CHAPTER 17
Tengan sat with her feet dangling over the balcony of her hut, eyes unfocused as she lazily tracked the Night Terrors returning to their patrol huts after a long night. She attempted to remain focused on her breathing as the Sun slowly climbed in the sky. This was the first morning in a long while she had to herself. Everyone, dragons included, had come away from their encounter with the hunters with several cuts and scrapes. Nothing life threatening, just things that she preferred to look at and treat before another life or death situation could call them to action.
Admittedly, her task had become a bit harder when Snotlout had convinced Tuffnut he was transforming into a Lycanwing for almost a week. Between Tuff's extra scrapes and Snotlout "helping" Ruffnut by collecting as many different dragon bite marks as he could to compare, her hut hadn't actually been empty since the day before they fished Astrid out of the sea. The poor Jorgenson boy had been so delirious from all the venom in his system, Tengan had let him sleep in her bed for three days as her medicine took effect. Those nights had been spent camping with Rumble on his hard stone slab of a bed. A perfect place to sleep if you were a dragon. Not so perfect for a scribe.
Closing her eyes, Tengan sighed and stretched as she spent several moments just enjoying her surroundings. The steady, slow breathing as Rumble slept on behind her, the warmth seeping into her bones from the early morning sunlight, the memory of Dagur's surprisingly soft lips hidden under the rough scratches of his uneven beard.
"Agh!" She groaned out in barely a whisper, bringing her hands up to clasp on either side of her head. Every time she closed her eyes or let her guard down for even a moment, that kiss never failed to float to the front of her mind. "This is all because of that supid conversation with Heather and Astrid." She grumbled to no one in particular as another memory drifted to the forefront of her mind.
'So, you and Hiccup are a thing, right?' Heather had asked Astrid slyly, casting a wink in Tengan's direction.
'What?! No! We're just friends!' Astrid asserted all too quickly, throwing her hands up in defense.
Heather crossed her arms and shared a knowing smirk with Tengan before pressing on. 'He's kinda cute, don't you think?'
'Oh definitely.' Tengan chimed in, her grin growing.
'I mean, I guess. If you like the dashing, heroic, dragon rider type.' Astrid avoided their eyes as she spoke, fidgeting with her hair in the process. 'Now you and Snotlout' Astrid plowed on as she gestured towards Heather, desperate to shift the conversation away from her and Hiccup's mutual unspoken attraction. 'That's a match made in Valhalla.' She broke into a fit of giggles at the end of her statement, unable to keep a straight face.
It had taken several moments for the girls to catch their breath before Heather could respond. 'I can handle Snotlout. Besides, I'm not into the macho Viking type.'
'Oh?' Tengans attention had piqued. 'Then, pray tell, what is your type?'
'Well,' It was Heather's turn to avoid eye contact. 'I like a little smarts. Like... Fishlegs.' She smiled as she spoke the Gronkle rider's name.
'Fishlegs?!' Tengan and Astrid cried out in unison, matching wolfish grins on their faces.
'What?!' Heather shrugged, trying a little too hard to sound impassive. 'I think he's funny and cute.'
'We're talking about the guy with the Gronkle?' Astrid teased lightly.
'Alright, alright.' Heather laughed good naturedly. 'What about you, Tenagn? What's your type? Surely you've met a lot of guys.'
'Actually' Tengan squirmed a bit under her friends' gaze. 'No, not really.'
'What!" Astrid cried out in unabashed disbelief. 'Aren't you older than us? And don't your people travel like, everywhere?'
Tengan huffed. 'I'm not THAT much older than you two, you know!' She glared at the two expectant teens for a moment before sighing. 'And my people travel a lot but I never did. I started my two years later than most and all my time before that was spent helping my mother care for our library.'
'Woah woah, are you telling me you've never even kissed anyone?' Heather leaned in, eyes wide and curious.
Tengan bit her lip before shaking her head. 'No…. well, not really. There were a few friends of mine growing up. When we were about ten or so we tried kissing each other to see what the appeal was. But never like a REAL kiss, you know? So far my most romantic moment was when Gustav dropped me while dancing…. Unless you count all those times Snotlout came crawling to my hut to, how did he put it? Oh yes, 'play doctor'.'
The three girls had dissolved into laughter for several minutes after that remark. Anytime one would start to calm down, she'd catch sight of the other two and double over once more.
'Alright, alright.' Heather finally had gasped between giggles. 'No more boy talk. Let's get back to-'
Tengan jumped slightly as Rumble plopped his large head on her lap, pulling her out of her reminiscing state. Smiling, she let her fingers dance softly along the sensitive scales framing his eyes. "Thanks boy." She planted a small kiss on the crown of his head, shivering slightly at the tingles left behind from his charged skin. "You're the only man I need in my life right now. What do you say we head down to the arena? Hiccup wanted to run accuracy drills this morning."
Within the hour the team had assembled and lined up along the dome of the arena as, one by one, they performed close combat strikes on several targets while guiding their dragons to maneuver in tight circles. They had decided to practice in the silently agreed upon established order of Astrid, Hiccup, Tengan, Snotlout, the twins, and, finally, Fishlegs.
Tengan, having just completed her turn with more or less her usual degree of success, settled on her dragon's back to wait for her turn to come up again. Her fingers fidgeted under the front edge of her saddle as Hookfang soared past them, carrying his usual scent of smoldering wood. 'Dagur smelled like a Monstrous Nightmare up close. But with something else. Almost a… spice? Much nicer than I thought he would-' She shook her head violently to empty her mind, coming back to the task at hand just in time to watch Snotlout wipe out.
"I'm not patching you up again!" she half shouted/half chuckled at the downed viking. "I've finally gotten your smell out of my bed from last week!"
Snotlout, shifting to lie on his side, propped his head up with one hand in a clearly feeble attempt to salvage the situation. "Ladies love the natural musk." He winked, wincing as the scraped skin on his face stretched.
A voice drifted to the group from the far side of the arena. "You really should loosen your grip a little." The viking called out good naturedly, dismounting his Nadder before approaching. "It maximizes the bone-shattering potential."
"Spitelout!" Hiccup called back in greeting. "What a… pleasant" he emphasized the word as if it were a question "surprise. What are you doing here?"
Spitelout cast a judgemental gaze around the arena, eyes lingering on the beaten down weapons rack before responding. "I come with news from Berk. There's to be a union tomorrow between two families. Our family, house Jorgensen, and Astrid's family, house Hoffersons."
Tengan temporarily lost the thread of the conversation as Astrid and Snotlout spent several moments expressing shock at the upcoming union.
"There hasn't been a union since I landed at Berk a few years ago." Tengan commented mildly to Fishlegs. "I've read a bit about them and heard a few stories but-"
"Oh!" Fishlegs cut her off with an excited squeak. "There really is no comparison to actually being present at one! I love union ceremonies!"
"Yeah." Hiccup interjected mildly. "They're actually pretty nice."
"Glad you think so!" Spitelout gestured towards Hiccup. "Your father expects you there tomorrow morning bright and early along with Snotlout and Astrid. You'll be representing the Haddocks."
Between Spitelout impressing the importance of Snotlout transporting his house's ceremonial axe to the matrimonial island, Fishlegs gushing over union ceremonies, and Astrid's loud complaints to anyone and everyone in earshot, Tengan found herself waiting quietly with the nonplussed twins for a few minutes after Spitelout's departure before she could get a word into the conversation again.
"Hey, Hiccup?" She cut in. "Think anyone will mind if I tag along? A union ceremony is something I haven't seen yet. I'd love to learn first hand about how Berkians celebrate matrimony."
"Oh, Thor, please let her come along." Astrid added in exasperation. "Please. I can't do this alone."
"Hey! I'm coming too!" Hiccup shot back, his hurt tone betraying his mild expression. "But yeah, sure. Shouldn't be a problem."
"Then let's go already!" Snotlout tossed the axe between his hands. "I want to get there early to show my dad I'm MORE than capable to deliver a stupid axe. Better than Hedgelout anyway."
Tengan chuckled lightly. "Someday, I'll have to write down that man's story. How exactly does one lose both arms in a mutton accident anyways?"
After Hiccup gave the twins an extensive list of rules and placed Fishlegs temporarily in charge, the trio took to the skies, gliding easily on a generous tailwind.
"So, no one has ever really explained it in detail to me." Tengan spoke up after a while as she stretched to retrieve a well worn journal from Rumble's saddlebag. "How do viking union ceremonies happen? How do they start?"
"Well." Astrid cut in before either of the boys could speak up. "Usually, after two people have decided they eventually want to spend their lives together, they write out a formal betrothal declaration and present it to the heads of their families."
"After that's formally accepted by both sides," Hiccup continued, twisting in Toothless' saddle to be heard better. "one partner will present the other with a betrothal gift. Necklaces are traditional but it can be anything."
"Yeah." Snotlout interjected. "My cousin gave his girl a black lamb that had her initials sheared into its side."
"How romantic." Astrid commented dryly. "The ceremony itself is pretty simple after that. There's a scroll present containing the words each person says. The officiator binds their hands and then the entire collection of people sit down to a four hundred boar feast."
"Interesting." Tengan murmured while scribbling rapidly in her book, her knees gripping tightly to keep her stable in the saddle.
"Wait." Snotlout called out. "Is that NOT what you do back home? Do you guys, you know, even do union ceremonies?"
"SNOTLOUT!" Astrid and Hiccup yelled back in unison.
"No, it's alright." Tengan nodded her head patiently. "Yes Snotlout, we do have union ceremonies back home. They just aren't like yours. About half of my people choose partners from the tribe while the other half find them while out gathering knowledge. No one partner is considered better than any other. When they decide to be together, they usually spend some time apart to write journals detailing their time together. From when they first met to the present day."
"Of course they do." Snotlout commented, clearly amused.
Tengan ignored his interruption. "Many choose to continue their journals long after the ceremony and will look back on it with their partner on special occasions. The actual ceremony isn't anything as grand as Berk's. The couple exchange their journals in the morning, read them until the evening and express their joy, love, and gratitude for one another in front of a few chosen family and friends. Sometimes, if one partner travels more than the other, they'll exchange a small keepsake or gift, but it's not official. Then a record of their union is brought to the library and kept with the others."
She closed her journal and sat quietly for a while after finishing her explanation. "Among my people, I've actually already passed the age when most have chosen their partner. Many women of my age have either born a child or are planning for one."
"That's insane!" Hiccup interjected. "You're not that much older than us!"
"Is it, Hiccup? We're not exactly 15 anymore." Astrid shot back somewhat bitterly. She shifted in Stormfly's saddle before addressing Tengan. "It's not like you haven't been busy. How many of your tribe are Riders?"
Tengan chuckled, grateful for the shift in the conversation."As far as I know, just me. However, my father was last seen in the deep south. His goal was to find and train a dragon of his own. I may not be the only one for long." Her voice trailed off as their conversation sunk back in. It was a pleasant distraction when Snotlout lost his grip on the axe and the group had to dive towards the sea to recover it.
Tengan's troubled thoughts persisted through the day. Even the discovery of a rare, scaleless Armorwing and utilizing a nearby nest of Smothering Smokebreaths were only temporary distractions. Every time the pressing danger eased, she found herself wondering. Mostly about her future, and whether or not she ever saw a life partner as a part of it. Eventually, she mused, the war with the Dragon Hunters would end and her friends would go on to live their lives. While she knew she'd always be welcome on Berk, would she ever really have a place? It was possible she could take over for Gothi but there were a few others who had studied under the healer. Most likely she and Rumble would someday have to leave Berk for... a greener island so to speak.
That wasn't even taking into consideration finding a life partner. She had always enjoyed entertaining the far off hope that she'd find someone to share in her adventures with. Not to mention having a child or two in time. The problem was no one ever seemed to catch her interest for long, whether back home on the Shimmering Shores or on Berk. Were she and Rumble destined to travel until the end of their days, without the warmth that comes from knowing your partner and child are waiting to hear her tales?
The answers to such heavy questions never came easy, even to someone adept at documenting the world around her. In the following days, Tengan attempted to throw herself into extra patrol shifts and tagged along on any and all excursions. Anything to avoid having prolonged moments of quiet when those pesky existential thoughts would creep in. Astrid became a near constant companion during those moments. She felt she could spill all of her insecurities to the younger woman without fear of judgement. After their years of adventuring,she felt she could trust Astrid with anything. Until the day she couldn't.
"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice, tinted with evident frustration, rang out over the base as she touched down. "Those two dummies abandoned their posts and left two, well, DUMMIES in their place!" She held out the twins' helmets in evidence.
Hiccup stood from his crouched position where he and Tengan had spent the last hour or so discussing where the Dragon Hunters would likely be headed next. Smiling wearily, he stretched before answering. "You know those dummies could conceivably be just as effective as the twins."
Tengan snorted into the back of her hand, failing to disguise the action as a cough. Abandoning the map as well, she stood, taking a moment to rub out a cramp in one of her legs.
"It's not funny!" Astrid snapped back. "I just don't understand how this isn't making you both go completely insane!"
Hiccup smiled patiently. "Because then there would be three insane vikings in this conversation and nothing would get done. How about-" He was interrupted as Barf and Belch landed nearby, followed closely by a Terror with a scroll fastened to it's hind leg. Unraveling the paper, Hiccup read quickly. "Oh no." His face fell. "Johann is in trouble. He's being attacked by dragon riders."
The collection of teens stiffened at the news. Astrid even paused in the middle of her lecture at the twin's explanation of their new "Scare-Ship dummies" idea.
"Astrid, go get Snotlout and Fishlegs. Tell them to bring the armor. Ruff and Tuff you better help her carry it back. Tengan, can you get me that map of the islands near Breakneck Bog?"
Tengan let out a long, low whistle. "That's a bit of a flight. No problem, I'll be right back." She swung into Rumble's saddle and urged him into a take off, noticing the hitch in his right wing on every downstroke. "Poor baby. Looks like that scrape you got yesterday evening is giving you some trouble." She watched the movement of his joints for several wingbeats. "Let's grab you some ointment and willow bark back at the hut as well." Despite their haste, dampened only slightly by Rumble's injury, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Hiccup were already mostly done securing the Screaming Death armor to their dragons by the time she touched down with the supplies. After handing off the map, she settled next to Rumble and began applying a poultice Gothi once taught her to reduce swelling and avoid infection.
"Please don't leave me with these mutton heads." Astrid begged Hiccup in a carrying whisper.
"She knows we're standing right here, right?" Tuffnut mumbled over his shoulder to his sister and Tengan.
"Look." Hiccup began in a serious tone. "Johann is surrounded by Dragon Hunters and his ship is taking on water. Snotlout and I are the only two with working dragon armor and Meatlug is immune to their arrows. We have to help him. You need to stay here and help the others protect the Dragon Eye."
Tengan, slightly stung at Astrid's comment, redoubled her focus on dressing Rumble's scrape. In an attempt to distance herself from the squabble, she led her dragon into the stable and settled him into a dark, quiet stall in the far corner. Fishing a few freser eels from a nearby salt water bucket, she stuffed the treats with willow bark and made sure the Skrill ate all of them before closing and locking the cage door behind her. "I know. I hate leaving you here too, boy." She reached through the bars to stroke her dragon's head. "But you and I both know how stubborn you are. You'd keep flying on that injured wing until it fell off. Take a day to relax. I'll come back to check on you this evening, ok?" She scratched under his chin once more before heading back outside. From the raised voices, she guessed the boys had left for Johann and Astrid and Ruffnut were already knee deep in their semi-regular argument.
"You two have no clue!" Astrid yelled. "You know why? Because the two of you don't think!"
"You know you could try being kind for once!" Ruffnut spat back, uncharacteristically hostile. "Oh wait! You can't because kindness isn't anywhere in that scrawny body of yours!'
Astrid gaped before glancing over her shoulder at the approaching Tengan. "Back me up here, will you? "
"Why?" Tengan asked flatly, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm just a 'mutton head' after all."
"You know I didn't mean you." Astrid sighed in exasperation.
"Oh really?" Ruffnut spat back. "That's a laugh! Just the other day you were saying that if Tengan had spent half the time she wastes reading on practicing combat, she wouldn't be disarmed by Dagur so often!"
Tengan flinched, her chest tightening. "Did you actually say that?" She asked quietly, approaching the circle of vikings with all the caution of a wounded boar.
Astrid stammered for a few seconds, her eyes flicking between the other girls. "That's- I mean- It was taken totally out of context!"
"You know what your problem is?" Ruffnut swelled with anger after catching the hurt expression on Tengan's face.
"Easy sis." Tuffnut wanted quietly, reaching out to his twin.
Ruffnut charged on, ignoring her brother's plea. "Allow me to lay it out. You have no respect for the people around you. You have no respect for Fishlegs and Tengan, certainly none for Snotlout, and you couldn't have less respect for me and Tuffnut! And I'll be damned if I let you sit here and insult the entire Nutt family tree!" Without waiting for a response, she turned heel and stomped away from the others, her footsteps echoing on the wooden planks as she descended the nearest staircase.
Astrid watched her go before turning to the others. Rubbing her upper arms defensively, she glanced between the ground and their faces several times. "She's wrong you know….." The assertion hung feebly in the air.
Tengan frowned and sighed deeply before catching Tuffnut's concerned gaze. "Do you want me to go after her?"
"Girly emotions have never really been my thing." Tuffnut admitted in a quiet voice, his eyes locked on the deck beneath him.
Tengan placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'll make sure she doesn't hurt herself." She took several steps towards where Ruffnut disappeared before pausing, keeping her back to the others. "You know Astrid, I really enjoyed staying with you and your family a while back. It was the closest I ever felt to being back home. I always thought you saw me as an equal, the same way I saw you. But then you lied to us about Heather being on our side. It wasn't just Hiccup you hurt by keeping that secret… and now…. I mean I always knew I wasn't as combat oriented as you. But, I always thought." She sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I guess it doesn't matter."
Tengan trudged on, feet slamming into the stairs harder than she expected. She always knew Astrid outclassed her when it came to close combat. Heck, she was content with the knowledge she could regularly disarm four of the other six Riders while sparring. Her thoughts darkened as she followed Ruffnut's loose trail into the deep woods behind their base. Back home, she'd really only ever dedicate her life to more complicated bouts of swordsmanship if she planned on taking the title of Custodian, like her mother. She never thought any of her friends had felt her skills were lacking before. A frustrated curse, followed by the dull thud of an axe swinging into tree bark, broke through her meandering thoughts and caught her attention.
"Who does she think she is!" The blond snarled as she struggled to dislodge her weapon from the offending tree trunk.
"Hey, it's just me so don't swing alright?" Tengan held her hands up and managed a small smile as she stepped into view.
Ruffnut abandoned her axe for the moment and slipped into a weary crouch at the base of the tree. "I'm not going to apologize."
"I wasn't coming here to ask you to." Tengan slid into a sitting position beside her friend, drawing her knees to her chest. "I was actually coming to thank you. I didn't know Astrid had said that about me."
"Yeah…" Ruffnut avoided the other girl's eyes, choosing instead to speak to a small rock between her feet. "Everyone always insults us. Most of the time I don't care because why bother? But Astrid…"
"Is intense with everything she does." Tengan finished mildly. "I lived with her family for almost a year, remember? They're almost as bad as Snotlout's when it comes to upholding the family name." She chuckled dryly. "Maybe don't tell her I said that."
"Why?" Ruffnut asked darkly. "She's insulted us plenty of times."
"Because." Tengan added with a sigh. "Because, she's still my friend. And I know she can do better. To be fair, I'm still your friend even after you and your brother convinced Snotlout I had drowned when I was actually just sunbathing on Loki Day two years ago."
"Oh yeah." Ruffnut chuckled. "I remember that. He tried to give you the 'kiss of life'! I've never seen you throw such a right hook!"
Tengan shared in her friend's laughter. "Why thank you. Point is, I was REALLY angry at you two for a while. But I forgave you eventually. And I'll forgive Astrid eventually too. I'm not saying you have to as well-"
Their conversation cut short as several gruff, male voices carried through the trees from the nearby shoreline.
"The base should be-" The first voice called out in an authoritative tone.
"-unguarded! I know. So why are we scouting again?" Came the frustrated reply.
Tengan slipped behind the tree trunk with Ruffnut following close behind. There they stood, silent and motionless, while the two men crashed through the underbrush and into view.
"Hunters." Ruffnut hissed. "We need to get back and warn the others."
"Yes." Tengan whispered. "But carefully. If they see us we're done for. Your axe is stuck in that tree and I stupidly left my sword back in my hut….. Maybe Astrid is right. That was stupid move."
Ruffnut elbowed her friend harshly. "We can worry about that later. For now how are we getting back without being seen?"
Tengan glanced at the dense forest before them. "We split up. There's no way we'll be able to stay silent. If one of us gets caught, then the other will still have a fair chance of making it back." Getting a nod of approval from her friend, Tengan squeezed her shoulder in a silent bid of good luck before slipping away. She meandered through the underbrush, trying to limit her noises to the level of a wild rabbit or small bird as she slowly crept back towards camp. Every few steps she would glance at the advancing Dragon Hunters and redirect her path to avoid them while still keeping the pair within view.
On her fourth glance up, Tengan noticed Ruffnut had managed to wedge her foot in an upturned root, effectively forcing her to stop and pry herself out. Unfortunately, this root seemed to be in the direct path of the hunters. Thinking rapidly, Tengan took a deep, steadying breath before taking an overly large step and purposely tripping over a log, tumbling out into clear sight of her foes.
"Hey!" The larger of the two men pointed at her sprawled form. "Isn't that one of the Riders?"
"It is!" The other man cocked his head to the side. "What is she doing here? I thought they all went to answer the distress call?"
"It don't matter why! Just get her before she tips off the others!"
Tengan sprang to her feet and, with a last glance at Ruffnut over her shoulder, sprinted away in the forest, making as much noise as she possibly could in her flight. She crashed through bushes, snapped twigs underfoot, and loudly grunted in exterion as she shoved low hanging branches out of the way.
"OI! YOU! GET BACK HERE!" The larger guard hollered as he and his companion thundered after her, steadily gaining ground.
Tengan panted heavily, her progress severely hindered by the thick growth in the forest. Convinced she had drawn them far enough away from Ruffnut, she began to fight her way towards a nearby clearing, determined to put some actual distance between herself and her pursuers.
Her left foot had just cleared the underbrush when a large sack slipped over her head and torso. Blinded, she tripped and stumbled to the floor once more, inadvertently pulling the rope wrapped around the opening of the bag tightly across her stomach.
"I've got her!" The breathless voice of the smaller hunter rasped out. "Let's get her back to the ship!"
Tengan struggled, wildly at first, then with little energy as the men shoved and guided her blindly through the trees. Unable to see, she tripped and fell to her knees several times. Each crash coaxed a bark of taunting laughter from the guards. Eventually, the hard packed earth of the forest gave way to the soft sands of one of the many beaches dotted along The Edge. In the near distance, she could hear waves slapping against the hull of a ship.
"Well." Ryker's cool voice reached Tengan through her blindfold. "I guess you don't know the Dragon Rider's as well as you thought, Dagur. They never left to help Trader Johann. The girl proves it."
Tengan gasped lightly, digging her heels into the sand. 'No, no, no, no, no!' She thought frantically. 'Anyone but him. Please don't make me face him again. Not now.'
"Hey!" Heather's cool voice cut into the conversation. "At least my brother had a plan to get the Dragon Eye. It's not his fault they didn't take the bait!"
"Keep. Moving!" One of Tengan's guards grunted, shoving her forward and onto her knees once more. "The girl is feisty! I'll give her that!"
"Which girl, exactly?" Dagur questioned as he approached, his footsteps muffled by the sand.
Tengan bit her bottom lip as she knelt frozen in place. She wiggled slightly as the hunters who captured her cut the ropes binding the sack and yanked it over her head, tearing out more than a few hairs in the process. She winced, eyes watering at the pain as her eyes refocused. In the time it took the hunters to drag her to the beach, night had just barely fallen on the island. She slowly allowed her gaze to track upwards from the pair of boots directly in front of her, softly lit in the moonlight. Her gaze pausing for a moment on the Skrill embossed on his belt buckle, she felt her eyes drawn almost magnetically up to meet the green ones she had been seeing far too often in her dreams as of late. "We need to stop meeting like this." Her attempt at a stern, mocking tone felt flat and unconvincing even to her own ears.
Dagur smirked down at her before lifting her easily to her feet with one hand clamped on her upper arm. "Excellent! We take this one hostage and-"
"No." Ryker cut in. "No new plan. We take the island as planned, Riders or no Riders. Lock this one" He gestured toward Tengan. "away so she won't be any trouble. Gather the men. We move slowly and destroy everything in our path until we get our Dragon Eye. Then," he chuckled darkly. "we destroy whatever is left."
Tengan tried in vain to catch Heather's eye as she was herded onto a small rowboat. The skin on her arm under Dagur's fingers seemed to burn as flashes of their last meeting kept dancing before her eyes. Deciding against an escape attempt at the moment, she settled without complaint in the vessel, sandwiched behind Heather and next to Dagur, who still hadn't released his firm grip on her arm. As one of the guards clambered into the boat behind them and began to row, she found her gaze drawn to the dozen or so warships moored in the cove.
"I'm surprised none of you noticed us sailing right in." Dagur teased into her ear, his grip shifting on her upper arm.
"If they're all still on the island it's just a matter of time." Heather interjected, deliberately keeping her eyes forward.
"I wouldn't be surprised if my friends came after you in the next few minutes." Tengan spoke as evenly as her voice would allow. "One of those patrols you were mocking is due over the cove any moment. If you let me go and get out of here right now, I MIGHT not have the others sink your fleet." She fought to keep her face impassive as she bluffed, her eyes catching Heather's for the smallest moment.
Dagur chuckled, leaning in towards her slightly. "I'd like to see them try."
Once alongside the foremost and largest ship, Tengan found herself firmly, but surprisingly not too roughly, herded onto the deck and down below by Dagur, who waved off a new pair of guards that came forward to take over for him. Still exhausted and sore from her trek down, she followed quietly, her stomach twisting into tighter knots as he led her to a very particular cell below deck.
"You should recognize this place quite well." Dagur growled as he followed her into the cell, closing the door behind them. "It's the same one you locked me in." He checked the door was actually secure before releasing her arm.
Tengan backed away several steps, careful not to trap herself in the corners of the cell. She rubbed the spot on her arm he had clamped down on, noticing the skin felt oddly cold without the constant contact. "What do you want, Dagur? As you can see, Rumble's not with me tonight."
"I can see that." He mused, choosing to lean lazily against the cell door, shifting his weight so his axe was visible in the dim moonlight. "Where is my Skrill anway?"
Tengan's chest swelled and her face scrunched up in frustration. "For the last time he's not yours!" She crossed her arm and exhaled sharply, thinking quickly. She knew if he found out the dragon was healing from an injury he'd waste no time in taking advantage of his weakened state. "If you must know he's sleeping. Most people do when the Sun sets."
Dagur smirked at her frustrated expression, an amused laugh falling from his lips. "You know, it took me a while, but I finally figured you out."
Tengan cocked her head to the side, heart racing. His question had thrown her. She had anticipated a blow up, a sneer, a taunt. Never an observation. "W-What do you mean?"
Dagur pushed himself off the cell door and took a step forward. "You know. All those questions you asked me years ago. The way you begged me to tell you stories about the Berserkers."
"You mean how I kept you entertained and distracted?" Tengan took a step back to maintain the distance between them, her voice warbling. "Not my fault you like talking about yourself."
Dagur frowned momentarily before his smirk returned. He advanced another couple steps. "And then going out of your way to train a Skrill. Not just any Skrill, the one I had captured and controlled."
"Rumble and I found each other." Tengan shot back nervously, taking another couple steps back. She felt the back of her heel press against the rear wall of the cell. "You had nothing to do with it."
Dagur advanced quickly, slamming his hand on the wall beside her head. "And then there's that little stunt you pulled the last time I saw you." He leaned in, voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Of course I can't blame you. There really never was any competition between me and your pathetic choices among the Riders. Honestly, I should have seen it before."
Tengan's breathing became shallow as she pressed her body tight against the wall. A warm coil had settled deep in her stomach as that familiar Monstrous Nightmare mixed with earthy spice smell filled her nostrils. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh?" He smirked. "I think you do." Slowly, painfully slowly, he backed away. "Not to worry, you'll have all night to think it over." He slipped out of the cell door, making sure it was securely locked behind him. "Don't worry baby, I'll be sure to come get you at sunrise. Wouldn't want you to miss the destruction of Dragon's Edge."
Snapped out of her momentary stupor by his comment, Tengan slammed herself against the cell door, reaching through the claw at Dagur's throat. Her grasping hand came up several inches short. "You'll never take the Edge! And if you DARE hurt any of my friends-"
Dagur laughed. "There's that feisty spirit!" Grabbing her flailing fingers in a painfully tight grip, he tugged them upwards before planting a taunting kiss on her knuckles. "See you at sunrise." He purred before leaving her alone in the hall of empty cages.
Tengan tugged her hand back to her chest and slumped to the floor, absolutely miserable. Curling into a ball, she absentmindedly massaged the place on her hand where his lips had made contact, unsure if she was more upset that she was at the mercy of Dagur AGAIN, or, that some small, lonely, desperate part of her actually liked it. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, desperate for the release of a dreamless sleep.
"Tengan? Are you awake?" A voice whispered urgently into the night seemingly seconds later.
Tengan sat up quickly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes in an attempt to adjust them to the gloom. "Wha-" She murmured sleepily. "Heather? What's going on?"
"I just wanted to check on you." The dark haired viking whispered urgently. "Did Astrid tell you-"
"That you're with us? Yes. Although only after Hiccup nearly killed you and Windshear last week." Tengan whispers back while sitting up. She grabbed onto the bars of her cell. "What's going on?"
"I was hoping you could tell me." Heather continued in a low voice, sliding to the floor in a cross legged position. "Why didn't you guys go help Johann?"
"Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs did." Tengan responded in an equally hushed voice. "Toothless and Hookfang are the only two with working armor right now and Meatlug-"
"Is immune to the arrows. Got it." Heather sighed, deep in thought. "So that just leaves you, the twins, and Astrid on the island, right?"
"Exactly." Tengan's grip tightened on the bars. "Enough Riders to put up a fight but not enough to stop a fleet of Dragon Hunters if push comes to shove. Ruffnut saw the advance party as well. Hopefully, she's already reported back to the others so they can prepare."
Heather nodded solemnly. "I see." She slowly got her feet. "I should be able to help redirect the attacks tomorrow morning. Is there anything else I should know?"
Tengan scrambled to her feet as well, her eyes downcast. "Well….. There is one thing. I think I need your help."
"No, really?" Heater asked in a mildly sarcastic tone as she flicked one of the bars.
"Not with that!" Tengan hissed back in a low whisper. "I… well… I may have….."
"Spit it out! I can't be gone for long. The night patrol will notice." Heather's eyes darted upwards towards the deck above them.
Tengan took a long, steadying breath. "I may have kissed your brother the last time we ran into each other." She rushed all the words together as if speaking her secret quickly would lessen the blow.
"WHAT!" Her cry echoed in the darkness.
"Shhh!" Tengan gestured frantically. "It was only a distraction tactic! But I think it worked a little too well. Now he thinks I've been trying to get his attention the last few years! I don't think he'll let me out of his sight easily. Can you help me?" Her voice broke as she emphasized her desperation.
"I'I'll see what I can do." Heather acquiesced with a heavy shake of her head. "Just do me a favor and refrain from kissing him again! Please?" Her face contorted in ill disguised disgust.
Tengan smiled wearily as the fateful encounter flashed across her mind once more. "You don't have to tell me twice."
Heather nodded once. "Good. Now try to get some sleep. I won't be able to do anything until tomorrow morning." She procured a cold leg of mutton from her bag. "Here. I'm sure my brother hasn't fed you."
Tengan took the meat gingerly. "He hasn't, thank you. Although if I'm going to spend any more nights in this cell I'm going to petition Ryker for a cot or at least a blanket. It's terribly uncomfortable." After the two girls shared a dry laugh, Tengan waved goodbye to her ally behind enemy lines and quickly downed the scrap of meat, choosing to toss the bone out through her barred window lest it draw unwanted attention. Her hunger barely sated, she curled back into a small ball and forced herself into a fitful sleep.
Several hours later, the loud creaking of her cell door jolten Tengan into alertness. Jumping to her feet, she glanced wildly around the cell. "Who's there? I'll gut you if you come closer!" She blurted sleepily, throwing her arms up in defense.
"Now now, is that anyway to greet me?" Dagurs' taunting voice filled the cabin as he sauntered into the cell. "Ryker wants you above deck." He hissed out the instruction. "Best not to keep him waiting."
Tengan's eyes focus on the fiery haired viking just in time to see him grab at her upper arm once more. Remembering Heather's vague promise, she followed her captor with little resistance. "What does he want to know?" She asked quietly as they emerged on the main deck.
"Not sure. Something about last night's attack." Dagur dismissed the question with a lazy wave of the hand not currently clamped around her upper arm. "Although, once he's done with you, we'll be free to finish our conversation from last night…." He urged Tengan forward before the ship's commander, surprisingly almost gentle in his movements.
"Explain to me how your riders sunk BOTH SHIPS I SENT TOWARDS THE HARBOR LAST NIGHT!" The usually composed captain roared at Tengan, his eyes wide with fury.
Tengan flinched backwards involuntarily, partially sidestepping behind Dagur. She fought to keep the relief from coloring her voice. "Don't ask me. I've been cooped up below decks all night." She shot back. "Perhaps you want to ask your men why they've been struggling to best a group of teenagers the last few months!" She flinched further behind the Berserker as Ryker's face contorted with fury, his hand raising as if to strike.
"Enough!" Dagur snarled back, stepping in between the two, his lip curling in a feral snarl.
"My brother is right!" Heather stepped in frantically. "We've been over this. We don't kill any of the Dragon Riders until Vigo tells us to!" She tugged Tengan away from the men. "I'll take care of this one for now!"
"No!" Ryker hollered, completely frazzled. "Let your brother watch the prisoner. You take your dragon and attack from the sky!"
Tengan could only cast Heather a pleading 'Don't leave me with these two!' look before Heather had clambered into Windshear's saddle and took off to escort several boatloads of men onto the shore.
"You heard the man." Dagur growled, evidently frustrated, as he latched onto Tengan once more and herded her to the ship's main mast. With deft movements and a series of low grumbles he tied her to the beam, checking several times to make sure her bindings were secured. "Now you just be a good little Dragon Rider and stay put until I tell you otherwise."
Tengan frowned at Dagur before casting her gaze beyond him and onto the still shouting Ryker. Weighing her options, she decided to speak in a low voice only Dagur could hear. "Why do you listen to him anyway? The Dagur I knew was a mighty chief who bent to no one."
Dagur's chest swelled in indignation as he finished securing her ties. "I still am!" He whispered harshly. "Never forget that. Heather and I are just using Ryker. Once we get the dragon eye, we'll dispose of him."
Tengan frowned, forcing herself to maintain steady eye contact with the man before her. "And what will you do with me? Seeing as you only keep me around to lure my dragon in." She forced her lower lip out in a small pout, desperate to utilize any advantage his new obsession might give her.
The Berserker chief chuckled under his breath before leaning in. "Oh I think I have a use or two for you, little Tengan. Don't you worry. Daddy Dagur is planning on keeping you around for a good long while."
Tengan shuddered, unsure if the action was more from disgust or allure and too terrified to allow herself to dwell on it. She avoided his gaze, grateful the darker complexion of her skin hid the heat rising from her cheeks. She refused to meet his eyes and kept her own glued to the floor as he laughed and stomped away.
She stood, wholly uncomfortable from her unyielding backrest and the way too tight ropes until Heather touched down on the ship's deck several hours later. Exhausted from dehydration and sore muscles from being forced to stay still in one position, Tengan fought to hear the hunter's conversation over the screaming protests of her body.
"They ambushed us at every turn." Heather scowled, supporting her injured right arm with her left. "It's almost as if they knew we were coming."
"That's impossible!" Ryker growled, pacing the deck of the ship before he caught sight of Tengan out of the corner of his eye. "Unless that one managed to tip them off!" He began to thunder up the deck towards the bound young woman.
Before Tengan could even register the threat, Dagur had planted himself between them. "That prisoner is MINE. You touch her, we're going to have a problem." He snarled defensively, one hand sliding to the hilt of his axe as it dangled on his belt.
Heather cleared her throat and pushed past the two men. "I'LL question her." She spoke firmly. Approaching Tengan, she drew her double headed axe and slid it up to Tengan's throat, making sure to slide the blade against her bindings. "They can't hold the Edge much longer without help." She whispered and she slid her weapon along the rope with small muscle twitches. "Take Windshear and find Hiccup."
"Will do." Tengan whispered back, careful to move her lips as little as possible as she spoke.
"One more thing." Heather added with a cautious glance over her shoulder at the two men still squaring off.
"Anything. " Tengan hissed between clenched teeth, her heartbeat quickening as the ropes frayed.
"Promise me you won't use brother as a distraction anymore. He's going to be a royal pain when this is all over."
Tengan smirked slightly as the ropes gave way. "Deal. As long as you don't hold this against me." With a huge shove, she forced Heather to the floor where her head bounced painfully against the wooden deck. Before anyone could react, she sprinted across the ship and scrambled into Windshear's saddle.
"NO!" Dagur cried out and dove for her ankle, his hand missing by a hair's breadth as the Razorwhip took to the sky.
Tengan whooped as they climbed high into the air. She faltered in the saddle once or twice as the dragon twisted, unused to the long lithe body beneath her. Once high above the nearby cloud cover, she urged Windshear towards Breakneck Bog. "Come on girl! The sooner we get Hiccup and the others back here, the sooner I can get you back to Heather." She grinned as the dragon roared in apparent agreement and flapped furiously towards the horizon as if she were determined to catch it before the Sun slipped below the sea.
"Hiccup!" Tengan called out as the last rays of sunlight slipped away and she pulled up to a surprisingly large group of dragons flocking behind the Riders. "Is that a group of wild dragons following you?"
"Are you riding Windshear?!" Was the one-legged viking's response as he had Toothless circle the Razorwhip.
"Why don't we agree to catch up on our way to handle the Hunters. They're attacking the edge!" Tengan spun Windshear around to angle back towards their base.
"Oh my gosh is Heather ok!?" FIshlegs called out desperately.
"She is for now but the sooner we get home the better!" Tengan called out as she took the lead of their unnaturally large and unruly formation.
In the coming days the Riders would joke about how it was a comically uneven fight. Their numbers bolstered by Windshear and the pack of wild dragons, the Hunters were forced to retreat back to their ships within an hour. Not one of the Riders was even mildly surprised when Rumble, released from his mandatory bed rest with help from the twins, charred the hull of three boats with his wrath.
Amidst all the chaos, Tengan urged Windshear to land in a secluded grove near the shore where she had spotted Heather waiting patiently. Sliding out of the saddle, she smiled at her friend. "Thanks for letting me borrow her. She really is an amazing dragon. I hope I didn't bang your head up too badly."
Heather scoffed playfully as she clambered onto her partner's back. "Of course she is. She's my dragon for a reason. And if you think that little bump could ever put me down you've got another thing coming."
Tengan chuckled. "Any chance we can keep the whole me kissing Dagur quiet from the rest of the group?"
Heather returned her chuckle as Windshear spread her wings. "Yeah. Between me being a double agent and you making out with my brother I'm not sure how much more Hiccup can take."
"THAT IS NOT WHAT HA-" Tengan hollered indignantly as her words were lost in Windshears gale as the dragon took to the sky. Crossing her arms, she stood glaring after her friend for only a moment before Rumble crashed to the earth beside her, his wings held out protectively.
"I'm alright boy. Sorry for worrying you." She murmured softly as she scrambled onto his back, her muscles relaxing in the familiar space. "How about I make it up to you tomorrow? Just you and me eel fishing all day. How does that sound?" She giggled silently as her dragon huffed, sparks flying from his nostrils before he took to the air and circled back towards the other Riders. She guessed it would be several days before he let her out of his sight again.
Barf and Belch were the first to approach, their riders grinning maliciously.
"You are never going to BELIEVE how we kept the Dragon Hunters at bay!" Ruffnut called out, barely holding herself together.
"I'm sure I won't." Tenga agreed. "Can't wait to hear about it! By any chance, did it have anything to do with those Scare Ships you made the other day?"
"Sister, you have no idea." Tuffnut cheered, thrusting his fist in the air. "It was a series of pranks worthy of the almighty Loki himself!"
"They're not exaggerating." Astrid piped in as she coaxed Stormfly into line beside Rumble. "We would have lost the Edge... and possibly you... if it weren't for their tricks. I owe them, and you, an apology." She hung her head, nails digging into the front of Stormfly's saddle.
"Save it." Tengan called out good naturedly. "Just join me in my hut the day after tomorrow with the twins to recount the story. This is definitely one I want to write down."
Hiccup and Fishlegs, close enough to catch snippets of the conversation, traded confused glances with one another. "Did we miss something?" The Night Fury rider questioned the group at large.
"Who knows!" Snotlout hollered as he watched the final few Hunter ships escape the cove. "Girls are impossible to understand anyway!"