He was aware of them. Both Eret watching from a close distance, and Angharad. He could feel her haughty gaze boring into his back. He could feel her triumph.

"Not even a challenge," she said, a lilt in her voice. "My, my, how easy that was."

"Shut up," Eret said, before walking over to them. He knelt be their side, reaching out and pressing his fingers against Astrid's neck, confirming what he already knew. He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

"Well," Angharad said, "What are you going to do now, little changeling? Your mother cannot help you—your father cannot help you. Your friends cannot help you."

"You'll have to fight her," Eret whispered, "Your sword—the iron might do some damage."

Hiccup looked at him, before nodding silently. He shifted Astrid in his arms, transitioning her into Eret's. The larger man lifted Astrid up, standing and turning, walking to the far end of the clearing. Hiccup stood slowly, taking in a deep breath.

He shivered, his body tensing as Angharad's hand touched his back. She walked in front of him, her hand trailing across him. She walked around him until she was behind him again, her hands ever on him. He forced his breathing to steady, as a rage filled him. Her hands enclosed around his neck, and he felt her breath against it. "Why fight me, Changeling? When you could love me instead. Surely, I am more beautiful than any human."

She caught his hand when he reached for his sword. "Ah-ah," she said, in a sing-song voice. "I'm afraid there's no need for that." With force unnatural for someone of her size, she tossed him around, and he fell to the ground, gasping as the air was forced from him. She slowly walked over to him, hips swaying. "You are powerful—I can feel that. Your power rivals even a female fairy. Fascinating… if only your mother had taken the time to train you—you might have had a chance to beat me."

Hiccup scrambled away from her, before standing and drawing his sword. Her eyes narrowed slightly at it. "Ah," she said, her smile faltering, "I see you found that sword. How ironic. I took such pains that you should not find that destiny."

"What?" Hiccup frowned. "You mean…"

"Yes," Angharad stopped, "After your mother left the humans, I stole you from your cradle and left you in the woods. I had hoped you'd be eaten by some creature—but a human found you instead." She shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I'll kill you now and be done with it."

Hiccup's brows furrowed, gripping his sword tighter.

"That sword is the only mortal weapon that can kill me, it's true," she said, "But I'm afraid you'll have to land a hit to do that. And you're forgetting I have magic… and you are untrained."

She was upon him faster than he could blink. He didn't have time to swing his sword, before she hit him flat handed in the chest, sending him flying into a snow bank. He gasped again, sitting up and clutching his chest. There would be a nasty bruise there. He stood up shakily, willing himself to face her again. He needed to. This woman… this thing… was the reason for too much pain. She was the reason why he always thought he was unwanted. Why Astrid was dead. Why Toothless was gone.

He adjusted his sword in his hand, swallowing back his fear. He closed his eyes, knowing full well the mistake that it may be, and willed magic to come to him.

Please, he thought desperately.

He felt a flame erupt within him, warming him to his core. He opened his eyes, and found that his vision had changed. Everything was more saturated, despite the winter landscape. He could see color where there was none before. He could see swirling shapes and shadows of creatures invisible to humans. He could see magic.

He looked at Angharad, who stared at him open mouthed, her eyes bulging with anger. The magic within him needed an escape, and he felt something erupt from his back, and heard a fluttering of wings. He gripped his sword tighter, feeling strength he did not know was possible flowing through him.

Angharad gritted her teeth, the golden sword appearing in her hands. "Do not think because you figured out a few tricks you are on my level, boy," she spat. "I have thousands of years of experience. No human can defeat me."

Hiccup took in a deep breath, inhaling the magic around him. He was calm, however. The world around him shifted—somehow at a different pace than he was used to. Almost as if he could see what was happening before it happened.

Finally, Angharad could stand it no more, and she charged at him.

He spun out of the way, quicker than he had ever moved before, swinging his word and managing clipping a small corner of one of her wings. She screamed in pain, staggering slightly. She spun on him, swinging her sword, but he blocked it, new strength aiding him. She stood, gasping for air in her anger and in pain, glaring at him. "This is why changelings should not be given power," she spat, "You do not deserve your gifts."

Her next blow hit him, and if not for the magic within him, he knew he would have dropped dead. He gasped out, dropping to one knee, before rolling out of the way when she swung the sword at this neck. Her sword entered the snow and ground when he dodged another attack. She was hissing and shrieking with every blow, pain and anger emanating from within her. He could see it now—the foul magic coming from her. He could see, the more they fought—the angrier she became, that she was rotten to the core.

He swung his sword, but she parried, then grabbed him by the neck, squeezing tight, and thrusting him hard away from her. He landed hard on his back, air forced out of his body. He struggled to his knees, coughing as he tried to catch his breath, and he was aware of her lifting her sword to deal a mighty blow.

At almost the last moment, he clutched his sword tighter, and swung it around, slicing her in the abdomen. She screamed in pain, dropping her sword, and falling to her knees. She knelt there, as he stood. She put up her hands. "Please!" she gasped, shaking, "Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to. I can't help it. It's just who I am!"

He hesitated, anger ebbing from him as he stared down at her pitiful face. Finally he took a step back, his sword arm falling to his side. Disgusted, he turned away from her, and began walking back to Eret.

"Look out!" Eret yelled, pointing behind Hiccup.

Hiccup turned in surprise, and saw Angharad lunging at him, claws out. He swung his sword quickly, and clumsily, the iron slicing through her chest like butter. She shrieked, staggering backwards, gagging. He watched in horror as her body convulsed, shimmering and contorted, until he saw the form of Excellinor gasping and gagging for air. She screamed something, cursing in dead tongues, but it was no use. Her magic was escaping her rotted form. Finally, she withered away until nothing was left but ash that blew away on the wind.

Hiccup let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding, as he felt the magic ebb away from him. His wings, in whatever form they had been, went out like an extinguished flame. He felt tired and weak, but from his fight or returning to a human form, he did not know. His wounds had mostly healed while in fairy form, but he still felt sore from where she had hit him. He turned and walked towards Eret and Astrid, and looked down at her, but saw that she was still and lifeless as she had been before.

"Well," Eret said, "I guess you don't have to worry about being cursed anymore. That was Excellinor, wasn't it?"

Hiccup nodded.

Hiccup was aware of fairies entering the clearing, the first of whom was Camicazi. The fairies were silent, watching them curiously.

"Astrid?"

Hiccup and Eret started. The voice was familiar—but different also. Hiccup looked behind him to see that the large crystal was gone, and in its place was a woman that looked similar to Astrid. Alfhild.

The young woman was staring at Astrid in horror, before rushing forward, falling to her knees in the snow beside her sister. "Astrid!" Alfhild cried out, gathering her sister into her arms.

Hiccup and Eret watched her, and Hiccup wondered if Eret also felt as though he was intruding into something sacred. After all, compared to her sister, what right did they have to mourn her?

"This is all my fault…" Alfhild whispered. She looked up, looking at Hiccup with blue-green eyes. "Thank you—for killing Angharad. Because of you… I was released from her prison," she looked down at Astrid again. "While I was in there—I absorbed some of this place's magic."

Hiccup and Eret said nothing, neither quite sure where the woman was going with this.

"I was in there too long… It's not Astrid's fault—I know she must have done everything she could to save me…" Alfhild buried her face in Astrid's hair. "I can't hold on much longer. If only…"

A few fairies approached, and had Hiccup had the time and energy, or if the moment had been right, he would have marveled at their beauty. Camicazi was at their front. The three fairies laid their hands on Alfhild. The woman began to glow, her shape changing into that of a tree. As the tree grew, the light spread to Astrid, until both were too bright for Hiccup and Eret to look at. The two men backed away, shielding their eyes. Finally, they could sense the light had disappeared. They opened their eyes, and saw a large tree standing where Alfhild had knelt. The snow had stopped falling, and the snow on the ground was melting. As was the crystals around them, revealing trees in their places.

"What just happened?" Eret asked.

"We gave her a fairy burial," Camicazi said, her voice solemn. "She will live here evermore." She looked around, "And Angharad's magic is leaving—spring has come."

"Astrid!" Hiccup said, eyes wide as Astrid's body twitched, her eyes opening.

He and Eret reached her at the same time, lifting her up into a sitting position between them, both holding onto her.

"What happened…" she grunted, "Getoffme." She shoved them off of her, looking around. "What… happened?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"We won," Eret said, "Well, Hiccup won."

"Hiccup?" Astrid looked at him in surprise. "How did you do it?"

Hiccup shrugged, grinning like a loon at her. "I guess being part fairy has its perks."

"What…" she placed a hand on her chest, "I thought I had…"

"You did," Eret said. "But Alfhild brought you back. I think."

"Alfhild!" Astrid tried to stand, but swayed. Eret grabbed her and held her steady. "What happened to Alfhild, where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's…" Eret and Hiccup glanced at each other. Hiccup pointed at the tree, "She was too weak after being imprisoned for so long. So the fairies…"

Astrid looked up at the tree, her face falling. "Oh… Alfhild…" she whispered.

Eret drew her into a hug, holding her tightly. After a moment, Hiccup joined them.

"So what do we do now?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup sighed. "I don't know," he said.

"I must return to Berk," Astrid said, determined. "I'm sure Drago will reach the Berk soon… I must be ready to defend it."

"We'll go too," Eret said, letting go of her. Hiccup did the same.

"You will?" she asked, and smiled when he nodded. She looked at Hiccup.

"If Drago has Toothless, that's where I'm heading," Hiccup said.

Astrid's smile widened. "Good," she said, "It's settled then. We're heading south."

"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," Camicazi said. "You'll need someone with sense about them—and you," she jabbed a finger in Hiccup's direction, "You'll need someone to teach you magic. You have power, yes, but you're incredibly untrained. You should have seen the magic coming out of you—a disgrace."

Hiccup let out a snort, before saying, "We're happy to have you, Camicazi."

"Well," Astrid said, putting out a hand and resting it on the bark of Alfhild's tree. "I guess we should get going." She looked back at Hiccup. "My lord? Shall you lead the way?"

"Lord?" Hiccup frowned, before rolling his eyes. "Don't start on that," he muttered. "All I want is to rescue Toothless—I've have no interest in being a prince."

"Technically," Eret said, wrapping an arm around Hiccup's shoulder, "You're gonna' be King of all Wilderwest."

As Hiccup groaned and shrugged Eret's off, and as fairies came forward with supplies for their journey, the four set off, heading away from The North and towards the south—to what lay ahead.


TO BE CONTINUED…

Next chapter is the last one! Technically this chapter had the climax to the story, but there are still some things to be resolved. Just a little bit left and then it's over!

Again, I must apologize for the quick update schedule. I promised myself I'd be done with this story and Moonlit Shadows by the end of August, so I could focus more predominately on my other stories, and have two less stories to have to worry about, and I am afraid I fell, as usual, quite behind schedule! My desperate attempt to hold true to my self-imposed-promise means that I had to post many, many chapters these last few days. I will not be defeated by my own procrastination!

That being said, thanks so much for reading!

See you very soon! (for the last time) ((for this story))