A/N: BEHOLD, A MIRACLE.
I am so, so, so, so sorry that it's taken me so long to update this story. I'm sure a lot of you have heard, my life has taken a turn for insanity these past few months. This semester is the busiest semester I've ever gone through to date, and I've barely had any time for any writing, let alone trying to sew together the last few chapters of this story. But I'm working hard to wrestle my inspiration for this story back into my brain, and hopefully, updates will come easier after this.
Buckle in, things get serious, I warned you!
Toothless was becoming more and more brooding as he waited for the end of his behwearft. He tried to keep himself occupied and happy around his friends, but oftentimes he would wander off by himself to brood.
At first, Hiccup hadn't realized why his friend was suddenly so absent-minded and solitary. Slowly, however, he began to understand. Hiccup hadn't realized how long it had really been. It had been spring – just barely summer- when Toothless first awoke as a human. Now, The autumn was blowing away and the cold winds of winter were just beginning to whisper hints of imminent ice and freezing gales. It was for this very reason that the Vikings of the archipelago were racing frantically back and forth from trading posts, raiding sites, ports and bays and allies, in a last-minute boost of the trading season to stock up, store up, trade, and barter while they still could. Even as the air chilled ever colder each day, the markets and shipyards bustled, sailors eager to enjoy the workable days while they could.
"I didn't think Berk had so many ships," Toothless commented one day, watching the busy bay from the back of the smithy. Hiccup looked up from where he'd been working with a bent sword.
"It doesn't," he said, walking over. Because Toothless was becoming so solitary these days, he savored the opportunities when the dragon invited conversation. "those are all the traders come in from other islands. It's end of the sailing season. Once the winter gales come in strong, sailing is impossible – unless you have a death wish, of course."
Toothless nodded in understanding. "But… we could fly you there, you know," he said, sounding just a touch offended that Hiccup hadn't thought of this.
"Yeah, you could fly us, but trading is about cargo. You don't want to fly a dozen sheep to the mainland, do you?"
Toothless took a moment to purse his lips, tick an eyebrow in consent, and let the matter go. After a bit, he said, "If I were allowed to eat the sheep…" Hiccup burst out laughing. His goal accomplished, Toothless allowed himself a smile.
Despite small moments like this, the relationships between Toothless and his human companions – particularly Hiccup – were growing increasingly strained as time went on. Toothless was ready to be a dragon again. Even the least-involved of the humans could feel it. The slowly growing distance between him and his friend, however, was something that Hiccup found strange and hard to handle. He and Toothless had always been the closest of all the human-dragon relationships on Berk. Now, even as Astrid and Stormfly grew closer than ever because of her newfound mastery of Dragonese, even as the others huddled with their dragons in the rising winter cold, Toothless spend more of his afternoons away from Hiccup, off by himself, or in the forest with Ru. Hiccup wasn't sure what to do.
Even Stoick and Gobber took notice of the change, and asked after the dragon when he wasn't around.
"I don't know," Hiccup would tell them. "I think he's just… tired." Gobber, suffering as much as all Berkian amputees from the change in the weather, had rubbed at his stubbed arm and said, "I don't blame him." Stoick had only sighed, and looked as weary as any worried father might when he watched the downcast fury shuffle up to the house that night.
Unfortunately, whatever deep depression or puzzle had wrapped itself around Toothless' head, Hiccup couldn't get it out of him. Toothless would only shrug, sigh, or change the topic of conversation, or not answer when Hiccup tried to get him to confide his concerns or fears. Eventually, one night, Toothless had said frustratedly,
"I can't tell you about something I don't know what is." Justifiably confused, Hiccup had asked Toothless what he'd meant, and the dragon only sighed and said wearily, "I don't know. I don't know what I feel, or think. I just… it hurts, sometimes."
And that was the most he ever got.
So one day, while Toothless was occupied with Astrid in another Dragonese lesson (Hiccup had spied Fishlegs sneaking in on these lessons lately) he wandered off by himself into the woods to speak with Ru. If anyone could help him understand his friend's mind, the wise eastern dragon could.
"I did not realize the year's cold came so quickly here," Ru said when he heard Hiccup approach. The long-bodied dragon had curled himself up atop a tall cliff overlooking the sea. Now, he ruffled his scales with a tree-like rattle, and stood to greet Hiccup. "But I suppose I do not need to tell you that, Master Gicpa," Hiccup smiled, and bowed in greeting when Ru did the same to him.
"It is getting pretty cold these days," He said, walking over and sitting down on the ledge next to Ru, who settled back down in a more amiable position. "Do you think you will have to fly back east, soon?" Ru considered this, breathing in letting out a puff of steam. The growing chill was more pronounced, this high up.
"I wish to stay here longer. I have never had the chance to live this far west." He glanced down at Hiccup fondly, "and I admit that you and your friends have no small part in my desire to remain. No, I will not go east yet. Not all the way. I will winter on the continent, where it is not quite as cold and where I can hide more easily without leeching off of your island's precious supplies of food." When he sensed Hiccup's sadness, he added, "Rest assured, young Gicpa, that when I do travel back east, you will be the first to hear of it. I wouldn't dream of leaving without first saying my goodbyes."
Hiccup smiled up at him. "Well, I'll be glad to have you around, however long you stay." It sounded a bit stiff, even to his ears. In the silence that followed, Hiccup felt increasingly awkward, but Ru seemed to take in the new atmosphere in stride. Perhaps it came with age.
"You did not come to speak to me about goodbyes, did you?" He asked calmly. Hiccup sighed heavily,
"It's Toothless," He confessed, his frustration shining through. "I… He's just… He's grown distant. Quiet. I don't know what to do with him."
"And he does not know what to do with himself," Ru said, turning his head on his long, regal neck. "Toðléas may have learned to be a human in his skin, but he is not a human in his heart."
Hiccup sighed, and folded up his knees to hug in the chill air. "I know, it's just… He's been doing so well, I thought that maybe he'd grown okay with it, even to… enjoy it." As the words left his tongue, they tasted bitter to Hiccup. Selfish. As guilt stabbed at Hiccup's gut, Ru softened his words and lowered his head to Hiccup's level, resting it fondly against Hiccup's side. Belatedly, Hiccup realized this might've been a gesture to keep the frail human warm.
"The moon may give off much light, but it will never grow into a sun." Hiccup frowned, digesting this. He'd become accustomed to Ru's frequent proverbs, but that didn't mean he always understood them. Ru chuckled, the reverberations tickling Hiccup where Ru's head touched his side. "Toothless has enjoyed his time as a human, Gicpa. But it is only a time. He feels the draw to be himself again, himself in the proper sense, as a dragon. He aches to stretch his wings, but the pain remains, because he hasn't any wings to stretch."
Hiccup nodded, looking forlorn. "I wish I could give them to him," he said. Ru watched Hiccup's face, and eventually sighed as well – but patiently.
"In time, Gicpa, in time." He said, and let his great, wise eyes slide shut.
The two dozed there together. Although they hadn't known each other for more than a few months, they felt like old friends. Hiccup hadn't been lying when he said he would miss the huge dragon from the east. He hoped Ru would be able to stay for a while yet – especially long enough to help them sort out this whole behwearft business.
A cold wind shook the pair from their catnap. Ru looked up first, and realized the angle of the sun, dipping down ever quicker towards dusk. "Your mate will probably be looking for you," Ru said, and chuckled at Hiccup's expression. Hiccup had begun to suspect that Ru understood the human discomforts around 'mating rituals' and was now habitually exploiting Hiccup for laughs just as Toothless did. Well, even the wise could be mischievous, he supposed.
"Yeah, I guess I ought to head back," Hiccup said, standing and wincing at his sore leg. The cold never did give him much mercy when fall faded into winter. Ru saw it and stood up fully.
"Let me fly you down," he said. Hiccup started.
"W-what? Ru, you don't have to-"
"Your leg pains you – and I have not flown a human in many, many years." Hiccup wasn't aware he'd ever flown a human anywhere, but he let the comment slide. "Still, I've been told the spot just behind my horns is the safest place to be." He lowered his neck, and since Hiccup couldn't find anything to say in protest, he climbed onto the instructed spot. From atop his spine, Hiccup was reminded of just how massive Ru was. An unfamiliar twist of vertigo-like butterflies whipped through his gut.
"Thank you, Ru, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to-"
"The most fun I've had in eons!" Ru gave a gleeful shout, and all at once, wings, larger than Hiccup realized that Ru could hide, unfurled on either side of him. They were taught and membranous, but shimmering with the dull crimson of the rest of his hide, reflecting the dying sun's rays as they glided down across the island from their high perch.
Hiccup didn't realize he was laughing until they touched down on the beach. Gods he missed flying.
"You moved your leg," Ru said.
"What?"
"You moved your leg just now, as we were flying," Ru rolled his eye around to look at Hiccup. "Against my neck. You were trying to control his tail, weren't you?"
Hiccup gaped, because he hadn't realized he was doing anything. He glanced down at his leg incredulously. He felt Ru's chuckle rumble against him.
"I see the Night Fury is not the only one who misses himself. Come, now. I'll walk you closer to home."
So the dragon carried the Viking along the beach for a ways, surprisingly quiet for such a massive beast. As they walked, Ru folded his wings back up against his sides, and Hiccup marveled at the engineering and compactness of it all. Ru humored him by answering questions of how it was possible, of how often he kept his wings folded up, how they moved and worked, and laughed at Hiccup's feverous curiosity at it all. Then, all at once, Ru stopped laughing and froze.
"Hush!" he said. The sudden stop made Hiccup jerk forward, and he had to reach down onto Ru's brow to steady himself.
"What?" He asked. Ru shushed him, and looked around, huge eyes sharpening to slits. Hiccup couldn't see from his position, but the dragon's nostrils were working furiously to decipher some code in the air.
SHINK! An arrow landed deep into the wet sand near Ru's flank. The dragon followed the arrow's trajectory with his eyes and growled. Hiccup had to hold on for dear life as the dragon bent up his cat-like spine and pounced – not toward their sudden attackers, but away, down the beach.
A cry rose up behind them, and Hiccup turned, wide eyed, to see their pursuers. "What in the name of Allfather in Asgard!" he breathed. No less than a dozen barbarian warriors ran after them, axes, spears, swords at the ready. He knew they were barbarians from the fierce face paint, the hornless helmets. But on Berk?
"I should have smelled them!" Ru cursed himself, "I should have seen!" His voice was alarmingly deeper than usual, mangled, more menacing than any dragon voice Hiccup had heard. "These are no traders!" With another curse, Ru whirled his head and spat a white-hot fireball back at their pursuers. They dodged the blast, and so he drew back for another blow.
This time, with the great whipping motions of Ru's head and the difficulty of holding onto such a huge dragon, Hiccup flew off with a cry. "Gicpa!" Ru shouted, realizing his mistake.
In the next few seconds, in quick succession, Ru realized a series of things. First, the barbarians were not holding the usual traps and darts used to capture dragons. Second, when Hiccup flew off of his back, the barbarians watched him fall. Third, after glancing briefly (and fearfully) at Ru, they changed their course to head for Hiccup's fallen form.
These warriors were not after his hide. They were here for Hiccup. With a roar, the dragon skidded in the sand and rebounded on his path, bounding to where Hiccup was sputtering on the beach. He whipped his long body around, spraying sand, scales glittering in the late sun so his enemies cried out and shielded their faces. "RUN!" He yelled at Hiccup, smacking the boy up off the ground with his tail, whose tip did not feel as soft as Hiccup had assumed it might.
"Ru, you can't, they'll want your life or your scales, you can't-"
"They're here for you, Gicpa, RUN!"
"What?" It'd all happened so fast, Hiccup was still unsure of what to do. But when Ru let out another blast of fire and kicked another wave of sand into the eyes of the barbarians, Hiccup staggered to his feet, mind still frozen in confusion, and ran. His prosthetic made him slower in the uneven sand, but he made it work as fast as he could, eating up ground along the beach in the direction he knew would lead to home. Ru's roars and fire kept steady in the background, and the confusion of the barbarians remained even as the sounds grew more distant. He didn't look back.
ffeewwrrrzztTHOCK! Hiccup's leg jumped underneath him, and he fell into a heap. Rolling back up in a panic, his leg caught on something: an arrow, protruding from the wooden top of his prosthetic. It hadn't grazed an inch of skin, but it'd stopped him, and that meant…
A command rang out from the woods, and a half-dozen strong band of barbarians, wearing the same warpaint as the ones before, swarmed down towards him. Not sure what else to do, Hiccup gave an angry shout and ripped the arrow from his wooden leg, brandishing the arrowhead like a a dagger. As his foes came to meet him, he struck first – landing a good stab on one of their arms, slashing at another's chest. The injured men screamed, and the first cursed Hiccup and raised his sword.
"Viking brat!" He raged. Another caught the arrow from Hiccup's grasp, and a third secured his arms behind him. Hiccup could only try to wrench himself from the vice grip as the sword came down on him.
"No!"
"Idiot!"
At the last moment, another hand appeared, the sword glinted in the sun, and the hilt came down to give Hiccup a picture of perfect nothingness.
Down the beach, Ru heard the scuffle, and turned to see. When he realized what had happened, an old, suppressed sense of war and rage overcame him. Lip curling back like a wolf, all of his neat pointed teeth exposed themselves, and he roared. He turned and sprinted down the beach, all but forgetting his pursuers still blinking away sand and soot. Ru plunged down the beach, yelling for Gicpa and cursing this barbarians and cursing himself for not smelling them first.
"NO!" Two barbarians hauled Hiccup away from the scuffle, the Viking's body hanging limp between them. "YOU WILL PAY!" The dragon roared at them, even though they couldn't understand, and bit at them. He couldn't blaze them, or he'd burn Hiccup as well, but he slashed and bit and even managed to chomp firmly down on one of their arms and pull. He hated the taste of human blood, but these men should have thought more carefully before invoking his wrath. "Gicpa!" He screamed again, "GICPA!" the soldiers hauled Hiccup further away, and Ru tried to pursue them, but just as he took a step, the other dozen barbarians that he'd left behind in the sand caught up and surrounded him. A spearman drove a stinging tip into his left flank, and Ru screamed in pain. He turned and caught the retaliating spear by its shaft, shattering it with a bite. Blood poured from the wound, although its color was dulled by the red of his scales. More steel pricked at his front, and he turned, only to see Hiccup now loaded into a boat, which had been hiding behind a jut of rock until now. In a surge, Ru rushed forward, but everywhere he stepped, there was steel, and war cries, and human curses. He blew flame down onto them, but they lifted their shields and returned with renewed urgency. Fuming, he glanced up to where they were rowing Hiccup out to sea. These men were not the aim of his fight. Hiccup was the object. And he was far out of reach, now. Roaring, Ru sprung out his wings, knocking out several men in the process, and launched himself into the air. He flew up and up, toward the top of the island where he'd come from.
From this height, he could see something he wished he'd understood weeks before: a tall, dark ship. He had thought it was one of the many ships come in for trading – a whole slew of fleets and ships had come to Berk in recent weeks for the Last Market. Ru had assumed this dark ship was expected. But now, with Hiccup incapacitated or dying and headed for its dark hull, Ru cursed himself for being deceived.
Mind raging, Ru turned and dove.
He blasted the dark ship, expecting it to burst into flames. Instead, his fire bounced off of the vessel, and for a moment, Ru could only stare. Impossible. Human ships were always flammable. Always. It was there weakness. All dragons knew this – even peaceable dragons knew that human ships were vulnerable. Growling at his failure, Ru rose again and dove back down with a stronger, hotter flame. This time, while the flames did not catch anything, while they did not find even the hint of wood to burn, they did leave a dull, red glow on the smooth, black hull. Realization dawned, and Ru's eyes widened.
Metal. The barbarians had made a ship of metal. And not just any ship, Ru thought, glancing down its length, it was a massive ship. Armed by forged steel and somehow, some way, afloat. If the shouts were anything to go by, they were now running to their battle stations. Still reeling from confusion, Ru dug at the air and flew higher, away from the reach of human weapons. The boat with Hiccup was now only feet away from the huge ship. Panicking and still furious – at the barbarians and at himself, Ru turned and dove again. This time, in the opposite direction.
Ru landed onto Berk in a way that might've shocked Thor himself. He charged through the village, all thoughts of concealment and caution tossed to the winds. Accustomed to dragons as they were, Viking children screamed when they saw him, and even the Viking warriors dropped their tankards in shock when he charged into the village. He ignored them all and ran, spine coiling like a tense spring, into the center of town.
"Ru?!" Astrid was there with her dragonfriend, Stormfly.
"Where is Toðléas? Gicpa's father?" He roared. Caught off guard by his anger and his low, dangerous voice, Astrid only pointed, up toward a tall house on the hill. Ru huffed and ran right up to the house, drew a huge breath, unhinged his jaw at the door, and roared.
The sound seemed to shake the house itself, but it worked its purpose. In seconds, Toothless and Stoick, both looking shocked and quite literally shaken, appeared at the door.
"Ru!" Toothless said, while Stoick took in the dragon's form and gaped, "What on earth are you doing here?" the fury asked. The whole village had heard the roar, and was now standing fearfully around while the huge, foreign dragon spoke in fevered dragonese with their resident human-dragon.
"Barbarians! Traitor-warriors, snuck in among the traders of the late sailing season – they've taken Gicpa!"
"Taken him?!" Astrid said, her surprise making it come out in Norse.
"What? Who are we talking about?" Stoick cut in, the urgency deadening him to the shock.
"Hiccup," Toothless breathed, "Barbarians, they've taken him."
"What?!" Stoick hissed, enraged.
"Where?" Toothless demanded.
"Off the North Coast. I was escorting Gicpa back here, they ambushed us on the beach, a dozen and a half, at least."
"I'll kill them all," Toothless hissed in Norse, and the fierce loyalty in the oath, in contrast to the recent weeks of isolationism, made Stoick turn and look.
"Off the North Coast," Astrid relayed to the chief because Toothless' anger stopped his tongue, "Well, let's go get him. Ru, can you take us?"
The dragon turned and looked down at them. "I will carry you, Toðléas, and Gicpa's sire. No more." He looked down in a unforeseen flash of shame. "I already threw Gicpa to his fate, today. I will not risk anyone else." Astrid tried to flash him a forgiving look, but she was too whipped up in the crisis.
"Chief, he'll take us out to meet them," She said, going up to Ru.
"I'm coming, too!" Stormfly interjected.
"No," Toothless interrupted, "you stay here, organize a striking team for reinforcements if we need them.
"Not without Astrid," She said, but one glare from Toothless stopped her. Astrid took a few seconds to stare. Hiccup had often told her that Toothless was the commander among Berk's dragons. She'd never really understood it until she could see him use human expressions to say so.
"Toothless is right, girl," Astrid said to her lifelong friend, "We'll need help once we get out there. Gather the others and organize a relief team, should we need backup." Stormfly conceded, and backed down.
"Does anyone on this gods-forsaken island speak sense?!" Stoick burst, ears agaggle with Dragonese.
"Get on the dragon," Toothless said in reply, pointing toward Ru. Stoick looked momentarily shocked, but then straightened his shoudlers, and nodded. He stepped forward without another word, glanced at Ru for confirmation, and climbed aboard the dragon's back.
Astrid briefed Gobber and Spitelout, who'd appeared in the hubbub, on what had happened. Once orders were given, she turned and climbed up onto Ru's long back behind Stoick.
"Toothless!" She called, turning her neck, looking for him. "Are you coming or – Toothless?" She spotted him, standing halfway between the Haddock front door and Ru's flank. He looked up at Astrid, suddenly looking very, very lost, but very attentive. "Toothless, what are you waiting for?" She said again.
Without another word, Toothless turned, and ran headlong in the opposite direction, into the chief's house.
"What is he doing?" Stoick growled, and Astrid could only shrug.
Toothless reappeared a moment later, carrying something. Astrid frowned when she saw what he'd gone back for.
"Why…?"
"I don't know," Toothless said, cutting her off. "Just a feeling." Swallowing his fear of heights, Toothless climbed up behind her. "Just go."
Ru didn't understand Norse, but he could feel when the humans were settled. With great heave, they launched into the air.