This is War
'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'
RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.
GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]
SUMMARY – They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.
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NOTICES (First one is about new Poll):
-There is a new Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. There is quite a bit there, I'm afraid, but if you read this... Well, that should be no problem. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) Depending on what has the most, I'll write... Eh. No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get three votes!
-Aloysius/Hiccup fluff is everywhere! The One-Shot I have hinted at is pinned down for making,and there's going to be another One-Shot on a different topic, that instead has Silus/Hiccup bonding- and there's even a healthy dose of it in this chapter!
FEEL THE FLUFFFF!
-I'm thinking of making up a Forum for TIW AU, but... The site is stupid. Apparently, I can't make another Forum, if its the same 'combination of so and so' which it isn't, so I might have to take my other forum down for it... Wow. I am SO happy about that. 'Smashes computer.'
o-o-o
SHOUTOUTS:
Pietersielie- Lol, yup. No one is on your side. Sorry pal. Well, I hope this chapter answers your questions! Thx for all the support and reviews! :D
RUBYJEMS- I'm sure you can still hunt him down... Ah, there he is! Hold on. I need my sword... XD Thanks for the review, it's nice to see another fabulous review from you!
The Shadow Fright Dragon- XD XD XD XD XD XD... 'Ten minutes later' Ok, I'm done with the XDs. Yeah, sorry 'bout the three options. It's a good thing I did allow multi-selection- I dread what would have happened if I did not. I think I might bring the selection number up to five, but if I do, it will be if it doesn't do too well as a Poll. Yup. He just flew, and for real. Well... Sorta. Wasn't really flying. BUT, get used to it- he's gonna do it, and need it, a LOT in the future. Thx for the review!
Wow... Have we seriously reached 5o reviews! Guys, that's mind-blowing! Amazing! Thank you so much, I wouldn't be here without you amazing folk. ;D
DRAGONITES UNITE!
As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!
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Chapter 24: Shur'tugal and Skulblaka
Toothless? Hiccup asked telepathically, reaching out with his mind. Where are you, Bud?
The young Humanblaka looked around, seeing nothing that resembled a Night Fury.
The sun had risen much higher in the bright blue skies, and the temperature had now risen slightly, nice and warm. It was slightly colder than a hot summer day on Berk, which made this temperature lovely in comparison.
He stood in the West Courtyard, and when Crimseara had flown him over, he hadn't been able to take it all in at first.
Hiccup hadn't seen too much, but from what he had seen, this place was downright HUGE.
It had only taken about a minute to get there. After dropping him off, she had gone off somewhere, and Hiccup had been left there to meet up with his dragon, who apparently had yet to actually arrive.
The West Courtyard, otherwise referenced to as 'WC', wasn't far at all from the Pool Area and the building he had been in.
It was an enormous open space in front of Backyard 1- Backyard One, otherwise known as 'BKY1' was a grassy, plain field, that dropped off from the Infinity Pool's edge, (where the pool ended, it had a hidden wall, so the water ran over it and fell into a water container and recycled- it was really awesome, in his opinion) and was apparently for games, random running around, and pretty much any outdoor activity.
But back on the subject of the Courtyard, it had a similar layout, but a lot more beautiful- the grass was shorter and more maintained (both were, though), and stunning, white paths were around the area, and from Birds-Eye view, it was a four pointed star. In the centre, a golden and silver dragon statue was perched on a pedestal, in the middle of the fountain.
All around the area, that looked big enough to fit two Bewilderbeasts in comfort, he could see on his left (he was facing south) the distant shape of a large white building, (on Birds-Eye perspective, it is far south-east of the Gate, which is at the front. It is the corner building) and to his right, (on Bird's-Eye, it is South-East, just shy of the mid-line) he could see another field, but he couldn't see too much of that.
Behind him, there was a huge door, that led to a huge building double the width of the building he had woken in, and he wondered if it had the same rooms... He guessed it was the building opposite his own, with the same balconies. So yeah, they were most likely the same.
In front of him, there was a huge wall, that while lower than the 'sleeping' buildings, was God-damned levels of tall. It curbed neatly down to a mid-section, where a elegant, white barred gate was, intricately designed to look like each gate-door was a two-dimensional dragon. He smiled at that, simply amazed at the fine craftsmanship and beauty of it all.
Wow. Is the scenery THAT nice? A voice snapped him out of his observant trance, and Hiccup jumped. He then relaxed, recognising the presence and voice.
Just before he found an argument, the dragon laughed, making it clear he was joking.
It IS gorgeous though, I won't lie. Toothless mused, his voice some-what deeper, and rumblier than before.
Hiccup simply nodded, his tail swishing behind him. Agreed.
The Shur'tugal looked up at the cloudy sky, searching for those dark wings. He had suspected the dragon would come by air, on his automatic prosthetic tail-fin... Bud, where are you? Are you running here, or flying...? The dragon merely snorted.
Ha. I'm flying... And I'm not using that old tail-fin. I'm goin' free style.
What?
Toothless chortled. You'll see in a second. Wanna know what I'm about to do?
Hiccup chuckled. Yes?
Well, I'll sum it up for you, it two easy words here...
The adolescent froze, as a huge, different yet oh so familiar, ear-splitting roar filled the sky, and a glittering black figure flew from out the clouds. It dived towards him, as Toothless' voice shrieked in his mind; AERIAL ASSAULT!
And with one more huge roar, and a heavy thud, Toothless landed in front of his widened eyes.
Oo-oOo-oO
"TOOTHLESS?!" Hiccup didn't even say it in his mind, he was in that much shock.
The dragon before him- no- Toothless, in front of him, was huge.
He made a Monstrous Nightmare look average, and Hiccup estimated his dragon was now around the size of a Screaming Death, with the wings of a Typhoomerang (no joke, they were about two times as long as Toothless was from snout to tail tip) , or a Fireworm Queen, and honestly, Hiccup wasn't sure what to say.
Toothless still had his pitch black scales, but they had changed up a bit, now much sparkly and shiny- they glittered in the sun, like little black jewels. The ones down the back of his neck, on his cheeks and in the tiny scales below his eyes, were sharper and longer, overlapping each other, almost in a messy fashion, out of order. Down his back, they were smaller and thicker, and not as shiny, like his old scales.
The dragon's eyes were just like Hiccup remembered them, although they were brighter and shinier too. They looked down on him with wide pupils, loving and affectionate.
His head was as big as a average adult human now, and what had changed the most of anything, was Toothless' actual structure. In a way, he saw a lot of similarities between him and Crimseara, but they did have their uniqueness.
Toothless' snout was now longer and had a bridge, a small horn on his snout tip, between his nostrils. His eyes were still wide-set, if a little more pushed to the sides than before. A set of small, silver spines ran down his forehead, and he still kept his ear appendages- however, in place of normal large ears, he now had two sharp, ivory horns that carved slightly upward, ending in a sharp point.
It was so strange, and he wasn't all too sure he was fond of it, as it had always shown the Night Fury's emotions so well. But his other plates seemed to be longer, and much more flexible now, doing the same thing. Besides, they did now have telepathic connection, so he could let it slide.
The spines continued down his much longer, thick neck, that connected to his powerful torso, sleek and strong. His legs were longer and much more powerful, lean muscle outlining his broader shoulders. His underbelly sloped up in a lean fashion, his hind legs strong and quite different to look at. His paws had changed, too, no longer just a stump thing with claws. He now had four 'toes' that ended with sharp, white-silver claws; he had 'thumbs' so to speak, and the hind feet were the same, but had less flexibility in them, and there was only four toes and claws.
His wings stayed the same, huge and bat like, and very, VERY big. Toothless had dangerous, sharp spikes that ran all down his neck, (they actually stopped at his shoulders, where he presumed a saddle might go) spine, and tail. The spines were, as previously mentioned, silvery white, shiny and new-looking.
Another strange thing he saw was the lack of gliders; Toothless had apparently lost the gliding aids during his transformation. His tail was long and scaly, not surprisingly, and ended with two black tail-fins, which weren't as big in comparison to the body as before, but still quite larg-
Wait, what? Two tail fins...?
He quickly looked down, and he felt like an idiot. How had he NOT noticed the fact he had two feet again?!
Isn't it great? Toothless asked excitedly. No more phantom pains, no longer do we have to suffer! We're whole again! The Night Fury (well, at least Hiccup thought he was still a Night Fury, just... Evolved?) pushed his large head into Hiccup's chest, taking the man by surprise and pushing him back slightly. Hiccup laughed.
Yeah... Wow, I never imagined... It's finally over! Hiccup said in awe, flexing his foot. It felt so bizarre and out of place, having been an amputee for so long.
All the memories of pain, the ACTUAL pain, the Phantom pains- suddenly, he realised something he had never considered for 5 years.
Oh gods, you had them too? You had Phantom Pains?
Toothless nodded, brushing it off. Never really bothered me, though. I've dealt with worse, I'm a dragon...
He met his rider's gaze. And now, I'm a Skulblaka.
Oo-oOo-oO
Hiccup and Toothless stepped through the golden entrance, striding forward, slowly and observant, heads high and proud as they looked from side to side.
Shur'tugal sat on Skulblaka's back, wings folded neatly and cape down by his sides, as they walked down the aisle. Dressed in black and gold armour that felt weird yet comfortable, it was more so the actual scene that had him nervous.
Hundreds, thousands of Asgardians, Gods, Dragons, and Animals sat in the rows and rows of seats, cheering and whooping, clapping and watching the newest magical duo in all their glory, as they walked down the path laid out for them. Hiccup waved and smiled to the crowds, hiding his nervousness well, as Toothless would give an affectionate snort to dragons and children, all the while looking proud and pleased with himself. The dragon was undoubtedly having a wonderful time, shining bright in the spotlight that had been shined upon him and his rider.
Oh, don't be so shy. You've seen them before, it's not like your taking a bath in front of a army of Berserkers. The black Night Fury said casually, not really grasping the meaning of what he just said, but rather the message.
Hiccup immediately blushed bright red, scolding the dragon for the next twenty seconds or so. Mid-way, he and his Night Fury was showered by rose petals, brought by someone in the crowd.
Shaking his head fondly at his rider's antics, he turned his attention back to the crowds. He roared in greeting to Aurora, sat in the front row with Silus sat in a chair beside her. Toothless looked on ahead while his rider waved and smiled some more, and he grunted in surprise upon sighting a certain red-winged Humanblaka. He had known Aloysius and Crimseara would be joining them, but not five other riders and their Skulblakas.
He recognised the duo furthest to the golden, dragon-shaped-base altar in the centre of the raised dais, seated in a separate area, where there were the colour-coded (by dragon) seats, behind them their bonded soul-mates.
It was that man, named John, who rode the minty green dragoness, named Mintydreams, if he remembered correctly, and they had seemed quite nice and pleasant.
To their right, was that golden dragon and its rider who saved Hiccup's life; Garitirus and Valerie. The massive gold dragon was actually the largest of the group, Mintydreams being just smaller.
Beside them, he could see a new pair that he hadn't seen before, and they looked quite the silent but deadly type. The man was simply watching quietly, his dragon doing the same- his dragon was a large male, a blood red Skulblaka, darker than Crimseara, yet he was bigger by not much.
Next to them, was that girl called Giselle, her large male dragon behind her as they talked. Toothless believed the green dragon's name was Kazenor, which turned out to be quite a mouthful to speak.
He saw that pink dragon, called Candi, with her rider Akura, and honestly, they looked quite small. Beside them were two he was also not familiar with, another girl with a sea blue dragoness.
Peaking over his shoulder, he quickly checked up on his rider; Hiccup was holding his own. Good.
Turning attention back to the special guests, he could see that sable black and dark purple, male dragon, who was curled up around his rider's chair, where a dark-haired man was seated, politely looking around and talking to the blue dragoness next to his own.
Toothless suddenly found himself locked eyes with the dark grey dragon, who tilted his head in a gesture of awareness.
Toothless slightly dipped his head in respect; this dragon was a well-known fighter...
How had he known that...?
Oo-oOo-oO
"Shur'tugal Hiccup, Rider of Toothless, and son of Stoick and Valka Haddock," Odin's voice echoed through the silent room. Hiccup and Toothless stood before him, still and noble. "Do you swear that no matter the cost, and the consequences, you will defend your fellow Shur'tugalar and Skulblakas?"
Hiccup dipped his head slightly. "I do." He said, clear and just loud enough so all could hear him.
The ceremony felt like it went on for a life-time.
Odin spoke, Hiccup and Toothless responded; Aloysius announced his confirmation, and the crowd went wild. Toothless hummed, watching the huge mass of people and animals sound their delight, dragons roaring in pleasure, stomping their feet as the Asgardians applauded and cheered.
They turned around, and Hiccup nearly jumped in surprise; the honourably, welcoming matching necklaces they had been given in the ceremony warmed up slightly, and the emerald in the centre of each glowed brightly. The accessory was a elegant chain, and a dragon pendant shaped out of green jewel. Together, they sparkled in the light, and the motion seemed to only raise the volume another notch and bring even more delight to the audience.
Hiccup caught Aloysius' gaze behind him, and the man winked. He smiled in response, and listened intently as an announcer told everyone what would happen next.
A half hour later, and the party was well under-way; Hiccup had just returned with Toothless from his toilet break (the first thing he had told his rider after it was over) and when they entered, the crowds at the tables and bars all cheered again. Nervously smiling and waving to them, the pair walked over to where Silus and Aurora stood, playing with two children.
"Hey!" He shouted over the crowd, and Silus smiled. Aurora stood up, escorting the children back to their parents, somewhere in the fray of individuals.
Silus laughed, looking at the madness they stood in. "Pretty crazy, right?"
Hiccup laughed, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. His newly replaced foot still burned from the shock, as Aloysius had said it would, and Toothless had agreed; just the body trying to understand the changes. They didn't bother him too much, as he had wrangled worse in the past.
"Yeah." He allowed himself to slump down a bit.
"Not as crazy as all this, though." He moved his left leg forward, and spread one black wing, also swishing his long tail around his feet. Silus' eyes narrowed curiously.
The teen nodded, then looked down at his feet. "Silus?" Hiccup asked. "What's wrong?"
"It's just..." He sighed heavily. "We can't go back to Berk." Hiccup opened his mouth to respond, but Silus stopped him. "And you know it. If they... You're supposed to be dead. I should be dead." Silus' gaze hardened. "If I was in major levels of shock when I saw you, imagine your poor father's reaction! Your mother! Astrid, your friends...!"
Hiccup looked down remorsefully, and spoke quietly. "I know... I have to give it time." He looked back up. "What about you...? You said 'we'. Couldn't the gods just erase the memory?"
"They could, probably." Silus agreed bluntly. "But you'll still remember."
Humanblaka and rider met gazes, and a million emotions swept through within a few short seconds. Grief, fear, shame, guilt, knowing, all of it. "So..." Hiccup started, his voice thick. "What now?"
"I don't know... I think it's up to the gods, to be honest."
Hiccup nodded. "Agreed..." He looked beside him, where the now returned Aurora was talking to Toothless. "So. How about we join this glorious madness?"
Silus smirked, but Aurora only cringed.
This isn't going to end well... She thought, and Toothless snorted. Just wait until he got his claws on a barrel.
All that mead was GOING DOWN tonight!
Oo-oOo-oO
"Wow... Well, this... didn't end well." Hiccup said blankly.
In front of him, Silus was passed out on the table, grinning despite himself and still holding the almost completely drained tankard.
By the table, was a even more hilarious image; Toothless, unconscious and his snout half stuck in a barrel. Three other large barrels surrounded him, all completely empty. The kids long gone to bed, some adults were chatting and drinking while sat on his tail, that was now a bench, apparently.
Aurora stood beside Hiccup, looking at the two drunk boys.
Her icy blue eyes shone with amusement, and the Night Fury chortled. She jumped up on her hind legs, putting her front paws on the table. She weaved her head under Hiccup's arm, which was a bit stiff at the feeling. Her head, while slightly smaller than Toothless' when they had first met, was so familiar. Not that he liked her over his dragon, by the stars, he'd never think that, but he guessed it was just that oddness that still had him unsettled.
Looking into her eyes for a moment, he shifted position as she retracted, looking down on her own rider, blinking.
A moment later, she started laughing. Silus was drooling now, and Hiccup snorted good-naturedly and chuckled.
Nothing like a good party to lead you to your first drink.
"Hey, I'm going to go lead those people sat on Toothless' tail away. Don't want the big guy to wake up and freak out." Hiccup stood, just as Aurora shrieked.
Whipping his head around at the sudden noise, he looked for signs pf danger, but instead found some more mature hilarity. Apparently, parties didn't just get humans hooking up, but dragons too- or, well, at least some attempts at it.
Clearly drawn in by the perfect image of Aurora and her rear end that had been so conveniently sticking up to their table, four drunk dragons had sauntered over. One, who looked like a Monstrous Nightmare but with more muscled and defined features, a thicker and shorter neck, and had yellow-gold scales, had decided to stick his head under her tail, sniffing.
Aurora yelped indignantly, jumping away, smacking her paw across the baffled dragon in the snout. Oblivious, the dragon simply purred, grinning like a fool.
Disgusted, Aurora moved away, and was encountered with even more male dragons interested in her. Roaring in their faces, she looked more pissed than Hiccup had ever seen her before... Now, he would help her, but you see, in these types of... Situations, well, you simply just didn't interfere. Especially if you were him. Better to leave dragons to do their own business.
It took Hiccup a few minutes to move the drunken, slurred-talking Asgardians, (they could have been Vikings, because apparently that made up a fifth of the crowd) since they could barely hear him.
As the four men finally grasped what he was saying, they nodded, laughed a bit, and ran off, giggling and burping all the while. Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes and smiling faintly, as he sat down by Toothless' shoulder. His dragon wouldn't hurt him. The Shur'tugal (of which was now official) flexed one wing, intrigued by the way it moved.
"What you up to?" Aloysius approached, looking a bit ruffled up, and sounding a bit off, but overall not drunk.
Hiccup had drunken a mug and a bit after both Toothless and Silus insisted, but he was never really one to get wasted and utterly destroyed. "Eh, just sitting down. I don't think I'll stay around too long, just until this hunk of scales wakes up, or... I wake him up." They both chuckled. "It's kinda funny," Hiccup explained, "He and Silus were on a contest... But I think Toothless won."
"Yeah," Aloysius snorted, patting Toothless' side as he sat beside the younger man. "You know, just a little bit."
The adolescent sighed, and re-positioned himself, just as Aloysius perked up, his wings twitching, eyes narrowed in concentration. Silent, Hiccup watched him stay still for a moment, before he relaxed again, and out the thick masses of the crowd, a familiar Shur'tugal stepped through.
"Valerie!" Aloysius called out, waving as she walked over. Her golden wings fluttered.
She nodded to Hiccup in respect, her brown eyes reflecting with a golden sheen. The tips of her long, straight black hair were brown-gold. "What's up?" She asked, her voice soft and feminine, that had a deadly vibe to it. Her skin had a nice, moderate tan, and Hiccup wondered where her origins and home lay.
Aloysius smiled. "Just wanted to properly introduce you two- after all, Valerie did save your life, Hiccup."
Hiccup blinked, fazed for a moment. He turned his attention to Valerie, who looked at him fondly. "Oh... Uh... Thanks... I'm sorry, I'm just... It's all so much to... You know, take in." He shifted awkwardly, and Toothless groaned. Hiccup laughed, the now awakened dragon just listening to the conversation in contrast to taking part.
"That's okay." She said coolly. "It's all understandable- I remember how nervous I was back In the day... Ah, were we ever that young, Alois?"
Aloysius chuckled, his expression almost longing. "Aye... It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?" The man nudged Hiccup with his tail. "So."
He gestured to Valerie, Garitirus emerging from behind as people parted for the huge dragon. He growled, the sound throbbing and echoing as it vibrated. Golden scales glittering and sparkling, he lowered his head down to make his snout push into his rider's hand, icy blue eyes locking onto Hiccup, gentle and bright. He snorted a gentle puff of mildly hot air onto him, ruffling the boy's hair, and his pupils widened.
"Those two are Valerie and Garitirus." He said simply. Hiccup nodded.
Aloysius stood up, Hiccup copying shortly after. Aloysius gestured for him to follow, so Hiccup gave Toothless a brief scratch under his scaly chin, before running over to his caretaker. They weaved through the crowd, losing each other twice, before Aloysius led them up a staircase to a large room overlooking the area below. The floor was a dark plush, the walls black, and the wall that enclosed them in and showed them the place beneath was a big plate of glass.
Hiccup growled in amazement, slightly unnerved by the dragonesque noise he made; the vibrations in his throat as it sounded gave him scared shivers down his spine.
Aloysius walked up to the glass wall, beckoning the rider over. Hiccup bounded over, and cooed in question. The red-winged rider gestured towards the space below.
"That's Mintydreams, John's bonded dragon- down there is Thorn, and Ryvor is somewhere... Oh! And the man over there who's drinking like it's the end of the world is Skillet. His dragon is that grey-purple one, down at the back with Crimseara and Garitirus; his name is Darkarai. And over there, we have Giselle, and her dragon Kazenor."
Hiccup nodded in understanding, as Aloysius pointed to each. "Hey, Alois... Who are they?"
"Hmm?"
The adolescent scratched his neck casually. "As in, who are they to YOU? Are they friends? Family?"
"Oh, that's easy." Aloysius said, straight-up.
"They're my everything, basically- yes, they're friends, but they're more like family." He paused, his eyes shining fondly. "You see, Hiccup," He carried on, "They are practically around me and Crimsy all the time; they're my Team Mates, Training Squadron, Patrol Group, Home Group... The only thing we're not together in is one of our Core Training Secondary Groups, because me and Giselle chose Schooling, and well, John went down Healing."
Hiccup nodded, although not knowing what most of that meant. He looked down on the glass, resting his hands lightly on the wall. He laughed, sighting Toothless looking around for him, no doubt.
He's so oblivious... The man thought to himself, immensely amused by his dragon's drunken antics.
The unique parts of his dragon, whether they be good or bad, had him loving his dragon even more.
And In that moment, he knew these were the things he wouldn't admit to- the fact that...
I like that.
Oo-oOo-oO
A/N:
Yep, these chapters are getting longer. It's official. This one is over 4500 words. This is awesome. Can I say it any other way?
Well, don't really have anything else to say here, but I do have a new fanfiction idea; and its based off the purr-fect movie by Dreamworks, 'Puss in Boots' (just watched it on Netflix), so expect something like that- also, lil' announcement for TIW, later on, I intend to deliver Hiccstrid and more Hiccstrid to your archives. ;D
REMINDER/NOTE: If you haven't already, please visit my Profile Page and vote on my new poll! It will determine the next fanfiction (on 'schedule' and not because I WANT to write it) I write! Thanks for all the support!
LOVE YOU ALL! IT'S THE WEEKEND!
-Crystallion12.