Chapter 12: Attack On Tijike
(Hiccup POV):
"DRAGON RIDERS COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH!"
I squeeze Astrid's shoulders tighter releasing a deep breath. Tijike is a good twenty feet away at the most. The surrounding wall is starting to dot with little fires as the men prepare their flaming arrows.
It looks almost exactly how I remember it. Dirty, wet, and surprisingly vegetated. There's a huge forest on the left that the rising sun is gliding down across making the water droplets glitter. I gnaw on my inner lip and Astrid looks back at me, giving a reassuring smile.
I. Hate. Tijike.
I never wanted to see the island again, the idea of curling up with a blanket burying my head and pretending the world doesn't exist is starting to appeal more. With Toothless. And Astrid.
"FIRE!"
Seventy plus arrows sing through the open air towards us.
"SCATTER!" I command and Astrid tugs Stormfly's saddle upwards spinning. The other riders split apart and the arrows sail past us.
"READY YOUR ARROWS!" A commanding officer from the island roars, "PREPARE THE CATAPULTS!"
"Hiccup!" Astrid cries in distress looking back at me. "This isn't going to work!"
Barf and Belch glide up next to us followed by the other dragons. Alright, c'mon Hiccup. Think, think, think…
Obviously, the first plan is not going to work. I mutter a curse in Latin under my breath heavily before looking up. It was just sort of an idea, a rough draft. That is why plan B is always more thought out than A. Usually, they're "adjust as needed".
We need them to think that we retreated. It would give us an advantage and some time. We need to leave the dragons out of danger, who knows what Jink will do if he gets his hands on them. If we make for the forest and send the dragons off no one will be able to tell a difference from this time of the day. If we hurry.
I duck and arrow and toss my long bangs from my face, "Grab your weapons and make for the forest!" I yell. Astrid looks back at me, surprised but nods not questioning the order.
"Go!" Astrid commands. The other riders break apart spinning and diving to avoid the counter attacks. Me and Astrid duck a boulder and said Hofferson clenches her teeth twisting around to look back at me, "I hope you know what you're doing, Dragon Boy!"
I tighten my grip and shake my head, "Do I ever!?"
Astrid sighs...and repeats my earlier curse.
"FIRE!"
Another wave of flaming arrows whips through the air and Astrid and I both duck close to Stormfly's back. Astrid grabs Stormfly's saddle and turns her in a steep sideways dive towards the trees. The flaming arrows sail after us, but with Astrid's flying and Stormfly's quick reflexes, they don't touch us.
I narrow my eyes as the ground comes closer and with a quick inhale, I grab Astrid's shoulder swinging off of the dragon hitting the ground in a low crouch, pain shoots up my legs but I ignore it turning to look back as Astrid jumps off of Stormfly's back a second later, axe in hand. Snotlout and Fishlegs land the latter of the two heavily panting. Astrid blinks.
"Where are the twins?"
Snotlout and Fishlegs share a look, "I dunno." Snotlout answers. His voice is serious, holding a level of focused that isn't seen very often.
I clench my sweaty palms trying to calm my racing nerves. What if they were caught? Did they get hit? I told you it was a bad idea, Haddock. Shut up.
"HICCUP!" Tuffnut screeches. I whip my head around looking back as Barf and Belch coming speeding down towards us a blur of color. Before they even hit the ground, Tuffnut jumps off of Belch's neck landing heavily on his knees gritting his teeth. I hardly pay attention to the small detail my eyes wide as I stare at Ruffnut.
Tuffnut is clutching his sister close to his chest and she's offering no struggle. Her eyes are tightly closed and Astrid inhales sharply as she spots the same thing I do. Sticking out of the older Thorsten's shoulder is an arrow.
Fishlegs's breathing picks up rapidly. "Oh Thor." Astrid breathes.
I move forward as if pulled by strings, "Bandages, we need bandages," I say and turn back to Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout who stare at me. "Did no one bring any!?"
Astrid snaps back into gear running towards Stormfly. "Tuffnut you need to set her down we have to pull the arrow out." I say and Tuffnut nods stiffly his eyes wide and distant. He kneels on the ground slowly and sets his sister down.
Ruffnut groans slightly and her eyelids flutter but she otherwise remains limp. I step to the side as Fishlegs moves forward. We all have a basic medical training, when you live on an island that used to be attacked by dragons on a weekly basis, you kind of half too but Fishlegs and Ruffnut are on top of all of us in the medical department.
Astrid tosses the bandages to Fishlegs and the Ingerman boy catches them a second later. "Tuffnut you're going to want to hold down her arms and torso." Fishlegs instructs quietly. Tuffnut nods stiffly and leans forward securing the limbs.
I grit my teeth and look towards the left slightly as Fishlegs wraps his hands around the arrow shaft. Ruffnut lets out a shriek a second later and shoves into a sitting position slapping Fishlegs. "Odin's Ghost, pal!" She shouts angrily.
Fishlegs rubs his face, looking at her like she offended his mother. "Hey! I was only trying to help."
Ruffnut moans and grips her shoulder before turning her gaze right to look at Tuffnut, "Next time, just duck idiot." She rips the bandages from Fishlegs with her good arm and stands, looking tired but fine.
"Ruffnut-" I start to protest and she looks up at me scowling angrily.
"Save it, pal." She lifts her left hand up, wincing before unrolling the bandages and starting to slip them around her skin. As soon as she's done she sighs in slight relief before looking back at us like nothing happened.
This is all your fault Haddock. If you hadn't dragged them along then Ruffnut would be fine. If they hadn't come after me, I'd be dead. They wanted to go. But if they didn't...just pitying you. Shut up. Get. Out. Of. My. Head.
I shake said head slightly to clear my thoughts before looking back at my team. "Send the dragons into the air, tell them to loop around the island." I command. The other riders stare at me dumbfounded for a moment.
"I'm sorry...what?" Tuffnut asks.
"Oh, sure, genius. Let's send our fire breathing companions into the air, away from where they can help us so we can ALL get killed. Truly, a masterful plan." Snotlout comments. I, true to my skill set, ignore him.
I glance behind us towards the towering wall. "Send the dragons up, we need them to think we retreated."
Astrid's eyes dawn with realization, "The sun is rising, if we send them east Tijike won't realize we aren't on them because they can't stare at the sun." She thinks aloud.
"Oh," Fishlegs breathes. He turns and waves Meatlug up towards the sky. Ruffnut, Tuffnut Astrid and Snotlout quickly follow with their dragons and soon it's just the six of us standing here. Astrid grips her axe tighter, her fingers death gripping the hilt.
"We need to get to the prison. Ruff, Tuff, I need you to get to their great hall and distract Jink and Hitisha." I say looking over at them. Truthfully, it would just be easier to have them come with us but with Ruffnut's shoulder I don't want to risk it. "I don't care what you do, just keep them in there." I command. "The village is that way." I point north in it's general direction.
Ruffnut smirks. "On it. C'mon bro." She commands and grabs her brother's shoulder with her left hand dragging him with her.
"Oh! I have the perfect plan." Tuffnut assures grinning widely. "How about-" their voices quickly drown out as the siblings breaking into a run away from us.
"Alright, the rest of us are going to the prison. Toothless should be there." I say and Astrid nods.
"Lead the way," She says gesturing ahead of us.
Fishlegs sighs, "I have a bad feeling about this."
000o000
After nearly an hour of stressfully working through the forest, stopping to listen to sounds and ducking at unreal attacks we finally break into the village. My nerves are jumping so high it's starting to get ridiculous.
I stare at the town. The houses are messily placed with what seems to be no order just where you can fit it. The town square is mostly empty, save a few women and children in it. I hum under my breath moving left. "It's this way." I say memories of my last encounter here permanently engraved into my brain.
I had to find my way to the prison barefoot with a giant burn across my back last time. Now, it's a stab wound. Hooray.
I bite my lip heavily to keep the thought from making it to open air before moving forward silently. I'm can't really remember what it feels like to not be running on adrenaline anymore. After what I'd guess ten minutes, we finally make it to the trees surrounding the entrance. Two guards are stationed outside of it, looking incredibly bored.
The first is picking at his ear slightly and then pulls his hand back his eyes widening with surprise. After clearing his throat, (rather awkwardly) the man wipes the earwax on his chestplate. "Ugh, Garry, you've got to get that checked out." The man next to him groans.
"I don't know what's up, there's just always so much of it." Garry sighs.
I narrow my eyes a deadpan look crossing over my face. Astrid narrows her eyes. "What's the plan?" She hisses.
"We need to get past the guards." I answer. Honestly, I doubt that they'll be much of a challenge.
"Let me-" Snotlout starts to but Astrid slams her axe into his chest.
"Hold this."
She leaps over the brush we were hiding behind, "Astrid-" I start protest, a wave of protectiveness for her washing over me. By the time the last syllable escapes my lips, Astrid's already leapt onto the not-Garry guard. She wraps her arm around his neck in a choke hold and Garry lets out a very unmanly squeak of surprise.
Astrid swings her leg forward tugging not-Garry to the ground and kicking Garry away. Garry groans in pain then grabs his sword from his sheathe lifting it up towards her. Astrid leaps backwards pushing on her hands before she shoves up and twists through the air landing on the man's chest. Garry goes down on the ground hard, smacking his head against it, unconscious instantly. Astrid catches the falling sword and turns back to us.
"C'mon." She hisses shoving the sword into the ground and grabbing Garry's keys.
I blink several times in surprise and Snotlout sighs, "Oh she is so awesome."
No kidding.
We move towards her in a daze and Astrid rips her axe away from Snotlout as soon as he comes close enough shoving the key into the lock. She swings the door open revealing the dark hallway. My eyes widen as I see it memories crashing through my head. Being dragged up and down the hall-pain, so much pain.
Astrid rests a hand on my shoulder as if sensing my thoughts and gives it a quick squeeze. I look back at her giving a tight lipped smile. We move forward, me leading the group. My peg makes a soft clank every time I step, so I place most my weight onto my right foot.
We're silent as we slide through the halls, passing the empty cells. There's a pattering of feet that follows us everywhere and in the silence, it might as well have been screaming. After a few minutes it still doesn't stop. "Snotlout," Astrid hisses, "quiet down or so help me-" she starts to growl.
"It's not me!" My cousin argues. "Fishface-"
"I'm not making it either." Fishlegs defends.
"But if I'm not making it, and you're not making it, and she's not making it, and Hiccup's not then who-" Snotlout starts.
I come to a halt in front of a cell me eyes widening. Astrid smacks into my back and I stumble a step, "What is it?" Astrid hisses.
"No, no, no," I chant under my breath grabbing the edges of my hair and tugging at it.
"Hiccup-" Astrid starts again.
"He's not here."
"What?"
"Toothless isn't here, Astrid." I answer looking at the empty cell in horror. My eyes sweep across the rest of the hall. No dragons, no nothing. Toothless isn't here. Did they move him somewhere else? Did they...kill him?
Astrid's blue eyes widen and something catches her eye above us before she gasps, "Hiccup look out!" I snap my head upwards before a figure shoves me to the ground slamming their knee inbetween my shoulder blades.
"AGH!" I yelp in pain before a hand rips at my hair pulling a dagger to my throat.
"Hey!" Snotlout protests, "Get your hands off him you filthy little-"
A hand grabs Snotlout's arm and within a few seconds and a few punches, Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout are all unarmed and struggling in the grip of a Tijike soldier. The man grabbing my scalp tugs me to my feet, keeping the dagger firmly pressed against my neck.
I inwardly curse. A trap. Of course it's a trap. The man behind me breathes sharply and I gag. "Well, well, well," Jink laughs and a dozen or so torches light immediately the dark shadows are swept away light taking their place. Hitisha and Jink stand at the front and towards the back I spot Ruffnut and Tuffnut gagged and manacled.
Jink moves forward smiling happily, his eyes resting on Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs, "When the Prince of Booliga and his loyal ambassador visited me I knew something was up. Of course I knew that you'd be here to avenge him at some point but so soon? I mean really, you have some dedication to your island's dead hei-" his voice stops as his gaze sweeps towards me and for the first time I've seen him, Jink looks surprised.
His eyebrows shoot into the air highly and his stance is rigid.
There's a moment of silence.
"You're supposed to be dead."
I offer a wry grin in response. If I talk, I'm pretty sure that the dagger with go through my voice box or something, it's deep enough. Jink narrows his eyes and nods slightly to the man behind me. He pulls back the weapon and Jink frowns moving forward.
"Well you certainly are hard to get rid of, I'll say that." Jink says gritting his teeth and grabbing the hilt of his dagger.
"Yeah. You can go talk to the last seventy people who've tried to kill me about it; it must be so frustrating." I say in response. Jink's eyes flash with anger.
"Oh, that smart tongue. I'll wipe it off you. Your spirit's fun to crack." Jink says. I grit my teeth glancing at Astrid, my cousin and Fishlegs.
"Jink, listen, I'm the one you want. Just let the others go, alright? They didn't do anything to-" Jink swings his sword around and pain rocks through my cheek.
"SILENCE!"
It takes me nearly a full two seconds to realize that he smacked me with the butt of the weapon. A hiss of pain escapes my lips and Astrid growls angrily.
With a roar of fury, she rips away from her captors grip and full on tackles Jink. The soldiers around us tense drawing weapons but Hitisha stops them with a raise of her hand. Jink shoves Astrid back pulling out a dagger. Astrid's eyes are narrowed with anger, "Touch him again and I'll kill you." She promises.
Jink rolls his eyes, and with a free hand grabs the back of Astrid's braid and gives it a firm tug pressing the tip of his weapon against her neck so deeply a thin red line bleeds out. "Astrid!" I shout in panic and worm against my captor's grip.
"Move and the girl loses her head." Jink states. I freeze, watching her with horror. Not Astrid...please not Astrid…
"Hey! You-" Snotlout starts to protest but Jink presses the blade deeper and Astrid hisses at the pain.
"That," Jink says coldly, "Includes talking. Take them to a cell." Jink turns to his second in command his words a mere snarl, "Hitisha, take Hiccup Haddock to the executioner's block, he has a missed appointment there."