Author's Note: Hello everyone! =D Welcome back to "Sounds of Silence!" This chapter marks the first chappie in Act II. =) Just one more act left to go! =D
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! =D
~ Beginning of Act III ~
Chapter Eighteen: The Secret Weapon
He knew that there was another way to end this. He just had to find it.
Pacing had always helped him think, even though it was a simple movement. Walking back and forth helped Hiccup calm his mind and slow down and organize his thoughts. This was exactly what the young viking was doing as he paced in his bedroom, hand tucked under his chin and the other cupping his elbow as he walked across the wooden floorboards of his loft. Toothless watched him intently, his tail flicking back and forth. His acid-colored eyes followed his rider's every movement, looking like he was watching a ball being thrown back and forth.
Hiccup pulled his hands to his temples, rubbing them as he worked, worked, worked his mind to come up with a solution. He had lost track of time; he didn't know how long he had been cooped up in his bedroom thinking. But even though he was riding his train of thought, he hadn't come up with anything useful, making him more than frustrated. Hiccup felt like he was wasting his time; lives were at risk, and he couldn't come up with a more efficient plan that would prevent a war from being started. A plan that would ensure the defeat of Hilmar. A plan that didn't involve his demise.
Hiccup hadn't told Rin his intentions; he didn't have a clear stratagem yet, and he didn't want to get her hopes up. Despite how many times the woman insisted that putting her father to an end was the only way to stop the war, Hiccup refused to believe so. He knew that deep down, hidden under her bold composure, she wanted her father to drop his weapons and violent intentions, and return to the kind-hearted man that she once knew long ago back in her childhood.
So the young viking thought. And thought. And thought. But a plan just wouldn't come to mind.
Hiccup felt like his thought process was road blocked. An invisible barrier of some sort prevented him from coming up with what he needed. He was at a loss of what to do, and no matter how hard he pushed his brain to come up with something, the gears wouldn't turn. No switch was flicked. His mind felt as lost as a ship at sea, and land was far from reach.
Huffing indignantly, Hiccup flopped onto his bed. Toothless slinked over and towered over him, tilting his head in blatant concern. Hiccup could feel his dragon's warm breath brushing against his face. Toothless nudged him and walked in a circle. Then, he nudged him again. Hiccup sighed.
"I know I should be planning, Bud…And I do believe that there's another way to end this," said Hiccup. "We have to come up with a way to stop Hilmar but…I don't know how. Hilmar's coming, and I have no idea what to do."
The scouts had been reporting constantly. Hilmar's ships were drawing nearer and nearer to Berk with every passing day. It had been six days since the man had set out from his base, and his entire legion of Dragon Slayers, heavy armada of ships, and perhaps even the Foreverwing were coming closer and closer to the Isle of Berk at a speedy rate. Rarely did they stop at an island to camp; they kept on sailing toward Hiccup's home, armed and ready.
Thick tension hung over Berk like a dust cloud. Many times when a ship was spotted, everyone would run into the plaza with their weapons ready and raised. They'd then discover that it was only a fishing boat, and everyone would return to their normal duties; their anxiousness spiked. People hardly slept due to the upcoming battle. No one knew when Hilmar would strike. Many villagers had trouble focusing, and barely any managed to complete their work.
Stoick, the Chief of Berk who assured his people that things would be fine, was just as high-strung as everyone else in the village. He ordered for more scouts to be sent out, and he was firmer with the vikings of Berk. He stayed up until his lookouts returned, and wouldn't come home until late in the night, when he thought Hiccup was asleep. Stoick hadn't slept much over the past few days, and he was always busy preparing Berk for battle. Hiccup tried to soothe his father's nerves, knowing that going so long without sleep would cause him trouble when the battle did arrive, but Stoick was obstinate. He was set on making sure his people were safe, even if he lost sleep because of it.
Hiccup didn't blame him. To be frank, he could hardly control his own nerves as the reports flooded in and the days dragged on. Everyone on Berk was worried. Everyone wondered what was yet to come of their village when Hilmar attacked. That worry wouldn't end until the battle was over.
But if they lost…
Hiccup shook his head and sat up, refusing to believe that Berk would fall. Toothless laid his head in Hiccup's lap, looking up at him pitifully. Normally, Hiccup would resent dragon pity, but this time, he accepted it. The young viking rubbed his dragon's scaly head; his hand trembling as the disturbing thought of being obliterated by Hilmar crossed his mind. He had an army. Berk had a few soldiers. He had the Foreverwing. Berk had their dragons, but Hilmar had far more, and they were mind-controlled. There was a high chance that Hilmar would use the Foreverwing to take control of the dragons of Berk, and that only peaked Hiccup's trepidation. Without their dragons, Berk wouldn't stand a chance. Without their dragons, they'd be completely vulnerable to whatever attacks Hilmar had in mind.
And possibly burned to the ground in a blink of an eye.
A lump formed in Hiccup's throat, and he swallowed thickly. He looked down at his dragon, his forest-green eyes sparkling with emotion. "I'm…I'm scared, Bud…I don't know what's going to happen to us if we lose to Hilmar…And the very fate of Berk rests on my shoulders…What are we gonna do…"
Toothless sat up and gave Hiccup a kind, friendly nuzzle. The young viking didn't take much comfort in wished that his father were there with him too, but he was at the Great Hall in the middle of a meeting with the rest of the Berk council. Some members had been injured in the last attack, but those who were well enough to attend had gone. Astrid was busy with the Auxiliary Team, training them to their hardest for the upcoming battle. The last time Hiccup had stopped by everyone was doing 100 push-ups for warm-ups.
Hiccup leaned into his dragon's gentle touch, cupping Toothless' head in both of his hands and sighed. He wished that could go back to normal. If he hadn't lost his hearing, none of this would've happened…But the troubles began way before he had gone deaf, so even if he hadn't lost his hearing, the situation perhaps would've turned out the same way if not better.
This would be so much easier if I could hear, thought Hiccup to himself.
Suddenly, his mind came to an abrupt halt.
If I could hear…
If I could hear…
If I could HEAR!
Hiccup shot up from his bed, a laugh bubbling past his lips. Toothless backed away and stared at his rider in surprise, confused by the sudden shift in his mood. Hiccup couldn't believe that he had forgotten the strange moment that had occurred in Hilmar's base—so much had been happening, that he didn't have time to process it! The Foreverwing had spoken to him. Him! And he could hear his thoughts! He could communicate with the dragon, as it appeared, telepathically. It was strange hearing a dragon's voice inside of his head, but Hiccup was more astonished than he was shocked when it had happened.
It was the Foreverwing who had told Hiccup and the others to duck when he released a sea of flames at the Dragon Slayers. He had begged the young viking to let him free, and hiccup could still vividly remember the look of desperation on the Foreverwing's face as he pleaded for his release. Hiccup wondered how the Foreverwing was able to speak with him mentally.
Maybe it's because I'm deaf, the young viking thought with a small nod. And the Foreverwing does communicate telepathically to dragons…I guess it works on people too if they're willing to listen.
And Hiccup was willing. More than willing. Willing to hear the sounds of nature or anything—anything!—than empty, deathly silence. With this thought in mind, a new plan began to form in Hiccup's head. He felt the wheels in his brain begin to turn and turn until they finally halted. A switch was flicked. Bright green eyes glimmered as a ploy came through, and Hiccup dashed out of his bedrooming, calling for Toothless to follow him. The Night Fury happily ran after his rider out the door. Hiccup's feet beat against the ground as he rushed to the Dragon Training Academy. He had not only a plan to save Berk, but a plan to save the Foreverwing and, perhaps, Rin's father.
…
The Dragon Riders—including Rin—were all gathered in the Academy, just where Hiccup wanted them to be. The Auxiliary Riders were there as well, but Hiccup requested for Astrid to send them out so he could talk to her and the others. A look of bemusement rested on Astrid's face, but she sent A-Team out the door. They were befuddled, but they didn't stay to ask any questions. Once they were gone, Hiccup turned to his friends, who were eagerly waiting for him to speak.
"You all remember what happened back at Hilmar's base, right?" asked Hiccup. Everyone nodded, but they still appeared confused, so Hiccup enlightened them and told them what happened between him and the Foreverwing. Astrid was the only one who remembered the strange look that flashed across Hiccup's face before the Foreverwing launched his fire. She had been wondering how Hiccup had known what was about to happen before it had taken place.
"The Foreverwing…talked to me somehow. I can't explain it clearly, but I'm pretty sure that he was telepathically communicating with me," said Hiccup. The Dragon Riders and Rin were awestruck.
How is that possible? Fishlegs asked.
"I think it has something to do with me being deaf," said Hiccup. "Since I can't hear, I have to rely on my other senses to get around, meaning that some part of my mind isn't being used. I guess that allows the Foreverwing to get his messages through to me."
That makes sense, agreed Astrid. She placed her hands on her hips, a smile on her face. Hiccup Haddock the Dragon Mind Reader. Not a bad title.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut were ecstatic. So, if Hiccup can read the Foreverwing's mind, can he read our dragons' minds too?! they asked.
"I…don't think so," said Hiccup. The twins frowned. "So far, it's only worked with the Foreverwing. And if I could read your dragons' minds, I would've been aware of it by now."
This is rather fascinating, commented Rin. She brushed a curl of hair from her forehead. And could perhaps be useful…If you can speak with the Foreverwing, then—
"We can defeat Hilmar from the inside?" prompted Hiccup. At Rin's surprised expression, the young viking smiled. "Yeah, I was getting to that. I came here to tell you guys that I came up with a way we can stop Hilmar one and for all. It's risky, but it's the only chance we got."
Then out with it already. I've suffered enough tension, Snotlout said. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he continued.
"Since I can communicate with the Foreverwing, all Berk has to do is defend itself while some of us go to free it. Once the dragon is released, I'll convince him to help us, and then Berk will be able to easily defend itself against Hilmar. If we manage to bring it to our side, Hilmar will be weakened, and he won't stand a chance against us."
That could actually work… mused Astrid.
Fishlegs nodded. I agree.
Same here, said the twins.
Snotlout crossed his arms. We're not even taking a vote?
Isn't that what we're doing right now? Ruffnut stated.
I…fine. Whatever. Just wanted to be fair, grumbled Snotlout.
Rin hadn't said anything, but relief flashed in her eyes. Hiccup knew that she hadn't told the Dragon Riders the original plan, and now she didn't have to. Telling her friends that she agreed to let her father be killed was onerous and not an easy thing to do.
Astrid patted Stormfly's side and turned to Hiccup. Now all you have to do is convince your dad to go along with it.
"That shouldn't be too hard," said Hiccup. "It's a huge gamble…but it's our only chance."
…
After a few more minutes of practice in the Dragon Training Academy, the Dragon Riders set out to the Great Hall where, thankfully, the board members were still at. They walked inside, their dragons marching behind them, and Hiccup led the group to the table where his father, Spitelout, Gobber, and a few other vikings were discussing. The young viking requested to speak. When he mentioned that he had a plan to defeat Hilmar, the aggravation of the Dragon Riders marching into the room during a meeting faded away.
The Dragon Riders and Rin stood behind him as Hiccup explained his plan to his father and the rest of the vikings in the room in detail and with confidence. Hiccup was sure that it would work—it would work. It had to! So Hiccup made sure to pour in as much assurance as he could as he explained his risky idea.
As Hiccup drew his explanation to a close, a debate began to take place. When he finished, Sotick nodded slowly, not giving his personal opinion on the plan just yet. The other vikings in the room, however, voiced their concern, and Hiccup had been expecting their reluctance. If he could summarize the plan in a few words, it would be a long shot. Berk's defense could fail at any moment. Hilmar could launch an attack that no one would know about. The Foreverwing could take control of the dragons, and Berk would be invaded. The scheme was risky and dangerous; the possibility of it failing was very high. Berk wasn't prepared for a full-on battle, and they wouldn't be able to hold out for long with Hilmar and his entire crew of Dragon Slayers attacking. Not only that, but he had the Foreverwing in his possession until the Dragon Riders got to it. During that time frame, he could cause as much damage as he wanted.
You all are right, Astrid spoke up. The quarreling board members stopped talking. This plan is risky and reckless, but what other choice do we have?
This could be our only chance not only to save Berk, but free the Foreverwing, added Rin. The dragon has been abused far enough, and it needs to be released. You all are dragon people, and you dedicate yourselves to helping them. And here's a dragon who needs helping, but you hesitate.
I have to admit that this idea is pretty crazy, said Fishlegs. But I think Hiccup's right. It's our only chance to free the Foreverwing, and we won't be doing much other than defending.
And you know how good we are at defending, Tuffnut said presumptuously. Ruffnut nodded emphatically.
Hiccup stepped forward. "It'll be a tough fight, but the effort will be worth it in the end. You aren't the only ones who don't want to watch Berk fall to its knees, soI promise we'll try and free the Foreverwing as fast as we can."
Stoick and the rest of the vikings seated at the table spoke to each other for a few moments. The twins were anxiously waiting for a response, so Hiccup wasn't able to grasp any bits of the conversation. The Riders waited and waited until finally, Stoick turned to them and he nodded.
If you really intend to go along with this plan…you best start now, he said. The Dragon Riders cheered and Hiccup smiled.
"Thank you, Dad," said Hiccup. He turned to the Riders behind him. "Now let's get ready for battle."
