A/N: Aloha! I iz back! I'm so glad to hear you guys liked the last chapter, it was definitely my favorite to write. Anyways, thanks to all of my reviewers! It is so appreciated. Ok, I'm gonna quit talking now. . .
Disclaimer: I don't have anything funny or snappy to say. I've run out.
Chapter 9
A Treacherous
I woke up with a jolt. I had fallen asleep, without realizing it. I groaned, slowly sitting up. I was still on the ship. It was still gloomy outside, and I couldn't see the sun to tell what time it was. I looked at my surroundings. Toothless lay dozing about a foot away, everyone just bustled around us as if it were normal to have a Night Fury and his rider sleeping on the ground.
"Morning," someone called, sweetly.
I looked behind me to see Astrid smirking. I chuckled nervously. "Sorry, how long was I out?"
"About an hour is all. Still a while's away from Berk." She sat down beside me. I heaved a sigh, scolding myself for falling asleep. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and decided to stand up. I wobbled, remembering I only had one arm and leg at the moment. Astrid helped me, after seeing I was still a bit shaky.
"Hiccup! Good to see you're up, son!" My Father strode over, clapping a hand on my back.
"Sorry I fell asleep," I mumbled.
"Perfectly fine, I know you didn't get any sleep last-night in the first place. I heard you shuffling back and forth. I bet that nap did you some good," he said, smiling. I smiled back, of course. "Well, I'll leave ye' be. Crew's expecting a victory speech. I'll see you later, son." With that, he walked off.
I simply waved bye, flinching a bit at the sting in my right arm. I heard an inhuman yawn behind me; I turned to see Toothless staring around sleepily. Fully awake finally, he chirped to me an Astrid. I chuckled, and walked over to him. I started scratching the top of his head.
"Feeling better, buddy? How's the leg?" I asked, glancing at his back leg. It was wrapped in cloth; the cloth stiff with dried blood. I grimaced. Toothless kicked it back and forth a little, and gave me a gummy smile. I forced a smile, murmuring a 'good'. He shifted, and continued to stand up. I was afraid his leg would give out, but he stood and walked just fine. He gave me a confused look at why I was so concerned.
"He's fine, Hiccup. Dragons heal fast, remember? That was like a paper cut to him," Astrid said, trying to calm me. We stood together, shoulder to shoulder. She softly smiled, blinking her aqua colored eyes, waiting for me to respond somehow.
I sighed. "You're right. He looks perfectly fine," I said. "It would be nice to know if he felt fine, though," I muttered darkly. Astrid raised her eyebrows in concern.
She put her arm on my shoulder. "Look, if it felt bad I think Toothless would be smart enough to stop walking and give it a chance to heal. But he looks ready to run a mile!" She said, laughing. I laughed, too. She was right. Toothless sat there, squirming back and forth, tongue hanging from his mouth. He looked like he did when I had woken up from the battle with the Green-Death.
Toothless walked over and nudged my leg. I petted the top of his head, holding back a chuckle. "You're right. As always," I said, turning to Astrid. She smiled broadly and pecked my cheek. She took her arm off my shoulders, and walked off to tend to her Nadder. I slowly let myself fall to the ground, only having one hand to support myself and one real leg. Toothless walked behind me, and as usual let me lay my back against his scaly-hide.
I continued scratching his head, and he began to purr. I sighed in contentment, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. They flashed open when a husky voice called over the crowd. Of course it was my Father, giving the speech he promised.
"Fellow Hooligans! I would like to congratulate everyone on a great success!" The crowd erupted into a wave of cheers. My Father laughed heartily, and held up a hand to silence the crowd. "Another congratulations to Snotlout and his Nightmare, for finding the treasure!" The crowd clapped with agreement, and my Father continued his speech. "It was rough. We all barely made it in the end. All I have to say is we should thank the Gods we didn't lose anyone. Not only that, but we even made it out with the prize!" My Father smiled ear to ear, gesturing at the treasure feet away. I scowled. That stupid treasure, a pile of metal for Odin's sake, made me almost lose my Father. I vote we throw it into the sea. I stood up now, followed by Toothless, not letting my glare falter in the slightest bit. "A special thanks to Alvin, for not for him, we wouldn't even have this victory!" The crowd erupted. I scoffed. Yeah, and we all wouldn't of almost died, I would still have my arm, and Toothless's leg would be fine. Yup. Thanks Alvin. I know who you are and the coward you are.
Toothless nudged my hand, seeing my discomfort. I sighed, and petted the top of his head. "Well, Hooligans, I leave you with-," he was cut off. I saw a metal blade glisten as it was held to his throat.
Toothless roared in fear and rage. I spun around. A net had been casted over Toothless.
"Toothless!" I shouted, full of fear and panic. It had all happen so fast, I can barely recall it. I reached for him, but was pulled back with a muscular arm. A blade was pressed against my throat, hard enough to crush my wind pipe. I clawed at the arm holding me back, trying to breathe. That emitted a roar from Toothless. I glanced around me. Another Viking tribe had slipped on board. How, I don't know. I'm guessing they did it when all was cheering, and they blended in. I looked at the side of the boats to see ropes dangling on the side. Everyone had a knife to their throat, all with scared eyes. All but one.
Alvin stood in the middle of the chaos. He smiled. He slowly began to clap his hands, walking to my Father with a prideful face.
"Well, Stoick, dear fellow," he laughed maliciously, "I thought it'd be fun to end our little venture with a surprise. HOOLIGANS!" he shouted, turning to the rest of the tribe. "Meet the OUTCASTS!" Everyone's mouth gaped in surprise. I clenched my teeth, glaring daggers into Alvin. "Oh, and their leader," he now pointed to himself, "I. Alvin the Treacherous." My Father's eyes flickered to me. I met his gaze, his eyes full of apology. All I could do was sorrowful-ly stare at him back. I tried to speak, call out to anyone, but the blade was forced against my throat. I choked in pain, and I heard Toothless whine and growl at his captors. "Sorry to deceive you like this, but I made a promise to, uhh, a friend. And frankly you're not going to like it."
"I bet you're all wondering what happens now," Alvin continued, pacing back and forth, "Well. You see, one of my friends here has a barrel of wine. Oh, but not just any wine. Black wine." I felt my own eyes widen in shock. Black wine was a rare, expensive wine. And highly flammable. "Now, you see. My friend here is going to light it. Oh, but you who have to endure the flames shall ever be so lucky. I have something special for my dear friend Stoick." He stopped in front of my Father, eyeing him suspiciously. "You will be our dinner." The words struck me, I was entirely taken off guard. Cannibalism? They were actually going to eat. . .
"But that cannibalism! You would actually eat another human!" My father bellowed, choking when the blade was pushed farther into his neck.
Alvin chuckled. "We're Outcasts. We are true Vikings! The rest of you have gone soft, so we're going to show you how it's done. But first," He said, now peering over the crowd, "I know about the conflict of this, but who would be the true heir to Stoick the Vast?" I froze. I know what he meant by conflict. This was a test.
Determined, I shoved the blade just centimeters from my throat. Just long enough so I could call out, "I am the heir to Stoick the Vast!" The crowd turned to me, my Father's eyes full of pride. I smiled at him.
The man who was holding me gripped my good arm, swinging me in front of him. "You are the heir to Stoick the Vast!" He burst into laughter. "But-but your so!" He said, pointing to me.
I started to protest, "But-but you just! You know what, I'm not even gonna say it."
The man now glowered at me, and another came up and they both grabbed my arms. I struggled against their tight grasp, the one holding my dislocated arm jerked it up. I cried out in pain, and immediately quit my struggle. They lifted me off the ground, my legs flailing. They set me down harshly in front of Alvin, never letting go of their death grip on my arms.
He towered over me. His eyes were full of sick pleasure. I stared him down, not daring to show him I was weak. We glowered at each other. He full-on reminded me of the Skullion. Playing with his prey before he brought a harsh death.
"You know, Hiccup," I scowled when he said my name, "I wasn't lying when I said I saw potential. Definitely not in your sword-fighting, but just in you. You can be a leader. It'd be a waste to have to kill you. . ." I eyed him suspiciously, yet horrified at the same time. He smiled slyly, showing his yellow-rotting teeth. "I'll make you a deal. Come back with us," he gestured to the Outcasts, "And be our heir." People gasped. I saw my Father's eyes glaze over. My breathing got ragged, and I desperately looked at my Father, searching for guidance. He nodded his head. He wanted me to say yes, to spare my life. Tears welled up in my eyes. "You got brains, Hiccup," Alvin stated as a matter-of-factly, "That's what we need more of. Brains instead of brawn. I don't have any children Hiccup, I need an heir for my tribe. What do you say?" He leaned closer to me, barley a centimeter from my face. His eyes glistened. It was disgusting. "Come now, son," he whispered, so only I could hear, "Leave these people. They don't think you right to be heir, but I do. We need you Hiccup," he said. My breath caught as he gently grabbed my jaw. "I already think of you as a son. Please do it Hiccup," he coaxed. My eyes narrowed.
I spit on him.
"You've got a sick mind, Alvin! If you ever think I would be the heir to a tribe of Outcasts you're dead wrong!"
Alvin wiped my spit off his face, eyes as sharp as knives glaring at me. "WHY YOU LITTLE!" He lurched forward and grabbed my throat with his hook. I stumbled back, the Outcasts holding my arms let go. Alvin drove me back, slamming me against the mast. I scratched and tore at his wrist with my good hand, but he drove the point of the hook into my neck. I couldn't breathe. I panicked. He slowly eased off my neck, but still held it hard enough that if was difficult to breathe. I gasped for sweet air, digging my fingernails into Alvin's wrist. "You're a stubborn boy, you know that! And a stupid one!" he snarled, spit flying into my face. Toothless was roaring, I heard his claws screeching against the deck. Outcasts held him down as he whimpered and growled. I tried to glance at him, show him it would be ok. But Alvin now grasped my chin with his hand, forcing me to look at him. I glared in disgust and hatred.
"And you are a sick, disgusting, evil, OUTCAST!" I yelled outraged.
He clapped his hand on my mouth. At first his face was full of fury at my outburst. But then it softened, earning a bewildered look from me.
"I like you Hiccup. I really do. You're loyal, smart, and you're the Dragon Tamer! You can tame anything you want!" He was smiling. He was having fun. My stomach was lurching, my heart beating a thousand times a minute. I was absolutely terrified. I fought back, but the tears came to my eyes anyway. I didn't dare let them fall. He laughed.
And laughed. It was an evil cackle. He had gone mad, crazy. He finally halted his enjoyment, and his eyes slowly turned back to slits, I could almost see the malevolent look seep back into them. He took his hand off my mouth; I greedily sucked in the air that followed. He reached down into his pocket, smirking. Declaring he had won. Toothless all of the sudden began to panic, my Father had tears in his eyes begging to fall out. I spotted Astrid. She was crying. They saw something I couldn't.
Ever so slowly, Alvin pulled a blade from his pocket.
My eyes broadened. It was as sharp as the Skullion's talon. I started breathing hoarsely, struggling against his grasp. He only pressed against my neck harder, gaining a bit of a whimper from me. I felt pathetic when I let such a whine out, but I couldn't help it. I bit my lip, not even thinking of letting out another wail, or even a word for that matter. I stared him down hard. He rose the knife to my cheek, Toothless let out another roar of fear and fury. He slightly, almost gently pressed it down on my skin. I felt warm liquid run down my face like a tear, but I wasn't crying. It was blood, and I knew it. But I wasn't going to admit it. I closed my eyes hard, turning my head to the side.
Alvin guffawed again. I lifted my head. If I couldn't do anything else, I was going to stare him down. He smiled as if this were a game. A child's game of tag, and he finally got me. He raised the blade. I turned my head, but my gaze never left his. I was ready for the blow.
"Too bad I have to kill you."
And then it happened. It was so fast, so quick. All I heard was a familiar screech, my eyes widened, and just like that the ship was in flames. Toothless had lit the barrel of black wine on fire. Upon hearing the screech, Alvin's grip on my neck lightened, and he dropped the blade to his side.
I quickly took the opportunity to look at Toothless. Right as I did that, Toothless pulled the net with his shoulder, making the men on his left side lose their balance and tumble. He did the same with the other side, only this time more violently. Instead of knocking the men over, Toothless's leg gave out and he rolled over. And over. And over, encasing himself in the net. He was rolling across the deck, knocking Outcast after Outcast over. The Hooligans took this opportunity to take a hold of their captors, and in just the matter of seconds a war had exploded on deck.
Knowing the time was right, I kicked Alvin off of me with my metal foot. He crashed to the ground, surprised I had been able to over-take him. I quickly ran to him, slamming my prosthetic down on his wrist. He yelled in pain, but I ignored it. His hand dropped the blade, and I quickly grabbed for it. He saw what I was doing, hooking his hook around my ankle. I fell to the ground. He crawled to the knife, but I practically jumped up and ran to it first. His hand was just an inch away. I kicked it out of his reach, hastily bending down and grabbing it.
Not looking back, I searched the deck for my dragon who was still caught in the net. Desperately, my eyes darted back and forth, my head turning in circles but not locating the dragon.
"Toothless!" I called. The flames were getting higher. I heard the wood screeching and screaming in pain. I heard a roar, but couldn't tell where it was from. I was frantic now. "TOOTHLESS!"
"Hiccup!" A familiar husk voice called.
I whipped around. Tears of relief collected in my eyes. "DAD!" I screamed, running toward him. I once found myself in a rare hug with him again, for the second time that day. I let some of the tears fall as my Father hugged tighter. I pulled from him, wiping my eyes.
"Dad, I can't find Toothless! He's trapped in the net still, and, and-,"
"Hiccup," he interrupted. I looked up at him full of hope. He smiled down at me gently, and pointed to the corner to the ship. I quickly looked that way, to see Toothless struggling in the net. I smiled crooked-ly, turning around to give my Dad another quick hug.
"Thanks, Dad," I said, and with that I ran off.
Toothless spotted me, and cooed. My knees slammed onto the deck, and I frantically began pulling the net off of his legs. I sawed at the ropes with the blade, but it was taking too much time.
"Hiccup!"
I twisted around to see Astrid running toward me. She was automatically at my side, hugging me. I hugged back, and pecked her forehead. I pulled her off of me, still desperate to get Toothless out of the net. She started to help, undoing as many knots as possible.
"Hiccup, we have to get off the ship! It's sinking, we only have so much time!" Astrid beseeched. "Everyone else is gone, Hiccup!"
I turned to see the deck nearly empty. Everyone had left on a dragon, or was being tugged away in a life-boat. I looked back at Toothless, and narrowed my eyes in determination. "I'm not leaving him here."
Astrid nodded, understanding. She ran to the other side of him, trying to find a way to untangle him. She glanced up at me, smiling. I smiled back. She lowered her head to look at her job, but it automatically shot back up.
"Hiccup!" She screeched. She was staring at something behind me. Toothless looked up and roared in fury.
I whipped around. Alvin was charging at me with his sword held high, screaming a war call. I narrowed my eyes again, this time in hatred. I sprinted to meet him in the middle of the deck, slamming into his stomach to force him to fall over. We both landed on the deck hard, me with a death grip on the blade I still held in my hand.
He cursed darkly at my name. He swung the butt of his sword up and hit me in the head. I clutched at my head, begging the head-ache to subdue. I growled at him, and hit the side of his face with the butt of the knife I held.
"You cursed little-!" he mumbled furiously. He hit my head again, but this time I fell to the side. Less than a second he was on top of me, pinning my arms down with his knees. The sword was at my throat, but I didn't show any sign of fear.
"And now," he breathed heavily, trying to gain his breath back "to finish where I started!" he declared. I felt the sword push down heavily on my throat, but not enough to cut it. I felt Alvin tense, ready to glide the sword across my neck. But instead he froze.
A horrendous creaking sound erupted, the final cries of the ship being burned to pieces. My eyes widened as my gaze drifted upward. The mast was falling, but it felt as if it were falling in slow motion. Instead of falling forward, like I would expect, it fell to the side.
The boat flipped over. And we were trapped under it.
A/N: OH MY GOSH IT'S A CLIFFIE! Haha, I'm so mean to you guys. I apologize for leaving the story like this, but I thought it was a good place to stop. I actually had a really hard time starting this chapter, but I read it and it turned out better than I thought it would. I don't know, you guys are the judge! Tell me what you like and don't like in a review!
God Bless!