Learning to control the Power and planning to the stop the Threat:
Far out at sea, on an island, not too far from Berk, Rafashfear laid on his side, recovering from the pain that the young girl had inflicted upon with what the fiery power that brewed inside her.
"Master…are you well?" his second asked.
Instead of answering, Rafashfear roared in a terrible tantrum. "I am not!" He bellowed.
The second bowed down.
"The power of the Dragofleur from our legends flows inside her. She can use it to kill me. If I had held onto her for longer, I might have perished. I would have shamed my mother! I would have failed her! I would have died failing to take back what was truly ours!"
"Don't think so sure master," his second unexpectant said.
Rafashfear looked at him carefully.
"If she had concentrated harder, not only would you have died from all that power, she would have too. She cannot concentrate too much power without killing her. The power of my kind's counterpart has flowed inside her since she was born, and in doing so, has grown stronger, making it impossible for her to use its highest protentional without killing herself,"
Rafashfear grinned. "Then we shall use that to our advantage,"
For the next hour, the group of six sat in the cove planning on what to do. They had to plan another tactic soon. Rafashfear would be back very soon. They could not fight him and his army with the same tactics. They had to plan something else. Hester had considered try what she had unintentionally done back there, but they immediately refused.
"Absolutely not Hester," Sigmund retorted. "You nearly died out there. Do that again you'll definitely die this time,"
"I may not have a choice Sigmund," Hester said.
"Please don't," Toothless begged, nuzzling her hand. "I don't want to lose you,"
"There may not be another way," Hester continued.
"There is always another way," Garsir assured.
"But what?"
There was silence for a long moment. The sky began to turn dark so Skullbones made a fire.
They sat around it together watching the flames crackle whilst roasting some fish.
As he took a bite out of his cooked fish and offered another one to his dragon, Garsir noticed that as Hester was twiddling with her fingers to keep warm, the flames were slowly moving as if reacting to her movements.
"Try that again Hester," Garsir encouraged.
Hester looked to him. "Try what?"
"That thing that you're doing with your hands. That – moving and twirling with your fingers,"
Hester looked at her fingers. What did she do? She focused back on the fire with her fingers and twiddled them around like Garsir requested. As she did, the flames of the fire started dancing around, sparks started flying about in the air. It was as if she was controlling it.
The boys' mouths widened with wonder; it was incredible but impossible!
"What – the – Thor?" Sigmund punctuated each space with a pause.
"How is this possible?" Garsir wondered.
"I have never seen anything like this," Skullbones wondered.
"My kind once heard the legend of the Dragofleur," Tifespike spoke. "We once heard that any who consume its power can control any fire type of a dragon,"
Toothless turned to her, flabbergasted. "Really?"
Tifespike nodded.
Overhearing their conversation, Hester asked: "Tifespike, do you think you could open your mouth and prepare a flame?"
Tifespike blinked. "You're sure? Cause my firepower is quite dangerous,"
"Trust me,'
"Okay," Tifespike opened her mouth and Hester saw a acid-green and golden-yellow flame sparking up at the back of it. She held out her right hand. A ball of Tifespike's flame came out of her mouth, hovering in the air above Hester's hand.
Everyone opened their mouths. Their lips were parted wider when they saw that red energy spew from Hester's veins in her arm into the flame and made a red outline. Hester spotted a rock and got an idea. She tossed it.
Boom
The flame amplified by that red fiery magic caused it to explode into nothing but dust. It was so much effective than Tifespike's power alone.
"That was – incredible!" Sigmund squealed out. "Did you see what you just did?! You controlled the fire and amplified it with that red magic!"
"Do you feel weak?" Garsir asked cautiously.
"No I don't," Hester confessed. "I can if I only concentrate a little bit only a bit red energy will be given off. If I focused too much…" she didn't to finish. They already knew the answer.
"You knew guys? One day I'd like to share this gift with all of you. I believe everyone deserves it," Hester said.
"I don't know Hester," Garsir scratched the back of his head.
"Why do you say that?"
"This power inside you – it could corrupt people. Make them feel too powerful and use it for good,"
"But you guys are good and pure. I know you both too much,"
"Doesn't mean we can't be so easily swayed by it," Sigmund said anxiously. "I think it would be best if you just kept it. At least until this threat is neutralised,"
"They're right Hester," Toothless said. "When I was hatchling, I once heard stories of this flower, how it corrupted countless dragons who believed that they could use it to become the Alpha over other species. Even humans dared to look for. I'm glad it remained hidden until that day it was used to save you,"
Hester seemed to consider everything they had just said. She swore to herself that she would be corrupted by the power inside her. She vowed that she would use this power for good and not for evil. Let's head back to the village. I've got a plan,"
Back at the village, almost every Viking had recovered as well as every dragon. Astrid and Fishlegs helped out with the food whilst Snotlout and the twins were busy readying some more shelters, whilst quarrelling at the same time. Inside his hut, Gobber was comforting Stoick over his guilty.
"You did what you thought was right," Gobber comforted. "You did it out of love,"
"That's not how she feels," Stoick said. "I should have told her. I should have been a better father by telling her. We never would have drifted so far apart if I had been more honest,"
Astrid had just given out the final box of fruit to the villagers to store inside for an emergency. Stormfly standing near her noticed how scared she was. Astrid was frightened of losing her family and her home.
"It'll be okay," she nuzzled her rider comfortably.
Astrid hugged her dragon. "Thank you Stormfly,"
They heard ear-piercing flapping coming from the forest just up the hill. They saw the Trio and their dragons emerging from the forest.
"Guys?"
They landed down.
"Is everything alright?" Astrid asked, noticing the unusual looks on their face.
"I've just thought of a plan that'll help us stop Rafashfear,"
"You're certain you can use your powers to stop him without dying?" Astrid closed her mouth, but it was too late.
"How did you know at the Dragofleur?" Hester demanded.
Astrid didn't answer.
"You eavesdropped on our conversation?" Hester was angered.
"Hey! It wasn't just me! The others did too!" Astrid jibbed them in.
The teens nearby however refused her claim.
"We just heard everything from outside your hut,"
Hester frowned at her.
"We were curious to find out what it was that your father was hiding from you,"
"Let's just focus on with your plan," Sigmund advised Hester.
"Everyone to the hall!" Hester called out to the village. "I have a plan!"
Stoick came out of his hut and saw from the determined look on Hester's face that she had a plan.
"You heard her everyone! To the Hall," Stoick ordered.
Everyone obeyed the chief's orders. When Stoick looked up to Hester, she just gave him the cold shoulder. She still hadn't quite forgiven him for keep this secret.
Everyone gathered in the hall. Hester stood at the table with her dragon and her boys next to her.
As everyone prepared to listen, Sigmund gently gripped her arm and whispered in her ear: "Are you sure you should tell them? I don't really trust everyone,"
"Sig…I have to," Hester implored. "I know you're worried about me, but in order for to work, everybody has to know,"
"It'll be fine buddy," Garsir promised. "She knows what she's doing,"
Hester addressed the crowd. "Everyone! I have a plan to stop Rafashfear once a for all! Our firepower won't effectively against him or his army. Not unless it is made stronger!"
Spitelout groaned. "And how are we supposed to make our firepower stronger?"
Everyone looked at Hester with questioned looks. Stoick however was more worried. He wished that his wife was not sick that night and he didn't have to find that flower and unintentionally cause Hester to have these powers. Powers which would make her a target for enemies and other tribes (who although allies) would want to use her a weapon. He could not bear to see her treated like a tool for kill.
Hester looked at her dragon, a request surfaced on her eyes. "Toothless…"
Toothless opened his mouth, a purple plasma blast boiling in his mouth. Everybody flinched thinning he was going to fire. But Hester stretched out her left hand and as she turned it a bit, she felt a ball of her dragon's fire hovering above her hand.
Everybody gasped in wonder. They gasped higher with wonder when they saw red energy evaporate out of Hester's hand and into the ball. Hester tossed the ball into the giant fire in the centre and it suddenly erupted into a large flame with purple sparks.
"Woah," everyone gasped silently. They had never seen anything like it.
"This magic inside me, strengthens dragon's fire. I believe that we can use this to destroy Rafashfear's army and him. It's goanna take all of us to stop him. Not just me. Not just Toothless. But all of us. We have to work together. We have to protect our people, our dragons, our home. We will not hide like cowards. Instead we will fight and end this plight. Once and for all!"
The crowd were cheering, looking up to Hester not as a screwup but as a perfect future leader. Garsir, Sigmund and their dragons smiled at Hester proudly. She had come so far, and they were going to be right by her side forever, always read to help her whenever she needs it.
"But Hester!" Gobber's voice rose above the cheering. "What it uses too much of your energy? What if you work yourself too much that you become so weak like earlier?" Gobber asked.
Everyone turned worried at that question. They looked back at Hester and could see the fear in her eyes. She had survived one dragon fight once, thanks to Toothless. Could she survive this fight?
Hester however would not let fear hold her back; she had to be strong. This was who she was meant to be. She was going to use this power to save lives, not abandon them.
"Everyone. No matter what comes along in what's to come, I must do it. I have to do it. To save you all. To save Berk. If I can survive the Red Death, I can survive this. I have Toothless to protect me,"
She gestured to her brave dragon standing next to her.
"You can always count on me. I will always protect you," he promised.
Everyone gazed at the pair with admiration, of all the bonds between Viking and dragon on this island, Hester and Toothless's was by far the strongest and most trustworthy of all.
"Now!" Hester addressed everyone again. "Let's get prepared. It's time to fight. For Berk!" she punched the air with her fist.
"For Berk!" everyone mimicked her action.
"FOR BERK!" Hester repeated again.
"FOR BERK!" everyone repeated back, louder again.
And there it was. The plan was set. Hester was just relieved to find out it was so easy to throw and manipulate fire. She wondered what other things she could do with the Dragofleur's power aside from understand dragons and control fire. She wondered more how she could not manipulate fire earlier and why it had only just come now. How come it was so easy to lift it from a dragon's mouth and throw it? She did not have time to dwell on those question. She was more concerned about how much energy she would need to stop their enemies.
But one question remained.
Would everything be enough?