Hiccup stood in the council room. The other viking chiefs from the nearby islands surrounded the fire pit. There was very little discussion. Every single one of the chiefs had exactly the same plan: Fight to the last man. The details had been decided by the smartest of the council, Hiccup. Even Alvin the Treacherous respected his strategies.
Silence.
Long, patient silence. It was so quiet, Hiccup could hear a faint dripping from a closet on the other side of the room.
Waiting.
They sat around the fire, unwilling to move, unwilling to speak. Waiting for the alert.
Silence.
A rat scurried across the back wall. Even though Hiccup couldn't see it, he knew exactly where it was.
Waiting.
Alvin gritted his teeth in anticipation. They could arrive at any second.
Silence...
A horn sounded from outside. It was time. Casually, the chiefs stood from their seats. Each shook hands with every single one of the others. The worst of enemies, the closest of friends. The message was exactly the same, it was an honor. No one knew who would come back, only that some wouldn't. The last person Hiccup shook hands with was Alvin. "If I don't make it back, look after my island, Dragon Conquerer." The old warrior said. Hiccup smiled at the use of his old nickname, but it was an empty smile. The chiefs donned their armor and stepped out to where the tribes stood. Hiccup was the last to leave, he wore a special set of iron armor that Gobber had made from the last of their metal supplies. He stared at the silver helmet that sat in his hands and then to the white one sitting next to the chief's seat. He walked over to it and stretched his hand out. The white helm sat as his hand floated over it and then retreated to his side. Not yet.
Eret was dressed in Outcast armor. He dropped the magnifying glass from his eye as Hiccup approached. What he had seen should've terrified him, but he was tired of being terrified. "What was with the alarm, Eret, I only see one ship." Hiccup questioned as he approached. Eret silently handed him the glass. Hiccup looked through in order to magnify the object. As soon as he figured out what was going on, he lowered the glass from his eye. "Odin help us."
4 hours earlier...
Hiccup waited for Alvin as he stepped off of his ship. "Hehe, good to see you, Hiccup." Alvin said as they locked hands in a hardy viking handshake. "If only it was under better circumstances." Hiccup replied. Alvin nodded and then led Hiccup to another ship that was unloading. "Heard you needed some extra supplies." Alvin mentioned as he gestured to the docking ship. It was full of Outcast armor and weapons. "These used to belong to some of my troops, before...before the Roman raid." A single tear fell from Alvin's eye before he turned away. Hiccup patted him on the back. The memories were clearly fresh in his mind. Scarlet was a beautiful girl, a fierce fighter, and a spitting image of her mother, Crystal. "Thank you, Alvin, let your victory be in their name." Alvin sniffed, stood up tall, and grabbed his axe. "For the Nords."
6 hours earlier...
Romulus landed onto the large ship. First ran up to him. "The troops expect a speech, Mi'lord." He told his master through his helmet. Romulus frowned. "Tell them they're not getting one, I have important preparations to make." He instructed as he stepped down a staircase into the lower levels. "Of course, sir." First responded as he followed Romulus down to the vault. He quickly opened it for his master. Romulus stepped in and then gave one last order. "Lock the door behind me, only open it if the boy comes." First bowed and then carried out his master's request.
8 hours earlier...
"Snotlout, go to Berserk Island. Fishlegs, you go to Outcast Island. Astrid, I'm sending you to Hogswell, but be careful." Hiccup commanded. Astrid pecked his cheek. "Always." The messengers climbed onto their dragons. "Remember, we need weapons and armor." The three nodded as they set off along with nine students. Ruffnut and Tuffnut ran up to Hiccup. "What are we doing?" Tuffnut asked. Hiccup smiled. "You're going to like this...I need you to go around the island and blow up any place where the enemy could put their ships, make it unlandable." The twins smiled mischievously and then ran off to their dragon(s). "And me, chief?" Eret asked, being the only one left. Hiccup handed him his magnifying glass. "You're on lookout duty."
12 hours earlier...
"Set sail, immediately. We continue on schedule. I will retrieve the stone." Romulus commanded angrily. First just bowed and stepped back as he mounted his dragon. "Tomorrow will be the end of Berk." First watched as the enraged Emperor took off. When he was out of sight, First began the long trek to the highest level.
He stepped through the village-like assembly atop of Neptune's Reach, before emerging onto the large open space overlooking the sea in front of the docks. Carefully, he walked to a large horn that sat along the edge in the very center of the over-look. With one deep breath, he pushed all the air he could muster into the horn, causing a long rumbling brass sound that reverberated across the entire island. Every ear in the Legion shot up at the sound. The soldiers quickly put their armor on as it was basically thrown at them. Riders called their dragons and set off as soon as they met up. Sailors rushed to their ships, and they were practically dropped from the chains into the water. Hordes of ships and dragons erupted from Neptune's Reach, as another, much more gruesome rumbling sound came from the island itself.
Rock crumbled away from the wooden sides as it slid forward from the mountain. A horde of 10,000 dragons pulled the chains around their necks, dislodging the wood from the stone. First watched in glee as the island of Neptune's Reach separated. Death Reach, a lonely stone mountain, stood in the waters of the North, full of holes and caves, black from its volcanic origins. Next to it floated Neptune's Wrath, the flagship of the Roman fleet.
Hiccup stared at the wooden monstrosity. It was half the size of the whole of Berk, and around it were the little specks of Roman battleships. The vikings watched as the small speck became larger, when it looked the size of a normal ship, the other specks began to appear. Fear enveloped the entire viking army as they realized that those ships were an equal distance from the large one. The ship stopped approximately 1 mile from Berk. The rest of the fleet followed its example. A rumbling, brassy sound erupted from the island-ship and the Roman soldiers let out a huge roar. Every other ship in their fleet began to advance. The battle had begun.