Chapter 23 Suspense and Surprises

I do not own HTTYD or any of its original characters or storylines. This is a work of fiction for my personal enjoyment and for anyone who would care to read it. Its rated M because of adult situations, violence and described nudity. It has been a long while since I updated the story and I apologize. Life caught up with me in the form of divorce, COVID-19, taking care of three grandchildren and heart failure requiring surgery. The Lord has blessed me and I am fine now. I have difficulty with the formatting on this site so please forgive me. If you have gotten this far with the story you know its not historically accurate and I have used a lot of a lot of artistic license (and I use the term loosely) with the characters. In t ]his chapter Hiccup has a new step mother and a brother and sister. The seeds of betrayal have been sown. In Berk, Stoic and the council are still at odds. The community is feeling the strain and people are beginning to choose sides. In Scotland betrayal, murder and treason are in the wind and poor Hiccup and Merida are caught in the middle. Only the Wisps, witches and dragons know which way the wind may blow and no one listens or sees the signs all around them.

At sea between Berk and Dunbroch

The sea was rough but manageable. For the past week the Berkian long boat Odin's Breath had been fighting near gale force winds as it headed southwest toward Scotland. Tacking endlessly back and forth with only the backs of the rowers giving them any headway the vessel would barely make half a league in the last 24 hour period. The captain and the sixty men were exhausted. Rowers had started at two hour shifts but this had been reduced to just an hour with many men collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Chieftess Freya took watches at the tiller when the children were asleep to free up more hands for rowing and sail drill. She knew it gave the men a morale boost to see her doing her best for them. It also

didn't hurt that she was beautiful with a full figure that she did not try to hide. At present the Cheiftess was in a foul mood. At their present rate, Odin's Breath would not make landfall at Dunbroch for another five days and that was if the weather got no worse. If the weather worsened substantially they would have to return to Berk.

Freya had been foolish to bring her children who were now both seasick when they were awake. Berta her nursemaid she had brought with her when she traveled to Berk to be married, was a godsend. Even with the children moaning, crying and vomiting constantly, the old woman never lost her cheerful disposition. To make matters worse she was sick herself. She never got sea sick. She was the daughter of a fisherman. Besides the queesiness, she was moody and her breasts were sore. She suspected she was with child and that didn't help her mood either. She mentally chastised herself for enjoying her wedding night and honey month so much. No matter how sick she was, she gad to remain strong for her children and the men. Once again, without letting go of the tiller or asking for help, she turned her head out of the wind and vomited for the umteenth time. Truly, it was going to be another bad day.

Back in Scotland

The sun was rising over Aldermans hill. The previous night the eight suspected traitors and assassins had been tied to pole six feet apart in a semi circle. The sky was just beginning to lighten with the coming dawn. In front of the men about thirty feet away sat a shiny, black and angry harbinger of death. It was a creature of legend and nightmares. The creature was fifteen feet in height and just about thirty feet long from nose to tail. It had a single pair of black leathery wings that spread forty feet. It had golden slitted eyes which stared at the humans angrily. Smoke drifted out of its nostrils on occasion and in its mouth were inch long razor sharp teeth. It tasted the air with a long black forked tongue and growled as it

pondered these dregs of mankind in front of it. This was a dragon. Not just any dragon but the son of lightning and death itself. It was said that if a human actually saw it death was sure to follow. This was a Night Fury, the deadliest of all dragon species. They were cunning and intelligent, incredibly fast and near impossible to see at night. It let out a howling like scream when it attacked using burning plasma that no structure built of timber and not many made of stone could stand up to its power. This not only a Night Fury but this dragon was Volton, present king of all the dragons.

What humans did not understand was that dragons had a very complex language and social structure. They, like their human counterparts, were organized into clans which had existed hundreds of years. They were secretive creatures that avoided the human world as much as possible. In Scotland a sighting was rare and usually not believed. Just like the human world their were rogue dragons that acted out of character and sought out humans to destroy them. There was peace between man and the elusive dragon clans here and in England. In the Viking archipelago however a war had been raging for over three hundred years. The gods had decided to intervene and end the war if possible. He had been summoned and told that there was a human to be born that would be a tie between the dragon and the human world. He would after much suffering bring about peace between the dragon and human worlds. He would be victorious over many foes and would eventually lead the dragons to a place of perpetual solitude and saftey away from the human world. Voltans job was to do what he could to guide and protect the chosen one and his two mates. He would become known as the Dragon Prince. Voltan had been told of this even before the three chosen ones had been born. The Dragon Princes name Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Voltan did not yet know the names of the princes two mates but he did know one would be a warrior and the other a great queen.

The humans before Voltan had been discovered by the Dragon Prince himself. Even at the age of four seasons the young human was already displaying attributes not normally seen in their kind. The men had been gathered before Hiccup and he had read their hearts with his mind. The red scaled large human had been angered greatly as some of these humans were part of his clan. The Norse god Loki, lord of mischief intended to defy Odin and the Norse goddess Frigga by sending evil humans to try to kill the little human. This would trigger Ragnarok, and Loki would reign mischief on all of midgard. Many say that the Christian God Jehovah is the only true God and would not allow this to happen. Loki would try anyway.

Castle Dunbroch

Hiccup was shaken which was not surprising. In one afternoon he had been nearly killed, the friend he loved almost as much as Merida had been wounded, and he had become aware and had somehow communicated with the king of the dragons. It was a lot for a little boy to take in. The witch Yarta had stayed as close as she could to the little bondmates and had discovered that the children's vocabularies, intelligence and thought processes were that of far older young people. They did not understand everything they were seeing and experiencing or how their actions were perceived by others. It was difficult for Hiccup and Merida. They were frightened because the world to them was cruel and overwhelming. It was one of the many reasons they clung so tightly to each other and spoke telekinetically to each other. This ability was known only to the Queen mother Elinor, the wisdom (witches) and it seems, the dragons. To the rest of the world they were oddities. Children that didn't of then speak and when they did it was not a child's conversation.

That evening in Hiccups quarters Bea was giving the two kids their bath. Maudie happened to come in then left running! Bea and the kids just laughed. The bath room was small and dominated by a huge tub that had a small enclosed fire pit underneath that could heat the large volume of water

quickly and efficiently. Earlier Elinor had swatted Hiccups behind because his curiosity got the best of him and he went under to get a better look and got himself stuck and absolutely filthy. Fortunately, Hiccup and Merida received a bath everyday. Maudi came rushing into the Kings sitting room where Elinor was quietly knitting all in a snit.

Maudi: "Mah queen ye must come at once. Beatrice is in the bath!"

Maudi ah know. Ah gave her instruction to do so. It will give the lass a chance ta know them and fer them ta trust her." said the queen.

Maudi: "Ye dunno understand mah queen. Beatrice is actually IN the bath with the children. Ah have never seen sech a thing."

Elinor: "Calm yerself woman. Ahm sure Bea as a perfectly good explanation."

The queen kept a calm demeanor but she got a mental picture and blushed. As she thought, there was Beatrice naked as the day she was born with only her stomach and waist covered by the water. When she noticed Maudi and the queen come in she immediately stood up and bowed making Elinor's cheeks even redder. She motioned the 17 year old buxomy girl to sit down and she had Maudi bolt the door so no one else could enter the wee Lords chambers. The farmers daughter did as she was commanded grabbing Hiccups little naked form pulling him into her kissing his cheek and stating: "Ahm no done with yew mah prince!" said the girl.

Hiccup yelped and yelled in his best made up Scottish drawl at Bea as she pinched his bottom as he pretended to get away: "Ow! Hey no fair. Ye dunno be pinchin yer princes bottom mistress Bea! Ah should pinch ye back!" Hiccup said laughing.

Beatrice: "New ye donno want me ta drown ye like a rat in front of yer betrothed now would ye? Now sit down while I wash yer mate or yer little soldier will get cold and shrivel up" she laughed.

Hiccup quickly sat down sloshing water outside the tub stating: "Ats no me fault Bea. Its got a mind of its own. Ah dunno know why at happens evry time ah takes a bath" said the little prince.

Beatrice saw Elinor turning several shades of crimson and came to her rescue; "Ye will understand when te become a man an ye and Merida marry. Until then dunno worry. Yer no different them me little brothers. Appens ta them all the time," said the chambermaid.Bea had Merida sit down on her laps so she could wash the little redheads very long and now straight hair.

Merida: "Mummy, why does at happen ta Hiccy's little thingy?"

Maudie : "Mercy! the things these wee barrons come up with ta talk aboot. With yer permission majesty, ah will leave afore the chosen ones start askin me things!" and the nurse maid rushed out of the room.

"So mummy, why does at happen ta Hiccy?" asked the precocious little carrot top. Queen Elinore: "at is something ye wouldno understand right now but like ah said, when yer older ye will ken what ets all aboot now but mummy promises in the future ye will know its no something a wee princess needs ta think boot now. plenty o time in future.

Bea: "at yer mum says is right. Just like me brothers, it happens to little boys an men too.

"Bea, Hiccy says at his thingy gets at way so he can make babies someday. Is at true too?" asked Merida.

Bea: "Its very true. its how e gets is seed inside a woman so a baby can be made. it takes both a woman an a man to make a baby. Ye already ken at already."

Bea then turned the little girl around to wash her. The little red head examined the chambermaid very closely then reached over and touched one of Beatrice ample breasts then asked;

"Bea will ah get big breastes like ye when ah gets big?" asked the princess? Bea smiled as she took the girls hand off her mammary gland and answered,

"Aye me princess, someday but ye donno touch em unless ah give ye permission" said the farm girl.

"Why?" asked the wee princess.

Bea laughed an answered: "Cause they ere mine an no one touches em unless ah say they can an a lady no allows it."

"How come boys donno get big boobies like girl?" asked the princess.

Queen Elinor: "Merida ats no a proper question ta be askin a lady. Mind yer manners. Ye may be embarrasin the poor lass. Ats no something a princess does ta one of her subjects."

Bea: "Not ta worry yer majesty. Like ah said, ah have brothers and sisters who ere just as curious. Princess, women have breasts so when they have wee barons they can feed em. Boys donno feed little babes so the donno need em."

Hiccups interest was now peaked. He walked over to the tub an looked at Bea's chest intently. He pondered a question then unabashedly asked,

"Elenore, how doe a mum feed a baby with her boobies?" asked the little Viking.

Elenore and Bea laughed and their cheeks turned red at the same time. Hiccup continued to stare as Bea handed Merida to the queen to be dried and dressed. The young woman grabbed a towel hanging from a hook nearby and wrapped it around herself. She ruffled the boys hair as she went into the next room to redress herself.

Elenore: "Well me boy, when a woman gets close ta havin a babe her breasts get bigger and they begin ta produce milk. When the baby comes the mummy put the nipple on the end of her breast into the babys mouth then the baby suckles and the milk comes out."

Hiccup: "Oh like a Yak mummy feeding her calf!" the little prince exclaimed.

Elinor and the just returned fully clothed Bea laughed.

"Aye mah son, just like a mummy yak!" answered the chuckling queen. Curiosity of the two nearly five year olds satisfied there were no more biology questions for the night. With these questions Elinor thought it might be time to bath the children separately since they were beginning to understand the differences between the sexes. Little did she know the two would examine each other when no one was watching and the questions would follow the same pattern until the two children were married.

Freya arrives in Dunbroch

A Viking longboat with eighty Viking sailors neared the docks in the east bay which was in front of the town of Dunbroch and near the castle. The

soldiers in the castle towers had seen the ship and had notified Sir Gawayne MacGuffin who King Fergus had entrusted to run things in his absence. The longboat was bringing Freya, wife of Stoic the Vast, Chieftess of Berk on an unannounced visit to Scotland and Castle Dunbroch. She had brought her children Herg (6) and Celta (2) with her for the express purpose of meeting her new stepson and their new brother Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. She also intended to bring her step-son back to Berk with her even though it would be a week early.

The Chieftess was in a good mood this day. The seas had calmed themselves and though she felt slightly ill, she was no longer vomiting every five minutes. She would ask the King and Queen if she could see their healer but she accepted that she was most probably pregnant. She had missed her monthly moon time by over a month, her emotions were driving her crazy and her breasts hurt. She had to fight off crying or striking out.

The Cheiftess of Berk and her children were quite impressed by the size of the town and the Castle of Dunbroch itself. The town was at least three times the size of Berk. She had never seen the castle or any other structure so large in her life. As they tied up she was waering her best clothes and had dressed the children in their finest outfits as well. The Captain had instructed the crew to clean up the ship and themselves. Freya was tall, blonde, buxomy and athletically built. Her hair was braided in the manner of married women.

She had lost her first husband when a raiding party attacked her home island just after Celta had been born. She hadn't intended to remarry but when the opportunity came to wed the Chief of Berk, she had competed and won not for herself but for her children. Herg was a typical Viking little boy. He was blonde with sky blue eyes, muscular and very outgoing. He was outgoing and had a tendency to be a bully to anyone younger or smaller so she had to watch him closely all of the time. Celta, on the other

hand, was petite and very shy. She was tall for her age and extremely smart. She loved animals and even wished she could see a terrible terror up close. Celta's hair was jet black and poured down her back nearly to her waist. She had golden hazel eyes and could see in the dark with only a tiny bit of ambient light. She was dressed like her mother today with the exception her hair was braided and hung down her back wearing a small silver Kranson on her head.

Freya had noticed a crowd had formed on the dock. They had obviously been forewarned that a ship was approaching. The Captain of Odin's Breath was Org Dannson. A good man who was a fisherman by trade but was the best open ocean captain Berk had. He was good in combat and in an emergency. He was fearless and dependable.

"Ship ahoy!" a man speaking perfect old Norse from shore yelled. "Who ere ye and at do ye want?" the man continued.

Captain Org answered in Gaelic: "I am Captain Org Dannson. My ship is the Odin's Breath from the island of Berk in the Viking Archipelego (people outside of the archpelago called it the Barbarian Archipelego). I come in peace and bring our Chieftess Freya Haddock."

Freya then stood and in a clear voice speaking in old Norse said: "I am Freya Chieftess of Berk, wife of Stoic the vast and as such step mother to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and heir to the chiefdom of Berk. I come in peace and come to fetch my son and bring him home."

On the docks this was translated to Sir Gawayne and his wife lady Laura. Othwers had heard and it caused a commotion because the towns people had affection for the little boy and knew his mother had been killed by dragons just a short time before.

Sir Gawayne speaking Gaelic: "Chieftess Freya, you and your party are welcomed as guests to the Kingdom of Scotland."

When the Viking sailors had secured the gangway to the dock Freya holding Celta in her arms followed by Herg, crossed over with the Captain. Freya was nervous and her hormones were playing tricks on her emotions as the Captain brought her in front of Sir Gawayne and Lady Laura with her children Gwendolyn (13) and son Benton (12). There were Scottish Guards eyeing the heavily armed Viking guards wondering if they were about to come to blows.

Freya: "Though my visit is unexpected, I know you have seen us approaching for some time. I mean no insult but I expected to be greeted by the King and Queen. I also expected to see my son. Can you explain to me why this is not so?" the Captain translated.

Sir Gawayne bowed along with his son and Lady Laura and Gwen curtsied.

Sir Gawayne: "Chieftess Freya, ah am Sir Gawayne MacGuffin. I am presently in charge while his majesty and the queen are visiting Castle Delaney with Prince Hiccup and princess Merida. Ah apologize for the Kings absence and the lack of formality but as you have said, you were no expected."

Young Gwendolyn who had taken Norse as a language since the first time Valka and Stoic had come to Scotland translated. Freya was being overcome by her emotions. She was nervous enough as it was. Now to learn that her little stepson was not here was very upsetting. She had expected to come, meet him, perhaps stay the night then head back home on the ship. It was diring the time traveling back to Berk she hoped to make a bond between herself, her children and her new stepson. Now it was all unraveling and she wasn't sure what to say or do.

Gwen could see the Cheiftess was upset and had tears in her eyes and without permission stepped forward and curtsied then said in Norse: "Ahm so sorry Cheiftess. The royal family took Prince Hiccup ta Castle Delaney which is several days east of here. Ya see, Prince Hiccup is now a Lord and Castle Delaney and it lands ere is. The King an Queen jest wanted im ta see it."

Freya: "Hiccup is only four years old. He is not old enough to own anything let alone hold a title. How can this be? How long will it be before they return?"

Gwen translated and both Sir Gawayne and Lady Laura took compassion on the Viking lady and spoke softly as to a friend with Gwen translating.

Sir Gawayne: "My lady, yer son is much loved by the King, Queen and Princess Merida, Ah give ye mah word at Hiccup is quite safe. it is because he is heir to the Chiefdom of Berk he is called a Prince. Because of the love at the King has fer yer so he was given the title an the lands. The people here are quite fond of yer son too. He is a sweet boy. He makes everyone he comes in contact with smile."

With this Freya lost her composure an began to weep. She had come all this way to try to make a good impression and bond with her new son that for some reason his father seemed to hate and he wasn't even here. She was suddenly so tired. She seemed to drift off then she simply fell asleep. Gawayne grabbed the cheiftess as she began to fall and scooped her up bridal style into his arms. Celta had dropped out of her mothers arms when her mother began to slide into unconscious. Before she could cry, Gwendolyn picked her up and was holding her close reassuring her that her mom was going to be ok. The ten Viking sentries had drawn their swords and had quickly made a defensive circle. The Scottish guards then drew their weapons.

Lady Laura: "Stop! Dunbroch soldiers put away yer weapons! Captain Org, the Cheiftess has fainted. Could you and yer men escort us to the Castle so we may have her examined? Ah give ye me word no harm will come ta you or yer men!"

Captain Org thought for a second then ordered all but three of his men back onto the ship. Sir Gawayne took the unconscious woman over to one of the carriages. Before he got in he said to the Viking Captain;

"Captain Org, there is only room for myself, Lady Laura, and yerself in this carriage. The other carriages fer me daughter, son and Chieftess Freya's children. We need ta get the Chieftess to our healer as soon as possible. Ah can have a wagon sent back fer yer men if ats acceptable with ye. Ah will give ye mah sword so ye can trust me word." said Sir Gawayne.

"You can keep your weapon young man. Ah will trust ye. Ah ha been here afore an ye Scots always treated me and me men well. I will order me men back to the ship. There will be no need of yer sentries. My men will cause no trouble and they would take being guarded as an insult." said the old Viking Captain.

True to his word, Captain Org yelled orders at his men which were immediately obeyed. Gawayne watched as Gwen, still holding a frightened Celta, with Benton still holding Herg's hand, get safely into the second carriage. Then he gave the order to move out to the driver and the carriages headed the mile and a half to the castle. As they road Lady Laura asked if the Chieftess had been ill on the trip. The Captain told her that she had been seasick almost the entire trip and very rough on himself and the men. Sir Gawayne gently gave the Chieftess to Captain Org so she would not be alarmed if she woke up.

In the other carriage Gwendolyn spoke softly to Celta:

"Dunno worry little one. Yer mom just fainted, She will be fine. She's probably jest tired from yer trip. Yer name is Celta right?" asked the knights young daughter. Celta nodded and relaxe as Gwendolyn let her snuggle closer.

Herg: "Why do you sound funny when you talk?"

Gwen translated to her brother who burst out into laughter.

Gwen: "Well ye see Herg we ere from a different land than ye and yer sister. This land is called Scotland. We speak speak differently an even have a different language. Ye Vikings speak Norse and we Scots speak Gaelic. Ats why ah had ta tell Benton what ye said."

Benton: "Tell Herg if he's hungry we can go down to the kitchens and get the cooks ta feed us. Tell him after ah will take im ta the kennel and show him the Kings dog sally who just had puppies."

Both Celta and Herg smiled at that. They soon arrived at Castle Dunbroch where Sir Gawayne and Lady Laura showed Captain Org to a room where he laid The Chieftess on a king sized goose down bed. Lady Laura had a sentry go fetch the healer from town. after a half hour Freya regained . At first she panicked but Captain Org assured her the children and herself were safe. Lady Laura brought a chair up and sat down next to the bed. She spoke gently to the Chieftess while holding her hand. The Captain translated.

Lady Laura: "Ah have sent fer the healer Chieftess and she should be here soon. Mah guess is yer jest tired from yer journey an rest an some hot food wil set ye right. Now donno be worried aboot yer little ans. They ere with mah two lookin at some puppies."

Freya: "I appreciate your kindness. I think you are right. The trip and circumstances just caught up to me. Do you have any idea how long it will be before Hiccup returns?"

"Ah ave sent riders ta Castle Delaney to inform the King of yer arrival my lady. Ah am sure the King will bring yer son back as quickly as possible. The Royal family has 300 cavalrymen guarding them. Hiccup is quite safe. Until his return please stay with us here in the castle. We can take care of ye and yer children's needs in comfort. Ah have also sent provisions to yer men on yer ship. They ere also welcome ta visit here and the town."

Cheiftess Freya relaxed somewhat. She was concerned about her new stepson but less so than when they first arrived. It was kind of these people to make her feel welcome and provide a healer which she was sure would confirm her theory of her pregnancy. Lady Laura had sent for Gwendolyn so that when the healer arrived, the men could leave and give Freya and the healer privacy while she was being examined. The healer arrived within an hour and Lady Laura chased the men out. Gwendolyn sat near the bed with little Celta in her lap while the very rotund but friendly healer went about her examination. After about twenty minutes the healer said something to Chieftess Freya she did not understand because it was in Gaelic which she had not learned. Gwen curtsied all smiles and told Freya;

"The healer says ye ere with child m'lady. She says aboot two months or so."

Freya smiled and Celta asked, "What does that mean mummy? are you going to be alright?"

Freya: "Mummy's fine sweet one. What Gwen said was that the healer told her that I am going to have a baby in a few months That means you are going to be a big sister soon. What do you think about that?"

The two year old pondered the question for a moment and then answered, "What about my new big brother Hiccup? Where is he, how come he not here so I can play with him? Herg won't play with me much but you said Hiccup would. Are we going to go fetch him? I want to give him a big hug and say hello."

Gwendolyn: "Ah can answer at m'lady if ah have yer permission,"

Freya nodded yes.

Gwen: "Celta, yer brother Hiccup is a very sweet little boy. You will love him and ah am sure e will love ye too. Ye see Hiccup has a castle and some property at the King gave im. The King an Queen just took Lord Hiccup and Princess Merida ta see the place is all. Me Da is sending men ta go let the King know ye and yer mum are here an Im sure they will bring Hiccup back reak soon."

Celta: "What's a King Gwen?"

"A King and Queen are like yer mummy and yer da Chief Stoic. They do the same thing. Now a castle is a big stone place like this but Castle Delaney is smaller." said the knight daughter."

"Are the King an queen nice? Do they like Hiccup? Is he gonna live in the castle an not come home to our new house in Berk? Who is Princess Merida?" asked Celta.

"Och wee one ye sure du ask a lot o questions. Ats ok tho its how ye learn. Well to start the King is a little scary lookin with his big red beard and only havin one leg but he has a big kind heart. Ah have been invited ta dinner with the royal family many times an always ad a good time. Where Prince Hiccup is concerned, they donno just like him, they love him like e was there own. It would be hard no ta like Hiccup. He is such a nice little barron.

Now Princess Merida is the daughter of King Fergus an Queen Elinor. She is just a little taller than ye and has long curly hair the color o fire. She is a sweety too. She an yer new brother ere betrothed. An before ye ask, betrothed means at someday when they ere bigger they will be married. As ta where e lives, e lives mostly in Berk an comes here fer long visits."

Freya: "So my stepson is well liked and taken care of by the royal family?"

Laura wasn't sure how to answer so she told her mother. Lady Laura answers for her. Translating Gwen says,

"M'lady, me mum tells me ta say, Lord Hiccup is considered part of the royal family when he is here in Scotland. Hiccup is precious to the King an Queen and would give their lives ta protect him and the Princess. Ye need no worry. She also offers ye the hospitality o the castle until the royal family. She says if ye want ah can stay close be ye an the children ta speak fer ye." said the young lady.

Freya: "Please tell your mother I will accept her kind invitation. Ah would like to know more about Hiccup and the royal family especially the betrothal."

Castle Delaney

It was becoming light on Aldermans Hill where the prisoners had been tied. Only three were still alive. Thru the night each human had been asked about the plot to kill the dragon Prince and who was involved. Voltan was angry that in the world of humans, there were some who would seek out an harm hatchlings. One by one the humans were spoken to telepathically in their own language. Those that refused he gave to his dragon friends. A Gronkle had slowly covered one human all the way up to his neck in lava. Another had refused and had become target practice for a deadly Nadder. Another refused and he had been burned alive by a nightmare. One who

refused had been slashed to death by a razor whip and the last one became a plaything for a dozen terrible terrors. The screams of their slowly comrades convinced the last three to talk. They had all passed out but would sing a song to the human King called Fergus arrived. Even now Volton could hear the humans in their steel scales approaching. With a screech loud enough for the humans to hear Volton and his clan left. These new humans were not yet ready to meet his kind.

On the road to Aldermans hill two men on horseback led 18 foot soldiers and two driving a wagon to where they had left the prisoners. When they arrived King Fergus had the Sergeant go check the men who were tied up. At one point the Sergeant couldn't take anymore and promptly threw up. One man was covered in cooling lava rock, his head a charred lump at the top. The second dead man was covered in poisonous Nadder quills. The poison gave off an overpowering scent like that of a skunk or rock badger. The third was on the ground as his bonds had been burned through. What was left was barely recognizable as human. The next dead man had slashes all over his body, his intestines spewing down from his lacerated stomach. His head was nowhere to be found. The last man was the worst. It seemed like every stitch of clothing and every piece of skin had been torn off the man. He had no eyes, his nose had been chewed off, his tongue bitten out of his gaping mouth and his genitals eaten off. there were little bite marks everywhere.The next three were alive, barely. Whatever had stripped the previous man, had also had a go at the three remaining although not enough to kill them. The three men had lost control of themselves and smelled of vomit, defecation and urine. One woke and began screaming incoherently, pleading to be killed. The other two woke up as well, one crying out over and over about dragons and the other screaming incessantly for help. As they were untied and taken to the wagon they saw the king and Lord MacGuffin and tried to outdo each other in their new found zeal to tell what they knew. The soldiers left the dead men where they were and headed back to the Castle. The prisoners would be questioned separately then if what the King and his good friend Ian

MacGuffin's theories were correct an accounting would have to be made for the attempted murder of the King and worse yet, Little Lord Hiccup.

Castle Dunbroch

Sir Gawayne had doubled he guard and ensured the sergeant kept their men alert. Nothing was going to happen to the chieftess of Berk on his watch, no sir. The Chieftess was nothing like he expected. Unlike her predecessor, she had long blonde hair and brown eyes.