CB73: You're right. Lol. If I were Hiccup, I might be more afraid of Astrid than the Red Death...
Yubel578: Maybe... ;)
blood of a night fury: Haha, indeed it is. Gotta keep you guys coming back somehow :P
DeathyBerryHime: I'm cackling too. It could go down in sooo many different ways. As for your question, I sent you a more in depth reply, but I will answer it here too. In case anyone else wants to know. Even if there was a way for him to have a child, he would still never do that to Astrid. Nor do I think he would want to have a family, just to watch them die as he lives on. But the biology concept is one that I love and one that I have given a great deal of thought to. If he could have a child, it would only be with a mortal human woman. Unless he used the magic ritual instead. The bonding process eventually changes the riders to the equivalent of the other immortals on a cellular level. He would have only been compatible to have a child with a human woman until the point that he accelerated the transformation. Now he's a part-dragon, part-elf mule. Maybe...who knows what the future will bring. I suppose he should probably be careful, just in case. If Astrid ever forgives him enough to let him into her leggings again, that is.
Guest Mariah: Soon. Very soon.
Guest Mark: Absolutely, Red Death meet Toothless! I am glad that you understand his dilemma, as well. The fact that he would just have to watch her grow old or get sick and die, and that she would have to grow old while he remains the same for eternity. It would be painful for both of them. Never mind the fact that he likely cannot give her children, he feels like he would essentially be ruining her life and stringing her along, just because he couldn't let her go. Not because he thinks that she is too good for him, really.
Rainnnn: She is so much smarter than the canon version. No easy battles with David slaying Goliath with one stone here...and yes, reading it the night before the next update would make the cliffhanger ending less terrible. I guess the real question is, does Hiccup want to be recognized...
_
When they reached the island, it was to have Hiccup's worst fears confirmed; literally. It was just like the disjointed dreams that had been plaguing his mind for months, except that these scenes of blood and fire were horribly real. Berk had awoken the queen and she was quickly laying waist to their defences. Scattered remains of shattered siege machines littered the ground as the longships flickered like funeral pyres. The cries of the wounded completely lost to the chaos.
Opening his wings to slow their speed, Toothless allowed the wave of air trailing behind him to dispel before reaching the shore. It buffeted them hard as it passed by. Nearly unseating Hiccup and making him clutch tighter to the saddle while the fragile sea stacks around them shook and crumbled in its thunderous wake. The furious roar of the beast disguising their arrival perfectly. Quickly assessing his options, Hiccup watched in horror as the monster zeroed in on a small figure bearing an axe shining with emerald magic.
He could feel the queen's rage as she sensed the arcane energies radiating from the weapon. She probably assumed that Astrid herself was powering it and that made the blonde warrior the only true threat on that beach. Stomach clenching in fear, Hiccup urged Toothless forward as he unhooked the clips from his belt. Raising himself to his feet now and preparing to jump. "Save her bud," was Hiccup's only thought as he launched himself through the air and onto the gigantic dragon.
After a short free fall, he landed lightly between the spikes on the queen's back. The huge spires of grey flesh looking more like a field of stony protrusions than a living creature. With her crested skull lowered towards the beach, Hiccup was able to peer over it at the ant-like humans below. Watching anxiously as Toothless used his own body to block the fire plume meant for his rider's beloved. Relieved, Hiccup drew his swords and began to run towards the monster's massive armoured head. Hopefully Ilweran got here soon. He wasn't much in the mood to die today.
*
"Toothless?" Astrid exclaimed with a gasp. The black dragon winked at her cheekily and she sighed with relief. Then stiffened again. If Toothless was here... "Where is he, Toothless?" she cried, panicked. In reply, Toothless just glanced back towards the towering beast in front of them.
At first, Astrid couldn't see anything except the huge, evil queen. Then a small black figure suddenly appeared. Bounding lightly over the tall armoured crest on the back of her head; almost as if he had wings of his own. She watched, stunned, as this man used his two slender swords to slash out at the beast's eyes. Nimbly dancing back and forth between both sets. Somehow staying on his feet as the beast shook its great head and bellowed in fury. Blood streaming down from its empty lids to drop in great pools on the ground.
Astrid heard Stoick and the others approaching her in alarm, ready to save her from this new threat. She held out a hand to stop them and looked back up at the queen. Watching as, with a quick slice, Hiccup took out the last of the six eyes and whistled for Toothless. The black dragon taking to the air again as his rider performed a graceful front flip off of the queen's snout. In a well-practiced motion, the dragon reached the rider and caught him on the saddle as they swooped clear of the queen's snapping jaws. As large as Toothless had become, the queen was still much bigger.
The night fury quickly flipped around to dive back in with its trademark scream. Someone on the ground crying out, "night fury! Get down!" Before Astrid could even look around for the source of the voice, Toothless sent a bright blast of blue-purple fire careening at the side of the mountainous monster. It stumbled, but did not fall. Flaring its nostrils and trying to sniff out its adversary, the queen let loose a bellow of rage and began to stomp blindly over the beach. In danger of being crushed, the remaining Vikings retreated towards the burning ships and watched in awe as the black dragon screamed in for another attack. This one striking the beast's foreleg.
Bellowing again, she snapped her jaws towards the rush of air, almost catching Toothless' tail in the process. Astrid clutched her shaking hands over her mouth to muffle her scream as she watched the pair barely escape death. Just then, a blast of bright orange flame struck the queen in the back of the head. A huge white and gold monstrous nightmare appearing out of nowhere barely a heartbeat later. This one also had a rider on its back. A slender person in a billowing white cloak.
The two dragons began to hit the queen with shot after shot, but she just wouldn't go down. As she roared in rage again, Astrid saw the two dragons falter mid flight. Toothless beginning to paw at his ear flaps and shake his head violently from side to side as the nightmare started to screamed in pain. Their huge wings flapping in jaunty rhythms as they fought to remain aloft, and nearly knocking their own riders off the saddles in the process. What in Thor's name was happening? As unbelievable as it may seem, it honestly looked like something else had now begun attacking the dragons too. Something evil and invisible that was trying to get in their heads and force them right out of the sky.
*
This cursed monster just wouldn't go down. No matter what they did. Of course Hiccup had managed to blind her, but unfortunately her other senses were as sharp as ever. Her hide too heavily armoured for their attacks to have much effect and they were limited by their inability to legally use magic in this realm. Hiccup was frantically searching his head for a plan when he suddenly felt the unexpected brush of a mind across his. Making him instinctively clamp down his defences, but the queen wasn't really after him.
Suddenly Toothless started thrashing beneath him. Hiccup could feel his blood brother's agony as if were his own. The night fury fighting to keep them airborne while the evil beast viciously attacked his mind from the inside, trying to gain control. Confused and horrified, Hiccup looked towards Ilweran and saw Tintallë struggling under the same assault. Hiccup had never thought to plan for this. This monster, though strong, should still not be able to extend her mind control over experienced bonded dragons.
The amount of power it would take to overwhelm just one bonded dragon was impressive. To be able to attack two bonded dragons at once was nearly unimaginable. She was too strong to fight like this without one of them or their dragons getting hurt. After motioning to his friend, Hiccup and Ilweran directed both their dragons towards the ground. Safely touching down as both Riders began lending their power to their mounts. Helping them to drive the queen's evil influence out for good.
As the smaller dragons were broken free of her grasp, the queen bellowed in fury at being foiled again. Glaring in the Riders' direction as she opened her first two eyes. They had somehow healed after Hiccup's attacks. It shouldn't be possible. The enchantments woven into his swords meant that any injuries inflicted by them would not heal, other than by magical means. Apparently, the queen was able to tap into her vast magic stores physically as well as mentally. This complicated things even more. What in Hel's Realm were they supposed to do now?
The healed eyes zeroed in on the two riders and they were filled with a murderous rage that was an almost palpable thing. Sensing what she was about to do, both Riders urged their dragon to take off again. Taking to the sky to draw her fire. Just in time too, as the queen suddenly raised her great head and began to release a giant column of flame into the air. Waving the flame around erratically to try and burn the annoying pests out of the sky all while still maintaining her relentless attack on the minds of Toothless and Tintallë.
This was not going to work. She was too strong and they were only two riders that were expected to fight like mortals. Hiccup was already having to extend a great amount of focus just to keep the evil queen out of Toothless' mind. Her mental attack feeling something like many jagged edged daggers being flung at the inside of his skull. It was also making him seriously angry, and the rest of his focus was centred on keeping his own powers in check.
Hiccup really did not want to resort to dark magic to beat her if he could avoid it. Such magic would draw way too much attention, from both the Æsir and the humans. Besides, she was so powerfully evil that it might be more than his mind could actually shield against anyways. The more dark essence there was in something, the harder it was to channel it all away from yourself. What they really needed was a way to distract her focus instead, but Hiccup was not willing to risk the defenceless humans on the ground simply to gain the upper hand. Well, he would definitely not risk one human in particular.
Hiccup was acutely aware of Astrid watching his every move. Frozen in shock with her hands clamped over her mouth as her wide blue eyes gazed up at the battle in horror. He could not chance trying something risky right now. The queen would destroy everyone here if the Riders failed. As much as it pained him to do it, Hiccup knew he would have to settle for simply disabling the monster right now. Retreating to form a better strategy once Astrid was safely out of harm's way. After relaying his plan to both Toothless and Ilweran, the two dragons swooped in for one last attempt. Hoping that the humans on the ground would be too distracted by the dragons to really notice the Riders…
*
Astrid watched, mesmerized, as Toothless flew straight towards the queen's face. Using the blind spot in front of her nose and hoping to catch her by surprise. When he was close enough, Toothless tilted back and dug all four sets of talons into her snout. The black dragon clambering savagely up her massive face as he began to tear and gouge at everything his sharp claws could reach. The nightmare and its rider coming in from the side to start attacking the monster's eyes again at the same time. Making the queen howl in pain as she tossed her head angrily from side to side.
With disturbing grace, Hiccup launched himself off of Toothless and darted up the queen's skull alone. Leaping over her crest again and running along her spiny back as he smoothly reached up to draw his twin swords. His movements so unnaturally fast that it was a little unnerving to witness. Astrid actually heard Fishlegs let out a choked gasp behind her at the sight. Clearly, he was focused on the rider too, and she couldn't blame him for his shock. It truly was like the eddas of gods battling mythical monsters, except this wasn't just an imaginative story told by firelight.
With blindingly quick movements, the dark rider sliced and hacked through the delicate membranes of the monster's furled wings. His black swords almost appearing to glow against the grey backdrop of mountain and mist. Though they were also flashing through the air so fast that it was hard to tell whether or not she was just imagining this. Then he brought his blades down on first one, then the other wing joint. Somehow nearly severing them from the dragon's body.
Such a thing simply shouldn't be possible! The strength required would have been enormous. No human should be able to cut through bone and joint that size, and in one blow. Never mind the fact that any normal blade would be bent beyond repair from that much force, yet the strangely luminous black swords remained unbroken. In terrible agony and with her shredded and useless wings hanging at her sides, the queen tried desperately to shake off her attackers.
Her efforts were all useless though, as Hiccup's steps barely even faltered. His form actually blurring out of sight briefly as he raced back up the dragon's body again. By this point, Fishlegs had begun tapping Astrid repeatedly on the shoulder as they watched the display. It was starting to get rather irritating. "I see it too Fish," she hissed quietly at him. Trying to avoid drawing attention to the dark rider attacking the queen.
Fishlegs probably assumed that Hiccup was actually Thor in the flesh, finally come down to battle the serpent of Midgard. The gods sending their best warrior in answer to the peoples prayers for aid. In all fairness, Hiccup was moving so fast that he seemed to disappear sometimes. His strength and grace almost supernatural. It really did make him seem a bit like a god. Either that, or a monster of a different sort.
Astrid was so completely focused on Hiccup that she couldn't even tear her eyes away long enough to notice what was happening around her. Was anyone else reacting to the dark rider's terrifying display of both strength and speed? Were any of the others also convinced that he was a mythical being come to their rescue? Astrid, on the other hand, knew this man wasn't actually a god. Well, she was pretty sure...
Reaching the queen's face, Hiccup leapt onto Toothless' saddle as the two of them took off into the sky. The nightmare swooping down to land in front of the group of Vikings by the burning ships instead. This rider hopping down from his massive dragon with equal grace. Clearly unfazed by either the distance of the drop or the horde of armed Vikings awaiting him on the ground. Rather, he calmly glanced around at them all from beneath his hood as he stated blandly, "you may want to take cover." The white dragon unfurling her wings pointedly behind him like a large leathery shield.
The man's voice had an eerily musical quality overlaying the unfamiliar accent, and Astrid shot him a confused glance. Then she heard the scream of the returning night fury. Setting her questions aside for later, she threw herself to the ground as she raised her arms to protect her head. A curious glow of green light beginning to seep in through the gap between her bracers. Peeking out past them, she saw a strange and translucent bubble of wavering emerald light now encasing her where she lay on the rocky beach. What in Thor's name?.. she thought in wonder, before the echoing screech made her quickly hide her face again.
*
"You ready bud," Hiccup asked as they performed a graceful twisting loop in the sky.
"Definitely brother! Let's show this vile bitch what it means to challenge the King of the Skies." With that, Toothless folded his great wings in tight. Aiming straight at the back of the queen's head, just behind her armoured crest, as the blood-brothers combined their magic.
Hiccup knew that channeling his power into his brother would allow Toothless to build a much stronger fire blast, but it would also drain them both. This had to work, as he couldn't risk using more obvious magic. That would just draw the attention of Odin and the Order. Not to mention that he and Toothless would both be too exhausted to try anything else afterwards. Hiccup had already used the decaying power of Guruthos on her wings. Poisoning the wounds he had inflicted so that she would be unable to heal them, while vaguely hoping that no one had been watching him close enough to notice his swords glowing.
Even now, as they dived back in from behind her, Hiccup could see the writhing black tongues of dark magic licking over the bloody wing joints. They would likely be gaping, festering sores by the time he returned. Of course it wouldn't actually kill her. Any ordinary creature would be currently dying a horrible death, but the queen was simply too large for that. At least the magic would certainly hinder her, and cause her a great deal of pain at the same time. She also would not be able to follow them back to Berk now unless she wanted to swim the whole way.
Before the giant beast could even react to the sound of their approach, Toothless loosed a huge blue-purple plasma bomb. His aim was perfect as always. The fire ball exploding against the soft spot in her skull. The queen staggered for a moment, before her legs gave way under her as she crashed to the ground. The impact sending a shockwave of rubble into the air. Blasting outwards in every direction.
Glancing anxiously down at the beach, Hiccup could see the green shield magic of Astrid's axe shining through the dusty chaos and he breathed a sigh of relief. She would be alright. Allowing himself one small whoop of joy now, Hiccup guided Toothless back down to the ground as the dust began to settle. The Hooligans all clambering back to their feet and staring around at the unconscious beast is awe. Several of them even peering up at the night fury with varying expressions of wonder.
When Hiccup and Toothless finally touched down, Ilweran was already talking to Stoick and the others. Astrid looked up at Hiccup expectantly, but he stopped her with a brief shake of his head. Understanding him, she dropped her gaze and returned her attention to the other man. Hiccup tearing his own gaze away from her too as he leapt to the ground. Moving to silently join Ilweran, just in case his friend needed back-up. Hiccup knew from experience that these people were not always the easiest to reason with.
"Our dragons are exhausted and we cannot bring that thing down on our own. We need to retreat and regroup. It is unconscious for now, but will not stay that way," Ilweran was telling Stoick, who nodded grimly. "Please gather your soldiers and we will escort you back to safety."
Stoick's unquestioning acceptance of Ilweran's request surprised Hiccup. He'd thought his father would put up way more of a fight. Apparently even Stoick the Vast could see that the Hooligans didn't stand a chance against this monster. After all, the whole group that had remained on this side of the island were now covered in filth from the blast. Well, everyone but Astrid that is. Hiccup couldn't help smiling slightly behind his mask at the sight of her next to the rest of the tribesmen. Looking gloriously perfect and miraculously unharmed, just like a beautiful Valkyrie amidst a bloody field of battle weary soldiers.
*
Astrid wasn't sure why Hiccup didn't want to reveal himself, but his gesture had been clear. Don't let anyone see that she knew him. Adding this to the huge list of questions she already planned to ask him later, she began to assist those still gathered by the charred skeletons of their fleet. The tired warriors working quickly to get the dead and wounded on board whatever seaworthy ships remained, as runners were sent to track down those Vikings that had escaped to the other side of the island. All of whom arrived confused and afraid.
Everyone was being as quiet as humanly possible to avoid waking the beast. The returned Hooligans eyeing up the nightmare and night fury warily as they worked. It was immediately clear that none of them knew how to feel about the two enormous dragons currently standing guard over the unconscious queen. Snotlout, who had run away almost immediately after the queen had emerged from the mountain, actually daring to glare at the two strangers rudely.
"Why don't we just kill her now while she's down," the stout man muttered loudly to his father, as they passed the riders. "We have the advantage. Why are we just running away like cowards?" Snotlout's comments probably seemed like reasonable ones to all those that had not witnessed the battle that had just taken place. Astrid, on the other hand, was sorely tempted to punch Snotlout for being such a loud mouthed idiot.
To her great surprise though, it was Stoick that actually stepped up to answer Snot's rude questions. "We do not have the advantage boy. Our weapons of steel were unable to cut through that dragon's hide and our catapults were useless. If we tried to attack her now, we would simply wake her up and make her more angry. It is only because of these two men and their dragons that we are able to return to Berk at all," he added with a gesture towards the riders. "If they say that we must leave now, then we will."
Here he shot Snotlout the same glare that he had used on Hiccup for most of his childhood. "A good chief must know when to retreat and return another day. Victory over our enemies is not always achieved in a single battle." Muttering mutinously even as a pink flush coloured his cheeks, Snotlout accompanied his father onto one of the remaining boats without another word. Stoick growling after them before turning his attention back to the two strangers.
The one in the white cloak seemed to be the leader, so Stoick directed his invitation to him. "I hope you will do us the honour of accompanying us to our village. Arrangements must be made for some sort of reparations. You have saved our lives and we are in your debt." Astrid saw Hiccup stiffen at this, but the other man placed a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed slightly and shrugged. Grudgingly relenting to the request while remaining notably silent. Stoick seemed not to notice the dark rider's discomfort, as he merely nodded at the two men before boarding the last ship alongside Astrid and Gobber.
Just as they began to push away from the shore, the great dragon shifted and growled. Moving as fast as possible, the Hooligans began to row away from the beach. Watching with bated breath as the two men climbed back on their exhausted dragons and prepared to face the beast once more. Instead of attacking, the monster pushed to its feet with a heavy grunt, and began to retreat back into what remained of the mountain. Clearly she was also too tired to keep fighting. Astrid hoped that she would heal slowly enough to still be weakened when they returned with more warriors and a better strategy.
Looking equally as relieved as she felt, Astrid watched Toothless and the white nightmare swing around towards the damaged vessels. Their large talons grabbing onto the ropes that the Vikings tossed up to them. As the sails and masts had all been destroyed by the queen, the only way home now was to row or drag the ships there. Unholstering her axe again, Astrid gazed down at it in wonder. The beautiful emerald glow of the runes slowly fading away as the two huge dragons towed them through the mists. So many questions racing through her mind that it made her head ache.
*
Once they were free of the disorienting fog, the dragons didn't have to hold back as much. They were clipping along at a fine pace despite being exhausted and weighed down by the ships they were towing through the waves. Now that they were out of earshot of the humans though, Hiccup suddenly began to question Ilweran about his acceptance to return with Stoick. His shoulders still carrying the same tension that Ilweran had noticed back on the beach. It was especially unsettling, as outward displays of unease were not common for Hiccup.
"When I explained to Elder Noldo why we were going after this particular dragon, he ordered us to stay on Midgard until we could remove the threat from the realm," Ilweran replied with a sigh. "Apparently, he feels that if an agent of Loki was to control this queen dragon, it would give them a very strong foothold in Midgard. Not to mention the pre-assembled army of dragons she comes with. I admit that I do not like the prospect of fighting that thing again, but I can see his point. Besides, I would not be able to live with myself if we just left all those dragons to suffer under her tyranny."
"I know what you mean, brother," Hiccup agreed with a shudder as he reached out to pat Toothless on the head affectionately. "When was the last time that Tintallë actually had to fight to repel another beast? I have not seen Toothless struggle to defend his mind like that in many years. She is exceptionally strong, even for an alpha dragon. Not to mention that she can use her magic, to an extent. This will be difficult, and we do need to remove her from this world for everyone's sake." Then he turned his helmeted head towards the crippled vessels below as he added, "why do we have to stay on their island, though?"
Ilweran felt his eyes narrow slightly as he looked over at the man beside him. So it was the people, and not simply the queen or the place, that had Hiccup on edge. After all, he had still not removed his helmet though they were flying at a very calm pace. Glancing down at Hiccup's right hand briefly, Ilweran noted that the man was indeed wearing his concealment ring. He would blend in just fine with the humans, so that wasn't it either. Something strange was going on here.
"They have already pledged to ally themselves with us against the beast as they owe us a dept," Ilweran pointed out slowly. Almost wishing that he could see through Hiccup's helmet to the face beneath. "Why do they make you so uncomfortable, brother?" Ilweran wasn't usually one to probe into someone else's business, but he just couldn't help feeling genuinely worried about Hiccup's discomfort. Was there something about these particular humans that Ilweran should be concerned about as well?
Hiccup glanced back up to meet Ilweran's gaze then, and his green eyes through the mask were virtually unreadable."Because this is my old tribe," Hiccup finally relented. "I ran away, oh ten years ago now, and I have not spoken to them since. I used to be very unpopular in my village and I would rather not face them all again now if I can avoid it," he added with a shrug. "They probably think that I am dead by now anyways." Ilweran raised a slender brow at that, and Hiccup chuckled softly as he took in his friend's expression. "Wow, I sound just like my mother..."
I'm sure not ALL of them think you're dead, Ilweran mused to himself. Remembering again the bright green shield spell that had burst from a glowing axe to encase a particularly beautiful blonde warrior. Out loud he said, "I understand Hiccup, but you know that we must all face our past some time if we wish to have a future. Your mother is the perfect example of that. You cannot run away forever. Perhaps you were not as unpopular as you believed yourself to be. It is your choice to make though, and I will honour it."
Hiccup thanked him and they lapsed back into a contemplative silence for a while. Finally Ilweran broke it as he glanced over at Hiccup again. "That is a very impressive axe you made for that maiden down there, by the way. Now I know why you have never given in to Minden's advances," he offered. Forcibly struggling to keep the humour out of his voice.
Hiccup's head shot up to meet his gaze then. His green eyes wide through the slits in his mask. "It would have been pretty hard to miss the protection runes on that thing," Ilweran supplied with a shrug. "She is a mere mortal human with blue eyes, yet the glow from that spectacular weapon was as deeply green as a summer fern. Discounting the Jotuns, I know of only two beings with magic of that particular hue, and Loki is not really in the habit of making axes for humans."
Chuckling softly now, Hiccup acknowledged the truth of that with a shrug of his own. Not supplying any excuses for his actions, and not really needing to either. Ilweran already understood his brother far too well for that. Beneath the callous and brutal exterior lay a heart of pure gold. "I wonder what she will think of you after today. Perhaps she will reward you for your valour in battle if you play your cards right, Scáth Rothaí," Ilweran added with a smirk. The dragons and Riders all chuckling at that, even as Hiccup made a rude gesture at his friend.
*
On the ship below, Astrid was leaning against the wooden railing as she gazed up at the two dragons. Enjoying the cooling feel of the salty sea spray on her grimy skin as the sounds of both masculine and draconic laughter drifted down to her through the breeze. That strange bubble of green light may have somehow protected her from the worst of the mayhem, but she still smelled like she'd just taken a somersault dive through a smoked fish bonfire. The first thing she was going to do when she got home, even before yelling at Hiccup, was wash the stink out of her hair.
Tuning back into the excited voices behind her, Astrid could hear Fishlegs regaling those who had fled with a dramatic retelling of the battle between the 'Red Death', as the one in white had called it, and the dragon riders. Of course, most of the people crammed on board were full of questions. Who were these strangers? Where did they come from? How did they tame dragons? Amidst this cacophony, Snotlout was still carrying on about how he would have been able to kill that monster single-handedly if he was riding a dragon.
Astrid didn't care about any of this. She knew exactly who the strangers were and how they came to ride dragons. She couldn't find the same excitement as the others in reliving that battle over again. She had been too terrified at the time. Although she supposed this mostly had to do with the fact that she was intimately familiar with the figure in black.
Oddly enough, the dark rider was the main focus of everyone else's questions too. This strange man with the hidden face that rode a night fury, moved like a god, and had disabled the queen. Though apparently most of them had not truly witnessed his speed and strength. They had been too focused on the two huge dragons that were attacking the queen. Thankfully, Fishlegs was opting to keep those details to himself as well.
Still the people were impressed with the two men. Their grace and agility. Their massive dragons. The one in black that had somehow tamed the offspring of lightning and death. Astrid was tired of hearing them all proclaim how amazing he was. The idiots had no idea! She wanted to shout at them, but what good would it do? Clearly Hiccup was not ready for them to know yet.
Right now, all Astrid wanted to do was get back to Berk and talk to Hiccup. Though it was probably going to be more yelling than talking. She also desperately wanted to get away from Snotlout before she had to hear one more of his stupid comments about how much better he is at everything. His continuous boasting giving her the strong urge to remind him that he had run away at the first sign of real danger, but Astrid kept her mouth shut to avoid his attentions. Briefly, she wondered what would happen if she simply threw him off the side of the ship. If only Hiccup wasn't pretending to be a stranger. She would happily have ridden with him and Toothless instead.
Thanks to the speed of the dragons, they came in sight of the stone guardians of Berk in less than a day. It had taken them nearly three days to sail to Dragon Island, and less than a day to return! She had to get herself a dragon! As they pulled up to the docks, the remaining villagers screamed at the sight of Toothless and the nightmare. After realizing that the dragons were actually towing damaged ships full of Hooligans, the people ignored their fear and rushed down to greet their returning warriors.
People were dragged from the ships and embraced by tearful loved ones. Though they had suffered some losses, it was nothing compared to what could have been. Astrid herself would not be wrapped in her mother's embrace right now, were it not for Hiccup and Toothless. She directed a silent thank you to the gods for sending assistance after all. Then she began to follow her family back up to the village square where both riders and their dragons were already awaiting them.
The first thing Astrid noticed as she arrived in the square, was that Hiccup looked distinctly uncomfortable. His shoulders set and his arms held stiffly at his sides. Looking around at his old tribe through the slits in that menacing black helmet. The hulking form of Toothless looming behind him, with tightly slit pupils in acid green eyes. Hiccup's tight fitting armoured tunic seemed to accentuate every ridge of muscle underneath, making the dark rider and his black dragon look impressively intimidating; even to her. She almost couldn't believe that it was him.
Just then, Stoick began conversing with the similarly tall and equally impressive looking man in the white cloak. Snotlout suddenly stepping forward to join them, while nervously eyeing the huge dragons. Watching him approach the three imposing men, Astrid was struck again by how very tall Hiccup had grown. How much he had changed. He seemed to be almost taller than his father now. His rigid posture, the armour, or a combination of both, making him appear broader and more muscular than he had been five years ago.
Then again, maybe he just looked taller, as Snotlout was so much shorter in comparison. Astrid could have laughed out loud at the sight. Not because she had anything against short men. Lots of the men and women in the village were all her height or shorter. No, it was simply because of how furious Snotlout would be if he knew that one of the three men towering over him now was his long lost runty cousin.
Snotlout waited until almost everyone had turned their attention to him before speaking. Directing his words purposefully at the dark rider who was studiously looking the other way, though he was one of the only ones. "Excuse me, sir. I have been informed that your night fury protected a certain young lady from the Red Death," Snot stated in a carrying voice. Reaching his hand out in Astrid's direction at the same moment and tugging her closer. Holding her firmly by the wrist as one would to a child.
He really only succeeded in this gesture because the blatantly dominating act caught Astrid completely by surprise. Snotlout normally knew better than to try and touch her. As she fell against his side, Snot wrapped one burly arm tightly around her waist. Continuing to hold her wrist with the other, as she glared disgustedly at him. Her father's scowl when she met his eyes over the crowd now the only thing stopping Astrid from beating this idiot senseless.
Snot made to kiss her cheek and she moved her head as far away from him as she could given his unrelenting grip on her. Repulsed by his foolishly brazen actions. How dare he! He scowled and pulled her tighter against him, before turning to face the dark rider again with a slight leer. The public display finally breaking through Hiccup's feigned disinterest as his head slowly swivelled around to face them.
"As the heir to House Jorgenson, I would just like to extend my personal gratitude to you for saving the life of my betrothed." There was so much arrogance in Snot's tone that Astrid was honestly a little surprised he didn't choke on it. As he continued to blatantly manhandle her though, she couldn't help looking towards Hiccup too. Only to be brought up short at the sight of him watching her and Snotlout intently. A gleaming throwing knife held ready in each hand as his green eyes glinted like chips of ice. She couldn't see Hiccup's expression beneath the helmet of course, but if his eyes were anything to go by, then she was sure that it wasn't good.
A low and menacing growl was beginning to reverberate through the square. Vibrating through Astrid's chest as her fists clenched convulsively. It felt like the audible equivalent of her own anger, and she glared furiously at Snotlout as a hot, red flush of rage rose up her face. She was going to knock the rest of the teeth out of his stupid face later! What in Thor's name was he playing at?
She yanked her hand free of his grasp as she realized he was probably just doing this to try and make up for angering Stoick on Dragon Island. Hoping to prove that he could be gracious and diplomatic if he wanted to be. Casually marking his claim on her in the process, as if she were simply some trophy to be won by the most recent victor. Astrid was going to kill him for it. This was not the way she wanted Hiccup to find out!
Chancing another glance at Hiccup, Astrid fully expected to see Toothless snarling viciously at Snotlout. She was therefore shocked to see that the dragon was simply staring down at the stocky man beside her. Still with sinisterly slit pupils and looking murderous, but definitely not growling. Maybe it was the other dragon then? Before she could look, Toothless tapped Hiccup gently with his tail. The terrible sound cutting off abruptly, and leaving only an eerie quiet to settle over the embarrassing scene now.
Both the man and his dragon remained completely still for a moment longer. Then Hiccup released the throwing blades in his hands. Astrid watching in surprise as the elegant stilettos were returned to their slots in his wrist sheaths by some sort of discreet spring and latch mechanism. Very Hiccup, she thought distractedly, as she wondered what he was going to do now. Had he really been about to kill Snotlout?
Then he squared his shoulders and tipped his helmeted head towards the two of them in a slight bow. "It was my pleasure, Mr. Jorgenson. You are a very lucky man." Voice distorted by the helmet, no one except Astrid recognized the sarcastic lilt behind the courteous words. "Please allow me to extend my congratulations to you and the beautiful maiden."
_
Probably not what you all expected to happen, eh.
Hiccup doesn't kill the Red Death in one shot. Like he says, her hide is too thick and using dark magic on something that powerful and evil is too risky. That and humans aren't supposed to know about the other realms or magic. I will explain this more in depth in the next book, but just suffice it to say that humans are wily little bastards and Odin doesn't want them to realize their own power. The two human Riders he has (Hiccup and Ilweran) are already enough of a pain in the ass. Lol. He would rather the rest just obliviously worship him instead.
Guess this isn't the last Berk will see of the Red Death...and now Hiccup can't just disappear into the great beyond and keep avoiding Astrid. Poor Hiccup...
Though perhaps Snotlout has effectively diverted her anger. Me thinks that little stunt was almost the end of the Snotman.