Chapter Eleven – War of The Kraken: North and South

Part One – "A Few Tweaks"

The Great Hall of Berk,

Even after the shouts and roaring stopped, it took almost a minute for the echoes to fade enough for it to be worth trying to speak. By the time they had, all eyes had again returned to Hiccup.
When he did, Hiccup's voice was calm, level, and casual. Directing his words at Gobber, Eret, and the others who'd escorted 'Lord' Malik into the hall, he said, "Bring the 'one- time- lord' Malik back to his cell, if you would." He turned face Malik, he added, "Our Council of Chiefs is set to reconvene, tomorrow afternoon; when we do…"

"I am not of The North, though!" Malik interrupted, "I – We – are of The South; from beyond the reach of your council, and your judgment!"
The hall fell deathly quiet. It was true: The authority of the Northern Chiefs ended at the limits of their boarders.

Hiccup chuckled, "True, but that will not be enough to save you … I mean to bring the matter before the other Chiefs, when our council reconvenes. If they agree, and I believe they will, you; and any other Kraken- Lords we seize; will be given into the custody of the Southern Tribes, after their Chieftains have regained their autonomy, that is. All, that is, but the 'lord' who committed an offence we cannot ignore, and one that we can judge… That is to say: 'lord' Blackthorn."

As one, the occupants of the Great Hall breathed a sigh of relief; once again, Hiccup had the answer. Emric's eyes bulged; his lips moved, but he seemed unable to form words.
Hiccup nodded to Gobber. The smith nodded an acknowledgment; grabbed Malik, roughly, by a shoulder; and marched him out of the Great Hall. Eret, Skullcrusher, and Grump following close behind.

Hiccup looked first at Astrid, and than at Valka; in the eyes of both women, he saw a fierce, fiery kind of pride. Neither spoke, though.
A full minute passed in silence; than Hiccup gathered the newly- delivered scrolls, and got to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 'important business' to attend to. This," he held up the scrolls, "shouldn't take long. In the meantime: I want continuous boarder- patrols, and a full aerial- search along our beaches – everything between our shores, and boarders … The Krakens used their attack on the Shivering Shores to cover an additional force before, and I don't want any surprises here. Anyone fit for combat, and isn't on patrol; assume you'll be joining the front lines unless, and until, you hear otherwise. It's time we finished this."

Turning to those seated with him at the high- table, he lowered his voice and said, "I'll meet you back here, once I've finished with these." Astrid and Valka nodded acknowledgements, and Hiccup made his way out of the hall; bound for his study, where the other reference- point reports awaited him.

An hour later,

Two hours later, Hiccup and Toothless reentered the Great Hall. They found Astrid, Valka, Lara, Leanne, Thom, Arianna and Tanya sat together at a table, about halfway between the entrance, and the head table. A short distance away, Stormfly, Cloudjumper and Summer had settled down. Though all of them, Hiccup could tell, were active participants of the conversation.

Astrid saw him almost immediately, and shot to her feet. "You've got it!"

Hiccup nodded, holding up a scroll, as he moved to join them. "It only took a few minutes, but I got to thinking." He turned to Arianna and Tanya; "You said that there were other hostages with you, on the Kraken Lords' Command Ship."

It wasn't a question, but Arianna nodded. "There were nine, including us; seven, now."

"Is that a problem?" Astrid asked, hesitantly, returning to her place on the bench, as she spoke.

Hiccup shook his head; set his scroll down on the table, and sat next to Astrid. "No; I just needed to 'make a few tweaks' to my plan, but nothing major." As he spoke, Hiccup produced a few sheets of parchment from his satchel; and, looking first at Arianna, and than Tanya, he said, "Could one of you sketch out the layout of their command- ship? – It doesn't need to be perfect; just complete."

Arianna nodded, took the quill Hiccup offered; and, for the next three minutes, sketched out a rough outline of each of the command- ships' two lower levels. As she drew, she described the different sections; as she worked, Hiccup asked a few questions. When she was finished; he sat in silence, for a few minutes; considering the diagrams.
Finally, Hiccup nodded, "These will do nicely; thank you."

Leanne hesitated for a moment, than asked, "How exactly do you plan to seize the ships, though? Sending us a message directing us to a rendezvous point was one thing; this…" Her sentence drifted to silence, and she shook her head.

Hiccup smiled, and turned to Astrid, "You remember Whiplash, right?"

Astrid's mouth fell open, "Oh, Gods; you didn't!" She laughed, "They won't know what hit them!"

Lara frowned, "Uh… Who's 'Whiplash'?"

Astrid turned to her, grinning widely, "Hiccup told you about the Dragon- Eye, and our Outpost in the far- reaches, right?" Lara nodded, but didn't speak.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look; than Hiccup said, "Whiplash is a young Speed- Stinger we met; about a year and a half ago, now… His leg was badly sprained, and he'd been separated from his pack." Hiccup shrugged, "It's a long story; but we brought him back to our outpost, and got his leg into a splint … It's amazing how quickly the bone healed: three days later, the splint was off and he was good as new! Long story short: he vouched for us, when we met the rest of his pack, and we've been on good- terms ever since."

Leanne hesitated, "Wouldn't they want something in return, though; if they're coming all the way here?"

Hiccup nodded, "All of that has already been settled: Once they've immobilized the crews of the hostage- ships, they will … shall we say: 'liberate' the edible contents of Kraken Lords' galleys and holds." He turned to Tanya, "The Kraken- Lords are the sort to keep a 'luxurious' meal- plan, yes?"

Tanya raised an eyebrow; "Well, yes; but … you're planning to transport a pack of Speed- Stingers to the hostage ships?"

Hiccup's smile widened, and he shook his head. "Don't need to! See: this particular pack of Speed- Stingers is unique; the only ones of their kind we've ever encountered, and the first actual proof we've seen of dragon- evolution… They have sturdy flaps of skin connecting each of their toes; they can, literally, run on water."

Before anyone could say more, the doors of the Great Hall were pushed open, and a dark- haired girl entered the hall; tall, slim, beautiful. She was followed by a dragon that; at first glance, appeared to be wearing armor.
Hiccup and Astrid got to their feet; Hiccup said, "Heather; Windshear … It's been too long!"

Heather smiled, "Yeah, it has… Speaking of which: Did we miss a battle?"

Astrid, who was grinning from ear to ear, shrugged; "Yeah, but you're just in time for the war!"

Heather raised an eyebrow, "Well, that's a relief… Missing a battle, I can take; missing an entire war?" She shook her head, "I'd never live that down!" She turned to her dragon, "So… Windshear; what do you think of Berk, so far?"

'It's incredible; everything you said it was!' Windshear commented. 'I half- thought you might've been exaggerating, but…' The Razorwhip shook her head, awed.

"Come, join us," Hiccup said, gesturing towards the table where the others still sat. "We've got a lot of catching up to do; and there're introductions to make..."

Part Two – Messengers

Two hours before midnight, on Abram Grimm's boat;

After tossing and turning for what felt like half the night, Abram Grimm finally felt himself beginning to drift off to sleep. Than someone began pounding on the door of his cabin.
Grumbling, he clambered out of bed, "I swear, if it's–" the rest of his sentence was inaudible.

When he opened the door; he found his cousin, Albert waiting for him. Before Abram could say a word, Albert said, "Your daughters are on deck; they're–"
Abram didn't wait to hear the rest of the sentence. He stopped just long enough to dress to the point of decency, than charged through the door, racing to the top deck.

There they were: Arianna and Tanya… his daughters; girls had been taken, now two young- women stood before him. For a moment, the three of them just stood there, staring at one another. Than they rushed forward, as though each were afraid that the other was an illusion that might vanish at any moment if they didn't reach it now.
The moment he wrapped his arms around them; he realized his daughters were shaking like leaves. Over and over, he told them that they were safe now; that he'd never let anything happen to them again: They were safe.

They stepped back, a moment later, though Abram Grimm kept his right hand on Tanya's left shoulder; and his left on Arianna's right.
A moment later, Tanya raised her head to look him in the face; and, in a voice that was part- sob, said, "Ch.-Chief of Berk … sends his … re-regards."

Abram Grimm grunted, "He's sent a hell-of-a-lot-more than 'his regards', good as they are!" His face-hardened, "I swear; I'll have Malcolm's head on a pike, for what he did!" His eyes widened, "Your mother; is she…"

Arianna took a deep breath, "She's still on the boat… Hiccup, The Chief of Berk; he has the location, now! He deployed his extraction- teams, just before we left Berk!" A brief pause; than she added, "As for Malcolm; there's… there's something you need to hear!"

For a full half- hour, Arianna and Tanya took turns speaking. They told their father; and the growing crowd of men, from their tribe; of all that had happened, the past two days…
Lord Bane's request to have them transferred to his ship, with the intention that they die in Berk- territory: to discourage Hiccup from launching additional retrieval- teams;
How Hiccup had dispatched the entire crew of Lord Bane's boat, during 'the siege of Berk';
Hiccup's 'conversation' with 'lord' Malik, which prompted mixed reactions of mirth and awe, from the listeners.
And, last of all, they explained Hiccup's intention to deliver as many Kraken- Lords as they might seize, minus Lord Blackthorn, into the custody of the Southern Chiefs, and the reasons for it – pending the consent of his fellow Northern Chiefs.

When they finished, Abram Grim let out a short bark of laughter, "Gods; I wish I could've seen the look on Malik's face … Thought he had a way out; but oh, no! – HA!"
He smiled; smiled, a genuine smile, for the first time in four years. "Well… I think we could all do with some rest. Though I want the watch tripled; and if anyone dozes off at their posts, I swear: I'll throw you overboard and you can swim home!"
Nobody argued. There were a few minutes' of conversation; as the rotations were worked out, than everyone who wasn't on-duty returned below decks.

The following morning; The Kraken Lords' Command Ship,

It was the morning of the third day since Lords Bane and Malik had departed, with their orders, and their fifty ships. As per Lord Bane's suggestions, six more ships had been dispatched; to reinforce the defenses around the hostage- ships.

High- Lord Malchior had also given orders that four more hostages be transferred from the hostage ships, to their Command Ship. One of them; a middle- aged woman, with reddish blonde hair, and a slender build; seemed to constantly be on the verge of tears. Her name was Sabrina: the wife of Chief Abram Grimm, and mother of Arianna and Tanya.

The mood in the hall was one of two opposing extremes: the Kraken Lords, and their men, were still in a good humor. The serving women, meanwhile, appeared tired and subdued.
All of that changed, when the sound of shuffling footsteps, as their owners made their way towards them.
A few minutes after the sounds were first heard, the leader of the group stood framed in the doorway.

High- Lord Malchior's eyes bulged. "Lord… Lord Bane!" – The sound of cutlery, dishes, and conversation immediately fell silent.
Lord Bane stood in the doorway; his robes torn, hair disheveled, and a dazed faraway look in his eyes that seemed entirely out of character. He carried a thick tree branch, broken off, to serve as a makeshift crutch, under one arm; and he was taking visible care to not put his full weight on that foot.
Behind him, several of his men filed in behind him: One man was missing an arm; another seemed to have broken several ribs, and a third bore the signs of a recent concussion.

"Lord Bane!" High- Lord Malchior repeated, "What… What is this? Where is Lord Malik?"

The questions seemed to jolt Lord Bane out of his reverie. "This," he gestured at his men, scowling, "This is His work, all of it … Blasted Hiccup was expecting us; he'd set a trap! He claims he orchestrated the disappearance of Blackthorn's captives; that they've been on Berk since a full week before they held their Council! If that's true, then the report we received from Thommen was a total fabrication; deliberate misdirection!"
Without thinking, he put his full weight down of his wounded leg, and barely repressed a howl of pain; as it was, his face turned as white as a sheet. For a brief moment, it looked like he was about to be sick.

"Grimm's daughters; are they dead, at least?" High- Lord Malchior said, coolly.

Lord Bane snorted, "Hiccup had two of his Night- Furies pluck them up off the deck and whisk them off to Berk, while we were running around trying to put- out fires … Our fleet was all-but obliterated; Lord Malik's either dead or captured – no way to know which."

"How many boats did you bring back?" High- Lord Malchior demanded.

Lord Bane's jaw worked. Finally, he spat out a single word: "Six."

"This… This is a catastrophe!" moaned Lord Ralden, "How could you let this happen?" Lord Bane rounded on him, but before he could utter a retort…

"The hostage- ships!" Lord Malcolm blurted, "Does he know about the hostage- ships?"

Lord Bane glowered at him, "'Know about the hostage- ships'? He's been tracking our messenger- birds; using our own system to pin-down their location… He. Has. Been. Toying. With. Us... – He could seize the boats at any time; assuming he hasn't already!"

"We sent additional ships to defend the hostage- ships, as per your suggestions," High- Lord Malchior informed him. "They are secure for the present–"

The sound of approaching footsteps caused High- Lord Malchior to leave his sentence unfinished. A moment later, a Kraken Warrior surged into the room; he tripped, and skidded along the floor; and a line of red opened along the finger of one hand, and across the palm of the other. Several other similar lines already lined his hands; proof that this was not the first time he had stumbled.
By the time he reached the head of the hall; he was panting so hard, it was almost a full minute before he could deliver his message. "My Lords; thir– thirteen… drag… dragons … appro–approaching … from North! Match … descriptions … Night- Furies! And… and one… has … Rider!"

Lord Emric's eyes bulged, "H–He has found us!"

To Be Continued…