Sorry about the delay! I was supposed to post this chapter two days ago, but something came up. However, now that it is done, I hope you guys will like it!
Also, just for a side note: the small fight in this chapter won't really be much of a fight as it ends before it really begins, though I did want to ease down a bit on the conflict in the last few chapters. However, I promise you, next chapter will have a battle!
And of course, I'd like to give a quick thanks and shout-out to KorrieChan, dabzzygirl, and Trygve11 for the reviews last chapter! Glad you guys are enjoying this story thus far!
Now, no more words from me. Let's begin!
"Astrid!" Hiccup called out.
As he attempted to run towards Astrid, the commander suddenly increased the pressure of his dagger against her neck. Clearly it was a threat that he would slit her throat.
"Let her go!" growled Hiccup, clenching his hands into fists.
"Or what?" grinned the commander wickedly. "Who are you to make demands out of me?"
"I am Hiccup Haddock!" he began. "Leader of the army of the Archipelago, and the Dragon Riders. I demand that you lower your arms, and surrender to us before I cut you through!"
The commander splurted with laughter, chuckling at the scrawny young man. "You. A leader!? You look more like a slave to me than anything!"
The men all around him began laughing wildly from their leader's words, but this in turn just furtherly fueled the fire that was burning in Hiccup's stomach, and at that moment he just wanted to rush forward and beat the ever living Helheim out of him.
"As for surrendering?" the commander continued. "I think it is you that should surrender to us, seeing that you are outnumbered and outmatched. I mean, you have little opposition against us! You and your scrawny weakness! What chance do you have of taking us on!? We could kill these two witches in an instant, just like these fools we have with us."
From behind the lines, twelve more prisoners were shoved to the front of the enemy ranks, grasped by tight and strong hands from the Scandinavian Vikings. And to this, Hiccup's hatred grew deeper inside.
"I am now giving you one choice." continued Hiccup. "You will release my friends and allies, and bring them back to me - unharmed, and untouched, and then you will abandon your main base of operations in the region, and I will let you run back to Kattegat. Refuse, and you will all be slaughtered..."
The commander instantly splurted in laughter, cackling at Hiccup with his men joining in - but the young Viking did not see this as a serious reaction, rather as if they were taking it as a joke.
And in this case, they were.
"Me?" he asked. "Free your puny kind? Haven't you ever wondered why you and your army lost at Skyrsdok shore? It is because you and your men showed nothing but weakness and cowardice. When the full might of our legions washed upon your pitiful army, you were left scattered and broken, and your warriors ran like scared children!"
A short moment of silence followed as whispered chatters spread among the ranks of both sides, but the commander still continued to talk after the quiet moment.
"But to answer your question, Berkian. The answer is never. I will never set free your wretched people!" he spat, lowering his brows as the grip on his knife increased. "Your warriors will always be weak compared to ours! Us Scandinavians will always be true to the word 'Viking', and no power in this world will be able to stop us!"
The man then followed with an evil grin. "...Not even you. Though I do wonder, how will this pretty one look once I carve a scar on her face that she will never forget? Unless, you'd like to tell me where to make the first mark?"
Heather retaliated, shaking her head. "Don't say a word, Hiccup - or else he'll kill Astr-!"
"Be quiet you damned bitch!" spat the bodyguard, shaking the lass. "Another word, and I might as well do the same to you!"
"Patience, warrior." the commander gestured to the Viking. "This is for the Haddock-Boy to decide… Well, what is it going to be?"
The young man didn't say anything. Instead, the form of his hand immediately turned into a fist, and his grip quickly tightened out of anger and hate. He then instantly unsheathed his sword, and lit it aflame.
"Oof, he is getting mad." said Tuffnut, eyes widened.
"You touch her, and I will cut you apart limb from limb." he exhaled, now at his boiling point. "I won't let you make a single mark on her."
The commander chuckled, grinning widely at Hiccup. "You're leaving it up to me, then? ...Very well. Let's begin."
The Viking lifted his dagger up, ready to gouge through wherever it would land on Astrid, and at that instant, Hiccup tossed aside his patience and he immediately ran forward with full speed. But around him, it felt as if time had slowed down, and on both of his flanks - the Hairy Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung followed at his side, knowing that there was no other option.
...However, something happened that neither side saw coming.
From the woods, a loud, and familiar screech deafened and ceased all sounds as a purple flash of fire came hurling towards the commander and his men. The bolt of flames nearly hit the commander's hand, but the force in its speed caused him to drop his dagger, and the impact caused a burst of fire that made several warriors to go hurling back aflame.
Hiccup stopped, spinning to look to his left, and before him, Toothless stood there angrily, giving off the look of a wild and intimidating animal as he roared loudly, and from the bushes, the fifteen Warsung warriors who stayed behind to recover rushed out with their weapons drawn, making panic spread amongst the enemy.
"DRAGON!" one of the warriors shouted before he, and a few others were blasted down to the ground in flames by Toothless.
"That was fast!" Hiccup said to his shock.
The flanking force soon joined battle, and almost immediately, the Vikings slowly began running away in fear from the black beast and their ambushing opponents, causing them to drop the warriors they had captive from their grasp, down to the ground.
However, even Hiccup and the main force would also join the fight - and as a result, the commander became left with no other option. So he shouted out an order, ending the fight before it was even begun.
"RETREAT!"
The Viking warriors reacted on command altogether, running in the opposite direction which led towards Jyornstad, and all the while, the commander stood there, glaring at Hiccup with lowered brows before he and his bodyguard dropped Astrid and Heather. He knew that bringing the two along would just cause the Dragon to follow him, which would mean his death.
The commander snarled. "When next we meet, I will cut off your head, Haddock!" he bellowed.
Then, they ran off.
Hiccup noticed this, and attempted to pursue, but was cut off by two Vikings who attempted to double team him. Although they looked stronger and more fierce, they had still unknowingly underestimated the young Viking.
"You guys wanna see a trick?" asked Hiccup before giving off a sharp whistle.
From a few yards off, Toothless turned his head and growled at the two Scandinavians who were next to the scrawny Viking, causing them to be drop their weapons and put their hands up in surrender.
But Toothless wouldn't abide captives.
He instantly struck out at the two Vikings, firing a plasma blast towards them and setting them aflame. They screamed upon the flaming impact, feeling agonizing pain all over their bodies from the Dragon's fire.
But Hiccup wouldn't stop there. He would follow up with a quick but rough slice towards the two burning Viking with his sword, slashing their windpipes and making a quick end to them as they fell to the ground, meeting their slow but coming deaths.
Satisfied with his work, he unsheathed his sword as he looked up towards the fleeing Scandinavians. At first, he had the urge to pursue them for what they did to Astrid and the others. But then, the immediate thought of the shield maiden herself fell upon his mind.
"Astrid." he said to himself, looking in the direction where she laid as he rushed towards her, dropping to his knees as he held her in his arms.
Though her eyes were closed and her face was dirty, he knew well for certain that she was alive. Especially since he felt a light, weak breath hit the side of his cheek...
…
Astrid felt a breeze hit her face as she laid against something solid, particularly a tree, but it was in a comfortable position. Her eyes began to ease from their heavy weight, and after a short moment passed - a voice called out to her.
"Astrid."
In her mind, it sounded like Hiccup. Was she dreaming? The feeling of Deja Vu hit her as if she was back on Berk after the incident with the Monstrous Nightmare… but that was not the case.
"Astrid! Can you hear me?"
Her eyes slowly opened, and the light of the grey, cloudy afternoon nearly pierced her sight. The colors of figures began to become apparent to her, and as her eyes fully opened and her vision cleared up, she saw Hiccup in front of her, softly holding a hand against her forehead.
Next to him was Toothless, along with the group, and Magnus and Eira, staring down at her with relieved looks.
She let out a light, cool exhale. "What took you so long?"
Hiccup smiled with a look of hope. "Oh thank Thor. I never thought I would see you again after what happened..."
"I'm fine." she responded, smirking back at the young man. "The question is however; where are we? ...How long has it been since the battle? All I remember is being imprisoned and watched by that damned commander..."
"It's been- a rough day... nearly two, actually." replied Fishlegs who stood next to Heather. "You were out cold for a while, Astrid. We were looking for you two all over the place, and when we finally found you, you were in the commander's grasp... Astrid, he had a dagger held to your throat."
"He what-?"
"Yup, you heard him." Snotlout replied to her, arms crossed. "That idiot nearly costed his own life, but unfortunately, he escaped with the majority of his force. We thought he had a mere three dozen, but it seems that he's gathered more than we could have anticipated."
Magnus sighed. "Well, what do you expect from going up against a great army of over twenty thousand? Ivar has got eyes and ears everywhere in Norway, and everyday, he just grows stronger. His influence has spread wide beyond what I could have imagined. Even before we came to Berk."
Eira scoffed, giving off a light breath. "Ivar is just desperate to beat us. For someone his age commanding such a vast force, he does not have a decent amount of control over tens of thousands of lives. What did that twenty year old boy expect?"
"He probably expected that we would've been an easy opponent. But so far, we have killed more than he has slain." Hiccup stated, standing up from crouching. "Either way though, we need to continue on. If we wait too long, that commander will just call forth more warriors, and we will stand no chance."
Astrid gave a grunting sigh as she used the support of her arms to lift herself up to her feet. "That man?" she asked. "His name is Brynjar I believe. Something along the lines of that."
"Brynjar?" asked Magnus. "His name means a warrior in armor, eh? Didn't look like he was wearing much though. Aside a wool cloak and an edgy leather outfit… along with that weird haircut and beard that looked like grown crap."
Many of the warriors who heard Magnus' words laughed and chuckled lightly, though quickly the laughter would cease as the attention turned back into Hiccup who now stood in the center of the crowd.
"We can laugh later." he said. "The important thing right now is to ready ourselves for battle. There's no doubt that Brynjar will make heavier fortifications to Jyornstad, and we can't let that happen. Instead, we will strike him when and where it hurts."
"And exactly when would that be?" asked Heather.
"Tonight." he replied. "Tonight, we will attack the coward and his weak mob of Vikings, and we will claim the camp for our own. Along with that, we will free our Dragons, and then we will plan our next course of action! Every major blow we make will be one step closer to ending this war!"
"Agreed!" spoke up Snotlout.
"Couldn't have made it more clearer myself." responded Fishlegs.
"I am in on this." said Heather. "I can't wait to kick the Hel out of these Scandinavian rats…"
"Then it's settled." the auburn-haired Viking announced. "Tonight we will strike out, and we shall free and reclaim those who were stolen from us! ...Astrid, are you with us?"
The blonde lass nodded. "I still have enough strength kicking for another fight. This will be a good way to let out the anger and rage those bastards boiled into me, and I will make them pay… But first, I think I'll need some water to drink and wash my face with."
"Alright!" nodded Hiccup with a smirk as he unsheathed his sword, asking in an inspiring tone, "Now, who's ready for a fight!?"
Things are about to get burning hot next chapter!