hey everyone, another chapter! it has finally gotten to the part where Astrid's usefulness is brought into play. a lot of you were wondering ages ago what purpose she would serve, well, after this chapter, I hope things will become clearer. I really dont have anything else to say in this A/N, so lets get on with the show.
and thankyou again everyone who reviewed! you guys are awesome.
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It was getting late when Fishlegs started to head home. Dragon Training had been going for longer hours ever since Astrid was abducted, since Stoick wanted all the teens to be able to fight off these newly appearing beasts. Being the nerd he was, he was elated to be close to a dragon to study it… he just wasn't overly fond of the idea of being locked in a large cage with an angry one. But anyway, at least he was learning to last longer in the arena.
Ever since that fateful day, Stoick had demanded that training be increased in both time and ferocity. After the events known as 'Hiccup's betrayal', the chief had become enraged, attempting to hunt down the great black beast. Fishlegs was both in awe at this new creature, and absolutely terrified of it. He half hoped that the chief and his warriors would find it, only so he could study it and learn of it, but at the same time, he hoped that they never crossed paths with one and suffered its fury.
Hiccup's betrayal had hit hard. Not only did he effectively denounce his claim on Berk's throne, and run away with a handsome young man, but that young man also happened to be a gargantuan and terrifying black dragon in disguise. Astrid's abduction had been just as bad, if not worse. She had been one of Berk's strongest fighters, on her way to winning Dragon Training, and since Hiccup's departure, a candidate for the Chiefdom of Berk. Now she was gone. It had hit the entire village hard, knowing that they really couldn't stand up against those monsters.
Oh how he hoped they were safe. He knew it was probably a fleeting hope, but Fishlegs truly wished they were alive and well. And if they were dead, he hoped that they had died as painlessly as possible.
And despite the appearance of a new dragon species, one with such incredible untapped power and abilities, he wished that they had never shown up in the first place. Stoick hadn't been the same since Hiccup left, and after Astrid was taken, things had only gotten worse. The village was being divided. Most of the warriors wanted to hunt down the vicious beasts and kill them all – Fishlegs doubted they would succeed though – whereas the other half of the village wanted to find a new place to live to make sure that the black dragons didn't find them and take anyone else. It was such a mess. The village was falling apart, one of the best young warriors had been taken and possibly killed – or worse – and the previous heir had scorned his father and left with the dragons. And to top it all off, the only candidate left for the chiefdom was Snotlout.
As Fishlegs wandered towards the town square, he wondered if things would get any worse.
The roar of the dragons in the distance confirmed that yes, things could get worse…
The village reacted almost instantly, going for weapons and rushing towards the catapults. Screams and shouts echoed throughout the village as Berk worked itself into a battle frenzy. But once the villagers got a good look at their opponents, panic ensued. It was the black beasts again! Not just one like the first time they ever showed up… not two or even three, not even the six that arrived for scarcely a few minutes before leaving… but all seven of them.
And as they flew past the heaving great torches to light the night sky, Fishlegs could see that they were different from before. They were the same dragons alright, but armoured. Battle ready as the villagers panicked below them.
And sitting astride the largest male, was Hiccup. Or who he assumed to be Hiccup. He was clad in thick riding leathers, perched in the saddle like a jockey riding a horse in a race, while his mount flew and dived and roared throughout the village. Fishlegs couldn't see his face, as it was covered in a full face helmet, spiked with six iron horns like that of the dragons.
The rider looked almost as monstrous as the creature that sparked the entire problem. He had the same horns as the winged male that appeared from Stoick's house the night Hiccup had disappeared.
But as the pair dived and pulled up again away from the village, Fishlegs could see another. Another rider, clad in similar garb, but tight against her form. Definitely female, astride one of the larger dragonesses. They both looked ready for a fight.
But despite their fear inducing presence, they had yet to attack. Not one fire blast was loosed on the village, not one swipe of their deadly tail of crunch of their powerful jaws. No, they were… taunting.
When Stoick made his appearance in the town square, armed with his shield and battle axe, the black dragons and their two riders seemed to excite. Finally, the larger drake, with the male looking human rider hovered above the village, just out of reach. Their twin gazes bore down on the chief and his gathering warriors.
"Chief Stoick the Vast! The Seven Black Moon Princes seek an audience with you!" the rider shouted. Stoick brandished his weapon at the rider and his mount.
"You will have no audience with me, demon scum! Either crawl back into whatever pit of hell you came from, or fight us and die!" yelled the chief.
"Ha! Hell itself couldn't contain the Black Moon Hordes! And as for your other option… we have not come to fight, despite being armoured and ready for war. We have just returned from a battle, victorious against our enemy, and thought to inform you of our achievement."
"The only thing this village cares about to do with your kind is your eradication!" Stoick spat at the rider.
The man on the dragons back lifted his hands to the helmet and undid the clasp, pulling it off his head and revealing his identity. It was Hiccup. Perfectly human and unaltered, very much unlike what the village had witnessed the day he left on the back of the great black beast.
"The Black Moon high counsel have plans for peace and prosperity between our clans. If you were smart Stoick, you would hear us out!"
The entire village seemed to freeze as they watched the exchange, frozen completely as Stoick looked up at his former son. He looked furious, but also curious at what was being said.
"Proceed then." He bellowed.
Without a word of warning, Hiccup's mount landed heavily in the centre of the town square, their escort landing close by on the tops of buildings. The other mounted rider and her dragon landed close by to the lead male. Never breaking eye contact, Hiccup dismounted from the saddle and took a few steps away from the dragon and towards his father.
"We bring news from the dragon nest at Helheim's gate. The tyrannical ruler of the mountain, the Red Death, who commanded her subjects to raid your village, is dead. Slain I combat by the Seven Princes. The dragons under her command have either fled, or sworn allegiance to us. They will no longer raid Berk for food."
Murmurs of disbelief ran through the crowd. The queen was dead. There would be no more raids. The dragons were gone.
"The Queen's territory has been merged with our own. The princes have claimed it as part of their hunting grounds. Not yet including the lands and waters surrounding Berk. This is why we come to you Stoick. To merge and overlap our territory with yours."
The murmurs got louder and louder. The villagers became restless, wondering what was to happen. Now, Hiccup turned back to the massive dragon, and pulled something out of the saddlebag.
"We wish to give you three things. A gift. A letter… And an ultimatum." Said Hiccup calmly. The drake then turned to the larger dragoness – the one with the rider – and jerked his head towards Stoick. The dragoness prowled down from her seat on top of someone's house, and stood right next to the drake. The rider dismounted and removed the helmet. It was Astrid. Somewhere in the crowd, the Hofferson's wailed with elation at the sight of their daughter alive and well.
Hiccup strode up to Astrid and handed her a sealed envelope, before turning back to Stoick. "A gift, to show that we are not merciless killers, and take care of those under our wing." He gave Astrid a slight nudge against her back and urged her to go to Stoick. She looked almost sad to leave the dragon's side. As she walked through the town square to the chief, Hiccup spoke again.
"A letter, outlining plans for a treaty. And information regarding our plans to grow our kingdom."
Astrid stood before the chief, and handed him the letter, before walking off to the side where her parents were.
Now, Hiccup's eyes turned cold, and started to glow with a silver light. In his hands was the ultimatum, wrapped up in a large piece of fabric. He unwrapped it. It was a scale. An enormous scale. Slightly burnt and bloody, but tinged with a natural greenish-blue colour. It had to be about the size of a dinner plate, or larger.
"And finally, the ultimatum. A crown scale from the head of our enemy, taken as a trophy to show our strength." The dragon must have been the size of a mountain for its scales to be that size! Could such a dragon even exist? And did they truly kill it?
Hiccup bared his claws, and slashed them through the scale, gorging four deep lines through it, with the strength of an axe blade. He then tossed it carelessly at the feet of Stoick the vast. "An ultimatum, so that you understand the sheer power we have, and what we can accomplish with that power. Let that help you decide where you stand with us. We do not wish to forcibly take over your territory, but we will if necessary."
He then turned his back on Berk's chief and slid his foot into the stirrup of the saddle, lifting himself up onto the dragons back. But he didn't leave just yet. "Astrid has been instructed to tell you everything that happened while she was with us at Dead Mountain. She will hide no secrets from you, and answer every question you ask… And when you've decided whether or not you stand with us, let her know. She knows how to contact us. Astrid will always be welcome at Dead Mountain as our guest. Until then, sky guard you."
And with that, he slapped the reins against the dragons neck, and the beast launched itself into the air, with the other six following it. They circled around the village once, before heading north and not looking back. Astrid watched them leave, sorrow and longing in her eyes.
Stoick looked to the darkening sky where the dragons had all but disappeared, then at the letter in his hand, Astrid standing off to the side, and the scale at his feet. He then turned around and stormed towards the great hall, calling an emergency meeting. Astrid reluctantly followed, but Fishlegs stayed behind.
He walked over to the scale, the ultimatum, and picked it up out of the dirt. It was enormous! The dragon it came from had to be at least the size of a small mountain. And there could be no doubt, that if Berk's warriors had come across it on one of their voyages, they would not have survived. But those dragons did. They must surely be powerful.
And what of Hiccup? He had used his own nails, his own claws, to scratch his mark into that scale. Nothing short of a sword would mark that scale, but Hiccup had marked it like it was a piece of bark.
The game had just changed...
