Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Six – Decisions, Decisions

Klaus didn't know what to do. He'd really thought the archbishop would approve; but the man also thought dragons were demons. Even the ones that meant no harm…because the Devil meant harm, and so it was a sin. Klaus knew there were people, bad people, who wanted to use dragons to make war, but all Hiccup wanted – all he and the other riders wanted was peace with them.

Still, he had no idea how to convince Archbishop Tjodolf that he was wrong about dragons. What if he's right? Klaus wondered anxiously. Not about the dragons being demons, but about it being a sin…but surely, the Lord knew all, he must know that dragons didn't have to be wicked…unless it really was a trick of the devil…oh, Klaus was so confused! He fretted, and soon Brannild noticed.

*Klaus?* he rumbled, trying to peer back at the little human perched behind his horns. *Are you okay? You've been so quiet since we left…are you worried about what your dam – I mean, mother – will say?* he guessed. The two of them hadn't exactly told anyone where they were going; Klaus had simply come running to him, saying that they had to go to the capital right away.

There was no reply. *I'm sure she'll just be glad you're safe* Brannild offered.

Klaus sighed. "It's not that." His mama certainly would be cross, and he'd probably get punished, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "I just…don't know what to do. You're my friend, but being around you…means I'm sinning. At least that's what Father Oliver and the Archbishop say, and they know better than me." After all, both of them were older and wiser, and knew more of the Lord.

Brannild chirped in confusion. *I thought you said 'sinning' was when you did something bad. We're not doing anything bad…are we?* he wondered. A lot of human things didn't make sense to him, but then humans were odd creatures, for all that they could be friendly. *Why can't we just be friends?* he asked.

"Because!" Klaus exclaimed, only to slump when he realised he didn't have a good answer. At least, not one that Brannild would understand. "We're still friends" he promised, scratching between the dragon's eye bulbs. "It's just…the Bible is the Word of God, and it says not to associate with dragons because you're demons – and now I know that it doesn't have to be that way, but…"

Klaus sighed again. "But other people don't. My mother, my priest, everyone I know…a lot of them have been ignoring me" he admitted. "And I'm scared, Brannild. I'm so scared that I'm wrong, I don't think I am, but what do I know? How can someone like me know better than God? I just wish I could be sure that it was okay to be around you. And to not have anyone else mind either."

Brannild rumbled in concern. They flew on in silence for a while, but for the wind. At last he spoke up. *No one would mind on Berk* he pointed out. *If we were there, you could be around me as much as you want! We could fly all the time, and nobody would tell you not to. Truth is…I'm kind of homesick* Bran admitted. *I miss having a flock, other dragons around. I even miss Brenne.*

"But I'd be homesick too" Klaus reminded him. "I'd miss my family. I can't run away to live on Berk and leave them here…" At that moment, he made his decision, even though it broke his heart. "Brannild…you should go back home. You'll be happy, and I'll be okay. It..it's better like this …" He sniffled and shivered. "Brr. It's cold up here." Brannild flamed up behind him. "Thanks."

*You're welcome* Brannild purred, but it soon faded into a whine. *I'll miss you* he declared, having realised the same thing. *This…this doesn't have to be goodbye forever, does it? I can still visit you, right?* he begged. Even though they'd only known each other a short time, he was really fond of Klaus, and the idea of never seeing his friend again made him feel like his flame was doused.

Klaus hesitated. Even visits might be too much…but he couldn't bring himself to say no. Besides, it wasn't like he could stop Brannild from coming back if he really wanted to. "You can come and see me" he agreed. "And maybe one day more dragons will be able to come to Borgund" Klaus suggested hopefully. "Hey, Brannild? If this is goodbye…why don't we have some fun, first?"

So have fun they did, soaring in the skies as if they had not a care in the world. For a while, Klaus was enjoying himself so much that he forgot why they were cavorting. It was only when Borgund came into view beneath them that he remembered. The Fire-Scale landed on the outskirts of town, and Klaus slipped down from the saddle. Then he unbuckled it and pulled it off Brannild's neck.

Impulsively, Klaus wrapped his arms around the dragon's neck and hugged him tight. "I'm gonna miss you, Bran" he admitted, tears in his eyes and his voice.

Brannild crooned reassurance. *I'll miss you, too. You're the best human friend I've ever had* he remarked, as Klaus let go and stepped back. The boy sniffled, a tiny smile on his face. "You're the best dragon friend I've ever had" he replied, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Tell Magnus and Carena I said hello, okay?"

*I will* the Fire-Scale agreed, rearing up and spreading his wings. *Bye, Klaus.*

"Bye, Brannild." Klaus ducked as his friend took off, wings buffeting the wind around him. He watched Brannild fly away, back north…and then turned towards home. The guards at the gate demanded to know where he'd been; his absence had been noticed. Klaus apologised, saying it didn't matter anymore.

Rebecca looked up when her eldest son came inside, having been escorted home. "Klaus! Where on Earth have you been, we've been looking everywhere, I've been worried sick – Klaus?" she asked, noticing his tears and the hard line of his mouth, as if he were holding back a sob. "What happened, son? Where did"-

He shook his head. "Nidaros. I'm sorry, mother. Don't worry. I'll not do it again."

It took a few days for Brannild to get back home. He was relieved when he reached his pack's territory; it felt safer. The relief only grew when the ice-ringed island came into view on the horizon, somewhere to rest his tired wings. Flock-mates out fishing recognised him, greeted him, asked him questions.

Brannild did not answer, and kept flying until he reached the place where his nest had been. To his great dismay, when he lowered his snout to the ground and sniffed, the scents that made it his were gone. Of course…he'd left the Nest, so why wouldn't his sleeping place be claimed by another? Yet there was no one nearby, and no aggrieved shriek had come for trespassing, so Brannild lay down.

He scrambled up again when a dragon landed, only to see that it was the Alphas, and bowed. "Brannild?" asked Hiccup, voice full of concern. "Where's Klaus?" He looked around for the boy, and Brannild whimpered at the reminder of his rider's absence. Who knew one could get so attached to a human?

Toothless crooned concern as well. *Brannild, what happened?* he questioned.

*Nothing. Klaus is fine. I felt homesick, so he let me go* Brannild replied, glum.

"He let you…this isn't just a visit, is it?" Hiccup realised. Slowly, he walked towards the orange-red dragon and held a hand out. Brannild pressed his snout

against it. "Hey, it's alright" Hiccup assured him, "Talk to us. We want to help."

Brannild did his best to explain why he and Klaus had parted ways. When he finished, Hiccup sighed. "I'm sorry, Brannild" he murmured sympathetically.

*I still don't understand what we were doing wrong* Bran admitted, whining.

*You haven't done anything wrong* Toothless answered firmly, nuzzling him.

"He's right. Klaus is just…confused" said Hiccup. Before he could continue, there came the sound of flapping wings and a Spike-Tail landed in the clearing as well.

Magnus vaulted off her dragon's back and walked forward. "We heard Brannild was back! Where's Klaus? I wanna show him this new move we…" she trailed off, seeing Hiccup's solemn expression. "What's going on? Is Klaus okay?"

*He's fine* Brannild answered, *He's at home. He says hello.* The Fire-Scale whined and buried his head under his wing. As Toothless kept trying to comfort him, Hiccup walked over to Magnus, who looked up at him in bewilderment.

"Klaus' people didn't approve of him riding a dragon" Hiccup explained, "He was struggling with that, and Brannild was homesick, so they decided it was best to say goodbye. Klaus can't come here, he'd miss his family, and they'd miss him."

Magnus frowned…then she perked up and suggested, "What if he joined the Academy? He's old enough, and then he'd only be here for the summer."

"Believe me, I wish it were that simple" answered Hiccup. She folded her arms and squinted at him suspiciously, expecting him to say why it wasn't. "You know Klaus is religious" he reminded her, "and his religion doesn't like dragons. I think even if he were here, he'd feel conflicted about that" Hiccup elaborated.

Magnus huffed. "But I thought he'd stopped believing in all that 'dragons are demons' nonsense!" she protested, demanding "So what are we gonna do?"

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. There's not much we can do now, not with winter coming in." He looked back at Brannild, and asked her, "Can you guys stay with him? I don't think he wants to be alone right now."

"Sure. But you're still gonna figure something out, right? You have to" she said.

He nodded. "I'll try. But for now, I think they both just need some time."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Malik, as he steered the rudder. "You know if we get caught, it's all over" he reminded Galmi, the leader of this little expedition. "Suspicious, that lot. They'll feed us to their dragons for sure."

Galmi scoffed. "They ain't gonna find out" he declared confidently, "so long as none of us let's anything slip. As far as anyone knows, we're just lost travellers, trying to find safe harbour." A cruel smile curved his bristling lips. "By the time we've left their stupid island, it'll be too late." The whole crew laughed nastily.

"Land ho!" cried the man up on the crow's nest. Galmi hurried to the prow and looked out past it. Sure enough, on the horizon he could spot the jutting, foreboding spikes of that unnaturally coloured ice, glinting in the autumn sun.

A grin marred his face. "Excellent. Bring her about! And weigh anchor!" he ordered in a bellow. They couldn't infiltrate Berk on this vessel, that would give away their identity long before they even got close to the island. Instead they would sail closer still in a smaller knarr, leaving a skeleton crew aboard this one.

The approach to Berk was full of trepidation. Every man of them was tense with wariness, expecting the dragons to turn on them at any moment and set the boat alight. At the same time they were tense with longing, at the sight of so many dragons here for the picking. It was a shame that their old chiefs so called 'foolproof invasion plan' had utterly fallen through, or they'd have been rich.

As they reached the harbour gates, a Nadder with a rider appeared in the sky, and began circling the small craft. Their hands reached instinctively for crossbows that weren't there, and fell on the hilts of knives instead. Galmi glared at them all, and hissed "Watch it! We're in disguise, remember? Idiots."

The Nadder dropped closer and hovered above them. Galmi's fingers itched to send a bolt through its eye; so close, and yet he could do nothing! Adulfr had better make this worth the trouble he thought. There was a blond woman in the saddle; after a moment he recognised her as the Dragon Master's upstart wife. "Well met!" Galmi called to her, with an utterly insincere grin upon his face.

She didn't look too impressed. "Who are you?" she demanded, "And what brings you to Berk?" The Nadder looked like it was one command away from slinging one of those poisoned spikes into the hull and sinking them like stones.

Galmi bowed. "I am …Gunnar" he said, the first name that came into his head. "My crew and I were sailing from Iceland to Norway but the winds took us far astray of our heading. We've been searching for somewhere to weigh anchor and step ashore to rest. Won't you have mercy on humble seamen, milady?"

They had no weapons visible, and so after looking at them warily for a few moments, she relented and went to tell the sentries it was safe to let them pass. Galmi hid a smirk. This was too easy! The Berkians' own chief was allowing him and his men to sail right in, and she'd let them sail right out again too, no doubt. After that, it was only a matter of waiting for Adulfr to put his plan in motion.

That was assuming he was even still alive, of course. For all Galmi knew, these people had put him to death by now. Maybe I'll be the one to slay the Dragon Master's steed he fantasised. The thought was appealing. Him in a dragon-skin cloak, the chief of his own tribe…sure, Raudabein was a lost cause, but they could steal some maidens from a village, find a defensible headland, start over…

Already the harbour was crowded with people coming to see the strangers in their midst. It was all going according to plan – he'd given his men orders to keep the dragon lovers distracted at the docks whilst he delivered the poison to Adulfr. When someone had asked how, he'd punched them and snapped "Start a brawl for all I care! Or a drinking song, anything! Just keep 'em off my back."

They clambered ashore, eager to stretch their legs and arms after all that rowing. That Nadder landed nearby and the 'chief' dismounted, striding over to confront Galmi…Wait, no she wasn't. She'd invited them in! "Welcome to Berk" she greeted, axe slung over her shoulder. "I'm Chief Astrid, and yes, we have dragons. They're part of our tribe. Do you swear to the laws of hospitality?"

"Of course" Galmi answered at once. It was only half a lie; they weren't going to commit any crimes whilst here. Wait, did smuggling poison count as a breach of hospitality? Focus! Galmi berated himself. "Oh, you wouldn't mind if we had a look around?" he asked the Chieftess faux-politely. "It's such an…interesting village you have here. We won't touch anything, you have my word" he lied.

Just then, the Dragon Master himself showed up. He walked over to his wife, looking from her to the strangers curiously. On the other hand, his Fury glared suspiciously at them. Galmi refused to make eye contact with the dragon.

"What's going on?" the man asked. He didn't look like much, up close; hard to believe this was the person who'd mastered a Night Fury and conquered a Red Death. Even with the stubble lining his jaw, he looked embarrassingly boyish. Perhaps he surrounded himself with dragons so others took him seriously.

"They're lost" explained Astrid. "They were sailing from Iceland to Norway for…" she paused, and inquired, "Why are you out sailing at this time of year, again?"

An innocuous question, but it sounded like she suspected them. No. If she did we'd be goners. "Oh, err, we are…." Galmi wracked his brains trying to think of a believable excuse. "Trying to get home for the winter!" he burst out. Nailed it.

The Night Fury growled. Its rider frowned, and moved closer to whisper something to his wife. She turned to Galmi and explained, "I'll offer hospitality for the day, so you and your crew can eat and refresh yourselves; but I'm afraid we're trying to get ready for winter, so now isn't the best time for guests."

Galmi replied "Understood…Chief". With any luck, he'd be able to sneak off on the way to the Great Hall and find his way to the jailhouse where Adulfr – assuming he was still alive – would be held. It was all going according to plan.

Adulfr sat opposite his mother at the small table, hand wrapped around a tankard. Fishlegs was busy with something – he didn't know or really care what – but Kalda had asked him to come speak with her. Jarl Hugo and his wife didn't seem entirely pleased to have him in their house; especially Mabel; but they were making an exception, so Adulfr was trying to be on his best behaviour.

Leo was squirming and rubbing against the tip of his hook, where he'd rested his other arm on the table. The blunt end of it must have scratched his itching scales, and he did wonder if the tiny dragon just wanted him to be a personal backscratcher. Now and then tiny bits of scale flaked off onto the wood. "He likes you" Kalda observed, with a small, tentative smile at him and the Terror.

Adulfr shrugged. "I've no idea why" he muttered, before clearing his throat. "So, um…how are you?" he asked, awkwardly. He wasn't used to this sort of thing.

The only thing that made him feel better was that she looked as uncertain as he felt. She was smiling, though. "Oh, I'm fine" Kalda nodded slowly. "…Better than fine, actually. I feel…free" she admitted. Then her eyes widened as she realised what she'd just said, and who to. "Sorry" she winced, "I – I didn't mean to…"

He waved her off, inadvertently dislodging Leo. "It doesn't matter. Oh, shut up" he grumbled at the Terror, who was hissing in indignation. "I said I'd let you stay near me, I didn't say I'd pamper you" Adulfr declared. To his exasperation, Leo chirped and scuttled over to nuzzle at his wrist again. Dragons, seriously. "You feel free from what?" Adulfr questioned. "You've never been imprisoned."

Kalda bit her lip. "Free from…well, your father" she admitted in a small voice. Adulfr's gaze hardened. She quickly added "Sorry, son; I know you cared" –

"I don't" he cut her off sharply. "Not anymore. And don't say that he cared about me, deep down – we both know that isn't true." Adulfr frowned. "He was…cruel to you, wasn't he? And I never saw. No – I did, but I ignored it."

She shook her head slowly. "You were just a boy; it wasn't your fault, and I always tried to protect you, as best I could. But yes…he was cruel" she said.

Frustrated, Adulfr demanded "Then why marry him? If you knew what sort of man he was…."

"But that's just it. I didn't, back then." Kalda sipped from her mug and sighed. "I know I must seem terribly naïve. I was, but I was so young. And Hauke…believe it or not, he was…charming once. Or at least it seemed that way. He'd compliment me, give suggestions to improve… I wanted to please him. By the time I realised what he was really like, it was too late. I had nowhere to go."

Adulfr swallowed. Talking about his father made him uncomfortable; it brought up too many memories and emotions he didn't want to deal with. He changed the subject. "Do you…like it here?" Adulfr asked her. "Even with the dragons?"

She nodded. "I do. And they're not so bad, you know. Berk is…strange, but in a good way. Don't get me wrong, Raudabein is still home" she added hastily.

"Mother, you don't have to lie to spare my feelings" Adulfr insisted. "Believe it or not, I'm a big boy" he deadpanned. "I am…trying to control myself."

"I know" Kalda agreed, "and you're doing so well! I'm proud of you, really."

Adulfr squirmed, feeling his face grow hot. Oh gods, was he blushing? "Uh, well…thanks." The honest praise gave him a strange feeling, but it felt…nice. Maybe this is what Fishlegs keeps going on about, "doing good is it's own reward." "I just don't know how to prove I'm trying to change. That's why I'm putting up with him", he nodded to Leo, who had curled up beside his arm.

"Just be yourself" his mother advised. "I know the real you, Adulfr. Someone who defends the helpless. Hauke told you mercy was weakness. He was wrong."

"So I've been told" Adulfr said wryly. He hesitated, and then confessed "the truth is, mother, I don't think I'll be going back to Raudabein. I know, as the only heir I have a duty to return…but after leading an army, being the chief of one village in the middle of nowhere seems so…limiting." He sighed and admitted, "I don't know what I'll do, exactly. Perhaps I'll join an army, instead of raise one."

Kalda smiled ruefully. "If that makes you happy…" she offered vaguely. Then she bit her lip and added, "Since we're being honest with one another, son, there's something I have to tell you. I've been talking with Mabel, and…well, she thinks it would be good for me to start afresh, as it were…so I've decided to convert."

Adulfr blinked, taken aback. "You're a Christian?" he asked.

"Well, not yet. I haven't been baptised" Kalda explained. "I think I want to, though. Mabel has told me all about her faith; how they believe in peace and forgiveness, and in a God who sacrificed himself for all of our wrongs…she says when they finally get to go home, I could live with them, and join her church. That they'd welcome me with open arms." She smiled softly. "I need that."

Adulfr really wasn't sure what to make of this. "Well…if that makes you happy."

"Maybe you should consider it" Kalda suggested gently. "Goodness knows you could do with a fresh start as well, after all this." That gave him pause, at least.

He nodded slowly. "I'll think about it. And mother?...Thank you. For the talk."

Hugo escorted Adulfr back to his cell. Not for the first time, he wished he could stay somewhere a little more…amenable. Adulfr disliked being in this grey zone between prisoner and freeman, like he was being strung out on a long leash. At least I've got company he thought. Sure, Leo might be slightly unwanted company, but it was better than nothing. Maybe if I ask nicely….he wondered.

Once the door was locked behind him and Hugo left, Adulfr went to sit on his bunk. Then he shifted to lie down on it, head hitting the thin pillow with a thump. "Ow!" he exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and rubbing the back of his head. There was something hard and lumpy under his pillow. "I swear, if this is another prank…" he grumbled, pulling it away to find the offending object.

It was tightly wrapped in leather, whatever it was. Leo came to investigate; Adulfr was about to shoo him off, but had a better idea instead. "Tear it" he instructed, scratching his hook on the leather to demonstrate. Leo's teeth and claws made short work of the wrapping. Perhaps he was good for something after all. Inside was a small metal bottle, stoppered by a cylinder of clay.

Adulfr snatched it away before Leo could chew on it. "What is this?" he murmured, trying to pull out the clay stopper. It was stuck tight. Determined, he struggled with it some more, using his fingers and then his hook, until he prised it out with a pop. He sniffed cautiously at the liquid inside. It smelled of flowers, but with a strangely bitter, sharp undercurrent of something else, more familiar.

Leo perched on his arm and sniffed at it too. He hissed and dived under the bunk to hide. Ignoring him, Adulfr tried to figure out what the odour reminded him of…and then it hit him. Oleander. Dragon root. This was the poison he'd sent for, which meant that someone from his tribe had left it here. They might still be on Berk. Adulfr suddenly realised that this was the chance he needed.

He shoved the stopper back in, and went over to the table in the corner. There was still some parchment on it – Adulfr hastily wrote out a warning, and picked up some of the string the vial had been wrapped with. Then he whistled for Leo.

The dragon crawled out from his hiding place and flew up on to the table. Adulfr was a bit surprised he'd listened, but there was no time to dwell on it. He attempted to tie the message to Leo, which wasn't easy with just one hand. Fishlegs kept insisting that dragons could understand humans, and whilst Adulfr was reluctant to believe that, he'd noticed too many instances of it to ignore.

"Take this to your Alphas" he ordered. Leo squirmed between the bars in the window and flew off. Only after he'd gone did Adulfr's actions truly register.

He hadn't even considered holding on to the poison. An opportunity to escape might have presented itself, if he'd held his tongue – in a manner of speaking – and waited for whoever delivered the vial to return for him. Even if he hadn't used it, Adulfr could have gotten off Berk, and since they couldn't go back to Raudabein without being arrested, he could have started over somewhere else.

Should he have? Adulfr paced back and forth, second guessing himself. Fishlegs kept saying "Honesty is the best policy", but was that always the case? He'd betrayed his men by selling them out - wasn't that wrong? 'Doing the right thing' was complicated. At least when he'd been a bad guy, life was simple.

Leo returned, and Hiccup was with him. "We got your note. Give me the vial."

Adulfr hesitated, and then handed it over. Hiccup held it gingerly, as if he didn't really want to be touching it. "Did you get them?" Adulfr questioned urgently.

"No" Hiccup replied, "they left in a hurry. Guess now we know why. But we've got riders out searching for their ship, they won't get far" he added quickly.

They left? Suddenly, Adulfr didn't feel so uneasy about betraying them. "I can't believe they were smart enough to sneak onto Berk and get away" he mused.

"Astrid can't believe it either" Hiccup admitted, "she's kicking herself." All those precautions, and then I just let the enemy walk right onshore! "But I mean, you had loads of hunters in your army – no offence – and a lot of them were masked. We couldn't have recognised them on sight." Hiccup looked down at the bottle in his hand, and met Adulfr's gaze. "Thank you. For warning us."

"Now do you believe I'm trying to change? That I have changed?"

"…Yes" Hiccup decided, "And we haven't made a secret of who told us. The whole village probably knows about it. This might even convince Snotlout."

"I doubt that" Adulfr scoffed. He hesitated…"I want to ask you something."

Spring, Normandy, 1067

It had taken Grimmel months to sail around the southern end of Italy and across the Mediterranean. Perhaps it would be faster to put the beasts in harness and let them tow him, but he'd sworn long ago to only use the Demoneaters for dragon-slaying. Allowing them any other purpose, no matter how mundane or laborious, was not a sacrifice he was willing to risk. For the sake of his soul…

Perhaps in summer the journey would have taken less time, but winter was another matter entirely. Even down here, when the sun did not hide its face for months of cloying darkness, the seas could be treacherous. Gales that whipped up the waves to alarming heights, if one were afraid of such things; rainstorms that left him soaked to the skin. Grimmel even disliked the sun, pale as he was.

He'd been mocked for that, in his youth. Ridiculed for his unnaturally white hair, as if he'd been born an old man to a sickly mother, whom God had called out of the world soon after she'd brought him into it. Her purpose was complete. The youngest of six, living in the shadow of four elder brothers who called him 'Ghoul' and left him to wander the plains scared and lost, wailing out for help.

Those plains…he still dreamed of them sometimes. Acres upon acres of arable farmland, stretches of grass with sheep and long haired cows to graze upon it, swathes of wheat so easy to enter and harder to leave. A village by a river, where nothing ever happened, inhabited by dull flat people in a dull flat world. At least until they came, the dragons, and his whole life changed irrevocably.

No longer could Grimmel recall the name of his father, or those of his brothers, and was glad of it. The only family he needed was the Church. There was one exception, however; Mariya. His sister. She alone had cared about him – cared for him, in their mothers absence – and she was the only member of his family; indeed, one of the few people in the world; that Grimmel had genuinely loved.

No…deep down, he loved her still. The simple crucifix she'd made for him still hung around his neck to this day. He prayed for her blessings and her eternal happiness. His entire life's work was dedicated to her, inspired by her. Grimmel had devoted himself entirely to slaying the demons that plagued God's world, forsaking all other attachments, but he hoarded Mariya's name in his heart.

At long last he had arrived in France. After ensuring that the Demoneaters were locked securely in their pens aboard his ship, Grimmel went ashore. He first travelled to the market, for even a warrior of the Lord needed to eat, and ship food was unpalatable even before a long voyage. With his physical appetite sated, he turned his attention to spiritual matters.

Upon stepping inside the small church, with its reinforced oaken doors, Grimmel breathed a sigh of relief. The welcoming gloom made him feel as if the skin-crawling sinfulness of being near dragons was melting away. The church was all but empty, just one man in a pew near the back, head bowed in deep prayer. This may have been a Catholic Church, but in trying times he couldn't be picky.

Grimmel sat down on the pew and began to pray. Lord, I implore you, deliver my prey unto me. Give me the strength and cunning to face the Night Demons and cast them back into the hell-fires from whence they came. Forgive my transgression in using Satan's beasts as a weapon against him. I do this in Your Name, and in the name of God, and the Holy Spirit. I do this in Mariya's name.

He still remembered the first time he'd ever slain a Night Demon. The beast was shot at – wounded, but not killed. Everyone else was too shocked by the attack, struggling to pick up the pieces, to notice Grimmel slip away in search of it. If the monster healed, it would surely come back to finish them off. He had to end it first. Besides, the Demon had cost him dearly. He would have his revenge.

He tracked it over the steppes, keeping his bearings with the distant mountains. Blood stains and footprints told him the beast couldn't fly, which was promising. Eventually he had caught up with it, collapsed on the ground, weak from blood loss perhaps. It seemed to be unconscious. Grimmel had been terrified; he sent a prayer for the Lord to protect him, and advanced upon the sleeping dragon.

He stood over its prone form, and plunged a dagger into its chest. It howled, writhed, and fell still, never to move again. Grimmel had felt a sense of purpose overcome him. It was as if God had opened his eyes to the truth. This was what he was meant for; not to be the lowly son of a miller, but to slay the demons that plagued their world. Only with their destruction would mankind be free.