Chapter 36: Prelude to Tragedy

by Code Musica

Hail to the King

"So, what's the plan?" Astrid asked as she stared down at the chart laying on the table in front her. She, Sigrid, Agvior, Auriel, as well as several other high ranking commanders in the army were currently planning their next move. It was early in the morning, and fighting would begin again shortly. They needed to decide what they were going to do before then.

"I will not abandon my people," Auriel intoned, not leaving any room for argument.

"You may not have a choice, princess," Agvior advised.

Auriel scowled. "It is queen, now," she reminded him.

Agvior smiled sadly. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said respectfully. Auriel had grown cold since the death of her mother and Hiccup's betrayal, and while no one could blame her, it was a sad thing to see.

"What we really need to do is decide if we can hold our ground," Sigrid said, changing the subject as best she could. "If we stay, fine. But if we stay, we have to be absolutely sure we can at least hold our ground. If we lose Alfheim, so be it. We may have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war. But if we lose Alfheim, and all our lives in the process, then we will have lost the war, and the battle."

A round of nods and agreements went around the room. "Here is what we know," Agvior said, pointing to the charts and maps on the table. "The dark elves control the forest for a mile after the grand tree. They've had all night to set up traps behind their lines and form their defenses. We need to be careful if we manage to push them back. In addition, our spies have managed to discover that the commanders have moved their headquarters into the grand tree itself," he explained.

"What that means, is that they are much closer to the front lines than yesterday. If we can capture Hiccup, we can use him as leverage to force the dark elves to retreat," he said.

"Yeah, there's just one problem. Hiccup is strong in his own right, and he has Toothless and Fenrir acting as his guards. We have almost no chance of capturing him, let alone killing him," Sigrid said.

Agvior looked to Astrid for her thoughts. Astrid sighed. "I don't know. I think he wasn't really trying during our duel yesterday. Even if we did fight seriously, I don't think we could win. Even if we put more men into the fight, who is going to stop Toothless or Fenrir? We just don't have the manpower," she stated.

Agvior nodded. "Indeed," he agreed. "Then we have no choice but to retreat. We can regroup and attempt to take back the realm at a later date, when we have a better chance of victory," he added.

Auriel stood up, sending her chair skidding backwards. "We will not abandon Alfheim!" she commanded, her tone as cold as ice.

Everyone looked apologetic. "We don't have a choice, Auriel," Astrid said, hoping to calm down her friend.

Auriel's chest was heaving in anger but she relented, sitting down back into her chair and remaining silent. "I think it would be best," Agvior said, "if we were to retreat back to Vanaheim. They are the weakest of the realms remaining in our alliance and we have the manpower to assist in the relief efforts. Grandmaster Frode has remained there to oversee the reconstruction but he will no doubt be needed elsewhere."

Everyone seemed to agree. "And how, exactly, do we get past the army of dark elves and other monstrosities that bar our path to the World Gate?" Sigrid asked pointedly.

Everyone was silent as they considered their options. Surprisingly, it was Auriel that spoke up. "We hit them hard, we hit them fast. Lead with our most powerful warriors and punch a hole through their defenses. The army charges after them through the gap and we make a mad dash for the World Gate. Whoever falls behind, is left behind," she intoned, leaving no room for disagreements.

Everyone was silent for a time as they considered the queen's words. No one could think of a better strategy. A round of nods and agreements went around, with only a few dissenters. "Very well," Agvior stated. "We march in two hours' time," he commanded.

Hail to the King

Astrid, Sigrid, and Agvior were mounted on their dragons, walking— amazingly, not flying— at the head of their army. Auriel was seated behind Agvior, though Astrid had volunteered to take her. It seemed as if Auriel carried some animosity towards Astrid on the behalf of Hiccup's actions, and Astrid really couldn't find it in herself to blame her friend. She knew that, in time, she would come around. And when she did, Astrid wouldn't blame her. She was hurting, much in the same way that Hiccup was hurting. It was a cruel fate that for Hiccup to hurt less, he had inflicted the same suffering upon others at the behest of his father.

In front of them, unlike in their previous skirmishes, was the entirety of the dark elf army. No longer were they in singular groups to be the tools of their commanders. Now, it was army against army. Blood would be spilled. Astrid steeled herself for what was to come. It was entirely likely that many behind her would die in their charge to the World Gate, if they even made it at all. They faced two sons of Loki, one of which was a monster, the other of which was a rider of near unparallelled power. Astrid gripped the hilt of Allr'bani in an attempt to calm herself.

It didn't work. A movement in the dark elf lines drew her, and every other commanders, eyes. A lone dark elf upon a strange creature, which looked like a bear to Astrid, rode forth. In his hand, a tall spear. But, where a normal spear would have had a pointed metal end designed for impaling foes, this spear had a large, billowing, white flag.

Astrid glanced at Agvior where he was talking with Auriel. They spoke quickly in hushed whispers before coming to an agreement. "Astrid, Sigrid, with me. We'll see what the messenger wants," he commanded before dismounting and striding forward.

"Be careful, hatchling," Stormfly cooed as she nudged Astrid lovingly.

"I will," Astrid responded, giving Stormfly a reassuring scratch under her chin.

Together, the three of them walked forth confidently, where the messenger had stopped in the middle of the field to await them. Neither wanted to venture past the halfway point, in case they had to flee back to their respective allies. Astrid looked up, trying her best to ignore the slobbering, growling steed that eyed her like she was fresh meat. A dark elf woman met her gaze, a sneer on her lips and disgust in her eyes. "You should be gracious," she spat at the three of them, "that our gods are merciful. Lord Vrangr bids that you surrender, and in return, you will be allowed to flee. Any deception on your part," she said, glaring at the three of them in turn, "will result in your total destruction."

Astrid glared back at the dark elf woman, the way she pronounced Lord Vrangr, it was almost intimate, loving. As if she knew him better than Astrid herself did. It annoyed her to no end, and caused her grip on Allr'bani to tighten. It would be so easy to draw her sword, lop off the beast's head, and then sink the blade into the bitch's heart before she even knew what happened. Then she could feast on her magic.

"… Feast on her magic?" Astrid repeated in her mind. "Where did that notion come from?"

Under her hand's grasp, Allr'bani writhed and slithered, causing Astrid to release her grip. The sword ceased its movements reluctantly, falling back asleep. "You have until noon to give your answer. A single bolt of magic in the sky, green for surrender," the dark elf intoned, casting her glare back at Astrid, "or blue for slaughter."

Astrid felt her anger flare, again. And with that, the dark elf turned her steed away and galloped back to the enemy army, a trail of dust in her wake. "What do we do?" Astrid asked hotly, anger tinging her tone.

Agvior sighed deeply. "It is not above Hiccup to lie, but in this instance, I do not believe he would trick us only to make his victory easier. I think the offer genuine," he stated.

Sigrid cast a glance back, where Auriel was watching them like a hawk from Agvior's dragon. "I don't think she's gonna like this," she said, indicating her head back to the new queen.

Astrid nodded her head. "Do we not tell her, then? Just shoot up a green signal?" she said.

"And what do we tell her when we march into their lines with our weapons sheathed?" Agvior pointed out. "No, we must tell her," he added.

Sigrid sighed. "Fine," she drawled.

The three of them swiftly returned, keenly aware of the idle dancing of the army. They were nervous. "So?" Auriel posed, impatient to be explained.

Astrid was about to tell her, word for word, what the messenger said, but thought better of it. "We've been offered an ultimatum: leave peacefully, or not at all," Agvior summarized.

Auriel stared blankly at them for a moment. "Very well," she intoned quietly.

"That's… that's it?" Sigrid asked tentatively.

"Yes," Auriel snapped. "I've had some hours to think. We may lose Alfheim, but so long as its people still draw breath, it will never truly be lost. I have faith we will, one day, claim victory over this darkness that plagues our lands."

Astrid smiled. She knew Auriel would pull through, eventually. Agvior sent Astrid a nod, and she raised her hand, pointed a single finger in the air, and shot a bolt of emerald magic into the sky. Together, the four of them waited, and watched.

For a long time, nothing happened. Then, miraculously, the enemy lines began to clamor and part. For nearly thirty minutes they marched, until a large swath of land, nearly a mile in length, was clear for them. It was too far for arrows and all but the most powerful magics to reach, and thus, relatively safe. "Relay orders," Agvior commanded to one of the officers standing near him, briefly explaining the situation. "Under no circumstances are we to attack," he added seriously.

Together, the four of them slowly inched forward on their dragons, ready to take flight at a moment's notice. The tension was palpable in the air, making it seem as if they were breathing underwater. Both sides were nervous beyond all imagining. All it took was for the other to step out of line, and it would be a bloodbath the likes of which was not seen since the dawn of time. There would be no organized fighting, no commanders to issue orders. It would be an all out melee for dominance.

Step by agonizing step, the alliance marched forward. Every once in a great while, they would catch a glimpse of a dark elf on the crags or in the trees, watching them. They never did more than that. "Scouts," Sigrid intoned in a whisper.

After what seemed like an eternity, the World Gate came into sight as they emerged into a large clearing of tree stumps that had been cleared away by the dark elves. Standing directly beneath the World Gate was Hiccup, with Fenrir standing besides him. Toothless was curled around the both of them protectively.

Agvior motioned for everyone to stay put, not willing to risk another confrontation between Astrid, Sigrid, and Hiccup, let alone Auriel and Hiccup. The bad blood between them would be legendary. As the old elf approached, Fenrir seemed to shift on his feet, as if nervous about letting him near Hiccup. Toothless was calmer, but still attentative.

For a long time, neither said anything. Then Agvior sighed. "I would like permission to use magic, and your word that I will not be cut down while doing so," he asked softly.

"No doubt to create a bridge to ascend," Hiccup stated. Agvior nodded in answer.

"Fine," Hiccup said, moving out of the way to let his former mentor do his work. Agvior crouched, placed both hands on the grassy floor of his homeworld, and commanded that trees burst forth. Large, towering, woody plants erupted, devoid of leaves. They continued to grow and grow, until they were hundreds of feet in height. The tallest of which ended at the ring of the World Gate, the shortest of which was a mere foot off the ground. It was a large staircase, angling upwards to the heavens.

Hiccup nodded to himself, impressed his teacher had so much power still in him at his age. Agvior's chest heaved for air, and he was soaked with sweat. "By your leave," he said through gasps, returning to the army. The two groups stared at each other, although for some, it was mainly glaring. The stairway was no more than ten feet in width, allowing perhaps six to seven men to climb at a time. It would take some hours for the entirety of their army to make the climb. They simply had to count on, and hope, that Hiccup's generosity allowed them such time.

"I shall go and open the Gate," Auriel intoned, before joining one of the first waves and quickly ascending the staircase, not wanting to be in Hiccup's company longer than necessary.

For nearly an hour the group stood in a tense silence, waiting for the army to depart through the World Gate. Hiccup kept his promise, with the dark elves' army staying far away, yet prepared to rush into battle to defend their commander should the need arise. Eventually, Astrid couldn't stand it any longer. She had been deprived of her answers because of the nature of her mission last time, and now that they were in a relatively peaceful moment, with nothing but time to burn, she spoke her mind.

"Why did you do this?" Astrid blurted out, before she had really decided what she wanted to ask. "Didn't you see the look on Auriel's face?" she added.

Hiccup glanced up from the rock he had found so very fascinating for the past hour. "Surely you see that this is— is wrong," she stammered. "Evil," she clarified.

"Good and evil and merely perspectives used by those who have to justify their actions," Hiccup intoned. "I don't have to justify myself to anyone," he said.

"Even me?" Astrid questioned hotly.

"Especially you," Hiccup said pointedly. "You're my counterpart, my equal. You know me better than anyone else ever will. You, of all people, should understand," he said.

Astrid fumed. "And what of honor, hmm?" Agvior spoke up, with a quirked eyebrow.

Hiccup scoffed. "Stand in the ashes of a million dead souls and ask the spirits if honor matters," he stated. "The silence is your answer," he added after a few moments, allowing his point to sink in.

"If you think I ever believed in that ridiculous oath, your age is affecting you more than I thought. It was a naive, foolish promise you made us swear, and I thought that even before I met Loki," Hiccup explained at his mentor's saddened look.

"There is still good in you, I know it," Astrid stated authoritatively.

"Yes, I know. I'm doing "good," as you call it, right now. Alfheim is the first of the realms to fall to my father's rule," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

"All this bloodshed just for that?" Astrid yelled.

"Yes, just for that. They are my family, Astrid. The only one I have," Hiccup explained.

Astrid just glared at him, seriously considering just tackling him and beating some sense into his thick skull. Hiccup glanced over Astrid's shoulder and could see the end of the marching army. They were almost gone, and then Alfheim would truly be theirs. Astrid noticed his look and cast a quick glance backwards. "Time for you to go," he intoned quietly.

Agvior shook his head sadly and made to walk up his makeshift stairs. Astrid remained behind, with Sigrid staying with her. She would leave when Astrid left, and not a moment sooner. Astrid sighed, and stepped in line behind the last wave of warriors as she ascended the stairs. She had an overwhelming urge to reach out to Hiccup, to hold him and kiss him and tell him how much she loved him, still. But she didn't. Sigrid followed after her, stopping only to give Hiccup a brief glare.

In a few moments, they were gone. The energy sustaining the World Gate ceased and filled the clearing with a disturbing sense of quiet. Hiccup took a deep breath and began to bark orders. "I want the Gate properly sealed and guarded at all times! Start construction immediately and get into guard rotations! Send out scouts to get reports on the status of the other cities!"

The dark elves immediately set to work as Agvior's wooden stairs began to crumble and return to dust. They had a lot of work to do, and little time to do it.

"Alfheim is ours!" Hiccup roared, to the cheering of the dark elves.

Hail to the King

Astrid and her group returned to a very chaotic Vanaheim. Tensions were high in the wake of the attack on the Grand Magic Games' arena, with much of the blame being put on the Vanir for both not doing more to protect the arena and the fact that they were the only people spared from the blast. It was a curious thing, Astrid thought, how Agvior had said teleportation was a magical impossibility, yet it appeared as if much of the Vanir populace, as well as all of the competing teams, were "teleported" to safety.

Grandmaster Frode had several intriguing theories on how and what happened, most likely being, that the dark elf had somehow trapped the entire life energy of several tens of beings within her flesh before joining them in becoming magical fire. Frode theorized that some of that energy was used to prevent the Vanir from dying, as well as protecting the city itself. How exactly this was accomplished was anyone's guess. Loki had clearly not been idling away his time as leisurely as everyone thought.

Astrid and Sigrid were relieved of their command, returning to do the bidding of the Order. Together, they aided in the relief efforts as best they could. Auriel was given a portion of land, temporarily, near the delta at the mouth of the river. It was where most of the plant life on the desert realm of Vanaheim was located, and the closest thing to home for the elven refugees. The elves quickly set to work, weaving their own unique magics to plant and grow trees and turn them into homes. Within a few weeks, there were several acres of hardy, desert resistant trees growing, in which the elves made due.

Everything had been going well for Astrid, relatively speaking, if you didn't include her lover becoming one of the most wanted men in all the realms. That was, at least, until the tribunal was called.

That was how Astrid, Sigrid, Agni, Thor, Auriel, and most surprisingly, Valka, found themselves on Asgard. Joining them were hundreds, if not thousands, of important figures in every level of government between the alliance of Asgard, Alfheim, Nidavellir, and Vanaheim. The large courtroom they were standing in was packed from wall to wall with people, all eager to hear the deliberations of Odin Allfather.

The crowd's chattering died down as Odin tapped the butt of Gungnir on the stone floor, eliciting a thunderous echo. "Silence," he commanded. "I now call this court to order."

Everyone quieted and either took their seats, or if none were available, stood discreetly as possible. "In light of the recent loss of Alfheim," Odin intoned, at which people began whispering, "it has become apparent that the Betrayer, Loki, has secured a capable general the likes of which tip the war in his favor."

The whispering became louder, until it was no longer whispering. Odin used Gungnir to silence the crowd again. "Therefore, in light of his recent actions, as well as his betrayal of the Order of Dragon Knights, I have no choice but to issue an order for the capture, or slaying of, Vrangr Lokison. A special task force shall be assembled for this task, and it has been decided that they shall have an authority no less than our own," Odin intoned, ending his speech.

The crowd was silent. "Should any wish to volunteer, now is the time," Odin said. Astrid tensed. She couldn't let anyone else do this but her. One way or another, she was going to be a part of the task force.

Before Astrid had even made up her mind, another stepped forward. "Your Majesty," Valka greeted, bowing slightly in respect. "If I may, I would like to request that I be the leader of this task force. Hiccup, or rather Vrangr, is my son by blood, and it is my duty as his mother to bring him to justice. However… I would ask that, in this case, you practice mercy. I will not kill my son, but I will capture him," Valka said eloquently. The wildness in her manner had decreased since joining the Order, Astrid thought. She still wielded her strange staff weapon, and on occasion, walked on four legs instead of two, but she was getting better.

Odin considered her offer for a time. After much deliberation, he spoke. "Very well," he decreed, before silencing the growing whispers of the crowd with another tap of Gungnir. "Who else wishes to volunteer?"

Astrid stepped forward before Odin had even finished speaking. Shortly behind her was Sigrid, followed by Agni and Thor. No one else stepped forward. Astrid couldn't blame them. They were just tasked with marching into enemy territory, alone, and to capture one of the most dangerous men alive, who would be guarded by his dragon and no doubt an army. Suddenly, and surprisingly, Auriel stepped forward. At Odin's strange look, she spoke up. "I find that there is little need for a queen without a kingdom in which for her to rule. I am also not well versed in the ways of a monarch, and as such, most of what needs doing is handled by my trusted advisors. I trust that they can handle my business while I am away," she explained. "My power and knowledge in magic will be invaluable," she added, noting that besides her, the next most powerful magician in their group was Agni.

Odin nodded after a minute of thinking. "Very well," he stated, casting a quick glance around the room. "You six wield the authority of the alliance and are tasked with the capture of Vrangr Lokison. All whom you meet will provide aid, without question," the Allfather intoned, before tapping Gungnir and dismissing the tribunal.

The six newly christened members of the task force to capture Hiccup shared uneasy glances and small smiles with each other, even Auriel. They knew that they were the instrument of history. Their actions, whether fruitful or not, would change the course of the war.

Hail to the King

Astrid sat, deep in thought, with her legs crossed underneath her. She was less thinking, and more feeling. She was in a state of meditation, as she tried to divine something she had been working on for the past several years. She had all but mastered her enhancement magic to the point where there was little left for her to learn, and what little there was, came easily to her.

So she set about the long, arduous process of discovering her second speciality in magic. Astrid had, previously, been working in Hiccup's illusory world where he could control time. While in the real world, perhaps only three or four years had passed, Astrid spent nearly a full decade within the confines of her mind training.

It was, after that full decade of training, that Astrid came to a conclusion. Either she had no second speciality, or it was something so infinitesimal and specific that her mind simply couldn't comprehend it. She was a warrior at heart, not a magician. Most of the people she knew were. It was also common that people only ever discover their first speciality and never delve deeper, simply content to fully master their first. And Astrid was content with that. She had made her peace long ago with that fact.

But, she needed an answer. An answer, a counter, to Hiccup's newly revealed power, his connection to the Veil. Astrid knew it could make him intangible, untouchable by both physical and magical attacks. She knew he could phase through solid objects, allowing him to travel through them with ease. And, most recently, she knew he was capable of near instantaneous travel by means of travelling through the Veil itself. Astrid was sorely tempted to return to Asgard and see if she could read the journal of Galmann the Mad, which no doubt held some keys to the mystery of the power itself.

However, Astrid also knew that minds much more intelligent than her own had labored over the journal for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. And they had all not discovered anything of great importance. Only a significantly powerful illusion master, like Hiccup, or Loki, or Galmann, would be able to make use of anything in the journal. Astrid herself could hardly fathom what the black curtain would look like. The only reason she knew was because she caught a brief glimpse of it when Loki was training Hiccup.

And that was where Astrid's solution came from. It was so simple, so elementary, that she figured no one had ever tried it before. She didn't need to become proficient enough in illusion magic to use the Veil herself, though that was one of her first thoughts, she just needed something to stand on par with it. Something that both the Veil, the immaterial world, and the realms, the material worlds, had in common. Something that bridged the two of them.

It was so simple. Magic. Well, not magic, but energy. Arcane energy. In its purest, most basic, raw form. Not refined and manipulated like when used in spells, just raw energy. In its most primal form, it was nearly useless on its own unless changed into something or used to do something. Yet, Astrid had an idea.

And that brought her back to her current labor, using her enhancement magic to increase the control she had on her own reservoir of arcane energy. She had grown increasingly proficient at it, having built up a decent level of control herself just learning to fight Hiccup's illusions during their training. It was ironic, really, that Hiccup's own training would help her beat him. She had continued her training on her own, using her enhancement magic to assist her. She had gotten to the point where it was child's play to break illusions and even shield a limited number of others, as she had demonstrated with Sigrid, from illusions as well.

Now her control grew to even loftier heights. She was able to, quite literally, split her sea of arcane energy down the middle, all the way to the bottom, where the strange white pearl that represented the entrance to the Realm Eternal lay dormant. She could then manipulate the two separate bodies of energy into rising up and transforming into two perfect replicas of Toothless and Stormfly, and now into picture perfect images of both herself and Hiccup.

And yet for all her control, her goal had eluded her. Astrid's plan was quite simple. Use her raw arcane energy like a battering ram, and beat Hiccup within a quite literal inch of his life. If her theory was right, his intangibility wouldn't work, and if she used her enhancement magic to its fullest, she could hit him before he could "teleport." It was, in her opinion, the perfect plan.

With only one problem. She couldn't "wield" her raw arcane energy. It had no tangible form, there was nothing to control. And so, she sat in her tent, for hours on end, trying to find a way to use her energy as a weapon. And this night, like so many others, ended in her frustrated growl and a scowl on her face.

Astrid opened her eyes to find Sigrid sipping on a tankard of ale and watching her with amusement. Astrid picked up a pebble and tried to throw it into her drink. Sigrid deftly covered her tankard with her hand with more speed than Astrid thought possible. "Let's see you try and find your second speciality!" Astrid quipped.

Sigrid scoffed. "No, thank you. I'm quite happy with my earth magic and my trusty warhammer, thank you," the dwarf replied, taking another long drink of ale.

Astrid sighed before standing and flopping down on her cot, resting her hands behind her head and staring at the roof of their tent. "Don't worry, hatchling, you'll get it soon," Stormfly cooed, reassuring her rider. Both her and Hlif were outside the tent, guarding their riders.

"Thanks, Stormfly," Astrid said, making a mental reminder to give her dragon a good scratch tomorrow morning.

With another heavy sigh, Astrid closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep. They were to be awake early, before the sun even rose, and off chasing Hiccup. Valka was nervous about confronting her son, and Astrid couldn't blame her.

Hail to the King

Hiccup stood in his room, looking out through a large window he had recently transfigured out of stone. Whatever he had done on Svartalfheim had, for better or worse, been permanent. He was now perfectly comfortable in the cold, even the bone chilling frost of Jotunheim. He wore little more than a thin cotton tunic and a pair of loose fitting trousers, and chose to walk barefoot. The servants thought he was completely and utterly mad, many of them having lost feet and digits to frostbite. Yet, Hiccup remained fine.

His current object of fascination was the woods beneath their floating home. The Lost Woods, as it was known on Jotunheim. The woods were cursed in the truest sense of the word. Those who entered the woods never left, and more often than not, rose up to ensure that others who entered didn't leave either. Hiccup didn't believe in spirits, but only one word could be used to describe the phenomena that plagued the woods: haunted.

The scholar in him found it utterly fascinating. The logical part in him found life a bit too valuable to relinquish itself to the mercy of the woods just yet. It did make a good barrier between their home and the rest of the realm however. The only things out this far in the wastelands of Jotunheim were them, whatever plagued the woods, and the occasional troll.

A knock at the door drew Hiccup's attention. A servant entered, a frost giant woman. "My god," the woman said, bowing low, "Lord Loki summons you."

Hiccup nodded and waved a hand to dismiss the woman. He had hoped to get a little more rest before being sent out on another mission by his father. It had only been two weeks since they managed to capture and secure Alfheim. The dark elves had finally managed to secure a foothold strong enough to allow Hiccup to leave and return to his family for some well deserved, albeit short lived, rest.

Hiccup slung the baldric of Tyrfing over his chest and padded through the halls, the sound of flesh on cold stone echoing. A few servants shook their heads at how he was dressed. The chill of Jotunheim was legendary and unforgiving to all but the frost giants. It was only a short walk to the spiral staircase that led down into the dungeons, which were used more as a lab by Loki than actual dungeons.

It was a short walk to navigate through the winding corridors until Hiccup came to a small, metal door. He opened it unceremoniously without knocking. Loki stood, laboring over a cauldron of something foul smelling, wearing a thick leather apron and gloves, with a strange helmet that covered his entire face. As his father turned to face him, Hiccup could see the contents of the cauldron glowing a bright, sickly green color.

"Ah, Vrangr, good to see you," Loki greeted as he slipped off his leather gloves and apron. "Concentrated basilisk venom," he explained at Hiccup's curious look towards the cauldron.

"Ah," Hiccup replied, now noticing the body of his father's familiar laying across a nearby table.

"I've decided on our next course of action, now that Alfheim is secured," Loki said. "Since you are the only one who has experience with the Star Forge, I want you to lead our attack on Nidavellir."

Hiccup grew contemplative. He knew that Loki wanted to take Nidavellir next, he just didn't know why. Now he knew. The Star Forge, the smithy where he had created Allr'bani, the greatest secret of the dwarves. It was a mythical workshop housed within the heart of their planet's "sun" that gave unique enchantments to anything forged within. An army with weapons created in the Star Forge would be nigh unbeatable. "Very well," Hiccup affirmed. "When do I leave?"

Loki grinned. "Tonight," he said.

Hail to the King

"Everyone up!" Valka shouted, increasing the volume of her voice with magic so that it caused everyone's ears to ring.

Astrid fell out of bed as she reached for Allr'bani. Sigrid bolted up, standing on her cot and hefting her warhammer with one hand above her head. In the other tents around their camp, Thor, Agni, and Auriel also woke up with similar reactions.

"We've got a few minutes before we leave! Nidavellir calls for aid, and they think Hiccup is leading the charge!" Valka commanded as she rushed around the camp, putting out the fire and attaching her packs to Cloudjumper. She was already wearing her signature, albeit much improved, tribal armor. In her hand was her trusty staff.

Astrid shot out of bed and slipped on her clothes before donning her armor. She strapped her axe, which had been repaired as best as it could be, to her back. Allr'bani was lashed to her belt with a leather strap for lack of a sheathe. She really had to steal that from Hiccup the next time they met. Maybe he would have it on him.

Across from her, Sigrid was doing the same. In only a few minutes, they were fully armed and armored. When they exited their tent, they found their friends in similar condition. Agni yawned and blinked away the sleep from his eyes. Thor did much the same, albeit with much less couth. The more time Astrid spent around him, the more he reminded her of Snotlout.

Astrid, Valka, Sigrid, and Thor mounted their dragons, while Agni joined Sigrid on her dragon, and Auriel rode with Astrid. They were among the clouds in seconds, racing towards the World Gate. If they were quick, they could stop the battle before it even began.

Hail to the King

In a small room, deep beneath the royal palace on Nidavellir. The various clan leaders met. It was not a rare occurrence, for it had happened every time they needed to select a new king, though it was a lengthy occurrence when it did. They had been without a king for several months now, and were no closer to coming to a decision now than they were when they first began.

It was also the most secure stronghold in the entire realm, deep underground and protected by thousands upon thousands of feet of rock, the only entrance was a closely guarded secret— little more than a crevice in the rock, barely large enough for a dwarf to fit through. At the end of a long crawl was a series of doors made of adamantite, twenty feet thick each, and covered with runes of strengthening and warding. It was a veritable fortress.

When the attack happened, the clan leaders stayed put, opting to command their defense from the safety of their fortress while continuing to debate who among them would rise as the next Konungr.

Of those vying for the honor of being the next king was Ragnarr, chief of the King's Hammer clan. He was also the father of Sigrid, and a friend of Hiccup. It was their clan that provided the weapons and armor their armies needed to fend off the invasion, and it gave him the extra clout he needed to swing the other clan leaders favor. In a gambit that could decide the fate of his very life and the freedom of his kin, Ragnarr made a bluff: support me in my bid to be king, or my clan will pull our support for the war. The clan leaders has no choice.

Thus, Ragnarr was crowned the next Konungr, the 313th in a long line of royalty that has existed since the dawn of time. While she didn't know it, that made Sigrid crown princess, first in line to the throne should her father die, or abdicate. The 312nd Konungr had no living family, outliving them by centuries, which was why the clan leaders were meeting in the first place.

With their business finally concluded, the clan leaders, and their new king, emerged from their fortress to lead the war from the front.

Hail to the King

Dwarves, with the natural lack of magic, were warriors all: strong, brave, and a bit foolhardy. They charged headfirst into the conflict with the frost giants, and at the head of their army, was Hiccup. Fenrir was given another mission, and now that Hiccup himself was mostly back on his feet, he no longer needed a guard. Still, that didn't stop Hel from accompanying her youngest brother into the battlefield.

Hel herself would never admit it, but she, or rather, the both of her, loved their little brother dearly. Hel worried, sometimes, that a little bit of Fenrir was rubbing off on her in that she always made sure to look out for her little brother more than the other members of her family. That was why she decided to accompany him since her father had no use for her elsewhere, at the moment. Their spies had reported that the Allfather had created a special task force with but one goal: the capture of Hiccup at any cost.

That, to Hel, was unacceptable. She knew what horrors awaited those who were captured by the Allfather; grueling torture, mind breaking, and finally, when he had no further use for them, execution. Such a thing could not be allowed to pass. For one, it would have a devastating effect on the war effort. And for two, and even more importantly, Hel would not let her favorite sibling come to harm.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup said, turning his head back to look at his sister.

Hel blinked twice. "Yeah, I'm fine," Hel answered sweetly, speaking with her "light" half. She gave Hiccup a tight hug from behind as they soared over the city on the back of Toothless. Below them, the frost giants did their work. Waves of ice coated the city, either freezing the dwarves in the ice or locking them within their homes. While being sealed in the ice directly didn't kill the dwarves instantly due to their natural resistance to magic, it was a cruel fate.

"Where are we headed again?" Hel asked, in a very girlish voice.

"The Star Forge. The entrance is in a secret room located far beneath the royal palace. No doubt it is guarded heavily, on top of whatever guards the clan leaders and their new king have in place to defend themselves," Hiccup answered as he examined the battle far below them. Every once in a while, Hiccup would stop to give commands or suggestions to the frost giants. They rarely needed it. The frost giants were born for war, it was in their blood, perhaps their very souls. The dwarves did the best they could to defend their city, but alas, it was slowly falling to them.

"Is it… dangerous?" Hel asked, in a gravely, masculine voice, her "dark" side speaking this time.

"No, or at least, it shouldn't be. The door to the forge itself is a strange piece of magic, no doubt father will want to inspect it personally after the battle is over," Hiccup said, not even flinching at the sudden change in Hel's voice. It was one of the reasons Hel loved him so. He wasn't afraid of her, either of her. It didn't bother him in the slightest.

It earned him another tight embrace as a reward. "If you say so," Hel replied sweetly, her "light" side speaking again.

For all their talk of danger, neither of them, nor Toothless, sensed the approaching danger from above that was four dragons, four friends, an angry lover, and a mother.

Hail to the King

A/N:

*grins evilly* This chapter was short, because the next chapter or two are real heavy hitters. We'll see how many people I manage to make stop reading. This is the turning point, people. I'll have to record how many followers I have before I post the next chapter to compare to what I have after.

I'm trying out a new format for the start of my chapters, since I went back and read some of my key chapters lately for inspiration. I didn't like how the text formatted with the "Next " button. Hopefully this fixes it. Let me know how you like it.

I decided that, for the Nidavellir battle, that Hel would accompany Hiccup instead of Fenrir in an attempt to flesh out her character. Narfi, and at some point, Vali (and even Jormungandr!) will be the same.

There are a couple of things I'm going to be starting to introduce as the plot advances that I know a lot of you have been asking for: more dragons (Toothless, Stormfly, etc), Astrid's second speciality (she is working on it), Valka's role in the story, as well as the "A-team" (as I've dubbed it) plotline. There is one more member I've decided to add to the A-team that I think you guys will like. I haven't mentioned his name, but I have mentioned his race, once in this chapter. Perhaps the eagle eyed among you will catch it, since I only said it once.

Someone asked me about the different terminology I use to describe magic users so I figured I would clarify here. They all basically mean the same thing, but usually refer to differing levels of skill in magic. Despite most residents of the nine realms being able to use magic, a lot of the time they are no more powerful than any other common warrior. "Spellcaster" is the broad term which encompasses every person who can use magic, which, in the nine realms, is almost everyone (sans humans and dwarves). "Magician" is the more common word used to describe a practitioner of magic, and usually denotes that the person is equally good with both magic and the sword. Astrid, Sigrid, and Thor are at this level. "Mage," or "magus," on the other hand, denotes a degree of skill, i.e. they are more proficient in magic than the sword. Auriel is at this level, with Agni almost there. Valka is as well, now that I think about it.

Typically 90% of the population falls into two categories: spellcaster or magician. Very few rise to the rank of magus, where they peak. Only the select few rise on to achieve the title of sorcerer, which is held by the most powerful magic users, such as Loki, Odin, Frode, Galmann, etc. These people are like the Einsteins of magic. The inventors, the scholars, the researchers. Hiccup himself is well on his way to this rank, if not there already.

Guest — time travel is one of those things I like to consider a magical impossibility. It may, however, be possible for Astrid to travel to a parallel reality (possibly through means of the Veil, or an accident during travelling through one of the World Gates) that was following a similar timeline where Hiccup had yet to join Loki, or perhaps even leave Midgard at all. I was actually considering a spin-off series or one-shot where Hiccup gets into one such accident and meets his younger self of the real HTTYD universe (i.e., no magic or mythology) and helps him become a better person. I still might do that, actually… how many of you guys would be interested in such a thing?

I've also been working on a one-shot that details the history of the Night Furies, the prophecy that sparked their genocide, as well as who Toothless' parents are, how Toothless ended up on Midgard, and how the Red Death came to be in possession of him. I'm a little hesitant to release it, as one of the characters in it would spoil the future plot of Hail to the King, as she is quite important. We'll see. Maybe I'll ask a couple of you reviewers about your opinions on it. I really need to find someone to bounce ideas off of...

Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you guys enjoyed.

- Musica