Chapter 7
I was happy that Hiccup wasn't panicking about the curse, but I still couldn't get the fact that I had to choose between two halves of her and if I didn't then I would lose her. What could I do? He used dark magic to curse her and I can't risk using light magic to stop it without killing her or me.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Hiccup say she saw Keena and Keir on the cliffs. When I saw them, they looked pretty scared. When Hiccup and I landed, I saw why. My brother had them cornered and he wasn't alone. The Spined Burrowing One, whom Hiccup and her friends referred to as a Whispering Death, was with him. Out of now where, the Whispering Death tunneled under us and dragged Hiccup underground away from me before I could stop him. He held her in his teeth but didn't bite or chew, he just held her in a cage of teeth.
"What are you doing?" I shouted at them both.
I could hear my children crying out for me to help them and Hiccup telling me to save them, to forget her and just help them, that she would be alright.
"Isn't obvious yet? Your mate could sense something was wrong, and you would have too if you had focused more on your instincts rather than your pathetic emotions. I never cursed your mate, I simply blocked her transformation for a few hours. I needed you occupied long enough for me track down your ill-bred urchins to set everything in place."
"What are you talking about?"
"You see, you rival here found me and mistook me for you, but after he found about me, he and I realized, we both had something in common, we both had a score to settle with you. So we came up with this elaborate plan to lure you and your family here and see who would choose to save."
"Why, why go through all this just to get back at me, why not just kill me?"
"Because, killing you would have been too easy. If we had, you would just simply rest in peace, no. That's much too good for you, we wanted you to suffer. I wanted you to suffer the way I did, he wanted you to suffer the way he had. Now you have a choice don't you, your mate or your brats, what will it be Toothless?" he mocked as the Whispering Death began to crush Hiccup and my brother began to push our kids near the edge of the cliff.
"Stop it, please, just STOP!" Hiccup cried, suddenly, the spell that blocked her dragon form dissipated and she transformed into her Dark One form.
We all were in shock, especially my brother. Those seconds were all we needed to grab our kids and hide them so we could take care of the two in front of us.
"How is this possible? How could you change, I blocked your dragon half." My brother asked in surprise and anger.
"If you had learned anything about me, it is that even when blocked, I change into my dragon form under extreme emotions. You are just lucky that Toothless is here, because if he wasn't, I would be out of control and you wouldn't stand a chance." Hiccup said sneering at him. "What do you say love, how about we show them what happens when anyone messes with our family?"
"I thought you'd never ask." I said ready to end this once and for all.
Hiccup faced the Whispering Death while I was locked in battle with my brother. I knew Hiccup could hold her own against the whispering Death. He may have been my rival, but I had bigger problems with my brother. He went too far involving my mate and my children in our problems. Now he was going to pay. Hiccup managed to chase the Whispering Death away with him declaring that he would be back. But my brother was too stubborn to see that he was at a disadvantage fighting the two of us on his own.
"If you give up now, we will let you go with your life." I said as we cornered him near the cliffs.
"I will never give in to you little brother." He said as he jumped and took off. "You may have gotten the best of me this time, but I will be back and next time, you will pay for taking everything from me." He said as he flew off.
Hiccup and I heaved a sigh of relief. "Do you think it's over?" Hiccup asked as we went to pick up the kids.
"For now, but if I know my brother, he will be back and next time, we won't be so lucky."
"And when he does come back, we'll be ready." She said with that confidence in her voice that always gave the hope that we could face anything together.
She was right, as long as we had hope and each other, we could face any situation head on and come out on top. We were the strongest there was and we will always win as long as we work together.
