Chapter Thirteen – War of The Kraken: The Tide Turns
Part One – The Hostage Ships
Several hours after leaving Berk; Astrid,
The moment the hostage- ships appeared on the horizon, all other thoughts retreated to the back of Astrid's mind. Up until then, she'd been thinking about Hiccup; and the conversation she'd had with Valka, the day after Hiccup and Astrid's wedding.
Flashback: Astrid and Valka had gone out flying, that morning; so Valka could give Astrid some tips on aerial- acrobatics, an interest they shared. Early on, Valka had seen something in Astrid's expression.
When Valka asked if she was all right, Astrid had taken a moment to answer. Finally, she'd said, "I'm fine, it's just … I've been thinking: The evening Hiccup got the scroll from the Shivering Shores, calling for a Council of Chiefs … Normally, a chief would've postponed any major events; so they could focus on the task at hand…"
Valka had understood immediately. "You're wondering why he kept it where it was."
Astrid nodded, "I'm glad he didn't push it back, don't get me wrong, but… I'd like to ask about it, I'm just not sure how to… you know… 'Ask'."
Valka's expression became thoughtful, "You'd have to ask, to know for sure, but… I think I can guess."
Astrid raised an eyebrow, "Ok… what is it?"
Valka turned to look at her, "Astrid; Hiccup would've known that he'd make an impression, on the Chiefs. If they learned he was unwed; marriage- pact, or no; they'd insist that he meet their daughters, first … He loves you, Astrid, and he didn't want to put you through that."
It had taken Astrid a few days, but, one evening, she brought up the subject with Hiccup. As Stormfly; and those with them, flew through the night, towards their destination; Astrid thought back to that evening, remembering what Hiccup had said.
"We've practically grown up together, Astrid: We work together; support one another… If you need to talk to someone, I'm here; if I need someone to back me up, you're there. Also: this isn't 'politics', or any kind of obligation… We're both here, because we want to be; the same wouldn't be true with anyone else." He kissed her, lightly, on the lips, and pulled her into a hug. "This is where we belong."
The days since their wedding had been busy; full of preparations for the upcoming war, and both of them were tired by the end of the day.
But, at Astrid's insistence, Hiccup woke her up when he got up: so that she, and Stormfly, could join them for their morning flight. They spent as much of their time as their duties would permit together; and she saw him work tirelessly to ensure everything was ready.
She, and the other villagers, thought that they couldn't respect Hiccup any more than they already did; Astrid had been sure she couldn't love him any more than she already did; but as they saw him prepare, strategize, and coordinate…
A new ... 'depth' of Hiccup's character had been revealed. An awareness that; as capable, resourceful, and fair as he was – and they'd known him to be; Hiccup had been matching his abilities to the situation they faced, most likely without even realizing it.
Hiccup was like a slumbering Bewilderbeast; peaceful, content, patient, and more besides; but, if those who were his to lead and protect came under threat, The Dragon would wake.
Astrid blinked, and shifted in her saddle, as her thoughts returned to her surroundings. A moment later, she spotted the hostage ships; rising out of the ocean, about three miles ahead of them.
Astrid took a deep breath, and gave the signal for their group to separate into the two retrieval- teams. As they did, she and Heather exchanged nods; Heather and Windshear swerved to the left, Astrid and Stormfly to the right.
Both teams would swing around, to approach the boats from the side; and remain there, circling, for seven minutes, while the Speed- Stingers moved in.
As Astrid's team followed her and Stormfly to the right, Astrid glanced down: watching, as the Speed- Stinger pack divided into two groups. The Alpha led the group angling towards the left boat. And, in response to his low growl, Whiplash moved to the head of the group angling to the right.
Aboard the rightmost hostage- ship, lowest level,
The 'room' was long, narrow, and dimly lit. A single corridor extended the length of the ship, the cells running along both sides. Iron bars crisscrossed on all four sides of each cell – even along the exterior wall of the ship. The only source of light was the lanterns that hung from hooks embedded in the ceiling, at intervals of about ten feet.
The noise level, though still subdued, was higher than usual: on account of the four hostages who had recently been taken from one of the cells. No explanation had been given, and none of those four had returned. Since then, murmurs of quiet conversations filled the room.
"Has that ever happened before?" Brianna asked. The sixteen-year-old, slender, brown haired girl; and her mother, who stood next to her; had been seized only two moths before The Kraken Lords had marshaled their forces to move north.
"Not as long as we've been here." Alana, a red-haired girl of eighteen years; shook her head, nodding to her mother, as she spoke. "I don't know what it means; I'm not sure I want to know."
"If it's never happened before, maybe it means something good?" Brianna's mother spoke up, a note of desperate hope evident in her voice.
Alana's mother sighed. "As much as I'd like to believe that..." She shook her head, "They've been doing this for years; perfecting their 'method'." The bitterness with which she said the word 'method' was palpable.
Brianna hesitated, then asked, "What about the Northern Dragon- Master, though? If he defeated Drago…"
She stopped when Alana sighed, "Maybe He could've stopped them, but… you know how the Kraken- Lords operate; once Lord Bane gets his report–"
Before Alana could finish her sentence, they heard shouts, and running footsteps. The commotion above them lasted for, perhaps, five minutes, the noise lessening with every passing minute. Then the sound of running footsteps began to draw nearer.
Suddenly, four Kraken- warriors charged in, weapons drawn. "CLOSE THE DOOR!" The man in the lead bellowed, frantically. "CLOSE THE DOOR! BEFORE–"
Then something, several 'something's, shot in after them. Cursing, the Kraken- warriors scrambled backwards, standing back- to- back.
The new arrivals came to a stop, considering the men before them. Then, as one, the four Speed- Stingers shot forwards; tails, tipped with their stinger, held high.
An instant later, each of the dragons had selected their target, and plunged their stinger into the man's arm, or shoulder, or side. Their venom took affect immediately: seconds later; the four men were completely paralyzed.
A short time later,
About five minutes after the arrival of the four Speed- Stingers, they again heard the sound of footsteps; growing steadily louder, the closer they got.
A moment later, a slender girl with blonde hair stepped into the room. She wore a red shirt; a leather skirt, studded with spikes; dark pants, and fur-lined boots. She looked to be in her late teens, or early twenties. One Speed- Stingers noticed her, and made his way forward.
The girl spotted him, and grinned. "Hey, Whiplash, is that the last of…" Her gaze drifted around the room, and her eyes widened. "Oh. My. Gods… These are… They're…" - The lead Speed- Stinger bobbed its head in agreement, then his stomach rumbled.
The girl raised an eyebrow, "Ok… You guys go get something to eat; Gods know you've earned it! The rest of your group is… 'Taking inventory'." She stepped aside, and the Speed- Stingers zipped past her.
The girl took a half dozen steps into the room, raised her voice, and said, "Just hang tight a little longer… We'll get you out of there as soon as we've finished securing the boats!" She turned around, and vanished from view.
In their cell; third down from the entrance, on the right; Alana glanced from Brianna, to her mother, and back. She shrugged, and managed a flicker of a smile. "On the other hand..."
Just over an hour later,
After some jostling, all of the Kraken- Lords' hostages on that boat stood with their faces pressed against the bars of their cells.
Standing, and watching: while three men, a woman, and the blond- haired girl they'd seen before; carried, or – more often, dragged, the crewmen of the hostage- ships into the room. And, alternately, listening to the 'thuds' that told them another 'delivery' was en-route.
After about an hour, the three men, the woman, and the girl finished their work. The girl turned to the others, "Ok ... Are we sure that's all of them?"
The woman nodded; and, gesturing to one of the men, as she spoke; said, "We cleared the main deck, and the dragons are keeping watch." She chuckled, "Believe me: If anyone was up there; they'd be wishing they were down here."
The girl nodded, "And we cleared the second deck." She took a deep breath, and nodded. "Ok… Lets just … take a minute, to catch our breaths." She nodded to the people in the cells, "We'll get you out of there in a few minutes; it's just… Gods, there were a lot of these guys!"
"'A few minutes'!" A woman, who stood about ten feet away from Astrid, rolled her eyes. "Gods; don't strain yourselves … I got nowhere to be till my 'five minutes on deck', this afternoon!"
The girl raised an eyebrow, "I hope that 'five minutes' part was a joke." She glanced around the room, and her expression darkened, "Though from what I've seen, it wouldn't surprise me." She started, as though she'd forgotten herself, "I'm Astrid; this is…"
As she introduced the human- members of her team, each took a step forward, and nodded an acknowledgment.
When she finished, Astrid turned back to face the cells. "We've got a bit of a wait ahead of us; the rest of our team will get here tomorrow morning… We can fill you in on the details later; right now we're going to need all of you out of those cells, so we can get these guys in there." Her voice hardened, "We can't have them sending any messages to their fleet; now, can we?"
The moment the words were out of her mouth, a current of angry mutters; of, or implying; agreement, rippled through the room.
When Astrid asked after the keys, she was promptly directed to a hook, lodged in the back of the door; where they would clink together every time the door was opened or closed. Astrid snatched the ring of keys off its hook, and made her way up the left side of the room; unlocking doors, as she went. As the former- hostages emerged from their cells; they moved, directly and without prompting; to the nearest frozen Kraken- warriors, and began dragging them into what had once been their cell.
Astrid turned to watch them for a moment, and then slid the key into the lock of the next door. As she turned the key in the lock, she grinned and said, "Don't you just love jobs that get easier, as you go?" – A smattering of low chuckles greeted her words, as a fresh wave of very willing helpers moved towards the frozen guards.
As Astrid was about to unlock the third cell on the right, nearest the entrance; a red- haired girl, a few years younger than she was, said, "There're more of us; nine more, on the Kraken Lords' command- ship; and they took four more – yesterday, I think."
Astrid nodded an acknowledgment, but didn't look concerned, "If they're on the command- ship, they've got nothing to worry about: that's where Hiccup's going." She took in their expressions, "Look: Hiccup practically breathes strategy… He figured out the whole 'conquerors banner' thing the night he got his letter, calling for a Council of Chiefs."
She glance around, saw that more people were listening in, and continued; "He sent Night- Fury patrols to monitor every northern- village for abduction attempts; found out where Blackthorn brought his hostages, and arranged to have them airlifted to Berk… He sent them a letter promising a distraction, and asking them to run into the forests; to meet his extraction team, and conceal their escape." Astrid paused for a moment, to let the listeners' process what she was saying. "When the Council convened, he presented what he'd learned to the other chiefs; informed them of what he'd done, and suggested a few… 'Surprises' for the Kraken- Lords."
Astrid hadn't intended to go into such an in-depth description, at first; but changed her mind when she noticed the occupants of the last cell she'd unlocked, as well as the next two, were listening in.
When she stopped; none of them moved, or spoke, for a full two minutes. They stood where they were, openmouthed; as though Astrid had just presented irrefutable proof that pigs could fly.
Finally, Alana asked, "What… What kind of 'surprises'?"
Astrid's smile widened, "He basically outlined the contents for the report Chief Thommen sent them; giving them the deployment locations, but holding back a few … key details." Astrid's eyes gleamed, "The report, ultimately, outlined twelve locations, 'crucial'," Astrid paused to draw air- quotes around the word 'crucial', "to our defense strategy. He also came up with the idea to track the messenger- birds, that left the boats, after they were in position."
One of the two women in the cell, also red- haired, gasped; "Tracking their messenger- birds? But that would have brought you… That's how you found us!" – Astrid nodded.
The other woman, in the same cell as the girl and woman who'd already spoken, considered Astrid for a moment; "The way you talk about Hiccup… is he a friend of yours?"
Astrid face glowed, "He's my husband, actually… We got married just before this war started." As she spoke, she moved to the next door, and unlocked it.
"He's your husband?" An expression of horrified disbelief appeared on the woman's face. "Gods! What are you doing here, then? If the Kraken- Lords got hold of you…"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing in a matter of seconds, as the listeners considered the possible implications.
Astrid raised an eyebrow, "I'm a fighter; Hiccup knows I can take care of myself, and with Stormfly – my Deadly- Nadder, watching my back…" she smiled and shrugged. "Look: As nice as this conversation is," she turned the key in the lock, and opened the door. "I'm finding this 'prison- décor' a little depressing." She held up the ring of keys, and gestured to the remaining cells. "Any chance we could continue this later, up top?"
Thirty minutes later,
Half an hour after Astrid finished her first round of the hall, unlocking the doors; she was completing her second round, this time locking the doors behind the Kraken- warriors. As she walked, she saw the people she'd been talking to moving around the room; speaking to the other former- hostages. She could tell, from the expressions on their faces, that they were sharing the story she'd told them. When she moved to rejoin the members of her team; people moved aside, clearing a path for her; and followed, as they made there way topside.
Two hours later,
The sun had risen just enough for light to return to the world, when a startled cry quickly brought everyone rushing to the starboard rail. When she saw the Typhoomerangs, drawing slowly nearer, Astrid breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to the others, Astrid called, "They're here: first group, get ready!"
The deck of both boats exploded into a flurry of activity: as those designated to go with the first group moved into position, and the others moved out of the path.
The Typhoomerangs were quick to close the remaining distance. A few minutes later, they were drifting in to hover alongside the hostage- ships, two to each.
Once they were in place, hovering as close to the decks as they could; 'group- one' clambered onto the backs of the Typhoomerangs, and the dragons glided back into the sky.
Then, somewhat to Astrid's surprise, the Typhoomerangs began to circle above them; and Cloudjumper came in for a landing. Once he'd set down, and Valka dismounted, Astrid hurried forward. "Is something wrong?"
Valka shook her head, "No, no… I just thought you'd like to get back to Hiccup. Cloudjumper and I will accompany the second group to the rendezvous- point."
Astrid smiled, and nodded a silent 'thank you'. She gave Valka a quick summary of how they'd seized the boats; made a few introductions; checked- in with Heather, to say that she'd see them either at the rendezvous- point, or on Berk; than Stormfly rose into the sky to join the Typhoomerangs, Astrid on her back.
As she came into view, several people waved to her in greeting: Alana and her mother, Arya; and Brianna and her mother, Bella. "I thought you were going with the second group?"
Astrid shrugged, "So did I, actually… Hiccup's mom and I swapped places – she offered, since Hiccup will be on his way there soon."
With that, they set off in the direction of what Astrid has called 'Rendezvous- Island'. As they angled away, six of the Night- Furies moved to accompany them.
An hour and a half later,
After ninety minutes in the air, the Typhoomerangs were descended towards the island Hiccup had chosen for their secondary- location. When they hovered a few feet from the ground, their passengers quickly slid off, landing lightly on their feet.
Several called 'thank you', before the dragons could rise out of hearing distance. The dragons dipped their heads, in then they continued their ascent; vanishing from view, a few minutes later.
The second group; including Valka, Cloudjumper, Heather, Windshear, and the Vikings- dragon pairs from the Berk guard; arrived, about two and a half hours later.
In an effort to keep her mind off the time, Astrid continued her conversation where they'd last left off. – Despite that, the passing time weighed heavily on Astrid.
Then, finally, the wailing shriek that heralded the arrival of a group of Night- Furies reached their ears. A few minutes later, twelve pitch- black dragons were coming in for a landing. Nine descended in a cluster; when they set down, the last of the Krakens' hostages clambered down. The moment their feet hit the ground, those who had family in the other group rushed towards one another.
A moment later, Alana and Arya returned to where Astrid waited. "I haven't seen Sabrina anywhere," Arya commented, sounding worried. "Could something–"
"She's fine," another voice said. Astrid, Alana and Arya jumped; and looked up to see another Night- Fury, coming in for a landing. Others glanced up too, and a hush fell over the crowd. The Night- Fury landed, and the figure on his back, slid to the ground. Hiccup eased his helmet off of his head, and tossed it up, onto Toothless's saddle. He and Astrid hugged, and he kissed her on a cheek. Then they rejoined Alana, Arya, Brianna, and Bella.
"I'd already sent Arianna and Tanya to their father's boat; so it seemed best to send her on, as well." Hiccup considered the suns' position in the sky, "She should be there any minute now, actually."
Astrid made quick introductions; then, grinning widely; put an arm around Hiccup, "So… how did the kraken- lords react to your 'little visit'?"
Hiccup chuckled, placed an arm around Astrid's shoulders, and said, "How about we let one of them answer that." – As he spoke, two Night- Furies dropped two struggling figures eight feet to Hiccup's left, both of them clad in elaborately embroidered robes. Turning to the crowd of southerners, Hiccup raised his voice, "I am sure you will all recognize 'lords' Brane and Malcolm."
"Lord. Bane!" One of the figures growled, angrily, from the ground, where he lay in a heap. A ripple of low murmurs moved through the crowd: "It can't be…" "Well, it sounds like him…" "Gods; if it is him…"
"You stop at the 'gift- shop'?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Would you believe all they had was 'kraken- lords'?" Hiccup shot her a grin; turned to the nearest robed figure, and called "Whatever you say, 'lord Blame'."
The two lords, who the Night- Furies had apparently decided to carry upside down by their legs, struggled to disentangle themselves, and regain their feet.
The lord on the right growled, "I. Am. Lord. BANE! How many times do I have to–" He rose to his feet, using a large boulder to keep his weight off his bad leg. When he looked up, and began to recognize faces in the crowd, his face turned white.
"Lord Bane? What is it? What's going–" Lord Malcolm rose to his feet, took in the crowd before them, and his face turned as white as Bane's. "Oh, ******; we're dead."
"Not here," Hiccup said, softly, turning to face them. "And not yet. But soon enough, yes... I expect your time in this world will soon come to an end. For now: you will join 'lord' Malik, in his cell; and, after the war ends, you will be joined by however many of your 'colleagues' still live. You made your decisions together, as members of a council; so, it seems only right that you face the consequences of those decisions together, as a group."
Hiccup nodded to the two Night- Furies who had brought them, and the dragons shot forwards. They plucked up the two 'lords'; carried them into the sky, and out of sight.
After a moment, Brianna cleared her throat, and asked, "Uh… Why did you call 'lord Bane' 'lord Blame', and 'lord Brane'?"
Hiccup chuckled, "I'm just messing with him, a little… You'll find out why, and how, soon enough … Just don't let him find out that I actually know his real name, ok?"
Brianna looked surprised, but nodded; and a current of whispers rippled outwards from where they stood, as the message was passed along.
Hiccup turned to the crowd of southerners, and continued to speak. "I realize that you did not travel north of your own will, but nonetheless: welcome, to the Archipelagos. Now that this… Unpleasantness has been taken care of; hopefully your visit can take a more positive turn. I now extend, to all of you, an offer of safe- sanctuary, on Berk, until wars' end. The Northern Council of Chiefs reconvenes this afternoon; in a few hours, I must return to Berk to make my final preparations."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Understand: that is not a deadline for my offer of sanctuary; nor will I be withdrawing the forces I have deployed here – so long as any remain here, or until this war reaches its end. In the meantime," he gestured with his free hand, "do as you would. And welcome, again, to the North."
Over the course of the next hour and fifty minutes, Hiccup spoke to dozens of people. He explained about the letters he suggested that they write, and a variety of other topics.
When asked about his knowledge of dragons – when as sometimes was, Hiccup smiled and said, "I have kept that knowledge secret, even from the other northern tribes, for almost five years. They would take it poorly if I disclosed it to others on the very day I met them. I hope to, someday; but it will have to wait, for now."
When someone expressed gratitude to him; something that seemed to happen every ten seconds; Hiccup would say, "I'm glad I was able to help, though I only did what anyone with the means to act would have." – But Astrid, who remained at his side the almost the entire time; noticed that he rotated his responses, whether it was the order of what he said or slightly different wording; so that it sounded fresh and sincere every time, and not a line he said because he was expected to.
At one point, his route brought him close to where the other members of his tribe. Hiccup saw the pride, on his mother's face, and the rest of his people's, from a good ten feet out.
It took a moment for her to find her words, but Valka finally said, "You were born to be a Chief, Hiccup." Then she pulled him into a hug.
When the time came, Hiccup politely excused himself, walked back to where Toothless waited, and clambered onto the Night- Fury's back. A short distance away, Astrid settled into Stormfly's saddle. Then the Night- Fury, and the Deadly- Nadder, rose into the sky, and angled in the direction of Berk.
Part Two – A Secret Shared
Several hours later, on Berk,
When Hiccup and Astrid arrived back on Berk, a little over an hour after they left 'Rendezvous- Island', Hiccup and Astrid slid down from their saddles. Much of the return trip had passed in silence, all four of them absorbed in their thoughts.
But, the moment Astrid's feet touched the ground, she marched up to Hiccup, and kissed him on the lips. A kiss that lasted so long, both Astrid and Hiccup had to take a moment to catch their breath before they were again able to speak.
Astrid spoke first. "What you did today, Hiccup; what you're doing … you were already amazing, but…" She shook her head, and let the sentence drift. Then a shudder passed through her, "I saw the cells on their ships, Hiccup; it was… they were–"
Hiccup pulled her into a hug, "I would never let that happen to you, Astrid…" He pulled back, slightly, and looked her in the eyes. "Never."
When she looked into his eyes, Astrid saw something, deep inside of Hiccup, rise to the surface, just for a moment. As it had in the Great Hall, when he reassured first her, and then the other villagers, that, despite the Kraken- Lords' two- thousand ships, everything was under control.
Astrid leaned her head against his shoulder. It took a moment, but she finally found her voice. "I know… Everything we've been through, everything that's happened ... You are... Amazing … Incredible."
Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Incredible, now… Does that mean it's your turn to be amazing?"
His words brought Astrid back to one of their previous conversations, when she'd said, "I know I've said it before, and you'll probably get tired of hearing it long before I'll stop, but you are amazing." Hiccup had responded with a shrug, and the words, "Every time you tell me I'm 'amazing', I'll tell you that you're 'incredible'… It'll work both ways, I think." He had also suggested, jokingly, that they could swap, if one of them got 'tired' of their word.
Astrid couldn't help it: She laughed, and the momentary tension she'd felt, when she remembered the hostages' cells; didn't so much 'drain' out of her; as dissolve into mist, and blow away on the light wind that ruffled Hiccup's hair.
Astrid took a deep breath, than another thought occurred to her. "Chief Tyrek, Tyrone, and their men should be here, soon."
Hiccup had told her about his and Tyrone's side-conversation, on their way back to Berk, following Hiccup's meeting with Chief Abram Grimm. At first, she'd felt a flicker of worry, but Hiccup had reassured her; saying that, with the added support of the Shivering Shores, he was confident that the secret need not spread any further than that.
Some time later,
A little over an hour after Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons had returned to Berk, they met Tyrek and Tyrone's boats at the docks. Apparently, Chief Tyrek had given his men their orders beforehand; most of them worked to secure their boats to the dock, and then moved on to other tasks.
Tyrek, Tyrone, Walden – a navigator, and one of Tyrek's trusted advisors, came ashore. They exchanged a few words with Hiccup and Astrid. Then the lot of them made their way up to the Great Hall, which would be empty, at this time of day; it late enough after lunch, and too early for the cooks to be starting to prepare supper.
In the Great Hall,
Once they entered the hall, Toothless and Stormfly curled up, a short distance from the entrance to the hall. They would inform Hiccup, if they heard the sound of footsteps approaching, or anything else that might require their attention.
Hiccup led the others to the far end of the Great Hall, where they seated themselves around the table where the Hiccup's Council of Advisors would normally convene.
Then, first Chief Tyrek, than Tyrone, and finally: Walden, their chief- navigator, swore – in the name of Thor, that they would not disclose the secret Hiccup revealed to them.
When the last word had been uttered, a clap of thunder echoed from somewhere above them, and a voice said, "Your oaths have been heard; take this secret to your graves, or until The Dragon- Lord releases you from them."
Tyrone's eyes widened, "Was that… who I think it was?"
"It was Thor, yes… And, with The Oaths Sworn, And Heard, I can continue." Hiccup paused, and took a deep breath. "I do not keep secrets lightly, but the nature of what I am about to tell you is so crucial, so sensitive, that a word of it in the wrong ears could lead to the end of everything I am trying to build… At its most basic level, and there is more to it, but: Toothless and I are living embodiments of the peace between humans and dragons; the deaths of either, or both, of us would cause the connection that opened – the day we met," Hiccup nodded to Toothless, "to dissolve… a loss that would also cause the dragons to lose the knowledge of our language, and insight into our lives, that allows us to coexist. To be blunt: Anyone who might wish to destroy that future need only fell one of us."
He gave them a moment, to process this, and then he continued to speak. "The dragons, as a race, and the Night- Furies in particular, have taken crucial steps to safeguard my life; providing the ore for my armor, to name one way."
Tyrone frowned, "What exactly does that mean; 'providing' the ore?"
Hiccup turned to him, "Deep below the caverns of the Isle of Night, the ancestral home of the Night- Furies, there lays a particular pool of magma. For six- hundred years, when a Night- Fury realized they were nearing the final- moments of their lives, they would plunge into this pool; a ritualistic end they began to practice six centuries ago, and stopped, when they gave my the ore for my armor… One of The Elders gave it to me, a few evenings after they arrived on Berk; and asking me to 'honor the memories of their ancestors, and make their armor my own." Hiccup drew his sword, and held it up in front of him, "Those Night- Furies gave their scales for the forging of blade and armor; their fire, too," a column of blue flames swirled to life, around the blade, "they gave to the blade." A moment later, the flames died, and Hiccup returned the sword to its sheath. "And their essences, their 'souls'… all that remains of them, has also been passed on."
Hiccup raised his arms to either side, and tendrils of shadow rose into the air. Seconds later, they resolved into the forms of four insubstantial Night- Furies. The black dragons turned to consider the new- arrivals, sitting there, gapping at them. Then each of the black dragons nodded in acknowledgment, than they dissolved back into streams of shadow, and melded back into Hiccup's armor.
Chief Tyrek shook his head, "What are they protecting, though? What is this… task, Thor assigned to you?"
Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Other than continuing to strengthen the peace, my most crucial task is to survive. Thor promised that, if I live out the entirety of my natural life, I will then claim the title 'Dragon- Lord; First of The Five'… The first of new generation of Asgardian- Gods; five Rider–Dragon pairs; tasked with preserving the peace between humans and dragons."
He closed his eyes for a moment; then they snapped open, glowing a greenish yellow. Blue lines traced their path across his armor, and an aura of energy radiated out from where Hiccup sat. "The transition has already begun; and it will end, when my mortal life does… All I need do, now, is live, and – at least, appear to – die a mortal death." A moment later, the blue lines faded, and Hiccup's eyes changed back to normal.
For a long moment, nobody spoke; Tyrek, Tyrone and Walden's faces were clear expressions of awed- belief… There was no disbelieving what Hiccup had told them, because he had also shown them.
Finally, Hiccup turned to Tyrone. "I concealed that clue about the true… 'State' of my memories, in what I said during our first meeting because I want those I mean to consider for the other Four Dragon Lords to be, not just strong; but also clever, able to pay close attention to detail. Lara also discovered that clue, and she is one of two people I am now considering for as a candidate for the Fourth Dragon- Lord: The Envoy, who would represent the secrets of Dragon- Lore moving beyond Berks' boundaries. I am also considering someone for the Third Dragon- Lord: The Convert; and, while I have no reserves about that human or dragon, it is possible that others might be better suited."
Tyrek shifted, "What, exactly, are you saying; Hiccup?"
Astrid chuckled, "If I had a gold coin for every time I asked Hiccup that question!"
Hiccup grinned at Astrid, than he turned to Tyrek, and raised an eyebrow, "I'm saying," Hiccup then turned to face Tyrone, "that I'd be most interested to see how well you'd do, with a dragon of your own."
He gave a slight shrug, "Now wouldn't be the time to meet them, of course; the other Chiefs will be arriving for our next council session in a few hours, and such things should not be rushed; but still… It must, at least, be considered."
To Be Continued…