Chapter 35: I See Fire
The cold waters of the North Sea splashed against the hardwood sides of dozens on longships as they cut their way through the waves, churning fog surrounding them, reducing the Viking and Highlander's visibility to nearly zero.
"Sound yer positions!" Stoick called from his ship, "Everyone stay within earshot!"
As the men began to sound off with their positions, Gobber hobbled over to Stoick's side.
"Listen, Stoick," Gobber spoke with a nervous tone, "Ah was overhearin' saeme o' th' men jist now an', well, saeme o' them are wonderin' whit exactly we're up tae oot here. Nae me, o' course. Ah know ye're always th' man with th' plan. But saeme, nae me, are wonderin' if there is, in fact, a plan at all an' whit it might be."
"Find the Nest and take it," Stoick growled solemnly.
"Oh, o' course," Gobber replied with a nervous chuckle, "Send them runnin'. Th' auld Viking fallback. Nice an' simple."
As Gobber spoke, Stoick turned his attention towards where Toothless was chained up on the ship's deck. Seeing Toothless beginning to stir, Stoick held up his hand and shushed Gobber to silence him. Looking closer, Stoick could see that Toothless' ears had begun to twitch as he tilted his head in different directions. With a look of understanding, Stoick moved to the back of the boat and took control over the ship's rudder. As he did, Stoick saw Toothless raise his head and look in a direction through the fog, prompting the village chief to turn the ship in the same direction. Slowly, following Toothless' directions, Stoick piloted the ship around the treacherous rocks, the other ships following along behind.
"Nowhere to hide now," Stoick said as he continued to pilot his ship through the fog and rocks.
Meanwhile,
Hiccup sighed as he stood in the arena, looking up at the shut doors holding some of the dragons in their pens. Glancing back to the center of the arena, he saw the other teens gathered not far away, most of them nervously looking at Meatlug and Boudica, who were standing off to the side with Merida and Fishlegs.
"Alright, I'm officially done waiting," Snotlout announced as he turned to Hiccup and pointed a finger at his cousin, "You're going to tell us what the Hel is going on, and you're going to tell us now."
"Okay," Hiccup agreed with a nod, placating Snotlout for the moment, "You all remember a couple of months ago when I said I shot down a Night Fury and no one believed me?"
"So you really did?" Ruff questioned, surprised.
"I did," Hiccup answered with a smirk and a nod, "I was going to kill it to show everyone, to show you guys, that I was a Viking. But I couldn't do it."
"Why nae?" Boyd questioned.
"Because I looked him in the eyes and I saw he was just as scared as I was," Hiccup explained, "I realized that there was more to dragons then what we had been led to believe. They're not just bloodthirsty monsters, they think and they feel, just like us. So I cut him loose and we ended up bonding. We learned more about dragons through that then I think any Viking has learned in a thousand years. We also learned something else."
"What's that?" Tuff asked.
"We found the Nest and we learned there was a lot more than dragons on it," Hiccup replied.
"Whit dae ye mean?" Will pushed.
"The Vendal have been living on the Nest," Hiccup explained, eliciting looks of surprise from the teens, "And sealed within the bowels of the island is the Red Death itself."
"Wait, hold on!" Snotlout shouted holding his hands up with a look of bewilderment on his face, "The Red Death? The legendary dragon that destroyed the united Viking kingdom generations ago? That Red Death?"
"Yes," Hiccup answered, "He's been trapped in the Nest this whole time. He seems to have the ability to control other dragons, which is why they're always raiding. They're bringing all the food they steal to the Nest to feed the Red Death."
"Why don't they just not?" Ruff asked, "If the thing is trapped, what would happen?"
"Then the Vendal would kill them and feed them to the Red Death instead," Hiccup elaborated.
"Wait, why are th' Vendal helpin' it?" Will questioned.
"I don't know, but for whatever reason they want to free the Red Death," Hiccup stated, a grim look on his face, "And now they can."
"How?" Boyd asked.
"It's the reason they came here," Hiccup explained, "Hilde, the old woman they took, she's the one who sealed the Red Death away in the first place. She's the only one who can unseal him."
"And now they have her," Tuff surmised grimly.
"And our parents and everyone else are sailing right into it!" Ruff exclaimed, a look of panic on her face.
"Sae, whit are we gaein' tae dae?" Will questioned, crossing his arms.
"Our best bet is to get to the Nest and stop Mor'du from releasing the Red Death," Hiccup replied determinedly.
"And how, exactly, are we going to do that?" Snotlout questioned, not liking where this conversation was going.
"We ride," Hiccup said, indicating towards where Boudica and Meatlug sat.
"You want us to ride dragons!?" Tuff exclaimed, shock.
"It's nae as hard as ye think," Merida spoke up, patting Boudica on her neck, "As long as they're willin'."
"And we can show you how to make them willing," Hiccup added with a smirk.
"Whit happens if we daenae get there in time?" Boyd asked, "Whit happens if Mor'du releases th' Red Death?"
"Then I guess we'll just have to kill him too," Hiccup said, completely serious.
There was a pause as the teens let Hiccup's words sink in before Will stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he did.
"Sae, let me get this straight. Almost certainty o' death. Small chance o' success," Will mused before shrugging his shoulders and clapping his hands together as he smirked at Hiccup, "Whit are we waitin' fer?"
Hiccup smiled at Will as Ruff walked around in front of the young lord and looked up at him.
"You're crazy," Ruff observed, before leering at Will as she looked him up and down, "I like that."
"Oh, dae ye now?" Will questioned, leering right back at her. Before he could say anything more, Tuff walked between them, palming Will's face with his hand and pushing the Highlander back, a disgusted look on his face.
"Yeah, that's enough flirting with my sister," Tuff said prompting Ruff to roll her eyes at him as her brother turned to address Hiccup, "You were wise to seek the assistance of the world's greatest living weapon."
"Um…" Hiccup began to say, clearly confused.
"It's me," Tuff explained before he was bumped out of the way as Andra and Boyd walked up to Hiccup. Looking up at Andra, Hiccup heard the large young man mumble something to him, but not understanding a word of it, turned to Boyd for an explanation.
"He says he's in," Boyd explained, before pausing for an awkwardly long time.
"And what about you?" Hiccup asked.
"Oh aye, Ah'm in too," Boyd replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Are you kidding me!?" Snotlout exclaimed, looking at everyone else like they were crazy, "You're all going along with this!?"
"Dude, what other choice do we have?" Tuff questioned.
"There's got to be some way of saving everyone without going back on what it means to be a Viking!" Snotlout ranted as he turned his ire towards Hiccup, "You know that dragons are the enemy. Viking's have known that for generations!"
"An' fer generations, Vikin's hae been wrong!" Merida spoke up, stepping forward.
"Oh, what do you know?" Snotlout rounded on Merida, waving his hand dismissively at her, "You're not one of us. You're a Highlander. An outsider. What do you know about being a Viking!?"
"Ah know plenty," Merida shot back, "Ah know 'at if it's nae really all dragons 'at are th' enemy, but ane dragon. Th' Red Death. Whit we hae right here is th' chance tae ensure 'at he ne'er escapes or kill him ance an' fer all. Are ye really gaein' tae turn yer back on defeatin' th' greatest threat Vikin's hae e'er faced?"
"That's assuming I believe anything you and him have to say," Snotlout said dismissively as he turned to leave, "Do whatever you want but leave me out of it. Like I said, princess, you don't know anything about being a Viking."
Merida watched Snotlout go for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"Far over th' misty mountains cauld," Merida sung, catching everyone's attention and causing Snotlout to stop and slowly turn to look at her, "Tae dungeons deep an' caverns auld."
There was a pause as Merida looked at Snotlout to make sure that he was listening.
"We must away, ere break o' day," Merida continued, glancing over at Hiccup who smiled at her, "Tae claim our long-forgotten home."
"The pines were roaring on the height," Hiccup joined, prompting Merida to smile at him, "The winds were moaning in the night."
"The fire was red, it's flaming spread," Fishlegs sung as well, a look of surprise on his face as he noticed Meatlug and Boudica had begun to hum along with the beat, "The trees like torches, blazed with light."
"The bells were ringing, in the dale," Astrid joined in smiling at the others as she did, "and men looked up with faces pale."
"The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire," Ruff picked up, "Laid low their towers and houses frail."
"The castle smoked beneath the moon," Tuff continued, "The men, they heard the tramp of doom."
The arena fell silent as everyone turned their attention towards Snotlout. The young man looked hesitant for a moment before he locked eyes with Merida and sighed.
"They fled their hall to dying fall," Snotlout sung, causing the others to break out in smiles, "Beneath his feet, beneath the moon."
"Far over the misty mountains cold, through dungeons deep and caverns old," the group sung together, their voices echoing off the stone walls of the arena and harmonizing with the dragons' humming, "We must away, ere break of day, to seek our long-forgotten home."
There was a quiet moment as the group looked around at each other smiling. As they did, Andra bent down and whispered something into Will's ear.
"How shud Ah know?" Will rebutted, glancing at Andra and shrugging his shoulders, "Must be saeme kind o' Vikin' thin'."
"So, are you with us?" Hiccup questioned.
"You know, when you put it in the context of taking down the biggest bad that Vikings have ever known, it definitely makes me reconsider," Snotlout replied with a smirk before nodding his head, "Yeah, I'm in."
"Great," Hiccup stated smiling at his cousin before addressing the group, "Now comes the hard part."
"What's that?" Ruff asked.
"We still have three dragons, and we're going to need them on our side if we're all going to make it to the Nest," Hiccup explained, "Merida and Fishlegs have dragons on their own, now we need three of you to ride the others."
"So you need some of us to bond with these dragons?" Tuff surmised, "And you need them to do it in like, ten minutes?"
Hiccup, Merida and Fishlegs all shared a look before looking back at Tuff and nodding their heads.
"Yeah, pretty much," Fishlegs relented.
"Sae, who wud like tae try first?" Merida asked.
"Me," Astrid said, raising her hand as she stepped forward.
"Alright Astrid," Hiccup said as he walked over to her side, "The thing you have to is remain calm. You can't push this."
"I figured as much," Astrid agreed with a nod.
"It seems tae help if ye've made saeme sort o' connection with th' dragon," Merida added, glancing up at Boudica as she talked, "Even if 'at connection wasnae on th' best terms."
"I think I know who to pick then," Astrid stated a look of determination on her face.
A few minutes later and Astrid was standing alone in front of one of the pen doors, the others moving to the sides to give her space. Looking over to where Fishlegs was standing near the door release levers, she gave him a nod, prompting him to pull the lever down and unseal the door in front of her. A moment later and the Timberjack came leaping through the door, its metallic wings scraping along the hard stone. Spotting Astrid, the Timberjack snarled as it approached her, coiling around the young woman.
"Easy now, Astrid," Hiccup called from the side, "You don't want to spook him!"
"Don't worry," Astrid replied with a smirk, "I think I know exactly what he wants."
As the Timberjack continued to curl around her, Astrid reached out and ran her fingers along the dragon's scales right near its wings. The action caused the Timberjack to suddenly freeze up before relaxing and falling to the ground, a pleased look on its face.
"Yeah, you like that, don't you?" Astird cooed as if she was talking to a dog, climbing up on the Timberjacks back and began scratching it between its wings, causing the dragon to let out pleased sounds, "Yeah, I thought so. I think I'm going to call you Stormfly. You like that? Yeah, you do."
There was stunned silence as the rest of the group watched the spectacle for a few moments.
"Are you kidding me?" Snotlout asked incredulously, "It's that easy? Ah man, I'm totally going next."
"I'm not sure you just want to jump into this like that, Snotlout," Hiccup said warily, "I think Astird had a pretty good idea of how to handle that Timberjack exactly the way she needed to."
"Relax, cuz. I got this," Snotlout replied cockily as he stepped forward while Astrid led the Timberjack to the side, "Fishlegs! Give me the Nightmare!"
Fishlegs hesitated, looking over to Hiccup for guidance.
"Well, I guess someone has to try and tame it," Hiccup relented with a sigh. Fishlegs just shrugged in reply before pulling the lever down, unsealing the pen holding the Monstrous Nightmare. A second later, the door was pushed open and the Monstrous Nightmare came stalking out, keeping low to the ground as it eyed Snotlout warily, the young man smiling broadly at the dragon.
"Hey buddy," Snotlout greeted as he walked towards the Nightmare, which continued to watch him wearily, "So, here's the deal, you and I are going to be pals now. You're going to let me ride you and basically our individual levels of awesomeness are going to combined and make us the most awesome thing on the entire planet. What do you say to that?"
The Nightmare merely looked at Snotlout for a few moments before snapping its jaws at him, forcing the young man to back pedal so that his head was not bitten off of his shoulders. A panicked look replaced Snotlout's cocky one as he continued to run backwards from the Monstrous Nightmare, the dragon following and biting at him the whole while. As he back pedaled, Snotlout's foot caught an uneven stone in the arena floor, sending him tumbling to the ground. As Snotlout shook his head clear, he suddenly found the Nightmare standing over him, leaning down to swallow him whole. Before it could, Hiccup ran between the two, holding his hands up towards the Nightmare, which halted for a moment, snarling as it took a step away from him.
"Whoa! It's okay!" Hiccup shouted, trying to calm the Nightmare down, lowering his voice as it continued to snarl at him, "It's okay."
The Nightmare continued to snarl at Hiccup who made calming noises towards the dragon as Snotlout sat terrified on the ground. Slowly but surely, Hiccup managed to calm the dragon, holding his hand a few inches from the Nightmare's snout. Reaching down, Hiccup grabbed Snotlout's arm and pulled his cousin to his feet before he began to bring it over to the Nightmare's nose.
"Whoa, wait!" Snotlout exclaimed, still clearly scared.
"It's okay," Hiccup reassured Snotlout, using the same tone he had used to speak to the Nightmare, "It's okay."
Taking Snotlout's hand, he placed it on the Nightmare's nose, the dragon letting out a low purr as he did. Slowly, Snotlout began to stroke the dragon's nose, causing the Nightmare to purr louder. A smile crept across Snotlout's face before he began to laugh as he continued to stroke the Nightmare's nose.
"Looks like we just got off on the wrong foot," Snotlout said with a chuckle, leaning down to get a better look at the Nightmare's teeth, "Quite the set you got there. I think I'll call you Hookfang. How's that sound?"
The Nightmare grunted in reply before following as Snotlout led it to the side. Hiccup smiled as he turned his attention towards the other teens.
"So, we got one left," Hiccup surmised, "Who wants to try the Zippleback?"
"Ah think me an' th' lads will sit this oot," Will stated as Boyd and Andra nodded in agreement, "Ye lot seem tae hae a better handle on this whole dragon business than we dae."
"So I guess that leaves us," Tuff stated, turning to look at his sister.
"We could try to tame it together," Ruff suggested, "It's got two heads after all. It probably remembers us too."
"Worth a shot," Tuff agreed with a shrug before they both stepped into the center of the arena, prompting Fishlegs to unseal the Zippleback's door. The dragon came slithering out in a cloud of noxious green gas, hissing as it caught sight of the twins. The twins each took a nervous step backwards as the Zippleback's heads leaned over them with their long necks.
"Hey, big guy," Ruff greeted nervously, "You remember us?"
The head nearest Ruff created sparks with its teeth as the one near Tuff hissed as gas billowed from its mouth.
"I'll take that as a yes!" Tuff stated uneasily.
"Hey, look, we're not so different are we?" Ruff questioned, talking directly to the igniter head, before reaching up and running her thumb across the thin scar on her cheek, "See?"
The head paused for a moment, before its long serpentine tongue reached out and ran along with similar scar it had on its own cheek. Smiling, Ruff glanced over her shoulder at Tuff and the other head, who were watching them, gas slowly leaking out of the head's mouth as it watched.
"Your buddy over there seems to be as full of hot air as my brother," Ruff commented conspiratorially to the igniter head, which let out a hissing noise that sounded like a laugh.
"Hey, why don't you keep your stupid comments to yourself!" Tuff argued angrily, the gas head agreeing with a hiss, causing the young man to nod before looking up at the head in surprise, "Oh man, I think it's working."
"I can see that, moron," Ruffnut groused as she rolled her eyes before turning her attention back towards the igniter head. As she did, she noticed that the head was looking at her strangely. Looking her dead in the eye, the igniter head began to subtly rock back and forth. Ruff squinted her eyes as she noticed it as she began to subconsciously rock her head in time with the head's movement. As she watched, the head began to rock back and forth more and more, prompting Ruff to do the same, putting more of her body into the motion as it went.
"Tuff, are you seeing this?" Ruff questioned, not looking away from the swaying dragon head in front of her.
"Yeah, mine's doing the same thing," Tuff responded, a mirror image of his sister as he followed along to the gas head's movements.
"What do you think it's doing?" Ruff questioned, speeding up her movements as the igniter head increased the tempo.
"I don't know. Testing us maybe?" Tuff suggested, twisting his body to mimic the twists of the gas head's neck. As the twins continued to dance with the Zippleback, the dragon began twisting its long necks around them, forcing the twins to begin circling one another to keep with their respective head. Eventually, the twins were back to back as the Zippleback's necks completely encircled them, leaving the heads inches away from the twins' owns. Slowly, the heads leaned in closer, took a few curios sniffs of the twins before nudging them with their noses, chirping warmly as they did.
"Hey, we did it!" Tuff exclaimed happily as he reached out and pet the head in front of him.
"Yeah," Ruff agreed as her head licked her with its forked tongue, "I wonder what we should call him?"
At that moment, the gas head burped in Tuff's face, briefly engulfing his head in a cloud of noxious fumes, causing the young man to gag and cough.
"Ugh, his belches smell like barf," Tuff moaned as he tried to wave the gas away.
"You know, that's not a bad name," Ruff mused as she reached up and stroked the igniter head's chin, "How about we call them Barf and Belch?"
"Sounds good to me," Tuff replied with a chuckle.
"So that's all the dragons," Astrid observed, "Now what?"
"Now we get ready," Hiccup replied, "This is going to be the biggest fight of our lives and there's a chance we might not all make it back. We have to be prepared."
The teens all looked at each other nervously before nodding.
"Meet me in front of the temple in an hour," Hiccup stated, his face grim, "Then, we ride for the Nest."
Meanwhile,
Slowly, the group of longships made its way through the cloud of fog, the rocks beginning to grow few and far between. Toothless snorted in agitation, straining against his chains. Suddenly, a rocky island was looming in front of the longships, the boats running aground on the hard shores.
"Ready yer weapons and stay low," Stoick ordered as he left the rudder and moved towards the front of the ship. Looking up at the cliffs, Stoick spotted a dragon flit through the crevices of the cliffs.
"We're here," Stoick stated as he grinned before leaping off the side of the boat onto the rocky shore. Turning around, he saw the Vikings and Highlanders pulling their ships ashore as well. Soon, Gobber, Spitelout and Bertha stood with him along with Fergus and his three lords.
"Get our men to set up some defenses and get the siege engines prepared," Stoick said, "When we crack that mountain open, all Hel is going to break loose."
"Oh, I guarantee it," a voice called out from over the rocky shores, grabbing everyone's attention. Turning, they saw Mor'du walking towards them through the clouds of fog, his claymore in hand and an old woman thrown over his shoulder.
"Mor'du," Fergus growled as he glared at the Demon Bear.
"Funny running into you all here," Mor'du commented with a grin.
"So, looks like the boy was right," Stoick stated as he stepped forward, gripping a waraxe in his hands.
"Your son told you you'd fine me here?" Mor'du questioned with a chuckle, "I'll have to talk to him about that next time I see him."
"Whit dae ye mean 'next time'?" Gobber asked, his blood running cold at the implications.
"Oh, I was just at Berk," Mor'du replied nonchalantly, shrugging the shoulder he had Hilde slung over, "Had to pick something up. Don't worry, all your children are in good health."
Mor'du laughed as he looked at the horrified faces before him.
"Or at least, they were," Mor'du amended with a sadistic grin.
"Ye bastard!" Ferugs roared, shoving past the others and charging at Mor'du with his claymore drawn. Mor'du grinned as he watched Fergus approaching before batting the Bear King's attack away with his own sword, following up by backhanding the Highlander across the face, sending him sprawling.
"Now, now, Fergus. Let's not be hasty," Mor'du stated as he planted his sword into the ground and took out a large horn, "It would be rude of me not to share after all."
Taking a deep breath, Mor'du blew into his horn three times, the mournful sound echoing off the rocky crags of the Nest. As the horn fell silent, slowly the air was filled with the sounds of feet scrapping against rock and indecipherable yelling. Looking up at the cliffside, Stoick saw dozens upon dozens of Vendal come swarming out of their hidden caves, each one roaring down at the assembled Vikings and Highlanders, gnashing their teeth and waving their makeshift weapons about.
"This is why you should be careful when you knock on a stranger's door, Stoick," Mor'du said, grinning maliciously at the village chief as he pulled his black sword out of the ground and pointed it at the Viking, "You never know who might answer."
And then the cliffs were alive with swarming Vendal.
Meanwhile,
Hiccup sat in village temple before the altar of Loki. A single candle burnt on the altar, casting dancing shadows across the room. Next to the candle sat Hiccup's horned helmet and his crossbow sat next to him while his sword rested unseathed on his lap. Hiccup looked down at the sword, his anxious expression reflected back at him in the polished metal. Slowly, Hiccup lifted his eyes to the symbol carved into the wall, looking pleadingly at the twisting dragons that served as the god's sigil. Unbeknownst to him, Helga hovered near the doorway, balancing on her crutches as she bit her lip nervously.
"Oh, Misty Eye of the Mountain Below," Hiccup sang, his voice barely above a whisper, "Keep careful watch of my father's soul."
Hiccup gulped nervously before continuing.
"And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke," Hiccup continued, his eyes never wavering from Loki's symbol, "Keep watching over Siegfried's sons."
Across the village, a small breeze picked up, seeming to carry Hiccup's voice across Berk as a whisper on the wind.
"If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together."
Astrid sat alone in her house, running a whetstone over the edge of her axe. Sighing she placed the whetstone down and stood up before strapping the axe to her back.
"Watch the flames climb high into the night."
As she moved towards the door, she paused as something caught her eye on the mantel above the fireplace. Walking over she reached up and took a woodcarving from the mantel, the dying light of the fire illuminating the image. It depicted a male warrior, seemingly short in stature with a bulbous mustachioed nose. He wore a winged helmet and was dressed in armor that looked like it belonged in ages past.
"Calling out father, stand by and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside."
"Lend me your strength, ancestor," Astrid whispered, a scared look on her face as she traced the woodcarving, "I need it now more than ever."
"And if we should die tonight, then we should all die together."
Astrid carefully put the woodcarving back before leaving her house. Making her way down the hill, she walked towards Fishlegs' home, where she saw him embracing his mother in the doorway.
"Raise a glass of wine, for the last time."
"You come home to me, alright?" Ribbon said, tears in her eyes as she pulled away, cupping Fishlegs' cheek.
"I will, Mom. Don't worry," Fishlegs replied, before glancing over his shoulder at Astrid as she approached, "Hey."
"Hey," Astrid greeted, a small smile on her face.
"Calling out father, prepare as we will."
As Astrid approached, Ribbon stepped forward and pulled the younger girl into a hug, catching Astrid off guard for a moment before she slowly returned the hug.
"Promise me you'll bring my little boy back to me," Ribbon whispered into Astrid's ear, "Promise me."
"I promise," Astrid replied before pulling away and turning towards Fishlegs, "We should get going."
"Right," Fishlegs replied with a nod as he picked up his warhammer and rested it on his shoulder.
"You both be safe, okay?" Ribbon asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"We will," Fishlegs reassured her before they both turned and walked down towards the temple.
"Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside."
Outside the temple, Astrid and Fishlegs found Snotlout and the twins waiting with the dragons. As they approached, they saw Ruff holding her knife up to one of the Zippleback head's, which ran its tongue along the blade.
"Desolation comes upon the sky."
"Ruff, what are you doing?" Astrid questioned, as she and Fishlegs stopped in front of the dragon.
"I know firsthand that Zippleback venom hits like a ton of rocks," Ruff explained as she sheathed her knife, "Should be helpful."
"We'll need all the help we can get," Snotlout stated, a nervous look on his face.
"Where are the Highlanders?" Fishlegs asked.
"They were in the Great Hall getting ready," Tuffnut spoke up, "They'll probably be out soon."
"Now I see fire, inside the mountain."
Inside the Great Hall, Merida stat on one the tables as her mother stood behind her, pulling her long, curly hair back and forming multiple braids out of it.
"Are ye sure aboot this, Ma?" Merida questioned, hissing a bit as her mother pulled on another strand of hair, "Ye know 'at ma hair daesnae like tae be braided."
"Ah know, but ye daenae want this getting' in yer eyes," Elinor said, sounding like she was desperately trying to keep her voice even, "In th' middle o' a battle who knows whit cud happen an' if yer hair got in th' way then…then saemethin' cud…"
"I see fire, burning the trees."
As Elinor's voice hitched, Merida reached up and grasped her mother's hand before turning to look at her. Elinor averted her eyes as a few tears streamed down her face.
"Ah know ye're scared, Ma," Merida said, as she held her mother's hand in her own, a stray stand of hair falling across her face, "Ah am too. But if th' others an' Ah daenae dae this…"
"I see fire, hollowing souls."
"Ah know," Elinor replied as she wiped the tears away with her free hand, "Ah hae th' upmost faith in ye, Merida. Ah'm jist nae sure 'at it's enough."
"I see fire, blood in the breeze."
"It's gaein' tae hae tae be," Merida replied, before turning back around, prompting Elinor to resume braiding her hair.
"And I hope that you'll remember me."
After a few more minutes, Elinor was done, having taken a dozen braids and woven them together at the back of Merida's head before wrapping the green cloth around it to hold any stray hairs in place. As she stepped away, Merida saw her brothers approaching them, one carrying a jar while the other two carried a sword between them.
"Oh, should my people fall, then surely I'll do the same."
"We found this," one of the boys said as they handed Dragonsbane to Merida, "We thought ye might need it."
"Thank ye," Merida said with a smile as she reached out and took the sword, sliding the blade out a few inches to examine it before sliding it back in and strapping it to her back.
"Confined in mountain halls, we got too close to the flame."
"We also found this, Ma," the third brother said as they handed the jar to Elinor, "Is 'at whit ye were lookin' fer?"
"Indeed, sweet ane," Elinor replied, patting the boy on the head.
"Whit's 'at?" Merida questioned.
"Nae true Highlander can gae tae war withoot war paint," Elinor explained, causing Merida to smile at her.
"Calling out father, hold fast and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside."
Elinor took a few minutes to paint a pattern on Merida's face. She drew spiral patterns on Merida's cheeks and mirror hook-like designs on her forehead. She finished with a single stripe on Merida's chin and a line of small, interlocking circles under her daughter's eyes and across the bridge of her nose.
"There," Elinor stated as she stepped away, "Now ye really are a little Boudica. Though Ah suppose Ah cannae call ye little anymore."
"Ah'll always be yer little girl, Ma," Merida stated, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around her mother, who quickly returned her hug as the triplets ran up and wrapped their arms around the two women's legs.
"Desolation comes upon the sky."
"Ye come back tae me," Elinor whispered to Merida.
"Ye know Ah will," Merida replied as she pulled away and turned to look at Will, Andra and Boyd.
"Now I see fire, inside the mountain."
"Alright, lads" Merida said, holding her the jar of paint up towards the three boys, "Ye heard th' lady."
"I see fire, burning the trees."
A few minutes later, Merida led the way out of the Great Hall, the three young lords following. Will had completely covered one side of his face with the blue war paint, dividing his face in two along his nose. Boyd painted three lines running diagonally across his face, looking almost like a large animal had scratched him. Andra had painted lines under his eyes and a cross pattern on his forehead and the bridge of his nose.
"I see fire, hollowing souls."
They made their way down to the temple, where they found the others waiting. Looking up, Astrid and Fishlegs smiled as they approached.
"Hey, Princess," Astrid greeted with a smirk, "Looking good."
"She's not the only one," Ruff stated, smiling as she looked Will over.
"Oh please," Tuff groaned, rolling his eyes.
"I see fire, blood in the breeze."
"Where's Hiccup?" Merida asked, looking around at the others.
"He must still be in the temple," Fishlegs replied.
"Didn't know Hiccup was the praying type," Snotlout observed.
"Nae in th' way ye probably think," Merida replied as she looked at the temple built into the side of the cliffs.
"And I hope that you'll remember me."
Waddling down the hall of the temple, Gothi came to the entrance of the room holding the shrine to Loki.
"Hiccup," she spoke up, catching the young man's attention, causing him to look over his shoulder at Gothi, "It's time, my boy. Your friends are waiting."
Hiccup nodded in reply turning and looking back at his reflection in Bemuhen's blade, his look of anxiety replaced with one of determination.
"And if the night is burning, I will cover my eyes," Hiccup continued to sing as he slipped Bemuhen into the scabbard on his back.
"For if the dark returns then my people will die," Hiccup sung as he picked up the small quiver that held the arrows to his crossbow and took one out. Taking a sniff, he smelt the black power held within before putting it back in the quiver before strapping it to his belt.
"And as the sky's falling down, it crashed into this lonely town," Hiccup sang as he strapped his crossbow to the other side of his belt.
"And with that shadow upon the ground," Hiccup continued as he stood up and picked his helmet up by the horns, putting it on his head before looking up at Loki's sigil, "I hear my people screaming out!"
"Now I see fire, inside the mountain!" Hiccup called as he turned and began to walk away, not noticing as the fire of the candle suddenly exploded outwards, briefly becoming a fireball the size of a man, the light causing Hiccup to cast a large, horned shadow. Helga and Gothi's eyes went wide in surprise and awe as Hiccup walked past them, undaunted.
"I see fire, burning the trees!" Hiccup continued as he made his way down the long hall of altars, the torches illuminating the way flaring brightly behind him.
"And I see fire, hollowing souls!" Hiccup sang as he approached the large doors leading outside, oblivious as the flames leapt from their torches as danced behind him, swirling together into an inferno that followed in his wake.
"I see fire, blood in the breeze!" Hiccup sung as he came to the door and leaned against it, resting his hands against the hard wood of the door. Behind him, the fire followed, a tendril reaching out towards him before all at once the fire retreated, returning to the torches it had come from. Slowly, Hiccup looked over his shoulder, back to where Loki's shrine was.
"And I hope that you'll remember me," Hiccup finished, his voice once again whisper quiet before he looked forward again and pushed the doors open, stepping outside.
Helga stared for a few moments at the spot Hiccup had been standing, almost hyperventilating as she tried to process what she had just witnessed.
"Elder!" Helga exclaimed, finally finding her voice again as she turned towards Gothi, "Elder, what does it mean!?"
"It means, for good or for ill," Gothi explained, her eyes wide as she watched Hiccup descend from the temple, "The God of Fire walks with Hiccup."
As Hiccup descended from the temple, he found the others waiting for him. Merida stepped forward, smiling at Hiccup as he approached.
"Ye know, Hic," Merida commented, grinning flirtatiously at him, "Ye make quite th' dashing warrior."
"And you make a beautiful huntress, Mer," Hiccup replied, before cupping Merida's chin and kissing her.
"Whit was 'at fer?" Merida asked, pulling away as she blushed.
"We might not have a lot of those left," Hiccup answered, "Have to make them count."
In response, Merida grabbed the sides of Hiccup's head and pulled him in for another kiss.
"Alright, this is romantic and everything, but I feel like we better get going," Astrid spoke up, prompting Merida and Hiccup to pull apart.
"Sae, whit's th' plan, lad?" Will questioned.
"We'll have to pair up to get there," Hiccup explained, "I'll ride with Merida. Will, you ride with the twins. Andra can ride with Astrid and Boyd can hitch a ride with Snotlout. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Once we get to the Nest, we have to find Hilde and stop whatever Mor'du is planning," Hiccup continued, "We take him down for good."
"And the Red Death?" Snotlout asked.
"If we can keep Hilde from unsealing him, then we can leave him to starve," Hiccup replied, "And if he is released, we'll just have to take him down the hard way. Any more questions?"
The others were quiet, determined looks on their faces as they looked back at Hiccup.
"Alright then," Hiccup stated with a nod, "Let's ride."
A/N: So I've had this chapter planned out for months now, I hope you guys enjoy how it turned out. Also secret bonus points to whoever can guess who Astrid's ancestor is supposed to be. Hint: it's not a character from either Brave or HTTYD. As always feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!