The wind rushed by at an amazing speed, the air was cool and fresh as they cut through the dark sky, Valka however was far too upset to take in any of this. Clutching Hiccup to her chest Valka gradually slowed and then stopped her cries for help. For as they left Berk further and further behind Valka realized that it was now pointless. No one would likely hear her from all the way up here, even if a ship happened to be passing by. Not that they would be able to help her anyway she realized, remembering the giant dragon above her. She looked up at the dragon that had both saved and ruined her life. Why had it saved them only to then carry them off? Maybe it had only taken them to protect them from that blast of fire? But then where were they going now? Why take them at all?
"Oh!" Valka gasped, snapping suddenly out of her thoughts. The blast of fire. Valka hurriedly turned to the still crying Hiccup in her arms to see a horrible sight. Her son was badly burned. That final blast that had burnt Valka's arm had also gotten Hiccup. Her son had angry red marks across the right side of his face and the skin on his right arm and side was also bright pink. Valka began to weep and rock her son back and forth trying to calm him.
What would she do? Her son would never survive something like this. Especially not without the medicine in the village. As Valka began to cry the Stormcutter looked down at them in concern. "This is all your fault!" Valka yelled at the dragon. "my son is burned and will probably di-die now!" Valka half screamed, half cried up at the dragon. The Stormcutter warbled and then dropped down to hover over the oceans surface. Valka looked at the dragon and then to the water. Was it going to drop them? No, it just hovered there and made a concerned noise and gestured towards Hiccup and then at the water. It was trying to help. Valka slowly lowered her hands, still clutched around hiccup, into the sea and used the water to cover her sons burns. While the salt probably burned even worse it was better than nothing and she silently thanked the dragon as she bent her head over her son and they rose back up into the starry sky.
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Cloudjumper had never meant to take the humans with her, it really was an accident. But they had been in danger! She couldn't just leave them in that exposed field with the queens dragons on a rampage. A battle was no place for a mother and her hatchling! Stupid Two Walkers. She was worried about how the mother would react to being taken from her home but after her initial shouts she seemed more worried about her hatchling. Cloudjumper too was concerned about the young one's burns, Two Walkers are so fragile. There was only one hope for the hatchling now and Cloudjumper knew it. She had to get him back to the king. They weren't far from the nest now and even though she knew the Two Walker wouldn't understand her Cloudjumper continued to reassure the mother by telling her that everything would be alright and that she and her son would not be harmed.
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"Please," Valka pleaded. "Please just bring us back to our home, my son, he needs help." "His burns will never heal without any medicine." "He will be marked, outcast." But the dragon just warbled a reply and stayed true to their course. Where were they going anyway? Hiccup had finally fallen asleep so Valka resigned herself to the silence and merely clutched her son close to her body and prayed to the gods.
After what Valka estimated to be about six hours she finally got her first sight of land, and it was incredible, from what she could see it was a good sized island, about twice the size of Berk, with a rocky beach on one side and mountains on the other. The island was almost entirely covered in trees and they extended almost all the way to the waters edge. The cliffs were swarming with color and Valka soon realized they were covered in all different types of dragons. The lush forest and colorful dragons were a beautiful sight, but they paled in comparison to the main feature of the island.
Valka gasped out loud at the sight in front of her, touching the water on the closest side of the island, close to the mountains and covering about a third of the island was a great ice fortress. It rose up high over the tallest trees and and spread far across the island. As they got closer Valka was surprised by the lack of temperature change, it remained pleasantly cool despite their increasing proximity to the great ice structure. As they approached it became clear that they were headed right for one of the holes in the ice.
As they entered the great wall of the vast structure Valka couldn't help but be impressed at the ease with which the Stormcutter navigated the labyrinth within. Beneath the exterior of of the ice was a complex and twisted system of crisscrossing tunnels and beams of ice. The dragon took turn after turn sometimes avoiding ice beams that crisscrossed the space, sometimes entering tunnels that barely allowed for them to pass. Though it felt like a much longer time it was probably only about thirty seconds before they came to the end of the last tunnel and emerged into what could only be the hollow inside of the fortress.
Valka gaped, never in her life had she seen such and amazing sight, when they emerged she was greeted by thousands upon thousands of dragons, far more than had been outside on the cliffs. And, at the center of the area, sitting in what appeared to be a small lake, was the largest dragon Valka had ever seen. It was massive. Tall as a mountain and wide as a small island. Though her first thought was fear it didn't last long, the great beast had a subtle but powerful calming effect, in fact Valka felt more at ease than she had in a long time. Hiccup must have felt his great presence as well because he began to stir and then cry as the pain of his burns returned. Valka tried to soothe him as she stared in amazement at the dragons swirling through the air, watched as they lounged on the inside mountainous areas, and landed in the many caves dotting the interior of the vast space. The next thing Valka knew she was being gently set down in one such cave. The cave was about 15 meters from the ground and fairly spacious. It was about two and a half meters from floor to ceiling, five meters long, and six deep. There was a small stream towards the left side that ran from a crack in the wall, along a groove in the floor and over the edge of the cave floor, she could also see several tunnels going off into the rock behind her. However her attention was immediately directed back toward the great dragon as it moved slightly and lifted its head towards them.
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"King" Cloudjumper hurriedly addressed the Bewilderbeast. "Cloudjumper" he acknowledged, "why have you brought these humans here?" "My King" Cloudjumper began, "I was passing one of the Two Walker islands during one of the Red Queens raids when I saw these two in immediate danger from a confused Boulderwing!" "I do not know what made me do it but I felt the need to protect them, especially the hatchling. Then after I had saved them the mother did something I have never seen from their kind before. She did not recoil or try to attack me but instead allowed me to see her child and even thanked me!" "So, when a Flamescale attempted to kill them I had no choice but to get out of there and bring them with me." She finished with deep breath in. "I can sense something different in these two," said the king, "especially the child." "They are permitted to stay so long as they wish to." he said, bowing his head in their direction. "Thank you my King" said Cloudjumper "but the hatchling was severely burned in the Flamescale's attack, I fear for his life, you can save him can't you?" After a moment the Bewilderbeast consented, "this has never been done before, the child will be changed, but yes I can save him."
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Valka watched the two dragon's unintelligible conversation with rapt interest. This great beast was truly a sight to behold. After a few minutes the two dragons turned their heads in her direction and the Stormcutter came to land next to her in the cave. It slowly approached and nodded its head towards Hiccup and then at the king. Valka only clutched her child closer and backed up a few steps. The Stormcutter followed and made an insistent noise as it again gestured at Hiccup and then to the edge of the cave entrance. Did it want her to offer her son to this great dragon? She was about to turn and run into one of the back caves when the great king dragon moved its head to be even with the cave and rumbled a low sound deep in its throat. It was a deep hum that resonated throughout the cave and made Valka feel like she was wraped in it. Though she knew it came from the dragon it was impossible to pick out a source as the sound came from every direction. It vibrated in Valka's head and brought with it a feeling of peace and reassurance.
It was in that moment that Valka understood, at least partially. She slowly stepped forward, unwrapped a now silent Hiccup and laid him before the great beast. She then backed up a few paces and looked up at the king, "please save my son." The king made a low noise and nodded his great head. He bent closer to the small figure and Valka watched her child's eyes widen in wonder and excitement. The great dragon then blew a light frost that spread out and settled over Hiccup's small form, her child laughed as it settled over his body and covered his hair. Then the dragon raised one large clawed foot and ever so carefully made a small cut just below and to the right of Hiccup's left shoulder. The Great King then proceeded to do the same to his own foot, and then incredibly gently spread his white blood over Hiccup's cut. Hiccup gave one last sigh and then closed his eyes and fell asleep. The King blew one last gust over the young boy, gave a nod in a stunned Valka's direction, and then lowered himself back down to his previous position.
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Hiccup slept for a solid 72 hours, over which time Valka never left his side. The Stormcutter brought her fish and she drank from the small stream. She had never been so worried as those first several hours after her son's ordeal with the king. However, after about 18 hours of her fretful praying and incessant worrying she finally noticed a change, subtle, but Hiccup's breathing was definitely becoming more even and less labored. His brow uncreased and his slightly pained look gave way to a peaceful one. After another 7 or so hours Valka noticed that the burn marks that had covered much of his right side were starting to vanish as if he had been healing for months instead of hours. By the time two days had passed the burn marks were all but gone and Hiccup appeared to be sleeping as he did on every other night, in fact if anything he actually looked better than he usually did. His skin was a shade or two darker, and his small form appeared a tad less frail. By the end of the third day, Just when Valka was starting to wonder how much longer he would sleep, she finally heard him stir. She bent over him and with the Stormcutter looking over her shoulder watched as her son finally opened his eyes. Dragon eyes.
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Thank you all so much for the views and reviews. I am finally caught up to where I was before and I am much happier with the chapters as they are now. If you read the chapters as they were before than please tell me what you think of the changes (I changed the first chapter a lot more than this one). From now on there will be no more going back and I will be pushing on with the story.
If you are a new reader then welcome and don't worry about the changes I'm talking about XD. I love the story and hope that you all enjoy reading as much as I do writing it. Reviews are awesome! let me know how much you like it, tell me you hate it, give your input on whats going on. I love it all and I will respond to questions in future author notes.
Thanks again, bye till next time!