Chapter Eleven
A/N: Just a warning. This chapter is a bit...quirky. You'll see what I mean.
The night air whispers around Hiccup's chilled body as he and his father grow closer and closer to the mainlands. The warmth of afternoon has long since deserted them, leaving him at the mercy of winter's clutches. He shivers, noticing the way his breath puffs out in front of him in little white clouds.
"How much further?" Stoick asks, steering Thornado closer to Toothless so Hiccup can hear him.
"We're almost there." Hiccup replies, turning around to make sure Ambereyes and Scorch are still behind them. He offers them a small smile. "Don't worry, girl." He says. "We'll get this straightened out."
She coos in response and Scorch bounces, happily on her back. He, at least, seems excited about the trip...
"Son," Stoick begins. There's a kind of apologetic expression on his face when he says, "Not that I don't think you can convince them but...I think you should let me do the talking when we get there...I just think that these strangers will have a better chance of listening to the chief than...a fourteen year old boy."
Hiccup seems thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, you're right." He agrees.
Stoick nods. "Let's just hope they listen to reason..." At that moment, the shore of the mainlands comes into view. Hiccup swallows, remembering how they were attacked last time they were here.
We'll have to be careful...these people seem dangerous. He can't help but remember the fire-canon that burned Ambereyes. As well as the scorch mark on Scorch's chest. "Come on, the village is just a little farther." He tells his father.
Stoick nods and follows Hiccup as they glide above the tree tops. Stoick glances at his son and his eyes go wide. In this lighting, riding on the back of a Night Fury, Hiccup almost looks...dangerous. Stoick shivers and turns away. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd think Hiccup, his boy, looks menacing. A few months ago, that would have made him the proudest man alive. Now, he can't help but wonder what thoughts are going through Hiccup's head to make him scowl like that...
"We're here." Hiccup announces just as they reach the edge of the forest. He and Stoick stop, alerting Ambereyes to stop as well. They hover above the trees for a moment. "What do you think we should do?" He asks his father.
"Flying in there on dragons won't help our situation. They might try to shoot us down."
Hiccup nods in agreeance.
"Let's find a place to land. We'll talk to them first, bring in dragons in later."
Hiccup pats Toothless's side. "You heard him, bud." With that, Toothless lowers to the ground. Hiccup scoots out of the saddle and takes a breath to steady his nerves. "Alright. You guys stay here." He says to the dragons. He immediately notices the way Toothless moves a little closer, as if not realizing he's a part of the 'dragons'. "That means you, Toothless." He clarifies, folding his arms.
The Night Fury drones, unhappily and glares at his Rider. He's sick of being left behind.
"I know, bud." Hiccup says, apologetically, cupping his friend's head in his hands. "But it'll be safer for everyone if you stay here." Leaning in close, he whispers, "Besides, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the others, make sure they don't get into trouble while we're gone."
Toothless still doesn't exactly seem happy, or even fooled by the fake mission given by his Rider. But he contents himself with laying down in the tall grass and scowling off into the distance.
Hiccup laughs a little at his friend's attitude and he shakes his head. "We'll be back soon." He and Stoick start toward the village, reminding their dragons, one last time, to stay put.
The first time he was here, Hiccup hadn't exactly been paying attention to the village, itself. He was more focused on not being shot down by the townspeople. But now that he's here, on the ground and in minimal danger, there's few things he notices about the place.
First of all, the buildings are odd to him. They don't have the familiar arched roofs and they aren't decorated with shields and images of dragons. These buildings have angular, slanted roofs and are rather boring to look at. Their windows are fogged up by the cold but there's a warm glow emanating from within. Snow blankets the whole town and icicles hang from the trees and houses.
In the center of town, there's a large fountain full of frozen water. A huge statue adorns the top of it. Hiccup tilts his head, studying it. It's a person riding on...something, some kind of animal. The person is wearing a full suit of armor and carrying a heavy-looking shield in one hand. The other hand is grasping a sharp sword which is pointed toward the sky. Hiccup isn't sure who this person is supposed to be, but he's positive that he must be a warrior of some kind.
"This place is strange." Stoick comments as he studies the town.
"Yeah it is." Hiccup moves a little closer to the fountain, seeing that there's a plaque near its base. Written on the plaque is the name 'Merek the Dragon Slayer'. I guess this guy was a famous dragon killer or something. He frowns. This might be tougher than I thought...
"Can I help you?"
Hiccup and Stoick spin around to face the unfamiliar voice. There's a woman standing behind them, holding a rolling pin in her hands. She stares at them for a second, obviously not sure what to make of them.
"My, my..." She mutters, eyeing up their clothing, Stoick's wild beard and Hiccup's metal leg. "You two some kind of traveling show or something?"
"No." Stoick answers, stiffly. "We're here to discuss something with the leader of this village. Where is he?"
The woman snorts, humorously. "You want to speak to Lord Merek? Who do think you are?"
"I am Stoick the vast,"
"Indeed." She cuts in, looking at his gut.
Stoick glares at her, clearing his throat. "I am chief of the Island of Berk."
"Oh? That so?" Next, her beady-eyed gaze flicks to Hiccup. "And who's this?"
"My son." Stoick answers. "Hiccup."
She raises an eyebrow at that. "Why'd you say hiccup just now?"
"Because that's my name." Hiccup tells her, not understanding why she would be confused.
"Your name is Hiccup?"
The two Berkians nod.
"Poor boy." She mutters. "Anyway, I doubt you'll be able to speak to Lord Merek until morning anyway, so why don't you-"
"Martha!" Another voice exclaims.
Oh great, more introductions. Hiccup growls to himself.
A man pokes his head out the door of a nearby house. "Are you planning on standing out there all night?"
The woman, Martha, turns to him and shouts, "I'll be in when I'm good and ready!"
"Ma'am." Hiccup says, deciding he feels impatient.
She looks back at him, a little scowl on her wrinkled face. "What is it, Hiccup?"
"Are you sure there's no way we can-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone flinches at the sound of the scream.
"What was that?!" Hiccup gasps, whipping his gaze all around the village. Stoick grabs his son's shoulder, protectively. Martha's eyes bulge out and she runs inside, slamming the door behind her.
Suddenly, someone bursts forth from the woods. His face is pale and his eyes frantic. "EVERYONE! DRAGONS IN THE FOREST! DRAGONS IN THE FOREST!"
Hiccup goes stiff. Toothless...! "Dad, come on we've got to-" But he's too late. The streets flood with villagers, all of which immediately look to Stoick and Hiccup with suspicious scowls on their faces. Clearly, they aren't used to visitors. Most of them are armed and start taking off toward the woods. NO! Hiccup yanks free of his father's grasp and tries squeeze through the crowd. I need to get to Toothless before they do!
"Everyone stop!" The booming voice cuts through all the frantic cries and shouts like a knife through butter. Everyone goes still, including Hiccup. The armed men pause at the brink of the trees and look back, lowers their weapons. A man, dressed in a fancy tunic and woolen cape, steps in the road. The throngs of people split in order to let him through. "You know the rules. We let the dragons come to us. That makes it easier." He stops walking and stares at Stoick for a moment. "It seems we have some guests..." He notes. "Welcome to Cedany. I am the Lord of this town, Merek."