The Fight for Freedom
We pass the queen's massive head. I trail her with my eyes, assessing her.
"Small eyes…large nostrils…thick skin…massive teeth. Looks like she relies on smell, and hearing. Probably likes to crush things. We can use that to our advantage." We circle around the queen again. I am dimly aware of the viking's gazes locked on me. But I ignore them and their gazes.
"Help! Someone help me! Please!" The voice of a Terrible Terror rises out of the chaos below. Toothless pinpoints the cry, and shows me the location of the dragon. The Terror is tied up to the mast of a viking ship. A muzzle rests on the floor of the ship having been chewed off.
"I see him," I acknowledge Toothless, then tell him "Set me down on the boat. I'll free the Terror from its chains. You go rally some dragons to fight with us. Once I am done freeing the Terror I will call you. Then we can go rid this land of the dragon that has poisoned it."
"Be careful." Toothless hovers just above the deck of the viking ship. I jump down, bending my knees to soften the blow and noise. Waving Toothless off, I move towards the tied up dragon. I hold my hand up, palmmtowards the frightened dragon. I slowly approach him and speak in a low, soft tone.
"Its OK, its OK, I'm a friend. I won't hurt you. Just let me help you get out of this mess. Then you can get out of here." Growling rises up from the Terror. He shrinks back and bares his teeth.
"Stay back human. Your kind has shown me much grief. You are no friend of mine. Your kind has shown me and the other dragons no mercy, slaughtering us like pigs! But no more! You have been foolish to have come to this island. I am doomed as much as you are. For the queen is angry about this disturbance." I am confused by the Terrible Terror's out burst. I told him I was a friend. Realization dawns on me. I did not speak to him in dragonize. I roll my eyes at myself and switch languages.
"You have to trust me. My name is Hiccup, and I am here to rescue you from the clutches of the queen. No viking concerns me. They are weak and thoughtless, where as we dragons are far more superior in every way. Now let me help you. Dragon to dragon."
I reach out my hand to the Terrible Terror, waiting to see if he will trust me. Turning my head away and closing my eyes, I wait for the inevitable. Warmth races through my hand and out to the rest of my body. Smiling, I turn my gaze to the dragon as he pulls his nose away from my hand. My attention turns to the chains binding the Terror to the mast.
My hands wrap around the chains and I pull. One chain drops to the ground as I break a link. I reach for another before a warning chills my blood.
"Hiccup! Look out!" Glancing over my shoulder a see the queen take in a deep breath, and releasing it as fire. Right on the boats. I brace myself and shield the Terror from the inferno raining down upon us. The fire hits my right shoulder and I cry out. Taking deep breaths, I reign in the pain, focusing on the task in front of me.
Agony screams throughout my entire body is I rip the last chains apart.
"Go, get as far away from here as you can." My vision blurs and I stumble, light headed.
"Hiccup!" Toothless land before me as my vision focuses again. Terror gone.
"I'm alright. Let's go finish this once and for all."
"I couldn't agree more." Hopping on Toothless, I try not to rattle my shoulder. We take to the sky and I notice a few things. The vikings have all scattered. Except for two dumb ones, who are trying to fight the queen empty handed. I snort at the sheer stupidity and stubbornness of the vikings. Most of the dragons have fled in terror. Toothless has managed to round up a group of three Nadders, two Gronkles, and four Thunderdrums to help fight. The group of dragons fly to us waiting for orders.
"Alright, I want the Nadders to get and keep the queen's attention. Make her mad. Thunderdrums, try to tone down on her ability to hear. And the Gronkles, make her blind. Toothless and I will try to find a weakness." They break off into the groups I designed to do their part. I stare at the queen as Toothless flies up, trying to find a weak point. Nothing. Not a limp, old battle injure never recovered from. The only things she has is a scar, and a really bad temper.
"Nothing. There's no weak point on that thing. We can't take her down."
"I don't think so Hiccup. Remember when I got into a fight with a Changewing?" My face scrunches up as I recall the memory.
"Ya, you stole her egg thinking it was a fallen star. She got so mad." Laughter erupts from me at the memory of Toothless thinking he was the greatest dragon alive, having had found a "fallen star".
"Its not funny Hiccup! She almost ate me alive!"
"Sorry." I reel in my laughter.
"Anyway, remember when I went to fire and she-" I cut Toothless off, my eyes widening as I realize how we could beat the queen.
"She fired into you mouth causing you to bloat like a fish. Your mouth hurt so much after that."
"Exactly. Now imagine that in larger scale. More fire power and more fuel. It might just be enough to kill the queen."
"OK, let's do this." Roaring, Toothless loops back down to face the queen.
"Make her mad Toothless. Really mad." Air vibrates off Toothless wings. The pressure from the speed causing a whistling sound. He fires a plasma blast aiming for the wings. I don't get a good look at her as we pass. But I am pretty sure that she was knocked to the ground with that shot.
"Think that did it?" A blast of air almost knocks me off Toothless. Turning to the source, I find that the queen is following us into the sky. She releases an ear shattering scream. "Well, she can fly." Toothless makes an incoherent noise.
"Alright Toothless, time to disappear!" Toothless banks left into a dark storm cloud. He darts between the clouds, out of sight and waiting to strike. We strike quick and fast, hitting her wings and wing joints. Again and again we strike. Tiring of this game, the queen screeches and releases a torrent of flame. The fire rapidly approaches us and I shout Toothless a warning. My heart sinks as Toothless releases a roar of pain. He falters in flight and we plummet.
"Toothless!" Wings expand, and we level out in the sky.
"DIE HUMAN SCUM! DIE DRAGON SCUM!" I risk a quick glance behind me seeing the queen getting ready to breath fire.
"Hiccup, my tail…"
"Hold on bud. Just a little longer." Worry overcomes me. It clouds my judgement and almost causes me to miss the golden opportune moment.
"Toothless now!" One blast in the queen's mouth and it is all over. She burns from the inside out, wings ripping into holes. Without warning, Toothless becomes limp, dropping us to the waiting ground below.
"Toothless!" My voice is carried away by the wind. However, luck seems to be on my side as Toothless becomes aware of our current situation.
Toothless spends almost all of his energy trying to fly up. Energy that is wasted. We soon reach the inferno of the queen. Pockets of hot air from the fire boosts us into the air. Rising out of the smoke, we spot the queens tail coming down on us.
"Come on! Really?" It smacks us and I am thrown off of Toothless back, falling to the flaming earth below. My vision blurs. Focused. Unfocused. Focused.
"Hiccup!" Sound becomes a distant thing. Muted and murky. Unfocused. Blood pounds in my ears, in my head. Blackness creeps to the edge of my vision. I blink the darkness away. Focused. Toothless is trying his best to reach me. Unfocused. The world spins and I feel the need to vomit. Focused. Flames rise around Toothless as he tries to reach me.
"Hiccup!" I give him a soft smile letting him know that it will be OK. That I forgive him. Unfocused. Focused. I close my eyes waiting for the earth to take me in her clutches. To embrace me in her folds of warmth. Unfocused. Darkness.
A moan escapes my lips. Rolling over, I call softly to Toothless. Alarm raises in me as he doesn't reply. I open my eyes and lift my head and immediately regret it. My vision doesn't go far but I can tell that I have never been here before. I set my head back down. I close my eyes, fighting the nausea. Trying, even through the pain, to remember how I arrived at this strange, dark place where nothing seems familiar.
Gathering my courage, I lift myself up into a sitting position. I hiss though my teeth in pain. Every jostle sending ripples of pain through my shoulder, back, neck and leg. Deep breaths help calm my nerves. I try calling out to Toothless again. No response. I glance ahead of me and freeze.
"No. No no no no no!" I move to stand up before realizing something is wrong. I look down and its all I can do to not hyperventilate. Standing up, my heart pounds painfully in my chest. My location has not helped ease any of my worry for me.
"Toothless!" He is in even more trouble now than we were battling the queen. But there is nothing I can do. Toothless isn't next to me.
And I'm trapped in a viking cell, missing a leg.
Author's Note: This chapter was fun to write. I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you thought of it and if there are any mistakes at all. Thank you for your support it means a lot to me.