Chapter 7: Grump
"Gobber!" Boyd called, cupping his hands around his mouth as he walked through the woods with his companions, "Where are ye, Gobber!?"
"Give it a rest, Boyd," Will said with a sigh. The lordlings were leading the two Vendal before them with weapons drawn, the old man hobbling along with the help of his staff while the young woman continued to glare daggers at them from over her shoulder. Gradually, the Highlanders emerged from the woods and regrouped by the burned farmhouse. Glancing around, Will saw that most of the other Highlander men had emerged from the woods as well, though none had managed to capture any of the other Vendal.
"Sae, now whit?" Boyd questioned as they came to a stop by the husk of the farmhouse.
"Well, it seems like we've gaet a new problem on our hands," Will explained with a sigh, the point of his sword resting gently against the young woman's back.
"Whit dae ye mean?" Maudie asked.
"We came 'ere lookin' fer a dragon," Will elaborated, "But whit we found is a group o' Vendal livin' saemewhere 'round 'ere. But th' Vendal clearly didnae start this fire, sae now, in addition tae haein' tae root oot th' Vendal camp 'at's obviously 'round 'ere, we still hae a dragon tae take care o'."
"Ah'm sure it will be fine," Boyd said confidently, "We'll find 'at dragon in nae time."
"In nae time?" Will questioned as he gave Boyd an incredulous look, "How are we gaein' tae find th' dragon in nae time, Boyd!? It cud be anywhere! Whit, dae ye think it's gaein' tae amble up tae us an' say, 'Hey there, lads! How's 'boot a scrap!?'"
At that moment, a thunderous roar came from the woods, catching everyone's attentions. A few seconds later, Gobber emerged from the woods, huffing and puffing as he hobbled along as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Och hey, there's Gobber!" Boyd said, pointing towards the Viking, oblivious to everyone else's confused expressions, "Hey, Gobber! Why ye runnin'!? Whit's th' rush?"
As if to answer Boyd's question, the dragon that Gobber had encountered a few minutes earlier came crashing through the trees, roaring as it continued to pursue the Viking. The gathered Highlanders all froze, eyes wide in shock at the sight of the charging dragon.
"Run!" Gobber shouted as he ran, waving his arms around frantically to try and get the Highlanders to snap back to their senses, "Move! Get tae cover!"
"Erybody, move!" Will shouted, causing the gathered Highlanders to scatter, taking cover as Gobber and the dragon came crashing onto the farmlands. Glancing behind him, Gobber let out a cry of fear as the dragon took a leap at him, its jaws opened to swallow him whole. At the last second, Gobber dove to the side, rolling across the ground as the dragon slammed into the earth, sending clouds of dirt flying into the air.
Quickly rolling back to his feet, Gobber glanced around, watching as the Highlanders emerged from their cover.
"Surround it!" Will order as he pointed at the dragon "Daenae get too close!"
As the men surrounded the dragon, Will grabbed the Vendal woman before pushing her towards Andra, who quickly grasped her shoulders, holding her fast even as she struggled against his grip.
"Keep an eye on those two!" Will said as he pointed at his friends while running over to the circle of Highlanders that had surrounded the dragon. Looking over at Andra, Boyd watched for a moment as the Vendal woman struggled against his grasp. Turning his attention towards the old man standing passively next to him, Boyd reached up and grabbed the Vendal's bony arm, prompting him to look down at the lordling in confusion.
Maudie, for her part, stayed at the side of the two lordlings, nervously ringing her hands as she watched the events unfold.
"Okay, Gobber," Will said as he stopped next to the smith in his part of the circle with sword at the ready, watching as the dragon shook its head clear and began snarling at the surrounding Highlanders, "Whit are we dealin' with 'ere?"
"Well, 'at wud be a dragon," Gobber explained as he gestured towards the beast, which was baring its teeth threateningly at the Highlanders.
"Ah know it's a bloody dragon!" Will hissed angrily, "Whit kind is it!?"
"If Ah had tae guess, Ah wud say 'at it's a Hotburple," Gobber answered.
"Alright," Will replied with a nod, before sighing as Gobber didn't continue, "Whit daes 'at mean?"
"It's kind o' like a Gronkle, but bigger," Gobber answered, "It's got a jaw 'at can bite through solid steel, an' 'at tail is heavy enough tae crush a man."
"How 'boot fire?" Will questioned, watching as the Hotburple grew more agitated, "It can breathe fire, right?"
"Nae...quite," Gobber answered nervously.
Will looked like he was going to push Gobber on the answer but was interrupted as the Hotburple let out a monstrous roar. Turning his attention to it, Will watched as the Hotburple opened up its cavernous jaws and dug them into the ground in front of it, scooping up a sizeable chunk of earth before throwing its head back and swallowing it.
"Get back," Gobber said, his face going pale as he began backing away from the Hotburple.
"Whit?" Will questioned as he glanced over at Gobber in confusion.
"Eryane get back!" Gobber shouted, prompting the Highlanders to take a few hesitant steps away from the dragon as they shot Gobber perplexed looks.
A moment later, the Hotburple opened its mouth again while making a horrible, guttural noise. Then, suddenly, hot molten rock came spewing out of the Hotburple's open maw, fanning out in front of it as it shook its head in a semi-circle motion. The Highlanders in front of the Hotburple let out cries of alarm, diving out of the way as the molten rock splashed onto the ground, the air above it rippling with intense heat.
"Alright, 'at seems bad," Will said, holding one hand in front of his face to shield it from the heat, "Ye gaet any idea how tae beat this thin', Gobber?"
"Hotburple's daenae hae a lot o' stamina," Gobber answered, watching as the dragon swung its tail at the men behind it, who quickly backed away so they wouldn't be struck by the bulbous club at the end, "It probably burnt through most o' it tryin' tae run me doon. Ah doubt it even has th' strength tae fly away right now."
"Sae, whit, ye want us tae wear it doon?" Will inquired.
"'At's exactly whit Ah want ye tae dae," Gobber confirmed with a nod.
Nodding his head with a smirk, Will turned his attention towards the other Highlanders.
"Alright lads, this fat bastard daesnae hae th' stamina fer a long fight!" Will declared, "Wear him doon!"
"Hey, over 'ere, ye oversized lizard!" one of the Highlanders taunted, prompting the Hotburple to turn towards the man before lunging at him, trying to bite the man, but the warrior managed to dodge out of the way and the dragon's jaws snapped closed on empty air.
"Right 'ere!" another Highlander shouted from behind the Hotburple, "Ah'm right 'ere!"
Snarling, the Hotburple lifted its tail before trying to slam it down on the Highlander, forcing him to leap clear as the club smashed against the earth.
"Come on, big boy!" Will urged as he gestured at the Hotburple to come at him, "Come an' get me!"
Turning to face Will, the Hotburple roared before rushing at Will. The lordlings eyes widened in surprise before dodging to the side, avoiding the Hotburple as it charged past. Recovering his footing, Will turned to look at where the Hotburple had gone, finding that it had stumbled to a stop a few feet away, breathing heavily as the other Highlanders surrounded it again.
"Looks like we've worn this thin' oot, Gobber!" Will called over to the Viking, "Whit now!?"
"Ah hae an idea, m'lord!" Duncan called.
Turning towards the sound of Duncan's voice, Gobber and Will saw the large Highlander running towards them from the direction of where the horses had been left, carrying bundles of rope with weights tied to their ends in his burly arms. As he reached the Hotburple, he dropped all but one of the ropes onto the ground, gripping the remaining one in his meaty hand and swinging one end in a circle above his head. Once he had built up enough speed, Duncan released the rope sending the end he had been spinning sailing over the Hotburple before the weight thudded against the ground on the dragon's opposite side, causing the rope to cross over the beast's bulky body. Feeling the rope stretching across its back, the Hotburple tried to shake it off, but was unable to dislodge it thanks to the weights holding the rope down.
"Good ane, Duncan!" Will called as he sheathed his sword, ran over and grabbed one of the weighted ropes, spinning one end above his head for a moment before tossing it over the Hotburple, weighing it down with another rope, "Eryane! Grab saeme more an' weigh th' dragon doon!"
At Will's order, a few of the Highlanders broke off from the circle, while the rest worked to keep the Hotburple distracted. Scooping up the weighted ropes, the Highlanders worked with Will and Duncan to throw the remaining ropes over the Hotburple. In mere moments, the Hotburple's back was criss crossed with a dozen ropes, the weights dragging it down so much that the dragon could barely lift its head above the ground. Snarling, the Hotburple opened its mouth and attempted to bite into the ground, but was stopped as Duncan rushed over and grabbed the dragon's jaws.
"Oh nae ye daenae," Duncan growled, the thick muscles of his arms bulging as he forced the Hotburple's jaws closed. As he grappled with the dragon, another Highlander ran over with more rope and handed it to Duncan. Taking the rope, Duncan quickly tied it around the Hotburple's mouth, forcing it to remain shut.
"Nicely done, lads," Will said with a laugh, clapping proudly as the Highlanders looked down at the immobilized dragon.
"Gobber!" Maudie called, catching the Viking's attention as she rushed over to him.
"Maudie!" Gobber replied, looking her over with a nervous expression as she reached him, "Are ye alright?"
"Ah'm fine," Maudie answered as she looked at Gobber anxiously, "Whit 'boot ye?"
"Ah'm alright," Gobber replied with a chuckle, "Ah've come oot o' a fight with a dragon much worse 'an this in th' past."
"Whit are ye gaein' tae dae with it now?" Maudie inquired.
"Dae wit whit?" Gobber asked in confusion.
"Th' dragon," Maudie explained as she glanced over at the Hotburple, "Ye're….ye're nae gaein' tae kill it, are ye?"
"Ah-Ah daenae…." Gobber tried to answer, caught off guard by the question as he looked at Maudie in confusion, "Why are ye askin'?"
"Ah-Ah'm sorry, Ah know it jist tried tae eat ye but…." Maudie trailed off as she looked fully at the Hotburple, "But look at it. It seems sae….sae scared."
Turning his attention towards the Hotburple, Gobber watched as the dragon looked around in distress, its breaths coming in short, panicked bursts. A conflicted expression crossed Gobber's face as he turned back to Maudie.
"Well done, m'lord," Duncan spoke up, interrupting Gobber and drawing his attention, "Now, wud ye like tae hae th' honor?"
"Whit honor?" Will questioned, looking at Duncan with a furrowed brow.
"Why, th' honor o' slayin' th' dragon, o' course," Duncan replied with an amused chuckle as he drew one of his swords from its sheath and offered the hilt to Will.
"Uh, nae," Will said, shaking his head with a surprised expression, "Ah daenae think sae."
"Very well," Duncan replied, his expression perplexed as he turned towards where Andra and Boyd were standing, still holding the Vendal prisoners, "Whit 'boot ye, m'lords?"
Boyd and Andra shared an uneasy glance before they both shook their heads.
"Truly?" Duncan questioned in surprise before turning towards Gobber, grinning as he did, "Whit 'boot ye, Gobber?"
"Me?" Gobber asked in surprise.
"O' course," Duncan confirmed as he approached Gobber, still holding the hilt of his sword out to the Viking, "Ye were tellin' us how much experience ye hae in killin' dragons. Ah believe Ah ance heard 'at th' Vikin's o' Berk are known as th' Slayer Tribe throughoot th' Norselands due tae their prowess in killin' dragons. Why daenae ye demonstrate how an expert daes it?"
Gobber hesitated as he looked at the offered sword. Slowly, he turned his gaze towards Maudie, who gave him a pleading look. Shifting his eyes again, Gobber looked at the Hotburple, who met his gaze with a terrified expression. Setting his jaw, Gobber turned his attention back to Duncan.
"Nae," Gobber stated firmly, "Ah waenae dae it."
"Whit?" Duncan asked in confusion, "Why nae?"
"Ah cannae," Gobber answered, glancing around as a realization came to him, "This isnae th' dragon 'at attacked this farm."
"What are ye talkin' 'boot?" Duncan question, clearly irritated as he lowered his arm, "O' course this is th' dragon. Ye're th' ane who jist found it nae a stone's throw away from 'ere."
"But look 'round ye!" Gobber exclaimed, walking past Duncan as he gestured at the devastated farm, "This farm was burnt tae th' ground!"
"An' th' dragon breathes fire," Duncan argued, clearly not understanding what Gobber was trying to say as he gestured at the Hotburple.
"Nae, it spits up molten rock," Gobber countered, holding up a finger towards Duncan, "There's a difference."
"Whit difference?" Duncan demanded with an agitated tone.
"Just look!" Gobber all but shouted as he walked up to where the Hotburple had spit at them and gestured at the now solidified rock, "If this Hotburple attacked th' farm, th' remains shud be covered in this. There shud be gouges where it dug up th' earth. But there's nae."
"Gobber's right," Will agreed with a nod as he looked around at the farmlands, "Naene o' th' evidence we've found suggest 'at this dragon was responsible."
"Be that as it may, m'lord, this is still a dangerous creature," Duncan argued as he turned his attention towards Will, "Th' people o' Yorksdale will be grateful tae us fer removin' this threat."
"Sae, ye wud kill an innocent creature?" Maudie asked, aghast.
"Ma lady, this monster is hardly innocent," Duncan chided as he looked at Maudie, "It may nae be guilty o' this crime, aye, but who knows whit others it has committed?"
"It may very well hae committed nae crimes," Maudie retorted angrily, "Ah've seen th' kindness an' gentleness these creatures are capable o' first hand. They aren't the bloodthirsty monsters you make them out to be."
"This very dragon attempted tae eat Gobber," Duncan replied looking at Maudie like she was stupid, "'At daes nae suggest gentleness tae me."
"It's because Ah wandered intae its den by accident," Gobber explained, "Fer all it knew, Ah was there tae kill it in its sleep."
"Whit happened tae th' great dragonslayers o' Berk Ah hae heard sae much aboot?" Duncan questioned as he looked at Gobber with an incredulous expression, "Yer people are supposed tae delight in th' killin' o' dragons, yet ye pale at th' thought o' harmin' ane 'at sought yer death."
A pensive expression crossed Duncan's face as he turned to fully face Gobber.
"Is this due tae th' spineless weaklin' Ah've heard th' princess is supposed tae marry?" Duncan questioned, "Ahwonder if he's haein' a bad influence on yer people."
"Whit did ye jist say!?" Gobber snapped as he stamped towards Duncan, his gaze almost blazing with anger as the Highlander smirked at him, "Whit th' Hel did ye jist say aboot Hiccup!?"
"Gobber, nae," Will said as he stepped between the Viking and Duncan, putting a hand on the smith's chest to keep him back, "We daenae hae time fer 'at."
Gobber was still angry as he looked down at Will, but made no effort to push past the lordling.
"As fer ye," Will continued as he turned a hard look towards Duncan, "Ah suggest ye watch yer tongue. 'At "weakling" ye speak o' happens tae be a friend o' mine."
"Ah apologize if Ah gave any offense, m'lord," Duncan replied before he turned his attention towards the Hotburple, his sword gripped in his hand, "But, if naene o' ye wish tae hae th' honor o' deliverin' th' killin' blow, then Ah suppose it falls tae me."
"Nae, it daesnae," Will said sternly, "Stand doon, Duncan."
"With all dae respect, sir," Duncan said as he approached the Hotburple, "Ye are nae ma lord. Ye dae nae command me."
"Nae, but ma father daes!" Boyd's voice rang out, so sharp that Duncan froze in place, his sword halfway raised to strike the Hotburple.
So unexpected was Boyd's outburst that it took everyone a moment to get over their shock before they turned their attention to the lordling, who's hard gaze was entirely focused on Duncan.
"An' Ah'm sure he'd be very disappointed tae hear o' yer conduct taeday, Duncan O'Dingwall," Boyd continued.
"Ah-Ah apologize, m'lord," Duncan replied, looking cowed beneath the weight of Boyd's gaze, "Ah was anly tryin' tae bring honor tae our clan."
"Our clan daesnae find any honor in th' slaughter o' innocent creatures," Boyd countered, causing Duncan to flinch as if he had been struck, "Sheath yer sword, Duncan."
Silently, Duncan did as he was bid, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground. Gobber watched the confrontation unfold with wide eyes before he turned to look at Will, the lordling unable to offer the Viking anything other than a confused shrug.
"Well then," Will spoke up as he looked at the rest of the group, "Now 'at 'at's settled, we now hae tae decide whit we're actually gaein' tae dae wit this dragon."
"Ah suppose we cud brin' it back tae th' village," Gobber suggested, causing everyone else to look at him like he was insane.
"Are ye sure 'at's a good idea, Gobber?" Maudie questioned as she stepped up next to him.
"Nae," Gobber admitted with a shake of his head, "But Ah daenae see whit other choice we hae. We cannae jist leave it here an' we hae tae gae back tae th' village anyway. At least back in Yorksdale, there will be better ways o' containin' it until we figure oot whit tae dae next."
"Ah suppose ye're right," Will agreed with a nod before he turned to look at the dragon, "Th' question is how dae we get it back tae th' village?"
"Ah hae an idea," Maudie stated with a smile.
Later,
The afternoon sun was already hanging low in the sky by the time the group managed to make their way back to Yorksdale. As they wandered into town, a crowd of villagers gathered together, their gazes focused on the Hotburple the group was leading on, the heavy weighted ropes that bound it lashed to the saddles of the group's horses, which were formed in a semicircle around the dragon. With the Clydesdales leading it, the Hotburple reluctantly trundled further, urged on by Gobber, who was periodically banging his prosthetic hammer against a borrowed shield, the aggravating noise keeping the dragon moving. The sight was so bizarre that none of the gathered villagers noticed the two Vendal riding with Boyd and Andra, their hands bound behind their backs.
By the time the group had reached the village square, it seemed as though all the villagers had gathered to gawk at them. Pushing his way through the crowd, Malcolm stared at the Hotburple in shock, sweat already forming on his brow.
"M-M'lord!" Malcolm muttered, looking up at Will as the lordling reined his horse to a stop in front of the mayor, "W-Whit is this!?"
"This, Ah'm told, is a Hotburple," Will answered, grinning as he gestured back at the dragon, which had laid down on its stomach once the horses had come to a stop.
"Is-Is this th' dragon 'at has been attackin' us?" Malcolm inquired, his expression baffled.
"Nae, it daesnae seem tae be," Will replied, "We jist found him oot by th' farm."
"An' ye haenaeslain it?" Malcolm questioned in confusion.
"Nae need fer 'at," Will answered with a dismissive chuckle, "Though we dae need saeme place tae put th' big fella while we figure oot whit tae dae wit him."
"Ah suppose there is space behind th' village smithy," Malcolm pondered aloud, his worried look still focused on the Hotburple.
"Excellent," Will said with a smile, "Ah'm sure we can get saemethin' sturdier 'an ropes there tae keep him contained too."
"But….But whit o' th' dragon 'at attacked th' farm?" Malcolm questioned nervously.
"We're still on th' lookout fer 'at ane," Will explained, looking slightly embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head, "We found saeme clues, but we got sidetracked by saeme other thin's."
As Will spoke, Andra and Boyd rode their horses up to him. As they approached, Malcolm glanced at them before doing a double take as he noticed the Vendal captives who were riding with them.
"Are-Are those….!?" Malcolm exclaimed, his words eventually devolving into panicked sputters as he stared at the Vendal in surprise, the rest of the crowd murmuring in shock as they saw as well.
"Oh right," Will said nonchalantly as he glanced at the Vendal before looking back at Malcolm, "Th' local constabulary has a few jail cells, correct?"
Malcolm could only nod numbly in reply, his gaze focused on the Vendal girl who appeared to be trying to murder the mayor by glaring at him.
"Great!" Will exclaimed before he urged his horse onward, prompting the rest of the group to follow, the Hotburple grumbling as it rose to its feet and followed along, "We'll drop off our new prisoners there."
As the group moved past him, Malcolm looked anxiously between the Hotburple and the Vendal. Finally, he looked back at Will, expression bordering on panic.
"M'lord!" he exclaimed, "Ye were anly supposed tae slay a dragon!"
"Ah know, right?" Will replied with a laugh, "It's been a Hel o' a day!"
A/N: Well, this was a fun chapter to write. And it's nice to get another chapter of this story done. I'm looking to try and focus more on this story and the ones related to it, because I feel as though I have been neglecting them for too long. Hope you guys like it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!