I don't own HTTYD so stop asking. Enjoy and tell me what you all think. I also don't own any song that may be in this chapter.
Chapter 10: Truth about Skullette's Past
Everyone looked at Hiccup waiting for him to explain what he had found. "Skullette I think you should read this." He said handing her the book.
She took it and looked over what he pointed to. After a moment her jaw dropped, before long a smile came to her face. "I don't believe it! Berk was at war 16 years ago! I really am from this island!" she nearly yelled jumping up and holding the book close to her.
"It would seem that way; and with all the secrets around here since you showed up, I think it's a secret that you're from Berk. The only question is what family are you from?" Hiccup asked going into thought.
Everyone was quiet as he thought. "You can't be from the twin's or Astrid's family, so that leaves Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Hiccups." Gunnar offered.
"Wait didn't you say you may have another clue as to what island you may be from?" Ruffnut asked hoping that bit of information could help.
"Hey, yeah! Skullette what was the other clue?" Astrid asked excitedly.
"I don't know if it's important now that we know I am from Berk." Skullette said
"Yes, but if it comes from a certain family we might be able to help you."Hiccup explained.
"Well alright." Skullette cleared her throat and relaxed slightly.
'Little Child,
Be not afraid,
The rain pounds harsh against the glass,
Like an unwanted stranger,
There is no danger,
I am here tonight,
Little Child,
Be not afraid,
Though thunder explodes and lightning flash,
Illuminates your tear stained face,
I am here tonight,
And someday you'll know,
That nature is so,
This same rain that draws you near me,
Falls on rivers and land,
And forests and sand,
Makes the beautiful world that you see,
In the morning,
Little child,
Be not afraid,
The storm clouds mask your beloved moon,
And it's candle like beams,
Still keep pleasant dreams,
I am here tonight,
Little child,
Be not afraid,
The wind makes creatures of our trees,
And the branches to hands,
There not real understand,
I am here tonight,
And someday you'll know,
That nature is so,
This same rain that draws you near me,
Falls on rivers and lands,
And forest and sands,
Makes the beautiful world that you see,
In the morning,
For you know,
Once even I,
Was a little child,
And I was afraid,
But a gentle someone always came,
To dry all my tears,
Trade sweat sleep for fears,
And give a kill good night,
Well, now I am grown,
And these days have shown,
The rain's apart of how life goes,
But it's dark and its late,
So I'll hold you and wait,
Till your frightened eyes do close,
Astrid joined in while Ruffnut hummed the song with them.
And I hope that you know,
That nature is so,
This same rain that draw's you near me,
Falls on river's and lands,
And forest and sands,
Makes the beautiful world that you see,
In the morning,
Everything's fine in the morning,
The rain will be gone in the morning,
But you'll still be here in the morning,'
The group was quiet for a moment, till Hiccup broke it. "Where did you learn that song?" he asked.
Skullette face fell before explaining. "My mother sang that song to me when I was little before she died; she told me that she learned it from a friend of hers from another island. I guess she gave me a clue to the real village I came from. She knew that I didn't fit in on Gurand."
"Why do you say that?" Ruffnut asked.
"It's a long story." She didn't get much of a choice. Everyone got set and waited for her story. Gunnar was the only one not happy about reliving the past but she put it off as he was there and knows everything. "Alright, it all started when I was little."
"Oh Odin, here it comes." Gunnar said in complete boredom and throwing his head back. Earning a 'shh' from the others.
"Eight summers ago my mother realized that I had a talent for spotting different kinds of leaves and naming them before being close enough to touch them with a hammer. When she told her husband, my step-father Bundar the Wise, he tried to train me to use that talent in battle but all I ever ended up doing was landing on the ground or running away from him as he swung a hammer at me, screaming for me to defeat him with something in the distance. To scared to do anything to him, he brought me back home and told my mother that I had no real warrior in me. My mother protested and said I would grow boulder and he could teach me all he knew after that.
That winter for my birthday he took me out to hunt and showed me how to fire a bow and arrow. It's probably the only thing that made him proud of me. Not much else happened till about five winters ago.
It was a cold stormy night and we had just finished dinner. Bundar said that the Dragons were becoming a major problem and that we needed a way to kill them off at the heart. My mother came up with the idea of making a poison. So for the next month my mother and I figured out a way to kill off the dragons. Mind you we never thought about what would happen if one of the villagers ate the poison or that they would for that matter.
Weeks after we completed the poison and started adding it to some of the barrels of fish that the dragons would take from us about half of the villagers started getting sick, including my mother. So it was up to me to figure out how to cure them. A few days before I completed the antidote my mother asked me to come to her room. She asked me if I remember the song she used to sing to me every night before I went to bed. I told her I did and she smiled lightly telling me to always remember it because it will be important later on in life. But before I could ask her what she meant Bundar came in and pushed me out the door so he could be alone with her. I heard some whispered arguing before everything went quiet.
The next morning she was gone and I have always kept that song close to my heart. Bundar kept trying to get me to fight but I didn't have the heart for it. Then finally after two years of him chasing me every morning and evening with some kind of weapon he gave up and let me be but he was never proud of anything I did. I even tried fighting to make him proud, but nothing helped.
Finally last summer something happened that would change everything. You see, no one really paid much attention to me. Mostly called me the weakling, or Viking failure. But what happened next, made everyone hate me completely."
Fishlegs interrupted her, "What could you have done to make everyone hate you? I mean if you were such a failure, what could you have done to make it worse?"
Gunnar and Skullette both looked away from the others. Gunnar's eyes went to the fire while Skullette's went to the floor. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I burned down the whole village. There's a reason they called me Skullette the Firetamer after that. I could get around any fire without getting burned. I had helped rescue villagers that were trapped in their homes by weaving around the flames and they never touched me. Afterwards I was told everyone was okay and that no one was hurt, but I was never allowed to touch anyone's fire pit but my own. It was Gretchen's fault anyways; if she hadn't insulted my mother I wouldn't have slammed her into the forge that started the fire in the first place."
"So that's why you didn't want to go into the forge." Astrid understood now.
"And why you were backing out of it, instead of turning around." Snotlout said feeling even worse for laughing now in the first place.
"That's not the whole story." Gunnar put in finally. Everyone turned to him waiting for the rest while Skullette sat there confused. "Someone did die in that fire. My father did, I don't know why the elders or her father didn't tell her but not everyone survived and I hated her up till we met up with Nightingale. Or rather I met her, that's when I got to know them and didn't really care why the fire started just knew that it did and my father wasn't there anymore."
Everyone was silent and Skullette looked pale from this new information. Now that everyone knew the truth maybe they could all get somewhere.
Skullette didn't speak much for the rest of the visit. She would answer simply and then go quiet. By the end of the evening it was dark and everyone had enough information to put Skullette in either Hiccups family or Snotlout's.
The others left for home and Hiccup and Gunnar went up to change for bed. Skullette was still sitting at the fire watching the embers burn themselves out as the dragons slept next to her. Finally after what felt like hours but was only a few minutes in reality she spotted the four pelt blankets. Getting up she took the largest one to the bedroom in the back, leaving it folded on the bed.
She took the others upstairs. Leaving one in her room she headed for Hiccup's room. Knocking she called quietly, "Hiccup, it's me I brought you something." She called quietly to him.
A rustle of cloth could be heard before the door opened reviling a half awake Hiccup. "Skullette, what is it?" He asked stifling a yawn.
"Sorry to wake you, I just thought you might want a blanket." She said showing him the fur blankets that she had finished that morning.
"Oh wow," he said slightly more awake now. "Thanks Skullette."
"You're welcome. See you in the morning." Skullette said turning and making her way to Gunnar's room, Hiccup's door closed behind her.
Once at Gunnar's door she raised her fist to knock but stopped mid swing, before lowering it. Biting her lower lip she raised her fist again and quickly but lightly knocked on the door. "Come in." came Gunnar's voice. She opened the door to see his bare back. He still wore his pants and boots but he was in the middle of changing his shirt. She quickly looked away finding the door frame very interesting as a blush came to her cheeks. "Sorry. I just came to give you a blanket. Winter's getting closer and I thought you could use an extra covering." She said glancing back at him to see his shirt was now on.
"Thanks." was his only reply.
She placed the blanket on his bed and headed to the door. Before she exited she turned back to him for a moment. Opening her mouth only to shut it a moment later, thinking about what to say she tried again but stopped a second before saying anything. Finally she just gave up on trying to make it simple; it was never going to be simple because what she did was unforgivable. "I'm really sorry about your dad Gunnar. You know I would never wanted to cause people harm."
"Thanks but it's no big deal. All in the past, 'kay? I'll see ya tomorrow." He said climbing into bed.
"Okay. Good night Gunnar." She closed the door and headed to her room for the night. Knowing she wasn't going to sleep well that night.
The next morning Hiccup and Gunnar got up early to do some practice fighting drills before having to go to the forge. "Now what you want to do is keep your eyes on the target. Let's start with a tree. Now imagine the tree is someone you really don't like. Someone that wronged you or cheated you." Gunnar instructed.
"But I don't know anyone like that." Hiccup said finding it hard to just imagine someone in his village so mean.
"Fine, imagine someone big that has just captured Toothless and has threatened to kill him in front of you." Gunnar said going for the underhanded approach.
"I don't see how this is going to help with my fighting skills." Hiccup said his sword dropping from his shoulder to the ground.
Sighing Gunnar knew he had a long road ahead of him. "Listen Hiccup; if you want to fight like a Viking, then you're gonna have to be motivated." Gunnar tried to explain.
"So I should imagine Toothless in danger and that would motivate me to fight." Gunnar nodded. "Oh well, that makes things so much easier." Hiccup said sarcastically.
"No back talk; now, get into the striking position I showed you." Gunnar instructed.
This continued for a few hours before they had to head to the forge for the day. Hiccup improved his fighting only slightly but it was enough to make him feel like he was getting somewhere and not failing like he did the first decade of his life.
Skullette woke up later than she intended and was surprised to find the boys gone. As she came down the stairs there was a knock at the door so being the only one in the house aside from Nightingale, she answered the door.
"Morning." Astrid said happily as she walked in.
Skullette shut the door behind her. "Morning."
"I'm ready for my first lesson." Astrid said sitting next to the fire.
Skullette smiled at this. Yesterday she was afraid they would start to treat her different after they found out she had caused so much trouble and sadness in her old village. But to see Astrid there waiting for her house keeping lesson, it made her fears diminish. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" She asked.
"No I wanted to get here as soon as I got up." Astrid said proudly.
"Good then we can start with making breakfast and then go on to mending." Skullette said smiling and leaving to the back to get the supplies.
They made short work of breakfast as Astrid had some idea what to do thanks to her mother but when they moved on to the mending, it was like teaching a dragon how to fly with iced over wings.
"I'm never going to get this!" Astrid yelled out of frustration before throwing her needle and shirt to the floor.
"You give up to easily Astrid. Come here and I'll show you what you're doing wrong." Taking the shirt and needle from her she looked over the work. "You see, you need to go under then over and repeat it the same way. You are trying to go over then under. Your stitch will come out crooked that way."
Taking in this new information Astrid took back her mending and did as instructed. This continued till Nightingale sat up and started staring at the door and sniffing the air. The girls noticed and Skullette took in a deep breath. As she did the aroma of fish being cooked filled her nose. "Smells like it's time for lunch."
"Great. Let's cook some and bring it to the boys. I bet they didn't eat either." Astrid said putting her mending away.
It was cold at sea. All that surrounded them was open water. Not a hint of land for miles. "What are we doin' out here lookin' for some girl and a dragon?" one of the men asked the captain. "We should be out lookin' for another island ta take."
"I'll have none of it! By Thor you know why we need to look for her! She is the only one that knows the antidote! What do ya think is gonna happen ta yer families if we don't get them that Antidote?!" Bundar yelled at them. The crew was silent as no one had an answer against him. "Now stop your moaning and get back ta searching!"
The crew did just as instructed not wanting to anger their captain and chief. "I'll find ya. Even if it's the last thing I ever do." Bundar said in determination.
Skullette and Astrid were giggling at each other's comments as they made their way down to the forge to bring the guys something to eat. "… and then I fell right into the water. It was so cold but they dragged me out before I froze." Skullette said before they started giggling again.
Hiccup was the first one to notice them. "It looks like they have hit it off pretty well. It's good that Skullette has found a friend to talk to about girl things, ya know. She must have been pretty lonely, always by herself and never being able to fit in back on Gurand." Hiccup said putting the sword he was sharpening away.
"How would you know how she felt?" Gunnar asked putting down an axe he was mending.
"I felt the same way before I met Toothless and nearly ran away from Berk." They started walking out to meet the girls half way.
"Why did you nearly leave?" Gunnar asked.
Astrid was now telling Skullette about when she first met Toothless. "… and just as I rose my axe to strike, Hiccup jumps in the way and rips my axe from my hands. I'm actually glad I went to find out what he was doing. I think he was trying to run away."
"Why would he want to run away?" Skullette asked.
"Because just like Skullette/you I/he had to kill a dragon and I/he refused to because of Toothless." Hiccup and Astrid said together just before the others came in ear shot.
"Wow." Skullette was about to say something else but one of the adults blew a horn from the docks. Making everyone stop and listen.
"They're back! Our ships are back!" Just as the call was made Dragons were seen in the distance coming in fast.
Hiccup and Gunnar made it up to Astrid and Skullette. "The chief's back, we need to go meet him at the docks." Hiccup said excitedly. "It's about time we got our answers."
They quickly headed down to the docks where everyone else was waiting. Gobber was there in front and the moment he saw Skullette and Gunnar as well as Hiccup and Astrid coming his way he quickly whispered to some of the Vikings beside him. Just as the teens reached an opening in the crowed it closed up. And when Hiccup tried to squeeze through they grew tighter. "It looks like we will have to wait till they start unloading the ships." Gunnar said calmly. Begrudgingly the others agreed.
It seemed to take forever for the ships to come into port but when they finally did no one around the teens moved. Gobber was the first to great Stoic. "Good ta have ya back, how was Fishin'?" Gobber asked as he tried to lead him around the teens.
"Better than ever with the Dragon's help." Stoic said proudly.
"Good, now while ya were gone we had a few visitors arrive by Dragon. A Night Fury and Monstrous Nightmare, ta be exact and well they come from the island of Gurand." Gobber left it at that.
"Are ya sure?" he asked hesitantly.
Before Gobber could continue Hiccup had managed to get through a gap as the adults had started to disband. "Dad!"
"Hiccup, how have you been?" Stoic asked seeing his son after so long.
"Great. Dad I would like to introduce Skullette and Gunnar. They are here on a search." Hiccup explained.
"A search for what?" Stoic asked managing to keep his voice calm. Inside he was reliving his childhood as he looked upon Skullette's face.
"A search for my family." Skullette said stepping forward.
"Isn't your family on Gurand?" Stoic asked quickly.
"No." she left no room for argument on that subject. "My family is out here. And I believe I come from Berk. I was a sacrificial offering of peace between Gurand and another island 16 years ago. We have recently learned that Berk was at war with another island 16 years ago; and the only way for me to be a sacrifice is if I am from one of the main houses."
Stoic was silent for a few minutes a war was waging in his eyes which only a few noticed at the time. Finally he spoke in a gruff uneven tone. "Go home, where ya belong. If ya were a gift of peace, then the peace would be broken should ya return to where ya came from."
"Then you have sentenced her to die!" Gunnar exclaimed making nearly everyone go quiet.
"Gunnar…" Skullette tried but was cut off by the one she spoke to.
"NO! You have every right to know, as do they." He said to her before turning to look Stoic in the eye. "Her Step Father, Bundar the Wise, has sentenced her out of the tribe, telling her as she faced off against a Monstrous Nightmare in dragon training, that she was never his child and only a gift of peace just waiting to be thrown away. He tried to kill her in front of the whole tribe without hesitation. If you don't help her now they will find her, take what they want from her and kill her in front of everyone!" he said taking in deep breaths trying to calm his nerves down.
Everyone was silent for a few minutes before Stoic spoke. "Get to the house, we will talk there. You too Gobber." He said to his friend who was trying to sneak away.
As they all sat around the hearth Stoic sat and sighed deeply. Everyone was quiet waiting for the chief to say something.
"Alright, now wha' is this all 'bout?" he asked calmly.
Skullette was the first to speak. "It's a long story." She went on to continue on how she found Nightingale, and the poison that her mother and she had created. She went on to explain dragon training and the ordeal her step father tried to put her through. "Even though I know it's how the Viking Chief's deal with a new leader it is still unreasonable. Torrent was further back. He was slightly better than the twins and couldn't throw an axe half the distance that Gunnar can. If my step father was honest in who he wanted and what was right I should have been promised to Gunnar who tied with me for first in Dragon Training." She explained.
"Wai' a minute. Yer tellin' us that Bundar wanted ya to marry only who he wanted and not who was right? Why?" Gobber asked stopping Skullette in the middle of her story.
"I have a feeling it was because Torrent was more open to torture than I was. Torrent was always brutal before training but he never let off hitting on Gretchen who was just as cruel." Gunnar explained.
"So then what happened?" Hiccup asked placing his hand on her shoulder.
Skullette continued on to the Dragon Training finals and how Gunnar tried to reason with the chief. And how Gunnar ended up banished as well, Forcing Skullette to face the Nightmare alone and to forward the wedding to right after the fight.
"Wait a minute. You're engaged to be married?" Astrid asked.
Skullette was about to answer but Stoic beat her to it. "No, once she was banished he annulled the engagement."
"Right." Skullette continued. "So, just as Bundar was about to attack me Gunnar and Nightingale, my Night Fury, came down into the dome and helped me escape. We traveled to the main land for a few days and continued from there." She went on to explain all the places they stopped at and how she was nearly sacrificed on one of the islands that was guarded by a great Dragon; and then about the man that captured Gunnar to lure Skullette out to do unmentionable things to her. Finally she reached the part as to why her step father was after her. "So now because I am the only one with the antidote, Bundar is after me to get it back so he can save his people and continue to kill the dragons. Without it he can't use the poison or risk killing himself in the process."
Everyone was silent as they let all this information soak in. Gunnar was the only one not shocked by the story, having lived half of it with her.
Stoic was the first to speak as the rest came back to reality. "Gobber, do you have any reason to doubt that story that she has told us?"
"Not tha' I know of." Gobber said rubbing his chin with his good hand.
Gunnar knew where this was going but he wanted to make something known first. If anything it would add people to stop Skullette from going through with her plan that he knew was still in the forefront of her mind, even if she didn't show it. "Wait!" Gunnar said standing up.
"What is it?"Stoic asked.
"Skullette, tell them what you plan to do should we fail and Bundar gets close to you. Tell them what you nearly did when you found out about the marriage between Torrent and yourself. Tell them now… or I will." He warned her.
"What are you two on about? What did Skullette almost do?" Hiccup asked confused.
All eyes were on Skullette and Gunnar as they waited for one of them to speak. After not being able to take it anymore Gunnar sighed. "Fine, Skullette has a plan to off herself should worse come to worse. She nearly jumped from the ledge back on Gurand if I hadn't stopped her."
A round of gasps were heard from everyone in the room aside from Skullette and Gunnar. Stoic was the first to come to his senses and stand before Skullette. "Was yer life so miserable tha' ya really tho'ht of killin' yerself jus' ta get away from it?" he asked in a sad gruff tone.
Skullette sat there unmoving for a few moments before slowly nodding her head. To everyone's surprise Stoic fell to his knees in front of her. His head hung low in shame he held back his tears as time seemed to move slowly for everyone. "I… I'm so sorry." He whispered loud enough for only Skullette to hear him.
"For what?" her voice was quiet and nervous at the same time. Not knowing what was going to happen next.
"Twenty years ago I married the love of my life and when I found out she was goin' ta have a child four years later, ya can imagine how happy I was. But just a week after we found out, the tribe from Gurand attacked Berk. Fer many months we fought each other until the other chief and myself came ta an agreement of peace. We would not attack the other as long as we helped when the other called for it. Unfortunately he also asked that I also give him something to keep our promise. He asked me to give up my second child, knowing he could not ask fer my first. I had to abide by his wishes or the peace would fall through.
Months later my wife gave birth to Hiccup… and a second child. But because of the stress from the birth she didn't survive. I not only lost my second child that night, but I lost my wife." He raised his head to look Skullette in the eye. "If I had known that he would treat ya in such a way I would never have done it. And fer that I am truly sorry."
No one moved or spoke a word after that. The only sound was the cracking of wood as the flames licked at them in the hearth. Gobber cleared his throat making most of the kids jump as they were anticipating one of the two in front of them to speak first. "Well, uh… it is good ta hav' ya back Skullette. Do ya think tha' Bundar is goin' ta figure out where ya are?"
After Skullette didn't speak for a few moments Gunnar decided to answer him. "It is a possibility. He had not only his village but the men who captured me on the island before we got here. They will continue to look for us no matter how long it takes."
"Then we need to be ready for them." Stoic said before standing up. "Hiccup, Astrid, I need ya two ta gather everyone in the main hall for an important meeting. Gobber, I need ya ta start setting up for a normal war meeting but have one table behind us so I can present these two ta the Tribe." They nodded in understanding and quickly left to fulfill it. Hiccup paused only long enough to place his hand on his new found sister's shoulder and smile at her when she spun her head around at him. His smile was encouraging despite how everything was moving so fast.
She softly smiled back at him before he continued on his way out the door. As the door closed behind him, she turned back to her newly proclaimed father and smiled to herself, encouraging herself that everything was going to be alright, just like Hiccup's smile said the same.
"As for you two, I want to talk to you about what is going to happen at the meeting." Stoick went to sit so they could talk more comfortably when Skullette spoke up making the big chief stop in his tracks.
"Dad?" She called. "I just want you to know, I don't blame you for what you did 16 years ago. You had to put the village before your personal feelings and I don't blame you for having to give me up to Bundar; just as long as I don't have to go back to him."
Stoic turned around to face them with a half smile on his face. "He banished ya, if he comes here givin' me a speech 'bout keepin' a deal. I get ta wipe tha' smug look off his ugly li'l face. He said he would take care of ya. I don't think banishin' ya, ta be takin' good care of ya."
She smiled up at him once more before he cleared his throat. "Now, back to business."
They sat down discussing what was going to happen at the meeting and who was going to speak first. This continued for a few more minutes till it was time to head to the mead hall. "Well, e're goes nothin'." Stoic said as he led the two up the hill and into the hall.
Cliffy! Anyway's… like it, love it, hate it? Tell me please… cause the story only gets better if people tell ya what you did wrong. So R and R at the bottom so I can improve or if you just want to give me a positive feedback so I know I'm doing something right. So till next time… ta!