"So," Hiccup began looking back to Gyda. "Where are they?"
Gyda stared at him in silence for several heartbeats. Then she sighed.
"So long as you realize you are not doing this alone, I will tell you. You are not doing the whole self-sacrificing thing. Not this time."
Hiccup grunted. "They weren't experienced riders," he protested knowing she was referring to him and Toothless fighting the Red Death without the other riders.
At least he thought that was what she meant. There might be points in the tale she knew where he did more fighting without another's aid. That thought left him feeling a slight bit queasy. He would have hoped with the queen dead, fighting would not be needed as much anymore.
"Besides," he continued trying for anything to keep his mind off what his tale had in store that would cause her to make such a comment. "Toothless fired the final shot."
Toothless snorted. [Brother, you still ordered me to do so. I knew firing into the Tiny-fang's mouth would cause the reaction it did. I had to before when a flock of Tiny-fangs tried to take a fish from one of the younglings I protected. I never thought to try it on that fallen queen until you had me fly in front of her muzzle as she was building her flame. You figured that one out. You killed that monster. I just provided the means.]
Hiccup regarded Toothless with a frown. Toothless gave Hiccup a flat look. The male Night Fury began to cackle.
[I know that look,] he said. [Alpha of this nest, my brother is stubborn to the point his head could crack a rock. Best to realize you won't win this one.]
Toothless huffed. [Silly jokes aside, my older brother is correct. I can be just as stubborn as you, if not more so.]
Hiccup's eye narrowed but he turned to Gyda, knowing both Night Furies were correct. Dragons as a whole were stubborn. Toothless, at times, went beyond that.
Gyda rubbed the bridge of her nose. "On the beach were we found him," she began jerking a thumb in the male Night Fury's direction. "There's a cave opening just north of where he was laying in the sand. The tale I know had them sleeping in that cave during the day."
Hiccup nodded. "Then we need to remove them. Any ideas?"
"His screech," Fishlegs said pointing at the male Night Fury. "It disorientated the Speedstingers' leader to the point he ordered them all to leave the village."
[We had a similar invasion many seasons ago. We learned our location sound could cause that reaction if we angle the pitch higher.]
"That will keep us from being stung," Hiccup said, "but I don't think it'll be enough to get them off the island and keep them off."
"We immobilize the leader," Astrid said. "Without him the pack is useless. I saw that when he got hit by a direct blast of that screech. The two with him did not know where to go or what to do."
Hiccup nodded. "Good. We get him off the island and they will follow. We then destroy the ice bridge that let them get here and keep it destroyed throughout the Winter." He frowned then his eyes widen. "We need that cage Bearspit used to transport his old fighting boar. If it's strong enough for that animal, it'll hold this Speedstinger."
"Bearspit was stung though," Fishlegs said. "He can't give us permission to use it."
Hiccup frowned. "We'll use it anyway. Those dragons have to go. If it gets damaged, I'll fix it for him. It's not like he really has need of it anymore."
He stood. The Nadder siblings whimpered, waking and looking up at him. He knelt and scratched both, whispering soft reassurances. He heard five small chirps and looked up. The five hatchlings still roosting upon Toothless' back stood and stared at him. He smiled. He might be a monster, but he would rather have his own skin slowly scraped from his body than to harm any of the young dragons that lived in the nest.
He nodded his head. Icewing jumped first. She landed upon his shoulder and buried into his neck. Wildfire hopped onto Hiccup's head, crowing as if he had accomplished some great goal. He then dropped his head, running his chin along Hiccup's forehead. Snowfire and the Fireworm hatchlings jumped into his arms. Hiccup stood, holding them close.
[He feels he is like that fallen queen,] the non-mated female Night Fury said, [but I have never seen a monster care about the young as he does.]
Toothless, now hatchling free, nudged Hiccup's leg. [You need to listen to her, Brother. She is right. I saw that queen play at caring when it suited her whim and she was trying to trick those who found her nest into staying. You.. you care even when it might harm you. That queen would have never built my tailfin or set that Scaulding-spitter's broken wing.]
Hiccup sighed, still not sure but willing to listen. He was selfish enough to admit he did not want to lose what he had over something he never knew he possessed. The thing within seemed only to ever be interested in adding weight to his voice. It never once tried to force him into any course of action and never forced words out of his mouth. It offered suggestion and little hints but ultimately Hiccup decided what to do and what to say. The thing just caused his voice to carry or, according to Astrid, sound deeper than before.
Hiccup just hated that it also seemed to hold a power to freeze dragons and cause them to act in a manner he knew they probably did not want. He promised those dragons when he asked them to live on the island that they were free. He gave his word that no one would shackle them again. They could live their lives as they wished, following only the rules that every Viking in the tribe obeyed as well. Rules that were eerily similar to the civility laws the dragons already followed.
Even with Hilda and her companions not knowing about the Common Tongue, the Elder dragons had been able to softly tell Hiccup and his friends the full list of civility laws during the week they were stuck in the Great Hall. It struck Hiccup then and still awed him now how close their laws mimic Berk's laws.
Hiccup sighed, longing for that week again. Then he did not know his soul housed a power that made him a monster. Then he had a nest with happy and vivacious Vikings and dragons. Then his father was not a still as death.
Hiccup mentally shook himself. That week was the past and though Gyda proved one could travel across time, Hiccup knew the gods would not allow him to. They would not want him to wallow in what amounted to self-pity. He had nest to defend and no Viking backed down from a challenge to their home.
Prince: Hiccup has always promised Toothless he would help find his family. And yes, it will be interesting.
Kirika: Hehe, yes, it is Snoggletogg. In the previous book Meatlug and Stormfly were able to explain about the dragons now being able to go to the Hatchery. Hiccup, as the alpha, will have to be there for a bit in order for the hatchlings of his nest to learn his scent. Expect some interesting reactions to a couple humans having dragons bowing to them.
Guest: Eh, if he can shove it aside he's not really fighting it, as least in my opinion. It actually does bows to him and it really only adds to his voice. That's why Gyda said he can speak with the voice of an alpha dragon. It tries to help because funny enough it has always tried to help him. He just thought of it as his gut instinct. Now that he knows it's there he's more worried about it controlling the dragons, not quite realizing that the dragons are controlled more by their loyalty to him than the power of the voice. They have acknowledged his rule over them and that's why it has the power it does. Note: the unnamed Night Furies were compelled to aid but knew they could refuse. They have not declared Hiccup their alpha so they were free to act and move like normal. The dragons of the nest have bowed to Hiccup and because of their love for him will remain when he calls until he gives an all clear. Because it's been from his point of view most of the time, there's not been a real clear picture of it, cause he has no idea what it truly is or how it even got there. That was on purpose because of reasons I can't get into as they would be spoilers, but it's time to start revealing those answers in bits and pieces. And do not apologize for having a different opinion because your experiences have given you a different view point. I like knowing how my readers see different things than I do in what I write. That's fun for me.