Chapter 13
Aster blinked and he turned his head a bit, sniffing the air, what was this smell he recognized so well? He turned his head around and looked back at the Nightmare Dragon, and that was when he realized.
"GET OF THE SHIP!" he shouted everyone looked at him in confusion.
"What? Aster what's wrong?" Merida asked looking at him.
"WE DON'T 'AVE TIME FOR BLOODY QUESTIONS! GET OF THE BLOODY SHIP! NOW!" after a bit of hesitation they all jumped into the waters on the side closest to shore, Rapunzel and Toothless helped Hiccup to his feet and over board.
Just as they got their heads over the surface the sound of a cannonball was heard and it cracked the Night Fury in the middle, sending Aster's little office aflame, when the explosives got to hot, and from that explosion the rest of the gunpowder stored on the ship exploded as well, the entire ship seemed to give away a pained cry as it finally snapped in two and began to sink, bubbles and shards from the hull gathered around it.
They all just stared at Aster, who had basically saved their lives.
"How did you…" Rapunzel gasped as she at the same time tried to keep Hiccup's head over the surface, he grimaced in pain as the saltwater brushed over and into the bullet wound, at the same time the world started to grow blurry and dark, he had already lost the feeling in his legs and the sounds of the world around him turned distorted, and soon a darkness overtook him and the last thought that came to his mind where Jack's last words: 'Forget about me…'
"I know the smell of gunpowder better than anyone, and I know what it smells like if it's 'bout to be fired." He growled. "Bloody! We should never have saved the kid!" he shouted hitting his fist into the water, Rapunzel gave him a glare before she returned all her interest to Hiccup, who had grown heavy in the water, and she began to swim towards the shore keeping his head over the surface.
"Don't you dare die on me Hiccup, who is to save Jack if you do?" She whispered so loud only he heard it, if he heard her that was.
Rapunzel laid Hiccup down on the ground quickly removing the belts to get up his shirt easier, she cursed when she saw the wound, the bullet had gotten stuck inside, and if she didn't remove it soon who knew what would happen and what kind of means he would have later on. Toothless sniffed at the wound, growling, before he looked at his captain and human in worry, Hiccup had lost conscious shortly after they landed in the water, and Rapunzel threw other curses around her as he made a primitive bandage around the wound, no longer any medical supplies to use.
She looked up at the others to find Aster and Merida have a vocabulary fight.
"If we hadn't saved tha' kid, then noting of this would 'ave happened." Aster growled.
"It's not his foult!" Merida said glaring at the Pooka.
"Not his fault?! Look at the Night Fury for moons sake!" Aster shouted gesturing to the still burning material and what was left of the ship. "It's his fault; he could have told us to take 'im back to the Nightmare Dragon or gotten off at the closest island." Nicholas and Eugene shared a glance, before the big man sighed deeply, moving one hand to massage the space between his eyes. Aster and Merida kept going but didn't get anywhere.
"SHUT UP!" Rapunzel suddenly shouted they all turned to her in shock. "Hiccup is badly injured an all you think of is: what if's and maybe's! Get your head and mind back in the track of here and now!" she was angry. "We don't have time to fight! Hiccup will die if we don't find a safe place indoors where I can get to take care of him properly and where he and the rest of us can rest!" Rapunzel glared at them all but mostly Aster. "They tricked him. Didn't you hear how he begged for them not to harm us? Don't you dare blame the kid after all this."
Nicholas carried the wounded captain in his arms; Hiccup had started to turn to a sickly pale, and if you didn't see him breathe, you could easily mistake him for being dead.
Rapunzel walked with a constant eye on the captain, and she noticed even the slightest change in his condition.
They walked thru the forest, she and Nicholas along with Toothless who wouldn't leave his human's side walked together, while the others had split up in search for an asylum for them to rest in, but also to wait in till they got a new ship.
The day was starting to end and everyone had returned with no news, expect Merida who still hadn't returned yet.
"Please let her not have been captured." Rapunzel said in a worried voice.
They all sat down in front of a fire, but Nicholas didn't let Hiccup down, because if he placed the captain on the ground, his already falling body warmth would disappear faster.
A sudden rustle in some of the bushes made them all look up and Merida stood there, with a brown haired teen around Jack's age at her side, he had his hair gathered in a tight ponytail at the back of his head where the rest of his hair was short he had a ring on one ear and had blue eyes.
"I found ay place for us ta rest." She said and looked at them with triumph. "And Jim will show us tha way."
"Can we trust 'im?" Aster asked grabbing a hold of the collar to the teen's dark brown jacket.
"The fire-head told me your captain is badly wounded, I can show you the way to the dungeons if you rather want that." He growled back, Aster let go with a grunt when Eugene placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Aster, I know you're angry, but go and fight a rock if it helps, we need this kid's help." He said.
"What your name kid?" Nicholas asked standing up, Hiccup gave away a barely hearable grunt at the sudden move in position.
"My name is James but many often call me Jim…" he looked at them all as he fixed his shirt and jacket "Follow me." He said and led the way into the forest the crew followed.
An old house with two floors become visible, it lied opposite from the city, with a little pier made from wood, where a little boat was fastened. Jim walked over to the door and opened it.
"Come on in." he said and they walked inside. Startling a woman; with brown hair with grey strays gathered in a bun at the back of her head she was cleaning a table, and at her feet a younger child stood around the age of seven, it had a strangely pink tone to its rather blond hair.
"Oh by the stars." She gasped when she saw Hiccup. "Hurry inside; put him down here I will get some water." She hurried out of the room the child staring at them with big eyes, before it ran up to Jim and laughed.
"Pirates! Pirates, Ay o' ho!" Merida looked at the child and gave away a laugh.
Nicholas put Hiccup carefully down on the sofa that stood in the room in front of an open fireplace where a fire burned; he got a pained expression form the captain when he moved him, but it disappeared slowly when he got seated on the sofa.
Rapunzel sighed deeply she had manage with the help of the woman, who was Jim's mother; gotten some primitive stuff to help her get the wound fixed and the bullet out, but she didn't like them. Nicholas sat next to her sterilizing them by putting them in alcohol. Rapunzel removed the primitive bandage, before she looked at Hiccup with a worried look. She then took what she needed and began to search for the bullet in the wound, Hiccup gave away a pained gasp, forcing his teeth together and Nicholas almost had to hold him down, Rapunzel pressed her lips together so hard that they turned to a pale line, and she thought she tasted blood, as she concentrated on what she was doing.
The others had sat down on chairs or were standing resting against a table or windowsill waiting in worry, hoping for the best, even if they knew that hope could vanish in a heartbeat.
Rapunzel cursed now and then, but in the end managed to get the bullet out. She gave away a sound of approval putting the tools away, before she took a needle and thread and began to stitch the wound together, making it easier for it to heal, before she put a big rolled piece of clean fabric and put over the wound and then started to bandage around the wound as tight as it was needed, but still loose enough for Hiccup to be able to breathe. She sighed and sat up stroking the back of her hand and arm over her forehead.
"He lost a lot of blood…" she said tiredly "But I believe he will be fine without a transfusion…" she brushed some of his damp locks away from his face that had gotten a feverish tone, before she removed the drenched cloak from him getting a groan from him, before she placed a wet piece of fabric over his eyes and forehead.
The woman then came walking with a blanket in her arms.
"Here. The nights tend to get cold." Rapunzel stared at the blanket, they must have needed it so much more than them, she looked up at her and smiled tears in her eyes.
"Thank you…" she said and stood up taking the blanked form the woman who smiled back at her.
"I made some soup if anyone would like." They all hummed in agreement, the soup was warm, but thin, and it was needed, they were still wearing half damp clothes after all, Rapunzel gave everyone an order and that was to try and sleep in so few pieces of clothing as they could so the rest could dry properly.
"What was yer name again kid?" Aster asked as he'd finished the bowl of soup he'd been given.
"James Hawkins, but Jim works to."
"Hawkins you say?" Nicholas asked and gave away a thinking hum stroking his brown beard. "Say, are your father a pirate, son?"
"Yeah…" Jim looked at him. "He left for the seas when I was little; I read about him in the news now and then, don't care about him so much as I would wish to..." Nicholas gave away a sad sigh patting the boy on the back.
Toothless sat next to the sofa watching Hiccup in worry when the others ate.
"Hiccup…" he said slowly placing his head next to his human's.
"Toothless, he will be fine, Rapunzel told us so." Pascal was climbing on the sofa looking at him.
"I know…"
"It's something else isn't it…" the chameleon said walking up to Toothless. "You're worried about Jack to."
"You felt the fear he had just as well as I did." Toothless said in a growl.
"Yes I did…" Pascal sighed looking up at Hiccup. "Wonder how he will react when he wakes up…" the chameleon pointed at Hiccup with his tail, Toothless nodded and brushed his head against Hiccup's shoulder. "At least he didn't lose a leg this time." Toothless cast the Chameleon a glare.
"I didn't have another choice; they don't have much to take a locked grip on!"
Hiccup woke up two days later, and when Rapunzel told him what happened to the Night Fury, he bolted upright on the sofa shouting "What!" before Rapunzel pushed him back down.
"The wound is not even close to healed don't you dare make it reopen." She said in a strict voice holding him down, until she was sure he wouldn't try to move in a while.
"What about Jack?" he asked looking at her. She looked away. "Rapunzel, I asked what happened to Jack?"
"That traitor is where he belongs." Aster said in an irritated voice, arms crossed over his chest and glaring out the window where the rain washed down over the glass.
"What." Hiccup's voice got dark. "He didn't betray any of us."
"Then wha' about the Night Fury!?"
"He had nothing to do with it!" Hiccup sat up a bit more.
"What do ye know?" Aster spat "Ye had yer hands full on dying!"
"Aster!" Nicholas boomed; this was getting out of hand.
"No, why." Aster glared at them all "Why did we trust 'im from the beginning? He lied to us at first; 'e could have kept lying for all we know!"
"He did not lie." Rapunzel said looking at Aster with a stern glare. "He lied at first, yes, but then he told us the truth." Aster growled. "But if you still want to see that kid as a traitor, the door is over there." Rapunzel said standing up pointing at the door.
"Hey… calm down now…" Eugene said holding his hands in a worried gesture. "There's no need for this." He looked at them with pleading eyes, but he was ignored.
"As ye wish." Aster spat back giving Rapunzel a last glare before he began to move to the door.
"Aster!" Merida called out but the only reply she got was the door slamming shut behind the Pooka as thunder roared outside.
Rapunzel sank down on the chair she'd been sitting on earlier hiding her face in her hands and took a deep breath.
"Why do things have to be so complicated…" she mumbled out as a silence spread in the room. Jim looked down at them in worry from some of the upper stairs of the staircase, but didn't say anything, and the child didn't say anything either there he stood next to him.
A week had passed since the Night Fury been sunken and Aster left the crew.
Nicholas was currently walking down to the harbour; he was going to look for a ship for sale, but when he found none at the size they would need, he walked to the shipyard instead.
When he got there he looked among the many ships that were being built, or were just getting finished.
"Well, if it isn't Nicholas." he turned around and found a man with a big smile on his lips standing behind him dressed in black and red with brown hair and a red bandana around his head.
"Sinbad, well look at how you grown." Nicholas said and smiled, gesturing to the man who stood up from the barrel he'd been sitting on. "You were just mere child last I saw you."
"Well times go by, what are you doing here of all places?"
"Well, looking for ship." Nicholas sighed sadly.
"What? But what about the Night Fury of yours?"
"We had a bad turn with the Nightmare Dragon." Nicholas whispered. "Night Fury is sleeping on bottom of ocean." He louvered his head.
"The Nightmare Dragon!?" Sinbad just stared at him in pure shock.
"Yes, son. Now I look for new ship." Nicholas began to move away
"I think I can help you with that." Sinbad said and Nicholas turned around. "Follow me." Sinbad led the way and Nicholas followed, it didn't take long before they stopped in front of a ship, it was bigger than the Night Fury at the hull even if it still was only three masts, but was still smaller than the Nightmare Dragon.
"What beauty…" Nicholas said looking at the big ship. "What's her name?"
"She doesn't have one, jet. She had one owner, but he died just before she was finished. She is currently waiting for a crew to take her in." Nicholas walked over to the ship placing his hand on the wood that was in a light brown yellowish colour.
"Oak… 1 meter thick, you really are a steady ship, girl." He patted the ship's hull. Sinbad smiled before he looked to the side at a small croaky house.
"Hey! Old shipwright! I got you an interested buyer!" he shouted, Nicholas turned around to see how a familiar old woman came walking out from a door, on her shoulder a black crow sat looking around with a bit craziness in his eyes.
"Ah, a buyer ye say, lad?" the lady said and hit Sinbad in the chest with her staff before she walked up towards Nicholas. "And why do ye want me ship?" she patted him with her staff on his broad shoulders.
"Me and crew are in need of new ship." Nicholas said; the old lady looked him over.
"New ship!" the crow suddenly cracked Nicholas blinked at it.
"So the Night Fury's not good enough for ye anymour Nick?" the lady walked past him knocking at the ship with her staff instead.
"She was sunken by Nightmare Dragon." The crow gave away a shocked squawk jumping dropping some feathers at the same time.
"The Nightmare Dragon?!" the woman cried out before she placed her hand over her face. "Me best ship!" she then turned back to the unnamed vessel "But this wee lassie will be better! She is the best ship I've ever built." She then turned to Nicholas again. "And ye say ye want to buy et?"
"Yes."
"I know ye take care of me ship's well, I know Hiccup's ay good captain." She patted him on the chest with her staff. "Where're ye staying at during the night lad?"
"At the Hawkins's." the lady laughed.
"I see; the father bought good ship of me." Nicholas laughed at her.
"I never thought I see you here of all places, old witch."
"I never stay at one place for too long, I got bears to carve and ships to build!" she began to move back to the croaked house.
"What you want for ship?" Nicholas asked. She stopped walking, humming for a moment.
"A lock of hair form the lass." She said and turned to Nicholas with a smile.
"Which one?"
"Bouth." The old lady said and smiled big pointing to the air.
In one way they had gotten the ship to the small harbour outside the house of the Hawkins's.
It didn't take long before the crewmembers walked outside and just stared; Rapunzel and Toothless helped Hiccup out the door to look at it.
"I found ship." Nicholas said gesturing to the vessel he was standing on.
"And all that's needed to pay for is a lock from the lasses and she's yer." The old Lady said and appeared next to Nicholas who gave them an apologizing gesture.
"What!? Again!?" Merida cried out, before she took out her knife and in an unhappy gesture and cut of a lock of her red hair holding it out to the lady, the crow flew and took it dropping more feathers in the flight. Merida helped Rapunzel with the lock and the crow flew and took it too.
"Thank you lassies." The woman said and snapped her fingers before she opened a door to the ship and closed it. Nicholas blinked and walked over to the door opening it again, she was gone.
"Stupid witch." Merida muttered crossing her arms after she put the knife back. "What do she want me hair for?"
Now with a ship the only thing that held them to the island was Hiccup's condition.
The wound was healing, but slowly, without the medicine Rapunzel usually had, but with the Night Fury gone she was without the medicine and her bellowed tools. She looked out of the window starting to wonder where Aster had went, if he was still on the island or if he'd gotten on a ship and left them behind.
"What's bothering you?" she looked down at Hiccup who still lay in the sofa.
"I'm just worried about Aster…" Hiccup sighed tiredly understanding her worry.
"What good does worrying do..?" he said looking up at the roof. "It doesn't help anyone if the distance is too big." Rapunzel looked at him and she gave him a sad smile.
"Let's just hope he'll be fine." She said. Hiccup looked at her, before he understood who she meant.
"Yeah…"