Hiccup felt his stomach sink as the man's words sank in. They wanted Scout. Hiccup had no idea why. The looters wouldn't want her because she may have been a criminal because they were hardly good themselves. Hiccup was still trying to conceive why they would want her when Alrek spoke again.
"I know she's here, and I want her to come from wherever she's hiding and give me what is mine" he said, walking towards Hiccup. Hiccup and Valka watched him closely, Toothless' growls growing louder the closer he got to them. When Alrek was in close enough, Hiccup could see the scar that ran from his hairline to his lips on his left side, a scar which his hair covered. He had all the makings of someone that meant business, but Hiccup couldn't just hand her over without knowing why.
"If she was here, why would you want her?" he asked, and Alrek frowned.
"I told you, she has something of mine" he said, kicking a log in the fire pit, causing a spark to land on Toothless' wing. In an instant Toothless' back was hunched and a roar was echoing in his throat. Alrek's eyes widened slightly and he stepped back, but Hiccup intercepted.
"Toothless, don't" he said simply, and Toothless' growl quietened and he lowered himself slightly, but he didn't take his large green eyes off Alrek.
Alrek cleared his throat.
"Another Night Fury? I couldn't see him so well" he said, adjusted his arm shield, and Hiccup smiled inside. He's afraid. Hiccup decided to keep Alrek talking while he was distracted to try and get some useful information.
"So why do you want her? And I'm not saying she's here" Hiccup said, and Alrek's eyes flicked from Toothless to Hiccup, and back to Toothless.
"She has something of mine" he replied, and Hiccup sighed.
"Yes you said that already" and Valka stepped in.
"What my son means to say is what is it that she has that you want so badly?" she asked, and Alrek's face twisted into anger.
"That's no concern of yours! What she took and what will happen is none of your business" he snarled, nostrils flaring. Hiccup stood to his feet, Toothless following.
"Given that she is my friend and is a guest of this village it is my business" Hiccup said loudly, and his villagers stood straighter to their chief. Valka raised her head proudly.
Alrek's face calmed down, but the look of anger had not left his eyes.
"You're not my chief" he said, and grabbed a still slowly burning log from the fire pit and threw it onto a newbie hut. A pile of wood outside of the hut caught flame and the villages yelled. Toothless shot a plasma blast onto the bucket set up over the pile, part of the fire prevention, and the flames were put out quickly. Alrek whirled and stopped when he saw Hiccup's face. Something on it must have stopped Alrek because he paused for a moment, but anger quickly returned to his face.
"Give me the girl, or I'll burn your village down. I've done it before and I'll do it again" he said, and Scout's words echoed in Hiccup's head.
They burned everything.
People were screaming, I can still hear them screaming…
I don't know what happened to my parents, but there were bodies…
Rage pumped through Hiccup like a wave, and he pulled his sword from his belt. Alrek did the same with his glaive, and just before the two boys could make a move, a sharp cracking sound came from the woods behind Alrek. Both of them looked up, and underneath the trees, barely in the light from the moon stood Scout. Alrek smirked.
"There you are you little brat" he sneered, and she walked out from the treeline.
As soon as Hiccup saw Scouts face, he froze, and knew whatever happened next wouldn't be good.
Her face was red with anger, her jaws and fists were clenched and her eyes were narrow. She stalked straight at Alrek, who opened his mouth to something, and she punched him. He crumpled to the ground and she stood over him.
"Leave now" she hissed, and Alrek looked up at her, holding his jaw.
"Not until you give me what is mine" he said, and she laughed. Hiccup's blood froze at the sound. It was hollow and sounded cold. She locked her eyes on Alrek's and simply said "No".
That's when everything went crazy.
