Chapter 9
(Merida's POV)
The bright morning sun streamed through my window and I groaned, pulling the covers over my head.
I waited and waited.
But nothing happened. No screaming, pulling of hairs, nor punching.
Then it hit me, everything that happened; Jack's staff, Hiccup's dragon, our training.
I groaned again and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want any of this to happen. Everything was going along just fine and now I'm involved in this mess.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Merida?" Hiccup's muffled voice sounded through the dark wood. "There's breakfast and we start training in thirty minutes."
I sighed. I knew the kind of guys he and Jack were; handsome, rich, smart, and everything a girl wants. They're also heart breakers. They've probably got numerous girls trailing behind them everywhere they go and they pick out the prettiest one, date her, and then leave her heartbroken by walking away. I fell for that once, and it's not happening again. No way am I getting my heart broken like that again. Hiccup was strictly in the friendship zone and if he tries to cross that line, I'm doomed.
When he heard nothing from me, I heard him sigh. "Okay. You know this is all going to be just fine, right?" When I still said nothing, he continued. "Well, I'll see you at breakfast then." And I heard his shoes click on the wooden floor as he walked away.
I sighed again and got up to get ready. I walked out the room and into the bathroom in the living room. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I rarely put on make-up but when I do, I usually put on a little. Today, I didn't put any at all. It's just training anyway. I took a quick shower and headed back to my room. I took the shopping bag out and sorted through it. I found a few shirt and jeans; some panties and also a few bras. And I pulled out a strapless dark green dress that matched Hiccup's eyes. It was the kind of dress that my Mom would have picked out for me because it made me look more mature and hugged my every curve. I frowned; what is this for? Whatever.
None of these seemed fit for training, so I walked to the closet to check it out. I opened it and there lay my training outfit. I put it on and immediately noticed some things about it. The black pants stuck to my legs as if they were part of my skin. The shirt was also the same. The jacket also felt like the shirt and pants; part of my skin. But I noticed that the jacket had built in weapons in it. I reached in the jacket to find a knife that was lighter than a feather. I decided to test it out although I knew I wouldn't hit anything anyway. I aimed for the cup on the desk expecting for it to miss. But to my absolute surprise, the knife hit it right in the middle and nailed it to the wall. My eyes widened.
Do not be fooled by these weak weapons. I heard a voice and jerked around.
"Who's there?" I said, reaching in my jacket for another knife. Whatever the thing is, it chuckled and the sound made a shiver down my spine.
You can't kill me because I AM YOU. I am your dark side, your strong self and if you release me, we will rule the world together.
The voice sounded evil, like a metallic sound that scraped against my bones.
Then suddenly I felt pain. Excruciating pain that made me scream and fall to my knees. The blood in my veins felt like they were burning with fire. My bones felt like they were shattering in a million pieces. In that moment I wished I could die.
And then, as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. I felt like I was a few minutes ago. The I willed myself to hear the voice again and get this settled. But instead of hearing the evil metallic voice, another one took its place.
Don't worry Merida. This voice sounded breathless. I took care of him. This voice sounded friendlier and it definitely sounded like me.
"Who are you?" I said out loud. "And what did you do with the other guy?"
I'm your good form. The voice replied. The other guy won't be bothering you for a while for now. I'm also your bear form.
MY WHAT? I tried communicating with my mind. It worked.
Your bear form. The voice replied. The evil voice you heard was also another bear form but stronger and more evil. I'm also Merida, but the other one was Mordu.
Who's Mordu? I asked as I made my way to breakfast, which was obviously in Stoick's house.
Mordu is this evil Prince bear that your mother signed a contract with.
What contract?
The contract that says if she agreed to let him control her, he would give her the world. Your mother, eager for power, signed it and Mordu entered her. Luckily, the Brothers of the Sun and Moon saw that and added another form in you to stop Mordu from taking full control; Me.
Why didn't they just take Mordu out of my mother?
The contract is a powerful thing. The voice replied. Not even the Brothers could stop it.
But why do I have it now? I asked as I opened the giant doors to Stoick's house.
You have your mother's immortal blood now. So basically her Source is now in you.
I frowned as I took a seat next to Rapunzel. She also wore the training outfit except hers had an amulet of some sort on the left side of her jacket chest. I looked down at mine and saw the same thing only it had a dark green form of a bear. Rapunzel's was gold and had some sort of a flower in it.
When she saw me, she smiled and hugged me then whispered in my ear, "They've got bacon." I felt a smile tug on my lips. I love bacon and they have it here. I looked around the table and saw Jack and Hiccup sitting across us. They were wearing the same clothes as us and they also had amulets, but their amulets were also different. Hiccup's was a red dragon. Jack's was of a blue frost. Their outfits were the same as mine, but it looked like it was the same piece as the pants. I looked closer and noticed both their jackets were zippered. I zipped mine up and the jacket attached itself to my pants, making it look as if it was alive. My eyes widened again. How much more amazing stuff am I going to see today?
I dug in my plate which was filled with bacon and eggs.
"Want some?" Hiccup handed me a box of-
WHAAAT? CEREAL?!
A miracle come true.
(Jack's POV)
At breakfast, we saw Stoick, Merida and Rapunzel. There were only five of us eating. The table was built around the bonfire place only there was no fire. The food was delicious. But what surprised me is that the food here is exactly like the food we have on earth.
When I woke up this morning the first thing I did was go to my closet. To my surprise a suit was already prepared inside. It was exactly my size. I took a quick shower and put on the suit. And on my way out I grabbed my staff. Outside the door I bumped into Hiccup.
"Looks like you got the suit too," he remarked.
"Yeah," I said, and then noticed something. "Except your suit's amulet is a red dragon and mine's a blue frost."
"Hmm." Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed. "How did they know which room we were going to choose? Or maybe they put it there after we chose the rooms."
Hiccup made a point. These people are starting to creep me out.
At the end of the massive table, Stoick stood. "Now if you're all done with your breakfasts I suggest you come with me to your training ground."
In response Merida belched and we laughed. We all got up from our seats and followed him out. The moment we walked out the door the bright morning sun warmed my face. I closed my eyes and on instinct, took a deep breath. The bright early morning smelled fresh and the wind ruffled my hair. It felt good.
We followed Stoick down a narrow path, his giant frame blocking most of the wind from my face.
Haha.
I remembered my father all of a sudden. One minute I was making fun of Stoick in my head and now my Dad's face pops up. I remember skating in the ice with him when I was little. I remember asking him if I could have superpowers like Superman.
"We each have our own powers, son," he chuckled as he lay a big hand on my tiny shoulder.
I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
He smiled and pointed to the frozen lake beneath our skates. "This is ours."
"Ice?" I was confused.
His brown eyes were serious. "That's right, son." He placed my tiny hand on top of the lake, "Ice."
I guess I kind of believed him. When I'm around snow I feel more powerful, freer. I loved the cold sting it gave my cheeks when I get hit by a snowball, the freezing cold it gives my fingers when I touch it. Now here I am, one of the most powerful weapons in the universe in my hands. Apparently it involves ice. Lots and lots of ice.
I was jarred from my thoughts when I bumped into Stoick's back. He had stopped. He turned and looked at us.
"Welcome to the Arena." The place was huge. It resembled a giant sphere and it was pure white. It looked so out of place in this village. But then again there are a lot of unexpected things here. Stoick strode forward and talked to one of the guards standing guard at the giant, white, flawless door.
The guards' suits were the same as ours only theirs were white. Both of them stood on each side of the door; legs apart, hands behind their backs and no weapons. When Stoick finished, the guard nodded and flicked his wrist upward, causing the door to open.
Stoick nodded his head. "Let's go."
We walked in and inside was a white, large, open space. I'm guessing this is the arena where they train. Stoick lead us past that and into an elevator; another thing that surprised me. The elevator looked like a giant medicine capsule.
"How are we supposed to go up?" Rapunzel asked as we filed in and Stoick pressed a button. "It doesn't have wires and cables."
Stoick just smiled and to my complete and utter shock the elevator floated. "It has an anti-gravitational cube attached at the very bottom. These buttons are attached to it so we can control it." He pointed to the neon blue buttons. The elevator stopped and we got off. This room was pure white as well. There were white, modern chairs and a clear looking glass that overlooks the large arena. Stoick gestured to the seats and we sat down.
"I'll be back shortly," he said, exiting the room. Meanwhile, we sat, looking at the room. There were a few buttons on the left side of the room, but apart from that and the chairs, the room was bare.
"This is strange, somehow," Hiccup remarked, breaking the silence. We all nodded in agreement and Stoick walked back in.
My eyes bulged. He had changed into a white suit. He even had a white tie. All our jaws dropped.
"Wha-"
"How did you…"
"Huh?"
We all stammered. Stoick laughed. "I though your parents told you about this place, you know, the Viking ways of doing things. But we moved on quickly and we wanted to break it to you slowly." We were still in shock.
"Well, obviously they didn't tell you about this place at all so we can stop hiding."
Not able to say anything, we just nodded. We sat back down and Stoick moved to the side of the room and pressed one of the buttons. We glanced down at the arena just as a small door opened. A girl walked out. She had blonde hair that was braided. She wore the same suit as the girls and from this angle I could see that her amulet was just like Hiccup's. I then realized that the guards also had that same amulet. She was about our age, only I could sense that she was older too. She looked up and met Stoick's eyes.
"I'm ready, sir." She said, her voice filling the room through the speakers that I didn't notice; speakers that were under our chairs. I saw Stoick nod in the corner of my eye and he pressed another button. To my fascination, the arena transformed into a green forest; it was like looking at another world.
"She can't see us anymore, but she can hear us. We can hear her as well, but we can also see her." Stoick explained. "I want to you to watch and learn from her."
Then he turned back to the controls and spoke. "Ruffnut, Eliminate five vampires." He did something at the controls and at about five miles away, I saw five vampires appear. This thing is amazing. It's like we can zoom in a location without moving in our chairs. We can see EVERYTHING.
The vampires were pale, that much I can tell from the death black cloaks they were wearing; probably to block out the sun.
"Commencing elimination," Ruffnut smiled.
Seriously, the people here have weird names.
Ruffnut reached into her jacket and took out the largest hammer I have ever seen in my life. How can something that big fit into something that small? I watched in amazement as she held it in one hand as she ran like a deer across the forest. She was swift and agile, never missing a beat. As she ran, the vampires moved.
I blinked and they were gone.
In a heartbeat, vampire number one had found Ruffnut. He hid in the shadows of the trees and took off his hood. He looked perfect yet ugly at the same time. His face was flawless. Even as a guy, I have to admit he is pretty good looking too. But of course I didn't say that out loud. The vampire's eyes were blood red. It growled and I caught a glimpse of sharp fangs. He jumped off the tree and ran full speed towards Ruffnut. I wanted to yell at her to turn around, but I sat frozen. Everything happened so fast, but to me it was in slow motion. In a split second Ruffnut turned around and smashed the hammer in the vampire's face. The moment it made contact with his face, something like an explosion happened. The force was so strong the trees around them cracked and fell, the the powerful wind from the hammer cause the grass underneath their feet to flatten. The vampire's head snapped open and he disappeared.
"One down, four to go," I heard her breathless voice as she continued her pursuit. The other four vampires, hearing the explosion, ran away from her and into a large tree where they climbed on it and sat to wait. Ruffnut kept running, never breaking a sweat. When she got to the tree, all four vampires pounced on her, scratching at her and making her bleed. I could tell they were too strong for her by the way she was cowering in the ground. Then I saw her summon her strength and hit them with the hammer and another explosion occurred. The vampires flew away but immediately got up again as if nothing had happened. Ruffnut, injured and bleeding, ran for refuge at a bush nearby.
"Requesting back-up from my brother, sir," she panted as she cradled her broken arm. Rapunzel noticed it and gasped.
"Don't worry," Stoick said. "It will heal in a matter of minutes." And it did. I watched the wounds close up and she rotated her arms to test it.
"Request granted." Stoick's baritone rumbled. The moment he said that, a door opened out of thin air and a boy and a dragon with two heads ran out. The boy had blonde hair but that was all I could make out as he ran to his sister. He spoke to her in a low voice and glared at the vampires. He stood and so did Ruffnut. He reached in his jacket and pulled out a giant axe. Vampire number two moved and attacked Ruffnut, sending her flying. The boy ran to her but she held up her hand. He nodded and turned back to the other three vampires.
"Dragon, to my side," his voice was deep and lethal for a teenager. One of the vampires sped forward to him and he yelled as he swiped his axe upward, cutting the vampire's body in half. It disappeared and the other vampire attacked. The boy swung it again but the vampire was fast and dodged it. He pounced on the boy and began clawing at his neck. The green two-headed dragon roared and swiped his tail. It swatted the vampire off like a fly. The boy quickly jumped to his feet and took the opportunity to swipe his axe down and cut the vampire's blood curdling scream. I averted my gaze to find Ruffnut smiling at the side as she watched him. The boy laughed and hit her in the back of the head.
"Since when did you need back up?" he smiled at her as the forest turned back to its normal arena.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes, "Training complete."
They entered a small door at the side of the arena and Stoick turned to us.
"That was," Merida breathed. "A bit intense, don't you think?"
Stoick smiled. "That's what training here is like."
"But I don't think we'll survive that," Rapunzel exclaimed. And just as she did, the elevator opened; Ruffnut and her brother walked out. They looked exactly alike except for their heights and hairs. Up close, Ruffnut had a long, braided, blond hair. It was pale blonde, not gold, like Rapunzel's. She was tall for a girl, about five foot eight or something.
Her brother also had the same shade of hair as hers only his hair was cropped short, reaching only to his ears. He was about my height; six foot three. His face looked exactly like Ruffnut's only manlier somehow.
"I'm Tuffnut, Ruffnut's twin," he gestured to himself as he smiled, identical to his sister's. We all introduced ourselves and Stoick cleared his throat.
"Why don't you take the four of them to the arena? Let them have their first training."
(Hiccup's POV)
I could feel myself shaking; of excitement or fear, I don't really know. We all went in the elevator and when we got to the arena, Stoick turned to us.
"You four get along. I have some business to attend to," then he turned to me. "Your other grandfather on earth is my parallel version. However he isn't as fun or as good looking as me." He winked as he answered my unspoken question. I liked him immediately.
"Come on, then," Ruffnut tilted her head towards the arena as Stoick walked out the door. "Let's get your weapons first."
They led us to a wall at the side of the arena and Tuffnut pressed a button. The wall dissolved and numerous weapons took its place. Ruffnut reached in and took a big bow that reached to my chest. She handed it to Merida.
"This was your mother's favorite bow," she said as Merida took it. The bow was so big it reached to her chin.
"This is as light as a feather," Merida exclaimed as she balanced the bow in her hand.
"Actually," Tuffnut laughed. "It weighs about ninety kilograms, but because of your Source, the Bear, you have the strength to carry it. An average human being wouldn't be able to carry this with a single hand."
He reached in again and took out a giant sword. Man, everything here is giant.
He handed it to me.
"This sword connects with you and Toothless' emotions, Hiccup," he said. At the mention of my dragon's name, the main door opened and in strode Toothless, a smile plastered on his face.
Good morning! He said in my head as he flopped down beside me. Even sitting down, he was still bigger than my six foot two build. I handed the sword back to Tuffnut long enough to pat Toothless.
I had the best breakfast today he said. I saved some for you. He gagged and something fell on my hands. Something wet, slimy, slippery, and very smelly. I looked down to see a head of a giant tuna.
"Ew!"
"Gross!"
"Disgusting!"
"That's terrible!"
Remarks like this swirled around me. I saw Merida run to the side of the arena and empty her breakfast.
I tried to hide my gag and keep my vomit down; I looked at Toothless.
Sorry, boy, I told him in my mind. I'm sure my dad loved this, but I'm not my dad. I handed the head back to him and he swallowed it whole.
That's alright he winked. Your father didn't like it either.
I laughed and started to pick up the sword again. Tuffnut stopped me.
"The sword is most powerful when you and Toothless are together," he said. "Close your eyes and envision chains holding down your sword. If you don't do this, the sword will act on its own will and possibly kill one of us." I nodded and closed my eyes. I could feel my friends moving away from me as I focused. I imagined chains holding the sword down. I was perspiring from my concentration to hold the sword at bay. I could feel Toothless' power inside me, encouraging me.
Then I heard a voice.
It was Merida. "Hey, do any of you guys have-"
She was right beside me.
Everything happened so fast. Ruffnut yelled at Merida to get out of the way but it was too late. The sword moved and I opened my eyes just as the sword lurched.
And drove itself right in Merida's stomach.