Alright, so this chapter actually came out longer than I expected it to be. But before beginning I would like to point some things out.
Later in this chapter there will be a cliffhanger moment that will take place, but the chapter will NOT end with it.
Instead, there will be a moment that will probably leave you guys shocked in a good way as it will furthermore assure the future for two of our characters. But you will have to read and see!
Anyways, that's enough from me. I hope you guys enjoy!
(Also as of 1/8/19, edits have been made to this chapter to fix grammatical errors. I didn't seem to notice them!)
"Hurry up lads! This town must be evacuated with all haste! MOVE! MOVE!" shouted Stoick.
The early morning came swiftly with a cold and uneasy feeling, with the sun barely shining through the clouds. Although many were exhausted due to the lack of sleep, many were also desperate and feeling dreadful, knowing what was soon to go down.
Even the Dragon Riders who were gathered in the large center of Dragon's Wake near the Forge felt a lack of ease, despite them knowing they could no longer stay.
Snotlout sighed as he prepared Hookfang's saddle for flight, all whilst gazing around at what they were about to abandon.
"I… I never knew thought we would actually go this far." he said, glancing towards his hut that stood near the Mead Hall. "We spent so much time building Dragon's Wake ever since we first came here. From an outpost, to a village, and to a town. And now we're…"
"I wish there was another way, Snotlout." Hiccup replied as he tightened Toothless' saddle. "But Ivar's Vikings are closing in on us, thus it's clear that we can't stay here. Though Dragon's Wake has grown, we can't defend it against the Great Heathen Army. We have to leave."
Astrid nodded in agreement, still gearing herself up. "He's right. If we stay here, this place will become our grave. I know you don't want to abandon what you helped built Snotlout… but nothing lasts forever."
"Pfft, kind of like Ruffnut." chuckled Tuffnut. "You should see how dirty her hair is! She only washes it once a month, and whenever she does wash she-"
His voice immediately cut off as Ruffnut brought her fist back and gave a him a rough punch to his stomach, knocking the breath out of his lungs.
"You know I wash my hair AND body at least once or twice a week unlike you, bird breath!" she grunted, glaring at him.
Tuffnut groaned as he held his hands on his stomach. "Whatever you say, sis…"
"Guys, cut it out will you?" spoke up Fishlegs. "This isn't a time for joking around. We have to get out of here as soon as possible… Heather, do you everything you need?"
"Just about." she nodded. "I have all of my belongings with me, including my double-bladed axe which I haven't used in a while. But regardless, I'm ready."
"Same here." said Astrid.
"Me too." nodded Snotlout. "Though I wish I could bring more with me."
"Very well." said Hiccup. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you outside the gates."
The Riders nodded as they quickly mounted onto their Dragons, before swiftly taking off and flying towards the main gates of the town - leaving only Hiccup and Toothless alone with each other.
The Night Fury looked up at Hiccup, crooning curiously.
"There's something I need to do first, Bud." he said as he noticed Magnus and Eira who stood near the stairs of the Mead Hall across from him. "It won't be long, alright?"
Toothless lightly huffed out air from his nostrils, implying a nod as he and Hiccup made their way towards the two older Vikings who were having a discussion. Upon nearing them, they were quick to notice both Hiccup and Toothless.
Magnus turned his eyes to the young lad, lightly bowing his head. "Hiccup."
"Magnus." he responded back. "How's the progress going? Have we gathered everything we need for the exodus?"
"We're almost done." answered Magnus. "We just need to make adjustments to our siege equipment before we can roll them out. Our men have also finally been given gambesons, fur and chainmail armor to help them with protection. It won't be easy once we go up into highlands, so it's best we bring warm gear."
"Hm, it's a good thing Astrid and the Riders planned ahead of time for that then." Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "They wish we could stay here, but we have no choice. I on the other hand wish there was something we could do."
"They'll be fine, Hiccup." Eira said in an assuring tone. "As much as how much this place has become a home for all of the Tribes, it's worth noting that Dragon's Wake is not their true home. The Archipelago is. And that's where they will be going after this war ends."
"That is true..." nodded Hiccup. "But where will you guys go after the war? Will you perhaps rebuild Kattegat?"
Magnus shook his head. "I don't want to remember that place with all of the horrors that happened there, especially under Ivar's rule. Some things are meant to be left forgotten, and that's what I plan to do with Kattegat… but if the people would be willing to follow me as their new Chieftain then I would gladly accept."
"I think you should take them." said Eira in agreement. "We know that they do not like Ivar for what he's doing to them. If we bring them into the Warsung Tribe before they starve then a peaceful future can be secured. We won't have to keep fighting constantly."
Hiccup lightly grinned. "Aye. It's better to live a peaceful life rather than live a life of Vikings and raiding. I plan to live a life like that once I'm done with this war… I can just imagine what to do with Berk once I return."
Magnus shrugged. "We'll see. For now, I think we should continue focusing on the task at hand. Our engineers could be-"
Magnus stopped short of his words as he looked passed Hiccup and Toothless and noticed a Warsung engineer approach him with attention, addressing "Chieftain" to him.
"Warrior." he nodded. "Are our siege weapons prepared yet?"
"Yes sir." the engineer replied. "Sigurd, Hvitserk and Ubba are preparing to move them out. We have seven catapults, ten ballistas, and two... trebuchets as you call them at the ready."
"Good. Now if you can, see to it that the rest of the Warsung along with the Grey Raven and Battleborn are assembled outside the gates. We'll leave on Hiccup Haddock's command."
"As you wish." saluted the engineer as he swiftly made his way off towards the main gates, but at the same time Hiccup was left confused.
"A trebuchet?" he asked. "What kind of siege weapon is that supposed to be?"
"It's a destructive long-ranged catapult." replied Magnus. "The Eastern Romans built it hundreds of years ago and used it as an effective siege weapon during battles, both on the offense and defense. The trebuchet I planned out however has improved modifications. It has longer range, better accuracy, and can even launch larger projectiles. With them, we'll have a better advantage."
"Ivar's Devastators may just prove to be useless against them if that's the case." smirked Hiccup. "Well done, Magnus… Now, if you'll excuse me - I need to rally with the Riders. Toothless?"
The Night Fury replied with a light warble, leaning down for Hiccup to mount on top of his saddle. The young Viking then positioned his feet on both pedals, pressing down and letting Toothless' fin open.
He looked back at Magnus and Eira, giving the two a nod before he swiftly flew off to the main gates.
After watching him fly off out of sight, Magnus glanced back at Eira as they were left alone. "Are you ready to fly?" he asked her.
Before Eira could respond, she suddenly felt the urge to clear her throat as she quickly covered her mouth to cough. But unexpectedly she placed a hand over her stomach and started to let out a hacking cough as if she had too much of something. Magnus swiftly reacted, laying a hand on her shoulder and holding onto her stomach as she leaned down. After less than ten seconds went by, it passed.
He looked at her, asking in a worried tone; "Eira, are you alright?"
She nodded. "It- it's nothing. I'm fine."
Magnus sighed, shaking his head. "You're making me worry. That's the fifth time you coughed like that this week. Are you sure you're not sick or-?"
"I'm fine, Magnus." she again replied. "Please, let's just get going already."
"...Alright." he said, gazing up to the sky before he gave out a sharp and loud whistle. He then called out his Dragon's name.
"Thorwind!"
...
Five hours later…
It didn't take long for them to go from running to jogging, and then to a slow march.
By then the Tribes were miles and miles away from Dragon's Wake, marching South across the highlands. It was obvious that the air had now gotten colder as snow began to fall lightly with the breezing wind blowing in their faces.
Hiccup and the Riders wrapped their cloaks around as they flew through the air above their allies. They could see them march in a long line down below, freezing and exhausted while they were pulling their siege equipment.
"S- Scandinavia." stuttered Fishlegs, grasping tighter onto Meatlug's saddle. "N- never knew it could be as bad as this!"
"Yeah- well that's what you expect when you come here." shivered Hiccup. "If anything, it feels like we're going over a mountain!"
Magnus let out a shaky chuckle, looking back at Hiccup. "It could've been worse you know! Remember that one winter we had years ago that nearly froze our huts to ice?"
"Yeah." replied Hiccup. "I nearly had frostbite that winter… but this is just madness! It's as if Ymir or Skadi are weaving a storm onto us!"
Astrid sighed, tightly crossing her arms. "Except there is no storm… M- Magnus, how long will it take for us to reach this place you mentioned?"
"We should be there soon!" he replied, squinting his eyes through the wind that blew in his face. "By now we're at least eleven or so miles away from Kattegat! If we continue flying this way, we should-"
"Wait, look!" called out Heather.
And there it was from afar. The Riders slowed their Dragons to a halt, gazing their eyes upon the tall and wide plateau which stood looking over them from a mile away. If anything, it was like a small mountain with a flat top, and it was enough for them to base all their allies and forces on top of it. However, the path leading up seemed narrow.
"There it is!" Astrid said with relief. "We made it, and quicker than I imagined!"
"I'll say... but shouldn't some of us fly ahead to see if the area is safe?" asked Snotlout. "I'm just saying that we should make sure we're in the clearing so that no one will know where we are."
"Good idea, Snotlout!" nodded Hiccup, turning his eyes towards the other Riders.
"Alright everyone, here's the plan! Astrid, Magnus and Eira, you guys will come with me so we can scout out the top of the mountain! The rest of you will stay here with our forces and ensure that they reach the mountain safely!"
"Aww man!" whined Ruffnut. "C'mon, can't you just let us..."
Hiccup shook his head, staring back at the mountain. "That's an order, Ruffnut! Now let's move out!"
With haste the four Vikings and their Dragons swiftly flew off, bolting their way towards the top of the plateau mountain as fast as the wind could allow them. As they flew closer and closer, the scale of the mountain began to really show, and though it wasn't as tall as they expected, it was still quite large. Soon enough, they would reach the top.
As Toothless made a swift landing, Hiccup took a moment to glance at the area that he, Astrid, and Magnus and Eira now stood on, and it was not what they expected.
They stood in a field. A field with meadows of grass sticking up along with evergreen trees scattered around. If anything, it was the perfect place to settle.
"This place is perfect…" smiled Magnus as he dismounted off Thorwind. "Just look at this! This mountain has to be at least as tall as Strongholm's Fortress - if not taller, and this field looks to be large enough to hold an entire city. It looks…"
"Beautiful." answered Hiccup as he stared around. "It reminds me of Berk too much… but we'd better not remain idle for too long. What do you guys think? How should we-?"
It was then that the sound of a loud hack suddenly caught his attention as he turned to face the others, and saw that Eira began coughing as she tried dismounting off of Thorwind. But as she tried to dismount, she felt herself go a little off-balanced, causing her to nearly fall off Thorwind head first. In the nick of time, Magnus rushed over and caught her before she did, holding a hand over her stomach and an arm over her shoulders.
"I've got you." he said with a sigh, moving his arms to place them around her as he laid her head against his chest. Once again though, less than ten seconds passed by and the coughing stopped.
Astrid rose both of her brows as she dismounted off of Stormfly, approaching Magnus who held Eira in his arms as she was trying to catch her breath. "Is she alright?"
Magnus nodded, staring back at Hiccup and Astrid with a troubled expression. "She's fine, but she's been doing this for nearly the entire week. It's beginning to worry me…"
"Maybe she's sick?" asked Hiccup. "Did you check her temperature?"
The older Viking placed the back of his hand against Eira's forehead, but shook his head. "I can't tell if there's a flu or fever." he sighed. "Eira, what is happening to you?"
She shrugged, placing her right hand over her stomach. "I don't know…" she said as her breath began to relax. "But I'm fine. I'm sure of it… I just need a moment to..."
"Easy, Eira. You need to rest and eat something. Five hours on an empty stomach is not a good thing." replied Astrid. "...So Hiccup, do you think we should-?"
As she turned around to face him, both he and Toothless were already making their way towards the cliffs that overlooked the rest of the highlands down below, and as he stood near the edge and looked down - he could see everything.
He smiled, patting Toothless' head while gazing down below. "It's a long way down." he said. "But we'll be able to see the enemy from here if they ever come close… Let's just hope there's enough time."
As his eyes continued surveying the fields down below, he suddenly caught glance of the path of the mountain leading up to where they stood, starting at the bottom which then spiraled around the mountain itself. It was not steep, but it would do.
He nodded to himself, noting it's location before turning back to face the others who looked like they were just about ready to settle.
"Right then." he said. "Shall we settle?"
…
Miles and miles away from Kattegat on a large distant shore, they had all rallied up. Bonfires were lit, and Devastators and catapults were set in place, and as the grey clouds above them flew over their ranks, the Great Viking Army formed its positions and lined up whilst commanders and captains bellowed out commands to the ranks.
"MARCH INTO POSITION, AT THE DOUBLE!" one would shout, giving orders.
"GET YOUR BACKS INTO IT, MAGGOTS! FASTER, FASTER!" another would bellow out.
Regardless of the orders that were continuously carried out however, what was clear was that the entirety of the Great Army was there, all by the thousands… at least - what was left of it.
Some time went by without much happening, but that soon would change as something noticeable came into view; the silhouette of a large longship sailing through the fog. Almost immediately all eyes fell upon it, including the Völsung's.
But then they saw him...
Upon laying their eyes on the single longship that ported onto shore, they caught gaze of a lone and young familiar figure, and everyone instantly felt the urge to kneel before him as he climbed down from the vessel - carrying a bullhook with him as both as a weapon and a walking stick to help with the support plates around his legs. At long last, he had now returned.
Ivar the Boneless had finally returned...
As the son of Lothbrök dismounted off of his ship, he turned his glance onto the ranks of the Vikings as he then slowly rolled his eyes towards the Barbarians and Slavs that still remained. He arched a brow however as soon as he noticed the three generals from the Völsung, Saxons, and Jomsvikings approach him, rather than the four Chieftains he wanted.
As Ivar stepped forward, the generals kneeled in respect to the great Viking King with their furred cloaks and hair blowing in the cold wind, but Ivar's grim face did not show satisfaction as he gestured to them to rise.
"My lord Ivar." said the Völsung general. "We've been waiting for you for a while now. More than a month has gone by ever since you-"
"Save your words for later, general." Ivar replied with a dark and cold tone. "If anything, you should not address me as your King as I have done the near impossible thanks to our ally Drago. He's made me into... something more. With this bullhook that I forged from the fires of Dragons, I am now able to control them just like him. And now I know truly that I'm not just a regular man… but a deity like Odin and Thor…"
"I am the God Ivar. Thus you will address me as your God-King."
After boasting his new found claim however, Ivar's tone changed as he motioned towards the lack of warriors on the shore.
"On the other hand however, there is only one thing that concerns me. Where is Vlar and the other Chieftains, and where is the rest of MY Great Army? Were my orders not clear for them to rally up as soon as I returned? How many times must I..."
"My Ki- ...my God-King." the Jomsviking general said, catching the angry Viking's glaring glance. "We- we wanted to tell you but we couldn't as we were unable to. While you were away, it happened to them. All of them…"
"Vlar, Frode, Hjalmar, and Karvein are all dead, my God-King… all of the Chieftains are dead. They were killed off along with their Clans."
For a moment Ivar felt his blood begin to boil. He stood completely still as he gave off not an expression of fear or worry, but a feeling of anger and hatred. If what he heard was correct, then not only were the Chieftains killed off, but his army's numbers were heavily reduced.
Ivar let out a bellowing roar as he raised his fist and punched the Jomsviking general in the face, causing him to take a few steps back as he covered his somewhat bleeding nose in pain from the punch.
He then made four slow and intimidating paces forward to the generals' faces. "Are you telling me… that more than half of my Great Army has been wiped out!?" he yelled with anger. "You fools! If one of you had sent a message to me the moment our numbers began dropping I would have returned in a matter of days, and yet none of you had the audacity to do so?! Those four Chieftains were all useless puppets... Who among our enemies could have-"
"H- Hiccup Haddock, my God-King." the Barbaric Saxon general answered, stuttering. "It was Hiccup Haddock who killed them…"
The familiar name slithered across Ivar's tongue as he heard the Saxon general say his name. "Hiccup Haddock."
Ivar let out a breathy exhale, but arched a brow in amusement. "Hiccup Haddock? That scrawny slave is still alive after this long? My my, I will enjoy breaking him when I meet him again on the battlefield! And this time, I will fight him personally."
"That's not the only thing he has done, my God-King." the Völsung general said, looking back at the other generals. "Haddock has managed to gather an army larger than what he had when he first got here. Our scouts tell us that he has allied with two Clans here in Norway, and both of the Jarls are eager to hunt you down. We don't know who they are but-"
"They will fall." Ivar chuckled. "Regardless, I must know if you have any knowledge regarding Hiccup's location."
"We don't, my God-King." the Jomsviking general replied while wiping the blood off his nose. "But our Danish scouts captured five of our enemy's scouts to get some information out of them. We were so far unsuccessful."
"Bring them forth then. I will speak to them personally."
The three generals nodded as they looked back towards their bodyguards and motioned them to step forward. The warriors gladly obliged and made their way towards them, dragging the five scouts along with them as they dropped them down to their knees before Ivar.
"Well well well," began Ivar, crouching down to their level. "Five scouts from two Tribes caught like prey. Three from the ridiculously named Hairy Hooligan Tribe, and two from this… Warsung Tribe that I've kept hearing of. What are you supposed to be, a copy of my Völsung Clan? You clearly have my banner and symbol but in different colors. Why do you even bother trying to fight?"
The Warsung scouts said nothing. They only glared up at Ivar, still feeling a sense of resistance against him while refusing to break.
"Quite a silent tough group, aren't you?" he asked, running his other hand against the sharp edge of his bullhook. "Might I remind you that you are standing before a God? You have no power against me, and you certainly cannot beat me…"
"You will never find Hiccup, no matter how hard you try!" spat one of the Berkian scouts. "And you… you are not a God! Odin would never accept someone like you amongst the Gods. The only thing you are is a-"
His words were suddenly silenced however as Ivar swung his bullhook across the scout's face, slicing his cheeks with deep scratches as the man to fell on his side, covering his face in pain from the bloody cuts.
The other scouts began to breathe intensely, fearing what would happen to them as Ivar made a motion with his hand for the bodyguards towards the scouts. "Take them away and execute them. They will be a fine tribute to the Gods for welcoming me into the Aesir."
The bodyguards immediately snatched the scouts up, carrying them away with the screaming of "No, please don't!" and "You are not a God!" coming from them until they were eventually out of sight.
The three generals, unsure of how to react, stood at attention to Ivar as even the majority of the Great Army's ranks were staring at him attentively - awaiting his orders.
"My God-King?" the Saxon general asked. "What are your orders?"
At first, Ivar didn't respond as he merely limped with the help of his bullhook passed the three generals, making his way into view in front of the whole Great Viking Army whose eyes were all now upon him.
Then in an unexpectedly move, he stabbed the base of his bullhook into the ground - and for a moment he stood there; gazing back at his ranks until he slowly felt the urge to lift one leg up, and then lift another leg up as he took another surprising few steps forward without the help of his bullhook.
Ivar was finally walking with his own two legs…
His brows lowered with a smirk as he started pacing slowly back and forth. "CEASE ALL FURTHER PREPARATIONS!" he shouted, with his voice booming and echoing across the shore. "We must track down Hiccup Haddock and his allies, and END this pathetic resistance once and for all! We will show them why they should have never come here to begin with..."
"...We will kill every last one of them, and then, WE WILL BURN THEIR ARCHIPELAGO!"
Cheers erupted from every single rank in the Great Army as they rose their weapons to the sky, roaring out bloodlusting war cries. They even began chanting out for him, addressing him by his new title;
"HAIL THE GOD IVAR! HAIL THE GOD IVAR!"
With his plan now beginning to unfold, Ivar turned back to his bullhook, pulling it up from the dirt before glancing back at the foggy ocean.
"My God-King?" asked the Jomsviking general. "How- how are we supposed to track down Hiccup Haddock? You killed our only source of finding him. It could take us forever to discover where he is!"
"...Not without the aid of dragons. They know the natural scent of the Archipelago... including its tribes." Ivar replied, grinning wickedly. "Through Drago Bludvist, I have enslaved a great beast of strength and power, beyond any measure. Whatever I tell it to do, it obeys without question. And now, I control them all..."
The grip on Ivar's bullhook tightened immensely as he swiftly raised it up into the air, and began swaying it in circles. Then he started screaming…
"AHHHH! AAAHHHHH!"
A moment later, the ground suddenly began to shake as a colossal sound thundered across the shore; a sound similar to that of two giant wings, along with another two hundred more. Then, a loud booming roar followed, letting forth a mighty gust of wind towards Ivar and his forces, who reacted with mixed expressions.
And then through the fog of the ocean they saw it…
The dense clouds of fog lit up with flames, and beyond them, they saw the silhouettes of over a hundred dragons hovering in place, ready to follow their master's command.
But along with that, they saw something else; a dragon that made the others look like mice. It flew in place, looming behind them like a mountain as it brought its massive wings up and down, and lit up the fog with its bright, incinerating flames.
The Völsung general shuddered. "Wh- What is that?"
…
Although the morning had gone by and the noon finally came, many of the warriors by then were exhausted as a result of the long tiring march, thus many of them retired to their tents for the day.
However, the same could not be said for some.
Magnus sighed as he stared down at Eira who laid on top of a bedroll, silently sleeping with the occasional coughing. After what happened since they arrived at the mountain, he refused to leave Eira's side until he knew what was wrong with her. He worried for her despite herself claiming that she was not sick, and yet he was unsure of that claim.
Because of this, Fishlegs decided to study her condition to figure out why she was first coughing, and now fatigued.
Magnus looked back at Hiccup and Astrid who stood there with him under the large tent they were in, giving off a frown.
"I must know soon why this is happening to her." he said, sighing. "She did not seem to show any signs of sickness, and yet she has been coughing heavily nearly the whole week. But seeing her fatigued like this is…"
"Magnus." spoke Hiccup, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Eira is probably exhausted from the long flight we had today, not to mention how cold it was up in the air."
Astrid nodded in agreement. "He's right." she said. "Don't worry, Magnus. Fishlegs will know what to do once he returns with the results, and we'll be able to make an antidote to ease these effects."
"What if there isn't an antidote?" he asked. "...What if she really is getting sick? Do you not know how I feel about this, Astrid? Eira is the love of my life, and I promised that if something were to happen to her that I would be there for her. I must-"
Before he could finish, the sound of a pair of footsteps and the flapping of the tent opening suddenly caught their eyes as Fishlegs came rushing in with Meatlug behind him. However, his face showed a more positive reaction than they were expecting.
"Fishlegs, did you get the results? Is there something wrong with Eira?" Hiccup asked curiously.
The lad shook his head, almost smiling. "No Hiccup! It's something more! She's not sick at all!"
"What?" said Magnus as he stood to his feet. "What in the name of Thor do you mean by that Fishlegs? Do you not see Eira's condition!? She's-"
"Just hear me out!" Fishlegs replied excitedly as he began flipping through the notes in one of his books. "I did some research through some old notes that I wrote back during the time Gothi was teaching me about how our bodies work. After hours of research however, I was able to match Eira's symptoms with only one result. But before I can confirm this, may I ask you something Magnus? Something important…"
Though Magnus felt a little embarrassed from the way Fishlegs asked him, he gave a nod of approval to him as he proceeded to ask his question.
"Have you recently made love to Eira?"
"I- ...I did." sighed Magnus.
There was a moment of silence. Hiccup and Astrid looked back at Magnus with surprised looks, knowing that what he and Eira did that night did indeed happen, but to Magnus he felt like the situation was awkward.
"Is that what you wanted to hear, Fishlegs? Yes, I did." he answered again. "I made love to her a week ago the night before we went out to fight Vlar, but I don't get what exactly you're trying to get here. What are you saying?"
Fishlegs' eyes widened. His jaw nearly dropped as a smile appeared on his face from cheek to cheek.
"Magnus, Eira is pregnant!"
I would like to point out just a couple of things before ending this chapter off.
Yes, Ivar has gone crazy to the point where he proclaims himself as a God. Unlike Drago who says he is the Dragon God however, Ivar believes he is among the Aesir. If any of you get the reference of where this is from, then I hope you see where exactly this is going...
Secondly, yes, Eira is pregnant. Although their child won't be born in this story, they most likely will have it in a sequel - if I ever get to it.
Anyways, thank you for reading!