Chapter Five
In response to...
Wold Raven: Aww, sorry to hear that you're sick :( (Not on pasta-night! D:) But I'm honored that you've chosen this to be your 'replacement chocolate' XD Also, props for learning Latin! I wish my school taught that! *envyyyy*~
: Heh, heh you'll see :)
An immense fire is burning in the Great Hall, little embers jumping from its pit like miniscule shooting stars. And just like only hours ago, the meeting room is packed to the brim, possibly even more Vikings are crowded within than before. At the end of the room nearest the doors, Ymir and his men are standing upright, arms folded behind their backs. They all look very formal, almost grim. They know they've made a mistake, showing up here without perfect knowledge that Stoick was dead... Ymir silently curses the so-called assassin he hired. incompetent...
On the opposite end of the room, Stoick has just arrived, Gobber having briefed him on the way here. So this strange foreigner wants control of Berk? He must be out of his mind if he thinks Stoick will simply back down. Of course...the way Gobber said it, this 'Ymir' thought Stoick was dead...and suddenly, this whole assassin business is making a lot more sense.
So it's with a knowing smile that Stoick greets Ymir. "Welcome," He almost purrs, loving the conflicted and cornered look in the other man's eyes. "I hear there's been a...misunderstanding."
"Ah, yes." Ymir confirms with a subtle nod. "I was told that-"
"Well, as you can see, I am still very much alive." Stoick interrupts. "So there's no need of your leadership...or your presence on my island." A murmur of approval rumbles through the crowd of Hooligans. Gobber sneers at the oddly dressed foreigner as he runs a napkin over his hook, tilting it so the razor-sharp edge catches the firelight.
"I...suppose you're right." The other leader admits. "However, I do still have a duty to my king to uphold..."
"Oh?" Stoick asks, leaning forward in mock interest. "And what is that?"
"I feel that is it my duty to warn you good people." He says. And it might just be Stoick's imagination but there seemed to be a kind acidity to the way he said 'good people'.
"And what warning might that be?" The Chief growls.
"That our High King has his eye on your land. Our people need more room to expand and more resources for their livelihoods. In other words, we need Berk."
Stoick folds his arms and steps back from the table, his green eyes narrowing in understanding...and anger. "Are you threatening us?" He hisses.
"No, no. Not at all." Ymir assures him. Now, it's the stranger who's lips have curled into a smile. "Just a friendly reminder that you only have two options..."
"And what might they be?" Stoick demands.
"Either you step down peacefully from your throne and allow me to take over as the in-between for Berk and the Empire..." There is a great pause before he finishes, in which everyone in the room takes a collective breath, fearful of what the other option is. "Or...we force you."
"HA!" Gobber laughs. "You?! Force us?!" He elbows the nearest Viking and shakes his head as if Ymir has gone mad. "Have you forgotten what you saw at the docks?! A mere child had control of a Night Fury! Imagine what an entire island of Dragon Riders would look like!"
But suddenly, Ymir slams his fists down on the edge of the fire pit. "And did you forget what you saw?!" He shouts, his voice so loud that everyone else immediately goes silent from the shock. When he speaks again, his flaring temper has been tamed and he once again sounds pleasant. "Our people are far more advanced than yours. Our weapons and armor are a hundred times more effective than that of your own armory. Face it," He whispers. "Even with dragons, you can't win. For what is an army of dragons if their Riders are dead?"
"GET OFF OF MY ISLAND!" Stoick roars in outrage at the threat and at the bellow of his voice, the Vikings spring into action. They grab their axes and swords and start in Ymir's direction. The invader's own bodyguards draw their gleaming weapons and bark furious orders at the Hooligans but get no reaction, other than more threats and hisses for them to leave.
Soon, it becomes apparent to them that, at this moment, they are outnumbered. So Ymir hurriedly orders them back to the docks, throwing a look Stoick's direction. One that says, 'this isn't over'.
Stoick didn't think it was...
It's at this moment that Hiccup and the other Riders arrive. They flap down from the sky, landing in the plaza outside just in time to spot Ymir and men retreating toward the docks. At the sound the five dragons make, Ymir turns to look over his shoulder.
Hiccup scowls at him and pats Toothless's side as he slides onto the ground, secretly proud when the dragon narrows his pupils and snarls at them. "Good job, bud." He whispers.
The six kids watch as their enemy flees...for now. But Hiccup can't muster any joy from this small victory. Everyone can feel that this isn't over. Not by a long shot. And it might have just been Hiccup's paranoid mind playing tricks on him...but he saw something in Ymir's eyes just then. Like wheels turning, that man is planning something.
And whatever it is, chances are it won't be good.
"Hiccup," Astrid says as soon as their enemy is out of sight. "What do you want to do? Should we follow him...?"
For a short moment, Hiccup only stares down the road Ymir left on. His intuition is telling him to trail the man, see what he's planning...but the other part of his mind... "No." He says, lifting his gaze to his friends. They are watching him expectantly. "Let's go see what my dad has to say first. He might already have a plan."
So the Riders and their dragons jog to the large doors of the Great Hall, throwing them open and hurrying inside to find Stoick and the others. Hiccup is still itching to see his father, as well. That Nervous-Norbert part of his brain wanting to make sure his dad is still okay.
"What are we going to do, Stoick?!" Someone in the crowd shouts just as Hiccup walks inside. "We can't let that dirty foreigner think we're weak! He'll be back and you know it!"
"Yeah! You heard him! He's going to attack the island!" Another agrees fiercely. "We've got to show him we mean business!"
"And we will!" Stoick assures them. "Remember, we're Vikings! We're ferocious warriors, the strongest in the entire Archipelago! And now, we've got the dragons on our side! That fool thinks he can defeat us with foot-soldiers and fancy weapons! But he's wrong!"
At that, the whole room explodes with cheers and applause of agreement.
"If Ymir wants a fight, we'll give him one! And we'll win!"
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Hiccup finds himself smiling at his father's speech. Nice to know at least one of them is confident...
"Now, everyone return to your homes, eat a good supper, and get some rest! We've got a big day tomorrow preparing for the possibility of an invasion."
The Riders step aside, allowing everyone else to file out the door as they follow their beloved Chief's orders. They all know Stoick has their best intentions at heart and would never do anything to put them in danger. So why shouldn't they be confident that he's right about Ymir just being a simple fool?
However, as Hiccup watches them leave, he gets a very sinking feeling in his stomach. A disturbing thought floats through his mind as he finds himself drinking in the image of every one of them, trying to remember what each of them look like...as if this might be the last time he sees them...
What if his father is wrong...?