For this chapter, I decided to focus more on making scenes that go between several POVs, from Berk, to our protagonists, and then to some of our antagonists.
I will also say that Hiccup won't be shown as much in this chapter, and although the scenes are not as long, I do assure you that this chapter will be a treat for you guys, and you will see why!
Also, I just want to give a quick thanks to Eris(Guest), and KorrieChan for the reviews last chapter! Thanks guys!
Now then! Let us move on, shall we?
From within Berk's Great Hall, the Council gathered together as they sat around to hear what Gobber had to share with them, and as well as to ask why exactly the old smithy had summoned them.
Sven was the first to speak up, beginning the conversation.
"Alright Gobber, why did you summon us?" he asked the old Viking. "Unless it is of great importance, we can't be here for too long. We have other matters at hand."
Gobber nodded with an apprehensive gesture. "Aye, I understand tha'. But I wouldn't 'ave summoned ye all here if it weren't fer Gothi's recent vision, an' I doubt we 'ave long b' fore Hiccup's put inta grave danger."
"What are you talking about?" Spitelout questioned, crossing his arms. "I highly doubt that he or my son would be placed into such serious danger, especially since now that they have the possession of Dragons."
Gobber shook his head. "Our Dragons alone won't be enough, Spitelout. Ya don't understand what Gothi saw in 'er vision. Somethin' is coming, and it's somethin' we 'avent ever faced b' fore."
Spitelout laughed out loud mockingly at the Viking's claim, viewing it as a joke of sorts. But his expression shortly turned back into that of a serious look.
"Oh, here we go with the 'something evil is coming' nonsense! Gobber, when will you understand that there is nothing more dangerous out there except for that maniac Ivar? For all we know, he could be-"
The blonde-haired Viking immediately responded by slamming his hand hard against the table, interrupting Spitelout as it shook. "This isn't us humans tha' we're talkin' about. It's a DRAGON dammit!"
Immediately, the Hall fell to silence as the expressions on the Berkian Council quickly changed to bewildering looks. Their eyes showed that to them, Gobber's response was like a wake up call.
Mulch, who sat near Bucket, stuttered in his voice. "W- What?" he asked "A Dragon, Gobber?"
"Aye, an' it's one tha' we've never seen b' fore. It's tha size of a mountain I tell ye! ...From what Gothi described in 'er writing, I now know tha' this beast's beyond any other Dragon tha' no man 'as ever seen or faced. But ta control it is another thing."
"Control it?" asked Bucket. "Like tame it? Does that mean I get to get my own to use against Iv-!"
"Bucket!" interrupted Mulch. "Now's not the time for dozing off into a daydream! Focus!"
"Sorry…"
Mulch sighed, glancing back at Gobber as they got back on topic.
"So, control it - you say?" he questioned the Viking, receiving a nod in response. "And in what way would it be controlled-? ...What are you trying saying here, Gobber?"
"...Tha Dragon's about ta become Ivar's greatest weapon. An' with it, it brings a red fiery destruction o' death."
Dead silence once again filled the Hall. The Vikings felt a chilling dread go down their spines just from hearing the mention of Ivar, and it made everyone's stomachs churn in tension.
Even Spitelout, who initially ignored Gobber's claim, now begun to believe him.
"I never imagined that psychopath would go this far to wipe us off from the face of the world." he said, speaking in a low hushed tone. "And now I feel there is hardly any hope in stopping him now… does Hiccup or my son know anything about this?"
The smithy shook his head, and Spitelout in turn looked down to his feet, feeling dreadful and hopeless about the situation. By this point, what could they do?
Gobber however was not done speaking. He rose his voice up once more with another wake up call.
"...There is a way we can stop it."
Instantly, all attention was diverted onto him, considering that now the situation was desperate.
"How?" asked Sven as he slightly scooted forward in his seat. "You did just say it was the size of a mountain, did you not-?"
"We'll 'ave ta train our own Dragons." he responded, with his voice giving off a mix of growing confidence and desperation.
Mulch raised a brow. "Train our own Dragons? How?"
"Tha same way Hiccup an' tha others did." he said as he stood from his seat and begun to pace.
"Hiccup never gave up on 'ope when tha times seemed dark an' dreadful. He always believed tha' somewhere in tha darkness, there laid a beacon o' light tha' shined out whenever 'is heart gave 'im tha ability ta move on. Through hope, eagerness, an' belief, Hiccup took a step inta tha great beyond an' found Toothless who was 'is beacon o' hope… 'is friend."
He then stopped in his steps, facing back towards the Council with new determination in his eyes.
"An' so, I tell ye this; ferget all past hatreds between Humans an' Dragons." he said, raising up a fist. "I ask ye now ta put tha fear ye had 'o Dragons ta tha side, an' view them as how Hiccup viewed them when he first brought Toothless inta tha fold. Berk must tolerate Dragons, now more than ever."
"...Aye. I agree with this plan!" Spitelout smirked, standing to his feet. "If taking the next step in getting Dragons for all of the people of Berk is what it takes to stop Ivar and his swarm of destruction, then I will be willing to take that risk."
"I too am in league with this plan." Sven commented, nodding with an eager look. "And if there are no objections to this idea, then I'd say that we can now officially declare Dragons as more than just our allies, but rather our friends... I am sure Stoick would have wanted that."
"Ooh, then I guess getting myself a Dragon won't be such a problem now, eh? asked Bucket.
Mulch nodded in agreement, now seeing that the vote was unanimous. "If that's the case, then what would you have us do, Gobber?"
Gobber grinned, speaking up louder than ever with inspiration.
"Let Berk 'ear our plea of alliance with tha Dragons! Tomorrow we shall make speeches ta inspire tha whole village! We shall then scour tha Archipelago in search o' Dragons, an' we shall teach everyone, including tha folk, how ta bond with them! Once all's set an' done, all those who're willing ta take tha fight ta tha enemy alongside their Dragons will rally by month's end, an' we shall fly ta Norway in a great flock like no Viking 'as ever seen before!"
His hand slammed hard down on the table. "WE FIGHT AS ONE! Ta' gether, Ivar the Boneless an' tha Great Heathen Army will fall ta our feet, an' we will TRIUMPH!"
…
Magnus tilted his head as he looked towards Eira who laid in bed with her back and head against the wall, happy see her in fine condition as she was alive and well.
He smiled. "You look better than you were yesterday." he said. "I'm glad that you're healing fast and well. Seems Fishlegs' remedy did indeed do the trick. Though I will say, I can't stay idle for long since I'll be going to the Smithy later to do something."
"Well if you must - then you must. But aye, I am indeed feeling much better." she nodded back at him. "An arrow to the chest was something that I never saw coming, but if weren't for you, I'd be dead."
"Really?" he asked her.
"Aye, really." she smiled, gazing her eyes down.
"Well I mean- it wasn't just me." he chuckled heartily. "It was also Hiccup and the others who helped save your life. You should be thanking them and not me alone."
She shook her head, being quick to reply. "No- no you don't understand. What I mean is that you were there when I needed you the most, and you showed that you did not abandon your promise of being by me. After all those times you and I have been together, you've left me with a feeling that I can hardly express."
Magnus arched a brow of interest. "Is that so? And what might this feeling be that you have in you? Appreciation? Care? Selflessness? How would you describe it, hm?"
Eira snorted in laughter, letting out a light giggle. "Well, I guess I could describe it… though only one word comes to mind when I think of it."
And one word was all she expressed to Magnus. She had nothing to hide, and all that was given out from her tone of voice was honestly, and the forming of something that she felt towards the young warrior.
"Love."
...Magnus did not say a word at that moment. At first he just could not find the words to comprehend his reaction to her, or even explain to the young shield maiden how he felt about her feelings towards him. He simply couldn't believe it.
"L- Love?" he stuttered. "Are… are you serious, Eira? Do you really mean it?"
Eira gave a nod, making out a smile with her lips. There wasn't a shred of doubt in her that she would make herself regret her decision, because she actually meant it.
"You mean more than the world to me, Magnus. After all we've gone through together with Hiccup and the rest of our friends, I eventually realized that one of the reasons I continued to push forward was because of you. Where I saved your life when no one could, you saved mine. For that, you have become more than just a friend to me."
Her eyes glanced up directly at his, glimmering as a result of the emotion she felt.
"...And because of you, I found my happiness."
Magnus sat in silence, placing a hand over his beating heart as it pumped at a faster rate. He simply could not describe to Eira how he was feeling about not just the situation as a whole, but about her as well.
He looked at her with both brows lifted, and a half-formed grin. "I- I don't know what to say."
"Say nothing." she replied to him, lifting herself to sit at the edge of the bed. "For now, let's enjoy this moment while we still can. Heart to heart."
The two now faced across from each other, gazing each other in the eyes as their heads slowly began moving in towards one another. They leaned further forward until their foreheads finally touched… and then their lips met in a loving kiss as they shared their love right there and then.
Then, after a few seconds passed, the two young Vikings split apart, still keeping their foreheads against each other with loving smiles on both of their faces.
"I love you, Eira."
"I love you too, Magnus."
Slowly but surely, her head gently fell into the lad's chest with comfort, and for a time they would stay in that position until Eira would fall asleep in his arms…
…
Down by the Blacksmith, Hiccup sat in a chair by his work-desk as he sewed at a wide fabric of red-painted leather, working on the new tailfin for Toothless. So far, he had finished the mechanism and structure of the prosthetic from which he would use to fly the Dragon.
And now all that was left for him to do was to make the actual tailfin itself, which would flap and bend with the use of the pedals that would help him in controlling Toothless' flight.
But even Toothless, who laid down by the young Viking, didn't seem to care much about it at the moment.
"...Why the long and tired face, Toothless?" asked Hiccup, looking over at the Black Dragon. "I mean, this is your tailfin. Aren't you at all excited about it?"
The Night Fury only responded with deep exhales of air as he warbled, now snoring. He did not hear a single thing that Hiccup said to him.
Hiccup sighed. "Reptile." he muttered under his breath as his eyes fell back onto his project, quickly getting back to work on it.
But before he could continue making much of an effort, a pair of footsteps caught his attention as he eyed up towards the entrance of the Smithy, and in came Magnus with a sheathed sword in hand.
"Good evening, Hiccup." he said cheerfully whilst making his way to the forge.
The scrawny Viking rose a brow, stuttering in his words. "Oh- uh, hi Magnus... What are you doing here so late? I didn't know you were coming. Do you need something?"
The young Chief shook his head. "Don't mind me. I just need the forge and anvil. I have a long night of work ahead of me."
As he placed the sheathed weapon down on the anvil, Magnus took his time to set everything up around his work area, lighting the forge with brighter and hotter flames, readying the grindstone, and clearing off the anvil.
All while this was going on, Hiccup couldn't bother but to keep watching what the older Viking was doing. It got him curious, and he wondered what he was up to.
But then, his eyes fell onto the sheathed weapon which Magnus brought in, and upon looking at the hilt, he immediately recognized what sword it was.
"Hey, isn't that your old blade?" he asked, pointing a finger.
Magnus gave a nod. "Aye, it is… and as broken as it is, I still plan to put it back together. To make it whole again."
"...Wait, you mean you're going to reforge it?"
Once again, he nodded at Hiccup. "Indeed. And I'm going to make sure that this blade becomes stronger than before. I will make it sharper than it once was, and I will carve runes so I may wield the Gods' blessings."
Hiccup's reaction was unclear. He didn't know whether to be surprised, excited, or unsure on if it would be possible to wield it once putting both pieces back together. But the thought of Magnus carving out runes on the blade was a bit much - especially since he never recalled him ever putting runes on a weapon.
"Have you ever carved runes on a weapon before in your life?" asked Hiccup.
"Nope, never." said Magnus, still heating up the forge until it was at a hot enough temperature.
He smiled, staring at the dancing flames. "Well, time to get to it."
The blacksmith would not waste a moment as he began his work. He began by emptying the sheathe of both halves of the sword, though the part he mainly needed was the half without the hilt. Thankfully, it was still fully intact.
Magnus then proceeded to take a pair of tongs, using them to grab ahold of the long and sturdy shard of metal before placing it into the forge. He did not even need to wait for a minute for it to warm up, and before he knew it, the metal was heated up just right.
As he gently took the hot shard out of the hot fires with his tongs, he placed it atop the anvil and connected it next to the other half of the broken blade.
Then, he took his hammer, and quickly started pounding down where the two shards of the sword met.
The first strike caused small sparks of flames to erupt from it, slowly beginning to smelt and fuse both pieces together... But Magnus didn't stop. He would not stop.
Again he dropped the hammer upon the crack of both shards that continued to meld together, and once again, more sparks flew out of it. His pace of hammering then quickly began to increase as he struck the weapon with great force - again, and again, and again whilst flipping it to hit both sides.
Eventually, both parts became partially connected, and Magnus turned back towards the forge and again placed the blade into the hot flames, this time holding it by the hilt until it was once more hot enough before putting it back on the anvil.
Again, sparks danced from the flame-lit blade as Magnus continued hammering down on it, and throughout all of Dragon's Wake, the sound of him striking his soon-to-be repaired weapon with his hammer in the night was all that could be heard.
...
From atop a cliff, in the Northern reaches of Ivar's kingdom near the Iron Mountains, Ivar's second-in-command, Vlar, stood and gazed upon his large Blacksmith Fortress that stood from afar in the distance, namely the Iron Foundry.
It's tall stone chimneys gave out large black clouds of smoke that rose up into the sky, burning wood from the forges down below. Meanwhile, within the Foundry itself, behind its large walls of wood and iron, numerous amounts of smithies and workshops operated in creating the weapons and machines of war that helped supply the Great Viking Army.
The Warlord inhaled the air, giving off a closed grin as he exhaled before turning to Chieftain Hjalmar who was standing by him.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" he asked. "Everyday our army gets stronger in strength, and the fires of industry blacken the skies with the scent of war."
"Indeed." the Broken Axe Chief chuckled. "But even with strength and ingenuity at our side, the Vikings of the Archipelago will still put up a fierce fight against us. We've received word that they have re-rallied once more under one banner. There is no doubt they'll try and go for one of our Clans next."
Vlar scoffed. "Those horned-helmet fools are still fighting on? Even after they lost grievously on the shores of Skyrsdok, they still do not know the meaning of surrender or defeat?"
The Broken Axe Chieftain shrugged with a grunting sigh. "Defeat is something they refuse to admit, especially since they had recently won a battle against our ally Frode and his former Dark Eye Clan."
The Warlord to rose a brow at Hjalmar's words. Curious. "...Former?" he asked.
"You didn't hear?" asked Hjalmar. "We recently received a crate that was delivered straight to Kattegat. Inside of it… was Frode's head with the message; the Dark Eye Clan is no more. One of you are next... Many of our warriors have begun to view this as a grievous blow to our army."
Vlar grunted, shaking his head. "Chieftain Frode was a liability to the Great Army. His visions proved to be hardly worth an effort or benefit to our cause, and in the end, his arrogance in an attempt to see them become a reality was his undoing."
"But even with his death, what about us?" he asked the Iron Wolf Chief. "What if the Tribes come after one of us next? If anything, we should-"
"Don't be scared of those cowards. Even if they go after us with all of their might and with their Dragons, they will still be outnumbered - even if they go up against one of our Clans alone. Besides, I've already sent a letter down South to Chieftain Karvein to meet me here. As far as I know, he has a problem of his own regarding a neighboring Viking Clan that's been fighting against him. Though it is clear that they're not from the Archipelago."
"Does Ivar know about this?" asked Hjalmar.
"Not at the moment." he replied. "But when he returns, he'll likely have us take care of it. Right now, we still have a situation of our own to the East with another rebelling Clan. I will see to it however that before this war ends, I will have Hiccup Haddock's head on a pike as his army falls to our machines of war…"
Quick note! To those who are curious or wondering on what exactly the Iron Foundry looks like - just picture a good ol' Blacksmith as big as Eret's fort from HTTYD II, mix it with Isengard from the Lord of the Rings with it's quarries, pits, and machinery, and there ya go!
Also, yes - Magnus and Eira are officially a couple in the story now!