Chapter 36: Sins of the Father
The sounds of shouting and clashing weapons echoed across the desolate grounds of the Nest. The Vikings and Highlanders fought tooth and nail with the Vendal each side quickly losing men in the melee, the dead beginning to liter the rocky shore. Roaring in fury, Stoick batted one of the Vendal aside with his axe before spinning around and slamming his shield into another barbarian, knocking him off his feet and flipping him through the air. Sensing another person behind him, Stoick spun around to attack, only to find a bloodied Fergus. Quickly halting his attack, Stoick lowered his axe as Fergus lowered his sword.
"Where is he!?" Fergus shouted over the sounds of battle that surrounded.
"Where's who?" Stoick questioned in confusion.
"Mor'du!" Fergus exclaimed, a wild look in his eye. As he did, there came a loud scream as a Viking went flying overhead before he landed in a heap on the ground behind Fergus and Stoick. Looking in the direction the man had come from, the two men saw Mor'du looming large over the other combatants, holding the old woman to his shoulder with one hand and swinging his claymore around with another. Laughing manically, Mor'du swept his sword in front of him, knocking three other men back.
"I think I found him," Stoick stated before he and Fergus made their way towards Mor'du, their weapons at the ready. Pushing their way through the crowd, Stoick and Fergus moved to attack Mor'du as the Demon Bear turned to face them.
"There you two are!" Mor'du exclaimed with a laugh as he pointed his sword at them, "I was wondering where you two had run off to!"
"Who's the old woman, Mor'du?" Stoick demanded.
"That is none of your business," Mor'du replied nonchalantly, "But you'll find out soon. In fact, I don't have time to play around with the two of you. I have things that I need to take care of."
"Ye're nae gaein' anywhere!" Fergus shouted before leaping forward and slashing at Mor'du with his sword. Mor'du's grin widened as he parried the blow with his own sword, pushing Fergus' to the side and spinning around him as the Bear King stumbled back. As Mor'du turned around, he came face to face with Stoick as the chief lifted his axe to attack him. Lifting his sword, Mor'du blocked Stoick's axe swing before twisting the axe to the side, allowing the Demon Bear to step forward and strike the chief hard across the face with his free hand, sending the man spinning to the ground. Mor'du grinned down at Stoick before spinning around and backhanding Fergus as well as the Bear King moved to attack him from behind.
"Like I said, boys," Mor'du said with a helpless shrug as he looked down at the two men trying to pick themselves up off the ground, "We'll have to save this for another time."
With that, Mor'du turned away and began wading through the melee, heading towards the Nest. Fergus and Stoick moved to follow him but were stopped as a mob of Vendal ran in front of them, blocking their path.
Entering one of the tunnels, Mor'du wormed his way down into the depths of the Nest, Hilde still hoisted over his shoulder. As he reached the deepest part of the Nest, Mor'du entered a tunnel that was completely covered in runes, all of which began to glow red as he walked by them. As he reached the end of the tunnel, he dropped Hilde onto the ground with a thud, causing the old woman to groan in pain. Slowly opening her eyes, Hilde blinked them clear as she pushed herself up, a look of fear on her face as she found Mor'du looming over her.
"Well, Mother," Mor'du stated, "Here we are at last. It's been a long time since you were here, right?"
"Not nearly long enough," Hilde replied as she pushed herself to her feet.
"You know what I need you to do, Mother," Mor'du stated.
"And you know zat I nefer vill," Hilde answered, narrowing her eyes at her son.
"I've learned to be very persuasive," Mor'du threatened, taking a step towards Hilde.
"I'm stubborn," Hilde replied, her glare unwavering.
"I know," Mor'du replied neutrally before lashing out with a backhand, the force of the blow knocking Hilde off her feet and slamming her against one of the stone walls, "Let's get started then."
Picking her up, Mor'du slammed Hilde against the stone wall, growling in her face. As he did, a thin trail of blood oozed from the back of Hilde's head. Watching it, Mor'du saw the blood come in contact with one of the runes, which, to his shock, caused the rune to fizzle before fading away.
"You crafty old hag," Mor'du whispered as a grin slowly spread across his features, "You used blood magic. The solution has been staring me in the face this entire time."
"It doesn't matter," Hilde replied, "I vill die before you get enough of my blood to release all zee runes."
"That's true, you are such a slight thing," Mor'du agreed as he tossed her aside, leaving the old woman crumpled on the form, "But I think you've forgotten one thing. Your blood is my blood, and I have so much more than you."
"It's not just my blood in your veins," Hilde coughed, "Zee runes vill burn you. You're not shtrong enough."
"Oh Mother," Mor'du sighed as he took his sword and sliced the palm of his hand open, dark blood oozing out of the wound, "I would have thought you knew better than to underestimate me."
With that, Mor'du slammed his palm against one of the runes. There was a sizzling sound as steam rose from Mor'du's hand, causing him to hiss in pain. After a moment, he took his hand away, revealing that the rune had disappeared, leaving his blood smeared on the bare rock.
"I've waited a long time for this moment," Mor'du said to himself more than Hilde, "I'm going to enjoy it."
Meanwhile,
Fergus fought against a group of Vendal, slashing at them with his claymore. One jumped onto his back, trying to force Fergus down. Fergus struggled with the man for a few moments, trying to pull him off while the other Vendal rushed towards him. Grabbing hold of the man on his back, Fergus threw him at the others, knocking all the Vendal back. Spinning his sword, Fergus turned to face the Vendal.
Before the savages could attack though, a flurry of spines came flying out of the sky, striking the Vendal and knocking a number of them to the ground. Looking up to the sky, Fergus saw Boudica come swooping down, Merida and Hiccup riding on her back. As Boudica landed, she shot a tongue of fire at a group of Vendal, lighting a number of them on fire and forcing others back. Drawing an arrow from her quiver, Merida notched it onto her bow and fired it, striking a Vendal in the chest and knocking him to the ground.
"Merida?" Fergus stated in shock, "Hiccup? Whit are ye two daein' here?"
"We cudnae sit by and do nothing, Da," Merida stated as she adjusted her seat on Boudica's back, "We knew that you were in over your head, and we had to help, even if you and Stoick weren't willing to listen."
"Sae, th' two o' ye flew oot here on th' back o' a dragon?" Fergus questioned, dumbfounded.
"Not quite," Hiccup replied, indicating upwards, drawing Fregus' eyes towards the sky. As he looked up, Fergus saw four more dragons come swooping down. Wooping with excitement, Fishlegs and Meatlug buzzed over the crowd, the Gronckle spitting a fireball down at the crowd of Vendal, the blast exploding as it hit the ground, sending a number of the savages flying through the air. As Meatlug flew over the crowd, Fishlegs leaned down and swung his hammer at a Vendal, hitting the savage hard in the face, sending the man flipping through the air as Fishlegs and Meatlug flew back into the sky. Looking down, Fishlegs caught sight of his father looking up at him from the ground, a look of shock and awe on his face.
"Fishlegs?" Fishguts questioned, but was distracted as another Vendal moved to attack him.
At the same time, Astrid and Andra came flying down on the back of Stormfly. The Timberjack lowered his wings as he soared above the battle, slicing through the horde of Vendal with his razor sharp wings, knocking the savages into the air or sending them spinning to the ground. Roaring, Stormfly let out a blast of fire, scorching another group of Vendal as he flew over them. As Astrid steered Stormfly, Andra sat behind her, gripping the dragon's spines to keep himself steady as he scanned the melee below. Noticing something, he shook Andra's shoulder to get her attention.
"What is it?" Astrid questioned as she looked over her shoulder at Andra. Andra mumbled something, but Astrid could only look at him in confusion as the whistling wind carried his words away. Growing frustrated, he pointed towards a point in the fight. Following his indication, Astrid saw Lord MacGuffin and his men were completely surrounded.
"Is that your dad?" Astrid questioned, earning a nod from Andra, "Okay, hold on!"
Pulling on the side of Stormfly's head, Astrid guided the Timberjack over towards where Lord MacGuffin and his men were. Lifting one of his javelins, Andra pointed it down at the ground before hurling it, hitting a Vendal just as he was leaping at Andra's father. The force of the blow knocked the Vendal out of the air and onto the ground, causing Lord MacGuffin to look up at the approaching dragon. Swooping down, Stromfly crashed into the group of Vendal while wrapping his serpentine body around the group of Highlanders. Rearing up, Stromfly fired a long stream of fire at the Vendal, forcing them to scatter as some of them were engulfed by the flames.
"Andra!?" Lord MacGuffin questioned as his son slid off of Stormfly's back, "Whit are ye daein' here!?"
"Saving your hide, it looks like!" Astrid called down as Stormfly roared at the cowering Vendal warriors.
"Whit's gaein' on here, lad?" Lord MacGuin asked his son. Andra responded rapidly in a way that only his father seemed to be able to understand. After a moment, his father nodded before reaching down and pulling Andra's javelin out of the Vendal's body and handing it back to his son.
"Good tae hae ye with us, son," Lord MacGuffin stated, before turning his attention to Astrid, "Ye too, lass. Ye an' yer…friend."
"Don't worry about it," Astrid replied before signaling Stormfly to take off, "Now, if you guys are okay here, me and Stormfly are going to take off."
Andra replied with a nod and a wave, prompting Stormfly to take off again, leaving a large cloud of dust in his wake.
At the same time, Ruff and Tuff were flying Barf and Belch over the battle, the twins sitting on the dragon's two necks while Will hung onto a spine on the Zippleback's back. His sword drawn, Will let a whoop of excitement as the wind whipped past.
"Why daenae we light these bastards up!?" Will questioned, pointing at the Vendal below them with his sword.
"No good!" Tuff shouted back over the wind, "The Zippleback has to build up a big cloud of gas to blow up! We won't get the chance!"
"How aboot a snatch an' grab then, ye know!?" Will asked.
"I like the way you think!" Ruff called back to him, before she and her brother urged Barf and Belch to fly lower. Swooping over the Vendal, Barf and Belch reached out, grabbing hold of groups of Vendal with their claws and tails. Striking out like cobras, Barf and Belch grabbed a few more with their teeth before swooping back into the air. Once they had flown high enough, the Zippleback released all the Vendal it was carrying, sending the Vendal scattering before they all crashed to the ground.
"Nicely done!" Will called, before he noticed something in the crowd, "Brin' us over there!"
"What's other there!?" Ruff questioned.
"Ma Da!" Will replied as Barf and Belch flew low over a group of Highlanders, prompting Will to edge towards the side of the Zippleback, "Thanks! This is where Ah get off!"
With that, Will hopped off the Zippleback's back. As he fell a short distance, Will dropped onto an unaware Vendal, driving his sword into the savage's chest as he crushed the man beneath him. Standing up, Will quickly pulled his sword out of the Vendal's body before spinning around and slashing another barbarian across the chest. As a Vendal charged at him, Will parried the savage's attack before twisting the man's club out of the way and stabbed him in the stomach. Pulling his sword out, Will turned and found his father approaching him.
"Will!" Lord Macintosh exclaimed with surprise.
"Hey Da," Will greeted nonchalantly with a smirk.
"'At was a Hel o' an entrance, son!" Lord Macintosh laughed.
"Ah had saeme help," Will stated as he pointed upwards, indicating to Barf and Belch as they swooped overhead again, snatching up some more Vendal before dropping them, sending the barbarian's screaming through the air.
Meanwhile, Snotlout and Boyd shot over the battle on Hookfang's back, the Nightmare shooting a large blast of flames down at the Vendal horde, scorching the savages as they shot by overhead.
"Alright!" Snotlout shouted excitedly, holding onto Hookfang's long horns to keep himself seated, "This is awesome! Don't you think, man!?"
As Snotlout looked back to better address Boyd, he saw the young lord stand up and hop off of Hookfang's back, sending him plummeting towards the battle below.
"Holy crap!" Snotlout exclaimed in shock, looking down to see if he could catch a glimpse of Boyd below, "That dude's crazy! Holy crap!"
As Boyd fell, he landed hard on a Vendal below him, knocking them both to the ground. Boyd recovered first and slammed his shield against the back of the Vendal's head, ensuring that the man stayed down. As Boyd straightened up, he was blindsided by another Vendal, who tackled him back to the ground. As the two wrestled, the Vendal ended up on top, snarling down at Boyd as he tried to bite the young lord, the Highlander holding him back with his hands. Pulling his fist back, Boyd punched the Vendal hard in the face, stunning the barbarian for a moment. With his opponent dazed, Boyd turned the man's head to the side before biting down hard on the Vendal's neck. The Vendal screamed in pain as blood poured out of the wound, allowing Boyd to push the savage off of him and stand up, the other man's blood running down his chin. As the Vendal writhed in pain on the ground, Boyd spit out a gob of blood before throwing his hands into the air and shouting in victory. As Hookfang flew overhead, Snotlout sat up straight and shook his head, a frightened look in his eyes.
"Yep," Snotlout said to himself, "Definitely crazy."
Down on the ground, Fergus turned to face Hiccup and Merida once again.
"Well, Ah hae tae hand it tae ye two," he stated with a grin, "A handful o' dragons are certainly helpful when they're on yer side."
"Ah tried tae tell ye," Merida replied with a laugh before becoming serious again, "Da, hae ye see Mor'du?"
"Ah hae," Fergus replied gravelly, "He had saeme auld woman with him. Ye wudnae know anythin' aboot 'at, wud ye?"
"We'd know a lot about it, in fact," Hiccup replied, "Is Toothless still on my father's ship?"
"He is," Fergus nodded, "Another dragon wudnae hurt, Ah suppose."
"Agreed," Hiccup replied with a nod, before a nervous look cross his face, "My dad…is he…"
"He was alright th' last time Ah saw him nae long ago, lad," Fergus reassured the young man, "Now th' two o' ye gae dae whit needs daein'. Ah daenae know whit's gaein' on, but Ah can tell ye lot dae."
"Stay safe, Da," Merida said as she urged Boudica into the air.
"Ye know me!" Fergus called after them.
"Exactly!" Merida replied as they flew towards the ships, eliciting a laugh from Fergus before he turned and rejoined the battle.
As they flew towards the ships, Hiccup scanned the decks for any signs of Toothless.
"There he is!" Hiccup exclaimed, pointing down towards the ship that Toothless was chained to. Flying in low, Merida hovered Boudica over the ship, allowing Hiccup to slide off the Nadder's side and fall a short distance to the deck below.
"Go find Fishlegs!" Hiccup called up to Merida, earning a nod from the Highlander girl before she turned Boudica and flew off. Unsheathing his sword, Hiccup moved over towards Toothless, who was pulling eagerly at his bonds.
"Don't worry, bud, I've got you," Hiccup reassured Toothless before slashing at the chains that bound the dragon, Bemuhen easily cutting through the iron chains. As Hiccup slashed through the lock of the yoke around Toothless' neck, the Night Fury happily threw it off before giving the young man a friendly lick.
"It's good to see you too," Hiccup said with a laugh as he pulled himself onto Toothless' back and strapping himself into the saddle, "Come on, let's go find the others."
With that, Toothless shot into the air, soaring above the battle raging below. Looking around, Hiccup found the others hovering above the battle on their dragons. The group turned to him as he flew over.
"What's the plan now?" Astrid asked.
"We have to stop Mor'du from completing whatever he's planning," Hiccup explained, "We know he's brought Hilde down into the tunnels. It's too small for us all to fit in their though. Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, you guys stay out here and help with that battle. Merida, Fishlegs and I will go after Mor'du."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Snotlout questioned.
"It's the best idea I've got," Hiccup admitted.
"Stay safe," Astrid said, a worried look on her face.
"As safe as we can," Fishlegs replied before he, Hiccup and Merida flew down towards one the entrances into the Nest.
"Mor'du will be somewhere in the deepest part of the Nest," Hiccup said as they landed and dismounted their dragons.
"Yeah, but where?" Fishlegs questioned.
"Guys," Merida spoke up, catching the others' attention before nodding towards one of the tunnels, "Look."
Following Merida's gaze, Hiccup and Fishlegs saw a wisp in the tunnel, beckoning them to follow it.
"I guess that answers that question," Fishlegs replied before the three of them moved to follow the wisp, their dragons moving to follow them. As they did, Hiccup turned towards the dragons.
"Remember guys, the tunnels aren't big enough for you," Hiccup explained, "You head to the big chamber. We'll meet up with you."
Toothless groaned and nudged Hiccup with his nose, prompting the young man to smile and pat the Night Fury on the head.
"I'll see you soon, bud," Hiccup stated before he, Merida and Fishlegs followed the wisp into the tunnels. The three dragons watched them leave before Toothless turned to them and barked, prompting them to follow him down the larger tunnel.
As the trio followed the wisp, it led them deeper and deeper into the Nest, disappearing every time they drew close and reappearing a few feet in front of them. Eventually, they turned a corner and found themselves in a tunnel deep underground. Looking down the tunnel, they found Hilde laying on the floor at the other end.
"Hilde!" Merida exclaimed as the three of them ran over to the old woman. Kneeling down, Merida scooped up Hilde's head and raised it, pausing to look at the palm of her hand, gasping as she found it covered in blood. Hilde coughed in pain as her eyes fluttered open looking up at the three teens' worried faces.
"I knew you'd all find me," she said weakly with a small smile.
"We had a little help," Hiccup admitted, taking Hilde's hand in his and cupping it with his other hand.
"I'm sure you did," Hilde replied.
"We're here tae save ye," Merida said, biting her lip anxiously.
"Oh, Jaeger," Hilde said with a small shake of her head, "You vere nefer going to safe me. You can only safe yourselves."
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked in confusion.
"Mor'du…my son," Hilde said weakly, "He knows…he knows how to release it."
"How?" Merida questioned.
"He is of my blood," Hilde explained.
A thoughtful look passed over Fishlegs' face before he walked to one of the walls and ran his finger along it, coming back with a blackish gunk.
"What is it?" Merida questioned.
"Blood," Fishlegs said before wiping the blood on his pants, "The runes must be some kind of blood magic."
"Only yer blood can unseal th' runes," Merida surmised, looking down at Hilde.
"And Mor'du has your blood," Hiccup added, "He's using it to unseal the runes."
"We have tae stop him!" Merida exclaimed.
"No," Hilde argued weakly, "It's too late. Far too late."
"Then what do we do?" Hiccup questioned.
"You must put an end to zis," Hilde answered, "You must put an end to zee both of zem."
"How?" Merida questioned.
"You have all zee pieces," Hilde explained, "All zee pieces except one."
"What one's that?" Fishlegs asked.
"I don't hafe much time," Hilde said weakly, coughing as she spoke, "I feel so veak."
"Nae," Merida pleaded, her eyes watering, "Daenae gae. We're here tae save ye."
"No one can cheat death forefer, Jaeger," Hilde replied, "Vee all hafe our time. I just vish it vasn't so soon. You hafe the sense, Jaeger. Just like me. There is so much I could hafe taught you."
"Ye still can," Merida said, tears leaking down her face, "Ye jist hae tae hold on."
"I've been holding on for so long," Hilde answered, "I'm tired now. So tired. I just vant to rest. Rest and be with my Siegfried."
"Your Siegfried?" Fishlegs questioned, "What do you mean?"
"You're a smart boy, Leser," Hilde replied, "Such a smart boy. Surely you can put it togezer."
Fishlegs thought for a moment, before a look of realization crossed his face.
"Hilde," Fishlegs stated, "That's short for Brunhilde, isn't it?"
"Such a smart boy," Hilde repeated with a small smile.
"That's not possible," Hiccup said, a look of shock on his face.
"Why?" Merida questioned, confused, "Why isnae it possible?"
"Brunhilde was the wife of Siegfried the Great," Fishlegs explained, "Hiccups four times great grandfather."
"Daes 'at mean…" Merida began to question before she trailed off.
"Hilde," Hiccup said softly, "Are you my grandmother?"
"Four times great grandmozer," Hilde corrected with a smile.
"Sun above," Merida whispered in shock.
"You've known this whole time?" Hiccup questioned.
"Of course," Hilde replied nonchalantly, "Vhat kind of grandmozer vould I be if I didn't?"
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Hiccup demanded.
"Vould it hafe made any difference?" Hilde questioned in return.
"Yeah, a little," Hiccup argued.
Hilde chuckled at the reply before weakly raising her hand and cupping Hiccup's face.
"You look just like him, you know," Hilde commented.
"Who?" Hiccup question in confusion.
"Zee first Hiccup," Hilde explained, "You look just like him."
Hiccup said nothing but smiled sadly at Hilde as he reached up and placed his hand on top of hers as the old woman coughed painfully.
"I…I don't hafe much time," Hilde wheezed
"Hilde," Fishlegs said, drawing the old woman's attention to him, "What was the last thing you needed to tell us?"
"Mor'du," she said painfully, "He's…he's not like ozer men."
"We know that," Hiccup replied, "But in what way?"
"My blood…is not zee only blood…in his veins," Hilde explained weakly, "I zought…I zought his fazer's blood vould shtop him…but he's too shtrong…too shtrong."
"Sae it has saemethin' tae dae with his father?" Merida questioned, "Who's Mor'du's father?"
"He…He kept me…" Hilde said weakly, her eyes beginning to flutter close, "He was supposed to kill me…but he kept me instead."
"Who?" Hiccup pressed, squeezing Hilde's hand between his, "Who kept you? Mor'du's father?"
Hilde didn't reply as her eyes fluttered closed.
"Hilde!" Hiccup exclaimed, "Grandmother!"
Hilde suddenly gasped for air as her eyes flew open and she grabbed hold of Hiccup's tunic and pulled him closer.
"Bone may turn to stone and flesh may become steel," Hilde rambled deliriously, "But zee mind is soft and veak and eyes do not freeze."
"Hilde, I-I don't understand!" Hiccup said as the old woman let go of his shirt and slumped back into Merida's arms.
"Drachen gorben," Hilde muttered, her eyes fluttering close again, "Drachen…gorben…"
With that, Hilde let out a sigh and went limp in Merida's arms.
"Hilde?" Merida whispered, tears falling down her cheeks, "Hilde?"
Receiving no answer, Merida lowered her head until her forehead touched Hilde's as she began to cry. Hiccup raised Hilde's hand up and placed it against his forehead, shutting his eyes as tears began to fall down his cheeks. Fishlegs covered his face with his hands before dragging them across his features and then through his hair.
"Fishlegs," Hiccup spoke up, his eyes still closed, "What did she say?"
"Huh?" Fishlegs questioned, caught off guard by the question.
"Those words, they were Old Norse," Hiccup explained as he turned and looked at Fishlegs, "What did she say?"
Nodding in understanding, Fishlegs took a moment to think about Hilde's last words. Suddenly, realization struck him and his blood ran cold.
"Oh gods no," Fishlegs whispered as his face went pale, "No, it…it can't be."
"What?" Hiccup questioned, standing up and turning to face Fishlegs, "What is it?"
"In…In the old legends they….they said the Red Death had a wife," Fishlegs explained, "A human wife."
"What are you getting at Fish?" Hiccup questioned.
"The legends say that Siegfried took something from the Red Death when he defeated it," Fishlegs went on, "That's why the Red Death came back. He wanted what Siegfried had stolen from him."
"So?" Hiccup asked, still not following.
"What if it wasn't something Siegfried took?" Fishlegs elaborated, "What if it was someone?"
"Fishlegs, what are you going on about?" Hiccup pushed.
"There's a very old story…it says that…it doesn't explain how but it says…possibly through magic…" Fishlegs rambled, "It said a human and a dragon…together they could…"
"They could what, Fishlegs!?" Hiccup shouted, growing increasingly agitated.
"Hiccup, drachen geboren," Fishlegs whispered, a frightened look in his eyes, "It means dragon born."
Hiccup went quiet as his eyes went wide with understanding. He was about to say something but was interrupted by a monstrous roar that echoed from the large chamber at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, the very walls of the mountain began to shake and pieces of the ceiling began to break away, crashing around the three teens.
"He's loose," Hiccup said frightfully, "The Red Death is loose."
"Whit dae we dae?" Merida questioned, looking up from Hilde's body.
Reaching down, Hiccup grabbed Merida's hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Run," Hiccup whispered before the whole tunnel began to shake. Turning around Hiccup took off towards the other end of the tunnel, pulling Merida behind him as Fishlegs raced after them. Soon enough, Merida began running on her own and the three teens ran through the winding tunnels as the stone walls began to collapse around them.
"How do we get out!?" Fishlegs exclaimed as rock rained down around them.
"Look!" Merida exclaimed, pointing towards a wisp that had appeared in the distance, beckoning them towards it, "This way!"
Following the wisp, the three teens raced through the tunnels as they collapsed around them, heading ever upwards. Exiting one of the tunnels, the trio found themselves in a large crevice which dozens upon dozens were flying through in a panic, heading for the exit at the other end. Hearing a loud cracking noise, Fishlegs looked over his shoulder and saw that the entire mountain was collapsing in on itself and a huge wall of rock was falling towards them.
"We're not going to make it!" Fishlegs shouted in dismay.
Suddenly, a loud barking sound caught their attention. Looking towards the source, the teens saw Toothless, Boudica and Meatlug running along a ledge below them, looking up at the trio.
"We're going to have to jump!" Hiccup shouted as he ran towards the edge of the ledge they were running along. Looking back, Hiccup could see the wall of stone crashing to the ground, kicking up a giant cloud of dust and debris that came charging right towards them.
"Jump!" Hiccup exclaimed prompting the three teens to leap off the ledge. For a few frightening moments they plummeted helplessly through the air before their falls were interrupted by the backs of their dragons. Hiccup quickly locked himself in as Merida and Fishlegs grasped the backs of their dragons tightly before all three of them urged the dragons to leap off the ledge and go racing through the air along with the flock of other dragons. Looking back, Hiccup saw the cloud of debris racing towards them, rapidly gaining ground on the teens and their dragons.
"Faster!" Hiccup urged, "Come on! Faster!"
Just as the three reached the exit of the mountain, the dust cloud exploded behind them as it reached the end of the crevice, the shockwave sending the trio tumbling through the air with their dragons. Hiccup grunted as Toothless landed on the rocky shore, skidding through the smooth stones. Shaking his head clear, he looked over and saw Merida get thrown off Boudica's back as the Nadder crashed to the ground. Merida tumbled end over end across the stone beach before landing in a seating position a short distance from her dragon.
"You okay, Mer!?" Hiccup called out to her.
"Aye, Ah think so!" Merida called back, holding her head and shaking it clear.
"I'm okay!" Fishlegs exclaimed as Meatlug crashed onto its head and skidded across the shore on its face, "I'm okay!"
Suddenly, Fishlegs weight on the front of Meatlug caused the Gronckle to topple forward, knocking the young man off its back and sending him crashing face first against the ground while the dragon flipped over on top of him, laying on its back.
"Less okay," Fishlegs muffled voice said from under the dragon.
Hiccup smirked a little before his attention was brought back to the mountain as the whole landmass began to shake. As Hiccup watched, the top of the mountain cracked and broke apart, sending avalanches of rocks pouring down the mountainside. A moment later, the gigantic head of the Red Death emerged from the cloud of dust and debris, roaring triumphantly at the sky as it shot an inferno of flames into the air.
"Gods be good," Hiccup whispered, his face pale with fear.
Deep within the bowels of the mountain, Mor'du stood on one of the ledges in the large central cavern, laughing as he watched the Red Death pull itself out of the Nest.
"Yes!" Mor'du exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in victory, blood still flowing from the cut on his burnt hand, "Free! Free at last, Father! After all these years, free at last!"
"Come!" Mor'du exclaimed as he leapt towards the Red Death and grabbed hold of the dragon's tail as it passed by before he began climbing up the beast's back, "Let us have our vengeance upon the world! Let us burn it all to ash!"
A/N: This was a really intense chapter for me to write. I hope you guys like the fact that the final battle has begun! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!