A Son of Ice and Fire

A/N: Looks like this season will be longer than the first. I'm already 30k words into season 2, and I still have about 10-15 chapters left. Hope you all enjoy the longer chapters, and we'll be back at Dragon's edge next update :)

Guest: I'm guessing you mean Targaryen not tangerine haha, but yeah that is a good idea. I'm probably just going to go with it being the rarest dragon (like in HTTYD) so they have only rarely ever been seen before.

Guest: I'm not quite sure what you're on about, but I'll take a guess it's to do with my comment about Stoick and Hiccup's relationship. I said probably because there are never any guarantees, especially with the events so far. I can't tell you everything now, can I? ;)

Chapter 35: Gone for good

Ruffnut

Sitting at the exit of the tunnel, I looked out, as the rain struck fast and deep into the rocky ground. Shivering from the cold, I wrapped Tuff's coat around me further, and curled into a ball. Where is he? Everything behind me, just a never-ending void of a darkness. Everything in front, a battlefield of the storm and the sea. How did it come to this? What did I do wrong? Someone tell me. Please. The pattering of rain above me echoed loudly, as small drops trickled through the gaps onto me. I shuffled further and further back into the pipe, yet the unrelenting fury of the downpour seemed to pull me ever closer. I rocked forward and backward furiously, as the beating rain pinned me harder, suffocating me, as the tube began to contract, all walls closing in me. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, as my heart pounded faster. Happy place. Happy place. Go to your happy place.

Fifteen years old, nothing but a smile on my face, and wind blowing in my hair. His hand on mine, as we sat by the water. Skimming stones and splashing in the creek, those were the days. I was so happy. So content with the world. Finn's smile, so bright, as the sun shone down on us through the trees. How we would laugh. How we danced, knee-deep in the flowing stream. Spinning around, as it flowed all around us. How we would always fall in at some point, and just grin away as the current drifted us downstream. Soaked, and looking a mess, but neither of us cared. It didn't matter. It was just us, the water, and the sun. Nothing could ruin it. A picture of summer perfection. And the last time I was truly at peace with the world.

"Ruff! You okay?" Tuff asked, snapping me out of my bubble, and dropping me straight back to the grim reality. I looked back wearily, his hair was bedraggled and tinged brown at the bottom where it dragged in the dirt, but he still someone managed a smile. I resigned myself to give a weak nod, as he stared past me out to the ongoing mayhem crashing against the island.

"Where are the others?" I mumbled feebly. Tuff closed his eyes with a loud sigh, as he rested a hand on my shoulder.

"They're gone. I'm sorry. I couldn't save them." He replied solemnly. "The knight, Sir Ryker, sacrificed himself so we both could live. I tried, sister, but there was too many. I couldn't get to him."

"Dagur? And his brother? Snothat was it?" I asked nervously.

"I'm so sorry. They were supposed to meet us here by now. We can wait until sunrise, but after that, Johann won't be waiting any longer." He answered dejectedly, staring out of the tunnel, as a slight light began to emerge from the darkness. "They don't have long. An hour at most."

"We have to go back for them. We…" I started.

"… NO. No way. If we go back now, we will both get captured. Both get killed. It's their castle, they know it far better than either of us. If there is a way they can get to us, they will find it." He said firmly. I dropped my head, turning back to face the storm. He lowered himself down, from crouching, to sitting at an angle behind me in the narrow passageway. I just want this to stop. For everyone to just get out, and for us all to go home. Why can't that happen? With a sharp pain in my shoulder, I scooted back a few inches. I leant back, resting my head on his shoulder, as I just let tears fall freely. A slight golden arc dashed from the top of the exit, slicing through the storm, as the storm crackled one last time, before seeming to fade slowly. Maybe this is a new beginning. A new hope. A sign of a better future.

Snotlout

Sat silently in the cold all night, not a word further was said between us. The tension so unbearable the only resolution was to sleep. As it hit the early hours of morning, the soft scurrying of footsteps against the stone snapped me awake. The tapping came closer, as a hooded figure rushed up to my cell. I instinctively shot back. He wouldn't try to kill me. Not here. No. No. Not after everything. Those fears soon eroded away, as the hood descended and the person under it revealed herself to be mother. She reached under her thick cloak, to pull out a pack of bread and meat, as well as a small pouch of water.

"Oh, thank God, I thought I'd lost you too." She whimpered softly, sliding the items through the bars towards me, as I quickly rushed forward. I quickly pressed myself against the bars, placing my hand on hers, staring into her eyes. What happened to you? Her flowing brunette hair, now nothing but an untidy mess. She looks so frail, so fragile. Her face seems to have aged five years in just a few weeks. Her eyes, bloodshot red, with heavy bags under them. Only her bright blue eyes shined, giving me some hope I could save her too. As I clutched her hand, I could feel her shaking, as she was already starting to cry. I heard a crunching sound, as I looked over to see Dagur looking at us sheepishly. He never got on with father, but mother was always so kind to us. He needs this, as much as she does.

"I'm not going anywhere mother, but have you brought any more rations for him?" I asked her softly. She recoiled a bit, seeming shocked at the question.

"Why would I bring food for the person who kidnapped you, tortured you, and I was told… killed you?" She asked firmly. What a surprise father? More and more lies.

"He did kidnap me, but that's just because father kidnapped someone who meant a lot to him. But he would never hurt me, torture me, or kill me. Mum, trust me, just go and look." I said earnestly. She still seemed a bit reluctant, but as I was practically begging her, she nodded, and started making her way across slowly. Her hand trailing across the metal, her eyes focused in on the curled-up shape at the back of the next cell. He raised his head nervously, as she halted in her traps, mouth wide open.

"Daglout? What? How is this possible? You're dead? Everyone thinks you are dead." She muttered in shock. Dagur soon jumped up, slowly moving forward until he was nearly face to face with her.

"I'm sorry mother. I'm sorry for not coming back here. After all that Spitelout has done, I couldn't deal with the pain of returning. I knew this is what I'd get. Locked up, blamed for anything and everything. I'm sorry." He answered her honestly, a tear dripping slowly down his cheek.

"I don't care, son. You're home. You're home. My babies are home." She blubbered cheerily, tears of joy streaming, as they made an attempt to hug through the holes of the cell door. "I'm sorry, I have to ask. Vicelout?"

"I tried, mother. I tried to save him. I couldn't." Dagur sniffled.

"It's okay. It's okay. Last night I thought I had lost everything, now I know you two are alive, and safe." She beamed happily, stepping back, and looking over each of us. "Hearing that you had been killed nearly broke me." She said softly, looking at me.

"Not that Spitelout would care." I said coldly. "He just left me to die, just so he could have no obstacles to Viggo taking my place."

"No. He wouldn't do that. He said he tried everything to…" She tried reasoning.

"I'm sorry mother." Dagur voiced strongly. "Spitelout is not the man you think he is. Just look at us. These bruises. These cuts you see. This is all from him beating us yesterday."

"No, you're ly…" She replied adamantly.

"…It's true." I cut her off. "Dagur offered himself in place of the person father kidnapped from him. He went back on his word. Attacked both Dagur and me. Then locked us up."

"Why would he do that? Why would… Dagur? Why did you call him Dagur? That's not his name." She said, a look of confusion in her eyes.

"I'm no longer Daglout Jorgenson, mother." Dagur replied painfully. Clearly this is a lot harder than it was to say to father. "He died the day you thought I did. Spitelout took everything from me."

"But your father…" She pleaded.

"…Spitelout is not my father." Dagur cut her off loudly. "I'm sorry mother, but I am longer, and will never be again, a Jorgenson." The sound of clattering boots echoed in the distance, causing all of us to shift our gaze to the left. Mother quickly wrapped herself back up, pulling the hood back on. "I'll speak to you both soon, I want to know everything that's happened. I mean EVERYTHING. I love you both." She said smiling.

"I love you too." Me and Dagur replied.

"The girl. Blonde. Dreadlocks. Did she get out?" Dagur asked with a sense of dread.

"I heard Viggo being yelled at by Spitelout as I came down here. Something about letting, his words, 'the blonde whore', escape." She said calmly, as Dagur let out a big sigh of relief, a small smile etching across his lips. "I have to go. Don't worry, I'll be back." She took one last glancing look, before sweeping away, her long black cloak swishing as she vanished from view. I looked over to him, as he had his eyes closed and head pinned against the bars.

"What are we going to do?" he asked in a low voice, as the guards clattered through.

"Survive, brother. Survive."

Tuffnut

Dawn had come, and the two of us knew what that meant. Time is over. We have to go. As we stepped out from the tunnel, the sky, though still dark and grey in patches, is mostly bright and blue. The ground, wet and slippery under foot, but at least no more rain is falling. I looked over to Ruff. Clearly in pain with every step, eyes only barely open, and bruises painted over her face. She should be resting. Be sat sleeping and recovering. But we can't afford that. We pushed on, clambering over jagged rock formations and through narrow ravines. With every step, she seemed to be constantly hurting, and though I hated it, I knew we must keep her moving. Or we'd both meet our end. It took an hour, but we made it to the far, far side of the island, where Johann told us he would be docking, for when we returned. As the rock beneath our feet transitioned more into a slushy mix of mud and stone, we struggled more and more to push through. Like quicksand sapping your energy, the sludge took all Ruffnut had left, as she dropped to her knees into the muck.

"I can't do it. I'm sorry." She said breathlessly, as her hands dropped in front of her, the mud engulfing them, up to her wrists.

"It's not far now. Just a few more minutes. Come on." I urged, helping her to her feet, as she wobbled unsteadily. With every last ounce of strength, she forced herself through. The golden sun painted on Johann's white sail seemed to spur us on, as we trudged forward. Seeing the two hobbling figures coming towards him, the trader quickly threw down a ramp, sprinting down it towards us.

"My Lord. my Lady. So good to see you both again." He beamed excitedly, before seeing Ruff's condition, and quickly rushing to her other shoulder. "What happened?"

"Doesn't matter. Just get her onboard." I grunted, as we guided her up the ramp. Down into the heart of the vessel, we helped her through to a small, warm room with a fire already burning. As soon as he back hit the bed, she was fast asleep. I reached around, pulling the sheet up to her neck, as she seemed to finally find some peace. I slowly exited the room, closing the door softly, as me and Johann sat down in a room at the end of the corridor.

"Shouldn't you get some rest too, my Lord?" He asked cautiously, his fingers brushing against his beard.

"I'm fine." I spat back. "Just, I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. All this pain she's in. All because of me. Maybe I should just stay on this island, she'd be better without me."

"If you actually thought that, you wouldn't still be here." The trader chuckled. "Now, she needs you more than ever, you know that."

"I know that, up here." I said pointing my head. "But not in here." I followed up, gesturing to my heart. "Will she be alright? Shouldn't you treat her?" I asked in alarm.

"Do I look like a maester?" He remarked in a snarky tone. Not the time Johann. Not the time. He must have seen my annoyance and quickly backtracked. "From what I've seen, the damage is mostly superficial. More intended to break a person than to cause permanent damage. She'll need support, but she should be able to make a full recovery."

"Good. Then let's set sail as fast as we can, get as far from here as possible." I ordered.

"What do you think I am? I don't do this for free you know. I owed Dagur a debt, I owe you nothing." He said coldly.

"Well, Dagur and his brother are clearly not coming. So, we can stay here and be caught, or we can leave now, and I promise we will pay you for your troubles. Just take us home. We'll get gold, jewels. Whatever. Just get us away from here. Please." I begged.

"What about this?" He asked, reaching down to pick up a weapon that was resting on the side of the chair. Is that? That's Valerian steel.

"What about it?" I asked curiously.

"This is the Jorgenson family axe. Valerian steel, and priceless, Dagur told me to wait here until he came to collect it. Said it was part of the plan." He said worriedly, awkwardly holding the weapon across his knees, as it kept tipping to the heavy bladed side.

"Johann. The plan failed. Sir Ryker is captured. The Jorgenson's are both captured or worse. This island is a death trap. If we don't go now, it will have three more to add to that total." I snapped.

"But…" he protested.

"But nothing Yohann. We stay and die. Or we leave, and at least have a chance. Please." I pressured him, nearly tipping the chair forward, as I leant right at the very edge. He seemed to be conflicted, but just gave a sharp few nods. With that, he placed the axe back down to rest beside him, as he got up and headed out.

"With only two of us, we're not going anywhere fast. Get some rest, we've go a long day ahead of us. Once we get out far enough, the winds should carry us. Let's just hope the Gods are with us for once." He declared, before exiting the room. I took one last deep breath, before also making my way for the door and heading back to check in on Ruff. She wouldn't want to leave the other three stuck here, but I couldn't face seeing her like this again.

"I'm sorry guys. I am. But she comes first."

Snotlout

After seeing mother again, it was like a ray of light, a reason to hope. I slept peacefully for the first time in weeks, even in the cold and damp. The clanging on the bars jolted me upright, as two guards barged through the doorway and dragged me out. Dagur tried protesting, but his voice soon faded as I got carried further and further up and away. I had to flicker my eyes for about ten seconds, before the blinding light normalized, but at least I was no longer locked in the darkness. Carried through the courtyard, across the entire grounds, for the whole castle to see, something felt off. I got pushed and shoved through doorway after doorway, down corridor after corridor and up a flight of stairs. As the guards began to slow, a loud booming voice bellowed so loudly the wooden door had no chance of blocking out the sound.

"YOU LET THEM ESCAPE!" Father yelled loudly.

"Like I told you earlier this morning, the hostage had no value, just a worthless…" A rather timid voice said back, a strange word to describe Viggo, but there was no denying that his tone indicated a sense of fear.

"…You don't decide who is, or who isn't valuable. This is my castle. That was my hostage. You let her go, for what?" Spitelout struck back.

"In her place, I captured one of their conspirators. Not just anyone, a knight. An Ironborn knight. Now that is valuable." Viggo resisted.

"He was willing to come here to save her. Will he do that for him?" Spitelout grilled him. No response came from Viggo. "NO. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!"

"Lord Jorgenson, I only did what I thought…" Viggo protested.

"NO!" Father boomed, with a loud bang, a sound that must have been the result of fists slamming on a table. "I KNOW HE'S YOUR BROTHER! HOW STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM?" The Knight is Viggo's brother. That could really help our cause. Finally, some way we can hurt Viggo.

"My Lord, I…"

"ENOUGH BOY! You clearly have no respect for me, or you would do as you have been ordered. GET OUT!" Spitelout ordered. Not a moment later, the door slammed open and Viggo stormed out, mumbling under his breath. For a second, he stared at me, with eyes as cold as death itself, before coiling his hands into a fist and stomping off down the corridor. I heard him yell, as he reached the end of the corridor, planting a heavy fist on the wall in his anger. I turned back to the room, as one of the guards placed a sheepish knock on the door. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT VIGGO. GET…" He began yelling, before he turned to see the guard stood there and pulled me into view. "Snotlout, get in here." He said more calmly, as the guards forced me forward. "Leave us." He commanded, and the guards nodded and closed the door behind them.

"Lord Jorgenson, what can I do for you?" I asked coldly, crossing my arms in front of my chest. He moved forward from behind the desk, and plonked himself down on it, sighing heavily.

"You don't have to call me that, son." He said defeatedly. I could only chuckle, almost roaring into full blown laughter.

"Son. Son. I'm not your son. That's what you said yesterday. Isn't it? That I'm not a Jorgenson. That I'm not your son." I snapped at him. He can't be serious. No way. No, this is a trick. A ploy.

"I was wrong. There's been a lot going on, I thought I'd lost you." He defended himself.

"NO. YOU DON'T GET TO DO THAT. YOU YELL AT ME. ATTACK MY BROTHER. ATTACK ME. And now what? You want me to just go back to calling you dad and playing happy families." I screamed. While he is like his, I must make this count. Not honourable, but neither is attacking people who are defenseless.

"I only did what I did bec…" he started.

"I DON'T CARE! Yesterday you had the chance to get two sons back. Now you have zero." I said with no remorse. "Oh, my mistake, you have Viggo. Guess the total sits at one."

"Viggo is not my son. You are Snotlout." He said sincerely, pushing off of the table and stepping towards me.

"THEN PROVE IT!" I said determinedly, staring him down.

"I will. Just give me my axe back, and I promise, I will make this right." He said calmly, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Only Dagur knows where it is. This was part of the deal we wanted yesterday. But instead of listening, you disowned me and made that bastard your new heir. It'll take more than a few words to make up for all of the shit you've put us both through. You understand that? I asked ruthlessly. He nodded understandingly. This is going to well. This must be a trick. Or mother yelled at him that loudly it knocked some sense into him.

"New heir…" he mumbled.

"Yeah, Viggo, obviously. You couldn't even wait a day, before you kicked me out and put him in instead." I said shaking my head.

"I did no such thing." He replied with an angry scowl on his face. "GUARDS!" Guards rushed into the room, listening on his every word. "Fetch Daglout from the cells, then take him and my son to the hall for some food. Keep five men with them at all times. I'll be there soon." He nodded to a few of the men, who began to lead me out of the room. "The rest of you, fetch Viggo Grimborn. NOW! We seem to have more to discuss!" He said sharply. I couldn't help smiling as I left the room. Viggo, my friend, what a shame your plan has crashed and burned. Maybe he'll get locked up instead. Wouldn't that be a site. One way or the other, I need to get Viggo gone. For good…