Ch11: Our Farewell
I do not own HTTYD. But I do manipulate these OOC.
Warning
The girls finally left the room. Gods it hurt so bad I just wished they left sooner. My throat was so dry and pained and I really didn't want to talk anyone.
I'll say this, Ruff was right. Saying goodbye, it felt good.
Closure. Like a weight, a pressure that was crushing me was just gone.
I should have said it to Astrid. I still didn't. Didn't feel right then. But I'll get another chance I'm sure.
I've already said my goodbyes to Stoic, Snotlout and most of the teens. Actually I said 'fuck you', but it works all the same. They were one of my final ties that I needed to addressed and cut off.
Cut.
I still feel it underneath me.
I slowly move my heavily sliced arms to pull it out from underneath me. A knife.
Thanks for this Ruff.
She slipped it underneath me when she sat on the bed.
'And apparently I also have to say thank Gobber.' Looking the blade over I instantly recognize it as Gobbers custom lock picking knife. I've seen him use it whenever someone on Berk loses the key to a family chest or gets a new unknown treasure case from Trader Johan.
I look over the strangely pointed knife. Looks more like a really small harpoon or spear than a knife. I'll give it back to him for sure. That should be my goodbye and my thank you to him.
I gotta thank Ruff as well. And an actual and more proper goodbye, not an act for Astrid so she doesn't see a knife passed to me.
"Somehow someday I will. I'll pay you guys back."
Astrid and I didn't eat in the Great Hall. We got food for ourselves and Hiccup and went back to the chief's house. I tried to stall her as much as I could incase Hiccup tried to leave now. I sure he can't yet, not in his condition but I can't rule anything out considering how desperate he was to get back to Toothless.
The guys didn't come with us. Snotlout definitely didn't. He tried to flirt with us saying he would be the one to kill the Night Fury and we beat the crap of him, me smacking him around with a pair of stools and Astrid slamming a whole table over his head. Nothing less from the perfect Viking.
Hiccup was still their when we came in. He'll probably wait till tonight to escape.
We silently ate in the house. Hiccup could barely lift his arms so we actually had to feed him. I was going to do it but when Astrid said she'd do it I backed off. I've seen what she would do to those in her way.
After eating, we spent an hour their without a word. It was uncomfortable the way Astrid and Hiccup would just stare at each other without saying anything. It was like they looking at the other just choked them into silence.
Hiccup probably won't say anything to us now. So I start with Astrid. I get her into a conversation but it was nothing important. In front of Hiccup I need to be careful about what we talk about. So it was really a slow, gloomy, and dry exchange about the weather, new clothe, and new stories we heard. Hiccup just laid their trying his best to ignore us but I still saw him smile every now and then as we talked.
What happened?
Really what happened? The six of us used to be inseparable. Especially Hiccup and Astrid. The same things he was saying about him and Toothless vs the world that he was saying back in the cove was exactly what him and Astrid used to say about themselves. They were always like 'Hicc an Strid together forever against the whole world!' And now they barely ever in the same room together.
When I saw Astrid go into the forest to find Hiccup I thought 'this was it'. This was the chance I could use to get them back together. Get them to talk again. That if they could just start a conversation together they would remember that they were best friends.
I could literally see it in my mind, the two of them just standing at the old Cliffside they used to meet up at. They would probably try to stare the other down but neither would, they would just hold the others gaze as long as they could. And then one of them would start talking about the past and then they would continue back and forth like that. They would start telling some secrets to each other just inching closer to who they were before and BAM they start spilling their gut to the other. Then hug hug their back to normal, two against the world again.
I even thought that once they were back together they would tackle the Monsterous Nightmare together despite what the rules, elders, or chief said. That's just how they were, how close they once were back then.
I went as far as having Fishlegs keep Tuff and Snotlout busy cause I knew they would ruin any progress they might make. Of course when I saw Gobber follow us as well I stayed close to him to make sure he didn't get in the way.
And then we saw it. Her distress. She was confused and she didn't even know why. And that confusion turned to rage, rage that I knew might be used against Hiccup. So we presented ourselves. Told her that their wasn't going to be any violent confrontation, just friends and family having a sort of overdue reunion.
So we found Hiccup. And of course I learned she couldn't remember her promise. Made me think that's where their drifting apart began. It just pissed me off. Hiccup was in one step from Valhalla when he heard her promise to him. To forget that, it just didn't seem fair to Hiccup.
So she gets frustrated, Hiccup wakes up, and then things really go south. The yelling, the arguing, the pent up emotions, and of course the fighting. No playful fighting like me and Tuff, no this was the kinda fighting that only results in blood.
And it almost did. Astrid may have thought her attack would only knock him out or whatever. But from where me, Gobber, and even Toothless stood, she was ending it. Permanently. All cause she thought Hiccups arguments to be nonsense.
Hiccups defense of his self-proclaimed brother made me realize just how desperate he was to be close again, and that his loneliness was not nonsense.
I don't blame Toothless, not like Astrid. I really don't. He's more the victim in all this. Especially now that everyone wants his friend to kill him.
Really he could use some thanks, he befriended someone who needed it most, that all.
Listen to me. I'm talking about a dragon, my enemy, like he was just another person. But that's what he is. He's Hiccups friend. And he earned it, really earned it. It's not like us. We can only say 'friend' like it's just a given. But there's no action to show we've earned it. The only person other than Toothless who could earn that title would be Gobber.
So now I'll help. Really help. I can't trust Tuffnutt to back me up. In regard to Hiccup, he's Snoutlouts' bitch. And if how Snotlout confronted Hiccup earlier was anything then he won't help. He'll only make things worse at this point. And Fishlegs is too timid. He'll crack under pressure before he can help.
My help isn't much now. I got Toothless to agree to quietly come with us. I told him Hiccups in trouble and that why he didn't fight back. He let himself get capture just to be with Hiccup. That's loyalty. It's weird and crazy and against everything we've been told but that what makes it so amazing! And their devotion to each other is beyond admirable.
Since I can't call myself his friend for leaving him alone for years, it leaves me only one path for Hiccup and me. As someone who now only wants to help him, there's only one thing for me to do so.
Not forgiveness, only redemption.
Redemption. For this I start now.
Eventually the girls leave the chief's house, and that leaves Hiccup alone in the house. I know this won't last. Stoic will be back soon.
As much as I'd like to leave now I can't. Stoic will return after doing his final rounds of the village. A habit I know very well. He'll come back exhausted, drink a lot to calm his nerves down, and then go to bed. All without a word to me.
His return is my sign that most of the village is asleep except for the night watch. But they only look out to the sea. They won't see me escape from behind them. To the kill ring or the forest, no matter how slow I go they won't notice me.
Good thing too since I'll probably move slower than a crawl.
I can't expect any more help than the knife I was handed. That already is grounds for Ruffnutt and Gobber to be imprisoned. From here on out I just have to get to Toothless, by myself, no matter what.
Ruff said they captured him. So he will be kept at the kill ring. That really couldn't work out any more perfectly. Their I can get to Toothless but I can also free the other dragons imprisoned.
Until it my time to move. I just have to wait.
It almost doesn't seem real. I'm about to leave it all behind. Everything I knew for 14 years. All those familiar things, sights, and sounds. It may be mostly bad memories but it's still everything I knew up till now. I'm about to go see a world I've never seen before, something probably no one from Berk has ever seen before. Only scarce stories from traders to lead me out there. Together with Toothless.
I'm not scared at all. In fact I'm excited. Change is supposed to be scary but that's not what I feel.
I just can't wait.
Then the first of six sounds that are my countdown to escape arrive.
First, the door swinging open, check.
Second, the sigh of weariness as he sinks into his chair, check.
Third, the sound of mead being drunk in excess, check.
Forth, repeated muttering of his complaining, check.
Fifth the loud clapping of the empty mead tankard onto the table, check.
Finally, his movement to his room and his loud collapse into his own bed followed by snoring.
Check.
To be safe I'll wait till I'm sure he's safely asleep.
Near an hour later I make my move.
I check the knife I got and begin to saw the rope on my arms. I slowly saw all the way thru the rope. It long and annoying to do and it doesn't help that the blade is shorter than a normal knife. Not to mention painstaking in my weaker than normal condition. But then I get thru and free one of my arms, the blood recirculating back to my hands with the feeling of pins and needles. Doing the same for my other arm I'm relieved when I cut it off and nothing bad has happened yet.
I'm always fearfully expecting someone to barge in the door and my personal record just tells me it will happen. That it hasn't happen yet, it's a blessing from the gods.
But now I got my arms free, now my leg. The ball and chain shackles around my ankles obviously can't be cut off. I need to pick the lock. Fortunately I have a handy dandy Gobber special lock picking knife.
Really should make one of these for myself, could come in handy later. I can leave this one in the ring when I leave, it Gobber's after all, it's not right for me to just take it like it mine.
Focusing back to my restraints, I jam the tip of the blade into the key hole and start trying to turn it like a key. It the same way as Gobber when I see him use it, just twist it till it opens. Soon the shackles click open and I do the other one opening it with the same click.
I'm free.
I can't just walk out the front door so out the window.
Second story window. No ladder.
Did not think of that.
Can't do anything about it now. With a fresh tunic on I begin dragging my numb legs over to the window. I open it and look down at my jump. My eyes widen in shock.
"Wh? Ya din't think ya make tha jump yaself, dija?" Gobbers down there. He's waiting for me with a small ladder that he's starting to hoist up to get me down.
My mouth just moves without noise. What's he doing here? Finding my voice I angrily whisper down to him. "Gobber what are you doing?"
He gets the ladder in place for me to climb down. "Jus helpen. Now hurre down." I do so but I'm really distracted by him here that I almost fall. But I get down fine. Once down Gobber removes the ladder and tuck it away in the house shed.
"Gobber what are you doing here?" I ask him again.
"Tiss a free iland. Why cannat be here?"
"You know what I mean."
"Jus figrd ya need a way down, mayba a distraction or two evn." Damn it. He's gonna get himself screwed. At least he didn't bring Ruffnutt anymore into this.
"Com'on." He starts off up the hill and I follow. Or try to, three steps and I trip over my feet. Once down I find I'm so drained I can't even get up. Pain slowly blossoms from all over my body especially from my stab wounds.
Gobber must have seen this. He came to check me over.
"Yer na gonna make it yaself like dat."
"Don't question my strength Gobber. I can make it. This this is nothing. My legs are just asleep that's all." I bluff. He'll see right thur it. He always does.
"Uh hu. Den ya don't need me ta carra ya ta ya buddy."
"I didn't say that. Just need to get my bearings. I'll be up and running in just a second. I can make it. I'm jumping to my feet….now." Nothing, I can't.
"Hiccup if ya can't run and ya can't crawl well ya know what ya need ta do."
"I can't get you anymore involved then I have Gobber. I can carry myself to Toothless. So can you please just go home and forget about all this."
"Hiccup ya not maken mi do anything, I'm offeren me help. Dats all."
"Why? I'm not a Viking. I'm a traitor. So why do this?"
"Cause your like my son. An I protect me family."
"And Stoic?"
"Is hurtin yu."
"I'm a curse to help."
"Wha else is new."
"You shouldn't."
"Bu we r. Anything else ya lik ta poit out?"
"No."
"Sooo?"
….
"Gobber, please help me reach my friend."
His face beamed as he carried my under armed.
He carried me running up that hill towards the kill ring. To where Toothless was.
He stopped once we got to the top. He placed me down. "Tired already." I joke.
"As if." He pulled something out of his pockets. Wait is that? I squint to get a better look at the object in his hands. Even in the dark I can still make out that he has my Faster Feet invention I made three years ago. It was simply three smooth wheels connected in triangle formation and attached to the bottom of some boots. They were supposed to make me faster and more mobile by quickly skating around rather than slowly running. When I was giving them a test run, Snotlout of course tripped me and they ended up at the bottom of the sea.
"Gobbers I could have sworn those got a watery grave."
"An dey still dar. I made these."
"Today? Without the plans? Cause I know I traded those plans to Trader Johan."
"Of cous not. I made these babes three years ago when ya lost yars."
"You copied my invention? Why?"
"I made remakes o most ya crazy stuff."
"This is news to me! Why!?"
"Dey wer good work. Seamd a shame if ya neva got a chance ta improve o learn. But enouf o dat. Time fer our distraction."
"What are you gonna do with boots on wheels? Roll me away?"
"Nope." Then he lets it go rolling down the hill.
"That is not a distraction." I retort.
"Nope bu she is."
"What?" My answer came in the form of a huge explosion by the docks that light up the night like a dragon raid.
"That was some boot!" Remarking to the explosion.
"I asked Ruff to do somethin distractin whn she saw da boot pass da village. An now we can make ta see ya dragon."
He picks me up again and this time he runs all the way to the kill ring with explosions and screaming behind us.
Toothless and the caged Uverworlders finished making their plan.
"But darkwing are you certain that you're uh well you're human will come." The hardtail questioned.
"Yes. I'm sure he'll come."
"Interesting. Your confidence in him, it's just stunning. Why is that? Just listening to you makes me want to try it myself. Trusting humans I mean."
"Not my brother you won't."
"Uverworlders and Ningen working together. What the fuck. It's unnatural! Were enemy's for fuck sakes!" The heavywing complains for the thousandths time.
"Heavywing just remember right now 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'." The rainbowscale explained.
"Yeah it our time to escape!" One of the twinnecks cries out.
"Hell yeah brother!" The other yells as well.
"Wez goz away, Wez goz away!" celebrated the mobflyer
"Tch fine. That fucking fine! Why don't we just run away with this traitor to the Queen and all Uverworlders while we're at it!" The heavywing continued complaining.
"Not my recommendation. It sucks." I tell him.
"Speaking from experience darkwing?" The rainbowscale asked.
"Too much experience."
"Why not just join a Royal Territory? Would be easier. With your skills you could even become a regent to a Queen, to be her eyes and ears outside her home, her second in command. It an honor if you don't know. It sounds better than running all the time looking behind you for fear of attack." The rainbowscale asks.
"Not my thing." I reply.
"But taking a Ningen is?" The hardtail questions.
"I didn't take a human. We became brothers. That's all. If that doesn't make sense then tell me any of you were raised by those who birthed your egg?" They all stay silent. Toothless continued.
"I know that because of the war many Uverworlders have been adopted by other who were not their parents but still raised as such, some not even of same wingtype. And there are also those that simply grow up in clusters of abandoned hatchlings without any parents. I see our brotherhood the same. The lonely coming together so they are lonely no more."
The others just sit in silence probably considering it because they have had similar experiences of abandonment.
"And if you don't believe me when I say he's been abandoned, then just remember his screaming. No family does that to their own. None!"
"What do you plan to do once your free, darkwing?" The rainbowscale asks me.
"I plan for me and Hiccup to fly fast, break wide from any still hunting us, and find someplace we can be left alone." I answer.
"Any place in mind?"
"Not really."
"Well if you're taking suggestions then I recommend going south-east. I hear a royal territory there has recently changed and has been lax in regard to visiting Uverworlders." The hardtail advises me.
"Huh. We may just do that. Thank you."
"It's no problem. Consider it my compensation for my freedom should this work."
"It will work. I promise, you will be freed." I confirm to them.
"Such confidence." The rainbowscale exclaims.
"Yeah but would you all mind if I make a small request?"
"Certainly. What is it?"
"If I don't make it" I pause because I'm uncertain and scared to say what weighing on my mind. "If I don't make it out of here for whatever reason, or if I ask you when we're doing it, can you take Hiccup with you. Maybe take him to that peaceful royal territory you heard of. Please." I plead to them.
I actually expect that this will happen. I can't fly without Hiccup. And after the pain and screaming I heard from him, he may not be in any condition to work our united tailfin. But I still want him to escape and be safe.
Even if it's without me.
"The fuck are you talking about? If anyone can make it out of this it'll definitely be you and me. I hate to admit but you're a good enough flyer that you should be able to get away. Even carrying a Ningen with you." the heavywing surprisingly questions my request.
"I just. Haaaa, I just want to be sure he at least gets away. So please promise me one of you will take care of him."
The others seem to hesitate answering. I ask once more. "Please."
"Darkwing, if and only if it comes down to it I will personally take care of Hiccup in your place. But don't let it come down it. He is your brother, I can only image how distraught he would be to lose you." The rainbowscale agrees to my conditions.
"Thank you."
Suddenly uneven human steps arrive in a hurry, and with it I smell Hiccup.
"Everyone! He here!" I alert the others.
Gobber and I finally reach the kill ring.
More like Gobber finally reached the kill ring while hauling me like a sack of bones.
I got here that's what matters.
With the gates thrown open I see Toothless in the center of the arena bound and mouth strapped shut.
Gobber slowly approaches my captured friend. "Ya know Hiccup, id feel beta if yea talk ta ya buddy. He dut look ta happy ta see me." Gobber tells me.
"It might help if you carry me in another more comfortable manner. You know to show that this is a good thing. It not like I'm in pain or anything." I advise him.
"Uh huh, right." He reply's sarcastically, like he doesn't believe me. He shifts me from his sack carry to carry me like a limp shield in his hook hand.
"Yeah this is better." I sarcastically respond. Looking over to Toothless I see he's agitated over my condition. I see his eyes scan me from head to toe growling even louder when he spots something else that could be wrong on me.
"Alright bud calm down. You can check me out when we get you out of there. Ok?"
His reaction is immediate as he stopped growling and just waited to be set free.
Gobber still holding me gave an impressed whistle. "Wow jus wow. I wernt entirely sure if ya really had it bu that's jus, wow!"
Toothless snorted when he heard Gobber. "Oh so yu're a cheeky one are ya. So like ya masta." Gobber looks over to me.
"Not master, brother." I correct him.
"Undastood. Now lets git ya outa dis huh ya furless kitty?" Gobber chuckled only to be silenced by Toothless's growling.
"Ey Hiccup ya still have me special knife?"
"No I left it back at the chiefs house. Of course I have it!" I take out the small dagger from the belt on my pant handing it to Gobber.
He takes it but before he could unlock the restraints several things fly at Toothless. Instead of hitting him they break the lock joints on his restraints. Pushing against the weakened restraints Toothless frees himself.
Once out he bounds over putting himself between me and Gobber.
"Uh? Wh?" Gobber stammers out as he watches the escape act that just happened. I look and see what the thrown items were. Nadder spines.
The Nadder in its cage accurately shot Toothless free. Seems I wasn't the only one getting help.
"Gobber sorry but can you do me a favor."
"Uh sur bu what?" Still trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Let them out."
"What?"
"The dragons. All of them."
"Ya sure?" He hesitant. I nod giving him the go ahead.
He heads over put his hand on the release lever. "Ya sure ya know why a doin, right?" He questions one last time.
"What's the matter? Big tough Gobber scared?" I joke.
"Hahaha" he dryly laughs and opens the doors. He takes a step back to be out of the way expecting them to burst out like they usually do. But they don't come out at all.
"Whe r tey?"
Toothless moves in front of the cages starts growling. Slowly the dragons start coming out one by one. The Nadder, Gronckle, Zippleback, the Terror, and uh where's the Nightmare?
Toothless and the other Dragons just stare at the heavywings doors
"Now what are you doing Heavywing? It's time to go." The rainbowscale questions him.
"Fuck you! I need to make an entrance. I need to show these Ningen who's in charge here." Heavywing explains.
"You mean darkwing, or his human?" The rainbowscales tells him.
"MEEEE!" The heavywing rushes out the doorway.
The second he's out me, rainbowscale, hardtail, twinneck, and the mobflyer shoot everything we have at him, knocking him to the wall.
"Is that enough of an entrance for you heavywing?"
Straining he says "Yes." Then falls to his side.
"Ok that was an interesting show. Hey Toothless is everything good?" I ask him.
He gives me an affirmative bark adding a assuring nod. "Ok just checking. Hey Gobber everything's good you can unstick yourself from the wall." Gobber just stood in complete shock the second the Nightmare roared and leapt out.
"Uhh? What was dat?" He asks.
"My guess, a show off. I've see that same thing from Snoutlout when he walks up to Astrid."
"Mmh, yea I c it now." Gobber then walks back to me watching the dragons as it looks like their talking to each other.
"Whats up? See something?" I ask.
"Lik dat, dey look lik de teens here on Berk. Ist quiet something. Against eveythin we know."
"Like I said their a mistake to fix somewhere. Were different only in species, But were the same inside."
Gobber passes me the knife again. "Gobber I don't need it. It's yours, and don't say it's a goodbye present. You already did way too much to help me. I just can't take it. If I need to I'll just make my own later."
"Bu ya need tis one. Itll be very very usefull. And nat ta just open a door o chest. Ya'll need it as proof."
I slowly take the knife and look it over. "What do you mean 'proof'?"
"HICCUP! GOBBER!"
Uh oh
Me, Gobber, and the dragons turn to the loud interruption. Both of us say the same name "Stoic."
He was slowly descending down the gate to the ring. Is there anything past blind fury? Well whatever it's called that's his expression.
Gobber offers me a hand and taking it he pulls me to my feet. Whispering to me he says to get to Toothless.
Nodding I head over to my brother.
"HICCUP STOP RIGHT THEIR!" Stoic commands me.
Ignore.
I reach Toothless but he looks at me in great worry. I look behind me to see what happened expecting to see Stoic doing something, but that's not the problem. Theirs a trail of blood coming from me. One or more or my injuries tore open.
Once I see the blood the pain starts to stab back at me.
I fall forward but Toothless catches me by his neck. The other dragons come in closer.
"Darkwing whats wrong with your brother?" The rainbowscale asks in concern.
"He's injured! He's losing a lot of blood!" I answer.
"If he's still eyes open then we should go now. After all your tail" Hardtail advises me.
"The fucks up with his tail? What of it? Wait, what is all that crap on you?!" Heavywing starts questioning me.
"Forget my tail! It's time to go! That red haired human doesn't sound like he's here to help. One of you take Hiccup and go. I'll cover your escape."
"We are not just leaving you behind when it looks like you can't fly. Well can you?" The hardtail interrogates my abilities. How does she even know?
"That's stuffs a Ningen creation right. I can only assume that it's on your tail because of injury right? It supposed to help gives you flight again am I right."
"You are right hardtail. That's why I need you to take Hiccup I don't think he can help me with my flight in his condition. So take him and go! Now!" I tell them as forcefully as I can.
But they don't. The heavywing, twinneck and rainbowscale stand in front of us protectively like a wall between them and us.
"I don't fucking take orders from you darkwing." The heavywing counters.
"Now it's our turn to pay you back, right brother." "Exactly brother." The twinnecks agree.
"Heavytail, Mobflyer help Hiccup and darkwing. Make sure they get in the air. Understood!"
"Sure thing. Should be interesting. Mobflyer you know what to do." The hardtail moves closer to Hiccup who's leaning on my neck.
"Yez yez yez!" The mobflyer jumps on Hiccup.
"You promised to run when I said to! So RUN!"
They ignore me and what I tell them to do.
Hardtail and mobflyer start working over Hiccup. "Mobflyer grab one end of his body equipment I'll grab the other to tear it off." Both of them take opposite sides of Hiccups tunic in their mouths "Count of three.1,2,3 pull!" and with one strong tug, Hiccup is left chest bare.
The rainbowscale keeps shouting out more orders. "Twinneck! Make a smokescreen at Ningen level then on top of that put an explosive layer of gas. Be ready to light at my command."
"Right!" "Got it brother!" and they proceeds to gas the ground with a nonreactive pale green gas. Once done they put up the highly explosive bright green gas over the first spread.
"Heavywing, make your entrance. But no fire, at all! Got it!" The heavywing just gives out a vicious grin in anticipation to his first fight in a while.
Back with the hardtail and mobflyer. They both look over the wounds on Hiccup. "Mobflyer, use a level two short burst fire on these four wounds, a level two continuous burn line on the gashes here and here, and a level three continuous burn on this deep wound here."
"Cauterize Cauterize Cauterize!" And the mobflyer with a hiss begins to burn his wounds shut as instructed.
"GHAA?!" Hiccups grunts in pain as the fire hits his skin.
Looking from Hiccup and past the battle ready dragons I see the other two humans in complete shock over the scene they were watching. They both only mouth the works they had in mind. Then they were cut off by the twinnecks fog.
"Darkwing remember the plan. Get ready to blow when Hiccups ready." The rainbowscale commanded me.
"Uh?" Looking back at Hiccup on my neck I think 'looks like we may both actually get this alive, brother.' And looking at the Rainbowscale I think 'Wow! I wonder if she has a mate.'
Gobbers attention was split between keeping Stoic clear of Hiccup and watching Hiccup be helped by the dragons. What does that say of a relationship when you protect a boy from his father in favor of the enemy.
Screwy.
Either way, in this moment where the rulebook has just been thrown out the window, there's only one thing to do; Wing it. No pun intended.
"So Stoic, wha happns now?"
Despite the fog caused by the Zippleback I could still see Stoic large frame. He could probably see me too.
"Kill those dragons and bring Hiccup back. That's all there's ever been." He replied as if obvious.
"Ol Vikin fall back. Eh. Sorry Stoic bu im nat gonna let ya near ya boy." I point back to the dragons guarding Hiccup and Toothless, not sure he could see him with the dense cloud. "An it seem Im nat da only ones." As if understanding me the dragons let out a low growl as if agreeing with what I just said.
"You're protecting the dragons? What sort of madness is that? Gobber you've seen what they have done to us, to all of us! Just look at what used to be your hand!"
"Eh." I shrug my shoulders while showing off my hook. "It happns. Its war."
"Exactly this is WAR! Against them!"
"Dos dat include ya boy? Is Hiccup ya enemy now?"
"Hiccup is a Viking he"
"He chose dem. He chose his friends."
"Were his Village. I'M HIS FATHER!"
"Yah have ta be his fatha to call yaself his fatha."
From his silhouette I can make out that Stoic pulled out his hammer but surprisingly he tosses it aside. In the back of Gobbers mind he guessed what that means.
"Ya woun't."
From his back Stoic draws an ornamental dagger I know too well. It's the one passed from chief to heir, the one the chief uses to direct strategies. It's the one the chief himself would use in executions.
"You said it yourself Gobber, the boy has no father. And I have no son. All that leaves are traitors. Two of them."
"Fin den. But jus outa curioste howed ya know we were here?"
"If you're talking about the chaos at the docks. I went to check on Hiccup before I went to check the docks. When he wasn't there I knew where he would go. He is possessed by a beast. I didn't expect him to have help, from you of all people especially."
"I chose ta help becaus it was da right thin ta do. Dats all."
"How is becoming a traitor 'doing the right thing'?"
"It's the right thing for Hiccup."
From behind Stoic, three figures approached into the dense fog.
"So you've chosen your side, old friend."
"Yes I hav. Hiccups."
Stoic charges forward dagger in hand towards me with his mighty battle roar. Beside him were Spitlout and Ivan Hofferson.
I stood my ground ready to fight. Beside me were a Monstrous Nightmare and a Deadly Nadder.
Toothless was lying down with a semi awake Hiccup being treated be The mobflyer and the hardtail. On his neck he could feel both the paling warmth of his body and wetness of Hiccups blood as it falls on him.
His sense of touch and smell were focused on Hiccups condition but his sight and ears were on the fight between our human captors and our escaping allies.
Our escaping allies who should be escaping now but are now being stupid and fighting.
A three on three fight. Against us were the humans who stood between us and our freedom. And with us, the human helping Hiccup, The rainbowsacale, and the heavywing. The twinneck was standing behind them for backup.
When the humans charged against us, our side met them head on. The human with the hook fighting with us faced off with the heavy red bearded human who came in first. The two of them seem to have a history together and were connected to Hiccup.
The heavywing faced a dark hair human who came late. He kept in mind not to use his fire otherwise he would prematurely light the flammable gas. He resorted to slashes of his claws and hard lethal snaps of his large jaw.
The rainbowscale faced a blond haired human. But what they said to each other is what really caught my attention. "My personal captor we meet again!" The rainbowscales squawked to him. "Mangy Beast! No more cage for you! Now your head will adorn my fireplace!" He insulted. The fight was his quickly dodging and her accurate tail spine shots.
Hiccup kept groaning as the mobflyer kept burning him. In his condition he wouldn't have made it here without the help of the other human. He brought him here and now he's fighting his own people.
"Hey Hardtail?" I get her attention.
"Yes?" She responds.
"Can you guess what I'm gonna ask?"
"You want one of us to take that Ningen helping us with us when we go right?"
"Yeah he's seems to be a friend of Hiccups and I feel I owe him for bringing Hiccup here."
"Unfortunately I don't think that any of us will do that. I won't . He's one of the Ningen that harmed us a lot here in this prison."
"He's also the one that just opened your doors."
"It still doesn't erase years of captivity and pain."
"But it should be enough for a quick ride. Like off this land."
She was hesitating to answer. I get what she's thinking. 'No matter what he's done to help, he's still our enemy.' I get the idea. It the same frame of mind of nearly everyone in this territory, human and Uverworlder.
"Is he your enemy right now?" I ask her to confirm what she already knows. "The Rainbowscale said it herself, the enemy of my enemy"
"Is my friend."
"So?"
"No promises."
We hear the Mobflyer respond to my request. "Iz do Itz. Iz do Itz. Iz do Itz! Carryz himz carryz himz carryz himz!"
….. "Only if it comes down to it." I respond hoping it doesn't.
And so back to the fight.
The humans kept trying to push thru and our side kept them behind an imaginary line.
Every time the heavywing managed to push his opponent back he slide underneath him almost getting past before he blocked his path again.
The Rainbowscale's human opponent has been keeping a safe distance slowly edging closer to her blind spot. But she seems to expect this so when he does reach directly infront of her, she shoots a volley of tail spines from between her legs. Two of the spines hit their mark, one grazing his side the other thru his leg. Once hit he falls back to just defense.
The fight between the two humans was unique to me. Honestly I've never seen two human fight before like this. I saw the argument Hiccup had with the violent female, but this is different. This is pure murder. They fought simply for the other's life. And it wasn't without internal strife.
They spoke to each other as they one swung a hook and the other held his dagger. Since I couldn't see their faces but only see their silhouettes their strained conversation felt more important.
There were two things that I heard that sent chills down my spine. 'You were like my brother!' 'You were his father and you tried to kill him!'
Can't be? Hiccup is that redhair really your father? And the two of them were brothers like us? Did we turn them into this? Hiccups father and his close friend? Into enemy's? What have we done to them?
A new scent of blood fills the air, but it's not coming from Hiccup.
Three arrived to join Hiccup's father.
We never remembered the third. He was just a second age human like Hiccup, just bulkier. And he turned the fight between two humans from one on one into two on one.
And in an instant it was over. Everyone stopped as the fog slowly fell like a curtain and revealed to everybody what had happened.
The sneaking missed human had a dagger plunged into the back of our human ally, Gobber. "Snotlout ya lita Ghahh?!" But he couldn't finish as blood spilled forth from his mouth as the dagger was twisted in his back.
When Hiccups father saw this he came closer to the one he called 'brother' and with tears in his eyes, he slowly pushed his own dagger into his brothers, Gobber's, heart.
No one attacked. The dragons could smell it. And the humans could probably tell from looks alone.
He's dead. He was dead before his body crumbled to the ground.
The one identified as Snotlout spoke over the silence. "Damned turncoat. What did you think was going to happen joining with Hiccup the Useless Traitor."
Hiccup was now fully awake and managed to get on my back when he saw this. All of it. His body quaked in horror at what he saw. Then came his screams again.
"GOBBERRRRRRRR!"
But he doesn't have time to mourn. The rainbowscale saw that me and Hiccup were ready so she gave the order. "Darkwing! Hardtail! Do it now!" As we had prepared earlier we launched into the air over the dragon made cloud.
I trusted Hiccup to work our united tailfin.
And despite his condition and distress over his human friend his foot worked the mechanism. Probably more a conditioned response than a purposeful move. I look back to him and see his desperation to go check on him.
But we can't. I follow thru with the plan. Putting aside my brothers grief, just this once.
Me and hardtail fly up to the top of the cage. I retracted my teeth and she opened her large jaw, she shoots the chains enclosing the top of the ring with heavy lava shots and I break the weaken chains with a barrage of plasma bolts. We now have a hole big enough to fly thru.
"Everybody! MOVEEEE!" the rainbowscale roars out to everybody to finally escape.
Once airborn she gives one last order. "Twinneck do it now!" and as the last out of the cage they light up their top layer of highly explosive gas. The raging fires engulf the ring covering our escape and destroying the prison.
Once high in the air I lead us to the sea. Me and Hiccup give one last look to the dragon prison. He had tears and concerned emotions in his eyes. Concern over our enemy's and for his fallen ally. He doesn't have to say it out loud I just know.
He's kind. Too kind for this. All of this. I know this too too well. That why he's my brother after all.
But he doesn't get away free. His father's impossibly loud bellows still reach us even in the air.
I know Hiccup can't see them but I can and I see that they are all still alive, lightly burned and stunned but alive.
But Hiccup can still hear his father's declaration.
"HICCUP! YOU REALLY HAVE BETRAYED US AND HAVE FREED AND JOINED THE DRAGONS! YOU HAVE TURNED US AGAINST EACH OTHER AND KILLED GOBBER! YOU ARE A TRAITOR AND AN ENEMY! KNOW THIS! YOU WILL BE HUNTED! ALL IN THE ARCHIPELAGO WILL HUNT YOU! ALL WHO LIVE IN THE MERRIDIAN OF MISERY WILL SHOW NO MERCY TO THE TRAITOR OF ALL VIKINGS! TO ALL HUMANS! AND KNOW THAT THE PUNISHMENT OF THE GODS THEMSELVES WILL PALE TO OUR RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT! YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE LEGENDARY! A WARNING TO ALL WHO WOULD DARE TURN ON ALL THAT IS TRUE AND NATURAL TO THE WORLD! YOU! WILL! DIE! AND WE THE ONES YOU HAVE BETRAYED WILL END THE SCOURGE OF THE GREATEST TRAITOR AND ULTIMATE THREAT TO THE ENTIRE WORLD! YOUUUUU!"
Cold
Even with the saddle between us I could feel how cold he had become, every word brought him closer to freezing.
"Everyone move faster." The Rainbowscale didn't order, she pleaded. She had placed herself between me and Hiccup and the roars of his father like it would block out the words. The others did likewise until they were again like a wall between us and them.
But it didn't help. What was said was said and heard, never to be taken back.
Hiccup just hold on.
So we flew closer and closer to the ocean. Our point of freedom.
We reach the end of the land and once we did Hiccup finally spoke. "Toothless take me down to that cliff just up ahead." I look at him and his tear streaked face. But he wasn't sad, he looked determined?
He was looking at something up ahead on the cliff. A figure standing on the ledge.
Looking back to Hiccup I knew this is what he wanted. I call out to the other Uverworlders. "Everybody. Really quick detour. Stay on my tail or make the run yourself."
They all complained and argued. But I just ignore them as I slowly descended. To whoever was on the cliff.
I recognize her immediately, the female called Astrid. I give one last glance to Hiccup to make sure. Seeing his determination was all I needed as an answer. I drop down behind her keeping a safe distance just in case.
She slowly turned around wiping her eyes. Her face was just as tear streaked as Hiccups was now.
The other Uverworlders stayed hovering above us. They did and said nothing as they respectfully stayed watching over us.
We can't do anything. This is what that other female had talked about. This is what Hiccup has to confront. Alone. I cannot interfere with it, as much as I want to, I just can't.
After all
This was their goodbye.
One final thing he had to do here.
Their eyes lock on to each other holding onto the other. It was harder and tighter than any grip or bite I've ever seen.
"Do you remember Hiccup, when we younger, when we were all together we all practiced with some random weapons to get an idea to what we liked."
"Yeah. Took me all day to find that the only thing I could even lift was that rusty half dagger half sword thing."
"And we all joked that you would need one of us to actually carry anything else."
"Yeah you even volunteered for the position."
"Uh huh. Well that was also the first day I ever threw an ax."
"Perfect strike. Dead center hit."
"I didn't care much for how well it went. Honestly the ax didn't feel well uh, Hahaha I guess I mean to say how ungirly it felt. I honestly thought I would just go with a regular sword or something. Maybe a spear like my mom. You know something more feminine."
"Really? Never looked like you disliked the ax or anything. Hell I remember your face glowing with pride and delight when you looked back to us after your perfect hit."
"Yeah well that was before I saw your reaction to my throw."
"Huh?"
"Even now if I close my eyes I can still see that face you made. You looked at me not admiring my toss like the others did. No you just shinned at me, smiled for me, and supported me, whatever I did. All because it was me. And it wasn't with just the ax or the training, it was with everything I did, and everything we did together. That blissful look you gave me made me feel so happy. My heart just went crazy and the rest of my body, it just blazed with a passion to keep that look, it almost felt I would burn from the inside out. And that I would die without it. I just wanted to keep you and your smile and the all feeling it brought."
"….Wow. I didn't know."
"Well this is the first time I ever said anything about it to anyone. Even myself."
"Did you know Astrid that after that day was the day I started working with Gobber as his apprentice. It was my da. Well it was Stoics' suggestions as punishment for something I can't remember but I happily accepted. It gave me the chance to do what I could for you all."
"How so?"
"Well, after I saw everyone find a weapon they liked, not sure myself but it was like what you guys got weren't good enough. That you guys needed something special. So I made a deal with Gobber. I would work long term as his apprentice and he would help me forge some very special weapons just for you guys. So I kinda studied you guys, collected all the materials used, kept working on refining my skills, and after a few months we made the weapons that you guys have now."
"You did all that? For us?"
"Yeah, but I didn't feel right telling you guys. Make me think you wouldn't use them or something. So I asked Gobber to keep my involvement a secret. And then we made those promises."
"Which I still can't remember by the way. What were they? What was yours?"
"No it's kinda pointless now. It probably never mattered but it still felt good when you said what you did. It got me thru some really bad times. Even when we were distant in the later years it meant a lot that you or anyone said that to me. Yeah you were the first and only to ever say those words to me, as far as I know."
"Sorry, I should remember. But no matter what I can't. I don't know why, I just can't."
"It's fine just a childhood thing. It never really mattered. Guess I was just clingy to it. I just didn't want to let go of that feeling of being wanted."
"The companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain."
"What was that Astrid?"
"Just a quote from a foreign author. I think their name was Mary Shelly or well I'm not sure but still it sounds like it's what we feel. It not that it didn't matter, we just didn't bother to explore it. We both still have those feelings in us but as we drifted the memory faded a bit even if our bond remained."
"I think we both had a bad time these past seven years. I became the village joke and embarrassment"
"And I became the bad friend who didn't notice anyone's pain."
"You weren't that bad. You were happy in your own way. At least you still got to hang around the village without worrying about someone stabbing you in the back again."
"Again?"
"Yeah just a stupid something that happened a few times. Doesn't matter."
"I heard something about it from Gobber but I guess I never really thought it was something that would really happen. Like it wasn't real. Who did it?"
"We never found out. Or at least if Stoic did know, he never told me. Wouldn't surprise me."
"I'm sorry. I guess I never noticed how bad it really was for you."
"Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it."
"What's that Hiccup?"
"A quote by the same author you used. It's important to live. Even if it's awful, we all have to live. "
...
"Was it really that bad, Hiccup?"
"Yeah. That's why I need to move on."
"To escape?"
"No to move on and move forward. No matter what I need to keep moving forward. I think we both know it the only thing left we can do now."
"You and him?"
"Yeah."
"Gods, it got so messed up so fast. Why? How did this happen to us?"
"Ehh, just life I guess. Moves on but still changes faster than a heartbeat. And that's that."
"Hiccup, you were always there. You were always my absolute. Always there, during day or night, peace or raid. I always knew that if I just turned around you'd be there, watching, watching me, always. To me it never mattered if you were a good Viking or not or even if you were one at all. It didn't matter if you always needed protecting, I always would have, for you, just so you'd stay there, behind me. With me.
"But then dragon training happened, Toothless happened. And I changed. Your one absolute, the one thing you could believe in was suddenly gone."
"I never noticed that you weren't their behind me anymore, and then I was alone. But I can't blame you. You were precious to me and not only could I not hold on, I let you be taken. Hah, and by our enemy no less. And I let you be hurt, by us which is even more surprising!"
"I wasn't taken. I just, I just made a choice. It wasn't selfish, it was for Toothless. And my pain I just have to live with it. I'm not alone this time at least. I can't be me here. That's not who anyone wants. Truth be told I'd like to stay."
"But you're still leaving, you're still in pain, and here we are. So what happens now? What happens with us?"
"Like I said; I made a choice. What about you? What's your choice Astrid?"
For Toothless the world became silent except for listening to the two talk. Even the lights, the smells, and the feel of the air around us become void. The whole world around them was gone.
Both of them have same thing to say.
Like the other female said he should, that he needed to say goodbye. They were going to say it at the same time. Now. But they can't say it just yet. This moment needs to last. Because this goodbye will be the most unbelievably painful thing either of them will ever do to the other. So they let this second of peace last. As long as it can for them.
But it just can't last. And that is the worst part of it.
And then, like magic, they say it together.
"I love you."
"I love you."
And then Hiccups body trembles. Her eyes water. They both close their eyes, almost as if to burn those words to the back of their eyelids like it's the only way to remember them.
Nothing but pain. That's all that's left for these two.
"Hiccup"
"Astrid"
"I'll kill you"
"And I'm waiting for you"
And with her threat we take to the sky leaving both Hiccups past behind us as well as a trail of blood and tears. As we fly higher and higher even those are swallowed by the unforgiving dark waters that are now all around us.
Hiccups final relationship with the people of Berk: They are my Hunters and I'm their target. Enemy's till my death.