I am back guys, and I apologize for the absence!
Life has been tugging at me a bit more recently, and I had some matters that I had to take care of which limited my time for writing, but now that most of it is out of the way I can hopefully get back to writing these chapters on a normal basis. I will say that this chapter is shorter, but it will do. I assure you that the next chapter will be longer.
Now that the long wait is over! Let's continue!
"So… how are you still alive?" Hiccup asked Ubba.
Despite all of the noisy braziers blazing around them, his voice broke silence in the Great Hall. The group all sat around the long-table, feasting on their dinner with Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd sitting at the head of the table while eyeing Hiccup as he asked his question.
The older Lothbrök sighed, fisting the side of his head. "I will make it a long story short." he replied before leaning in.
"My brother Ivar announced me dead when he returned to Kattegat. But truth be told, I actually marched North with hundreds of followers behind me, and after a week's march or so we eventually came to settle here. Together, we built a village which soon grew into a Fortress, and I trained those who followed me to become warriors themselves."
"A finer army not even Ivar could have hoped to build." said Sigurd. "But now look at him. He relies on people who aren't like us; like Viking. He disgraces us. All of us."
"Aye." Hvitserk nodded. "But soon enough Ivar will soon figure out that Hiccup is still alive and fighting, and he will no doubt come for all of us."
"Something else is already coming for us." Astrid replied as she laid down her mug. "Even as we speak, a legion of Vikings and Rus' warriors march on Strongholm. It will take them some time to get here, but we've made necessary preparations to-"
"What?" lightly gasped Ubba, looking back at both his brothers, and then Hiccup. "Why didn't you tell me of this before?"
"We were going to." said Hiccup. "But now's not the time to argue over it. The Warlord of the Great Army and his ally are going to attack Strongholm with a combined force of six thousand warriors. It's four times more than what this Fortress has."
Ubba now sat in silence. His mind began to think deeply on the matter from Hiccup's words. To him it sounded like more than what he and his Battleborn could handle, almost too much. But what also concerned him was how they knew.
"How exactly do you know about this?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Unless you had spies out there it would take time to figure out how this could even be happening."
"Your Fortress lays in the crosshairs of the Arid Highlands and Iron Mountains." Magnus replied, glancing back at Ubba. "And if we don't prepare for what's to come, then we will be no more."
"And it's only a matter of time until they get here." said Eira. "However, with the aid of our Dragons, we can hold them off until our allies arrive."
"Allies?" Ubba asked.
Magnus gave a nod. "Aye, we have thousands of men already on the way here, and it won't be long until they arrive. Once they get here the balance of power will tip in our favor. If we win here and get rid of Ivar's remaining allies, victory will be assured."
"How many to be exact?" the Jarl asked.
"About three and a half thousand. Combined with the Battleborn our numbers will be closer to theirs, but we will win one way or another. The Great Army will fail when that time comes, and so will Ivar."
"...Not until Ivar himself is taken care of." Hiccup said, gripping both his hands together. "If there's anyone who can end this war entirely, it's me. Next time I see Ivar, I'm going to end him."
"What reason would you have in killing him yourself?" asked Ubba. "Ivar is my brother, and he's also Sigurd's and Hvitserk's brother. He would stand no chance if us three were to-"
"You wouldn't understand the heavy grudge I have against him." he interrupted. "He has done more than you could have ever imagined… he has started to haunt my dreams recently."
Snotlout looked back at him, curious in his words. "Hiccup, are you sure you want to face him alone? He's a greater warrior than even yourself, and even you can't-"
Hiccup angrily slammed his hand against the table as he stood to his feet. "Do I really have to give a reason for that Snotlout? I was put in chains by him... for years. He nearly cut out my tongue when I was falsely accused of attacking one of his guards! His puppet Olaf beat me for every wrong thing I did, and I was tossed around like a toy by his warriors! You don't understand the pain and suffering I felt because of HIM!"
Everyone once again returned to silence, but the whole group eyed Hiccup with more concern than shock from his outburst. Clearly the young Viking felt uncomfortable.
"...All I want is payback for all he's done to me. All I want is my life back. Getting rid of him will allow us to go home so we can resume our life as it should be. I want to end this war. I want no more of it!"
The pain in his words was easily noticeable. The exhaustion in his expression was enough for them to understand that Hiccup was sick of the whole war, of everything that had happened to him and his friends, and the stress was now beginning to stack up on his shoulders.
All he wanted was peace.
With nothing else to say, Hiccup stood from his seat as he turned around and walked hastily towards the doors that led upstairs. He was obviously tired.
Astrid stood. "Hiccup, where are you going?"
"Somewhere where I can get a breather." he replied, not looking back. "I've lost my appetite, and I need time to think."
…
One day later...
The next morning came swiftly.
Hiccup sighed with his cloak wrapped around him, looking over the village that stood down below from the large balcony he was on. Though he was cold, it was still a perfect place for him to be alone without anyone bothering him - high near the top of the Fortress.
However, if there was anything that bothered him, it was the thought of Ivar still haunting his mind.
"...I will get rid of you eventually." he said to himself, still looking at the surrounding town down below. "Don't worry, I'll be coming back for you. And when I do, I will be the last thing you will ever see on this earth."
His eyes then narrowed up, gazing towards the distant cloudy horizon of the morning sky.
"This I promise…" he exhaled. "You will not escape me so easily-"
"Who are you talking to?"
The sound of two doors opening and a voice from behind caught Hiccup by surprise, causing him to jump back as he turned around to see Astrid walking towards him.
He sighed, shaking his head. "No one, Astrid. It's only me and- well, my mind."
She nodded her head. "Well, now there's me. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about what you said last night… is it true?"
"Yes." he said, letting out a light and cold exhale. After that, what felt like a long moment then followed as he stood there, leaning over the short wall of the balcony whilst looking down at the village.
"...I never told you, but he's beginning to haunt my dreams." he finally replied, turning to Astrid who was now next to him. "This war has been going on for far too long. In fact, it should have never happened. What started with a hunt turned into a near genocide for us."
Astrid looked back at him, confused. "Hiccup, what are you talking about? I mean- don't you see how far we've gotten? We overcame two of Ivar's allies, and it's so far all come down to this. A few more steps and we will beat them into the ground. We will-"
"And how many times have they nearly beaten us to the ground?" Hiccup asked in interruption. "Islands burnt when Ivar's fleet invaded the Archipelago and nearly destroyed every Tribe on the map. We lost at Skyrsdok and almost risked everything... And he nearly killed Toothless. What do we do once the rest of the Great Heathen Army marches on our doorstep?"
"We fight." she said. "We fight harder than ever, and when that time comes, I know we will win. We've gained allies throughout these two months that we've been fighting, and our Dragons and warriors have gotten better from every battle we've fought."
"...Ivar will stand no chance when he comes face-to-face with us. You know this."
Hiccup fell silent again. He stared at Astrid, wondering if Ivar truly would not stand a chance after this next fight. After all, every battle just also proved to have been a further struggle everytime for them.
But then again, even if he was tired of the whole war, why should he stop fighting?
"...I guess you're right, Astrid." he said, narrowing his head up. "Though maybe I should just think about this more. I can't be too certain if my ability to lead will still be as good as it was when we fought against Frode and Karvein."
"Hey, we already told you before; if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here." she chuckled as she grabbed ahold of Hiccup's hand with both her hands. "No matter how long he fights, Ivar will be taken care of eventually. It's only a matter of time before we-"
"Hiccup."
The voice of Ubba caught their attention as the two Vikings glanced back towards the doors behind them. With him were Sigurd, Hvitserk, and Magnus at his side as they approached them.
The four Vikings all looked down at Hiccup with a look on their faces as if they had come to some sort of agreement, though the lad was unsure.
Ubba spoke first. "I discussed with the others about your reaction last night… and after a long talk with my brothers and Magnus, we've made a decision and have agreed that you should be the one to fight Ivar. It's only fair."
"A decision in less than a night?" asked Hiccup.
"Our decision-making is known to be fast since we three are brothers after all." replied Sigurd. "In the past we used to make effective strategies in the battles we fought together, especially with Ivar, but that's besides the point. Now that we're fighting him, it's only fair that once he is aware of our presence that you go in for the kill. No doubt he will be confused, scared, and shocked as to why we're alive."
"And it's only a matter of time before he returns to Norway to try and finish us." Hvitserk nodded as he paced. "But there's no doubt that he will be awoken to the beating of his life, my brothers. That we can be certain of."
"It'll be glorious." Sigurd chuckled as his arms crossed. "Even before I was a commander in the first Great Army he treated me like some sort of low life when we were younger. Now he'll be showed who the true low life is."
"We'll have to wait until then." said Magnus. "For now, we have to wait for the next fight to come. The Iron Wolf and Broken Axe Clan could be upon us at any day now. We'll have to be ready once they-"
Magnus' words immediately cut off as he suddenly inhaled, catching a scent. In his eyes, something did not feel right - especially since now that the air around them began to somewhat thicken, almost as if it were the smell of smoke.
"...Do I smell smoke?" he asked, looking back at the others.
Hiccup smelt the air through his nose. Both of his brows lifted. "You're not the only one. I can smell smoke too… What the Hel is that-?"
Suddenly, the floor of the balcony beneath their feet began to rumble as the sound of distant booming bellowed. Then another followed, and then another one, and then several more.
And then, before Hiccup, Astrid, or the others even saw it coming, a projectile of fire hurled towards them from the side and hit above the balcony they stood on, causing them to duck as flaming rubble flew around them.
"W- What was that!?" gasped Astrid.
From the distance, the sound of horns began blowing loudly throughout Strongholm, and before they knew it - voices began to call out from down below.
The sound of men shouting caught Ubba's attention as the footsteps of Battleborn warriors rushing were echoed through the halls of Strongholm, as well as down in the streets of the village surrounding the Fortress.
Then, one voice caught the group's attention as they shouted;
"THE NORTHERN WALL! THEY'RE ATTACKING THE NORTHERN WALL! THE ENEMY IS HERE!"
...
"Alright lads, get moving! Get ta yer Dragons!" shouted Gobber.
The blonde Viking looked around from where he stood, watching as the plaza was flooded with hundreds of warriors and townsfolk carrying weapons and shields in their hands. But they were not the only ones there.
From all around, the Dragons flocked to their riders by the hundreds. Within an unexpected and shorter period of time the village of Berk was able to amass and bond with a large amount of Dragons that was bigger than what the entire Archipelago had ever seen.
But even with all of their training, Spitelout, Sven, Mulch, and Bucket still slightly hesitated on Gobber's action.
Sven looked back at him. "Gobber, are you sure our people are ready to fly on the backs of Dragons?"
"Aye, an' there's no doubt they'll be ready fer a fight. We've been sitting around fer two months doing nothing while Stoick an' Hiccup have been fightin' fer their lives. Now's tha time we fight too."
"But we haven't reached this month's end yet!" Spitelout replied from atop his Nadder. "We could still be using this time to train incase some of our people aren't ready."
"An' have ye considered if they are ready yet?" asked Gobber. "If anything, I feel tha' tha time is right! Hiccup an' tha others could be in danger right now, an' if tha's tha case - we must move as fast as we can!"
"Agreed." nodded Mulch. "And besides, once we get there we could always see if Hiccup would be willing to teach us a trick or two with our Dragons."
"Wait- tricks? I love tricks!" Bucket spoke in a hearty manner. "What are we going to learn this time?"
"Not now, Bucket!" sighed Mulch. "...But as I said Gobber, if you say we're ready, then we're ready. The people do seem to be eager for a battle."
"Then let's not waste anymore time. Mount yer Dragons, lads!" Gobber announced as he mounted atop Grump who stood near him, urging the lazy Dragon to fly up.
"Up, Grump!" he said, and the Dragon quickly went airborne - flying above the center of the plaza with all eyes fixated on him, from both Dragons and Vikings. A moment of silence followed, and then he spoke loudly.
"...Hear me, Vikings o' Berk!" his voice bellowed. "Fer too long we have been hunted across tha Archipelago, by a mad boy who sees 'imself as above all! But now, with our Dragons at our side and with old hatreds between us tossed aside, we can now fight fer tha greater good o' both our kinds, an' fer Berk!"
A wave cheering broke out from Gobber's speech, but that was only the beginning.
He spoke up once again. "No longer will aggression between both Dragon an' Viking blind us from our true foe! Now, tha time 'as come fer us ta stand together as one, and face our true enemy!"
"...Today, both Vikings an' Dragons will fly ta Norway side by side! Tomorrow, our horrors an' pain will become Ivar's! We will be tha ones ta rise up alongside our future Chief! Now's tha moment! Now's tha time ta fight! VICTORY FER BERK!"
The Vikings in unison all roared in a massive wave of cheers, and the Dragons by them rose their heads to the sky with their wings fully spread apart, letting out a roar to the heavens that was as loud as a thunderbolt from Thor himself.
Gobber then rose his prosthetic hammer, turning his eyes to the Southeast.
"MOUNT UP, VIKINGS O' BERK! WE FLY TOGETHER AS ONE GREAT FLOCK! LET US FLY TA NORWAY!"
Next chapter will be a battle chapter that I will separate into three or so acts! Until then, if you're somewhat hyped, try to keep it together! Or if you can't hold it in, then alrighty!
But for now however:
To be continued...