Hi there people!
Let me just tell you, fight scenes, not my thing. I tried my best, this is what happens, I really hope you like it. I am learning the whole, write a massive giant battle thing, and even though I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, this is as good as it's gonna get. I'm more of the emotional angsty stuff, but son't worry, there will be plenty of that soon enough...
Also, sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger...
Enjoy! And don't forget to review!
Chapter 29. The Last Battle
"Come on Snow, where are you..." Wrenlou mumbled, trying to stay away from the fight as much as he could, while at the same time looking for Snowflake, "we have to help Hiccup..."
He yelped and ducked when a flaming ball of fire crashed from the sky, two Monstrous Nightmares locked in battle. He slipped around them as quietly as he could, making his way towards Berk's plaza. The ground was covered in blood, both human and dragon, and the groans of the injured, dying men he stepped over sounded like screams in his ears, his instincts as a healer conflicting with his need to help his brother. He looked around frantically, yelping when a hand grabbed his ankle, searching for the man. It was one of Drago's soldiers, covered in blood, barely hanging onto life.
"Please..." the man whispered, looking up at him, "help... me..."
Wrenlou stared back at him with wide eyes. He stood frozen, the man's bloody hand still clasped around his ankle. The man looked back, clearly struggling to breathe, trying to pull him down to the ground.
"I... eh... I can't..." Wrenlou stammered, "I... I have to find my dragon and... I... I have to help Hiccup..."
"You must... help me..." the man pleaded, "you must..."
Wrenlou tried to shake the hand off his ankle, but the man had a death grip on his boot, begging for help. Before he could react, a Viking came crashing through a wall of bodies, swinging an axe and killing the man instantly. Wrenlou yelped as he was sprayed by blood, stumbling backwards. He would have fallen had it not been for the man grabbing his arm.
"Careful now," Stoick said, pulling him away from the fight, "why aren't you in the Hall with the other healers?"
"I... Snowflake," Wrenlou said, straightening his tunic, "I have to find Snowflake before she gets hurt. Or killed."
"Right," Stoick said, thrusting an axe in his hands, "take that. Have you seen Hiccup?"
"No," Wrenlou said, "I mean yes. I mean... Drago... he went to find Drago."
"Of course he did," Stoick said with a sigh, "I better go find him, before he gets himself killed. Good luck with that dragon of yours!"
Before Wrenlou had a change to respond, Stoick had disappeared into the crowd.
"Yeah..." he mumbled, staring down at the bloodstained axe, "Snow... where are you..."
He kept searching, looking around the battle field fearing the worst. The bodies were piling up in the streets of Berk, mostly Drago's men, but he saw some Berkians as well. A young man he knew as Asmund was laying in a pool of blood, his eyes staring blankly at the sky. His brother, Bjarke was next to him, also dead. He backed away from them in shock. He hadn't known the men well, but seeing them dead brought the reality of the war too close.
"Snow!" he screamed, clutching the axe, "Snow where are you!"
In his frantic search he tripped over the severed tail of a Nadder, the rest of the dragon crashed against the side of the house. He fell forward onto the bloodsoaked streets, the axe clattering from his hands. Just as he was about to get up, now covered in the dark dragon blood, a fireball exploded next to him, sending him flying. He collided with the side of a house before hitting the ground, the heat from the explosion still burning on his skin. Stars exploded behind his eyes as soon as his head impacted the rocky ground, his vision fracturing into pieces before it went black.
0-0-0-0
"You can't win Hiccup," Drago sneered, "you cannot defeat me. Why don't you just give up now. Your efforts are futile."
"I don't have to defeat you," Hiccup said, circling his opponent, "I just have to keep you busy until the Titan Wing can get rid of your Alpha."
"That puny dragon?" Drago said with a smirk, "he's no match for my Alpha. You know this..."
"He seems to be doing a pretty good job!" Hiccup shouted, gesturing to the two battling dragons.
Drago growled, turning to look as well. The two titans were still locked in combat, bot dragons bleeding from several wounds. The Alpha had now lost one of it's fins completely, the ragged, torn edges staining the dark scales with blood. Wrenlou's Titan Wing, although smaller, seemed to be in better shape. Part of the crown on his head had broken off, leaving him looking rather silly, and he was limping, not putting any weight on his front leg, but he was still snarling, dodging the ice the Alpha kept shooting at him. Berk's harbour was covered in the giant spikes or solid ice, jotting up out of the water. Several of the buildings had also been incased in ice, but the small Titan Wing appeared to defend the village well.
"He will die," Drago growled, "and so will you, and all of your pathetic little friends. Your dragons will be mine."
"Yeah yeah," Hiccup said, "so you've said a thousand times before."
"And I will continue to say it until you understand!" Drago shouted, raising his weapon, "until you see that you're no match for my army! Until your village is in ruins and everyone you love is dead!"
Drago screamed, running forward, his weapon raised. Hiccup ducked under it, raising Inferno and it clashed with the bullhook, sending sparks flying. Drago turned on his heels, faster then he would have given him credit for, and lashed out again. Hiccup was also able to block this attack, though the force behind the blade pushed him backwards, skidding over the deck. Before either of them could attack again, a large splash rocked the boat, the roaring of the two enormous dragons deafening. Hiccup stumbled, the deck now wet and slippery, the ship still rocking slightly. Drago grinned, sneering at his prosthetic, raising his weapon once again.
"The only reason," he growled, circling the young man, "you are still alive is because I find your ignorance mildly amusing."
"Ignorance?" Hiccup asked, slightly surprised, "no Drago, you got it all wrong. It is you who are ignorant. Oblivious to the truth about dragons, blinded by your hatred."
"I know the truth!" Drago shouted, "and I've had enough of your talking! You test my patience Hiccup Haddock, I do not appreciate that."
Hiccup dodged a blow from the bullhook, slipping on the deck, yelping when the blade entered the wood right next to his head. He scrambled to his feet, scanning the dark clouds above.
"Come on Wren," he mumbled, dodging another blow, "what in the name of Thor is keeping you..."
0-0-0-0-0
The first thing he was aware of was the throbbing in his head. He lay still for a few moments and the pain subsided some, but when he opened his eyes and the light surrounded him it came back with a vengeance. He groaned, carefully touching his temple, where the pain was the worst, and felt the bandages under his fingers. This confused him. He had to be in the Hall, but how did he get here? When he tried to sit up a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and Broghan's face came into view.
"Thanks goodness you're awake," his brother said with a soft smile, "I was worried."
"What..." he started, "how..."
"You were nearly incinerated," Broghan said, "you're lucky. If you had been only inches closer you could have been dead."
"How... how long was I out..." he asked, trying to get up again.
"Fifteen minutes or so," Broghan said, pushing him down once again, "Wren, you nearly died. You have to get some rest."
"I can't rest..." he said, swatting Broghan's hand away, "I... I have to..."
"You have to rest," Broghan said, "please. You probably have a concussion or something, maybe even a fractured skull."
"That can wait..." Wrenlou mumbled, finally able to get up, "I have to find Snowflake."
"She'll be fine," Broghan said with a grunt, "come on Wren, just lay down and get some rest."
"Broghan, you don't understand," Wrenlou said, looking at him pleadingly, "Hiccup went after Drago. Alone. He asked me to find Snowflake and then help him. Drago has archers hidden around the ship, and he won't hesitate to shoot Hiccup when it looks like he's winning. Drago doesn't play fair okay, I should know... I have to find Snowflake and help him."
"He went after Drago..." Broghan asked in disbelief, "of course he did... that is such a Hiccup-y thing to do... But Wren, I can't let you go out there and fight Drago, not with your head like that. You're not thinking straight."
"My head is fine, and I don't have to fight Drago," Wrenlou urged, "I just have to make sure it's a fair fight, take out the archers. I just have to give Hiccup the opportunity to defeat Drago, that's all. I'll be fine... really. But I have to do this."
"Then you know where Snowflake is?" Broghan asked, "and she's no longer under the Alpha's command?"
"I... I don't know," Wrenlou admitted as he looked down, "but I have to try. I cam't just leave Hiccup to die, can I?"
"No..." Broghan said softly as he sighed, "but I don't want to see you hurt either. I've lost one brother, I don't want to lose another."
"I'll be alright," Wrenlou said, "we both will be. Just give me some time to find her and help Hiccup. I promise I'll be right back when Drago is gone, okay? Please Broghan... please..."
"Alright," Broghan said, "but you come straight back after you've fulfilled your promise. No crazy heroics, no saving everyone you meet, straight back here."
Wrenlou nodded, stumbling only slightly when he got up. He had to hold on to the table not to fall, but when his head stopped spinning he turned to Broghan.
"Be careful," his brother said, a worried look on his face, "for gods sake please be careful..."
"I will be," Wrenlou said while he picked up a sword that was laying on the floor, thrown there and forgotten in the rush to save lives, "I'll be back before you know it, you'll see."
"I certainly hope so," he heard Broghan mumble as he turned and left the Hall.
The moment he stepped outside the loud screams and bright fires only worsened his headache but he ignored it, desperate to find Snowflake. He didn't have to search for long, as the female dragon found him, landing behind him with a slight growl. When he turned around he froze, staring into her eyes, her pupils still narrow, her black armour covered in blood and grime. There were several cuts on the few unprotected areas of her body, and an arrow was sticking out of one of her paws. She advanced slowly, growling softly.
"Snow... it's me..." he said while he walked backwards, his hands stretched out towards the dragon, "it's me... you know me... I'm your rider. We're a team... partners... remember? We're friends..."
The dragon growled, her tail lashing back and forth as she opened her mouth, a faint golden glo at the back of her throat. She kept advancing slowly, unwavering in her quest to kill her rider.
"Come on girl..." Wrenlou begged, "it's not supposed to be like this... you're supposed to be on my side, the good guy side. Not listen to Drago and his Alpha... we're a team you and I... we're buddies."
She hissed, seemingly getting even angrier and he felt tears come up in his eyes. He didn't want to die like this, murdered by his own dragon. He stopped walking, holding his hands out to her, his voice shaking slightly as he begged her to come back. Snowflake roared, the glow brightening and he turned his head away with a sob, closing his eyes.
But the expected blast didn't come. Instead, a soft scaled nose pressed against his palm and he nearly jumped, gasping a little as he looked at the dragon in front of him. She had her nose in his hand, her eyes closed and when she felt her rider relax she looked up at him, her pupils still indicating that she was struggling with the Alpha's mind control.
"Snow..." he whispered, rubbing her nose, "my sweet girl..."
The dragon crooned softly, creeping closer as if she wanted to apologize, and he fell to his knees, his arms wrapped around her neck as he held her close. She whines a little, nuzzling his back.
"It's alright..." he whispered, "it's not your fault. I'm okay."
She whined again, biting at the black armour as soon as he let go. He stared at it thoughtfully, then pulled her head away from it.
"I know you hate it love, but it will protect you for now," he said as he eyed the arrow in her leg, "what do you say, shall we teach Drago who's boss? Show him he messed with the wrong dragon rider?"
She growled, baring her teeth and he chuckled a little as he got on her back. She spread her wings and shot into the air, the wind pulling on his hair and clothes, and he held on as tight as possible. She swerved towards the ship when the Alpha broke out of the water, roaring loudly.
"The Alpha!" Wrenlou gasped as he pulled her to a halt, "we'll never get past it!"
Snowflake growled, shooting a plasma blast at the enormous beast. It roared again, but before it could attack them the Titan Wing distracted it, luring it away.
"We have to try," Wrenlou said, rubbing her neck, "for Hiccup."
0-0-0-0-0
Just as he landed a blow aimed at Drago's shoulder, slicing the straps that held his metal arm in place, there was a shriek and a white blur dove down towards the deck. It was Snowflake, landing so roughly that she and her rider tumbled over the deck, eventually coming to a stop against the smaller mast. Hiccup smiled a little, seeing Wrenlou slowly get up, but his smile faded when he saw the bandage around his head, and Wrenlou's stiff movements. Snowflake moved equally as slow, sitting straight like a statue when she had sorted out her wings and tail. Wrenlou groaned a little, grabbing a sword that lay nearby, using it as support as he got up, one hand on his head.
"Wren?" Hiccup asked, taking a step closer, "Wren!"
His brother didn't answer and Drago chuckled, circling around Hiccup to place himself between his opponent and the dragon and her rider.
"They are no match for my Alpha," he grinned, "the head injury made him susceptible once again. They are mine now, and they will be until they die."
"No..." Hiccup mumbled, shaking his head, "no..."
"Give up now, and I'll make your death and easy one," Drago sneered, pointing his weapon at the young man.
"Never!" Hiccup screamed, gripping Inferno tighter.
He refused to believe that Wrenlou and Snowflake had once again fallen under Drago's control, but the sight of the two staying still as stone infuriated him, and he charged recklessly. Drago was unprepared for the rage that Hiccup felt towards him, and for a short time the man was driven back, seemingly unable to fend of the young man's flurry of strikes.
It didn't last long, as he had forgotten the deck was wet and slippery, and in his recklessness he slipped, stumbling for just a moment, but it was enough for Drago. He immediately attacked, landing a strike against Hiccup's shoulder that sent him down, and the young man could barely avoid the bullhook as it was thrust at his head. He scrambled to his feet, clenching Inferno tightly and he glanced at Wrenlou and Snowflake. They were watching with what appeared to be worry and he frowned. Could it be possible that Drago's hold on them wasn't as strong as the man thought?
Drago took advantage of his moment of distraction, knocking Inferno from his hand and in a swift move he found himself trapped between Drago's chest and the long handle of the bullhook. He struggled, to no avail, and when he looked down he found that the man had hooked one end of the stick behind his foot, holding the other one, effectively creating a painful vice that felt like it would crush his chest. Drago twisted around, facing an archer with Hiccup pressed against his chest, the dragon rider trapped and completely defenseless.
"Time to die, Hiccup Haddock," the man chuckled, holding him tight, "you see, I told you it would end like this, didn't I..."
Hiccup struggled, his eyes widening as he saw the archer take aim. Before the man was able to let his arrow fly, a golden fireball exploded where he stood, killing the man instantly. Hiccup was able to free himself from Drago's deathgrip, sucking in deep breaths as he stumbled over the deck.
"Oops," Wrenlou said, "was that not what you meant?"
"Impossible!" Drago hissed, "you're mine!"
Wrenlou glared at him coldly. "You know, I didn't think you'd fall for that little trick. Seems like you are dumber than I thought."
Hiccup couldn't help but smile at Drago's shocked face. The shock didn't last long however, and soon it was replaced by anger once again.
"Then you will die as well," the man growled.
"You messed with the wrong dragon rider," Wrenlou retorted, patting Snowflake's neck, "come on girl, lets show em what we can do..."
The dragon roared and spread her wings. She took off with so much force it rocked the ship, shooting up into the sky, then coming right back. She took out two archers at once, then she went for the central mast, firing a few plasma blasts that splintered it completely, the giant sail coming down to the deck. Hiccup scrambled to avoid it, the ropes from the rigging snapping as the mast fell. Once it hit the deck the weight of the broken mast pulled it off the side, where it got stuck, just hanging there. The ship was now leaning, the deck at an angle from the weight that was pulling on one side.
"It's you and me..." Hiccup said, "no more archers, no more cheating. Just you and me."
"If that is how you want it..." Drago growled, charging once again.
Hiccup grumbled, having trouble dodging the attacks on the slanted and slippery deck. Every time he moved he almost slipped down to the railing where the mast was pulling the ship down more and more. Before the tangle of wood and rope could pull the ship down completely, a golden plasma blast splintered the railing it had snagged on, freeing the ship that bounced back, throwing Hiccup and Drago around. Hiccup was back on his feet first, his vision dancing and he blinked a few times before it became clear again. Drago was also getting up, using his bullhook to push himself up.
The white dragon had already shot up again, hovering high above in the sky, almost like a guardian watching over them. Hiccup shuddered, glancing at Drago. He had no idea how long the fight had been going on, but he knew that he was nearing the end of his energy reserves. He could only hope Drago was getting exhausted as well, but he couldn't be sure. He took Inferno in his right hand, taking a small dagger in his left. He wasn't sure how much difference it would make, but he could try.
Drago growled and charged at him, the bullhook raised, forcing him to duck under it, twisting to get away at the same time. Drago turned around with surprising speed, and Hiccup brought Inferno up to block the blow, but his coordination was off. The blade hit his hand, knocking Inferno from his fingers and a searing pain shot through the appendage. He stumbled back as blood dripped to the deck, pressing his hand against his chest.
"Time to die, Hiccup Haddock" Drago sneered, lashing out.
Hiccup dove to the deck, snatching Inferno up as he rolled back to his feet, clicking the blade to life again.
"Seems like your clock is a little off," he growled back, once again engaging his opponent.
His right hand was throbbing, blood still dripping from it. He didn't want to think about the things the blade could have done to it, he was determined to finally end Drago's reign of terror and death. Drago's metal arm was now loose, one of the straps that held it in place had finally snapped, probably aided by Hiccup's earlier attacks on it, and Drago simply unhooked it and let it fall to the deck.
He attacked again, blocking and attacking, advancing and retreating, it was like an endless cycle. Drago managed to cut his shoulder and forearm, and he was able to strike a blow at the mad man's cheek. He was pushed back, blocking strike after strike when he tripped over a tangle of rope. Inferno clattered from his hand, disappearing overboard, probably swallowed by the waves never to be seen again, and he was pinned against the remains of the great mast, Drago's blade pointing at his chest.
"So it ends here, dragon rider," Drago said, "pity. We could have done great things together."
"You talk too much," Hiccup retorted, "that's a sign of fear. Are you afraid, Drago? Afraid of what will happen if you kill me? Afraid we might beat you? A small village we might be, but we stand together. United, strong. Your army is divided."
"And how united will they be after you die?" Drago sneered.
Hiccup gulped a little. He was trapped, defenseless once again, no place left to hide. Drago raised the weapon, the blade still pointing at Hiccup's chest, but before he could bring it down, a white blur crashed down on him, wrenching it from his hand. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wrenlou and Snowflake, the latter with the bullhook between her teeth.
"Forgot about us did you?" Wrenlou growled, "you'll never be able to kill him, not on our watch."
Snowflake dropped the bullhook, roaring as emphasis for her rider's words. Drago hissed and took a step towards the pair, his eyes spewing fire. Snowflake hissed back, but jumped away, allowing Drao to reclaim his weapon. He attempted to attack the white dragon, but she spread her wings and flew up, but not before Wrenlou had thrown the sword down to Hiccup. Drago paid no attention to him as he got up, instead focused on the dragon and her rider. He raised the bullhook, stomping the deck one, screaming his dragon like roar. The ship rocked, and the Alpha surfaced. There was no sign of the small Titan Wing, but the Alpha looked like it had taken quite a beating. But even blinded, hurt and bleeding it turned to it's master obediently, waiting for the next command. Drago shouted something unintelligible, then he pointed the sharp end of his blade at the white dragon circling the ship. The Alpha turned, opening it' mouth, spewing a massive stream of ice at the small Night Fury. Snowflake faltered in the sky, twisting and turning to avoid the deadly spikes of ice.
"NO!" Hiccup screamed, jumping up, "stop it!"
Drago simply grinned, not intend of stopping at all. High in the sky there was a shriek, and Snowflake fell, her tail and one of her wings trapped in the ice. Hiccup stared horrified as he saw them go down on the beach, the Alpha closing in to finish the job. Before the dragon reached them, the Titan Wing burst from the waves, the dragon's sharp teeth closing around a massive tusk and yanking it aside. Both dragons disappeared under the waves in a massive splash that rocked the ship violently.
"No archers for me," Drago said darkly as he turned to Hiccup, "no dragon rider for you. You and me, isn't that what you said?"
"Wren..." Hiccup whispered, staring at the beach. He saw no sign of the dragon or her rider anymore, and fear was gripping his heart.
"Oh dear..." Drago said, pretending to be shocked, "what did I do..."
"You'll pay for that," Hiccup hissed, "I'll kill you!"
"You don't have it in you, boy," Drago spat at him, grinning, "but I'd like to see you try."
Hiccup screamed, his rage now burning as he attacked Drago. He suddenly felt an intense hatred towards this man, the one that had attacked his home and everyone he loved, hurt who knows how many people, killed his friends and family.
He landed a strike against the man's shoulder, but his thick shoulderpad deflected most of the blow, and the blade sliced through his tunic instead. In turn, Drago tries to drive the spearhead of his weapon through Hiccup's chest, but the young man jumped back, quickly attacking again. He spun around, stabbing Drago's leg in a swift motion, then ducked under his opponent's blade to kick the back of his knees. Drago stumbled but quickly regained his footing, turning around just as the Titan Wing shot from the water, one of the Alpha's tusks between his teeth. He roared in fury as the other dragon also surfaced, the jagged ends where the tusk had been attached slightly bleeding. The Titan Wing roared again, snapping it's strong jaws closed around the tusk, putting more and more pressure on it until it shattered. The Alpha howled in anguish and defeat, diving under the waves. The last they saw of it was the black tail that slapped against the side of the ship, sending it crashing into the dock it was tied next to, splintering the hull. The ship rocked, and they could hear water coming in.
"Time to end this," Drago said, circling Hiccup, "the ship is sinking..."
"Then you'll go down with it," Hiccup answered, readying his sword, "after all, a captain always goes down with the ship, does he not?"
Drago charged at him and he stepped aside, batting the hook away from his legs. He gave the man a push as he shot past him, but Drago was too heavy to be just pushed down. The man turned around and came at him again. This time the blades clashed, quivering just inches away from the fighter's faces as both pushed with all their might. Drago was stronger and pushed Hiccup backwards across the slippery deck, the ship sinking deeper, stilting to the side. This didn't make it any easier
Hiccup pushed back with all his might, but he felt his prosthetic slipping and he was unable to find grip on the wet planks. He tried twisting away, sliding the sword down the handle of Drago's weapon, but this proved to be a fatal miscalculation. He slipped and dropped the sword as he was grasping for anything to hold on to, and Drago took immediate advantage of his unfortunate tumble.
Drago knocked the handle of his bullhook against Hiccup's chest, snatched his fallen sword from the ground, and when the young man stumbled to get up, he turned the weapon around and in one swift motion he drove it through Hiccup's stomach. Hiccup gasped and grabbed the weapon, trying to prevent it from doing further harm, but Drago was stronger and there was so much force behind the thrust, that he was easily pushed backwards.
Drago laughed, a cold, heartless laugh, as he stood over Hiccup, slowly pulling his blade out of his body. This only caused Hiccup more pain, and he spasmed as the weapon was retracted. His hands clutched the wound, but did nothing to stem the flow of blood, and he could feel it seep into his clothes, the warm liquid crawling up his shirt. He coughed, a fine mist of blood sprayed up at Drago's face, but the man ignored them. He set the tip of the now blood laced blade on Hiccup's throat, ready for the kill.
"You're pathetic," he hissed, "just like your brother was. The fool. Don't worry, you'll be seeing him soon, in, what do you call it? Valhalla? Because after I'm done with you, I'll kill him as well, if he isn't dead already."
Hiccup glanced up at the man, desperately fighting for every breath of air, but the pain was becoming too much to bear. Drago raised his weapon above his head, the point still aimed at Hiccup's throat, and the young man closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow.
