The Distant Shores of China
Chapter 5: Viking Recruits
Heh, heh. So, how's it going for you guys? Yeah, you don't even need to say it. I am really horrible at updating at decent intervals. Well, I suppose that we've all gone through a phase at one time or another. So, here is the next chapter. I hope that you all enjoy it, because this is when the Vikings from Berk come into play!
OOXO
As the ship from Corona was gliding through the waves, a tiny speck amidst the vast ocean, Mushu, Cri-Kee, and Pascal were all lounging on the crow's nest, observing the many miles of water ahead of them. Suddenly, Mushu yelled,
"Oh, come on! How much further do we have to go? At least when Mulan was in the army there was actually new stuff to see all of the time. Here, though? Nope, just mile upon mile of water and those stupid dolphins down there that just won't shut up! Yeah, I'm talking to you down there, you little creeps!"
"Oh, come on, Mushu, it hasn't been that bad. We still have plenty of food and water, and we'll be at Berk in no time at all," Rapunzel, after having joined them on the crow's nest, said, always the optimist in situations such as this.
"Well, if you want to know what I think about this little trip of ours, princess...," Mushu began to rant before Cri-Kee began to squeal with glee while pointing at the horizon.
"Would you shut up, you dumb cricket, can't you see that I'm... wait, is that... it is! Land! Alleluia! We're saved!" Mushu cheered, which managed to bring everyone's attention to the landmass that was starting to become visible on the horizon.
"Is that really Berk, though?" Mulan asked Merida, wanting to make sure that everyone else wouldn't get their hopes up if they hadn't gotten there yet. Suddenly, dark shadows began to cast themselves onto the ship as flying creatures began to soar above them, seeming to guide them to the island ahead of them.
"Oh, I'm sure," Merida replied, taking delight in how startled Mulan, Li-Shang, Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po were at the sight of the dragons of Berk flying above their ship.
"See, what did I tell you guys? I told you that we would be there soon," Rapunzel stated to Mushu as she used her hair to descend from the crow's nest.
"Well, I suppose that I'll have to get used to this," Eugene stated as he stared wide-eyed at the dragons that were now starting to hurry their ship along to the island. As the ship gently docked onto the sandy beach, Mushu, Cri-Kee, and Pascal were the first ones to descend from the ship.
"Oh, land! Sweet glorious land, how I've missed you so!" Mushu cried, rolling on the beach with glee. He was quickly interrupted in his celebration by a troop of dragons landing on the beach in front of him.
"Oh... uh... you must be those, uh... big dragons that Merida was talking about. Well, ahem, I'm going to be heading back to the ship now. Run for it, Cri-Kee!"
As he and Cri-Kee began to make a run for it, a lithe, black dragon and a blue one landed in front of them, cutting off their path back to the ship.
"What on Midgard is that thing?" a blonde-haired girl riding the blue dragon asked, using the axe she wielded to point at Mushu, who had screamed in fright at their appearance and was now cowering in front of them, while Cri-Kee had passed out. Perking up at this statement, Mushu, greatly offended that he wasn't recognized as a dragon, immediately stated,
"Excuse me... did you just call me a thing? For your information, I am a guardian dragon, and don't you go thinking that I am some kind of lizard, all right? That starts to get old after a while."
"Okay, that is messed up, even by my standards," a blond-haired boy, who was seated on a double-headed green dragon, stated, turning his attention to another passenger, a blond-haired girl with pigtails and who looked to be his age.
"Come on, that little lizard's got nothing on that two-headed sheep that was around a few years ago."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that sheep. Never mind."
"What did I just say about being called a lizard?" Mushu growled, boldly approaching the dragon they were seated on, only to have both of the dragon's heads thrust themselves in front of his face.
"Don't worry, he won't bite," Merida said, which effectively drew the attention of all those on the beach.
"Merida, is that you?" the scrawny, brown-haired boy on the black dragon asked in astonishment, turning his attention to the Scottish princess as she descended from the ship.
"Aye, it is. Guess you didn't expect to see me again so soon," she replied, a wide smile plastered on her face. As Mulan watched all those on the beach gather around Merida and Rapunzel and then turn their attention to her and her friends, she slowly descended from the ship as well, suddenly feeling very exposed with all the pairs of eyes staring at her.
"Everyone, this is Mulan, Li-Shang, Chien-Po, Yao, Ling..." Merida began, only to hear a cough by her feet. "And these two are Mushu and Cri-Kee."
"Yeah, and you better remember that," Mushu growled to the two still on the two-headed dragon.
"Right," Hiccup said, eyeing Mushu with a quizzical look, still not quite sure what exactly he was looking at, "well, I'm Hiccup, this is Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Toothless, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch. Welcome to Berk."
"Uh, yeah, aren't you forgetting something, Hiccup?" the boy named Snotlout interrupted, eyeing the arrivals with a suspicious glare, "Don't you think it's a wee bit too much of a coincidence for these new 'visitors' to show up only a few days after those invaders came by here and nearly wiped out the place?"
"Snotlout,..." Hiccup groaned, only for Li-Shang to interrupt,
"What invaders?"
"You were attacked?" Merida interjected, while Rapunzel looked on in concern.
"Yeah, let's just say a lot has happened while you were gone," Hiccup slowly replied, slightly wincing as he rubbed his right shoulder with his hand. Toothless, aware of his friend's pain, drew close to him, concern laced in his eyes. As Hiccup patted Toothless' head in gratitude, he continued, "We might as well go to the great hall to discuss matters."
OOXO
At that moment, the great hall on the island of Berk was filled with the echoes of argument, anger, and panic, as all of the other residents of the island tried to come to terms with what had happened a few days ago. Mulan could already tell, as they were about to enter the towering building, that they would be forced to explain themselves a great deal if they wished to leave this place unscathed, if the boy named Snotlout reflected much of the general attitude of the Vikings on the island. Before they entered, Hiccup, taking on an authoritative air, turned to the newcomers and stated,
"All right now, if it isn't apparent enough already, everyone is a little bit... tense right now, so it would be best if you all just let me do the talking."
Well, 'tense' surely, thought Mulan, had to be a polite way of putting forward the fact that if any of them made one false move, they were sure to be beaten to a bloody pulp. Casting a quick glance at her friends, who all looked to be as hesitant as she was at that moment, Mulan, after taking a deep, calming breath and placing a mask of calm authority over her face, entered the hall after Hiccup and the others. What all assaulted her senses was almost enough to completely overwhelm that outer calm. The cacophany of yells, screams, and roars deafened her; the smell of all of the tightly-packed bodies was almost enough to make her gag; the sight of all the angry and desperate faces in the crowd, men and women alike, threatened to make her cower; and the feeling of being pressed in from all sides urged her to escape the trap that she was boxed into.
"Well, this is a nice atmosphere to start things off with," Eugene quipped, drawing Rapunzel, who also had an uneasy look written on her face, closer to him as if he were afraid that she would be swept away in the chaos that was ensuing all around them.
It did not last long before a thunderous voice boomed, "Enough!"
As calm overtook the occupants of the hall, a calm which seemed to Mulan to ring louder than the previous noise, the one who commanded the silence, a tall, red-haired Viking man, who appeared to be the chief of the tribe, continued,
"Listen, I know that you all want something to be done, but that's not going to happen if you all keep on like you are now. Wherever these invaders came from, they may strike again, so we will need to be prepared."
"And what about our children? We cannot just leave them in the hands of those monsters," a feminine voice cried out from the sea of villagers, which led unanimously to a roar of agreement throughout the entire hall.
"We will do our best to rescue them, make no mistake about that," he replied, his gaze finally settling on Hiccup. Mulan could almost see the towering man's eyes smolder as their gaze scrutinized the newcomers to the hall.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Yao whispered to Chien-po and Ling, as Hiccup led them through the tense, furious crowd, who were all piercing them with their smoldering gazes. Mulan could have almost sworn that some of them were even starting to finger the weapons that they held at their sides; axes, swords, maces, all of which seemed to give off an eerie, foreboding glow in the light of the fire that blazed in the enormous firepit in the middle of the hall.
"And this was a great idea, because...?" Mushu whispered to Mulan from where he was perched on her neck, having, too, noticed that these Vikings seemed like they would not have any qualms in murdering them right then and there. As Hiccup led them toward the center of the hall, Mulan could hear the townspeople murmering and whispering to each other, almost sounding like the drone of angry bees. After what seemed like an eternity, Hiccup had finally led them to the middle of the hall. Before he could explain the matter at hand, he was quickly silenced by the former speaker, whom Mulan assumed was this Stoick she had heard about, who whispered loud enough for her to hear,
"Not here."
Seeming to understand the matter at hand, Hiccup nodded and allowed his father to continue,
"I'm afraid that there has been an unexpected development. Until this matter is cleared up, I am leaving Spitelout in charge."
Finishing his proclamation, Stoick then began to lead the group toward the exit. Just before they left, an elderly voice cried out,
"So, the red-haired demon has gone and brought more trouble. What if she is the one responsible for all of this? Has no one ever thought of that?"
"Mildew, one more word...," Stoick growled, as Mulan noticed Merida flinch at this insult, as well as that Rapunzel and Hiccup drew closer to her as if trying to shield her from further insults that might be flung at her.
"Mark my words, she was trouble then, she'll be trouble now. Don't say that I didn't tell you so. And that goes for these newcomers, too" the elderly man ranted on before the great hall door cut him off, the resulting silence seeming to spell more of a foreboding note than a peaceful one, which was to be expected from finally being free of that choking atmosphere.
"Don't pay Mildew any mind. The others don't really take him seriously," Hiccup addressed the others.
"I'm not surprised at that," Li-Shang added, looking a little unnerved himself as he cast a glance back towards the hall door.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that this time, Hiccup. You know as well as I do that ever since those invaders came, it has gotten really tense around here, so the others may not be so quick to disregard whatever Mildew says," Astrid replied.
"I think tense is an understatement," Yao whispered to Ling and Chien-Po as they were led back through the village.
Mulan had to agree with the trio on this one. She remembered what it was like for her to be looked down on for being a woman, making her feel self-conscious and socially awkward as a result. However, that kind of pressure could not compare to the direct hostility that she had felt aimed her way while in the meeting hall. It was one thing to be viewed as being not as competent as a man, but it was an entirely different story to be looked on as an enemy, something she was especially not used to, what with her status as the Hero of China.
"Man, I really don't know about this, Mulan. Based on what happened back there, it looks like we were asking for trouble just by coming here," Mushu whispered, casting a suspicious glance at Stoick as he led them on through the village, with Cri-Kee nodding in agreement.
"Merida wouldn't have brought us here if she wasn't sure that they would be able to help us. We should trust her on this one."
"Huh, sure," Mushu huffed.
Turning her attention back to the others, Mulan quickly noticed that Hiccup was starting to nurse his right shoulder again. Before she could ask, though, Rapunzel was soon ahead of her.
"Are you okay, Hiccup?"
"Yeah... I'm fine. We all just got a little beat up in the fight, that's all. Nothing any Viking can't shake off."
"If by that, you mean totally having our butts handed to us, then yeah, that would be a great way to put it," Snotlout sarcastically added, whom Mulan only then just noticed had a slight limp.
"Enough of that, Snotlout," Stoick interjected just as they all reached one of the highest points of the island with a house atop it. It was here that Mulan, with a sick, twisted feeling in her gut, realized fully, as she surveyed the entirety of the inhabited portion of the island, the extent of the destruction that had been dealt on the village. Once-sturdy houses, now reduced to rickety, gutted structures and mounds of rubble, littered the landscape. Gazing on the remnants of this senseless, horrific destruction, Mulan could almost hear the crackling of the flames, the demonic cries of the Huns, the tortured screams of the innocent...
"It looks like back home," the usually-upbeat Ling stated as he, too, gazed out over the wreckage. Glancing over at Li-Shang, Mulan noticed that he had a dark glare in his eyes, most likely brought on by the memory of when the Chinese army had come across the destruction wrought by the Huns in the past.
"Are you guys coming?" Hiccup asked, beckoning them inside where the others were waiting. As they all gathered in the main room of the house, Stoick, after eyeing the new arrivals with a mixture of suspicion and intrigue, turned to Hiccup.
"All right, what's the story, Hiccup? I can't just ignore the fact that it is too much of a coincidence for these newcomers to have arrived here at this time. You know that I can't afford to take any chances, not if there is even the slightest risk they could bring further harm."
"With all due respect, Chief, if you are implying that we are working with the Huns, you're mistaken. They have committed their own share of pillaging in China as paid dearly for that mistake, as they will for this atrocity," Li-Shang replied from where he stood by the fireplace, the glitter of the crackling flames reflecting in his eyes. This, and the dark shadows that veiled his face, were enough to deeply trouble Mulan, as this proclamation was enough to send her a clear message of just how frayed his temper was at that moment, no doubt brought on by the horrifying sight of the remnants of pillage and destruction that lay just outside.
"We understand why you are apprehensive, Chief, but you can be rest assured that we do not mean any harm to you or your village," Mulan stated, throwing a quick glance at Li Shang to gauge his expression, which she was relieved to observe had calmed somewhat.
"Even so, that still does not explain why you have come here. If you do not mean to cause harm, why are you here?" Stoick questioned.
"That is where we come in, Stoick. These invaders, the Huns, have attacked China once again, and they have also threatened the security of Corona. This is why we have agreed to come to their aid, and we have come here to ask for yours," Merida interjected, which was enough to reel in the Viking teens' attention.
"Say no more, Merida. If there is any chance that we can put a stop to whatever these Huns are planning, then I'm game. I trust you," Hiccup stated, standing beside her as he did so.
"Hiccup, I understand that you have good intentions, but what you are proposing is far too risky. You saw what these Huns are capable of. The whole of Berk barely managed to fend them off. What chance would a small band have?" Stoick asked with concern.
"For one, we would have the element of surprise. Besides, the lives of innocents are on the line, and we need to do all we can, just like you said. This is an opportunity we can't ignore," Hiccup countered, clearly refusing to back down.
After casting a quick glance at the small band, Astrid, gazing at Hiccup for a brief moment, finally sighed and moved to stand beside him.
"Well, if you're going, someone's got to watch your back."
"I'm coming, too. After all, you might need some research along the way," Fishlegs timidly responded, standing beside them as well.
"Ah, what the heck, we might as well come along for the ride," Tuffnut stated, as he and his twin sister stood beside them.
Finally, after Snotlout had cast another suspicious glance at Mulan and the others, his eyes narrowed as he stated, "Count me in, too. If those Huns think that they can just waltz in here and trash the place, then they've got another thought coming. Besides, you guys aren't having any fun without me."
"Yeah, yeah, enough with the sentimental fluff, we gotta hurry up and get to China, so do you guys have our rides or what?" Mushu asked.
"He has a point, guys. Not to mention the fact that we're going to need enough supplies to get us to China at all," Eugene continued.
"I and the villagers will take care of the supplies, you just ready your dragons for the journey," Stoick replied, clearly having been convinced of the necessity of what lay ahead.
As the room began to disperse, Snotlout, addressing Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po, stated,
"Okay, here's the deal: if any of you pull any funny stuff on this journey, you'll have to answer to me, and you better hope that that doesn't happen."
"Likewise," Mulan heard Yao grumble under his breath once Snotlout was out of hearing range.
OOXO
As news of the upcoming journey spread throughout the village, the villagers, desperate to see their children again, quickly set to work gathering food, water, and weapons for the gang. Aiding in the preparation, Hiccup was at that moment helping to saddle up the chosen dragons for the journey ahead, consisting of Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf, Belch, Jack, and Scathach. The latter two, having been apart from their masters, Rapunzel and Merida, were exceptionally excited to be reunited with them, having nearly driven themselves mad with excitement at the sight of them, nearly bowling them over as they rubbed up against them in greeting. Hiccup had had to smile at this moment, a shinging light in the midst of the recent darkness, as well as at the reaction of the new arrivals, who had all recoiled in surprise and shock at this gesture of excitement.
"And these are our ticket to China? They seem a little... volatile to me," Mushu had pointed out, appearing to be a little worried at the propsect of riding a dragon.
"Well, unless you want to get back on the ship and sail on that for a month..." Merida slowly said as she was preparing Scathach, which was enough to induce Mushu to jump back in horror and be silent.
Having inspected Toothless' equipment to ensure that it was in top shape for the journey ahead, Hiccup, turning to the others, asked,
"Is everyone ready?"
As everyone unanimously nodded, Hiccup led the way from the dragon arena to the docks, with everyone lining up in single-file. Toothless came first, bearing Hiccup and Li-Shang, followed by Stormfly, who had Astrid and Chien-Po. Next came Meatlug bearing Fishlegs; Hookfang with Snotlout and Yao, with the two of them each wanting to keep a close eye on the other; Barf and Belch with Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Ling; Jack with Eugene, Rapunzel and Pascal; and Scathach with Merida, Mulan, Mushu, and Cri-Kee. As they all made their way to the docks, the streets were soon crowded with the remaining Vikings, who were all silently seeing them off, praying that these adventurers would reclaim their children and destroy the Huns, as that was the only hope they could focus on for the moment, as Hiccup knew all too well.
As they all finally made it to the docks, the adventurers all glanced toward the horizon as Stoick began to address the crowd.
"As these travelers prepare to embark on their journey, let us all pray that their efforts are worthy to the gods, that they may find it in their hearts to bless this journey and to make its efforts fruitful, for this will most surely ensure the vanquish of our foes and the return of our children."
As the crowd cheered at this statement, Stoick took Hiccup's hand and stated,
"May the gods protect you and grant you aid for your quest."
"Thanks, Dad," Hiccup whispered, setting his gaze, once more, on the horizon. Giving the signal, Hiccup led the way as they all took off into the sky, with the farewells and well-wishes of those staying behind trailing after them. As the calls began to fade away, Hiccup turned back to look at the shore of Berk as it began to gradually disappear on the horizon, as well as at his traveling companions. It was then he began to feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. As he began to ponder the possible fate of his comrades, Li-Shang, having been silent thus far, finally broke the silence.
"Thank you for coming to our aid."
"No problem," Hiccup replied simply, determination hard as steel replacing the sinking sensation he was feeling. Turning his gaze toward the sky, he thought,
Even if it takes my last breath, I will do all I can to stop these Huns, so help me, Thor.
OOXO
All right, how was it? Again, I am really sorry for the long delay. My muse has just been giving me hell these last couple of months. Anyway, we are finally getting somewhere in the story. Don't worry, there will be plenty of material in the next chapter. I just wanted to set the stage for the acquaintance of the Vikings with Mulan and her friends. I hope that you enjoyed, and please remember to review! I need all the critiquing I can get ;).