Chapter 3

Author's note: And here's chapter 3. I'm telling you, this was one heck of a translation. I'm never writing a storm scene ever again. At least, not before a long time. Lol. Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Calico, who has supported me since the beginning and keeps doing it whilst writing her own awesome stories. Thank you so much! And without further ado, enjoy your reading!

Hiccup had suspected it before, but he was now pretty sure of it: the Gods loved irony. They had to, otherwise they wouldn't have allowed him to feel such heavenly joy when Arvarodd Hofferson had agreed to give him his daughter's hand, and then such horror and pain almost immediately afterwards. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore.

The Commander and his men had tied him up to the mast of the longship they had come to Berk on. Hiccup had absent-mindedly noticed how sturdy the vessel was, made to endure the ocean's wrath if necessary. He had also briefly wondered why there was a spear –long, seemingly well-balanced and rather beautiful to look at- tied up to the mast as well, and had dropped the matter almost instantly. He did not care. The usual spark in his eyes was gone, and he could only stare at his hands whilst the ship rocked away from everything he loved. His hands, tainted with his grandfather's blood. Hiccup kept alternating between heaving, cringing and staring out at the horizon, his features drained from all feelings but exhaustion, pain and indescribable sadness and self-loathing. Looking over his shoulder, he felt his heart sink further down into his chest: Berk's shores were no longer visible. He swallowed thickly, feeling his skin turn paler than it already was.

Old Wrinkly. Probably dead by now, his lifeless body getting colder and colder. The rain would accelerate the process. Toothless. Poisoned and possibly dying. Why hadn't he wondered why dragons hated eels before? Maybe he and the others would have found an antidote. Astrid. Tied up and seriously wounded. She would die soon, Hiccup knew, most probably of blood loss, if nobody found her. But who would find her? Dragons and Vikings remained indoors during a storm, given that they were not at sea. Attacking a dragon or any other enemy was one thing. Braving a storm and the unleashed forces of Nature was another entirely.

The Commander kept barking orders to his men, urging them to row faster, his voice barely audible over the screaming winds. It was no wonder; no matter how sturdy a ship was, nobody liked to tread in treacherous waters, not even the Commander. Hiccup had seen the signs, seen the way the sea was slowly but surely awakening from its seemingly peaceful slumber, but had not said anything. Why should he help those who had destroyed him in a matter of minutes? In order to save his life, in case they had to endure a storm? No. Not even his life mattered now.

And so, soon enough, whilst the wind lashed at his hair and he fought to ignore the searing pain that was shooting through his left leg, blood slowly leaking from the re-opened wound, Hiccup observed with a morbid satisfaction the ever-growing waves that began to take their merciless toll on the longship.

The Commander stumbled his way towards the helm, rain and sleet whipping him in the face. He held onto his sword with one hand and kept his balance with the other. The boat rocked violently over the wild waves, sea water slapping the side of the ship and rising so that it pelted down onto the deck. The storm was in full swing, and the ship was slowly and roughly making its way to the eye of it, where it was calm and collected.

The wind tore at Hiccup's clothes, his hair, and his face. His eyes watered and he had to squint against the sleet. He realized that his hair was sticking to the side of his face. Bits of it whipped his neck and features every time the wind blew it that way. He was constantly spitting it out of his mouth. Briefly, Hiccup wondered how atrocious that would be for a girl like Astrid, and thought that maybe Viking girls and women had good reasons for keeping their hair tied in tight braids, traditions put aside. Hiccup choked painfully, realizing he had let his thoughts drift to Astrid once again, and it had made yet another wave of nausea well up inside him.

Astrid. Toothless. What was going to happen to them?

Thunder clapped overhead and lightning struck somewhere too close for comfort. Some of the men screamed, forgetting that they were supposed to remain stoic. The Commander roared in rage, threatening to throw them overboard if they didn't stop acting like sissies. Hiccup let a hollow smirk come across his now chapped lips. The storm was intensifying, turning itself into what resembled a hurricane, and he knew the Commander was realizing the danger he had put himself into. The vessel, as sturdy as it was, wasn't going to bear much more. No one could defeat the sea with a sword.

They heard nothing, but the rage of the squall, the bright arch of sea foam, the white flash of sea-birds as they screamed and spiraled higher upon the wind. The longship fought the wave and the storm lash.

It was a miserable, aching wait as the vessel groaned in time to the Commander's grunts, and fought both the ill-tide and the wind's direction. The sail was slack, fluttering briefly but still limp and the mast trembled. Hiccup thought the Gods above wept over the ocean, as the ship hissed in tremendous battle, and the bow plunged deeper into the rising waves.

And, then, the sky fell. The erratic tilt of the ship's deck, the fierce fight to keep it afloat, the searing, drenching walls of water were disorienting.

The sky and the sea had both turned to glass, then grey, and there was so much water falling around them all, it was as if they were reversed. The rain was naught but a hymn of wet, and mystery and grief to come, and the silver sea that churned beneath the bow seemed to cradle the longship to sleep. And the vessel answered, its hull rising knife-like over the water, only to be plunged ever closer to the depths.

And the hurricane roared on. It was only in looking back at the terrible events that had happened, that Hiccup could honestly swear, by the Gods, that it was possible for such a storm to erupt so fiercely. He watched as the black clouds kept gathering, swelling to bursting, and he smelled that eerie stench of rain over water. The clouds, bloated with the weight of the fury, spewed forth the deluge from the sky, as the ocean roared back with its own writhing currents. Water and sky were embroiled in battle, the sky pouring down, and the water rising upward and the longship was caught between the warring elements.

The ship pitched violently in the waves as they grew teeth, rose higher over the stern, threatening to devour the battered ship. The water was lifting them ten meters into the air and dropping them just as far. Several men had already fallen overboard from the slippery deck that was drenched in the tumultuous downpour. Suddenly, the ship lurched, and the Commander was forced let go of the helm, his massive body slamming against the ship's port rail. Large planks were torn off the boat by an enormous wave that engulfed everyone on board for a couple of seconds that seemed to last for hours, and whatever words were cried out remained lost in the furious roar of the storm that threatened to swallow them at any moment in a chaos of churning waters.

Hiccup coughed, trying to spit out all the salt water that had made its way down his throat, and suddenly realized lightning had struck the longship, breaking it in two. They were sinking into oblivion. Fast. The men around him emitted screams of terror while he desperately searched for a way to cut the ropes that denied him the tiniest chance of survival, if such a chance still existed, and saw none when, suddenly, a man violently crashed into him, propelled by another wave.

In the darkness of the storm, Hiccup could only vaguely recognize Tagor, the Commander's right-hand man. Lifting himself up from the young Viking, Tagor met his gaze, and their eyes locked for a couple of seconds. The soldier risked a glance towards the Commander, who was struggling to get to his feet again on the slippery, broken deck, hurling what he guessed were hateful words to the angry skies. Hiccup would never know what exactly went through Tagor's mind, but without uttering a single word for he knew he would not be heard anyway, the soldier unsheathed his dagger, cut the ropes and set him free. The spear that had been tied to the mast fell on the deck and Tagor immediately bent to retrieve it before it was lost to the ocean. Shoving the spear into Hiccup's arms with a pleading look, he put his hands on the young Viking's shoulders and before either of them could comprehend what was happening, an enormous wave washed over them, tossing their bodies off the ship and they were both suddenly consumed by the silent hunger of water as the wave dribbled back to the sea. They did not even have time to scream.

Hiccup was falling down. He knew he had landed on something hard and wet, and then everything had gone slower. He was falling deeper and deeper, but peacefully. Everything sounded far away and distorted. He opened his eyes and received a stinging sensation that burned his retinas. He knew that he was definitely not on the boat anymore and, looking around, saw no trace of Tagor. Remembering that he had to breathe, he tried to swim –still holding the spear Tagor had given him- but was unable to do so as he felt something restraining him and dragging him lower into the depths of the ocean. Looking above his shoulder, he saw his fur vest had stuck itself into a plank and, after a brief yet thorough struggle, managed to set himself free. That was when he felt his lungs begin to burn.

Panicking, he kicked himself upwards, finding it incredibly difficult due to the absence of one foot but actually relieved that his prosthetic leg wasn't there to drag him down, and he eventually broke the surface, gasping. He screamed, unable to control himself and mechanically waving the spear in an attempt to be seen, although he knew it was useless. The longship was sinking. Most of the men who had been on board had already left Midgard. He only hoped the Commander was among those.

A large wave mercilessly pushed Hiccup back down, and sea water flooded his lungs. He gasped, coughed, wheezed, and struggled for breath. He battled his way back up to where the air was, but something had fallen into the water above him and caused such impact that he found himself spinning, tumbling, and somersaulting through the water as if he was being sucked into an imaginary vortex. He was catapulted downwards. He couldn't breathe. Needed air. But he no longer knew which way was up. He swam, thrashing out wildly. Water was all around him, leaving him with no way to go. His clothes and the spear weighed him down, down, down. And suddenly his mind registered it. Down! That was it! He would have to go opposite the way he was going! He kicked in that direction. But his breath was already next to out and he began to suck in water. He couldn't breathe, and he remembered Astrid and Toothless who were probably dying if they were not dead already, and he wanted to be with them, and he was so tired…

He stopped fighting, knowing it was hopeless, that the ocean had won, and just held still, floating, breathing in the water. He was going to die very, very soon. He could see death. He reached for it. It was a dark figure, approaching him fast like a fish. A big one. Wait. Big ones. Swirling around him. Could Death multiply itself into several shapes at the same time? Something smooth brushed his body and then touched either side of his face, and then his arms, and then between his legs, and then he was riding towards Hel's kingdom…

And just when he thought blackness was going to overtake him completely, he felt himself burst through the surface of the churning waters and suddenly fresh air entered his lungs and he gorged himself on him like a newborn baby. Hiccup felt dizzy, did not understand what was going on, let alone why he was extraordinarily gliding above the water, playing with the waves that danced angrily around him.

He looked down.

And felt his eyes widen as his lips curved in an incredulous grin.

Dolphins.

He was surrounded by an entire pod of a dozen white-beaked dolphins, and for a reason he simply couldn't fathom, he understood they had herded him and prevented him from drowning. They jumped high above the water, performing loops and clicking in obvious pleasure, as if the storm was nothing but their favorite playground. One of them was holding the spear he had unknowingly dropped between its jaws, and sped alongside the one that carried him on its back. All of them alternatively turned tight circles on him, slapping the water with their tails.

Hiccup shook his head in wonder, feeling like he was a little boy again. He had heard the tales about fishermen who had been rescued by dolphins, the keepers of the sea, and how those animals instinctively helped those who were helpless. And here he was, perched on the back of the leader of the pod, cleaving through the cold waters and heading for wherever they were taking him to. For the first time since he had left Berk, Hiccup burst into genuine laughter, forgetting for a moment about how dead-tired he was and how painful his leg felt. He crouched over the dolphin he was sitting on, clutching onto its dorsal fin and patting its smooth, coarse skin gently and whispering encouragements and thanks.

However, the time came when his body could not function on will alone, and sleep overcame him quickly, responding to the urgent demands of every aching muscle. He had no idea where he was heading for, but he thought that maybe, maybe the Gods did not hate him after all.

When he woke up again, it was to the sound of his new friends clicking enthusiastically. He was still soaking wet and felt atrociously cold, not to mention his leg was killing him and he feared the wound was infected, but as soon as he opened his eyes, could not believe what he was seeing. Land. The dolphins had brought him to the shore, or at least as close to the shore as they could get without putting themselves in danger. They swam around him, nudging him gently and he felt like he could cry at seeing such benevolence.

Dismounting carefully, Hiccup slid into the water, shivering from head to toes.

The mammals clicked in joy, as if happy that he had managed to do so, and he reached to touch the snout of the one dolphin that had carried him on its back ever since the longship had sunk. The dolphin leaned into his palm, and Hiccup smiled softly as he remembered that same gesture happening with a certain Night Fury.

"Thank you. I would have died without you. I will never forget what you did for me."

Some of the dolphins executed somersaults upon hearing his words, and Hiccup wondered if they could understand him. He knew that the idea that was brewing in his mind was crazy, but crazy ideas tended to work surprisingly well with him. So, the Viking slowly removed the Ring of Heavens pendant he had been given by Astrid, took a moment to brush his fingers against the smooth, golden surface and the emerald that rested in its centre, before giving it to the dolphin before him.

"I don't know if you guys can understand me, but…I owe you my life, so I'm going to take the risk. I don't know where I am. And if there's a chance Astrid and Toothless can make it," he whispered as the implied contrary made a lump form in his throat, "they will need to know I am still alive myself. Bring this pendant back to Berk, please. And the spear, too. There must be a reason Tagor wanted me to have it, and Astrid will take better care of it than I would."

The dolphin opened its jaws as if it was smiling, and carefully bit onto the lace of the pendant so to not let it go. Hiccup laughed as they all swam up to him, brushing against him and clicking, and he watched as the pod swam away from him, heading for a new destination he hoped would be Berk. But there was no way he could be sure of that. And if Astrid was still alive, she would kill him if she found out he had given the birthday gift she had bought for him to a dolphin.

His leg ached, and he instinctively knew his body was still exhausted from the day and night before. He turned round, and swam slowly until his foot touched the sand. Tripping endlessly, he finally succeeded in reaching the shore. Trembling and, he knew, possibly feverish, he let himself collapse on the beach, feeling as tiny waves gently licked at his legs and sand touched his skin through his torn clothes. His vision was blurred, and he was falling back into unconsciousness when he thought he could hear a child cry something out in the distance. Trying to focus on the noise, he vaguely made out the shape of who he supposed was a redhead boy bending over him in concern. And then another voice, more high-pitched than the first one, made itself heard, but Hiccup could not quite distinguish it. His head was hurting too much.

"Nolan! Come back here immediately!"

"But Mom! There's a man over here!"

"What?"

"There's a man over here," the child said again, trying to make himself heard by his mother, "and he's wounded!"

Everything was slowly turning black again, but Hiccup could have sworn he felt two pairs of hands, soft and gentle, trying to lift him up in the gentlest way possible.

"Those who the sea chooses to spare are blessed. Help me, Nolan. We're going to bring him home."

Footnote: I did a little bit of research in order to see what kind of dolphins could be found in the cold waters of the North Sea, and it appears white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) are the most numerous.

The White-beaked Dolphin is one of the larger dolphins (1.1-1.2m at birth growing to around 2.5-2.7 metres at adulthood). The dolphin is characterized by its short thick creamy-white beak and very falcate (curved) dorsal fin.

White-beaked Dolphins are acrobatic and social animals. They will frequently ride on the bow wave of high-speed boats and jump clear of the sea's surface.

The White-beaked Dolphin is also a social feeder and has frequently been observed feeding with Orca, Fin, and Humpback Whales, as well as other dolphin species.