This is a bit of a longer chapter than usual! However, I had a fun time writing this ever since winter arrived on my doorstep, and as such, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
So please! Enjoy!
"HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE ONE WHOSE NAME IS BRANN!?"
"HE WHO SAVED THE INNOCENT AS FAST AS A RAM!"
"HE WALKED ON MOUNTAINS AND HE WALKED THROUGH VALLEYS!"
"HE MARCHED THROUGH BATTLE WHERE HIS FOE WOULD-"
"SHUT UP, RUFFNUT!" screamed Snotlout.
It had been nearly five days since the young vikings left Nordell. The journey through the vast and wide pass of the Frel Mountains had proven to be tough for them. As of the moment, the riders flew atop their dragons, with heavy snow falling from the dark grey-blue clouds above them, of which covered the skies as far as the eye could see.
Around them however, only the snow-covered mountains surrounded them, along with the many pine trees that scaled up and down their cliffs, whilst below them, vast plains of snow made up the pass, along with yet many more pine trees.
To Hiccup, it was impossible to fathom how anyone could live in the Frel Mountains, for he and the riders were cold to the bone.
"Ugh! Why exactly did you want us to fly ahead of the vanguard!?" called out Snotlout, irritated and exhausted. "I didn't even get to have food before we left! I just wanna be around the fire…"
"Quit complaining, Snotlout!" responded Hiccup. "We're scouting ahead of the vanguard to see if there might be any sort of danger! We must be certain..."
"Danger?" questioned Astrid. "What kind of danger would there be in this place? I mean- the only thing dangerous is this cold! Not even the high fjords back on Berk compare to this!"
Hiccup gave a nod. "I know, I know! But something has been itching at me since we woke up! I don't know about you, but I feel like we're being watched from afar or something! I don't think we're alone in these mountains!"
"And who else do you think might be here?" asked Fishlegs, gazing down at their surroundings below. "Orcs? Dark vikings?"
"I don't know!" replied Hiccup, shaking his head. "Could be anything!"
"Well, let's hope it's not the Four!" said Astrid, tucking her hood over her head. "I would rather not end up with a second scar, and nor would I want to-"
"Maybe you guys just need a good song to listen to!" interrupted Ruffnut, to which the riders, save for Tuffnut, glanced back at one another with confused looks upon their faces. Snotlout on the other hand began to glare with an aggravated gaze.
"Wait-" said Fishlegs. "What does singing have anything to do with-?"
"I must agree, sis!" nodded Tuffnut, interrupting Fishlegs. "Morale looks to be low, wouldn't ya say? I mean, just look at Snotlout. He's as mad as Thor himself during a storm!"
Snotlout's brows lowered even further. "Hey Tuff! Would you prefer I shoved my sword all the way up your-"
"Whoa- whoa- whoa! Alright; I don't think now's the time for singing!" exclaimed Hiccup, staring back at the Twins. "We're out here to scout, not to make a-"
"Say no more, H!" said Tuffnut, glancing back at Ruffnut. "Sis, would you mind doing the honors by starting the song? Let us sing about dancing trolls!"
"Wh- What?" questioned Heather. "But why-"
Yet before any proper words or questions could be uttered, Ruffnut suddenly began to sing. To the others however, they heard only screeching, and it was the worst that they had heard thus far along the journey.
"OHHHHH! There once were three trolls who lived in the woods!"
"Who danced around a big ol' burning fire!"
"They looked like yaks and smelt like poop!"
"And cooked all things atop their pyre!"
To them, Ruffnut's singing was as vile as the stench of a fart let out into the wind, and as such, the riders reacted as appallingly towards her lyrics.
"What the Thor am I hearing!?" exclaimed Fishlegs, plugging his ears. "This isn't even music!"
But then Tuffnut began to sing.
"Twelve vikings lined up in front of the pot!"
"One by one they fell in like sheep!"
"Then the trolls stacked a yak on top!"
"And danced around while the vikings screamed... like goblins!"
Astrid's eyes were wider than a wild dragon's. "WHERE IS THIS EVEN COMING FROM?!" she yelled.
And before anyone knew it, both of the Twins began screaming out their song in unison like a pair of irritating, howling wolves who argued over their prey.
"OHHHHH! THE TROLLS DANCED ALL THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT!"
"THEY SANG LIKE A BUNCH OF HOOGA BLOOS!"
"THEN THEY TOOK THEIR SPOONS TO TAKE A BITE OUT OF 'EM!"
"AND THEY TASTED LIKE YAK AND CHICKEN SOUP!"
"THEN THEY BEGAN TO LOUDLY FART!"
"LIKE LOKI LOKI-ING ODIN AND THOR!"
"BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLA-"
"ENOUGH!" screamed Hiccup angrily.
And with that, both Ruffnut and Tuffnut were brought to silence by Hiccup's bellowing roar. With their screeching ceased, the other vikings removed their hands from their ears, and glared back at the Twins with boiling anger. Unsurprisingly, even the dragons were as irritated, if not more so, and the two of them merely looked back with embarrassment.
"Uh-oh," they said in unison.
Hiccup let out a sigh, running his hands over his face before asking Toothless to halt, and as such, he and the other dragons came to a sudden stop mid-air.
"...I can't believe you two would scream out such a stupid 'song'," he said through near-gritted teeth. "Usually I don't get this angry so easily, but YOU TWO have pulled my strings! A moment longer, and I would've tossed you from your dragons!"
"Or, we could have done it for you," growled Barf in Dragonese.
"You guys are not the only ones who feel tortured by this..." added Belch.
"...I don't think they liked it," said Ruffnut in a low voice.
"You think?" asked Heather angrily.
Hiccup shook his head, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "...To everyone else, I'm sorry for my outburst. I think we've spent enough time up here distracted by this charade. Let's land and find a place where we can wait for the vanguard, before we accidentally fly off-course…"
"Good idea," sighed Astrid in relief.
…
It did not take long for the riders to find a place to land, and once they did, they wasted no time in settling down.
They set up near a large cluster of trees, which stood along a cliff overlooking them, and after managing to find several fallen logs to sit upon, the young vikings placed them in a circle, before gathering up sticks and stones to make a campfire.
With a quick spark from Toothless, it was lit like so.
The heat from the burning fire warmed their bones, enough to the point where they were at least no longer shivering. But even so, they knew it would only last for a little while…
Whilst the vikings sat around the fire, their dragons laid encircled around them, resting their heads and wings in silence, for the cold snow beneath them did little to bother them.
"...So. What happened to sticking together?" asked Snotlout, rubbing his hands as he reached out towards the fire.
Hiccup rose a brow, looking back at him. "What do you mean? We're all here in one piece, aren't we?"
"I mean us, and the vanguard," the lad added. "Are we not risking everyone's lives by splitting off from them? You want us to sit here and wait for them, while they march through the cold. You said to us yourself before we left Nordell that these mountains could rise up against us."
"Must you argue over everything, Snotlout? I told you before, we're scouting ahead. Plus, we still know where our friends are," sighed Hiccup, glancing back at the flat plains of snow. "If we were lost, it would be a different situation. So far, we've managed to survive these mountains, thanks to our luck."
"Uh-huh. And how long are we going to be sitting here? Even though I'm not shivering anymore, it's still as cold as Niffleheim out here!" exclaimed Snotlout, to which Hiccup shook his head.
"How should I know? It'll probably take some time until Beldrak, Olof, and Valara arrive… What in Midgard has gotten over you, Snotlout? Why have you been acting like this ever since we left Nordell?"
"Must be the cold," replied Fishlegs, catching Hiccup's attention. "Not to mention we don't get as much sleep as we need. Being cold and exhausted can temper with anyone's mood, but if this keeps up, things won't look pretty."
"...I'm gonna rest," grunted Snotlout as he stood from his log and made his way over to Hookfang, before settling down beside him and laying his back and head against his fiery-heated body. To that, he closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened.
Hookfang on the other hand took note of his rider's behavior, and as such, he let out a cloud of smoke from his nostrils before opening his eyes for a quick glance. "Snotlout is being Snotlout again," he said to himself in Dragonese. "If he gets hot-headed with me, I'm going to leave him to sleep in the snow."
Astrid let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Honestly Hiccup, I wouldn't mind Snotlout too much. Let him be for now. I'm sure he'll get over it."
"Hopefully," nodded Hiccup, glancing around at his surroundings. "Like I said though, I'm not sure as to how long we'll be out here."
"Why are we out here alone to begin with?" asked Heather. "I mean- you mentioned earlier that something, or someone, may be watching us. But is it necessary to split up from our group?"
"I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt out here," replied Hiccup, looking back towards the bright fire. "If we are being watched by scouts of the enemy, I want them to come after us first rather than them."
"Uh… why?" asked Tuffnut. "We'd be risking our butts, H. Plus, if I'm to die, it's gonna be on a battlefield. This ain't gonna do it."
Hiccup shook his head. "We're not going to die, Tuff. If it's a group of scouts, we can easily take them… Though then again, that depends on who they are."
"Fishlegs did mention that it could be orcs or dark vikings who are watchin' us," said Ruffnut. "But if I have to throw my bet, I think it's gonna be goblins."
"Goblins?" asked Fishlegs. "I honestly don't see how. Goblins can be sneaky, but they're not the best fighters, and are usually canon fodder. If Drago was smart, he would've sent orcs on wolves."
"Or... goblins on wolves," added Ruffnut. "It ain't hard to imagine."
"We'll see," said Hiccup. "For now, just keep your eyes peeled, and in the meantime, let's talk about something else. Anything that can pass the time, like-..."
"...Like?" asked Astrid.
Hiccup came to a sudden pause. His eyes had glanced away from the others, and were now staring past their shoulders and up at a particular spot in the skies, just above the peaks of the mountains to the west. The look on his face turned from one of calmness to that of surprise and intrigument, and as such, he gestured with his hand towards the sight.
"Look."
Everyone immediately turned their heads to where Hiccup was gazing, and upon glimpsing, a bright light suddenly struck their eyes... yet it was one that was comfortable and familiar to them; the light of the sun.
"The sun is out..." said Hiccup with widened eyes.
Astrid smiled. "Unbelievable… After days of marching through heavy snow, I never thought I'd see any sunlight here. It feels warm to me."
"You can say that again," nodded Fishlegs. "I just wonder how long it's going to-"
Before Fishlegs could finish his words however, the sound of something whistling and flying through the air from the trees besides them suddenly caught their ears, and not a moment later, they abruptly stood to their feet as their eyes fell upon a spot next to the fire... where a spear had landed.
"Huh?" said Heather.
It was then in that moment that several more spears flew overhead, whistling loudly through the air as they struck the snow. This in turn caused the vikings to instantaneously grab hold of their weapons, and for their gazes to fall upon the trees.
Simultaneously, the dragons were alerted to this, for they awoke from their rest to an unfamiliar scent hitting their nostrils, and as such, they quickly stood up, growling.
Snotlout too had awakened, not only by the movement of Hookfang, but by the terrifying surprise of a spear landing right next to him, causing him to fall on his back and into the snow.
"What was that!?" he gasped as he quickly stood to his feet, before unsheathing his blade as he glanced back at the others with a shakened expression.
What followed next were giggles, and then the sound of wacky, guttural voices singing in chorus.
They sang;
"We'z see you from 'ere and all around!"
"Dere'z nowhere to go you stoopid hounds!"
"We'rez going to shoot you and kill you ripe!"
"Den cook you up and eat you nice!"
"Dat'z da way da goblins strike,"
"You first get stabbed and den you die!"
After finishing their tune, the creatures let out loud laughters in unison, and to that, Hiccup and the others finally knew who they were dealing with.
"Goblins," growled Hiccup.
"Told ya!" chuckled Ruffnut.
"This won't be a problem," stated Heather. "Like Fishlegs said, they're cannon fodder."
Eventually, the goblins, numbering in the dozens, stepped out of the woods and revealed themselves to the group. By that point, the campfire's flame had run out, and without hesitation, the seven vikings formed a line facing the goblins, with the dragons standing by the sides of their respective riders.
The goblins that stood before them were, for the most-part, like any regular goblin, for they had pointy ears, large noses, and stood at the near height of a dwarf. Their gear consisted of leather and wool armor from chest to toe - along with dark grey furs on their shoulders, while in their hands, they carried forth spears and shields...
...Yet despite that, they were also different. Unlike regular goblins, the ones before them had dark grey skin and green glowing eyes; characteristics which matched that of the brutal orcs.
There was without a doubt that the goblins were spies for the enemy.
"Look at what we have 'ere, ladz!" yelled one of the goblins. "Seven vikings and their winged gits ready for a poundin'! A good ol' proper slaughter!"
"I say we skin 'em after we're done with dem!" shouted another.
"The only ones dying today are going to be you, shorties," insulted Hiccup, earning a series of curses and up-roars from the goblins. "What are you going to do? Poke us to death with those dull sticks of yours?"
"OI! DEY AREN'T STICKS, AND DEY AREN'T DULL!" roared one of the goblins. "YOU KEEP DAT UP, AND WE'Z ARE GOING TO STAB YA TO DEATH! YOU THINK YOU'Z ARE BETTER DEN US!? YOU..."
The angered goblin began going wild, spouting out swears and threats at Hiccup. To this, Astrid let out a sigh and yawned, embedding her axe into the snowy ground next to her as she proceeded to reach for her bow. "Mind if I loosen a shot?" she asked Hiccup.
"Be my guest," he nodded. "I'd rather not waste my hand-cannon's ammunition."
"...I'LL'Z HAVE YOU KNOW DAT WE AREN'T ONES TO MESS WITH! YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE? WE'RE DA ELITE GOBLINZ! WE'RE DA BEST IN DA DARK LEGIONS! DA BIG ONE SAYS-"
In that moment, the goblin was silenced. Without giving a care of what he was saying, Astrid took hold of her bow and proceeded to summon up an icy arrow with her magic, before knotting it onto the string, pulling it back, and letting it loose.
The icy arrow flew through the air with swift force, and like striking a bull's-eye, the arrow pierced deep through the goblin's right eye.
As the dead goblin fell forward, the rest of them looked down in horror and anger.
"DEY KILLED GRUZZLE!" cried one of them. "NOOOO!"
"LET'Z GIVE DEM A PROPER SMASHIN'!" yelled another.
"LET'Z SLAUGHTER 'EM!" shouted another, to which the rest of the goblins roared out loudly, raising their spears in anger as they prepared to charge.
Astrid sheathed her bow, and quickly reached for her axe as she pulled it from the ground. "Your call, Hiccup!"
"Toothless! Plasma blast!" shouted Hiccup.
With a screeching roar, Toothless began to charge up, lighting up his mouth with blue flames, and in a snap of a finger, he shot out his plasma blast onto a small cluster of goblins, blasting them back.
The goblins, upon seeing more of their own fall, jabbed their spears forward in unison, with a voice bellowing out, "GRAAAAGH!"
Like an infuriated mob of wolves, the goblins charged towards the group with their weapons and shields raised. Unbeknownst to them however, they were merely running to their deaths.
The vikings, save for Heather, lit up their hands in unison and began to cast forth volleys of magic, letting out spells of fire, ice, and lightning on the goblins. To that, their charge was slown, for they soon began to litter the ground like the snow falling down from above.
Yet that did not stop them.
Even as the dragons joined in the fight, and began breathing down fire on the goblins' ranks, they were still swift enough to close the gap. But as the first goblin closed in, Heather immediately raised her double-bladed axe and brought it down on him, hacking through his head.
Soon, the fight became one of melee and magic, and whilst Heather continued striking out at the goblins with all her berserker might, cutting them down like practice dummies, the Wings of Midgard suddenly imbued their weapons with strong enchantments.
Hiccup and Tuffnut set their weapons ablaze with orange flames, and struck with fiery fury. With every goblin that met their sword and spear, arches of bright fire bursted outwards, setting several more nearby goblins aflame, while also hurling them back like boulders being launched from a catapult.
Nearby, Snotlout's sword and Fishlegs's hammer crackled with stormy magic. For every one of the gnarly creatures they struck, bolts of lightning hopped from one goblin to another in a chained reaction, like a storm summoned by Thor that struck down giants.
Meanwhile, next to them, Astrid and Ruffnut froze their enemies into oblivion. The blades on their weapons glowed with icy magic, and were nearly as cold as Niffleheim itself. Every goblin that was unfortunate to meet their edges were quickly frozen into ice, before they were shattered into hundreds of pieces of ice and snow that blew away in the wind.
To the vikings, they viewed the slaughter as the poorest excuse of a fight they had ever seen, and soon enough, the remaining goblins turned tails and retreated back towards the forests.
"RUUUN!" one of them screamed.
Heather growled as she pulled her axe from the corpse of her twentieth kill. Goblin corpses laid scattered across the grounds in front of her, and her veins were boiling. To this, Hiccup and the others gazed upon her with widened eyes, for she was as berserk as ever.
'Looks like she doesn't need magic," thought Hiccup, a brief smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
"RUN AWAY, THEN!" she yelled at the fleeing goblins, with the exposed sun from above lighting their retreat. "What are you going to do now!? Send orcs after us!? Maybe even a troll!?"
"I say let them run!" added Snotlout. "Next time they get in our faces, it'll only get worse for them!"
The vikings, save for Hiccup, lifted their weapons in victory as the goblins fled, and yet the lad felt as if something was off, for although the brawl against the goblins was easy as expected, it was all too easy. He knew well that they were no match, yet it made no sense to him as to why they would rush to their deaths without anything to back them up...
It was then however that the voices of their dragons caught his attention.
"This was too easy. Something is not right," said Stormfly in Dragonese. "I sense something larger nearby that isn't a goblin. It's a different scent. Can you all smell it?"
"I can smell it," gnarled Meatlug, gritting her teeth. "And it smells putrid."
"I can smell it too," replied Windshear, glancing around as she sniffed the air. "What is that awful stench?"
"It's very familiar…" replied Toothless, glancing over to his rider. "Hiccup. Something's wrong. This fight isn't over yet. We're still not alone…"
"I thought so," said Hiccup with a grim look, and to that, the other vikings ceased their cheering upon noticing the immediate change in his expression and tone.
"...Hiccup, what's wrong?" asked Astrid.
"We're not done yet," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "Toothless just told me that there's something else nearby... Everyone, be on alert-!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to slightly shake. A very familiar yet vile smell filled the air around them, and it was one that the vikings themselves could now smell. As such, they readied their weapons for what was to come.
"Why does this feel familiar!?" asked Fishlegs.
"Because it is!" replied Astrid. "The goblins weren't the main threat! TROLL!"
"Hel yeah!" cheered the Twins.
The sound of a troll roaring filled their ears, and from above, on the cliff overlooking the trees, a large troll came into view. Similar to the trolls from the siege of Nordell, the brute was cladded in black armor, and in its hands it carried a massive mace, ready to smash and pummel them.
"...He looks like a big one," gulped Fishlegs.
"Pfft, yeah right," chuckled Snotlout. "What's he gonna do, stomp us to death?"
With another bellowing roar, the troll went on to jump down from the cliff it stood upon, and like so, it landed in front of the vikings and dragons with a quaking landing.
Hiccup and the others nearly lost their balance, but upon recovering, they gazed back at the troll with hesitant-filled eyes. Unlike the trolls they faced before, the cladded, green-eyed brute that towered over them was more than twenty feet in height, larger than the trolls they encountered at Nordell.
Snotlout swallowed. "Looks like I spoke too soon."
Astrid glanced back at Hiccup with her axe raised. "Um, Hiccup? What do we do?"
"...We'll need to blast this thing with everything we have," he spoke, in a low yet cautious voice.
However, before any of the vikings could respond with a word, the dragons suddenly stepped in front of them, and aggressively made their way before the troll, forming a line in front of the riders as an act of defense.
"Toothless…?" asked Hiccup.
"Leave it to us," the Night Fury nodded. "Dragons! Charge up your flames! Give this brute everything you've got!"
In that moment, the dragons began preparing their flames. Their mouths lit up in unison with immense heat, and as the flames grew slowly hotter, the troll became more aggressive. The large brute slammed its mace down in front of the dragons with a threatening manner, and soon it began lifting the massive weapon over its head, with the intention of smashing them down in a single blow. As such, the vikings cautiously began to back away.
"Toothless! Are you going to let it out or what!?" called out Hiccup, lighting his hand aflame with fiery magic.
However, no answer came, for the flames that the dragons built up were never unleashed.
Within the eve of the moment, something caught their attention. The sound of metal whirling and spinning filled their ears, and from the west, Hiccup and the others caught the glimpse of an object spinning swiftly through the air. Though it went by as quickly as a charging ram, Hiccup was able to briefly make it out upon squinting his eyes...
It was a shield; a metal round-shield, aimed directly for the troll.
The large brute let out a roar as the shield came flying towards it, and like a hammer pounding down against an anvil, the weapon struck heavily against the troll's head with great force before ricocheting back. But as it did, something happened.
Upon impact, a burst of vibrant, blue magic exploded outwards from the shield in a powerful nova, enough to blow the snow off the trees. But it was no ordinary magic, for the energy that was released was that of arcane...
The sight of it astounded Hiccup and the others, their eyes as dilated as their dragons'. Yet as shocking as it was, the vikings suddenly found themselves thrown onto their backs from the force of the arcane burst, and the dragons as such dug their claws down, bracing themselves as the ground beneath them shook from the wave of magic.
Eventually, the quaking came to a stop, and as the vikings and their dragons gazed back at the troll, who stood with a dazed expression as if a giant boulder had landed on its head, the brute suddenly began to topple onto its back, and as it did, the trees in its path snapped and cracked as they fell back along with the troll.
Then there came a great thud, and like so, the fight had ended.
Though the woods softened the troll's landing, it did not change the fact that it was now a lifeless husk. Even the dragons could sense that it was no longer breathing.
'...It's dead?' Toothless thought to himself questioningly.
Soon, the sounds of action turned to silence, for the only noises they could hear in that moment were that of the falling snowflakes and blowing wind, and as the vikings laid in the snow with dumbfounded gazes, the dragons made their ways over to their respective riders, and proceeded to help them to their feet one by one.
Hiccup sighed as he held onto Toothless's head, with his legs slightly wobbling. "Thanks, bud," he nodded.
The dragon warbled back in kindness. "I've got you."
Once the vikings were up on their feet, and their weapons were sheathed, they grouped around the corpse of the troll and stared down at it with question and bewilderment.
"What was that…?" asked Astrid.
"I don't know," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "Whatever that was, it was no ordinary weapon- or rather, no ordinary shield. Question is, how can something like that have arcane magic? Elendar never said that weapons could wield it."
"...Maybe there are things we haven't learned yet," replied Fishlegs commentingly. "Things that not even Elendar knows."
"Yeah, like how Ruffnut can't stand properly 'cause she's never upright. It's why she fell over," chuckled Tuffnut, to which his sister landed a smack on the back of his head.
"Shuddup!" she exclaimed. "You can't stand straight either! Plus, we all fell over!"
Snotlout smirked as he gave a snicker. "Those two never learn," he silently said to himself.
"Guys- please, stay focused," said Heather with her arms crossed. "If there's one thing we need to know, it's this; who took down the troll?"
"Hahaha!"
Before any suggestions could be given, the sound of a hearty laughter caught everyone's attention. All eyes glanced to the west, and atop a short snowy slope, a lone man stood, carrying a large shield in-hand as the light of the sun shined against him, revealing his features.
The man was extraordinarily lean and muscular in terms of his physique, standing at a very tall height. His skin was pale, and his eyes were a silvery-blue, and along with that, his head lacked any hair on top; though his light-blonde and well-groomed beard made up for it.
Next to all of that, there was his attire. For his armor, the stranger bore a sleeveless scalemail chestguard that showed off his grand biceps, as well as gloves and boots made out of plate and polished leather. To help keep warm, he wore brown trousers made from wool, which were accompanied by pauldrons of grey fur resting over his shoulders.
...However, what caught the group's attention the most was the metal round-shield that the man possessed.
The shield curved outwards, and was larger and sturdier than any viking shield they had ever seen. To that, he was able to rest his hands over it, yet interestingly enough, most of the shield's surface was obstructed by the sculpted head of a viking with a horned helmet. The head's eyes glowed blue with arcane energy, along with the several carved-in runes that circled around it. To Hiccup, it reminded him of the Gronckle-Iron shield that he once carried, except the metal before him was not as polished, for it seemed more ancient if anything...
As the vikings and dragons turned to face the man entirely, he once again let out a hearty chuckle as he grabbed ahold of his shield's grip, and then began his way towards them in a cheerful manner.
"Uh- why is he acting so happy?" asked Snotlout. "Doesn't he know that troll tried to kill us!?"
"Yeah... And, he's the one who saved us," replied Hiccup, tossing Snotlout a light glare. "If there's anything that interests me about this man, it's his shield."
"Well yeah, but- what kind of viking fights with only his shield?" asked Astrid. "...Unless…"
"...Unless what?" asked Hiccup, raising a brow.
Though Astrid was uncertain at first, it soon became apparent to her as to who the man might be. In that moment, her mind began reminiscing back to the song of a viking that was sung many times before, describing the warrior as a kind man who carried nothing but a shield as his weapon, and the first time she had heard of him was back on Berk. It was also the same tune that the Twins yelled out some moments ago.
Perhaps she knew who he was...
"Could it be him?" questioned Astrid with a grin. "I think it's him... I think he's Brann..."
"...Brann?" asked Hiccup. "Are you referring to that viking who Arn had sung about over a dozen times? The same viking who wields only a- oh..."
Snotlout gave a scoff. "And, the same viking who the Twins tried singing about- or rather, tried screaming about with their awful yodelling."
"Looks like we've just hit a major revelation, brother," stated Ruffnut, crossing her arms.
Tuffnut nodded his head in agreement. "That we have. But we'll just have to wait and see where this goes, sis."
"I... think I've heard this tale before," spoke Heather with arched brows. "Dagur used to talk about him a lot in our great hall, though he never mentioned him by name; he only referred to him as just the Shieldbearer..."
"I see someone has been told of me!" laughed the man, speaking with a strong Nordic voice.
In that moment, the vikings' gaze fell back upon him with a mix of utter astonishment and surprise. The answer was clear as to who he was, and after being told by other people that Brann was just a legend, it seemed that it was no longer the case.
It was indeed him.
"You're Brann...?" asked Hiccup. "The Brann?"
"Heuh! That I am!" nodded the man as he gave the vikings a friendly bow. "Brann Shieldbearer, at your service!"
"Looks like our riders have found one of their praised legends," said Toothless, warbling with laughter.
As Brann straightened himself out, his eyes fell onto the mess that laid behind Hiccup and the others, and his brows arched. "I see you've gotten yourself into a mess, young ones! You and your dragons."
"W- Well, we were scouting ahead of a vanguard that we're leading," said Hiccup with a stutter. "We had suspicions that we were being watched, so we set up a camp away from our vanguard, and- well, we were right…"
"...Still, we thank you for your help against that troll."
"Eh, it was nothing!" grinned Brann. "Every good human and creature in Midgard deserves some help once in a while. Any friend in Midgard is a friend of mine, as my mother and father used to tell me!"
Astrid gave a nod. "Those are some wise words, Brann. I will admit, having another friendly face around us warms my heart a little bit..."
"Yeah! Kinda like that sun above us," pointed out Ruffnut. "By Loki's armpits it's getting bright!
"Heh! It usually isn't sunny around here nowadays, so you should consider yourselves lucky!" replied Brann with a smile. "Yet as much as I'd enjoy a long talk with you young ones, we cannot stay here, else we might catch a cold... If you are willing, I can take you back to my village where we can warm up and dine on milk and meat. We can even continue our discussion along the way."
Ruffnut snapped her fingers in amusement. "Now I LIKE that sound of that!"
"Wait- you have a village here in the Frel Mountains?" asked Hiccup, to which Brann nodded. "I thought this place was inhospitable..."
"Not when you're with many friends," the man winked. "Our village has been living in secret for many years. Only a few know about it, mostly because not many people take this pass. I assume you and your allies are traveling to Khaz'dalgard?"
"Khaz'dalgard?" asked Hiccup. "Huh. I never thought to call Dalgard like that."
"Hah! Most people just prefer to call it by Dalgard," chuckled Brann. "...Now, if you young ones are ready to leave, then we can make way to my village, either by foot or by dragon. I don't mind both! The choice is yours, mister…?"
"Hiccup," he answered with a smile. "But we must wait for our vanguard before we can go anywhere. We can't leave without it."
Brann gave a nod. "Very well, Hiccup. And do you know when it is going to arrive?"
Before Hiccup could give an answer however, the sound of several horns echoing through the wind caught their ears, and as such, the vikings and dragons turned their attention to the south, where the sounds of boots marching against the snow could be heard, accompanied by a few voices shouting out into the wind as hundreds of figures came into view, along with the colors of their banners.
"Looks like they're already here."