A/N*

Glad so many of you are ready for this chapter! Every review influences this story in some way. Specially since chapters are written after I see reviews from previous chapters. I'm not used to people seeing my work and I'm constantly changing and expanding my writing style.

T-Biggz: I agree Hiccup needs to stand up for himself. But I think Merida simply has that affect on people. She's not really a person you could say no to right? And I try to do at least some research when writing this. Just discovered the other day a map of the Barbarian archipelago of the HTTYD world. Awesome right? And the dragon is influenced from other dragons in the world and some simple "i wonder if it had..." ideas.

shimmer-snowflake: Thanks for all the love! I'm glad your really enjoying the story so far. I hope latter chapters will be able to have the same effect.

I'mafruitlooptoo: Hope you'll be ready for the next one too!

Comet Moon: Glad to be posting. Itching to get more chapters out faster, but simply don't have the time at the moment.

FalconFate: Love your view on the Romans. Lets see if we can keep an eye on them shall we? -insert foreshadow here-

Whelp! R&R!

Chapter 10

Raid

Merida prayed quietly as Toothless ran out into the castle's courtyard. Explosions rattled the castle walls and bowmen attempted to get to their posts. "Light the signals! Get the lights up in the air!" Fergus boomed, having been running right behind the pair. A few soldiers took the torches they were holding and through them into giant bowls of firewood. Igniting, the bowls lifted up into the air and illuminated the night sky. Hiccup cursed silently as he saw at least a dozen dragons circling the castle, occasionally dive bombing down for an attack or to snatch a helpless sheep or cow.

The good news was that he recognized all these dragons. A few Deadly Nadders, a Nightmare, three Gronckles, and a zippleback. "Wow….I've never seen so many dragons..." Merida whispered. Hiccup paid little attention as he scanned the skies. It was all wrong. Dragons were never this organized during a raid. Usually they were fighting and bickering with each other, while clumsily trying to get food. They never timed their attacks from each other, ensuring that the defenders were never where they attacked. The only time he's seen a synchronized raid at this scale had to be five years ago, give or take, just before the battle with...with the red death… Hiccup pushed aside the rising bile in his stomach. Jumping to conclusions would get him, and more importantly Merida, killed. Bonnlose chirped beside him as the small dragon stared up at the skies.

Hiccup swallowed a lump in his throat and pulled a letter out of his satchel before tying the letter to the Terrible Terror as quickly as he could. "Bonnlose. If anything happens to me take this letter back to Berk. Understood?" The Terrible Terror nodded his head in acknowledgement. Smart dragon. "Keep an eye on the Queen alright." Again, the small dragon nodded. Without any further orders, the small dragon flew off back towards the safety of the hall.

"What was that?" Merida asked glancing between the fight and the entrance to the hall.

"Insurance policy. It'll inform Berk of the situation here. Incase I can't." Merida slowly nodded her head. A tight knot forming in her stomach.

"Lets hope that letter never needs to get sent."

"Agreed."

"First things first, we're going to herd them away from the castle. Don't shoot at them. You're arrows can and will kill them. Me and Toothless can easily handle this." Hiccup looked up to the sky again, carefully scanning the dark edges of the sky. Still no sign. "I need you to keep an eye for that new...well...newer dragon. If it shows up I need to know right away."

Merida nodded her head in understanding and gripped tighter onto Hiccups leather belt as Toothless zoomed up into the sky. The ground swiftly dissipated beneath them. The warm glow of the signal torches dissipating as the icy grip of darkness consumed them. Hiccup leaned in as Toothless spun swiftly around, using his forward momentum to shift him into a dive. Merida felt her stomach lurch into her mouth and fought tooth and nail to push her recent dinner back into the abdomen.

A low whining noise drew her attention and she glanced around to locate the source of the noise. "Head down!" Hiccup hollered, leaning down to the point he was practically hugging Toothless's head. It was then that Merida realized that the soft screaming was actually emanating from Toothless. Merida buried her head into Hiccups back as the darkness light up in a purple flash. A loud scream of pain erupted from one of the Nadders that was in the middle of attacking a trio of guards. Toothless spun and circled back in less than ten seconds flat and released another plasma bolt. The Nadder withdrew and flew up and away from the battle. "Great job bud! Alright, lets get some altitude and reexamine the fight." A loud roar vibrated the air molecules around them and froze everything in its path.

"Hiccup! I see it! Down there in the tree line!" Merida shouted, pointing her finger at the edge of the fair grounds. Hiccup glanced downward and saw nothing. Glancing backward he saw Meridas face change to one of shock.

"It was right there Hiccup! I saw it!" Hiccup glanced at Toothless who was staring intently into the forest. By the expression on his face, the Night Fury hadn't seen anything either.

"Let's take a closer look bud." Hiccup said patting Toothless's head. Toothless grumbled in agreement and dived down towards the fair grounds.

Landing, Merida hopped off and arched an arrow in her bow. "Merida. Get back here!" Hiccup hissed, his voice low to conceal their position. Merida waved him off and examined the trees closely. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, though years of night hunting would allow her to easily pick up any disturbances in the tree line.

"Merida. Please, get back here." Hiccup pleaded, examining the tree line with hawk-like precision. Goosebumps riddled his arms and he could feel the hairs on his neck stand on edge. Toothless body tensed up as the Night Fury growled angrily. A rustle of the bush to their left caught their attention and Merida reflexively shot an arrow in the general direction. A medium sized doe sprang from the bush and ran away from them to the opposite side of the fair ground. Hiccup released a breath he didn't notice he was holding.

"See? Just a deer. Come on. Lets go."

"I didn't see a deer Hiccup! I saw a dragon!" Merida snapped, refusing to take her eyes off the tree line.

"Lets go Merida. The Castle is still under attack. We're wasting time here." Merida sighed in defeat. He was right, which she was coming to realize was surprisingly a lot. She turned around, her bow at her side and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her gaze remained at her feet as she slowly made her way back towards Hiccup. A snap of a branch brought her gaze upwards. Meridas scream pierced the night as her eyes widened in horror.

Hiccup didn't have enough time to react as him and Toothless were violently whipped to their left. A loud crunch ringed in Hiccups ears as the pair slammed through trees before slamming into the ground. Hiccups eyes slowly opened and he closed them again, hoping that the world would stop spinning in circles. He motioned to get up and cried out. He touched his ribs and grimaced. Definitely bruised, maybe broken. Greeeat. He opened his eyes again and was greeted by a very, very, very angry dragon charging at him.

Hiccup rolled as a large mace slammed down on the ground. The soft grass vibrating violently at the shock wave. Hiccup saw his shield and immediately grabbed it. He held it outwards as the enraged dragon pushed the offensive. A large claw scratched his shield, sparks flew into the air as the dragon swung its mace-like tail once again. Hiccup had managed to stand up before the tip of the tail slammed into his shield. The Gronckle-Iron shield absorbed most of the blow, but the shear force sent Hiccup skidding across the ground. Again, Hiccup cried out in pain as his ribs slammed into a nearby tree. Hiccup rolled as fire spewed out towards him.

Merida pulled out her bow as quickly as she could. She notched an arrow and released. The arrow hit and stuck, but seemed to only irritate the dragon as it barreled down on Hiccup. Another arrow struck the dragons tail, throwing the large beast off on it's next strike. If she had been a fraction of a second slower the giant tail-hammer would have sliced the young viking in half. She didn't celebrate that small victory though as Hiccup slammed into a tree, crying out in pain. Merida released another arrow and it struck the dragon in its back. Fire bellowed from its mouth and consumed Hiccup from her view. Her stomach dropped to her feet as horrific belief hit her. Hiccup was dead. The scrawny viking who had volunteered to help the highlands, Viking kinds sworn enemy, in their hour of need. Dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. She had only just begun to know the young man and already she knew life would never be the same.

Another arrow slammed into the dragon's neck and it roared in rage. Whilst Meridas mind had wandered, her body remained at the task at hand. The dragon turned swiftly and charged at Merida. Her blood ran cold as the dragon spewed a bluish fire towards her. The flames rolled towards her like a tidal wave. If her life wasn't endanger she could really enjoy the sight. How the flames seemed to roll over another as they pushed forward reminded her of the waves crashing against the shore of the lock. There really was no point in running. The open field provided no sanctuary from the flames. Merida wasn't one to run from a fight. She wouldn't be known for running from one now. She stared at the flames. At least she'll see something pretty before she dies.

Everything went black and warm just before the flames hit her. She thought death would be cold and unwelcoming. This was actually pretty comfortable. She felt somewhat constricted and was more then sure she should be in extreme pain at this moment. Abruptly the darkness lifted and she was meet by the piercing green eyes of a Night Fury.

"Toothless!" Merida cried and quickly grabbed onto the Night Furies head. Toothless purred softly and fully removed his wings from around her. His attention averting to the infuriated dragon. She glanced towards his saddle, expecting it to be empty. Instead she was greeted by the sight of a very familiar black-armoured viking.

Hiccup sat up from his hunched down position on Toothless' back. His black armor emitted smoke from being superheated. The cold scottish night did little to hinder the white steam as Hiccup glanced down at Merida. His helmet covered his face and steam bellowed from it. The life-saving shield glowed a molten red from taking the brunt of the flames.

Merida memorized every detail of the sight before her. It truly was a sight that songs were written about. Legends would be told of this man, if they already hadn't. Black-smith be damned. This man in front of her was a warrior. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Hiccup returned his gaze back towards the dragon as it slowly approached them. He leaned in towards Toothless and spoke softly, "Alright bud. Seems like this dragon doesn't like to fight in the air. Lets use that to our advantage." He looked once again to Merida. "Stay in the cover of the woods." Merida glared up and pointed her chin upwards.

"I will not hide!" Hiccup glared down at her. She wouldn't admit that she thought the sight was imposing...ok maybe a little.

"You'll do as I say or we'll both get killed." There was no hint of skepticism in his voice and she knew what he said to be true.

They had plenty of time to fight some other time. He'll pay for his small victory, not now though. She nodded her head in reluctant acceptance and retreated to the cover of the woods. Her bow remained at the ready and awaiting Hiccups signal.

The dragon charged towards them; a feral roar booming from its serrated jaw. Toothless lept into the air as the tail-hammer swept horizontally at them. A few trees exploded into splinters as the tail obliterated anything it touched. Toothless swiftly rolled and shot a plasma bolt into the dragons side, knocking the behemoth to its side. It didn't stay down long, and was on its feet and retreating towards the forest line.

"We can't let it reach the trees Toothless!" Hiccup hollered above the roar of winds. Toothless shot once again, this time the plasma bolt struck the side of the dragons head. The monstrous scottish dragon swung its head towards them and emitted a low, demonic growl. If they wanted a real fight, it'll give it to them. Wings as dark as an abyss spread forth as the dragon stood upon its hind legs. With a massive gust of wind, the dragon was airborne. "Aw Hel'," Hiccup groaned. The dragon plowing towards them was faster than a freight train.

"So! Remind me to keep this dragon on the ground!" Hiccup cried out, the dragon speeding towards them as the pair took evasive action. Keeping up with a Night Fury was a laborious work for any dragon and the closest that came were Nadders. Yet here he was, just barely staying out of biting range. Hiccup glanced back and was horrified to realize that the artificial tail was practicly tickling the demonic dragons mouth. "Toothless! We got to pick up the speed!" Toothless pumped his wings extra hard, yet what normally gained them tens of feet with other dragons only gave them mere inches.

An arrow of fire shot from the dragons mouth and slammed into Hiccups shoulder. Thank Odin his armor was built for this punishment. Though he wondered how compromised his armor had become now. He glanced down for a quick assessment. Good news seemed to have missed the memo of the battle today. The straps on his chest were charred and a few were now flapping in the wind. He could feel his chest plate shift unrestrained against his chest as another strap loosened. Loki must be playing some trick on him. No ones luck was this bad in battle.

Hiccups shoulder guard ripped off with a violent crack as another fire bolt slammed into it. The fabric beneath it immediately ignited and Hiccup did his best to pat down the flames. If he took another shot like that he'd lose his whole arm.

Hiccup looked back, hoping to have enough time to formulate some sort of plan. Hiccup's breath caught as he realized the dragon was gone. Vanished into thin air. "Toothless!" Hearing his rider's distressed call, Toothless glanced back and was also surprised by the sudden disappearance.

"Where'd it go?" Hiccup glanced around in frightened panic. Nothing was worse than losing the dragon you were currently fighting with. Hiccup glanced towards the fair grounds and could just spot out a tiny red flame. Hiccup realized, with growing horror, that it was not a small fire. It just so happened to be the uncontrollable hair of the Highland princess.

Hiccup swore fervently. Praying to every god he could think of in hopes that the dragon had decided it had had enough and not decided to pick an easier target.

So? How was it? Is the dragon after Merida or has it really decided to cut its loses and fly off? All I got to say is that the next chapter adds more questions to the pile.