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I am being spoiled rotten by Cafcow!
She drew an amazing AMAZING picture of the infamous duo of Camicazi and Stormfly that you all should check out! remember to head to my profile page and click the link labeled fanart!
"The first of you to move has his blood on your hands," Alvin said, pressing the blade more firmly to Hiccup's throat. No-one dared to test whether or not he was bluffing, "Fishlegs, turn the boat starboard," Fishlegs anxiously looked at them, "starboard," Alvin repeated, "now."
Fishlegs turned the boat.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw the land they had been going alongside swing out of view as the boat turned out to open sea. Whatever Alvin had told them had been a lie because the moment it was turned where he wanted, the sails filled with wind and the boat immediately began to pick up speed. All the while Alvin pressed the blade to Hiccup's throat, a silent promise of what would happen if they did not obey his commands. Whoever had wanted Alvin to be in the coffin clearly had had a good reason. Furthermore they hadn't buried him with any weapons, which mean that the Poor but Honest Farmer standing behind him was neither Honest, nor was he most likely a Farmer. He was, however, a halfway decent thief. And if the press of the blade was any indication, someone who did not seem to have an issue with killing people.
"Hey man, do you really need to do that?" Snotlout asked, "its not like we got anywhere--"
"I would prefer that all of you make this journey in one piece but if you make one more move towards that pack," Alvin said as Snotlout's hand froze, "that might be impossible. You two," he looked at the twins, "tend the sail."
They did not make the same mistake of looking at each other. Both of them quickly went to tending the sail. If Alvin was tired from holding the blade to his throat, he did not show it. The blade did not waver, it did not move at all but Hiccup was very aware the fact that Alvin was completely under control of the situation. One move and Hiccup knew he'd be dead. The others knew it as well. They did not move. Astrid's face was behind him but Hiccup did not have any doubt that her features were full of fury. But even with all her skill Hiccup knew he would not risk him. Not until they knew that Alvin did not have any other tricks up his sleeve--and if history was any indication, the young man most certainly did.
"Were you ever a farmer?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes," Alvin replied, "a very long time ago," he continued, "Then I found a coffin with a treasure map in it."
"The map was real?" Hiccup questioned.
"Quite," Alvin said, "I thought it was real but it wasn't until I was locked in that coffin that I understood just how real it was. You're a nice guy, so I'd hardly expect you to understand. But generally speaking when a person is willing to throw a live man into a coffin, its something good."
"Kind of like this situation?" Hiccup asked, eyes darting as much as they could towards Alvin.
"Exactly," Alvin said.
"So, I was wondering how you knew I was a blacksmith," Hiccup said, continuing to talk, "and you know my full name. Did you go into that coffin to get to me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Alvin said looking up at the sky, "that treasure map is what landed me in that coffin," he said, "that and a series of poor life choices."
"Oh really that fascinat--"
Hiccup cut himself off as Alvin's hand seemingly relaxed fractionally, the blade moving ever so slightly. Hiccup twisted away to try and get free from the young man's grasp, hoping that speed would make up for everything else.
Sadly it did not.
Hiccup never saw what Alvin did with the knife but suddenly the wind was knocked out of his lungs and his body twisted completely in half, one arm bent up and back at an awkward and painful angle, held in place by the young man's missing hand. The knife was pressed to his throat, hard enough now that Hiccup felt it break the skin. The others must have moved but they froze as Alvin once again held him hostage, none willing to risk his safety. Hiccup knew they would have done the same for any of them. It was sweet and sentimental and gave Alvin the neither Poor nor Honest Farmer complete control of the situation.
"I trust I've made my point," Alvin said.
Hiccup felt his stomach give an unpleasant twist. Alvin had purposely given him the opening, testing him to see what he would do. He had wanted him to think that there was an opening, he had wanted him to think that there had been some kind of hope. And he had fallen right into the trap that had been laid for him. Somehow without that hope, the situation seemed impossibly more bleak. Hiccup couldn't move his head without risking his neck, not at the angle with which Alvin held the blade. His eyes were locked on the deck in front of him but slowly he raised them. He was facing the other side of the boat and he realized that there had been another reason why Alvin had given him that opening.
Now he was facing Astrid.
Astrid's eyes moved from Hiccup to Alvin. The moment Alvin's blade had pressed to his throat, her heart had dropped. But now as she watched the skin of his neck drip from the shallow cut the blade had dealt him, she felt her heart drop even lower. She was the best viking on the boat and yet the vision of Hiccup laying dead on the deck was enough to paralyze her. She was the best viking but even if she was not she would know that no matter how fast she moved or how skillful she was by the time she reached the two of them Alvin would have slit Hiccup's throat. There wasn't any recovering from that. Hiccup would bleed out on the deck of the boat and they would be helpless to do anything about it. The feeling of helplessness, of all her skill being useless, of not being able to do anything to help was even more crippling than the nightmares. She wanted to murder Alvin with her bare hands--or at the very least with her axe.
And then she looked at Hiccup.
He held her gaze, even with the blade pressed to his throat. His eyes darted to her white knuckle grip on the edge of the boat. She knew that fighting now, even at these odds, wouldn't do anything for either of them but Hiccup, he knew she was thinking about attacking Alvin--a move that would only mean his death. She wasn't known for her patience. But she saw the way Hiccup looked at her, as though silently wiling her to hold off. It was hard to force her hands open, hard to move them away from the boat edge and drop them by her sides. Hard to give a signal to the vicious man holding one of their knives to Hiccup's throat that she was not going to attack him. But she forced her hands away. Hiccup held her gaze the entire time, his eyes locking with hers. She forced herself to look at him, not at the smile that tugged at Alvin's lips as she gave in to what he wanted. She told herself this was to make sure Hiccup was alright, to keep the nightmare from coming true.
"Very good," Alvin said.
"What do you want us for?" Astrid demanded, glaring at him.
"In good time," he said, "all will be revealed," his eyes darted to the side, "unless, of course, you would prefer I kill him?"
Astrid's head whipped over. T.T. had jumped onto the deck of the boat, puffing himself out and making sounds of anger. Her heart leapt into her throat. Dragon's were intelligent creatures, but she doubted T.T. understood what 'stay still or I'll kill him' meant. All the little dragon saw was a man holding a blade to the throat of the boy that they all cared very much about. She saw the blade press more firmly against Hiccup's throat as T.T. made a noise of distress, one leg kicking against the wood as he got ready to attack.
"T.T. stop!" Astrid cried before turning to Alvin, "he doesn't understand, you have to let Hiccup go!"
"No," Alvin said as T.T. drew back, "it would be a shame for my hand to slip--"
It was Tuffnut who threw the rope out as T.T. shot forward.
It threw the little dragon off balance, so instead of running towards Alvin to rescue Hiccup he was forced to change direction. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was the dragon's plan all along but instead of swerving right, the dragon went up. T.T. took off like a rocket, soaring upwards as fast as his wings could take him. For a moment it looked like he would get free. Astrid's eyes went from him to Alvin, watching to see if the young man would react. But his eyes too seemed to be on the little dragon who took towards the sky. Wild hope pounded through her. If T.T. could get back to Berk, if he could get help--
There was a screech from high above and in a blur of gold and silk, T.T. vanished, all hope disappearing as well.
Hiccup looked upwards before he could stop himself, already half knowing what he would see. And yet what he saw was nothing he could have been prepared for, because it was nothing like anything he had seen. The dragon that soared above them was light and compact, the rider on its back even moreso. She did not sit as she rode but rather held herself up, one hand holding onto the strap wound around the long extensions on the creature's head. The other was by her side, fingers wrapped around T.T.'s wings. She held herself up on the saddle, her weight shifting easily with the movement of the agile dragon.
None of the vikings spoke as the dragon and rider banked on the air and circled the boat, almost completely parallel with the ship. The rider must have given some kind of signal to the dragon for the animal suddenly soared upwards with a beat of its wings. It soared almost the entire length of the mast with surprising speed before it tucked its wings and dove downwards.
The dragon that landed seamlessly on the boat, letting out a loud sound as it did, a sound unlike any that Hiccup had heard in his entire life. In the sun the dragon was the color of molten gold. It could have been a trick of the light but Hiccup could have sworn the hue of the dragon's hide was shifting in color. The dragon's head swiveled towards Hiccup who could do nothing but stare. The dragon in front of him was like none he had ever seen. it was a compact creature, obviously designed more for flight than life on land. Eyes as gold as the rest of the dragon examined them all with a kind intensity Hiccup was only used to seeing from Toothless. A wicked hooking horn adorned the dragon's chin, angled to assist in the aerial attacks the dragon seemed to be built for.
But however strange and beautiful the dragon was, it was nothing compared to the woman who swung herself off the creature's back.
Her dark eyes were lined with ebony, making them see dark and haunting--or they would be if they did not glint with a wicked sort of amusement. The woman's hair was a dark red, braided and twisted up in an intricate style that was held in place with a pair of ornate hair sticks. The woman's clothing was impossibly exotic as well. Though what he could see of her skin was as tan as Alvin's, the clothing she wore hid more of it than his. Sweeps of bright colors, of reds and pinks and greens made her seem even more exotic. But it was nothing compared to the jewelry the woman wore. It dripped from the multiple holes in her ears, it shone from her wrists and throat. Even her ankles sparkled with the jewels she wore. Hiccup had a feeling he could have lived his entire life, traveled around the world and never seen as much wealth as the woman standing in front of him was decked in.
Her eyes darted around and though they did not hold on any of them for longer than a moment, Hiccup got the distinct impression that the woman got everything she needed from the seemingly passing glance. It was echoed by the dragon behind her, its won bright gold eyes sweeping around at them. Both of their gazes landed on Alvin, their eyes locking on his. As their gaze locked on his, Alvin released Hiccup and straitened up to face them fully. There was no fear in his gaze, he obviously knew who the two of them were, and yet even so his hand did not leave the blade. Hiccup didn't think a blade that size would do much against the dragon or its rider, but then again, Alvin had just taken all of them hostage. So perhaps he was just good at pulling off seemingly impossible stunts.
"Loose something?" she asked, holding up T.T. by his wings as the little dragon kicked out with his feet.
Hiccup stared. The young woman was holding the little dragon in a perfect manner. T.T. could struggle and lash out but as long as she held her wrist at the angle she currently did, he couldn't get to her. Each time the Terror twisted or turned, the young woman adjusted her hand to accommodate the dragon's movements. She did it without a thought or care, as if she had spent most of her life doing it. Hiccup tore his eyes away and looked at the dragon's saddle. It was well worn, old even. Older than any saddle on Berk. The old saddle, the skill of the rider, the way she handled the Terror--all of it added up in a way that should have been impossible.
This woman had grown up with dragons.
"Why yes," Alvin said moving towards them, "thank you."
Before he could get there the young woman opened her hands, releasing T.T. as her dragon called out a warning.
The moment the young woman's hand opened, T.T. took off like a rocket for Tuffnut. For once the boy did not object to the dragon jumping onto his shoulder and cowering under his hair. If anything he seemed oddly comforted by the weight of the quaking dragon. T.T. peered out from underneath Tuffnut's hair and let out the most frightened whistle Hiccup had heard from the tiny dragon yet. The gold dragon angled its head towards T.T. in a warning gesture before letting out a low sound and turning away, seemingly bored with the situation. If Alvin had objections to the young woman giving T.T. back to them he did not voice them, seeming to know better than that.
"You brought spares," the young woman said, her jewelry chiming as she put her hands on her hips, "or did Grimmbeard have six descendants instead of two?" she continued, holding up two fingers to emphasize her point.
"Just the two," Alvin said, "and of those this is the one we'll need," he said nodding towards Hiccup, "but it hardly hurts to have a spare."
The young woman raised an eyebrow at him before walking over to where Snotlout was standing. The usually loud boy was silent at the sight of her. If anything he shied away against the side of the boat. The woman did not seem offended by his reaction. To the contrary she seemed to enjoy it. Her lips curved into a smile as she walked much closer to Snotlout than she needed to, her eyes sweeping over every inch of him. Behind her Alvin folded his arms over his chest, a smile tugging at his lips. The dragon gave a sound as well, one that sounded distinctly like laughter. As if it too was taking pleasure in Snotlout's blatant discomfort. The woman said nothing as she looked him over before she turned her head back towards Alvin.
"He hardly seems like much," she said.
Hiccup would never know what possessed Snotlout to move. At the insult, however, the boy's features contorted in anger and color burned at his cheeks. Hiccup opened his mouth to tell him not to do whatever he was about to do but the words failed him as Snotlout moved faster than Hiccup thought he had ever seen Snotlout move. He lunged forward, most likely thinking that if he could not take on the man who kidnapped them he could at least take on the girl who was taunting him. He moved forward, one hand swinging wildly out in a hit that Hiccup had felt before.
The young woman responded in the same way Hiccup realized Alvin had. In a blur of silk she twisted around, her hand going low to connect with Snotlout's gut, forcing the air from his lungs. Almost instantly her hands were up and around his wrist, twisting it high and back, her other hand reaching up in her hair. In a moment the woman had Snotlout doubled over, one hand twisting his arm back and the other holding a pair of very sharp, very thin blades to his throat. Her dragon let out a screech of fury, lowering its head so the chin crest was almost pointed at Snotlout as its antennae flattened in anger.
The dragon also changed color.
It happened so quickly Hiccup barely had time to see it but the dragon's color changed. Instead of a bright gold, the dragon turned a dark blue-black. Not as dark as Toothless but it was a far cry from the bright gold the dragon had been before. It screeched again, far more loudly this time and the already dark color deepened further. Snotlout was no threat to the woman but that hardly seemed to matter to the dragon. Hiccup had never seen a color changing dragon before but he recognized the motion as it drew itself up. It was getting ready to breath fire. And if it did on a wooden boat, they were all as good as dead. The woman seemed to know as well. Her eyes locked with the dragon as it puffed itself up, its mouth opening.
"Stormfly! Thats enough!" the woman shouted, cutting the dragon off mid motion.
The dragon landed back on the ground, sneezing. Smoke came out of its mouth but no fire. Stormfly shook its head, as if it was shaking off the blue black color. A moment later the dragon was gold again, though a darker shade than it had been when it first swooped down. Alvin glanced at the dragon who sneezed again, shaking its head before lightening up further back to the original gold it had been. Alvin glanced up at the sails before looking over at the side of the boat. He stepped away from the dragon and walked forward until he was next to her.
"Sadly, Camicazi, we are in need of this boat until we can rejoin the others," he told her, "make sure your dragon is aware of that?"
It came out as a question but from the anger that sparked in the red headed woman's eyes it was anything but. And she was anything but pleased to give in to his request. Her eyes promised pain but her lips curved into a smile that was as devious as it was heartbreaking and she released Snotlout, pulling back the twin blades. With a quick twist her hair was up and secured once more. Seemingly satisfied, Alvin turned and walked over to the back of the ship, changing their course. Camicazi walked over to Stormfly who lowered her head when she approached. Camicazi reached out and placed her hand alongside the crest on Stormfly's chin, her other hand scratching the dragon's nose. The dragon made a sound of joy, tilting her head to lean into her rider's touch.
The color change happened more slowly this time, starting from just around the dragon's chin crest and bleeding out along the length of her hide. Instead of the angry blue black the dragon had been, the gold was slowly taken over by a bright and cheery blue. For a moment the dragon was half blue, half gold, then the two colors seemed to swirl together and finally the dragon that stood enjoying being petted was completely blue. Camicazi continued to scratch the dragon, something Stormfly obviously adored. The dragon did not purr like Toothless did but it did make a sound in the back of its throat, obviously enjoying what was being done.
"Good girl, Stormfly," Camicazi said before lowering her voice and saying something much softer to the dragon, something that she obviously enjoyed hearing, "that's right," Camicazi's fingers paused as she turned and glanced at Hiccup. Stormfly's eye snapped open and locked on him as well, "see something you like?" she asked, one fine eyebrow arching upwards.
"Uh--" Hiccup began.
Camicazi turned to face him fully. The blue began to blend out of Stormfly's hide as the dragon began to turn gold once more. Camicazi glanced at the dragon who met her gaze before locking eyes with Hiccup. Camicazi walked forward and Hiccup found himself pressing against the side of the boat just as Snotlout had been. Camicazi stopped before she fully invaded his personal space, but from the look in his face Hiccup realized that the young woman was fully expecting an answer to her question.
"Well?" she asked.
"Your dragon just, uh, reminds me of--"
"Reminds you?" Camicazi demanded, "she reminds you of something? You listen to me, I will not have my dragon 'reminding' anyone of anything to do with a tribe of Hooligans too stupid to know they did not have to kill dragons," she spat, her eyes dancing with fury.
"In our defense we did have to kill one," Hiccup said holding up a finger.
Camicazi gave him a look of disgust that rivaled the ones Astrid used to give him before turning on her heel and walking over to Stormfly. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, to ask how she knew that but he closed his mouth. The woman was working with Alvin. If she thought they were still stupid and killing dragons then that was all the better for them. He did not know what she made of T.T. but if she was willing to think the worst then he was not going to be the one to correct her. The dragon made a sound of disgust before curling next to Camicazi. Hiccup leaned against the rail of the boat, letting out a breath. The woman was scary. Between her and Alvin Hiccup wondered if his pounding heart was ever going to return to its normal rhythm.
"And where are you going?" everyone looked at Alvin, Astrid froze halfway across the boat.
"I need to make sure his throat's okay," Astrid said looking at Alvin, "I've got bandages in my pack."
"His throat is fine," Alvin said, "step away from the packs."
"But--"
Alvin raised an eyebrow, his hand moving slightly towards the knife. Astrid's eyes went to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, both of whom were closest to him. Woud one of them die or would Alvin go for Hiccup? Both of the twins looked silent, almost scared even and Astrid realized that once again she could not risk them. Not now. Not when there was yet another person added to the mix. It hurt to turn away from Alvin and the packs but she forced herself to do it. She walked over the length of the boat to where Hiccup was standing leaning against the side. She tried to keep her steps slow, careful even as if she was just a viking being concerned about a friend. The less Alvin knew about them all, the better it would be for them.
"Hey," she said, "how's your neck?"
"Its been better," Hiccup said.
"Hold on, let me see," Astrid said reaching out and touching his face.
Hiccup held himself still as her fingertips gently touched the side of his cheek, holding his chin so she could see the cut in its entirety. Her hand was steady and firm against his cheek, but even Hiccup could feel her fingers pressing a bit too tightly against his cheek. She was shaken up by what was happening and he knew that the powerlessness she felt must have been terrible for her. Astrid liked to be in control--or at the very least have some say in what happened in a given situation. But here she was helpless and suddenly Hiccup found he wanted nothing more than to hug the young woman in front of him. But he refused to do it, Alvin already knew too much about them. The last thing Hiccup wanted was for Alvin to use Astrid.
"Do you have any idea why he's after you," she asked, her voice so low he almost couldn't hear it.
"No," Hiccup said, "I think he is after me though. He knows the most about me--me and Snotlout."
"He called Snotlout the 'spare'," Astrid said before raising her voice, "you neck's not too bad," she said.
"The spare," Hiccup frowned, his mind puzzling over that, "its got to have something to do with--" he stopped, his eyes widening, "with--"
Stormfly suddenly let out the loudest sound that they had heard yet, her head turning towards a point on the horizon. All the eyes on the boat went towards that point as the boat swung towards that point. Astrid's hand dropped from his cheek and, half hidden by the furs they wore, found his own. Hiccup tightened his fingers in hers as the boat continued to pick up speed, carrying them towards the next leg of their journey. Any passing hope of escape vanished as the shape they headed towards began to loom bigger and bigger. Suddenly it became clear what they were going to do. They were not going to be rescued because Alvin was going to make sure every member of the Hooligan Tribe thought that they were dead. He was going to give them bodies, a boat, everything that they needed. In the furs, Hiccup felt Astrid's fingers tighten on his own and found himself gripping her own hand in return.
All the while the new boat on the horizon loomed closer.
And we've got our new character!
So I know the movie says that Camicazi's probably the model for Astrid AND she's first appearing in the third book but I had an idea and thought I'd roll with it. Don't worry we're going to learn more about her in the coming chapters and what she's really up to.
For Stormfly I kind of went with the basic model of a banshee from Avatar, both in the model of the dragon AND in how Camicazi rides her. But I changed it up a little bit in terms of the dragon design. So don't forget to check out Cafcow's awesome picture to see our new awesome duo.
And, as always, please review! A whole bunch of you added this as a fave/alert and didn't review which makes me sad. Your reviews are literally what keeps me writing this story. Its true. I love writing it but I have a whole bunch of other stories going on, so if you want updates for this one you gotta click the button and review!
So please review!