Ready the Ships!
A ringing flooded Heiđrún's head as she slowly started to come around along with a cold feeling on her face and hands. Then a sound beat down on her ears as more of her sense returned to her. Light beamed into her opening eyes and caused her to shut them quickly as the constant beating in her ears was deafening.
Heiđrún groaned and slowly pushed herself off a cold stone floor, the pounding in her ear was from water dripping from the ceiling. Her eyes began to focus but she knew something was off from the moment she moved her arms. She gazed down to see metal shackles on her wrists as her neck craned to see more around her ankles at her boots.
Like a branch snapping under her weight, she recalled all the events of last night that she could remember. Gently, she rubbed her head as the memories returned to her until she heard a deep voice. "Who are you really?" the voice rang in her ears.
"Hedvig, daughter of Stoick and Valka. Heiđrún, daughter of Skuggi and Ragnfríðr. Child of both worlds…" Heiđrún mumbled meekly out as her body still recovered.
"Who are those last two?" the voice asked.
"They raised me… in my other life, but… no mother."
"What life?"
"Who's asking?" Heiđrún queried, looking around for the source of the voice. The beam of sunlight was one of the few sources of light in the otherwise dark area. She could finally see bars at one side of this area and a lumbering figuring sitting near them.
"That's not important right now. What life are you talking about?" the person questioned again.
Heiđrún's ears began to clear and let her hear the voice clearly. It was Stoick asking her these questions. It was obvious that he was probing for answers about her past, how she possibly got here and about… Guðbrandr.
"Where is he?" Heiđrún growled recalling the last moments of her consciousness. Her body still swaying gently from getting to her feet.
"He never fought…" Stoick began before halting his words when he saw the death stare from the girl. "He's locked up like you." He took a moment to gauge the situation as the murderous intent faded from the child. "What are you lass? No Viking or dragon has ever made me reach for my axe from a simple stare. Explain yourself."
Heiđrún's mind raced around the possibilities around her, from using dragon strength to just break out and leave or lying her way out of here since he couldn't be that smart. None of these though would end up with her and her mate leaving safely, but there was a way albeit a long shot.
"I'm your child but raised by dragons as a dragon. I even met your living wife as well," she explained sharply.
"That's preposterous. I watched my own wife get carried away by a…"
"Four-winged dragon of amber in the middle of the night that crashed into your home," Heiđrún finished for the chief. Stoick was in shock, his mouth hung open as he stood near the bars.
"You... you couldn't have known that… You weren't here," Stoick stammered before his brows furrowed. "Where is my wife!?" he roared.
"I can see why she's afraid to come home after seeing what we are really like," Heiđrún began, turning away from the bars and heading towards the back wall. "Coming from a village that's been dealing with a monstrous Queen attacking to be rid of Dragon Souls so she can reign supreme."
"You know of the nest… Tell me this instant how to get there!" Stoick bellowed as the door behind him opened with Gobber standing in the doorway.
"Uhh.. Stoick, you may want to see this?" Gobber stated, looking at the child at the same time.
"It can wait, I nearly have the nest."
"This is definitely bigger than the nest and it may involve her as well."
Stoick grunted and followed his friend out of the prison. Heiđrún sat down in the middle of the room, keeping her back to the bars while closing her eyes. Soon she began to remember a time when she was searching for Guðbrandr and was relaxing with her mother. Unconsciously she began to sing out, "I'll swim and sail on savage seas. With ne'er a fear of drowning. And gladly ride the waves of life. If you will marry me. No scorching sun. Nor freezing cold. Will…"
The door slammed open causing her to spin around quickly, noticing that Stoick was back in the door. "By Thor… you've met her. You've truly been with her," Stoick stammered.
"Will you listen to me because I'm not here to destroy or maim or anything of those sorts? I'm here to help and learn about my Viking family and save my dragon family," Heiđrún declared, turning her back to the large Viking.
"What do you suggest?" Stoick asked.
"No doubt the other Dragon Souls have rallied for me at the arena right Gobber?" Heiđrún said snarkily.
"Ummm Dragon Souls?" Gobber asked, combing his beard. "Oh.. you mean the teens?"
"Yes, now take me to them," Heiđrún demanded, standing up and turning to face the two Viking men. The two large men looked at her with bewilderment, but Stoick was the one to give a command in return, "You are staying in shackles lass until we know more about what you want to do."
Stoic, Gobber and Heiđrún walked through the village like a salmon fighting against an upstream waterfall. Heiđrún heard the whispering of the villagers commenting on various things about her predicament. She even heard one wondering if she was Loki in the flesh, whoever this Loki person was to them.
Soon, Spitelout joined before starting across the bridge to the arena. Spitelout wouldn't shut up about saying this was a bad idea until the children saw Hedvig being lead to them. All of them stood in front of Guðbrandr, who was in chains and rope but resting quietly on the stone floor.
The children had somehow overpowered the two guards, tied them up and placed them outside the ring before demanding to speak to Stoick or they would release the Night Fury. With Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, and Hedvig in front of them, Astrid stepped forward. "Release Hedvig and let her dragon go and I will give you something you've always wanted Stoick," she shouted, holding her axe in front of her.
Heiđrún struggled against the bonds and Gobber's hook that now held her back. "Astrid don't… you've…" she began imploring before getting her mouth covered by Spitelout.
"A traitor like you should learn to shut your mouth," Spitelout commanded.
Stoick's interest was peaked but knew to let the Night Fury leave could be problematic. "What is it you think I want lass?" Stoick questioned, wondering which desire she was going to offer.
"A way to the nest."
This caused both Heiđrún and Guðbrandr to struggle in their bondage further and with greater intensity. They both knew that this village needed protecting and this would be a suicide mission if they went. Both growled, grumbled while trying to warn them not to do it but it was to no avail.
"I'll agree to it but only after we return from the nest," Stoick countered, making this condition after seeing how aggressive these two invaders were reacting to this decision. "They will be kept in a cage here in the arena and released once we have taken the nest."
Astrid cursed herself for not seeing this as a possible outcome. She had hoped that he would just release Hedvig and Guðbrandr and she'd manage to take him to the nest somehow, but now she had to think quick. 'How can I get him to the nest and make sure he gets back safely? How can we deal with that Monster in the nest?' she pondered until it hit her. Her eyes focused on Hedvig and Astrid winked slightly, turning back to Stoick and agreeing to the condition.
Hedvig didn't understand the gesture but struggled even harder, but couldn't break free. Her body and mind not in sync after that strike to the head. Stoick quickly barked out orders to open a gate and get the beast into it.
As they were getting the Night Fury into the cage, Spitelout hit Hedvig on the head again to get her to struggle less before throwing her in the cage first. This caused Guðbrandr to jump into the cage to get with his love.
Once they were secured, Stoick turned to Astrid with great fury in his eyes, "You best not be lying lass or you will get the Blood Eagle with them for being a traitor."
"I'm not lying, I've been there before and I know what we need to get there," Astrid growled back, trying not to show how much he had intimidated her. "Get the Terrible Terror in a small cage."
"Why not take the beast we just locked up with the girl as a hostage to make them take us there?"
"She's headstrong and stubborn like you and that dragon, even more than her or you," Astrid countered. "Take the small dragon because the only way to get to the nest is with a dragon to guide us."
Stoick huffed in disgust knowing he had been outwitted by this child to put away the greatest way of finding the nest. "Fine," he relented then turned to the Vikings around him. "Get the boats ready, we leave today for the nest and our victory!"
With everyone shouting and hollering, they didn't notice Fishlegs moving to the cage where his friends were locked up and sliding a small dagger under the door before rejoining the other teens.
In the darkness of the cage, Heiđrún nuzzled into her love while plotting what to do next. They were trapped, unable to stop the impending massacre but knew if they didn't get out they would die as well. That was when the knife slide under the door and the two of them took notice of it. "I don't know who did this," Heiđrún whispered to her love. "But they just gave us all a chance to survive." She crawled in the darkness and grabbed the weapon, returning to her beloved while waiting for the sounds to die down outside. The commotion outside never seemed to die down but eventually, it did and that was when Heiđrún sprung into action.
"Alright, let's get his thing off your face and then I need you to at least shoot these blasted chains off between my hands and feet so I can move better," Heiđrún explained to her mate. She carefully slid the knife under a leather strap and cut it from Guðbrandr's head. Then another and one more before his muzzle was off his head.
Guðbrandr's rough tongue then lapped across his love's face a few time before he nuzzled under her chin. "I'm glad you are okay love. I saw you get hit and then I tried…" he stammered out, shaken that he couldn't get to her in time when he last saw her.
"Shh… it's okay Gunny. I'm fine, a little stary, but fine," Heiđrún answered.
They two stayed together for a long time, they were unsure of how much time had passed until they heard a noise at the gate. It was being opened and they readied themselves for the worst. Instead, they saw Fishlegs there waving for them to come outside.
"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed?" Heiđrún chastised her first friend here.
"They all left and left me behind because I helped you. Not thinking I would help you once they left," Fishlegs answered, producing a key from his vest. He reached down and unlocked the shackles from her ankles first and then her wrists.
"Astrid knew I'd be left behind and said to help you get away." Fishlegs then continued to free Guðbrandr as Heiđrún rubbed her wrists gently.
"We're going to stop the Queen," Heiđrún spoke with determination.
Both males stared at the girl and nearly shouted at the same time. "Are you serious?" "Do you have a death wish?"
"You don't get it, we have to help them or they will die!" Heiđrún's voice grew louder, turning to them and then the cages. "But not alone. We have to get the other Dragon Souls and their dragons out there."
"We kind of had the same idea," Snotlout said from the entrance of the arena. The twins rounding the other corner and begin fighting soon after. The three of them stood there smug and leaning again the stone walls.
"I thought you three were made to go on the voyage?" Fishlegs inquired while the three of them came into the center of the arena.
"Let's just say that the Mistress of Loki before us would be proud of how we escaped. The tar, feathers and the dirt," Tuffnut proclaimed with a grand display of movements while getting closer to Hedvig.
"What in Nóttu's grace is that Viking talking about? Guðbrandr questioned his love about this Viking.
"Let's just say, they found out how mischevious I can be when I'm serious," Heiđrún emphasized while looking at the pens holding the other dragons. "And now, we need to get ready to leave. Prepare for a crash course in Dragon riding."