Chapter 34
The room, that had fallen silent, was suddenly filled by the menacing laugh of The Master. "Yes me." The Master gloated. "You must be quite surprised to see me again."
"I should have run you through the first time." Astrid grumbled as she shot him a nasty glare.
"As opposed to sending me off a cliff." The man laughed as he lifted up the shirt he was wearing to show them a deep gash that had left quite a scar. "I still need to pay you back for opposing me."
"Astrid…. You know this man?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid, without taking her eyes off of her opponent, answered "Oswald the Deceiver… he lost the right to his family name when Odin banished him from Asgard."
Oswald let out a little laugh at that statement. "I rather like that title…. Hehe….. It sounds so much better than Oswald the Agreeable. But I do have to thank you all... You delivered the Valkyrie right into my grasp."
"So…. she beat you up and you hold a centuries-old grudge?" Snotlout asked. "Isn't that a bit over the top?"
"No no no….." Oswald stated as he wagged his finger at Snotlout. "This is about pride. There is no way I will let some upstart Midgardian think that they bested me in combat!" he then turned to Astrid, his eyes blazing with anger, and hissed "No one will make a fool out of me!"
"Does this look like we'll let you lay a hand on Astrid!" Hiccup countered. "You aren't getting her and you are certainly not taking over the world!"
"HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAAAAA" Oswald laughed as he nearly clutched his stomach. "Do…. HAHAHA….. Really think… AHAHA…. That I want this ball of dirt?! You Midgardians really do think too small!"
"Father… what?" Heather asked but stopped when Oswald pinned his glare on her. "Be silent girl. You and your brother have already served your purpose. Honestly, I should have disposed of you two years ago. To think I actually thought you might have had some talent amongst all those sniffing Midgardians in that orphanage." Heather's fist clenched as she bared her teeth at the man.
"How dare you!" She shouted as Dagur held her back from charging at the man. "We gave you everything!"
Oswald merely looked at Heather and Dagur as if they were bugs to be stepped on. "You were merely tools that I raised, much like others over the centuries. You Midgardians are one of the most primitive races that I have ever encountered. To think that I would want this realm is an insult! Drago thought too small…. Why conquer a world when all the nine realms can bow down to you!" He proclaimed as he gripped Gungnir tightly.
"He's lost it…." Dagur muttered. "I've never seen him like this before."
"Enough of the chit-chat." Oswald stated as he threw the medallion that he had taken from Drago onto the floor before twirling the spear and getting in an offensive stance. "It's time I end you pests and be on my way."
"Don't think so high and mighty of yourself!" Astrid proclaimed. "I beat you once, I can do it again!"
"Oh…. we shall see." Oswald smirked as he charged at Astrid. Spear met axe as sparks flew between them. Astrid was holding her ground, her armguards matching the sheer strength of an Aesir.
"So… you'd use Drago's dragon army to take over the realms?" Astrid asked as she deftly ducked and dodged as Gungnir was thrust towards her. She was still hoping to find an opening in her opponent's defense to plant her axe into him.
"Isn't it glorious. Thousands of dragons setting fire to the realms!" Oswald boasted as he managed to kick Astrid in the ribs. She skidded back a bit but held her ground and indicated for the others to stand back.
"Too bad that the dragons are gone now!" Astrid laughed at Oswald's sudden dumbfounded look. It suddenly clicked in Oswald's mind what Astrid had done and with a yell of "YOU DAMNED WENCH!" He charged at her only to receive a foot to the face from Astrid as she send him crashing backwards into the desk. The desk shattered from the impact and Gungnir slipped out of his hand as he rubbed his face while unbridled fury leapt off him in waves.
The redness of Astrid's shoe was already making an imprint on his face and many could see that his nose looked slightly crooked, more than likely broken.
"Damn…. She hits hard." Ruffnut said in wonder.
"Not much without that spear are you Oswald." Astrid taunted hoping to get the man mad so that he'd drop his guard.
"I will not be made a fool of!" Oswald shouted angrily as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Honestly, you did the fool part all on your own." Astrid smirked.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH" Oswald shouted in rage as he started to glow blue. Astrid's eyes widened upon seeing that and she tried to take a step back only to find that frost had settled onto her boots and that she was now stuck. The air turned colder the brighter Oswald glowed and soon Astrid and the others could see their breath as they exhaled.
"You will pay for crossing me girl!" Oswald smirked wickedly as he unleashed a torrent of frost at Astrid. Everyone shouted in horror as Hiccup, merged with Toothless, flew quickly and shielded Astrid as the icy blast hit.
When the frost dissipated they could see a large frozen mass where Astrid and Hiccup stood.
"MY BABY!" Valka shouted as she rushed towards the icy mass. She pounded on the ice while Oswald let out a manic laugh. "It looks like even the great Valkyrie is no match for my new powers!"
Valka who was now quite distraught launched herself at Oswald, intend on pummeling him. "Valka No!" Stoick and the others shouted as Valka delivered a flurry of punches to Oswald's body. Her punches however didn't seem to have any effect on the Aesir and he seemed unimpressed. Oswald proceeded to grab Valka by her throat but she didn't give up so easily.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Valka gasped out before she used her fingers to poke Oswald in the eyes. That seemed to do the trick as Oswald yelped, clearly not expecting that. He was blinded momentarily and Valka was dropped onto the floor. Valka scooted back quickly as Oswald's ire was now turned onto her. The others sprang into action, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins, aided by their dragons, tried to keep Oswald at bay while Stoick and Eret got Valka away from the danger.
The others, while powerful alongside their dragons, were hardly any match for Oswald and the frost powers he now wielded. Meanwhile Heather, Dagur and Meixiu were desperately trying to break the ice that had encased Astrid and Hiccup.
"This isn't working!" Dagur grumbled as he barely made a dent in the ice with the knives Heather had given them.
"This isn't normal ice!" Meixiu realized as she looked at the scrape that she made with the knife that had begun to frost over again.
A sickening laughter came from Oswald as his skin was now turning blue and his eyes red. The air grew colder around them in the office as glass and porcelain shattered.
"Foolish mortals!" Oswald jeered. "Your small knives will never penetrate Johtun ice!"
"No…. it can't end like this!" Ruffnut shouted as everyone started shivering. If it got any colder they would be turned into popsicles.
"Oh what foolish mortals." Oswald jeered, his voice having become much deeper and menacing. "Having hope until your pitiful ends! There is no one who can save you now." Oswald took a threatening step forward, an icicle forming in his hand. "I will take immense pleasure in ending yo-" He was cut off as a sudden blue light was emanating from the mass of ice. Meixiu, Dagur and Heather stepped back quickly not knowing what was happening.
"What!" Oswald shouted in surprise as the ice block proceeded to shatter. In the debris of the ice, black bat-like wings unfurled to reveal Astrid and Hiccup unharmed. Both of them however had fused far more with their dragons than previously. Black and blue yellow scales littered Hiccup and Astrid's necks and arms respectively. As they stood up Astrid pinned Oswald with a glare, her pupils narrowing into slits like a dragon's.
What happened next, happened so fast that the others would swear that if they blinked they would have missed it. Astrid with a fierce warcry lunged at Oswald, slashing his legs with her axe and causing him to stagger backwards. Meanwhile Hiccup dove in the direction where Gungnir lay forgotten. He picked up the golden spear, its runes embedded on the tip gave a faint glow, and Hiccup threw the spear just as Oswald staggered back.
The spear flew straight towards its target and pierced Oswald's heart. Oswald staggered onto the floor with an anguish scream as the spear lay embedded in his chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he coughed. "What… ha...ha…"
"Gungnir always flies straight and true." Astrid stated, the old Norse legend still fresh in her mind, as she watched as Oswald finally collapsed lifelessly upon the ground. She approached his body and ripped the spear from it, wiping off the blood as she and Hiccup made their way back towards the group. Their dragonic features were disappearing as the others stared at them slack-jawed.
"Wait….. It's over?" Snotlout asked a bit hesitant as he tried to get the frost out of his hair. Astrid nodded before taking off her Dragon ring and touching the tip of the spear to it. Gungnir and the ring glowed brightly and when the glowing stopped she said with a satisfied smile "The dragons have been returned to their own realm now."
"But it isn't over for you now is it lass." Gobber remarked wisely.
Astrid looked a little downcast before nodding. "The spear still needs to be returned to Asgard and I'm worried about these ice powers that Oswald possessed. Aesir aren't supposed to wield frost."
"Well then we might as well be going then." Hiccup told her causing Astrid to look at him sharply. "I told you Milady. Whatever happens, we got your back."
"You would travel to Asgard with me?" She asked. It was the twins who exclaimed "Heck yeah!" Fishlegs and Snotlout nodded while Valka mumbled "I am not letting all of you go gallivanting to another realm without us."
"Besides….. We're still wanted here as international fugitives." Tuffnut added as his chicken poked its head from his rucksack.
"I'll grab my undies!" Gobber shouted causing Eret, Dagur and Heather to cringe and Meixiu to ask "What is it with you and undies?"
"Gobber seriously?" Stoick asked as he rolled his eyes at his friend's antics.
"It's a valid necessity!" Gobber defended.
"So…. how do we get to Asgard Astrid?" Hiccup asked curiously.
Astrid weighed Gungnir in her palms before smiling and pointing it at a wall. The spear started glowing and shot a beam of colorful light at the wall. A portal of swirling colors emerged causing the twins to 'ooh and aah' while Snotlout hid slightly behind Fishlegs who merely rolled his eyes.
Astrid looked at the portal as she gripped Gungnir in one hand while she held Hiccup's hand with the other. The group walked as a collective through the swirling portal. What awaited them on the other side….. whether friends or foes….. they would face together.
-THE END-
AN: Yes my dear readers this is the end, unfortunately... of this book. I am going to be busy during February until the 10th of March with University so I will be taking a bit of a break. I'm going to start my Master Thesis... YEAY! My HTTYD-Star Wars story will be updated during this time period and in March I plan to bring you all some new stories that I'm currently working on.
The Plot for the sequel of this book has already been worked out and I hope to start writing it soon and publishing it sometime in August. The title will be: "The Eternal Valkyrie: War of the Realms" and I hope you all will enjoy it as much as you have enjoyed this story.