The Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the properties used in this fiction.

Special thanks to my beta reader/editor Purpleswans for all the hard work and helpful suggestions.

XXX

The forge was always the hottest place in any blacksmith's shop. It was the place most likely for a blacksmith's sweat and blood to join the object they were crafting, and it was no different for Hiccup. He was bent over the flames, his hands incased in dragon leather for protection. Before him lay a long, flat piece of iron. He was examining it for any imperfections before he would quench it in oil, but so far he hadn't found any.

Even so, his heart told him there was something wrong with it.

"The metal is brittle," he heard behind him, and Hiccup glanced behind him to see the large, bearded man who'd been in his dreams before, "Strike the center, Hiccup. It will not hold."

Hiccup absently stood and grabbed his hammer, bringing it down against the strongest point of the potential axe. The metal collapsed in onitself in a shower of black dust, and the dust smothered the fire out, leaving them in darkness until the larger man lit a candle.

"The metal appeared strong because you did not know where it was weak," The man said, but he was facing away from Hiccup.

The Viking followed the man's gaze and found another large man standing in the shop. Judging by his confused look, the blonde man hadn't expected to be in a blacksmith's shop. His eyes searched the room for a moment before resting on the room's other occupants.

"Hiccup?" Kristoff asked, "And...is that Santa?"

"Da'," the bearded man answered, and he threw something at both Kristoff and Hiccup.

The two examined the wooden figures in their hands. They were black, but the wood had been smoothed as though it were ready to be painted.

"You!" Santa pointed at Hiccup, "What is your center?"

Hiccup looked in the man's eyes and frowned, looking down at the wooden figure. For some reason, it's blankness began to bother him. There should be something panted onto the wood, something that truly served as the epitome of Hiccup. But what?

"Kristoff!" Santa yelled, pointing at the ice harvester, "What is your center?"

An answer rose in his heart, an old and familiar answer that he'd defined himself by for six years. But when Kristoff looked down at the wooden figure, he didn't see Anna's red hair or beautiful eyes. He saw a child with blonde hair sitting against a tree in a dark forest, his legs tucked up to his chest and his arms rest on his knees. The trees stretched high into the night, and were leaning over him, their limbs outstretched like long fingers.

"I...I thought-"

"The center is not always what we think," Santa said knowingly, grasping both Kristoff and Hiccup's shoulders in his massive hands, "But is always what we put out to the world. What you protect in others."

The two pondered his words for a moment before the man pushed them away.

"Awaken."

XXX

"Wake up!"

Kristoff sat up suddenly, his mind rushing to catch up to his surroundings. He was leaning against a tree and Captain Hofferson was standing over him. The morning sun was piercing the forest, casting a hazy red glow along the roots and dirt. It reflected and refracted again the ice armor Elsa had made for them, casting spots of light all over the darkness.

"You good, Iceman?" Captain Hofferson asked while Kristoff blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah, it's just...there's a lot of light," Kristoff explained.

Hofferson chuckled dryly, "When we get back, I plan on asking her to make this armor black. If we wanted to attack in daylight, we'd be seen miles away."

The captain offered Kristoff his hand and the Ice-Master took it, letting the older man help him to his feet. As he rose, he heard something hit the ground. He looked on the ground for whatever had fallen and his eyes locked onto a small, wooden figure. He felt his breath still in his throat, but still squatted down to pick it up. He held the piece from his dream in his hand and examined it closely, feeling his heart thunder as he did.

It was impossible and, yet, there it was; the very same piece from his dream lay in his hand. It had the same size, shape. It even had the painting of him alone in the woods.

"Did you do that last night?"

Kristoff jerked around so fast he felt his neck pop from the speed. He'd forgotten about the captain was with him. The older man cast him a strange look, but decided to chalk it up to the young man still trying to wake up. He informed him they would be moving out in ten minutes and suggested Kristoff eat something before turning to his duties. The younger man nodded but didn't take his eyes off the figure, prompting the captain's curiosity.

"What is that?"

"...A gift," Kristoff answered before tucking it safely into his clothes, "Did you call me 'Iceman' earlier?"

Hofferson scoffed, "I'm not calling you 'Royal Ice-Master and Harvester.'"

"...Well, I like it, I guess."

"Captain," one of the other men interrupted, "Scout reports, sir."

"Very well, Olsen. Eat fast, Iceman. The road is long and puts us in harm's way." The captain nodded once more and left Kristoff to his thoughts.

XXX

'The sun is a horrible, terrible thing,' Hiccup thought as he opened his eyes, only to immediately close them again.

"Gaaaah," the Viking complained, "Is the sun bleeding? Why is it red?"

A short bark of laughter alerted him to the other presence in the room. Hiccup was only slightly surprised to find Anders awake at the break of dawn. The surgeon had a damnable mentality of waking with the rooster, but he'd likely be awake even if he didn't. Shortly after Kristoff had left to meet with the queen last night, a pair of guards had arrived with a young man. He'd been very cold, near death even though he'd been ok minutes ago.

Anders had worked late into the night to get him to a stable condition, even to the point where he'd wanted to lay him next to Toothless to share the dragon's heat. Toothless, however, was frightened of the lad. He'd jumped in front of Hiccup to defend him, even though the lad was unconscious and weighed practically nothing when compared to a dragon.

But Toothless had refused to take his eyes off the young man. This morning, though, Toothless had finally rested and was lying at the foot of the couch. Anders followed his eyes and smiled slightly.

"He fell asleep a few hours after the patient started to recover," Anders informed him.

Hiccup nodded dully, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He rose slowly but sat down quickly, realizing he had taken his prosthetic off before he'd gone to bed. He quickly strapped it back on and walked to the washbasin, washing his face while eyeing the upstairs loft where the patient was.

"What's his name, anyway?" Hiccup asked.

"No idea," Anders shook his head, walking over to Hiccup, "How are you feeling?"

Hiccup shrugged, "I'm not going to be running anytime soon, but I can walk alright."

Anders nodded, "Alright. I'm going to check on my other patient then you and I are going to take a walk outside. Doctor's orders."

Hiccup nodded, deciding a brisk morning walk would probably be good for him. Anders turned and walked up the stairs to the bedroom while Hiccup staggered back to the couch. He pulled out a set of clothes he'd been given and dressed in a pair of brown pants and a dark green shirt. When he was finished, he sat back down to wait for Anders. As he sat, he realized something was making him uncomfortable. He stood back up and looked at the offending object; when he saw what it was, he felt his heart still in his chest.

There, on the couch, was a plain wooden figure about two inches tall.

Hiccup reached out with shaky fingers and picked up the offending piece of wood.

"What's that?" Hiccup glanced to his left and saw that Anders had returned, his eyes lingering on the wooden piece, "Are you making a nesting doll?"

"Nesting doll?"

"Hollow dolls; you set smaller ones in the bigger ones and it makes it-these are hard to describe, I realize. I have one from our visit to Kirkenes. I'll show you later. Right now, let's take a walk."

Hiccup nodded, eager to put the 'doll' out of his mind. The two strode out of the door, wincing as the red sun greeted them. Anders closed the door behind them and the two quickly began walking away from the sun.

"A red sun," Hiccup muttered.

"Red sky at morning, sailor takes warning." Anders said.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Another thing we have in common."

"Yes, sir."

"How's the kid?"

"Alive. He's wrapped under every blanket we have. His temperature was 95.4 Fahrenheit, so he's not out of the woods yet. I should get a bonus from having so many patients."

"I'll let Elsa know you mentioned it. Anders...what can you tell me about 'Santa?'"

XXX

Elsa was leaning over her office table when a soft knock resonated against her door. She called out 'enter' and the door opened, revealing Kai. He gracefully stepped inside and stood before her desk, folding his hands behind his back as he waited for her to finish.

She signed off on the last paper and looked up, smiling tightly, "My apologies, Kai. What can I do for you?"

"Several couriers arrived at noon with sealed parcels, My Queen. Parcels carrying royal crests."

Elsa frowned, feeling as though her already tense day was about to get worse. She accepted the parcels from her oldest servant and examined them. There were four in total, each bound in brown leather with a crest on the front. They were from the Duke of Weaselton, the Kingdom of Britannia, Clan DunBroch of the Highlands and the Kingdom of Duloc.

She opened the Weaselton parcel first. It was a personal request from the duke to be invited to the anniversary, something he'd already sent before. This version, however, was much more desperate than the previous. She frowned as she read, realizing that this letter used the words 'celebrate new alliances.'

She opened Britannia's letter and could see they also implied new alliances. She read DunBroch's letter and, to their credit, they flat out asked if the rumors are true. 'We have heard disturbing reports and wonder as to their validity.' Arendelle and the Highland clans had an agreeable relationship, so it was understandable to be that direct.

She set their letter aside and picked up the letter from Duloc, then immediately tossed it into the nearby trash can. She heard a polite sigh and looked up at Kai, who had a vaguely disapproving look on his face.

"Farquaad is a terrible ruler and actively hunts magical beings. He'd see my head on a pike if he could."

The Queen of Arendelle idly tossed Weaselton's letter into the trash as well. She took the other letters and rose from her desk.

"Have the council convened immediately. We have much to discuss."

XXX

The sun was beginning to wane over the royal palace when Rapunzel joined Cora on the balcony. The handmaiden had been relieved for the night but she'd asked permission to spend time on the balcony. It was the first time she'd ever asked something of the princess (aside from following schedule or behaving appropriately), and the significance wasn't lost on Rapunzel.

She didn't seem sad or worried, just...quiet. The poor girl was shy, honestly far too shy to be a handmaiden at court. She'd lead a quiet life before coming to the palace, and truly had a quiet life since.

Until recently, that is.

The two stood in silence for a few moments before Cora finally felt the need to speak.

"Have you ever stopped to examine life and realized...how little you really know?"

"That was my first week after I left the tower."

"I'd never imagined I'd be attacked like that. What were they, princess? Why did they come after us?"

"I've been thinking about that as well. I've seen...magic before. I think that's what they were."

"Seeing them, seeing what they did to Vlad...how you saved him. It make me wonder if I belong in this world. I grew up on a farm. A farm! What business do I have around magic?"

"...Have you ever wondered why I chose you to be my handmaiden?"

"Ha; only every day!"

"I didn't think I needed a handmaiden. Mom and Dad insisted, said it would help me adjust. I think they just wanted someone to keep an eye on me. But I didn't want someone spying on me, so I decided to see who they were. When you paint, it's an expression of who you truly are, especially when you're put on the spot. You go with your gut, with your instinct."

Rapunzel sighed before continuing, "Most of them were boring and unimaginative. Half of them painted the same thing I was painting. A few clever ones painted me, but they tried to make me look more flattering than I am. Those people wanted to please me and I find that...annoyingly disingenuous. But there were two that stood out; you and another girl named Cassandra. She drew something beautiful, but her colors...she used dark colors: deep reds, purples and blacks against a brownish-yellow background. It was an abstract version of a battlefield.

"Cassandra was a warrior, a fighter. She wasn't a handmaiden or lady-in-waiting. She would've been miserable at my side. So I asked if she'd like to join the Royal Guard instead. She leapt at the opportunity. But you...you painted your parents. A lively golden background with green trees. Your dad, dressed in blue and gray. Your mom in white and brown. An orange sun in the back. It told me everything I needed to know about you."

Rapunzel turned to face Cora who was looking at her with wide eyes. She hadn't expected her to remember her painting so well, nor did she expect her to analyze her painting like that.

"You came from a meager background. You knew how to coordinate your colors. But most importantly, you revered your parents. We had a lot in common. I figured we could...come out of our shells together."

Cora couldn't help smiling; she could admit she'd grown a lot over the past six years. She couldn't remember ever spending a night in a pub or going to a university library or seeing her country from ten stories high before she came here.

"That's one thing, but magic is...scary and dark." Cora whispered.

"Yes, it is. But it can be beautiful and bright," Rapunzel gestured to her hair before continuing, "We had a scare that day. It's ok to be upset. And if you decide you need some time away from the palace, all you have to do is ask. Go, see your family or...visit a certain someone."

Cora blushed, "Ever the matchmaker."

Rapunzel giggled but stepped closer to her and wrapped an arm around her should. Cora sighed, leaning into her slightly. The two friends stayed like that for some time as they watched the sun begin to set.

XXX

As the two Coronians watched the sun set, two men reached the top of a hill and watched the same sunset hundreds of miles away. The sunlight illuminated the small village before them. There were about twenty buildings in all, most of them houses with gardens. There were a few fields of crops surrounding the village. In the center was a large building with a high, angled roof and a steeple with a cross at the top. There was a bell inside the steeple and, as the wind picked up, they could faintly hear the ringing from several miles away.

"You were right, Iceman," Hofferson complimented before turning his gaze skywards, "We arrived just before the storm hits."

"If we hurry, we can reach the village before it gets bad." Kristoff suggested, eyeing the dark storm clouds overhead.

Hofferson nodded, turning his eyes once more to the village.

"Do you notice anything, Bjorman?"

"...There's no one outside. No one "

"No children," Hofferson concluded before turning to the other 19 soldiers behind him, "Crossbows, take the vanguard. Skirmishers behind them. Keep your swords sheathed until we know what we're dealing with. Bjorman, you are not a soldier. Take a position in the rear."

Kristoff nodded, moving to the back while six men with crossbows stepped to the front. Most men would be offended by the captain's orders, but Kristoff realized the truth in his words. Kristoff had never received combat training and, as such, was a liability in a battle. He'd be more likely to get people killed than help. Hofferson surveyed the company of soldiers, examining their movements to assure they were ready.

Finally, the captain nodded in satisfaction and stepped to the front of the vanguard.

"Forward."

XXX

The sun had finally set when Elsa retired to her private chambers. All court business was done for the day, and she had a half hour in her schedule to change. After that, her sister would be joining her; together they'd go down to Hiccup's to check on Dr. Larson's patient.

A lad named Asbjørn had arrived last night with a letter for her, but had passed out shortly after delivering it. She hadn't heard anything since last night when Anders had stabilized the poor boy. She hoped he was doing better.

There was a knock on her door and the queen answered it, revealing a handmaiden who meant to help her change. Elsa politely dismissed her, deciding she could use a little alone time. She had a lot on her mind and some time to decompress alone was all she needed.

She closed the door and sat down in her chair, letting out a deep sigh. She shut her eyes and just breathed for a long moment, trying to keep her worries over Tormmound, Kristoff and the anniversary out of her head. She felt the air in her room pick up, brushing against her skin. The sensation made her tingle slightly, enough so she opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was her breath steaming in the air. That was not uncommon, as her body temperature was normally south of ninety. The air was littered with tiny snowflakes and the windows were frosted over slightly. This was not uncommon either, and it made her frown in irritation. She made to banish the snow with a wave of her hand, but the snow remained. She tried again, but again, the snow remained.

Finally, she stood and truly examined the snow. It only took a moment to realize she wasn't the source of it. Her frown deepened and she crafted a spike of ice in her hand, ready to throw it at whatever was coming. But no assassin struck; instead, the window began to glow a bluish hue. She stepped towards it cautiously and couldn't deny the feeling of wonder when she saw the hue freeze over and take the shape of a crocus and a dragon.

She smiled, her wonder growing as the shapes burst from the Windows and began to flutter around the room. The dragon flew in circles above her head before landing on her shoulder; she giggled and cued at it as she scratched the dragon's chin. The dragon purred lightly before both it and the crocus disappeared and the lights in her room went out, leaving her bathed in the bluish hue coming from the window.

The larger windows in her room began to freeze as well, but where the others were bright ice, these frozen in thick, black ice. Somehow, that ice still gave off an eerie glow, but it was muted and dull. She jumped back as she saw the ice begin to crack, and the cracks rapidly took on the shape of a man. He had no hair and was slightly taller than Elsa, but even with his eyes closed his face was very familiar to her.

"Asbjørn?" She whispered.

The lad's face shifted and grew slightly long, and his teeth began to grow into fangs. Shards of ice chipped off his eyelids as they slowly opened, revealing the blackest orbs she'd ever seen. Whatever this beast was, it was a threat to her and wanted her dead. She felt it in her heart, her deepest place in her soul.

This thing was evil.

The pane where the dragon and crocus had come from began to glow again and she swore she could hear the sound of fingers rubbing the glass. Those invisible fingers slow spelled out a name, and when she saw it, her breath caught in her throat.

'Hiccup.'

The ice shattered and fell away from the windows, and she leapt back in shock. She quickly recovered though and ran for the door, where the handmaiden was about to knock on the door. She jumped back in surprise, but recovered quickly.

"Is everything al-"

"Fetch some guards and have them sent to Hiccup and Anders's cabin," Elsa interrupted, marching past her down the hall, "No fewer than ten."

"At once, Your Grace!" The handmaiden sprinted ahead of her, turning down another hallway.

Elsa motioned two guards stationed in the hallway to follow as she went downstairs at a fever pace, nearly running into Anna as she did. The auburn princess opened her mouth to greet her, but the look on the queen's face silenced her salutations.

"Take the Princess of Arendelle to her room," Elsa ordered the guards following her, "Anna, no matter what happens, stay in your room until I return. No matter what you hear or see or how tempted you are to find me, you must STAY in your room. You're the future of this kingdom if anything happens to me. Go, now."

Anna clearly wanted to protest, to discover what had happened, but she recognized it was her queen giving her an order. She had to obey, no matter how badly she wanted answers. Wordlessly, Anna nodded and allowed the guards to escort her to her room.

Elsa resumed her hellbent march, praying to the whatever gods would hear her that Hiccup was alright.

XXX

Anders was frowning when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Hiccup looked up from his book and quirked an eyebrow at the surgeon. The man shook his head slowly, realizing the source of his darkened mood.

The boy had died.

Anders sighed and walked over to the couch to join Toothless and Hiccup for a moment before he'd begin arrangements for the boy's body. Before he reached it, Toothless (who'd been sleeping up to this point) lifted his head suddenly and took a sniff. Hiccup recognized the tense posture and how rigid his scales had become and shared a cautiously look with Anders. The surgeon wisely stayed still, not wanting to provoke the dragon.

The Night Fury sniffed again before baring his fangs and standing on all fours, taking care to keep his winds folded so as to not hurt his injury.

"Bud," Hiccup whispered softly, "What's wrong?"

The three jerked their heads upward towards the loft as a sound echoed into the cavernous house. A series of sounds emitted from the loft, sounds that grew louder as a long hissing sound accompanied them. It was the hiss of an animal, or a predator, and all three felt shivers crawl down their back when the sounds ended.

The silence was terrible, much worse than a scream in the night or a howling at the moon. But it didn't last very long. A soft sound came from upstairs as one of the floorboards bent under added weight, followed shortly by another. Toothless quietly placed a steadying hand on Toothless to calm the dragon while placing another on the knife he'd eaten dinner with. Anders slowly reached along his pants and grasped his flintlock, pulling it out gently as he could. Steps echoed from upstairs, heading toward the stairs.

Anders cocked the pistol and the sound echoed in the cabin, silencing the steps above.

"Shit," Hiccup muttered.

The loft exploded in a cacophony of noise, showering splinters and shards of metal all around the cabin. Anders shielded his head with his hands and ducked while Toothless leapt over Hiccup to shield him from shrapnel. Toothless buckled suddenly and let out a pained garble, bucking away from Hiccup and thrashing around wildly. Hiccup ignored the pain in his sides and stood quickly, standing beside Anders as he straightened up.

There, on Toothless's back, was the boy Anders had been treating. He was crouched on all fours like a beast, his face somehow longer and shallower than before. His eyes had sunken into his face and turned a deep, deadened black. Anders was immediately reminded of a shark's eyes, how they glistened black until they rolled over and struck their prey. The creature (for it was no longer a man) had sunk its claws into Toothless's wound and pulled as hard as he could.

"No!" Hiccup shouted, flipping the knife in his hand and throwing it as hard as he could. The blade embedded itself into the beast's shoulder, making it let go of the black dragon. Toothless bucked again, throwing the beast into the wall behind it and turned, slashing at it with his claws. The creature moved too fast, evading the dragon's massive claws and jumping away from it towards the two men. Anders fired a shot win his pistol, but it went wide, hitting the ceiling harmlessly. The creature landed in front of the fireplace, crouched down and shifting knee-to-knee as the two closed in.

Anders silently handed Hiccup a dagger before withdrawing a pack of black powder and pouring it into his pistol. The creature smiled with its hideously inhuman face, revealing its razor sharp teeth. It grabbed the bucket of water they kept in case Toothless accidentally set something on fire. Hiccup realized a second before it was too late and went for the candle they kept on the table.

When his hands wrapped around it, the beast drowned the fire, leaving them all in complete darkness.

XXX

It had started raining when Hofferson and his troops reached the village. The night sky was illuminated in short, sharp bursts of lightning, making the men happy they weren't wearing metal armor. Being in the village instead of looking at it proved to be a stark contrast. It was still dark, thanks to the storm, but now they were surrounded by eerie, misshapen giants. The buildings served be make them feel pressed in, and the storm gave them precious little light to see. Every few moments, someone would bump into a building or a post, nearly falling over in the process.

It brought home how isolated they truly were.

Hofferson had the men searching houses, starting from the house furthest from the village center. The crossbows covered the front of the house while the skirmishers prepared to breach. The rest of the soldiers, including Kristoff, surrounded the house and made sure no one was attacked from behind.

Kristoff scanned the surroundings as best he could, but his eyes were drowning in rain and the few flashes of lightning only served to make the shadows look alive. He jumped when he heard them bust the door down and listened as the skirmishers ran through the breach, keeping his eyes on the buildings around him the whole time. The wind picked up suddenly and he frowned; he thought he heard something, a scratching sound echoing in the wind.

He strained to listen over the storm, and the scratching sound increased. It sounded like something was trying to claw out of a house. A pet or wild animal, maybe? He wanted to investigate the sound, but that would foolish. Instead, he turned away from the village and approached the captain.

He briefly explained what he'd heard, and the captain told him to keep his ears open and tell him if Kristoff figured out which house it was coming from. Anymore discussion was tabled when the skirmishers exited the building and their sergeant stepped forward.

"Nothing was inside, sir. No furniture, dish wear or bodies. The house is completely empty, sir."

The sergeant shrugged helplessly as Hofferson and Kristoff took on identical confused looks. Hofferson shrugged it off easily and turned to his troops, intending to order the search for the next house. He didn't get the words out, though; the wind and the rain died suddenly. They were left in a sudden vacuum of silence, interrupted only by the sound of scratching.

Five men disappeared from view, falling to the ground in a jerking motion. Every eye locked on them as they struggled to get up. Before they could, five sets of hands with long nails emerged from beneath the nearby house and wrapped themselves around the men's ankles.

They screamed as they were pulled beneath the houses.

Loud, screeching sounds and howls echoed against the night. The scratching sounds tripled and creatures emerged from the rooftops. The howls grew deep and deadly; three wolves emerged from the village center. They were larger than normal wolves, their fur darker in the night. Overhead, a large figure came into view; it had a long face and ears, black eyes and large wings in place of arms.

"Fire on that fucking thing!!" Hofferson shouted, pointing up at the winged creature.

The crossbows followed his orders, launching bolt after bolt at the creature. It screeched as one bolt landed in its shoulder as it flew around to avoid the rest. Kristoff pulled the axe off his back as everyone else dew their weapons. By then, the scratching sound had grown larger and more monsters emerged from the roofs and beneath the houses.

Hofferson let loose a cry of rage and charged into the fray, sliding his blade through a creature's neck as he did so. His charge prompted the rest to follow him, including Kristoff. Before he got far, he felt a massive pressure on his shoulders. He felt this pressure pull him skyward and suddenly found himself floating away.

"Shit!" Kristoff screamed, flailing around as the creature pulled him just above the houses. He tried to swing at it with his axe but he couldn't get the right angle with it. He twisted the blade towards him and grasped it with both hands, swung it down to get the right arch then swung it as high up as he could. He made a disgusted sound as his face was covered in dust from the wound on its thigh before screaming as it let him go. He fell ten feet before landing hard on the roof.

He felt his lungs explode from the pressure and his vision swam for a long moment before he finally came back to reality. Slowly, he rose to his feet and surveyed the battle.

The winged creature was nowhere in sight, but the other creatures were out in full force. The wolves were both snapping at Hofferson, who was valiantly fighting hem off with his broadsword. He stepped forward, preparing to jump back into the fray when he heard a new sound; one he'd heard a few times before.

He turned and looked up the hill where they'd tied off the horses. A few of those creatures had gone after them, and one was dangerously close to Sven.

Kristoff had never believed he could make a sound like the one he made as he jumped off the roof and sprinted for the horses. He reached them just in time to watch Sven rise to his hind legs and slam his front legs into one of the creatures, throwing it a good ten or fifteen feet away. Kristoff leveled his axe up and slashed across its neck, severing it and causing it to collapse twitching to the ground. Even as he kept running, he couldn't help noticing it was bleeding a black substance that wasn't blood.

He reached the next creature and swung hard at it, but it ducked and swung at his chest. Its claws scraped across his chest plate, shredding shards of ice off it, but the plate reformed itself immediately. Kristoff swung again, aiming at its center mass, but the creature caught the handle and snapped at him. Kristoff threw a hard right at it, laying it out on the ground. He brought his axe up high above his head and drove it deep into its head.

He'd killed things before: animals for food, to defend himself or others. He'd never killed anything that resembled a human before though. He never thought he'd have to.

Something brushed up against his arm and he backed away, raising his axe to defend himself. He saw Sven back away, fear in his eyes, and he felt his heart break. He sighed and let his axe fall in his hand; he raised his left hand and reached out. Sven hesitated for a moment before stepping into his touch, and the two locked eyes for a moment. In that brief moment, Kristoff felt a sense of calm engulf him and he knew everything was ok.

Then the screams in the night came back to him.

Sven nodded once, and Kristoff nodded in return. He untied him from the herd and stepped up into the reins, sliding into place as easily as putting on a glove. He gave his oldest friend a pat on the head and the two charged as one back into harm's way.

XXX

Hiccup's hands were shaking as he lit the match. They hadn't shaken in years, not since that afternoon on the beach. But then he'd never met a draugr before, either. At least, he thought it was a draugr. What else could animate a dead body like this?

Whatever it was, it had put their light out, leaving them literally stumbling around in the dark.

"Where is it?" Anders whispered.

Hiccup lit the candle and sit it on the table. It cast a dim, unsteady light across the room; the firelight barely touched the ceiling. Anders and Hiccup were huddled back-to-back, each straining their eyes and ears for any hint of where their predator might be. Toothless was pressed against the wall opposite the stairs, his nose sniffing hard and often to find their stalker. Scratching sounds echoed along the walls sometimes, reminding Anders of rats crawling against the bulkheads.

"I can't see it." Hiccup whispered back.

Toothless stood up suddenly, his ears perked up. He leapt from his position towards the front door. The two men stared as the dragon started trying to get through the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Hiccup stepped forward; he was about to ask what the large dragon had heard when he felt something softly land behind him. Hiccup reacted on instinct and twisted around, ignoring the pain in his abdomen as he did, and drove the dagger where he believed its neck would be. The creature caught his strike easily and grabbed the Viking at his midsection, using its considerable strength to press him hard to its body.

The creature was about to jump into the darkness with its prize when Anders squeezed the flintlock's trigger, sending a rugged ball of metal sailing through the air. It flew straight and true, landing deep into the creature's knee. It sank to the ground, loosening its hold on Hiccup. He quickly escaped from its hold before bringing his dagger down hard into its chest.

Hiccup was no stranger to death. He'd been witness to it, responsible for leading men into it. He'd even dealt it more times than he'd care to remember. But this time, he was surprised when the dagger sank into its heart. When such a deadly blow came, blood would leak out in pints; when this creature's heart was pierced, only black sand spilled from within.

The creature was smiling, even though it'd been stabbed in the heart. It snarled before lunging at him, but Anders was there once more. He turned his pistol sideways, grasping both the grip and the barrel as he jammed it into the creature's mouth. The doctor used all of his weight and strength to pin its head down to the ground. Hiccup dodged a frantic swipe from the creature's claws when he felt a warm body come up behind him. Toothless grabbed the creature's arms and legs then pinned them to the ground.

"Fucking cut its goddamned head off!" The sailor ordered.

Hiccup nodded and withdrew his blade, eliciting a scraping sound from its chest. He pressed it against the center of its neck then pressed down as hard as he could, so hard he nearly fell on top of it before catching himself. He cut into the sand as hard and fast as he could, ignoring the creature's screams as he did.

After what seemed an eternity, Hiccup finished his work. The head gave one last cry before dissolving into a million grains of black sand.

The two men and the dragon sat back, panting as they struggled to catch their breath. As they sat, a new sound came to their attention. There was shouting outside, panicked shouting coming from what sounded like the guards who lived nearby.

Hiccup shared a look with Toothless, who was too tired to shoot him a 'Told you so' look, so he merely cocked his head towards the door. Hiccup sighed and shakily came to his feet. He'd taken one step toward the door when every voice outside went silent. Anders rose to his feet as well, silently withdrawing another pouch of black powder to reload his pistol. Toothless crouched down on all fours, his fangs presented in a vicious snarl. Hiccup assumed a battle stance, hefting his dagger up as he did, and waited for whatever new horror was coming their way.

All three jumped when a shard of ice pierced the door. The shard melted quickly, but none of it fell to the ground. All of it sank into the wooden door, completely into every pore it could, before freezing again. Then the door flew off the wall in a sharp motion, and allowed the night sky entry to the dark house.

Elsa stepped through the threshold, her eyes narrowed and hands raised, the tips of her fingers already frozen. She paused when she saw the devastation of the building, and the condition of its occupants. All three relaxed when they saw her, and she did as well.

"So...how's your night going?" Hiccup asked with a soft smile.

Elsa couldn't help it; she let out a belt of giggles, though she tried to hide them behind her hand. Hiccup started laughing as well, followed shortly by Anders. Even Toothless let out a series of warbles that sounded very much like laughter.

It made sense to laugh; they were alive, and there was much to celebrate.

XXX

Kristoff laid on his back, watching the early morning sun begin to touch the nearby mountains. It amazed him how he'd ever taken such a thing for granted, how marvelous it was to see the sun once again. Captain Hofferson was nearby, leaning against a destroyed house, smoking a pipe he'd brought with him.

They'd won the night, so now they could enjoy the day. Out of twenty armed and trained soldiers, only five survived the brutal battle. Six, if you included Kristoff. But the village of Tormmound had suffered much more than that. Not a single person had been found during the night. The graves were empty, the houses were empty; it was like they'd simply vanished into thin air.

One soldier had suggested that the devils they'd faced during the night had been the villagers. It was a truly horrifying thought, but one that held sway over all their thoughts. There was no way to be sure: they'd killed all but the winged creature, which no one had seen after Kristoff survived his encounter with it. But when the captain did a rough estimate of how many villains they'd put down, the number came frighteningly close to how many villagers had lived there.

"Ten more minutes, men," Hofferson spoke softly, exhausted from the previous battle, "Our queen will want to hear about this."

The older man rested a hand on Kristoff's shoulder, "And so will others."

Kristoff merely nodded. He'd like to say Anna was the only thing in his mind. The truth, though, was that his mind was empty. He couldn't seem to grasp such a concept as thought at the moment, let alone thought of his love. He sat in a daze until it was time to go, then he mounted Sven and began their long trek through the mountains.

The one thing he thought along the way was how nice it was to feel the sun on his skin once again.

XXX

A/N: Holy crap, guys, this was a long one. Only one real bit of culture to go over, the nesting dolls. They're also known as Russian dolls, stacking dolls or matryoshka dolls. They were first made in 1890, so they're technically anachronistic to this story. But screw it, they were originally in Guardians anyway. They were supposedly based on Japanese Daruma doll, but no one is really sure. This original doll won the bronze at the Exposition Universelle and, subsequently, became one of the most popular toys ever made.

Some Easter eggs in here, too. I'll go over the two obvious ones. DuLoc, as any Shrek fan will tell you, is the kingdom Shrek and his friends call home. This is just an Easter egg, no one from Shrek lore will be making an appearance. I really just wanted someone from Dreamworks mentioned since they own Guardians and HTTYD.

The other obvious one is Clan DunBroch. This, my friends, is the clan which Merida from Brave belongs to. I was hesitant to include her in this, as I have a lot of fires burning at once. But now that Tormmound is officially wrapped and all the characters currently presented are coming together, I feel I've got enough room to include her. It also gives me a chance to include the only Guardian heretofore unrepresented in this fic. Expect a few scenes with her in the coming chapters.

Next chapter will come a little later next week. Probably Thursday night. Thank you all for reading this humble fanfic, and I'd love to hear what you think of it. Please feel free to drop a review and I'll see you all next Thursday.