"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil
Peacemaker
"Thank you Gustav, send for the other Chiefs immediately."
"Yes, my Chief."
She watched as the young man ran off. Only when he was gone did she turn and re-enter her tent. She closed the front blinds, sat down, and held her head in her hands. She found it hard to breathe and her limbs shook.
"Breathe... in and out... just breathe..."
She reached for her blade as her hand trembled. The weapon was a special commission given to her by Gobber himself as a gift after she had assumed the Chiefly mantle. Everything about it was customized to her; the shape of the handle, the Nadder scale embedded in the pommel, the weight and balance of the blade, all of it was perfect. It was far less unwieldy to carry around with her than her old axe would have been, much as she did miss the old cleaver.
She flipped the sword and perfectly balanced it on a finger at its center of weight. She stared at the familiar weapon and felt her breaths slow. Then she flipped the blade up in the air and grabbed it fully by the pommel.
But it still felt like the whole world that she knew was now balanced on such a tipping point with no way of knowing which direction it would fall.
With her courage and strength restored by holding the blade in her hand, she took a deep breath and put on her Chiefly attire. The sash of blue went over her head and the scale cape went over her back. She put her sword in its sheath and stowed away her family dagger hidden at her hip.
When she stepped back outside in her full raiment, she also wore her Chiefly mask.
Calm. Confident. Impassive. Stoic. Commanding respect.
She walked behind the tent to briefly attend to Stormfly and the little ones, this being Stormfly's second litter. The three young Nadders were a real pain at times since they had all the youthful energy of two year old dragons, but there were also sweet moments when they all rested together. Just as they were thankfully doing now.
"Hey girl, how are you?"
Stormfly gave her the grumble and hum that she always understood as contentment while she rubbed her dragon's cheeks.
"That is good. I'll be back later, girl. I am glad that you don't know what is going to happen."
Stormfly chittered at her for a moment and then lay back down.
Astrid strode forth to the meeting place where all the Chiefs had been summoned.
She held her shoulders proudly as she passed through her tribe, never once betraying any of her inner fear.
Well, at least we had a couple days of peace.
They all sat around a table in the largest tent. Astrid, Svana, Edgaras, and Alvin. The Chiefs of the four united dragon riding tribes. Plus, in the corner of the room stood one attentively listening Night Fury and a wild woman who only went by the name Dragonheart.
Astrid stood at the head of the table and looked around.
"He is on his way here with his army," Astrid calmly announced to the assembly.
"How long do we have?" Edgaras calmly asked.
"Maybe a day," she grimly answered.
"How did we not know this sooner?" Alvin almost shouted.
"I do not know. A couple of our scouts have not returned."
"He must have had us followed," Svana exclaimed.
"Yeah, it does not matter who he followed or how he found us. What matters is what we are going to do now," Astrid answered.
All those at the table nodded in agreement.
"How many does he have?" Edgaras asked.
"We counted about twenty ships but hundreds of dragons."
"Hundreds? Why would they fly for him?" Svana exclaimed in dismay.
"I do not know. Do you know, Dragonheart?" Astrid asked.
"I'm sorry, who is this crazy woman again?" Alvin objected.
They all glanced at the masked woman who had to this point been silent.
"She has lived here with the dragons for many years and knows these waters and lands. She might seem a little crazy but she stays," Astrid declared.
Valka stepped forward and nervously removed her helmet. None of the other Chiefs appeared to recognize her appearance. Though, the only one who could have reasonably done so was Alvin.
"I do not know why dragons would fly for the dragon master. Maybe he tortured them and broke their wills. Maybe he raised some of them from hatchlings. I do not know. What matters is that the dragons will not be a problem for us."
"No, why not?" Svana wondered.
"The King."
A shudder went through most of those at the table.
"You have all seen him. He keeps the peace in the nest and around this island. He will not let the wild dragons not of his nest attack us."
"How can it do that?" Alvin wondered.
"It is hard to explain, but he can calm them just by being around them. All that we will need to deal with is the men Bludvist brings and that is if they can even get to the island."
"Well, in that case this should be easy. We will outnumber him four to one with men only," Alvin relaxed.
"But why would he come here knowing that he is outnumbered? It does not make sense," Svana countered.
"Maybe he does not know how many we are. Maybe his balls have grown too big," Alvin and Edgaras laughed.
Shadowwing got up and approached the table where there were paper and a pencil already laid out for him.
Do we know what he wants?
Everyone looked around at each other in momentary confusion.
"What he wants? To destroy us, that is what he wants. It is as simple as that!" Alvin answered to nods of agreement around the table.
Has anyone tried to talk to him?
"Talk to Bludvist?" Edgaras chuckled.
For peace or a treaty?
The other three Chiefs laughed and slapped their sides at the mere suggestion.
"Very funny!" "Best joke ever!" "Good one!"
He looked around at them in slight dismay.
They really do not want to even try to negotiate...
I am not joking
"Impossible," Alvin exclaimed.
"We will have peace when he is dead!" Edgaras growled.
He almost growled aloud in frustration.
I know four Chiefs who changed
They are all here at this table
No one said anything for a while.
"This one is not like us. He cannot be reasoned with. All we can do is fight and destroy him and his army! It will be a glorious slaughter!" Edgaras declared with a fist on the table.
Shadowwing looked over with a pleading glance to Astrid. She calmly and sadly looked back at him and slowly shook her head. He then glanced over to Valka and saw that even she had her free hand on a dagger at her side. Her eyes were steeled in a way that bespoke acceptance and determination.
He slowly stepped back from the table with an obvious expression of dismay, hung his head for a moment, and dashed outside the tent. The curtain whipped around him and then settled down after his tail vanished.
"What is with him?" Alvin teased.
"You know how he is. He was hurt by seeing the Berserker's attack on Berk and does not want to see any more fighting," Astrid sighed.
"I swear though that there is something with that dragon. Don't get me wrong, I like him, but he does not understand people. He is going to get himself or someone he cares for killed some day," Alvin continued.
"Weren't you the one who tried to kill him once before?" Svana exclaimed.
None of them noticed that Valka twitched and almost drew her dagger.
"As I said before, I never actually intended to hurt him. I just needed leverage over old Stoick. And that reminds me, how is he by the way?" Alvin turned to Astrid.
Astrid froze and resisted the temptation to glance over at Valka.
"Better. He has been trying to redeem himself over the last few years by doing the small things and messy work that others do not want to do. Nothing too small..." she added in a whisper.
"I still cannot believe that he would do something so... treacherous to one of his own dragons. I... would once have been impressed by him," Alvin muttered.
Astrid closed her eyes and thought about that fateful and terrible set of events long ago. How differently might things have been if were not for Stoick's stubborn pride.
"Desperation makes people do stupid things when they think their dream is in danger," she said after a momentary pause.
They all nodded in agreement without further questioning her words as she got up and walked over to the map of the island.
"We still need to prepare for the arrival. Here is what I propose..." she began.
Shadowwing aimlessly walked through the crowd while ignoring everyone's calls around him. Everything that he had heard at the council chamber echoed in his memory.
He gave a faint growl of frustration at their perfect Nord stubbornness. None of them seriously considered even the possibility of finding a peaceful resolution. And he was certain that none of them had even bothered to send a messenger at all.
Though, from what he had heard of this Bludvist or Blood-Fist person, he did not sound like a normal Chief at all. A normal Chief, even if making war on another tribe, would probably not burn the entire captured village to the ground. But on the other hand, it was an empty village that was burned and part of his army was dragons, so things could easily have gotten out of hand.
And he gave a snort as he thought about the dragon master's apparent title.
Probably just an intimidating name for this Dargo... whoever. It sounds like something a desperate Chief would want to have just to sound scarier.
And his dragons and men probably lost control for some reason. If he only understood that dragons are not the monsters he has to think they are. And if he knew that there is another way, that he does not have to use them as weapons, then maybe...
He stepped around a tent and froze. His heart clenched as he recognized someone despite their vastly changed appearance.
The man now had short cropped hair, and his beard was far shorter than it had been in the distant past. The man had also lost a lot of weight, but there was no mistaking him even now.
His own father.
Stoick was going about the completely normal, menial task of hauling fish in from the latest catch and delivering a portion to various people and their dragons.
This was his chance.
His chance to growl, scream, and shout at the betrayal.
His chance to put a paw on his father's shoulder, forgive him, and try to move on.
But he was frozen and could not move.
Stoick eventually looked up and saw him standing there. His father's expression was completely unreadable and impassive as the man put aside the basket of fish and slowly strode over to him.
They met just to the side of the tent, somewhat cut off from everyone around them. His father looked like he had aged well over a decade in the last few years and had clearly lost a lot of weight and strength.
"I...do not know... where to start..."
A soft growl was the only response he got.
"I was a fool and a traitor..."
Oh really, you think!
"I wanted us... to be a family again..."
But we were...
"I was too proud, did not listen, and did not trust others..."
Snarl.
That you were...
"I am not asking for it right now. I do not deserve it. But I only want to know, can… can you forgive me, for… for everything, again?"
Stoick reached out with a trembling hand. Shadowwing looked at him, turned away, and stared at the ground.
Can I forgive you after all that you did? All that Toothless suffered? All that I had to do?
I do not know...
He reluctantly glanced back at Stoick's pained but hopeful face and put a single claw to the dirt.
Maybe
Try to earn it
Stoick looked down at the painstakingly written words and sighed.
"I will."
Shadowwing spun away, ran out from between the tents, and flew off without a backward glance. He dashed up to an isolated ledge away from everyone, vanished under his wings, and wept without shedding any tears.
"Brother!"
"Shadowwing, what is it?"
Shadowwing landed and bounded up to his resting brother.
"There is a bad two-leg nest coming here to fight!"
Was-Grounded yawned widely and barely stirred.
"Why are you not afraid?" Shadowwing exclaimed.
Was-Grounded laughed openly.
"Let the bad two-legs come here. What can they do? Ground the great-tusk-Alpha? Let them try."
"The bad two-leg nest has a big flight of kin flying for it."
Was-Grounded flew to his feet, clearly now alarmed.
"A big flight of kin? Is that the flight that burned our old nest-island?"
"Yes, our two-leg nest-Alphas say that the other bad two-leg Alpha wants to fight this nest."
Was-Grounded grumbled in confusion.
"How can the two-leg nest have kin flying for it?"
"I do not know."
"Grr, if they have thralls or kin flying for them, I am staying here in the ice nest with Green-Wings and Dawn-Singer. I will shelter them with my wings and teeth."
Then death entered his eyes.
"I will kill any kin or two-leg that tries to hurt them," he growled.
Shadowwing nodded and then continued.
"I want to talk to the bad two-leg Alpha. I can get him to make the fighting not happen."
Was-Grounded blinked and shook his head. He knew that his brother did not care for fighting and spilling of life-water. Hiccup had always preferred kin and two-legs living together and the flight of shared nest peace. On the one paw, he could not be wholly upset about that since that dislike of fighting and killing was part of the reason that he himself was spared many season-cycles ago.
On the other paw though, it meant that Shadowwing was reluctant to do things when they needed to be done. His brother also thought that too many two-legs had only lift in their livers toward kin or could be made to have that same lift only by having warm experiences with kin. As though learning and knowing more could burn out every rot that grew in two-leg livers.
"Why do you think that all two-legs will listen to you?"
"Because I have always changed them. Making peace is what I know how to do. That is my life-flight."
Was-Grounded thought for a moment about how to better make his point.
"But why do you think that you will always be able to make that peace be? Do you know what is in the liver of every two-leg?"
Shadowwing turned aside with a weak moan.
"What question is that? You also do not trust me?"
He stepped forward and whipped his brother's tail with his own.
"Do not be word and liver-twisted. I always trust you. This bad-Alpha two-leg drove kin and two-legs from their nests with a thrall kin flight, true?"
Shadowwing reluctantly nodded.
"He will not want to listen or hear your words."
Shadowwing thought for a long time before he answered.
"Did I ever tell you what the two-legs on home-nest-island said about all kin before the peace that we helped make? Do you know what the life-rule was that all two-legs were told?"
"What?"
"Kin are very dangerous, kill them when you see them. No listening, no talking, no giving fish, no peace. I cannot let that be. My old nest did not listen to me after I met you and they did change. They became warm to kin. I want this to work. I can fly this flight."
Was-Grounded interrupted.
"Yes, most of them changed. But do you remember why? We almost died before they listened to any of your words. We did die in a way. They had to see kin fighting for them, and they had to see why the kin ever fought them at all. Your sire did not listen to you after I protected you in the place of death-fighting. It was not your words that changed their livers."
Shadowwing said nothing as his thoughts turned to the distant past. His disowning and effective outcasting from the tribe. The despair that took him afterwards, which was itself only broken by Astrid's talking some sense of purpose into him. The aimlessness that settled into his new life until he found a new purpose. The mission of peace and co-existence. A purpose that he was able to contribute to even while searching for his lost brother.
The same purpose that even now made it possible for humans and dragons to share this island in peace and trust even if in preparation for war.
"None of the two-legs down on the sands listened to me now. They do not know what I have done; how many two-legs I have changed. They do not trust me," Shadowwing muttered.
"No, I think that those words of yours are twisted, brother..." Was-Grounded objected.
"All want peace. Even this Alpha two-leg. He does not know it yet. I only need to show him. I can save them."
Shadowwing rose to his feet, turned for the ledge, and prepared to jump.
"Be careful with your flight. You do not know how the winds will blow," Was-Grounded pleaded.
Shadowwing sighed heavily without looking back.
"It is not myself that I am thinking about," he whispered back before taking wing.
Was-Grounded watched as his brother flew up to his ledge, likely to rest and think.
Then he himself returned to his sleeping mate's side and put a wing over her and Dawn-Singer. Both she and Dawn-Singer had spent much of the sun on a dam-fledgling flying lesson on the thermals and were both exhausted. It happened more easily for her now since she was getting later in carrying the new egg.
The great-tusk-Alpha will protect us all. He will ground the bad two-legs and hold away any thrall-kin.
But it felt faintly like there were jaws of ice circling around his liver as he pondered his brother's liver-clenching on this idea that all two-legs could be changed. That none had rot in their livers but were instead only flying the wrong flight because they did not know better.
It felt like a kin that is too small to carry away a catch and keeps trying to haul away the catch instead of eating it. Or, it was like a kin who never thought to look at what it was eating and missed seeing that there were bad-wrong-snake-fish among the true, good fish.
You should think more about yourself, brother, or you will get yourself grounded.
Shadowwing tossed and turned in his sleep as confusing dreams swarmed around him.
He stood in the same cove again and stared up at the familiar Night Fury with its rounded eyes and toothless maw.
Who...
In one hand he held a sharp knife dripping with blood and in the other he held a fat and juicy fish.
...are...
A Night Fury skull hung over the fireplace, and a living, laughing Night Fury licked his face.
...you...
Swarms of dragons flew against each other with fires and claws flashing, and swarms of dragons soared the skies with joyful cries.
...dark...
Boats burned with dragon fire, and boats hauled in dozens of fish herded by dragon fire.
...wing?
Weapons were raised at his approach, and weapons were lowered at his words.
His special mission to be a bringer of peace.
And he weakly whimpered while tossing in his restless sleep.
Dawn slowly approached what he knew would be a fateful day.
He was wide awake despite having barely slept well at all. The morning chill in the air mirrored the coldness in his limbs as he stood on the ledge that overlooked the beach. His tail twitched as he looked down on the preparations for war. The activities had continued all throughout the night.
People from all four tribes were sharpening swords, fashioning shields, or fitting their dragons with armor if they had any available. Fishing boats were moved around the island away from where the fighting would happen. Scouts kept watch overhead.
He growled openly to himself.
I have changed people no one thought could be saved before. People like Alvin!
Too many people thought that dragons were nothing but dumb beasts, incapable of kindness, affection, or friendship. That was why he was able to convince so many of them of the truth. He only had to write in the ground to show them that he was a person. Even if the other dragons were not quite the same as himself or the other Night Furies and could not talk, it was still normally enough that the person who had just seen the light would look at and treat the other dragons differently also. Everyone was better off.
But this was going to end in war, bloodshed, screaming, and death. People were going to see the violent and dangerous side of dragons all over again.
For them to think that people cannot change when the evidence that they can is right on the island in front of them. When they are the proof!
Growl.
To not even try once to talk to him? Why will they not trust me?
He hung his head and sighed deeply. It was only a matter of time now before it would happen. There was nothing visible on the horizon yet, but that would change soon.
It was now or never as he weighed the options one last time. Stay here and join in the fighting as well as he was able, or leave and keep the peace the way he knew that he could.
Become a monster and embrace a violent side or be the savior who protects and does what others cannot or will not do.
He took a deep breath and flew from the nest, his course set for the southern open ocean. He flew steadily until the ice nest island was gone from the horizon before he saw the approaching armada.
Just over thirty ships were sailing straight for the ice nest and would be there by midday. And above them all, sparkling like a living rainbow, flew a cloud of dragons. Dragons of every size and shape, some of which were wearing armor. There were even some types that he had never seen before and which had no name he knew of.
I've never seen so many before.
It quickly became evident which ship was his goal. The largest ship of them all sailed at the head of the fleet and was directly under the swarming cloud up above. The ship had large black sails and massive links of chains hanging from the deck down into the water.
This is the dragon master's ship.
He slowly flew in circles high above the ship as he appraised the situation. There were not too many men on it. There was however a solitary figure standing at the ship's bow and facing toward the island.
That has to be him!
He dove swiftly toward the vessel. The middle of the deck was open enough that he could safely land.
Just don't start shooting at me.
He alighted on the deck with a creaking of wood underneath him. Several of the sailors and soldiers started yelling. He made a point of sitting down in plain view of everyone and refused to react even when several of the men reached for their bows and spears. But he also made sure that he had room to leap to safety if necessary.
"Stop!"
It was a deep and powerful voice that bespoke years of authority. Of having orders followed without question. All the soldiers and sailors immediately obeyed.
The black robed figure slowly walked toward him, and he was finally able to meet the man he had heard so much about.
Dargo Blood-Fist or Bludvist or something like that.
The dragon master.
The man had very dark skin, possibly heavily tanned by years in the sun. He held a massive, hooked staff in his right arm while his left arm was hidden under his cloak. His hair, both from his head and his beard, was braided, and his face had a long scar running down its entire length. His eyes were sunken and gave him an almost permanently tired look. Despite all this, he was clearly a man of formidable presence and physical strength.
Drago stopped walking several paces away and stared intently back at him.
"Shall we get nets, my lord?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Nets, no. No nets."
Drago took a few more steps in his direction and looked troubled by something.
He held himself completely still as Drago came near enough to touch him. Drago stood perfectly still as well, staring almost eye to eye with the black dragon that had peacefully landed on the ship and was doing nothing vicious.
The entire crew waited with baited breath for something to happen. The tension on deck was almost palpable.
Then Drago turned around and began walking back toward the bow of the ship.
What is he doing?
As Drago walked back and the cloak swished around him, Shadowwing was able to see the material that the man was wearing. He realized with a shock of horror that it was not just made of black leather. It was also made of black dragon scale, and there were only so many dragons that had black hides and those particular scales.
The dragon master had robed himself in a Night Fury's hide and scales.
He stifled the growl of shock and anger. Whatever the man had done or been in the past, he could still change now.
"Wait! Stop this!" he called out despite knowing full well that Drago could not understand.
But Drago did pause at the massive anchor-chains and looked back at him. For a brief moment, the man looked confused and thoughtful. It was as if he was not sure about something.
I really did not think this through. Should have brought something to write on...
"Why are you doing this?"
Another moment of consideration passed as the man wavered.
Shadowwing slowly held out a paw toward him in what he hoped looked like a peaceful gesture.
"What do you want?"
Then Drago's eyes hardened, and he turned back to the giant anchor-chains at the ship's bow. He raised the staff and started beating on the chains that extended down below his flagship.
Shadowwing winced as the ringing sound echoed through his head, the air, and through the deck beneath his feet.
What is he doing? Is he crazy?
The clanging sound stopped almost as soon as it began. But the metallic clang which died out only bled into another, more menacing sound. It was a very low rumbling that seemed to build from below-decks. All the men started shying away from the deck where Drago stood. Then the boat began to pitch as if it had been hit by a rogue wave.
He stumbled and struggled to right himself as the ship settled.
When he looked back up, he saw that Drago had turned back to face him and had pointed his staff-spear directly at him. Far more shocking though was the massive grey head that now stuck out of the water behind Drago. The giant tusks, ringed with metal chains and filed to a sharp point, were easily as long as the ship's great mast.
Drago had his own Bewilderbeast.
He understood perfectly in that one timeless moment how Drago had managed to assemble his dragon army. He did so through this one Bewilderbeast. All the rest were unwilling slaves.
Every instinct screamed to close his eyes, turn, and fly away.
But he did not want to.
The piercing blue eye stared back at him in a way the white King never had.
All he wanted was to look into that peaceful blue eye and let the deep rumbling and loud, unheard whispering that he had not noticed until that moment fill his thoughts.
The promise of peace and bliss.
No fighting and death.
All the shapes of boats, flying dragons above, and people on deck turned to wispy smoke.
The sun's radiant light was smothered.
The eye was strong.
Who…
'Monsters can...
He wanted peace.
The eye was strong.
...are…
...make you…
It wanted peace.
The eye was strong.
...you...
...think bad…
They both wanted peace.
The eye was strong.
...dark...
...things…'
Peace was good.
The eye was strong.
...wing?
Peace was his dream.
His dream...
His dream...
Strip away...
Twist and take...
Fill and break...
An empty shell...
Empty shell..
Empty shell...
His dream...
His dream...
Dream...
Dream...
.
.
Peace.
.
.
A dull thud was all that followed when the Night Fury collapsed to the ship's deck. Its screams and growls of protest had been silenced and now it lay like a dead thing except for its slow breaths.
He walked over to it and silently considered it with a smirk of triumph.
For just a moment, he had wavered, thinking that there was something especially strange about this one and the way it had looked at him as it growled and held out a paw.
Then he had remembered many years ago when he had howled in pain himself after watching the rest of his family be taken at night. When he lost an entire arm. When the little boy who had looked up with wonder and hope at the dragons had died inside and been replaced by the person driven by true purpose. The purpose of conquering dragons and subjecting them while also making himself more powerful.
"I needed one of these. Gotta keep this one for later," he growled.
Then he woke it up with a kick to the neck.
It bellowed and stumbled to its feet. Its eyes were mere slits and all of its sharp teeth were fully bared in his face. Then it obediently stepped back with a whimper and groveled at his feet.
He pointed up at the sky, and the Night Fury rose with a roar to join the other dragons in the peaceful spiral of the Alpha's living, sparkling crown.
He smiled to himself as he took his place back at the ship's bow. He had something special planned for this Night Fury in the upcoming battle and afterwards. The irony was too perfect that it was going to end this way.
"Whisperer indeed... let me put that to the test," he chuckled.
He turned back to the Alpha, and a great eye rolled to gaze directly at him. They understood each other perfectly without needing any words. In some way that no others could possibly fathom, they were like mirrors of the other. When they looked into the other's eyes, they saw a reflection of themselves.
Both great among their kinds and respecting of the other's greatness of will. Both having great power and will over their own kinds. Both driven by a great purpose and desire. Both having suffered and prepared for so long to assure their triumph. Both knowing that their time had finally come.