Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 29

Valka's POV

There is still so much about this situation that I don't understand, and I doubt I ever will. Even Thuggory seems to have a better grasp on Hiccup's past than I do.

Here's what I have so far, though: It is apparent to me that Hiccup took after me, and that he was ridiculed when growing up for being 'unvikingly.' That's not surprising, except for the extent of that ridicule; I suspect that Stoic was not the greatest parent, and with my absence Hiccup may have felt that he was missing something. So Toothless enters his life, and suddenly Hiccup realizes how bad Berk was. After an incident where Astrid incurred Hiccup's hatred, the boy left to start anew. During that time, he :befriended the Bloody Knuckles and Bog Burglar tribes. Eventually, the Archipelago split between dragons and no dragons, and Hiccup squashed the Berserkers and Hairy Hooligans. Somewhere in there, Hiccup kills the Red Death and learns about 'claiming' powers through the Skrill's knowledge. He then happens to show up right as the last Bewilderbeasts kill each other, and claims them as well.

That's when I met him first, and it was the most hostile I've ever been to a family member since Stoic's mother dared to call me skinny to my face. Fortunately, this time I did not stab anyone.

Then Hiccup goes to confront what's left of Berk, and his struggle starts. And this is also where I am extremely confused. The Skrill picked Astrid, who Hiccup still hated. Hiccup was forced to swallow his pride and allow her into the Order; all the while, Astrid's guilt has corrupted her to the point where she is desperate to make it up to Hiccup any way possible.

Now, I would think that this would create a bad atmosphere, but I never saw a time where Hiccup and Astrid didn't work well together. Astrid must have been conflicted at the meeting condemning Berk, but held her tongue out of duty to Hiccup. From there, Hiccup realized her loyalty, because he even brought her with him and myself to talk to Stoic before leaving for Rome.

And after that, they started dating. That's the only explanation, though I haven't been told what changed or if they even knew what was happening; Hiccup apparently just couldn't fight it anymore and then they were close, all the way up to her death. The poor girl…she finally had gotten Hiccup to forgive her, and they really had something special (she could even quell those terrifying nightmares!). And then she goes and pays the ultimate price of loyalty—death. Such a sad tale, and I wasn't even directly involved. I guess I just can't understand what Hiccup has gone through, seeing as I've never actually lost my lover; I was only separated.

But I still can't imagine that that's all it would take to turn my Hiccup into this; we've been tracking his flight—almost perfectly northward—for a few days, until we returned to a land that praises Odin. I wasn't aware of such wise people existing outside of the Archipelago, but here we are on the mainland with a little bit of ice and temples to Thor.

But looking inside the temple we arrived at and staring at all the worshippers who had been slaughtered, there is only one thought on my mind: There is no way that the person who did this is still Hiccup.

I finally believe what Thuggory has been saying; I didn't completely buy into the whole 'Fin' theory back in Rome, when it was evil foreigners worshipping something pagan, but when he starts killing people who are practically Vikings during the middle of a ceremony to Thor?

I guess everyone just needs to be convinced, and that is what it took for me.

"Loki's butthole…how could he do this?" Thuggory swore carefully, making sure not to say something Thor would disapprove of in his own temple.

*Why this temple? Why fly this far to slaughter everyone in a big temple? There have been bigger temples…* Toothless asked.

"Because it's a temple of Thor. Hicc—Fin—is no stranger to Thor. It makes sense to pass the other temples; this is the largest temple to Thor I've ever heard of."

Something was still bothering me. Ever since Thuggory told us about Fin's trip to the only place in Rome with information on Viking traditions, I've felt like there is something he is going for. An angle, or maybe an end-game. Something big (like this temple).

"Something feels off. If this is a temple to Thor, why haven't we found the treasure room yet? Surely all the best gifts would have been collected and stored in a special altar…"

One of the Boneknapper riders—what's his name?...Gah, I don't know—seemed to perk up as he apparently got an idea. He walked over to the highest priest's body and grabbed his staff, then walked to the center of the floor. We were in the main, central room of a square building, and because it was a temple to Thor there was a central lightning rod in the dead center that went through the ceiling. The rider took the staff—just a gold rod, really—and stabbed it through the lightning rod via a hidden slot. When complete, the rod went halfway through, and created a crank that the rider then pulled on, twisting the lightning rod. Suddenly, the floor around the lightning rod fell down and formed into a spiral staircase that lead to—literally—Thor knows where.

"A secret passage in a temple to the Gods? Is anyone else completely freaked out by this?" Thuggory asked, sounding like he was both elated and terrified of the new development.

"Ah, quit your whining. It would bet my staff that Fin has already been down there…" I replied.

The opening wasn't big enough for the dragons to enter, so the riders got to walk down the dark spiral staircase alone. We all had two torches each, because everyone knows that the more torches the better. Actually, Thuggory refused to go down there until he was assured that there was no way something would jump out of the dark at him.

After a few minutes of climbing down the old stone stairwell, we reached an unlocked door with no other way to go. We opened it slowly, and were completely surprised to find a well lit room covered in golden accessories. It wasn't a treasure hoard, where the gold is piled, but rather an organized, dusted, well-kept room adorned with treasure. The room was wide and spacious, with the ceiling so high it couldn't been seen. It probably went up to the ground of the temple. The room itself was so long and wide that the side walls could barely been seen, and every inch of it was neatly adorned with treasure.

Our group was stunned; no, scratch that, we were downright amazed. We wondered towards where we imaged the center of the room was, until we reached a set of stairs in what we assumed was the middle of the room. The stairs only created a square platform from which a better view of the room could be had. At the top of the platform was the most shocking thing of all: Fin and the Skrill, facing away from us.

"It's quite magnificent, isn't it?" He asked without ever turning to us. "I bet you are wondering where we are. Welcome to Thor's throne room!" He said, turning around and mocking us.

"Thor's what?" Thuggory asked incredulously.

"Well, once upon a time, on a whim Thor decided that he wanted to be king of earth. He was in his youth, and spent years amassing enough treasure to create a throne room worthy of a king of Asgardian heritage. However, Odin was able to talk him out of his ways, and he left this place as a temple to himself. You should have seen the massive staff that worked here!"

With that last part, he turned back to face the far side that we hadn't seen yet, almost asking us to come see it. Thuggory and myself slowly moved forward, keeping a wide base of Fin on both sides, before setting our eyes on what lay before us. There were hundreds of broken shells that were so large, they couldn't have been anything natural. Filling every egg to its brim were the dead bodies of what had been thousands of people, all dressed in what was once extremely valuable, gold-adorned robes.

"WHAT IN HEL'S NAME DID YOU DO?!" Thuggory exclaimed.

"Oh, the eggs aren't mine. They were already here, as a memento from a time even before Thor was born. Only Odin has memories of the Age of Alphas. These are just all the shells, collected in one place."

An awkward, pregnant pause followed Fin's explanation.

"OOH. You want to know about the thousands of Thor's followers that I killed to piss Thor off? Yea, sorry, can't really tell you much about that…" he commented with a chuckle.

I swear, I could feel him snickering through the mask. This is definitely not my son.

The others began to walk forward, and saw the same thing Thug and I did; I never took my eyes off of the piles, but I heard multiple gasps from beside me that told me as much.

"This place has so many treasures, I haven't even explored them all. Maybe if I survive, I'll come back here. There's just too much in flux…" As he cryptically said this, he looked down at a gem in his hand. It was purple, not unlike Astrid's gems, but glowed constantly and was smoother than Astrid's. It was also smaller than her gems.

"I suppose that you all…the Order—My Order—deserve an explanation. It's not like you can stop me anyways. Astrid…survived. Kinda."

All eyes were on him now, and most of us looked confused.

"Hiccup, you're in denial." I asserted.

"NO, I'm not. I haven't denied a thing. I haven't denied that my revenge was fruitless, and I haven't denied that murdering those people didn't bring her back. But, murdering these people actually have brought me closer to that!"

"Hiccup, she's gone. Dead. I suspect she's feasting in Valhalla! We should be celebrating that, not slaughtering Thor's Chosen over imaginary solutions!" Thug roared, praying he broke through to the boy we all hoped was still there.

"DOES THIS LOOK IMAGINARY TO YOU!?" He screamed while holding out the glowing gem. "THIS IS WHY I'M HERE! THIS IS PROOF THAT IT CAN BE DONE. THAT IT HAS BEEN DONE BY OTHERS, AND THAT I AM GOING TO BE THE NEXT TO PERFORM IT!"

No one replied. No one moved. We all just looked at him. Eventually, he couldn't stand the silence and ripped off his mask.

His face showed a thousand pains all wrapped up in complete frustration and anger. It looked like he had been trying his hardest to withstand torment of the worst kind for years.

Now, I was even more worried than before. There almost seemed to be flashes in his eyes, like someone who was distantly fighting a battle of wills against themselves. His outburst was uncalled for, and just demonstrated how unstable he is right now. I suspect that something else—something more—has been messing with him. For all I know, it could be one of Loki's tricks.

"This is one of her gems. It isn't normal anymore, though. It's been said that only Thor's lightning can change a gem into a Soulstone, but yet somehow Astrid used a power that did just that. This is the gem that I hid inside off her armor when I had the metal melted; she didn't know about it…it was just supposed to be a joke with myself at the time. I thought it funny that I was giving her a heart of gem to balance out her stony heart at the time. Now, the gem that protected her heart will save her soul."

He looked slightly pained as he recalled his reason for hiding a gem inside of Astrid's armor, and I could tell that it wasn't a pleasant memory to revisit. However, it did seem to somewhat quell his anger for the time being.

The term 'Soulstone' sounded familiar, but only vaguely. Stoic likely would have known more; as a chief, he was given knowledge that no one else in the tribe save for Goethi would know.

Thuggory's eyes widened, and he apparently realized Fin's plan. Oh, yeah, Thuggory was a chief.

"But…no, that's not possible. There's no way that you can pull that off!"

"Normally, with her dead, it wouldn't work. But she died in my arms, Thug. Nir believes that I claimed her power (which I can use to summon lightning), and I'm going to use the stone to isolate her. I can do it, Thug. It can work, I just know it!"

"And what could go wrong? You could kill yourself! Don't you know the tales? You can vaporize your soul if this goes wrong! No eternal existence in Valhalla or indefinite life on earth, just nothing! You could cease to be! Don't you care about your life?!"

"How do I live without the one I love, Thug? If there's nothing worth living for, why torture myself by existing forever?"

Thuggory didn't reply. He couldn't. I could, though.

"The one you love? How many nights did you spend together, a few? You never had a date, nor got married! You're throwing your existence away for your crush!? How selfish can you be, when you have a long life with a brother ahead of you? What will this do to Toothless?"

Fin refused to respond to that point, and mounted the Skrill angrily.

"Ah, I was afraid that we wouldn't reach an agreement. Oh well…if you'll excuse me, Nir and I are headed out the secret entrance. We've got to go find the best place to get blasted with Thor's lightning…"

He took off before we could say anything to stop him, and once he was gone we all raced back up the stairwell and mounted our dragons to give chase. If he was going to destroy himself, then it would have to be over our dead bodies.

POV BREAK

I was waiting at the location. It was a straightforward meeting. During the most recent dream, the location was set. I knew that he was going to be here. I was ready to meet him in person, finally. This has been too long coming.

The location was brilliant to say the least. Slightly north of the hemisphere, it would provide a perfect weather range for the Order to call home. That was the whole purpose of the meeting: discussing the progress of the Order, and ordaining the new Order headquarters.

I have no doubts that I can quell my guest's anger, especially when he sees what all I've put together for this place. It's absolutely incredible by my own standards, and puts his other nests to shame. The blacksmith's stall alone should have him weeping tears of joy.

Ah, here he is now. Seeing as there is one chair for every possible Council Member, I hid behind one to make a dramatic entrance. I knew he's fond of those.

"I know they aren't far behind. Buy me as much time as you can. We're so close…we can't afford to stop pressing now." Fin told his dragon.

As Fin walked towards the middle of the room, I slowly walked out from behind the chair, without saying a word.

Fin didn't stop; his step didn't falter, and he walked towards me at a high pace.

"You…" he spoke, obviously trying to find a word to say. Hey, it isn't every day you get to meet me.

"Ah, Fin, I've been waiting. I'm glad we finally get to mee-" my speech was cut off because as soon as he walked close enough to me, he punched me as hard as he could. I stumbled a few feet back before testing my nose to find blood running down it. Impressive; he can make me bleed, though annoying that he tried…

"So, THOR, did you think I was going to come in here and fall on my face?!"

"Well, I had figured that our familiarity would have created some sort of bond. It isn't every hero of mine that I invest so much time to develop, you know…" I replied calmly.

"'Develop,' huh? Is THAT what you call it!? Was playing games with my mind part of your plan?!"

"It was absolutely part of the plan! Look how far you've come, Fin! Haha…You're no longer weak or pathetic; people fear you, just like a Hero of Thor should be feared! And what you've had to overcome on the way to success just makes you more powerful for it. It's the weakest people who are chosen to wield the greatest powers…"

He wasn't wearing his usual mask; a pity, seeing as it was growing on me. That being said, the emotions on his face were so jumbled I couldn't read them.

"Powers? This has all been about powers? How much of my life was planned by you?!"

"Only the important parts! A gust of wind that slowed down Drago Bloodvist, creating your encounter; a desire in Nir to bond with Astrid; obviously, the journey south; four well-trained body guards that ensured your fight with Trajan went down…memorably…" I started listing off the things I had a hand in, thinking he would marvel how 'the Gods always have a plan.'

"…what?" he asked, low and ominously, as if he didn't even mean to say it.

"…and that buzz that has allowed you to overcome your inner weakness most recently…"

The blood from his face drained at my last comment. I was starting to wonder if he really was going to stay angry; I was really going to be pissed if this whole 'manipulation' stuff didn't work for me, because I've got a big wager with Loki riding on it.

"Buzz? Nonono, that's—that's the remnants of Astrid! That's why I'm here, you SAID SO YOURSELF IN THE DREAM LAST NIGHT!"

Oh dear, he really didn't figure it out? Well, maybe this is the dramatic reveal part that he loves so much. Worth a try.

"No, that's what you wanted to hear. The buzz was just supposed to stir your mind and allow you to overcome Hiccup; you've always had potential, Fin, and I merely helped you achieve it. You rallied behind the idea that Astrid was within that buzz, and look how much you accomplished!"

His legs looked like they were failing to support him, and he reached out for the armrest of the chair nearest him.

"No…no, she can't be gone. Not when I can still feel her." He began mumbling, obviously in denial. What is it about that girl that captivated both Hiccup and Fin?!

"No, she's gone. She was necessary for your transformation; I hope you see that now. You proved that you are just as dangerous as Toothless, and I for one can't wait to see what you two can do together!"

He turned to me, and the look in his eyes chilled me. There was a hatred there that I had never seen before, worse than the bloodlust of any man or beast I had ever encountered.

"No, she's still alive! She is a part of me, and YOU are going to help me separate her into the Soulstone!"

My eyes widen in surprise, and I absently clutched Mjolnir tighter in my hand. That's why I was unable to observe him that day; he was hidden in my own temple…

"A Soulstone?! Fin, put that down! You don't know what would happen if that thing is activated!"

Though his face still screamed 'I hate you,' he grinned devilishly at me.

"Yes, I do know. And all I need is for you to strike me with your lightning! Doing so will activate the stone, and Astrid will finally be recovered, if only in mind!"

"Fin, this is madness. I would expect a better plan from you of all people; there is no way that I'm going to shoot you with lightning!"

His grin only widened.

"You will activate the stone…" he clasped the stone into the chest plate of his armor, and drew his sword. "…or one of us will die, and at this point I really don't give a damn who it is!"

He charged me with his sword, and I was completely unprepared for him to try to fight me. I kinda just threw Mjolnir up in surprise, and managed to block his attack.

He was undeterred, and kept swinging his sword at a speed that I struggled to keep up with. Damn it all, why did I have to make him so fast! At one point, I went for a counter-strike by swinging my hammer. I missed because he flipped over it and landed on my back, then jumped off again. This pushed me down, and I spun around to see him charge me again. My battle instincts were ready this time, and I threw Mjolnir at him, throwing off his attack as he dodged. He thought he had an opening to attack while I was defenseless, but on Mjolnir's return trip it shattered Fin's sword mid-swing.

"A good try, but there aren't many who truly stand a chance in a fight with me, Fin. Especially not my own hero's…"

"Well, how many of them are crazy enough to try it?"

He drew another weapon—bo staff, this time—and twisted the middle until one end turned into a long blade. I recognized the weapon as a Nguyen, and realized that he was going to use the length of Mjolnir against me. So I charged him in an attempt to keep the battle close-quartered.

My mistake; this must have been his plan. I thought he would be so blinded by his rage against me that he would enjoy pressing the fight, but he used my own charge against me. As I swung with Mjolnir, he sidestepped me and allowed my blow to strike the lower half of his staff. As I ran by him, the staff rotated with the force of my blow, and he used that tremendous momentum to put a long, deep gash through my cape and armor and into my back. I yelled in pain, and then realized that he had left his foot in my way, partially tripping me.

Next thing I knew, I was in pain, bleeding, and down on one knee with a blade held firmly to my neck. And here I thought I was coming here to give Fin a gift.

Fin walked around to the front of me, still holding the tip of the Nguyen to my neck.

"Well, you haven't tried anything stupid with Mjolnir yet, which shows me you know that I'm quick enough to kill you before you can succeed. You know, I did the research; lots of old, old books later, it turns out that there are Asgardian kings and princes who have died…which means you aren't truly immortal. How ironic…"

Behind Fin, multiple dragons and their riders landed, joined by Nir the Skrill, who must have had a change of heart because it did not look like he had 'bought much time' for Fin.

"Loki's balls! Is that…THOR?!" Their leader—Thuggory, I believe—cried out.

The last thing I saw before I was knocked out was the angered and annoyed look on Fin's face at being interrupted.

Well, I also saw the butt of his staff hit me in the face. But that was it. Lights out after that.

Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN! I am so close to the end of this story Arc, and that was not the true final battle! That's coming up next!

As always, reviews, comments, sarcastic quips, favorite moments; leave them all! See y'all later.

Oh, on a side note, this is my first chapter to actually reread and edit before posting. Ever. You would think that something that basic would be an easy task for me. Or you would think the guy writing a 120,000+ word story wouldn't be lazy; yet, here I am!

Update Author Note: I've started working on the next chapter, but it is going to be long.

I'm posting this because I just felt like letting you know that I'm working hard to include an extra big dose of heartache. I'm already cringing at some spots and I haven't even written one of the major turning points yet! :D