A/N: Here we are the moment you have all been waiting for. Thank you for your patience I assure you it will be worth the wait. Now there is a poem in here that I took from my favorite TV show Vikings. I did not translate it for a number of reasons, the two main ones being it sounds awesome in its native tongue and the second is that it doesn't translate well into English in some parts. If you want to hear it for yourself and see how bad ass it is, go to youtube and type in 'Leaving Kattegat'. It is an amazing performance that always gives me goosebumps. Now once you've listened to it, come back and read the chapter and imagine that happening in the scene that I have set. I enjoyed writing this battle and giving another take on what has been done many times before, hope you enjoy.
CB73: The battle is upon them and the time for speeches is over, now is the time for action. I have a feeling that E! TV can't wait to get their own helping of Hiccstrid. LOL!
Guest: I have a feeling that everyone's reputation will rise faster than the SpaceX rocket that launched yesterday. With this new found rep, I'm sure that Audrey's uncle can find his way back into the graces of Hollywood. But first let's make sure everyone survived.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Mexican ;p
(Monday, November 12th, 2018)
As the sun set in the distance and a wall of storm clouds rumbled on the horizon, the army flew towards the Queen and her island. Audrey was still in a bit of shock; from Henry's confession, the kiss she gave him, not to mention the heroic speech he conjured up out of nowhere that filled everyone's stomach with fire and passion. It made everyone believe that they could do this.
Most of the crew who had loaded up onto the platforms were in awe of the beauty that flying with Dragons afforded them. She laughed at the wide mouths and gawked expressions. It was a welcome break before the battle, though not long enough. The reality of the day came crashing back like a clap of thunder and sent shivers down her spine. She had heard a passing comment from Finnick earlier, how today was a day past Armistice Day, the end of the Great War. She hoped that they could create their own Armistice Day and put an end to the fighting.
Henry was flying just ahead of the army. His vision locked forwarded, perhaps steeling himself for anything that would need to be done. She had already determined that no matter how crazy things got she would not abandon Henry.
The clouds began cover, turning the sky a charcoal grey and giving off on eerie feeling. She heard some whispers behind her and not soon after a drum began to beat and a man singing in old Norse came through the fog.
"Hafs létum vér hesta, hlýr stinn á brim renna"
The man's voice drifted through the clouds, as a disembodied echo. As if he was far behind and calling out to them. She looked back and could just make out the man who was singing, he had a brazier next to him, and held a drum and stick between his hands. The sight sent shivers down her spine.
"meðan á bjartar brynjur, blóði dreift um síður;"
The man sang out again, it sounded almost like a poem, a saga of some kind. As the man finished, he began to beat his drum in time. Once… then twice again. Before repeating the rhythm. Audrey felt a chill run down her spine again, though this one was different. As soon as the drum began to beat, she could feel it in her heart, something stirring deep within her. Suddenly the man's voice didn't seem as scary as before, it felt like a war cry, a warning to the enemy.
"ylgr gein, arnar, mönnum, eyddist gráðr, of svíra, harðmeldr gátum heiðan hveðnu, blóði roðna."
As the drum beat louder the man's voice grew louder. The determination in Audrey grew to levels she didn't know she had. The fight of Henry's life, her life, everyone's life was only a few short moments away, and they would not fail, they would not falter.
"Vestr fór ek of ver, en ek Viðris ber munstrandar mar, Svá 's mitt of far"
Her Nadder's wings were beating in time with the drum, as if the Dragon knew what the man was saying and was absorbing it into her soul. Audrey took several deep breaths, closed her eyes and felt the everything around. The beating of Dragon wings and the drum. The soft whistle of Toothless in front of them. The wind rushing past her ears.
"drók eik á flot við ísabrot, hlóðk mærðar hlut hugknarrar skut."
She still wasn't sure what the man was singing, but she didn't want to either. Every time the drum beat, and the man sang, she felt more and more like a real Viking. Or as Henry described her, a Valkyrie. Riding into to battle and hopefully the only dead she would have to guide off the battlefield would be the Queen.
"heilir hildar til, heilir hildi frá, koma þeir heilir hvaðan."
The man beat his drum for the last time and held his voice, so that it would carry on the wind and to every ear that could listen. When his voice stopped it was replaced with the roars of the army. Clearly inspired by the song, weapons pointed towards the sky, and with the combined roars of Dragon and men alike, the army pushed on.
Audrey held her axe aloft and roared louder than anyone else. She could remember her encounter with the Queen, remembered the feeling of terror at seeing Helga cowering beneath it, and the fear of nearly getting eaten. She knew the games that the Queen had played with Helga, had played with Henry and it angered her. The havoc that the Queen had caused with the Dragons on set, with her Dragon! She would make that it would never happen again.
A flash of green caught her eye from above and when she looked to see what it was, she was met with Henry's piercing gaze. The boy looked in awe of her, astonished by what he was seeing. She flashed him a smirk and flew up beside him.
"Stay focused remember we have a battle to win!" She exclaimed as she raised her axe again.
"With you on our side, the Queen won't know what hit her!" Henry shouted back.
"Damn right!" Audrey replied.
As they flew on Toothless and the other Dragons began to stir, groaning and shaking their heads as if they were trying to fight something off. Henry, Audrey, and Helga all knowing what the signs meant. They were getting close.
"Everyone! Keep the Dragons calm, we don't want to lose them to the Queen!" Henry ordered.
Soon everyone who was riding a Dragon was leaning down to talk to them and rubbing their scales in an effort to keep them calm and on their side. As everyone was busy keeping the Dragons calm Henry looked up to see a break in the clouds and beyond the break, was the Queen's island. Deadly silence draped over the army as the roars grew soft and the realization of where they were.
"We're here." Henry whispered.
Within moments the army was hovering over a beach on the island. The shiny black rocks that made up the shore sucked in any available light. Giving the impression of a massive void beneath them. The jagged spires that made up the Queen's island only added to the feeling of dread, combined with the clouds and fog, it was truly the home of a monster. Henry spun Toothless around and began to put a plan into action.
"Land and set up the catapults, we need to break this mountain open and give the Dragon's inside a chance to escape. Hopefully, that will draw her out. We will need to keep her occupied so that she doesn't take control of our Dragon's as well. So when she comes out, unleash a barrage of catapult shells and Dragon Fire." Henry instructed.
He was coming up with a plan on the fly, yet everyone sprang into action. The catapults were quickly unloaded and put in position. Those who did not have a Dragon were manning them. Henry and the teens landed in front of the catapults while Helga and Steven landed behind. Henry held his hand up as the catapults waited for the order to launch.
"When this mountain breaks open all hell is going to break loose, you know that right." Henry told Audrey in a hushed tone.
"If you are trying to convince me to get somewhere safe forget it. I'm staying right here Haddock." Audrey replied sternly.
Henry appreciated her conviction and chuckled softly before turning to Finnick.
"I know that you were just playing a role but when the Queen comes out see if you can point out any weaknesses that we might be able to use." Henry told the boy.
Finnick nodded in return, understanding the seriousness of the task and that his input could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Henry turned to the twins and Simon next, ready to give them their instructions.
"Keep her distracted, find out if she has a shot limit and make her use it up. She is a Dragon just like ours so maybe she is affected by noise, find something to bang on and hit it hard." Henry told them.
"What are you two going to do?" Simon asked, without his usual mocking tone.
"Figure out a way to take her down." Henry replied, his tone a bit cold.
No one remarked on the shift in Henry's voice, as soon as he finished he dropped his arm and the catapults launched their barrage. Massive boulders collided with the mountain one after the other hitting the same spot over and over. When the last one hit the mouth of a hidden cave opened wide revealing a dark tunnel into the heart of the mountain.
"Toothless shoot a firebolt down the tunnel." Henry whispered to his friend.
Toothless took in a breath of air before releasing a small but powerful and bright shot down the tunnel. From top to bottom and along the walls, Dragons were clinging to the rock. Numerous colors, sizes, and probably a few species that no one knew about.
"Get them out of here bud." Henry told Toothless.
The NightFury grunted in response before letting out a commanding roar. The entire army felt something rumble inside them when they heard the NightFury roar, it caused most of the army to stumble back if just for a moment. Like the NightFury had commanded any who could listen to flee. The army remained though, but the Dragon's inside the cave flew out in massive numbers. But not just the cave in front of them, all over the island Dragon's were fleeing from tunnels that led deep into the mountain, the Queen's control over them broken for just long enough to allow instinct to kick in.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
A voice screamed inside the head of everyone living thing present. It like an explosion going off in everyone's head and they all covered their ears and held their heads in pain, all except Henry, Helga, and Toothless. Audrey was the first to recover and looked up in horror at Henry and Helga.
"Is that what she was like when you two heard her?" She asked, her voice frantic and terrified.
"Worse." Henry replied, his face stoic and unmoving.
"Much worse." Helga followed up.
"This isn't over, reload the catapults and ready your weapons!" Henry shouted.
A massive roar echoed out the tunnel, a shockwave forcing everyone to hunker down and brace themselves to avoid being blown over. Through peeked eyes everyone began to regain their bearings, but not before the ground beneath them began to shake and crack. Rocks began to crumble, and the mountain began to fall revealing an enemy far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.
A frilled crown with red accents at the tips, six eyes glaring at them, massive teeth peeking out of the jaws, clubbed spines running down her back, a massive clubbed tail swinging back and forth causing more rocks to fall and revealed a dull red glow. Showing to everyone that the Queen had in fact lived inside of a volcano. The Queen roared out once more though not as powerfully this time. It was just enough to spring everyone from their daze and launch into action.
"Riders in the air! Catapults fire!" Henry ordered as Toothless and the other Dragon's shot into the air.
The catapults unleashed their newly loaded shot which crashed against the Queen's face. Though it didn't do any real damage and only made her angrier. She sucked in huge a breath of air which mixed with a greenish gas at the back of her throat. A moment of silence paused everything before it a fire cloud burst from her mouth and rolled its way towards the catapults like a pyroclastic flow.
"Move!" Henry shouted as the catapult operators dived into the water at the last second.
"You will all bow to me!"
The queen shouted in everyone's mind.
"Simon, Thomas, Rachel! Get her distracted we can't let her gain control." Henry shouted in distress.
The three teens shook their heads and sprung into action, banging weapons against shields, having their Dragon's shoot fire blast at her, and the twins were even throwing insults at the Queen.
"Butt-elf! Ugly! Bride of Grendel!" The twins shouted, snickering at their own insults.
"Insulant worms!"
The Queen shouted before unleashing a fire cloud, nearly turning the twins to ash.
"That was too close. Finnick! What have you got?!" Henry shouted out.
"It doesn't have any blind spots, its eyes can rotate and move individually, its nostrils are huge so it depends on smelling! It looks like it has some wings, but I don't know if she can use them!" The boy reported.
"Dad! Helga! Use your Gronkles and try to take out her eyes or nostrils. I want to try and get her in the air, Audrey help them." Henry ordered as he and Toothless shot into the sky.
"Where is he going?!" Simon shouted out.
"Just keep the Queen distracted. Henry has a plan!" Audrey answered back.
She had Stormfly laydown a stream of fire across a row of the Queen's eyes, only hitting one it still caused a tremendous amount of pain if the roar was anything to go by. Audrey go feel her mind tingle as the Queen began a tirade, yet the sound of a high-pitched whistle stole everyone's attention and an enormous explosion rocked the Queen, forcing her to ground. Steven and Helga flew over the top of the downed Queen, their Gronkles dropping balls of molten rock onto her underbelly.
"Come and get me your Majesty!" Henry mocked as he and Toothless flew into the sky.
A weathered and ratty looking wing rose up from the body of the Queen and with two quick motions she was back on her feet and in the air, chasing the boy and his NightFury.
"You will be mine!"
She screamed at Henry.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Henry taunted back.
Looking up above smoke from the catapults and volcano had helped to darken the sky which already gave Toothless an advantage in the clouds, along with their superior agility they should be able to outmaneuver her.
"Alright Toothless time to play hide and seek, up!" Henry shouted.
The boy and NightFury disappeared into the clouds high above the island, being closely chased by Queen who was snapping her massive jaws at them. Just as it seems that she was going to make them her next meal, the pair slipped behind a cloud, escaping the abyss of teeth.
"Where are you?!" The Queen shouted in anger as she hovered in the air, seeking her prey.
Henry didn't want to give her an answer, lest he give away their position. He kept his body pinned close to the NightFury so he could whisper to the Dragon.
"Now." The boy said softly.
On a dime the NightFury spun into action and let loose a powerful blast onto the Queen's wing. She howled in pain and whipped around to only see a black speck disappear into the clouds.
"Cowards!" She shouted in anger.
Refusing to take the bait, Henry remained quiet. It was his turn to play with the Queen's mind. On the beach everyone had gathered and looked into the sky, seeing flashes of light outline the Queen and the speeding speck that was Toothless. After a number of shots, the Queen grew tired of this game and roared out in frustration.
"ENOUGH!" She shouted.
She let out an enormous fire cloud that lit up the sky and began twisting and turning an in effort to fry the boy and the NightFury. Those on the beach gasped in terror, not knowing if the boy had been caught in the deadly cloud or not. Unable to sit and watch any longer than she had, Audrey flew up to the clouds.
"Audrey no!" Helga called out, trying to stop her.
"I don't care he needs help and I won't stand by and do nothing!" Audrey shouted back.
Up in the clouds, having just avoided the fire cloud a cackling sound drew Henry's attention. Looking back, he saw that the tailfin was smoldering and burning away rapidly.
"Shit, alright bud we have to end this and fast. Think we did enough damage?" Henry asked.
Toothless grunted in reply and motioned with his head down towards the volcano and broken mountain. A number of jagged rocks were jutting out of the mountain and lava was slowly starting to stream down the rocks. Seeing his chance to end the battle, Henry nodded and steered Toothless to fly in front of the Queen.
"Is that the best you can do?!" He taunted her.
Toothless barked defiantly at her as well which only enraged the Queen more. They began a dive bomb towards the island with the Queen following them and taunting them in return.
"I will destroy you! You can't win! Give up now and I will be merciful!" She shouted over and over again.
As they grew closer and closer to island Henry heard the sounds of skin ripping and looked back to see the Queen trying to slow herself, but the damage to her wings caused by Toothless' fire bolts were tearing them apart. Satisfied that she wouldn't be able to stop herself and that the rocks and lava would do the rest for him, Henry pushed down on the foot pedal to steer Toothless away. The pedal didn't respond and to Henry's great horror, he looked back and saw that the tailfin had burned away.
"Jump on!" A voice came from beside him.
He looked over and saw Audrey flying next to him and racing towards the mountain side.
"Get out of here!" Henry called out.
"Not without you, now jump on and tell Toothless to barrel roll towards the water!" Audrey shouted out.
Stuck in a game of what he should and shouldn't do, Toothless decided for Henry and quickly bucked him off the saddle towards Audrey. However the Queen seemed to have other ideas.
"FLY AWAY!" She shouted at the Nadder.
Audrey tried to keep her Dragon in place but the call of the Queen was too powerful this time. Fuel be anger and revenge the Nadder could not fight it and obeyed the Queen. Reaching out in a last-ditch effort Henry missed Audrey's fingers by inches and watched as her Dragon was forced to fly away.
"NOOO! Henry!" Audrey screamed.
"You will die with me!" The Queen shouted as they passed the point of no return.
Following Audrey's advice Toothless did barrel roll but not towards the water. He rolled until he got close to Henry and reached out with his paws trying to grab the boy. Behind them the Queen had smashed into the rocks and with a thundering crash, awakened the volcano. Fire and lava spewed out from the mountain falling all around Henry and Toothless. As they neared the ground Henry's vision began to go dark as he realized that he was about to die. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain in his left leg and the sensation of being jerked backwards before the whole world went dark.
A/N: Okay so turns out, as I was typing my notes here, there is a video on YouTube that has a translation for the poem that I used. I will have that translation down below. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the battle, next time the aftermath and what to do now that the Queen is no more. Please leave a review as you can see I read them all and I would like to know how this came off.
Translation:
"Hafs létum vér hesta, hlýr stinn á brim renna"
(We let the strong cheek of the horses of the sea)
"meðan á bjartar brynjur, blóði dreift um síður;"
(Run to the waves, the sides of our bright mail splattered with blood)
"ylgr gein, arnar, mönnum, eyddist gráðr, of svíra, harðmeldr gátum heiðan hveðnu, blóði roðna."
(The she-wolf feasted, the hunger of the eagles was sated on the blood from men's reddened necks, while we seized the hard meal of the Fish's land)
"Vestr fór ek of ver, en ek Viðris ber munstrandar mar, Svá 's mitt of far"
(By sun and moon I journeyed west, My sea-borne tune From Odin's breast)
"drók eik á flot við ísabrot, hlóðk mærðar hlut hugknarrar skut."
(My sing-ship packed with poet's art, it's word-keel cracked The Frozen heart)
"heilir hildar til, heilir hildi frá, koma þeir heilir hvaðan."
(Safe into battle, safe out of battle, and safe return from the strife)
Published 5/31/2020