A/N: I just want to get to some Hiccunzel smut so bad, these two would have some fun having sex together! Alas, that time hasn't come yet, maybe I'll do some one-shots on this pair set in both the medieval and modern eras. Anyway, I was going to make it where Flynn and the Stabington brothers made their way to Kiev and try to snatch Rapunzel away and take her back to Gothel, but that's gonna happen soon enough. For now, though, let's get into this chapter!
(Normal pov— Kiev)
The early morning air was crisp and cold as Kievan soldiers manning the walls were keeping watch over the sleeping city. Warriors stood by nearby fire basins to shake off the chill creeping into their bones while those committed to their posts wrapped their fur cloaks tighter around their bodies. Because of the darkness of the early morning, it was almost impossible to see what was lurking beyond Kiev's walls, so instead of relying on their sight, the Rus soldiers relied on hearing for any sign of the Northern Alliance advancing on the city.
Distant rumbling could be heard in the distance, the Rus manning the walls tried to see if anyone was approaching them, but the darkness made it impossible. However, that wasn't the only sound that could be heard. Fierce roars of dragons and heavy flapping of wings caused the Rus to look to the sky only to be reduced to charred corpses by Singetail fire.
Krogan landed his Singetail on the wall before turning to his flyers and nodding at them. "Go, begin the attack," as the flyers took to the air once again, they urged their Singetails to rain fire down on Kiev. The Singetail's fire began to engulf the city at a rapid pace, and soon enough, screams of horror and agonizing wails sounded, Krogan then turned around to see Hiccup and Rapunzel land their respective dragons beside each other. Heather and Ripper arrived on their dragons as well, once the four were present, Krogan pointed his axe toward Adolb's palace. "While we keep the Noble Wolf's forces distracted, you will free Griselda and bring us Kiev's ruler, alive. Now, go!" Drago's star pupil urged his Singetail to fly, leaving the four young adults to do their job.
Turning to Heather and Ripper, Hiccup spoke up. "You two deal with Adolb, Rapunzel and I will free Griselda—"
"What? And let you and the little girl have the easy task? As if!" Ripper exclaimed with his teeth bared.
Pointing her axe at Ripper's throat, Heather hissed. "It doesn't matter who does what, all that matters is that we get it done. And I for one don't want to botch this job because of you, Ripper," leaving behind a small cut on the killer's neck, Heather turned to Hiccup and gave him a reassuring nod. "Go, you two get Griselda out. Ripper and I will bring in Adolb." With that said, Heather urged Windshear to take to the sky. After glaring at Hiccup and Rapunzel, Ripper and Dreadwing were soon in the air, following Heather's lead as she and Windshear flew straight to Adolb's palace.
Sighing, Hiccup shushed Toothless as he and Dreadwing shared a heated growl. Turning to Rapunzel, the banished Viking raised his eyebrows. "Are you ready for this?"
Taking a deep breath, the blond beauty looked at Pascal who was on her shoulder before blending in with her jacket. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," was her nervous response.
"Stay close to me, remember what I taught you, and you'll be fine," Hiccup said firmly before patting Toothless' neck. "Let's go, bud." The Night Fury soon flew towards the palace with Rapunzel and Bluster right behind.
War horns soon sounded, alerting all of Kiev that they were under attack, Adolb's soldiers quickly manned their stations and armed themselves as the Northern Alliance emerged out of the forests and charged the city with the full might of their junta. Hiccup and Rapunzel had to sneak across hundreds of Kievan soldiers as they joined their brothers in arms to hold off the invading army at their walls. Once he was certain that the coast was clear, Hiccup turned to Rapunzel and Bluster, urging them to follow him and Toothless as they managed to sneak into the bowels of Adolb's palace.
Now that they were underneath the city, the chaos of battle was muffled, which meant that stealth was paramount if they wanted to whisk Griselda out of Adolb's grasp without his soldiers finding out about them. While roaming the halls of the dungeon, the prisoners within grasped the bars and began pleading with Hiccup and Rapunzel to free them, the ruckus caused Hiccup to draw Inferno to sever one of the prisoner's fingers clean off of his hands, and their screams echoed through the hall as they cradled their smoking hand.
"Hiccup, watch out!"
Rapunzel's words were followed by Hiccup crying out as he narrowly ducked underneath a spear that would've taken his head off. The prison guards charged the Viking and blond beauty, but their dragons were quick in dispatching them; Toothless fired a plasma blast in one of the guard's chests, killing them instantly before tail-whipping another guard across the face with enough force to break their jaw, and finally, the Night Fury pounced at another guard and sunk his teeth into their throat, their screams were soon silenced when Toothless' jaws sunk down around their windpipe.
Bluster stood on her hind legs and released a wave of fire from her underbelly as more guards rushed her. The Singetail's Chameleon-like eyes whirled around to see a guard with a bow in hand behind her, ready to shoot down Rapunzel. Lifting her tail, Bluster fired a blast of fire at the archer, sending them back against a nearby cage while being burned to a crisp.
"We must be getting close to Griselda, there's no way all these guards would be here for this lot," he gestured to the men in cages before noting Rapunzel placing a hand over her mouth. "Hey, are you alright?" The blond couldn't reply immediately because she was swallowing down the bile that had crawled up to her throat. Realizing that this was her first time witnessing men being burned alive and the fetid scent of burning flesh filling the air and invading her nostrils, Hiccup spoke soothingly. "Rapunzel, hey, take a deep breath, let's keep moving so that you can have a whiff of fresh air." Nodding, the lost princess urged Bluster to follow Hiccup and Toothless as they took the lead.
Once the stench of burning flesh was no longer invading her nostrils, Rapunzel felt her stomach calm down. "Gods, that was revolting," she groaned in disgust before giving Hiccup a sheepish look. "You must think I'm pathetic—"
"I don't, Rapunzel," he reassured her immediately.
Blushing, she then tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear while asking softly. "Was it hard for you when you witness people dying?"
"It was, and still is," Hiccup confessed, "despite my... bloody reputation, I prefer solving problems in a peaceful manner, and those who fail to see the bigger picture of things often end up dead. It's happened far too many times for me to recall."
Nodding, Rapunzel then asked softly. "You told me killing takes away a piece of yourself, and I won't argue with that, with that said, why not look for a new line of work?"
Looking over his shoulder, Hiccup chuckled lightly as he replied. "Whether I like it or not, I'm a Viking, and if we want to earn our fortune and reputation, there's no way to do that by spilling blood," he then shrugged. "I suppose when the time comes for me to put down my sword, I'll have met the woman of my heart's desire and make a family of my own." Smiling to himself, Hiccup had many dreams of the woman and family the gods would provide him with and vowed that he would cherish them with all his heart, he would give his children the love, respect, and affection that he had never received as a boy himself.
Before Rapunzel could make a comment, she spotted a cell that held a woman who was bloodied, bruised, and looked malnourished. "Hiccup, over here," the banished Viking heir slid off of Toothless and approached the cell that Rapunzel was pointing out to. "Is that Griselda?" Grasping the bars, Hiccup narrowed his eyes, taking in her appearance, and hummed to himself. Reaching for a jar full of Changewing acid kept in Toothless' saddle bag, he soon poured the acid on the cell lock, burning it away until the door slowly swung open.
Crouching down to cup the woman's face, Hiccup wiped away the ebony hair shrouding her bloody, bruised face. "Yes, this is Griselda," he then threw the unconscious woman over his shoulder with a labored grunt and walked out of the cell while placing the Slavic warlord on Toothless' back. "Alright, let's get out of here." A sudden series of explosions and heavy footprints caused the roof above them to tremble and groan, and dust descended, causing Hiccup and Rapunzel to cover their faces, their reptilian companions, however, accidentally inhaled some of the dust, causing them to sneeze loudly.
"What was that?" Rapunzel asked nervously as muffled roars could soon be heard.
Shaking his head, Hiccup turned to the blond beauty. "No time, let's get Griselda and ourselves out of here!" Rapunzel didn't even consider arguing with Hiccup as he had Toothless fire a plasma blast at a nearby wall. The hole that was created was large enough for both riders and their dragons to squeeze through as they soon flew to the source of the thunderous roars that could be heard.
Rapunzel was breathless at the sight of the dark, gloomy Bewilderbeast as it reeked chaos on Kiev by breathing its teal-colored ice that destroyed homes and establishments alike, blown apart. The blood-curdling screams of the Kievan people made Rapunzel sick to her stomach, as was the carnage she was witnessing. Pascal too looked uncomfortable at the sights he was seeing before hiding inside the blond's clothing.
The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people.
She recalled Gothel telling her this as a child, and although her "mother" was among these horrible, selfish people that fester in the world, Rapunzel believed that there was good in everyone. However, witnessing what Drago Bludvist and his followers were doing made Rapunzel realize that not everything she knows is true, especially her, the knowledge she possesses comes from fictional stories. And although she was still learning the harsh reality of the world and people, Rapunzel was glad that she was experiencing what reality is for herself.
Not only that, but she was also glad that was experiencing these things with Hiccup. What he had told her prior to this attack on Kiev stuck with her, even though she wasn't his woman, he had been a soul that had cut himself from getting too attached to other humans, because they ultimately don't understand him, try to kill him because of his status as a Viking outlaw, and because he's had his heart broken by those he once had affection for.
She was his friend.
Aside from Pascal, Rapunzel didn't have any other friends, and Hiccup was amazing. Over the weeks they had gotten to know each other, there was still a huge secret that Rapunzel had not shown Hiccup, the fact that she has the power to heal grievous wounds.
Wait, she had the power to heal grievous wounds!
"Hiccup, wait a moment!"
Looking over his shoulder, he had Toothless stop and he gave her a worried look. "What's wrong?"
Gesturing to the unconscious Griselda, Rapunzel spoke up over the raging battle around them. "I can heal Drago's warlord, pull her away from the ledge of death, but we need to find a safe place to do that," quickly looking around, Rapunzel then pointed to a secluded area of the forest and pointed to where she wanted to go. "Let's go!" She gently urged Bluster to fly, and the Singetail glided toward the forest. Hiccup was confused, he prayed that Rapunzel wasn't messing around, otherwise, he would get in hot water with his insane benefactor.
"Rapunzel, what are you doing?"
Sliding off of Bluster, the blond approached Toothless and reached for Griselda, wrapping her hair around the warlord's wounds and body. "Uh, why are you wrapping her up in your hair?" Worried that the blond was going mad, Hiccup was about to question further, but he was silenced when Rapunzel looked deep into his eyes.
"What I'm about to do will save her life," she said firmly. After wrapping her long strands of hair around Griselda, the blond took a deep breath and added. "Hiccup, please, promise me that you won't freak out."
Confused at first, the banished Viking nodded. "Yeah, sure," when her look became a nonchalant scowl, Hiccup then corrected himself. "Alright, I promise I won't freak out." Her smile of relief caused butterflies to swarm in his belly, but that pleasant feeling in his stomach only intensified when she began to sing.
"Flower, gleam and glow
Let your powers shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
Heal what has been hurt,"
Rapunzel's angelic song was followed by her hair glowing like the sun, Hiccup's eyes widened and his mouth was agape in shock, Toothless too looked dumbfounded at what he was witnessing. Both rider and dragon looked at Pascal, who merely smiled and nodded as if he was telling them to sit back and witness what Rapunzel was capable of.
"Change the fates' design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine,"
Exhaling softly, Rapunzel, whose eyes were closed reopened her eyes before looking up at Hiccup. "Here, help me untangle her," nodding, Hiccup helped Rapunzel untangle the blond strands of hair off of the Slavic warlord. Once Griselda was untangled, Hiccup was speechless to see all of her wounds were healed completely, it was as if no harm had been inflicted upon her at all.
"Odin's beard," Hiccup looked at Rapunzel and finally began to understand why she had been kept in the tower in the first place. "Your kidnaper kept you in that tower because your hair could not only heal the most grievous of wounds but also... because it's magical." The blond nodded in confirmation, causing Hiccup to snort softly. "From what you told me about your... "mother," she's going to want you back in her clutches, she'll hire the most persistent, ruthless, and determined bounty hunters to hunt you down. Which means we need to finish this job right now and move on from here."
"Wait, what? Move on to where?"
"Later," he promised her before urging Toothless to take off. Looking over his shoulder, he barked out. "For now, let's get this job done!" Before she could even voice her thoughts, Hiccup and Toothless were gone.
Pascal made a worried sound, causing Rapunzel to look down at her Chameleon. "Don't worry, we'll talk it over with him pretty soon," she then smiled to herself. "Well, at least Hiccup didn't freak out about my magical hair." Pascal shrugged but nodded in agreement.
Within Adolb's palace, the Noble Wolf had finished dressing for battle, his generals were awaiting him outside his bed chambers. Looking into the mirror, the Kievan ruler knew that his actions had provoked a beast of men and dragons whose leader was hellbent on conquering the world, however, despite the fact that his city was now under siege, he was prepared to fight and die for the Kievan Rus, there would be no mercy shown nor given to those under the banner of the Northern Alliance.
"Lord, we must join our men!"
The urgent knocking on his door told Adolb that there was no time for delay, he needed to lead his army into battle against Drago and hold his followers off while ensuring as many of the Kievan people could flee from the madman's cruelty. Once he joined his generals, they walked through the palace halls with urgency. "What have you to report, my generals?" He inquired as they continued their pace.
"Enemy flyers are razing the city from above while also disorganizing our troops, however, the officers have kept our men in line despite the chaos outside," one general said.
"Reports have reached us saying that Drago Bludvist rides his King of Dragons into battle, they have smashed the front gates down, allowing the Northern Alliance to flood our city," another general said in a grim tone.
"We have several groups of soldiers and officers evacuating as many people into the forest as they can. Those who are caught in the middle of the fighting, however, are... being struck down like beasts that have gone mad," one of the female generals growled with gritted teeth.
As the Noble Wolf and his generals reached the throne room of the palace, he remarked. "We will show Drago Bludvist and his rabble what Rus are made of. Come!" The Kievan ruler made his way toward his throne room doors, only to have them blasted open and sending him flying into the arms of his generals. Coughing violently as thick smoke filled the air, Adolb could see a hooded, armored female on the back of a Razorwhip dragon whose maw glowed light blue.
"Adolb, the Noble Wolf," Heather greeted with a nod before drawing her axe from behind her back and pointing it at the Kievan ruler. "Drago Bludvist sends his regards."
Standing straight, he then drew his sword before seething. "Your master can keep his regards, bounty hunter," he then turned to his generals and bodyguards. "Kill her!"
Windshear roared before breathing a blast of fire into one of the bodyguard's chests and then wrapped her tail around another one's throat, squeezing the life out of them before protruding her spines, impaling the guard to death. Heather then leaped off of Windshear as Kievan soldiers rushed them from behind, forcing Heather to confront Adolb's remaining bodyguards and generals alone for the time being.
"Take her!"
Heeding their leader, the generals had the bodyguards advance, Heather then retracted the second half of her double-bladed axe, whirling it around with ease before letting out a snarl while lashing out at the nearest attacker. Like many female bounty hunters in the Bondsman Guild, Heather was one of the best, she had crafted her skill training with the deadliest women in the employ of the Guild, but she indeed owed her gratitude to Hiccup, who had trained with weapons of every kind over the last five years. The ebony-haired beauty hacked and slashed at Adolb's bodyguards as they swarmed her.
Before the generals could advance, however, the roof above them burst open, and rings of fire descended on one of the generals, burning them alive. Ripper leaped off of Dreadwing before drawing his own weapons and laughing maniacally. "Let's see what the Noble Wolf's generals are made of!" With a menacing roar, he drew the swords behind his back and locked blades with the nearest general before bashing his head into their face, knocking them down. Whirling around, he quickly ducked underneath another general's blade before running that general through and then decapitating them with his other blade. "Hehehe! YES!" He cried out in pleasure as the blood of his opponent stained his face as he moved on to his next opponent, far too eager to spill more blood.
Adolb was trapped, whilst the two bounty hunters were fighting off his generals and bodyguards, the two dragons were preventing any soldiers from coming to his aid. Growling to himself, he snatched one of his fallen soldier's shields and charged Ripper as he finished pulling his swords out of one of his generals. Bashing into the sadistic bounty hunter, Adolb raised his shield to halt his twin blades before bashing the butt of his blade into his stomach and then driving his shield into his throat, knocking him back. "Filthy bounty hunter!" He seethed before raising his sword hand, ready to strike him down, but a long crimson spine soon embedded itself through his forearm, causing him to cry out while dropping his sword.
Dreadwing roared before breathing fire in Adolb's direction, the Kievan ruler cursed out loud before raising his shield to halt the flames from burning him. The heat licked at exposed skin, causing Kiev's ruler to hiss in pain, despite this, he stood his ground. When the Whispering Death ceased firing, Adolb whirled around only to be grabbed by Ripper who then body-slammed him on the blood-soaked floor.
"I expected more ferocity from you," Ripper grinned at the struggling Adolb. "Shame. I was looking for a challenge."
Struggling to pry the bounty hunter's hands off of his throat, Adolb grabbed the back of Ripper's head and bashed his head against his, stunning him. Pressing his advantage, the Noble Wolf drew a dagger strapped to his side and stabbed Ripper in the left side, causing him to cry out in pain. "You wish for a challenge? You will have it, filth," snarling into Ripper's ear while twisting the blade violently. Noticing the Whispering Death ready to fire, Adolb snarled out. "You kill me, and you kill your rider, beast!" The Kievan ruler was able to get the bounty hunter in a submissive hold while stabbing him again, this time in the belly.
"ARGHHH!"
Savoring Ripper's cries of agony, Adolb hissed against his ear. "You are the bounty hunter Ripper, are you not? I've heard of how you live up to your name by tearing your enemies to pieces, given the chance," he then chuckled darkly against his ear. "You're nothing but a mad dog that needs to be put down. Allow me to put you out of your misery." He then began to gut Ripper slowly, causing the bounty hunter to try and free himself, but that proved to be a fatal error as Adolb's knife only drove itself deeper into his flesh.
Heather, who had finished killing the last of Adolb's bodyguards looked to the floor and saw her quarry gutting Ripper slowly but surely. She harbored no sentimental feelings towards Ripper, but no means, however, if he was able to survive Adolb's blade, there was a high possibility that he and Dreadwing would hunt her and WIndshear down for not coming to his aid. Growling lowly, Heather rushed over to Adolb and delivered a fierce kick across his face, sending blood and spittle to fly out of his mouth.
That blow gave Ripper the opportunity to rip the dagger out of his belly and discard it before throwing Heather a heated glare. "Well, you took your time, didn't you!"
"Just knock him out already! More soldiers will be here soon!" Heather snarled before turning to the rest of Adolb's generals who were otherwise engaged with Dreadwing.
Rolling around on the floor, Ripper was able to get Adolb off of him by sinking his teeth into his right hand, drawing blood. Now free, the sadistic bounty hunter didn't have time to catch his breath, he needed to render Kiev's ruler unconscious and deliver him to Drago. While avoiding several punches from the Noble Wolf, Ripper grabbed one of his fists and twisted his arm behind his back, and then wrapped one of his arms around Adolb's throat, choking him out. Desperately trying to free himself from Ripper's choking grip, the Noble Wolf's vision was going black with each passing moment until he finally fell unconscious.
"He's out!" Barking out at Heather who kicked one of the generals back and then cut another one across the cheek, Ripper then summoned his dragon. "Dreadwing, come!" The Whispering Death was by his rider's side in the blink of an eye, Ripper was able to throw Adolb over his shoulder while leaping on his dragon before they burst out of the palace in spectacular fashion, leaving Heather and Windshear behind.
As more Kievan soldiers were arriving, Heather turned to Windshear and mounted her Razorwhip, and urged her to take to the sky just as more soldiers arrived in the palace. "That was a close one, huh, girl?" The Razorwhip purred in agreement with Heather before she patted her dragon's neck. "You did good, girl, I'm proud of you." Giving a sound of gratitude, Windshear then let out a soft growl as incoming Dragon Flyers flew by them.
"Where's the Noble Wolf?" One of the flyers asked in a low tone.
Pointing her axe at Ripper and Dreadwing, silently telling the flyer that their quarry was with them, Heather then glared at the flyer. "We got our job done, thank you very much," she then narrowed her eyes. "Is there a problem?" The flyer merely snorted while bringing their whip down on their Singetail, causing the dragon to cry out in pain while getting back into the fight, the other flyers followed suit, leaving Heather and Windshear alone. "Animals," she murmured to herself while caressing her dragon's head as a means of soothing her. "Trust me, Windshear, we won't be taking any more jobs from Drago Bludvist. I promise." Her words seemed to uplift the tense Razorwhip, Heather couldn't blame her, not when they were working for the cruelest people on Midgard.
Speaking of cruelty, Heather felt her stomach churn as she watched Dragon Flyers raze homes and structures to the ground, regardless if anyone was still in them. In the streets below, the various armies who follow Drago dragged citizens who couldn't flee in time out of their homes and establishments, killing them regardless of their age or even taking some as captives, women to be more specific. She could feel bile slowly churning in the pit of her stomach, Heather had recalled how she had taken bounties to deal with people who sought to pillage and raid those who couldn't defend themselves. Bad memories of her childhood flooded her mind's eye and she knew that the only reason she was the strong, capable woman she is today is because of Hiccup and Toothless.
The familiar roar of a Night Fury caused Heather to see Hiccup and Toothless approaching, Rapunzel and Bluster had caught up behind them, they appeared to have come from the forest. Confused by this, Heather tilted her head at Hiccup. "What gives? How come you guys were coming out of the forest?"
"Nevermind that," Hiccup said dismissively. "We've got Griselda back in one piece. Did you and Ripper get Adolb?" Heather nodded and pointed at Ripper who was flying towards Drago who was on the top of his Bewilderbeast's head, riding him like a mighty war elephant. Nodding, Hiccup turned to the two women. "Let's wrap this job up, hmm?" Both Rapunzel and Heather had no objections as they steered their dragons in the direction of the Bewilderbeast that suddenly rose to its hind legs and unleashed a mighty roar before coming back down on the ground, huffing.
The Kievan people watched as Drago ordered his army to cease their attack for the moment, while the madman himself descended from his Bewilderbeast until he was on solid ground. Once Hiccup and the other touched down on the ground, Griselda, who had regained consciousness took in her surroundings before bowing her head in greetings at her master.
"Griselda, I would've thought Adolb's treatment towards you would've been more... harsh," eyeing his warlord up and down, Drago then raised an eyebrow. "You are unscathed?"
"No, I... was beaten to within an inch of my life," Griselda prodded and touched herself, trying to feel the wounds that had been inflicted throughout her body, and yet she was confused to find herself unscathed. Looking up at Drago's cold, demanding gaze, it was a look that caused her to stammer. "S-Sir, I can explain—"
"Never mind that," he said dismissively before turning to Ripper who had managed to cauterize the wounds Adolb had inflicted on him. The ruthless bounty hunter slid off of his Whispering Death and reached for the now-conscious Kievan Ruler and tossed him at Drago's feet. Chuckling darkly, the madman placed his bullhook under Adolb's chin, forcing the Rus ruler to look him in the eyes. "Look around you, boy, I offered you and your army to join my junta, and you chose this. There is a penalty for resistance." Looking over his shoulder, Drago smirked. "Show him!" Two soldiers suddenly presented Adolb's intended wife to the man himself.
"N-No! Zykova!" Bearing his teeth at Drago, the Noble Wolf lunged at him, but Ripper grabbed the back of his armor and held him back while pressing a knife against his throat. "I swear on everything that is holy if you touch my intended wife--"
Laughing, Drago shook his head. "Not me, they will," he then turned to his men. "Have your way with her men! Kill his people and take any woman you wish to slake your carnal needs for the moment." Looking up to the sky, the madman barked out. "Krogan! You and your Dragon Flyers raze this place to ground until all that remains of Kiev is nothing but ash!"
"NOO!" Adolb cried out in horror as Drago's men did as he commanded.
Rapunzel placed a hand over her mouth and looked away, unable to watch such vile cruelty. Heather felt bile climbing up her throat and she could feel her blood boiling, she had lived through this as a girl, and she wanted nothing more than to kill the men doing this to these innocent people, but she stayed her hand from spilling the blood of Drago's men. Hiccup inhaled sharply and glared daggers at Drago who watched the cruelty his men were inflicting on Adolb's people with a sadistic grin.
"Savages, all them," Hiccup murmured lowly while shaking his head. Even though he had done his fair share of horrible things in the past, Hiccup lived by a code, he would never do anything like this.
While his men continued to inflict cruelty on the Kievan people, Drago turned to a handful of his soldiers and had them give both Ripper and Heather their payment for completing their bounty. "To the victor goes the spoils," Drago smirked before looking at Adolb who was now on his hands and knees, sobbing bitterly, unable to watch as his intended wife was being raped and his people being killed like animals gone mad.
Griselda, who now loomed over her adopted brother grabbed a handful of his hair, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I told you, you wouldn't be able to prevent the inevitable. You should've joined us when you had the chance," she then turned to Drago. "Master, what of Adolb?"
Seeing the Noble Wolf's rebellious spirit now broken, the madman gave a dismissive wave. "Dispose of him, he can die knowing that I have taken away his future and his people will soon join him in death,"
"Gladly," turning to one of her men, Griselda took their sword and raised the blade above her head. "Goodbye... "brother," it didn't have to end like this." With a strained grunt, Griselda brought the blade down, beheading Adolb, the Noble Wolf of Kiev. Handing the sword back to her soldier, Griselda took her adopted brother's head and presented it to Drago. The madman drove his bullhook into the loose soil between the ground and relieved Adolb's head from Griselda's hands.
Kievan soldiers and generals that were at the mercy of Northern Alliance soldiers saw Drago holding up Adolb's head before speaking loud enough for all to hear. "Rus of Kiev, your leader is dead, and his refusal to join me and the Northern Alliance has led to the suffering of your people! But should any of you swear fealty to me and my cause, I will cease the destruction of your home," tossing Adolb's head aside, he then reached for his bullhook and pointed it at the detained Kievan soldiers. "Stand with me or die with Kiev. Choose!" The madman's tone spoke of how he intended to raze this place to the ground unless an answer of fealty was given.
One of the Kievan generals who was detained was able to rip himself free from one of Drago's men and approached the madman while drawing his sword. Those loyal to the madman were prepared to strike him down, but Drago stayed their hands as the Rus general drew closer. Presenting his sword before the leader of the Northern Alliance, the general bowed his head. "Drago Bludvist, the army of Kiev salutes you and pledges its fealty to you, from this day forward," releasing a heavy exhale, the general continued, "we... are yours to command." A long, tense moment filled the air, the general was unsure whether Drago would honor his word or simply kill him, his men, and his people.
"Griselda, you take this man and the Kievan army into your own ranks. Test them, see who among them can be trusted, and kill those who would betray the oath their general swore to me," Drago said after a long moment of silence from the madman. Bowing her head, Griselda gave orders to release the Kievan soldiers and have them follow her and her forces out of the city. Turning to Ragnar the Rock and Chagatai Khan, Drago gave them a firm nod. "Order the men to stand down, take anything of value, and let's move on from this place." Both warlords nodded and relayed their master's orders to their men.
Drago then turned to the bounty hunters and gave them a dismissive wave. "Our business has concluded. Should I have need of your services, I will send Krogan once again to find you—"
"Respectfully, Drago, I must decline future bounties you have," Hiccup said firmly. "Consider this the final time I take a job from you."
"Likewise," Heather too said firmly, having her fill of men such as Drago Bludvist.
Scoffing softly, the madman eyed both Viking bounty hunters. "When this world is under my dominion, you will regret severing ties with me," he promised in a low, cool tone.
"I'll take my chances," Hiccup shrugged before turning to Rapunzel. "Let's go." Not needing to be told twice, both Hiccup and Rapunzel were in the air, leaving Drago's madness behind them. Heather took their example, urging Windshear to the sky.
Ripper turned to the madman and gave him a nod. "Pleasure doing business," Drago merely sneered at the bounty hunter before summoning his Bewilderbeast to follow him and his army as they withdrew from Kiev. Before Ripper could take his leave, he saw a hooded figure approach him. "Send word to Flynn and the brothers, that runt Hiccup and the lost princess of Corona are going to Constantinople. And spread the word to the rest of the Guild. The reward for taking that pretty girl back to her tower will be very handsome."
"Consider it done, Ripper," the hooded figure said before summoning their own dragon and taking flight.
Once the stranger and their dragon flew off, Ripper smirked to himself. "You've screwed me over on many jobs in the past, Haddock, let's see how you like it when I return the favor," while mounting Dreadwing, he chuckled to himself. "Maybe I'll even take a page out of Drago's book and force you to watch as I rape your pretty little friend."
A/N: Adventures in Constantinople are next! There, Flynn and the brothers will already be there, waiting for Hiccup and Rapunzel. Naturally, Flynn will entice the blond with his charms and then have the Stabington brothers subdue her as they head back to Gothel. I won't spoil too much, you'll see for yourself soon enough. Anyway, I'll catch you all in the next update!