Disclaimer: Any characters, situations or places that you recognized are the trademarked property of Disney, Dreamworks, and their associates. I humbly use their amazing worlds to tell my story to no profit.
Acknowledgements: The Lady Sorrows had enough time to proofread about half of this chapter before mysteriously vanishing into the ether. Legend has it that she returned to the land of fabulous red-haired people, having fulfilled her purpose in this here Earth. Regardless, I am thankful for the time she did invest in me and my ramblings and will be forever thankful. Praise be.
Notes: Exciting news for me and any and all Fantasy fans! The thing that I mentioned working on some chapters ago is finally ready. It's called the DLP Anthology. You can find more details on my profile, but the gist of it is that I somehow managed to worm myself into a group of awesome people from the DLP forum who each submitted a short story of the High Fatasy genre. It's been published, and I would appreciate any and all support. All proceeds go the maintenance of the forum. If you like my writing and/or the High Fantasy genre, please check it out. The rest of the authors are all much more skilled than I am and the editor, Joe Ducie, is a successful professional writer and author of some of the best HP fanfiction available.
Further details on my profile.
~H~
ACE 12
Act II
~H~
Hiccup was rather relieved when he got off the horse. It wasn't really the poor beast's fault, Arendellian horses were very disciplined, he had to admit. Still, horses in general were, in his experience, skittish, nervous creatures, sharing all of the dragons' apprehension but none of their intelligence.
And they couldn't fly.
Maybe he was unfair, he admitted to himself. Still, he surrendered the horse to the stable boy as soon as possible, his legs aching in places he wasn't used too. A horse saddle was much different than a dragon's, as was the riding position.
It'd taken them a bit longer to get back than they'd expected, to the point where they'd missed dinner. Anna and Kristoff had bid him goodnight after releasing the horses. Hiccup was very grateful that they hadn't asked a single question about his conversation with Grandpabbie. Perhaps it was not so surprising. He knew that Kristoff had been raised by the trolls, and Anna had explained to him that Grandpabbie had played a key role in her and Elsa's life. They would know that one's discussion with the elder troll was a deeply private affair. Similarly, they had respected his pensive mood and stayed silent during the way back, leaving him to his thoughts.
He'd sought out Toothless immediately, finding the dragon lazing about on the balcony of his quarters. Surprisingly, he wasn't alone. Barf was lying on the balcony as well, his bigger frame barely fitting on the remaining space. Ruff was there, in civilian wear for once, idly scratching Barf under his chin, much to the scarred dragon's enjoyment.
She looked up as he entered, and waved in greeting. He waved back, and joined them on the balcony. She pointed at the broken door, leaning against the wall.
"I forgot to say it earlier, but nice job on that door."
"Don't look at me. It was Toothless' fault."
His dragon pulled himself out of his reverie long enough to garble something unintelligible, but clearly irritable.
"What?" Hiccup asked. "It was your fault."
Toothless did not grace him with a reply. Hiccup shook his head.
"Useless reptile."
"So, is it true?" Ruff asked.
"What is?"
"The trolls exist?"
He nodded, eliciting an impressed whistle from Ruff.
"So old legless was right all along?"
"Seems that way, though the socks business is still under question."
"And that troll thingy helped you?"
Hiccup grimaced, the elder's words of warning resounding in his head. Not to mention …
'Follow your heart...'
Cryptic, unhelpful old cobblestone.
"I suppose he did."
"Uh huh." She said, looking unconvinced but not pushing the issue, for which Hiccup felt grateful. "What's the plan, then? We going flying?"
"Yep, so go suit up."
"Fine. Meet you in ten."
Hiccup nodded, already pulling stuff that he would need out of his bags. Ruffnut left, and Barf jumped off the balcony before opening his wings and flapping away.
Toothless got to his feet, approaching Hiccup with a questioning rumble as he changed.
"Yes, bud, we're going flying."
It was simple matter, performed thousands of times before, to prepare his gear and Toothless'. It took him a few minutes to refit the leather appendages on his armor, but it wasn't hard. Soon, they were in the Courtyard where Ruff was waiting, already on Barf's saddle. She gave him a nod before securing her helmet on her head. After her slight whistle, the green dragon grunted before jumping high and flapping his wings powerfully, taking flight.
Hiccup noticed that he had a rather large audience today, larger than usual. Perhaps word of his intending show has spread?
As if in confirmation, Ernie broke out from the mass of people and approached him. After a short bow and greeting, the young man asked: "Is it true what they say? You intend to fly by yourself?"
Hiccup smirked. Is that what they were saying? Far be it for him to deny them.
He saw the royal sisters approach. His reply to Ernie was not lost to them.
"It will be like nothing you've ever seen, my friend."
The Queen was wearing a spectacular white dress. Her hair, braided in her usual way, was dusted with ice crystals. She gave him a small, lopsided smile. One he knew was genuine.
"Do try not to kill yourself."
Hiccup repressed a snort. "No promises."
Anna stood next to her sister, practically vibrating with excitement. One look at the princess and he didn't doubt that she would push him atop Toothless if it meant she'd get him in the air earlier.
"Alright, I'm going."
He climbed on Toothless, and the slight click of his prosthetic as it latched onto the mechanism was enough for Toothless to open his wings and shuffle his weight, coiling like a spring.
"Ernie, my ladies, you should probably stand back." Hiccup said, a touch theatrically, just before Toothless shot like crossbow bolt, straight upwards. Hiccup had just enough time to hear Anna's angry exclamation as the air pushed by Toothless' wings flapped at their dresses and hair. He couldn't hold back a chuckle.
He had warned them.
He and Toothless performed a few lazy spins as they ascended, enjoying the feeling of being back in the air. They were joined seamlessly by Ruff and Barf. The two dragons banked around and began circling each other high above the courtyard.
They went through some of the more basic acrobatic drills, performing a mock fight between dragons for the sake of their audience, complete with low-powered fireballs which the dragons dodged in ever more spectacular ways. Hiccup grinned into the streaming wind as one of Toothless's daring dives brought them close enough to hear the gasps of the crowd. The dragons weren't immune to showing off either. He heard Ruff whoop in excitement as Barf followed them down. The Zippelback wasn't as agile as Toothless but he was still very capable. Barf was undoubtedly one of the most skilled dragons in Berk's possession, being a veteran and one of the very few survivors of the original crew.
Barf and Ruff showcased Barf's gas, with the Zippelback leaving a long trail that Ruff would ignite with her fire-breather to spectacular results.
After their mock-combat was over, it was time for what Hiccup had planned. Toothless and Barf leveled off, high above the clouds, and he did a final check-up of his gear. Everything being in order, he turned and gave a nod to Ruff. She shot him a grin, and then Barf broke formation, losing altitude quickly.
"You ready for this, bud?" Hiccup asked, patting Toothless' neck. The dragon's head turned almost completely to look at him, giving him a wide, toothless grin, tongue flapping against the air.
"Alright, let's do this."
At the confirmatory warble from the Night Fury, he clicked the mechanism, before pulling a small lever that locked the prosthetic tail fin in generic gliding shape. That done, he carefully stood on the saddle, balancing against the harsh winds, drawing deep breaths.
"Here goes."
With that, he jumped. He was suddenly no longer standing on Toothless, instead floating in the air, the momentum of his jump carrying him forward. He stared up, enjoying the few seconds of seeming weightlessness before gravity reasserted itself and he suddenly found himself plummeting.
He stabilized, locking his limbs in place and turning his fall into a headfirst dive. He wondered as to the noise echoing around inside his helmet, before he realized it was his own excited screaming.
Toothless caught up to him, limbs and wings locked at his sides, enjoying the free fall as much as he did.
"Yeah!" Hiccup screamed, earning another toothless smile from his lifelong friend.
Together they fell, the bed of clouds approaching rapidly with each second that passed. They broke the surface of the clouds, the land below suddenly visible, though still very far away. The castle positively gleamed in the evening sun, as did the fjord, providing one of the most amazing views Hiccup had ever seen.
"Three, two, one!" Hiccup counted down, before pulling a leather string with each hand. As he did, the leather additions to his suit deployed, catching the wind between his arms and his torso and halting his free fall, turning it into a steep glide. Beside him, Toothless had done the same, opening his wings and catching the wind, drifting next to him.
A quick, sharp tug at his waist and the spine-wing had been deployed, allowing him better directional control as he glided.
It also looks incredibly awesome, he would think to himself with glee.
Looking down, in the distance, he could see the castle, with nothing but a blur betraying the crowd in the Courtyard.
He'd shown them gliding. Now it was time to show them flight. Sort of.
"Now, Toothless!"
At his command, Toothless widened his wing-span slightly, lagging behind Hiccup. From there, he released a short fireball, which overtook Hiccup from below and exploded. Hiccup's suit caught the hot air currents, his limbs shook as he swooped upwards like a bird of prey, riding them over the last of the fireball and gaining altitude.
They repeated the process a few times, maintaining a level altitude rather than gliding downwards. It was working!
Hiccup looked down again, they had just about passed the castle, now flying directly over the fjord. A change of direction was in order.
Now, he could just angle himself and slowly but surely do a complete 180, but where would the fun be in that?
He chanced a look behind him and to the left. As expected, Ruffnut and Barf had fallen into formation next to Toothless. He nodded once, and received a similar nod from Ruff as she guided Barf in a reckless roll that took them below Toothless and to his right. With a brief surge of speed, Barf overtook first Toothless then Hiccup himself, widening the distance between them with powerful flaps of his wings. When sufficiently far away, Barf quickly reversed trajectory, now heading straight towards Hiccup.
Hiccup had a brief moment to consider what this must have looked like to the people below, before Toothless' fireball exploded below him, taking him higher. At that point, he reached the hot air from the nearly solid wall of fire that Barf and Ruffnut were producing, aimed steadily upwards, that sent him on a steep climb on the scalding air currents. Hiccup flew straight up. When he deemed his velocity sufficient, he gathered his arms closer to his sides, allowing the leather membranes to relax as he twisted.
His momentum carried him higher and he manipulated the air current and the lax membranes to gyrate, spinning faster and faster around himself. At the apex of his climb, as he felt gravity regain its inevitable hold on him, he stopped spinning, now facing the direction they had come from. Toothless had also ridden Barf's wave of flame, completing a perfect half-loop and turn, once again positioning himself behind Hiccup as they resumed their flight.
Never in his wildest dreams would the Hiccup of five years ago have thought that such miracles were possible. The rush of his flight, the strain of keeping the apparatus together, it was all making his heartbeat race and his breathing labored and intense.
He decided to, as they say, up the ante. The next time he rode a heatwave he took the opportunity to spin a few times, before redeploying the membranes to steady himself. It put undue strain on the leather, but gods smite him if it didn't feel exhilarating. Spin by spin, flip by flip, his flight was bringing him above the castle, then over it once more.
The first sign of wrongness came from the familiar empty feeling in his stomach and the vague panic one experiences when falling. His vision was a blur as he fell, having suddenly lost control of his glide and plummeting through the air.
Had the gods decided to punish him for his hubris and had, in fact, smitten him out of the sky?
But no, his frantic attempts to regain control of his drop revealed the cause as he uselessly flapped his hands in order to deploy the membranes. The right one opened perfectly, but the left one had been torn completely from the pressure, thus breaking his gliding and causing his uncontrollable spinning as he fell.
The realization brought with it the rest of his senses, and he could suddenly hear Toothless' desperate bellows from high above him as the dragon no doubt tried to catch up.
Hiccup could see nothing, spinning and turning as he was due to his one functional membrane that had no counterbalance on his left side. His fall turned him this way and that, one second he could see the clear evening sky and the next the dark blue of the fjord below, along with the occasional glints from the castle and even what he assumed were the faraway snowy mountain-tops.
He did his best to curb his mounting panic. From what glimpses his spinning allowed him, the castle, the docks and the fjord were approaching rapidly. He'd already been falling for many seconds, much more than he felt comfortable with. He tried control his fall, doing his best to align his limbs so that he'd fall at a controlled pace. He cursed loudly when he was sent wildly spinning from the membrane again. There was no way he could retract it as it was, and the wild spinning meant that no matter how hard he tried to stick his hand to his side, the wind always caught on the leather and extended it.
His frantic attempts to control his fall were for the benefit of his savior. Catching a spinning person plummeting was much harder than a person in a controlled free-fall, he knew that well.
He recognized the distant crooning that reached his ears, even past the screeching of the winds inside his helmet. Toothless was too far away to catch him. Hiccup's fall had been too abrupt for his gliding partner to follow immediately, and he could not utilize his legendary speed without full use of his tailfins.
That left only one other.
He pulled his dagger from its position by his chest with his left hand. It was hard, but he managed to bring the knife down on the membrane of his right arm, slicing it just enough and letting the wind do the rest. Not a second after he nicked it, the right membrane met the same fate as the left as the leather was split completely by the winds, and he was finally able to throw his hands out and begin controlling his fall, ceasing the stomach churning spins.
And not a moment too soon as he was yanked, rather painfully, out of his fall by something wrapping itself tightly around his torso. What little air he had was knocked out of him, and it took him a few moments to breathe and open his eyes again.
He recognized the green scales and wicked talons holding him. If he could, he would release a breath in relief. As it was, he did his best to resume breathing in a controlled manner.
A look down revealed the ground to be frightfully close. Ten, perhaps fifteen more seconds of free-fall and they'd have been gathering his remains from all over the valley.
Barf made no effort to slow down, even after catching him, as Ruffnut directed him in a sharp uptake from the mad dash to catch him, and the castle was getting further away again.
Hiccup was preparing to shout something when he was suddenly released. No, he'd been thrown! He had enough presence of mind to orient himself and land, just as he knew he would, safely on Toothless' saddle as the dragon passed by underneath him. He immediately locked his prosthetic in place and released the locking mechanism of the tailfin.
He calmed Toothless' anxious warbles by softly caressing the dragon's neck.
"Shhh, buddy. Its okay. I'm fine."
Toothless did not give up so easily, releasing a drawn-out whine and shaking his head wildly.
"I know bud, that was too close."
At that moment, Ruffnut and Barf fell in line next to them.
"Thanks." he called out.
Ruff grinned, though it looked a little strained. "Looks like you owe me. Again."
Hiccup scoffed. "I had it under control."
She barked out a laugh. "Of course, you were controllably falling to your death, all because you couldn't keep from showing off."
"Yes, well … shut up." Was his intelligent reply, eliciting another snort.
"Had enough?"
Much as he liked flying, perhaps he'd tried the patience of the gods enough for one day.
"Yeah."
"Good luck with those people."
Hiccup abruptly looked downwards, towards the Courtyard, still half-full of people that had watched his rather embarrassing fall. If his face wasn't already red from the exertion, it would probably be turning red right about now.
"I think I should probably just land somewhere else."
"The brave and mighty Wrath of Berk, fleeing from a crowd of foreigners? My, how the mighty have fallen."
Hiccup did not grace that with a reply. In cases such as these, discretion was the better part of valor. Probably.
He and Ruff split up, heading to their respective balconies and bringing themselves to the castle's level.
As soon as they landed on their balcony and Hiccup dismounted after removing his helmet he was beset by several hundred pounds of dragon and -more importantly- dragon slobber, as Toothless rather enthusiastically professed his joy at his survival.
"By Odin Toothless, quit it. This is the third time I'll have to scrub it this week." Hiccup protested, though his hands were busy scratching Toothless' head.
He'd just began inspecting the damage to the leather when the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. Every instinct he had screamed at him, warning him of possible danger to such a degree that he shivered and cast his eyes about, looking for the source of his discomfort as his fingers clenched around the hilt of his dagger.
He needn't have looked long, for the doors to his quarters were all but blasted open by a surge of frost. Upon seeing the Queen's murderous expression as she hurried inside, Hiccup surrendered himself to his fate, ignoring his instincts and releasing the dagger he'd instinctively raised, letting it clutter uselessly against the floor.
Outside the door Hiccup saw, briefly, the worried faces of the princess and Ernie, but a swift motion of the Queen's arm had the doors slamming shut as she all but stalked towards him.
He really had no idea what to do and his instinctive reaction, to backpedal away from the furious Queen, only worked until he bumped against his desk.
"Um …" he tried to speak, though no words in particular made it out.
The Queen had reached him not stopping until she had entered his personal space. A gloved hand shot up and Hiccup felt a stinging pain on his cheek, along with the sudden realization that he was staring at his bed, to his right. He'd been slapped. Rather forcefully, at that.
He brought a hand to his stinging cheek, wincing as even that contact sparked another bit of pain.
"Ow. What the-"
"What the hell was that?" The Queen interrupted him, grabbing the front of his leather armor and pushing him against his desk. Even if Hiccup was almost a full head taller than her, that did not make her any less intimidating. "Is that your way of doing something crazy?"
"Err…"
"Do you have any idea how that looked? How helpless I felt watching you fall to your death? I told you, you reckless idiot, I told you. Try not to die, were these not my explicit instructions?"
The tiny smile that took over Hiccup's lips was painful. "I said no promises, remember?"
She grunted in frustration pushing him against the desk again with surprising strength as she rested her head against his chest, probably debating whether further physical violence was prudent or not. Hiccup attributed the slight shaking of her shoulders to her anger. But, perhaps ...
He brought his right hand up and, very carefully, caressed her cheek. Gently, he took hold of her chin and led her to look at him. He felt the sting of shame at seeing her watery eyes. He really hadn't considered what this must have looked like to her or the other locals, beyond the embarrassment of failure. Close calls were common for him, but this wasn't about him, and he wasn't in Berk anymore. Once again, he'd failed someone he cared about.
"I'm sorry I worried you." He said, doing his best to sound as sincere as he felt. "I'm fine, though. See? All here."
Her expression changed, several emotions passing beneath her eyes, too quickly to recognize.
"You really are an idiot."
"That's what I'm t-" He didn't finish his sentence, as the clenched fists on his chest suddenly pulled him down and the next thing he knew, Elsa had locked her lips with his in a kiss he could only describe as equal parts desire and anger.
He wasn't one to complain though.
After what felt like an hour but realistically mustn't have been more than a minute she released him, panting against his chest as both tried to regain their bearings.
"But…" Hiccup began, confused. "I thought you said-"
"I know what I said." She cut him off sharply, fingers once again gripping him in death-grip. Her shoulders shook once, twice. "I know what I said." She repeated. "I just-"
Rather than complete her sentence, she kissed him again. This time Hiccup was more prepared, though her aggressiveness and her apparent sense of urgency were still novel.
When they separated, neither spoke for a minute, digesting all that had happened.
"I'm sorry." Hiccup repeated.
"Don't ever do that to me again."
He tried to suppress a grimace, and for the most part succeeded. That was not something he could promise. "I'll try not to."
The silence was tense, as she continued to hold him by his armor and his hands were loosely around her sides.
All things considered, Hiccup felt like he'd gotten off rather easily. Which probably explained the idiocy that followed.
"You have to admit though," he said, "that was awesome."
He realized that it had been a mistake as soon as he saw the flash in her eyes and the squaring of her jaw. Him and his big mouth.
The next thing he knew, he was doubled over, kneeling on the ground as intense and blinding pain wracked his body, centered around his privates, courtesy of the Queen's knee. He sucked in a greedy breath as he grunted, doing his best not to pass out or sprawl on the floor. All he could see through watery eyes were Elsa's shoes, a sparkling purple pair.
"Was that …" He managed to hiss through his teeth as soon as he could breathe again, hands still clasped protectively over the injured region "really … necessary?"
"No." he heard her voice, surprisingly light considering her earlier anger. He saw her feet turn, before starting a leisure walk towards the double doors of his rooms.
"I just really, really wanted to." Were her parting words, before she left him alone in his misery.
Even as the intense waves of pain continued, Hiccup could not help the wry chuckle that escaped him, though it came out as more of a cough than a laugh.
He'd have to give this round to her.
Throughout all this, his partner had lounged on the balcony, content to simply watch the scene play out.
"Toothless," he called as he tried to drag himself to the bed, "a little help?"
All he got in reply was an amused snort. Apparently, his traitor of a dragon thought he'd deserved it.
"Good-for-nothing lizard."
~H~
Within half an hour he'd felt well enough to get off the bed, though he did so gingerly. The Queen had a surprising aptitude for violence when she put her mind to it, it seemed. He must have really scared her if he'd pushed her to such lengths.
He'd seen to Toothless' dinner, and then had his own dinner with Ruffnut. He refused to tell his blonde friend what had happened, quite sure that he would never live it down. Instead he bored her with his ideas for possible safety mechanisms. Whatever he'd told Elsa, the fall had made him think. Perhaps a backup set of wings, or some kind of detachability that would allow mid-air replacements. Ruff for the most part wasn't listening to him. She'd brought Frot with her, the little Tiny Terror, and was preoccupied with feeding him scraps from their meal as they ate. Hiccup didn't mind, he'd only been thinking out loud anyway.
After their late dinner they had planned to just chill at one of the balconies for a while before separating for the night, Ruff carrying a tired Frot in her arms. As they were making their way to the staircase, aiming to go higher, they crossed paths with a figure steadily descending the steps.
The Commander General, dressed in a heavy coat lined with fur, gave them a polite, if brief, nod and greeting before continuing on his way. The vikings responded in kind as they began their ascension.
Hiccup cast a glance behind him, noting the general turning into the hallway that would lead him to the castle entrance, the Courtyard, and eventually out of the castle proper. He frowned, several thoughts crossing his mind before he made a split-second decision.
"Ruff, you go on ahead, I have something to do."
"Hm?" She said, turning to look at him from a few steps higher when she realized he had stopped. "What's this now?"
"Nothing, just … call it a hunch. I'll see you tomorrow."
She shook her head. "Whatever, I don't wanna know. You and your hunches always get us in trouble."
"Because you have a difficult time getting in trouble by yourself?"
"Hey, screw you." She called behind her back as she continued her way up the stairs.
On second thought … "Hold on!" He called. She paused again arching an eyebrow at him.
"Send me Frot." Hiccup asked.
Ruff didn't question him, she just lightly shook Frot out of his digestive stupor. When the Tiny Terror looked at her inquisitively she nodded towards Hiccup and clicked her tongue. Getting the hint, Frot unfurled his tiny wings and flapped, landing on Hiccup's outstretched hands.
"I'd better get him back." Ruff warned.
"Sure."
Hiccup went down the stairs, following the Commander General's path, as Ruff went up the staircase and vanished around a corner. The older man had quite the head start and if his hurried steps were any indication, Hiccup would have had a hard time catching up and finding him, especially without sunlight. However...
"Hey boy, can you help me with something?" Hiccup asked the Terror while scratching him under the chin, much to the dragon's enjoyment. Putty in his hands, he was not surprised at all to hear the approving growl from the small creature.
"Remember the guy who just passed us? Can you get his scent?"
Frot shook his head, trying to focus his senses, and let out a frustrated whine.
"I know there are dozens of scents buddy, but just focus on the strongest on besides mine and Ruff's. The most recent. He went that way." He said, pointing down the hallway. Frot focused for a few seconds, nostrils flaring and tongue tasting the air rapidly. He suddenly let out a triumphant shriek and extended his neck fully towards the hallway.
"Good boy. Let's follow him."
Hiccup followed Frot's nose as the Terror lead him through the hallways, the inner gates, the Courtyard, and eventually the castle perimeter gates themselves. Technically the castle was closed at this time of night, but Hiccup -and the Commander General- was one of the few people allowed to use one of the smaller, side-entrances, carefully hidden next to the gates.
Arendelle at this hour of day was quiet, but not completely empty. Hiccup, thankful for the local coat that he'd chosen to wear, pulled the hood over his head and hid Frot inside it and over his stomach. He bent at the waist, so that the slouching and his hands were enough to hide Frot's head, which was protruding from his coat. Adding a small limp to his step ensured that no one would recognize him, the coat was long enough to cover most of his prosthetic from view.
Frot led him through Arendelle's main district, then left at an intersection that lead to one of the lesser merchant areas, closer to the docks. After about ten minutes of navigations, Frot's signals were becoming and more frantic. They were close.
"You need to be quiet now, boy." Hiccup cautioned.
When Frot tensed, approaching a corner, Hiccup paused. Very carefully, he glanced around the corner at the small alley. There was the Commander General, deep in discussion with another person. Hiccup recognized the man from the meeting they'd had … earlier that day? It seemed far longer, so much had happened today.
Vren, was it? Protector Divisive, or something like that? Yes, that was the guy.
Hiccup could not hear what they were saying, and he could not approach any closer, either. The alley was too empty, they would notice him the moment he turned the corner. From the looks of things, the Commander was issuing orders, as the Protector Divisive only seemed to be paying attention and nodding, occasionally giving short replies. After five minutes they seemed to have ended their Commander turned and headed towards Hiccup's side of the alley. Hiccup quickly turned the other way and assumed a very slow walk as he slouched, doing his best imitation of an old man. The Commander General, with his brisk walk, caught up to him half a minute later and passed him by, not giving him a single look. Hiccup stopped and watched the man leave, heading down the district in the direction of the castle.
The Protector Divisive, however …
"Follow the other guy, Frot." Hiccup instructed as he looked down the alley again. It was empty, so he hurried to cross it and look at the road on the other side. He saw no sign of him, so he waited for the Terror to pick up the scent.
A slight nudge and he was walking down the left, following the road toward the docks. In the distance, he could see the towering masts of Arendelle's majestic trade ships. He had no time to daydream about them, because Frot was leading further away from the castle, to the edges of Arendelle. The gigantic trade ships were on richer docks, around the castle itself. However, the further one walked from the castle, the bigger variety of ships he would see. The harbor continued, stretching in the distance, boats of all shapes and sizes roped on its docks.
And suddenly Hiccup could see his guy, several dockyards ahead, and he slowed to a crawl, before coming to a stop in front of a fish stall, long since closed. His conspicuous appearance meant that he didn't draw the attention of the Protector Divisive, or the shady guys he was talking with.
Hiccup observed them for a few minutes. The people the Divisive was talking to were mostly covered, their clothes in a state between rags and respectable. Hiccup did not dare approach further.
Eventually, the Divisive and the men all boarded the docked boat and headed inside in. Hiccup could not recognize the boat beyond the fact that it wasn't Arendellian and not particularly big. Single mast, no flags, inconspicuous grey sails. He was itching to get closer, to perhaps board the boat and get a glimpse of what the Divisive and the men were doing or discussing, but he did not risk it.
Eventually, he could wait for the man no longer. He wanted to stay and figure out more, but he knew that if he stayed any longer he'd be missed at the castle, and that was one conversation he did not look forward to. He made a mental note of the number carved into the wharf in front of the ship. It would have had to register with the dockmaster to moor up here. Unfortunately, that was all he could do at the moment. Grudgingly, he took the path back to the gates.
He fed the guards some story about getting lost, and they all had a hearty laugh about it as they let him in.
He considered what it could all mean as he bathed and prepared for bed. Clearly, the General and the Divisive were up to something, something that they felt had to be done in the secrecy of night and away from the castle's view. Something that had to do with those men on the ship. Their skin had seemed darker to Hiccup, but it had been dark outside and with how they had been covering their heads he couldn't be sure.
Toothless was asleep on the balcony, no doubt happily digesting his dinner. Hiccup himself did not put off sleep any longer, for tomorrow would no doubt be a trying day, even if all went according to plan.
Blizzards raged in his dreams that night.
~H~
Morning found him in jitters. He double checked his clothes and equipment, the recent failure making him mindful of further potential troubles.
Breakfast was had in uncomfortable silence, as the breakfast table was no place to discuss specifics of their undertaking, yet that was all that was on their minds. Well, most of it. Hiccup was still unsure on what to think of his last run-in with the Queen, never mind if he should bring it up and what to say about it, if so.
He spent the better part of the morning until noon placating Toothless. The dragon was unhappy about being left behind and very vocal about his disapproval. It took a lot of smooth talking from Hiccup to settle his agitated friend.
When it was time, Ruffnut came to his quarters, wearing her light leather armor and her double-bladed axe resting on her back. She gave him a once-over upon entry.
"You ready?" She asked.
Hiccup gave a solemn nod. No doubt battle would be joined today. He had fought no small amount of battles in his short life, yet he did not feel eagerness at the prospect of more bloodshed.
Smoker was resting at his side, and his dagger was hidden beneath the reddish sash around his waist. His bow he deemed too cumbersome for urban skirmishes.
They left Toothless and Barf on the gardens and the two dragons, while clearly unhappy, took courage from each other and refrained from making a scene.
In the courtyard they met the Queen, her entourage, and several curious people. No doubt the Vikings' visit to Varnas had been well talked about, word spreading through the Queen's agents to notify the enemy.
A small host, no more than five men, were waiting for them, with two extra horses. No doubt a misleading number of guards, to present a more juicy target.
He had time to exchange a few words with the Queen, who approached him, giving an uncomfortable look at his sword and Ruff's axe.
"If all goes well, you will not be near the fighting."
"If all goes well." Hiccup repeated, implication clear on his tone. The Queen frowned.
"Promise me you will stay away."
He shook his head, letting out a long breath. How to put it ... "Trust me in this, if nothing else."
She seemed to consider his words, and in the end did not say whatever it was on the tip of her tongue. Hiccup could almost see the resignation in her eyes as she changed the topic.
"I … apologize... for my conduct yesterday. It was not proper."
Hiccup almost chuckled, and shook his head. No, it was too late to go back to playing royals now.
"You're not sorry." He accused with mirth.
At this, the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips, until now pressed into an almost angry line.
"I did not say that I was." She noted. "Just that I apologize."
"Apology accepted, in that case. I do not doubt that I deserved it."
"The apology, or the action that warranted one?"
Unfortunately, their time was up, as he was now the sole reason they had not departed yet. Even Ruff was mounted and watching the exchange with what he could express only as glee.
The Queen noticed this as well.
"We will speak further upon your return." She said. The 'Come back' command was left unsaid, but Hiccup heard it, all the same. For this being her plan, the Queen seemed rather worried. Hiccup himself did not much like what they were about to do, either.
Or maybe it was him she did not trust to go along with the plan? Regardless.
"Do me a favor." He asked, and she tilted her head, curious.
"Name it."
Hiccup gave her a brief description of the ship he'd watched last night, and the number on it.
"Would you look into it? Discreetly."
"What is this about?"
"Call it a hunch. Could be important, could be nothing."
Her brow was furrowed rather cutely in confusion, clearly not understanding his motives, but she nodded nonetheless.
"I will see what I can find."
"Thank you."
With that and a final bow of the head, he -carefully- mounted his horse and nodded to the guards. They left the castle, walking through the city in a slow pace until they had cleared it. After that, on the open path, the horses opened their strides, going a little faster but still just travelling speed.
Ruff rode beside him, two of the guards in front and one acting as the rear guard. Varnas was, as promised, not too far away, yet far away from the capital and Elsa's seat of power for the enemy to, presumably, feel safe in their movements.
They stopped on occasion, seeking the shade of the roadside trees to snack upon some provisions and let the horses rest, but no more than twice did they stop.
Several hours into their journey, Ruffnut nudged him. "Why the long face?"
Indeed, Hiccup had a perpetually dark look on his face. He made an effort to relax, but found that he couldn't. He turned to face Ruffnut.
"I'm not sure, I just have a bad feeling."
"This is a trap that we're walking into." She pointed out.
"I know. All the same, keep your eyes open. I don't like this."
"Kay, chief." Despite the nonchalance of her tone, Hiccup could make out the stiffening of her jaw and the clenching of her fists. Ruff was as on edge as he himself was.
Not many words were exchanged for the rest of their journey. Varnas came into view view eventually, as they circled a hill. It was, surprisingly, larger than Arendelle herself. It lacked a castle, or any sizable buildings, but the sheer space the town covered was more than the capital. When asked, the guards replied that Varnas was a major population center and housed a good percentage of Arendelle's population, but lacked a port, for which merchants had to travel all the way to the capital.
As they approached, Hiccup and Ruff were let in on the details of the plan. Namely, the route that they were expected to follow, up to the point of the switch, where they would then go to hide, and the route their doubles would follow were laid out to them. They were to wait in a building nearby that had been cleared, and more loyal soldiers of Arendelle waited to guard them.
To his dismay, Hiccup had neither the time nor -surprisingly- the interest to take in Varnas' architecture or people, something he would otherwise love to do. His mind was too focused on the task ahead, so he barely took note of when they entered the town perimeter. No fortifications of any kind, the only thing to mark entrance into the town were the houses themselves.
Unlike with Arendelle they did not draw attention, for Varnas at this time of day was filled to the brim with people milling around, and even their weird attire, weaponry or security detail were not enough to draw anything beyond a second glance.
Soon they had reached deep within the city, and abandoned their horses on what seemed to be a barracks before continuing on foot. For several minutes they walked, mingling with the busy traffic, the vikings pretending innocent interest in their surroundings.
At a subtle nod from the head guard, Hiccup understood that it was time to split up. He recognized the place they were, a square with a statue of one of Elsa's ancestors, and knew where they were supposed to go from there. He had a loud discussion with the guard about how the soldiers would be waiting for them at the barracks and that they could go back there whenever they were done having a look around.
Hiccup and Ruffnut continued on alone, taking the predetermined route that would take them, seemingly by accident, away from the center of the city and closer to the outskirts, where roads were smaller, buildings more cramped together and people sparse. If an ambush was to be made, he had been told, that was where it would be.
His eyes flit all over the place, searching for signs of trackers or ill intent. Several times he caught the glimmer of weapons among folds of clothing, but knew not if these were the enemy, disguised Arendellian soldiers, or simply armed civilians. He had the feeling that he was being watched, an uneasy thing like when one might put his shirt backwards and be uncomfortable until he fixes it. Still, he did not know if that could be attributed simply to the disguised soldiers he'd been assured were around.
He kept up a stream of small talk with Ruff, to cover the silence and to keep up appearances of taking a casual stroll. She responded, but by her gruff and short replies her nerves showed through.
Soon, they reached a small alley between two buildings that had its two entrances covered by wooden planks. They'd been told that the switch was to take place there, and that they would be escorted to their hiding place from a hidden door in the left building.
Opening the flimsy wooden door, Hiccup confirmed that they had come to the right place. Within the, admittedly tight, confines of the dark alley were four people. Two of them wore civilian clothes but carried wicked looking swords, and the other two were clearly meant to be their doubles.
Ruff let out low whistle. "Don't you look fine, girl?"
Hiccup ignored his subordinate and inspected his double carefully, fighting down the urge to widen his eyes in surprise. In the lighting of the alley, the man standing in front of him looked exactly like him, down to his very clothes and gear.
He supposed that the gear would have been easy enough to replicate, though he didn't know when they'd had enough time to examine it, but the very characteristic hair would have been decidedly less so. Still, Ernie had told him that it was not rare in Arendelle for people to wear what he called 'wigs', in essence fake hair. Either this was such a wig, or this man had been chosen for the close resemblance of his hair style to his own.
Similarly, the angry scar running down his face must have been painted on, considering the fact that it was an exact replica of the one that marred his own face.
Like his own, Ruffnut's double had the exact same hairstyle, and her armor was nearly identical. Not perfect, but he doubted any enemies would spot the subtle differences. It was quite impressive to find a woman that could so closely pass as Ruffnut in the short time she had been here.
When they approached them, Hiccup noticed that, despite their work, their faces could not be copied completely, despite what must have been a lot of effort. Still, they looked similar enough to pass muster from a cursory look, and the rest of their appearance would be enough to convince any watches on the other end of the alley that it was, in fact, the vikings that walked out.
"Chief Haddock, this way." One of the two soldiers whispered to him, holding a tiny door open that lead to the darkness inside the building. "Quickly."
The doubles gave them a nod before turning, no doubt in order to walk to the other end of the alley and continue on the planned course.
Hiccup put a firm hand on his double's shoulder, halting him before he took a step.
"Stop." He ordered. "There's been a change of plans."
All four of them turned to look at him, looks of confusion on their faces.
"Sir?" Ruffnut's double asked.
Hiccup jerked his head towards the hidden door. "You go with them to the hiding place. We'll proceed as planned and meet you there when it's done."
Hiccup could see the frustration on their faces as soon as they understood what he was saying.
"But chief, our orders-"
"I don't give a dragon's claw about your orders." Hiccup cut him off, mindful not to raise his voice. "No one risks their life in my place. Now get out of our way, you're wasting time."
And it was true, they could not stay here in the alley and argue for long. Any more tarrying, and any observers would surely know something was up.
The soldiers knew this, too, and despite their apparent discomfort wisely chose not to argue with him, instead giving him grim nods.
"Give them hell, sir."
Hiccup smiled.
The four of them entered the building through the hidden entrance at the same time he and Ruff walked to the other end of the alley. Exiting through the opposite wooden doorway, they continued their seemingly random stroll through the seedier part of the city, though Hiccup's fingers itched to close around his dagger.
He kept getting goosebumps, and while they were more than likely to be attributed to his nerves, his gut told him that he was being watched. He kept glancing discreetly at the few people, poor people, dressed in battered clothes, that they passed, but they didn't seem to notice them or were very good at hiding it.
The two of them kept up a steady stream of mindless banter, in part to keep up appearances and in part to ground themselves.
That is what they were doing when they entered a surprisingly large space between three buildings, near the end of the route their doubles were supposed to have taken. While the roads themselves were tight, there was a cart left against one of the building walls. Around it, several men were gathered, arguing over its contents.
Hiccup halted, for after a second's hesitation he was sure. The eyes of three of the four men were undoubtedly set on the two of them, despite their conversation and on one of the side buildings a door was creaking open.
He heard Ruffnut curse as she turned, unhooking her axe with deft movements, and a quick look verified that two people had blocked the way they had come and were slowly advancing on them.
He drew Smoker.
Aware now that they had been noticed, the men abandoned all pretense and drew weapons from beneath the cart's covering, as at the same time more men streamed out of the now open door.
The trap had been sprung.
~H~
From the get-go, Hiccup understood that they were fucked. There was no way the two of them, skilled though they may be, could take on a group as large as this in such tight confines.
He counted nine enemies, but more could be coming out of the door, of which he lost line of sight as he and Ruffnut fell back into the alley.
Therein lay the key to their survival, taking control of the alley from which they came. That alley, barely fitting two people side by side while they walked, would mean that for all intents and purposes he and Ruff could each hold one direction and only face one opponent at a time. It was their only hope to stay alive long enough for the Arendellian reinforcements to reach them. Hiccup wasn't certain how far away they were, or how quickly they would notice the vikings' predicament. All he could do now was send a silent prayer to the gods and focus on staying alive.
Ruffnut rushed at the two men advancing on them, letting out a loud war cry as she swung her axe for momentum. Hiccup lost sight of her as he followed her inside the alley, backpedaling quickly.
The first man reached him a few seconds later, and Hiccup could tell from the cocky smirk on his face and the wide swing of his sword that he was being underestimated. All the better, he parried the strike high, occupying the man's sword with Smoker while his left foot shot up and kicked him hard in the groin. The man collapsed, reflexively letting go of the sword as he fell to his knees, a groan beginning to leave his lips.
Hiccup wasted no time and brought down Smoker as hard as he could, lodging it in the space between the neck and the shoulder. The man stared dumbly at him for a second, a hand reaching for the sword before Hiccup kicked him in the face, hard. Smoker dislodged and the man fell to the ground, not to rise again.
Now wary from their comrade's quick death, the others thought twice about rushing Hiccup. The second man, just a bit shorter than Hiccup, with rugged features and what appeared to be chain-mail beneath his clothes, squared his shoulders and approached him carefully, his comrades just far enough behind him to not be hit by any stray swings.
The clamor of Ruffnut's fight with the two men was suddenly replaced by a pained yell, followed by loud curses. Hiccup almost turned to look, concern for his friend overriding his common sense for a half-second.
That hesitation cost him, as his opponent chose that moment to launch his first strike, a stab that almost skewered him completely. As it was, Hiccup barely managed to turn the tip of the enemy's weapon to the side with his own, but his awkward movement had left him to receive a vicious punch to the face. While normally such a hit would disorient him, the rush of battle made it so that he barely felt it, though he did feel his lip splitting.
There was no time to worry about it though, as his adversary tried to use his superior bulk to shove Hiccup, in order to imbalance or even topple him.
Hiccup went with the movement, taking a step back and throwing the opponent's arm off him, Smoker being a bit too heavy to bring to bear so quickly and in so close range. Still, he took advantage of his height and, when the enemy blocked his follow-up swing and parried his sword to the left, gave him as strong a headbutt as he could. His ears were ringing after the collision with the man's brow, but he had it much better than his opponent who gasped and took a step back, disoriented.
Hiccup took this opportunity to sink Smoker into the man's chest, right below the neck where the chain-mail ended, and then quickly recover it as he fell backwards, dead.
He quickly raised his eyes to look at the enemies still gathered in front of him when he saw the last thing he wanted to see in such a close combat engagement, held in the hands of the man behind the two immediately closest to him.
A gods-damned crossbow.
He tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. As it was, the bolt lodged itself into his left shoulder rather than pierce his chest.
Hiccup let out a cry of pain as he was jerked backwards by the force of the bolt, Smoker falling from limp fingers as he stumbled.
He slipped on something wet and completely lost his balance, crashing into the ground painfully on his back.
Immediately they tried to capitalize on his fallen state, and the next two enemies moved forward to finish him off. One of them wielded a wooden spear, effective, however crude, and tried to stab at Hiccup with it.
Hiccup had enough presence of mind to push the spear to the left as it came down, using his greaves of hardened leather. His foot shot up and tripped the second person, buying him a few more seconds as the man's remaining leg slipped on what Hiccup now knew was blood from his first two kills.
With a mighty effort that sent fire coursing through his veins, Hiccup used his left, injured arm to clutch at the spear and pull, bringing its wielded closer. A wooden spear being much shorter than a halberd, the man was close enough for Hiccup's right hand, which had just retrieved his dagger from his sash in a smooth motion, to swipe at.
The man let go of the spear as he brought both hands to clutch at his neck, now completely torn open and gushing blood. He was pushed aside by the second man, who had regained his feet with an angry snarl and was hefting a rather wicked looking mace.
Behind him, Hiccup could see the crossbowman reloading his weapon and the remaining enemies surging closer, obviously wanting to take advantage of his unfortunate position.
The man's mace was blocked just in time by Ruffnut's axe, who suddenly entered Hiccup's field of vision. Presumably she had managed to kill her two opponents, though she had a nasty cut on her side, her leather and fur armor having been torn open, and one of her eyes was closed by the stream of blood falling down her brow. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, she looked just as fierce as she always was, if not more, as she snarled at the man and threw herself at him.
Hiccup felt a wave of gratitude for his friend as he struggled to regain his feet with the space she bought him, but knew it would be for naught. There were still many men attacking them, and even if they turned to the now open entrance to the alley and started running they would not go far, in their state. To top it all of, the crossbowman had finished reloading and was about to take aim.
Or he would have, if his face hadn't suddenly contorted into a mask of pain, before dropping forward, crossbow slipping from his hands. Hiccup saw two bolts sticking out of the man's back.
"Chief Haddock!"
The angry cry came from the other side, from the clearing between buildings that held the cart and from which they'd fled. Hiccup saw, behind the enemies, soldiers of Arendelle rushing at them, two of which were busy reloading their crossbows.
Relief flooded through his mind. Help had arrived!
With a triumphant cry, Ruffnut used her enemy's distraction at the sudden turn of events to toss his mace from his hand and sink her axe sideways in his chest. At the same time, the Arendellians smashed into the would-be ambushers with all the force of an avalanche.
Hiccup watched the short battle unfold, resting his weight against the wall, left hand limply holding his dagger while his right clutched at his shoulder, not daring to pull the bolt out just yet.
With surprise and numbers on their side, it was not long before all the enemies lay on the ground, dead or dying.
The soldiers and Ruff, who had helped mop up the rest of the enemies, approached him. A soldier was limping and another was being supported by two of his comrades in order to stand, but the Arendellians had otherwise suffered no casualties.
His friend was immediately at his side, passing him Smoker, which she had retrieved, and curling an arm around the side of his uninjured arm to help him stand. Hiccup ignored her own hiss of pain as she put strain on her own, injured side. She would have to tend to it quickly, otherwise the bleeding, slow but steady, would become dangerous.
"Chief Haddock, are you alright?" The lead soldier asked when they reached and surrounded him.
"I'll live." Hiccup said with a grimace. He testily tugged at the bolt lodged on his shoulder, and barely managed to contain a loud cry of pain at the sudden surge of fire all over his left side as his vision blacked out for a second.
"We need to reach the safehouse." The captain said. "We can get you treated there."
Hiccup nodded and, with Ruff's only slightly unnecessary help, let go of the wall. He looked at the carnage around him. Ten bodies lay on the ground, in various states ranging from dead to dying. While the confrontation itself had gone worse than he'd have liked, the numbers went better than he expected. Just ten men? He had expected … more.
Hiccup wasn't sure what brought about this uneasy feeling. Perhaps it was just the intense pain he was in, but he didn't like this. Not at all. They had survived and thwarted the ambush, but he still had a bad feeling. This looked, bolt in the shoulder notwithstanding, far too easy.
"Let's get out of here."
Despite the size of their group, reaching almost a dozen people, they tried to be quiet as they left the alley and made way to the safehouse. Hiccup and Ruff were in the middle, along with the two men carrying the injured one, and the others were fanned out around them, with the two crossbowmen having their weapons ready. They avoided the main roads, sticking to the less populated areas. Few people were still out and about, and they gave them weird looks but did not bother what was obviously a contingent of Arendellian soldiers.
The safehouse was in a nondescript building, nestled among other, exactly identical ones. It was closer to the center of the city than Hiccup would have thought, but he did not dwell on strategic criticism overmuch.
The soldiers took them to the building's side, which held a small, walled off alley. From there, they moved a wooden crate and opened the newly revealed hatch.
"Inside." The captain urged him to go first, gesturing to dark steps that lead below. Hiccup nodded and entered the hatch, Ruffnut keeping him steady as he descended the precarious steps, the captain himself right behind them.
The basement was dark, and his eyes took a while to adjust. It seemed that, from the seedy alley, they had stepped into a fully equipped armory. Racks lined the walls with enough weapons to supply a small garrison. Distributed around the room were also crates and barrels, no doubt filled with provisions.
The captain retrieved a torch from a wall and lit it with a flint, before pointing at a door.
"Through there." He said. "We can get someone to treat you."
With that he opened the door and the three of them walked in, the rest of the soldiers following behind them.
It wasn't long after entering the room that the single torch's light revealed more of the room.
Hiccup's eyes widened when he noticed the state of his surroundings.
By the gods…
"What in Odin's name happened here?" Ruffnut asked, echoing his thoughts. The captain and the soldiers, for their part, offered no reply, speechlessly taking in the carnage around them.
For carnage it was. Bodies littered the floor, all in various states of injury, all of them doubtlessly dead. Tables and chairs were upturned, plates of food discarded on the floor, itself covered in blood almost in its entirety.
Hiccup saw the two soldiers chosen as their doubles, still, for the most part, in their disguises. Their bodies were lying next to each other in the far corner of the room, next to an upturned wooden bench. Crossbow bolts were sticking out of their bodies, as well as the bodies of many of the dead guards inside the safehouse. The man actually had very short, sandy blonde hair. His face, now bloodied and locked in a perpetual mask of agony, looked surprisingly young.
This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen.
The safehouse had been compromised.
"We need to move." Hiccup said. "Now."
~H~