I Own Nothing
All Rights Reserved
Brace yourselves…
Chapter 28
What Bludvist Never Did
It was a wintery day on Berk, as was typical this time of year. The snowfall had been heavy and the ice was starting to seal off the harbor. In the past this meant complete isolation for the rest of the season, and that was both a boon and a danger. With dragons around, however, the ice could be broken through and melted, and that was what Stoick ordered them to do. From his house he could hear the sound of fire being breathed about the harbor.
"Still no word from Hiccup and Astrid?" Valka asked.
"Nothing," Stoick said, "And we haven't found Snotlout either. I just don't get it! What in the name of Thor could he be doing?"
Valka had plenty of suggestions, but there was no point in voicing them.
"I sent out Fishlegs and the Twins to take another look earlier today," he went on, "It's just possible he's on his way back and they'll stumble across him. It worked with them during that Dragon Eye trip." He stood up when the door was burst opened by his Rumblehorn, who had been making his rounds that morning. "Ah Skullcrusher, what news? Has the weather changed any?"
"It's very windy, but that's not why I'm here. A large fleet of ships are approaching!" the Rumblehorn said to Valka, who passed the message onto Stoick.
"A fleet? Whose? How large?"
"Their sails have the Bog Burglar crest on them,"
Stoick breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, then let's head down to meet Bertha and see what this is all about. And we'll spread the word for everyone to lock up their valuables!"
They made their way to the docks, where a large crowd had gathered. The waves were getting rough and the ships showed signs of wear and stress. Spectators on the docks watched tensely and helplessly, praying that such ships would be able to dock safely. They cheered when the first one did so successfully. When a gangplank was thrown down Stoick approached, saying "So, what's the reason for this unex—"
A Speed Stinger leapt over the railing and slashed its tail at him. A split second later an entire pack charged down the gangplank and onto the docks, slashing their tails against every living thing in sight.
Pandemonium ensued. The Villagers ran for land, but the Speed Stingers were too quick. Every person their tails hit froze like a statue. Human and dragons alike were paralyzed as the pack made its way to shore and to the village. Stoick was the one exception to being paralyzed, and he roared furiously, grabbed his hammer, and charged after them. Several Stingers turned around at the noise and went in for another attack. He swung his hammer like Thor and fended most of them off, but one skirted around him and slashed his leg. He retorted by clubbing it in the chest. But doing so had given the other Stingers time to surround him, and they charged as one. Stoick was soon just as paralyzed as the rest.
And the attack did not stop with Stoick. The Stingers shot their way up to the Plaza and split up. Most villagers and dragons in the area had been going on with their daily lives. The attack came so fast that few had even the faintest idea there was an attack. All through the village the Stingers raced, breaking into homes and freezing everyone they came across, from humans to dragons to livestock, sleeping or awake.
But the Speed Stingers did not do this out of evil or because they delighted in it. They had been starving through the voyage and wanted Berk's food, and they were taking out anything that they perceived was in their way. Most burst into a house, froze the occupants to ensure it was safe, and then broke into the larders and gorged themselves.
But Speed Stingers were skittish creatures, and they were paranoid about the safety of them and their Queen. Anything that moved was seen as a potential threat, and their first instinct was to neutralize the threat before it became anything worse. So even anybody fleeing was stung and frozen, regardless of how formidable they were.
Evictus and his team had been in the woods that morning, cutting some trees for firewood. They were hauling the logs back when they heard screaming coming from the village. The dragons at once dropped their loads and leapt into the air, expecting a fight. Evictus landed on top of one house and looked down to survey the situation. He could not believe what he saw. Instead of a battle a multitude of statues were randomly placed around the village and Speed Stingers were rushing around them and breaking into food stores. Luckily for Evictus, he was beyond the reach of the flightless dragons, but some others of his team were not so lucky. They had dived or flown close to the ground, expecting to attack an army, and instead they were met by flailing Speed Stinger tails.
Evictus looked around wildly. A small handful of dragons had gotten to safety, including Cloudjumper, but aside from them, everyone on Berk was paralyzed. The whole attack could not have lasted more than 10 minutes.
"But this makes no sense!" Evictus shouted, "How could Speed Stingers have gotten here?"
"Never mind that! What do we do now?" another dragon yelled back.
The Timberjack quickly made up his mind. "We wait. They'll probably leave once they're done eating, and the venom will wear off eventually. Aside from repairs and food shortages, this attack really hasn't harmed anything."
"If I were you I would rethink that," Cloudjumper said ominously, "Look towards the docks."
A large group of men were now disembarking from the ships. They wore armor pads and had spiked helmets, and around their legs and arms were strands of Dragon Nip, to protect them from the Speed Stingers.
"Now get these statues bound and onto the ships before the venom wears off." Ryker Grimborn ordered.
Night had fallen. Fishlegs and Meatlug had been out all day searching for that moron Snotlout, and had found nothing. Fishlegs was worried about his friend, but was also very annoyed that Snotlout had run off without a single hint of where he was going or what he was doing and was equally annoyed that he had spent a day pointlessly flying through the cold looking for him.
"Honestly, why didn't he tell me or the Twins?" he shouted, "We're supposed to be his friends and a team! And if he didn't go by choice, what happened to him?"
He was jolted from his annoyance when he realized something was out of place with Berk. The only lights lit were in the harbor. None of the beacons on the nearby rocks were lit, nor were there any fires in the Plaza or in any homes. That was very strange, especially at this time of year. "Meatlug, make for the docks."
As they drew closer they saw a lot more ships in the harbor than there had been that morning. And they could now hear screams and roars coming from the ships.
The hunters had first bound every paralyzed human and dragon, so if the Stinger venom wore off they would still be mostly immobile. It was a smart decision for the hunters, because it was taking a great deal of time to carry everyone to the docks and securely place them in the ship cargo holds. The Speed Stingers had all been recaptured as well, thanks to the Dragon Nip.
Viggo was watching the progress with a chillingly calm expression on his face, though now and then he permitted himself to look smug and even happy. "I have every right to be," he told himself, "I just accomplished what Bludvist never did, and it was absurdly easy. I almost question if it was worth the effort." But he knew it was. There would be good profits soon, and he had dealt a ferociously sharp blow to Hiccup.
Ryker came over, as usual asking for instructions.
"It'll take days to get all this loaded," he complained, "especially when you want everything and everyone accounted for,"
"We must be certain our records are accurate, or else someone might try and cheat us," Viggo said patronizingly, "so when I want complete lists of names, descriptions, species, what ship they are on, where that ship is making for, when it leaves and arrives, and how much the products sell for, and all expenses, I expect to receive exactly what I ask for. Now, detach some men to plunder the island. The usual procedures."
Ryker grinned. Plunder was more fun than loading ships. "Anything else?"
"Yes, I want a full inventory of what our men find. And we will remind them what happens to those who try to cheat me. And I want the prisoners I have listed here to be placed on my personal ship. These prisoners will come with us to Grimmige Festung, and are not to be sold until the Dragon King is indisputably dead."
"Hostages?"
"Exactly." He handed Ryker a slip of parchment. "See to it.
Ryker glanced at the list. "Why isn't that crippled blacksmith included? I heard he was one of the Dragon King's closest friends. Wouldn't it be better to hold him hostage?"
"Some close friends and family members will be kept hostage, others will be sent elsewhere." Viggo retorted. This would greatly complicate Hiccup's chances of saving the ones he cared for most, and that would make things even more painful for him. "Now, Dagur can watch the plundering group. He has the nose for that kind of work. And have Eret join us on my ship when it is loaded. Oh, and one more thing. Make sure family members are separated and placed on different ships as much as possible."
And thus Berk was plundered. Homes were ransacked, doors were broken down, windows were smashed, food and drink taken, beds were broken, and tables and chairs were chopped up. Anything of value was seized, and anything not of value was destroyed by the hunters, who were no longer hunters but a mob drunk with greed and violence. They destroyed for the pleasure of destroying, and were determined to enjoy this brief time of complete freedom to do as they pleased without fear of punishment. Nothing was burned at this time, for burning the village before it was completely stripped was not profitable, but every building was vandalized in some way.
Eret glanced at the plundering when he could, while he was assisting with loading the paralyzed prisoners. He was disgusted and horrified by what he saw. He was a hunter, not a heartless pirate! This was not what hunting was supposed to be about! Hunting was not about robbing villages and locking up children like that much cargo! He was used to hearing dragons cry out in pain and misery, but hearing kids screaming for their mothers or a parent crying for their child or spouse or a friend, it made his blood run cold. And he was here helping it. And there was nothing he could do about it. Viggo would kill him or have him join the prisoners if he made any protest, and there was no way to escape. He truly wished now he had taken the Dragon King's advice and left behind Dragon Hunting when he had had the chance.
After some time had passed, Viggo went to see the prisoners in the cargo hold of his flagship.
"I want my mamma!" a child screamed.
"Where's the Chief?" a man demanded.
"Where's my wife?"
"What have you done to us?"
Viggo held up a hand. He looked like a benevolent patriarch about to gently admonish some children for a wrongdoing. "What have I done to you? Oh my dear sir, you are so badly mistaken. I understand you are upset, but if you wish to blame someone, I'm afraid you must blame Hiccup for this, not me. I am simply a man of business. Hiccup has repeatedly threatened my business over and over again. Who among you would not fight back if your livelihood was in danger? Because Hiccup has been so relentless and refuses to listen to reason, he has forced me to take extreme measures out of desperation. In fact, his actions would have broken a less resourceful man! If Berk had remained a place of safety for me and my enterprises, we would be unfailing friends to this very day. But Hiccup showed up, forced you to adopt a new lifestyle inconsistent with Viking beliefs, and has interfered so many times with my plans I have no choices left.
"Consider, my fellow sufferers: whose fault was it for the war with Drago last year? Who is the man who claims to want peace, picks fights all the time, and yet denies you all the possibility of going to Valhalla? Who went against 300 years of Viking tradition and commerce just to satisfy his personal ends? He talks of peace and ends up in fights. We all know, do we not, that peace is a foolish dream. The Gods frown upon those who die peacefully, do they not? Only true warriors who fall in battle go to Valhalla, and Hiccup would deny this for you! Does he actually care about us, about our trade, our lives, our safety, or is he more interested in dragons? If Hiccup cares so much about Berk, why did he push me so far that I was forced to take extreme measures against Berk to save my business and all I have? He has denied you all the chance of sharing my profits and increasing your trade. How is that the actions of a responsible leader?"
He turned away and went back to his quarters. "Something for them to think about during the long voyage," he said smugly. "Of course, I do not intend for them to see dear little Hiccup again."
There was pounding on the door. "If that's not Ryker, go away," he said loudly.
The door opened. "It's me, brother, and I brought you some company," Ryker entered, carrying the paralyzed form of Stoick the Vast. Behind him came Eret and Mildew.
"Wot's this 'ere about?" Mildew demanded crossly.
"You shall see in good time." Viggo said calmly, "How soon before he wakes up?"
"It won't take long," Ryker assured him.
"I'd be surprise if it did," Eret mumbled, "We've had to resting him half a dozen times every hour to keep him this way."
"A powerful man," Viggo said, sitting down.
"'E was," Mildew spat, "then the useless son made him a weakling."
Greta Hofferson suddenly snapped out of her paralyzed condition, to discover she was in a ship's hold and chained to the wall. "What the—"
She looked next to her and saw Gustav Larsen. "Gustav, wake up, wake up!"
"Where am I? Where's Mom? Where's Fanghook?" he exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.
"I don't know," Greta looked around. Other people in the hold were waking up too, most with the same reaction as Gustav. And when they realized what had happened to them, very few kept quiet. They roared with rage, demanding who had done this to them, where were their loved ones, where was their Chief, and struggling in vain to break out of their bonds, calling upon their unknown foes to come out and fight. They could hear the sounds of dragons roaring on the other side of a wall. Evidently the ship had two cargo holds and each one was being used for a different species.
And when nobody came to answer their cries, and it became clear they were not getting out of their bonds that easily, the prisoners began to look around uneasily.
"What's gonna happen to us?" a child asked nervously.
"It's going to be all right, son," replied the man next to him. They were not related, and everyone who heard him knew the words were hollow.
"Hey!" Gustav said loudly, "C'mon, we're Vikings! We'll find a way out of here—somehow," There were a few determined nods, but others looked scared.
At least Astrid isn't here, Greta thought. She looked upwards and whispered "Odin, watch over them. And watch over us. We're going to need it."
Still, she was very glad her daughter was not there. That was her only comfort.
The few dragons who had escaped the Speed Stinger attack were in the woods. They could hear what was going on and were debating furiously what to do about it.
"I say we attack right now!" a Whispering Death urged, "Fly in and turn those ships into cinders!"
"We'd burn everyone alive!" Evictus yelled, "We're trying to help them, not help the hunters with killing them!"
"The hunters won't kill them," a Changewing said, "Didn't you hear what they were saying? They're going to make slaves out of them, just like the Red Death did with us! Out of the humans, I mean. The dragons will probably all be…you know," she drew a line through her throat.
Strangely, Evictus felt a twinge of hope at this bad news. "But hunters usually don't kill dragons until the very last minute! If the hunters aren't going to kill anyone yet, there's still some time—"
"Time to do what?" another demanded.
"What would the Hatchling do?" the Changewing asked, "Think, everyone, what would he do?"
"He'd fly in there, sneak on board a ship, and rescue everyone! We've done it a thousand times! C'mon, let's get moving!" A Nadder argued.
"All right, first of all, we've never done a rescue on such a scale before, secondly, there are only 8 of us, and thirdly, they've probably wised to his tactics by now. We'd only get caught and join them." Evictus said.
"Where's the Hatchling when you need him?" the Changewing muttered.
"We're just going to have to find him then!" Another declared.
"And then what?" demanded yet another, "Evictus pointed out there are only 8 of us. Assuming Toothless and Stormfly joined up, we'd have 10. I don't know about you guys, but I don't have any hope in odds like those."
"Then we'll get help," Evictus retorted, "There are other dragons around here aren't there? The Bog Burglars, the Owl Guts—Denmark! The list goes on! And Shamrock's currently at a Treejumper colony! And Cloudjumper—you could get your nest to help!"
Cloudjumper had been listening with skepticism this entire time, and now he shook his head with a condescending look. "I do not believe my Beta would concern himself about a tribe of Vikings—"
"Hang on a minute!" exclaimed the Whispering Death, "It's our nest too!"
"And your human is down there!" shouted the Changewing, "Are you gonna leave her to her fate?"
Cloudjumper scowled. "Certainly not. I will get Valka out of there and take her home. This is clear proof to me that we should never have gotten involved in any of—"
"Oh for the love of all that's living, are you really this selfish?" roared Evictus.
"My duty is to look after my nest, not—"
"Oh look around for once, you stuck up idiot!" shouted the Timberjack, "This isn't the time to sit around like a woodpecker on a tree! You think looking at something pretty and shutting your ears will make every problem go away? Well it won't, and sooner or later Viggo will come for your nest and you'll fly around begging for help, but guess what—you won't get any help because everyone who might have helped you, you left to die! Go on back to your 'Everlasting Ice' if you think it's so important! We don't have any desire for cowards in our flock anyway!" he turned away from Cloudjumper, "Right, we'll split up," He pointed to the Nadder and the Whispering Death, "You two come with me and we'll find the Hatchling. The rest of you fly around to the various islands and get what dragons you can—try the Bog Burglars especially." He pointed to the Changewing, "You track down Shamrock and those Treejumpers. By the time we get back with the Hatchling, hopefully we'll have a full sized army waiting for him!" he shot Cloudjumper a dirty look, and the dragons took off into the night.
"Fools," Cloudjumper said, "they'll only get themselves and a whole lot more killed, and for what? If they had just not stuck their noses into matters that did not concern them, none of this would have happened! If they had—" he stopped as he realized what he was saying.
Stoick's arm twitched, then a leg, and then his face. His skin slowly turned back to its normal hue. He looked around and frowned. Then he struggled onto his feet. "Well, well, well. So what's all this, Grimborn?"
"I do hope you are none the worse for wear, Chief Stoick," Viggo said calmly, "it will be easier for what you are about to endure."
"If it's to be torture, you've got the wrong Viking to play with," Stoick growled.
Viggo smiled slightly. "Vikings never crack, do they?"
"And villains never shut up," Stoick countered.
"I'm no villain, Stoick. I am merely a businessman trying to make an honest living and save his enterprises from persecution and destruction."
Stoick laughed humorlessly. "Really? And how does any of this fit into making an honest living? You do realize you're finished now, right? Once Hiccup returns, he won't rest until your body is in a shallow grave and your flesh is being devoured by maggots!"
"I know he'll come back. And I intend to make that gruesome poetry apply to him," Viggo said, a touch of venom in his tone. "Now tell me Stoick, since we won't get another chance to talk about it, did you wonder how I got out of your prison? I offered a bribe and it was accepted."
"Every guard denied helping you or accepting anything," Stoick retorted.
"Oh they didn't. But he did," and he pointed to Mildew. "He heard your guards joking about my offers, and it got him thinking. So he gave the guards drugged mead, bound them, and stole the keys to let them out. Isn't that right, Mildew?"
"Ser-prized, Stoick?" Mildew grinned.
"Not really," Stoick said heavily, "honestly, we should have suspected you from the beginning."
"But ya didn't! An' now that yer 'ere, Viggo, where's ma money?"
Viggo gestured to Ryker. Ryker walked up to the old man and stabbed him in the chest. Mildew's eyes bulged and his mouth opened slightly. He fell to the floor dead.
Stoick was so astounded he could not speak at first. "What in the name of Thor—"
"The first rule of business is to look after your own interests," Viggo said calmly, "I saw no reason to pay the man and he was of no further value to me. And I perceived it would be more satisfying to tell you of his treachery and deny you the chance to take your revenge upon him. And I was right, it is much more satisfying," he stood up and drew close to Stoick, "Very satisfying. And I intend for it to be only the first in a long stretch of satisfaction, Stoick the Vast." He looked up. "Take him out to the docks. And somebody clean up the floor."
Some hunters were still loading paralyzed people, and by this point they had gotten tired and monotonously fallen into routine. They attached no significance to the person they had just picked up, or realized it was Stoick's wife they were carrying it. Her body was just one more statue from a still large pile. So they did not notice the color in her face returning. Until she pulled so hard that the hunters holding her arms banged into each other.
"What the—!"
Valka flopped onto the dock, kicked one hunter into the water, grabbed another by the head and sent him likewise, seized the sword of a dazed third one, and started running towards the island, ignoring the shouts behind her.
In the woods, Fishlegs Ingerman had come to roughly the same conclusion as the group of free dragons had. He had seen enough of what was going on, and was all too aware that he had no hope of mounting such a rescue alone. But unlike the dragons, his thoughts turned to looking to humans for aid. But he knew he had to move at once. If Viggo was so smart he would surely know by now that some of the Original Dragon Riders were unaccounted for. Possibly he planned to do to other tribes what he had just done to Berk. Berk's allies needed to be warned, and they had to rally or perish. So he mounted Meatlug and urged her to fly as fast as she could.
Stoick was dragged forcefully off Viggo's ship and onto the dock. He struggled as much as he could but there were too many people even for him. In the red firelight he saw for the first time what was happening to Berk. He had seen this kind of sight many times. He had seen it after dragon raids and battles. It was the sight of a ruined village. A village that was a shell of what it used to be and would soon be completely destroyed if nothing was done to help it. He fought to keep a straight face.
"I've seen worse," he said half heartedly. It was sadly true, but he sensed he would not be around to rebuild it this time. The men guarding him were pushing him to get onto his knees, and he heard the sound of an axe being sharpened.
Seeing his village being plundered once again made him wonder if he actually had been a good Chief. Had anything he done actually helped? Had he worked so hard to keep Berk alive that he had killed it in the process? What would his family and ancestors say to him when he met them in Valhalla?
The thought of Valhalla made him realize something. Valhalla was for fallen warriors. But he was not going to be permitted to die as a warrior; instead he was going to die like a common criminal: by execution. Viggo was ensuring his soul went to Hel, not Valhalla. That was one of the cruelest punishments for a Viking. It made him angry. Furious even. And there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
The men guarding him heard shouting behind them. All heads turned and saw Valka running along a different set of docks, with two hunters in hot pursuit. Stoick grinned and suddenly slammed his body into one of his guards.
"Get 'em, Val! Get out of here!" he shouted as he rammed into another. Even with his limbs bound he could still put up a fight. And then a guard stabbed him in the leg. Another hit him in the back with a hammer. He fell onto the dock with a thud and his guards quickly went about subduing him. He struggled against them with every ounce of his strength, but in vain.
Valka heard him shout and froze in her tracks. The hunters were so surprised they ran into her and she shoved them into the harbor. She turned and looked over at Stoick. The docks they were on were too far apart to jump to. Between them was the freezing black water of the harbor.
"Stoick…" she whispered. She could not see him give her a reassuring smile as a guard behind him raised an axe. "STOICK!"
Stoick made certain that the last thing he saw was his wife.
Valka screamed and ran down the docks and onto land, ignoring everything. More hunters were chasing her. She turned away from the village and made for the woods. She could hear her pursuers grunting, and they sounded so close, but she hardly heeded it. She could hardly even see where she was going nor did she really care. She had just seen her husband's execution.
The hunters put on an extra burst of speed and were just about to reach her, when Cloudjumper leapt in front of them and with one breath turned their bones to ashes. He and Valka exchanged no words. She just climbed onto him and he took off into the night.
Eret walked reluctantly down to the cargo hold, a sheet of parchment in his hand. After consulting it, he said to the prisoners in a commanding tone, "Which of you here is Greta Hofferson?"
Everybody ignored him.
"Look, you're only making things more difficult on yourself. Which of you is Greta Hofferson?"
He asked the question several more times, eyeing the prisoners to see how they reacted. When he reached Greta she finally admitted who she was.
Eret turned to the hunter accompanying him. "Transfer her to the cargo hold on Viggo's ship."
He nodded. Eret quickly stole outside, supposedly to get some fresh air. He watched as Greta Hofferson was forcefully dragged off the ship and pulled to another one. She went without a sound but struggled against her bonds so roughly that the guards decided to grab a Speed Stinger and use its stinger to paralyze her.
Cloudjumper stopped on a sea stack in the middle of the ocean. From there they could faintly make out the fires in Berk's harbor but nothing else. Valka climbed down off of the Stormcutter and vomited. Cloudjumper looked at her uncertainly. Her eyes were red and glistening, and her cheeks were tearstained.
"Valka, I am so sorry, if I had been a little faster—"
"Save it," she said, her voice hoarse but curt. "Save it. Words won't change what's happened." She took a deep breath. "We're going to our nest and we're coming back with every dragon in it—either to free Berk or avenge it."
"What about your son?"
She shook her head. "He'll find out soon enough on his own, if he's still alive, and we can't waste time trying to find him. Flying to the nest will take long enough as it is."
Cloudjumper nodded grimly. "I'll go as fast as I can,"
By the menacing red firelight, Viggo looked around the docks, very pleased with what he saw. Ryker came over.
"The woman who was Stoick's wife has escaped!"
"Execute some of the hunters who allowed this," Viggo replied, "Make examples of them."
"Should we go after her? She might go get the Dragon King, or go to that nest of hers and bring her dragons back!"
"I rather hope she does," Viggo said calmly, "it will save us the trouble of having to locate them." He smiled, "this has been a very successful day, my brother. We have done good business. I think I will turn in."
