"Dagur was right all along," said Hiccup, examining the shipyard below his dragon's wings. He slammed his fist against the saddle, looking away frustratingly. "I should've listened to him. I should've seen the signs!"
A sharp roar belonging to no other dragon than a Razorwhip had everyone's attention dragged onto the shipyard again where they watched Heather and Windshear circling in range of the Hunters, still fighting despite the obvious signs of the trap.
"What is Heather thinking?" asked Hiccup, obviously upset she was still down there. "She should've retreated already."
Hiccup watched her fire at the Hunters like she was winning the battle. But she was outnumbered, and in too tight a spot to make safe maneuvers. How she was still flying was a mystery, but Hiccup wanted her out of there immediately.
He watched her fight, feeling every muscle tensing up and telling him to dive in there and get her out of there, but she disappeared into the fog cover, out of sight for both the Hunters and them Riders.
"I can't see her!" shouted Astrid, leaning onto the side of her saddle, fear starting to get a grip on her. "Can you?"
Hiccup narrowed his eyes on the shipyard, spotting a flash of silver scales.
"There she is!" he said, pointing down. "You guys stay here, cover me."
"We got you," replied Astrid, nodding.
Hiccup braced himself and dove back into the battle, blinking as the flames licked the masts of the ships and lit up the yard like a giant bonfire in the night. Arrows whistled sharply through the fog; thick black smoke rose for the sky like clouds of coal.
"Watch out, bud!" he shouted, flattening himself against his dragon's back as his Night Fury barrel-rolled the shots. Shouts and clamouring echoed all around them as the Hunters ordered to fire. This was a death trap. Hiccup considered himself extremely lucky to still be up in the air as nets, bolas, and arrows fired his way one after the other.
He groaned and coughed as the smoke mixed with the fog, blinking as he caught sight of Heather once again. He narrowed his eyes and chased after her, ducking more shots, soaring low between the ships before climbing up again to bounce up next to Heather circling the shipyard with fury in her toxic green eyes.
"Heather!" shouted Hiccup, trying to bring her wild eyes onto him and off the battle. It was obvious she was in a fighting frenzy and wouldn't be backing down even with her life on the line.
"I can't quit now, Hiccup!" she replied, knowing all too well what he was about to say.
The dragons roared in alarm as another bola swung right past them, the boulders at the end of the ropes missing them both by an inch.
Hiccup closed on Heather again, trying to cut her vision off from the yard and bring it onto him.
"Heather, this is suicide!" he said, gesturing down at the number of Hunters she was facing.
"I don't care!" she shouted back, grip tight on the handles. There was an edge to her tone that let Hiccup know of her state of mind; one he knew could have catastrophic consequences. "I can't let Dagur win!"
"Heather, you can't take on a fleet of twelve ships all by yourself!" he replied, his aggressive tone one he rarely used on his friends. But they were caught in a dangerous game and his teammate was acting out of self-interest. "Haven't you noticed there are Dragon Hunters stationed at every sea stack? Staying and fighting is foolish and you know it!"
"But we're too close!" she argued, gesturing at all the damage they had already caused to the ships. But Hiccup knew there were more Hunters where those guys came from and he had to make Heather see reality.
"Heather," he said, with a calmer voice this time. "If hurting Dagur is what you want, you'll retreat now. If not, you're playing right into Viggo's hands. Is that really what you want?"
Heather blinked, tightening her lips before daring to meet her leader's gaze. But she fled it the second she met it and tightened her grip on her handles even more, turning away from him.
"I'm sorry, Hiccup," she said, returning her blazing eyes on the shipyard below. "But I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
"Heather, no!" shouted Hiccup, reaching a hand out to her as she dove back down into the smoke. Hiccup didn't hesitate to go after her and shifted his prosthetic's position, urging Toothless to dive down. Hiccup narrowed his eyes on Heather diving straight, positioning himself above her. He wouldn't allow her to meet her death. She left him no other choice. "Toothless, grab her."
Toothless growled in response, focusing on the task. He closed in, talons outstretched. He was a split second away from closing his talons on her shoulders and lift her off the saddle to carry her to safety when a net shot out from the tornado of coal-black smoke, leaving no other choice for Toothless but retreat with a sharp roar.
Hiccup groaned in frustration, slamming his fist on the saddle as he watched her get away, engaging the enemy once again.
"Toothless, we have to stop her before she gets hurt or worse," he said, to which the Night Fury growled, sharing the same feelings of irritation and apprehension.
Hiccup watched her from a distance, ducking more arrows and bolas. By then, the entire shipyards were aflame. The Dragon Hunters aboard the ships had only been a distraction for the rows up on the rock formations to get clear shots. Hiccup tried figuring out how to get her out of there. With all those nets, boulders, and arrows, there was no way he'd ever manage to get a clear passage and swoop in to pick her off her dragon. He knew that if he could at least remove Heather from her dragon, Windshear would immediately seek cover and flee. He wasn't as worried about the dragon as he was for the Rider. He wished he could've talked her out of it and that she could've cleared her mind and seen things from a logical point of view. But Heather was too wrapped up in her hatred for her brother to accept that Dagur was right and that they should've trusted him. She'd been wrong, and she refused to accept the truth. And she was letting her fear, pain, and abhorrence cloud her judgment.
Hiccup pulled on the handles and climbed higher in the sky, back to the group as they awaited their next orders. He slowed to a hover next to Astrid.
"I couldn't talk her out of it," he reported, wiping off the stains of smoke on his face. "We'll have to get her out of there by force."
"But there's no way we can get in close without risking being taken down ourselves," argued Astrid, trying to figure out another way to get their friend out of there.
Hiccup thought for a moment, letting his eyes drift back to the lit-up yard below where blasts still went off with every hit from Heather. Windshear's fire lit up white, giving away the silhouettes of the Hunters and their weapons the duo were facing on their own.
"We'll just have to risk it," said Hiccup, knowing what he had to do.
"Wait, what are you-?" started Astrid, but Hiccup had already taken off again.
He hadn't waited for anyone's nod and went back after Heather, a determined shade washing over his eyes. He flew right back into the heat of the battle and chased after Heather. His gaze was locked on the Berserker's form and without hesitation, he ordered Toothless to body-slam against Windshear. The Razorwhip roared sharply in alarm at the sudden and unexpected misbalance. The dragons tangled with each other, roaring furiously as they plummeted down, their riders holding on as they twirled in the air.
"Hiccup! What are you doing!?" shouted Heather, trying to get Windshear to separate from Toothless. But the Night Fury had a strong hold on the Razorwhip's forepaws, preventing the rebellious duo to get away.
Hiccup didn't reply and looked straight down as one of the abandoned ships from the yard grew wider by the second. He braced himself and pulled on the handles for Toothless to let go of Windshear. The Night Fury growled and twirled around, swinging the silver-scaled dragon and her rider forward and onto the ship. Windshear beat her wings clumsily, resulting in a crash-landing aboard the abandoned vessel. Heather caught her breath and looked up at her leader as he came in for a landing, her outrage unmasked.
"Are you crazy!?" she shouted, completely forgetting who she was talking to. Hiccup held her toxic glare, sharing the displeasure of having had to do this.
"I could ask you the same thing," he snapped back, sitting straight on the saddle while Toothless perched on the edge of the ship surrounded by thick smoke. "You're so blinded by your anger that you can't even see straight. Do you even realize the lives you're putting at stake right now?"
"We can do this..!"
"No, Heather!" shouted Hiccup, having had enough of her arguing. "All of this is a trap, designed for us by Viggo! If you think you can single-handedly destroy an entire shipyard and get away without much of a scratch, then you're playing right into Viggo's hands. And to what avail, huh?" He paused and Heather held his glare challengingly. She wanted to fight, to throw a punch. But the fire in her eyes slowly faded away as she faced off against Hiccup, her leader and her friend. She sighed, yielding.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, lowering her head.
"I gave you a direct order, Heather," said Hiccup, shaking his head sideways. "And you disobeyed. Now get back on your dragon. We're going home."
Heather obeyed without complaint and mounted back on Windshear, head down.
Hiccup grasped the handles, ready to take off and join their friends awaiting their return; ready to head back to Dragon's Edge after escaping an evitable trap. But as Heather took off on Windshear and Hiccup prompted Toothless to follow after her, escorting her back to the group, a shot fired and the unmistakable whistle of a bola had Hiccup twist around in time to see the boulders and ropes swing his way. The rope wrapped around his form like a snake, tightening his arms to his sides while the round-sculpted stone kicked him in the stomach like a hammer on a nail. The momentum of the weapon made of cords had the Rider hurled off the saddle and Hiccup met the deck of the ship with a pained groan.
"Hiccup!" called Heather, twisting around the moment she heard him shout from the impact.
He gasped for air, pressing his forehead against the surface as he slowly and painfully pushed himself in a kneeling position. He fought against the bonds, tugging his arms against the ropes tangling with his limbs. Toothless hadn't managed to fly very long on his own and had joined his rider, landing clumsily a short distance away before bouncing to his side protectively; helping him out with the cords making him their prisoner. The Night Fury growled dangerously at their surroundings and Hiccup lifted his head to acknowledge what was going on. The impact had left him dizzy and the world still wasn't quite steady yet. But he could see the multiple ships closing in on their location, and Hiccup turned to Heather hovering above them and ready to fight.
"Heather!" shouted Hiccup, looking up at her through frantic eyes, all too well aware of the events that would soon take place. "Get out of here! Save yourself!"
"No, I won't leave you!" said Heather, determined and scared all at the same time. This was not at all what she meant to happen. But here they were, and she knew this was happening because of her. And because of the blame, she refused to abandon Hiccup and save her own skin. She would stay and fight.
Heather narrowed her eyes on the ships surrounding the vessel Hiccup and Toothless were grounded on, firing their way to try and cause enough damage to buy her leader some time. But the Hunters were already boarding the vessel, weapons drawn. The Night Fury spun around, standing protectively over his rider and daring the enemy to even try.
Heather didn't take a moment to reflect on the idea and swooped low, hopping off the saddle with her battle-axe in hand. She tucked, rolled, and ran up to Hiccup with her weapon swinging at her side. She stood her ground as the soldiers chuckled at their stand.
"Surrender!" ordered a Hunter, drawing his sword. "You're surrounded. You've got nowhere to run..."
Hiccup glared at the soldier from where he stood, hands balled into fists. He gazed at Heather, standing bravely against the Hunters as more boarded the ship. Crossbows aimed down at them, daring them to make a move. Toothless would gladly fire a series of plasmablasts, but the dragon knew that the first shot he fired would mean the end of them all. They were trapped and outnumbered.
It took him a moment, but Hiccup had to accept the fact that they were beaten. They were indeed surrounded from every side without a window to take. Hiccup looked the men right in the eyes and raised his hands behind his head. Heather gave him a look over her shoulder, one of pure shock and disbelief. Hiccup returned the glower, letting her know that should she have obeyed his first order, she wouldn't have had to see him surrender to the enemy as he was currently doing. Heather turned back around to face the Hunters and crossly threw her axe at their feet before raising them too.
Hiccup felt the tip of an arrow press against the back of his neck; prompting him to obey the orders he was given. He was kicked behind the knees and brought down to be bounded from behind. The same was done to Heather while Toothless was muzzled. They were embarked on one of the numerous vessels that had closed in to discourage an escape and secured for transportation like they were nothing more than a bunch of wild dragons to be delivered to their slaughter.
Hiccup looked up at the sky to see the unmistakable silhouette of a Deadly Nadder circling above; the bright light of the sun shining through the haze.
Heather followed his gaze, the guilt kicking her in the gut like she'd swallowed ice-cold water. She had never seen Hiccup this upset with her, but she had to admit she had given him every reason to be. And now here they were. They were captured and she was to blame. If she hadn't been so reckless and blind to prove her brother was a fake, then maybe they'd both be up there with their friends, heading back to Dragon's Edge's haven.
But they wouldn't be going home any time soon, and it was all because of her. Not Viggo; not even Dagur. She was the only reason they were in this bloody mess.
Heather would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. She didn't know what would happen to her and Hiccup. And she had nothing to turn to, to reassure her that they'd make it out alive at all.
This is where the fun begins (⌐■_■)