"Dragon's speaking"
'telepathical speaking'
Thinking
"Dragons and Guardians: Riders of Berk
Author's note: Hiccup rides on Toothless's back while Aniu flies using her wings. And Barf and Belch is one dragon. Nava and the other guardians also fly while their wings and Nava and Aniu don't have dragons but they're still part of the Dragon Riders. This note is here just to avoid confusion.
Right now the Dragon Trainer Group consists of: Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Stormfly, Snotlout, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Meatlug, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, BarfBelch, Aniu and Nava.
Chapter 8: Hiccup and the Treasure Map
"Measuring up to a Viking father isn't easy."
Hiccup and Stoick in front of Bucket who was painting their picture onto a shield. Hiccup was holding another shield and Stoick was holding a sword. Aniu, Fengo and Namara were watching them, sitting on the ground in their wolf forms.
"Especially when that Viking father is also the chief of your village. So when you get a chance to prove yourself, you go for it."
"Shoulders back, chin up, son. This portrait is going to hang in this Hall forever." Stoick said proudly. "Not good, not good, not good." Bucket began muttering, walking over to them, brushing some dust off Stoick's shoulder pad and straightening Hiccup's shield. "I can't do this!" Bucket wailed, hitting his bucket-clad head against a stone column. "Okay, I'm good now." He said. "I have never seen Bucket like this." Hiccup whispered to his father. 'Well, when he lost half of his brain, he suddenly became an artist." Stoick told him. 'So, he can actually paint." Hiccup said. "Oh, he's the best. He's going to do us proud, son. This portrait is going to take its place alongside all the other chiefs and heirs." Stoick said, gesturing to the line of portraits hanging on the wall behind them. That is the only picture of my father and me. It was a great day and so is this." Together, they waited until Bucket had finished the portrait before they were allowed to leave.
When afternoon arrived, many Vikings gathered together in the Great Hall, waiting for the newest chief-and chief's-heir portrait to be unveiled. Hiccup and the gang were standing together looking at the other portraits. "Look at all these great leaders and tomorrow, your picture's gonna be hanging on the wall right next to them." Astrid said. "When you become chief, Hiccup, all of us will stand right beside you." Aniu said, slinging an arm and a wing around Hiccup's shoulders. Stoick heard that and smiled proudly. He'll definitely stand by Hiccup's side when he became chief. "Thanks, Ni." Hiccup said, smiling at his surrogate sister.
"There goes the neighbourhood." Snotlout snorted. "You're part of an elite group now, my friend." Fishlegs told Hiccup, smiling. "I guess it is a pretty big deal." Hiccup said. "Who knows, Hic, you may need some help from time to time." Nava said. "When I do, I'll make sure to ask all of you for help. I mean, it's like being a part of history, right?" Hiccup said. "History of goofballs. Ha, what a clown." Snotlout snickered, gesturing at a portrait. "Come on, Snotlout. Show some respect." Aniu scolded. "That is Hamish the First. He was our richest and most revered leader. And that is his son, Hamish the Second." Fishlegs said. "I'm Hamish the First. Bow down before me and you shall be spared." Snotlout mocked. The Thorston twins snickered and obeyed. Tuffnut bowed down mockingly and Ruffnut pushed Snotlout into the wall. Laughing, they stood up and the Hamish's portrait fell off the wall and landed on Snotlout, who yelped.
"Look what you did to the Hamishes. Forgive us please." Fishlegs said, running over and putting the portrait back onto the wall. Then, a single sheet of parchment fluttered down to the ground from its hiding place. Snotlout picked it up. "What's that? It's probably mine." Tuffnut said, grabbing at it. "Looks like some sort of map with poetry." Snotlout said, frowning at it. "I'll take that." Gobber said, plucking the parchment out of Snotlout's hands.
"Hey, that's my poetry map." Snotlout protested. "All of these were supposed to be destroyed." Gobber muttered, staring at the piece of parchment in his hand. "Why?" Nava asked curiously. "What's so special about it?" Astrid asked sceptically, wondering what was so dangerous about it. "Men lost their limbs, their lives and their minds trying to find that treasure." Gobber said. "I've heard about this. The treasure of Hamish the First. His son buried him with it and left this map. They say the clues are so complicated that only a brilliant mind could decipher them."Fishlegs regaled the group.
"Stoick and I even went after this treasure." Gobber said. The Dragon Trainers gathered around him curiously ". It lured us high up into the mountains in a blinding snowstorm. We fought like badgers over the meaning of the clues. We were lucky to make it back with our lives and our friendship intact. For your own good, kids, Forget you ever saw this." He hobbled away, the map clutched in his hand but judging by the looks on Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut's faces, they weren't intent on forgetting any time soon.
The next day, the Berkian villagers gathered in the Great Hall, waiting for the portrait to be unveiled. Hiccup and Stoick stood beside it. "Here it comes, son. This is our legacy." Stoick said proudly, gesturing to the portrait. Hiccup glanced at his friends who were gathered in a corner. Astrid, Nava and Aniu gave him a reassuring thumbs-up. Once everyone was ready, Bucket pulled off the purple cloth which covered the portrait. Hiccup stared at it expectantly only to be in for a shock. The portrait was not right.
The reason was because Hiccup looked different, much more different than he usually was while Stoick was depicted as what he truly looked like. And the Hiccup on the portrait was much more buffer and nothing like the real him. However, that didn't stop the crowd from cheering. "Whoa, what happened to Hiccup?" Tuffnut asked. "Who cares?" Ruffnut asked. Fengo, Namara, Astrid, Nava and Aniu stared at Hiccup in concern.
"Hey, Bucket, why am I...like that?" Hiccup asked, gesturing to the portrait. "Why is the sky blue? Why do I have a bucket on my head?" Bucket asked rhetorically. "We'll never know the answers." Stoick walked to them. "Oh, you did a brilliant job, Bucket. Don't you think so, son?" He said. "But it's not me." Hiccup said, sounding upset. Sure it is, son." Stoick said, oblivious to his son's emotions. "It's you but bigger and stronger." Mulch joined them. "Now that's the son of a chief." He said. "You see what I mean?" Stoick asked. Hiccup glanced at the painting again. "Hiccup, are you okay?" Aniu asked, gently putting her hand on his shoulder but Hiccup shrugged it off and ran outside. Aniu sighed, grabbed Astrid and Nava's hands and ran after Hiccup with them following her.
"Hiccup, wait!" Aniu hollered once she found him. "We just want to talk to you." Nava yelled. "We're sorry about the portrait!" Astrid exclaimed. Hiccup sighed and let them walk beside him. "Unbelievable, my father likes that painting better than the real me. I mean, think about it, even my name. You know it's Viking tradition to call the runt of a litter a hiccup." Hiccup finally started talking after some time. A shepherd walked past them, leading a flock of sheep. "Come on, little Hiccup." He called out to a tiny sheep which was lagging behind. Once the little sheep had jumped into his arms, the shepherd straightened up, saw the teens and said "Oh, hey, Hiccup." before walking away.
"See? What do I have to do to get my father to accept me?" Hiccup asked morosely. Astrid sympathetically put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "He does accept you. He just accepts the painting more." She said. "You're not helping with the last part, Astrid." Aniu said dryly. "Hiccup, I think that Stoick truly does care about you but doesn't realise how badly this is affecting you. Some people go to great lengths just prove themselves to other people but don't realise that the people already do care about them. Sometimes, they don't realise until sometime bad happens." Nava said wisely. "Thanks, wise guy." Hiccup said. Nava smiled and gently punched Hiccup on the shoulder for the 'wise guy' comment.
Then they saw Fishlegs standing guard outside the forge. Once he saw them, the Ingerman boy. "What are you doing out here?" Aniu asked. "N-n-nothing" Fishlegs stammered nervously, sounding very suspicious. "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
"Okay, where are they?" Hiccup asked. "Hoo-hooo. Hoo-hooo. Hoo." Fishlegs called out, sounding like an owl, a Great Horned to be exact. Sighing, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava went around to the side of the forge while Fishlegs kept calling out. Snotlout fell out of a window in the forge while Ruffnut and Tuffnut watched him. "What are you doing?" Hiccup asked. "You three better not be stealing anything for a prank of yours." Nava said, crossing his arms. Sometimes, he found himself on the receiving end of Ruffnut, Tuffnut and sometimes Snotlout's pranks.
"I got the map, we're finding that treasure and you are a horrible lookout." Snotlout said, holding the rolled up parchment in his hand and directing the last part of his sentence at Fishlegs. "You heard what Gobber said. The bravest warriors in history have died trying to find the treasure." Astrid said. "Yeah and I'm next." Snotlout remarked arrogantly and stupidly. "Well, I personally would like to live see my next birthday." The sixteen year old Hofferson shield maiden said.
"We'll be legends. They'll sing songs and tell stories about us." Fishlegs said. "You'll be dead. Come on, guys, not even Stoick could find that treasure." Astrid said. Hiccup, who had been staying silent during the conversation, looked up. "You're right. He couldn't. Give me that map, please." He said, pulling the map out of Snotlout's hand and opening it up. "Finally, someone is making sense." Astrid said in relief.
"Alright, where do we start?" Hiccup asked, staring at the map. "Are you serious?" Astrid asked in disbelief. "Hiccup, this treasure hunt could be very dangerous." Nava protested. "When Hiccup sets his mind on something, it's really hard to stop him from doing it." Aniu muttered. "Think about it, you guys. My father couldn't find that treasure. What would he say if I did something Stoick the Vast couldn't do? How great would that be?" Hiccup implored. "You're gonna go after this no matter what I say, right? So, yeah, pretty great, right?" Astrid asked, walking over to Hiccup. "So, you're not gonna give me a hard time?" Hiccup asked hopefully. "Oh, I will give you a hard time, every step of the way." Astrid said, gently poking Hiccup on his chest. "Besides, I can't let you go with just them." She pointed at the Thorston twins, who were having a slapping contest.
"Harder. I said I wanted to see stars." Tuffnut said. Ruffnut obliged and slapped him across the face. "Well, it looks like most us are in agreement." Nava said. "So, what do we do now? What does the map say?" Aniu asked. "It looks like the map leads you to these spots." Hiccup said. "And the riddles are clues to what we're supposed to find." Fishlegs said, running a chubby finger down the map. "Blah, blah, blah. Where's the treasure?" Snotlout asked, snatching the map out of his cousin's hands. "Hm, clue number one. 'Where the land meets the sea, in the crook of the master's knee, that's where your search will be...gin."
"That doesn't sound so brilliant." Ruffnut said. "Okay, think, think, think, think, think. I forgot what I was thinking about." Tuffnut said. "'The master's knee.'" Aniu said, frowning. "I've seen this before." Hiccup said. "Come on, guys." The Dragon Trainers ran up the Great Hall's stairs, into the building and up to the chief-and-heir portraits. "Look, right there where his knee bends. It's pointing to this spot on the beach." Hiccup said, pointing at the Hamishes portrait. The elder Hamish had his foot on a rock and his knee was pointing at a rock formation. "And that's where we'll start." Nava said. "Everyone, get your dragons. We're heading out." Aniu exclaimed.
As the Dragon Trainers minus Aniu and Nava ran off to get their dragons, Hiccup spotted his faithful Night Fury playing with Skyflier, Forestflier and Violet (Stormfly and Arrow's hatchlings), Ignitis, Infernia (Hookfang and Firesnow's hatchlings), BoomerBanger (BarfBelch and LefaRila's hatchling), Stonecruncher and Sweetiepie (Meatlug and Clobbertail's hatchlings) while their parents hung out together."Toothless! Come on, bud. We're going on a flight!" Hiccup yelled. "More like an adventure!" Aniu said. Quickly saying goodbye to the young dragons, Toothless ran over to them while Nava went over to the dragon toddlers. " Hey, it just me or are you guys getting bigger?" He asked, tilting his head and gently scratching Ignitis and Forestflier under their necks.
"Yep, as we get older, we grow bigger." Skyflier said, flapping her small wings enthusiastically. "We don't stay young forever, you know." Violet said, shyly nuzzling her head against Nava's wing. Nava smiled and gently stroked the purple Nadder's occipital* horns which were still only mere stubs. "We going to learn how to fly pretty soon." Forestflier said. "Even though we're only a few months old." Infernia said. "I'm sure you'll grow up to be fantastic fliers." Nava said, before he got up and left. "Bye, Nava. Bye, Toothless!" The eight young dragonets yelled. "They're such cute and innocent little ones, aren't they?" Aniu smiled as Nava joined her. "Yeah, they are. And they've got good manners and are very polite." Nava said, remembering Aniu's love for young, cute and innocent things.
Not wanting to waste any time, the dragon riders and guardians flew out to the location of the next clue. "Listen up, you guys. 'From here, you will see the seed that has been sown. Look to where water turns to bone.'" Hiccup said, reading the map's instructions once they landed on the beach. "'Water turns to bone.' Hamish isn't even trying to make sense." Snotlout complained. "It's a riddle, Snotlout. It's not supposed to make much sense at all." Aniu said, gently hitting the boy with her wing. "No, it...'water turns to bone', 'water turns to bone'. He must mean ice. The glacier." Hiccup realized, staring up at the glacier that towered above them all.
"Well, ice is water's solid form, water is a liquid and steam, mist and water vapour is water in a gas form." Aniu said. "When ice turns into water, it's called melting. Condensation is when water vapour turns into water liquid. Evaporation is when water turns into its gas form. Freezing is when water turns into ice. Evaporation turns liquid water into a gas called water vapour. Condensation turns water vapour into liquid water. Water vapour condenses into millions of tiny droplets that form clouds. When clouds lose their water as rain or snow, it is called precipitation." Nava realized what he just said and blushed. "Never knew you were such a bookworm, Nava." Snotlout snickered. Nava promptly used ice magic, formed a snow cloud above Snotlout's head and caused a whole heap of snow to fall on him. "Hey, you're just asking for me to beat you up in a snowball fight." Snotlout said. "That's Nava's way of getting revenge for things like that." Aniu said. "If the clues on that map says look to the glacier, then maybe we should inside it and look around." Toothless said. Aniu translated his words to everyone and they all agreed.
"You had the map and you didn't destroy it! What were you thinking?" Stoick yelled at Gobber who was pacing in front of his throne. Fengo and Namara were standing by watching them. "I know, I'm an idiot. I thought you and I could take another crack at finding that treasure along with Fengo and Namara." Gobber said. "Gobber!" Stoick exclaimed in disbelief. "We turned back too early. So we lost a couple of toes." Gobber retorted. "Ack, come on, you three. We've got to find Hiccup, Aniu and the others before they get themselves killed. Why would he do something like this." Stoick sighed, going outside to get Thornado and Sonica. The purple female Thunderdrum's wing had fully healed and she could now fly again. Gobber, Fengo and Namara glanced at the portrait guiltily.
By then, the teens were in the glacier looking at their surroundings. "There's something in there." Astrid said, pointing at an ice wall. "I bet that guy saw it too." Fishlegs murmured. "Hey, there's something in the ice." Aniu said. "'Call on Magni you'll go astray. Freya, though, will show the way.'" Hiccup read the clues carefully. "I get it." Snotlout said, kneeling down and banging his helmeted head against the ice. Aniu (with her sensitive ears and enhanced hearing) heard a click, looked up and saw a contraption with a giant spiked claw swinging down towards Snotlout. Hiccup (who had saw it too) leapt forward and pulled Snotlout out of the way. The giant spiked claw slammed into the ice wall where Snotlout's head had been then returned to its original position.
"We can't break the ice. That's what Magni means. He's the god of strength." Hiccup said. "That's right." Fishlegs said. "And Freya is the goddess of fire." Hiccup and Nava said simultaneously. "And that's exactly what we're gonna use. Aniu, would you do the honour?" Hiccup asked. "Sure thing, Hic." Aniu said, kneeling down on the patch of ice and holdings her hands out. With Aniu's concentration, her hands glowed red and a small, steady plume of fire streamed out from them. Aniu continued melting the ice until the mysterious object was unburied. It was a small, strangely shaped, metal piece with intricate designs. But when Hiccup tried to pick it up, he hissed in pain from the heat. Aniu used light blue ice magic to cool it down. "Thanks, Ni." The boy said. "No problem, Hic."The guardian said. Once the metal object had been cooled down, Hiccup picked it up and once he did that, the ice rumbled but it stopped quickly. "That's it? That's the treasure?" Ruffnut asked in disappointment. "No, it can't be. But I bet this will lead us to it." Hiccup said. Tuffnut grabbed the metal object from Hiccup's hands and held it at arm's length. "Take us to the treasure." He ordered it seriously, as if the metal object would just magically teleport them away. "Let me know if it answers." Astrid joked, rolling her blue eyes at Tuffnut's stupidity in amusement.
"This is just the first piece..." Hiccup started to say before the ice started to rumble again, but the rumbles were much stronger this time. The Dragon Riders and guardians looked around nervously as the rumbles increased in frequency and strength. Then, the ice began cracking under everyone's feet. Desperately, the Dragon Riders started calling out for their dragons while Aniu and Nava prepared to fly. Luckily, the dragons were nearby and ran to their riders, who quickly mounted them. Everyone made it out just as the glacier broke apart. "Whoo, that was a close one." Nava sighed in relief. "If we hadn't flown out of there when we did, we would've been crushed or buried alive." Everyone agreed with him.
After the dragon riders, dragons and guardians left, Stoick, Thornado, Fengo, Namara, Gobber and Sonica landed on the beach. Gobber dismounted from Sonica's back and examined the ground. "Night Fury prints. They were here (he picked up some sand and sniffed it) about an hour ago." He said. "You're right about that, Gobber." Fengo said, sniffing the ground in his wolf form. "They must be around here somewhere unless they moved on." Namara said, also examining the ground in her wolf form.
"I'll never understand how you worked that out, Gobber. What does an hour ago smell like?" Stoick said. "Not as strong as a half hour ago." Gobber said. "The longer they've been gone, the fainter the scent, Stoick." Fengo said."If they were here recently, then the scent will be stronger than if they weren't here recently." Namara informed them. "No wonder I married you." Fengo said, returning to his human form and hugging his wife even though she was still in her wolf form. Namara returned to her human form and kissed her husband on the cheek.
Then, Stoick heard the sound of ice breaking and saw the crumbling glacier. "Look, the kids must've found something up there." He said, pointing. "It was in the glacier. I knew it!" Gobber exclaimed. "Oh, you knew it, did ya? Then, how come we spent a week digging in the sand?" Stoick asked angrily. "That was your idea." Gobber reminded him. "Hiccup got further in one afternoon than we got in a month." Stoick said. "Maybe because he had Aniu and his friends to help him out." Namara said. "Yeah, looks like the little hiccup's got the best of us. And we think we're the big, strong Vikings." Gobber said. "What are you saying?" Stoick asked. "Stoick, it's the painting." Fengo said.
"Ah, of course, he's trying to prove himself." Stoick said, guilt washing over him. "Stoick, did you see Hiccup's face when the portrait was unveiled?" Namara asked. "The poor lad was upset." Fengo said. Stoick realised what his son must have felt and lowered his head in shame. Then all of them turned and stared up at the glacier.
The Dragon Riders, dragons and guardians perched on a sea stack to solve the next riddle. "'At the edge of the world, amidst the raging sea, in the serpent's mouth lies another key.'" Hiccup read. "Serpents? I hate serpents. Those are reptiles, right?" Tuffnut asked. "You do realize you're sitting on a reptile?" Ruffnut asked. Tuffnut looked down at Belch and said "Oh.".
"Hey, that cloud look like a snake." Snotlout said, pointing up at a cloud. "Yeah and in five minutes it will look like a bunny rabbit." Astrid said. "Clouds change shape very regularly and besides, why would the next key even be up on a cloud?" Aniu said. "Wait a minute. He might be onto something. 'In the mouth lies the key'." Hiccup saw a rock formation shaped like a snake up ahead, compared it to the drawing on the map and noticed they looked very much alike. "I think the key might be in its open mouth." Nava said."Look. Right there. Toothless, let's go." Hiccup said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you crazy. You can't take a Night Fury with a wingspan of thirty feet and expect him to hover in winds like that. You'll be killed." Fishlegs exclaimed. "Well, what's the wingspan of Meatlug?" Hiccup asked, looking thoughtful. "Oh no, Hiccup. You are not seriously thinking what I think you are thinking." Aniu said. Fishlegs looked down at Meatlug and realized what Hiccup wanted.
Minutes later, Meatlug was flying through the air with Hiccup hanging onto a rope attached to her saddle. "Keep her steady." Hiccup instructed. "Oh, Thor. Oh, Thor. Oh, Thor. Do we really need that treasure? Isn't our friendship treasure enough?" Fishlegs exclaimed, trying to keep Meatlug steady. Once they reached the rock formation, Meatlug hovered, allowing Hiccup to reach out for the next piece of the key he could clearly see in the stone serpent's mouth. "I can't reach it.' Hiccup said, noticing they were too far away to grab it. "Okay, we tried. A for effort." Fishlegs said nervously.
"Hold on." Hiccup ordered, lowering himself down the rope until he was just above the metal piece. Carefully, he reached out with his prosthetic foot. "Come on. No." He groaned when he failed to ligt it up. Carefully, he put his prosthetic foot under the key, flicked it up and caught it in his hand. "Yes! Got it!" He yelled. Fishlegs happily steered Meatlug back to the sea stack where the other riders, dragons and Nava waited. "How's that for a hiccup?" Hiccup asked himself proudly.
Later on, the dragons decided to walk through the forest to rest their wings while their riders rode on their backs or necks. Aniu and Nava were in their wolf forms walking alongside them. After looking at the map, Nava said they should walk through the forest in case they missed anything. "Look, they fit together. We must be on the right track." Hiccup said, holding the two metal key pieces together.
"Hamish the Second must've cut them that way so the pieces will fit together like a puzzle. And I think we need to find one piece so they key is completed and then we can continue on." Aniu said, walking right beside Toothless so she could see the metal pieces. Nava (who was walking right beside Aniu) accidently stepped on her paw and brushed her side with his furry, silver-blonde tail. "Watch it, mister." Aniu said in fake anger. "Sorry, Ni." Nava said, moving to the side so he wouldn't keep bumping into Aniu. "Do you remember that race we had in our wolf forms when we were younger?" Aniu asked, smiling. "Yeah, how could I forget? We accidently ran into each other and ended up in a wolf pile*. Alex and Amanda wouldn't stop laughing at us." Nava said, remembering his cousin Alex who was still living at Guardian Island where he, Aniu and her parents used to live. Amanda was Alex's best friend and crush.
"Hiccup, what are you gonna do with your part of the treasure?" Ruffnut asked once Aniu and Nava finished their conversation. Indeed, all the teens were thinking about what they'll get with their share of the treasure.
Astrid was thinking of getting some new spare weapons to go with her double-bladed battle axe as well as some gifts for Hiccup, Aniu, Nava and Toothless to show how much she cared about them and possibly some armour for Stormfly, target shields for Arrow and some toys for Skyflier, Forestflier and Violet. "Who knows, Storm. I might get you some armour and get toys for your hatchlings." She whispered to her dragon. "Thanks, Astrid but I don't really want armour because it will probably slow me down and make it harder to move around and besides, I don't like anything covering my scales. And as for the toys, well, I think that my hatchlings will love them. And Arrow wishes he could train with the rest of us." Stormfly said. Nava translated her words to Astrid who nodded.
Nava was thinking of getting some new books, scrolls and maps. Unknowingly, Fishlegs was also thinking of getting the same things only a lot more of them from Trader Johann as well as some gifts for Meatlug and her mate and hatchlings.
The Thorston twins were thinking of getting new helmets and some fireworks from Trader Johann. Snotlout wasn't really sure, but he wanted to get some treasure for when he did decide on something he liked.
Aniu was thinking of getting some medical equipment, herbs and other things for her mother and the elder of the village so Namara and Gothi could keep helping the residents of Berk when they were either sick or injured.
"I'm not really here for the treasure." Hiccup said. "Great, I get his share." Snotlout said greedily. "You know, you don't have to do this." Astrid told her boyfriend gently. "Yeah, try telling that to my Dad." Hiccup replied. Eventually, they arrived at a stone wall with a door made out of bricks. "This must be the spot. Why else would anyone build a wall in the middle of the woods?" Hiccup asked. "Uh, duh. To keep out the other trees." Tuffnut said like it was very obvious. "Tuffnut, that was a rhetorical question which means you didn't have to answer it." Aniu said.
"Well, I got another one for you guys. 'The world is right when stars align. When not in sync, then danger you'll find.'" Hiccup said, reading off the clues. "Stars? I'm not waiting around her till night." Snotlout said dumbly. "No, I don't think he means actual stars. I mean, the water didn't really turn to bone." Aniu said, referring to the riddle about the glacier in her last sentence. "Well, what do you think it means?" Astrid asked. "Why are you asking them? Maybe I know." Snotlout said arrogantly. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava stared at him. "I said maybe. Turns out, I don't." Snotlout said. Aniu, Nava, Toothless and Stormfly shared looks with Hookfang, BarfBelch and Meatlug and all of them rolled their eyes. "I'm sorry about my rider being such an idiot most of the time." Hookfang said.
It's okay, Hookie. It's not your fault. He was like that way before you met him. Aniu telepathically told the Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Fishlegs got off Meatlug and examined the door. "Huh, there are shapes carved into each one of these bricks." He said. "Keep a look out for anything that looks like a star." Hiccup said. "Got one!" Snotlout exclaimed, pulling out a brick with a star shape carved onto it. But no sooner than he had done that, the ground began rumbling and rocks started falling. "Put it back! Put it back! Put it back!" Fishlegs screamed frantically.
But no matter how hard he tried, Snotlout couldn't push the brick back in. "Hookfang! Hookfang!" he started screaming. Hookfang was watching a leaf float past his face when he heard his rider's screams. Quickly, he shoved Snotlout aside and pushed the brick in with his snout. The rumbling stopped and no more rocks rained down. "Okay. It says 'in sync'. That means there must be another star." Hiccup said. "Over here!" Astrid said, pointing at a brick. "I think we're supposed to pull them out at the same time. Ruff, Tuff?" Hiccup said.
The Thorston twins showed their Zippleback the star carvings and mimed pulling them out at the same time. Barf and Belch grabbed the bricks in their jaws and pulled them out in unison. Nothing happened until the rock door opened. "Whoa."/ "Wow."/ "This is amazing."/ "Cool." The teens breathed out in awe. Everyone (dragons included) went inside and once the last person was inside, the doors shut, leaving everyone trapped inside.
Toothless roared in alarm, spun around and tried to claw open the doors but was unsuccessful. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava exchanged worried looks with each other. "Well, we came this far. We should keep going and see where this place leads us." Aniu said nervously. Everyone agreed with her and grabbed unlit torches. Aniu and Nava ignited theirs with fire magic while the riders asked their dragons to light their torches for them.
"Let's keep moving." Nava said and everyone walked down a tunnel. But when they arrived in a dark chamber, the temperature began to rise, literally. And the floor seemed to be covered in something that was making low chirping noises. A group of pedestals arranged in a circle stood in the centre of the chamber.
"Uh, it's so hot. Is anybody else hot? 'Cause I'm really hot." Snotlout groaned, wiping his sweating forehead. "I know. I'm sweating like a wolf in a desert." Tuffnut said. "I'm feeling it too." Aniu said, trying to use wind and ice magic to cool herself down. "You're not the only one." Nava said, wishing he could get a drink of cold water. Due to his signature element being ice, he was feeling the heat more than the rest. "If you're feeling so sweaty Nava, why don't you take off your vest?" Stormfly asked. Nava ended up taking off his grey vest and wiping his sweaty hands on his blue tunic and grey trousers.
"Uh, guys? Is it just me or is the floor moving?" Astrid asked nervously. Hiccup held his torchlight close to the ground and saw tiny, little dragon-like creatures scuttle away from the firelight. Hiccup moved his torchlight to another patch of ground and the same thing happened. "Uh, Toothless, can you give us some light please?" He asked his dragon. Toothless spat a plasma blast at a rock overhang and light spread through the chamber.
"That's why it's so hot in here." Fishlegs realized. "Fireworm dragons." Tuffnut eagerly knelt down and picked up a tiny Fireworm dragon. From its perch on Tuffnut's hand, they could see that the Fireworm dragon had a long body and tail, a wide head with a nasal horn, a big pair of wings, five pairs of legs and two glowing, pupil-less eyes. It had golden-orange scales and it was glowing, literally. "Stop. Their skin burns hotter than the sun." Hiccup said. He had read about these dragons in a book. "Yeah, but how hot can the sun really be?" Tuffnut asked. "Tuffnut, the sun is the main source of heat and light in the world along with fire." Aniu said. The little Fireworm chose that moment to heat its skin up to a high temperature, burning Tuffnut's hand.
"OUCH! Ow! Arrgh." The male Thorston screamed, dropping the Fireworm, allowing it to scuttle back to its brethren. Unfortunately, the rest of the Fireworms heated themselves up and began to attack the riders, dragons and guardians. Hiccup yelped in pain when a couple of them tried to climb up his leg but Toothless shot fire at them. The other dragons followed suit and the riders huddled close to their dragons for protection. Aniu and Nava turned into their dragon forms and breathed fire at the Fireworms. "The Fireworms are afraid of fire! Keep shooting it at them!" Nava yelled.
The Fireworms fled the area in the dozens, Hiccup walked into the shallow pit in the middle of the cavern where the pedestals were, closely followed by Toothless and Aniu. "Grab them and let's go!" Snotlout shouted. "No, it's a choice. Listen to this, guys. 'Something pure and something strong. Look first to yourself and you won't go wrong.'"Hiccup said. "Strong. That must be the one made of iron." Fishlegs said thoughtfully. "But iron's not pure. Take the gold." Astrid said.
By now, the dragons were beginning to use up their shot limit. Hookfang spat out a weak burst of fire and started coughing when his fire supply ran out. Meatlug took over for him but even she barely had any lava left in her body. Nava kept trying to help his dragon friends but he was getting tired.
"It's getting really hard to breathe." Astrid said weakly, wiping a hand against her sweaty forehead and pushing her damp fringe out of her face. "That's what happens when you're getting roasted alive. You might wanna make a decision soon, Hiccup. We don't have much time left." Fishlegs said.
A small of Fireworms snuck up to Hiccup but Toothless and Aniu noticed. "Stay away from my rider, you fiends." Toothless growled as he and Aniu spat fire at the little dragons, forcing them to run away. "'Look first to yourself.'"Hiccup repeated to himself, giving Toothless and Aniu pats on the head to show his gratitude. Slowly, he moved to a piece of metal shaped just like the other two key pieces he had in his pocket.
"Careful. It could be a trap." Astrid called out to her boyfriend. Very slowly and carefully, Hiccup picked up the piece. At first, nothing happened and Toothless and Aniu let out sighs of relief until a rumbling sound the chamber and the Fireworms fled. Suddenly, the floor beneath his feet fell apart. Screaming, Hiccup and Aniu fell into the inky blackness. Toothless had managed to get to safe ground but jumped into the chasm when he saw Aniu and his rider fall in. "Hiccup!"/"Aniu!" Astrid and Nava screamed.
Then the chamber started to cave in. "We gotta get outta here!" Tuffnut yelled as rocks started to fall from the ceiling. "Through there!" Snotlout yelled, pointing at a hole in the roof big enough for all of them to fly out of. "No! We're not leaving them!" Astrid yelled, attempting to pull Fishlegs off Meatlug's saddle.
"If we don't go now, we'll all be trapped. There won't be anyone to help Hiccup, Aniu and Toothless." Fishlegs said. Astrid, with a heavy heart, realized he was right. Quickly, she climbed onto Stormfly's saddle and all of them flew outside through the hole in the roof.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Aniu and Toothless had recovered from the fall. "We gotta find some way out of here, guys." Hiccup said, dusting himself off. "Can you give us some light, bud?" Toothless looked around and set a rock on fire. Aniu's hand glowed bright yellow and a ball of light appeared in it.
Hiccup smiled at her and his Night Fury gratefully before looking down and seeing a circular dent in the ground. "I think that's where the key is supposed to go into once you put the pieces together." Aniu said.
Hiccup grabbed the three metal objects out of his pocket and put them together. They interlocked like a puzzle. Carefully, he put the key into the slot and turned it. A pedestal rose out of the ground and a door opened up in a corner. "Well, we came this far." Hiccup said, walking towards the door. Toothless and Aniu glanced at each other, shrugged and followed him.
Outside, the riders, dragons and Nava were doing their very best to throw aside rocks in an attempt to dig through the rubble. "Keep digging! We gotta find them!" Astrid exclaimed as she, Nava and Fishlegs threw aside rocks only to dig through more. Fishlegs kept throwing his rocks into Meatlug's open jaws, allowing her to eat them. "Find who?" A voice asked. Everyone turned around or looked up to see Stoick riding on Thornado, Gobber riding on Sonica with Fengo and Namara flying beside them. Staring at the teens and their dragons, Stoick, Fengo and Namara realized that Hiccup and Aniu were not among them. "Son." Stoick whispered, fear gripping his heart. "Where's Aniu?" Namara asked desperately. "Where is our daughter?" Fengo asked, starting to worry. "In there." Nava squeaked out, pointing at the rock pile.
Hiccup, Toothless and Aniu walked across a narrow stone bridge into a small room filled with statues made out of gold and chests full of coins. Hiccup noticed a scroll on a pedestal and picked it up. "'This treasure was passed from father to son. I leave it to you, the next worthy one. For only a hiccup could get this far. From one to another, be proud of who you are.'" Hiccup read before opening the scroll. It showed a picture of Hamish the Second and his father but instead of Hamish the Second being bulky and brawny, he was small and scrawny just like Hiccup himself.
'Whoa, Hamish the Second was a hiccup just like me. He knew only another one of us could find this place. Look at all this stuff. I guess being a hiccup isn't so bad after all." Hiccup said in amazement. "See, Hiccup. Your strength purifies your weakness. Your intelligence purifies your lack of physical strength. It doesn't matter if you can't use a weapon as long as you have brains and friends by your side." Aniu said happily.
"Yeah." Hiccup said softly before the pedestal sunk into the ground and two more rose up on either side of it. One held a feather and the other one held a hammer. "Wow, so Hamish the Second really did like pedestals." Hiccup said before noticing some writing at his feet. "And apparently riddles." Aniu said. "It's so obvious that this guy liked riddles because of all the ones we had to solve." Toothless said.
"'In between the body and mind, a choice must be made on what you find. At this moment you must look to yourself as only one path will give you true wealth.'" Hiccup read before the cavern started to collapse. "Oh, come on, Hamish. You're killing us." Hiccup groaned before looking at the pedestals and making his decision.
Outside, Stoick, Fengo, Namara and Gobber joined the teens in throwing aside rocks. "Keep digging, that's my son in there." Stoick grunted. Then Fengo and Namara heard rumbling, looked around and saw the ground a few metres away collapsing. "Hiccup." Stoick whispered, running over to it with Fengo and Namara close behind.
The first thing they saw was Hiccup holding a feather and Aniu sheltering under Toothless's wings."Son!" Stoick called out in relief. "Hey, Dad." Hiccup said before running up to his father who gave him a big hug. "Hey, Mum. Hey, Dad." Aniu said upon seeing her parents. Fengo and Namara immediately embraced their daughter, wrapping their wings around her.
"Uh, Dad. I can't breathe." Hiccup gasped out. "Mum, Dad. You're strangling me." Aniu squeaked out. Stoick, Fengo and Namara let go of their children. Astrid promptly ran up to Hiccup and gave him a hug. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She whispered into her boyfriend's ear. "I'm sorry, Astrid. Really, I am sorry." Hiccup said when Astrid leaned back to give him a look. Nava instantly ran up to Aniu and gave her a hug. "You have no idea how worried I was." He whispered into his girlfriend's pointed ear. "Sorry, Nava." Aniu whispered, enjoying the feeling of Nava's arms and wings wrapped around her.
"What happened?" Fishlegs asked once Hiccup and Astrid, Aniu and Nava parted from their hugs. "Blah, blah, blah, who cares? Where's the treasure?" Snotlout asked eagerly. Hiccupp showed everyone the picture of the real Hamish the Second and his father. "This is Hamish's real son." Aniu told everyone, pointing at the portrait. "That's not treasure." Snotlout said in disappointment. "To a father it is. Look, I never meant to make you feel like you had to do something like this." Stoick said.
"I know, Dad. But I had to do it for myself. " Hiccup said before he and his father embraced once again. Snotlout watched this with slight jealousy. Why couldn't he have this relationship with his own father? Spitelout was always trying to make his son into what he believed was the perfect, ideal Viking.
'I spent most of my life trying to prove to my dad that I can be his type of Viking."
Vikings gathered in the Great Hall to stare at the repainted Hamish portrait that showed Hamish the Second for what he truly was. Bucket took the previous Haddock portrait off the wall and replaced it with a portrait that showed Hiccup as his true self and Stoick with an arm around his son's shoulders and a proud smile on his face.
"As it turns out, I already was."
Hiccup smiled at the portrait and felt a hand being laid on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Stoick looking down at him with a proud and loving expression on his face. "Your mother would be so proud of you." Stoick whispered to Hiccup. He knew in his heart that Valka would be so proud of the man their son had become.
"Hey, Hiccup!" Aniu's voice yelled out. Hiccup and Stoick turned around and saw Aniu pull a sheet off a portrait with him, Aniu, Astrid, Nava, Toothless and Stormfly painted on it. Astrid and Aniu were standing on either side of Hiccup and Aniu had a hand on Hiccup's shoulder while Astrid had an arm around his waist. Toothless was standing beside them proudly while Nava and Stormfly were in the background. Hiccup smiled at them, proud and happy that he had such great and loyal friends.
*'Occipital' means the back of the head or skull.
Freya is actually the Norse goddess of love, beauty and destiny. Not fire.
Wolf piles are what I call dog piles and in the Alpha and Omega movie, they called dog piles wolf piles.
I pray for the victims of attacks in Paris and in other countries and states caused by ISIS and wish the war would stop soon. There were many innocent people there who didn't deserve to die or have their families torn apart by the tragedies.
In my high school, all the year twelves have graduated. Big cheers for them. I'm a bit jealous. Still got a couple more years left of school. At least the Christmas holidays are coming in three weeks.
This chapter was twelve pages long on Microsoft Office.
This story was updated: 22.11.2015 Australian Time