This is War
'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'
X-x-X
-Rated T- Genres Adventure/Fantasy-
-Rewrite.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.
X-x-X
Part One: The Night Fury and his Rider
X-x-X
Chapter 03: Legacy
WARNING; Gore, violence, and dark/mature themes ahead. Reader Discretion is highly advised.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
Dragons and Riders,
Oh, Draconians be fighters and guardians,
Skulblaka and Shur'tugal as one,
Dragons and Riders, together, they are,
But where do they roam now?
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Sunset.]
For a while, they were quiet. "I gotta go back…" Hiccup mumbled, lifting his gaze to meet the many of the creature before him, the Beast of Choices. He then looked at Toothless, correcting himself, "We have to go back… We have to protect our people… The dragons…"
The blue head hummed softly, speaking in a noble, deep and totally Stoick voice. "You are dedicated to your small ranks. But, we are sorry to say that your next move best not be that."
"I don't have much of a choice!" Hiccup hissed. "We- me and Toothless- we're the best riders they have, by pointed blatancy!"
"Actually, as of right now, you have four choices, as displayed by our heads."
Hiccup sighed, unable to keep a stern face for too long when it made such a cheesy joke, the orange-eyed head bearing a sharp, toothy grin. He smiled a bit. "Yeah, apparently, I do. If you would set them out…?"
"Well," The furthest to the right started, "I'm idea of going to Gothi, if she's still alive."
Next came the darker head with jagged horns. "I'm the idea of getting revenge against those bloody beasts! Wretched dragons…"
The one with Stoick's voice simply looked at him, one eye-ridge raised. It was simply put. The desire for his father and village- not too drastic, but not overly safe, judging by everything, and what it added up to.
The last, the plain, sighed. "Rather than 'idea', I'm gonna use 'choice', and say that I, am the choice of staying here, in the cave, and doing nothing."
Hiccup and Toothless blinked at the far-left head. That explained the colour, at least.
Biting his lip, the heir stared at the ground. He had his choices sat in front of him- quite literally, too.
"It is up to you," The jagged-horned rumbled, "But I would pick another option, aside from these. If only it was opened up…" He met Hiccup's frown, and his trademark curious expression. "We can show you that… If you let us."
Toothless growled something, his protectiveness, which had been creeping in slowly ever since they had met the Immortal, suddenly kicking into drive. His long tail swept around his rider, drawing him in close to his warm, shady sleek body. Hiccup gave a soft yelp in response, placing a hand on Toothless' shoulder to support himself as he looked into the corner of the dragon's eye, hoping to find an explanation- surprised to find hostility in those emerald cores.
The Choices tensed slightly to whatever was transferred, and it hissed to answer the Night Fury. "Fine," It spat as one, "He will ride on your back, Night Fury."
Hiccup didn't let it show earnestly, but frowned.
Had The Choices had expected him to ride it?
But… Why?
Surely it had understood and accepted that Hiccup only ever flew with Toothless, unless something came up?
Whatever had transpired was quickly forgotten, and checking their surroundings as they stepped onto the rocky shore, The Choices spread its huge feathery wings.
Hiccup was easily astounded by their size, even more so when he saw them fully extend out and flap once or twice to test the winds. Toothless followed the Beast, eyeing his new prosthetic before leaping into the afternoon skies, (uneasily, for it was rather strange to be in control again) waiting for The Choices. As it flew over them and flicked its tail for them to follow, the heads- excluding the 'Stoick' head and the one with Gothi in mind- passed glares back at Toothless.
Hiccup didn't know if his expression was very well hidden, that time, and he only barely kept his thoughts from being spoken aloud.
Why was The Choices suddenly so aggressive?
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Sunset.]
It was wise to stay silent about it, but in his opinion, The Choices was far greater a guide and a flyer than he had first believed. Its large size and light wings had him questioning his manoeuvrability, but it seemed to not hinder the beast in the slightest. Choices occasionally glanced back at him and Toothless, but was otherwise silent as they started to fly up the mountain.
Hiccup took a deep breath. He muttered another quiet apology, realising yet again, his prosthetic was automatically moving to Toothless' movements in flight, as if he had to control the prosthetic. The issue was, that now, he didn't have to.
Well, he thought moodily, at least the sunset is pretty. And, indeed, it was. It was one of the geographical upsides of living on Berk, the sunsets. Great streaks of deep orange outlined the sun that dipped into the ocean, casting a shimmery yellow light over the sparkling waves. As the two flying creatures soared around the mountain again, Hiccup got a look at the east skies, which were gradually darkening.
Toothless peeked at his rider. He could tell that his precious partner was lost in the deepest crevices of his mind, troubled, and he didn't like that, the dragon thought.
Shifting a shoulder, he tried to grab his attention, slightly shocked when his rider didn't even notice in his body. His own mind dampened, like a soaked sheet of fabric, dripping and heavy.
"We're approaching." The Choices suddenly said, speaking through the plain head- it thus lacked much emotion or any meaning behind the words.
The duo merely nodded in response.
To say the human and his Fury weren't surprised by the discovery ahead, would be a cringeworthy lie. How they had never once seen the open gap in the mountain was bewildering. Choices ducked down, swooping towards a large crack in the walls of the mountain- it was about two thirds up the rocky formation, not quite reaching the snow layers, not too chilly in the afternoon air. Toothless followed, curious, Hiccup only watched as the larger creature brought its massive wings in slightly to fit inside- the Night Fury flew within the walls rather smoothly, in comparison.
Hiccup had to pay attention to what he saw- as Toothless soared in, he noticed a strange shimmer in the air behind them, where the entrance was.
As they flew, torches on either side of them set alight on their own, and it shocked him to see the flames were an icy, light blue, like the cold scales of a Groncicle. Yet, they glowed and flickered like any other.
"Choices…?" He didn't even need to shout, his voice echoing off the stone. "Where are we going?"
The feminine-sounding voice replied, perhaps a bit merrier, "You'll see!"
Hiccup wondered why it sounded so thrilled. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as the Beast suddenly dipped down and out of sight, the last he saw of it being the red-purple fur on the end of its glistening tail. Toothless warbled a smug sound, and then the young man's eyes widened slightly, seeing where they were headed, the seemingly endless path lit by the mysterious blue torches.
Hiccup doubted he'd ever seen or gone down such a steep and long descent, such as the one Toothless happily screeched, and dove into.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Sunset.]
Toothless rumbled, amused, air rushing past his scales, making a tingling sensation in his body. He glanced up at Hiccup, who was laughing while hugging his neck, leaning forward heavily. He clung on tightly with his ankles.
"Oh, Hiccup-ey Hiccup… Scared of a little fall?" Choices' voice boomed up from down below, teasingly sweet. Toothless snorted softly, although Hiccup gave a chuckle.
"No!" He shouted back.
The rider lifted his head slightly, eyeing the now visible pit that laid at the end of their fall. It was dark, and he noted it glinted dark green, red, and gold in parts.
However, Hiccup didn't quite get the time to ask himself this, or, why. Toothless was slow kicking up his hind legs, rising his middle and chest to transfer his weight for a landing- he would crash into the pit. Hiccup and Toothless gave screeching screams as the dragon's legs flailed, suddenly taking away their laughs.
And if not for Choices jumping out with two extended necks, they would've crashed, badly.
Hiccup felt the air squeeze out his lungs, and he gasped, pressing the side of his face against his dragon's ebony scales. Toothless laid arched over the necks underneath him, slowly regaining his motion and feeling gravity weigh out. Hiccup cast his sights to the left, seeing the plain head of Choices eyeing them, head tilted in question as their eyes met. The young man released a sigh of relief, patting his dragon's neck, before slowly getting up with a stiff groan.
Hiccup couldn't believe how much he had felt so heavy, and stiff in the matter of three days, and so frequently...
The mortal slid off Toothless, gliding his touch down the dragon's side as he did so. He was hesitant to touch down, finding a patch of normal, but dark stone to set his foot and peg leg down on. He eyed the glinting pile of colours with restlessness.
"Oh, do ignore that," The jagged-horned head grunted when Hiccup gestured to the pile in question.
"Wretched, rotting pile of nothing, it is. Come along now, you two. On your paws, Night Fury."
Toothless slithered off the beast's necks, watching with narrow eyes. Choices merely brushed past the dragon, taking the lead again, with a slight hiss starting to walk down the lightest tunnel available of the three. The Fury walked beside Hiccup, giving a grunt, as if to say that he didn't quite approve of their situation.
Hiccup muttered under his breath, tense, as they followed the not-as-cheery immortal creature. "I'm right behind you, Bud…"
Then again, Hiccup thought, his inner naïve voice allowing a second chance to spark; it could just be that the happy heads went silent and the grumpy one went all dark and sounding like the bad guy who's not actually a bad guy but he's some double agent or secret minion or whatever mysterious… He bit his lip and silently, to himself, rolled his eyes. No, I'm probably just reading into this WAY too hard.
He turned his attention back to the scene present.
Choices and Toothless simply had their focus set forward- Hiccup figured someone should examine their surroundings…
Even though it was, simply put, stone walls, with a chain of torches on either side.
He could see why 'forward', was the more preferred matter of subject. The heir sighed, taking up the mantle of what they were doing, not that it really required much effort, making such an epic of a term worthy. They seemed to walk forever, so much so that Hiccup's feet longed to stop. This, he mused, was rather strange- he'd trekked mountains, and covered tiring trails far longer than what they had likely travelled so far, so what was different now?
Their heir set aside his troubled apprehension, however, as they stepped out into a large, spacious chamber.
It was truly an awe-inspiring sight. A gentle but fine streak of orange light shone through a crack moulded in the roof of the dome-shaped chamber, although he could clearly see six torches mounted on the walls regardless. Hiccup stared in wonder at the gold engravings that covered the walls, following some sort of timeline. Dragons, he took in with his sweep of the sight, were a prominent image on the walls.
His gaze was then attracted to something else- a single pedestal in the centre of the massive room. It was shiny, pure black, and carved on the side surfaces of the black object was a dragon unlike any other he'd seen before, once again in a dazzling, shiny gold.
He frowned, noting the emerald eyes the dragon possessed. Just like Toothless', he thought quietly, stepping forward, walking around the chamber.
Toothless stepped beside him, head held high.
The dragon looked suspicious, and the tides of emotion tipped to the will of confusion.
And a moment later, Hiccup could understand why.
A thin layer of shiny red metal on top of the pedestal's surface, depicted his and Toothless' signature mark- the skull with horns. It was, he noted, slightly different than it had been after the Red Death, and then, again, not quite the same as the one he bore on his shoulder pad, and Toothless his tail fin, in the present. Instead, it looked more like a dragon's skull, narrow snout, and golden eyes with thin black slits glaring at them.
But how…? Hiccup stared at the image. How could- whoever had done this- had known? Was this all made by someone in the village- On Berk?
The young viking whirled around, the sound of his feet pivoting bouncing off the walls.
He looked up, expecting to see Choices, but couldn't find the chimera-hydra-like beast. He blinked for a few moments, frowning, his lips pursing together. He stared at the exit of the chamber. "Bud?" He looked at his dragon. "Where… Bud?"
Toothless stared at the wall. His eyes had locked onto a particular carving, depicting a Night Fury in flight, mounted on its back, a man, wearing a long cape that flowed in the wind as he raised his sword high above his head. Beneath it were two carvings of menacing dragons, much like the design on the pedestal. Above it to the other diagonal was another of its kind, but more vicious, bearing a cruel snarl. Around the majestic Fury were a circle of strange runes, ones neither could translate.
"It's a Night Fury… And a rider… Curious, all this stuff…" The dragon looked at his boy, who ran his hand down the gold, shivering at the cold surface.
The young man was suddenly filled to the brim, from toes to fingertips, with a strange sensation- a soft hum, like a wave of cool water had washed over his bare skin after a day in the scorching sun. A humming melody rang in his ears, as his fingers traced the silver, gentle outline of a long, serpent-like, feathered dragon he'd never seen before, carved into the wall with such precision and care.
He stared up at the shining artwork above him, sheer amazement a symphony in his mind.
"All this… Is it true…?"
Hiccup beamed, and ran to another section, staring with childish excitement at the utopia of dragons and history before him- it was all so much.
But in his engrossment, one Rider was unaware of his Dragon slipping out, following a dangerous calling to fight. And while he did so, narrow red eyes watched with a savage, pleased glint reflecting within the dark depths of hatred.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Evening.]
Toothless stopped, his ear plates lifting an inch higher. They twitched as they adjusted to the repetitive sound of water droplets falling from a stalactite.
The darkest tunnel, the Fury had discovered, woven deep into the mountain, presented him before an even larger chamber than the decorated one his partner was in. Nothing had been done to it, staying in its natural form, mostly boring except for a dozen or so stalactites and stalagmites.
He sniffed the air.
It was pungent with the scent of an unfamiliar creature, the air eerily cold.
Not naturally cold.
He was not alone. The dragon hissed, narrowing his pupils- he unsheathed his sharp teeth to the cavern, and posed a defensive crouch.
Nnniiiiiight Fuuury…. Toothless went stiff, the voice ringing in his head, accompanied by an audible choir of hisses from the darkness of the cave. Hearrr ussss… Hear ussss! Grrrreat traaagedyyy shall be brought uuuuponn yousssss… Your Riiiiddderrr will perisssssshhh…. SCCCARRRLET SHALLLL RUULL ALLL!
That broke the dams. Jumping up from his rigged place, feet sunk to the ground, Toothless roared and fired a bright plasma blast at the far wall.
It struck as hundreds of furious, shrill shrieks echoed off the walls, the sound bouncing back to the Night Fury. He howled, dropping back down to the floor, pawing desperately at his ears as the sound brought pouring agony into his brain. He watched with wide, petrified eyes as narrow, glowing eyes pierced the gloom, and slithering forth appeared countless large snakes, all glittering and gleaming fiercely.
Gold, red, and green.
Those that were gold had green eyes, red had gold, and the green had red, creating a fitting (in the negative light, unfortunately, though) circlet of colours. Their long fangs were a shiny black, and they all individually had to be the biggest snakes he had ever seen- some were as wide in the middle as Hiccup was across his neck.
Toothless roared once more in fury. Choices had said it was nothing- not- NOT thousands of strange SNAKES!
The snakes paused to bow their head towards an approaching creature, hissing in respect, and he whimpered- if he thought a gold snake to his left was big, then it was nothing compared to the unorthodox beast now towering over his dragon self.
It stood- or slithered- out from the rest of its ranks, a glimmering, haunting pitch black, with ghostly blue eyes. It had many sharp white teeth lining its jaws, while its two primary fangs gleamed a cold silver. He noted, with mortification, those fangs were as long as Hiccup's arm. The beast itself was large enough to coil around a Monstrous Nightmare undoubtedly, and comfortably, at that, and have none of the scaled victim visible in its brutal death.
For one of the few times in his life, Toothless was honestly and truly scared. He could normally growl at any new dragon, because it was a dragon. He understood that, and he knew by now that dragons are usually dangerous.
So was this creature scaring him? It was a snake- a bit scary on its own, at least to his protect-Hiccup side.
But when he had a real-life comparison for this ungodly, unnatural creature?
Yes, it was downright wrong, and it was terrifying.
Toothless finally realised how much he was shaking, his toothed jaw loose, his ear plates flat against his neck. The smaller snakes hissed in tune, eyeing him, while the black behemoth eyed him almost curiously.
'Wh…. What… What are you?' Toothless whispered in Dragonese, only afterwards realising that this was a snake, not a dragon. Would it understand him?
The black snake judged him with its icy gaze. 'A ssssnakkke,' It simply hissed, in Dragonese (surprisingly), in a female (also, once again, surprisingly) voice. 'We arre very powerrrrfuuul snakessss, unlike thhe puny, worthhhlessss morrrtal oness that sssslither acrossss thisss realm.'
'Oh,' Toothless muttered, honestly expecting something rather different from a response, if he even got one. It'll have to do… Now… Escape route…
The snakes gave a chorus of displeased hisses, as if able to read his mind.
'Don't rrrrun away, Nniiiight Fuuury…' The large reptile cooed softly, glaring down at him. The snakes hissed as they circled him, their vile tongues slipping out their mouths to flick at him, the glint of their fangs menacing in the dark.
He was trapped. Absolutely aware of this, the black leader's mouth curled in delight. 'We hhhhhavvven'tt had a gooddd talkkk in a whhhhile… Withhh a ddddrraaagoonn…'
Of courssssse… One snake hissed telepathically, its golden scales such a horrible, forbidden treasure to the unassuming perspective, while its crimson gaze petrifying.
It came closer than any others, lifting its narrow head to hold it mere inches away from Toothless' ebony snout.
Mossst of them are ddead befffforre we gettt thhhere…
'STRRRIIIIKE WITHH FFFFAANG AND FFFEEAR, MY SSSUBJECCTSSS!'
And Toothless screamed.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Evening.]
Hiccup lifted his head and froze, hearing a gut-wrenching sound he knew belonged to a Night Fury in the greatest distress. It was a scream, a dragon scream, a sound so rarely heard. High pitched, droned, long and piercing. It echoed through the entire mountain and came shooting into his heart and mind heavier than an axe.
"Toothless…?"
His dragon wasn't there. Panic began to surge within him. "TOOTHLESS!"
He didn't think. Scrambling to his feet, he charged out the chamber, heart racing and thundering in his chest while blood pounded in his ears.
He halted, nearly tripping, at the crossroad with the triple tunnel entrances, shouting his beloved friend's name. He heard a roar in answer, and a horrible, monstrous, colossal montage of hisses- snake hisses.
Normally, if it was one snake, he wouldn't really be concerned.
If it wasn't for how loud the next snake noise was, or the hundreds of smaller ones that followed his dragon's howl.
Gods, Bud… What have you gotten into now?
Hiccup sped down the tunnel, which seemed forebodingly endless. Forgetting all else, Hiccup's mind was torn in terror and panic. What if he was too late? What awaited him at the end of the tunnel, if it remained? He screamed with his dragon, when another extremely loud wave of screeches shook the ground- literally, causing him to stumble- and he willed himself to push on.
He had to get to his dragon… He had to… He couldn't lose Toothless…
"…Especially to MUTANT SNAKES!"
This is what Hiccup screamed, as he burst into a huge chamber, filled with a huge array of gold, red, and emerald green, large snakes. Hissing in the centre, coiled around Toothless, was a giant, enormous black serpent, its menacing blue eyes filled with savage glee and its silver fangs bared.
"It could probably swallow a Gronckle whole with a jaw span like that…" He muttered aloud, before realising that very factor, and the major facts; one being that Toothless needed his help- and he was rooted in place.
The adolescent gasped, his trembling hands fumbling for Inferno, his dragon blade, even as he ran towards Toothless.
What did he think he could do?
He had no idea.
What could possibly go wrong with his one-hundred-percent improvised plan?
Just about everything, his mind snapped at him.
"Shut up," He muttered to himself, and yelped as a long green body streaked past his prosthetic, making him fall on his front with a painful thud.
He gasped, stars dancing in his vision, the world dizzy.
A creeping, slithering sensation passed over his leg, cold but heavy…
Just as a hiss, and a forked tongue appeared above him from a long, relatively thin red serpent with gleaming gold eyes. He shrieked, and swivelled his head to stare at the green one that was making its way up his back, a vibrating noise in its throat. He could have sworn it was their form of laughter.
"TOOTHLESS!"
Neither were sure what caught the most urgency- the snakes, the giant behemoth of one, or their own pain. The monster's attention transferred to the human trapped in the clutches of two of her minions, a small green and a red.
'KILL THE BOY!'
Hiccup gasped, hearing the voice. It was in human tongue, Norse. These odd creatures starting to show up, one after the other, were really unnerving him.
He glared at the snakes all around, the long green reptile restraining him.
His hand secured around Inferno's hilt, and clicked.
The heir smirked as the orange flames burst forth on the extended blade, causing the nearest of the black serpent's subjects to squeal and flee, including the ones threatening Hiccup. He didn't let the green one, instead pinning it quickly under his boot. A risky move that he would soon be thankful for, and he took this in advance.
The behemoth of a beast screeched her outrage, and her grip around Toothless briefly loosened as she shot her ebony head at Hiccup.
Smirking, Hiccup grabbed the green snake, and threw it into her mouth. Both screeched, but the black was entitling rage, not the sheer agony of the smaller green, and anyone could see why.
Her silver fangs melted whatever they touched.
Taking his morbid opportunity, Hiccup shot forward with Inferno, and pushing aside any terror or second thoughts, slashed the beast with his sword. He watched with wide eyes as he ran to Toothless, wincing at her roars of outrage and pain, and he cut her in succession until she was forced to uncoil, releasing his dragon. He didn't dare look at the damage he had inflicted with his own sword. The Night Fury leaped out, wobbly on his legs, but was quick to roar, and shoot a Plasma Blast at the back of the giant snake's head with a ripping explosion, lighting up the cave walls with the blue fire. Both rider and dragon ducked from it, a black wing shielding an otherwise defenceless human, who had turned off his flaming blade so they wouldn't be exposed.
Hiccup looked at Toothless. The dragon was panting, chest heaving with every breath, exhaustion visible. The lithe dragon was shaking, snarling, seething with rage, and grunting frequently with what he guessed was pain.
But, he noticed with a shuddering sigh of relief, his dragon wasn't bitten or hurt other than his previous wound, which now bled freely. He bit his lip and looked back at the cavern of mutated snakes.
What were they? And how would they ever defeat them?
Thinking like a hardcore hero there, Hiccup, his mind growled. Already wondering how to kill that thing.
"It's plural, brain. ThOSE thingS."
His best friend turned to stare at him weirdly, with a twinge of exasperated 'what the heck', in his eyes. Hiccup muttered an apology, he hadn't realised it was, once again, spoken unintentionally aloud, and he returned to focus.
Their foe was not pleased. She tossed the decomposed, melted, and dead snake from her jaws, her snout wrinkling with disgust at the sight of the dull green that leaked into the still melting puddle of steaming silver. Hiccup could see the white of its bones in the liquid, and it took a lot to hold in the bile threatening to rise and join the occasion. He now knew what a slowly melting eye looked like.
He whimpered as the monster finally regained its bearings, and started to look for them, slithering dark through the spikes that detailed the cavern. Toothless hurried for cover when its back was turned. The rock that shielded them would not be effective for long, they both knew it.
The heir looked into his dragon's eyes frantically, his hands light on the dragon's jaws although they felt as heavy as lead.
They had to try. They had to do something, no matter what it was.
His hand, white at the knuckles, clutched the hilt of Inferno, and he watched as Toothless braced his muscles and his claws gripped the stone. His sharp teeth gleamed in full hostility towards the beast.
The heir moved first. He slid his one foot out of the rock's protective cover, and with a deep intake of breath, he rolled to press his back against another stalagmite. Looking to his side, he saw Toothless had leaped up and now clung onto a hanging stalactite. It drew the huge snake's attention, and it hissed excitedly as it slithered to their location, and slowly, its gaze focused on where Toothless once was, as its mighty, glinting head inclined slightly to the left.
It gained him time to act. His sword whooshed to life with a sweep of flames and he lunged for its head, stabbing it just below the ear hole with a squelch and a spurt of steaming silver blood.
The wound didn't go unnoticed, eliciting a howling screech of agony from the monster. It arched its neck and opened its jaws. The sound bounced off the cave walls with a ghastly finality to it- his confidence wavered slightly.
Now he had to run. He scrambled to stand, and his heart pounding, the viking shot past the long, glittering length of the beast.
He failed to notice, acknowledge, and avoid the still present minions of their presumed queen. One gold snake hissed savagely and reared up before Hiccup, coiled as the end of the black snake's tail swept him off his feet, slamming him down on his back. His prosthetic tried to gain a grip- and then he realised said leg was trapped under a boulder. He shouted a curse.
Jaws extended, fangs bared, his accuser taunted him all around- slithering alongside his arms and side, the gold snake was hissing and snapping ravenously, teasing him. He gasped as its black fangs only barely missed his remaining leg, due to the quick reflexes of his wrist, suddenly finding solitude around the hilt of Inferno. He didn't even know what had happened, until it was too late; his sword sliced the reptile across the first quarter of its long body. Its split body was cauterised by the flames. He stared, shocked, the creature falling dead, and in two separate parts. Blood was spilling through gaps where the flames hadn't touched, leaving the fallen snake laid in a pool of its own blood.
Toothless roared over the furious hisses and screeches filling the pandemonium. His rider would get killed, at this rate!
Hiccup's head whipped to face the frantic Night Fury before he fired a ball of blue fire at the black snake's cranium. He repeated four more times with little regard for the monster's strained, pain-filled cries. The explosions echoed, and the stone floor shook a little under the pressure present in the cavern.
The adolescent yelped, getting thrown suddenly to the ground by a sudden shift of movement in the black serpent. It slammed its bloody, shiny silver-black head at the stalactites, making them crash to the floor. Toothless gave a roar as he jumped away, getting unlucky a few heartbeats later, falling with a shriek that formed into a cry of pain, mixed with a loud crack.
Hiccup felt his own heart skip a few beats, his eyes widening with horror; the black snake had caught her target, and now slithered towards Toothless swiftly to finish it with wide jaws and dripping silver fangs.
Not if he had anything to say about it.
Screaming furiously, his face was contorted with sudden, boiling hot rage. This menace would not kill his best friend.
It happened rather instinctively- his hand snatched up his Dragon Blade, he got up despite the fires of his pain, crossed the distance in a few long bounds, and he jumped with a bellow that startled the beast, whom turned to face him, her position just low enough for him to reach.
Big mistake, on her part.
By sheer dumb luck, he would later conclude, he ended up landing upon her scaly, distorted head, sinking the flaming blade deep into the bridge of its black skull, through the jewel-hard crust of scales and blood and muscle.
The monster gave a daunting roar, drowning Hiccup's shout.
Hiccup's chest heaved as he pulled his sword back out and heavily held it just over her skull. The creature remained to scream. She started to toss her huge head. Hiccup gave a bitter, annoyed snort and made a haste Night Fury call. He heard a faint response from Toothless and was promptly thrown off the beast, hurtling towards the cavern floor at a much faster pace than he liked.
It was replaced by a figure of black scales a moment later. His arms wrapped quickly around his dragon's neck- Toothless roared and sprung into a sprint for the exit. Their escape attempt proved futile.
A long black tail whipped his mount from underneath, pulling the dragon's legs to the left viciously. They went down, tumbling across the harsh ground, both giving noises of pain and despair. Everything was aching.
"How is it still alive!?" Hiccup moaned, staring up at the writhing, furious, and yet, not-dead behemoth.
Its blue eyes were thinner and more dangerous than he'd seen them to that point- they were petrifying, so much so he was quite struck in his fallen position, propped up on nothing but his bare hands which ached and burned, slippery with blood.
It opened its jaws and screamed once more, saliva spraying from the even scarier cavern that was its mouth, its silver fangs gleaming, renewed in its rage, like daggers of polished steel.
It was smashing its mental limits in exchange for a sudden evolution. No time for words and sentiment when you're that pissed, he supposed.
He soon realised, with shivers down his spine, as he witnessed the new source for its ear-splitting shrieks; its voice wasn't the only thing being smashed. Perhaps if they were on casual, friendly terms and sat down at the dinner table, with cups of tea, he would have found it more so fascinating than outright terrible. But it was, indeed, the latter, witnessing an indented V-shape down its throat pulse before the scales stretched downwards into narrow slits, and its throat seemed to almost suck into its body, before it burst in a bloody mess, spraying the hot silver liquid everywhere.
He could see it in full view as the beast towered above them. Along the V of its split, bloody throat, the collar of black flesh donned bone white, razor sharp spikes that occasionally took turns to twitch, as if desperate for the shedding of fresh blood.
The giant, terrifying monster slithered out, vicious hunger coming through guttural groans. The heir watched with an even grimmer expression and wider eyes when he saw a similar process present itself down the creature's spine- the scales split, flesh and bone revealed, and along the middle of its back emerged sharp spikes, as lethal and sharp as those of a Deadly Nadder or a Razorwhip. The very end of its long tail split into three sharp, steely blades, like a trio of giant swords or an array of huge butcher knives.
He could see the haunting green mist within the white bones, now, through it trickles of its metallic life source.
It most certainly wasn't dead.
But frozen in shock, shaking and petrified, neither had the chance to make a move as the black snake launched at them, jaws wide open…
Both felt the impact of its snout as it abruptly struck the ground, the snake teetering to the left with a howl- while Toothless and his rider hadn't had time to react, something else had. Something huge, with four snarling heads, sharp teeth and cruel, steeled claws that lashed at the monster.
Its prey suddenly forgotten, the black serpent craned its neck around and swiftly made into a coiled, defensive pose. It bared its deadly fangs and hissed louder.
'Leave!' She shrieked; the snake's saliva sprayed onto the beast. 'They are mine! MINE!'
With a start, it became apparent that the sudden saviour was a previously absent Choices. They had never seen the multiple-headed creature so angry.
"Yours? Mine? What does it matter, you old fool! You shame us- you shame The Fate! Trying to kill these two? Even- even-" The heads of the Choices sputtered as one. The Beast seemed to have lost an answer, or, rather, at least one that was in coherent Norse sentences.
Resorting to a screech in his rage, Choices reared onto his back legs, and slashed the mutant serpent across the snout once more; blood poured forth and the roars of the Hydra-like-creature muted the whimpers and soft hisses of the snake. Shockingly, she was not uttering a word anymore. "YOU ARE A FOOL! DO YOU WANT ALL OF US DEAD? YOU ARE A WRETCHED, FOUL, DISGUSTING- YOU- WHY! AND YOU DARED TO- HOW DARE YOU!"
One of the draconic heads slammed into the snake's throat. Merely growling at the discomfort and grotesque aspect of being touched by a sickening gas and those leaks of silver acid (The Choices' scales seemed to be an impenetrable armour to it) running down the grey snout, the head snapped angrily, oblivious to the howl that erupted from the snake's throat, before something astonishing happened causing the many witnesses to gape (some of the snakes hissed in disbelief, and some made a form of screaming)-
The enormous black snake, with silver fangs, moaned, toppled, and fell to the ground, sprawled out over the stone ground, still as cold stone, as a dull thud echoed through the chamber. Silence took the grave of the battle…
For a solid minute or so.
"I think we just made a terrible mistake…" The Choices was saying, sounding calmer, now hovering protectively over the Night Fury and Viking; the army of snakes were downright livid. Some were screeching frantically, and slithering against the fallen, silent body of their monstrous leader- others were facing the trio, their jewelled eyes blazing, looking murderous- and some were awfully still, lurking in the shadows and behind stalagmites, probably cowering at the obvious display of power.
Toothless groaned; Hiccup squeaked; and Choices gave an ear-piercing roar that effectively turned the scene into a chaotic dilemma.
Option one; try and break through the huge swath of attacking snakes and escape.
Option two; charge at the still attacking snakes and fight back.
Neither were very appealing, Hiccup reluctantly admitted with a grimace. Typical. Swallowing, he took his shaking hand off Toothless' scaly shoulder, and brandished Inferno once more.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
[Approx. 2478_D, May 27th, Night.]
Later, Hiccup would stumble, limping, back into the artistic chamber, that, thankfully, did not harbor for a mass of lethal killer reptiles. It had taken an avalanche of boulders and stalagmites, in the end, to stop the three of them from being victims in a gruesome massacre.
This visit to the mysterious place, was different, however.
His actions led him down another path, cutting a twist in the road, in a metaphorical sense- one which would change him forever.
He looked at the wall with the most things he recognised on it, and slumped down against the wall opposite. He gazed at the carvings, quiet, and all movement in the room was belonging to the flickering of the six blue torches mounted on the walls.
Alone, he mused. He thought and contemplated. Staring, almost blankly to the non-asserting eye, the light that reflected on the metallic gold reminded him of many aspects of life. Some things could still be seen, even in the dark. Some things still reflected and shone; while others were left to be silenced and blinded. Most of them came into view when light was held to it- such as the torch. Hiccup wondered where he stood in all this; where Toothless did, his friends, his father, Berk- Choices- and dragon, and human kinds themselves.
As a smart boy, he had always known that life wasn't fair, and the world was much bigger than him.
His hand slipped down his leg. He shivered in the cold. Wincing as it brushed over the bruises and the occasional scrape or shallow cut on his battered leg, he rested his aching fingers around the still warm, sticky, dark red-and-silver hilt of a weapon he had once sworn to never use in combat.
He took it from its slot, and stared at it, silent once more.
Everything was going to change, he knew. And, he felt that, perhaps, it already had, just a small bit. But how? How had so much changed in such little time? Why did it? And why- why to him? The Heir of Berk was constantly told, usually in joke manner, that he was a trouble magnet. This seemed pretty accurate, even to him. He accepted this.
So why did he want to refuse that withering belief, a horrible stone in the pit of his stomach, that he and Toothless had been involved in whatever mess this was, for ages before their time? That it was only just beginning- that it wouldn't be okay?
He hated that feeling. The emotion of dread, fear, and foreboding, as they merged into a mess of anxiety. Hiccup knew it well; they were long-time nemeses.
In a sudden rush of bizarre amusement, he found that a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips.
Was he always this profound, and deep in his conscious? Questioning the motives of life always seemed like a pointless objective. So many ended up disappointed, rueful they couldn't undo what was a fact as solid as stone; you'll get the bad, the good, and you'll get the experiences; some unexpected, some planned, and others, ones you never anticipated, not once; and then you'll find what you love, what you hate; you'll witness things you dream of, and what you fear…
The adolescent lifted his head. He stared, with the slightest soft smirk, at the carvings on the wall. "I can't decipher you," He suddenly said. For a moment, he reconsidered the prospect of continuing speaking into supposed silence- if not, for the fact he swore he just witnessed a pair of blue, sparkling eyes on a dragon's depiction turn to him. Hiccup blinked, and nearly swore. That… Was… Well, unexpected.
He grinned. Also unexpected- oh, life was having a go at him, this time, that was for sure.
"I've seen a lot of strange things lately, especially today-" He paused, "-and somehow, I doubt that they're coincidence. Or that they're not linked. It's all very strange, isn't it, how one moment you don't believe in something at all- but then something happens, and it's like you've trusted it since you were born. People say that the world 'isn't round'. Well, who plans to prove that? We can believe whatever we want, if we only have the courage-" He grinned rather goofily; he was talking to a wall. "-Or, the sheer idiocy."
Hiccup could almost feel the changes in the room- he felt like there were indeed eyes resting on him, he could hear a faint hum in his ears…
He looked at the pedestal in the heart of the chamber, pitch black and glittering with strange silver flecks within, in the moonlight seeping through the meaningful crack in the ceiling- somehow, it had a purpose. He just knew it.
The young man stood, walked over to the pedestal, and laid his hand on the cool surface- not afraid, not questioning.
He just…. knew.
And suddenly, it happened. Light flashed before his eyes- he gasped and started to pull away, the moment of certain bliss and sure-ness long gone. His fingers wouldn't be ripped away. Whining, he stared at the walls frantically- he considered calling out for Toothless, or the Choices- anyone.
It wasn't required. As if emerging from whispers in thin air, bounding down a wispy path, a light-footed Choices came into his line of sight, just to the corner of his left. It looked curious- and he was astounded to see another head had suddenly appeared- it was depicted with all means of curves and spikes and scales, staring at him with bright eyes, its mouth curved in a flicker of eager, yet fearful nervousness, covered in greens and oranges and yellows- a head that told him he could go forward with this new discovery…
"You can let yourself be pulled into the vision," The new head said, in its young voice- one quite like Hiccup's own. "It will answer most- if not all- of your questions… I believe. That, or, maybe the depictions on the walls- the only way to know is to push once more on the symbol."
Hiccup hesitated. "Is there an option to… You know… Back out…? This… I don't know…"
"I doubt it. You're best to go on ahead."
Fear swirled within him, blended with his conflicting emotions. So many things could go wrong- just as countless others could benefit him, too. He was curious. But- this- all of it- felt so far… beyond him. It was a task vaster than the ocean, stronger than its tides, and some-how he realised- if he accepted this, it would cover him with its waves, and he'd be drenched to the bone.
There'd be no turning back. It was a no-backing-out situation.
"You're smarter than your comrades give you credit for, Hiccup. But that… Is a quality your race rarely admire, isn't it? Yes… Well, go ahead. Curiosity is best used by the intelligent." Said the Choices; Hiccup swallowed, closing his eyes, calming his steady and slow breaths.
He pressed down on the pedestal.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
A putrid smell of smoke and fumes filled his nostrils immediately- he saw searing embers and flickering fires. They littered the ground, while charred leaves fluttered down to the earth. It lingered for a moment, going forward quickly, until it veered upwards to the gloomy skies. His vision thumped up and down- it was a strange sensation, and also- familiar? The colours before him were vivid and bright; a golden tint was washed over the view of a raging sea, dark storm clouds looming high over his head. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
With a start, Hiccup realised that either he- or whatever he was looking through- was flying. The rhythmic movements were like those when riding a dragon, but instead, there was the feeling of the powerful wings churning- ones that weren't his own.
Suddenly, his escort's vision was pushed forwards drastically, like a lens zooming closer. It tipped downwards- the view was pulled into a descent, past thin sheets of clouds, passing through the layer, until he was gliding- would that be right?- over the ocean. White froth crashed against sea stacks, and the water had a nasty green hue- it appeared to be night.
The focus changed; with a sharp turn to the right, and then down, he could see it- a Viking longboat, struggling through the storm. Faintly, yet in a high tuned definition, he could hear the shouts and cries of the men aboard. They got closer. Just as their faces could be seen, so could he. A stocky, short man jabbed a finger at him. Shouting, the men began to do something akin to a panicked scramble for order.
To Hiccup's shock, erupting then from himself- or this vessel- came a deep, menacing growl.
He was a dragon- or, a man in a dragon's body, seeing through its eyes…
His thoughts were interrupted as the dragon gave a bone-chilling roar and ascended into a steep climb, in the corner of his vision the sight of glinting, golden talons scratching uselessly at the air underneath his head. A plume of bright red fire shot from the dragon's mouth- the creature wheeled around and circled the ship in a semicircle, its booming wings whipping the air.
"HEAD TO THE EYE OF STORM! IT'S GETTING WORSE!"
"WHAT ABOUT THAT THING?!"
"BEAST! A TERRIBLE BEAST! IT'S GOING TO ATTACK! TAKE COVER!"
The dragon gave a snort. Somewhere, shared through the odd visionary link, Hiccup could argue for the dragon's defence. He didn't intend to attack…
But if not that, then what?
The ship was suddenly drawn out of sight- his sight took him higher above the clouds, great huffs and wing flaps coming from the dragon. It soared high and away, occasionally grunting or growling.
Hiccup felt himself growing tired, at least mentally. Not so much bored, or impatient- he wanted to know answers, or what was happening now. There weren't exactly manuals lying around for this thing… The adolescent, through the dragon, felt powerful. It almost felt- right. It was an odd sensation, to say in the least.
The dragon seemed to fly for hours on no end- at last it circled and swooped down, perching itself on a huge rock spire.
Hiccup suddenly had emotions of alarm.
How big was this dragon, exactly? If that was a rock… On a mountain…
Yet again, there was little time to ponder. The ship had arrived. Had the dragon been stalking it the whole time? However, instead of engaging in combat or threat, the beast was quiet and observant, barely blinking as he- it- watched the early Vikings step out their wooden vessel, talking busily and setting up camp. Morning was coming- a scent of freshness clung to the air like a leech, unrelenting. A drive to attention, for something- a strange feeling, one that was not his own, once again.
The dragon grunted and went to fly again. It left the island and soared over the sea, snapping up about twenty large fish along the way, as what, a snack?
Hiccup was briefly aware of being confused. Then, he realised why- the connection that had them entwined was now dissipating, loosening as though a knot on an apron around the waist- soon it fell completely and his vision went inky black.
The next thing he knew, his sight had changed, again. This time, it was almost the exact same as his own- just better and sharper. This felt a little more comfortable…
A man was talking. A Viking- without the usual structure. Hiccup's surprise flared and his interest peaked- although fully grown, and seemingly respected, this Viking was tall and small in structure- 'lean and mean', as Tuffnut had once put it. A sudden understanding hit him- Hiccup.
Huh? Hiccup? But that was his-
Oh.
That man is one of my predecessors. Hiccup the FIRST. Right… So… What does he have to do with all this?
He realised that still, he was looking through the eyes of a dragon. A different one, though. This one was about the man's height- perhaps a little shorter, overall, but the dragon seemed to be standing- on all fours. A warble came from their body. A warble- a familiar warble! A Night Fury!
Excitement shot up inside him. Another one did exist- now they were getting somewhere!
It was quickly replaced by confusion, and not the dragon's. If Vikings had been at war with dragons since the beginning, why was this dragon- this Night Fury- still alive and keeping its head? Were they at peace? He couldn't see any others of his scaly friends in the space. Hiccup the First was absently petting the Night Fury's side (he apparently just knew this- and felt it. It was overwhelmingly weird) as he talked in a murmur. These other Vikings were his counsel.
The scene changed, blacking out before rushing back with hues of many colours. Hiccup the First was walking towards him and the Fury with a grim expression.
My Rider-partner-Hiccup; Are you the new Alpha-of-Vikings?
Now, that was weird. Had he just heard the Fury's own thoughts…? The voice- as strange as it was- had to be female…
To his shock, another voice entered the space of their heads- the Chief's. Hiccup the First's. It was strong and deep, riddled with emotion- a few images popped up of a council meeting- of cheering and agreements and the banging of helmets in celebration. The words, while clearer than the Fury's own, were still scattered and broken up. Yes, Dragon-partner-Starlight. I am the now-Alpha of my kind. And you? How did it go?
The Night Fury bowed her head regrettably, ashamed and upset. She sent images to him- flashes of growls, and slapping tails, of disapproving snorts and hisses- some gleaming eyes stared at her from among a haze of red smoke- and she suddenly pulled away. It was too hard to show more- she daren't worry her partner further.
Hiccup the First rested a calloused but gentle hand on her snout. On the receiving end, he couldn't help but feel slightly awkward at that.
I am sorry, dearest-treasure-of-mine. There is nothing else we can do?
She shook her ebony head.
Then we shall have to do it on our own. Do not fear, dearest-one. He gave a wan smile. I am sure some of your kind will be brave enough to join our ranks. Soon. Soon we can have an age of prosperous-harmonic-coexistence. Have you any news of our hated-foes, the terrors-of-the-skies, with their fangs-and-fire-and-treachery?
No. They have been silent, Rider-partner-Hiccup. Do you fear them?
Hiccup the First smirked. His eyes, black as coals, gleamed with a type of lust for blood- he playfully tugged on one of her ear-plates.
I do not.
She gave an approving snort and lifted her head to a majestic hold. Then neither shall I.
The scene switched out; now he was suddenly in the frenzy of a battle. Fear and shock reigned supreme- had he been controlling the strange vessel he was now in, with its vision tainted purple, surely, they would have frozen in place, and fallen from the sky fogged with the scent of thick blood and fumes.
The new dragon he was in seemed to be fighting another of its kind- it was hard to see, as it kept attacking from random angles, concealed by the dim clouds. It seemed to be covered in sharp, dark blue scales- its eyes were such a blazing yellow, at first Hiccup mistook them for being actually on fire.
Alas, their opponent was just extremely angry.
The two beasts were clashing in midair- it was hard to tell what was going on- pain and dizziness, of all things, kept blurring the vessel's vision.
Before he knew it, it had changed again. It was almost too fast to keep up with the following events- Hiccup the First and his Night Fury, Starlight, declared war on- who? The- Dragon Warriors? The monster dragons? Hiccup wondered if his head could explode from his conflicting emotions and the rapid flow of thoughts…
"Perhaps we should focus on something…" Hiccup yelped, suddenly thrown back into reality- he fell flat on his rear, groaning as he rubbed his pounding temple. The Choices eyed him critically. "…Easier to process."
"Yeah… Probably a good idea."
He stared tentatively at the pedestal- the red skull was glowing faintly. His gaze shifted and landed on a depiction just opposite his right foot; a wall, and a dragon with a gaping mouth…
Before he could even think for himself, his hand was on the symbol and his mind elsewhere.
This time, Hiccup was small; accurately sized, so to speak.
His vision was through the normal, human lenses the heir was familiar with; but what with the crimson skies and great clouds of smoke, perhaps it shouldn't have been.
It was raining ash. Edifices and homes alike were up in flames. Timber lay in splintered planks, and stone was reduced to mere rocks and sharp pebbles and shards, scattered on the charred dirt…
His ears stung painfully, even as only a growl emanated in the human's range. That growl, deep as the ocean's depths, morphed into a sound to rattle the broken ground and strike sheer terror into the hearts of man.
It was the roar of a dragon; a huge, vicious beast. As its wings parted the skies, its dull, dark blue scales sheening once from the light of its fire, its tail, long and whip-like, snared around a watchtower already half crumbled; it went down in a disastrous mess, the monster shrieking shrilly. Its claws raked the smoky atmosphere as it soared; its teeth snapped cruelly at anyone in sight, be it shouting or crying. Its wings curled, and the tail lashed to-and-fro, as it rose upright, glaring with glowing yellow eyes down at the burning town, while it flapped in the air.
Hiccup stared with horror running free in his stiff posture- the person who was his sight was moving a lot, running and loudly yelling in a tongue he didn't know…
The structure beside the man suddenly erupted in pieces; cries pierced the air, soon overtaken by the shrieks of two of the titans. Snarling with cold menace, the blue was wrestling another- he kept thinking it was a chalky white, tinted with mint. Their path was one of destruction. A platoon of soldiers- including his current vessel- were trying to escape the fight before their lives were lost to it.
Crying out in despair, their group on horseback (did those horses have the horns of rhinos and long tails like lions, or was his vision funny?) came to a rumpled stop. Their charges whinnied and roared, rearing and panicking.
Hiccup could understand why.
The city's outer wall was shaking- a blaze of golden fire shot over their heads, illuminating the silhouette through the rotten smoke; a hulking figure of a beast. It suddenly lifted its long, spiny neck, arching up like a serpent out of water. To their ultimate distress, a gleaming black paw slammed down on the wall- the dragon's booming roar resonated through the city while the sharp claws latched onto the wall's top surface- immediately the rock started to collapse and crumble under the massive pressure. A part of him was fascinated by its form- almost like a hand, four 'fingers'- talons- were covered in sharp, jewelled black scales of an inky shade, tinted vaguely by a navy blue. A 'thumb' was raking the outer side of the wall.
The defences were down- the wall caused a mini earthquake when the gargantuan beast's paw smashed through it.
No battering ram could even hope to compare.
Hiccup had only once seen a dragon so enormous- and even then… Nothing could have prepared him to see this, or how to cope. Standing on four muscular limbs, a long, thick tail swishing behind it, with wings baring the span to cover his whole island with a nightmarish shadow; he could tell it was at least the size of the Red Death, and that was without the wings… It was sleeker; lean with muscle; and it was fast. Its paw swiped down a tall monument even as the man scrambled back into action with about half his troop…
If this was a battle, they were losing…
This was terrible…
Hiccup's heart ached for both sides. Such hatred… What was the cause for all this warring and fear?
These were dark times, child.
What the-? Hiccup had heard a voice- endlessly deep and rumbling, clearly male, and that of a dragon- and just to him, apparently, considering the man he had somehow split apart from was continuing with his futile attempts to help. He looked around to the best of his ability. Underneath the size of the terrifying dragons, he was nothing. That alone was crushing any remaining bravery. All he saw was chaos. When four more of the giant monstrous dragons appeared in the sky, raining down with fire and fury, Hiccup despaired deeply.
I do apologise for all this… But it was way before your time. Nothing can be changed now. Accept it. Now. You won't be able to see me. I was not present at this event, in particular- but I am here now. In this day and age. I may not be by your side, but I am in your mind.
Oh. He screwed up his remaining sense of logic, if that even existed now. If he thought what he wanted to say…
You'll do well at telepathy, if you get the chance.
Telepathy?
Yes, that- you know, talking through the mind. You saw it, albeit in a weak state, between Hiccup the First, and his Night Fury dragoness, Starlight.
Hiccup had thought they were at war- it'd be nice if that'd be explained…
No. Not from the start and onwards, like you have been educated. No… No, it was different, child. Very different, in the beginning. When ex-Skulblaka Kchagarok the Cruel escaped his prison, he intended to bring darkness and death; his first targets were, unfortunately, not expecting him to stalk them. You saw this. Although, how or why Kchagarok contributed those memories… It is beyond our understanding, to the current day and onwards.
Hiccup found it useless but nodded in understanding. The young rider frowned; so that was the name of the dragon. Kchagarok? It was a weird name…
For a Viking, perhaps. A dragon? Nah. There's odder.
Hiccup blinked.
But yes, that is… The one you were… Seeing out of, at first. He's a bad dragon- went mad and rogue. After many years of being imprisoned, he escaped. He managed to survive and gather back some intelligence, driven by his insanity; he became the tyrant you saw. He was later slain by our leader, those three centuries ago- Belgabad the… I think it's fifth…
Hiccup's eyes wandered. He frowned at the blue and the white-mint dragons fighting- by now they had taken their duel to the ravaged skies above, barely visible through the smoke. What even were they…
The voice hesitated to respond, for a while.
Dragons. 'Skulblakas', to be precise. Draconian Skulblakas- direct descendants of the very first dragons, the proud and powerful Alagaёsians. They were our grand ancestors, our forefathers and foremothers.
Hiccup felt like he'd been struck with a heavy weight.
The original dragons.
Holy Thor. Such thing existed? He quickly questioned the voice, and got his answer clearly- these dragons- the Draconians- had riders. Winged, immortal warriors with tails and swords that matched their dragon's scales, bonded solely to them. They were the Shur'tugalar, and the Skulblakas- they were words in a language long forgotten, translating straight to 'Rider' and 'Dragon'- although- no. Not quite. There was a distinct difference between the normal rider, and a Shur'tugal, and same with the dragons; it was a title, given to those worthy, of the Draconians, wielding strength, and magic, and prowess beyond a rider's wildest dreams.
Hmm. Thor would love to meet you, to be honest. So, enjoying the show?
Ignoring the first comment as a joke, Hiccup met the voice indignantly. He had to be kidding- anyone smart wouldn't find this sight pretty.
Well, yes, it is hard to like stuff such as this. This is the first 'scene' you've viewed on its own- I might just tell you everything you need to know, here and now, save confusions and hassles and whatnot… Inferior complications, as they are… Yes… Hmm… He paused deliberately. Well, I can tell you're madly riddled with questions, as it is. Fire away, child.
Who was this voice?
That's a biggie, and, one I'm not going to reveal… Garrggh, ugh, well, okay- I'll say this: You, Hiccup, are a tiny, scrawny two-leg, and, I am very superior to your said tininess. Hmm… You can call me… Hmm…
Hiccup hid a smile; he did a lot of thinking, and seemed to enjoy saying 'hmm' a fair bit.
Yes- fine, that's pretty true. I do. It's a habit. Now hush, tiny-two-leg. I'm thinking, as your tininess puts it…
Maybe he could call him just that; Thinky Big-Voice…
No.
It was worth a shot, he thought, amused.
Just call me by a respectful term; Elda. That, tiny-one, is a term given to one that's greatly respected. Comes from the original Elves, of Alagaёsia. Try to remember that- could very well come in handy someday. Now- more questions- and- I do warn you, if I remember correctly, soon that man's head is going to be brutally combusted into a mess of gore and brains and blood… Yes, it's not very pleasant, so… Just a bit of foresight…
Hiccup proceeded to practically deliver a barrage of questions; how was this all involved with him, to Berk? Why did strange people, and creatures, seem to recognise him and Toothless in ways they couldn't comprehend? What was this 'Dragonborn' deal? And what was going on with the Night Furies? Were they indeed, as he feared, extinct, excluding Toothless?
For your questions, tiny-one, I can answer vaguely, as of now. In due time, patience shall be rewarded with further understanding… I'll save the first for explaining last, and, well… Err… I have to keep secret the 'Dragonborn' thing, at least, for now. Now- for the Night Furies.
First off, no, they are not extinct. Admittedly, I am not perhaps the most knowledgeable on their current standing, but yes, there are more. Indeed, they are very, very rare now; not on 'Epic' or 'Legendary' scale, but yes, I'd say they only thrive at… Maybe one hundred, two hundred, if they've been doing alright… There is a reason for it, yes… Yes, someday, that'll be explained. Also- your dragon does come into it, vaguely, but that's for the history lesson…
The rider sighed deeply to himself, preparing for an explanation- a lecture, if listened to by Fishlegs. He could already sense this was going to be long.
Sorry… Not really a shorter way to say it… You see, young Hiccup, long ago- about three centuries, to be exact- there was the Dragon Nest, as you know, and they had their Queen- the vicious and formidable, yet wise, kind and benevolent Red Death that loved and protected all her subjects- the lower dragons we know as the 'Descendants' category. A Red Death- the five Deaths, for there are different types of the Death species- is in the Alpha category. The first thing that happened- well, that was the Vikings- the Berkians, your kind- and they arrived at the island you call home.
Understandably, at first the Vikings were scared and afraid. Initially, the dragons wanted peace between them…
Hesitant to continue, Elda sighed.
He seemed greatly perturbed, while Hiccup was eagerly listening.
It was… Complicated. One night- well, Starlight- the female Night Fury you saw through- gathered her courage and directly approached the village of the Viking settlers. She befriended their young heir, Hiccup the First, the one to find the new land, and then, to bring a beautiful but short-lived peaceful era. It… Wasn't to last.
But, there was a drama unfolding between the Queen, and the rogue Skulblaka you see to your right, quite rudely interrupting Church- Kchagarok the Cruel.
At that point, he was enormous, lethal, and around 200 years old. Recently, he had spent 73 long, painful years alone in prison, insane, his rider slain- he spent 8 years free in the realm of Midgard, spreading devastation and darkness in his madness. The Draconians tried haplessly, and failed each time, to track and take him down. Then, he ended up at the beginning of Berk, and destroyed that fragile peace. He fell in love with the Queen, the type of rough-but-vaguely-real romance you'd expect between two… not quite… exemplary… dragons, for that sort of ordeal.
Alas, together they supposedly, according to legend, brought forth one egg- a Skulblaka egg, and, with traces of Red Death in her; generally not a good starting point. As red as blood, and rather huge, but- she couldn't hatch without a rider.
Hiccup sensed a horrible sense of foreboding, and dread. Elda was solemn and grave.
None, not even I, could have predicted what would happen from there. The Queen had been fooled and believed solely in her mate and child- when the Draconians finally pinned their location, and arrived, the deed had already been done. Forced by Kchagarok to do his evil bidding, an innocent man assaulted and impregnated the heir's wife, magically enchanted the process, and once the strange, alien-like child had been delivered in the dead of night- he murdered that poor woman, leaving the sleeping village soaked in blood and death. Only that man, soon to also be killed now his job had been completed, and Kchagarok, had known the truth, and for so long…
Horror had frozen his mind, numbing his senses. The vision didn't seem to matter anymore. Rapidly, he was beginning to feel sick.
As you can guess, chaos quickly took over like wildfire. Although they had to wait for the child to grow, they now had a rider conveniently prepared for the blood-red egg. The Berkians were outraged and horrified- and also confused. Hiccup the First was devastated. When the Draconians arrived, it was immediately blamed on them- it didn't help that the first dragon they had seen, while on the seas, had been a dark blue Skulblaka- Kchagarok- and he hadn't exactly been welcoming. Hiccup the First became Chief. War broke out between the Draconians, and the Berkians. As you also saw- Starlight tried to get help from the Nest, but the Queen didn't wish to get involved, innocently unaware she was partially responsible for it all.
The Draconians were the 'hated-foes, the terrors-of-the-skies, with their fangs-and-fire-and-treachery' that the two spoke of. It was a tragic misunderstanding, and cost both kinds much misery and grief. The Draconians killed Kchagarok in this very battle, as you can see… Well, you would see it, about three hours later. Long battle, I'm afraid.
That couldn't have been good.
It really wasn't…
Hiccup cringed, watching the gross head-explosion he'd been warned about. He'd officially lost every bit of appetite he'd had for the day. Elda paused, allowing him a moment of solitary. This wasn't a pleasant revelation to accept.
I know… Shall I continue? Very well…
If there's one thing I can tell you, that's false in other perspectives, is that there wasn't any 'Shur'tugal' to the line of the famous poem-thing, where it says: 'And thus, the Skulblaka and his Shur'tugal did be slaughtered'… Kchagarok's rider had long been dead.
The heir thought about, and sent his theory. Maybe it was referencing the man he'd enslaved and used; that man did die around the same time, hadn't he?
Elda gave a long hum of appreciation, a rumbling, trilling noise. Or was it praise?
Very good, child. Yes- that is the most likely outcome. More misunderstandings, just to pile over the countless others. After that, Hiccup the First and Starlight tried to kill the Red Death, considering how mad she'd suddenly gone; she presumed the murder of her mate was at the hands and talons of Berk.
Hiccup's mind sagged. There was no way that his ancestors had succeeded. The Red Death had been very much alive, until they had fought…
Unfortunately, yes. Hiccup the First, and his Night Fury, were gravely wounded, and died shortly after to their injuries. It became something of a three-way war. The First Dragon Raids began.
2 years later, and finally something changed. Not a good change, though- oh no, not at all…
What could possibly be worse?
Scarlet hatched.
Hiccup was puzzled. Who was…? Another Skulblaka, perhaps? A Viking?
Nowadays, technically, she's referred to as 'Queen' Scarlet. She's the one responsible for your three-hundred-year-war. She was the blood-red egg, the daughter of Kchagarok the Cruel, and the Queen. The child had mutated awkwardly into something of a young adult, and the dragoness hatched for her.
Initially, Scarlet loved her mother, and the Nest, and her rider- only the last one stayed like that.
As soon as she was able to fly and breathe fire and claw and bite, Scarlet and her strange partner had set out, joining the Raids. Devastation increased ten-fold. But, on the only upside- the Draconians then turned away from Berk. They left them alone, ignored them… They focused on Scarlet, and her rider, and the Queen. Normally, taking down the Red Death wouldn't have been too hard, if not for her ruthless and terrifying daughter.
What happened, then? How-
Just listen, child…
He obeyed, reluctantly. Suspense tingled behind the surface of his conflicting emotions- none were positive or pleasant, he had to admit.
The Queen discovered the truth of the rider's origin. Now, usually, that rider is dubbed 'the Bastard'. The Queen murdered the rider mercilessly… It only got worse. Scarlet went half-mad, destroyed by the death- she attacked her mother, almost killing her, but in the end she fled, leaving both sides broken and grieving. The Raids stopped, for a while. The Draconians left.
The ending- well, I wouldn't even say there is one. But, putting it simply- the Red Death would have left Berk alone, if not for Scarlet's return, a few years later. From what we know… She enslaved her own mother.
Hiccup was still and silent. No… He didn't want to believe it…
I am afraid it is so. The Queen was fairly innocent, forced into madness, to force her beloved subjects to bring tyranny and hate and war.
I understand how hard this must be for you- and for you to believe. I know. But it's the truth.
Elda stopped for a few moments. If the speaker had some sort pf beard, Hiccup pictured that he'd be stroking it, thinking deeply, pondering the wide depths of possibilities and perceptions in seemingly plain words.
As for your dragon… Toothless the Night Fury… Now, I don't know the full story- but. Let me get this straight, Hiccup.
You were both born in the same moment, same night, same month, same year. This was not coincidence- no. It was destiny, partly fulfilling a prophecy told by an ancient dragon, one long-awaited by thousands and thousands of souls. Toothless is purely bonded to you- and ONLY you. His egg was passed around from place to place by Dragon Riders, who prayed it would hatch to someone- they'd both be born on the 'Brightest Night'. It ended up on Berk- and he hatched for you.
This prophecy- you and Toothless' prophecy- has been around for over three centuries, even before Scarlet's time, or Kchagarok's escape. Only when that happened, did it come back to attention, and in full-swing…
Hiccup was strangely the most disturbed by one assumption he had in mind… One that seemed hilarious to the presence in his head.
No, child- Toothless is, by no means, over three centuries old. Elda laughed whole-heartedly chortled. No, that'd be awkward… I think, technically, he'd be somewhere around… I don't know… Eighty, maybe? He's twenty years from out the egg- same as you. But, the fact stands- that happened. And… Well, the only reason he stayed, was the Queen. She kept him here. Toothless, the 'one Furious', was her deepest secret and hope. The one thing that she kept from her daughter. She hoped he'd someday find the one who was born on the Brightest Night, with him- YOU. So, she kept him away from all the dangerous action- haven't you ever wondered why he never stole food, never showed himself, never attacked directly…? It was her doing…
Hiccup wished he could sit down, hold his head in his hands, and drink some tea, with an ice block on his head.
Scratch that. Two ice blocks.
Gods, this was overwhelming… Night Furies… Queens… Magic dragons and riders… Wars… And a maniacal Skulblaka-demon-daughter, who sounded about a million times worse than the Red Death- who had been a good guy, for the most part? And a prophecy? About him, and his beloved dragon, who had hatched on the same night as himself? So much made sense now, about Toothless, about the war- and yet, so many new questions…
I apologise… Do you need a moment? Hiccup shook his head- negative. You'd like me to continue? Hmm… Very well, then…
Hiccup, I'm sure, by now, you've heard about a particular little law you avoided… The one about runts. How they're generally killed- usually drifted out to sea, I believe? Ever wondered why you're still alive? You were one of the biggest runts I've ever seen, if my sources are correct.
Yet another question that he'd always had- and until now, rarely addressed. He straightened up, alarmed. He'd never even thought about that!
Elda could have been smirking; he sounded somewhat smug, and a little reminiscent. Your mother, Hiccup, was why. Yes, your father was hell-bent on keeping you, and so was your mother- Hiccup's heart was twisted with both pain and affection for his family- but there was another reason... Because, she may have known you were the one, and, somewhere, a Night Fury had just hatched. Your mother, Hiccup- well, there's only one way to say it…
Elda's voice echoed in the space of his mind- he said it in such a way that the fact was sealed instantly, and with power.
Your mother, Hiccup, was a Dragon Rider in the Draconic Black Guard.
Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-Oo
ShoutOuts:
aslan333- And a merry (late) Christmas to you, too… Very late… In fact… Sowwy. Thanks for the review, though!
Introvert-Dragon [Beta]- MWAHAHAHA! XD Thank you! And I am one proud child, then, as I have finally delivered the next chappy! Thanks for your help! :D
NatBlake ['Inspirational' Beta]- Hmm… Good question. Probably a 'they'. As for what's next- oh shush, I go spilling every single damn 'secret' of this story to you every time they pop up. *sigh*. Thanks for the review- sorry for the delay. Thanks for your help, as always, too! :D
Eeveecat1248- Hopefully this chapter cleared some things up- don't worry. It'll be explained as we go through. ;) Thanks for the review! Sorry about how late this came- I've been on something of a HttyD Hiatus. :'(
Swainey6- Oh… um… did you wait? Thanks for the review, regardless- I appreciate your words a lot. Not too many people seem to actually pay attention to the quality. Sorry for the wait!
Note: My sincere apologies for the wait, dear readers. If you're still with me- well, thanks a bunch! You're awesome! But, my hiatus should be over. I've got big plans for the next few chapters!
And, as always, my personal thanks to everyone who's been involved with this story, from its followers, to my inspirations, and my betas. A special thanks to Introvert-Dragon for being this chapter's beta for the first half, and another ShoutOut to NatBlake, always there to listen to my ideas! Thanks a ton, guys!
NOTE: Speaking of Betas, NatBlake and I will soon be releasing a Collab story, and it will be hosted on Nat's profile, so be sure to keep an eye out for it! ;)
Dragonites Unite!
-Crystallion12