HAHAHA I loved your comments. So JUICY. Especially you httydfangirl123 ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) Anyway, enjoy!
There was a commotion outside that broke the tense silence that had settled between them. Maeve and Viggo exchanged an uneasy glance. Shouts of many Vikings suggested a fight outside, and before any of them could step out and have a look for themselves, a soldier burst inside, panting.
"Madame Maeve! We've got company!" informed the soldier, frantic.
"I'm afraid you'll have to narrow that down," said Maeve, grimly.
"It's the Berserkers," clarified the soldier. "They're here."
"This sorry excuse of an armada better have a good reason to be in the Markets..." hissed Maeve.
"I believe they're after... him." The soldier gestured at Viggo who seemed completely unbothered by it.
Maeve narrowed her eyes on the ex-Hunter, and Viggo could feel the suspicion radiating off her.
"I would've thought a man such as yourself would be wise enough to make sure he wasn't followed..." said Maeve, speaking carefully.
Viggo held her stern expression with his own.
"Guess I must be losing my touch," he replied dryly, shrugging carelessly.
Maeve studied him up and down a moment longer before turning to her guards.
"Take Haddock to the Markets' jailhouse," she ordered, giving a sign they better get moving. "I'll deal with this..."
Two of the three soldiers forced Hiccup back up on his feet, taking a firm grip on his upper arms before prompting him to move, leaving their leader with Viggo Grimborn and the Berkian Chief's daughter. The third guard came back to grab the little girl, but Maeve denied it.
"Leave the girl. She might prove useful," she said and the guard disappeared again, nodding obediently.
Viggo knew that if Hiccup would've heard, he wouldn't have hesitated to throw his head back and fight with every inch of will he had in him. But he wasn't here now. It was just him, Zephyr, and the operation's leader in the flesh.
Zephyr finally pulled hard enough to free herself from the hand holding her wrist and stumbled to the ground in the process. The two adults stared down at her with stern expressions before exchanging a glance. Maeve was the first to act and crouched before her, offering a hand.
"No need to be afraid, little one," she said, a gentle tone to her voice that made her appear kind and approachable.
"I'm not that little anymore," said Zephyr, glaring at her and sticking her tongue out dismissively.
Maeve only chuckled. "You know, you remind me of my own daughter," she said, tilting her head slightly. Zephyr stared, unknowing how to react. "I was a mother once... She was taken from me by dragons. Don't you see? Dragons are monsters. Whatever your daddy told you about these creatures, they're nothing but lies... Dragons tore our world apart. All I want... is to make the world a better place for humanity, and make these creatures pay for the pain they've caused. I want the breasts to feel as lost and powerless as I felt once. I can see you're a smart lass. I know you understand what I'm saying..."
"No!" shouted Zephyr, backing off from her. "I will never join you! Dragons are amazing and our world doesn't deserve them because of people like you!"
"People like me only want what's best for our kind," persisted Maeve bitterly. "History has shown that we are the superior species. The ideology of a human and dragon utopia is very flawed and its pursuit has caused nothing but conflict. Ask your father. He's the one who waged them..."
Zephyr wanted to say something - anything to make her take it all back. She stared up at the woman, confusion painting her face. She didn't understand...
"Oh... he never talked about that, did he?" she said, reading the puzzlement on her face. "All the wars, the bloodshed... the villains, the betrayals, the sacrifices and losses? He never talked about the people, the fear, the hard times. Only the rainbows and sunshine. Only the world he was dreaming of. He lied to you. But it's okay, I'm here to clue you in on all of that. Then maybe you'll see that it's much more prudent to abandon this foolish concept of peace between humans and dragons, and have humanity rise higher like we're destined to..."
"It's no use," said Viggo, coming up to her side with his arms folded over his chest. "She's as stubborn as her father."
"We'll see about that," said Maeve, reaching a hand to grab Zephyr. But Zephyr wouldn't go down without a fight and bit her without a second thought.
"OW!" exclaimed Maeve, jumping back. "That little brat bit me!"
She swung her arm back to smack her across the face, but a hand closed on her wrist mid-swing, and Maeve looked back at Viggo, her bewilderment unmasked.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she snarled, throwing him off of her.
Viggo looked over at Zephyr, nodding. "Zephyr, you know what to do," he said, and she didn't waste a moment to scurry to her feet and run out of the tent and after her father.
Maeve watched her go, snarling frustratingly before turning around to Viggo.
"You snake..." she hissed, balling her fists to her sides while Viggo joined his to his back.
"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," said Viggo, shrugging with a smug smile stretching his lips. "One of my finest gambits."
If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man. But all Viggo did was scoff mockingly.
"Oh, darling, don't look so sullen," he said, waving her off. "That plan of yours was heavily flawed. You're not the first to attempt on ruling the world, and certainly won't be the last."
"I'm fighting for something bigger than ruling..." said Maeve. "I'm doing this for all those lost souls fallen victim to the dragons! I may die doing so, but the movement will be strong enough to continue without me."
"Has history taught you nothing?" asked Viggo, taking her poorly. "You are assembling an army of misguided and desperate Vikings – fighting for a world that is no longer! If you don't let your past die, then it won't let you live."
Maeve didn't speak. Viggo felt the atmosphere cool down. He met her eye.
"Truth is... unless you let go; unless you forgive yourself and those who've hurt you; unless you forgive the situation – the painful past – unless you realize that it's over, you cannot move forward," said Viggo, his tone gentle and kind. His mind wandered, thinking of all the personal relations he had with what he'd put into words. He sighed and rose his gaze to meet hers again. "Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don't... I know where you stand; how you feel: powerless and lost... I've lost so much till I had nothing left but my own life. I was left scarred. My brother, destroyed. My empire, decimated. I understand you, better than anyone ever will."
Maeve fled his gaze, tightening her lips while she searched the ground at her feet. Viggo thought she might consider for a moment, but the fire in her eyes when she rose her head back up told him otherwise. Viggo sighed his exasperation. She wasn't hearing him - she refused to hear him. The woman had too much anger in her heart.
"I'd truly hate to kill you," he said, a grim expression washing over his features. "Don't give me no other choice..."
"So that's how it's gonna be then, huh?" asked Maeve, lifting her chin challengingly.
"If you make it so..."
"Is that a threat?" she asked, smirking.
"I suppose it is," he said, cocking an eyebrow.
There was a pause where neither of them made a move. Maeve was the first to react, and her speed and agility came as a surprise to Viggo when she landed a blow that disoriented the ex-Hunter long enough for her to slip away.
Viggo shook his head, blinking away the dark spots that danced before his vision. He growled his frustration of losing her and hurried outside the tent, chasing after her shadow through the alleyways until he reached the Markets' plaza.
...
Zephyr ran out of the tent to Viggo's signal, following the plan to the letter. She didn't hesitate or feared leaving him alone with Maeve. Everything Viggo had ever said so far had happened. She trusted Viggo. And she needed to help her father.
It wasn't too hard to find them and follow them undetected. Her size and discretion came in handy in this situation. They walked under bridges through alleyways, contouring the Markets' plaza where no one casually wandered by. There were no torches to light up their path. Zephyr could hear the distant shouts as the conflict grew louder. But she didn't allow herself to get distracted by the noises. She kept her eyes on her target, ready to play her part like Viggo had told her to.
But she never got the chance to.
Zephyr didn't skip a beat to dive for cover when she heard an authoritative call coming from up ahead. She peeked from behind the stone brick wall building the perimeter of the Northern Markets to see a familiar woman engaging Maeve's soldiers without skipping a beat. The guards' painful cries suggested the efficiency of the stranger's fighting skills.
It was the Berserker tribe's Chieftess.
Heather.
Zephyr watched through wide eyes as she finished dealing with the second guard, giving him a well deserved kick in the guts. She turned to face Hiccup who stood back with his hands still bound behind him, and for a moment, Zephyr feared the worst. Her heart quickened when she saw her pull out a dagger.
"Wait!" she shouted, leaping out of her hiding spot.
"Zephyr?" said Hiccup, standing straight and attentive when he spotted her coming out of the darkness. She ran up to him and placed herself between the two adults, pushing off the Berserker Chieftess with a brave face.
"I won't let you hurt him!" she cried out, balling her fists to her sides.
"Zephyr, Heather's here to help," reassured Hiccup as Heather circled him to release him from his bonds. "See?"
"But she tried to lock up Viggo," argued Zephyr, eyeing her distrustfully.
"And I have my reasons," replied Heather, folding her arms slowly.
Zephyr held her stare, frowning.
The battle-cries echoing from the center of town grew louder and more present, filling the background with an unpleasant and violent atmosphere that made one want to run as far away from its source as possible.
"We need to get moving," interrupted Hiccup, placing a hand on Heather's shoulder to bring her attention back on him. "Do you know another way off this island?"
"No, unfortunately," said Heather, shaking her head sideways regretfully. "The docks are the only way off this rock."
Hiccup sighed, looking out at the alleyways zigzagging back to the plaza.
"So we fight," he said, his expression neutral.
"Has there ever been another way?" said Heather with a slight smile as she placed a hand on her hip.
Hiccup shared her humour for a moment before hearing an explosion go off. The sky lit up as the flames reached high. Things could not be going well. The Berserkers' presence hadn't taken long to get the people all riled up. Things had gotten much more heated than Hiccup had thought they would. He would gladly join the fight with Heather... but he had Zephyr to think about. He couldn't risk making a run for the docks and off the island.
Hiccup knelt before his daughter, a hand on her shoulder.
"Zephyr," he said, his tone grave. "Promise me you'll hide and won't come out until I come get you. Is that clear?"
"But, Dad-" complained Zephyr, wanting more than ever to be part of the action.
"Promise me," repeated Hiccup, and Zephyr dropped her head. He placed a hand under her chin to meet her sapphire blue gaze. He smiled. "Be smart."
"I'd rather be brave," said Zephyr.
"Be both."
Heather came up next to him, her uneasiness crystal clear. They needed to get moving.
"Hiccup, we need to go," said Heather, her tone calm but insistent.
Hiccup nodded and straightened up. He grabbed Zephyr's hand and led her to a pile of crates and barrels gathered by the side of the jailhouse. He rearranged the setup to hide her better while she sat down leg crossed in the middle of the empty furniture.
"I'll be back for you," said Hiccup. "I promise."
SOME OF YOU FELL FOR MY TRIPLE CROSS HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA i cant believe I managed to FOOL some of you. congrats to those who saw it coming, I see you are people of culture as well UwU