So... not much to say here...
I'm already working on the next chapter, and I think that the most this will go is maybe three more chapters. I think I said a few chapters ago that it wouldn't exceed thirty chapters. Oh well, what's a couple more? XD
This chapter is significantly shorter than most, but it's pretty important. ;)
I want to thank everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this story over the past three - almost four - years. And thank you all for being so patient with me. I am so happy how this story's turned out, and I'm seriously planning on a sequel, since there is much more I want to explore in this AU.
Thank you again, and don't forget to review! :)
Souls of Dragons
Chapter 28: A World Beyond the Worlds
Hiccup rubbed his head.
What... what happened
He looked around him.
The world he was in... it wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before. It was a world full of crystals and almost looked like a giant cave, full of luminescence lights, and strange corals that glowed in colours that he'd never seen. The stalagmites and stalactites were huge, towering even the highest point on Berk. He could hear the rushing of water that came overhead-
... Was he in the sea?
Water spurred like a waterfall, flowing into the cave into a small grovel near the wall, passing down a crystal passage. Dragons of different species were drinking and swimming in it, eating fish that must have passed through. Hiccup grinned. The world made him feel like he was back in Icespitter's nest, when he first saw the icy walls and multiple dragons. But here... there must have been more dragons... maybe even thousands.
He knew he didn't belong in this place... but why was he here now?
"Hiccup, are you there?" an echoing voice asked.
Hiccup turned around, to see Astrid standing before him.
But the weird thing is... she was wearing a plain white dress. Nothing too... fancy... but it was just a white sheet basically. From what Hiccup could tell, white was a difficult cloth color to come by, one that was nearly as bright as hers. Her feet were the same boots she had been wearing for the past few days. Hiccup looked down at himself and saw that he, too, was wearing a white sheet-like dress. Thankfully, it covered all of him. And his own feet had brown leather boots too, just like he always wore-
Wait.
He had both feet?
Okay, now I'm definitely sure I'm dead.
"Yea, I think I am... but where are we?"
Astrid took a moment to take in her surroundings. Her eyes wandered, as his did, taking in all the sights around her. "I have no idea... but I feel like I've been here before... but in my dreams..."
There was a sense of familiarity of this place... something that only came from the depth of his childhood. Hiccup saw may dragons flying around them, some that were from his own island, some from Astrid's and some that he didn't even know existed... and he could have sworn that he saw one glimmer not too far away but it was gone in an instant.
"Yea... I think I had a dream about this place once," Hiccup said. "But I don't know..."
Both followed through the glowing catacombs, in awe of the beauty and alien-like appeal of the place. Neither said anything for a long time, for they were taking in the sights. On one ledge, there were dragon eggs with see-through shells, showing the developing baby dragons growing inside.
"This is amazing..." Hiccup could only whisper.
"Is this where dragons go after they die?" Astrid asked. She found herself searching around with her eyes. "Maybe... maybe Heavenwings is here..."
Hiccup didn't know how to answer. If this was anything like Valaheim... or even the equivalent of an afterlife... then there should be all dragons here. But he couldn't be sure.
"Perhaps we should check it out," Hiccup suggested.
Astrid nodded, as the two of them trudged forward.
"Are you sure they are ready?" a voice asked.
Both Hiccup and Astrid followed the sound of the voice. It wasn't hard to miss, but it wasn't a voice that either recognized. It was definitely a dragon's voice, They continued to walk, and hid behind a stalactite. They both, cautiously, grabbed for their weapons out of habit... but there were no weapons strapped to them.
"Yes, I spoke to Flametorch before I passed. She was willing to save the Dragon Master. Surely it isn't enough proof that they are what the Elders foretold?"
Astrid's heart skipped a beat. She knew that one.
Standing on a tall ledge, in the middle of the cave, was Icespitter.
And he was with a-
Night Fury.
Astrid stopped. Wait... a Night Fury? But she was told that Toothless may have been one of the last ones. She had searched for them... for years. How was it possible that there was another one? That was what she told Hiccup... but if there were Night Furies here-
The mighty Bewilderbeast glanced down and smiled. "Hiccup. Astrid."
Both humans jumped out. Astrid found herself smiling at the sight of her old friend and caretaker. Although the dragon had died mere hours ago, she started to cry... and she thought she had finished crying for the day. She couldn't help but run over to Icespitter and hug his face. The dragon in return closed his eyes and purred against the human.
"You're... you're here to see us," she said through her tears.
Icespitter lifted his head away from Astrid and looked at the Night Fury. "Now, you see, my old friend?"
The Night Fury looked away from the Bewilderbeast, muttering something that even Astrid couldn't quite catch. Astrid noted that the Night Fury looked very similar to Toothless , save for the glowing blue-grey eyes and the number of nubs on his head were more than Toothless'. Astrid also noticed that the dragon looked significantly older than Toothless; the Night Fury's black scales were beginning to grey.
"I told you they would learn to trust one another," Icespitter said.
Hiccup frowned. "Are we dead?"
"Stupid human," the Night Fury muttered.
"Hush," Icespitter said.
"Icespitter, you can sit here and pretend that these two humans are the so-called Souls of Dragons, but you cannot convince me that they will bring an end to this war," the Night Fury growled. "I have seen men and women in my long life try to stop the war but it never did anything!"
Icespitter shook his head. "The Elders said-"
"Do not quote the Elders!" the old Night Fury roared. "I was there when the Prophecy was uttered, as the other prophecies. You haven't lived long enough to know that your own father disagreed too with the Souls of Dragons!"
Icespitter growled again. "You may have encountered a bad human once in your entire life, but it does not mean that all of them were like your human. In fact, the so-called human you keep hiding your guilt from is in, a way, connected to one of the Souls!"
Astrid looked over at Hiccup. There are more prophecies?
This is the first time I'm hearing about it too, Hiccup's thoughts said.
"Now, I must speak to Astrid and Hiccup. You can be good and listen or you can leave us," Icespitter said.
The Night Fury sighed. "I have to go to find Windwalker, anyway. He was last seen taking his family out of the cave." The dragon then opened his old wings and flew to the top of the caveish world... disappearing from the eyes of Hiccup and Astrid.
Icespitter smiled as he looked down at Hiccup and Astrid. "Now... I see you've completed some of the the prophecy..."
"Icespitter, you told us about the prophecy, but you never actually told us what it said," Astrid said. She thought back to all the times Icespitter told her about the prophecy, but never recalling as to what it specifically said. "Not that I'm not grateful... I could feel Hiccup's pain and emotions from miles away."
"Not to mention we could speak to each other with our minds..." Hiccup trailed off.
Icespitter released a laugh. "Well, I think you've pretty much done most of it... then I shall tell you it:
"The Dragon Souls will be:
One who carries the ruling title,
who saves a dragon from his own greed,
who sees himself in the dragon,
who shares the pain of his dragon;
they shall be born with the soul of a dragon.
His mate, in body, mind and spirit
will achieve the soul of a dragon;
she who matches the dragon in fire;
who shares the sisterhood of a dragon;
who is raised in the ways of the dragon.
For together they can cause no harm to the other,
And others cannot harm them;
The will understand each other's pain
and thoughts in strong moments.
They, and their dragons in blood,
will rid the evils of the world
of darkest threats; control, killings and black magic,
and cease the fighting of the dragons and vikings,
uniting them and apart for the end of time."
Astrid didn't know how to process it.
On the one hand, the prophecy was pretty spot on. It described everything that she thought it would say, about her and Hiccup and how they fit in all of this. There was no question that they fit the bill.
But there was one thing that she wasn't sure about. "Icespitter... didn't you say that the prophecy told us that we would be the only ones to stop the evils of the world?" she asked. Icespitter nodded his head. "But the prophecy said... that we would 'unite them apart'."
Hiccup nodded. "What does that mean? We are united when we are apart?"
Astrid had a sickening feeling. What she was about to say next... well, she didn't want to believe it. "I think the prophecy is saying that, once the evil has been vanquished... dragons and Vikings should be separated forever." The words felt like poison in her mouth... And she hated herself for coming up with the answer.
She didn't want this. And Hiccup's confusion only grew.
"What?" Hiccup asked. "No, that's- that's-" He shook his head. "No, dragons and Vikings can live in harmony! That's what I've been saying all along!"
Icespitter said nothing.
Hiccup couldn't believe it.
Icespitter... he was insinuating that dragons and Vikings should be apart? But that couldn't be right! Dragons and Vikings have always bee together in history, their stories intertwined with one another! Even the history of Berk had its roots with the Dragon Nest on Helheim's Gate for centuries... why would a prophecy predict the downfall of them? And the Bewilderbeast had been telling them that they were destined to unite dragons and vikings.
Astrid's hand went to his and the familiarity of her touch was comfort for him. "Hiccup... we still have to stop these other evils... so it won't be for a long time," she explained. She glanced up at Icespitter. "Is that right?"
Icespitter could only nod in confirmation.
Hiccup wasn't taking this. No, he wouldn't stand for it. "I have been trying to tell people for years that we can live in harmony!" Hiccup shouted. His anger was growing, growing more than when he thought Drago killed his father. "Why is the prophecy telling us this? Why didn't you tell us?"
Icespitter sighed. "I thought if you heard the prophecy, you would understand that nothing is set in stone... a prophecy doesn't necessarily tell us what exactly happens... It could all be literal or figurative. Now, do I believe that the both of you have Souls of Dragons? Yes, you both understand on a spiritual level of how dragons work and live. Both have lived among dragons, learning their language and their ways... if anything, this proves that both can use this knowledge to destroy the evils of the world."
"And... When he have done that very thing? When there is no more evil?" Hiccup asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
"Well, there will always be evil in the world, Hiccup, just as there will always be hope that good people will stop evil."
Hiccup had to agree with the dragon. And he had to accept the explanation.
Feeling the sense of changing the subject, he gestured to around him. "So... What is this place?" Hiccup asked, what seemed like the umpteenth time he had asked the question to Icespiter, just not about the same place. "Is this another safe-haven for dragons? Is this Valhalla?"
Icespitter looked around. "Now that I think about it...l think this place is older than time itself... Before the time of Vikings, that is." The Bewilderbeast released an icy breath. "It's had many names over the years... But I believe that this place is an in-between world, hidden from the darkness and violence of the humans..."
Astrid stepped forward. "So we are dead?"
"Yes and no... You see, I'm not exactly here myself. I came here because I felt your souls come here. Now, why did your souls come here of all places? Perhaps you were meant to see this place. After all, this is a home for all dragons, from what I can tell." He shook his head, knowingly. "You can choose to go back, if you want." Icespitter leaned in closer so that his face was inches from Astrid. "In these past few hours, you have shown more human aspects, my child. The choice is yours if you want to go back to your world."
"The living or the human world?" Astrid asked with a smirk.
Icespitter merely smiled.
Astrid rested her hand on Icespitter's nose, and her forehead to him. Hiccup had seen her do this in the past, and he could only concur that it was a send off, a farewell of some sorts.
Astrid looked to Hiccup and walked over to him, grabbing his hand.
"I think we should go back. Whatever the prophecy says, I want to go back to find my family..." It would be weird, she knew this, to see her human family. But it was what she had been wondering for years. She at least had to get to know them... or it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
She could say now that humans weren't as bad as she once thought. They laid down their lives to protect their dragons... Hiccup had been right all along. They didn't see dragons as slaves... they were equals. Yes, there were humans like Drago, but there were more people like Hiccup and Berk who loved dragons and would protect dragons until the end of time.
"I want to learn more about them," Astrid admitted. "... And we have to defeat Drago, he could enslave all the dragon."
Hiccup sighed. "So, if it's our decision to stay or leave, that means we can go back? And how did we-" He stopped and Astrid thought back to hours ago, back when Hiccup had been blinded by Toothless' blast. "How did we survive the first time?"
That was something Astrid had been wondering herself...
Icespitter smiled. "I think, in the prophecy, it stated that neither could get hurt when together... your souls are connected, and when Astrid ran to protect you, your souls fused and created a sort of shield... At least, from my understanding."
"That would explain the first time that happened," Hiccup said.
Icespitter smiled again. "I think it's time for you both to go..." With that, he started to disappear, his body becoming transparent...
Astrid didn't want to leave - not yet. Not when she had more questions. And from what Hiccup's face read, he too had some questions of his own.
"Wait!"
Icespitter stopped.
"Who was that dragon? The one you were talking to?" Astrid asked.
The great Bewilderbeast made a gesture, showing that, perhaps, he himself was unsure. "You'll find out in time. Our Night Fury friend is an old and wise dragon... and when he needs you, he shall seek you out... or you may end up finding him."
"He was alive, though, right?" Hiccup asked.
Icespitter, once again, merely smiled.
"It's time that you've returned."
Any thoughts on who this Night Fury is? :D and what exactly is this place? (I think you guys already know what it is lol)
(yes, I don't usually do author's notes at the end of the chapters but I thought I'd make an exception)
Bye!
