Okay, immediately after I posted my 7th chapter, I began typing this. So maybe you'll be seeing this today itself (or tomorrow) Man, I am really excited. Well then, let's begin!
Valka was sure Hiccup had been sleeping in the night in that very room. Like every morning Valka had gone into the room to find it empty. All the dragons she had employed to find him out had been a waste. For some reason, all the dragons sniffed at the bed covers and began banging on the wall opposite to his bed. Every single dragon did that. Valka had just sighed and retreated to her own room. She knew he'd come back but usually he didn't leave without telling her. Then why now?
She was sitting on the bed and fixing the broken wing of a JawSnapper when she heard the familiar whistle of a Nightfury. And in moments Hiccup rushed into her room, breathless and sweating.
"Where were you?" Valka simply asked, continuing fixing the bone of the dragon, not even looking at him.
"Aw... gods" Hiccup bit his lip. He'd totally forgotten that he'd snuck out of the house in the middle of the night. Looking at the sun, he guessed that it must be Midmorning. "I went on a flight with toothless." He mumbled. "Mom we have an injured trainer!"
"A what Trainer?" Valka shot up. "A dragon trainer?" She asked, shocked. Could it be from berk?
Hiccup nodded before rushing out of the room. Valka spent a whole minute waging a war in her mind.
Could Stoick have sent dragon trainers to search for them? Could they have made peace with the dragons?
No way! They are blood thirsty Vikings! If they make peace, then Hiccup will kill toothless.
The two sides fought with such fury in her mind that she clamped her hands hard on her ears before yelling, "ENOUGH!"
"Mom?" Hiccup asked, uncertain, peeping into the room. "Everything okay?"
"Yes Hiccup," Valka sighed before leaving the JawSnapper in the room, crooning. She patted it once and walked out of the room.
Hiccup was sitting cross-legged on the floor near the feet of someone, ripping the bandage quickly and gently. Beside him a boy and the girl sat leaning over the face of the one on the ground. The girl looked up and startled Valka, tears spilling out faster than the speed of a Nightfury from her silver-grey eyes.
"Mom, here." Hiccup pointed to the person's feet. "A wood splinter pierced Sadmir's foot." He said pointing to the boy, sleeping on the floor. He was occasionally groaning. "It is harsh. Can anything be done?" Hiccup asked and moved aside, checking the injury.
True, the injury was harsh. Valka looked at Hiccup and he understood immediately. Valka poured some cool water over the now bleeding wound, keeping her hand in between. She knew that it would only burn more if the water flowed directly over the wound. Hiccup came back with herb paste and some more cloth. Valka applied some of the herb on Sadmir's foot; Sadmir winced and the girl hushed him.
"Will he be okay?" Her small voice came, hardly audible; Valka looked up at her and smiled. The girls black hair was plastered to her forehead and face was full of freckles.
"Nothing's really bad. He had a sprain, hadn't he?" Valka asked; the girl nodded. "It has just dislocated his bone. He's just fractured it. He'll be alright in a few weeks." Valka smiled. She looked at Hiccup. "Get them refreshed." Hiccup nodded and called them.
"Come on Redcod and Genera. Mom will take care of him. Let's have something to eat." Hiccup said and they all moved to his room, reluctantly, leaving Valka alone with the boy. As she slowly wrapped the cloth over the blunt bone that she used as a support she observed the boy.
The boy opened his eyes and stared at Valka, "Thank you," He muttered then closed his eyes again. Sadmir hadn't seen anything, only blurred images.
"Hush, don't exert yourself. It is nasty." Valka smiled as she ran her hand over the boy's hair. Then she moved him onto her bed in her room and closed the door Silently, giving him the peace and rest and began working on the JawSnapper's wing once again.
"He's fractured his foot." Genera stated for the fiftieth time and Hiccup face-palmed. She hadn't touched a morsel of the food in front of her, staring at it as if it would heal Sadmir.
"Listen, his foot won't heal on its own, if you don't eat."
"Neither will it, if I eat." Genera snapped harsh back at Hiccup's comment. Redcod was in his own world, looking outside, the face of a child seeing his present on his own. Hiccup didn't have anything to do, except wait for them to finish their food, ice-cold fish warmed by Toothless's plasma blast.
"Hey Redcod, why don't you see the notes I made on all the dragons in here." Hiccup said, pulling the book from underneath some stolen parchment and waving it in front of him. Redcod pounced on the book and began flipping through the pages hungrily, giggling like a mad fool. "What happened to him?" Hiccup shirked away from the Viking as he asked Genera.
"He's giving you a sign that he shouldn't be disturbed under any circumstances, until tomorrow." Genera replied almost lazily, picking at the flesh of the fish. "I'm not hungry." She pushed her fish away and stood up just as Hiccup had begun scratching underneath Toothless. "Will you take me on a tour?" she asked the pair, who stared at her angrily.
"Would've been helpful if you had told me nearly half an hour ago." Hiccup muttered and swore in Dragonese, because Toothless shirked away from him.
When they exited the room, leaving Redcod in his own gleeful world, Genera walked upto Sadmir and put her hand on his. "Do you know why I blame myself for my family's death?" she asked without turning back, smiling, on seeing Sadmir's peaceful face.
"No?" Hiccup prompted.
"Well, that day we went on a ship picnic," She spoke, her voice turbulent, betraying the fact that she was going to break down any minute then. "And I asked my parents to come. But they didn't want to because they had other stuff to deal with." She turned around and looked at Hiccup. "Maybe if I had forced them, maybe if I had thrown a tantrum or something, they might still be alive." She sniffed but didn't cry. She took a breath and spoke, "alright, you owe me a tour,"
Hiccup grinned. "Alright, I know the best place to start your tour."
Her reaction was worth watching, Hiccup realised when they went to see the Alpha. The Alpha stood towering over them, its crystal eyes cold and respectful.
"Odin save us." Genera spoke in old, almost ancient, Norse.
Hiccup settled himself on the rocks behind her, his hand on his knees, folded up. "Come on, come on." He kept muttering, as he stared at the couple keenly. "Come on, let it happen." His fist clenched.
The alpha let out a simple breath and Snow fell on Genera. She hastily wiped snow off her hair, dirtying her braids in the process. "What was that?" her voice trembled.
"That, my fellow dragon rider, is a Bewilderbeast," Hiccup said in a cliché way. "One of the last of its kind, the Alpha species. Every nest has a queen but this is the king of all dragons." Then he pointed to the ceiling of the Nest.
"With its icy breath, this graceful giant built out nest, a safe haven for dragons everywhere." Hiccup talked on, and smiling, remembering the way it had blown snow over Genera's hair.
"It protects the dragons here. Mom often takes him to Gods-know-where places." Hiccup shrugged as he beckoned Genera. "Come on, there's more to see." Hiccup was climbing up after making her walk to the very depths of the nest.
Genera followed him in awe, still recovering from the feeling of insignificance that she'd felt when she stood in front of the Alpha. The power could be felt in the air. Even Toothless and her Nadder, Jasmine, had bowed down to it.
If it was controlled by a bad guy then... She shuddered, thinking of the destruction it could cause. Half the boats would be damaged. Villages would be burnt. The thought was too much. She shook it off her head.
"Come, on just a bit more." Hiccup grunted as he climbed and disappeared into the ice on the ceiling. Genera just looked down and gasped; they were really high now. She never approved of flying at high altitudes and now here she was at the top of the world. The world of Dragons. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on.
"Hey, come on." She opened her eyes, just a peek; Hiccup was leaning inside, his green eyes shone with excitement, stretching out his hand. "Need some help?" he asked.
"Yes, please." She squeaked and shut her mouth with her hand. "Please,"
She was then pulled up and a blast of cold air shot her in her face. They were on the top of the icy nest. Half of her body was inside the nest, warm and cosy. Till the horizon only the ocean and icebergs were seen. The sky was a bad grey colour, a contrast against the dark sea with green icebergs. Hiccup was standing behind her. The cold sent shivers down her spine. The cold air tickled her bare skin around her neck. She felt her hair stand on its ends and opened up her braids, still not feeling warm. The wind was blowing it behind her. Finally, she knotted it in front of her.
"You're lucky you have long hair." Hiccup spoke behind her. She spun around her hair lashing him in the face. "Ow... " he spluttered, spitting out hair.
"Oh sorry, so sorry," Genera brushed some hair off his face.
"Alpha, what do you use to wash your hair?" he asked and Genera didn't reply to it, still staring at him as he wiped the hair off his face. "What?"
"Nothing," she sighed. "This is awesome..." her voice trailed off in the wind, she could smell a faint fragrance of herbs in the distance. Then she stretched her hands and yelled. "WOOHOO!" it echoed back some time later.
Genera grinned and turned around. Hiccup had folded his arms and he shrugged, still looking at her. Hiccup then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "WHEE!" in a nasal tone. Genera laughed. It had sounded so stupid with his sarcastic voice. "Hiccup," Genera spoke. "Look," she pointed out to the west, the sun had just set, the vibrant colours still seen in the sky, reluctant to leave the protection of the sky. When Hiccup peered a little more, he got the shock of his life.
"What is it?" Genera asked; her voice was fearful. "Is it..." her voice trailed off when she saw his grave expression.
"It is." Hiccup stared at the oncoming silhouettes, so small, a tiny thing that was coming closer with a great speed. "Dragon Hunters."
Okay, end of the chapter. I knew I could submit two chapters in a day! YES! I know you all hate cliff-hangers. But it was necessary for this chapter... love you all.