Hey guys! Thanks for your patience! :) I'm learning "I See the Light" from Disney's Tangled on piano, so that's exciting. :D ANYWAYS, shout-outs:
ShadowSpirit020: Thanks! :) I'm not so sure what I'm going to do after this season. I'm leaning towards doing some more updates on "Ouch!" and "The Beat of Your Heart", and then waiting for Season 3 of RttE to come out, so I can start writing Season 3B, since it's coming up pretty soon (I'm guessing the release date will be sometime in summer). Season 1B will probably be posted AFTER Season 3B, depending on how 3B ends and if I have enough time to write 1B before 4B. XD Thanks! :D
Emachinescat: Awww, haha, thank you! XD I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Tuffnut is such a fun character to write about. HAHA, waffles...XD I love updating! I like to hear what everyone thinks of the chapters, beit positive or negative (normally positive ;D). I'm so glad to hear what you think! Thank you so much for the lovely review! :D
SilverGhostWolf: Haha, yeah, cliffhanger. We'll have to see who that masked figure is. :D
Forever Me: Haha, you won't have to wait very long though, I promise. XD I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks! :D
Animals Rule: Awesome! :D
midnightsky0612: Yes, very tense. :D
HappyPup1: YES. TOOTHLESS PROTECT YOUR RIDER! :D :D :D
Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yes. It's gonna be REALLLLYYY crazy. :D
Dimensional Girl: Sorry about that! XD And thanks! I love writing about Snotlout! :D
wikelia: Sorry about that. XD
Guest (#1): Updated! :D
Carly Marley: Yeah, sorry about the suspense. :D
DG-Agent37-Lover: It is getting rather suspense-y, isn't it? XD Thanks for the review! And don't worry if they're shorter; I don't care how long or short they are. I'm just happy to receive them! :D Doomsday...yes, a very promising title (heh heh heh). You'll have to see what happens! I know, I like Dragon's Edge, too. I don't want them to lose it! :( Thanks for the review! :D
LunarCatNinja: That would be very interesting if Heather killed Viggo...wow. :D
Astrid paced the floor nervously, axe held in hand. Fishlegs doodled at the table, trying to keep his mind off things. Snotlout leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat at the table, posture slack. The dragons stood sentinel at the door; Toothless stared constantly at it.
"Um...I don't know about you guys," said Tuffnut finally, "but I am bored."
"You always say that," snapped Snotlout, "just because you want something to do. But no, none of us are leaving this Clubhouse, because if we do-"
"If we do, what?" said Ruffnut, straightening up, stretching, and crossing her arms. "It's not like we're going to be the target of some loony dragon hunters. It's Hiccup they're after, isn't it?"
Astrid glared at her.
"What?" said Ruffnut. "Don't tell me I'm wrong!"
"Guys, chill out!" said Snotlout. "If anyone can doop Viggo and his stupid hunters, it's Hiccup. We just got done telling him we have total faith in him. Don't start taking it back now."
"Ugh, we'll, I'm thirsty," said Tuffnut, getting to his feet and making for the door. "I'm gonna take a walk to the lake."
"Hiccup told us to stay here," said Astrid lowly, swinging her axe over her shoulder, looking at Tuffnut suspiciously.
"I'm just going to be a minute!" groaned Tuffnut. "Sheesh! Seriously! I'll be back in a second-" He turned to the door, and Toothless growled at him. "I appreciate all of your concern."
"Look, bro, we just don't want you to screw it up," said Ruffnut. "The letter said HIccup had to come alone. If you go, they might think Hiccup is trying to sabotage the competition and attack Berk after our demise."
"Whoa, that's a big word," said Tuffnut. "'The'...I will figure out what that means soon enough…" He turned back, reaching out his hand to open the door.
"Tuffnut-" said Fishlegs warningly.
"I'll be right back!" said Tuffnut. "I know you care, but I didn't think you cared that much!" He pushed open the door of the Clubhouse and stepped outside.
"Haha," said Snotlout mirthlessly. "He's gonna die."
Ruffnut, Fishlegs, and Astrid glared at him. Snotlout shrugged and threw his hands into the air.
"Just sayin'."
…
Tuffnut wandered aimlessly on the wooden bridges connecting the different buildings on the Edge. Beside him, Chicken walked happily, constantly glancing up at him, clucking occasionally.
"This is amazing," said Tuffnut. "Here we are, alone...but we're alone, together. How cool is this, Chicken?"
Chicken clucked.
"I couldn't have put it better myself!" said Tuffnut, smiling. "Come. Let us move on."
But before they had the chance to move on, the sharp point of a sword pressed against Tuffnut's back, and Tuffnut froze. "Put your hands up," snarled a voice behind him, and Tuffnut instantly threw his hands above his head.
"Nice sword!" said Tuffnut, smiling. "Sharp. I like it!"
The masked figure - the same one who had given Hiccup the scroll in the first place - shoved Tuffnut roughly. "Start walking," he growled, "and don't stop until I tell you to."
"Haha, great!" said Tuffnut. "An adventure! Cool! You wait here, Chicken! I will soon return!"
Chicken tilted his head in confusion and buck-ed as the masked man grabbed Tuffnut's shoulder, sword held in other hand, and led him away.
"Hey, is there any chance I could try out that sword of yours?" Tuffnut asked, reaching towards the sharp, gleaming weapon.
"No!" snapped the masked man, yanking the sword further away.
"Aww, come on! But I love swords!"
…
Hiccup walked through the dark forest, Gronckle Iron shield in one hand, sword sheathed at his belt. The trees cast eerie shadows against the forest floor, and every now and then, Hiccup looked over his shoulder, just to make sure he wasn't being followed.
He kept walking. The moon rose higher into the night sky until it was directly above him. Midnight had come.
Hiccup stepped through the trees and into a clearing lit entirely by moonlight. In the center of the clearing, a table that hadn't been there yesterday was set, and on the table, a Maces and Talons board with two characters placed on it: the noble Viking Chief, and a Henchman.
The man in the mask stepped out from behind a nearby tree and strode forward into the clearing, the table placed between him and Hiccup. "Hiccup Haddock the Third," he said. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" Hiccup demanded, hand hovering over the hilt of his sword.
The man shook his head. "You aren't one to beat around the bush, are you, Hiccup?" he said. "My true identity must remain a secret. However, I can give myself a title in which you can call me by."
"Name it," Hiccup growled.
"Knife," said the masked figure, drawing his sword. "You may address me as Knife."
"So you're a dragon hunter," said Hiccup, and this time, he drew his sword; the Gronckle Iron blade gleamed in the moonlight.
Knife nodded. "I am," he said. "I am Viggo's henchman, you see. I am his pawn." He moved towards the Maces and Talons board and pointed towards the Henchman game piece. "You, if you have not already realized it, are the Viking Chief."
"Yeah, kind of obvious," said Hiccup. "I've played Maces and Talons with Viggo before. I know his game."
The figure looked at him, almost sadly (if a masked face could have expression), and then, with a sigh, he said, "I hope you do. For the life of your friend rests in your hands."
It took Hiccup a second to process this. "Wait, what?" he said. "The life of...my friend? What? Who?"
Knife pulled a Hunter game piece from his satchel and set it on the table, behind the Henchman. "Your task," said Knife, "is to save your friend. In the riddle I presented to you upon our previous meeting, I mentioned that it would be accomplished through skill. Or, a battle of will."
"I'm listening," Hiccup said, clutching his sword tighter absentmindedly, wondering how Knife would react if Hiccup pounced and attacked now, while he had the chance.
"You have two options," said Knife. "Your friend is in a bit of a tricky situation. His time is limited, so make your mind up fast. If you choose to abandon your better willpower and tell me where the Dragon Eye is, I will release your friend immediately. However, if you choose to not tell me the location of the Dragon Eye, I will give you another riddle, and you must save your friend yourself."
"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Hiccup growled. "How do I know that if I give you the Dragon Eye, you'll let him go?"
"You don't," said Knife.
Hiccup paused. Giving up the Dragon Eye would mean putting his friends and their dragons in danger. And even if he did give up the Dragon Eye, Knife could have been bluffing; he could simply take the Dragon Eye and return to Viggo without releasing whichever friend was trapped.
But if Hiccup took the riddle instead…
"I'll take the riddle," Hiccup said. "What is it?"
Knife nodded respectfully and spoke. "'A gaping mouth at water's end; there you will find your lost friend. The waves crash on rocks and the water will rise. Find your friend soon or he'll reach his demise.' You have ten minutes to find and rescue your friend, or he will die."
Knife pulled his black cape around him and disappeared into the forest. Instantly, Hiccup began turning the riddle over in his head, thinking desperately.
"Okay, okay...gaping mouth...he could mean the mouth of a cave," Hiccup said, thinking out loud to himself. "Okay, so I'm looking for a cave, near the ocean…they get filled up with water when the tide comes in..." He paused. "Of course!" he said. "The tide! When the tide comes in, the water will rise…"
He didn't wait any longer now that he knew what he had to do. He turned and tore through the forest, making a break for the beach. The beach nearest to the forest was littered with caves, and when Hiccup looked across the sandy shores, he saw the cave nearest to the ocean, filled up half-way already with sea water.
Hoping against hope he wasn't too late, he raced across the sand, left his shield and sword on the sand, and dove into the water.
He swam into the mouth of the cave, hoping silently that the water hadn't already risen to fatal point, and when he broke the surface, now inside the cave, he was relieved to find that he hadn't.
But at the same time, he was also annoyed beyond measure.
"TUFFNUT!" Hiccup shouted furiously. "I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE CLUBHOUSE!"
Tuffnut was tied hand and foot with thick ropes, submerged up to his ribs in water. "I know this probably looks a lot worse from your perspective, Hiccup," said Tuffnut seriously, "but on the bright side, I found this really cool looking spider! I wonder if it's poisonous…"
Hiccup dove back beneath the water and swam towards his tied friend. He broke to the surface right in front of Tuffnut, and he pulled Tuffnut's dagger from his belt and began cutting away the ropes as fast as he could.
The tide was coming in quickly, almost too quickly, and it was already up to Hiccup's chest. He brushed wet hair out of his eyes and kept working to saw through the ropes.
"Hey, you know something, Hiccup," said Tuffnut. "the dragon hunters really need to get some new schemes. I mean, didn't you tell us they put you in a cave by the waterside, too, and just left you to drown? Leaving people to drown really doesn't work. They should know that, they really should-"
"Tuffnut," Hiccup said, shutting his eyes, mentally whispering, Don't be angry, don't be angry, don't be angry, to himself, "I think there is a time to discuss drowning and a time to...well, not drown."
"Right you are, H.," said Tuffnut, and Hiccup kept slicing away the ropes.
"Tuffnut, did you even resist at all when you were taken here?" Hiccup asked, sawing through a particularly thick rope as quickly as he could - the water was up to his shoulders now. He thought about going back and getting his sword, but abandoned the idea; in the time it took him to get his sword and come back, Tuffnut would have drowned.
"Nope," said Tuffnut casually, as though they weren't literally five minutes away from certain death. "I thought it'd be kinda cool, you know, being the damsel in distress for once."
"And are you having fun?" Hiccup said through clenched teeth, now yanking at the ropes to get them off Tuffnut.
"Yes," said Tuffnut. "Yes I am." He shook off the remaining ropes, just as another particularly large wave swept into the cave, and the water level went up to Tuffnut's neck. "Hey, Hiccup, shouldn't we get out of here?"
"Do you know how to swim?" Hiccup asked.
Tuffnut opened his mouth, and then frowned. "Darn it, I was going to learn how-"
"Nevermind!" Hiccup shouted, dropping Tuffnut's dagger into the water and holding out his hand. "Just...don't let go of my arm, alright?"
Tuffnut nodded and clasped his hands around Hiccup's forearm. His grip was so tight it was painful, but Hiccup commented not.
"This is so dramatic," said Tuffnut. "Hero saves idiot from drowning. Awesome."
"TUFFNUT!" Hiccup yelled, as another wave swept into the cave, making the water chin-level. "Hold your breath!"
Tuffnut sucked in a deep breath, and when Hiccup did the same, Hiccup dove beneath the water, dragging Tuffnut with him by the arm.
The instant they were underwater, the cave's water level went to the roof. Hiccup kicked, using the arm Tuffnut wasn't clinging to to pull himself through the water. The waves were working against them, and just when Hiccup was sure they weren't going to make it…
Hiccup and Tuffnut broke the surface of the water. Hiccup gasped for breath and instantly pulled both of them up onto the shore, right beside Hiccup's sword and shield. For a few moments, Hiccup and Tuffnut laid in the sand.
"We made it," Hiccup panted.
Tuffnut's head shot up. "We almost died," he said.
"We made it…" Hiccup repeated quietly, dropping his head back into the sand.
"Um...sorry, Hiccup."
"You are so grounded, Tuffnut."
"I know."