CHAPTER 18: The execution
A new day had dawned on Mentra. The villages were unusually empty. That was because the regulars were crowded in planned spots all over the island; the schooling sessions of the young Mentranian vikings were delayed specifically for the event unfolding in the regime today. The children were all going to watch this event unfold with their parents.
About 50 or so regular Mentranians were gathered in a formation just outside one of the isolation camps of Mentra, near the side of the cliff, one of the rare occasions they've been allowed to see the camps. Shortly after they had gathered around, a couple of Mentranians entered one of the camp buildings.
A wooden carriage, with four Mentranian defenders standing all around it, was positioned a couple of minutes away from the camp building where the regular Mentranians were gathered. The hatch to the carriage was wide open.
Hooked up to the carriage were two wingless Gronckles, where the dragons were going to be forced into delivering the carriage to the planned destination. They were hooked onto it by a large steel chain, and the defenders kept their venomous crossbows aimed at the reptiles permanently, so the dragons comply with the acknowledgement that should they do anything else, they'll be killed.
The Mentranian vikings weren't given a choice. They, alongside their children, were going to be forced by the regime to watch this event. And should they refuse to do so, harsh punishments will be coming their way.
The fishermen of Mentra were also forced to stop their jobs just to watch the event.
Two Mentranians walked out from the camp building, causing all the regulars to drive their attention towards the two men.
Astrid, being held by her armpits on either side by the two men, was being dragged to the point her knees were sliding across the ground. The two Mentranian defenders were dragging her to the carriage.
She was too weak to walk, but the Mentranians seemed to have no issue in dragging her. The venom, the treatment, everything she's experienced in that camp, has taken its toll on her. Her head felt heavy, the bright sun made her eyes ache more than they usually would've, and she couldn't even feel her kneecaps despite them literally sliding across the ground as the Mentranians dragged her forcefully.
The scent of wood was all she could smell, due to how long she's been in that camp for.
As the crowd of regular Mentranians grew louder and louder, a loud, enthusiastic speech could be heard from the distance, as Astrid continued to get dragged.
"OUR FIGHT BACK COMMENCES TODAY, WHEREBY WE INTEND ON PROTECTING OUR VIKINGS, OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR SOVEREIGNTY!" Hawkon echoed in the distance, in some other area of the island, to which his cry was responded to by a huge roar of cheering by the regular Mentranians nearby who could hear it, and the rest around the area the leader was situated at.
Astrid reached the carriage after being dragged. She was tied up in her hands. The two Mentranians simply shoved her weak body harshly into the carriage, from her arm pits, and as she sat up, unable to do anything else, one of the Mentranians ducked into the carriage from the outside and sent the back of his crossbow into her skull, emitting a hard collision of a thump between her face and the crossbow.
She fell back, into more pain and misery, as the two defenders slammed the carriage door shut. Shortly afterwards, one of them patted the carriage, signalling for it to get going. A couple of regular Mentranians were on the carriage directly behind the wingless Gronckles, throwing a ton of objects down to the vulnerable reptiles. This had prompted them to start walking, and thus, making the carriage move.
Astrid was being taken to the schooling area where the regime educates its youth Mentranians. Specifically, the old dragon training academy arena from back in the day, the area with the dome-metal structure above an engulfed ground. That was the execution site for today.
As the carriage got going, with Astrid looking out the holes of it, only to see more regular Mentranians standing together in a choreographed manner, the wooden tall borders of Mentra subsequently coming into her vision, Hawkon's echoing voice continued.
"OUR DEFENDERS WERE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO CREATING OUR SHIELD OF DEFENCE, A DETERRENT TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR ISLAND.."
Astrid looked out the hole again as the carriage now reached the villages of Mentra; brownish, darkish, it all felt depressing and like a whole different world. The borders enforced that especially for her. The carriage passed more regular Mentranians, who were all chanting various anti-Hooligan slogans towards the carriage. It was very disturbing; it sounded like these vikings had genuinely been brainwashed by the regime at this point.
The two Gronckles moaned in pain, but that didn't stop the two Mentranians forcing them to move it continue on with their task. The carriage made a slight left turn, as the two dragons started walking upwards through the brownish village, as more regular Mentranians, in 50-odd numbers still, chanted violent and brutal slogans towards the carriage.
Amongst those regulars were five or ten defenders, as all of them fired their crossbows up into the skies, celebrating the upcoming ceremony involving Astrid herself. They, amongst the regulars, looked like pure statues as they fired their arrows up in the skies, like patriotic defenders.
"TO NO SURPRISE, THE HOOLIGANS EMERGED AND ATTACKED OUR BRETHREN UNPROVOKED, STEALING OUR PROGRESS ON THAT DETERRENT, WITH THEIR OBVIOUS INTENT OF BRINGING US DOWN!" Hawkon yelled, through what sounded like a mega loud microphone of some sorts, due to how loud it was echoing across the island from where Astrid was in the carriage.
Another roaring cheer came in light of that speech. The Mentranians seemed to be eating it up with a ton of passion, because the cheers themselves were as loud as a hurricane's wind, they were echoing that much.
As Astrid once again continued to look out, something disturbing was being put on by the regular Mentranians as the carriage passed them in this part of the village. Literally besides the moving carriage were a bunch of regulars, holding up their crossbows, and firing them into wooden paintings of what appeared to be...the Hairy Hooligan emblem. The emblem was painted onto circle wooden objects, being held up by defenders. (They managed to paint the emblem correctly from Gustav providing it).
That was a deliberate stunt set up and timed by the regulars for when the carriage came past them, so they could show to Astrid that this regime is and will continue to be a firmly anti-Hooligan regime, especially in light of their attack on their defenders.
"DEATH TO THE HOOLIGANS!" one female Mentranian yelled, having to be held back by a couple of defenders, as the carriage moved past and further into the dominantly brown village.
At this point, Astrid could only think about Zephyr and Nuffink, and Hiccup; god knows how they must be feeling, knowing she herself hasn't returned home since sailing out to find what she used to think was simply 'Old Berk'.
"THEY WANT US TO SIT DOWN AND TAKE IT! BUT TAKE IT WE SHALL NOT!" Hawkon exclaimed.
Another roaring cheer came from the regular Mentranians stationed forcefully all across the path that the carriage was going in, in light of Hawkon's message once again.
Astrid recognised this part of the island, since it used to be where the steps up to the Great Hall were. Just seeing the island in this state...totally transformed, ruled by a whole different group of people, and it just generally becoming something totally different, it hit her hard in her heart. The Stoick statues that used to be here in this part of the village her carriage was passing, were gone.
She felt trapped and isolated, which was what Mentra was. The borders enforced Astrid's other-world feelings of Mentra; it just wasn't 'Old Berk' any more, and in light of everything she's seeing whilst being taken to the execution site, it no longer felt like the home of seven generations to the Hooligans.
The carriage once again made a slow turn, this time ending up directly near the large wooden, barbed wire borders, in a sort of alley-way area of the village. As she looked out again, a bunch of youth, child Mentranian vikings came running up to the carriage to throw up a bunch of stones to it.
They were like a group of friends. The young Mentranians kept pelting cold, grey stones at the carriage, as they too supported their regime's goal of eradicating the Hooligans. But seeing the children act...brainwashed? Astrid felt even more saddened and isolated.
Either the regular Mentranians were acting amazingly, by attacking Astrid's carriage in order to avoid execution or harsh punishments, or they were genuinely taking in everything that was being said, and were brainwashed.
Astrid just couldn't cope with the feeling any longer that she was never going to see Hiccup and the two kids ever again.
The children kept running up to the carriage from behind, pelting more and more stones at it, and as the carriage moved away from them, a couple of defenders could be seen walking up to them and clapping...almost as if they were cheering the young Mentranian vikings on for displaying that 'patriotic' support of the regime by attacking the carriage with Astrid in it.
The children acting that way was heartbreaking, simply put.
"The Hooligans want us to surrender our land, they seek to weaken our drive. We mustn't let them win. They think that by destroying our defence prospects, and by reiterating that our great paradise was supposedly once theirs, we'll just bow down. They are wrong, and we must show them that." Hawkon stated, through his loud, echoing microphone at the execution site, in a calmer, slower pace, as Astrid's carriage was nearing the old dragon training academy.
"With the help of our allies in the Berserkers, we shall seek the blood and the eradication of not just the Hooligans themselves, but ALSO THEIR CHILDREN!" Hawkon cried, generating the loudest thunder of a cheer throughout his entire speech at the site.
All of the Mentranians had cheered and cried out of passion for their leader's drive.
Astrid's carriage was nearing the vicinity. She looked out once again, as more defenders lined up in a choreographed line near the various huts; their numbers were doubling as she neared the site, indicating that the carriage was about to stop.
More Hooligan emblems on wooden circle objects were held up, and the defenders were waiting for the carriage to start passing them directly before firing their crossbows into the logo; as Astrid looked out to them all, in the blazing sun near the borders, the defenders fired collectively, their arrows into the wood.
"Mentra is strong, and our strength will be the downfall of our enemy..." Hawkon declared.
"Coming together within unity, I can reveal that our brethren are, at this present time, mapping out the details for our attack, whereby we will destroy the Hooligans and eradicate them from existence!"
The two Gronckles at the front seemed to be halting, as there were now twenty defenders or more around the whole carriage, signalling that they were here. Behind the defenders also were about 100+ this time, regular Mentranians, cheering on the carriage's arrival, since it signified that the imprisoned wife of the enemy was about to be executed. But again, it was hard to tell if the regulars were acting to stay alive, or if they were genuinely passionate in their belief of the regime.
Suddenly, the carriage door opened, and a couple of hands reached in, violently pulling Astrid out of it and onto the solid ground, initially rolling on the ground she was dragged out that violently and fast.
As she laid on her back, a bunch of Mentranian defenders circled her, as her ears could only hear the thick chants of the regulars. One defender raised his boot up and sent it crashing down into the skull of Astrid, totally blackening her out.
Regaining her consciousness, Astrid once again felt herself gripped by her armpits, as two Mentranian defenders dragged her weak body through a more quieter portion of the vicinity. Her vision was fading and brightening every second. She couldn't keep her eyes open, and when they closed again, she woke up, this time, in a whole different area. Clearly, she blacked out once again, making it feel like a second had passed for her, when in reality, about five or so minutes had.
Astrid was right in the entrance of the academy, being dragged into the descended, engulfed area right below the dome-like metal bars surrounding it; on the outsides were the regular Mentranian vikings, chanting for their leader, and there were a ton of children in the crowds above as well.
Astrid's vision caused her to blacken out once again, but she suddenly saw a young Hiccup, running away from a firing Hookfang, with the Berkians watching the situation from the outside...the fire, everything, Hiccup's yelling, was right there, as she was dragged into the once-dragon training academy. Her flashback of this place's historical occurrence with Hiccup and Hookfang ended when Fludgeon was staring at her, right in her face, with a raised eyebrow.
Hawkon, Gustav and Guddorn were stood with each other, as the Mentranian leader concluded his speech. The cheering, crying Mentranians, with their children, all watched on from the outsides, as the 200+ of them continued to yell in 'support' of their leader.
"They destroyed something precious and vital to us, now we shall do the same to them!" Hawkon declared, as the two Mentranian defenders reached the wooden pole, dragging Astrid onto it and wrapping her hands up with thick rope around it.
Hawkon gestured for Gustav to come forwards, offering out a crossbow to the second-in-command. Gustav grabbed it, and raised it out towards the crowd of regulars above to show them.
"QUIETEN DOWN!" Hawkon yelled, with every single Mentranian stopping their chants in light of their dear leader uttering that demand.
"This is only the start..." Gustav declared, looking at Astrid, subsequently walking towards her with the crossbow, with nothing but a solemn look; it was so quiet that you could only hear his footsteps.
Astrid felt herself heat up, she could only hear her heartbeat, and she started shaking visibly. Her heart continued to race thumping thick bump sounds in her ears, as Gustav became within a short distance of her.
Gustav raised the crossbow up at Astrid's face, as the regular Mentranians with their children watched on in pure silence, as did Guddorn, Fludgeon and Hawkon. The second-in-command cocked it, and the arrow flew out into its target with exact precision.