A/N-Alright, enough with the light and fluffy; in this chapter and several more to come, things are going to get darker.

Also, as an aside, please make sure to check out the Book of Dragons, I've just uploaded my "Basic Understanding" entry with lots of info about dragons in general. Origins, anatomy, the stuff we nerds like.

Chapter 12

The Fall

War is the harshest mistress

What little she gives she takes

And when nothing's to take she takes more

The faith of the world

The trust of brothers

The hope of daylight at the end

When all is over her wards are hollow

Mere shells of once proud form

Three days.

Three days of preparation before we felt sturdy enough to make our move. It would have been less, but another raid had hit the evening after me, Hiccup and the others had gone to observe the nest. Spitfire had not shown this time, making me fear all the more for the Changewing's safety, but not having a near-invisible dragon to deal with certainly made it easier to focus on defending the village itself.

We had also sent out several of the resident Terrors to the Meathead and Bog Burglar tribes, letting them know what was afoot, but by the time we decided to leave for Dragon Island again they were not yet in a position to launch parties for aid. For this, we were on our own (save for Cami and Thuggory of course).

I had to work the morning everyone was headed out, of course, but as we were taking ships to act as bases for the injured dragons and riders, should we have any, and platforms for ground troops if necessary, it would take several hours for them to make the trip to the nest, and I could catch up in no time.

As soon as I left work, I sped home, grabbed a drink and a quick bite of food to ensure my strength was up, and bolted outside. Once at Berk, I morphed Wind Fury and took off to the southeast, the air screaming as I covered ground and trailed the ships. Very soon the fleet came into clear view, and the dragons and riders skirting the edges became visible.

I spotted Hiccup easily enough and arrowed toward him, flaring my wings to slow and hovering next to Toothless. Hiccup glanced at me, too worked up to keep his focus on any one point for long.

"Where are your weapons?" he asked, not seeing them in the straps I had kept them in for so long. I grinned in response. "Should I need them, you'll find out," I assured.

Hiccup only gave me a strange look, before focusing forward again. "Everyone has been assigned a position," he then said. "Dragons will be covering the sea stacks as the ships get into position, and once we're ready, you and I will go after the Red Death, with Astrid, Ember and Fishlegs as backup, while Cami, Thuggory, Snotlout and the twins will face the Bewilderbeast. Other riders will be our backup forces and will aid as distractions and protection of the ships from the dragons in thrall, and anyone on foot will be ready in case Drago's fleet shows itself."

I nodded, morphing Night Fury as the eerily motionless fog bank appeared ahead. "Oh, I'm sure he will show up," I muttered, "and if he works with dragons he may well have eel-poisoned arrows and traps at the ready. We'll need our full guard up around him."

"Yeah, thanks for the optimistic outlook, Mr. Sunshine," Astrid remarked nearby. We all quieted as we entered the fog itself, the dragons landing on the ships or rock-hopping across the sea stacks to stay low and out of view. Slowly, the line of vessels picked our way into and through the maze.

We were approaching directly from the north side of the island, where the sea stacks were thickest (due in no small part to the fact that it was missed in the fight so many years ago with the last Red Death), and we would attack only when everyone was in position and it appeared that we would have the greatest advantage of surprise on our side.

Slowly, quietly, we approached the volcano ahead. There was a stretch of open water between us and the shore, marred not by a single ripple, but we wouldn't risk crossing it just yet. As quietly as possible, the ships lowered their anchors, and the dragons assumed their positions on the sea stacks surrounding the fleet. I stood by Toothless, rivulets of pale energy flowing across my scales as the anticipation that came with waiting built up.

Silence reigned over the scene. Not a ripple disturbed the water, not a sound came from the volcano, and not a sign appeared of any of the enemy ships. I glanced at Hiccup, who nodded; it was time to make our move. Toothless and I spread our wings, the rest of the dragons around us following suit. Carefully we crouched down, steadying ourselves before leaping upward, pumping our wings-

::AAAAHHHH!:: Thorn screeched nearby, Fishlegs soon echoing the dragon and Astrid yelping in shock as the water below exploded, a blast of greenish white exploding upward and scattering the dragons and their riders, crystallizing in a grotesque mockery of an ice sculpture. I spun in the air and looked downward.

The Bewilderbeast had found us before we had located him, and he had quite thoroughly stolen our element of surprise. "MOVE!" I screamed, and the riders cleared the location, flying upward out of range and regrouping. I fired downward, shattering the ice structure in a violent explosion and sending sharp fragments hurtling toward its creator, before following Toothless toward the volcano. I could hear behind me the roars of battle begin echoing as the assigned teens began their re-oriented attack against the Bewilderbeast, leading him back to the open water and firing the first shots of war.

Hiccup and I signaled Astrid and Fishlegs to swing to the west, Ember to the east, and we headed up the flank of the mountain, dodging the enthralled dragons that came suddenly pouring out of the cracks and caves to attack. Hiccup pulled Framherja off his back and gripped the string, readying to fire the weapon, and I glanced up to see dark cumulonimbus clouds gathering above us. I grinned and said a silent thank you for one more advantage on our side.

My thoughts were jarred back to the present however when a shower of boulders came flying down from above as the Red Death erupted from the mouth of the volcano, turning and glaring down at us. His eyes all narrowed as he gained focus in the brighter light outside the mountain. ::So the riders have returned,:: he taunted, mouth opening and displaying rows of massive, stained teeth. ::Come to meet an early end?::

::No, just here to deliver one,:: I snapped back, a sneer of my own forming. Hiccup and I both fired simultaneously, Night Fury blast and electric bolt screaming forward. The larger reptile above recognized the danger and jerked to the side just in time as the two charges intersected and exploded, sending out a shockwave that sent a group of smaller dragons spinning. The behemoth flared his wings and took to the air, turning and firing a shot of his own. A wall of flame poured downward, engulfing everything in its path and sending roiling waves of hot air and flames in our direction.

The pair of Night Furies it was aimed at dodged more than easily however and now we had the Red Death's attention completely focused on us. I gave a piercing whistle, and right on time, a sudden stream of bright bluish flames raced across the back of the Red Death's neck, followed by a shower of black acid and finishing with a hail of spines as Orha and Thorn came in from behind. The monster screamed in pain, before whirling on its new adversaries only to find the same spot they had attacked now under fire by Hiccup, Toothless and I again. A triple shot, and a shattered, burning streak of scales marred the armor of the Red Death.

"He's slow at turns, aim for the base of the neck and right under the arms when he surfaces!" Valka yelled, running almost in place as Cloudjumper barrel-rolled forward over the Bewilderbeast below. Cami nodded and directed Stormfly low to the water as Thuggory and Silverwings flared in front of the alpha, dragging his attention away from the mischievous pair. The Bewilderbeast surfaced again and fired toward Thuggory, only to be raked from below by Stormfly's stream of fire, leaving a smoking trail in her wake. The Bewilderbeast bellowed and swung his tail forward, nearly clipping the pair as they circled around again, before Cloudjumper let loose a powerful jet of flames straight into the beast's eyes and forcing him to submerge again.

Valka looked on with morbid confidence, hands clasped firmly around the new staff her son had crafted for her. Alike her old one in so many ways, she couldn't help but marvel at the metal Hiccup had used. Incredibly strong, and yet so impossibly lightweight, it felt like a feather twirled between her fingers as she spun it in preparation. The staff was the key, the signal to unleashing their own secret weapon, but only at the right time. Until then, Valka bided her time, her and the other riders drawing the Bewilderbeast below them toward the island slowly but surely and tiring him out. It would take a long time; this was a young dragon with a great deal of strength in his actions.

Cloudjumper swerved to avoid another stream of ice as the alpha turned on him, and again he dodged as an enthralled Nightmare came in fast and released a stream of liquid flames. Once out of danger he righted himself and called over his shoulder to gain Valka's attention, nodding toward the southern shore of the island. Valka's gaze followed, and her breath hitched in her throat; the enemy ships were beginning to show themselves, sliding out of the mist and anchoring along the beaches. Already men armed to the teeth were beginning to leap from the vessels and swarm their way.

Valka swung her staff and pointed toward Stoick's ship, Cloudjumper roaring in affirmation and turning immediately. Valka needed to warn her husband immediately, and as she glanced behind her to see the Bewilderbeast place his first foot on the shore of the island, she raised her staff high, signaling their new ally.

Trying to fight against a swarm of small, incredibly fast dragons is difficult especially when they've been trained to work together, and even more so for a creature the size of an aircraft carrier. However, the Red Death was far from defenseless. Walls of searing flames prevented all but me from getting too close in our attacks, and even then the unpredictable air currents caused by the tongues of fire made flying through it a near-death wish even for me. The wild dragons under thrall continued as well to get in our way, forcing all of us to expend precious energy in fighting off the very creatures we were attempting to save. Every opportunity it had the Red Death took as well, turning in the air as Toothless and I shot down a pair of Timberjacks and swinging his tail upward, straight toward Fishlegs. The boy while sitting on Meatlug was nowhere near fast enough to get out of the way of the bludgeon, and he screamed as death seemed to become inevitable.

A spine on the edge of the tail caught both of them right in the middle, sending the pair spinning through the air, but they soon righted themselves, glancing around in shock that they were still alive. Fishlegs eventually figured it out, looking down at the armor he wore. "I didn't even feel it," he muttered, before giggling and raising his arms up. "I'm okay!"

A shot of Nadder fire raked past him seconds later, forcing Fishlegs to duck and turn Meatlug away immediately after. "Less okay! Ahhh!"

I snorted as I let loose an electric charge, stunning the Timberjack I was up against and sending it to the ground as Hiccup fired Framherja at his and Toothless' opponent, resulting in a similar effect. "Strike the point where the back of the neck meets with the head!" I yelled over to him. "If it's like other dragons that should at least slow the monster down no matter the attack!" "Got it!" Hiccup yelled back, and he and Toothless flipped over and went racing behind the Red Death.

I glanced around in the momentary stall and spotted a wave of water surging upward from the sea stacks as the white Bewilderbeast Valka had enlisted made himself known. However, I also spotted the ships gathering at the other end of the isle. I backpedaled and dove toward the Red Death, firing at its eyes and distracting it while I located Ember, an easier thing to say than do when she and her ride kept blinking in and out of visibility.

I finally spotted her and Orha underneath the Red Death, flashing into and out of view as they took shots at unprotected soft spots along the monster's belly. "Lead it upward, we have to stay out of range of the army!" I yelled as I glided up next to the pair.

"The army showed up?" Ember yelled back. I nodded, before dodging a Zippleback rocketing up after us, whipping out my tail and catching the dragon across its side, zapping it into unconsciousness before skirting upward and facing the Red Death head-on.

::Up here you ugly bag of blubber!:: I taunted, catching his attention before firing a plasma bolt straight into the Death's nostrils. He roared in anger and pain and snapped out, while I grinned and bolted upward, spiraling out of the way as a plume of flames rose up after me. I spotted Astrid and Ember circling it below, while Hiccup and Toothless lined up for a shot as they flew just behind the Death's field of vision.

By chance I glanced downward at the island again, and my breath hitched at the scene.

Valka peeled away from the two Bewilderbeasts, assuming that they both would be busy for a while (especially if the ground-shaking collision behind her was anything to go by), and Cami and Thuggory at least were proving themselves competent without her direct advice; the others were more of a concern, but they were listening to the two heirs at least. She and Cloudjumper were soon joined in the air by Thornado and his rider.

"We both know Drago," Stoick yelled over the wind. "Take him out somehow and we can end this." "Yes, but first we need to destroy his machines!" Valka called back. "Until we do that, anything in the air will be in danger! And we still don't know who he's working with, or what other tricks he still has! You know he never shows everything all at once!"

Stoick nodded in agreement, before giving a cry of shock and ducking out of the way as a weighted net came spinning upward toward him. Cloudjumper roared and angled downward, four wings flaring as a whirlwind column of fire erupted from his mouth and incinerated the net throwing machine below. Then he, too, spun to the side as a series of bolas came flying upward after him.

Stoick grimaced in slow boiling anger, and began to scan the beaches below both for patterns in the setup as well as the man they were looking for. Suddenly he heard the sounds of crossbows firing, and spotted gleaming points flying toward him. "Move Thornado!" he bellowed to his dragon, who dropped suddenly and turned away, avoiding most of the projectiles.

Stoick, however, felt a sudden THUNK! as something embedded into the very edge of his shoulder guard. His eyes widened in great worry, as he was wearing the Mysteel armor Hiccup had made. It was painted to match his clothes, but there was still only one thing that could possibly even scratch the metal: other Mysteel.

He reached over and pulled out the arrow, his fears confirmed when he laid eyes on the weapon: a Mysteel arrowhead. "Jezebel," he muttered, and immediately directed Thornado toward the speeding Stormcutter nearby.

"I hate to do this, but I need to find Hawken!" Stoick yelled once he was sure Valka could actually hear him. "Keep looking for Drago, I'll be back as soon as I can!"

"What happened?" Valka called back to him, batting away a bola with her staff. "I know who he's working with," Stoick replied gravely, before turning toward the roiling flames that danced across the sky above them.

Valka grimaced, knowing even after all those years the look Stoick had plastered on his face, before leaning forward again and scanning the army. A chaotic scene of scrambling men and flying projectiles made it all the more difficult however, even though for once she could not spot any of the armored dragons Drago was famous for.

Finally, she spotted him making his way through the maze of war machines toward where the two Bewilderbeasts battled: a massive hulk of a man, draped in dark dragon skin and a dangerous sneer almost permanently plastered onto his face.

Valka turned Cloudjumper toward Drago, and once close enough she realized she recognized the skin that Drago wore over his shoulders, something he hadn't had the last time she'd confronted him: it was none other than the unmistakable pelt of a Night Fury.

We need to take him down before Hiccup ever finds him, Valka decided, knowing already how her son and his dragon would react. Cloudjumper sensed her motives and swooped down low, Valka leaping off seemingly right in Drago's blind spot, and raised her staff to bring it down on his shoulders.

A sudden flash of movement and Valka found herself fending off a powerful swing as Drago turned casually to face her. "Well, well, if it isn't the vigilante of the north," he sneered. "What a pity this time not only will I get away, but you'll not live to see it."

Valka gave no reaction to the words but a deepening scowl, and she spun her staff once more, swiping for Drago's legs followed by his neck, but even with the extra speed the light metal provided, she was blocked effortlessly both times by the bullhook Drago wielded.

"You have nothing on your side," she spat. "We have powerful allies with abilities you could not imagine; you have no hope of winning." Drago only grinned at the words. "Oh, yes. I already know who you fight alongside," he taunted. "Something about a dragon boy and a Night Fury." His fist came up, bullhook swinging to the sides as he aimed a punch which was easily dodged and blocked by Valka's staff, before they both glanced up in surprise as a crackling explosion rocked the sky, and black flames erupted around them and began to tear apart the machines that surrounded the pair.

We led the Red Death up to just below the clouds, but could not get him to follow us further despite the aggravation we presented. He knew he lost an advantage in the dark mist above us, and wouldn't be fooled by that like the last one had. Ember had gotten in a lucky shot with a Piffleworm arrow, embedding it between the scales of the Death's haunches, and it had slowed down the beast slightly, but to take down a Red Death with venom we would have needed a small flock of Piffleworms. While I could produce a fair amount of the toxin myself, even that wouldn't be enough to bring down this mammoth. On top of it all we were still continuously plagued by the enthralled dragons that the Red Death summoned to his aid.

I gritted my teeth and pulled upward, preparing to take another shot at the behemoth's head, before a posse of new riders showed up and I spotted Stoick leading them and heading straight toward me. I broke off, knowing this meant an unpleasant development, and flew down to him.

"Do you recognize this?" he asked, holding up an unnervingly shiny arrow, tipped with a metal I now saw more in Ember and Hiccup's hands than anywhere else. My breath hitched.

"He's working with Jezebel?!" I screeched. Stoick nodded. "It appears so. You're the only one who's able te get close enough te take out the archers who are firing these, so we need your help before ground troops can get in to do anything!"

I glanced at the Red Death behind me, who was now thoroughly occupied with Ember, Hiccup, and the new friends that buzzed around his head. The Death would be busy for a while, so I decided that I could probably afford to leave the fight with the monster to them for now.

"Where's Valka?" I called back to Stoick, focusing on him again. "Looking for Drago," was his curt reply. My eyes narrowed. "Go find her then; I'll be there in a minute to help." Stoick nodded, and immediately spun Thornado around, taking off toward the battle below.

I let Hiccup know that I was taking on another role for the moment, and then rocketed into the clouds above as I morphed to Skrill.

Thunder rolled in the darkening clouds, and as I flared out my wings lightning flashed around me. I grinned and spread out the quills that lined by back and tail, and it wasn't long before I felt the static build.

A bright flash, and I felt my skin dance with energy, the air superheating and a deafeningly loud CRACK! of thunder rolling through the air around me. Then, I tucked my wings in and dove toward the island again.

One lightning bolt can contain upwards of five billion volts of electricity, and while a Lightning Blazer can produce and control electricity, only a Skrill can actually contain that much power without immediately using it. I grinned as sparks danced across my scales, and let out a piercing scream as I aimed for the war machines and the archers below. Once close enough for an accurate shot, I opened my mouth and fired, the bolt leaping from my jaws to the metal in the hands of the archers, the high voltage immediately knocking them out and burning the bows until they were permanently useless, as the air exploded again with thunder. Three shots later, and every line of archers was down and the machines around them alit with flames. However, I was also out of lightning.

I was far from out of tricks of course and grinned again, diving to the ground as my scales turned black and I melted into the shadows beneath the still-standing soldiers and their machines. Then I unleashed jets of black fire in every direction.

Men screamed as catapults and javelin launchers began crumbling under the anthracite flames and tightened cords snapped, sending sharp spears and slivers of metal and wood in all directions. More soldiers screamed and ran whenever I rematerialized and showed my face, blazing red eyes and wickedly sharp teeth wreathed in black. Systematically I tore down one weapon after another, working my way through the ranks.

I soon spotted Thornado and Cloudjumper again, circling a spot on the ground, and headed in their direction. Not long after I came close enough to see Valka and Stoick both fighting against a hulking man draped in…

When I recognized the Night Fury skin that Drago bore, my blood boiled over and I rematerialized, unleashing flames in the direction of anyone stupid enough to try and take me on as I marched purposefully toward the three main fighters. Slowly, I morphed back to human, and Valka noticed me first, signaling me subtly to come in around the side.

I sidestepped a sword from another unintelligent soldier, taking barely a moment to slam him to the ground with a flick of my tail, and held my hand out to the side, curled as if I grasped a weapon.

Drago noticed me, unfortunately, and stepped out of range momentarily not only from my reach but also that of Stoick and Valka. "So you're the one she warned me about," he said, before cackling as he looked me up and down, seemingly unfazed as the air between my fingers crackled and glowed, a handle and gleaming blade growing out of the pulsing light; I'd manipulated the Lightning Blazer's ability to convert energy and matter into a handy storage technique, and my weapons were stored that way now. "I see you have made short work of my soldiers, but no matter. Men and mere objects only get you so far; it is the dragons who have the true power here."

"Only for those whom they are allied to, and know what they're doing," Valka hissed, swinging her staff toward Drago again. He blocked easily with his bullhook, spinning the tip and sending the staff flying to the side. The force knocked Valka off balance for a moment before Stoick caught her. I, meanwhile, growled and leapt forward, spinning the blade in my hand outward and then up, hoping to catch Drago's own odd weapon and sling it from his hands. Drago instead pulled back, and slammed the tip of the hook outward, catching me off guard and hitting me in the stomach, hard enough to make me skid across the gravel.

Drago used the moment to gesture and draw our attentions to the Bewilderbeasts fighting off behind him. "Sooner or later one will win, and I don't think your beast will last much longer," he sneered. I glanced up at the words, and saw what he meant: the white Bewilderbeast that the other dragons referred to as the Northern King had held the upper hand in the fight to this point, but now I could see clearly that he was tiring. The dark one was younger, somewhat inexperienced but made up for it in stamina, and he was beginning to push the lighter colored alpha toward the side of the volcano.

I focused again on Drago, knowing it would do no good to distract myself with that battle at the moment. "If we end you, he'll have no reason to fight anymore, now will he?" I mused, another sword forming in my right hand as I leapt forward again, blades whistling as I attacked, trying to disarm Drago or knock him unconscious. Stoick and Valka joined from the sides, as we began to push Drago toward the water's edge.

Soldiers further away finally noticed their commander was in danger, and they rushed us from all sides, those who were managing to get past the few dragon riders who weren't fighting the Red Death, and they slowed us down enough that Drago began to hold his own once more against the three of us.

Suddenly, something massive hit the ground, shaking the earth beneath our feet, and we all turned to see the Northern King knocked to the ground, unmoving and bearing massive gashes across his sides from his opponent's tusks. Sensing his victory, the dark Bewilderbeast rose up on his hind legs and roared out his challenge.

"NO!" Valka screamed, throwing herself at Drago again only to be knocked forcefully back by a blow, hitting the rocks hard. I had stalled momentarily, lost at the sight of our ally brought down, but when I peered closer, I could see just the faintest sign of the Northern King's sides moving with slight breaths. He was unconscious, not dead, and he would be for a while, and his opponent likely assumed him gone.

That knowledge fueled my resolve again and, as Stoick ran to help Valka to her feet, I turned toward Drago as he swung his bullhook, yelling and pointing toward the pair. The new reigning alpha focused on them, and a chill swept through me, prompting me to scream "Run!" They both looked up, and Stoick scooped his wife up before fleeing toward an outcrop of rocks, recognizing the futility of running for their dragons when a jet of ice exploded across the gravel where they once stood.

The whistle of a fast-moving object grabbed my attention, and I ducked back just in time to find Drago's weapon swinging in toward my head. I lifted up both blades, the CLANG! of metal ringing out over the battlefield when his bullhook held up against my swords. Immediately that told me Drago, too, was fighting with no ordinary metal. I threw the hook to the side, blocking again as he spun the other end toward me, and then rolled and knocked out the two soldiers who had tried to come in behind me. Standing up again, I dematerialized one sword and aimed the tip of the other toward Drago, streams of electricity running down it and coalescing at the tip.

"You are wearing the skin of a Night Fury," I spat. "That's more than enough in my eyes to justify killing you here and now. It also tells me that if I let this bolt go, there's nothing you will be able to do to dodge or escape it. Your vile cape is fireproof, but even a Night Fury can be electrocuted."

Drago stepped back from me slowly, scowling as I gestured toward the Bewilderbeast trying to find Stoick and Valka. "Call him and the Red Death off and leave while you still have a chance, or you will find yourself as crispy as a cricket that got stepped on by a Skrill."

"You don't have the heart to do it, not in cold blood," Drago quipped back. "I heard as much from Jezebel." I frowned. "Oh? I've fought many battles and been in life-and-death situations more times than I care to count. I hate to kill, but those sorts of experiences tend to really change"-

Suddenly I found myself being violently broadsided by a massive tailfin. Drago hadn't been backing up in fear of me (after all, madmen have little in the way of self-preservation); he was getting out of the way and clearing a path for the Bewilderbeast's tail.

My breath was ripped out of me and my sword dematerialized on instinct. A couple of ribs cracked, distracting me with pain, and too stunned to react at how I had missed such a massive danger, I forgot to spread my wings and try to fly before I hit the side of the volcano, hard, and slid down the side.

The world swam as pounding pain rocked my head and chest, and the last thing I spotted before I blacked out were two dark figures flying through the air, one toward me and the other going straight for Drago.

A/N-So what do you think? Yes, things are not looking good, and it only gets bleaker...

Let me hear your predictions, don't forget to review!