Previously in HTTYD: The Terrible Duo
"...Leaving! We're leaving!"
"You really shouldn't come with me, Marcus. It'll draw suspicion. Plus you might get in trouble. I can't do that."
"Idiot. I don't care about Berk or trouble. I'll follow you to Hel and back if I have to."
Our eyes fixated on a boulder that a certain someone was sitting on.
Oh for Thor's sake, Will that girl just let it go?!
Marcus's POV
Sitting on that boulder in front of us was the last person I expected(and wanted) to see. Astrid-freaking- Hofferson herself in all her Dumb ass glory. I growled at her and grabbed three daggers from my leather sash(Which I forgot to tell you, I was bringing along).
"What the?! Uhhh... What are you doing here?!" Hiccup stammered.
"I wanna know what's going on." Astrid said, stepping down from the boulder. "No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you." Astrid continued, putting an emphasis on the "Especially" and marched towards Hiccup threateningly.
"Start talking! Are you training with someone?" Astrid demanded. I feel like I'm being ignored here. Hello! I have like three daggers on my hand!
"Training?" Hiccup stuttered.
"It better not involve this!" Astrid said, hooking Hiccup's riding vest while said teen was stammering, "I know this looks really bad. But you see... This is a..."
I had enough. I growled and threw a dagger that managed to cut a bit of Astrid's hair. She was surprised but then quickly turned and glared at me.
"Stay out of this, Marcus!" She threatened. That supposed to be scary? I lost an eye for her information!
"Is that a threat? 'Cause if that is, I'll be more than happy to cut your head off if you don't get your hands off of Hiccup soon." I threatened back as I raised another dagger.
"Oh yeah? What if I don't, Frost bite?" Astrid replied. I glared even harder at her but stopped when I heard something from behind me. I smirked.
"You're right! You're right! I'm through with the lies! I've been making... outfits!" Hiccup said as he got between me and a suspicious looking Astrid. Outfits? Hiccup never really was good at lying when under pressure.
"So... You got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Here we go..." Hiccup wasn't able to finish that sentence because Astrid twisted his hand, rather painfully I might add. "Ow! Why would you do that?!"
Astrid kicked Hiccup back to the ground and said, "That's for the lies.". Then, she bounced the handle of her axe on Hiccup's stomach, "And that's for everything else."
My (remaining)eye widened and my hands curled into a fist. Treating Hiccup like dirt was bad enough...
But if she hurts Hiccup like that, I'm going to kill her! Screw berk! Screw the chief! Screw the Hofferson family! All of them can burn to the ground for all I care! No one hurts Hiccup like that!
Of course... Hiccup wouldn't like that... "Astrid..." I said through gritted teeth. Astrid simply glared at me. I glared even harder. "I'll give you five seconds to get out of here before I chop off all your limbs but leave you alive to feel the pain." I threatened.
"You think I'm afraid of you, Frost bite?" Astrid said.
I yet again heard that sound again from behind me. I grinned and laughed. "If not just me, then How about me and the two angry dragons that's just behind me?" I told her, rather dangerously calm.
Astrid looked confused for a moment before scoffing, "Like I'll believe that.". I smirked and stepped aside to reveal a black mass with toxic green eyes. Also known as Toothless.
"Oh man..." Hiccup muttered. Relax, Hiccup.
Astrid replied with a "Get down!" and pushed Hiccup back down, who yelped in surprise. Toothless roared in alarm and charged Astrid. Followed by Swift.
"Run, Run!" Astrid yelled, readying her axe. My right eye widened, as did Hiccup's. Just before Astrid could take a swipe at Toothless, Hiccup pushed her out of the way. Hiccup got rid of her axe and told Toothless to calm down. Swift growled at Astrid and I raised a hand in gesture to stop his growling, which he complied.
"She's a friend." Hiccup told Toothless. Friend?! Friend, my partly useless left eye! She just acted like a jerk and you still consider her a friend?!
... Never mind. This is just one of the qualities of Hiccup. Forgiving... Yes. Just calm down, Fro- I mean, Marcus. Even though I kind of hate my Nickname, I can't help but have it grow on me.
"You scared him." Hiccup told Astrid.
Astrid looked baffled for a second. "I scared him?!" She said in disbelief. "Who is him?" She asked.
Hiccup gave Astrid and Toothless an Introduction before both Toothless and Swift snarled at her. Astrid looked at the two dragons before glaring at us, that just screams "Traitor!", and ran off.
Hmmm... I don't know why, but a small part of me wanted her to run. Gives me an excuse to... you know.
"Da, da, da! We're dead!" Hiccup deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes. "So can we kill her now?" I asked Hiccup.
Hiccup stared at me wide-eyed before sighing. Of course he'll do that. He just knows me well.
"No, Marcus. We're not going to kill her." Hiccup said. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"But weren't we leaving?" I asked.
"Change of plans. Besides, I don't like to live a life with a guilty conscience." Hiccup answered.
...Fair point.
"Fine. We're not even gonna hurt her..." I sighed.
Hiccup, satisfied with my answer, smiled and nodded before getting on Toothless's back. Swift looked at me, a dragon's grin crossing his face as I finished my sentence, "... Much."
Oh yeah... Before we go, "Oh wait, Hiccup! I need to get something! Let me drive for awhile!"
The Skrill's POV
That human has been gone a long time. I haven't moved since then. My curiosity kept gnawing at me. I have to know more. I must know more!
Why did he seemed so kind? How does he know that much about dragons? Why did I smell a scent of a dragon on him? And not blood? Well, there was blood but It was faint. Very faint... Almost as if he hasn't killed one...
My thoughts were then interrupted by unfamiliar voices out of the cave.
"Why did Marcus lead us here, Swift?"
"I don't know. I usually don't question his motives."
"Uhhh... Marcus, Why are we here? Shouldn't we be going after Astrid?"
"Don't worry. With dragons, we can catch her before she even set foot in the village. Besides, I'm just visiting a new "Friend"." That voice... I know that one.
Four figures entered the cave. Two dragons and Two humans. I was confused. What would humans be doing with dragons?
Wait... That scent... I know that scent.
My head snapped towards the direction of the four figures. So... One of them is here. But what would he/she be doing here? With humans?
"Hey there... dragon."
My thoughts were yet again interrupted by the familiar voice. It was that human from last night! And... another one? Wait... Why are they on the back of that dragon? Was there something about humans that I missed?
"Marcus... You do know that dragon's a skrill, right?" Asked the other human. So his name is Marcus then...
"Yeah... And he's also the one who gave me scar on my left eye." Answered Marcus. I snorted.
"Huh... Another dragon? And it's a skrill too."
My head turned to a small dragon. A speed stinger? Seriously, was there something I missed?
"And what are you doing in my (temporary)cave?" I asked.
I was then answered by the Night Fury(Who I now realized was a male), "Don't know, Marcus lead us here."
"No one asked you, Night Fury." I replied, rather coldly, to him.
"Why you?!"
"Uh... Hiccup, why are they growling at each other?"
"The book did say that there have been rumors about Skrills and Night Furies being rivals."
Grrrr! Stop distracting me, Night Fury! I need to focus on the human! I then calmed down when I felt the familiar(and Ohhhh so heavenly) feeling on the underside of my cheek. I(Though I did not notice) purred and closed my eyes in pure bliss... Wait!
I managed to snap out of it and pulled away from the human, who was grinning half sheepishly.
"Sorry. I needed to do something to calm you down. And we need your help." Marcus said.
I snorted. Help? This human is asking me for help?
"Will you help us?"
I turned my head to face the human that has his hand stretched out... Is he expecting me to...
I turned my head towards the other dragons, who gave me a nod. This is crazy... Then again... If he trusts me, then... I should do the same.
I leaned towards his hand and felt the soft human skin against my scales... How weird this feeling is... It felt like a shiver down my back... I pulled away and stared at the human's eyes, who stared back at mine.
Then... the human grinned. I could not help but give a toothy grin as the human said, "Let's go catch us a Viking."
Marcus's POV
We managed to catch up to Astrid in the forest. Of course, Like I said, It didn't take that long.
"There!"
Hiccup's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down and saw Astrid, getting closer to the village. Too close... Let's fix that, shall we?
"Alright, Bolt. Let's see how good your catching skills are." I told my newly named Skrill, Bolt. Bolt snorted as he dived down and readied to grab Astrid.
"Wahhhh! Oh great Odin's ghost! This is it! Ahhhhhh!"
Astrid's screams were so satisfying to my ears that it almost felt like music(Of course If you were me, you would've understand). I smirked as bolt dropped Astrid on a branch and Toothless settled on the top of the tree while me and Bolt hovered near them.
"Hiccup! Get me down from here! Marcus! When I got down from here, I swear I'll-!" Astrid was cut off by my laughter.
"Oh I'm sorry, Miss high and mighty! But I can't hear you because I'm too busy laughing!" I mocked then laughed as I threw my hands in the air.
"Knock it off, Marcus. We want her to like us, not the other way around." Hiccup said.
"Fine... Alright, Astrid. Personally, I want nothing more but to see you go 'Splat'. But Hiccup wants you alive. So if you would kindly listen to us..." I said before Astrid snapped at me.
"I am not listening to anything you have to say!"
I, Bolt and Swift(Who was behind me all the time) snorted. "Fine! You're better off dead anyway!" I yelled before preparing to tell Bolt to fry her to crisp.
"Marcus!"
I stopped my glare and just settled for a huff. And I swear I could hear Bolt's growl of disappointment(As well as Swift's). Then, Hiccup tried a different tactic.
"If you won't listen, then we won't speak. Just let us show you." Hiccup told Astrid(who looks like she's considering it).
"Take your time. We're in no rush. Except maybe you." I teased deviously and I heard Swift's and Bolt's version of a chuckle.
"Please, Astrid." Hiccup pleaded.
Astrid, with no other option, gave in and climbed on Toothless's back, who growled at her.
"Now get me down." Astrid demanded.
"Toothless. Down. Gently." Hiccup told Toothless.
I smirked as I saw that rather devious look on Toothless's face. Bolt caught wind of this and prepared for takeoff.
"See? Nothing to be afraid off." Hiccup said. Spoke too soon, Hiccup. This will be a fun ride.
Then... We shot towards the sky.
I grinned maniacally as Astrid screamed like a defenseless little girl. I also felt claws dig in my back. But not enough to hurt. Oh right... Swift's right behind me.
"Ha ha. He's not usually like this..." Hiccup apologized to Astrid.
'Don't apologize, Hiccup. She'll be sorry soon enough.' I thought while grinning mischievously.
"Oh no..." Hiccup muttered as Toothless made a dive for the ocean. A rather high dive, in fact.
Bolt dived down as well but didn't hit the water. Toothless then dunk himself in the water, along with Hiccup and Astrid.
"Hiccup! Tell your crazy dragon to stop it!" Astrid somehow managed to say between dunks.
"Not until you say sorry!" I said in a sing-song tone. I was then answered with a "WHAT?!" from Astrid.
Toothless then stopped dunking and flew up. Bolt, swift(Who's claws are really starting to itch on my back) and I followed them. Toothless then spun around in a way that would make Stoick lose his... whatever he ate!
"Thank you for nothing, You useless reptile!" Hiccup said sarcastically as Bolt managed to catch up with them on the clouds.
My eye then caught the desperation on Astrid's face and smirked. "Ready to give, Astrid?" I mocked.
Finally, Astrid gave in. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!" She apologized. That's what I, Toothless, Bolt and Swift wanted to hear.
Toothless stopped spinning and leveled out, taking Hiccup and Astrid on a romantic(Ugh, So weird thinking about that. Especially when Astrid's involved). Finally! All this diving's gonna make me lose the contents of my stomach. Bolt followed them and my eyes nearly popped out.
Ignoring Hiccup and Astrid's moment, I took the chance to take in the sight before me. And I must say, This was worth befriending dragons. I should've tried riding a dragon years ago! The sunset was painted with soft orange and the feeling of air brushing against me was so relaxing. The clouds make the view feel like staring at a wonderful painting made by a professional Artist.
Time flew by so quickly that I didn't notice it was night time. And my grin couldn't get any wider than it has now. The moon shone brightly and the stars twinkled like diamonds. The Northern lights of the night sky made it even more breathtaking.
My good eye caught sight of Astrid's arms wrapped around Hiccup's waist. And I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps Hiccup's not gonna be a hopeless Romeo after all.
As we flew by berk, I couldn't help but chuckle. From the ground, Berk seemed big. But up here? So small... So wonderful...
"Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool... It's... amazing... He's amazing." Astrid admitted while patting Toothless gently as we flew over the ocean.
"Hey, don't forget about us." I said, gesturing to me, Bolt and Swift. Bolt snorted and Swift merely chirped.
"How long have you been hiding them" Astrid asked.
I shrugged. "Depends on which dragon. Toothless was from the day we first entered dragon training and Swift..." I pointed at swift behind me. "Well, Ever since I was a kid. Bolt's just now."
We continued flying in silence until Astrid had to remind us something we rather not remember... "Hiccup. You're final exam is tomorrow. You know you're gonna have to... kill a dragon."
But while they were talking, I noticed the dragons sudden raise of alarm. Bolt and Swift's eyes widened as they started acting fidgety.
"Bolt? Swift? What's wrong" I asked.
But they both ignored me and Bolt dived down. Followed by Toothless. I have not noticed but when I looked into Toothless's eyes, they were... I don't know, shocked or something...
"Toothless, What's happening?" Hiccup asked.
"Bolt! Swift! Answer me!" I yelled. But they ignored me. Swift's eyes looked like Toothless's own. They were wide and slit shaped. Same goes for Bolt too.
We flew in a smoky cloud bank. We were then startled by a huge swarm of dragons flying in the same direction as we do.
"Get down!" Hiccup whispered and I couldn't object to that...
All around us, We could see dragons carrying sheep and fishes. I could not believe my eyes at the sight. And a sickening feeling of dread welled up in my guts as we flew in deeper.
"It looks like they're hauling in their kill..." Hiccup stated. I, though I know this is idiotic of me, gave him a look that said, "Oh really? I haven't noticed."
"Uhhh... What does that make us?" Astrid whispered fearfully.
All the dragons(Including the one that we're on) dived down and maneuvered through the maze-like sea stacks, the feeling of dread growing more unbearable by the second.
A large volcano came into sight. And I resisted the urge to gasp. The... Dragon's nest! But... How? Why are we here? This can't be good... The dragons entered an opening in the massive volcano.
"What my dad wouldn't give to find this..." Hiccup whispered. I nodded in response.
The inside of this place was unbelievable... Covered in red smoke and Dragons of all shapes and sizes roosted in each available space. The dragons started dropping everything they carry in the giant it in front of us, for some reason.
Toothless and Bolt landed on one of the openings and watched the entire scene play out... Thor help us...
"Well it's satisfying to know that all our food has been dumped down a hole." Hiccup said with sarcasm practically dripping from his voice.
"They're not eating any of it..." Astrid whispered.
I nodded and then noticed a tired looking gronckle buzz around it then then deposited a single fish. An angry grumble was heard throughout the nest and every dragon that heard it backed away . Toothless and Bolt stiffened and Swift whimpered in fear. The feeling was mutual.
And then... It appeared.
A giant dragon, bigger than anything I have ever seen, rose from the depths. It's hungry maw quickly snapping on the poor Gronckle, who wasn't able to get away. All three of us gasped in fear. My eye scanned the other dragons backing away in fear.
This is only it's head and I already feel fear like the first time I met Bolt. Truly a terrifying Monster from Hel indeed.
"What... is that?" Astrid whispered to Hiccup as the beast slowly descended back in the depths.
"So... This is why dragons raid berk. Who knew they were being controlled by a monstrous, gigantic, and smelly if I might add, Tyrant?" I said in shock and fear.
Suddenly, It's head rose and it growled in anger. My eye widened in fear.
'Shit! It knows we're here!'
"Alright, bud, We gotta get out of here..." Hiccup whispered to Toothless.
"Bolt, fly. Now!" I told Bolt just as three of the Monster's eyes went to our direction.
Toothless and Bolt took off, just in time before the dragon's mouth snapped at us.
Then Hel broke lose...
All the dragons screamed in fright and flew as far as they can, trying to get away from the Monster's wrath. I looked back, only to see the monster's jaws catch an unlucky Zippleback. The eyes of the two dragon looked at my own and I swear I could hear it make a dragon's scream for help.
I turned away, eye widened in fear. My breath hitched and I clutch my chest and felt it thumping really fast. That dragon... No... not a dragon. A monster. A monster from Hel itself is what we saw.
And we must find a way to destroy it before we get destroyed ourselves.
At the cove
No one said anything as we flew back to berk. Bolt and Swift seemed traumatized by the ordeal. And I could feel their fear just as much as they can to mine.
"It totally makes sense. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers and that's their queen. It controls them." Astrid said as we flew back in the cove.
Swift got off Bolt, followed by me. Swift's eyes were still filled with fear. Just as much as Bolt had. I whispered a few comforting words to them just to calm them down. Pretty surprising for someone that's equally scared... Don't blame me, If you were that close to a monster like that you'd feel the same.
"Let's find your dad." Astrid stated as she got off Toothless.
My eye widened and both me and Hiccup instantly replied, "NO!"
"No, not yet. They'll kill Toothless and the others. Astrid, We have to think this through carefully..." Hiccup reasoned.
"Should we tell them that our dragons led us to the nest, They'll march up in here and force them to lead them to the nest." I added. There was no way I'll let them take our dragons.
Astrid looked at us in disbelief. Of course... Typical.
"Hiccup, Marcus. We've just discovered the dragon's nest, The thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here! And you two wanna keep it a secret?! To protect your pet dragons, are you serious?!" Astrid argued.
Hiccup and I looked at her sternly. "Yes." Hiccup answered.
"They're not pets, Astrid. They're our friends. And you'd do well to remember that." I added.
Astrid stared at us before asking, "Okay... So what do we do now?"
"Just... give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out." Hiccup answered.
Astrid nodded. "Okay..." She said before punching Hiccup on the shoulder. I glared at her. That's my thing! Toothless(who was drinking water from the lake), Bolt and Swift(Who both got over the scary event) looked at our direction. Hiccup and I shrugged. It's Astrid. Of course she'll punch.
Then, to all of our surprise, Astrid leaned in and gave Hiccup a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's for... Everything else." She said.
Hiccup stared at her as she left the cove. I grinned and went over to Hiccup then punched him playfully on the other shoulder(Seeing as Astrid punched the shoulder I'd usually punch). Toothless, Bolt and Swift went over to us and looked at Hiccup.
"W-what are you all looking at?!" Hiccup stuttered, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.
I smirked. "My little Hiccup's all grown up, I suppose." I said with mock sadness and proceeded to make fake tears. The dragons just crooned, a mischievous look on their face.
"Shut up, Marcus!" Hiccup shouted, completely embarrassed. I laughed for a minute before stopping to look at Hiccup seriously.
"What are we going to do? Even if we can convince the entire village that dragons aren't the monster they think they are(Which is very unlikely), You're dad's gonna be a mountain in our path." I said. True story, Stoick is as stubborn as one.
"Don't worry. Like I said, I'll figure something out." Hiccup replied.
I nodded. Hiccup can figure it out. I know he can. I have fate in him. Being smart is Hiccup's specialty. The second one being sarcastic. I raised my hand in a High five gesture, to which Hiccup complied.
Toothless, Bolt and Swift nuzzled us affectionately. Except Toothless licked hiccup.
"Toothless! Stop that!" Hiccup said, shaking off the drool from Toothless's lick.
I laughed. "Good thing I don't have that problem." I said. But I was quickly proven wrong when Bolt snorted and gave me a lick on the cheek. "Ew! Stop that, Bolt!"
"Don' t have that problem, huh?" Hiccup said with a smug tone.
"Shut up, Hiccup!" I told him. Swift merely did a dragon's laugh.
"You too, Swift!"
A/n: Wow! Longest chapter I've ever done! Anyway, an anonymous reviewer asked me if I hated Astrid. And maybe that's what you thought when you read this chapter. The answer is a Yes and No. Yes because... Well, remember at that one part that Astrid acted like a jerk to Hiccup? That made me angry. This was my way of paying her back. No because it is forgivable, in a way. Anyway, as always, I would like to thank all the Readers, Reviewers and Followers for their feedback. And as always, Stay tuned for the next chapter of: HTTYD: The Terrible Duo!