Hiccup drummed his fingers against the wheel of the Hunter stealth ship. Even though the action made no sound, it was reassuring to feel the impact under his fingertips. He tried not to itch for his dragon, forced himself to instead focus on the calm clouds in the bright blue sky and the whitecaps slapping against the bow. He was going far too slow for his liking (gods he wished he were on dragon back) but he had a ship - Viggo's ship - with its course set for the Edge, and right now that meant more than the entire world to him.
He smiled and glanced downwards where he knew Grimborn had crashed below deck. Hiccup didn't deny he'd given the poor man hell. Viggo deserved the sleep. Deserved to curl up around his Maces and Talons pieces he'd wrapped in a blanket. The image almost made him laugh.
Looking back, Hiccup thought maybe his behavior had been unusually malicious. But it felt so good to knock stuff over, to trash what was Viggo's, to have contact with and control over something.
Anyway, Viggo had totally asked for it.
And it had worked!
Viggo had called off the attack on the Edge, his men oblivious to the ghost behind him smirking with his arms crossed over his chest. Past the point of confusion, the Hunters had looked at him like he'd just proposed marriage to a dragon. Ryker, gobsmacked, looked ready to dunk his little brother's head in a barrel of salt water. Everyone seemed to think Viggo was losing it - which he kinda was. They asked about the change in plans, only for him to reply, to Hiccup's satisfaction, that there had arisen some new developments and that he would be going to the Edge alone.
Viggo hadn't thanked Hiccup when he'd offered him the chance to sleep on the ride over. He had shot him a weary scowl and descended into the hold, posture as poised as ever. (Though it had never looked so forced.)
Several hours had passed, and now they were so close to the Edge Hiccup imagined he could see it on the horizon. But instead of putting him at ease he only grew more nervous.
Once they reached the island, they would not only have to sneak an enemy ship within reach of enemy shores, but they would have to have to get Viggo through the middle of the Riders' base without alerting patrols, Night Terrors, or the Gang.
All the while praying to Odin that the Well Troll was actually there.
Now came the time for Hiccup to keep a closer eye on the sky. If any of his friends - or Thor forbid, if Astrid - spotted the both of them they could be done for. Thankfully, Hiccup was known to disappear on a whim, so hopefully nobody was looking for him yet. Morning patrols were most likely finished as well, so they had at least a few things going in their favor.
One wild dragon flew overhead, but that was all, and Hiccup was able to anchor the ship in one of the many quiet coves around the island. Before he could go down to wake his unwilling partner, Viggo emerged from the hold.
"We're here," Hiccup told him.
"Yes, I can see that." Viggo's voice came out gruff. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles. He clearly had just woken up, and the nap clearly hadn't been enough.
Right then. Time to go ashore. Hiccup briefly gnawed his lip. "Alright, we should go I guess."
Viggo wordlessly brushed past him and swung himself over the rail, landing, knees bent, with a splash in the shallows and striding ashore. Hiccup ran after him and jumped off the boat to land weightlessly on the beach. All sides of Dragon's Edge were steep, so Hiccup led Viggo up a cliff to get to traversable ground. Side by side, the two passed through the forest in the direction of the base.
They were both ghostly silent. Despite how tired he must be feeling, an intensity returned to Viggo's eyes and he didn't step on a single twig as he prowled over enemy turf. Hiccup's physical body might have shivered at how easily Viggo could infiltrate his home without anyone knowing, and he made a mental note to up security. Before long, both of them were creeping up over headquarters, their only view being the dragon head spire atop the Clubhouse poking above the cliff. Viggo crouched behind a tree.
"How shall we reach the well?" he asked without a sideways glance.
Hiccup tiptoed to the cliff ledge and leaned over the side. He scanned the layered base but didn't see anyone out on the platforms. "I'll be right back." He jumped.
He landed soundlessly on a mossy rock outcrop beside the Clubhouse. When no noise came from inside the building, he slid down onto the boardwalk around it, crumbs of moss and stone sliding down with him. He then crept to the ledge.
The faint clash of weapons wafted up from the arena at the bottom of the base. A few minutes passed and as far as Hiccup could see, no one else wandered around outside. Not knowing how long it would stay that way, he hurried back the way he came only to come face to face with the sheer climb.
"Ah," he said. He retrieved some rope from the Clubhouse, but before throwing it he paused.
Could I just walk up?
He put a semi-transparent boot against the cliff and took a step. He kept walking. Body straight as a board, horizontal, and defying the laws of gravity, he scaled the side of the rock face one step at a time.
He glanced backwards below him and laughed.
Hiccup made it to the top in seconds and ran over to Viggo's hiding place.
"Ok, let's go."
Together, they hurried to the ledge and Hiccup started walking straight down which was oh so much more sketchy.
"And how am I supposed to get down?"
Hiccup halted upon hearing Viggo's dry tone, a pebble coming loose and dropping down, down, down.
"Right." He walked back up, handing his companion the coil of rope off his back. He paused, still holding onto one end of it before making up his mind. "Here's how we're going to do this. Tie one end around your waist."
Viggo complied, grumbling. "I do hope you know what you're doing." He pulled the knot tight.
So do I. "Now you're going to scale down the side and I'm going to follow you holding the other end of the rope."
Viggo glowered at him. "Absolutely not."
"Do you want to get down or not?" Hiccup glared back. "We don't have forever."
"This defies the laws of physics! It won't work!"
"It will!"
A staring contest commenced. Hiccup knew that Viggo knew Hiccup didn't want to kill him. That defeated the purpose of their entire quest. He admitted his plan sounded dodgy - alright it sounded completely illogical - but since when had anything to do with ghosts been considered logical? In any case, Hiccup now overpowered him. He could probably carry him down the cliff if he wanted.
Hiccup wound his end of the rope once around his hand.
Viggo sucked in a deep breath that raised his tense shoulders. "It appears I am in your hands."
"That's more like it." Hiccup played with the rope to hide his relief. "Ok, let's go."
They both stepped onto the extreme edge before them. Viggo peered down, tugged the rope at his waist then, looking at Hiccup, yanked on the rope between them. Neither Hiccup's footing nor his gaze budged. Rope taught and eyes locked, Viggo backed over the side and began to repel down.
"Watch your step." Hiccup held the line tight and kept an eye out for good footing. He ignored Viggo grumbling at him and stepped over the cliff, tipping forward ninety degrees.
"Hiccup!" Viggo plummeted a couple inches on his end, and he clung tighter while his boots scrambled for purchase. He glared back up at him.
"Sorry! It's ok, I've got you."
"I'm holding you to your word, Hiccup!" Hiccup thought he heard a waver of trepidation in the man's voice. Viggo directed his focus back to where he was putting his feet, and Hiccup followed at a slow and steady pace.
Viggo essentially being on the other end of a string made the trip much slower than if Hiccup went it alone, but at least they both made it to the bottom alive. (Ah, scratch that.) Behind the Clubhouse, the Hunter chief tore at the rope around his waist, unraveled it, and threw it at the ghost.
"Which way?"
Hiccup gestured with his head and took the lead. Viggo followed him to the boardwalk a level below and to the nearest hut. Hiccup pulled up outside Snotlout's red, Hookfang and S themed quarters - noting out of the corner of his eye that Viggo kept in intense lookout for interruptions - and gazed upwards at the huge trough that Snotlout kept topped up for fire related emergencies. On another day, Hiccup would have felt the urge to take a deep breath. He prayed tomorrow he would be feeling that urge again.
Please, please be here.
"Ok..." he sighed, and started to scale the trough.
Viggo, who had been eyeing the Arena where the clang of training came from, did a double-take to Hiccup. "This isn't a well!" he hissed.
"It's the best we've got," Hiccup whispered back, despite the fact no person besides Viggo could hear him.
Viggo's expression turned incredulous. "You don't have a well?"
Hiccup didn't answer as he peered into the dark water in the trough.
"Oh we are doomed. No, my dear Hiccup, you are doomed." Viggo jabbed a finger at him. "Your entire plan banked on finding the Well Troll and you take us to the one place you know for certain doesn't even have a well!"
"Hello!" Hiccup called into the water, his voice echoing on the surface.
"I cannot believe this." Viggo turned away, massaging his temple.
"Hello?"
Hiccup leant over and smacked the top of the water. The ripples spread outward and Hiccup's hazy reflection disappeared altogether.
The sensation of ridiculousness washed over him. He supposed he'd put it out of his mind, suspended all disbelief in this crazy drama his life had become, but now he could see himself in his mind's eye running back to last place things had felt normal and yelling into empty water. He looked like a fool. On the boardwalk, Viggo groaned. Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he wrestled with the concept that he might have to get used to this new life - that is his death.
The water stilled and his reflection didn't return.
"Oh Thor," he choked, and his head fell forward, his bangs almost touching the water.
SPLASH!
Hiccup sputtered and jerked back as the geyser hit him full in the face. The water immediately absorbed into his ghostly form, leaving him looking dry as a bone and no need to worry about shaking droplets out of his eyes. He blinked at the dripping, black imp nose inches away from his own.
"These accommodations suck, by the way," the Well Troll said.
"It's you!" Hiccup beamed.
"And it's you." The imp smirked. It peered over the trough and spotted Viggo gazing up in amazement. "Hello again."
Viggo cleared his throat. "Hello."
The Well Troll draped an elbow on the edge of the trough and looked back and forth between its two latest victims. "Wow, this is a first. I don't think I've ever met up with haunted and hauntee at the same time and on the same day they came together."
"We need your help," Hiccup said.
"What kind of help? I can't exactly do party favours," the black skinned imp replied.
"Listen," Viggo spoke up, catching the troll's attention. "Is there any possible way we can revert things back to normal?"
"Normal?"
"I've got to get back to my body," Hiccup begged.
"And I have to get back to a regular existence!"
The Well Troll looked from Viggo to Hiccup and back again a few times, then a cheeky smirk stretched over its lips. "Well, you know what they say..." Its blue eyes bugged out, its face morphed into a frog like appearance, and its pores oozed out a thin layer of slime over now dark green skin. Viggo stepped back with a look of repulsion. "You know what they say," The Well Troll repeated with a waggle of its hairless brows, "to break the curse..." It proceeded to make kissing sound effects.
Hiccup somehow felt paler. "You didn't just suggest..."
"True love's kiss baby!" The frog-like figure grinned, reclining along the lip of the trough.
Hiccup's eyes widened and Viggo gagged. In fact, he continued to gag for several seconds.
"Didn't you have breakfast this morning?" The troll asked the dry-heaving Hunter.
"No!" Viggo hacked. "No, no, no, absolutely not!" He composed himself a little, although still bent at the middle, and scowled up at the Well Troll like looks could kill. "You have got to be joking!"
"You guys don't think you could make it work?" The froggish troll twirled his very human index fingers together, still grinning.
Hiccup moaned and floated onto the ground like a dropped piece of paper.
"I'd like to see it, personally."
"Of course you would, you sick, twisted..." Viggo didn't finish, too busy rubbing at his temples and eyes. From where he lay lifelessly staring at the sky, Hiccup thought he might have heard a oh Thor I'm going to kill myself. Or maybe that was just him.
"Buuuuuuuut I guess lucky for you guys you don't have to do that."
"Oh thank Odin!" both Hiccup and Viggo gasped.
"You'll just have to find someone else to wish away the original wish."
Hiccup sat up. "But no one else can see me."
The Well Troll hissed through his teeth. "That is a problem isn't it."
"Alright," Hiccup calmed himself and collected his thoughts, "we're screwed, but we're a little less screwed than we were before." He face-palmed. "I should have worded that differently."
When he looked up, Viggo had moved to the end of the boardwalk and now stared out over Dragon's Edge, hands slack at his sides. The sun shone high in the sky, though a few clouds were passing in front of it and a cold breeze had picked up. Hiccup bit his lip before occupying the spot at his foe's side. The Arena was quiet, and Astrid and the Gang could emerge any minute.
Hiccup coughed to break the silence.
"I suppose there's no time like the present?"
"You expect them to believe me?" Viggo's mouth twisted. "It would sound ludicrous. I wouldn't believe me unless I had already lived it."
"I suppose... I wouldn't either." Hiccup acknowledged.
Viggo scoffed. "So good to hear you admit it. You're always so insistent that everyone agree with you."
Hiccup frowned and opened his mouth to speak.
"Despite your intelligence, you are not always correct, Hiccup." Viggo's hands wandered to their typical spot behind his back. "And, despite what you may think, the world is not required to adhere to you and your opinions." He shook his head. "Why should I risk my safety for your benefit? I have no guarantee, in fact no hope, that your friends will treat me fairly. We have no assurance that they will believe me or that this will even work."
Hiccup compressed his lips and debated within himself how much of Viggo's argument he should respond to. "I'll make it work. Just... trust me."
Viggo sniffed. "Trust you."
"I think you owe me at least that much," Hiccup said softly.
The man didn't respond.
"I won't let you down."
The tail end of the breeze whisked through Viggo's hair and he took a deep breath as the clouds passed.
"I must be rid of you somehow," he sighed. "What is your plan?"
"VIGGO?!"
Astrid?! Hiccup and Viggo whirled to their left and there on the steps connecting Snotlout's quarters to Hiccup's was Astrid Hofferson.
Axe brandished.
Astrid. Hiccup gazed at her livid, fiery expression and forgot to fear for Viggo's life, instead feeling a pang of longing.
"Ah, my dear girl," Viggo allowed himself to smile, using his sickeningly smooth voice that drove all the Riders mad. "You are exactly who I wanted to see."
"How did you get up here and where is Hiccup?" Astrid snarled through her teeth, stomping down the boardwalk toward him, light glinting off her heavy blade.
Viggo chuckled. "I have a feeling you would rather exchange pleasantries first before I tell you where our friend Hiccup is."
Astrid uttered a battle cry and charged! She raised her axe over her head, bounded up to Viggo, and swung. Hiccup jumped out of the way and Viggo followed, catching the axe handle on its way down.
The charming demeanor fell. "Be careful, girl."
Astrid growled at him and swept her weapon free. As the move pushed Viggo's hands to the side, she raised her foot and kicked him right in the chest.
He staggered out of reach. Glowering, he reached back for the sword he hadn't brought, then lowered his hand awkwardly.
"Viggo!" Hiccup winced. "Just go with it, please."
Viggo forced himself to stand more at ease. "I am not here to antagonize you. I come unarmed."
"Don't move." Astrid approached with her weapon at his throat. She went around him and, when he offered no bodily resistance, pinned his wrists behind him. "You're coming with me. And you're going to answer. Every. Question. Got it?"
"Believe me," Viggo said in a low growl, "I've got it."
"Good. Let's go!" She shoved him forward and marched him in the direction of the stables.
Hiccup trotted along beside him. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of this. I'm not going to let them hurt you."
Viggo rolled his eyes. "How reassuring."
"What was that?" Astrid demanded.
"Nothing." Viggo sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
Is that the least articulate answer I've ever heard from him? Hiccup felt his expression turn to one of mild sympathy. He supposed when this was all over he'd clear up his calendar and let them both sleep for a few weeks. Make that months.
Holy crap I am so inconsistent. (Also there is such a huge time gap between the time I started/finished that I feel like the writing style between the first/second half of the chapter is so different.) Huge thanks/apologies to Another Sister, Guest, rAnDoM pickLe, The Ultimate Jedi, xxXTryMeXxx and all the other lovely people tuning in.
whispers: let's see if i can get the entire story done in october