The Valkyrie Isles
Author's Note:
Hey guys! I know that I said that this chapter would be up last month, but I kinda procrastinated a little…. Anyway, I have created a writing schedule and I am trying to make writing a daily habit, so I should be able to update sooner in the future.
Now on to the chapter!
ACDACDACD
"13 dead, 8 critically injured 21 with minor injuries." Spitelout announced.
"13 dead! The estimation was only 5 dead! How did we lose so many?" Gobber demanded. With the village in its current dilemma, even five losses were devastating, but with thirteen gone and so many injured, the next raid might be their last.
Currently, Stoick's council of advisors was gathered at the flagship of the armada to debrief the chief of Berk, Stoick. The statistics were not particularly good.
"Maybe it's because our strategist didn't take into account the use of guns!" Snotlout scowled at Fishlegs.
"I did take into account muskets and even cannons. But I didn't expect them to have as many as they did. Muskets and gunpowder are expensive. They would have to have sold three years' worth of daily raiding in order to afford what they had." Fishlegs defended himself.
While the rest of his advisors were debating the cause of their losses, Stoick was lost in thought about Alvin's killer. He looked so much like his son, but he couldn't have been, right? Hiccup was small and weak; he couldn't have changed so much in just five years. Who would have trained him? No, Hiccup was with the dragons; dead, for all they knew.
"Stoick?"
But what about the scar below his lips? It was in the exact same spot as Hiccup's scar. That couldn't be a coincidence. Could the scar be a tribute to his lost son? That would mean that the person knows Hiccup and respects him.
"Stoick!"
Stoick head snapped up at the shout. His entire council was pushing their way to the front of the crowd that gathered at the bow of the ship. Gobber was the only one left and was shaking Stoick's shoulder.
"What has gotten into you?" Gobber asked with concern. "Smoke is rising from Berk!"
"What?" Stoick stood up from his seat at the back of the ship, where the meeting was held, and pushed his way to the front.
Pillars of smoke that was hidden in the darkness the night before when they spotted Berk, rose by the hundreds. The guard tower that stood guard over Berk was nothing more than rubble. From the distance, even the port looks like it's been through Hel.
Stoick's expression darkened at the sight of his village. It has been raided! "I want every able body at the oars now! Full speed ahead!" Stoick ordered.
The Vikings quickly recovered from the shock of seeing their village in ruins and dashed to man the oars. Every single Viking on the ship, including those with injuries and those whose shift is over, dashed to the nearest oars, receiving newfound energy from seeing their village burnt to the ground.
Stoick took one final look at his burning village Stoick turned around and helped out at the nearest oar.
ACDACDACD
The sun had risen over the horizon by the time Hiccup, Heather and their dragon convoy arrived at their destination. In the distance an island materialized and grew bigger. Finally, we're home.
Toothless and the other dragons were flying close to the surface of the sapphire blue ocean that sparkled under the sunlight. The increasing number of dragons in the vicinity heralded the groups arrival at a safe haven for dragons. The new dragons stared in awe at species that they have never seen before in their area, but they were also amazed at the amount of freedom these dragons had.
Thunderdrums and Scauldrons swam in and out of the ocean, sometimes with a catch of fish. A pair of Timberjacks cast a shadow over the group with their huge wings. Not too far away, several Changewings fought in midair. Although they were invisible, their scuffle was quite obvious through the shadow they cast on the ocean.
"Stay close if you don't want to get lost." Hiccup called back with a chuckle. He has freed quite a lot of dragons in his time here and unless they were native to the area, the dragons he freed usually had this same look of amazement in their eyes.
As they drew closer to the island, Hiccup and Toothless pulled up, with Heather tailing behind closely. The rest of the dragons quickly followed his lead. The group pulled up high into the sky and passed a few tinny islets below them on the way to the main island.
Some of the islets had tiny settlements on them; small fishing villages on the larger ones and, sometimes, just a single, lonely shack stood on the smaller islets. Fishing boats quickly became a common sight. The boats usually fish in pairs, with a dragon pulling each and a large net in between to catch fishes or other sea animal that can be eaten.
The dragons became nervous at the sight of such a large number of humans, so Heather had fly back and encourage them. Hiccup had Toothless pull up next to the Nightmare and placed a comforting hand on him. "It's alright, they won't hurt you, and they are nice, like us."
The dragon relaxed a little but Hiccup could tell that he was still tense. Hiccup pierced the air with a high pitched whistle and very quickly, they were surrounded by a pack of dragons that were attracted by the sound.
The dragons were easily distracted by their compatriots who had arrived allowing Hiccup and Heather some time to rest. Heather sent Hiccup a nod of gratitude and was about to thank Hiccup when she was cut off. "Hiccup, Heather, You guys are back!"
Hiccup looked at the direction of the voice and found its source, his good friend Thuggory, who was riding a Lumberjack. "Looks like my whistle drew some unwanted attention." Hiccup said with good humor.
"Hardy har har." Thuggory rolled his eyes at his friend before turning to Heather. "How's the mission?"
"Successful, Berk's invasion proved to be an obstacle, but we managed to accomplish the mission and find new info on Templar activity in the Viking Archipelago."
"Good, because Lady Valka wishes to see the both of you. Want you to fill her in on what you found, I reckon." Thuggory told them.
Hiccup nodded, "Can you take the dragons from here? Mom hates tardiness."
Thuggory groaned, This is already the fifth time this month that I have to take over Hiccup's new dragons. Thuggory didn't have much of a choice, Hiccup's mom can be scary when she is angry, and she has a passionate hatred for late people. "Fine, but you owe me one, again."
'"I saved you from dragon trappers last Monday. I say we're even." Hiccup reminds Thuggory as he and Heather flew ahead to their home island, the Valkyrie Isles.
Thuggory watched the pair fly away with a sigh and turned to face the noisy pack of dragons behind him. He hated new dragons.
ACDACDACD
The Valkyrie Isles consisted of three major isles and several hundred islets of differing size, the smallest measuring five feet across. The largest of the three major isles was nearly twice the size of Berk and was covered in lush forests and wide, hilly grasslands. The isle seems to, roughly, resembled a deformed wing of some unknown dragon specie and was therefore named the Valkyrie's Wing. The isle was populated mostly by humans that do not have a dragon partner. Several villages litter the coast of the isle, while the interior was inhabited by small settlements like ranches, farms, and cottages.
The second isle was oval in shape and was mostly mountainous. It is located a few miles west from the Valkyrie's Wing. If one were drunk enough and somehow managed to convince a dragon to let you ride it, he should be able to see the island as the head of a Valkyrie; which is where the island got its name, the Valkyrie Head. This island was populated with dragon riders and their partners. Residences were carved into the mountains or built on cliffs or other dangerous places. There are exceptions to this rule, which were mostly miners who decide to live close to their workplace.
The final and smallest island was so small that if the Queen had not decided to make the isle her residence, it would have been considered one of the many islets that surround the Valkyrie Isles. The island itself was invisible because a fortress of ice has been built around the island with several parts of the fortress being built and held together by brick and stones. The island is called the Valkyrie's crown and is inhabited mostly by dragons without a rider and important people like Assassins and nobles.
The skies above the Valkyrie Isles are usually bustling with activity and dragon riders, but as Hiccup and Heather flew past the Isles, the entire place nearly looks abandoned. Hiccup chalks it off to the unholy hours in which they arrived home. Unless their job demands their presence, most people would stay at home and continue in their blissful sleep this early in the morning.
Hiccup and Heather flew straight towards the Valkyrie's Crown to meet Lady Valka, ruler of the humans in the Valkyrie Isles. Valka is also the Master Assassin of the Viking Archipelago and Valkyrie Isles. All Assassins are to report to her after every mission.
The pair landed on a cement platform that jutted out of the fortress. Two guards riding Monstrous Nightmares guarded the hole that provided access to the castle of ice from the platform. The pair climbed off their dragons and walked over to the hole. The guards saluted and welcomed Sir Hiccup and Lady Heather as they entered the palace, which was also a dragon nest and Assassin headquarters.
The two Assassins entered a hallway of ice and begin walking down. The hallway was large enough for two dragons to walk alongside one another and tall enough for smaller dragons to fly. The floor was carpeted so that humans without a dragon companion won't slip. Hallways like these were designed so that humans that do not have a dragon friend can still access the Valkyrie's Crown. Hallways for dragons were simply tunnels in the fortress of ice.
As Hiccup and Heather navigated the corridors with their dragons, they encountered several guards who made sure no random person enters certain areas without permission. Every time they pass them, the guards would always salute, greet, and welcome the pair back from their mission. It was easy for Hiccup to grow sick of the formalities, and he was pretty sure that Valka and Heather feel the same way. The formalities were set because the Valkyrie Isles were often receiving visitors from other branches of the Assassin Order and needed to show some degree of organization.
It took Hiccup and Heather about ten minutes to reach a large set of wooden double doors that led to Valka's study. Hiccup and Heather shared a glance before proceeding to knock on the door. It was hard to know what time it was, but it was probably safe to assume that Valka have been waiting for a good portion of an hour. Luckily, Hiccup and Heather had an rxcuse for making her wait so long. Besides, Hiccup knew that tardiness would be the last thing on Valka's mind after hearing about Berk's attack on Outcast Island as well as the news about the Piece of Eden.
When Hiccup knocked at the door, Valka's weary voice answered him, "Come in."
Hiccup and Heather walked into the room, which was more of a library than a study. Two rows of large bookshelves ran along the left and right walls of the room. At the side of each bookshelf hung a torch, which dimly lit the huge room and left many shadowed places. A few feet behind the last row of bookshelves sat Valka's desk, where Valka was sitting. The wall behind her was covered in maps, charts and notes, all of which hid the stone wall.
Valka sat on a chair behind her desk, looking tired. Hiccup could see that some of her auburn hair was turning white from the stress of managing a nation, its Assassin Order, and commanding a war against the Red Death. The stress was overwhelming, and Valka was feeling it. Unfortunately, her independent attitude and stubborn Viking nature prevented her from seeking the help of others in ruling the nation.
Hiccup and several other intellectuals had already designed a political system that would allow Valka to share her burden with several other leaders. Valka, however, wanted to have full control of her dragon-human utopia and rejected the plan.
Valka have always ruled the Isles like a mother, so many people are genuinely worried for her wellbeing, Hiccup and Heather included. "Mom, did you stay up again."
"I'm fine Hiccup. The Red Death is not making my job easy, but I've managed to capture several islands in the east." Valka explained as she placed pins on several places on the map behind her, to indicate the new lands they gained. "How was the mission?"
"It went well. Berk was invading, so they provided a good distraction." Heather reported. She knew Hiccup didn't like to hear about his old tribe, but she needed to be honest with Valka. Heather always thought that Hiccup would be able to let go of his past with the help of his mother, but Hiccup didn't want to talk with his moather about it.
Valka froze in front of the map; her eyes took on a distant look as she seemed to be lost in some old memories. She snapped out of her trance after a few seconds and blinked a few times. "Is that all?" She asked with a quavering voice.
Hiccup and Heather shared a worried glance before Hiccup spoke up, "When I killed Alvin, he mentioned that the Templars are in possession of a Piece of Eden."
Valka turned and stared at Hiccup in shock, "A Piece of Eden? Are you sure?" When she saw Hiccup nod with a sober expression, she knew that he was telling the truth. Valka stumbled over to her desk and let herself fall onto her chair.
Hiccup walked over and placed a piece of parchment on Valka's table, "I found this letter on Alvin's desk. Also, I saw in his memories that they have found a Skrill for Dagur."
Valka took the parchment and read it with a dark expression. She read the letter several times to make sure she didn't miss anything and to make sure that what she did read was real.
"What does it say?" Heather asked.
"Alvin wrote this letter to notify Dagur the Deranged that they have found a Piece of Eden that allows its owner to control dragons of any species. He also mentions that they have found a Skrill and are planning to release it. Dagur would help to control it until they can bring it before the Piece of Eden."
Heather and Hiccup's expressions darken when they heard of the contents of the letter. The trio fell silent; lost in their own thoughts. Finally Hiccup said, "Sounds like the Piece of Eden is not portable, maybe we can take advantage of that.
"Maybe, but there could be many reasons why they did not bring the Piece of Eden to the Skrill," Valka answered. "The letter also mentions a meeting for the Templars in the Viking Archipelago. I'll send someone to the Berserker Tribe to dispose of Dagur and find information on the meeting."
"Are you going to send us?" Heather asked.
"No, you two are going to Berk to secure an alliance." Valka answered without looking at Hiccup.
"What!" Hiccup looked at Valka, shocked. She can't be serious.
Valka sighed at Hiccup's reaction, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but Hiccup have to fix the bridge that he has burned. "Heather, could you please give us some time alone."
Heather glanced nervously at Hiccup, who was glaring at his mother. He needs this. "Of course," and with that Heather turned and left the room.
When Heather was out of the room, she turned and looked at the door with worry. I hope that Hiccup can do this. Reluctantly, Heather turned and made her way back to her room.
Inside the room, Hiccup was not taking the order well. "You want an alliance with Berk? Killing dragons is a lifestyle to them; they've turned it into a sport!"
"Hiccup, we need every help we can get. The Templars now have the capability of turning the dragons against us. An alliance with Berk can help us to fight the Templars without the risk of losing our dragons." Valka stood up from her seat as she addressed her son. "I'm not comfortable with this either Hiccup, but we need to set aside our differences in order to defeat the Templars."
"How do you know that they would accept an alliance with us? They are barbaric! They kill for the heck of it." Hiccup countered, "For all you know, they wouldn't even listen to a word we say before they try to kill us."
"They are desperate right now, Hiccup. Their village is dying off. I'm sure that they are willing to try something new if you are careful in presenting yourself."
"They can die off for all I care."
"Hiccup! How can you say that? They were your tribe for goodness sake!" Valka was shocked that her own son could say such a thing, even at villages that did not accept dragons. In the short time that she was reunited with her son, Valka have never seen Hiccup so… venomous.
"They disowned me! Label me a disgrace to Vikings! I am by no means related to them!"
"Hiccup, you cannot stay mad at them forever."
"Everything's permitted,"
"But none of it is real, Hiccup. All of it is in your head; all the grudges, the hate, you created them yourself." Valka softly said as she walked over to Hiccup. "You need to forgive them, Hiccup, only then can you move on."
Valka took both of Hiccup's hands into her own. "Hiccup, I still love my old tribe, even if they are misled, even your father."
"He's not my father anymore, he disowned me." Hiccup told his mother sadly and turned to look at the floor.
"Hiccup, look at me." Valka let go off Hiccup's left hand and held up his chin so that she can look into his eyes. "You were born from my wedlock with your father." Valka grinned when Hiccup groaned at the statement. "Let me finish. You were born from my wedlock with Stoick. So, no matter what he says you are still our son, because none of it is real. So you are permitted to call Stoick your father."
Hiccup's eyes turned sad at Valka's statement. "But they don't want me; they never listened, so why would they start now. You should go, Stoick will listen to you, and the rest of the tribe will listen to Stoick."
"No, you need to go." Valka assured her son, "you need to fix your relationship with your father. No one else can do that for you. You can take your friends with you if you need to." Valka said, before quickly adding, "Except, Hush, I need him to do something else."
"Alright, fine." Hiccup gave in. "What do I need to know about this mission."
Valka smiled and walked back to her desk with a gesture for Hiccup to follow her. "Most of Berk is the same. The younger generation have all grown up and taken new responsibilities. Stoick's council of advisors has grown to include Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout, who is also the heir of Stoick."
"Snotlout? Maybe if I leave Berk alone he would tear the village apart from the inside." Hiccup remarked as he sat in front of Valka's desk and propped his legs onto the desk.
"Put your legs down," Valka ordered as she pushed Hiccups legs off the table and sifted through the papers that littered the desk. It must run in the family. Hiccup mused to himself as he noticed the messiness of Valka's table. "Snotlout have changed a lot since you last met him. Right now he is a capable leader and quite skilled in fighting, so I do not recommend that you try to settle any old scores with him."
"Fishlegs, however, should be an easy ally to secure. He has a thirst for knowledge that could rival yours. He should readily accept the truth about dragons." Valka informed Hiccup, "Gobber is a voice of reason to Stoick and is open minded. It wouldn't be hard to convince him and he can influence Stoick. Spitelout is likely to oppose you, but be nice to him, he is my brother."
Valka finally gathered several papers about Berk and tied them together. "And finally Astrid, well, she is a wild card. On the one hand she would do anything to save her village, but on the other, her mother was killed by dragons, it is a challenge to predict accurately which side she would choose."
Valka handed the papers to Hiccup. "This is everything you need to know about Berk. You are to secure an alliance with Berk and set up an Assassin headquarters there. Once you are sure that Berk's perception of dragons has changed, I will send someone to man the headquarters and you can come back. But while you are there, try to get some potential Berkians ready for recruitment."
"Alright," Hiccup took the paper and stood up to leave when he felt Valka's hand on his shoulder. As he turned, he found himself caught in the embrace of his mother. Shocked by the unexpected move and from his lack of physical contact, Hiccup could do little but return the hug awkwardly.
"Hiccup, I'm doing this because I love you" Valka pulled away slightly and held her son's face in her hand. He has grown so much while she was gone. She never had the chance to see Hiccup in his innocence. By the time she met her son, he had already seen the darker side of the world. She would give anything to take back Hiccup's innocence that was lost all those years ago. "I love you Hiccup, but you must understand that I still love my tribe, even you father. I know that they have done terrible things to you, but you need to leave that in the past.
"If things get out of hand, just send a message and I would be there as soon as possible." Valka told her son as she pulled away from the hug. "Take Sharpshot with you to communicate. Your friends should be able to provide any assistance that you may need."
Hiccup nodded and took a few steps backwards in the direction of the door as he listened to what Valka said. "Am I dismissed now?"
"Yes you are dismissed," Valka sighed as she walked back towards her desk. "Tell Hush to meet me here when you see him."
"Will do," And with that, Hiccup and Toothless left the room.
ACDACDACD
Hiccup and Toothless found their friends eating a delayed lunch at the dining hall. The Hall was designed mainly for humans, although dragons were allowed to enter and eat. The floor was, of course, carpeted and long tables and benches filled the hall. To the right end of the hall, was the kitchen, where Hiccup and Toothless would get their lunch from the cooks.
Hiccup grabbed a wooden tray of foo and ordered a basket of fish for Toothless, and then he made his way to a table near the back of the hall. Heather was sat facing his direction and waved him over when she saw him. Sitting across from her was a short girl with long blond hair that fell to her waist. Great, now I have to deal with Camicazi too.
Hiccup slipped into a seat beside Heather and nodded to Camicazi in acknowledgment. "Cami," Hiccup greeted.
"Hiccup," The girl returned the greeting before asking, "How's the meeting."
Hiccup grimaced at the question; "It went fine," Hiccup then cast a glance around the hall and asked, "by the way, have you guys seen Hush?"
Before anyone answered the question, a hand placed itself on Hiccup's right shoulder, which nearly made Hiccup jump in surprise. "Looking for me?"
Hiccup quickly turned to see an Assassin wearing a black robe with dark navy blue pieces of light, leather armor on his shoulders, joints, and chest. He carried many small tools and weapons in his belt, but no large weapons like a sword or anything; in fact, the only melee weapons on him were his daggers and hidden blades.
"How do you always sneak up on me?" Hiccup asked. In general, very few people could sneak up on Assassin's because of their hidden senses. But somehow, Hush has managed to find a way to sneak up on specials like them.
"I'm afraid I can't give away my trade secret," Hush said, his voice full of amusement at Hiccup's reaction.
"You were looking for me?" He asked as he took a seat beside Hiccup.
"Yeah, my mom wants to see you. She's in her study." Hiccup told him.
"Is it a mission?" Hush asked.
"I think so," Hiccup answered.
"When does she want to see me?"
"As soon as possible,"
"Then I will make my leave now," Hush said as he stood up. "See you guys later." He said as he walked towards the door.
Hiccup watched his sneaky friend leave the Dining Hall and turned his attention back to his friends. "Speaking of missions, we have a new one."
"What do you mean "speaking of", we never said anything about missions." Camicazi cut off Heather, who was about to ask for details about the meeting.
Heather rolled her eyes at her friend and asked Hiccup, "What are we supposed to do?"
Before Hiccup could answer, Toothless ate the last of his fish and burped loudly what sounded like "Berk".
While Cami burst out into laughter, Heather raised an eyebrow and questioned Hiccup. "Berk?"
Hiccup glared at his dragon, who gave him a goofy smile. Turning his attention back to Heather, Hiccup replied with a sigh, "Yes, we are going to Berk."
"Wait, what?" Cami suddenly stopped laughing, "But Berk is barbaric!"
"That's what I said!" Hiccup grumbled. "Look, just get ready to leave for a few weeks; I'll fill you guys in on the way to Berk." Hiccup said as he dug into his meal.
Camicazi gave a mock salute to Hiccup after receiving her orders. "Aye, aye, Captain Hiccup!" With that, she turned to run out of the dining hall.
"Pass the message to Thuggory for me!" Hiccup called after the overexcited girl, who gave no indication that she heard what he said.
Hiccup sighed and turned to Heather "You think that she will actually tell Thuggory?"
Heather rolled her eyes and replied, "Probably not, I'll tell him myself."
"And I'll be here," Hiccup mumbled as he watched Heather stand up, "eating."
Heather smirked at Hiccup and made her way to the door. She stopped briefly to scratch Toothless behind the ear and continued on her way out.
Hiccup sighed as he was left alone, again.
ACDACDACD
Stick walked out of the Healer's hut looking worse for wear. He has spent the entire morning and a good portion of the afternoon making sure that the village can still survive. He has assigned jobs to fix or rebuild buildings, repair weapons, and take care of the injured or dead. Soon he will have to assign people t get food for the village.
Stoick looked around what was once Berk with a sigh. Nearly a quarter of the village is dead or injured, half the village is in ruins, and their port is destroyed along with most of their ships, preventing them from leaving the village or even fishing. We might not be able to take another raid.
To make matters worse, Stoick's mind was plagued by the assassin of Alvin. Who was he? Is he threat? Why does he bear so many similarities to Hiccup? Could he have actually been Hiccup?
Stoick was so lost in his thoughts that he did not see Astrid approaching until she called his name. "Stoick!"
Stoick was shocked by the Astrid's shout but quickly regained his composure. "Astrid, what is the matter?" Stick asked when he saw the dire look on the shield maiden's face.
"The rest of the council are waiting for you in the Great Hall." Astrid told Stoick.
Stoick nodded at her, "Lead the way, lass."
The pair walked silently towards the Hall, both were caught up in their memories of the assassin. Finally, when they reach the hill where the Mead Hal, or what's left of it, stood, Stoick spoke.
"Astrid, I heard that you have had a run in with the assassin." Stoick said as he walked up the steps to the Hall.
"Yes," Astrid replied. "I saw him running away from battle. At first I thought he was an Outcast and tried to chase him down, but I quickly realized that he was better trained than the Outcasts were. I followed him to Alvin's house where he was searching for something, although I couldn't see what he took. He escaped on a Night Fury."
Stoick's heart missed a beat at the mention of the Night Fury. He might be correct about who Alvin's killer is. Stoick know who it was, but he just needed on last confirmation. "Did he have a scar below the right side of his lip?"
Astrid frowned at the question, but she could remember quite clearly the scar. "Yes, he did."
Stoick stopped in his tracks right in front of the Hall, his frown deepening. Finally he pushed the double doors of the hall. The damaged doors could not withstand the strength of Stoick and collapsed on the floor. Stoick took no notice of the door and simply walked over it. The rest of his council, however, was surprised by Stoick's sudden and violent appearance.
"Stoick, what happened?" Gobber asked, concerned at Stoick's entrance. Did something bad happened?
"I know who killed Alvin."
The rest of the council exchanged glances and murmurs to one another at Stoick's announcement.
"Who is it?" Snotlout asked.
"It's Hiccup."
ACDACDACD
Hush knocked on the large double doors of Lady Valka's study without hesitation. He had done his best to avoid missions, because they would usually end up in him killing somebody. He hated killing.
He knew the importance of the Assassin's work; that some people are so lost in their ideology that they cannot be saved. These people are too dangerous to be allowed to live.
Still, Hush doesn't need to like his job.
"Come in." Valka called out.
Hush pushed the double doors open just enough for him to enter, and carefully closed the door behind him. He walked along the path between the two rows of bookshelves silently; his feet didn't make even the slightest sound when it connects with the floor. He was so stealthy that he could be mistaken for a master Assassin.
Whenever he walks into a dim part of the room, he becomes practically invisible to all but a handful of people, Lady Valka included. "Hush, there is no need for you to hide from me."
"Force of habit, ma'am." Hush walked out of the dimer section of the room and kneeled in front of Valka's desk, where the Queen of the Humans sat.
Valka smiled kindly at the boy. He was only about the age of Hiccup, but has already mastered the art of walking in the shadows. For all intents and purposes, he was a brother of Hiccup, and, therefore, a son of Valka. "Stand up, Hush, there is no need for such formality when the foreigners are not around."
Hush did as he was told and stood up. "You wanted to see me?"
Valka nodded, "I need you to go on a mission. Hiccup Heather found out that the Templars have a Piece of Eden with them that has the power to control dragons. The Berserker tribe's chief, Dagur the Deranged, is believed to be a Templar of at least an ally of theirs. He is about to leave his tribe to control a Skrill that Alvin have founded."
"I need you to go there and find out what you can about the Templars and prevent Dagur from getting the Skrill. Assassinate him if necessary."
Hush frowned when Valka mentioned "assassinate" but nodded.
"Dagur's questionable rise to power has caused some unrest in the Berserker tribe, so you may be able to use that to your advantage. My spies have told me that there is a revolution or civil war brewing to force Dagur to face justice for killing his parents in order to gain the throne. You may be able to work with them to take down Dagur and gain a new ally for us."
"You are not required to set up headquarters there, but if the tribe shows potential, you may request for someone to set up HQ there. Any other information that you may need can be found here." Valka finished her briefing by passing a file to Hush.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" Hush asked.
"No." Valka answered with a shake of her head.
Hush nodded, "Then I will make my leave." When Valka nodded, he bow and walked towards the door.
Valka watched one of their best Assassins walk towards the door. She knew that he hated killing more than most Assassins, but he must realize that sometimes it is unavoidable.
Valka can see Hush becoming the future Master Assassin of the Archipelagos. Even though she wants Hiccup to be her heir, she must not be bias in her decision. Hush has the potential; all he needs is the experience.
"Hush," She called out, stopping the Assassin just before he reached the door. "I understand that you hate killing. very few people don't. But you must not let your past jeopardize this mission or your own safety."
Hush stared at her for a while before quoting from the Assassin's Creed, "Never compromise the Brotherhood."
Valka nodded. At least he understands. Valka thought to herself as she watched him leave.
ACDACDACD
Hiccup and Toothless were standing on a large platform waiting for the rest of the Assassins to arrive so that they can leave.
Hiccup sighed as he sat down beside Toothless, who was napping on the floor, and leaned on him. The floor was freezing cold, but Hiccup was used to it, besides he designed his cloaks to insulate body heat.
The cloak he wore to kill Alvin, which was designed for stealth missions, was forfeited for a cloak designed to keep him warm on the journey to Berk.
The cloak was made of light brown deer hide. He wore a grey seal skin vest over the cloak for extra warmth in high altitudes. Under the hood, he wore a silk mask that covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were protected by a pair of goggles.
His belt was still lined with weapons and gadgets, but to a lesser extent. He would make more when he got to Berk.
Toothless growled at Hiccup's extra weight and slapped Hiccup at the back of his head in an attempt to get him to leave. Hiccup smirked at the dragon, but did not budge.
Seeing that Hiccup wouldn't get off, Toothless stood up, causing Hiccup to fall to the floor. "Hey!"
Toothless warbled in victory and almost lay right back down on Hiccup, but the Assassin quickly rolled out of the way. Hiccup stood up and glared at Toothless, who wore a smug look on his face.
Before Hiccup could insult Toothless a voice called out, "Hiccup, are you bullying Toothless again?"
Thuggory and Camicazi walked out of the fortress and onto the platform with their dragons. Thuggory had his Lumberjack, Bladewing. Camicazi, meanwhile, had a Changewing, Acidbreath.
"I did not! Toothless was bullying me!" Hiccup shouted in his defense.
Thuggory shook his head in mock disappointment, "You abused your dragon and now you're blaming your own dragon for bullying you. I thought you were better than this Hiccup."
Hiccup glared at his friend, while Toothless did his warble laugh. Thuggory walked over and high fived Toothless, who slapped the Assassin's hand with his tail.
"Shame on you Hiccup," Cami continued to tease, "As the son of Lady Valka, you should set an example for other dragons riders. If other riders see you abusing your dragon what do you think they would do to their own dragons?"
Hiccup was just about to pull Cami's ear so hard that it touch the floor, but Heather flew in on Windshear. "You guys look like you're having fun. What did I miss?"
Thuggory immediately piped up, "Hiccup was abusing Tooth- Ow, Ow, Ow!" He was quickly cut off when Hiccup pulled and twisted his right ear.
Heather shook her head in amusement at her friends antics and she got of Windshear. She petted her dragon's head in gratitude for the flight before she walked over to join her friends. "Are we ready to go?"
Hiccup finally released Thuggory's ear to reply Heather. "I guess so. Hush is going on a separate mission, so it's just us."
Heather nodded and walked back to her dragon. "Then I suggest we leave as soon as possible, it takes a few hours to get to Berk."
Hiccup nodded and proceeded towards Toothless, who was still lying on the ground. "Come on bud, let's go."
Toothless growled in protest and refused to stand up, much to the amusement of Thuggory and Cami, who were already on their dragons.
"Get up, you lazy reptile." Hiccup growled at his friend as he lightly kicked him in the side.
"Aha, Hiccup is abusing Toothless!" Thuggory cried out.
Hiccup rolled his eyes at Thuggory's accusation and mumbled, "Thank you for nothing, Toothless. I am so lucky to have a friend like you."
Toothless warbled in victory and lay his head down again.
"Fine then, I will ride with Heather, and while I'm gone, nobody would be around to feed you fish." Hiccup said as he walked towards Heather.
At the mention of fish, Toothless' head perked up and he bounded over towards Hiccup. He sat right in front of the Assassin and looked at him expectantly.
"Works all the time," Hiccup had a victorious smirk on his face as he got on Toothless.
Without further delay, the small group took off towards Berk for their latest mission.
ACDACDACD
Author's Note:
Thank you to everyone for reading!
I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed, and favorite this story! Since I don't get paid, your favorites, follows, and reviews are what keeps me going.
Now to reply your reviews:
Bluetooth: Awesome chapter mate im really looking forward to the next one... So no romance between hiccup and heather? But anyway i really enjoy your story, the POV is so good and i cant wait to see hiccup other uniform
Nice work pal
Reply: Thanks again mate! Hiccup and Heather will have some romance, but it won't be the main focus of the story. The romance between the two will not be very obvious until later on (Heather is a good actress and Hiccup will be very busy), but you can see that the two know each other well and care for each other.
As for the uniforms, I actually plan for Hiccup to have several different types of cloaks and armor (like how you can customize the Assassin's uniforms in the more recent games for different purposes). Hiccup have the capability to make many different uniforms for different occasions, so why wouldn't he?
Thanks again for your reviews!
Dracologistmaster: Great chapter, I look forward to seeing how this little surprise meeting goes, though it doesn't look like it's going to end well.
Reply: Thanks! So, I guess you can see what happened in the extra scenes I added. It didn't go too bad, but he kinda got into a mini conflict with Astrid. Do let me know what you think of it.
gamelover41592: I look forward to the next chapter
Reply: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
Itharax: I LOVE IT! After I fini the chapter I gasped in amazement! In the process slapping myself, a little (or very much) too hard... Ow! Anyway great story so far! Love it!
Reply: Haha, Ouch! Thanks for your compliments; they mean a lot to me!
longstory3: Finally! A good HTTYD-AC crossover! I'm happy to see that you got a story ready ahead, so the chanchs that you leave as with an uncomplet story are small.
About the story: I know you already moved ahead in five years, but I personally would like to read more about how Hiccup (and Heater) ended up with the Assassins, so if you could think about showing it in flashbacks or them talking about it, and what happen with them in the past five years in general then it will be awosme.
I'm happy to know that you mixed it with the larger word and history of the AC univers and not only HTTYD (a little angry about the muskats, but you said it would be in the renesans so I let this silde).
And the fact that you know that the assassins are the childrens of those how came before really making me to have high expections (althuge if you know that, you also should have know that Arno can look in the memorys of his targets becuse he didnt have anyone to teach how to control his senses when he was yound, and in the game he only have one year in training so he wasnt skill eanugh with his "gift". Hiccup in the story had five years of training, so at this stage he should have had a conffesion like Ezio or the others.)
Over all... GREAT story! Waiting for the next chapter
P.S. sorry for my english
Reply: Your English isn't that bad (about as good as most people who use the internet), just some spelling errors.
Thank you for your compliments! I actually came up with the idea for this story sometime last year (or maybe the year before that) so I had a lot of time to think the story through. It's kind of sad that none of the Ac/HTTYD Fanfics were completed, which encouraged me to write this story.
I will write a prequel about how Hiccup, Heather and Hush became Assassins after I finish this story. I have done some research on real events in history that I can include and how the world was like in my timeline.
I know that it is kind of weird for there to be Vikings in the renaissance. I actually don't have a very good reason for this. I didn't know much about AC when I planned this story, so I thought that the Assassins were founded during the crusades (in the first game), so the renaissance seemed obvious then. But now that I know that the Assassins were older, I kinda regret choosing the renaissance. Ah well.
I actually never played AC: Unity, so I don't know much about Arno. I only knew that he could see into the memories of the people he assassinated. Thank you for pointing that out, I'll just make it a Hiccup only thing then.
Rune Syedrox: I have read a lot of AC crossover stories, including ones with spyro and even(through a brony friend of mine convincing me)MLP. however, this completely blew my mind! I was so into it that I ended up reading it from 8:30 at night to 4 in the morning. you are the greatest author of assassin's creed in my opinion. so great that you could make it a career
Reply: Thanks a lot! I haven't read a lot of AC crossover stories except for some of the other AC/HTTYD stories, so I do not know how high the standards are for these stories. I'm really glad that you enjoy this story.
I have read other AC stories that are better than mine though, so I wouldn't call myself the best. I might make it my career, I would actually like to see or make some AC games set in other eras that were not covered by the games. Like the Roman Empire, the Viking Age, the Three Kingdoms of China, and Feudal Japan (other era would be cool too).
adipose1913: Great meshing of httyd and assassin's creed lore. The suspense is tight and the action well done. Keep up the good work!
Reply: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like the action, because I really don't like writing it. It is just so hard to put to words the cool actions that I play in my mind and I don't know how to word it properly. So at least I know I'm doing something right here.
Yuleen75: I count myself lucky that for some strange reason I wanted to read a HttydxAC fanfic. This looks awesome! I love it.
Reply: Thank you for your compliment! I was actually kind of worried that not many people would be interested in this crossover, but I was proven wrong by you and many others!
Bluetooth: So astrid has the eagle vision, hmm
Update soon
And if you need some characters i Think i have some
Reply: Yes, it was a last minute decision, but it fits well into my original plan and actually fix some plot holes that I had with my original story. As for you characters, I would be interested in seeing what characters you have, although they may not end up in this story. But I do need some characters for my prequel. If yu have an account, do send me a Private Message with your character's descriptions.
Rune Syedrox: I've got an idea for you, use it if you want, just make sure to say it was my idea if you do. introduce a dragon that is unique AND opposite of a Night Fury. think about it, what would happen when two beings that contrast each other meet? my bet is chaos is unavoidable.
Reply: I really like your idea, I will see if I can implement it in my story and if I do I will be sure to say that it was your idea. Hmm, what if the Templars can control this dragon…
Ryder-Hunter: Please update soon. I loved the prologue and the first chapter. Also will you share the story of the five years time skip. How did Hiccup met his mother and how did he train to be an assassin? I have a feeling you will but it doesn't hurt to ask. Amazing update on the three scenes, please once again update soon.
Reply: Thanks for your compliments! I will write about how Hiccup met his mother in the prequel, but I will mention it sometime during the story.
Ghostmistwho: Love the new bits and I think they work both ways
Reply: Thanks for the feedback. Thought that the scenes would be short compared to the other chapters I have written and would feel kind of weird and out of place.
THE FlSH: Great story. Can't wait for the next chapter
Reply: Thanks for the compliment. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Drago: good
Reply: Glad you think so!
Guest: Update please!
Reply: Tada! I updated, just for you (and all the other readers)!
twilightrules17: i love this story so far please please please update soon please asi really want to know what will happen next
Reply: Here is the new chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!
And that is it, now for the sneak peek that usually isn't very accurate and only gives you a vague idea of the next chapter (which would take at least a month):
"Your words mean nothing to me. It is not real. I come and go as please and do whatever I want. Funny how nothing is real, but everything is permitted."
Once again thanks for reading and thank you for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story!