady replied in a mocking tone. - "You know we'll follow you wherever you go, even if it means pursuing the dragon master in his night fury.
Having said that, all the tension in the room dissipated and the girls broke into laughter. The rumours of the dragon master spread quickly. There was no person who had not heard of the giant who rode the powerful and extinct night fury, with his eyes was able to make any dragon to stand at his feet. Many people believed it and were afraid of it. Many cultures related the existence of giants and titans that dominated men, and imagine a giant riding a mythological dragon sounded really intimidating. But for them who knew the nobility and tenacity of the dragons were nothing but hoaxes, and over time, it became a joke with which they referred to anything that seemed impossible.
Only five warriors left for Berk, lamenting to leave her wounded friend behind. Each of them asked for support from an island dragon, since those dragons that accompanied them before were tired, and given the nature of the creatures they had established bonds of respect and cooperation, but contrary to the riders, there was no dragon permanently waiting for them. Astrid's case was special, it was not about not having tried to leave Stormfly or Winstar to rest, it was the same dragons who insisted on staying by her side.
The flight over the barbarian archipelago was long, especially because they took the time to analyze anything that seemed suspicious to them, or that was potentially useful to fight the battle. They decided not to reach Berk directly, they would surround him in search of any useful information, stating that three of the warriors would strategically position themselves in the strait that leads to the fog bank, a site that had to be watched since topologically it was a likely way to approach with stealth to Berk.
Astrid and Ventino continued on their way. In the distance, they caught a glimpse of the great town of Berk. Despite the rumours about riders and conquerors, they never really approached this tribe, because according to Val, the Berkians were good-hearted warriors, but they hated the dragons to death, something that would never change. Enough information to keep them away, since they trusted that their allies within the archipelago would keep as safe as many dragons as possible.
From the air Berk was beautiful, it seemed utopian to see so many dragons living with humans, it was certainly different from what they used to see, because here dragons lived directly with people, as if each family had adopted their own dragon. Astrid looked at them with suspicion and decided that they would not land in the village. They descended from their dragons in the cove of a nearby forest, deciding that Ventino would stay in her care and that Astrid would look for her own in the village.
Astrid recognized the clothing of some warriors of the wing defenders, and glimpsed in the distance to Windshear, the dragon of her friend Heather, which made her suppose that her allies were there. It was exasperating the way the townspeople looked at her, as if it seemed unreal. The Razorwhip was resting on the outskirts of a huge building, which she thought was the great hall. She walked with hurried steps and entered, meeting a large number of people with faces of anguish, the whole town seemed agitated, indicating that they were already aware of the imminent attack.
Good day, I'm looking for the chief of the tribe - Astrid mentioned a man who carried a metal bucket on his head.
"The Stoic chief is busy," the man said with doubt.
- Who are you and what do you need? - Asked a shorter man standing next to him.
-I come from the tribe of white warriors, my queen has moved to Berk, I must meet her immediately.
- You would have started out there girl - the man said, guiding her to a room located at the back of the building.
- I'm afraid you should wait for her, they're in the middle of a summit of leaders, the whole council is assembled.
- I know, and if you allow me, I'd like to join this meeting - the blonde replied simply.
- The man opened the door softly, but could not avoid the loud crack of it, interrupting all who were gathered there.
- What's wrong? We're in the middle of something important - affirmed a powerful and imposing voice from within - I said do not interrupt us if it's not something urgent.
- I told you Bucked, I told you not to interrupt the boss - said the short man to his tall and blond friend.
-I'm sorry, chief, it was my fault, I should not interrupt it- lamented Bucket.
Astrid watched sympathetically from outside the strange duo.
- There is a young girl who says she wants to join their meeting - the man mentioned.
At this comment the whole room tensed, they looked at each other as if wondering who the girl was or if someone was waiting for her. Having said that, Astrid hurried inside. There was a sepulchral silence once he entered the room, his acquaintances looked at her as if they did not expect to see her there, and strangers with infinite curiosity. Suddenly a young brunette raced through the room and hung around the neck of the new arrival. - I knew you would come - she said in a sigh.
The blonde smiled at her tenderly and let go of his grip, but she kept holding his hand firmly, insinuating that he would not abandon her.
- I hope you are having a good day despite the situation. If you allow me, I would like to stay and contribute to your meeting - the young woman said in a firm tone and without introducing herself. It could be heard as the youngest in the room swallowed, as if they had been holding their breath for a while.
-It is one of our warriors, I ask you to please allow her to participate - informed Queen Amira, giving an accusing look to her daughter.
You can stay! - Stoic affirmed, willing to continue with the interrupted meeting. Berk's chief started to explain the situation again, pointing to positions on a large map arranged on the centre table. The allies listened attentively to every detail of what was said by the corpulent man, while the young riders looked at the newcomer with attention. Especially Hiccup, Berk's heir, who had the feeling of having seen her somewhere.
-We have numbers? Astrid asked, feeling particularly comfortable at the leaders meeting.
- We have approached, and we believe that there will be at least 10 boats so we expect to face about 150 or 200 men - Mala said, the queen of the defenders of the wing, looking with tenderness at the girl.
- I am afraid then that we must plan an offensive, which in my perspective should be an air attack. Attacking them from the sea or by land involves mobilizing valuable resources and many people, which will require a complex logistics and would be a huge risk - Astrid affirmed with conviction - On the other hand we can not expect them in Berk, they are numerous and it should be our priority to minimize the deaths of both dragons and humans.
-I am opposed! - said Spiteloud, representative of the Jorguenson tribe of Berk - We must attack them here, so we could count on a greater number of warriors, the dragons would support us and we would come out victorious. We know our lands, we will have the advantage.
-A chief protects their owns - said the blonde in a defiant tone - We can not risk lives unnecessarily, allowing them to approach is putting at risk anyone unable to defend themselves, including children and elderly people, we do not have time to evacuate the island. If we act intelligently we can reduce our enemies in number and hopefully avoid any attack on Berk or the other peoples of the archipelago. We have to design a strategy that leads us to victory, we do not know the nature of our enemies, their ability or weapons, it is too risky to just wait and defend ourselves when we do not know how much damage they can do. Without a doubt, it is better to risk little, to mobilize small and effective groups that allow us to obtain information and weaken their forces, not wait for them and risk losing everything.
Those present looked at each other, the recent discussion would put them to choose between defending themselves or attacking, decide what they decided the numbers were not in their favour, so they should decide and act fast.
-I insist that we still have to try to get closer and reconcile, it is still a third possibility. - Affirmed the young heir, earning the eyes of all present.
- We have been in this kind of situation many times and the dialogue has not worked very well - said the girl gently, turning to see the young man with green eyes, - They are cruel men, stripped of all humanity. If their target are the dragons, there is not much we can say or do to convince them not to attack, although I value the gesture of peace that you offer. I guess we could consider it and not attack until we get closer and understand the situation better.
- In such a case I am completely in favour of the offensive - said the young man smiling at the girl - It seems to me the most viable option, and the one that implies a lower risk for Berk.
I also agree - Stoic said looking at the leaders' present, who nodded.
Then it is decided! -The blonde said with confidence -we will move towards their position and we will try a conciliation. In case of not achieving it we will proceed to attack. Now all that remains is to plan the offensive, I am worried about the lack of information, our tribe has not penetrated much in this archipelago for what I regret we can not contribute enough.
Do not worry, we recognize and appreciate the support of your tribe towards all of us - said Hiccup smiling at the girl - You do not belong to our archipelago and yet you are here, offering your help to protect our people and our dragons, even your queen has come personally. It is more than enough!
There was something in the young man's crooked smile that made him look charming, Astrid hated those moments of weakness when someone called his attention too much, so she simply turned her face to see her friend who was still holding her hand nervously, which I had more than worried.
Berk's heir took a huge piece of parchment and spread it on the table, there was the most detailed map the warriors had ever seen. - I must admit that you have an excellent cartographer! - Astrid said with a wide smile - I can not deny that this is the work of a true genius.
These words caused an intense flush in the young man, who thanked him with a shy "thank you".
These words caused an intense flush in the young man, who thanked him with a shy "thank you".
This is really impressive Hiccup Haddock, we did not know you had this talent - Mentioned Mala.
You did it? - Astrid asked with interest, to which the chestnut only nodded - Then young Hiccup Haddock, let me tell you that you have a wonderful talent, I congratulate you.
"Thank you," the young man said in a less shy voice, but keeping the pink of his cheeks.
Gentlemen to work - Dagur said approaching the table. Soon their counterparts followed his example, leaving the rest of the council and the accompanying warriors a little behind. Hiccup and Astrid were the only non-bosses to stay by the map.
- We are really few, it would be useful if we could use the environment and the topography in our favour - Queen Amira affirmed.
The barbarian archipelago is quite broad, and the climatic conditions are very variable, I do not think we have that kind of information. - He mentioned in a low voice a blond and chubby boy who played with his hands.
Not necessarily - Astrid answered - if we can position the dragons on the map we can know a lot about the vegetation, the environment and the conditions of each place, we can use it as an advantage and base our strategy on it.
Of course! - Responded the excited young man - The dragon riders we have counted the dragons of the different areas we visited.
The white warriors now fixed their attention on the blond young man, who had called himself a dragon rider, something that had intrigued them since his arrival in Berk.
I see - Astrid affirmed with a tone of mockery in his voice - So Mr. Stoic, let me suggest with all respect the presence of the conqueror of dragons in this meeting - Without a doubt, he will be able to place the dominant species of dragons on this map in a way more precise.
Well he's right in front of you girl- Proud Stoic replied - My son Hiccup Horrendus Haddock III, is the conqueror of dragons.
Astrid's question had been malicious. At the mention of a dragon rider among them, it was amusing to mention the famous conqueror, but she was not ready to have any response to his comment, beyond the laughter that broke the tension in the environment. Upon hearing the response, the girl looked up, when her gaze met the young Haddock's, she let go of Heather's hand to bring her own quickly to her mouth, and hide that she was about to laugh, made did not go unnoticed by the young chestnut.
I prefer that do not call me that way! - Said the young man annoyed - Everyone here knows that I do not do such a thing as "conquer dragons"
So, the hand thing was not for that? I always thought it was for that - Said a young man with long blond hair braided and helmet with horns.
No brother, you know that Hiccup talks to the dragons and uses his dull voice to hypnotize them when they get tired of listening to him, it's the same as us - Replicated a tall blonde, which was really similar to her brother.
Astrid could not contain herself much longer. No doubt she would have a great story to tell her friends tonight, and she was sure she would not stop laughing and joking about it for weeks.
Enough! - Stoic affirmed, fed up with the ridicule towards his son - You asked the conqueror of dragons, because here you have it, ask what you want to know.
Astrid bit her tongue in an attempt not to laugh in the young man's face, which now looked at her with displeasure. -I offer you an apology, where I come from, we've heard a lot about the conqueror of dragons, and certainly you're not what I expected to find me.
These words had really hurt Hiccup's pride. The young woman was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and since she entered, she had done nothing but act sympathetically and be kind to him, but now she seemed disappointed to know that he was the conqueror of dragons. For the first time in a long time he felt that hateful feeling of not being enough for someone.
Well ... what do you want to know? "Asked the young man with disdain
Could you please locate the dominant species in each point of the archipelago? -The girl asked with a sweet and embarrassed look -The dragons are really special creatures, many as terrifying terrors are broadly general and can inhabit many environments at once, despite being very territorial. But other species such as Bufalord, require environments with really specific conditions, which could be very useful to use the environment in our favour.
The young woman apparently was not only beautiful and intelligent, she also felt deep love and curiosity about the dragons, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the young man, who in an attempt to captivate her attention again, quickly set out to locate the species on the map while smiling at her, giving her to understand that he was quite adept at the subject of the dragons, and without a doubt he could boast of her night fury, who by the way was not there and had been acting weird all the day.
- What about night furies?, Could you locate them too? the blonde asked flirtatiously, earning a wide smile from the boy.
"I'm afraid I have not found such a thing as a nest of night furies and I've searched for it, but I certainly think you'd like it ...
-Before the young man could talk to her about meeting his partner, the young warrior laughed with all her strength - You do not have to explain anything to me, I understand about night fury. I can not believe that people have so much imagination, what do you think if we better talk about strategy, after all it is what has us here together.
The young man blushed deeply, because without noticing, they had been talking only among themselves, ignoring the rest of those present, who looked at them with interest and not only for the important issues they discussed, but for the way they looked, as it was the case of the Stoic the Vast himself.
- Do you mind if I took a look? - The plump boy approached, taking the young people out of their daydreams - My name is Fishlegs Ingerman, dragon rider and keeper of the book of dragons. The young man broke through and positioned himself next to Hiccup.
Soon the riders stepped forward as well as the leaders of Berserker Island and the wing defenders. Together using all the knowledge they had about dragons, they had plotted an attack route and a plan that included all the members of the barbarian archipelago, generating the illusion that they could achieve it, with the exception of Heather who still seemed nervous. The tasks were divided and each tribe was committed to give rise to the difficult mission, suddenly the brunette said with concern.
- I'm not sure it works - Soon everyone turned to see her, intrigued by her negativity, especially Astrid, who had been like her sister for many years, being her strength when she lost her family and when she met her brother Dagur. Heather was a bright and strong girl, but that day she looked particularly nervous.
Astrid approached again and took the hand of her friend - Everything in order? - Asked the blonde - You sent the message is not it? - The brunette nodded.
-I'm sorry I know you were very far away, and you have made a great effort to come here, but there is something I need to tell you, and I knew that if you found out about the emergency, you would come to our support immediately. - The tone of the girl let read between the lines the seriousness of the information that she had, making everyone look at her expectantly. - Before coming to Berk I had the opportunity to fly over his army, and I recognized a symbol tattooed on the face of a man. He only carried it, the rest seemed clean, but undoubtedly it was the symbol of Kwányip. "- Having said that, the atmosphere immediately became tense, everyone looked shocked and Berk's representatives seemed bewildered.
Astrid approached her friend and kissed her forehead, caressed her cheek and said - "I swear to you by my life that nothing will happen to you or to yours" -. His expression changed immediately, it became dark and dark.
-What is Kwányip? Hiccup asked.
Astrid, ignoring the boy's question, stared at Berk's boss and said, - "I request that all members of Berk's council leave the room. Mr. Stoic, I regret to say that the situation has changed, I ask you with all respect to call the two people you trust the most, and that the rest of your people left immediately.
The people of Berk looked at Astrid with surprise, but more shocking was how all the leaders except Dagur seconded their proposal, the meeting would not continue until they were alone.
Author's notes:
I hope you enjoyed the reading, in the next chapter we will know a little more about what is happening and Astrid will put poor Hiccup against the wall. I hope to start solving some things that have been left open. By the way Wintek means Eastern Heaven and that is where the Kenos God comes from.
In total there are 4 heavens and in history they will correspond to places especially loved by the gods, and that possess something particular.
This is not the first time that Hiccup and Astrid have met, although they still do not know it.
I apologize if Astrid seems a bit bad at first, as you will understand is a girl with many pressures, and rescuing Astrid from the first movie, it is a little presumed and hard. She is a woman who has lived the war in a cruel way. In the next chapter we will understand why.