A/N-Alright, a quick couple announcements before we go forward: first, a reminder that recently I uploaded the "A Basic Understanding" entry for the Book of Dragons, some of the info there may help also in understanding my take on the dragons, how they work, etc. Also, concerning this chapter: I warned you, things continue to go downhill. Relatedly, bonus points for anyone who can tell me what the title means :)

Carry on...

Chapter 13

Shevur

o0o

Trembling lips and the river of eyes

Marr perfection's peaceful guise

Crack the chasm, damage done

Ignite the battle never won

The questions now will freely fall

Never will be answered all

How we cry to turn the past

Make that day be not the last

Na'er is time kind to the soul

It leaves behind a burning hole

Every mind will have a time

When their rhythm has no rhyme

And all their life is torn apart

In the musings of a broken heart

Electric bolt and plasma fireball collided in unison with scales, and the explosion sent the Red Death careening to one side n its flight, right into the line of fire from magnesium flame and Nadder spikes.

::YOU VILE, WORTHLESS LITLE PIECES OF-!::

Hiccup grimaced as the behemoth spewed out curses and death threats faster than he did his flames. "Alright, one more occasion where understanding Dragonese is not a wonderful thing," he grumbled. ::Try having always understood it for your entire life, surrounded by foul mouths,:: Toothless muttered back, nodding in agreement. The pair looped around again, Hiccup aiming Framherja at the back of the Red Death's neck, waiting for enough of a distraction to arise in order to line up a clear shot. Sure enough, Ember and Orha roped its attention toward them, the head swinging downward as those two fired at its throat. Hiccup and Toothless took the chance, firing again and hitting dead center on the spine.

The Red Death jerked and stalled for a moment in its flight as the combined bolt impacted, stunning it for a fraction of a second before it turned all six eyes their way. "Well, at least we know it works a little," Hiccup said quietly, eyes widening as he flattened himself against Toothless' back, the pair arcing away as flames poured forth from the gargantuan mouth. Seconds later a swarm of enthralled dragons came up and met them head on, forcing the duo downward slightly. A single well-aimed shot of Night Fury fire scattered them enough however for Toothless to pull up again, and arrow once more toward their quarry.

"Hiccup!"

The mentioned teen jerked at the sound of his name, and turned immediately to see Astrid and Thorn flying full speed toward them. "The White Bewilderbeast on our side is down!" Astrid yelled again. "And Hawken just got thrown against the volcano! I haven't seen him move either!"

"He was knocked out?" Hiccup queried, eyes swinging downward and scanning the battlefield below. The dark Bewilderbeast was no longer bothering with the white one, who Hiccup could see clearly splayed across the rocks along one side of the volcano. His heart quickened at that, and then stopped when he noticed where the victor was looking: something was hidden in a jumble of rocks, and the alpha was completely ignoring the Stormcutter and Thunderdrum trying to draw it away, immediately telling Hiccup what the Bewilderbeast was looking for. Behind the behemoth, slumped at the bottom of the mountain and approached by a battalion of soldiers, he could also see the still form of Hawken.

"Think you can keep this guy busy until I get back?" Hiccup called over to Astrid. "No problem!" she returned, immediately steering Thorn back toward the Red Death. Hiccup nodded and turned Toothless toward Ember and Orha.

"Hawken needs your help!" he yelled, garnering the young woman's attention and pointing toward the figure in the rocks. "I need to find Drago and get him to call off the Bewilderbeast before he finds my parents!"

Ember nodded in agreement. "Got it!" she yelled, and Orha banked away immediately and turned toward Hawken, while Toothless shot toward the battlefield, air screaming as he dove.

Hiccup scanned the marred ground below, readily picking out the large, scarred figure heading in the direction of the Bewilderbeast, yelling and waving his bullhook as he pointed toward the rocks. "That's him, bud," he growled. ::You want me to shoot him first and ask questions later?:: Toothless queried a little too enthusiastically. Hiccup only shook his head. "Not yet. He's the only one whom that dragon will probably listen to; we need him to draw the Bewilderbeast away or call it off first, somehow, before we can attack."

Nevertheless, as Toothless aimed for Drago, he fired off a bolt that narrowly missed the man, exploding and throwing Drago to his knees for a moment as Hiccup leapt off and hit the ground in a crouch, standing up slowly and aiming Framherja at the warlord.

"Call off the Bewilderbeast, now!" Hiccup ordered vehemently, pulling back the string so that the energy bolt coalesced in his grip, oscillating and ready to be released. Drago only pulled himself to his feet and laughed, looking between Hiccup and Toothless mockingly.

"So this is the so-called Dragon Master," he sneered. "With the reputation you've earned I had been hoping for someone a little…more. What a sad irony that such a nothing of a boy rides the only Night Fury left." Hiccup only snorted. "Yeah, I've already heard every joke about my size in existence," he snapped. "Now call off your dragon or I will…hold on, the last?"

He'd heard it once before, mentioned by Jezebel the last time they'd faced, but hadn't had a chance to really think about it. Now, the words struck him in the momentary stall, Hiccup's eyes widening as he glanced at Toothless, whose own eyes were also now wide, pupils slit in hurt and fury. Drago simply grinned and gestured to his ghastly cape. "Oh, yes, the last. The rest of this once-proud race were killed off years ago, the last a broken female who gave me this. Your precious dragon is the only one left." He chuckled menacingly, seeing he'd hit a nerve, and looked around.

"Now that the white one is down, I too command one of the only Bewilderbeasts left in existence as well. How perfectly fitting it would be to end this battle by riding the very last Night Fury as well. All I have to do is get rid of"-

Toothless fired, point blank at Drago, who covered himself on instinct with the skin he wore. The fire exploded, the shockwave racing outward and buffeting Hiccup, but it did no damage to the warlord's cape. Drago skidded backward somewhat from the force, before letting go of the skin and glancing at Toothless almost pityingly.

"You dare to attack me, your rightful ruler?" he mocked spitefully. "No, that simply won't do at all."

Without warning, Drago threw out his bullhook, the blunt end colliding with Hiccup's chest and sending the teen to the ground, Framherja flying from his grip. Then Drago spun the weapon over his head and let out a reverberating yell, one that promised nothing good as it garnered his Bewilderbeast's attention.

::Master desires something,:: the behemoth spoke, the low, rumbling voice freezing Hiccup as he scrambled to his feet while the Bewilderbeast lowered his head and looked to Drago. The warlord smiled darkly, turning his bullhook to point to the snarling Toothless, and the Bewilderbeast's attention shifted accordingly, intense focus of his eyes drilling into the Night Fury.

Orha dropped down in front of the line of soldiers, spewing flames in all directions as Ember leapt off and ran over to Hawken. Placing two fingers on his neck, she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the pulse of a heartbeat under her touch, and moments later spotted his chest rising with an intake of breath. Hawken was only unconscious, and covered in small scrapes and bruises which she knew he would heal when he woke up.

Until then, however, she spun and pulled out a sword, knowing her bow would be of little use in such close quarters with the enemy, and as her Shadowracer spun and knocked soldiers back with his tail, following up with blasts of fire and acid, she began to engage those who managed to get any closer.

Nigh-indestructible metal sang as it sliced through the air, Ember's Mysteel blade cutting down weapons of lesser grade, and sending the owners who wielded matching weapons careening backward under the force of her angered blows. More soldiers were still surging up the slope, and Ember could clearly see that they cared not so much about her as they did about the young man she defended. They had recognized the potential of taking out the dragon boy while he was unable to fight back, and that blatant lack of honor sparked something all the more dangerous.

A cold, calculating anger settled over Ember's mind, a feeling she rarely experienced and never at this intensity before. The person she protected now along with all her other new friends had saved her life several times in the short period she'd known them, and given her a new home. Ember had already made up her mind that she would rather die before she let Hawken be taken under her watch.

As she swung and drove her blade through the side of another side-stepping soldier, a second broke past her and rushed for the incapacitated teen behind Ember, his own weapon raised high.

"NO!" Ember screamed, slamming her blade against the men now facing her and spinning around in an attempt to catch the escapee. She missed her lunge, her sword and her hands slamming to the ground as she slipped on the loose rocks beneath her feet as she reached again for the man. Too far to grab him, her heart stopped as the soldier grinned and raised his sword up, preparing to stab it down through the boy on the ground…

…only for him to miss as he slipped backward, falling on his face and rolling down the slope on the sheet of ice that had formed. Ember watched in surprise for a moment, before looking down at her hands and the blade she still gripped, frost coating them as the ice spread from her touch.

Slowly she turned and glanced down the mountain, watching the river of frozen water slow its progress and stop below her. Orha had lifted off the ground, and was hovering above as he stared at her in a similar state of surprise. The other soldiers, too, had halted their advance, most unable to move forward as they failed to gain foothold on the new, treacherous surface. Others were stuck in place, with their boots frozen to the rocks, and therefore unable to reach their quarry.

"What…what on earth just happened?" Ember sputtered, looking at her hands again, before her mind finally began to piece the situation together, an idea forming in her head as a new smile spread on her face.

"Two sides of a coin," she whispered, standing up, before yelling louder, "Fire and ice! That's it!"

"Uh, you okay Ember?" Orha called down. "Want to explain what happened here?" Ember nodded excitedly. "Oh, I'm more than okay. That's what's going on, fire and ice: the ability I have, it's not restricted to heat. I can control both ends of the spectrum, cold as well as hot!"

Ember grinned even wider before looking down at the men below her, who noticed her look and froze (no pun intended), knowing what was coming. The redhead nodded in affirmation to them before stomping down with one foot, the ground crackling as a new wave of frost raced from her and down the hill, effectively cutting off any further attacks from the ground.

"Yes!" she cheered, barely noticing Hawken stirring behind her in the heat of the moment. Then her gaze drifted out across the battlefield, centering on the beach to the southwest of her.

Ember's heart jumped into her throat as she watched the Bewilderbeast loom over Hiccup and Toothless, and a large figure she assumed was Drago was swinging something over his head, the savage screams from his mouth drifting over the landscape to Ember's ears.

The memory of the film they had watched not much more than a week before suddenly resurfaced, and all Ember could manage to muster was a quiet, strained "Oh, no" before Hawken groaned in pain behind her, and above them both Orha screeched in terror and shot away clumsily, seemingly no longer in control of his own body. Both Ember took as a sign that something horrific was about to happen.

It was exactly what he swore would never happen, something he believed was no longer possible now that he had a rider, a bond. Toothless grimaced and shook his head violently as a sudden, overwhelming pressure rose up and took hold of his mind and body. That tangible, almost physical tie he had come to recognize between himself and Hiccup began to fray, only the pieces connecting the dragon to his own mind remaining.

As he held onto those shreds of his other half with all his strength, Toothless felt his body shift, moving as of if through its own accord. He glanced up at Hiccup in fear, and only managed to say one desperate word before he felt himself become shut off, watching through his own eyes as something else controlled his body entirely: "Run!"

Hiccup stumbled in fear as the worries, the buried anxieties of the past week hit him again full force. He barely registered Drago laughing hysterically somewhere off to the side as the Night Fury began to advance on him. Toothless' eyes were flickering slightly, but the pupils still a natural slit unlike what he'd seen in the enthralled dragons; there was fear there, Hiccup could practically feel the terror that exuded off his dragon.

Toothless was watching himself go after his rider, his brother, Hiccup realized, but the Night Fury couldn't do a thing. He was in there, Hiccup could see him, but powerless. This hit him harder than if his friend had been removed from his own head completely, and for a moment Hiccup lost his voice in the paralyzing feeling that washed over him.

Moments later it came back, and Hiccup found himself shouting as Toothless advanced. "No, no, Toothless you're in there, fight it!" he screamed, backing away toward what he hoped was an open space where at least he could dodge a shot if it came. The dragon's head twitched slightly, but he continued in his advance, eyes widening further in abject terror.

Hiccup felt his foot brush against something in the gravel a moment before his back rubbed up against a solid surface. He turned back slightly first, finding himself against the ice of the Bewilderbeast, the crystal substance towering over him and curving around so that he couldn't dodge either direction without getting caught. Panic gripped him as he glanced at Toothless again, before looking down to see what his foot had hit.

Framherja lay in the gravel, sending a sliver of hope through Hiccup's mind. He bent down and grabbed the weapon, noting now out of the corner of his eye both his father and mother, taking advantage of the Bewilderbeast's new focus and knocking Drago out of the way as they raced toward him and Toothless.

"HICCUP!" Stoick yelled, running as fast as he could, praying he would get there in time despite the ominous story his son had told him. But there wasn't time enough, as the alpha dragon above them leaned forward, eyes focusing closer as he forced Toothless to open his jaws, the gas building up at the back of his throat as that wind-mimicking screech grew in power.

Hiccup's mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out a way out of this. He held Framherja up, knowing it was a long shot. But if timed right, he could offset the blast, maybe.

"Dad, stop!" he screamed, lifting up the bow and pulling back the string, aiming the bolt that formed toward Toothless. Stoick either didn't hear him or ignored the yell, however, only seeing his son in mortal danger, in the exact position that he was told the teens had watched. The man didn't care what happened to him; he only cared that he would ensure the survival of his son, somehow.

Time slowed to a crawl. The fuel in Toothless' mouth ignited, a blinding bluish sphere of superheated gas rolling out of his jaws. At the same time, Hiccup fired Framherja, the electric bolt streaming forward just before his father rammed into him, throwing Hiccup to the ground as the two powerful projectiles collided.

Hiccup had heard Hawken's explanation before about what happened when Night Fury fire met electricity, seen it in action once; the ionized plasma of one supercharged with the other in a subatomic fusion, the resulting energy release always immense. In the small, semi-enclosed space they were all trapped near, the result was devastating.

The explosion rolled outward with searing heat and great force. Hiccup felt the shockwave flatten him into the gravel, saw through the searing light Toothless skid backward as the same wave slammed into him. Out of the corner of his eye he also saw his father, still standing mostly upright, get hit almost straight on, throwing him almost headfirst into the ice behind them. As the echoing thunder of the blast ripped into the crystalline structure, chunks of ice fractured and broke off, falling on top of Stoick as he slid to the ground as well, and he did not move afterward.

The blast finally died down, the echoes bouncing back off the volcano as all other sound seemed to cease, and Hiccup scrambled to his feet, glancing only momentarily at Toothless, whose expression mirrored a person who'd been run through with a spear before his gaze fell forward. Valka, who had also been knocked to the ground by the shockwave, came up behind him as they both stared disbelievingly at Stoick, lying unmoving beneath two massive slabs of ice.

I awoke just in time to watch it unfold. Ember stood stock still just in front of me as we both stared, too far away to interfere, as Toothless prowled forward after Hiccup, both Stoick and Valka racing toward them but also just too far off. My heart shattered as the movie scene unfolded almost identically, Toothless firing point blank. But Hiccup did so as well, and Stoick came just close enough to leap against his son right as the explosion ensued, forcing Ember and I to turn our eyes away for a moment from the blinding light.

I knew, or thought I knew, exactly what just had happened, knew exactly how Hiccup and Toothless had both felt concerning if this ever did happen, and as that same pain blossomed in my own chest at the sight, something powerful tore within me.

"No. No, no, no," I whispered numbly, a rage defying explanation rising up as I felt rivulets of electricity build up, pure energy beginning to race through me and over my skin. Ember turned to stare as I suddenly morphed to Skrill again and shot upward, heedless of the injuries still covering my skin.

A new scream escaped my lungs, an agonized ::NNOOOOO!:: that ripped from my throat, melting into a powerful, sky-rattling shriek as I raced up into the now very dark storm clouds above. There was little energy left stored in me, what little there was snaking out of my jaws in a bolt of electricity, streaking into the sky. From the clouds returned lightning bolt after lightning bolt, striking the streamer and channeling dangerous levels of electricity down into me.

It's written that vengeance is the Lord's, but in that moment I felt it would have taken death itself to stop what was coming. I felt like I was on the verge of overload, the energy rush perfectly matching my emotions, the hole I felt ripping open. Falling, not diving, back toward the ground moments later, I no longer held any reserve about retaliation; what had just transpired had pushed me too far, and someone was about to pay the cost.

I flared my wings just before I hit the ground, and released every volt of electricity, every ounce of energy I had stored in me. A ripple of power exploded across the landscape, flattening any war machines not destroyed earlier and throwing both man and enthralled dragon alike into the air and then into the ground, hard.

A pair of bolts raced toward different targets, the first missing the dark Bewilderbeast as he dove into the ocean, escaping my wrath.

The second, however, hit its mark directly. I looked on, no feelings of regret or remorse at that moment, as the lightning struck the Red Death when he turned my way, intent on helping his allies. His mouth had opened in preparation to fire on me, and the bolt had gone in, dancing across his teeth and then racing down his throat, causing the monster to convulse in the overload to his system for a few moments before the electric discharge finished its job. Sparks flew off every point on the Red Death's body as it fell, lifeless, to the earth below, and the impact sounded with a sickening crunch. The earth heaved as the force punched yet another massive crater into the landscape, and set off by the electricity the fuel reserves inside the Death ignited, a massive fireball roiling outward, leaving nothing behind but charred scales.

Then, silence. Ash fell from the dying fire, and from the clouds above came the storm's payload, a drizzle of rain that started light, and slowly built up as time moved on.

I had dropped to my knees, demorphing, as the throes of my inner agony for my brothers were released. Then, winded, I slowly staggered to my feet, turning toward where I had last seen Drago with an expression promising death engraved on my face. The warlord saw this immediately, and this time didn't doubt it. Having been knocked down by Stoick earlier, he also got to his feet, and quickly retreated, grabbing the leg of an enthralled Nightmare as it flew past in the direction of the Bewilderbeast, all of them retreating away from the island and the only ones left, once more, being those no longer alive, or those bonded to riders who had once more found control over their own bodies again.

"This isn't over!" Drago called out as he and his dragons disappeared into the fading fog, to be followed shortly later by the ships of the soldiers who had survived. "I do not hold the upper hand in this battle, but it is not the last! I will return, I will come with my allies, and she will take care of the rest of you if I can't!" Then, he was gone.

The last of the adrenaline finally left my system then, causing my to notice my wounds, now further stressed by my outburst, and forcing me to heal myself. Then, my gaze turned, and I began stumbling over to where Hiccup was pulling at Stoick's arm. For the second time in less than five minutes, it felt like something had rammed through my chest at the sight, the pain making me fear the worst.

"Dad! Dad, please wake up! Dad!"

Hiccup threw the slabs of ice off his father with a strength he didn't know he had, and then pulled as hard as he could to try and roll his father over. Valka appeared at his side moments later, helping him, and then she threw himself against Stoick's chest, pressing her ear to his body and desperately listening.

After a few moments, she could hear neither his breathing, nor a heartbeat. She slowly looked up at Hiccup, straight into his eyes, as tears began to build in her own.

"No," Hiccup whispered, before dropping down and grabbing his father's shoulders again and shaking him. "NO! Dad, wake up!" He barely registered Hawken stumbling up to him, the rain beginning to fall, or even the other dragon riders and villagers beginning to gather around them. However, he immediately registered another voice, fearful and pained, as it came slowly closer and the owner nudged Stoick's hand.

"Stoick? Stoick?! Please, tell me you're there! You have to be there! Tell me I'm having a nightmare, tell me this didn't happen, wake up!" Toothless whimpered, his eyes, ears, his entire form expressing great agony and mortification, especially now that he was fully under his own control once more.

Hiccup watched this for a moment, numb, before a boiling rage welled up within him. Later on, he would recall the fear in Toothless' eyes as he was forced to advance, to fire; later he would recall the pain the Night Fury was expressing at that moment. Deep down even at that moment he knew the anger was misplaced, as he knew what had just happened. But right then Hiccup wanted someone to blame, to vent at, and before he could stop himself he exploded.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" he screamed, voice cracking as he reared back, winding up and actually punching Toothless square in the snout. "You did this! Get away from him!"

Toothless reeled back, not physically hurt much by the blow, but he felt something cut very deep into his own heart. As Hiccup reared back to hit him again, Toothless shrank from his rider, turning away and beginning to walk absently down the beach, rivulets of rain running off him as the downpour grew heavier. He didn't look back to see Hawken grabbing onto Hiccup and trying to hold him still as the Viking screamed more.

No, all Toothless knew was that he had just killed Stoick, one of the few he had thought he could call family. He hadn't been as strong as he thought he was, not strong enough to stop it, and now thanks to his failure he was also losing what he held most important: Hiccup, his brother, his other half.

A/N-Stay tuned, it's not over yet...