Missions Begin
Author's Note:
The first chapter of 2016! HURRAY! HUZZAH! WHATEVER EXCLAMATION OF CELEBRATION YOU USE!
I know I'm a little late for New Years, but who cares! A new chapter is up!
My New Year's resolution is to upload at least one chapter a month. If I feel inspired enough I might even pump out a second chapter in a month. So if you want me to update sooner, then leave a review! They really help in keeping me going. ;)
So first up I want to apologize because the sneak peek that I used in the last chapter is not going to be in this chapter. Instead, I was planning to put that scene in the next chapter.
Since you will have to wait till next month to actually see that scene, I will give you a bit more context: it takes place during Hiccup and Stoick's first meeting.
Secondly, I couldn't come up with a good name for this chapter, so if you have an idea for a title then please leave it in the reviews.
That's about it, I have more things to say in the next author's note, so please do check it out after reading the chapter.
ACDACDACD
At night, the silent halls of the Crown of Valkyrie were lit only by several torches that hung from the walls. The torches did nothing to melt the ice, but provided the hallways with a degree of warmth compared to the frozen tunnels designed for dragons.
The torches, which were placed several feet apart, provides light in the hall, but it also leaves some areas in the shadows, a fact that Hush appreciates. After all, if an enemy force storms the fortress, the shadows will be a good ally.
Hush walked down the hall in a brisk pace, but when his boots connect with the icy floor, it made no sound, a trick that he had mastered long before he was an Assassin. Back then his occupation was just as unsavory, but with a reason that is just as good as any: survival.
Hush has always been familiar with death, and unfortunately, he still has some brief meet-ups. One could say that they are close acquaintances, but Hush would beg to differ.
Back then he would seldom be endangered by another's sword. No he was always too good for the Vikings to catch. Instead he had cheated death by nearly starving because his village suffered from a bad case of dragons raiding.
Hush was drawn out of his self-musing when he approached the entrance to the stables, a VIP dragon hotel of sorts.
Two guards and their Nightmares stood guard at both sides of the entrance. Both the guards and the dragons wore metal armor that reflected light off of a pair of torches that hung inside the door-less entrance.
"Identify yourself and your intentions." One of the guards demanded with a muffled voice.
Hush knew that the guards recognize him, but ever since the Assassins from the main land insisted that they have some sort of organization, the guards had to go through this tiring procedure every time.
Instead of giving the full answer, Hush decided to take a short-cut. "I'm here on Lady Valka's order." He said as he lifted his fist to show a ring with the Assassin's insignia an it.
"And the Changewing?" The other guard asked, not overlooking the shadow of the Changewing that has been following Hush.
"He's with me."
The guards nodded and allowed Hush and his Changewing to enter the stables.
Hush walked silently pass the dens of sleeping dragons until he reached one that was particularly dark and entered with his Changewing.
Hush whistled softly upon entering the den, "It's me, Edge. We have a mission."
The Changewing meanwhile leapt unto a lever and pushed it down. In response, one of the walls was lowered and formed a runway that led outside.
The moonlight that entered from the runway lit up the room and revealed a Skrill that was walking towards Hush.
"There you are. Come now, we are headed for Berserk Island to pay Dagur a visit." Informed his dragons friend, who was ready to fly. If Dagur is going to get his hands on some big guns, then I'll have to bring some of my own; and I'm not talking about cannons.
ACDACDACD
"Aghh!"
Astrid shouted in anger as she threw her huge axe into a poor tree, which has been taking her beating (or chopping) for nearly an hour.
She was supposed to be taking a break after working on repairing the village for the entire afternoon, but she just couldn't sit still.
Astrid breathed heavily and gave the pitiful tree the deathliest glare she could muster. She had been imagining that the tree had Hiccup the Traitorous' face when she decimated it.
The setting sun cast a yellow tint on her own face and made her blonde hair glow. To most Vikings, she was no less than a Valkyrie. Even the visiting Christian Southerners think that she had the beauty of an Angel.
Astrid closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down, but she had had a bad feeling that she could not shake off.
When she felt her heartbeat settle down, she walked over and forcefully removed her axe from the tree.
"Careful there, you might damage your axe."
Without thinking, Astrid threw her axe where the voice came from.
How did somebody sneak up on me? Why didn't I hear anything? I was too careless. Astrid mentally beat herself before it dawned on her that she might have killed a random passerby.
Oh, Hel. What have I done?
The horrible thought of her throwing an axe into the head of a passing Berkian cross her mind and a look of horror covered her face
All those thoughts crossed her mind in less than a second, before she could even process what she saw when she threw her axe.
"A near miss, but close enough, I guess."
Her axe missed her target and found itself stuck in yet another tree; the tree that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was leaning against.
Astrid's face turned from horror into anger when she realized where the voice came from. "You!"
Hiccup smirked, "Yes?"
How did he get here without anyone noticing? Astrid thought to herself. Is he here to kill me? Like he did to Alvin the Treacherous.
Despite her fears, Astrid gave the Assassin the death glare that she had been practicing on the tree.
She noticed that he was wearing a cloak similar to the one that the Vikings who saw him described. The only difference was that he was wearing one that was green in color, allowing him to blend into the surrounding forestry.
"What do you want?" Astrid demanded, as she reached for the knife in on her belt. "Are you here to kill me? 'Cause I won't go down as easy as Alvin."
"Whoa, hold your horses. If I wanted it, you would already be dead." Hiccup said as he lifted his hands in a sign of innocence. "I just came to pass a message."
"To me?" Astrid raised an eyebrow. She was not expecting this. What does he intend to do?
"No, to the Chief of Berk, Stoick the Vast." He said as he pulled a letter out of his cloak.
Astrid eyed the letter for a second before returning her attention to Hiccup's face. "Your father?"
"Once upon a time." Was the reply she received. "I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you calling him that now."
Hiccup held out the letter that he was holding, "For the eyes of Stoick the Vast and all he deem appropriate only."
Astrid eyed the offered letter suspiciously. It was a simple white letter that is common in mainland Europe. A red seal with an insignia held the letter close.
"What is in it?" Astrid questioned. She was unwilling to take the letter to her Chief without knowing what is contained within.
"An offer." Hiccup replied simply.
Astrid scanned Hiccup's face after hearing his answer. Unfortunately, she was unable to gain any knowledge from his facial expression.
"What offer?"
"You have a lot of questions."
"You have a lot of secrets."
Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at the statement.
"True that!" He said with a chuckle
"True that." He said again, all trace of humor gone. His expression darkened and his voice deeper.
Astrid gulped down a lump in her throat. She nearly took a step back, but she steeled herself to face this dangerous man.
The warriors were not exaggerating. This is indeed a dangerous man.
"What is your offer?" Astrid demanded again.
"I can stop the raids," Hiccup announced, "but I will require your village's cooperation.
Anger rose up in Astrid upon hearing Hiccup's offer. "To Hel with you and your offer! We would rather die than serve you!"
Hiccup was evidently surprised by Astrid's reply. His shock was quickly replaced with humor.
"You must have misunderstood, but I have no interest in having you village." Hiccup said with a smirk. "I merely need you and your fellow villagers to help out in the fight."
"Give the letter to your Chief, all the information that you need is in there." Hiccup once again offered the letter.
Astrid stared at the letter in contemplation for a while. Why would he want to help us? He's with them.
Then again, it's only a letter. There can't be any harm in taking it. The worse that he could put in there would be a fake letter.
Astrid accepted the letter and placed it in her fur coat.
"If you refuse the offer, simply burn the letter." Hiccup instructed as he turned to leave.
"Why are you helping us?" Astrid asked before he left.
Hiccup turned and looks Astrid in the eye. "Let's say that not everything is as simple as you might think."
With that he walked away from Astrid.
"Wait, what does that mean?" Astrid demanded, but Hiccup disappeared into the woods. You're not getting away from me that easily.
She slowed her breathing and closed her eyes; her focus was placed on the rest of her senses. She no longer relied on her eyes to see; instead she placed an emphasis on her hunter's instinct.
It's funny how one of the most important senses of the human body was also the least reliable. To be honest, all of the senses in an average person's body are unreliable. Only those of a special heritage have the privilege of truly "seeing".
Upon opening her eyes, Astrid saw the world in a different light. She could see even the tiniest detail of the world around her without even looking for it. Like the light footprints that Hiccup left in the dirt.
Astrid was impressed by how well Hiccup managed to hide his footprints as he walk; there was hardly a trace. If Astrid did not have her hunter's instinct, she wouldn't have noticed them.
But I do have my hunter's instinct.
After a few feet, the footprints became more visible. He started running.
Astrid tore her axe out of the tree as she ran past it to chase after Hiccup through his footprints.
After a while, he didn't seem to bother with hiding his footprints, and eventually, the footprints indicated that he slowed into a walk. Big mistake.
It took less than a minute for Astrid to see Hiccup not far in the distance.
Hiccup was walking casually through the undergrowth of the forest. His green cloak blended in with the surroundings nicely, but it wasn't enough to throw off someone who was looking carefully, like Astrid.
Astrid's grip on her axe tightened and she charged after him, ready to fight is necessary.
Hiccup, however, had noticed Astrid and dashed ahead of her; although Astrid was able to keep up not too far behind him.
Hiccup weaved between trees, dodged branches and jumped over bushes expertly in an attempt to lose Astrid. A trick that reminded Astrid of the last time she chased him through the village to stop him from freeing the dragons five years ago.
The complicated path that Hiccup took failed to throw off Astrid, who possessed a hunter's instinct and knew the forest like the back of her hand.
Knowing that just running around won't through her off, Hiccup whipped out a pistol from his vest and fired at a thin branch.
The branch broke of and fell on Astrid, who protected her face with her arm. The branch was too thin to cause much of a distraction or throw Astrid off.
Hiccup tried again with a second pistol, since he was in too much of a rush to reload the first one.
The second branch was thicker, and required another shot from the third and final pistol Hiccup carried.
Astrid smacked the branch away with her axe, but her axe sank in and got stuck inside.
Roaring in frustration, Astrid took a second to smash the branch free from the axe on another tree, giving Hiccup more time to get away.
Astrid smashed the branch against the tree a final time, which broke the branch in half and freed her axe. She quickly activated her hunter's instinct and followed after Hiccup's trail through the forest.
She chased Hiccup's trail all the way to a small cliff. Hiccup was climbing the cliff's small ledges with nothing but his own bare hands, a near impossible task for Astrid, whose fingers were not strong enough to support her weight.
Astrid stared in shock as Hiccup climbed to the top of the cliff. When he reached the top, he turned and saluted her, and then he was gone.
She quickly took note of a slope with rocks that she could hold onto. She ran over and climbed up to the top of the cliff, just in time to see Hiccup jump off the other side, which was much steeper.
Astrid screamed and ran over to the other edge. As she looked down, she saw Hiccup land in a small lake inside a cove. Hiccup resurfaced from the water and swam to the edge, where a Night Fury sat waiting for him.
The pair didn't notice Astrid, as Hiccup though he lost her at the cliff. Hiccup petted the dragon and scratched it behind the ear. Then, he turned around and surveyed the cove.
Astrid quickly ducked behind a rock when Hiccup's eyes scanned over where she was watching them.
Hiccup noticed her presence with his eagle vision, however, and quickly jumped on Toothless' back, and before Astrid could turn to look, the pair took off.
Astrid looked on in awe and a dash of fear for her own life as she watched them take for the skies. To her relief, they did not turn around to burn her into a crisp.
Breathing heavily, Astrid reached for the pouch on her belt to make sure she still had the letter. Once she dispersed her worries, she turned and ran to the village to tell the chief what has happened.
ACDACDACD
"Of course they will accept it. Didn't you see the state of the village? It's like Heather went berserk there." Hiccup assured Toothless as he got off the dragon.
"Excuse me?"
"Hi Heather! What's up? How's life? How's the family?" Hiccup quickly sputtered out as he turned to Heather and leaned against Toothless, who didn't appreciate the extra weight Hiccup was putting on his back right after getting rid of it.
Heather shook her head and decided to drop the subject in favor of a more pressing matter. "I saw what happened. How could you be so careless?"
"I was not! I covered my trail just as I would anytime I'm being chased by Vikings." Hiccup defended himself as he took the hood of his head.
"Sure you did." Heather rolled her eyes. "I nearly had to jump in and save you."
"Look, I appreciate the concern and all, but I just didn't think that she was that good at tracking. I mean, even some of the best hunters in the mainland couldn't track me. That was how good I was covering my tracks."
"Well, Hush is always able to find you. So can I, and Cami, and Lady Valka, and Thug-
"That's because they used their Eagle Vision."
There was a moment of silence between the two as something clicked in their minds.
"You don't think…" Heather started but hesitated to finish her sentence.
"That she has an eagle vision?" Hiccup continued, "But that's impossible! She would need some proper training to reach the level that she is!"
"So she must have had a mentor." Heather concluded.
"A Templar mentor." Hiccup corrected her. "She is a Templar."
"This is bad. Who knows how many Templars have infiltrated the village, and how many are in positions of power." Heather worriedly asked.
"We'll just have to find out for ourselves." Hiccup replied in a serious tone. "If there are too many that has been rooted here for years, then there may not be any hope left for Berk."
ACDACDACD
"For the eyes of Stoick the Vast, and all that he deem worthy,
I, Hiccup Valhallarama, am offering an alliance from the Valkyrie Isles in the north to fight against a common enemy, the dragons of Helheim Gate.
The Valkyrie Isles possess an army that can rival that of our enemy, the Red Death, the queen of the nest you seek to destroy. An alliance with the Valkyrie Isles may be of great benefit to your dying village.
If you are interested in the alliance, we will meet tomorrow night in the cove just past Raven Point. I will be there to discuss further details.
If you choose not to accept this alliance, then burn this letter.
Bring only your council along for the discussion, or I will call off the offer.
Hiccup Valhallarama."
Gobber sat down after reading the letter out loud for the rest of Stoick's council, who were all wearing a frown on their face as they silently processed the contents of the letter.
None of them failed to notice the dark expression on Stoick's face. It was clear that he didn't like what was written in the letter, but even Gobber found it hard to tell what Stoick was thinking about.
After a few seconds of silence, Gobber decided to announce the one part of the letter that bugged him the most, "He used Valka's maiden name."
"Well he ain't one of us!" Spitelout countered with a glare towards Gobber.
"Never said that he was," Gobber returned the glare with just as much ferocity.
Stoick banged the table with his fist, cracking the heavy wooden table and silencing the two fighting men.
"Hiccup is no longer any of us, I disowned him and he was banished from Berk, he does not have the right to use the name of anybody from this village." Stoick spoke quietly and gave no indication as to how he felt about Hiccup at this point in time.
"He claims to be able to save our village," Fishlegs timidly pointed out, "maybe we should give him a chance."
"He never said that he could save us," Snotlout countered as he scanned over the letter, which was passed to him.
"He implied it."
"It's a trap!" Spitelout announced, "He's with the dragons, we saw it with our own eyes, even on Outcast Island, he allied himself with those devils."
"There may be two warring nests," Fishlegs offered, "Hiccup is trying to get us to ally with the one called the Valkyrie Isles, who is fighting against the nest in Helheilm Gate, which we know to be the ones that are raiding us."
Stoick listened quietly as his council debated. In his head, he has already made his decision, but he silently waited for the debate to end.
"It doesn't matter what nest they're from! They are dragons, raiding is a part of their lifestyle." Spitelout shot back at Fishlegs.
"Who's to say that they won't turn against us once we destroy the nest in Helheilm's Gate?" Snotlout added.
Fishlegs went silent in the face of the arguments set against him, although it was clear that he wanted to say more. Instead, he turned to the chief with a questioning look on his face. The rest of the council followed suite and turned their attention to the chief to see what he has to say.
Stoick was silent for a moment, but then he quietly asked, "Fishlegs, how long do we have left?"
Fishlegs swallowed a lump in his throat and hesitated for a second. He clearly was uncomfortable with the answer to the question.
"Wait a second, what do you mean?" Spitelout demanded.
"How long can we survive like this?" Stoick asked again, this time everyone understood what he meant.
"But we destroyed the Outcasts. I thought that we can make it through the winter?" Astrid asked.
Fishlegs sighed and answered, "The attack on Outcast Island was launched to buy us more time to find the nest, but the damage that was inflicted by the last raid offset any advantage that we may have gained."
Looking around at the rest of the council with a grave expression, Fishlegs gave his conclusion. "From my calculation, we won't last the month if we don't find a new source of food. But the dragons destroyed all of our boats and took most of our food, so we cannot make it without outside help."
The rest of the council silently processed the information the Fishlegs had given them, and they nervously glanced at one another.
Stoick decided to break the silence with the announcement of his decision. "We will meet with Hiccup. But I want all able warriors to hide in the cove in case of an attack."
"But he specifically stated that he will call off the deal if we bring anyone other than us." Astrid pointed out.
"I would rather die than give up my freedom. He cannot just barge in and demand that we obey every word he says." Stoick replies. "All of you are to spread the news and get the men ready for the meeting tomorrow."
The council collectively voiced their compliance and made their way out of the hall. All except Gobber, who simply went to get two jugs of mead.
He placed one jug in front of Stoick and sat down beside him, "So, are you ready to see him again?"
"No."
The pair sat in silence for a few seconds and Gobber decided to try again. "So, uh, what do you think about the arrangement?"
Stoick didn't answer this time. He face indicated that he was deep in thought.
Gobber studied Stoick's face trying to find out what his friend was feeling, when it suddenly hit him. "You feel like all this is your fault don't you?"
Stoick sighed and finally opened up to his friend. "I drove him to the path he is now on. I tried too hard to protect him, and now he is gone. My last family and I made him leave. Hel, I disowned him and banished him from the village. I'm a terrible father."
"Well, there is no denying that," Gobber muttered before quickly continuing. "but look at how that's turned out. Hiccup is offering us a way to save the village; you have to be at least a little proud."
"To be honest Gobber," Stoick replied with a sigh. "I am proud that he has become a man on his own. The fact that he managed to become as skilled as he is without any help is a feat that would make any father proud. But after what he has done, I just don't know what to think of him right now."
It was Gobber's turn to sigh this time. "What he has done was horrible, I know, but he is now back to redeem himself. He is saving the village that cast him out for Odin's sake!"
"That's what worries me Gobber." Stoick replied with a dark expression. "I don't believe that he has forgiven us. He is either here against his will, or he has an ulterior motive."
"If he does have revenge in mind, then I would accept death when he knocks; I deserve it. But the rest of the village don't, which is why I am bringing the extra men. If Hiccup kills me, the rest of you must end him before he touches the village."
Gobber nearly spit out a mouthful of mead, "What! You can't do that!"
"I can and I will. Snotlout is ready to lead the village if I die." Stoick paused to take a gulp of his mead before continuing. "At least I will be with my wife in Valhalla."
ACDACDACD
Not a very long chapter compared to the last few, but still a very progressive one right?
So most of you might have noticed a good amount of dramatic irony (basically irony that is not really funny, but still very amusing). This will be commonplace in this story because Hiccup and Stoick will have a lot of misconceptions of each other that they won't really ask each other about.
ALSO! I forgot to give a shout out to one of my favorite stories in this fandom which inspired me when coming up with the plot of this story. That story is "Becoming Lifbrasir". The title actually contains an Icelandic alphabet, but I don't know how to add that in, so I replaced it with "b" because they are similar.
Either way it is the second most favorite story on this site, so it shouldn't be hard to find. It is also a Hiccup runs away story.
The use of Thuggory and Camicamzi is actually a thing that Becoming Lifbrasir inspired me to do. So do check it out, the story is amazing. It is in my favorite stories too.
With that being said, it's time to reply to reviews:
Itharax: Great chapter! Loved it! Can't wait to see what happens next!
Ps. Some funny parts in this chapter! *goes into a wise voice* Overall... I LOVED IT!
Have a nice day! :)
Reply: Thanks a lot! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter too. I also included a little bit of humor in this chapter, so I hope that you enjoyed that too. I hope that you have a nice day too! ;)
twilightrules17: love it can't wait to see (read) what will happen next, please please please update soon please
Reply: Sorry that this took a while, I hope that you enjoy it though.
gamelover41592: I think this was really good :)
Reply: Thanks a lot! I think you have a good taste in stories. :)
Dracologistmaster: Oh, this won't end well for sure, especially if Stoick's reaction to finding out who the assassin was is any indication. Great chapter, I look forward to next update and seeing what happens when Hiccup and his team arrive at Berk.
Reply: It is going to be fun to write (and read) the meeting between the two. In this chapter I do show how Stoick feels about Hiccup, and from where this is going, I suppose worse things could (and will) happen.
Guest: Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! An update! I'm loving how this is going. And the Vikings are not complete idiots, and pretty much know of Hiccup's existence. Can't wait to see how they will act when he knocks on their front door.
Reply: Thank You! I do think that several stories write off the Vikings as idiots, so I'm trying to make them at least capable of some good ideas, after all, they have been surviving dragon raids for a very long time. Hiccup knocking at their door is an opportunity to some and a danger to others. So you will see the village dividing into two camps in the coming chapters.
adipose1913: Drama beyond drama! This chapter was just set-up, but it was well-written and somehow escalated the tension better than the action. I love all the character interactions, as the soldiers act like soldiers, Hiccup and Valka act like mother and son, and Stoic and Astrid are both conflicted over Hiccup's return. In all, it reads like a George R.R. Martin story (Minus the sex) or Band of Brothers with the fleshed-out (but not necessarily with the viewer knowing any part of their backstory) characters that interact and get in conflicts like people. Great job, and enjoy your writing!
Reply: Thank you so much! I love your review, it definitely helped me when writing this chapter! I've never read any of the Game of Thrones books, but I heard that they are really good, so I am really proud to have someone compliment me this way. I really put a heavy emphasis on the characters and their nteraction, I think that is the most important part of the story. Unfortunately, too much character interactions made me forget about Toothless sometimes (he disappeared in the scene where Hiccup was talking with Valka even though I mentioned that he entered the library). Once again, thanks for the compliments!
Guest: Ny characters are the comic books villians hroar, angrim dammen, captain fiske. I hiccup and snotlout should have rivalry, and that hiccup Can beat him in a fight, so he know that he cant push him around anymore. AS always love the chapter and Update soon
Bluetooth
Reply: Thank you Bluetooth! I have never read the comics for HTTYD so I was a bit confused when I saw your review. But after doing my research I really think that I could use them. Once again, you have my thanks!
Hiccup and Snotlout will inevitably get into some problems, so you will just have to wait and see for yourself.
Reilly.216: Hey, Khan! Loved the chapter. Really excited about what will come next for Hiccup and especially Hush.
I was just wondering when you were thinking of releasing the prequel story to this one.
I realise you may not have any conclusive plans, but it'd be nice to have a vague idea of when you were thinking about debuting it. I know I can't wait for it!
Reilly
Reply: Thanks Reily! Hiccup and Hush will go their own seperate ways and face Templars. For the most part, Hiccup will be trying to work on Berk while trying to take down the Templars from the island. Hush, however, will be going aroun and killing Templars. Their actions will effect one another, so they are not completely seperate arcs.
The prequel will be published once i finish this story. I even entertain the idea for a thir story that will tie in to this one, but I'll have to see.
So that's about it. Thanks for being an avid supporter Reilly!.
That's all the reviews, less than the last few chapters but still inspiring anyways. Please leave a review of your opinion of this chapter, let me know if you notice any areas that require improvements. Remember to leave any idea you may have for a title in the review!
Now for another sneak peek of the next chapter:
"That's a big council you have there. How do you get anything done with this many idiots?"
Can't promise that this line exactly, would be in the next chapter, but it will start off with Hiccup meeting Stoick.
Thanks for reading!