THIS CHAPTER'S OVER 2,000 WORDS! WHOOOOOO! :D Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, and to thank you all personally, I have done SHOUT-OUTS! :D Here are the shout-outs for chapter 9:
DragonGirl135: Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you like it so far! :D
LunarCatNinja: Fight, fight, fight! I just thought of that scene from Aladidn where the Genie is cheering Aladdin on, and then he says, "Jafar, Jafar, he's our man, if he can't do it GREAT!" And I just got this image of someone saying, "Dagur, Dagur, he's our man, and if he can't do it GREAT!" XD
MJ: I know, seriously, Dagur! Leave Hiccup and Heather alone! I'm pretty sure I'm going to call the story you requested "Waves of Gold". I like picking the names for requested stories prior to writing them. :)
One-Crazed-Up-Dragon: What a coincidence! I can't wait to WRITE more! :D
WhiteWinterStar: I have a dramatic flare. Bwahahahahaha. XD I'm glad you like the story! :D
Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Thank you SO MUCH! :D YOU are brilliant! :D
Dria Haddock II: Yeah! Go Heather! She's amazing...:D
LiviLovesDragons: We will have to see whether or not I kill Heather!
Hiccupandtoothless294: That is for me to know and for you to find out. He he he...
Toothless801: Thanks SO MUCH! I always love seeing your reviews come in. ANY reviews, really. I'm glad you loved the countdown scene. That was fun to write. :) I love writing about Heather. This is the first story I've actually included her in, from what I can remember...yeah, I think this is the first one. It's good to know that you think doing a good job. :D
pens-are-mighiter-than-sords: Thanks! I know, I wanted Heather and Hiccup to be brother and sister, too! Well, I guess that kinda goes without saying...haha. :D
thearizona: Vikings are VEEEERRRRY heavy sleepers. *nods very, very slowly* Haha, sorry, I'm weird. :P I'm glad you like my stories so much! :D
LissanFuryEye: Ooooooh, Dagur's gonna PAY, alright. Even if I have to do it myself! I will enroll angry fangirls from all over this site and we will go to TOWN on that deranged maniac! *grabs axe* AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Heather charged, and soon after, Dagur did the same. They ran at each other, Dagur raising his axe over his head.
Heather studied him closely. Use the element of surprise, she told herself. Do something he won't expect. Use a feint on him. As she ran, she raised one of her knives, making it look as though she were going to throw it into Dagur's other shoulder. Instantly, Dagur raised his axe to defend that area, and Heather ducked beneath his axe and slashed at his arm.
Dagur yowled, and Heather had a few extra moments to recollect her wits and plot her next move. He would now expect another feint attack from her, which meant that now, she had to take a direct approach. A direct approach, maybe pretend to feint, and then strike.
Dagur ran at her again, and she decided to put her plan into action. She went for his legs, and just like she thought, he raised his axe to protect his chest. She slid between his legs, sliced both of his calves with her daggers, and jumped to her feet as Dagur screeched again.
They were right back where they started, with Heather between Dagur and Hiccup. She stole a glance over her shoulder at her brother, just to realize he was unconscious. The splotch of blood on his shirt seemed bigger…
She didn't have time to think about it, because the next thing she knew, she was parrying with Dagur again, holding her knives in an X and pressing them against Dagur's blade. Even with his wounded shoulder, Dagur was stronger than she was. If Hiccup hadn't hurt the maniac, Heather would have already been dead.
The bloodloss Dagur had suffered from the stab-wound was making this fight more even. If Heather could just get rid of his axe and use it for herself…
Dagur swung his leg and collided it with her knees. Her feet disappeared from underneath her in one terrifying moment, and the next thing she knew, Dagur was raising his axe again for the kill.
But not to kill her.
His axe was over Hiccup.
She sprang to her feet and threw one of the daggers at Dagur's hand. Just as he was about to bring his axe down, the knife slashed his arm. Heather's throw wasn't as accurate as Hiccup's, but the gash was enough to make Dagur fall back, his attention refocused on her.
Unfortunately, her throwing the knife meant that she only had one left to defend both herself and Hiccup with. Hiccup wouldn't be able to defend himself. He was unconscious, and even if he wasn't, there was no way he would be able to move, let alone fight for his life.
As Dagur went for Heather, Heather stepped backwards. She had to get Dagur away from Hiccup. If she did that, then at least Hiccup would be safer than he would be with Dagur right next to him, constantly trying to kill him.
However, Dagur saw what she was trying to do, and he raced back towards Hiccup. Heather chased him, running faster than he was running. She tackled him and knocked him to the ground.
As if on cue, it started raining. The dark clouds poured down their fury in large raindrops that splashed against Heather's head and body, soaking her from head to toe in a matter of seconds. Water rolled down her face and into her eyes, and she blinked multiple times to clear them.
Thunder rolled overhead, and Heather managed to recollect her second knife in time to defend herself against Dagur once again. Dagur swung his axe, she deflected his blow, but then, he slashed again, this time managing to slice her arm. It wasn't a very deep gash, but it was enough to cause pain. Heather cried out quietly, looking at her arm.
The blood was being washed away by the rain, but she could still see how bad the wound was. It wasn't dangerous or life threatening. Just painful. Very painful. Extremely painful.
Then, Dagur kicked her. She fell to the ground, smashing against the dirt that was turning quickly into mud. Spots danced before her vision whenever she opened her eyes, and it was tempting to just close them and leave them like that forever.
She heard footsteps, and she could imagine Dagur standing over her. She imagined his smile. His sick, sick, sick smile, smug as ever, as he gloated over his victory and bragged about it right before killing her.
"I told you, Heather," he said. "That was your last chance back there to join me, and you refused. For what? A brother that won't survive anyway? A family that never wanted you?"
Heather lifted her head off the ground, her hair decorated with splotches of mud, her arm covered in blood. There was another gash across her cheek that she inherited when she hit the ground, and blood dripped off her cheek.
"Did you ever realize, Heather, that they stopped looking for you?" Dagur asked casually, although Heather could see the hatred burning in his eyes. "They didn't love you enough to actually keep looking until they found you. They gave up, like cowards. You don't need them. You could have joined me, Heather."
"I…" Heather spat mud out of her mouth, "will never, ever, in a million years, join you."
Dagur frowned. "Well, I'm not asking you now," he said. "You had your chance, and you gave it up. It's too late for you, Heather, just like it's too late for Hiccup. I'll kill you both, you know. And it won't be hard." He lifted his axe, raising it over Heather's head. "Now then," he said. "Let's finish this, shall we?"
Heather saw everything in slow motion. Dagur began bringing his axe down, and as he did, Heather threw one of the daggers, aiming straight for his chest. The knife shot through the air…
With a sick, wet, thunk, the blade met Dagur's chest, slicing through his skin and sinking deep into his heart. He was still bringing his axe down, and she just barely managed to roll out of the way before it sank into the ground.
Her vision returned to normal pace, with Dagur standing. He blinked once. He blinked twice. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed, blood covering his chest.
Dead.
There was no doubt about it. Dagur was dead. Dagur was gone forever, ripped out of the lives of the Berkians and never to return. Dagur was gone. Dagur was dead, and Heather was the one to kill him.
She wasn't a murderer, she had to remind herself. She was protecting herself, and protecting her family…
Oh Thor.
Hiccup.
She propped herself up on her arms and dragged herself towards her brother. She felt weak. With luck, no broken bones or bruised ribs, but still, she was exhausted. The rain poured from the clouds, soaking the ground.
"H-H-Hiccup," Heather gasped out as soon as she got to her brother's side. She felt his forehead again. He still had a fever, his body burning with it, but at the same time, he was shivering visibly, shaking from chills with his teeth chattering. His face was alarmingly pale, his hair soaked with cold rainwater.
Heather knew she had to get him back to the village. He was still bleeding. There was no doubt about it now: his stitches had been ripped open. It was too much for him. He'd lost too much blood...it was a miracle he stayed awake for as long as he did.
But she still needed to get him back to the village, or their victory would be short-lived.
She patted his cheek in hopes of waking him. "Hiccup," she said. "Hiccup!" She shouted when he didn't answer her, and even after that, all he did was murmur incoherently in his unconsciousness and toss his head.
At least it was working.
"Come on…" she growled, grabbing Hiccup's arm and forcing him into a sitting position, pulling his arm around her neck and shoulder. "Come on, Hiccup…"
She pulled him into a standing position with difficulty, fighting to keep him up and herself up at the same time. Hiccup's eyes jolted open, but all he did was whimper quietly in pain and bury his face against Heather's shoulder.
Lightning struck overhead, and the rain grew harder.
"Come on, Hiccup," she commanded. "Come on."
She began dragging him, and he limped with what little strength he had left, trying to help her in any way he could. Heather didn't even give Dagur's body a final glance. The only thing she was focused on was getting Hiccup to safety.
Her legs felt like straws, weak and feeble, ready to give way at any moment, but she forced herself onwards. She lived alone for three years. She wasn't about to give up now, after everything she went through. She fought Dagur and beat him. She wasn't going to die now.
She wasn't going to let Hiccup die now, either. She was too stubborn to let that happen, and so was Hiccup. He wouldn't be taken down so easily. Never in a hundred years.
She continued dragging him, yelling at him to stay awake whenever he looked ready to nod off. Thunder rolled, lightning crashed, and she continued on.
She thought about going to the healer's, but nobody was there that could help Hiccup, so she went to the next closest house on the outskirts of the village. She didn't care who answered the door or whose house she barged into, even. She needed to get indoors before she fainted. That was all she was focused on.
As she limped towards the first house, Hiccup stumbling, only half-conscious beside her as she pulled him on, she noticed a stable beside the house. The dragon inside it cooed at them, and something about the sound was...familiar, although Heather couldn't completely put her finger on it. The house looked rather familiar, too, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
It was a house. It was shelter. There was a lit candle in the window, which meant that there were people inside that could help her and Hiccup. She dragged herself and her brother to the front door and kicked it twice. She wanted to yell and holler for help, but she found that she couldn't make a sound over a hoarse whisper. She just hoped the kicks were loud enough to be heard. She was going to pass out any moment now…
The door opened, and when Heather lifted her head, she saw Astrid staring at her, the blonde's eyes wide and terrified.
"Astrid," Heather croaked.
Then, Heather's eyes rolled back in her head, and she hit the ground like a stone.