Battle at Sea

A/N: The following story is an alternate battle sequence for Out of the Sea, drawing more from the Broadway musical adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid. In this reworking, the Sea Witch Excellinor possesses a magic shell (not the one worn around her neck), which is the source of her powers. It is part of a set, the other half being Stoick's magic hammer, and when the two are combined they grant their holder all the powers of the seas. (In Disney's musical, Triton and Ursula are actually siblings, and the trident and shell were gifts to them from their father Poseidon. I've dropped the sibling angle for the reworking, but the two items still act as two parts of a whole.)

Here's the setup: Hiccup knows about the magic shell and has heard that without it, Excellinor and Alvin will die. When Excellinor turned Alvin into the human Vanick, she bestowed him with Hiccup's voice. (There is no need for the necklace in this version.) The wedding party on the ship is underway, and Wodensfang has just reported to Hiccup and Fishlegs that Vanick is really Alvin in disguise, using Hiccup's voice…

Hiccup wasn't paying attention to Wodensfang anymore. He looked over at the sun. It had almost vanished from the sky. He only had minutes to act.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs called, and the prince turned toward the merman. "I'm going to get your father. He must know about this. You do whatever you can to get that kiss!" And without another word he dove into the water and vanished.

Hiccup turned and marched toward Vanick, black rage rising in his chest. How dare they?! How dare the Sea Witch and her son interfere like this?! They had a deal!

Vanick looked around at him as he drew near, Toothless and Wodensfang flanking him. "Hiccup?" Astrid asked, sounding confused at the expression of hatred spreading across her friend's face. "What are you—"

Hiccup pulled his arm back and punched Vanick as hard as he could. Several people gasped in shock as their future chief staggered backward. Astrid cried out in surprise and covered her mouth with her hands. Gobber, on the other hand, laughed and murmured, "Go get 'im, lad."

Hiccup turned his eyes to Astrid, who looked as though she couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed. His face softened, his eyes taking on a pleading expression. He reached out and took one of her limp hands in his own, ignoring the bewildered stares of the other Vikings. Behind him, Vanick was staring up at the merman prince in rage, rubbing his aching jaw. But he hesitated to rise: Toothless was standing over him, all of his teeth exposed in a furious snarl.

Hiccup opened his mouth to speak, though of course no sound came out. But that didn't stop him from mouthing the words, "I…I love you." He then braced himself. This was his last chance. If she didn't love him, not even in the slightest, then it was all over. He had nothing more to lose now.

Astrid gaped at him for a moment longer. He could tell that she'd understood him, though he couldn't see if she shared his feelings or not. His heart hammered in his chest, and he resisted the urge to look at the sun. Surely he was down to his final minutes by now…if she didn't make a decision soon…

Vanick stood up and stepped toward them. "You little fool," he snarled, and Hiccup felt a wave of unreality sweep over him. Vanick was indeed using the merman prince's voice to speak with. "You'll pay for that—"

"Enough, Vanick!" Astrid said sharply, and her fiancé froze in his tracks, stunned. She didn't even look at him. She had eyes only for Hiccup. Slowly, tremulously, she reached up and stroked his cheek with her free hand. "I…I've been blind," she murmured. "I was so consumed by finding the voice of the one who had saved me that I paid no attention to what was right in front of me the whole time."

Hiccup's breathing hitched. Did that mean…could it be that she…?

Astrid turned to look at her intended. "Vanick, I…I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."

A collective gasp went up among the party guests, though Hiccup noticed that Gobber merely smiled proudly. Astrid returned her gaze to Hiccup and went on, "I love you, Hiccup. I think I have for some time now, and I was just too distracted to realize it. Please forgive me."

Hiccup's heart soared. He took her into her arms and hugged her in delight. She laughed and returned his embrace. He drew back, his arms still wrapped around her, and slowly, hesitantly, he inclined his head forward to kiss her. Still smiling, Astrid imitated him, her eyes fluttering closed as the space between them closed.

"Astrid, no!" Vanick screamed.

Hiccup and Astrid's lips just brushed against each other once again.

And then the sun finally set.

Hiccup gasped as pain shot down his legs. He wobbled and then sank down to the deck as his limbs joined together, the skin fusing and sprouting scales, his leggings ripping to make room for the new appendage, a pair of fins growing from where his feet had been moments before. He was a merman again.

"You're too late!" Vanick cackled triumphantly. "You're too late!"

Hiccup looked up at Astrid and gestured sadly at his newly-formed tail. He didn't know how he could possibly explain all this to her. She gaped down at him, eyes wide and unbelieving.

But she never got a chance to speak. There was a splash followed by several screams as the hideous form of Excellinor rose from the water, her evil laughter mingling with her son's as she leered down at the merman prince. In her arms she held the magic shell, which glowed red. Hiccup stared up at her in horror as she reached out and seized him in one of her tentacles, lifting him into the air. "Oh look, such a gorgeous sunset!" she crowed. "And on the third day too! Time's up, you lose!"

And then, with Hiccup trapped in her clutches, she dove back into the sea, Vanick following close behind her.

Excellinor dragged Hiccup down to the seafloor, still clutching him in one of her tentacles. His arms were trapped by his sides and he had no hope of escaping. Behind them, Alvin had transformed back into his usual form and was grinning with wicked delight. The plan was working! In just a few minutes, he would officially be King of the Sea! "Say good-bye to your girl, to your clothes, to your fur boots," Excellinor laughed as they descended into the depths. "You're mine now, prince. Get ready to spend the rest of your days as my slave, plucking the barnacles off my back…"

"Excellinor!"

They all looked around to see Stoick the Vast, who had suddenly appeared and blocked Excellinor's path. The witch came to a halt as the glowing head of a massive hammer filled her vision. The king looked angrier than Hiccup had ever seen him. Behind him, Fishlegs and Meatlug drifted, both looking winded yet triumphant at their success.

The king's presence didn't deter Excellinor for long, however. "King Stoick!" she said, chuckling. "You're right on cue!"

Stoick ignored this. His eyes flickered to Hiccup and widened slightly. Then they narrowed in fury and he turned back to the witch. "What have you done with my son?!"

Excellinor's eyes widened innocently. "Nothing!" she replied, as if offended he would even suggest such a thing. "He's done it all to himself." Looking at Hiccup still trapped in her grip, she sneered, "Trading his voice away, and for what? Human heartbreak!"

"Give him back to me!" Stoick snarled.

Excellinor laughed darkly. "Not on your life." And then she began to sing, her voice low and crooning:

"It so happens that your son here signed a contract"

She conjured up said contract and stuck it in Stoick's face, directing his attention to his son's signature scrawled at the bottom. The king blinked in surprise. "No!" He looked at Hiccup, who mouthed, "I'm so sorry!" to his father, his eyes full of grief and guilt.

Excellinor, grinning, continued:

"Oh yes, it was so easy you could cry

Is it binding? Goodness yes.

Unbreakable, unless…"

Stoick stiffened. "Unless?"

Excellinor pretended to ponder something before admitting:

"There is a little something we could try"

Stoick's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Go on."

"Yes…" Excellinor grinned wickedly and suggested:

"Perhaps we could arrange a sort of trade-off

Maybe swap your son's soul for, say, your own"

"What?!" Stoick barked, and Hiccup's eyes widened in shock. So that had been the plan all along, and he'd fallen right into her trap.

Excellinor was still singing:

"Sign the scroll and set him free

Or else he comes with me

To suffer through eternity alone"

She stopped singing and said dramatically, "The mute little hatchling, drowning in his own sorrow with no voice left to cry out your name!" There was a pause. "Well, I'm waiting."

Stoick scowled at her. "It's not my soul you're after. It's my power."

Excellinor shrugged. "Which would you rather be? The King of the Sea, or a father to his little boy?"

Stoick looked over at Hiccup, who shook his head frantically, mouthing, "No!" over and over again. But it made no difference. Stoick had already made up his mind. He may have been king, but he was also a father. And he'd do anything to protect his son.

He raised the hammer and a burst of light shot from its head. But instead of blasting the hated scroll of paper, the energy merely replaced Hiccup's signature with his own.

"Finally!" Excellinor cackled. "The oceans belong to us!"

She discarded Hiccup carelessly, and the prince spun down to the seafloor as Alvin seized the hammer from Stoick's grip and held it aloft. The head of the weapon immediately began to glow an awful, evil red. Stoick collapsed, and Hiccup swam over to him as Excellinor broke once more into song.

"And now you poor unfortunate soul

Time's up, you're through

Now the power of the oceans has been once again made whole

All the magic of the hammer and the shell in our control

And now dark shall reign forever over ocean, sea, and shoal"

She leered down at Stoick and added, "Now see for yourself how banishment feels!"

Alvin leveled the hammer at Stoick, who was at once engulfed in red light. A moment later he had vanished in a cloud of steam. Hiccup flinched back and gasped as Excellinor screeched with laughter and finished:

"You poor unfortunate soul"

Fishlegs and Meatlug jumped into action, approaching the witch and her son. The Gronckle opened her mouth, revealing sharp teeth, ready to attack. But Excellinor merely laughed again and, raising the shell, shot a spell at them, blasting them backward into a rock on the seafloor. They did not rise again.

Excellinor and Alvin both roared with mirth and turned as one to face Hiccup, who stared at his fallen friend with wide eyes filled with grief, rage, and terror. "And as for you, little prince…" the witch crooned.

But then a spear shot down from above, embedding itself in the sandy bottom. They all stared at it for moment in shock before turning their eyes upward. Excellinor chuckled darkly. "What's this?"

It was Astrid, who was riding atop Toothless as the dragon dove down to save his friend. The Night Fury roared furiously, but the witch was unfazed. "Careful, my little Viking!" she called. "The water's looking awfully choppy!"

At her words, the sea began to move, and above the surface storm clouds began to gather. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Rain pelted the surface of the water. The sea churned and waves crashed against each other. Toothless wasn't strong enough to combat the currents and was forced back to the surface, carrying a baffled and terrified Astrid with him. The Night Fury shrieked with rage but could do nothing.

But Hiccup could.

Both Excellinor and Alvin were distracted by the attacks from above, so he seized his chance. He darted forward and grabbed the shell in the witch's hands. She was too startled by this to react, and so he tore it from her grip with no trouble. Alvin gasped, "Look out, he's got the shell!" and Excellinor screamed in rage as he swam out of reach of her tentacles.

And then…

The moment his fingers closed on the rim of the shell, music flowed from its opening and filled the ocean with song. Hiccup's song. The shell glowed fiercely and everyone froze in place to stare at it. The music grew louder and louder and then, just as suddenly as it began, it fell silent.

"Well," Excellinor said, her voice remarkably calm, "look who has my black magic now. Don't be shy, tailbait, speak up!"

Hiccup frowned. "You mean…" He gasped, his free hand coming up to his throat. "My voice! It's come back!"

"Congratulations," sneered the witch, snatching the hammer from Alvin and leveling it at the prince. "Now give me back my shell!"

Hiccup raised it above his head with both hands, poised to dash it on the rocks below. "One wrong move and I'll destroy it!"

Excellinor's eyes flashed in sudden fear but she tried to laugh it off. "And why should I care if you do? I have the hammer now! I am unstoppable!"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Dad says you'll die without it!"

"And you believed him?" Excellinor sneered.

"Mother, if he breaks that shell, we're both done for!" Alvin hissed.

"Shut up, you fool!" the witch barked.

Hiccup watched this exchange, and his resolve strengthened. "It must have terrible power, or you wouldn't want it so badly."

Excellinor snarled, "Remember, child, I gave you everything! Your legs, your humanity…" Then, to Hiccup's surprise, she relaxed, lowering the hammer and softening her voice. "I can give all that to you again."

Hiccup frowned in confusion. He didn't move. Excellinor began drifting around the young prince, who kept her in his sights at all times. He ignored Alvin, who was soon floating behind him. The witch's son smiled darkly and began to creep closer, his hands outstretched. "Just imagine," Excellinor continued, "dancing with your beloved heiress on fine, well-shaped legs. Only this time, you can whisper in her ear, tell her how very much in love you are, even say the words 'I do,' binding her forever in your heart."

As she spoke, the image filled Hiccup's mind, and he started to lower the shell. "Yes…" he breathed. "Oh yes…" Then he remembered where he was and raised the shell above his head again.

Excellinor went on quickly, "But if you break that shell, you'll die alone, a pitiful merman pining hopelessly for the world above."

Again Hiccup lowered the shell, considering. Was it possible? Could he still win Astrid's heart? He hesitated. And then he murmured, "Very well, then."

Excellinor smiled wickedly and held out her free hand. "Yes," she crooned, beckoning him closer, "yes, that's the way…" Hiccup swam toward her, holding out the shell as the witch continued to speak. "You're not Daddy's little embarrassment anymore, are you?" she asked, and something about her words rankled Hiccup. Was this what his father would do? He sacrificed everything to protect his son… "Together we've shown him, haven't we?" Excellinor's fingers closed on the rim of the shell, but Hiccup's grip didn't loosen. He suddenly wasn't so sure about this, but the witch, convinced that victory was in her grasp, got too excited and blurted out with a cruel laugh, "Now he'll fester and die on the ocean floor. Trust in your new king instead!"

Hiccup's eyes snapped up to hers, and his resolve strengthened. "No!" he cried, drawing back and snatching the shell once more out of Excellinor's hand. The witch screamed in rage and raised the hammer to attack.

Hiccup whirled around and then ducked, and just in time, for at that moment Alvin lunged at him. But he missed, and Hiccup lifted the shell above his head once again. Excellinor prepared to shoot a lethal spell, and Alvin raced toward him.

Hiccup brought the shell down with all the strength he could onto the rocks, and it shattered into a thousand pieces.

The moment the shell broke, an unearthly shriek filled the sea. It came from Excellinor and Alvin, who were suddenly writhing in agony. Hiccup barely spared them a glance, however, because the remnants of the shell under his fingers were suddenly glowing bright, vivid red. Then he gasped and swam away quickly as the rocky earth beneath him cracked and crumbled. A great chasm appeared, descending into black nothingness.

A loud sucking noise filled the water, and Hiccup watched in shock and fright as the Sea Witch and her son began screaming anew. Their eyes were wide open, watching as a giant whirlpool surrounded them, encasing them like a strange, transparent coffin. And, perhaps it was an illusion, but Hiccup got the impression that they were falling apart.

And then he saw it more clearly. They were turning into sea foam.

"NOOOOO!" Excellinor shrieked as her body began to dissolve, starting at her thrashing tentacles and working its way up to her torso. Alvin too continued to scream as he similarly disintegrated. Soon, both of their bodies were nothing but a misshapen form made of foam and bubbles, which became consumed by the swirling mass of water surrounding them. Their remains swirled and spiraled downward into the canyon below, their final screams still echoing and reverberating off the stone walls of the chasm.

And then it was done. The whirlpool and all traces of foam vanished without a trace. At once, the water calmed. On the surface, the wind ceased its blowing. The rain stopped and the clouds cleared. Below, the currents eased, and silence fell.

Hiccup finally moved from his frozen position, swimming slowly down to the edge of the abyss. He reached out and closed his fingers around his father's hammer, which glowed a faint shade of blue at his touch. He lifted it up with a little difficulty, and sighed with relief. It was over.

He heard a warble and looked around to see Toothless descending from the surface. His heart bounded and he rose to meet his dragon friend, hugging his scaly black head. "Hey, bud," he murmured. "Are you all right?"

Toothless responded by licking the merman's cheek. Hiccup grimaced but then chuckled weakly. He'd take that as a "yes." "Thank Thor," he murmured, hugging his friend. "I'm so sorry about all this, bud. I'm glad you're okay."

Toothless crooned.

"Hiccup?"

The prince looked around and felt his heart bound. Fishlegs and Meatlug were swimming toward him, looking a little battered but alive and whole. Without a word Hiccup darted toward them and embraced the stout merman. "You're okay…you're all okay…" he moaned. "Thank all the gods, you're okay."

"We're fine, Hiccup," Fishlegs soothed, patting his friend on the back rather awkwardly. "We're all fine now." He pulled back and asked, "But what exactly happened? Where are Excellinor and Alvin?"

"I think we'd all like the answer to that question."

Hiccup whirled around and felt his lungs seize up. Stoick was approaching them, smiling. He stopped a few feet away and faced his son. Hiccup stared at him for a moment. Silence stretched between them for a few seconds.

And then Hiccup lunged forward and threw his arms around the king's neck. "Dad!" he cried. "Oh gods, Dad! I…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, I never wanted to cause you so much trouble! I never should have gone to her, it was stupid, but I was upset and wasn't thinking properly and…oh Dad I'm so sorry…!"

Stoick wrapped his arms around Hiccup and hugged him tight enough to impede his son's breathing. "Shh, Hiccup," he said. "It's all right. It's all right now. You're safe. That's what matters. You're safe. The witch and her son are gone and you're safe."

Hiccup drew back and looked into his father's eyes. And then he bowed, holding out the hammer. "Dad…will you forgive me?"

Stoick smiled and accepted the hammer. It glowed fiercely as it was reunited with its owner. "Of course I do, son," he replied without a moment's thought. He sighed and cupped Hiccup's face in his hand, gently forcing him to straighten and look into his eyes. "I love you, Hiccup. I know I don't say it very often, but it's true. I love you, son. I love you so much."

Hiccup smiled weakly and hugged his father again. "I love you too, Dad," he murmured. "Thank you."

A/N: If this climax sounds familiar to you, yes: I did borrow the shell destruction for my "Little Mermaid" retelling "Reaching for Sunlight."

To see how this scene played out on Broadway, go to YouTube and search for "poor unfortunate souls reprise broadway" and you should be able to see it. It's not quite as dramatic as Eric steering a ship into a giant Ursula before she gets struck by lightning, but it's still pretty neat.

Hope you enjoyed that!