Chapter Fourteen
A/N:
"Normal speech"
"Hinrik's speech"
Hiccup's thoughts
Hiccup and Hinrik together
Aragwen freezes as Stoick's axe smashes her son's Tether. Her gaze switches to the pair of emerald eyes above her, a small twinge of panic in her chest. If Hinrik disappears, everything will be ruined! Surely enough, the rage in his eyes melts away, leaving a blank, dazed expression as the skull shatters. There's a blinding, blue light from the Tether and then the boy's body falls away, collapsing limply into the water with a huge splash.
Immediately, the witch jumps to her feet and glares daggers at Stoick. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" She shrieks. "YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Her focus is diverted as a soft moan leaves Hiccup. He blinks and shifts, trying to lift himself out of the water.
Hinrik...? He asks, weakly. Are you there...?
He gets no response.
Aragwen stares at Hiccup in awe. He should have died when she crushed his soul! How is he still alive? Grinding her teeth together, she leans over and grabs the collar of his tunic, forcing him to his knees. "You brat!" She hisses. "WHERE IS MY SON?!"
Hiccup stares at her, a very dizzy look in his eyes. His body still won't quite listen to him. He feels numb, tired... Hinrik...if you're there...please answer me...!
"I'll make sure you regret turning him against me...!" She promises, a burning fire in her eyes.
But just then, a pair of strong hands grab her shoulders and tear her away from Hiccup, who-without the support of someone else holding his weakened body up-slumps back over again.
Stoick wrestles his arms around Aragwen's midsection, trapping her in a bear-hug of sorts. He tugs her out of the river and away from Hiccup, having to struggle to keep her still. She's much stronger than she looks.
Toothless immediately rushes past them and goes to his Rider, biting Hiccup's collar and dragging him out of the water and back onto the shore. Astrid nearly whimpers at the sight of him.
There's a blank, emotionless look on Hiccup's face. His normally forest green eyes have been reduced to a pale grey, matching the color of his skin almost perfectly... She reaches down with a trembling hand to touch his cheek. Ice cold and soaking wet. His lips are a startling shade of blue, water runs down the corners of his mouth. He must have inhaled water when he collapsed a moment ago...
"Oh gods..." She squeaks, unsure of what to do. "STOICK!" She screams, turning to face her friend's father. "HICCUP IS IN TROUBLE!"
Stoick's eyes widen at the sight of his son, laying motionless on the side of the river. He...doesn't appear to be breathing. And suddenly, Aragwen laughs. It's a blissful, trilling laugh that chills Stoick to the very core.
"A fair trade, wouldn't you say, Stoick? My son for yours..." She giggles, eyeing Hiccup's still body with possessive, horrible eyes.
Stoick glares, furiously at her. He can't let her go or she'll just attack them again like before. What should he do?! WHAT SHOULD HE DO!?
A steady ringing sound fills Hiccup's ears. It's so loud he can't hear anything. His limbs feel dead. He can't move them. There's awful, aching pain in his chest whenever he tries to breathe. It stops him before he can get air into his screaming lungs. They're begging him to breathe but he just can't. They're something in his throat that stops him.
Hinrik...? He asks for at least the hundredth time, his eyes narrowing at the sight of a small, white light lingering above him. What is it...? Hinrik...are you there? He doesn't really expect an answer. He knows Hinrik was torn out of him when his father destroyed the skull... Maybe that's why his heart leaps when he suddenly receives an answer...
"I'm here, Hiccup." Hinrik tells him. But he sounds different. His voice is more of an echo that an actual voice. As if the sound is coming from miles away. He also sounds...happier. "It's okay, Hiccup." He says and his presence is more comforting that Hiccup could have imagined. "You need to open your eyes now. Your friends are worried about you... Please, open your eyes."
So Hiccup obeys. It takes an insane amount of effort, but he manages. He pries open his heavy eyelids, wincing at the salty burn in his eyes. As soon as his vision slides into focus, a sense of panic rises in him. He's just remembered he can't breathe. His back arcs off the ground with the initial cough, water gushing out of his mouth and freeing up his blocked throat. He hears someone gasp when he sucks in breath, coughing some more. His whole body trembles as it registers how penetratingly cold he is.
"Hiccup!" Someone else cries. He recognizes the voice...
"Astrid...!" He gasps between coughs.
"Oh thank gods!" She lifts his shoulders off the ground, cradling his shaking body in her lap. She doesn't seem to mind that he's dripping wet and ice cold. And he doesn't mind either, her warmth is heavenly and he clings to her, desperate to warm up.
"W-where H-Hinrik...?" He stammers, glancing around the clearing as if expecting to see another person standing there. But other than himself, Toothless, Astrid, Stoick and Aragwen...the clearing is empty.
"Hinrik?" She asks, not sure of who that is. She frowns, wondering if Hiccup is still delirious. "I don't know." She tells him. "But right now, you need to relax. You almost drowned..."
He frowns, knowing he heard the other boy's voice a moment ago... He couldn't have simply imagined that...could he? His gaze finds the shattered remains of Hinrik's Tether and frowns. I'm sorry Hinrik...after all this...after saving my life...you still had to die.
"It doesn't bother me. I'm used to it, remember?"
Hiccup gasps, craning his neck to find the source of the voice, not caring that Astrid is staring at him like he's lost his mind. Hinrik?! He calls out. Where are you?!
"You can't see me so stop looking around like an insane person. I think you're scaring your girlfriend."
Hiccup can't help the joy that blossoms in his chest. Are you okay? What happened to you?
"After your dad destroyed my Tether, I was thrown out of your body like I said...after that, I was kind of disoriented and couldn't really tell where I was...but I figured out how to get back because you kept calling for me...I just followed your voice."
You could hear me all that time? Hiccup asks, amazed.
"Of course." Hinrik replies, nonchalantly. "You're the only person I know who can yell louder in their head than with their mouth..."
Hiccup smirks. I'm glad you're back...
"Me too. But I can't stay for long." Hinrik tells him. "I only came back to make sure my mother doesn't cause anymore damage..."
But you're just a...ghost or something now right? What can you do?
Hinrik laughs and a chill runs down Hiccup's spine. A breath of cold washes over him and he feels like there is a presence beside him that he can't see... "You'd be amazed what you pick up as the son of a necromancer..."
Hiccup nods, determined. What can I do to help?
There's an apologetic tone in his voice when he says, "I'm gonna need to borrow your body one last time. Do you think you're up for it?"
Hiccup struggles to sit up, only to find his body just as numb as before. Only now, a painful tingling sensation is creeping up his fingers and toes as his body wakes up. Um, I'm not sure how useful I would be to you right now...I can't move.
"Oh, how rude of me. Let me help you with that."
Suddenly, there's flash of light behind Hiccup's eyes. He registers a blinding pain for a fraction of a second...but then the pain is gone. His limbs burn as they come back to life but it's a good burn. A living burn. Hiccup sits up, vaguely registering another presence in the back of his mind.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asks. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be moving yet..."
When Hiccup speaks, there's the slightest echo of another voice behind it. "I'm okay," He says, confidently as he stands up. There's a newfound strength in his movements. A ferocity that was never there before.
Astrid gasps at the sight of his eyes. They're...glowing. An otherworldly light shines behind them, making their emerald coloring burn like fire. "Hiccup...what on earth...?"
He flashes her a devilish smile and says, "I'll explain later." With that, he turns to Aragwen, still trapped in Stoick's iron grip. She gapes at him with disbelief on her face.
"How...?" She breathes. "How are you still not dead...?"
Hiccup and Hinrik smile at her. "Hello, mother." Hinrik says. "You didn't think you could get rid of me this easily, did you?"
"Hinrik...!" Her expression turns sour. "YOU TRAITOR! YOU FILTHY LITTLE BRAT! HOW COULD BETRAY ME LIKE THAT! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! I'M YOUR MOTHER!"
"AND I'M YOUR SON, YOU EVIL HAG!" He shouts, furiously. "BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP YOU FROM KILLING ME, DID IT!?"
"You don't understand, Hinrik!" She cries, putting on her best 'victim face'.
"No. You're wrong, mother. I do understand. I've understood for a long time now...but it's only because of Hiccup that I was brave enough to put a stop to it."
"Ah..." She nods. "So that little wretch really is the cause of all of this..."
"He helped me to see the light, mother. He saved me when all you did was kill me, again and again. You tried to ruin me but Hiccup saved me. And I'll forever be in debt to him for that..."
"Thank you, Hiccup." Hinrik whispers to his companion.
Thank YOU, Hinrik. You saved me too, remember?
"So? You have me cornered..." She sighs. "What are you going to do, then?"
"I'm going to make sure you never hurt anyone else, ever again." They reply, coldly.
"Oh? You're going to kill then..."
Hiccup parts his lips, preparing to answer, when Hinrik suddenly stops him. "No." He says instead.
What are you doing? Hiccup asks him. I thought this is what you wanted.
"You were right, Hiccup..." Hinrik admits. "If we were to kill her, it would be nothing more than just another senseless murder...there's been too much death lately. And frankly, I'm tired of ending other people's lives..."
So what are you gonna do...?
"Like I said, you pick up a few things being a witch's son..."
Hiccup watches as Hinrik lifts their hand, palm facing outward toward Aragwen. And a moment later, the woman screams as the shoulder of her robe catches fire.
Hinrik...? What's happening...? Hiccup asks, suddenly feeling woozy.
"Hang in there, Hiccup...this is draining, I know."
Aragwen thrashes, wildly. Horrific screams of fury ripping from her throat. "YOU TREACHEROUS BRAT! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS?!"
Hiccup moans as his energy slowly disappears. Just before he's sure he's going to pass out, Hinrik stops and lowers their hand.
Sorry. He says. But I needed to reveal the Tether.
"Another...Tether...?"
Surely enough, within a twisted mass of half-healed flesh and oozing blood, is a little, black bone. It juts out of her porcelain shoulder like a spear, glistening in the moonlight.
Hiccup swallows at the ominous feeling that radiates off of it. A Tether to...what, exactly?
"The Dark One." Hinrik replies. "We destroy that, and she'll never cast another spell for the rest of her miserable life."
Hiccup nods, tensing as he readies himself for whatever comes next. Alright. Let's do it.