The combined armies of Berk and Valka made camp on a small deserted island near the trapper's kingdom which could be seen in the distance, a dot on the horizon of the dying light of dusk. The dragons were uneasy and restless in preparation for battle, the men even more so.
Hiccup and Astrid made their own camp away from the rest of the army, on account of wanting some privacy and the fact that their dragons were far larger than normal. Valka was similar camped out a few hundred yards away. Hiccup erected wards for the night— to keep out the elements, to prevent any noise made from leaving their camp, and to prevent unwanted ears and eyes from prying. Their bed was a simple but comfortable roll of fur and pillows filled with expensive feathers from a bird that lives on Alfheim, rumored to be the softest in creation.
Both lovers curled into each other's embrace on the roll. Most would have assumed they would spend the night lost in the throes of their passion, but Hiccup and Astrid had a specific goal for that night that didn't involve their bodies, but their souls. They both closed their eyes, and when they opened them again, they were standing face to face with each other in their combined mindscape.
Hiccup gave Astrid a lopsided smile, a mannerism she found quite attractive, from his half of their shared mind. The gray monochrome cathedral was standing behind him in the distance, but the usual stormy skies were clear with rays rays of sunlight bleeding over from Astrid's half.
Astrid returned the smile and walked over from her half of their shared mind and two of them walked hand in hand lovingly to the cathedral in the distance. They made short work of the journey, as they were not physically walking, but mentally.
Astrid remembered the last time she had been this deep inside Hiccup's mind, that night on Nidavellir when Hiccup had scolded her for invading his privacy. As they neared the cathedral, her eyes caught on the door. It was the most interesting part of his mind and Astrid had felt somewhat guilty for seeing so deep into Hiccup's life. Now, it seemed like a moot point, but she was still interested in what had changed. Hiccup seemed to realize what she wanted and felt no qualms in obliging her. He had known what was carved on the door, after all, it was a part of him. If his other half wanted to know, she could.
Astrid beheld the large gray stone doors that made the entrance of the cathedral. They were as fascinating as last time, if not more so, because of the changes. The wandering path started at the base of the door where a village, Berk, was depicted. Berk was small and inconsequential, it was simply the start of the path. Nothing more, nothing less. The path continued up the door until it came to the younger version of herself, which Astrid had seen last time. No changes there. Hiccup had loved her during their childhood and he loved her now. A short ways after the young Astrid was the large etching of Toothless that took up most of the door at that level. Above that was Hiccup in his elven form, holding Allrbani skyward in a heroic pose. No changes there, either.
It was what was after Toothless and Hiccup's elven form that had changed. Where previously there was a cloaked man with his face hidden holding Allrbani, there was now the same cloaked man, except his hood was down and another man was standing behind with his hand resting on the cloaked man's shoulder in a fatherly gesture of affection. Astrid immediately recognized the cloaked man as Hiccup, now that the hood was removed, and the man standing behind him was Loki, whose face she knew from her visions. If Astrid had to guess, she would have said that the cloaked man represented Hiccup joining Loki and betraying the Order and the light alliance.
But, above that, was what came after. Astrid had no words. Etched into the door, covering several tens of feet, was an incredibly detailed and magical image of Hiccup and Astrid sharing a kiss. The image seemed to glow with an otherworldly magical power that could not be explained. The lines of the their bodies glowed a beautiful translucent sea-blue— a mixture of their emerald and sapphire colored magic. Astrid knew that it was this way because of their soul bond, a love that would stretch beyond time and space and even death itself. They would forever be intertwined, in this world, and the next.
With great effort, Astrid managed to tear her eyes from the beautiful etching and follow the path upwards. The door was blank from there on up, yet to be written, and continued until it reached the top of the doors where it split into two separate paths. Which was different than last time. Like before, one of the paths, the left one, led to a brilliant star that glowed faintly with white light. The other path, the right one, led to a small mural of Hiccup and Astrid sharing another kiss. The path then continued on passed them, growing into the walls of the cathedral itself, where Astrid lost it.
The doors swung inward silently at their approach, sensing their master. Hiccup and Astrid made their way to the very core of the cathedral where Hiccup sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. "Remember, if you think that I'm not well— for any reason— pull me out," Hiccup said to Astrid.
"I got it," Astrid said as she rolled her eyes and took a seat on one of the nearby benches. Hiccup nodded his head and closed his eyes. As he did, the organ behind him began playing its dark symphony. A moment later, Hiccup was standing on the ocean of his arcane energy. A moment after that, he was standing once more in the Realm Eternal— his first foray into the afterlife since he confronted the Guardians.
Hiccup immediately dropped into a defensive stance and his head swivelled as he checked the immediate area for any Guardians, especially the one that had confronted him last time. Seeing none, he immediately turned to a random direction and began walking aimlessly, letting his feet carry him where they will. As he walked he contemplated how different he felt now. He usually felt so cold and weightless in the afterlife. Now, after his soul bond with Astrid, he felt more real, more warm, more anchored to the real. If he was ever to succeed in his quest, today would be the first step. Hiccup just knew it.
Time was meaningless as he walked and eventually he felt the pressure begin to build and knew he was close. Strangely, the pressure was not as oppressing as it usually was. Hiccup thought nothing of it and continued on, figuring that it would change as he got closer to the Anomaly. Eventually, after what seemed to be a lifetime, Hiccup stopped. What he saw was beyond all comprehension. So euphoric was his discovery that he fell over, laughing joyfully.
He had been looking down at his boots, the only thing in the endless expanse of white void that was the afterlife. The pressure had not changed since he had begun his walk and he thought nothing of his destination since he knew that there would be much resistance when he was close. Therefore, it came to his surprise when his boot struck a strange object. It took Hiccup a few moments before he could identify what the object was. It was the Anomaly. The object of his fascination for years and he had simply stumbled upon it accidentally. Hel, he might have missed it entirely had he not been looking down.
But, more than the knowledge that this was the Anomaly, was what the Anomaly actually was. It was something he knew. Something that was present in almost every city, town, village, and home in all the nine realms.
It was a Step. A simple structure designed to ascend or descend from one place to another. And it was the thing he had longed most to see. Now that he realized what he was looking at, he could see the beginning of another Step forming after the first. With great effort of will, Hiccup tried to lift his head to look at the next Step. The pressure returned with a vengeance and wouldn't allow Hiccup to gaze upon the next Step. Hiccup smirked. That was fine. He was more than content to look at the first Step for his entire time.
It was a strange thing, made from seemingly nothing, and yet everything at the same time. The Step simply was. It wasn't made of stone or metal or wood or any other material Hiccup could name. It simply seemed to be made from the very fabric of creation. It glowed with a soft white light that spoke of power. Hiccup just smiled, glad that his quest had proven fate, not folly.
Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Astrid, don't do that—" he was saying, before he glanced down at the hand touching him. It was made of long tendrils of black smoke that felt colder than the coldest ice. Shivers wracked Hiccup's spine as he leapt away from the ghastly form of a Guardian. And not just any Guardian, the Guardian. He still looked as terrifying as when Hiccup had first met him, a long serrated sword hung at the creature's hips and a long necklace of human skulls around his neck.
The Guardian shook his head as if he was disappointed in a child's actions. Which, to it, Hiccup probably was. "Foolish mortal. I have warned you and yet you continue on. Do you not fear for your soul? Do you not fear for the soul of your other half? Abandon thy quest, lest you be destroyed completely and eternally," the Guardian said sadly.
Hiccup was about to question what the Guardian meant when he felt another hand grasp his shoulder and pull him hard. Thankfully, this hand was a human hand. One he knew very intimately. Astrid's hand. A moment later, Hiccup opened his eyes to the ceiling of the cathedral with a very worried looking Astrid kneeling beside him.
"I'm fine," he said, answering her unspoken question. "Your turn, then?"
"Yeah. Same deal, although I should be fine," Astrid said before taking a seat in the amphitheatre of the cathedral. Normally she used the entrance in her own sea of arcane energy to reach the Realm Eternal but since she and Hiccup were soul mates, she should be able to use his just as easily.
Astrid gasped as she opened her eyes and beheld the massive ocean of emerald water below her feet. Hiccup easily had several, if not tens of times, more arcane energy than she did. Stifling her surprise, and a little pride, she easily found the small pearl at the bottom of the ocean and found herself standing in the white void of the afterlife.
Hiccup was more open with her about his past and his feelings regarding certain subjects he otherwise would never have spoken on, but Astrid was still curious. It was one thing to be told, it was another to see. She wanted to see what his life was like in the ten years he spent away from Berk. Only this time, she didn't want answers. She had answers. This time she wanted to see something good, something happy.
At that thought, the familiar form of a not-Hiccup appeared and Astrid casually walked over and touched its form before being dragged into another vision. Astrid's ears were immediately assaulted by the very loud, and very bad, singing of several people. Wincing at the volume, Astrid looked around the room she was in. It was a long hall, easily one hundred feet in length, with several large wooden tables scattered throughout. Men and women of various races sat at each of the tables, adding their voices to the song. In the middle of the room was the largest table of all— at which, sat five people. Four of which she recognized: Hiccup, Loki, Fenrir, and Narfi. The last was a strikingly beautiful elven woman who had features Astrid had never seen before.
She seemed to be cut down the middle. On one side, her skin was a pale alabaster color of the purest white, like snow. On the other, she was a calming shade of charcoal gray. Her ears were long, longer than Hiccup's, and ended in sharp points. The eye on her dark side was black where the whites of her eyes should have been. Astrid saw another strange feature, her irises were different colors— one an icey blue, the other a sparkling green. Her hair was two colors as well, blonde on the light side, and black on the dark.
The singing and ambient music quieted as Loki stood and raised his hands. "My friends," he said in a grandiose tone, "I thank you all for coming. On this day, we celebrate my only daughter's three hundred and eighteenth name day!"
At that, a round of cheers and applause echoed around the room. Astrid gasped as she realized who the woman was. The only daughter of Loki, Hel. Hel blushed at her father's words, a strange thing as the blush was only visible on her light side— her dark skin tone hiding it on the other side of her face. "It is dangerous times for us all," Loki said, drawing Astrid from her thoughts, "many of our friends and allies do not live to see their name days in recent times. We should cherish days like these, for they are few and far in between, and precious beyond words. Thank you."
Another round of applause and cheers went up as servants began to file into the room and put down platters of food and drink on the tables. Astrid couldn't hold her laughter in as a team of no less than fifteen servants began depositing what had to have been an entire cow in front of Fenrir. Her laughter intensified as Hiccup, Narfi, and Hel shared an affectionate look before shaking their heads. Fenrir paid them no attention and dug in, tearing at his meal with astonishing speed.
Hiccup took a long drink of some kind of alcoholic beverage because Astrid could almost feel the burn in his throat through the vision. Across from the table, Narfi quirked an eyebrow before raising his glass in a mock toast and quickly downing the contents. His face scrunched up as the liquid burned his throat. A musical chuckle drew Astrid's attention to the head of the table where Hel was hiding her giggles behind her hands.
"Happy name day, little sister," Narfi and Hiccup said as one.
"Thank you— but I think I'm your big sister, little brother," Hel quipped, directing her last words to Hiccup.
"You're the only sister I have, so that makes you the little sister," Hiccup said in response before taking another, much smaller, drink of the potent beverage.
"You're too sweet, Vrangr," Hel replied before taking a small drink herself. She, apparently, knew to drink in moderation.
The celebrations continued for hours, although most everyone at the table had stopped eating, except Fenrir of course. Half way through, an official looking warrior entered the hall and whispered something in Loki's ear before he rose and followed the warrior out of the hall with a serious look on his face. Astrid figured it had something to do with the war. That left the four of them at the table, or more accurately, three, as Fenrir was still continuing to eat. Astrid didn't know where he was putting it all. It most certainly wasn't in his stomach.
"So, gifts," Narfi said as he rubbed his hands together and procured a small cloth pouch from underneath the table and slid it over to Hel.
Hel smiled at her brother and opened the pouch where it revealed a beautiful necklace made of silver with two gemstones set in the center; an emerald and a sapphire. "A gem for each of you," Narfi said affectionately.
"Thank you," Hel said as she ran her fingers over the necklace before putting it on. The jewellery seemed to bring out the most in her eyes, Astrid thought, a strange mix of both her and Hiccup.
Hiccup smiled as he procured his own gift, or gifts, in his case. He picked up a wooden box from the floor and brought it over to Hel before taking his seat once more. Hel opened the box to find several medium sized… dolls? Astrid was confused as to why Hiccup would get a grown woman dolls, but her confusion was quickly rectified.
Hel squealed in excitement as Astrid's focus shifted to what Hiccup had been saying. "... and they're fully mechanical. They should replicate human movements perfectly."
Astrid returned her gaze to Hel to find a very different woman. The air about her had changed somehow. It took Astrid a moment to realize what it was and when she did, she almost smacked herself for not noticing it sooner. Hel had only really been using her light side the entire night. Her dark side appeared inexpressive and lifeless. Now, it was the opposite. It was the dark side that was in control and the light side that was lifeless. Hel held out her hand and made several deft movements with her fingers, a surprisingly dextrous move that Astrid didn't think the woman was capable of, and the dolls came to life.
A miniature Hiccup was the first to jump out of the box, followed closely by Hel herself. With a few deft movements of her fingers, the real Hel had managed to make the two dolls begin to dance with each other. When the dance finished, the doll Hel gave doll Hiccup a quick kiss before running back to the box. Next came Narfi, Fenrir, and Loki. Hel put them all through their paces as she deftly controlled all the dolls with quick strokes of her fingers, forcing them to play out whatever Hel dreamed of. When she was finished, all the dolls jumped back into the box with a wave of Hel's hand.
"They're very well made, I love them. Thank you, Vrangr," Hel said. Astrid was shocked to hear the dark side speak. While the light side had the voice of a young woman, the dark side's voice was deeper and less feminine sounding. It was almost like two different people were speaking, the two didn't sound at all alike.
In the next moment, Hel floated from her chair and settled above the table gracefully before gliding forward and placing a quick kiss on Hiccup's cheek before returning to her char. A second later, dark Hel's feature slackened and light Hel's features came back to life. "That's not fair! I wanted to be the one to kiss him!" light Hel whined to… herself. That was when Astrid knew that there were in fact two people speaking. Hel had two personalities.
At that moment, Fenrir finally decided to stop eating and present his own gift for his sister. With a quick snap of his fingers four thralls entered the hall carrying a massive cake between them before they set it down on the table. "Made it myself," the wolf said proudly. Astrid was surprised by how good the cake looked. It looked like it was actually edible… delicious, even. She didn't imagine that Fenrir would be a particularly skilled chef.
"Chocolate, of course, your favorite. I also managed to get one of the thralls to sneak into the city and get some strawberries," Fenrir said.
Hel gave a shy smile to Fenrir who then began to cut the cake into uneven slices with a very large knife. Fenrir gave each occupant of the table a large piece of the cake, but reserved the largest for himself. Astrid, for some reason, found this comical beyond all reason and blinked through tears as she laughed hysterically. It seemed that Hiccup, Narfi, and Hel all found it equally as amusing as they burst into laughter as well.
A few men and women from around the hall approached the table and greeted the sons and daughter of Loki dutifully before wishing Hel a happy name day and giving her a gift or token of affection. The celebration continued on for several hours, only breaking momentarily when Loki returned and gifted a black ring of a serpent eating its own tail to his daughter before he left once more. Astrid quickly lowered her gaze and studied the hands of all of Loki's children. All of them, with the exception of Hiccup, had the black ring on one of their fingers. Astrid knew that Hiccup had one of the rings, as she had seen Loki give one to him previously, but didn't know why he wasn't wearing it. It then occurred to her that the vision she was seeing were random and out of order. Hel's name day was before Hiccup had left for his espionage mission. Only then was he given the ring that all children of Loki wore. Astrid would have to remember that.
Another few hours passed until the celebrations drew to a close and the vision began to waver as Astrid was returned to the Realm Eternal. Smiling, happy that she had seen something good in her visions for once, Astrid returned to the cathedral of Hiccup's mind to find her love watching over her dutifully. Hiccup sent her a boyish smile before the two of them shared a quick kiss and then allowed their minds to rest, drifting off into a restful sleep for the battle that would take place in the morning.
Hail to the King
The next morning, Hiccup and Astrid awoke in a comfortable tangle of arms and legs underneath their shared bedroll. The sun was not yet rising, but a small tinge of fire ate at the horizon. "Time to get up, hatchlings," Stormfly said as she nuzzled her rider awake. All around the island men and dragons stirred as they prepared for war. It was the second battle between men and dragons that the warriors have Berk had fought in, the first being the Battle of Berk itself some years ago. They would be better prepared this time.
With great effort of will, Astrid managed to convince herself that it was a good idea to leave Hiccup and get dressed for battle. She slipped on her studded leather skirt and armor before putting on her mithril greaves and vambraces. Her dual throwing axes were strapped to her waist while one of Hiccup's daggers was hidden in her right boot. Her adamantite battleaxe was strapped to her back, the silvery metal catching the first rays of the dawn. Astrid felt Hiccup stir behind her and begin to get dressed as well when Toothless threatened to lick him if he did not wake.
Astrid stifled a giggle before going over to Stormfly and helping her dragon into her own armor that they had brought from Alfheim. She had accomplished the task in record time, taking no more than fifteen minutes. She leaned against Stormfly as Hiccup finished putting on the last of his black dragonscale armor and fastening his swordbelt around his Order tabard. Allr'bani and Elding were sheathed in scabbards at his waist, hanging on the right and left respectively. Astrid had noticed that he tended to rely on Elding more than his trusted black sword, which she found odd.
Astrid took pity on her beloved and helped him get Toothless into his dragon armor before the two riders made their way back to the camp near the center of the island where the rest of the men were preparing for battle. Hiccup and Astrid stepped into a large tent, both sweeping away one of the tent flaps at the same time in a gesture that bespoke of practiced ease. The occupants of the tent— Stoick, Valka, Spitelout, Gobber, Fishlegs, and Snotlout— looked up before going back to their planning, discussing in rather loud voices the final battle plans.
Hiccup and Astrid, not actually participating the battle proper, stayed out of the planning. The six occupants took nearly half an hour before deciding on what Fishlegs had been calling plan D, option six. He and Snotlout and come up with a great many strategies together over the past week, including the one they would be using. Land with the men first to distract the defenders, thinking only an invasion from one of the tribes— before striking with the dragons. The defenders would abandon their dragon hunting siege weapons and focus on archery and melee combat. The dragons would then be free to destroy the siege weapons and rain fire down upon their enemies. A solid plan, in both Hiccup's and Astrid's opinion, albeit very risky to the men being the distraction.
Finally agreeing on a plan of attack, Valka left first to ready her dragons and communicate the plan with them. Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber left next to rally the men and give a short inspirational speech. Fishlegs and Snotlout looked a little green, pre-battle nerves most likely, before following after the three men. Hiccup and Astrid made their way to the healer's camp, a small gathering of tents where old men and women were running around preparing salves, bandages, and giant cauldrons of boiling water for cleaning wounds. A familiar old woman with a long staff and snow white hair was sitting over a small iron cauldron stirring a slightly glowing potion.
"Gothi," greeted both Hiccup and Astrid respectfully.
"I was wondering when you two would find time to chat with an old woman," the elder rattled off in her ancient voice affectionately.
A small smile found its way on Hiccup's and Astrid's lips in a very similar expression. "We've only been slightly busy, saving the world and all that," Astrid said, only half sarcastically.
Gothi seemed to cackle with laughter. "That you have," she agreed knowingly. Hiccup and Astrid gave her an odd look. "You'll have to tell me how your new bond works. It is a most curious piece of magic."
Both Hiccup and Astrid looked like they had been walked in on in various states of undress. "H-How did you…" Hiccup was beginning to ask before being cut off by Gothi's mad cackle again.
The elder seemed to give them an expectant look before Hiccup pieced together the puzzle. "You're… you're a Seer!" he practically yelled as he figured out why Gothi seemed to know so much about the nine realms, advanced magic she wasn't capable of, and how he was an elf hiding under a powerful illusion cast by his father himself. It all made sense now.
Astrid felt Hiccup's thoughts and logic as he deduced his conclusion and was slightly shocked. Another Seer, right under their noses. "Quite right," Gothi rattled before stirring the potion she was brewing vigorously.
Astrid watched in curiosity as Gothi sprinkled a fine white powder into the potion before it glowed slightly pink. "Pain relief?" she asked knowingly, having seen Hiccup brew the same potion for her before, on Alfheim.
"Indeed. I imagine there will be more than a few wretched souls who will need it by the end of this day. I'm the only healer here who has magic flowing through their veins and so it falls to me to brew the potions now. When I was a girl, there were several tens of us scattered across the archipelago but alas, no more," the elder answered, reminiscing about the past.
Hiccup and Astrid shared a loving look with each other before nodding their heads. "We're not planning on fighting— not that we don't want to, but that we can't— and we'd like to help out here, with you. If you'd let us," Astrid said, adding on the last bit nervously.
Gothi gave them both a toothless smile before nodding and accepting their help. Hiccup looked around discreetly, and seeing all the other healers occupied, waved his hand and transfigured two large cauldrons and comfortable seats out of stone. Making sure no one had seen the magic, he quickly drew water from the atmosphere and deposited it into the cauldron, filling both easily with the humid air. "Do you have more Meingras and essence of poppy?" Hiccup asked quickly as he sat down and drew a rune into the stone that began to slowly heat the water within.
Gothi stood and hobbled over to her tent before returning with two large leather bags— one filled with a strange dried leaf and the other filled with small flowers. Hiccup took the bag of Meingras and began to carefully measure out exactly the right amount of leaves to add before dropping several fistfuls into the cauldrons. While he was doing this, Astrid took the knowledge of how to prepare the potion from Hiccup's mind, which he provided willingly, as she found a pestle and mortar at the bottom of the bag of flowers and began to systematically grind them to dust before adding it to a large glass container. It was tedious, but important, work.
Hail to the King
The warriors of Berk, men and women nearly a thousand strong, rowed quickly but quietly through the early rays of dawn. The only sound that could be heard was the slosh of the waves and the roar of the wind as they made their way stealthily towards the shore of the kingdom of the trappers. At the head of their small armada was the largest ship, aboard which, were the strongest warriors of their tribe and its most important members. They would be the spearhead of the assault. Failure was not an option for them. If they failed to draw the trappers from the anti-dragon siege weaponry they would be without reinforcements and under heavy assault from archers above and warriors in front. They would most likely all die, or lose many in their retreat.
Stoick the Vast withdrew a small device from his belt, an invention of Fishlegs, and held it up to his eye. The device magnified his vision and allowed him to spy the city walls they were about to lay siege to. The trappers were lazing about and the watch lax. Stoick held up his fist, signaling the men to ready themselves. All around them, men drew their swords and hefted their shields before standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades to better shield the army against the rain of arrows that was sure to come soon. The other ships were signaled to begin their own preparations. Many readied their weapons, although a few ships let down their sails and held back. They would land last, with the army of Berk's siege weaponry.
The army of Berk was only one hundred feet from the shore when a loud horn blast pierced the early dawn's calm, signaling that the trapper's had spotted them. "Faster!" roared Stoick as he commanded his ships to reach land before any defense could be mounted against them. The men rowing obliged, knowing that if the arrows fell before they reached land they would all likely die on the ship holding an oar in their hands instead of a sword.
The lead ship beached onto the shore just as hundreds upon hundreds of defenders scurried across the walls, pulling large carts of arrows with them. A second, a third, and then a fourth ship quickly followed the first. Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber leapt off the deck and onto the sandy beach with a bellied grace. Their warriors, veterans of many fierce battles, leapt out behind their commanders. As they did, the arrows began to fall like drops of rain. "Take formation!" Spitelout barked, ordering his men together. The warriors quickly fell into lines and crouched before raising their shields above their heads and linking it with their comrade's to the left and right of them.
"Forward, march!" Spitelout roared over the sound of arrows striking wood and steel as the warriors were buffeted with wave after wave of projectiles. The warriors of Berk began to chant menacing war cries as they slowly but surely made their way closer and closer to the walls, making sure to keep their shields interlocked.
Gobber hobbled along in the back, his missing leg not allowing him to lead the charge, but did allow him to take command of the archers in the rear of their group. The old smith lifted his shield ever so slightly to allow him to see what their enemies were doing. "One hundred and fifty feet, Stoick!" he called from the back, yelling out the distance they had to cover before reaching the base of the wall.
Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber mentally counted their steps as they crawled closer and closer to the walls. When there could only be seventy-five feet left, Gobber took command of his men. With a quick nod to the two lads next to him, they dropped their shields and allowed the warriors behind them a clear view of the wall. In the blink of an eye, ten men loosed bolts from heavy crossbows which easily found their mark and claiming the first lives of the battle as seven defenders fell from the ramparts, screaming in pain the whole way, before falling silent forever as they met the ground. Gobber and the two men next to him quickly replaced their shields, shoring up their formation's defenses just as quickly as the opening had appeared. The men behind him who had manned the crossbows quickly reloaded. Another ten feet they repeated the same maneuver, claiming another five lives.
Behind Stoick's formation, the other ships were slowly managing to catch up with them. In the distance, the ships carrying siege weapons were slowly beginning to land on the beach as the defender's attention was forced to the small band of warriors at their doorstep. There was only fifty feet, maybe less, when Stoick issued the command. "Break formation!" he roared before holding his shield in front of him to block arrows and charging forward.
All the warriors around him did the same as they roared battle cries and stormed the walls of the city. As they reached the high stone walls, they each grabbed a small leather pouch on their belts and withdrew its contents— a large metal hook with three sharp points made out of the teeth of Whispering Deaths attached to a length of chain. With a mighty heavy, the warriors of Berk hurled the grappling hooks up over the walls before tugging on them, hard, and securing them to the wall. The warriors of Berk slung their shields over their backs before beginning to scale the wall. All around them the defenders were taking aim at them, loosing arrow after arrow. The angle they were forced to fire from made their shots inaccurate, and for each archer that stuck their head out too far, they were rewarded with a bolt from the crossbowmen that Gobber was commanding still on the sandy beach below.
Spitelout was the first warrior to make it over the ramparts and onto enemy territory. With a roar, he drew his mace and shield and charged the first archer who stumbled backwards in surprise and terror. With a quick swing of his mace, he crushed the man's skull, killing him instantly with a sickening crunch.
Three more men from Berk clambered onto the wall quickly behind Spitelout. One never drew another breath as one of the defenders impaled him with a pike before pushing him back over the walls where he died after a short fall. The two other warriors, in their anger, used both of their shields to smash the man's skull in, flattening it comically. They might have laughed had the man not killed their brother in arms. Their vengeance had, they joined their commander in slaying the defenders of the wall.
Stoick was the next man onto the wall, his large mass restricting the speed at which he could climb. He was easily the largest warrior in the small band of warriors and caused a group of defenders to back away from him fearfully as he grew to his full height and drew his warhammer and shield. With a roar, Stoick lunged forward and swung his warhammer wide, catching three nearby defenders and sending all of them tumbling off the walls from the force of his blow. The others watched in terror as the large chief easily broke through their ranks and slaughtered their men with ease. The commander of the defenders, snapping out of his surprise and fear, quickly ordered his men back into formation before he signalled a runner to fetch the reinforcements manning the siege weapons designed for killing dragons, not men. They needed to kill men now, not dragons, or they would lose the war they had so suddenly found themselves in.
Little did he know, the commander had just signed his death warrant.
Hail to the King
Hiccup looked up from where he had been making pain relief potions en masse and noted that the fleet of warriors from Berk was a small dot on the horizon as they sailed for the city of the trappers. Another quick look confirmed that no one was watching him, and that Astrid and Gothi were engaged in deep conversation. Seeing his chance, he decided to act. He winced as he withdrew himself as much as possible from his connection Astrid, hating the experience, and cast an illusion over the entire small island. A ghost of himself faded into existence where it began to take over his work and prepare the potions he had been working on. In reality, the illusion was simply pretending to create the potion. His illusions didn't have the power to affect reality like his father's did, but it would do for now. His mission would not take long.
Another quick glance confirmed that no one had saw Hiccup perform the magic, not even Astrid or Gothi. Hiccup smirked before reaching out and tapping into the most feared magic known, relishing the sickly sour energy that flowed through his veins as he did. He loved the rush of power and control he felt while he wielded the energy from the Veil with deadly proficiency that marked him as one of the most dangerous beings in existence. It was unlike any other feeling in the world. In Hiccup's mind, the only thing better was the love he felt when he thought of Astrid. With a backwards glance, Hiccup stepped forward and into the Veil before his body faded to shadow and disappeared entirely.
Hiccup opened his eyes slowly as he felt wave after wave of dark energy assault his senses. He was met with the formless and chaotic plane of existence that was the Veil— lacking shape or size, an eternal expanse of darkness in every direction and dimension, separate from the material realms but also intertwined intimately and irrevocably. Hiccup watched with fascination as entire planes of creation came into existence, played out their lives, and then died, all in the span of seconds to him. Whichever Eternal had created this primordial realm of illusion was the greatest of them all, surely.
Hiccup grinned as a Veilwyrm swam passed him through the endless darkness. The creature paused, sensing a being in the realm, and opened its maw. Hiccup watched, fascinated as always by the unique and very deadly creatures that inhabited the Veil, as an infinite number of mouths sprouted into existence inside the creature's maw— ready to devour everything in its path. Hiccup's grin turned feral as he assimilated his being with the realm and allowed the sickly sour magic to corrupt his body. The Veilwyrm's jaws instantly snapped shut as it backed away in fear at the presence of a being beyond itself— a being that resembled its creator very much, although not quite there, yet. But soon, very soon.
Hiccup smirked, and with a mere thought, forged the Veil into a mirror image of the island he had been on before leaving. With another thought, he teleported far above the ocean where he looked down and beheld the fleet of Berk as it silently rowed towards the kingdom of the trappers. Hiccup marveled at the thought of the Eternal who created this plane doing the same thing he was doing now— moving about the shadows, omnipresent and omniscient. The power was intoxicating.
With another casual thought, Hiccup teleported again where he appeared in the courtyard before the keep in the center of the city as he searched for his target. A stream of thoughts willed Hiccup's presence to teleport through the castle as he looked for the king.
An angry scowl marred Hiccup's handsome features as he thought of the man, Eret I, and his disrespectful words. Hiccup could deal with someone insulting him— Hel, he had been insulted his entire life. It didn't bother him any longer. There were two things he wouldn't stand for, however. Those who would insult Astrid, and those who would oppose his father and his family. King Eret I was guilty of the second and he would pay for his betrayal, Hiccup would make sure of it. Hiccup had to bite his tongue to stifle the giggles that threatened to consume him as he thought of the man's fate and the fate of his people for his stupidity.
Hiccup fully intended to make good on his threat.
Hail to the King
Astrid felt a small disturbance in her and Hiccup's soul bond, almost as if it had shivered. She sat up straight and quickly zeroed in on Hiccup as he went about measuring and adding herbs to the large stone cauldrons where they were brewing pain relief potions. Seeing nothing wrong, she shook her head and returned to grinding the poppy flowers into a fine dust for use as the second ingredient in the potion.
Astrid fell into a comfortable rhythm as she ground the flowers into dust until she was disturbed a few minutes later by Gothi. "I think we have enough now, dear," the old woman said sagely.
Astrid wasn't one to complain. Her back ached from being hunched over and grinding the flowers for the past two hours. She'd take whatever rest she could. Instead, Gothi simply gestured for Astrid to follow her as she made her way to the healer's tent.
Astrid followed with a reluctant sigh, expecting to be put back to work. She was surprised when Gothi used her staff to point at a chair at a small desk, indicating she wanted her to sit. Astrid sighed again, this time in relief, as she sat down in the chair. Gothi made her way over to a small wooden chest in the corner of the room and fished out a large tome before hobbling over to the desk and setting the tome down softly.
Gothi quickly flipped through several pages until she came to the knowledge that she was looking for. The elder spun the book around so that Astrid could read it more easily. Astrid's eyes followed the lines of runes as she read about the effects and ingredients of a certain potion. Her eyes widened comically as she blushed fiercely as she read the instructions for brewing a contraceptive potion. Gothi simply cackled madly at the young woman's reaction before she grew quiet and serious.
"I am not blind, girl. I see the way the two of you look at each other. Believe it or not, I was once young too. I dabbled in the pleasures of the flesh as the two of you are now. But… I also possess magic. It is no coincidence I have lived as long as I have and that I also am magical, albeit in a very small way. I am the oldest in the village and I have seen everyone I have ever known and loved succumb to the slow decay of time. Each of their deaths killed me little by little," Gothi said quietly.
"You and Hiccup will far outlive Berk. You will outlive our culture, our religion, even our very language. You will see thousands of years of history and millions of faces. Let me tell you, now, that the greatest pain you will ever suffer is one of those faces being your children," she continued on.
Astrid was about to say something before Gothi cut her off. "I do not mean to say that you should never have children, as they are the greatest gift of love a man and a woman could give each other, but I am saying that you should be prepared for the inevitable. Your children will die before you, long before you. No parent should ever live to see their child die. It is a pain I would not wish upon my worst enemy. Have your children when you are ready, when you can handle their loss. Do not grieve for them, but celebrate that they lived the life that they did. This is my advice to you," the elder finished sagely.
Astrid gave Gothi a sad smile before she committed the page to memory and mourned at the loss of the family she and Hiccup would never have.
Hail to the King
Valka watched from high above the clouds as the fleet of Berk landed and began their assault on the city. All around her were hundreds of dragons ready to descend upon the city when given her word. She watched with nervous anticipation as she saw the warriors of Berk climb up the city walls and begin to fight the defenders. She watched the large siege weapons mounted on the roofs of the city's houses where several hundred men were manning them and scanning the skies for dragons they thought for sure would come.
Valka shivered violently, feeling an unnatural chill crawl up her spine as she sensed a dark presence pass below her towards the island in the distance. She dismissed it as pre-battle nerves and focussed her attention on the battle her husband was fighting below. The battle on the ramparts lasted for only fifteen minutes before Valka saw the dragon trappers on their heavy siege weapons abandon their posts and assist their comrades in repelling the Viking assault. That was their first, and last, mistake. Valka instantly reached out to every dragon with a loud mental roar that directed them down. "Do not attack the Vikings! They are our friends and allies! Slay the rest! They are eggbreakers and kinslayers!"
The army of dragons roared and drew their wings closed before diving quickly upon the city below. The defenders never knew what hit them as they were bathed in dragon fire and torn limb from limb by fang and claw.
Hail to the King
Hiccup stalked confidently through the halls of the inner keep where king Eret I was hiding, although the man himself didn't know he was in hiding. No one could hide from him, not in his state, not now. Hiccup's lips curled upwards in pure glee as he came upon the first guards of the keep, two old men with long beards wielding pikes. The men took notice of a stranger approaching them immediately before they paled, becoming nearly bone white, at the sight before them.
Plumes of liquid shadow flowed off Hiccup like steam giving him an otherworldly and demonic appearance. He wore his black dragonscale armor and helmet which only added to the effect. Hiccup made no move to attack the guards as he approached, focussing on maintaining his Veilform and relishing in the fear the men exuded. When Hiccup was only ten feet away from the large double doors they guarded, the guards seemed to remember their duty. With a fearful battle cry, they charged Hiccup with their pikes lowered, intending to impale him.
Hiccup's smirk grew even more maniacal as the men approached him and sank their weapons deep into his gut, passing harmlessly through to the other side. The guards, horrified, withdrew their weapons and made to impale him once more. With a mere thought, Hiccup willed his body to take on some of the characteristics of the creatures that inhabited the Veil. Two writhing tentacle appendages erupted from his lower back before they darted around and impaled the two guards through their chest cavities eliciting a sickening crunch of bone and organs.
With practiced ease Hiccup controlled the two tentacles like they were a natural part of his body and flung the two corpses aside like trash. The tentacles, their task completed, faded from existence once more. Hiccup stalked forward again, not bothering to open the doors, and simply walked through them and appeared on the other side.
King Eret I looked up from his throne as he felt an unnatural chill invade the room. He gasped at the sight of the son of Loki, Vrangr, as he stood before him in all his unholy glory— a true agent of the trickster god and herald of the end times. His advisors looked up from where they were huddled and discussing the attack on their walls that was occurring at this very moment and mirrored their king's horror.
"You should have listened, Oathbreaker," Hiccup said darkly. His voice caused the skin of every man to crawl at its unnatural tone. Gone was the confident, powerful, and soft spoken voice Hiccup normally possessed. Now, his voice was warped with dark magic. It came out cold and monotonous. Beyond all that, and what sent true terror coursing through their veins, was that it was not one voice that spoke. It sounded as if tens, if not hundreds, of Hiccups were speaking all at once. It was as if the armies of Hel had possessed the man in front of them and were speaking their deaths to them.
Next to king Eret I stood his son, Eret II, who shuddered violently and drew an ornate dagger with shaky hands. Hiccup turned his head slowly to observe the prince before smirking. He dispelled his Veilform temporarily, allowing him access to his magic once more, before he quickly caused Eret II to fall unconscious. Hiccup assumed his Veilform once more, instantly, with practiced ease and glee.
King Eret I and his advisors drew their weapons in a futile attempt to defend themselves. The men surrounded Hiccup and swung their swords around furiously trying to cut him down. Their swings passed through Hiccup harmlessly as he just laughed at their attempts to kill him. The power of the Veil was truly godlike, he had trouble seeing why so many feared its magic but over time he gradually grew to understand their fear. Deciding to end their torment, Hiccup strode forward and batted the sword of Eret I away. The blade clattered as it skidded along the floor.
Hiccup grabbed Eret I by the throat and pinned him down to his throne in a seated position. "My king!" the advisors shouted as they continued to try and cut Hiccup down. Their attacks, as usual, passed harmlessly through him. One of the more eagle eyed advisors quickly slashed at the hand that was holding his king's throat, which appeared to be part of the realm of the real. The sword passed harmlessly through the "physical" hand and Eret I remained restrained.
With his other arm, Hiccup reached down and drew up the king's shirt until his belly was exposed. "For you, a magic most dark. This curse was invented by my father and taught to me personally. I am one of only three alive who can use it. You should feel honored," Hiccup said in the same multilayered, cold, and monotonous tone.
As he finished speaking, Hiccup placed his palm flat against Eret I's abdomen. A searing pain caused the king of the trappers to bite his tongue as the muscles in his belly spasmed violently. A second later, Hiccup removed his palm to reveal a rune etched into Eret I's flesh that pulsed in time with his heart and emitted darkness.
Hiccup release the king and walked over to prince Eret II and flung his body over his shoulder. Hiccup strode back out of the throne room as the advisors attended their king and tried to ease his suffering. One man called out for the guards, another for the healers. None noticed Hiccup abscond with their prince and next in line to the throne.
Hiccup made short work of carrying Eret II to the outskirts of the city before he released his Veilform so he could use his magic once more. Hiccup willed his appearance to take on that of a more Viking figure before he strode out into the battle that was taking place on the ramparts. At his approach, a group of three villagers approached Hiccup and his prize. Hiccup instantly recognized the one in the middle as Spitelout.
The three Vikings jumped back as a dragon dropped to the ground and bathed a group of ten defenders that were flanking them in fire. The dragon turned its large head to examine the Vikings and Spitelout gave it a nod of thanks. The dragon seemed satisfied and flew off. "Hafgrímr!" Spitelout exclaimed in greetings. Hiccup smirked inwardly as Spitelout recognized the villager he had chosen at random to impersonate.
Hiccup just nodded in greetings before depositing Eret II on the ground unceremoniously at Spitelout's feet. "Enemy prince," he spat gruffly. "Best take him to the island, prisoner of war and all."
Spitelout clasped Hiccup on the shoulder before the two other Vikings picked up Eret II and carried him bodily back to the ships. Spitelout and Hiccup watched as another dragon crashed into a nearby home, on purpose, before weeding out several cowering defenders and devouring them. The dragon paused in its meal and looked to the skies in a comical expression for a dragon— its eyes wide in fear. Spitelout watched as the dragon, and all of the dragons for that matter, took to the skies and flew away from the island.
Spitelout was about to ask Hafgrímr what he thought was going on, but when he turned to face him, Hiccup had vanished.
Hail to the King
Valka knew something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She could feel an immense amount of magic flowing towards the center of the island where it pooled at the large keep where she figured Eret I was. The magic was dark and deadly, its sole purpose to sow death. Valka panicked. With a mighty mental shout, she ordered her dragons back to the skies and safely out of range of whatever magic was at work on the island.
"Go, Cloudjumper! Find Stoick!" she urged through their bond. Cloudjumper roared and instantly dived from the cloud they had been overseeing the battle from towards the ramparts. It took the pair only seconds to crash into the ground, causing it to quake and send men to their knees.
"Stoick!" Valka yelled, her fear conveyed in her tone to those who knew her. Those being Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber. All three men rushed over to her.
Before either could get a word in, Valka began speaking rapidly. "There is magic at work here that threatens to kill many! Get your men back onto the ships and off the island! Anyone who is remains will suffer a most terrible death in five minutes!"
Stoick would have questioned her had he not learned so much about the world of the arcane and those who inhabited it. He had also learned to trust these past few years. Instead of questioning his long lost wife, he trusted her, and instantly began barking orders for his people to evacuate. Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber were the last men to board the ships as the rowers began to paddle fiercely, as if the gods themselves were chasing them. Spitelout took this time to inform Stoick about the capture of Eret II.
Hail to the King
Hiccup stood in the Veil, floating hundreds of feet above the ocean, as he watched the kingdom of the trappers patiently waiting for his magic to activate. All around him the creatures that inhabited the Veil gathered as they too watched the shadow of death descend on the island. Several glanced curiously at the young man that resembled their creator so. Hiccup and the creatures of the Veil did not have to wait long.
A small smile touched Hiccup's lips as he grinned gleefully as the curse he had placed on Eret I activated, transmuting the man's flesh into flame. The entire island was bathed in blinding, white hot magical fire fueled by the very essence of life.
Hail to the King
A/N:
Hey guys! I can't remember if this chapter is early or late… but whatever, here it is! I'm sorry for being so busy as of late but I just haven't found the time to write and when I do I don't have the inspiration. Nevertheless, this story will not be put on hiatus or cancelled. I'd never do that to my awesome readers. The story must go on! Anyway, this chapter is longer to make up for the shorter chapter last time. I hope you guys enjoy it. Happy 4th of July to all my American readers out there.
The biggest reveal this chapter was the Veil, and partially the magic of the Veil, as well as some lore pertaining to the Realm Eternal which the eagle eyed among you will have spotted. More on both subjects will become clearer as the story progresses with a full explanation of the Veil due shortly after the Asgard-Vanaheim story arc.
We also saw more of what Hiccup is doing in the Realm Eternal (any guesses?) and Astrid saw some happy memories of Hiccup's past. I decided to stick with her using visions because it allowed Astrid to actually experience what really happened. Words don't really do it justice. Any requests for Astrid's visions?
For those asking where Sigrid and Auriel are, we'll see them after the timeskip when we go to Asgard and Vanaheim. I was pretty surprised by how many people liked Sigrid.
Translations:
Meingras - Mein ("pain") + gras ("plant"). A herb used in the brewing of pain relief potions.
As always, a special thanks go out to all my reviewers. You guys give me the inspiration to write these long chapters.
Guest - what do you mean by Hiccup "fighting for" Astrid? Astrid is certainly more than capable of taking care of herself. In all likelihood, Astrid would be the one to fight for Hiccup!
GuestZ - there's no rush to get to the Asgard-Vanaheim story here! In fact, this story arc has already hit the length I shoot for with each arc and then some. The Asgard-Vanaheim arc really serves as a turning point in the war where the "A-team" is assembled and Ragnarok begins in earnest. This is where it gets exciting!
- Musica