Hello guys! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my story because I have another chapter ready to go. I will not hold you much, but I have a gift for those who like my story and wish to see more of it. I created a map so you can immerse yourself more in to story. I would like to create a lot more maps, especially for major cities, but I don't know if my life will allocate so much free time for me :D Anyway, here is a link for my map:
inkarnate com/m/63JlbP-will-you-save-the-world-for-me/ (Replace the space with a dot between inkarnate and com, since fanfiction won't allow me to paste a full link -.- )
I hope that you will like it. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter! See you all next week.
After the training, Hiccup and Axelia went to the forge. The forge was one of the hugest stone buildings in the city, and Berk's forge was known far and wide. Hiccup wanted to go alone at first, but since Axelia wished to be free from her governess for a few more hours, she went with him. Both knew that this month could… is the last they could spend together. Taramis kept his distance behind them so that they were not disturbed by his presence, and also, as Hiccup notices, he couldn't bear to be near Axelia.
"Heya, ladies!" The city master blacksmith greeted them. He was a cheerful and friendly fellow. His name was Gobber, and sadly one of his arms and leg were amputees because of the dragon attacks. But this man never lost the will to live, and his always good mood was unique. Maybe because of that, Stoick likes to put him in charge in their absence.
"Hey, Gobber," Siblings greet him. Hiccup wanted quickly to pass into the backroom, not really in the mood to talk with a cheerful blacksmith, but said blacksmith cut off his way.
"Not so fast. I heard what had happened. I would like to know, how are you holding up?" Hiccup looks back at his sister, and she looks at him. How are they holding? So far, so good, but they knew that their emotions would turn sour with each passing day. At that moment, Taramis enters the forge and the trio glances at him, but then the siblings turn back to Gobber.
"We are good," Alexia says, her voice indicating that she will say nothing more and that future probing would only worsen her mood. Gobber just nods and lets them pass. Hiccup opens the door leading to the backroom, and Axelia enters inside. Before Hiccup closes the door, they hear that Gobber is starting to talk with Taramis.
The room was quite large, and it was filled with weapons and armour of any kind. Hiccup, however, walks toward one of the torches on the wall and pulls it down. Suddenly, rustling sounded, and part of the wall revealed a slim passageway. Siblings squeezed through it, and it closed behind them. After a moment, they reach a small room lighted by four candles. A small round table and four chairs were in the middle of the room. A woman of Hiccup's age occupied one chair. She had short blonde hair reaching only her neckline, blue eyes, and a dark cloak fastened around her slim body. She greets them with a nod, and they return it. Siblings slump down on chairs, and Hiccup lets out a loud groan.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked them both, but they shook their heads.
"It is pointless to talk about it, Cami," Hiccup says, and Axelia nods as she brings her hand to her forehead and adds. "We knew that this day would come, and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we will calm down."
"As you wish, my lieges," Cami says as she moves her eyes between two siblings. They look terrible with dark spots beneath their eyes, and she could bet her salary that they did not get any sleep last night.
"I saw your today's training. Your fighting looked exquisite. And you Hiccup, graceful landing on your butt." Cami says with a slight smile. She needs to lighten up the mood. Otherwise, they would get nowhere. After a moment of silence, the trio erupts into a silent chuckle.
"So, how do we proceed?" Cami asks after a while, and Hiccup clears his throat.
"Well, we have a month to get ready." Hiccup starts. "I want you to notify every cell that you are their main contact as of this moment. I want you to move into the capital city and set up a small shop there. It would be best if you moved quickly because as soon as other merchants discover the course of action for the next half of the year, there will be no building left for rent. I will allocate you enough resources to rent a small shop for half of the year."
Alexia looked at her brother, taking in his focused and composed face. He has become everything his father hoped for in the past few years. He managed to build a vast spy network in a short time, and his spies could collect a frightful amount of information about anyone.
"As soon as you establish your base of operation, every cell will report straight to you. In a month, we will arrive in the capital city. Until then, I will trust your judgements in our course of action." Hiccup says, and Cami looks at him, stunned.
"I… I am glad you have such faith in me, my liege, but…." Cami says, and Axelia could notice that she is nervous. She could understand her. Hiccup would never give her this job if he didn't fully trust her, and also it would mean that Cami would have a huge responsibility. Her actions would keep Axelia's family from getting hurt.
"No buts…" Hiccup says. "I trust you, Cami. And I know that I can place the security of my family into your capable hands."
Cami doesn't question his orders anymore and just nods. Hiccup nods back as he continues to give her future details.
"So, don't send me any reports while I am here, and when we arrive at the capital city, don't look for me to give me reports unless it would be a matter of life or death. I will come to your shop when I can, and you will give me reports then. That way, it will be less suspicious for me to visit the merchant than another way around."
Hiccup suddenly went silent, and Axelia could see worries shining in his eyes.
"This… business will be dangerous. For all of us, and when it ends, none of us will be the same." Hiccup says, his eyes switching from her to Cami.
"I just want to tell you that no matter what happens, you will have me by your side, against friends or enemies." He stands up and walks to Cami, and she immediately springs up at her feet. He hugs her tightly, and she hugs him back after a moment of surprise.
"You are like my second sister, Cami. Don't risk anything." He says as he ends the hug, and she smiles at him.
"It's always an honour to serve your family, my liege."
Axelia laughed as she stood up and walked toward them. "Still the same formal Cami. It is an honour to have someone like you by our side. Good luck."
"As soon as I will allocate you the resources, you are free to go," Hiccup says with a small smile. "When do you plan to leave?"
Cami pursed her lips. "Tomorrow morning. The sooner, the better. I must get ready in the meanwhile."
"Don't let us hold you," Axelia says as she moves next to her brother.
"Right, I hope that gods will help us through. See you both in a month." Cami says, and then she bows. "So long." Cami finishes and walks away.
"Let the winds reach your sail." Siblings said to her before she left. Hiccup then sighs and brings his arm around the shoulders of his sister. She leans into the embrace. This will be hard and long half of the year.
The days passed quickly, and the siblings soon had only half the month to prepare for the journey. Axelia raced out of her house, furious. The double door she threw open nearly hit the guards. Angry shouts from her governess come from behind her. Guards quickly closed the door right in front of the governess's face. They gave her a weak smile, and she couldn't stop smiling back.
"Your brother is at the forge. Surely, he can save you from this harpy." One of the guards says, and she thanks him with a nod. She runs towards the forge just in time when the side door of their house opens, and the furious governess goes out on the warpath against her.
When she saw forge and familiar ashen hair, her heart soared. She didn't wish to marry, but if she could at least choose who to marry, it would be Taramis. He was always kind and respectful of her talents. She smiles warmly, despite herself, her body and mind calming down. He was standing in front of several boxes, probably, supplies for the journey across the sea or materials for Hiccup's gifts for High King's family.
"Taramis!" She shouts, and when he turns towards her, she can't get enough of his cute face, grimacing in concentration, straw dangling from his mouth.
"Milady, it's good to see you, but why are you running?" Taramis asks as he takes a straw from his mouth. Before she could answer, shouts of her governess could be heard behind her. She didn't need to turn around to see her governess marching toward her, and it didn't take long for her to close the distance. Axelia could see how Taramis sent her silent I am sorry.
"Young lady, this type of behaviour is unacceptable!" The governess shouts at her. "With this behaviour, you will bring your husband only disgrace and shame!"
"Hold on!" Taramis suddenly shouts as he comes to stand in front of her and stares down at her governess. "You will not speak like this to her!" He says, his voice firm. "She is a free being, and she can do whatever she wants in her homeland."
Anger sips from her governess. "Listen here, boy. Shut your foul mouth up, or else…."
"Or else what!?" Suddenly came a strong and powerful voice from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to see Hiccup, standing at the door leading into the forge, his face with the same stoick expression of their father.
"I warn you, lady Ester..." Hiccup took a few steps forward. "I don't take threats to my inner circle, kindly."
Axelia saw that her governess's anger somewhat disappeared and was replaced by worries.
"I have sent my sister a message to come to the forge. Why are you holding her?" Hiccup asks as he keeps eye contact with her governess.
"You didn't send..." She began, but Hiccup shut her up. "Do you want to take this matter to my parents?" Hiccup threatens, and only now does her governess masks her emotions.
"Of course not, my lord. I am just doing my duty. If you need her, I will leave her in your care. We will continue tomorrow. Have a good day." She bows, turn around and walks away.
"I hate that woman…." Taramis curses, and both siblings laugh. "Yeah, tell us about it…."
"Thanks, both of you," Axelia says as they turn to her. "I couldn't take more of her babbling about proper behaviour for a wife and what is not."
"Don't worry about it. Come, I need your help either way," Hiccup says, then he turns to Taramis. "Good job," Hiccup says with a smile, and Taramis smiles back with a nod.
As Axelia followed Hiccup into the forge, she saw from a corner of her eye how Taramis shook his head and put the straw back into his mouth. Forge was full of people, and Gobber shouted orders to his apprentices. She waves at him, and he waves back. Hiccup took her into another side room where his private forge was located.
"What do you need?" Axelia asks as he starts to rummage around his work table. "Aha!" He shouted as he took out a jar from a pile of papers.
"So, as you know, I need to make gifts for High King's family..." Hiccup says as he puts down the jar at the top of the papers and opens the lid.
"It is quite easy to develop an idea for the High King. I planned for him a ceremonial sword," Hiccup says as he points above him to one of his sketches. Axelia saw it as one of his most wanted and priciest designs. It was a slim curved sword with a round, deeply engraved hilt, and as the pommel, he used a diamond.
"As you know, my swords never serve only one purpose. While it will be a ceremonial sword, I bet it will be one of the best swords for a fight in the High King's family. One last detail is that I embedded the diamond as a hilt for the hidden dagger in the sword's hilt, and it can be handy if the sword fails or in an emergency." Hiccup kept rummaging through his things at his work table.
Axelia couldn't stop listening to her brother. He was pretty enchanting when he spoke about his work. A small smile creeps up her face as she tries to memorise this feeling.
"As for his wife, at first, I was not sure. But then I remembered on one of the reports that she loves to hunt with a bow. Something that is widely frowned upon by many nobles on the mainland. So what could be a better gift from an heir of the Northern Tribes than a bow, showing that he really cares about the Queen? So the same applies here. It will be both decorative and effective, and as much as I know, she has a similar build to our mother, so I can ask for her help to adjust the bow. For her son, I have planned a sword similar to his father's, but also a shield which will be light but durable, thanks to a special alloy I was experimenting with, which includes Monstrous Nightmare scales. As for her daughter, the princess…." Amelia saw that Hiccup had found what he was looking for. He held tweezers in his hand and went to the opened jar. He took out a small, about inch large, dark with several hints of violet streams, flat, round object, and when he came closer to her, she gasped at the sight. She extends her shaking hand, and he drops it into her hand. She couldn't believe it.
"It is what I think it is?" She asks, her voice shaking as much as her hands. Hiccup gave her a wide smile. "It is my most prized possession. Scales of the Night Fury."
Axelia gasped one more time as her thoughts were confirmed. She brings another hand to caress the scale. It was pleasant to the touch, black clashing with violet in the light of the fire. But how, when he get this?
"How..." She rasped out as she kept caressing the scale.
"Do you remember that one time I claimed that I shot a Night Fury?" Hiccup asks, and she nods. It was six years back, and her brother was not much liked by that time. But she clearly remembers his enthusiasm when he claimed he shot down a Night Fury, but he had no proof.
"Well, I was partially right." He says, and she focuses her eyes on him. "I managed to hit him, but probably I only hit his legs as he could tear down the bolas from his body and fly away before he fell to the ground. I went into the forest looking for proof and found the bolas on the ground. I was quite lucky to find them, but I found dozens of these beauties with them." He says as he gestures to her palm.
"Why didn't you show this to anyone? This would be proof that you spoke the truth!" She exclaimed, not understanding his reasoning.
"They wouldn't…." Hiccup starts. "Didn't want to understand. I knew from that day that I would show my people that I could compare to them. Those scales proved that I could be like them, and I was right. You and our mother were always supportive of me. And because of you two, I rose to the expectations of my people. Now I want to use these scales as part of the gift to the princess. I just need your help. Usually, I would think about something like a matching set of jewellery, but from what I heard, the princess is more like her mother, wild just like my beloved sister."
Axelia looks at the scale and then back at him. She didn't know anything about the princess, but she also heard that she was no proper lady, as her governess would say.
"Pair of your most expensive daggers, those that can cut through anything and cost like a small castle. Use these scales at the hilt and if some will remain, use them to craft her a necklace. You know that I, too, like nice jewellery." Axelia says with a smile as she hands him the scale. Hiccup took the scale from her as he gave her a warm smile.
"Thank you for your advice. I will do just that." He says, and Axelia can feel tears in her eyes. She slowly walks closer to her brother and hugs him. It didn't take him long to embrace her back and stroke her spine.
"You will be a wonderful husband to a lucky girl, and I know that girl will be the princess. You are a wonderful brother. " She says, her voice shaking. She cursed herself, she didn't want to feel weak, but lately, it was almost impossible.
"I am not so sure about the first part, but I am sure glad about the second part." He whispered, and she just shook her head. Of course, he would doubt himself. He always did, but she needed him to be strong. Only then can he survive the dangers of the court. Her mother spoke to her about the risks that Hiccup would have to face. She prayed to the gods to be merciful.
She was also selfish. Not like her brother. Her mother told her there was a way for her not to be forced into marriage on the mainland. At first, her mother didn't want to tell her what it was, but then she got her answer. And that answer was that the princess Astrid of house Hofferson must choose Hiccup as her future husband. If that would pass, she could become his shieldmaiden, as he would already provide enough political power to the Northern tribes. Suddenly she felt like the embrace was burning her. She immediately broke the hug and took a few steps back. She knew why she felt like that. She felt like that because she was betraying their sibling's trust. She wanted to use him for her happiness. She tried to tell him her plan but she couldn't. He would be mad at her. He needed to sacrifice himself for both of them.
"I believe that the princess will be yours." She says, and Hiccup gives her a weird look. "Okay, but I don't think she is a piece of furniture I want to own. She is human and does not need to choose me, and I will not force her."
Another wave of sadness washes over her, and she quickly excuses herself and goes away, her brother giving her a worried look. She gave him a last glance. Please don't feel bad for my sake, she thought. I am the one that is using you. She walked out of the forge, and another wave of regrets flew through her. Gods, I hope that you will forgive me.
Hiccup was off schedule. He had only two days left to finish everything and still needed to make a necklace for the princess. He skipped most of his training in the past few days, and if his father was mad at him for cutting the training, he didn't say anything. It was a deep night, and most sane people were already long asleep. But not Hiccup. Hiccup was just adding finishing touches to daggers meant for the princess. On the blade near the hilt was a craftsman's signature, his signature, a curled-up dragon with the letter 'H' on each side of the dragon. He moved his finger on the edge of the dagger, and since even the softest touch of the blade draws blood, he was satisfied with the sharpness. He cleaned his finger from blood and draped it in a clean cloth. There were times when this kind of cut would hurt, but it was a long time ago. He moves his other fingers through the wooden hilt covered by melted night fury scales. The fire of the candles reflects in the scales. Violet colour mixing with orange was just enchanting to watch. On both sides of the hilt were engraved heads of a deer. The deer was an emblem of the house Hofferson. Deer were connected to incredible strength and irresistible gracefulness and are seen as remarkable, inspiring and the most beautiful animal symbols of strength and power. On the top of the hilt was a dragon claw clutching a Sapphire. Satisfied with every inch of daggers, he puts them into identical sheets with deer emblems.
Daggers were completed, just as a sword for the King, a bow for his wife and a sword and shield for the prince. Only the necklace remains. Hiccup signs as he takes a parchment on his side. It was Taramis's report. The ship and supplies were ready. Everything was prepared for a week's journey to the heart of the mainland. He let out a deep breath as he sunk into his chair. He had one day. He was already relatively even with this situation. He knew it would arrive, so why should he fret over it? No, he needs to make the most of the situation given to him. But his sister was not alright. He could see that she was nervous whenever she was around him, he tried to speak to her about it, but she always brushed his worries away. His sister was a mystery to him sometimes. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door, and Hiccup glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. It was past midnight, so he frowned. He stands up and walks to the door. With a soft click, he unlocked them and was surprised to see his mother standing there. She was wearing a casual brown dress and gave him a small smile.
"Hello, mother," He says as he invites her in. She greets him and thanks him for the invitation.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Hiccup asks as he closes the door and looks at his mother. She came to his work table and inspected the daggers, and she took one and sat down at his chair. He walks to her and hops up on the table to sit in front of her. She unsheaths the dagger and runs her fingers across the blade. She hissed as the softest touch managed to cut her finger. She then inspects his signature, the hilt, the emblem and the Sapphire in dragon claw. She sheats the dagger, puts it back on the table and then looks at him.
"They are magnificent, my dear. If Astrid is just like her mother, which your reports indicate that she is, then Astrid will surely love them. But you should know that these gifts are not exactly proper." His mother says as she leans into the chair.
"I know, and I don't care what proper decorum orders me. I will show the princess the real me, not some mask. I want to be her choice because of who I am and not because of who I should be." Hiccup says to his mother, and she gives him a warm smile.
"That's what I like to hear. If she is like her mother in her younger years, you are on the right path for her to like you." Hiccup blushes on the compliment, and his mother chuckles.
"I bet you are saying that only because you are my mother, but I did not finish anyway. I want to make her a necklace from the rest of my material." Hiccup says, and his mother hums. "Yes, those night fury scales are a great addition to the daggers, and I bet they will look exquisite as a necklace."
Hiccup was shocked. How did she know? Did Axelia tell her? No, she would never break his trust. His thoughts were interrupted by his chuckling mother. "Don't worry. I saw them many times when I was here with you. I know that you have had them since that day. Your father knows as well because I told him a long time ago. He wanted to apologise, but I stopped him. I knew that these scales would show you the way. Soon everyone will know that their heir had night fury scales this whole time. To figure out that you never lied to them, will be quite shocking for them." She then stands up and kisses her son on the forehead.
"Finish what you have started. You will do wonderful things." She says and walks to the door leaving stunned Hiccup behind her. She bid him a good night and left. A few minutes later, Hiccup stands up and begins his work on the necklace with renewed effort. Unbeknownst to him, his mother chuckles on the way to their house. Her son didn't even know how huge a chance he had with the princess, and she made sure of it by raising her boy just the right way.
The day of the departure came soon, and it was utter chaos. Many people came to say goodbye to their High Chief and his family. Hiccup was surprised by how many people came to him personally, wishing him luck and congratulating him. Even small children with their mothers came to say goodbye to him and his sister. Gobber is the last one to arrive. He wished them luck and a good journey. Gobber will be acting chief of the city since Stoick trusted him the most.
"Bring home a beautiful one, lad!" Gobber says as he engulfs Hiccup in a bear hug. Haddocks laughs at that along with Gobber. Soon, they moved out of the port, and their long journey began.
Hiccup saw Taramis standing at the stern of their ship, looking back at their Island. He came to him, and both of them stood there in silence.
"It's weird, you know?" Taramis says, and Hiccup gives him a side look. "I never thought that I would leave this Island. I was quite content in our city, and getting lost in our small world was easy. Forget that there is a whole huge world behind our doorstep."
"I know that you feel this way, but…." Hiccup says, and Taramis turns to him. "Let me finish, Hiccup, please." He says, and Hiccup just silently nods. "I thought that maybe one day, I could openly ask for your sister's hand. Yes, I like her, but I know I can't make her happy. I can't give her the freedom she yearns for. Not when I accepted to be your squire, and even if I would manage to rise to knighthood, my foremost duty will be towards you. I can not, in good conscience, let her be stuck in a house while I am gods know where." Taramis sighs and shakes his head. "I was against this new politic of yours. I didn't know why you didn't want to stay isolationist, but in the past few days, I had time to read some of the reports you gave me, and I understood that everything we know, everyone we care for, can be soon engulfed in flames of war." Taramis puts his hand on Hiccup's shoulder and squeezes it. "I will always stay by your side. I will protect your family with my life."
Hiccup didn't know what to say except a soft 'thank you'. Taramis smiles at him.
"Come, let's have a drink." He says, and together both go under the deck to grab some drink.
After five days of their journey, Hiccup realised that even if his journey only began, he knew someone was after them. They found one of their guards dead in one of the storage rooms. He had a broken neck. It was a quick and silent job. Hiccup knew what it meant. They had a traitor on their ship, and he was probably doing sabotage when the guard surprised him. Taramis was standing next to him. Worries are written all over his face. Hiccup could bet that he didn't look any different. The guard was killed near full barrels of their purest alcohol. It was Stoick's gift to the High King. The whole ship would be lost if these barrels caught on fire.
"It seems the guard interrupted whoever was here, and he didn't finish the job," Hiccup says as he looks back at Taramis. They were alone here, and the fewer people knew, the better. Other guards immediately came to report the incident, straight to him as he was captain of this ship. Even his parents were under his orders while they were on this ship.
"What did the others say?" Hiccup asks.
"No one noticed anything out-of-ordinary, and almost no one went through these halls except Axelia and her governess…." Taramis says, and his eyes darken, as did Hiccup's.
"Taramis, I need you to immediately open up emergency valves and get this alcohol from my ship!" Taramis nods while Hiccup turns around and marches out. He will deal with that traitor himself. Most of the crew and guards didn't know what happened, so when they saw furious-looking Hiccup, they paused what they were doing. Hiccup saw Axelia and their parents standing on the deck, and he quickly marched to them, and the trio gave him a puzzled look.
"Axelia, where is your governess!?" He asks. He knew that he sounded angry, furious even.
"I don't know. Why?" She asks, and then his family looks at him expectantly.
Before he could say anything, they heard a terrifying scream from inside the ship. Hiccup immediately ran below the deck again, and soon he found one of the serving girls on the ground, her throat sliced open, her blood covering most of the floor where she was lying. He heard a gasp behind him, and as he turned his head, he saw his family standing behind him.
"Calm them down and lead people up on the deck. Now!" He shouts to the guards, and without a second thought, he jumps above the dead girl and runs towards where Taramis is opening up all emergency valves. Soon he saw several death guards. Some had a throwing knife embedded in their hearts, while others had their throats sliced open. This was a sign of an experienced assassin. How could she hide with them for so long? Why didn't his spies find out who she was? Those were questions he would get answers to later. Right now, he needs to save his ship, his family and his people. Soon he heard sounds of the fighting, and he saw Taramis kneeling on one of his knees, patches of blood beneath him, desperately trying to deflect his attacker's sword.
"Enough!" He shouts, and both Taramis and his attacker look at him.
"Lady Ester…" Hiccup growls with so much venom in his voice. But she only laughs and kicks Taramis to his chin. He fell to the floor, and Hiccup's blood began to boil.
"My lord, it is so good to see you for the last time." She says as she points her short sword at him. Hiccup took out his sword, similar to the one he made for the High King and the prince, but his had curled dragon as a symbol of House Haddock on his hilt and an emerald set in the dragon's mouth as the pommel. He knew that his sword would not be very effective in this small space. He swore under his breath. She won against Taramis because he could not use his sword correctly.
"It is over, Ester. You failed, and I can promise you that you will not leave this ship alive if you try to fight your way out. But I can also promise you that you will be treated with respect if you stand down." He says, but she just laughs.
"Such naive creature you are. I should never leave this place alive." She took out a small orb from between her breasts.
"The black sun is rising. Rejoice!" But before she could do something else, Taramis jumped into her and sent her to the ground. Taramis groans from pain, and Hiccup quickly helps him to his feet and starts to drag him out.
"Oh no! You will not!" She shouts, but Hiccup doesn't look back. Taramis, however, did. She saw how she picked up that orb again, and without thinking, he mustered the last of his power and pushed Hiccup through the door. Hiccup fell to the floor and was quite shielded from the explosion from where Ester stood. Taramis, however, was thrown away by the shock wave into the wall in the hall. Hiccup was quite disoriented for a long time. He could hear faint shouts, fire burning behind him and Taramis lying on the floor without moving. He wanted to stand up but felt like thousands of daggers were on his back. Soon he heard the shouts again, but it was all cloudy. He noticed how his father picked him up into his arms, and his mother did the same with Taramis. He could see tears in his sister's eyes as she stood next to her mother. Then he noticed how several guards tried to put down the fire. But then the darkness took him.