Chapter 14
Elder Dragon's Den
Hello there! I'm finally back after a long hiatus. I haven't been taking a break from the fanfiction department entirely, though – I did a Snoggletog oneshot set during the end of Race to the Edge and started my first contribution to the My Hero Academia fandom with "Godzillo Raids Again". I've also begun planning another crossover fic as well, but that's still got a long way to go before I can publish.
First order of business, though, is to finish what I started on "War of the Monsters". And in this chapter, it's the long-anticipated foray into Helheim's Gate! Enjoy!
When Hiccup got back to Berk, he was going to give Sightless the entire food storehouse as thanks. He was only here thanks to him, after all. Kidnapping Astrid and convincing her to keep his secret had been Hiccup's idea, true. But the death-defying acrobatics and proverbial U-turn into a breathtaking sunset flight over Berk? Yeah, that was all Sightless. Best wingman Hiccup could've asked for.
To think that all he needed to woo Astrid was to fly her around the island on monsterback, rather than killing said monster. Ironic.
Thank you for everything, you incredible reptile!
He steered Sightless in another direction, back toward the open ocean. The far-off lights of Berk winked out in the darkness as the Gore Magala soared back out to sea, leaving only the stars to light their way. A chill breeze fluttered his tunic, but Hiccup was too flushed from the warmth of Astrid's arms around him to feel the cold. He wished the girl would say something, but all he could hear over the wind was her soft breathing. Silence surrounded them as completely as the vastness of the sky.
They flew on for some time, too comfortable amidst the quiet night to want to go back just yet. Eventually, though, Hiccup found himself steering Sightless on a gradual path toward the Berk woods. The dark mass that was the island loomed almost pitch black against the water, and it was at this moment that he felt Astrid shift, leaning away from him to place her hands securely atop his shoulders.
"What are you going to do?" Ordinarily, her silken voice spoken so close to his ear would've sent delighted shivers down his spine, but her tone was so concernied that it prompted him to look back.
"What do you mean?" he asked, turning around to meet her eye.
"About monster training," she specified, gripping him more tightly. "Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow! You know you're going to have to kill –"
Astrid suddenly broke eye contact to give Sightless a concerned glance, realizing that this probably wasn't the best subject to be talking about within earshot of a monster. Noting that Sightless' muscles seemed tense beneath his legs, Hiccup patted him on the neck to reassure him, though he didn't respond.
"…kill a monster," Astrid finished in a low murmur.
"Don't remind me…" Hiccup sighed. He did suddenly feel cold now, and not because of the wind. It was the image of the training arena flashing through his head, not a memory but a glimpse of the near future. Only a few hours from now, he would be striding into that arena with the whole village watching. He wasn't sure what would be better: if he was the one to die, or the monster awaiting him.
He remembered coming to Sightless with the intention of flying away from Berk forever. It felt like a lifetime ago. Then, running had seemed the only way to escape the lie his life had become. But had circumstances not changed? Maybe Astrid was a sign – if one of the most determined Viking warriors could be persuaded of the monsters' true nature, could the rest of Berk? It seemed unlikely, but… perhaps there was hope.
"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed.
Snapped out of his brooding, Hiccup came back to the real world to find that the sky had changed. The stars around them were fading as thick mist choked them out, the gentle waves disappearing behind a grey veil. This time there was no wind, leaving no doubt that the chill settling into Hiccup's bones was borne of terror. He'd never seen this mist, but he'd heard the stories, studied the maps, seen the ruined ships more times than he could count.
Helheim's Gate.
He grabbed the saddle, knuckles white and fingers digging into the leather. "Bud, you need to get us out of here," he whispered. He placed a hand on the Gore Magala's head, noticing with a thrill of fear that Sightless was tense. They needed to head back right now.
"Sightless!" he hissed with force.
But, at that moment, Sightless jerked his head up and thrust forward, diving further into the mist with a new sense of purpose. Hiccup yelped and clutched the saddle, and felt Astrid clamp down on him more tightly.
"Sightless, what's happening?" he demanded. But the monster did nothing to indicate that he'd heard – only flew ever more determinedly into the fog, as if following a trail.
Ominous shadows started to loom out from the otherwise featureless wall of grey, and Hiccup recognized them as sea stacks which Sightless swerved around without issue. Confusion swirled through his mind like the very fog that filled his eyes, joined by a heavy dread in this pit of his stomach. It occurred to him that they were likely flying over the stranded hulks of countless Berkian ships, hidden somewhere down below.
Another shadow flashed past on the periphery of his vision. He thought it was only another sea stack, only for a vast winged creature to hurtle out of the mist and almost clip them. The green wyvern roared a warning to Sightless before disappearing back into the curtain ahead of them. Hiccup slapped a hand to his chest, suddenly feeling hot with panic; a feeling that didn't go away when other roars started to echo through the mist.
"Get down!" he whispered, laying flat against the saddle. Astrid followed suit, pressing her weight down on his back. Her shaky breaths tickled the side of his face, but his nerves were too stretched to notice.
The sound of steady wingbeats came from somewhere to their left, and a Yian Garuga melted into view. Sightless adjusted his position to steer clear. Then, on their right, came an Espinas, its thorn-covered silhouette unmistakable. With each passing second, more and more monsters melted out of the fog around them, until Hiccup and Astrid found themselves in the middle of a flock hundreds strong. Together, the flock flew the exact same course with the single-minded focus of an army of ants. The sight was eerie beyond description – it made Hiccup feel as small and helpless as a lamb creeping through a Monstrous Nightmare den.
"H-Hiccup?" Astrid breathed. Hiccup felt her clammy palm push on his cheek, and he turned his head to see a Rathalos cruising past, a dead boar dangling from its talons.
"It looks like they're hauling in their kill," he whispered.
"Then what does that make us…?" she asked in little more than a squeak.
Hiccup couldn't answer, his attention drawn by a Nargacuga passing on their left. Its red eyes pierced through the darkness to look straight at him, though what the wyvern was thinking, Hiccup would never understand.
The flock began a gradual descent downwards, followed seconds later by a sudden drop that had Astrid yelp and tighten a vice-like grip around Hiccup's waist. They leveled out over black water, and the heads and necks of aquatic monsters reared up around them. Sea stacks started to loom out of the mist one after the other, and Sightless followed the flock's seamless movements through the maze. A faint orange glow was visible up ahead, and the farther the Gore Magala flew, the brighter it shone through the fog…
…until, at last, the clouds lifted, and their destination was revealed. Hiccup found himself craning his neck, up and up to the peak of an enormous conical obelisk, steeped in shadows black as tar. Thin streams of molten lava snaked down the dark mountain's craggy sides, wreathing it in a hellish glow.
Understanding dawned on Hiccup. The strange unity amongst the flock, the tremendous amounts of food, and now the mountain: his father had been right all along.
Helheim's Gate was home to the monsters' nest.
Sightless kept as straight as an arrow, heading toward a great crevasse in the mountainside that yawned wide, the hungry maw of a titanic beast. The hold around his waist grew tight, and he heard Astrid whimper. He took one hand off the saddle to place against Astrid's arm, and just as he did so, Sightless plunged into the cavern and darkness descended upon them. Instantly, Hiccup was blind, and rendered deaf by the countless wingbeats echoing off the walls of the tunnel. He had only his sense of balance to rely on, learning the tunnel's curvature from the way Sightless turned this way and that.
Then, a dim light – visible around a bend in the corridor, it emanated from what was no doubt the center of the hollow mountain. It was accompanied by a putrid smell, that of rotting eggs that strengthened with each flap closer to its source. Hiccup covered his mouth with a hand painted orange from the distant glow, not just to protect himself from the odor, but to stop himself from gasping at what he could see.
The tunnel walls gave way to a vast chamber, lit with pale orange light. From a ceiling so high it might have been the roof of the mountain itself, gigantic pillars of stone snaked down into the invisible depths, from which sulfurous yellow clouds wafted upwards lazily. Nesting against the walls and on the pillars were monsters of all kinds, filling the cavern with their many cries. Dozens more monsters circled around the cavern's contours, spiraling down to dip their claws into the obscuring mist before launching themselves back upwards. The rotten egg smell was so powerful that it made the air heavy and stale, and from below, a low rumble seemed to stir the clouds into a slow, rotating whirlpool.
It was exactly what, and yet nothing like, Hiccup had imagined. "What my father wouldn't give to see this…" he murmured, eyes wide and unable to even blink at the incredible sight before them.
Ahead of them, the Nargacuga dipped toward the pit, and Sightless kept on its tail. Hiccup watched, fascinated and bewildered, as the cat-like wyvern released the sheep it had been carrying, letting it be engulfed by the clouds. It flew away with haste, and Sightless made a shallow dive before peeling off and making for the upper part of the cave. Hiccup started, tugging hard on the saddle to bring Sightless in for a landing on the nearest pillar. They touched down on the side facing away from the clouded abyss, then circled around to peek their heads out and observe.
More monsters were flying in from outside, and Hiccup saw that they, too, each had food. And just like the Nargacuga, they hung around only long enough to drop their bounty, their interest in the pit fading completely.
"Well, it's satisfying to know that all our stolen food has been dumped down a hole," Hiccup remarked, feeling miffed at the injustice.
Astrid grabbed his shoulders to steady herself as she leaned forward for a better look. "They're not eating any of it…" she muttered, her tone carrying a suspicious edge.
Hiccup didn't answer. He felt a strong case of déjà vu coming on, and could only stare blankly at the shower of wasted food vanishing in front of him as he struggled to place it. This reminded him of something, but…
One monster blundered in, later than the others. The Remobra struggled to fly with a significant tear in its wing, bringing itself to an unsteady hover just above the hole. The Vikings watched it rear its head and belch a single mackerel out of its mouth. With its task finished, it beat its crippled wings frantically in a sluggish rush for the safety of its roost.
For all of one second, Hiccup gagged as the rotten-egg scent changed without warning into something much fouler, burning like acid…
…and forgot all about it as an enormous black head surged up from the mist and closed its jaws with a deafening CRACK on the Remobra's body.
Something… I think something's making the monsters attack Berk.
Batwings' words came back to Hiccup, hushed and grim. If he had felt cold with fear before, it was nothing compared to the death-like chill that flooded his bones right now. Astrid said something, but he didn't hear, so fixated was he on the burning yellow eyes and axe-shaped horn that melted back into the abyss with a satisfied growl. He was frozen in the saddle, his mind screaming at him to run but his body not responding, as if he had entered a living nightmare.
Sightless shivered beneath him and crouched further into the shadows. All around the cavern, monsters either shrank away to hide themselves or wheeled, shrieking, into the air in search of higher perches. Their frightened calls were an aria of death that made way for the monster's rise into the light, emerging from the depths like a demon from Muspelheim. It reeked of burning oil, the sharp scent rolling off its hide in a wave that sunk razor blades into Hiccup's nostrils.
"You need to get us out of here, bud," he hissed.
But Sightless didn't move, rigid with fear. And, to Hiccup's horror, the creature's axe-blade head was turning, its empty golden eyes meeting his own.
"NOW!"
The Gore Magala sprang, vaulting into the air with a thrust of his wingarms that sent Hiccup's stomach into a nauseating tizzy. He dared to look back – the creature's monstrous jaws were coming for him, a petrifying howl tearing from its gaping throat.
All at once, the still cavern was whipped into a frenzy of motion as flying monsters everywhere raced for freedom, their roars and wingbeats blending into a cacophony. Hiccup gripped the saddle tight and pressed his face against the leather, praying to the gods that he and Astrid wouldn't be thrown aside in the chaos. For what seemed like three eternities, he kept his eyes screwed shut, feeling the wings and tails and claws battering all around him…
Then it was over, the night sky opening around him and clean air rushing into his lungs. Monsters filled the sky, but Sightless swerved over and under any that got in his way, and soon they were clear to head for the open water. The fog closed in on them as they plunged into Helheim's Gate, the roars of fleeing monsters already muffled by the thickening curtain. He heard Astrid release a long, shuddering gasp as she tried to settle herself down, her arms now limp in his lap. There were no more sounds of terror or death, just a thick, comforting silence.
And it was in that silence where Hiccup heard the faraway howl ringing from within the mountain's belly, a bell that tolled doom for all Viking-kind.
"DRAYYYYYYYYRRRRRR!"
Hidden Grotto
Hiccup could have fainted when he saw the grotto, a circular scar blemishing the otherwise untouched forest. He directed Sightless down, the cliffs rising swiftly to once again hide them from the wider world. The trees were dark needles walling the rim of the pit, and the pond aglow with the moon's silver light. When Sightless touched down with nary a thud in their isolated sanctum, Hiccup had never felt safer.
"It all makes sense now," Astrid blurted, the first words she'd spoken since escaping certain death minutes ago. "It's like a giant beehive – the monsters work for that thing, and it controls them like it's their queen."
Her words were rushed with excitement, and the first thing she did after Sightless landed was to jump out of the saddle. "Come on, let's find your dad!"
"Astrid, wait!" All kinds of unpleasant possibilities shot through Hiccup's head, and without thinking, he grabbed her arm before she could run off. She stopped and looked at him, shocked, and he slid off Sightless' back to join her on the edge of the lake.
"Astrid, n-no, they'll… they'll kill Sightless," he stammered to object. "We, we need to think this through, carefully…"
Astrid turned, disbelief all over her moonlit face. "Hiccup, we just discovered the monster's nest; the thing we've been after since our ancestors first sailed here!" she stressed; to her, it was the most monumental discovery ever made. She asked with a scoff, "You want to keep that a secret? To protect your… your pet monster? Are you serious?!"
Hiccup looked her right in the eye, maybe for the first time ever, and said just as emphatically, "Yes."
This was more serious than anything he'd ever done. All thoughts of abandoning Berk had gone. If he ran off just to protect himself, the raids would keep coming and everyone he cared for – his dad, Gobber, Astrid – would be overrun. But if he acted on impulse like Astrid wanted to, who knew what could happen?
It wasn't just him and Sightless anymore – no-one was safe as long as that thing was out there. By keeping this secret, he'd be protecting everyone else just a little bit longer. And so, it was with iron in his voice and fierce determination in his eyes that he spoke to Astrid.
She stared at him, blue eyes wide, her cool composure lost. It hit Hiccup just then that he'd never seen Astrid look so vulnerable, or seen her look at him with such intensity. A hot flush brought color to his face, and he looked at the ground, feeling self-conscious. Then, out of the blue, he heard her speak.
"…Okay," she relented. "So then… what do we do?"
We. There's never been a "we".
Hiccup pushed the heartwarming thought away and forced himself to look at her. "Give me until tomorrow," he "I'll… I'll think of something." I hope.
He turned his head to the pond. The moon was high above the treeline and its light streamed unimpeded onto the surface, turning it into a luminous mirror. Nearby, Sightless was bending to drink at the water's edge, sending ripples that shattered the mirror into countless silver shards. The sight was breathtaking, and the fact he was sharing it with Astrid was enough to get him a little exci–
Pain exploded in Hiccup's shoulder, and he whirled around to face Astrid once more, just in time to see the Hofferson girl retracting her fist. He clutched the injured limb and goggled at her as though she'd just proclaimed her undying love for Snotlout Jorgenson.
"That's for kidnapping me," she stated.
Hiccup regarded Sightless with a gesture towards Astrid – Can you believe her? – to which the monster tossed his head in his version of a shrug.
Then, without any warning sans the tickle of warm breath on his face, he felt something soft and warm and unmistakably alive taste his cheek.
It lasted not even half a second; it was over so fast that anyone else would've sworn they imagined it. Even now, the pressure was fading to a pleasant tickle. But Hiccup knew what he had felt. He turned one last time, regarding a suddenly bashful Astrid with undisguised wonder as she shrank back, her hand ghosting across her bangs to let her orbs of deepest blue cast their shy gaze upon him.
"And that's… for everything else," she added.
Just like that, she was gone. She dashed away toward the grotto's exit, her slim form being swallowed by the shadows as completely as a half-remembered dream. On the moonlit banks of the lake, her forgotten Dual Blades lay in the grass where she'd left them an eternity ago.
Hiccup stared at the spot where she had disappeared for long after she'd left. He lifted a tentative hand to his cheek, fingers brushing against the spot her lips had touched. A bubble of unadulterated joy welled up from within, pushing away the wonder.
"Wow…" he couldn't help but sigh.
A huff sounded from behind him, and he broke from his reverie to see Sightless padding up to him. The monster lifted his head in the direction Astrid had gone, then tilted it back toward Hiccup and bared his teeth. If Hiccup didn't know any better, he'd say that Sightless was doing a very smug impression of a successful wingman.
"What are you looking at?" he couldn't help but snap in his embarrassment, and the monster made a sound that could have passed for a chuckle.
Astrid's House
As quiet as a Terrible Terror, Astrid opened the door a crack and slipped inside, letting out the rush of air she hadn't even known she was holding. She knew her parents would be sound asleep at this time of night, and so wasn't too worried about drawing attention to herself. But the memories of everything she had experienced today kept her on her guard. If someone asked her where she'd been all afternoon, she wasn't a good enough liar to deflect suspicion.
She made it about two steps toward her bed before she tripped on something warm and solid. Hitting the ground with an ooof of surprise, she rolled over in alarm to see the curled lump that was Arachne sitting groggily upright on the blanket that acted as her bed. Next to the Philston girl, Snaketail let out an annoyed grunt as she, too, stirred in her sleep. Astrid cursed herself; in all the excitement, she'd forgotten that her parents had taken the two girls in.
"Astrid?" Arachne muttered, then broke into a yawn. "Whhhhhhhhhere… where have you been all day…?"
"Nowhere," Astrid soothed. "Now go back to sleep."
She was too late, however – Snaketail groaned and sat up, her normally straight hair a frizzled mess. "Ugh, keep it the Hel down! Shouldn't you be sleeping after today?!"
I really should, Astrid realized. As soon as Snaketail said it, she immediately felt the toll on her body that the day's events had taken. Her limbs were strained, her eyelids growing heavy, and she could feel a yawn coming on. She clenched her jaw and did her best to shake it off before answering.
"I'm sorry I woke you up," she apologized. "And you're right, it's been a long and stressful day. I was just heading to bed."
She started to stand up when Snaketail's voice spoke up again, sounding significantly more awake. "Where have you been all day, anyway?" she inquired, sitting back on her hands. "You took off after you lost the Tigrex fight. We assumed you were training in the woods, except you didn't come back."
"I…" Astrid started, but her throat closed as she struggled to come up with a believable excuse. Oh gods, they were looking at her. They expected an answer, didn't they? If she didn't say something, they'd think something was up. She was Astrid, and Astrid didn't choke on her own breath.
"I was… with Hiccup," she replied, regaining her composure. " I thought he was cheating during training, so I went to confront him in the woods and he ended up showing me some of his training methods. I guess I misjudged him."
"Hiccup? Cheat?" Arachne asked, and shook her head. "I don't think so. But it's great that you're getting along with him now. You seemed really angry at him."
Astrid sent a guilty glance Snaketail's way. She'd fought with the Grundenson girl over the subject of Hiccup's prowess in the ring before. However, Snaketail only shrugged when she noticed Astrid's silent apology – hopefully, that meant there were no hard feelings.
"So?" Snaketail then said, resting her arm on her knee. "What kind of stuff did Hiccup teach you?"
"O-Oh, I… uh…" Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Astrid could only stammer out an improvised reply. "I… can't… tell you. He didn't want… um… any more attention from the village."
Snaketail leaned farther forward, squinting at her through the darkness. Then, before Astrid could snap at her in defense, her eyes flew wide open. "Wait, are you blushing?"
Crap, I am, Astrid realized, only now aware of how hot her face was. She stood up and walked to her bed in order to hide it, wincing at her own unintentional display of emotion. What had she just been thinking about being a bad liar? And what in Valhalla had possessed her to give Hiccup that stupid kiss?
"Oh my gods, she is!" Arachne whisper-yelled. The creak of floorboards told Astrid that she had gotten up and was following her. "You totally like him! How did it happen? Did he work his monster training magic and get you all impressed with him?"
"NO," Astrid retorted, whirling around to stare the ten-year-old down. "Astrid Hofferson does NOT get impressed by boys."
Arachne's grin was so wide it almost split her face in two. "So what if that's true, I'm still gonna tease you endlessly about it~," she giggled.
Unimpressed, Astrid made a big show of walking to her bed and pulling back the blanket so she could crawl in. "Fine, whatever. Just do it tomorrow and let me go to sleep. The final exam is first thing in the morning."
As soon as she said that, a sense of worry crawled up from her gut and made her eyebrows furrow. She turned over to face the wall so that the other girls wouldn't see, and she thought of Hiccup and Sightless. They were in such deep trouble that Astrid couldn't even imagine it. What was going through Hiccup's head right now? Did he already have a plan for his exam? Was he scared for his monster? For himself?
That night, Astrid's head was full of questions, none of which she ever thought she would ask. However, she fell asleep knowing one thing for certain: Hiccup was not the scrawny coward she had believed him to be. In fact, she was beginning to think that he might be braver than anyone else.
Originally, in "Monsters of Berk", Fatalis was the main baddie, but that was a long time ago – now, Fatalis is way too strong to be a mere Red Death replacement. That honor goes to one of my favorite elder dragons, who you may already know from the description – but if not, never fear, for its name will be revealed soon!
In case anyone was wondering, the flightless and aquatic monsters also congregate at Helheim's Gate. Since they can't fly, they take a different entrance and nest elsewhere on the island.
And, because this chapter would've been short otherwise, I added a small scene with Astrid and the other girls. Figured they were due for some time to chat.
I'm sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoyed this long-overdue chapter! Please review!