Chapter 7: "How To Break a Promise"

Morning began to rise over the village of Berk.

While Brittany and Tilolo had managed to get a semi-decent night's sleep, Megan was exhausted from the night's events.

Megan had forced herself to stay awake for the rest of the night. Every time she closed her eyes to try and sleep, it would trigger her new Scalewalker powers. When she felt the transformation happening, she would wake up with a quick gasp, interrupting the change.

The dark brunette girl and Nopon boy were worried for their friend. Megan refused to tell them what had happened last night. They knew that something had happened, and that it was bad. They just didn't know how bad, and for whatever reason, Megan didn't want them to know.

"Kids? It's time for work." They heard Nicholas call out. He was all ready to go with his new position. He now wore a soldier's chestplate and helm, instead of his hunting attire.

Megan looked out the window. "Hiccup...Astrid..." She said, softly and sadly.

"What are we gonna do?" Brittany said. "Now how are we gonna help those two find Hiccup's mom?"

"...We can't."

"Wh-What Meg-Meg mean?" Tilolo asked.

Megan scooted over to the window and opened it. "Tilolo...We can't get out to Hiccup and Astrid." She said. "You've got to find them, and tell them to leave Berk."

"M-Meh meh? B-But...But Meg-Meg promised to help Hiccup find his Mamapon!"

"Megan, is this about what happened during the night?" Brittany asked, but her question was ignored.

"Tell Hiccup he's got to lead the flock far away from Berk." Megan said. "They must go."

"...O-Okay." Tilolo said. "Tilolo find Hiccup and Astrid...and pass along Meg-Meg's message." Reluctantly, he climbed out the window and proceeded to use the rooftops to get out of the village. Carefully, of course, although it was possible the guards didn't really care if a simple Nopon got outside Berk's walls.

"At least one of us can be free." Megan whispered.


Out in the forest, Hiccup and Astrid had returned to the big tree with the curved root.

They both sat on the root and eagerly awaited Megan and her friends.

Nicholas had taken the girls to the Great Hall.

The head maid took them straight to the scullery while Nicholas had joined the other soldiers.

In the courtyard, the soldiers, under Grimmel's direction, were building a large stage with an elaborate tapestry acting as a backdrop. It showed a design of a Viking and some unknown species of dragon locked in combat.

The girls were also hard at work within the scullery. Cleaning floors, wiping down windows, doing laundry, washing dishes, and preparing food. Megan was working especially hard, trying to distract herself from thinking about Hiccup and Astrid.

As they were working, Brittany tried to get Megan to talk. She wanted to know the reasoning behind Megan's sudden change of heart. It seemed like no matter how hard she pushed, Megan refused to speak. This aggravated Brittany to no end, but decided to drop it, at least for the moment.

The day just dragged on and on, more so than yesterday.

It was around afternoon. Hiccup and Astrid were bored of waiting. They were feeling frustrated at this and at Megan.

Astrid leaned against the trunk of the tree and was grumbling. "So...Did something happen again?"

Hiccup was lying down on the curved root. "...Where are you, Megan?"

"Hiccup! Astrid!" They heard Tilolo calling.

"Oh? Well, hey there, fuzzball!" Astrid greeted cheerfully as she turned to the Nopon approaching them.

"Finally." Hiccup sighed as he slid off the root. "Megan, where were..."

But Megan wasn't there. Tilolo had come alone.

"M-Megan? Megan!" Hiccup called, looking around for any sign of the brunette girl.

"Where is she?" Astrid asked.

"...Mmmmmm..." Tilolo was rather uneasy. "...Meg-Meg and Bri-Bri can not get out of village."

"What?"

"They can't get out of the village? What do you mean by that?" Hiccup asked.

"Meh meh...Tilolo and Bri-Bri not too sure what happened...but Meg-Meg send Tilolo to friends with message." Tilolo said.

"What's the message?" Astrid said.

"Meg-Meg says...that Friend Hiccup and Friend Astrid must take dragon flock and leave village."

"What?!" Both Scalewalkers exclaimed.

"Tilolo swears! That all Meg-Meg say!" Tilolo said, his wings flapping in a flustered manner. "She give no reason at all for changing her mind like that! All she say is Friend Hiccup and Friend Astrid must take dragon friends and leave Berk!"

"We are not leaving until we find Valka!" Astrid said. "Megan promised us she would help!"

"Help us find her, Tilolo." Hiccup said. "Please."

"...Meh meh...Meh meh..." Tilolo patted his face with his paws. "O-Okay...Friends follow Tilolo."

Hiccup and Astrid followed the Nopon to the village gates. They climbed up the walls without attracting attention.

"Meg-Meg and Bri-Bri working in Great Hall." Tilolo said. His wing pointed to the Hall off in the distance. "It big building on other side of village."

"Thanks, fuzzball. We'll take it from here." Astrid said.

"Meh meh...Tilolo wait for friends in forest. Be careful."

The two Scalewalkers managed to slip into the village and made their way over to the Great Hall.

They followed Megan's scent into the scullery and snuck in through a grate in the Hall's courtyard.

Upon seeing Megan folding some sheets with a dark skinned girl-They assumed this to be the girl Brittany they'd heard about-the duo quickly and quietly climbed into some baskets, covering themselves with sheets. Astrid did take a chance to swipe some freshly baked bread, though.

Megan and Brittany picked up the baskets and were struggling with the added weight.

"I-It's heavy..." Megan said.

"Yeah, I can see that..." Brittany said.

Just then, in Megan's basket, Hiccup's head poked out of the sheets.

Astrid did the same from within Brittany's basket. "Where were you, Megan?!" She whispered out harshly.

"Ack!" Brittany gasped and covered her mouth, dropping the basket in the process. 'How many times am I gonna get a heart attack in this place?'

"H-Huh? Astrid?" Megan said, turning to see her friend and the blond girl. She looked at her basket and saw the boy hiding in the sheets. "H-Hiccup? What are you two doing here?" She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"S-So these two are the dragon kids?" Brittany said.

"We were waiting for you by the tree like we agreed to last night!" Hiccup said.

Megan quickly covered the two of them with more sheets. "You guys aren't supposed to be here! You should be gone!" She said. "I sent Tilolo to tell you that."

"Eh? What's that?" The head maid turned her head to them. "Who're ye girls talkin' to?"

"N-Nothing, ma'am!" Brittany said. "Just each other!"

Luckily, that seemed to work.

Megan and Brittany pushed the two baskets into a side room, where the grate was.

"Hiccup, please, you've got to go." Megan said. "You've got to lead the flock to safety!"

"We are not leaving without my mother!" Hiccup said. "You promised me that you would help!"

"I am helping you! This is the only way that I can!"

"So, helping them by not helping them?" Brittany said. Then she added sarcastically, "Yeah, I can see how that makes sense!"

Once they were in the room, Brittany shut the door. Hiccup and Astrid emerged from the baskets.

"You promised, Megan!" Astrid said.

"Please, you two, you must listen to me." Megan said, firmly. She held Hiccup's shoulders and looked him square in the eyes. "You must leave Berk. You must take the flock and go."

"But...But you promised." Hiccup said.

"Lord Grisely has a plan to destroy the woods. He means to kill all the dragons. You two have got to get them out."

"Megan, please, I am begging you here." Brittany said, just as serious as her friend. "What is going on? Why aren't we helping them? What aren't you telling us?!"

Megan, once again, ignored her. She turned away from Hiccup. "D-Do you get it?" She felt tears in her eyes. "Now go, you two."

Astrid clenched her fists. She glared at Megan with an intensity in her eyes.

"...I don't understand." Hiccup said, softly. "Y-You said you would help us. You promised. You made me a promise." His voice was slightly shaking.

"...Go, Hiccup." Megan said, tears streaming down her face. "Go...and take Tilolo with you." With a heaviness weighing on her heart, she left the room, quietly sobbing.

Brittany didn't know what to tell them. "I...I'm sorry." She said, following Megan.

Hiccup couldn't believe what had just happened. Megan...was going back on her promise? He slowly shook his head. What happened to her to make her do this? What happened after she left them last night? It made no sense. Friends don't just break their promises like that without a reason.

Astrid had angry tears in her eyes. "...GRR~!" She growled as she pulled the daisy Megan had given her out of her hair. She crushed the daisy in her hand and threw it onto the ground. She then climbed out of the grate they had entered from.

After a moment, Hiccup followed after her.


Hiccup and Astrid walked through the village streets while the Berkians seemed to all be headed towards the Great Hall.

Astrid tore into the bread she swiped and brushed away the tears from her eyes. "How could she just do that to us?!" She said, angrily. "Hmph! I guess promises mean nothing to these villagers!"

"..." Hiccup didn't say anything. He only stared at the hunk of bread in his hand. "I...I don't know."

"Well that's fine! That's just fine with me! We can find Valka without her help. Who needs Megan? Certainly not us!"

"..." Hiccup stopped walking.

Astrid stopped and looked at him. "Hiccup? It...It'll be all right." She said, trying to be positive. "We...We just need a new plan, that's all."

"..." Hiccup wiped a few tears from his eyes.

"Hey! I hear Ol' Grisely's got a dragon!" The leader of the Berk street kids said, as she and her gang ran past.

This grabbed the attention of the two Scalewalkers.

"Who's got a dragon?" Astrid said. She and Hiccup listened to the chatter.

"Is it the one that was runnin' around 'ere last night?"

"Nah. Grisely's had this one for ages, it seems."

"It's a real monster, this dragon is."

"I 'eard from someone that it's got four wings!"

Upon hearing about a dragon with four wings apparently in Grimmel's possession, Hiccup's eyes went wide and he dropped his bread. Could it be? His breathing started to pick up as thoughts raced in his head.

"Do ye think he's gonna kill it in front of the whole village?"

"Heh! Won't that be quite a sight?"

Hiccup turned in the direction of the Great Hall. His surprise soon turned into anger. "..." His hands clenched into fists. "Mom!"

He broke into a run with Astrid right behind him.

The two Scalewalkers ran past the villagers, pushing through everyone in their way.

"Oi! Watch it!"

"Foolish kids!"

"Watch it there, boy!"

"Hey girl! Ye could 'urt someone runnin' like tha'!"

If their chattering was right and Grimmel really was planning to kill this four winged dragon, Valka was in danger.

Hiccup had to hurry!


Oh, looks like it's another short chapter. The next one will be longer, I'm certain of it.

Speaking of! Next time, things are gonna get a little dicey.

Ah right, about the title of THIS chapter...I had to work in a "How To" somehow.

Yeah, I still don't own anything, except all of my OC's that show up and maybe somethings I tossed in here.

I wasn't planning on updating today, but after reviewing and such, I'm pretty satisfied with this.

Hopefully, this is up before the day is out, but I wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day! And if you don't celebrate that, I wish you a Happy Spring!