XXX
Useless
I was floating around in an empty space that seemed foreign yet familiar somehow. I was still aware of myself but could not see my body nor feel anything. I noticed two other presences here and that made me realized that the girl had made me draw a melding rune in hopes of saving Hiccup. He knew it wasn't possible but he would at least give them the time for at least trying.
"Welcome to my mind." I said.
"So that's where we are. Fishlegs really didn't explain what would happen if I drew this but I'm not complaining. Now we can get to business." she said.
Her form was etched in a faint blue glow to the dark background and next to her a purple outline shaped into a dragon.
"Hiccup's mind is still here it just buried beneath his new persona. All we have to do is find it." he said.
"How many times do I have to tell you Hiccup isn't here." I sighed.
"Then what are these?" he asked.
In the empty grey space a few wisps of gold flew here and there but soon blinked out of existence. He moved to touch one and was quickly plagued by a memory of Hiccup which was impossible because he was gone.
"Did you see that?" I asked.
"Yes." they both said.
"As I said Hiccup is still here just buried and the longer you are away from the augur the less his power he has over you. Its already starting to weaken and Hiccup's memories are beginning to work their way in. We just need to find a trigger to break his hold."
A few other golden threads wove around me but I felt no urge to touch one again. But something caught my eye. A thread that was slow and black as night, which meant it was a dark memory that had long been forgotten.
"If I help you will you leave me alone afterwards?" I asked.
They nodded and then ran my hand through the thread and the world melted away and was plunged into a memory.
—
Hiccup had finally fixed the gears on his leg and now had three different functions which all could be of good use. Toothless was dozing in the late afternoon sun and his mother was off finding food and wood for the fire. He gazed out at the ocean as the sun dropped lower and lower in the sky. He had been away for nearly four years at this point and started to wonder if he would ever go back. Most likely not, but it still nagged at the back of his mind.
He sat and heard the faint cry of Cloudjumper as they neared which meant they had found dinner. He turned around and noticed something behind them, a huge cloud of smoke rising in the distance. He kept his eyes on it wanting until they landed and when she reached him, he pointed towards the smoke.
"Was that you guys?" he asked.
"No, we didn't use any fire, but we had to be careful as there was a village nearby." my mother said.
He then blew it off as just being the fire that came from a village but it still kept his attention. They ate in mostly silence and once they were done Hiccup looked back over near the smoke and it got even worse. It seemed to black and too large an amount to be a simple village.
"Mother I'm going over there." he said.
"Be careful." she warned.
They took off and flew towards the smoke and as they got closer the smoke only got worse. From a dull grey to almost a black color and it seemed the smoke was consuming the entire forest. Soon the outer edge of the village came into view and the place looked entirely destroyed and burnt to the ground. They landed and slowly entered the village and saw that no one was left and buildings were still on fire. Dead bodies littered the street and the inside of buildings and the stick of death was everywhere.
They searched the village and found nothing but dead bodies and burnt homes. Not even animals were spared as they littered the farms and a few on the streets. Near the far right side of the village they heard a crash in one of the houses and froze. The dragon crouched low and began to growl at the house but Hiccup just held up his hand to clam him down.
"Stay here Toothless." Hiccup said.
Hiccup slowly walked over and walked into the house and found nothing in the front room and moved to the bedrooms. Again he found nothing so he tried to find any other rooms and only found a kitchen with a small cabinet. When looking in the cabinet he found a trap door and opened it and was surprised by what he found. A little boy maybe seven or eight huddled in the back corner with pure terror on his face.
"Hey, little guy. I'm not going to hurt you so why don't you come on out." Hiccup soothed.
The little boy shook his head vigorously and Hiccup sighed but didn't leave. He wasn't about ready to let this little boy die of thirst or hunger. He held out his hand and looked at the boy whose gaze flickered from his face to his hand and back again. After a painstaking few minutes the boy gave in and took Hiccup's hand and let him lead him out. The little boy once out of the little room immediately jumped onto Hiccup's back and he laughed.
"Alright you need to promise me you won't freak out about what I'm going to show you." Hiccup said.
The little boy agreed and Hiccup carried him out of the house to where Toothless was waiting. The boy tensed when he saw the dragon and Toothless came over slowly surprised by the new passenger Hiccup had found. Hiccup let the boy down and held him in place as Toothless came closer and closer.
"Hold out your hand." Hiccup whispered.
The little boy slowly raised his hand and Toothless stared at it for a moment and then put his snout in his hand and the little boy stared at the dragon in complete awe. A huge smile then fell across his face and he rubbed Toothless' nose. Hiccup picked up the boy and set him on the dragon's back and then hopped on himself and then turned around and looked at the boy.
"Alright your going to chill with me for the time being alight." he said.
The boy nodded and he turned back around but before he took off he turned bcd around to the boy.
"What's your name?"
"Thomas." the boy whispered.
He turned and then launched into the sky going slowly for the sake of the boy and landed back at there camp in ten minutes. He helped the little boy down and brought him over to where his mother was sitting tending to the fire and cooking the food they had caught. He stood there for a moment trying to think of what to say, the boy was too young to fully understand what had happened. He hoped that he could help keep the by naive to what happened for a little while longer.
He cleared his throat and his mother turned quickly flashing him a smile and then noticed the little boy clutching to his leg. She looked back up at him and raised her eyebrows and waited for him to respond.
"Mom, this is… Thomas. He's from the village I…visited."
"Well hello Thomas, why don't you go over and sit by the fire and get ready to eat."
He nodded and walked over only looking back once at Hiccup. His mother watched him walk and once he was out of earshot she quickly turned. She gave Hiccup a look of worry and relief, then hugged him long and deeply. Once she pulled back she gave a look.
"I was searching the village and it was utterly destroyed. Bodies littered the streets and houses were still burning. I found him in a secret room in the back of a cabinet and he looked terrified."
"Do you know who did this?" she asked.
"I found this."
He held up a small piece of cloth that was torn around all its edges but in the middle was a crest that Hiccup knew all too well.
"It was Commander Caesar, he butchered the village and I have no idea why. My only hope is that we can keep the little boy safe and find him a new home."
She remained silent but looked back at the boy who was now waiting for the food to finish and was staring intently at Cloudjumper. He smiled at that and then put a hand on his mother's shoulder. She turned back and then nodded to the fire and they both walked over and sat down. The little boy proceeded to sit close to Hiccup and eat his food quickly. Toothless came over and layer his head nest to the boy and once he was done he proceeded to pet the dragon ever so lightly.
Toothless was asleep very quickly at the soothing touches and the boy then pulled his hand back and crawled into Hiccup's lap and yawned widely. Hiccup looked down in surprise but then started to rub the boy's back and before long he was fast asleep and Hiccup smiled. He looked up at his mother who smiled back at him and then got up and went to bed herself. He made to move but he accidentally awoke the boy and he simply lifted him up and carried him over to His bed where Toothless now layer curled.
"How long were you in the little room Thomas?" he asked.
"I was told to go in when the sun was going down and not to come out and then my family ran."
"Do you know where they are?"
"Gone. But its ok I have a new family."
—-
XXX
Hiccup
I drew my hand back quickly and stopped the painful memory and brought the rune forward connecting them to me. I slashed through it and the world around me melted away and he was brought back to the starry sky. I felt tears on my face and brought my knees up to my chest and sobbed loudly. I did not want to think about Thomas again, not after I lost him. It was the major thing that pushed me to come back to Berk.
I felt Astrid's hand on my back but she kept her distance and it felt good that she was there. I gathered myself back together and then pulled her in for a hug and just held her there for a long time and she stayed which was all I needed. Eventually I pulled away and looked at her and she smiled at me and I knew that this girl was here for me now, and always will be. Toothless whined behind me and I turned around to see him and I smiled and rubbed his nose.
"Hey, bud I sure did miss you." I said.
"Is that really you Hiccup?" he asked.
"Yeah, its me. Guess I was pretty shaken up?"
Toothless then began to shower me with licks and I spent the next few minutes trying to get him off me. After much negotiation and a little shoving he finally relented and got up only to be impacted by a huge hug from Astrid.
"I can see I'm not the only one happy that I'm back." I laughed.
She just cried and I held her until she was ready to talk. It took a while but she ultimately came to and she just stared deeply at me as if she was trying to memorize every bit of my face as if it would disappear.
"Astrid I'm right here, you need to say something."
"Its just…you have the light back in your eyes." she said.
"What?"
"After we rescued you I looked into your eyes and saw that you had no light, no energy behind you. It was as if you had died and your body didn't realize it."
"You could say that, but I've read up on Roman torture methods and the one they used is their last resort. If they're not careful the person could endue brain dead or simply die. Strong minds are the hardest to crack but have the most effects. I'm back, for now. I don't know how long it will last but from what I understand it could cause lapses for years."
She stared at me taking everything in and not letting a single twitch in my face get past her gaze. Once I was done she placed both her hands on either side of my face and pulled me in for a long passionate kiss. For a second I was surprised but then melted into her and enjoyed the reassurance of her being. It brought back the fire within me that the Romans sought to destroy and my resolve came with it. Once we pulled away I looked at her intensely.
"I'm not going to let them near you, ever again." I said.
"How could they get to me through you?" she asked.
"The mind link. If they get someone experienced enough and powerful enough then one fall in the link would allow them to hurt every single being attached. I'm not going to let that happen even if it means my own death."
"Don't say that Hiccup, I've already lost you twice. I'm not about ready to make it a third."
"I won't let that happen. The Romans will pay for every life they've taken in full force."
I grabbed her hand and began to trace runes all up her arms and legs, all over her body really. The fire was not its normal green but it was an intense blue and my hand quickly began to change to the black scales as always. Once she was done I sealed the rune in with a single omega on my chest and the fire shined and then vanished. My hand kept the scales and I grabbed hers with it and she flinched slightly to the unique feeling. I soon let the scales creep up my arm and then take over my entire body.
She looked at me with surprise but it quickly faded when I grabbed her face to look at mine.
"What was that?" she asked.
"That was me tying myself to you. If anything happens to you also happens to me but if I die you will be safe."
"But why bring your scales out?"
"There is one side affect of me using magic the way I do. The more I use it the more used to it I get but the more I change. The less human I become. Without you I would lose my humanity and now I will never lose it but these scales will always be a reminder never to go too far."
"Then how did you resist so long?"
"I never used magic. I could've used it to save my leg but I didn't as I knew that amount of power would forever change me into more of a monster than a man."
I tear rolled down at that painful memory but I knew it was small compared to what happened to Thomas. He was only six, and he suffered more than anyone should in a single lifetime. I looked up at the stars and wondered if Thomas was somewhere watching me, I had no idea what became of the boy. All I knew was he had one day vanished and never came back and with the Romans so close he could only assume the worst.
Most likely the boy was eight by now if he was still alive, but he had no dragon to protect him. Magna was the most torn up about his disappearance as he took and extreme liking even to the point to allow him to become his rider. Soon after Thomas left so did his mother and that hurt him and he needed to get back to something solid and the only option was Berk.
XXX
Astrid
I finally put some of the last pieces of Hiccup together but he was still a mystery all by himself. He was always thinking steps ahead while staying in the past, I had no idea how he did it all. For so long people had always thought that there was only the screw up and nothing else but when he left on his dragon everyone saw that he was something far more that no one would ever understand. Only his mother seemed to get him and for that I was jealous as I wanted to know him that well and to know why he tied his life to mine.
That would have to wait as he had gone silent so I decided to get some sleep after such a long and exhausting day. Laying my bed out I watch the stars for a time and then began to feel my eyes shut and when I rolled I saw that Hiccup was sound asleep. I shut my eyes hoping that this time I would have a nice dream for a change.
—
It was dark and cold, and then the landscape came into view. It was north during a harsh winter, but the place she was, was unrecognizable. A river stretched inland sloping gently with huge thick forest on either side of its bank. But further in was a city unlike anything she had ever seen before. It spread for miles with red tiled houses and small ships in the river pulling in their catches. People walked here, there, and everywhere in a confusing road system that liked everything. In the center of the city, and huge building stood made out of white marble and bore banners that looked similar the the commanders.
'I'm in Rome.' she realized.
Suddenly a dragon burst into view and it was unmistakable Hiccup and Toothless flying high. The looked over the city and then took a quick dive into the woods a near five miles from the outside of the city walls. He left Toothless in the woods and walked towards the city. He was surprised when he simply walked through the gates without anyone giving him a single look.
He heard a familiar language and after a few short sentences between the two he got the name of the city, Londinium. He walked along the river bank and there were hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of things. From food to clothing and even rare jewels. He managed to get a map and it was not just of the city but showed the extent to which the Romans controlled the world. This city was a mere dot on the map compared to the size of the empire. He saw cities named Byzantium and Neapolis but the largest point was Rome itself.
It was the capital of this massive empire that was only growing. From what the date said on the map Rome was in year 454 AD, whatever that meant. He then folded the map up and put it in one of his pouches inside his armor and looked for some food to eat. He had a hard time choosing but settled on some roasted beef, which was better than anything he had ever tasted. He continued to walk the streets and saw all kinds of things and he soon found himself standing in front of the huge marble building at the center of the city.
He looked on with awe at the marvel but realized the time and knew he needed to get back to Toothless soon.
"You there, halt!" someone yelled.
He turned to find two soldiers walking towards him and he simply froze knowing he was done for.
"Back off boys, he's with me." a man in a robe said.
The two men backed off and the man walked the him.
"Sorry about those two, they feel the need to arrest anyone who comes within half a mile of this place."
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"Where are my manners, I an governor Marwyn. Ruler of this city and this region of the Roman Empire. Who might you be?" he said.
"Hiccup." I stated.
"Interesting name, and where do you come from?"
"North."
"The only thing north of here is either the Celts or the small viking villages in the North Sea. I take that you are from the villages."
"How do you know?"
"I'm good at reading people and you look nothing like a Celt. Since that wall was built we've seen very little of them, I have made an effort to seek peace but they refuse to respond. Anyway, I here your region is plagued with dragons, is it true."
"Yes, but they're attacking for a whole different reason."
"Well how did a viking such as yourself manage to land in my city without any idea where he was?"
"Honestly I have been traveling so much I've lost all sense of where things are. Plus I had no idea this existed."
He silted and laughed and then turned me around and began to march me up the marble steps.
"You must dine with me tonight, I would much like to hear about your adventures with your dragon."
I froze and looked at him with awe and fear at what he had just said. How did he know? Did they capture Toothless? Do they mean to kill me? Or just interrogate me?
"Don't worry I saw you fly in and instructed them to fetch your friend for me, he should be waiting in the front area."
They walked silently up the steps and into the huge complex and as he said Toothless was laying halfway into the building and he spotted me. He jumped up and bounded over to me and I gave him a quick hug while the governor proceeded to watch. Once he calmed Toothless down he turned and smiled at the governor and he simply shook his head and smiled back.
"We have heard many tales about these dragons, but none like him."
"Well he's one of a kind."
"We have heard of another rider who rides a dragon that can spew lighting."
"They're called Skrills and are very deadly. I would like to meet him some day."
"Well let's eat you must be famished."
They both walked into a large room and a huge table sat at its center with huge piles of food ready to be eaten. He felt his stomach growl as the food he had earlier was all he could steal from the stand. He hadn't eaten since they landed last night and he was starving. The sat and ate while Toothless was constantly being fed fish and the food was the best ever.
Once the meal was cleared away, Marwyn pulled a chair close to him and waited for him to respond.
"Have you ever met Commander Caesar?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, much to my dismay. He hasn't been seen in Roman territory for almost two years at this point and is almost at the point of being declared rouge. He's crazy in my opinion, why do you ask?"
"He's been after me for nearly five years at this point and I fear I may bring him here."
"Not to worry, if he tries anything I will have him arrested and discharged."
I lifted my let and showed him my peg leg and showed him how the springs worked and how it could change for different needs. He was fascinated and asked me how I got the peg leg in the first place.
"Caesar was why, I still remember it. I do hope he will stop, he's cost me too much."
"What do you mean?"
"My mother left because I asked. A boy I saved from a village he destroyed vanished and he's been going around wiping out any village that defies him."
"He is an acquired taste, but I can assure you I had nothing to do with his actions. He was simply to contact the people of the region, not wipe them out. How long do you intend to stay in the city?"
"Only for the night, then I'm heading home."
"Very well, I will provide you with a room for the night but I want you gone before the sun rises as to not create panic."
"Thank you."
He nodded and Hiccup stood and was lead to his small room with a simple beda and he quickly collapsed onto it. He hadn't had this much comfort in two years and he intended to make the best of it. He kept thinking of what would happen when he returned home. He put it to the back of his mind and let sleep take him over.
—
I woke up and quickly looked around. Hiccup was still asleep as was everyone else and I let out a breath. The sky was now a deep red and the sun was just peaking over the horizon so I knew there was no point to laying back down. I got up and began to collect supplies for the day long journey we had ahead of us to get back to Berk.
It was a good hour before anyone else began to get up and I just kept quite not wanting to speak. Especially to Hiccup about the dream she had of something from his life that she had no way of knowing. She simply got ready and then waited on the others to pack up. By the time they had the sun was well up in the sky and the launched making the long trek back to Berk and would now be able to prepare for the war that was coming. The Romans wouldn't come for a while but that was good as to give them time to prepare.
XXX
Unknown
His fleet was slowly repairing and he saw form his beach side command tent. His army took to the land to let the ships repair without many in the way. At current standing he could launch half his fleet but if he intended to wipe them out he would need every last man he had.
"Commander, word from the dragon queen."
"Go ahead."
"She demands that you ready the ships and set sail immediately. She grows impatient and he dragons blood thirsty."
"Tell he to leave us behind, well will catch up but in our own time. At this current moment we cannot sail with only half our might. She can go and soften them up and allow us the honor of joining in the final blow."
He bowed and then ran off, and the commander yelled in frustration. This queen was growing more insatiable by the day. He might as well let her loose while he still could before she turned on him and destroyed what remained of his army. She would show Berk the power of dragons, but he knew she will fail. For no one, not even the queen of dragons has killed a Night Fury.
Sorry this took so long, I got very side tracked but its finished now. This chapter serves the purpose of delving into Hiccup's past and if you hadn't noticed that all his flashbacks have moved forward in time and now we are fought up to the present which means more fighting and romance. Buckle down because a huge fight is on its way but the question is will they be ready. I also wanted to expand the world a little bit and if you don't know the city its London back in roman times. It does divert from history because at this point Rome had been driven from England and was on the verge of collapse, but here it remains strong and expanding. I hope you begin to hate Commander Caesar as he has done some dark deeds that need to be answered for, but his day will come. Enjoy and review or not. -starwarswiz