I.

The holding ceils in the arena...

Luca spoke something excitedly in her language and began twisting a piece of twine in between her fingers to show Hiccup. The young man glanced at her patiently as a giant spider formed sketchily in the thin, black threads. He smiled sideways before turning to leer off into the shadow below them. This was where Toothless was, waiting for Hiccup.

ooo

"You come to me with questions, Emilian." His soon - to - be father - in - law Evan, the Gypsy king and father of Luca, said as the young man entered the tall, hollowed out tree - tent. When the prince told him that it was to provide him with information, he froze up.

His brown eyes rose to meet Emilian, the man then stroked his dark beard speculatively and pulled his blood - red robes closer around his body. "And this knowledge you bring?"

The young man bowed his head. "A Viking, my king. Possibly sent from your old friend Gobber of Berk." he carefully looked up to see his superior. "Surprisingly, I have some idea of why he is here." Evan studied him closely for answers. "The Night Fury, m'lord."

With a disbelieving huff, the king rose to his feet. Emilian fell to one knee in obedience.

"So what do you make of the Viking?" He stepped forward and stopped parallel with his future son - in - law. "Is he someone who would help with ridding us of those terrorizing Thunder Angels." his voice took on a disgusted note. "Next to those Thunder Drums…"

"He is with him."

"What?" the man's sharp eyes fell on Emilian.

"I believe the Viking is in league with the dragon, my king."

Evan stared up through the spacious sequoia a moment and an idea dawned on him which caused his whole face to brim with enlightenment. "My boy," his long, thin fingers rested on the young prince's shoulder. "If what you say is true, I have a verdict on his fate now."

Emilian wrinkled his forehead.

"The Viking is young."

"As I suspected when you told me."

"He will do whatever it takes in his naiveté to protect the Night Fury."

"Then we must do everything in my power to win over his trust."

A wicked grin flashed across the young man's rich brown face.

"To kill off the last Night Fury and eliminate the Thunder Angels?"

Evan broke out in a loud, booming laugh. "Oh, of course!"

Emilian joined in with his king.

"And to stop the Night Furies from ever birthing again." the older man growled.

His subordinate ceased laughter as his master spoke more deliberately.

"With proper control and precision, we may train this remaining Night Fury to lead us to the Angels." A heaviness settled over the twosome. "And if we are able to kill off them in the process with it, perhaps we can deceive the Viking boy to accompany us. Emilian…?"

"… Sire?"

"Befriend the boy." Evan spoke fast now. "Teach him everything you can to ready him."

"Why?"

"Because," the Gypsy king said in a low voice, "we can use his ties to the dragon."

"And end the Night Fury upon killing the Thunder Angels?"

His master chuckled deviously.

"Something like that. Or perhaps, we can raise it to a higher caliber to remind old Gobber that you never walk out on a deal with a gypsy. No, child, we shall need Besnik for that."

II.

Hours passed and Hiccup waited with half his face concealed by his wrapped arms as the sun finally hit it's pivotal descending mark by touching the tips of the trees. He looked up with some curiosity from his knees pressed to his chest as sounds came from below and a small glimpse of red on black caught his eyes. Red? Hiccup blinked fast. 'The red... is blood!'

"Toothless," he muttered in worry from between his teeth.

"Hiccup," Luca touched his arm as he tried to jump down from the wooden rafter the two were on. The man waited anxiously as she strapped a black hooked cord to the back of a harness she'd had to attach to him so she could pull him up with her; she was an acrobat.

The Viking gave Luca a gentle pat on the arm, reminded of Astrid at this age, and stayed calm while she lowered him down to where a large, hulking form breathed on the ground. Toothless's breathing came out in low, rattling gusts of air compared to the labored ones he had displayed one day and night ago. Hiccup hobbled forward on his knee pole, half - suspended in air like a puppet as Luca helped to anchor his weight from above. He gave a shudder and laid his body against the sleeping, injured dragon, uncaring of how he looked to anyone. Emitting a seething noise, Hiccup started to work out on how to free his friend.

"Oh, bud…" He sadly traced a line inches above a bare flesh wound. "I'm so sorry."

The dragon reacted immediately to his voice - as he always did - and flashed an eye open.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried joyfully, feeling his eyes grow moist. "Bud, are you okay?"

"Find!" Luca giggled from up above.

"Yeah, find." He turned to look her way in gratitude. "Help. Get. Out. now?"

A shuffling sound from outside the ceil put the Night Fury on alert.

"Bud, it's okay," Hiccup stuck his hand out, whispering fast, "We're springing you."

In a completely conscious act, Toothless growled at him.

"Huh?" He stumbled away. "Uh, bud," his hand reached out instinctively. "Why - ?"

The Night Fury released a deep - throated roar this time. Hiccup shook his head in total disbelief as his friend rose to his feet and sent him a merciless glare out of one eye. He shook his pink - scabbed hide, lapped at the biggest slash inflection and turned away so that his back was to Hiccup. The Viking was speechless, utterly in shock at his open fury.

"I - I don't… know how to respond to this, Toothless."

His 'friend' growled again when he sensed Hiccup reach for him a third time.

"Toothless…?"

There was no response.

"Bud, I need you. You know that." a catch in his voice made him stand straighter. "I - ,"

"Whose in there!.?" Someone questioned harshly.

In an instant, Hiccup was being hauled up.

"NO!" He fought against his restraints. "Toothless!"

The dragon didn't move an inch in Hiccup's direction as the Viking was reasoned with in Luca's bizarre language. She spoke so fast and he tried so hard to reach his friend who very easily ignored him. This couldn't be, Hiccup's mind was drawing a blank, Toothless couldn't forget him. It wasn't possible, it was incomprehensible. Was he still mad at him?

"I'm sorry." Hiccup finally conceded to Luca's protesting pulls but his decision to go and leave Toothless, in all the insanity that it implied, was hardly his own. He couldn't move.

And if he couldn't move, how could he control himself?

III.

Luca rode out on Mayla with the Viking visitor riding behind her, his hands absently were clasped around her thin waist as twilight was on the forested horizon, opposite the stumps of hollowed out sequoias that stretched far and wide in the land of Gaunt - A - Van. Just a moment before she was ready to slide off and lead her horse to water, Hiccup had left her.

The girl turned, fear - stricken, as the young man hobbled off determinedly back the way they had just fled from. She tried to call out to him and reason with him again but Hiccup only ignored her as he grasped an unoccupied sequoia branch. "Why should I trust you?"

Her new friend's gruffness made her draw back as she ran his way.

"Trust?"

"You saved my life. So what?" Hiccup's shoulders gave a tremble. "Toothless did that too."

"Found Toothless." She reminded him.

"Whatever!" He threw his arms out in exasperation and stumbled onward. "If you won't help me save him, than I will. I - ," he fell to his only knee. "I'm not going to let him die!"

Luca walked over and placed a hand on Hiccup's back as it heaved; he was sobbing quiet, hushed sobs, "Not gonna let'im suffer like this; Odin - 'specially like I did back in Berk." The realization that Toothless was in grave trouble and he was powerless left him distraught.

"Berk?" She repeated in recognition.

The Viking looked up with his stinging eyes at her.

"You know where that is, Luca?"

The gypsy smiled.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~