I have to thank you all so much for all your sweet words. I am so glad that you like this story just as you loved "King of Berk". #grateful...
favourluru: Wouldn't wanna spoil anything to you but Astrid is going to make her entrance soon.
dinochickrox: Uh! Preach! Me too.
Seina Strarlyn: It's harder than you think to catch a mermaid. No one's ever done it before. Also they are faster and probably smarter since they are monsters. Their senses are more advanced than humans, especially inside the water which is their natura habitat. Now if you manage to bring one on land... that's another story.
Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Drink up me hearties yo ho!
CHSHiccstrid: Please don't keep it to yourself I love to read your theories. 3
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Now let's ""dive"" into this chapter.
Get it? See what I did there?... because it's a mermaid AU?
Okay I'm sorry... I'll just shut up.
((("SaraSingee42" on YouTube wrote and sang this beautiful song called "Siren Song (original)" that I'm using for this chapter. Please check her out on youtube. Her work is amazing. )))
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["Don't say goodbye my love. We will find a way. We can work this out you'll see!"]
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["We can't. And you know it."]
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The sun is now gone and the night fury sails under the starless, moonless sky. There is no twilight, only blackness. The low sky has become a ceiling of grey black rock above. Only the wind and the first drops of rain let them know that they are in the open.
The stars in the sky were nonexistent, as between them were arose puffs of gray. Those balls of cotten seen during the day shifted into streams of gray the color of ash and soot. They blanketed the sky, hiding the full moon in it's full glory behind them. And even though the moon fought to shine it's light on the sea, the clouds stretched over the sky, giving it a hazy ominous feel.
The clouds fail to blanket the sky, instead they are sporadic, chaotic in where they choose to be thick or sparse. In the gaps the sky has darkened and the clouds are no longer white or paler grey, instead they are blackened shadows that shift with the wind. There are times they move just enough to reveal the full moon, but for the most part this night will be without the benefit of her silvery light.
Legend has it, that Syrens are the Devil's daughters.
And they live deep into the deepest and darkest places of the ocean. Down at the bottom of the sea where they keep the corpses of their victims for the eternity.
And what of a better place to look for a Syren than the gates of hell.
"To the left for hellheim's gate!" Fishlegs shouted and Hiccup turned the steering weel.
The night fury turned left, always being awfully close to the pointy rocks.
The shipwrecks were shrouded in mist. They licked at the rotting skeleton bringing moisture to the deepening crevices. They had been a fine cutter in their day, sails of finest linen and a sleek prow to slice the ocean. Now they looked for all the world like a ruin, somewhere in the distance there should be the sound of hooves, swords or an intellectual argument approaching along the rocks.
But the ships were quite forgotten in their demise, bit by bit they became apart of the waves that beat them so relentlessly. Another century and they wouldn't even be a memory.
"Okay quick question...how do we know those mermaids even exist?"
"Shut up Snotlout!" Ruffnut said.
"I'm just saying...I mean this could all be a trap. The King could have sent us here to just finish us."
"Shhhhhh! Be quiet!"
"Okay fine..."
They all had a mission. To capture a mermaid without killing her. But how did they know they were really back? For all they knew they all vanished years ago after the war ended. Why would they return now?
"And how do we know the King will keep his word huh?" Snotlout asked again.
"We know because I know. Now shut your damn mouth before I throw you in for them to eat your useless body!" Hiccup shouted at him in anger which was enough for him to gulp and shut up.
They all remained silent for a few moments later standing still in their possisions, ready for any kind of movement, any sign of them.
Silence.
Suspicious silence.
Chilly air that made your spine freeze in fear.
When the demons smell blood, they come out and hunt.
But now it's different. Now Hiccup and his pirates were the hunters.
"mmmmmm..."
Or so they thought.
"Aaaaaahhhhh..."
"What was that?" Snotlout's voice was trembling.
"Are you scered Snotlout?" Ruffnut laughed.
"Let me think... we're after demonic creatures that have no human emotions and all they want is to kill us? Yes Ruffnut! Fear is my number one emotion right now!"
"Shhhhh!" Hiccup shushed them, trying to hear.
"lala laaaaaahh..."
A female voice was humming a lullaby.
"Do you hear that Captain?"
"Yes I do. They're close. Prepare the nets!"
The pirates obeyed and held their nets tighter. This would be easy right? They would catch a mermaid and sail the hell away from that hideous place. It would be like fishing!
Except...they were the bait.
"Lalalala laaaaaa..."
The fog was too thick. None of them could see anything. All that was visible were the very ends of some pointy rocks.
Everyone was on the deck.
"Be ready." Hiccup said without being able to see anything of course. "They're close."
Hiccup was focused on the steering wheel. He couldn't risk hitting any of those dangerous rocks. His eyes struggled to see the water. The crew was trying to see as well. Everyone on guard in case they see one of them.
"Hear my voice beneath the sea,
sleeping now so peacefully..."
A female voice started to sing inside their heads. But he knew he must not obey.
"...at the bottom of the sea..."
He cannot let them enchant him.
"...sleep for all eternity."
Those creatures took away hundreds of his people.
"Naaaaanahhh..."
He cannot let them do the same to him.
"Sailors live so restlessly, come with me, sleep peacefully..."
He will show them why they call him the master of the sea.
"Listen to the Syren's song, worry not for nothing's wrong."
The ocean doesn't belong to them. Hell is their real home. No man can own the sea.
" Let the ocean fill your lungs, struggle not soon peace will come, taking in your final breath, sink down to the ocean's depths."
No man can tame the tides.
"Let my voice lead you this way..."
No man...
"...I will not lead you astray..."
No man...
"...Trust me as we reach the side..."
His eyes were starting to get blurry.
"Jumping out where men have died."
No! Wake up Hiccup! He cannot let them win. He cannot let himself on their mercy. Their song won't affect him.
The gulls were tossed paper in a storm, flashes of white in the grey, tumbling as they struggled against the gale. Beneath them the sea rised as great mountains, anger in the form of water, turbulent and unforgiving.
"They are so beautiful Captain."
"Don't listen to them! Their songs are nothing but a distraction!"
But no one was listening to him.
The entire crew was walking towards the edge of the ship, leaving their nets on the deck.
"No! Wake up! They want to drown you!"
"Hear my voice beneath the sea..."
"They want...they want to drown...they..."
"Sleeping now so peacefully..."
"They want..." He felt his body getting weak. Like he was unable to control his moves.
"They want..."
He felt his legs walking towards the edge of the ship.
"At the bottom of the sea..."
He wanted to shut his ears close so that he would never hear their dreadful song again.
"Sleep for all eternity."
But hell...was her voice beautiful.
Their song was irresistibly sweet, yet their sadness and grief was laced in their words. The melody purred to the soul, piercing through and engulfing the sailor's entire being from within.
He felt the waves as they were roughly hitting the ship, their sounds almost fading away. His men screaming for him not to walk another step, for he would almost fall into the sea.
But he wouldn't listen to them. His feet wouldn't respond. It was almost like his body was taken over. As if he was hypnotized by this angelic lullaby. His mind was sleeping but his body was awake, with all his senses fully aware of what is happening to him.
But still, unable to control anything.
Just like one of those nightmares everyone has at least once in his life, where you have zero control over your own body and you are forced to just watch yourself experience tortures but you're unable to do anything.
He approached the corner of the ship and looked down at the black sky reflecting on the clear water.
The waves grew so large that the vessel was dwarfed, riding up and down the mighty swelling sea like a child's toy. Inside the ship there was no staying still unless the person was anchored in place, for the "floor" was whatever surface gravity flung the sailors upon. In that state they'd have prayed to Poseidon himself if they thought it would do any good. There was no mercy in that wind, no grace in the waves, only wrath and tempest. The air was thick with a briny mist, the deck awash with salty waves. The morning would see them bobbing on placid water or else several leagues down with the fishes.
Something moving under the waves got his attention.
At first he thought it was a large fish. He saw a figure of a large dark coloured tail, very fish-like almost like a shark. It was moving like a fish too. With the only difference that it was swimming way faster than any ocean creature he knew.
And then, he spotted skin. Human-like skin. And fins. And human arms and fingers.
And then her hair. Her Golden-like hair that were covering her face, hiding it from his sight as she swam underneath him.
His blood run cold at the realisation of what was happening.
He felt the ocean surrounding him like a large trap. He was the bait, they were the fish.
Then he heard another voice.
"Hiccup..."
It was so different compared to the one that was singing.
At first he thought that he was imagining things, or that his mind was playing games with him.
"Hiccup stay away from there..."
He heared it again. A woman's voice.
"Please back away from there or else they'll drown you..."
He knew it came from inside his head because there weren't any women on the ship except from Ruff. And it definitely wasn't Ruffnut. The voice was sweet and gentle. As if that woman was trying to protect him.
"Get out of there...Now!"
And then, chaos started to spread.
The beautiful lullabies turned into monster screams. And the Syrens started to jump out of the water and crawl their way up on the deck.
Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts.
"Fire the canons!" He screamed and his sailors obeyed.
The ship's big guns boomed once, spilling fire and smoke into the night sky.
Chaos spreaded around him like a fire as he watched his crew getting drugged from the ship's edge into the ocean and then drowned.
He heared the screams of his sailors. He heared the monster's horrifying sounds as they were attacking them, taking over the sea.
He didn't even notice when it started raining. Nor when the rain turned into a storm.
The ship was swinging between the wild high waves and was on the mercy of those demons.
Hiccup saw the twins swinging from the ship's ropes, holding nets trying to capture one. Snotlout fighting against the Mermaids with his sword. Fishlegs enchanted by one of them singing slowly making his way to the plank.
He knew it then.
They were all going to die.
He hopelessly grabbed his sword and started to swing it around in blind, praying that they would make it till the morning alive. Then he would at least be able to get a taste of the sun for one last time before he died.
The rain and wind around this chaos combined with the thunder and lightning in the sky, wouldn't allow him to see or hear clearly.
The waves were dancing around the night fury, moving it left and right as if it were a baby crib.
Suddenly he felt rough nails dig into his skin as one arm grabed him and drugged him towards the edge of the ship.
"No!" he screamed in pain but the creature's strength was way more than he had imagined.
Despite his efforts to escape her, he felt his fingers let go of the wooden ship and all he heard was the huge "splash" of his body falling into the water.
Black.
Dark ocean blue.
So Deep.
So Quiet.
And oh so Mysterious.
Hiccup held his breath for as long as he could. As the creature kept pulling him even deeper into the dark ocean's depths.
The sea.
So strange.
So beautiful.
So wild and yet so calm at the same time.
Hiccup hopelessly tried to fight back. He was moving his hands in circle motions, using all his strength.
If you try to trick it, it'll trick you.
But with no result.
If you play with it, it will make you its new toy.
He struggled to breath as water had almost filled his lungs.
If you dare to think you own it, it will show you you're its possession.
There was almost no air left inside of him. His blood was frozen cold. Suddenly he panicked. He realised he was going to die.
And if you even dare to defy it...it'll drown you.
No! He wouldn't go like this. He wouldn't let those demons win.
It will let you sink into its depths until you leave your last breath. Leaving your corpse to float until it reaches the surface.
But there was nothing he could do. He was helpless, weak, merciless. His heart started to beat so loud he could hear it.
He opened his mouth and screamed for help. But all that came out were bubbles.
Just like the Devil.
And who could hear him down there? Who would ever possible come to help him?
Deadly but beautiful.
At least he would be reunited with his mother.
But...a few seconds before he shut his eyes closed forever, he felt the mermaid's grip let go of his leg.
And not even 2 seconds after she let go of him, another creature held him from his waist, leading him towards the opposite direction of where he was drugged to before. He was going towards the surface.
But who...
Who is this guardian angel that saved him?
Who...
He tried to raise his eyes to see the hero who was leading his towards his safety.
But everything went black.
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[ With love comes loss, they say. But if I ever lose her, I'll have no reason to live.]
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