Chapter 13—End of the Road:
Her vows said, her father took a ceremonial sash that would seal their union. He began wrapping the fabric around their joined hands when Hiccup heard a voice she thought at first to only be in her head.
"STOP!"
Her head, ears and eyes all perked up, and then she turned to where she swore the voice was coming from. That's when she saw him running down the aisle towards her, the crowd taken back by this sudden intrusion.
"ARIC!" Hiccup shouted with the most joy she'd ever expressed in past weeks. The sash falling away, she ran to him, the two joining together in a massive hug that caused them to spin with it never wanting to let go from each other ever again. Still in his arms, Hiccup moved back to look up at him smiling brightly with so much joy and relief, especially when she saw Toothless… both alive and okay. Heather, Dagur, Alva, and Astrid were there too. Hiccup would eternally be grateful to them for helping her two boys escape, and looking to Dagur and Alva, they didn't appear to be so upset anymore. In fact, they looked kind of happy.
Deciding to exchange explanations and sorrys later, Hiccup turned back to where her father, Gothi, and Alvin all stood.
"Dad, I refuse to finish this union! I will never marry Alvin!" She turned her gaze to the man in question with a deathly glare. "I would rather die than marry a traitor!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs and gasps astonished by the accusation, very quickly turning angry knowing the Outcast could have never been trusted.
"Alvin was behind all of this! I never ran away, dad! I was kidnapped!"
Her father didn't move looking like he was trying to grasp all of this new information. Hiccup didn't blame him; it must have been a massive blow.
"Lies!" Alvin quickly countered. "This is just another ploy to get out of a marriage again!"
"You're the one who's lying!" Aric exclaimed. "Stoick, Alvin had me trapped in the mines for days on end. I only now escaped thanks to Alva!"
"It's true, Chief!" Astrid jumped in beside Alva and the Berserkers. "Despite what you want to believe, Alvin's never changed! He had us all fooled! And when we all found out of his treachery, he tried collapsing the mines on us hoping we'd all be crushed or left there to rot!"
"Who ya gonna believe, Chief? Your daughter and her loyal friends? Or a friend who's betrayed ya before?" Gobber spoke out, and having heard plenty Stoick turned to Alvin furious.
"I trusted you", he seethed. "Seize him!"
As Vikings from the crowd came to follow the chief's order, Alvin punched and fought his way through before blowing a horn causing Outcasts to appear out from behind the buildings as he made his escape.
"Riders!" Hiccup called, and she didn't need to finish the instruction; they all knew what she was gonna say. Quickly, the dragon riders, plus the A-team and her father—who at first fought hand to hand—got to their dragons and began blasting and pushing the Outcasts away. Aric peeled away from Hiccup to join them despite his and his dragon's weak states, and as her friends held off the invasion Hiccup had gotten to Toothless hugging him and apologizing with all her heart.
"Toothless, I'm so sorry. I should have known, I should have never trusted him, I should have come for you, I should have never given up, I'm so sorry, bud", she crooned to him frantically wishing she could have been stronger.
Toothless only nudged and hugged her back with his head craned around her, purring and crooning wordlessly simply showing his love and worry for her in return as well as that everything was alright. Finally, Hiccup came back to herself and she separated from him looking right in his eyes with a fire burning in hers. "Now let's go show them what happens when you mess with us", Hiccup growled with determination.
"I couldn't have put it better myself", he growled the same.
Hiccup rounded to Toothless' back, getting on, and she turned to see Alva and Luna lost as to what to do. They weren't exactly experienced in battle. "Alva! Luna! Follow me!" she called to them, and they complied following Hiccup and Toothless as they took off. Hiccup and Toothless dived into the battle field firing plasma blasts to beat the Outcasts back further away.
"What do we do?!" Alva then asked.
"Just follow our lead. Luna, do as Toothless does. And Alva…" Hiccup looked around for something Alva could use. There were chairs, rocks, and slightly charred sticks turned into spikes from blasted and broken axes and hammers. "How good are you at improvising?"
Alva looked to her intrigued, before Hiccup explained what to do.
000
Aric knew Shadowstar was tired. He could see it in the way she was starting to pant, her flight becoming imbalanced and attacks unfocused. They were both weak from being in that mine for those countless days.
"Girl, it's alright. You sit this one out", he said as he landed her away from the battle so she could rest. Aric, however, took an abandoned ax on the ground.
Shadowstar warbled at him like a mother scolding a child.
"Shadowstar, I'll be fine. You stay here."
As he ran off he swore he heard her grumbling to herself probably saying he was an idiot. He would have been able to know what she was saying had he had more patience when Hiccup had tried teaching him the dragons' language. Patience wasn't exactly his strong suit, though.
Aric ran into the battle, fighting Outcasts head on as dragons and riders fought overhead. Punching one Outcast out, their small battle over and Aric panting, he heard the sound of a distinct female's battle cry, and knowing the sound, he looked over to see Hiccup off of Toothless, instead flying with Alva, diving down and fighting with whatever they could find. He always loved how resourceful she was, and it seemed all their combat training was paying off. Meanwhile Toothless and Luna, Luna firing from the sky, had Hiccup and Alva's backs. It looked like Hiccup and Toothless were coaching the two Gobber style—learning on the job.
His attention was brought back to the battle in front of him when he heard the battle cry of an Outcast closing in on him with a sword raised. Before the Outcast could even attempt to strike, however, magnesium fire from above intercepted and blasted him away.
"Aric, you need to rest! We've got this!" Astrid called down to him from her mount on Stormfly, firing again in another direction.
"I'm fine!" Aric insisted back. "I'm not gonna leave you guys just because I'm a little tired!"
"You're more than a little tired! I'm surprised you're even standing, never mind fighting!"
Aric glared up at his sister. If put in his position he knew she'd do the same; almost any Viking would. Out of the corner of his eye he then noticed the receding form of a Whispering Death, before lowering his head bringing the two forms retreating into full focus.
"Alvin", Aric growled, before taking off in a sprint for Shadowstar. She already knew what he was thinking and quickly got up so he could jump on once he made it to her. Once on, they rushed off in flight to chase down the traitor.
"Aric, wait!" Astrid shouted after him, but he didn't stop.
"I'm on it!" Dagur called to her, and he and Sleuther chased down after the two humans and dragons.
000
Killer was flying fast away from the battle that had ensued and quickly diminished as Outcasts fell in numbers. Alvin and him had been watching from afar, but his rider ordered him to leave, Alvin leaving his soldiers behind, as soon as he saw that they were losing.
"Go faster, you stupid lizard! They're gaining!" Alvin shouted at him in anger.
"You stupid human, I'm going as fast as I can!" Killer roared back.
Evidently the freakish hybrid dragon and the Triplestrike were chasing after them with their riders. It took them long enough to notice.
000
The riders, minus the A-team, were over the ocean at the moment watching as the Outcasts retreated on their little boats. Hiccup was back on Toothless as Alva and Luna hovered beside them. Gustav then flew up to report.
"Hiccup, we looked all over the island. Not a single Outcast in sight", he said.
"Good. Thank you, Gustav", Hiccup responded. As he flew off, Hiccup turned to Alva. "You two were great today", she told them.
"We couldn't have done it without your guidance", Alva responded. "You're a really good fighter."
"I have a good teacher." She then saw Astrid flying up in the distance. "Well, teachers."
"Speaking of which, where are Aric and Dagur?"
"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted as she rapidly approached the two Halflings and Furies. "We have a problem."
000
"Shadowstar, plasma blast!" Aric shouted over the winds, and Shadowstar fired twice missing each one when Killer maneuvered and dodged away.
"Aric! You've got to think! Calm down!" Dagur told him as he flew just behind and to the side of him. "Come on, do it with me; in and out! Deep breaths! Trust me, it works!"
"Dagur, would you just shut up and help me catch them?!"
"Fine, but I was just trying to help!"
"Well you can help by flying ahead and intercepting Killer! We've got to corner them!"
"Hey, now you're thinking! See? I helped you already!" Dagur had Sleuther race on ahead. He then made a wide turn circling around some sea stacks as Aric kept Alvin and Killer going straight firing plasma blasts and spines like they were herding sheep. It also caused Killer to slow down, which made it easier for Sleuther to get ahead of him and circle back until he and Sleuther were in front of the Whispering Death. "Hey", Dagur teasingly greeted.
Alvin growled with annoyance, turning himself to see Aric and Shadowstar at Killer's tail. He tried to steer to the side, but was intercepted by fire, and then by spines.
"It's over, Alvin", Aric said harshly. "You're done."
The claws of a Nadder then plucked Alvin from Killer, the dragon holding the man by his shoulders as he yelled in surprise and fear of being dropped. That's when Aric noticed Hiccup, Astrid, and Alva had all arrived to the scene.
000
Killer roared with fury at the ones who took his rider. Toothless saw he was about to try blasting them all, when a certain little dragon interrupted the Whispering Death's rage.
"Hey, Killer!" the little Light Fury roared.
That's when Luna fired a direct and powerful plasma blast at Killer's snout. The Whispering Death shrieked in pain, and then, in what seemed like forever, the sun finally peaked out of the clouds causing Killer to retreat to frantically find underground.
"Who's the pipsqueak now?!" Luna roared with triumph, and Toothless couldn't have been prouder at the little dragon's progress.
Hiccup then directed him to then fly closer to Alvin as the man dangled in the air furious and helpless. Hiccup had a harsh glare directed at the man, and if looks could kill Alvin would have been nothing but a skeleton from the moment she had laid her eyes on him.
"You know, I thought I hated Dagur, but you?" Hiccup started with an eerily calm tone, still glaring daggers along with Toothless now. "I never hated him as much as I hate you now. I knew you were evil, but this? I trusted you. My dad trusted you; enough to let you marry me," Hiccup added, her voice becoming darker as she spoke. "I gave you a chance, Alvin, and you blew it. From this moment forward I can promise you…you will never see the light of day again."
" "Whoa," " everyone else commented in shock and amazement. It wasn't easy to get Hiccup pissed to the point where she'd actually do something, but everyone, dragons and humans both, knew that when she did get angry… Well…sometimes she could get a little scary.
With the prisoner apprehended and no sign of Killer, Hiccup and Toothless flew off back to the island, everyone else following with Astrid, Stormfly, and their prisoner beside the duo.
Hiccup watched with mute emotion beside Aric and her father as Alvin was taken away to Berk's prison. It was only a temporary stay; as soon as the Berserkers left, Alvin would be joining them to spend the rest of his life in their prison. As Alvin's form disappeared from their view, her dad turned to her, and he defiantly looked to be more of a father than a chief at the moment.
"I am so sorry, Hiccup. To think what could have happened… Alvin played me for a fool."
"He played us all. You don't have to apologize, dad. This was all my fault. If I'd never let Alvin out of prison in the first place this never would have happened."
"No. We all make mistakes, dear. Don't fault yourself for something you couldn't control", her dad told her placing a hand on her shoulder.
Hiccup showed a small smile up at him, but then it quickly turned into a frown with another problem still on her mind. It was time they discussed something she should have a long time ago. Berk was still in need, but after everything that just happened, marriage was the last thing on her list of things she wanted to do. She had to make him see that there could be another way.
"Dad, before I say anything else, I'd just like to remind you that you once said we were a team. And teams don't just hear each other; they listen. So… I have to request we find another way to help Berk's financial problem."
"Hun, I want you to be happy, but we have to think of our people first—"
"I am. I just need more time."
"And how much time would that be?" her dad questioned. "We don't have much left before winter hits, Hiccup."
"But I just don't see why—"
"Excuse me", a female's voice interrupted, and the three turned to see Alva was the owner of said voice. "But I think I can help. While I was in the mine, I found this." She told them showing them a rock with beautiful purple gems inside.
"A geode", Hiccup said in amazement. "How did I miss that?"
"But…then that means…" Aric started.
"If there's truly enough…" Hiccup followed.
Aric held Hiccup's hand with both of his, staring at her intently. "Hiccup, will you marry me?"
Hiccup held a soft adoring smile on her face at the question, before pausing to look back at her father. He nodded with approval, and Hiccup turned back to Aric. She stared at him for a long time before she finally spoke. "No", she shockingly said.
"Wait, what?" Aric wondered with confusion.
"But I will be your betrothed", she then amended, before her free hand made it to his shirt, and she tugged him forward into a kiss.
"I think you'll be needing this", Alva then said when they parted, giving Hiccup her betrothal gift medallion. She walked on off as the happy couple went into another kiss, this one a bit more passionate.
It had been a few more days of her stay on Berk, and Alva decided it was time for her and Luna to leave. But just as she was packing up some things outside the Haddock household, of which were gifted to her for her journey, Dagur came up to her with a somber expression.
"So, you're leaving", he said.
"I can't stay on Berk forever", she said turning to him. "And now thanks to Hiccup, my debt's been paid. I can go where ever, and do whatever I want."
"Then why don't you come to Berserk with me?" Dagur offered.
"Dagur…" Alva paused for a moment trying to find the right words. "All my life I've dreamed of being free; of seeing the world…and now I can", she told him with hopefulness, her dreams finally able to come true.
"Where will you go?"
"Everywhere!" she answered happily. "I want to sing, spread my music all across the world."
Dagur nodded in understanding with a small sigh. "I understand. I'm really am happy for you, Alva, and… I hope you'll take this with you." Taking out something from his pocket, he presented the betrothal necklace that was once meant for Hiccup. It looked to have been modified; instead of the pendent being a Night Fury with green emeralds for eyes, the dragon was now white.
"Oh Dagur, I— I couldn't."
Circling around her, Dagur placed the necklace on her anyway. "I think it suits you. After all, it was meant for the person I would one day marry", Dagur said as he did the deed, semi quoting what she'd said to him when she gave him Hiccup's betrothal gift.
Alva gave him a playful smile. "No promises?"
"I'll take my chances."
"Goodbye, Dagur", she bid him farewell softly. And with that, Alva grabbed her bag of few belongings and flew off with Luna into the world.
Sorry for the delay, and I hope Alvin's apprehension was at least adequate. I tried, and that's what counts.