Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Sooo...this story became way longer than I thought it would... XD WHATEVER! Here you go! Chapter 15! Enjoy ;D (This is one of the last chapters. Only two or three more to go, I think!)

And...oddly enough, there are a few light-hearted moments in this chapter... XD GO FIGURE!

Also! Lots of supernatural, magic stuff in this chapter. 'Cuz ya know. Witches and ghosts and all that good stuff! XD

Sorry for the wait! The site had issues.

As soon as the the Dark One's Tether is revealed, the atmosphere in the clearing changes dramatically. The air drops at least ten degrees, an eerie wind rattles the leaves on the trees and grass frosts over before their eyes.

Astrid stares at Hiccup, shivering at how cold the forest suddenly is. What on earth is going on...? And what's that thing sticking out of Aragwen's shoulder...?

The furious witch thrashes in Stoick's grip, still unable to move. She glares at her son, evil thoughts lurking in her head. If only she had a way to hurt him... What she wouldn't give to see him suffer now...

"Do you think your dragon will give us a hand?" Hinrik wonders. "I don't think he likes me..."

Only because he doesn't know who you are and he's worried you're hurting me...if you show him he can trust you, he'll help us for sure. Hiccup assures him, turning their head to look at Toothless, who is standing beside Astrid and staring at his Rider with equal amounts of confusion and suspicion.

"I guess that's our only option...we need to destroy the Tether but it's pretty tough. It'll take a lot of force to break it."

Toothless's plasma blast could do it.

"Are you sure?"

Just watch and learn... Hiccup flashes a smile at his dragon and slowly approaches him, holding out a tentative hand. "It's okay, bud...it's me, Hiccup..."

But Toothless tenses, growling at him.

"I told you. He doesn't like me."

Just wait... Hiccup tells him. "Toothless, please...we need your help..."

The dragon tilts his head. We?

"Please, bud...you can trust us." Hiccup is now within a few inches of the snarling Night Fury. His hand hovers just above the dragon's head. There's a desperate look in Hiccup's eyes. "We can't do this without you."

But still Toothless hesitates, unsure of this is really Hiccup or just another imposter like before...

"Toothless." This time, it's Astrid who speaks up.

The dragon glances sideways at her.

She is staring at Hiccup, directly into his glowing eyes. "He's telling the truth." She says. "It really is Hiccup."

Hiccup offers her a gentle, relieved smile. She believes them! He looks back down at Toothless, hoping he will too. A long moment passes...and then Toothless's pupils widen. He coos and bows his head, touching it to Hiccup's palm.

"Incredible..." Hinrik whispers. "I always thought dragons were just...wild animals."

They are. Hiccup sinks to he his knees, hugging Toothless around the neck. But we've learned how to train them. Toothless isn't just a 'dragon' anymore. He's my best friend.

"So...you're sure we can trust him, then?"

I'm willing to bet my life on it.

"Good." They stand up and hop into Toothless's saddle, clicking their prosthetic into the foot pedal. "Because that's exactly what we're risking."

"Let's go, bud!"

Toothless snaps open his midnight wings and rockets into the sky, carrying his Rider all the way up to cloud level. In a blur of speed, the three of them vanish from sight, Toothless's black scales blending in perfectly with the dark night sky...

Aragwen's eyes narrow, trying to pinpoint where they went. She'd heard rumors of Berkians training dragons but, until now, she'd never believed them... But that boy just hopped onto a Night Fury as if he were a common horse. What are they planning...?

So what's the plan, Hinrik?! Hiccup asks as he tries to focus on the foot pedals while conversing with a voice in his head... It's all very distracting.

"We need to use one of those...plasma-things and aim it right for the Tether. It has to hit dead-on or it won't shatter. Is this thing...accurate?"

Hiccup snorts. Clearly you don't know much about dragons, my dear Hinrik. He smirks as he pats Toothless's head, earning a little coo from the dragon. "What do you think, bud? Do you think you can hit a three inch post going top speed?"

Toothless all but rolls his eyes as he flaps his wings, eagerly. He almost knocks Hiccup off of him as he suddenly does a mid-air somersault and starts diving back toward the ground.

Hinrik screams as they plummet downward, causing Hiccup to laugh.

What do you have to scream about?! Hiccup jokes. You're already dead, remember?

"I KNOW!" Hinrik gulps, forcing their hands to grip the saddle a bit tighter. "BUT THIS IS STILL TERRIFYING!"

Hiccup laughs again and steers Toothless through the thick, black clouds. He can hear the high-pitched screech of his dragon charging a plasma blast and nods, satisfied that Toothless knows what to do.

He leans in close, making them as aerodynamic as possible and pets the Night Fury's side. "Are you ready, Toothless?"

The dragon growls, the sound of a charging attack growing louder and more threatening.

"Hold it..."

They burst free of the clouds, screaming down toward Aragwen, who looks up, startled.

"Hold it..."

She thrashes, violently against Stoick's hold. She knows what's about to happen.

"Just a little longer..."

They're almost there. But then-

Aragwen screams something in a strange language and Stoick gasps, stumbling away. He looks dazed, confused. Blood seeps from the front of his tunic and he falls to the ground.

DAD! Hiccup gasps.

Then, the witch holds up her hand...and smiles.

A pulse of black light slams into them. The breath is knocked out of Hiccup and Hinrik as they're thrown from the saddle, still a hundred yards in the air. Toothless screeches as his tail fin snaps shut and he begins to lose altitude. He spins around, only to see his Rider seemingly unconscious and falling straight to the ground...

"HICCUP!" Astrid shouts in terror.

Toothless shrieks at Hiccup and tries to fumble his way through the air toward him. But before he can reach him, the boy's glowing eyes flutter open.

"Toothless..." He croaks, looking pained. "The Tether...HURRY!" He jabs a finger at Aragwen, whose arm is still raised toward them, the Tether in plain sight. "I'll be okay, bud! Destroy it now!"

With a nervous whimper, Toothless whips around and fires a plasma blast, point-blank at the black rod in her shoulder. Without wasting time to see if it landed, he spins back to face his little Rider. The ground is closing in fast...

"Are you ready, Hiccup?!"

As ready as I'll ever be...

Hinrik holds out both of their hands, an intense look on his face. Toothless notices that the glowing light in Hiccup's eyes brightens as the air below them begins to ripple...

A/N: Weird way to end a chapter, I know. And sorry about that. But...I have my reasons. So you'll just have to deal with it! XD

By the way, HOLY WOW! 91 reviews?! That's insane! Thank you guys SO much! (Most I've ever had and we're not even done yet!) You people are seriously amazing!