Hello! Sorry it's been a while. But the good news is that I have most of the next chapter already complete, so hopefully I'll have that up sooner then I've been updating before.
Chapter 11: Final Scare
...
On the Isle of Berk, Stoick the Vast stood at the base of the stairs that lead up to the stage they built there in the plaza for the Harvest Scare Festival Bomb Fire. The bomb fire roared in the center of the plaza, keeping everyone warm from the cooling night air of the mid-autumn, with still enough room for a lot of people to stand in front of the stage with the fire at their backs, and a few straying Vikings further back if they couldn't get closer. The bomb fire was a good light source, but there was a torch on both ends of the stage to give more light for those who'd go on to tell their terrifying tale.
The chief's attention frequently went back and forth from the black skies to Gobber on the stage, regaling to the crowd with a chilling tale of the legend of the Lycanwing.
The Festival was almost over and Hiccup and the other riders hadn't come back like he said they would.
It was getting late. If the riders didn't show up by the time Gobber had finished his story, the chief would have to announce that the story telling part of the bomb fire was over and everyone way free to go back to their houses for the night or linger a bit longer to eat, drink, and socialize.
And of course Stoick didn't want to do that. He knew that this was Hiccup and the gang's first Harvest Scare Festival as eighteen year olds, and not one of them wanted to miss their first chance to go up and tell a scary story for the village. So the chief could only assume the worst when they were down to the last story of the night, and there had still been no sign of any of the young adults all day.
Stoick had half a mind to hop on Skullcrusher's back and head out to look for them himself, until a black, shadowy figure caught the corner of his right eye, back towards his house. Stoick dashed, fast but cautiously, around the corner to the stone steps that lead to his home, and there on the front lawn, was his son and Night Fury.
"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted to his son, but at least tried to be quiet enough to not disturb the story telling.
"Dad," Hiccup whisper/shouted, jogging over to his father. Toothless trailing behind him.
"Where in Thor's name have you been!? You and the other riders should have been back hours ago," the chief scolded his son, outraged but more relieved that his son was alright. But he grew concerned again when he looked behind his son; there was no one else around. "And where are the others?"
"I'm sorry Dad, really I am," the young heir apologized. "The others are on the other side of the Great Hall," Hiccup pointed up, passed the bigger stone steps to the area on the opposite side from there house. "As for us being late, that's kind of a long story, which will be explained on stage in just a minute," Hiccup reassured.
"Well just a minute is all you've got, because Gobber is almost done with his story," Stoick gestured with his thumb behind him, back towards the plaza.
"Is there anyone else lined up to go?"
"No. I was going to end the story telling for the night after him if you didn't show up," Stoick explained. "But Hiccup, everyone is pretty tired. I think it's a bit late for six more stories."
"Which is why we all only have one story prepared," Hiccup grinned. "Well, I say story but it's really more of a skit. A performance. The perfect closing for the Bomb Fire."
Stoick thought it over for only a moment before smiling himself. "Well, alright then. Just make sure you're all ready to go. I'll announce you and the other riders as soon as Gobber is finished." Stoick started to turn and walk back to the plaza, but Hiccup had a bit more to say.
"Wait Dad," he called after his father before taking too many steps. Stoick turned back to his son, listening. Hiccup rubbed his arm, not entirely sure how to ask this. "Before we go on, I need to ask for a sort of, uh… 'special permission' from the chief."
Stoick raised an eyebrow, but nodded, letting his son elaborate on the question.
Berkians clapped as Gobber finished his story with a bow. The blacksmith even blew a quick kiss to the crowd as he walked off the stage, down the small set of stairs, and up to his oldest friend.
"Any sign of 'em?" the one armed, one legged man asked concerned, giving a quick glance up to the night sky.
"Yes, I just spoke with Hiccup. Apparently, he and the other riders have a 'special little show' for us all," Stoick explained briefly. He knew a bit more, but Hiccup gave him specific instructions to not say anything more.
"Oh, is that so?" Gobber asked rhetorically, an amused and challenged grin on his face. "Well let's just see it top mine," he said confidently before walking off to grab a tankard of cider and watch this performance from the crowd with everyone else.
Stoick shook his head with a grin before walking up the stairs and onto the stage.
"Yes, yes, thank you everyone," Stoick raised his hand, silencing the crowd to let him speak. "My son and his friends, the other dragon riders, have finally returned-" the crowd of Vikings started applauding again, a bit louder this time, happy to hear the news. They all knew their heroes had not been among them all day for the festival and were glad to know they were back; and just in time too. Stoick silenced them with his hand again before continuing. "…they have returned, and they all have a very special performance for us tonight." As he spoke, they all heard the sounds of wings flapping and the roars of several dragons. Everyone looked up and saw a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronckle, a Nadder, a Zippleback, and a Night Fury, all hovering above them. Each with an eighteen year old rider.
That was Stoick's cue.
"So, without further ado; telling the last story of the Harvest Scare Festival, your Berk Dragon Riders!" Everyone cheered as the riders on their dragons dived down, Stoick exited off the stage as they all landed there. Luckily the stage was built big enough and strong enough to support and fit them all on. They needed lots of space for this show.
The riders stayed mounted, waiting for the crowd to quiet down so they could begin. As soon as they were silent, Hiccup spoke, starting they're tale.
Hiccup: "Just yesterday, before coming back here to our home for this night, we explored the small, but mysterious land of the Fireworms."
And with that, all the riders on stage dismounted their dragons.
Ruffnut: "We landed our dragons and walked through the forest. Trees tall and twisted. Some burnt and charred. With leaves as red as blood."
Large, burnt logs were risen on the sides of the stage; representing said trees. The other riders pulled autumn colored leaves, most of them red as blood, out of their pockets and tossed them over the stage's edge to the crowd.
Fishlegs: "We eventually came upon a cave. With the light of a few torches, we ventured in the darkness." [Hiccup, Astrid, and Ruffnut pulled out one torch each and had their dragon light it. The light of the stages main torches faded a bit.] "Eventually coming upon a chamber with lit candles, just sitting there on a stone." [Then, pushed onto center stage, was a large stone pedestal with lit candles on top.]
Tuffnut: "And before we could think of our next move, the cave filled with the horrible hissing of the Fireworms that lived there. And we tried to block the echoing cries," [The hissing of dragons, unseen by the crowd, not all that loud at all, was heard by everyone in the plaza. The riders all covered their ears with what free hands they had, 'in pain' from the noise.] "Those of us with torches were attacked by an unseen force. Striking us from the shadows, one by one, and extinguishing our torches to blind us." [A shadowy figure started 'attacking' Hiccup, Astrid, and Ruffnut; their torches went out as the fell to the floor. The stage main torches dimmed even more.]
Snotlout: "When we were left with only the light of the candles, we had to rely on the fiery coat of our group's Monsterous Nightmare to light our way out." [Snotlout gestured to Hookfang to flame up, but the Stoker dragon just sniffed at the riders who were still on the stage's floor.] "…to light our way out!" he repeated a bit louder. [Hookfang snapped out of his distraction and finally flamed up, also lighting the stage torches back up to their full glow.]
When the stage lit up again, Hiccup, Astrid, and Ruffnut got back up to their feet. The group mimed walking.
Astrid: "After we stepped back into the light of day, we found something that made us wish we stayed back in the caves." [A shadowy figure, covered by a thick cloak, entered from stage left. All the riders and dragons stopped in their tracks.] "There, standing outside the cave, just waiting for us, was a witch."
Tuffnut: "The Witch of Fireworm Island."
Hiccup: "Floating around her, orbs of fiery light. And in her arms, the most bizarre, plump plant of glowing orange." [Three of the floating orbs from the island came in behind her, hovering above her. And in her arms was said glowing plant.]
The crowd gasped at the sight of this extra person and the floating light that surrounded them.
Ruffnut: "And just as fast as it took us to look at her, eels were thrown at us," [The figure in the cloak threw a couple of eels (which were actually rags, sewed together and stuffed to look like them) at them.] "Scaring our dragons greatly, making them fly away without us." [All the dragons on stage either flew or ran off the stage; the riders reaching after them, 'beckoning' them not to go.]
Astrid: "When we were alone with the witch, the floating lights came at us," [The orbs moved left; closer to the riders. The riders all raised their arms; trying to 'shield' themselves from the creepy things.] "And while we were distracted, the witch lunged at us, taking one of our friends," [The cloaked figure, having put the 'pumpkin' off stage a second before, came over and grabbed Tuffnut by both his arms.] "And dragged him off with her into the forest." [And the witch 'dragged' a 'struggling' Tuffnut off stage left.]
Fishlegs: "After the witch vanished with our friend, the lights followed after her and disappeared as well." [The floating orbs drifted back off stage left.]
Snotlout: "We tried to go after her as well," [The other riders ran off of stage left, only to come running right back on a second later from the same side. All of them with one of the plump orange plants (pumpkins) in their arms.] "But she was gone. But as we walked, we did stumble upon something else." [All the riders placed the 'pumpkins' down on the stage. Then pretended to inspect them curiously.] "A garden that grew the strange, plump, orange plants the witch had; only they were not glowing."
Ruffnut: "As we observed the bizarre plants, we started to hear music. The singing of an angelic voice." [The sound of a beautiful, feminine voice singing a simple string of notes filled the ears of everyone in the plaza.]
Hiccup: "We followed the sound of the beautiful singing and found ourselves at an old hut in the middle of the woods." [The riders mime-walked for a second before a curtain, framed by planks of wood, was pushed out to the edge off stage left.]
Astrid: "We dared ourselves to enter the hut," [Snotlout and Fishlegs went through the curtain, and both came out a second later, carrying Tuffnut; 'unconscious.'] "And there inside, was our friend. Out cold but still breathing." [The other riders dashed over to him and 'worriedly' looked him over.]
Ruffnut: "We thought things were looking up after finding our friend, but looking up as we were about to leave, those big, plump, orange plants from the garden began to rain down on us all!" ['Pumpkins' started falling onto the stage; nowhere near the riders, but they all still let out screams with every spat.] "Smashing into gooey, orange messes on the ground all around us!"
Hiccup: "We ran from the hut, carrying our still unconscious friend on our backs, as fast as our legs could carry us." [The curtain door was taken away, off stage, as the riders mimed running towards stage right. Still carrying Tuffnut.] "Until we reached a great, gapping trench of stone in the middle of the woods." [Within the small space between the front of the stage and the front of the crowd, stones had been placed in a circle. All the riders stopped before the front on the stage looking down in. At that same moment, all of their dragons came in and laid down in the circle of stones and closed their eyes.]
Fishlegs: "Looking down into said trench, we saw all of our dragons. Like our friend that we had just found in the witch's hut, all of them were alive, but fast asleep."
Astrid: "And directly on the other side of that trench from where we stood, was the witch herself." [The cloaked figure, a hood shadowing their face, stepped onto the stage from the right. All the other riders backed up a bit to stage left, looking at 'the witch' in 'fear.']
Snotlout: "And before we could do anything else, the air around us filled with a herby smoke." [Smoke from off stage on both sides began to cover the stage. Snotlout and Fishlegs laid Tuffnut on the floor of the stage as they and all the riders started to 'cough' heavily. The hooded figure backed off the stage, masked by the smoke.] "We all covered our eyes and coughed feverishly, *cough, cough*. But as the smoke cleared, we saw our dragons fly out of the trench, and come to us." [Their dragons, on cue, opened their eyes and climbed/glided onto the stage to join their riders, as the last of the smoke cleared off.] "And our unconscious friend had awoken as well." [Tuffnut opened his eyes as well and got to his feet.]
Hiccup: "Yet afterwards, we all looked around, and there was no sign of the witch. [The riders looked all around the stage, 'dumfounded.'] "She was gone again."
"Until now!" a crackly, feminine voice from behind them shouted, followed by a wicked laugh. All the riders and their dragons reeled away and dove down to the stage floor 'in terror' from the hooded figure as she appeared behind them, walking down center stage, the three floating lights above her.
Everyone in the crowd let out a gasp or scream as she appeared, laughing her wicked laugh with her arms stretched out wide. As they settled down, all the riders and their dragons on stage got back to their feet, stepping up and standing beside the hooded figure.
Hiccup smiled as he spoke directly to the crowd. "People of Berk, may I introduce, Runa Sauveterre," the heir gestured to the hooded figure, who immediately removed her hood to reveal the face of the eighteen-year-old young lady they had meet on Fireworm Island. "The third and former, Witch of Fireworm Island," he proclaimed to his people.
But as they heard this, the Berkians started to whisper and mumble to each other, some with looks of fear, others with distain. Only a handful of them had heard the actual legend of the witch that lives on the island of the Fireworms, but everyone else were just unsettled by the name 'witch.' Two or three even reached for their weapons. Runa saw this and was frightened. Tuffnut was the first to notice and stepped out in front of her, shielding her from the crowd.
"Quiet, all of you!" Tuffnut yelled to the audience at the top of his lungs. Everyone, on and off the stage became silence, looking at the male Thorston twin's serious expression in surprise. "Our story isn't finished yet." Tuffnut then looked to his right, to Hiccup, gesturing to him with his eyes to continue. Hiccup smiled with a nod before turning back to the crowd.
"Runa here, lives on Fireworm Island. She used to live there with her mother and her grandmother, but now, sadly, it's just her," Hiccup explained, patting Runa's shoulder sympathetically before continuing. "When we heard the story of a witch that lived on that island, among the Fireworms, we were intrigued, so we went there to explore and see if it was true. But by the end of our journey, we discovered that the legend was actually wrong." Every Viking in the crowd listened closer; this all sounded very familiar. "The witch from the stories from decades ago are of Runa's grandmother frightening them away. But she didn't frighten them away because she was a cruel, wicked witch. She wasn't even a real witch, she had no magic. And neither was her mother, or Runa. She just said she was to keep travelers away from her island to protect herself and her daughter. And when Runa was born, she protected her too." Hiccup paused, letting what he just said sink in with the crowd before continuing. But Runa beat him to it. If she wanted these people to accept her, she needed to let them know she could speak to them like the other young adults on stage with her. Squaring her shoulders, Runa stepped out from behind Tuffnut's shoulder and faced the audience of Vikings herself.
"In the village my grandmother grew up in, she was very different. She was a healer. A very gifted healer, but her ways were odd and strange to the people of her village. And so they labeled her as wicked. But believe me when I say that she was not a witch. And when she left that place with my mother and settled on Fireworm Island, she wanted nothing more to do with the outside world because she believed that they would never understand her. They would never accept her, and would always assume people like her had to be feared. Maybe even destroyed. And so, when visitors came to our island, she used their fear to drive them away. So she, my mother, and I, could live in peace." Runa told them honestly. She was surprised with herself she could talk to so many people at the same time. She spent her entire life believing she couldn't go anywhere near other people, but she liked being up on that stage, every one watching her and listening to her with interest and no fear. "Even after mother and grandmother died, I still believed there was no other place for someone like me. That I would always be alone, and that I had to stay on that island for my own good. But after I stopped trying to scaring these people off my island, I discovered that I wasn't so different from them at all," Runa backed up a bit, glancing happily left and right to the riders at her sides. "So, if you'll all have me, I would like to join society here."
Runa and the riders all waited for something to happen, or someone in the crowd to speak up. There were a few more whispers in the crowd before Stoick made his own appearance on the stage, facing them once again.
"Well, we've been wrong about fearing something we thought we understood before. Right everyone?" the chief told the Berkians, giving subtle gestures to a few dragons in the vicinity. As the crowd started to mumble with agreeing nods of their heads, Stoick stepped up closer to their newest guest, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "As chief, I welcome Miss Runa Sauveterre to our island at any time. And as the local residence of our island, I expect you all to also welcome her kindly."
The Berkians muttered for an extra moment before slowly starting to applaud. As their clapping got louder, Runa smiled with the other riders, giving them all a graceful wave. Runa's first feeling was true, she really did like being on a stage. People looking up at her, cheering with kind smiles on they're faces.
Gasping under her breathe in excitement, Runa realized what she had to do. Turning back to the chief by her side, tapped him on the arm to regain his attention. Stoick looked back to the new girl as she gestured for him to lean down to her closer. Stoick did so, allowing Runa to whisper something into his ear. Stoick smiled, and after pulling far enough away, nodded to her.
Stoick raised a hand to quiet down the crowd enough for him to speak again. "And, to officially close our festival, Miss Sauveterre would like to sing us a song." The crowd once again cheered, in anticipation and joy.
The riders, their dragons, and the chief all proceeded to leave the stage while Runa stayed where she was at center stage. Tuffnut straying for an extra second to give her a quick pat on the arm. When she was alone on the stage, she took a deep breath, and sang as she would to amuse herself back on her island.
As the riders take a place in the audience, Hiccup gives a look to Gobber, gesturing up to the stage. The blacksmith gives a solid nod before starting to walk off.
"At night when the lake is a mirror
And the moon rides the waves to the shore
A single soul sets her voice singing
Content to be slightly forlorn."
Gobber, with his panpipes in hand, and a few other Vikings with other instruments with them, walk onto the stage and start to play a complimenting tune with the song of their visiting performer.
"A song rises over the lilies
Sweeps high to clear over the reeds
And over the bulrushes swaying
To pluck at a pair of heartstrings.
Two voices, now they are singing
Then ten, as the melody soars
Round the shimmering pond all are joining in song
As it carries their reverie on.
Over the treetops and mountains
Over the blackened ravines,
Then softly it falls by a house near a stream
And over the garden wall
To thee."
Every Viking, the riders included, all applaud and cheer, twice as loud as before. Runa smiled bigger and brighter than she has in years, curtsying to the crowd before gesturing for the musicians up with her to also take a bow.
The song I used here was another song from Over the Garden Wall, called 'Over the Garden Wall'.
This chapter was supposed to contain bits of the rest of the festival, but I think it got too long and I haven't updated this in awhile. So since I at least had this part complete, I thought I'd post this scene and the next chapter will be the aftermath of the festivities. Then there will an epilogue.
So yeah, about 2 chapters after this I think.
And encase I don't update again before my spring break is over; Happy Easter! ;)