Ok, Chapter three! I hope your enjoying this story. I have a lot of fun writing it! As per usual, enjoy!
Chapter Three
Matt was frantically pouring over a copy of Hiccup's map. Staring at an 'x' that was marked on the map, he slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his bloodshot eyes. Alone in the room that was lit by single candle, he muttered to himself "Well…I guess we should have expected this."
"That's how I felt." A voice called from behind him.
Quickly standing up and turning around, Matt saw Heather walk from the shadows. Easing up, he said "I thought you were tending to Toothless."
"He's resting right now and there's not much else I can do. The cut wasn't that deep so he'll be able to fly tomorrow." Heather said, taking a seat next to Matt. Looking at the map, she quickly said "You're not planning on going by yourself are you?"
Sighing, Matt nodded and said "I don't want anyone else pulled into this."
"Since when did you make those kind of calls?" Heather said defiantly "I'm going with you!"
"No you're not!" Matt said with heat in his voice "The last thing we need is more people lost, missing or..." Matt's voice trailed off, not wanting to think of the third possibility.
"Which will happen to you if you go alone!" Heather said angrily.
Matt let out an exasperated sigh "Heather! Please! I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"
"We might need her to come with us." Another voice sounded in the dark.
Both Matt and Heather turned to face where the voice was coming from. Seeing Astrid and Valka walk towards them, Matt then exclaimed "How do I not hear this many people come into the house, let alone my room!?"
"You never been good at noticing the big stuff." Astrid said with a little jest in her voice. Looking at Valka, she then added "Since Hiccup's gone, Valka is actually going to be acting as chief; with Gobber's help of course."
"I kind of expected that honestly…" Matt said standing up from his chair "So…as acting Chief of Berk, what do you need me to do?"
Valka smiled slightly and then began to explain "I want you, Astrid, and Heather to go look for Hiccup and the others…Gobber and I will stay here and run the village. Fishlegs was kind enough to offer to run the academy while you were all gone."
"Why are you sending Heather and Astrid with me?" Matt asked quizzically "Do you think that's wise to send more of our crucial riders?"
"I do think it's wise, and I'm not sending them with you; I'm sending you with them." Valka corrected "If it is a hostile island that's attacking us, then I want to send you to help protect them. Or to attack those that have Hiccup. Astrid understands Toothless and can follow him. He'll lead you to where Hiccup was attacked." Looking at Heather, she added "If they are injured or hurt in anyway, Heather can help them."
Sighing, Matt looked at Heather whose face was beaming at the news. Seeing her face, he muttered "I still don't like it…"
"Of course you don't." Astrid cut in "You never like it when there's something dangerous out there and we have to go face it. Why do you act like a hero all the time?"
Matt looked down slightly and said "Because I could never forgive myself if any of you got hurt or killed when I could have done it myself…"
"Well stop!" Astrid returned gruffly "Matt...You're not always going to be able to protect everyone! And besides, the feeling is mutual. We don't want anything to happen to you!" Then smiling, she added "Well, any more than what has already happened to you."
Smiling, Matt nodded. Feeling Heather wrap her arm around him, he then said "Fine…but only on one condition."
"Oh?" Heather asked, looking up at Matt
"You rub my back tonight before we go." Matt said with smile.
"Deal!" Heather said laughing.
"Alright then…" Valka said with a small smile "I'll have your supplies ready to go. I suggest you leave as early in the morning as you can. I'm going to send Eret and his ship after you, to pick you up if needed."
"Guess you better hurry and give me that back rub then." Matt said, turning to Heather with a smirk.
"Jeez! How many medical supplies do you need!?" Matt grunted as he hefted a second bag onto Wasatch. Wiping the sweat off his face, Matt inhaled the cool morning air to cool down. Even in the summer, the mornings and days were still cooler and damper than what he was used to. Being from a dry desert town in Utah, Matt adjusted to the humidity quite well and grew to love it; mainly because he loved the cold weather anyways. Dressed in his black and purple riding armor, Matt's shaggy black hair seemed to still make him look like a snowboarder than a dragon rider.
"Just enough for the trip." Heather said simply "I don't want to find Hiccup and the others and not have what I need. It was a nightmare trying to find stuff for you on Eret's ship!" Still in her white tunic, she was wearing a light brown fur coat. Her hair was still draped over her eye, as well as braided similarly to Astrid's; other than letting it hang over her shoulder.
"I guess that's a good reason…" Matt huffed as he began to lash the bag to Wasatch "You sure you don't want to ride with me?"
"With what room you have left?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow "With those bags, there's barely any room for you to stand on him!"
Matt just looked at Wasatch, who was very unhappy with the new weight added to him. Frowning a little, Matt said "I guess that's true…"
"You guys ready?" Astrid called out, walking towards them with Stormfly and Toothless behind her. Valka, Eret, and Fishlegs were with her as well.
"I think so…I hope no one on Berk gets hurt, I think Heather packed the entire island's healing ingredients." Matt said sarcastically, grinning at Heather.
"Oh please!" Heather replied, rolling her eyes "Just because I want to be ready doesn't mean you have to exaggerate that much."
Astrid then cut in "Alright, let's get going then." She then walked up to Toothless and made sure his tail was still locked in place to allow him to fly by himself.
Matt couldn't help but hear some anxiety in her voice. It made him remember the seriousness of the situation. Hiccup was missing, as were the twins and Snotlout with their dragons.
"Please be careful." Valka counseled "If you run into trouble or find something that's too risky, just fly back to Eret and get him and his men to help you."
"We'll be right behind you!" Eret said with a confident smile.
"Thank you." Astrid said with a small smile. Jumping on Stormfly, she then said again "Let's get going! Come on Heather!"
Smiling, Heather kissed Matt and then ran to Astrid. Shaking his head with a smile, Matt slid on his helmet and climbed onto Wasatch. Stepping into his bindings and strapping himself in, Matt gave Astrid a thumbs up.
"Alright Toothless, take us back to Hiccup!" She shouted anxiously. Toothless immediately launched into the air, roaring loudly. "Up Stormfly!" Astrid shouted, letting her dragon launch into the air and follow Toothless.
Matt followed quickly, letting Wasatch take control. Flying closely behind Astrid, Matt's view was suddenly clouded by a black fog. Coughing and trying to get out of the black cloud, Matt guided Wasatch away from whatever it was. Clearing his view, Matt saw a Smothering Smokebreath following closely behind Heather.
"So you're bringing him along too?" He shouted in an annoyed tone. Snatch was really good at messing with Matt, to which he learned to enjoy. To an extent.
"Of course!" Heather replied with a smile "Why can't I"
"I never said you couldn't" Matt said "Just curious as to why?"
"Why not?" Astrid cut in, turning to Matt "If we can bring our dragons, why can't she bring hers?"
"I…I don't really have a response for that." Matt answered sheepishly.
Astrid quickly returned her attention to Toothless who was gliding ahead of them. Staring at Astrid, Matt began to coax Wasatch to get closer to Stormfly. Flying alongside, Matt then said "Are you ok Astrid?"
Shocked at the question, Astrid looked at Matt and replied "What? Of course I am! Why do you ask?"
"I don't know…you just seem a little bit on edge." Matt replied, shrugging. Looking in her eyes, he added "Astrid, Hiccup's fine. We'll find him!"
Astrid quickly looked away from Matt and said "Are you sure? How do you know that?"
Astrid's response caught him off-guard. Not saying anything for a minute, he then explained "I don't know. It's just how it usually works out for us." Smiling slightly at a thought, he continued "Remember when I turned myself over to Dagur in exchange for you, Heather, and Hiccup?"
"Yeah, hard to forget." Astrid said, looking back at Matt.
"And when I tossed my snowboard goggles over to you guys?" Matt asked again.
"Yeah! To help us track you!" Astrid answered in an annoyed tone "Where are you going with this."
"Well you see," Matt said slowly through his helmet "I gave you my goggles so that you'd have something to remember me by. I never counted on Eret or Skullcrusher to find me. I mean come on, I didn't even know that he was a tracker dragon! On top of that, I totally forgot that they were coming behind us!"
"Wait…you never thought that we'd find you!?" Astrid said in shock. Heather also stared at Matt at this news flash.
Nodding, Matt began to explain "I was actually planning on being killed by Dagur. Well, I guess you can say I almost was, but that's beside the point. You found me and Heather in the end; and the rest is history." Laughing lightly, he finished saying "That's why I feel that he'll be fine. It usually works out that we find each other." Motioning towards Toothless that was ahead of them, he added "Besides, we have a Night Fury guiding us to find his best friend. What else do you need?"
Astrid smiled at this, saying "Thanks Matt…"
Shrugging, Matt quickly replied "It's my turn to help you out. After all you've done for me, this barely counts."
Astrid just smiled and returned her attention to Toothless.
Looking at Heather, who was smiling, Matt gave a thumbs up and also focused on Toothless. "Alright boy…bring us to Hiccup…" he whispered.
Later that night, the three landed on a moderate sized island and began to set up camp. Snatch was busy grabbing twigs for Heather who was setting up the fire. Astrid also was gathering some bigger wood, setting it down near where the fire was going to be. Wasatch, Toothless, and Stormfly were sleeping next to each other, resting from the day long fight. Matt was out walking to a clearing with a map in hand, scouting out the island and trying to figure out where they were.
Shaking his head, he looked up from the map and found himself on the shore. With the sound of the ocean crashing onto the gravel beach, Matt whispered to himself "Guess I should have paid more attention when Hiccup was teaching me how to draw a map. Let alone read one…" Looking behind him to where he came from, he added "I have no idea where we are…"
Folding up the map, Matt picked up a rock and tossed it into the ocean. The moon was full, illuminating everything with a mystical white tint. Taking in the sight, Matt was about to turn around and walk back to the camp. Just as he did so, something in the ocean caught his eye. Stopping himself, Matt stared at what he thought he saw. A black silhouette of an object was slowly getting bigger. Matt suddenly recoiled back in shock. It was a ship! And it was heading right for the island! Sprinting back to the camp, Matt saw that the fire was already lit. Not explaining himself, he quickly kicked over the fire and began to stamp it out.
"Matt! What are you doing!?" Heather asked in shock.
"Shh!" Matt said quietly "There's a ship coming right at us! We need to hide right now!"
Astrid was the first to respond. Helping stamp out the remains of the fire, she quickly grabbed her axe off of her saddle.
Matt reached for Heather, helping her up. Motioning to follow him, he began to sneak through some bushes. Heather and Astrid quickly followed with their dragons tailing behind them. Seeing a spot where they could lay down and be concealed, Matt turned to the dragons and whispered "Get out of here Wasatch! If they see you, they'll know people are here!"
"Why don't we fly away then?" Heather asked, laying down under the foliage.
Astrid quickly answered for Matt, saying "We need to find out if these are the people who attacked our ships or have Hiccup."
"Exactly. I bet we'll hear everything we need to when they land." Matt added to Astrid's answer. Turning back to the dragons, he repeated "Come on guys! Get going!" Motioning his arms, he began to shoo them away.
"It's alright girl!" Astrid said, backing up Matt "We'll be fine!"
Understanding their riders, the three dragons took off and flew into the night sky. Snatch was trailing behind them, being not as fast as the bigger dragons.
Crawling next to Heather, both Matt and Astrid laid their motionless with her. "How far was it?" Astrid whispered, keeping an ear out to hear anything out of the ordinary.
"It was coming towards us at a slow pace" Matt replied, equally quiet "But I'm sure they're already landing on the beach as we speak."
It seemed like an hour before they heard anything hinting to the fact that there was even a ship. Being near the shore, Matt heard something running along the beach. Turning ever so slowly towards the sound, he saw three men running along the gravel beach; all armed with long spears. Watching them run by, he felt Astrid tap on his shoulder. Turning to her, he saw exactly what she was trying to show him. 10 to 12 men were walking through the trees and bushes; coming from the direction that their camp was at.
"Spread out men…that fire was put our recently. They can't be far!" A voice sounded. Multiple 'Ayes' and 'Yes sirs!' responded at the comment.
Matt's mind was cranking when he heard the voice. Why did it sound so familiar? Turning to Astrid, he saw that her face was pale. Obviously something rocked her world. Looking at Heather, he saw that her face was also shocked when hearing the voice.
Watching the crowd of armed men walk by them, Astrid slowly turned to Matt and whispered "That's the man attacking our ships! He has to have Hiccup!"
"Wait, back up." Matt hissed back, floored by the claim "How do you know that?"
"That's Savage!" Astrid replied quietly, trying to keep her voice down.
"It's true!" Heather added, cutting into the conversation "Savage is Alvin's right hand man!"
"Was!" Astrid quickly corrected "He was Alvin's right hand man. When Alvin kicked the Berserker's off his island, he disappeared!"
Matt's head then put two and two together. "That's why we found an Outcast sword on our fishing ship…"
"Come on!" Astrid said quietly, standing up slowly from her cover "We need to find Hiccup!"
"Fine, but be careful! We don't want to get spotted by anyone!" Matt whispered back, also standing up.
Helping Heather to her feet, they followed Astrid who swiftly moved through the trees. Keeping up with her, they quickly found themselves at the beach where the ship was moored at. Hiding behind some boulders, Astrid quietly said "Two guards standing on the ship. Right next to the ramp on it."
Seeing the two guards, Matt then said "You need me to bait them away from you?"
Looking at Matt with a smile, Astrid nodded and commented "Just like when you needed that guard's armor."
"Wait…what's the plan?" Heather asked in a panicked voice.
"Just follow my lead." Astrid said with smile. Turning to Matt, she said "I'm ready when you are."
Nodding, Matt picked up a rock from the ground and quickly sprinted away from the boulder. Standing in the open, he made sure he had the guard's attention by chucking the rock at them. Landing next to the two guards, they quickly shouted at him and began to chase them. "Hold it right there!" One of them roared, sprinting towards Matt with a spear aimed at him. Matt quickly backpedaled away, drawing them past Astrid and Heather. Grabbing his handle, Matt extended his blade and was ready to receive them. As the two guards rushed Matt, one of them quickly fell to the ground. His friend turned around to see what happened, only to see Astrid with her axe swinging across. With the flat side of the axe smashing into the side of the guard's head, he quickly fell to the ground, joining his friend.
"A lot easier than last time!" Astrid whispered with a smile.
"Agreed!" Matt replied with a smile. Looking at the ship, he then said "I'll take the lead. Stay close!"
The three quickly ran up the ramp and onto the ship. On deck, Matt a ladder that led down into the ship. At the back of the ship was the cabin. Seeing the two options, Matt quickly said "So…you want to check the hold and I'll check the cabin?"
"Deal." Astrid said. Turning to Heather, who had a dagger out, she said "Come with me ok?"
"Why?" Heather asked curiously, looking at Astrid with a little confusion.
"Just go Heather." Matt said with a smile, slightly pushing her towards Astrid "We just need to check this place quick!"
Looking at Matt, she just nodded and began to follow Astrid down the ladder. Matt then ran into the cabin with his sword raised, sure that he was going to find someone in there. Shocked that it was empty, Matt moved a lot quieter around the cabin. Inside was a maze of hammocks, chests, and other random objects laying on the floor, making it hard to move around inside. Getting past the obstacles, he saw a closed door; to which Matt quickly ran to it and tried to open it. Feeling the door not even budge, he looked around and tried to find keys to it. Scrummaging through some chests and containers, Matt didn't find a key, but something that would help him get through the door. "Perfect!" Matt whispered with a smile. Sheathing his sword, he picked up a massive hammer and walked back to the door. Staring at the hinges, he raised the hammer and brought it down on top. Feeling the weight of the hammer break the hinges, Matt let go of the weapon and pulled the door down the rest of the way. "Oh…well I guess that's good that I found you…" Matt said to himself, looking into the closet that he opened up. On a shelf was Hiccup's helmet and fire sword. Grabbing them, he slid Hiccup's helmet on his head, since he left his clipped to his saddle on Wasatch. Gripping Hiccup's sword in his free hand, he then quietly made his way to the exit.
"Wait…where are the two men that we had here?" A voice shouted from outside.
Matt froze and hugged the wall. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" Matt whispered loudly. They were too late. The scouting party was returning.
"I don't know…Toller, go get the rest of the men! Reaker and I will check the hold."
"Got it!" a voice said.
Matt could hear footstep run down the ramp. Breathing a sigh of relief, Matt knew they had a small window of time to get off the ship. Peaking around the corner, he saw the last Viking step down the ladder. Silently walking to the hole, he heard something that made his heart sink.
"Astrid! Look out!" Hiccup's voice sounded from below
"Hey get off of her!" Snotlout's voice then followed
"Astrid!" Heather cried from inside. Sounding like she was struggling herself, she then yelled "Let go of me!"
The twins were also shouting, angry with whatever was going on down there.
That was it. Not even using the ladder, Matt leapt from hole and dropped in. After landing, and ignoring the pain that flared up in his leg, Matt saw Hiccup, the Twins, and Snotlout in massive cell. Their dragons were in another one next to them, all tied down with ropes. To his horror, he saw Astrid laying on the ground with one of the men standing over her. The second was holding Heather, pinning her arms to her side.
Silently walking behind them, Matt extended his sword and ran it through the Viking that held Heather. Not shocking the Viking for fear of shocking Heather as well, Matt extended Hiccup's sword in his other hand and slashed it across the other Vikings chest as he turned to see what was going on. Watching his foe stumble back, Matt drew his sword out of the first Viking, letting him drop to the ground, and then stabbed the second one. Letting him drop as well, Matt retracted both blades and went to help Heather up.
"Matt!" Hiccup said with relief on his face. Staring at Matt through the bars, he added "I was thinking they got you too!"
"Not yet!" Matt said anxiously, pulling Heather up. "But if we don't leave now we all will!"
"I got the key!" Heather said, grabbing it from the ground. Running to the cell door, she began to try and fit the key in door.
Matt walked over to where Astrid lay. A good sized bump was growing on her head, telling Matt exactly what happened to her. A small stream of blood was also coming from the bump. Kneeling down, he started to pick her up when he heard a voice behind them.
"Well…I guess we'll have a few more guests with us after all!"