Oops. I forgot to do the shout outs at the last chapter, so I'll give them to you now (BTW, this is my THIRD update today):
xFaerieValkyriex: I know. Poor Hiccup...I just feel so bad for him. Dagur deserves to be sliced and diced by a certain shield maiden we know and love (Astrid Hofferson). And we will also ready our weapons and get this Deranged freak out of Hiccup's life. Haha! Poor guy, though. I do feel sorry for him (HICCUP! Not DAGUR!)
So, here's chapter 21! We're almost done with the story! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAY!
Dagur and his men arrived that night; just as they had intended. The soldiers were ready; the ships and weapons huge, the wait small.
Dagur turned and looked over his shoulder at the spies he had assigned to find each place the different dragons were located.
"Once you find them," said Dagur, "remember their exact location. We'll need them when we go to war tomorrow morning."
"But sir, what if we're spotted?" asked one of the spies.
"Well," said Dagur, "first I'll kill you. Then, we will take down the Berkians, one by one."
Dagur sent out the thirty spies as soon as the boat they were on docked. The spies leaped off and trecked carefully towards the plaza.
Astrid was at her house that night, tending her dragon, Stormfly. The dragon was munching away at the fried chicken Astrid had presented to her happily as if nothing else in the world mattered.
The clouds were dark, threatening to pour rain. Thunder rolled and lightning crashed every now and then, only adding to the creepiness. But Berk was usually like this; nothing new, besides the lightning. It wasn't close to the village, though. Really far out in the distance, nothing to be worrying about.
Astrid gently stroked her dragon's muzzle, her mind constantly moving to Hiccup. Normally about this time he and Toothless would enjoy a beautiful midnight flight together...but they wouldn't be able to do that for a while now, would they?
When Stormfly finished eating, she turned to Astrid. Astrid didn't regard the dragon. Impatient, Stormfly bumped Astrid's back with her nose until she finally turned around, facing the Nadder.
Stormfly looked out into the sky, and Astrid knew what she wanted.
"No, sorry, girl," said Astrid. "I don't really feel like flying tonight."
If a dragon could shrug, Stormfly would have. She laid down and curled up, Astrid's words not even fazing her.
Astrid sat down beside Stormfly, looking out into the night sky...
...when she heard footsteps.
Astrid and Stormfly both perked up at the sound. Astrid stood silently, walking out of Stormfly's stable and searching the outside with her eyes.
"You stay here," Astrid told her dragon. Stormfly huffed and laid her head down again, finding no problem. Astrid, however, thought differently.
She walked a few steps, her boots grazing the grass outside her dragon's stable. Then she heard the footsteps again.
Clump.
Clump.
Clump.
Clump.
Clump.
Clump.
Like someone was trying to be stealthy, yet was also failing miserably.
Astrid suddenly saw something move in the shadows. She turned her head quickly, her eyes catching a glint of metal as a dark figure raced through, taking cover behind one of the buildings.
That's weird, thought Astrid as she raced over, drawing her axe on her way. When she turned the corner, though, nothing.
"This is stupid," said Astrid, turning. But her eyes caught something else. "No...wait?" she whispered to herself. She looked out; she was near the beach at this point. She saw something being pushed off the sand...was that a ship?
The poor lighting didn't allow her to see much. At first she thought she was only getting herself worked up for no reason, but then a lightning flash flared...
...and the light caused by it gave Astrid a chance to see the symbol on the mast...
...a Skrill.
A SKRILL!
A SKRILL!
A SKRILL!
Astrid opened her mouth to scream, "THE BERSERKERS ARE ATTACKING!", but she suddenly felt a hand cover her mouth. She struggled, raising her axe, but someone else ripped it from her grasp.
"Hold her down," said a voice. "What should we do with her?"
"Take her back to the ship," said the man holding her mouth shut. "We'll let Dagur dispose of her accordingly."
Astrid did what she could to gasp with the man holding her mouth closed. Dagur. DAGUR WAS HERE!
She started thrashing wildly, causing the men to take hold of her arms. But she struggled out of his grasp, yanked his hand away from her mouth, and just barely had enough time to scream; long a loud. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" before the man shoved his hand over her mouth again and started yanking her to the ship as she thrashed wildly.
Not too far off, a certain Nadder heard her rider's scream. Stormfly perked up instantly, running down to where the scream had emanated from. She saw her rider being hauled off by two...no, three men...who were struggling to contain the thrashing girl.
Stormfly roared, swooping over the men, blasting fire at them randomly, firing at will, trying not to hit Astrid.
"Get the Dragon Nip!" shouted one of the men.
Dragon Nip!? thought Astrid, knowing how dragons reacted to that stuff. NO! STORMFLY! GET OUT OF HERE!
It didn't work, though. One of the Berserkers reached into his satchel and tossed Dragon Nip at the Nadder just as she landed on the ground, ready to defend her rider. The Dragon Nip began taking effect instantly; Stormfly just barely had enough time to let a few spines fire from her tail before the nip caused the dragon to fall to the ground, breathing with pleasure.
Oh Stormfly, thought Astrid. Stupid Dragon Nip.
She thought she was a goner, before she heard the tell-tale roar of a certain Night Fury. Then, a plasma blast exploded in front of her.
"Thatta Boy, Toothless!" shouted the rider. "TAKE THEM DOWN!"