Yo my perps! I mean peeps! Stupid autocorrect. Have a chappie!
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor will I ever own HTTYD. Sorry.
Shoutouts:
Aspylady: Thanks for letting me know! Krogan is pretty horrible, yes. Also Johann. And yes, I have chocolate chip! *tosses you cookies*
Romantica 123: No, thank you for being such an amazing reader! I probably won't stop writing...I love it too much. Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so much!
JChttyd: I love Skrills too... and you may be on to something...
Massive HTTYD Fan: You may be right about the Skrill! And I love writing the bonding scenes
pandamaster97720: Thanks!
Pokey314: Thank you! Sorry this chappie took so long!
StandingWind: I'm glad I make you smile!
ScribblesTheVixen: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy!
Sealiman Dawntracker: Lol, thanks! Will do!
Pluviophile15: Thanks!
SweenTheSaltine: Lol, I get it:)
Michi Haddock O'Brien: Hehe... surprise?
r-a-e121: Thank you!
Guest (Nova): Thank you! Yeah, Hiccup cares about Viggo whether he wants to or not. And vice versa. God bless you, you're one of my best reviewers!
*pursuitpursuitpursuitpursuitpursuit
On with the story!
Chapter Ten
They had lost sight of Johann's ships. The thick storm clouds were so dense that by the time they cleared away, the ships were long gone.
Meaning they were drifting, in pieces, in the water.
Their crews had already been skeletal, but now there were only about twenty men, huddling onboard two dinghies. They looked sullenly up at the Dragon Riders as they descended.
"If you're looking for the prisoners, they're not 'ere," one of the Dragon Hunters called out.
Dagur stared at the man as Sleuther hovered.
"Prisoners?"
"You didn't know?" The man snorted. "Your little leader wasn't the only one Johann got. Of course, it's not likely you kept tabs on 'im…"
"Who?" Astrid demanded. "Who's the other prisoner?"
"Viggo Grimborn," The Hunter replied.
Dagur swore under his breath. "Why can't that man just die?"
"Never mind," Astrid said briskly. "Where are they?"
"Johann's ship was the only one to escape. The prisoners were on that'un. The Skrill decided to spare them for one reason or another."
"Where did they go?" Dagur asked.
The man shrugged. "I was a bit busy trying to keep my crew from drowning t'notice." He hesitated, then pointed north. "We were headed that way before the Skrill attacked. Maybe they kept going."
"Why are you helping us?" Astrid asked.
He shrugged again. "I'll be honest with you all. Some 'a the stuff Johann did to those two… it weren't right. No kid that age should'a gone through any 'a that." Then, without a word, he turned to his men. "Let's go."
"Thank you," Fishlegs called.
The Hunter turned and gave a brisk nod, smiling wryly. "Just don't let it slip that I helped you, or I'll lose my head, not to mention my job."
"Where are you headed?" Dagur inquired.
"There's an island about a day's journey from here. It'll take longer with these small boats, but we'll make it."
"Do you need help?" Fishlegs offered. "We could pull you to shore."
The man shook his head. "It'd be a bit suspicious to be seen with you lot. Bad for us both. We can make it- and Thor knows these lads need the exercise."
line break *
(Four hours earlier)
Hiccup gaped up at the Skrill. "Is that…?" he murmured.
Viggo met his gaze. "I'd know him anywhere."
The Skrill reared back, lightning crackling around its body, before it hesitated. Its amber eyes looked straight at Hiccup, and narrowed, before swiveling to Viggo. The purplish-black dragon hesitated, then turned and shot up into the sky, out of sight.
Viggo sighed heavily. "I had hoped he might know me… Ah, well."
"He did," Hiccup replied softly. "If he hadn't, you would be dead…once a dragon trusts you, there's almost nothing that can break that trust. He'll protect you."
"But he left."
Hiccup gave a weak grin. "Did he?"
Viggo hesitated, confused. "Well, yes—" he stopped, then continued in a whisper.. "You think he's following us?"
"It's what Toothless would do for me."
"I hardly think Tordenvær and I have a relationship comparable to yours and Toothless's."
"Well, you named him." Hiccup smirked. "That's a start."
Their voices were barely heard over the shouts of Dragon Hunters and the crackling thunder. Johann was barking orders, but paused briefly and took a few steps towards them. "Tie those two to the gunwale. And watch them, for Thor's sake. I don't want them to drown before I've finished with them."
line break*
It had been hours since the Skrill's attack. It was hot. So hot, in fact, that Viggo found himself missing the icy coldness of Devastating Winter. Sweat trickled down his neck into the broken skin on his back, and while he would have slept (Thor knew he needed it), it was impossible to rest. The same was not true for Hiccup, evidently. The heir was practically dead to the world, sleeping soundly for the first time in days.
The Hunters were in trouble- and by extension, so were Hiccup and Viggo. While the fire on the mast had been extinguished, the burned sail had beenHowever, one hunter was perched high up on what was left of the scorched beam, keeping watch.
The sea was flat and glassy, and perfectly silent except for the rhythmic grunts of the men rowing, and Krogan calling the strokes. Ironically, the lack of wind ensured that they made good time, as the ship glided smoothly through the still water straight for the next island.
But they couldn't yet see the island. And the setting sun suggested that they could miss it entirely.
However, with the darkening sky came a drop in temperatures, and the harsh light and its accompanying heat was replaced by the chilly grayness of dusk.
He briefly wondered if he might finally be able to sleep now that it was getting dark. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than his eyelids grew heavy… and as the ship quieted and a cool northbound breeze blew across his face, he finally slept.
When he woke, it was to the shouts of a certain ex-trader to his men. What…? Johann's voice had risen a few octaves in panic, as he practically screamed at his subordinates. "Wake up!" the scrawny man ordered. "Wake up!" The rowers roused themselves groggily from where they had dozed off slumped across their oars, and looked around in confusion. Then they saw what Johann had seen-the dark mass of land that loomed over and ahead of them as they drew closer by the second.
But that wasn't all.
"Rocks!" Johann called. "We'll run aground!"
Sure enough, out of the darkness appeared the forms of huge, blunt-edged boulders scattered along the coastline- blocking every possible entrance.
"Row, idiots!" Johann shouted. "If we turn, we just might miss them—"
But he was interrupted by the panicked cries of the rowers as they seized their oars and frantically began to row, trying to stop the ship. In their defense, the boat did slow… but not quickly enough. All their efforts achieved was to reduce the speed of their crash.
They hit the first rocks with a horrific grating, crunching sound. Oars snapped. Planks splintered. The rowers were thrown forward over their broken oars. Johann screamed as he was hurled against the railing at the bow. Viggo and Hiccup were the only ones who weren't tossed around by the crash, as they were, of course, the only ones tied down.
And then, all at once, the noise stopped, as those onboard the ship looked around in dumb disbelief. Half the ship was aground, its hull impaled by spikes of earth. They were well and truly stuck.
"What…?" muttered Hiccup in confusion as he was roused from his sleep at last. "What's going— oh."
"Sleep well?" Viggo asked dryly.
Heavy footsteps alerted them to Krogan's presence. "We're going ashore," spoke the foreigner contemptuously. "I'm going to untie you both, but don't get too excited. There's nowhere for you to run."
"You don't say," Viggo replied, glancing around at the grey sea.
Krogan didn't reply, only knelt and used his dagger to cut through the ropes around Viggo's wrists before moving on to Hiccup. When both of them were free, Krogan looked down at them in disdain. "Get up, and let's go."
Viggo got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back and extending a hand to Hiccup. Fingers trembling slightly, the boy took the offered hand and stood with some difficulty, involuntarily clinging to his benefactor's arm as his knees shook. Viggo didn't mind, but found himself wishing he could do more.
Krogan glanced back at him. "Carry the boy," he ordered. "He'll only slow us down."
Hiccup drew back. "I'm fine, really, I can walk—"
"Hiccup, you can barely stand," Viggo interrupted in a dry tone. "Now shut up and cooperate."
The heir hesitated, then nodded mutely.
Viggo easily lifted Hiccup, careful not to touch the open wounds on his back. Honestly, the boy was so thin he weighed almost nothing. Adjusting his grip slightly and doing his best to ignore the pain of his wounds, Viggo followed Krogan. Hiccup was stiff in his arms, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. Yet he eventually relaxed despite the pain he was in, just as Viggo jumped over the railing and landed in the shallow water with a splash.
Wordlessly, he followed Krogan and Johann towards shore, a thought forming within his mind. What will happen now that we're stranded? Will the Hunters come for Johann, or will the Riders find us first? What if neither gets to us, and we die here?
line break*
The cool night air, the fresh smell of vegetation, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks made for a deceptively peaceful atmosphere on the island. On the contrary, however, that night on the rocky shoreline was one of the worst Hiccup and Viggo had experienced since their respective captures. The men were frustrated; not only had they wrecked, but the food was gone to boot. So the two prisoners, huddled together a short distance away from the group of Hunters and their roaring fire, were left just as hungry as their captors, perhaps more so. As if that weren't enough, Johann kept shooting them furious glares from across the camp, as though they had been the cause of the untimely wreck.
Hiccup was asleep, curled up on his left side with his bound hands tucked close to his chest; draped over his still figure was the rough blanket one of the Hunters had tossed their way. The heir had tried to insist that Viggo take it, but finally gave up when the man had stubbornly ignored him. Now Viggo sat between Hiccup and the Hunters, determined that nothing would happen to the boy. The fact that he had sworn to himself that he would protect his former arch rival still unnerved him, yet he knew that if he was ever going to earn the trust of the Riders, he would have to make sure he did everything in his power to protect their leader.
A voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Johann standing over him. He shifted slightly so that he could see both the trader and Hiccup, then glanced inquiringly at Johann.
Johann lowered himself to Viggo's eye level and frowned thoughtfully. "You seem unusually protective over him." He nodded towards Hiccup.
Viggo didn't react; he had mastered an excellent poker face over the years and knew how to hide something. "Do I, now?"
Johann narrowed his eyes. "Don't try to hide anything from me, Grimborn. You're constantly guarding the boy, even going so far as to take a beating in his stead. And he's the same way- trying to persuade me to leave you alone and use the acid on him instead. Something's changed since I brought him here, and I want to know what."
"Perhaps I'm only trying to right some of the wrongs I've done." Viggo spoke in a neutral tone, unsure what Johann wanted to hear.
"Don't tell me you've decided to walk the straight and narrow now," Johann scoffed. "It's far too late for you, just like it's too late for me. What are you trying to prove? You may have earned his trust for now, but he'll come to his senses eventually and realize he's made a foolish mistake in trusting you. He'll see you're just using him."
"Johann, yet again I'm shocked by the amount of utter idiocy you can display in a single sentence. I'm not using Hiccup for anything."
"I know how you work," Johann said with a sneer. "People are expendable—tools to be used and broken and discarded, then replaced. Hiccup's just another game piece, another person sent to an early grave because of your actions. Just like your brother."
Viggo felt his confidence waver. "How dare you speak of him? You weren't there to see what happened that day."
"But he died because of you," Johann replied. "You sent him out on a fool's errand which resulted in his death. He was just a pawn in your ultimate strategy. Just like Hiccup. And eventually, he'll wake up and realize that you've betrayed him, but it'll be too late. You'll use him, break him, and then throw him away."
"Why are you here, Johann?" Viggo interrupted.
"You have nothing to gain by this. If what you say is true, wouldn't that outcome benefit you?"
Johann studied him. "It would." Then, without another word, he stood and walked back towards the fire.
line break*
So yeah. The Skrill has a name now- Tordenvær! It's Norse for "Thunderstorm."
Johann is up to something, but what?
Poor Viggo may have to face his past sooner than he thinks.
And my first OC appeared! The leader of the wrecked Hunters doesn't have a name yet, but he might appear again.
Peace out,
Elena