AN: Hey, all! Another Saturday, another chapter! This one has some angsty moments and some fluffy moments. Hope you all like it!
Music: "Bruises" by Train
NOTES: "Isn't it sad when someone has been hurt so many times they can say 'I'm used to it'?"
Chapter 28: Bruises
Hogwarts was bustling with energy. An excited and joyful air seemed to linger in the Great Hall since he'd returned and given his report along with Queen Elsa.
Captain Cat had received a great many praises from soldiers, nobles, and even some of the Royals. Queen Elsa had given him a shining round of gratitude herself when recalling the events of the Battle of Arendelle. News of such a fantastic victory spread like wildfire and, with it, came hope. Cat tried not to allow people to linger on his achievements for too long, humbly mentioning all the other soldiers and Pirates who had also done their part in a grueling battle. He really didn't want the attention.
However, it seemed attention was exactly what he was going to get whether he liked it or not. The Royals were eager to keep the hope their victory brought burning, and Cat couldn't blame them for that given how bleak everything had been looking just a month prior according to the reports he received. On top of that, Talia was eager to use this victory as fuel to gain them more trust and freedom from the nobles, specifically; to bring more dragons.
So, regardless of his personal feelings, Cat dressed in his finest and made an appearance at the grand evening feast they were throwing in celebration.
The festivities were in full-swing; the toad band playing a soft and light tune, servants were walking around with trays full of drinks and tiny desserts. There was some dancing, though it was the prim and proper sort of swaying that was approved by the Ministry rather than the traditional waltz or trots of the different Kingdoms. Mostly the Great Hall was filled with chatter. There was a small crowd gathered around Silver as he recounted events from the battles and that seemed to be the most lively conversation in the room.
Cat stuck to the edges of the hall, hoping the shadows would hide him or at least ward off people who did spot him. There was electricity under his skin. Wild and flickering; unpredictable. Each flare made him twitch or quietly suck in a breath through his nose. His magic was set on fire with the battle, and trying to get it under control again wasn't the easiest when he was surrounded by other auras; heartbeats, emotions, talking, breathing... It was a lot.
He was expecting this even back when he'd agreed to go fight for Arendelle. Fighting and excessively using his magic felt good in the moment, but then it was always difficult to suppress it again afterwards. And to make matters worse, Toothless wasn't able to accompany him this evening due to how crowded the Hall was. Despite their achievements, there were still many who were made uneasy by the Night Fury's presence. Because he couldn't meditate or channel his excess energy into Toothless, his main concern at the moment was simply to avoid anyone who might be able to sense what was going on under the surface and try not to lose control. He couldn't help but feel thankful that Sandman wasn't back from the Inland Sea for another few days.
"Captain Cat, there you are! We'd hoped we would get the chance to give you a proper congratulations!" Startled from his thoughts by two women and a nobleman cornering him by one of the stone pillars, Cat forced out what he hoped was a pleasant smile.
"Right, uh... Yes, of course! Th-thank you, um... If, if you'd excuse me I, uh... Have something to... Uh, yes! Right." Cat stuttered and stumbled as he edged around the three, nodding and bowing his head profusely before finally ducking his head and hurrying off passed them. He blew out a breath of relief and winced at his own stupidity.
"Wow," Eret said when Cat locked eyes with him and rushed over to where he was standing. "That was almost painful to watch."
"Shut up." Cat muttered, rubbing his left arm after his fingers gave a particularly strong twitch.
"You alright? Do you need to get out of here?" Eret's amusement was gone as his eyes zeroed in on the small movement. Cat sighed.
"I want to. But I don't think that's a good enough reason. I'm probably not doing so great already by not talking to anyone, am I?" Cat looked up at the older man, and he shrugged.
"You're here and you haven't got Toothless at your side. As far as I'm concerned that's more than enough for anyone to ask of you, and I'm sure Talia feels the same." He assured him before fixing him with a serious look. "And if you need... Some air, don't let politics stop you. Fainting would definitely draw more attention to you."
"Oh, Ha Ha, very funny." Cat grumbled, turning to look back out at the dancing. Eret smirked into his glass.
"I thought so."
"For a while I thought you planned on spending the entire evening hiding in the corner." Percy Frost stepped up on Cat's other side out of nowhere, taking a sip from his champagne glass. "From what I've been hearing, you've gained quite the fanclub."
"Oh, I think it's the fanclub that has him hiding." Eret grinned in reply before Cat could say anything. In response, Cat elbowed him in the gut.
"Shy, are we?" Percy teased as he chuckled, and Cat huffed out a breath.
"If all you two are going to do is make fun of me, I'm going to try and find the waitress with the tray of Cauldron Cakes." Cat told them.
"Are you sure? She's over there by Jack and Merida." Percy retorted, his eyes twinkling as he nodded in the direction of his son.
Cat followed the movement and watched as Rapunzel and Eugene came off the dance floor to join Jack and Merida. The weight on him lightened a little, and he could admit to himself that, in his heart, he wanted to go join them too. The resulting pang of not being free to was a bitter reminder.
"You know, people have been talking more and more." Percy remarked more seriously after clearing his throat. He gave Cat a smile and lifted his glass to him. "You've gained quite the reputation."
"Apparently. I just don't see why it matters. They'd all change their minds in a moment if it suited them." Cat replied, turning to look at the Sprite and take his mind off of his friends.
"See, that's the trouble with these sort of things," Percy said leadingly, giving him a pointed look, but Cat tilted his head curiously. Percy continued. "The problem with a Reputation is that it can become a Legend."
Percy gave both of them a nod before moving off to go rejoin the Guardians on the other side of the room. Cat looked after him, a little envious and a little annoyed.
"Was that a threat or a promise?" Eret asked jokingly.
"Felt kind of like a cryptic warning." Cat replied, not even looking at him. "Or maybe just a back-handed compliment."
"You sure you don't need a minute? You seem to be in a pretty bad mood." Eret told him, and Cat rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I've been skulking around this place for two hours and I haven't gotten a single damn cauldron cake! You know how long it's been since I've had one of those?" Cat quipped back, and Eret chuckled, turning back to the mug of ale in his hand.
"If you say so." He was silent for a blissful moment as he took a drink, but then he made a noise as if remembering something and Cat had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes for the hundredth time. "I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you keep sending those three Mini Guardians these desperate puppy looks."
"I am not -!" Cat began indignantly, but Eret only laughed outright.
"What's going on over here?" Talia wandered over to join them, holding a glass of her own, and Cat was beginning to wonder why everyone had alcohol except for him. "Are you two having fun without me?"
"I wouldn't call it that. I'm starting to get a headache." Cat told her, but it caused Talia's face to fall into a serious frown. "Don't give me that look."
Talia and Eret exchanged looks. Neither looked pleased, but they didn't argue the point any further. Cat was about to tell them both that he was fine and they needed to stop pestering him, but just as he opened his mouth a nasty pop of unstable energy somewhere along his shoulder-blade made him snap his mouth closed again and screw his eyes shut. His shoulder was burning and he had to force his opposite hand to stay down at his side instead of grabbing onto the spot where the pain was the worst.
"Cat?" Talia's face was instantly washed in concern, but she stayed calm and lowered her voice to avoid drawing attention.
"I'm okay." Cat wheezed out on a breath as he tried to stop the spasms in his shoulder and breathe normally. He slowly opened his eyes to find Talia and Eret had shifted their stances to afford him as much privacy as possible in their open position. "Just give me a second."
"Cat, you need rest." Eret started, but Cat shook his head.
"Leaving now would just look weird. Besides, we've got a bigger problem." Cat brushed his index finger against his right ear and the pair very carefully glanced over their shoulders to look behind them.
Viggo Grimborn was picking his way through the crowd towards them, and Cat didn't think now would be a great time to confront the Dragon Hunter. He was smart. Really smart. Cat didn't want to risk him picking up on anything being wrong, but he also wasn't confident in his own abilities at that moment to hide it.
"Dance with me?" Cat turned and bowed to Talia, holding out a hand. She looked out at the dance floor and then back to him.
"There is nothing about that dance that is going to prevent someone from coming up to us." Talia pointed out plainly, and she wasn't wrong. The current movement of the floor was a bland two-step sway that was barely more than standing.
"I know. Just trust me." Cat threw her a half-smile as he focused some of his magic to his fingertips and gave them a flick in the direction of the band.
There was a music box just off to the side and the moment his magic connected to it, the box came to life. It wobbled a bit and then music started pouring out of the large brass bell on top. Talia shot him a knowing look and grabbed hold of his hand, letting him pull her out onto the dance floor along with several other couples who were excited by the more upbeat music. Cat and Talia spun to the middle of the floor and he gave her a twirl, grinning as his eyes scanned the crowds. Viggo was gone and many of the pirates were joining them. Even Eret and Esmeralda got out on the floor together a few moments later.
"Nice song choice." Talia remarked with a wry smile, and Cat turned to look at her, confused. He paid a bit more attention to the song itself and found his cheeks heating up from her pointed look.
"Oh, heh, yeah... Didn't really choose it, was more focused on just not making the music box explode." He confessed as he twirled her around again and gave her a small dip.
Talia just lifted an eyebrow and then shrugged. "You know, I think the only one keeping you four apart at this moment is you." Cat was about to argue with her, but she shook her head. "Cat, just try to enjoy this for a few minutes."
With those words of encouragement, Talia pulled Cat back into the circle of people dancing together and they joined hands with the people on their opposite sides. The whole circle moved in one direction; kicking, skipping, and twisting all together. When they stopped, the men lifted their arms while the women went running to the middle, and then they switched. When they got back to their partners there was twirling, and then everyone moved around to find new partners.
When Talia twirled away and found Eret, Cat turned and found Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel standing on the edges, eager to get into the dance. He didn't think, he just waved for them to come join him. Rapunzel beamed, and Merida looked ready to jump in, but before they could move, Cat was yanked away by one of Esmeralda's ladies, Calliope. He nodded to her, following her back into the fray, but he did look back to see Jack pouting while Merida and Rapunzel giggled to each other.
Cat danced across the floor, switching partners with others on the floor occasionally. There were mostly pirates in the dance, but slowly more and more people were joining. Cat found Talia back in his arms again and she grinned at him, pushing them into a different line so they switched partners with a different couple.
Merida spun around and grabbed onto his outstretched hand, and Cat's heart leaped as his face stretched wide with his smile. Merida was laughing as she grinned back, excitedly skipping along. Hiccup twisted her around and swayed a bit before twirling her away again. When he pulled her back in, Merida jumped, forcing him to catch her as they spun. She slid a bit awkwardly back to the ground and Hiccup stumbled back a bit. His back slammed into someone else, and Hiccup turned, prepared to apologize, but he found himself back-to-back with Jack, who was grinning back at him. Rapunzel peeked out from around Jack, and the boys beamed at each other just before twirling the girls so they could switch partners. Jack and Merida went galloping away in big crazy circles.
Hiccup reached out with his left hand without thinking, and when Rapunzel's hand touched his, reality came crashing back.
There was a spark between their palms and an explosion burst up his arm and into his torso. He stumbled as Rapunzel twirled in closer, but the smile quickly faded from her face as she realized something was wrong.
"Hiccup?" She whispered.
"I'm okay." He forced out with a pant, trying to hold in his wild breathing. Rapunzel's brow furrowed, but he spun them out of line and gave Rapunzel a twirl to make it look natural. Normal. Nothing to see.
"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Rapunzel asked again, concern coloring her face as they skipped off to the side and behind a pillar. Just as they got out of sight, Hiccup's bad knee buckled over his prosthetic, and he would've gone down if not for his hand against the pillar and Rapunzel lunging to support him. "Hiccup!?"
"I... I need a minute." He heaved, trying to catch his breath as sweat began to roll down his face. His hand gripped his side, trying to help with a pain that he couldn't actually reach.
"You need medical attention." Rapunzel hissed after taking a look around to make sure no one was looking.
"Not here... But I need Toothless." Hiccup returned just as firmly before softening with his admission, and Rapunzel nodded her understanding.
"I can help." Both of them started at the voice, but calmed a little bit as Snotlout stepped forward out of the shadows. He hurried over to Hiccup and slipped under his shoulder, lifting him up with an arm around his torso. "I'll get him to the Room of Requirement. You get his dragon."
"Are you sure?" Rapunzel's eyes darted between the two boys with confusion splashed in her eyes. Hiccup also took a glance at Snotlout, and he could agree that the sudden comradeship was a little surprising, but not unwelcome.
"Yeah. We'll be okay." Hiccup nodded, shifting his weight to lean against Snotlout more fully. He looked back at Rapunzel again. "Eret can help you get to Toothless."
Rapunzel only hesitated a moment longer, but then nodded and slipped away. Snotlout slowly started for a side door that would allow them to get out of the hall without too many people spotting them. The trip up to the seventh floor was longer than Hiccup ever remembered it being, but that could've been because of the shooting pain in his side. Snotlout was nearly carrying him by the time they reached the right corridor and the door began to appear.
"Huh... Well, that's pretty cool." Hiccup huffed breathlessly as Snotlout snorted.
"Yeah, Fishlegs was the one to find it for us." Snotlout shared, and Hiccup nodded, but the action made him dizzy. Snotlout shoved the door open with his free shoulder and shuffled them both into the room as he called out. "Get us a chair or something!"
There were no chairs, apparently, but a few cushions were put down next to a pillar and Snotlout helped Hiccup lean back against it. Definitely not the worst resting place Hiccup had been in before, and the cushions let him sink back more as his eyes slid shut for a moment. There was some panicked muttering from the people they'd disturbed, but Snotlout was quiet and remained at his side. It was oddly comforting. Kinda like when they were really little...
The door opened again, and Hiccup opened his eyes to see who it was. Rapunzel came running over to them and dropped to her knees the moment she was at his side, opposite of Snotlout.
"Eret went to get Toothless himself, he insisted I go on ahead. I don't know how they plan on finding this place though." She fussed, putting her fingers to his neck to check his pounding pulse.
"Don't worry about that. Toothless can find me." Hiccup waved her away a bit, but she continued checking him over for injuries anyways.
"What's wrong, Hiccup? What happened?" She questioned instead.
"Just... Over did it a little. Toothless can help." He mumbled, wincing at another small spasm in his side.
"I need to take a look." Rapunzel decided, already pulling back his coat so she could lift his shirt.
"Rapunzel, don't..." He tried, but his voice rasped and then failed as she pulled up his shirt.
Her eyes went wide as she stared, and Hiccup knew what she had found. It was probably a big splotch of reddish-black by now, and it hurt like hell. She lightly brushed her fingers over one of the more tender spots, and Hiccup sucked in a breath as he lurched forward a little. Rapunzel immediately pulled back, and Hiccup forced himself to settle back down into the cushions, but opened his eyes and turned them to Rapunzel.
"Hiccup..." Rapunzel stared at him with wide eyes, sad and fearful.
"It's okay, Rapunzel... I've had worse." He had hoped to comfort her, but that comment just seemed to make her even more confused and upset.
"This is not okay! What happened to you?" She demanded to know, but Hiccup shook his head as he looked straight into her eyes. He could see it there. Deep down, she knew what he was. And she pulled back sharply, frustration slamming down on top of all the other emotions as she looked away from his pointed stare.
"Rapunzel," Hiccup said, gently taking hold of her hand, and she squeezed his back as she turned her eyes to him again. "I've got some bruises."
Rapunzel sighed heavily, giving him that sad look again. "It's a little more than that, I think."
"Might want to step aside, lassy." Rapunzel and Snotlout snapped around to look at Eret, who had come to a stop about a foot or two away from directly in front of Hiccup. Toothless was at his side, peering at Hiccup curiously.
"You look like shit, kid." Eret remarked, bending over to place his hands on his knees. Toothless picked his way forward as Snotlout stepped aside to make room.
"Not a kid anymore." Hiccup muttered sourly, trying not to wince when Toothless nosed a tender spot.
"He's right, you know." Toothless commented before pressing his forehead against Hiccup's.
"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to rub it in." Hiccup replied as he returned the gesture. Their magics intertwined and a knot in his chest almost instantly untied, giving him some relief.
"Cat will be fine now, I promise, but I'm sure you can understand why it's not in his best interest to stay here for too long." Eret made this statement to Rapunzel. She looked reluctant, but as Eret had suggested, she did understand. From the look of it, so did Snotlout. Hiccup knew Rapunzel wouldn't stop them if they tried to leave, however it didn't mean that she didn't want to.
"Let's wait until I can stand on my own at least." Hiccup piped up with a compromise as Toothless squeezed in behind him so he could lay back against him instead of the stone pillar. "Then we can worry about heading somewhere a little more private and safe."
Eret and Rapunzel both seemed to be okay with that, but it did make Hiccup wonder how long he'd be able to keep it up. There wouldn't always be a compromise with these kind of situations. He worried that one day he'd have to pick between protecting his comrades or shutting out his friends. He could only hope the precarious balance they had at the moment would hold until everything was resolved.
He really did want to tell them all the stories behind his scars and bruises.
Hiccup was very sore the next day, but his head felt clearer and the muscle spasms had stopped. He forced himself out of bed early to take some time to meditate, a practice he wasn't very experienced in, but was getting better at. He stayed among the pirate's quarters for breakfast, keeping in close contact with Toothless to help steady himself. Once he was done, though, he was expected to stand at Talia's side during the talks. He counted himself lucky that Toothless would be allowed to come this time as there wouldn't be so many people.
The Council called it's meeting to order early. The usual reports and updates were covered before jumping into logistics, concerns, recommendations, requests, and any other business that the Council needed to discuss. Hiccup just leaned sideways against the back of Talia's chair, only half-paying attention.
It wasn't until Talia brought up discussions of bringing more dragons to Hogwarts that he poked his head up and really started listening.
"With only three dragons, Captain Cat was able to help your forces defeat an entire battalion with record low casualties." Talia advocated grandly, standing in front of the others with open arms. "Allow us to bring just a few more, and we could have dragons assisting at multiple battles at once. We could potentially relieve some of the forces stationed at the Inland Sea."
"While no one can deny the effectiveness your beasts had during the Battle for Arendelle, there is a bit of concern over who will command these dragons." King Fergus replied slowly, considering all aspects. "I doubt any of our generals will understand how to use these creatures so effectively."
"King Fergus makes an excellent point. None of our kingdoms have worked with dragons before. Our military leaders don't have any experience on how to use them, and we may run into unforeseen problems. Can you provide enough riders to compensate for more dragons?" Princess Allura asked, and Talia nodded.
"Myself and Captain Eret are both proficient riders. We also have a few potential others." Talia explained, though Hiccup could admit that the offer didn't invoke confidence.
The Royals wanted a guarantee the dragons wouldn't randomly turn on them, or cause damage because someone pissed them off. Hiccup understood that, and he happened to agree with it. They needed more riders to ensure both the safety of the dragons and the people.
"I find it odd that all of you are actually considering this. How can we let them bring more and more dragons into our territories when they are the only ones who can control them?" Prince Lars protested, raising from his seat and extending an arm at Talia, Hiccup, and Eret. "What happens once this war is over? How do we know you'll leave our lands peacefully?"
"Still on about that are we? Apparently saving an entire Kingdom isn't enough for them, boys." Talia remarked, turning her gaze up to Eret and Hiccup.
"What if I trained some of your people?" Hiccup offered, stunning the room into silence. He basked in the quiet while it lasted.
"You would be willing to give us the secrets to your dragons?" King Frederick asked, raising one eyebrow skeptically.
"Not exactly," Hiccup chuckled, before straightening and giving the Council a proper bow. "I will teach a few people the basics of Dragon Training. If I find out anyone is using said training to harm dragons, or passing off my knowledge to the Hunters you've chosen to ally yourselves with, then I reserve the right to kick their ass. However, my goal is to bring peace between humans and dragons, and this could prove a vital step towards that goal, so I'm willing to take a calculated risk."
"Did you have any specific individuals in mind for such training?" Chief Tui questioned.
"Vikings." Hiccup shrugged. Several were stunned into silence again, a few gave cries of indignation, and some even muttered a few funny comments. Stoick said nothing. His familiar hard expression remained the same before, during, and after.
"Should we have expected such favoritism from the start?" Prince Lars growled, glaring over at Stoick and Gobber, but Hiccup cut in again.
"You all can choose which vikings and from which tribe. My only concern is that the Vikings live in an area inhabited by several species of dragons. After the war, the rest of you may never see a dragon ever again. They, however, will continue to have interactions with them nearly daily. If they learned to co-exist with dragons, there would be no need for anymore casualties on either side." Hiccup turned that last phrase towards Stoick, trying not to let the nervousness gripping at his throat choke him. The logic was too sound for anyone to argue against, though Hiccup could tell there were a few who really wanted to.
The entire Council turned to look at Stoick who was frozen like a statue. Both Gobber and Spitelout stepped forward to speak in Stoick's ear, likely relaying messages from the other tribes' leaders. Hiccup was starting to wonder if he'd made a bad call and was going to get a verbal beating when Stoick very slowly gave a single nod.
"I will allow the training." Stoick rumbled simply.
Gobber looked at Stoick and then the Council before stepping forward. "Eh, the only team we have available is Astrid Hofferson's. You can teach the five of them. Provided we be allowed to share this knowledge with the other tribes as well, of course."
"That is the idea." Hiccup nodded, giving a faint, slightly forced smile.
He couldn't really tell if things were going well or horribly, but the Council moved forward with the vote and it passed fairly easily. They would get more dragons, and he could train Astrid and the others to be riders. He decided to count it as a win, smiling more easily as he looked back at his father once again.
He couldn't read his dad's hard expression, but Hiccup felt lighter. And for now, that was enough.