Chapter 16

Unexpected Turns

Hi everyone! I know it had been a long, but I have been quite busy this summer, and let's say it, it was summer, so I spent more time away from the computer than usual. Anyway I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

A bit of a recap: Viggo wants Astrid to help him stole the books in the library; they plan to turn the thievery against him and capture him. Mala is on the island for a visit; Hiccup is secretly training a Typhoomerang and a Timberjack in order to use those particular dragons in the war.

The days following Eret and Kalisha's wedding had been pretty busy and merry for most of the inhabitants; Mala's soldiers represented a whole lot of new clients for the taverns and merchants of the island, and the income they would generate would really help during winter.

Yet the busiest were probably the chief and his fiancée. Astrid would still train the new fighters along with Belda and Fishlegs, train Stormfly and herself to fly, and of course, she had to handle Viggo. Hiccup on the other hand, was still busy secretly taming the Typhoomerang and Timberjack in the forest, would also train himself and Toothless and take care of his tribe. And of course, both of them would take care of Rona. But that wasn't all; they also had a lot of meetings with Mala and Fury's counselors.

One evening, while Astrid was meeting Viggo, he went to them. He and Toothless were always careful not to be followed. The dragon would sniff the air around while his rider would carefully listen to any sound.

"I'm pretty sure Astrid is keeping Viggo busy, Bud, but we're never too careful."

The beast answered with a little growl. They found the two dragons without difficulty. They came toward them before Hiccup called.

"They're getting used to us!"

A joyful sound came out of Toothless and he went to the two dragons and exchanged a few roars, reminding them he was in charge and they shouldn't try to hurt his rider. He extended his black wings wide, and though he was bigger than them, the two wild dragons didn't try to fight any further. Hiccup couldn't help but smile at this, he took off his mask, happy to have it off his skin.

"Thank you, Bud."

He approached the Typhoomerang first who recoiled a bit. "Come on, don't be scared, I don't want to hurt you, I want us to be friends." The beast approached his head and sniffed his hand then rubbed his scales against his skin. Hiccup tried to approach further but the beast recoiled again. But when he did that, the Timberjack approached by itself and gave Hiccup a nudge. The young man smiled and petted him gently. The beast leaned in his touch and after a few moments, Hiccup backed away and called him. He just wanted him to respond, to come to his call. The Timberjack tilted his head to the side. Toothless added a growl, as if he wanted to make sure the dragon could understand. The big beast took some steps toward Hiccup who continued to call him. When he was finally at the man's level, he petted him once more and scratched him as a reward.

At this sight, the Typhoomerang came also, envious of the treatment the other dragon was receiving. Hiccup giggled at this and backed away and called the Typhoomerang who came toward him. The dragon stepped toward him, but the Timberjack pushed him away, not eager to see him receive scratches in his stead. Toothless put himself between them and roared. For a moment, Hiccup remembered Gothi back on Berk, when she would settle arguments between men who were way bigger than her but who would submit to her nonetheless. The Timberjack pouted but didn't push the other dragon again.

Hiccup trained them for some times before going back. Flying on Toothless's back in the night was always a pleasure. He looked at the woods, it was weird to imagine Viggo in there, plotting and all. Those looked so peaceful…The night was dark but he could still distinguish some things, like the library or the Great Hall. He was proud of that city he built, truly.

"I don't what to do about Berk though," he admitted out loud to his dragon. "Maybe I should claim back the island after I take down Drago. Spitelout is a bad chief, no doubt on this. I don't know how they will all react. Hel, I don't know how Astrid and Fishlegs will react! But I know I must do something."

His dragon let out a small moan. Hiccup scratched him lightly behind the ears.

"It won't be easy, I know it. At least I'll have you…I hope Astrid won't be too angry."

When he got home, he found his fiancee already there, combing her hair before the fireplace. He sat at her side, and she started to sum up her encounter with Viggo. They didn't speak that much, they merely made a point and on their future mission. From what Viggo told her, a few other men were on their way to help them get the books, then they would transport those to Heidrig, the island Drago currently occupied. Ryker, Viggo's brother, would be among them.

"If we can get the two of them, it will be even better. They are Drago's closest men, he would be even lonelier."

"Indeed. Did you make any progress with the two dragons in the forest, by the way?"

"I did, they are starting to respond to some command and they obey Toothless well enough…"

"Hark!" The little throaty sound interrupted Fury. He first thought it was one of Toothless cub, but instead, he saw it was the little girl making the noise, trying to catch Ebony, one of the little Night Furies, who was flying through the room.

Little Rona was starting to make some sounds; nothing but little grunts or animalistic little noises, but it made both Hiccup and Astrid hope that she would speak again one day. Lady watched the child, keeping an eye to make sure she wouldn't hurt her daughter. Yet Ebony was clearly not in danger of getting hurt.

"Be careful not to catch her tail, they don't like that," Hiccup explained.

She simply gave a nod. Although she used to be scared at him, she was getting more and more accustomed to Fury and she wouldn't look at him with the same wariness as she used to. As often, he used dragons as an advantage, he would teach her how to approach them, properly mount on their back, and would tell her about them. Toothless and Lady's cubs did approach the little girl a few times, even though they were still a bit careful around people they didn't know.

"Just like she did come around," Astrid concluded. "She seems to like you."

Astrid's words were proven true the next morning. Little Rona went to him as he was going out of his room. He didn't even the time to eat that she gestured to come with her impatiently. The girl led him behind the house and showed him Toothless and Lady's cubs who were playing together.

"What is it?"

She went toward them but they backed away slightly. Obviously, the little girl was upset and confused, he could guess her thoughts: why didn't they want to approach her this morning? They accepted to come to her at times, so why not now? Hiccup smiled and sat at her side. He understood very well and he was really touched to see that she came to him for that.

"See, there are times they don't want to be bothered, they'll want to approach you by themselves when they want it. If you make the first move, it will only disturb them. If a dragon is hesitant to come toward you, there is one thing you can do: you can extend your hand to them and turn your head away. Like this."

He showed her the gesture and she titled her head. He gave her an encouraging smile. "It will show them you don't mean any trick, and that you trust them. If they really don't want to come, they'll leave. Otherwise, it should work." He gently took her hand. "Go ahead, don't be scared."

She hesitated, looked at him once more and started to extend her hand. She turned her head away at the same time and Hiccup nodded slightly to her. Toothless looked at his rider and went to him. Hiccup petted his snout while Lady cleaned herself. Rona was still waiting and Hiccup saw Foxy, the most playful of the three, coming toward her. He almost stopped breathing. Rona's breath also stopped as she felt the dragon sniffing her hand. It seemed like time briefly topped when the little dragon pressed his snout against her palm. He saw the girl's face brightening. For a short moment, he saw himself again with Toothless, the very first time he did that. She smiled brightly, more than usual. She looked at him with joy and petted the small Night Fury with happiness. Foxy licked her fingers and leaned into her hand.

Lady approached Rona and sniffed the little girl who got a bit intimidated. Yet the redhead showed her hand tentatively and at Hiccup's astonishment, Lady rubbed her snout against her palm. Yet he soon understood; Hiccup approached her and explained: "She is often scared of humans. Some people hurt her. Just like you, isn't it?"

She lowered her eyes, looked up to him again and nodded. Hiccup went on: "Just like you she was hurt, so she won't trust people easily, and she won't talk. You'll talk again one day, I'm sure. But for now, she probably feels that you're like her. Maybe she also feel a bit motherly toward you, because you're a child, like her own cubs."

Rona smiled at him and looked at Lady and petted her some more. Then she took his hand and put it on Lady's side. Hiccup couldn't help but feel his eyes water a bit, until now, Rona had been a bit scared of him, then she had warmed up, but for the first time, he was feeling something happening between the two of them. He checked around, there was no one to see them.

"My mask scares you a little, doesn't it?" She just lowered her eyes, not daring to admit it; he went on: "You know, I wear it because the mean people I fight cannot see my face. You can, though."

Slowly he took his mask. Rona's mouth fell open when she saw his face. He felt almost embarrassed, Toothless licked his cheek, making him giggle. Petting him, he continued: "Some people say I have scales, or that I am monstrous. But those are only tales. You'll admit I don't really look like a monster."

She nodded, still looking at him with amazement. He smiled and put it back. "You see, there are several reasons why I have to wear it. I will take it off for good one day. But now that you live in my home, and that I'll be, well…Your father, I guess you should know what I look like."

Her eyes widened slightly and her cheek reddened a little. Why was that for? Because he told her he could be her father? Or because he showed her his face? He put his mask back on, just in case and told her to come and take breakfast.

As usual, Astrid trained with Stormfly, Rona came with her, and she spared with Camicazi after. Heather and Fishlegs joined them. The two blond women were exchanging blows, both strong and fast. Astrid made Cami fell down. The woman swiftly jumped on her feet and managed to get behind her opponent quickly. She passed the handle of her axe before her neck, trapping Astrid who made a slight strangled sound. The Hooligan grabbed the back of her opponent's shirt and swiftly bended over, carrying Cami along. The Bog Burglar fell head-first from her back. Astrid's blade was on her neck in a second.

"Okay, I give up…"

Taking her axe away from her neck, Astrid was about to say something when Cami jumped back on her feet and attacked her. The suddenness of it made the Hooligan stumble and she almost fell.

"You…"

"Don't trust an enemy!" Camicazi laughed.

"Oh, you're going down!"

Yet this time, Cami did get the upper hand. They changed partners and Heather spared against Astrid while Fishlegs went against Camicazi. Astrid was starting to really appreciate the Bog-Burglar, in spite of what she did in the past.

"You're stealthy, I must admit it," Astrid pointed out.

"Well, I can call myself an escape-artist," Camicazi explained. "so I worked double on my stealth."

"She trained me with that kind of things," Heather added. "I got good at it, but I could never beat her."

"My friend Ruffnutt wasn't bad at that either, once she begged a guard as if she was losing it, but in reality, she stole the key. Nothing big, but still efficient."

"Oh Gosh, I remember that," Fishlegs commented. "I couldn't believe it! The teens often surprised us with those outbursts of intelligence when I think about it."

"You miss them?" Asked Heather.

"I'm starting to," Fishlegs confessed. "Not that I don't enjoy my time here, but home is home."

"I miss them as well. I don't miss Spitelout, surely, but my friend, my mother and my sister…That's another story," Astrid added. "I wish my mom and sister could meet Rona and Stormfly. I wonder how they would all react if they knew we are riding dragons!"

"Well, as much as I love my home, if they don't want Meatlug, I'll ask Fury to let me settle in," Fishlegs declared with a determination he seldom showed. "I know it can seem crazy to do that for a dragon, but it's like that."

"Not at all. A bond with a dragon can be very powerful," Heather assured.

"And anyway, why sacrifice a loyal friend for people who wouldn't accept you as you are?! It's stupid when you think about it," Cami exclaimed.

She spent most of her times working with both dragons and pupils, until she had to meet Viggo. He told her his men should be there by tomorrow. She decided to ask another question, after all she was a spy and she had to gather more information.

"Why do you need those books so badly? I mean, I know you're not as good as Fury to train dragons, but is it really all? You could just take one of the riders and force them to tell you what you need."

Viggo gave her a little smile as if he was a bit impressed that she didn't buy that simple explanation. "All you need to know is that we must get those books."

"Wait, I'm taking big risks for that, what is it for? Stop telling me I don't have to know, I do, I'm in the middle of this."

He seemed to weigh her words down and finally told her: "Well, let's say that Drago got his hand on a…Pretty rare specimen of dragon."

"What kind?"

"I'm not really an expert like Fury, let's say it's a gigantic kind. But he is having trouble training it. We got it chained and all, and we have someone who could do something with it. But that person had gotten…Difficult. Drago is pretty sure Fury knows something about it, and maybe there are precious contents about that kind of dragons in those books."

She nodded slowly. That was gold! If he wasn't lying, that was really a big step ahead.

"But what if it doesn't work? What if he can't train that dragon?"

Viggo shrugged, obviously he already considered the question: "We have to take risks. That's something I learned, you can never win anything important without risks."

"Yeah, I agree with that…Okay, I'll do my best to get you that key."

"Thank you."

Astrid walked away from Viggo, but when she exited the woods, she saw Rona sprinting toward her. Her hear almost broke her ribcage and she rushed toward the little girl. The child barely had the time to see her when Astrid took her in her arms and walked away with her. The child passed her arms around her affectionately and Astrid could help but look back. It seemed that something had moved but she wasn't sure. Did Viggo saw Rona? She hoped not; he wasn't that far, maybe he did sight her.

"Kid, you shouldn't be here, I'll take you to your parents," she said loudly enough to make sure Viggo would hear that. Maybe next time she would be able to lie and tell him that she didn't want the kid to see him. She didn't want him to think she had anything to do with Rona. The redhead looked at her questioningly when she spoke about her 'parents'. How would she explain her? Once at home, she simply put the child down and explained her that somebody was listening to them, somebody who couldn't know that she lived with her and Fury. Rona didn't seem to really understand, but maybe she was a bit too young.

"Don' t go to the woods at night anyway, okay? I don't want you to get in danger. What were you doing there anyway? Looking for me?" Rona just nodded. "Just wait for me next time, alright?"

Their evening routine went as usual. She gave the little girl her bath, and she looked at the marks on the child's skin. If only she knew who among those people did that to her…Well, the best solution was to kill as many enemies as possible, that way she might kill one of Rona's torturers. She combed the girl's hair, she had really beautiful red locks. When she had seen her the first time, those were messy, dirty and stern; but now that she was taking care of those, the bright red hair grew to be beautiful. She didn't know whether or not Rona would be pretty later, but her hair would definitely be an asset.

"I wished I had red hair like yours," she told the little girl. "People often prize blond hair, but I always thought red hair were prettier. Yours are like fire."

Ron reddened and smiled at the praise. When she was done with her hair, she led her to bed.

"You need to sleep, now. Good warriors don't neglect their chances to rest, to be ready for the next fight," she murmured nicely. "Good night."

Before she could leave, she felt Rona's hand grabbing hers. She turned to the girl who opened her mouth as if she was trying to speak. Astrid sat on the child's bed and as a little sound came out of her throat. Astrid just looked at her as the child tried once again and finally a little word came out: "…Mom…"

Her voice was small, shy, almost strangled by nervousness or the usual muteness. Yet Astrid understood the word and it gripped her guts; she was completely dumbfounded at this! She didn't know what to respond; she kissed Rona on her forehead, smiled to her and left the room as the little girl was lying down.

"She called me mom," she murmured to Fury once they were alone.

"She spoke?!"

"Yes, and to call me 'mom'," she reminded him.

"Well, she obviously consider you as her mom. Don't you consider her your daughter? As weird as it is, I kinda start to think of her as mine. I must tell you that…I showed her my face today."

Astrid was pretty astonished. "So, even she had seen your face before me?"

"I was willing to unmask myself, you are the one told me not to do so now that you're a spy," he reminded her carefully.

"I know, I know. But it still hitching a bit; I guess it will add a new motivation to take down those people. I didn't really need one, though. Oh, by the way, there is something I learned, something very important."

She told him about that gigantic dragon Drago got his hand on, and also that the one person who could tame it was being 'difficult', whatever that meant. Hiccup listened, almost entranced. A gigantic dragon…He doubted Drago would find much in the books he and his friends wrote, but anyway, he couldn't let him have those. No. He smiled widely at Astrid, he could have fallen in love with her, if he hadn't already.

"You did an excellent job really! I had a feeling Drago would do something like that, but thanks to you, I'm sure of it!"

She couldn't help but blush a bit, and notice he had a nice smile. Eret told her that he had been swept away by Kalisha's smile the first time he saw her. She could understand what he meant, now. Fury took her hand gently and searched for something in his pocket. He put a key into her hand.

"Is it the real one?"

"No, of course not. If everything happens as I thought, we'll take them before they reach the door. You just need a key to fool them."

"Alright."

"Tell Viggo you seduced me and managed to take the key without me noticing."

She gave him a little amused expression: "Seduced you? I'm starting to think you're not only making those tales for Viggo, but that your imagination is getting wild."

"Well, I don't know if you would really be able to fool me that much, but he'll believe it."

She tilted her head, feeling something rose in her, an energy she had already felt in her life; she never thought she would feel that for Fury, but here she was. "Oh, you doubt it?"

"You never showed me whether or not you could do that."

He took back the key and put it in his pocket once more with a daring look. She gave him a little naughty smile and approached him, leaning toward him. "I could, right now, for example, I could tell you that I'm cold, and that I would need your warmth, cause even that fire cannot help me." She took deep breath in. "I could tell you that I like that forest smell you have."

"Do I really smell like that, or is it just an empty praise?"

"Oh you actually do, and it's nice," She approached her nose and he couldn't help but feel a bit shaken, a slight vertigo overtook him, for a short instant. He could feel her breath against his skin… "Your skin is a bit wet…" she murmured while wiping away a drop of water from his neck. He couldn't help but shiver. Yet he remembered she was trying to do something.

He grabbed her wrist promptly as she was taking the key out of his pocket. She gave out a disappointed grunt while he smiled in satisfaction. "Almost. But I must admit I barely felt it. And I was warned, so, I guess it was easier for me."

"I'll try again one day, when you won't be warned. Anyway, I have the key and Viggo will be happy," she concluded.

"Not for long."

"Will you execute him immediately?"

"No, we'll interrogate him a bit, but he'll die shortly," Fury assured her.

"Good."

The next morning, Fury and Astrid spoke of it with Mala, Heather, Eret and Camicazi. The queen immediately settled one important point: "We mustn't harm the dragon. If he is prisoner of Drago, he'll leave at the first chance he got."

"Except if he got broken already," Camicazi reminded her. "But I agree, we have to try to free it first, no need to fight a dragon who could simply fly away."

"Viggo didn't seem so sure about the dragon being obedient," Astrid pointed out. "I could ask more questions."

"Okay, but be very careful, Viggo is sly, he could understand something is wrong. Anyway we have to attack Drago as soon as possible, we can't let him finish his training," Fury asserted.

"Maybe you shouldn't ask questions, Astrid,, we'll interrogate him after all," Eret reminded them.

"Yeah, but he would do everything to hide the truth. Maybe he would be more honest with Astrid since he think of her as an ally," Heather suggested.

"You can try, but don't be too obvious," Hiccup reminded her. "And keep Stormfly with you, remember that."

She smiled to him. "Don't worry, I will."

They decided of the way they would trap Viggo, Ryker and whoever they would bring. After that, they would go ahead and free the beast Drago was attempting to train.

O o O

When Astrid found Viggo and showed him the key, an evil smile appeared on his lips. "Finally. This will be a big step toward victory, I'm sure of it. How did you manage to get it?"

"Stole it from him while I was sweet-talking him. I'm not really fond of those kind of tricks, but it was the best way."

"You won't regret it. But tell me who was that kid yesterday? Is she close to Fury?"

"Rona…No. No, she is just a kid I train. Why?" She couldn't help but feel nervous, she didn't like that one bit.

"Well, I wondered if she might have seen something. Kids tend to cackle and I wouldn't like her to babble to everyone that she saw you talking with a stranger."

"Oh, don't worry, she is mute."

He seemed relieved at this, and so was she. If that was all, then it was alright.

"Well, I hope you're ready, my dear. My men are here, they're hidden in the forest, and with the key, we can go for the books tonight. I'll wait for you there, I'll hide from the guards, you'll sneak out and join me. Once we're sure the area is clear, I'll give my men a signal and they'll come to take the books."

"Understood."

Yes! They were so close! They would still have much to do, but taking this guy down would already be a big step! She tried to ask him about the gigantic dragon but he didn't give much answer, telling her that Drago didn't give him any fresh news.

After nightfall, she went to the library. She had let Rona to Kalisha while she would go, she couldn't let such a young child alone at home. Fury, Heather, Eret, Fishlegs, Camicazi and a few other soldiers would follow her discretely. She found Viggo hiding nearby, and they sneaked toward the library. He watched their surroundings and nodded. They opened the library's door and made a owl-ish sound to let his own men know they had to come. A few shadows moved stealthily toward them and they entered the library. She noticed one man was carrying a bag over his back, a big bag. What was it?

"What do you have in this?" Asked she in a low voice.

The man gave no answer. Viggo turned to Astrid. Suddenly, before she realized it, he put his dagger right on her neck. She was about to grab her axe when two strong hands caught her arms.

"Not a move."

What?! They caught her by surprise! She could have found a way to free herself from the man's grasp, but with that weapon on her skin, she would probably get killed. The man holding her took both her wrists in one big hand and put a knife under her throat. Viggo smirked and went to the door. He tried the key and of course, the door didn't open.

"That's what I thought. It's not the good key. Astrid, you really disappoint me."

"Fuck you! I don't care if I die, you're surrounded anyway. You won't get away so easily."

"Ah, I imagine Fury didn't let you come in like that. And I imagine you could find a trick to free yourself. But you see, I'm a precautious man, I told my brother to take a little something to ensure my escape. Oswald?"

The man carrying the bag smirked and took out what the bag contained; Astrid froze in horror when she saw what it contained. No! It can't be!

Outside, Hiccup and his fighters were about to enter. Their dragons just joined them. Now that was it, it was exactly the time for them to finally get Viggo and Ryker! He was about to enter the library when the door suddenly opened. His eyes widened when he saw with horror Astrid held by Ryker with a knife on her throat. Oh, Hel, Viggo discovered everything! Everyone around was shocked and devastated to see their plan had been turned against them. But more of all, they all feared for their friend.

"Astrid!"

"Don't try anything, please," she cried out.

The dragons roared and growled but their riders stopped them from making any moves.

"I advise you to listen to her," the man declared proudly and angrily, "maybe she could survive some wounds, but she isn't the only one at stake."

He advanced and allowed the others to get out. Their horror grew as they saw Viggo and another man who was holding an unconscious Rona against his chest. His dagger was against the kid's neck.

Fishlegs gave Astrid a desperate look, he knew his friend: if her own life was in danger, she wasn't scared, but she wouldn't risk someone else's survival, especially a child's life. Oh Hel, what should he do?

"Hiding behind a little girl! Did you become that low?!" Heather yelled in rage.

Viggo smirked: "Oh, you're almost making me feel bad!" He looked at Fury. "Now, you're letting us go, or they both die. We both know you're too sensitive to take that risk."

Hiccup gritted his teeth, sadly he wasn't wrong. He couldn't let Astrid or Rona die the simple sight of them being held hostage was terrifying. That was his weakness, and Viggo knew it: he wasn't willing to sacrifice his loved ones for victory. It could be strength, but right now, it was allowing Viggo to leave with two hostages. Eret suddenly realized something: not only Astrid and Rona were in danger, but what happened to his wife?! They let the little girl to Kalisha; did they kill her?!

"What did you do to my wife?!" Yelled Eret, feeling nauseous with worry.

"Well, go see for yourself. I have no idea whether she is alive or not, she fell pretty badly, I must say," Ryker sadistically replied.

"Go to her," Fury immediately ordered. "There are enough of us here."

Eret mounted his dragon and flew toward his house. Hiccup silently prayed she wasn't dead, his hatred of the two men increased, it became so boiling it was almost unbearable. His finger begged him to take his sword and kill the two.

"You think this is over? If you hurt them, you know I will make you pay. I will give you a death which will make thousands shivers," Fury declared threateningly. "Your simple name will make pity rise in anyone, because when people will think about you, they'll only remember the suffering you endured."

Viggo's smirk vanished and he straightened his back: "Oh, don't be scared for her, she could still get out of this unscathed. You however…I also have plans for you, dear Fury."

"You frigging…" Camicazi yelled while throwing herself at Ryker. The man caught her and disarmed her so easily that he laughed. "Another hostage! This is getting better!"

Hamera, Camicazi's dragon, was about to attack when her owner gave her a sign not to move. Although the dragon was fidgeting and couldn't hold in place, she didn't attack. She gave Hiccup a look and he understood immediately why Camicazi did that: she wanted to get caught. He thanked her mentally for that, and let Viggo, Ryker and their few men walk away from them.

"Don't worry, we'll come for you," Fishlegs swore.

"If you're as smart as you think, you won't harm them," Heather yelled threateningly.

Hiccup watched silently. He couldn't save them now, but he would go for them. Hell, knowing Astrid and Camicazi, they could escape by themselves, but with the little girl around…It would be even more difficult. Guilt eat him up, he should never have asked Atsrid to do that! They would get them back, he promised himself that, there was no way he would allow them to hurt her! The captors made it out of the village, Astrid was following Viggo, her eyes still on Rona who was starting to stir. Oh, she would be terrified.

"Put her down, you only need me, I'm enough for you!"

"Yeah, I'm also here, two women close to Fury, don't tell me you need to terrorize a child to feel safe," Cami sneered.

"She will help us to keep you good and obedient, something you desperately need to learn," Ryker growled at the Bog-Burglar. Suddenly, he punched her hard right at the function of the jaw and ear. Cami was knocked out immediately and Astrid was about to yell when she suddenly felt pain and then succumbed to darkness as well.

Okay, well, they're in the s***. We'll finally see Drago in the flesh! When I think about it, he still didn't make an appearance! Time to fix that!