Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD
Chapter Thirteen – Bid for Freedom
To call Hiccup shocked would be an understatement. He had thought, for a moment, that he must have gone mad. To see Astrid; to hear her voice again; he'd longed for it, all this time, but now that it had actually happened he could hardly believe it. Their friends had found them. At last, at last!
What must they have thought, seeing him reduced to this? Hiccup had felt so ashamed when Drago ordered him to show the brand that marked him as his master's property. Now they knew – he was a thrall, he was worthless, beyond help. Why had they even come here? It hardly mattered now. What hurt the most was knowing that they were prisoners condemned to death.
They couldn't save him. He could not save them. So cruel of the gods to shine this glint of hope into the darkness only to have it immediately snuffed out. Hiccup didn't know if he could bear the knowledge that his friends were going to die. Of course, he couldn't hide this despair from the one closest to his heart. Toothless gave him a discrete nuzzle, and asked *Hiccup, love, what's wrong?*
Hiccup quickly checked that nobody was around. "They're gonna die, Toothless" he whispered, voice shaking. "All my friends…they're probably being ex-executed right now…" He choked back a sob and wrapped his arms around himself. A brief but gory image of his friends without their heads flashed through his mind, a glimpse of one of many nightmares he'd had.
Toothless was having none of it. *Then let's go rescue them* he declared, turning to go back up to the deck and protect the riders (and that other human, to make up for being made to nearly kill him. Thank the Moon for Stormfly…). Alarmed, Hiccup reached out to stop him. "No! Toothless, I – I wish we could, but there's nothing we can do! If I interfere, we'll get punished!"
*If we do nothing, our friends might die* Toothless countered, *and you don't want that. I know you don't, or you wouldn't have told Drago to spare them.*
"I didn't tell him to do anything. I can't. I begged him to stop and he said he would if you killed the traitor. But you didn't, because Stormfly got in the way, and it's pointless because they're all going to die now anyway! Can…can we?" he pleaded, guilt and despair eating away at him. "I don't think I can go on, knowing they're dead…I'd rather be with them…"
At that point, Toothless had enough. He had sworn to never let Hiccup feel again that he wanted to die. *Listen to me. Our friends are not going to die.*
"But Drago" –
*They're clever and capable, just like you, and they'll work together to save themselves. Hiccup, this is our chance to escape! We can go home!* Toothless gave a gummy smile, ear fins perked up, looking more hopeful than he had for weeks. He hadn't expected this at all, but he'd be foolish not to pounce. Yet Hiccup wasn't hopeful; he was scared. Terrified, even.
"No, no…" he shook his head, "we…we can't…Toothless, you heard Drago! If I disobey, I'll never see you again and I'll…they'll…" his breaths began to get faster, eyes wide but pupils shrunk, "th-they're gonna…no, I can't, not again, please…!" He couldn't breathe – they were closing in – he could feel them –
*Hiccup, breathe* insisted Toothless, pushing his muzzle into Hiccup's hand and then over the young man's chest. His other half clutched at him and gasped, trembling, eyes wide but unseeing. *I know you're scared* he continued, purring deliberately, *I know you feel helpless. But you're not going to lose me. You're not going to get raped again. We're going to get out of here. I promise.*
On the verge of tears, Hiccup scrubbed furiously at his eyes. Why did he have to be so weak? He wanted desperately to believe Toothless, but… "What if we don't?" he whispered, "What if they do get killed, what if we get caught?"
*Then we'll be stars. If we don't escape, we'll get out the only other way we can. If, Hiccup. We have to escape… or die trying.*
"B-but what if dragons go to a different afterlife?"
*Now you're just being silly* Toothless chided, but gently. *Of course we'll go to the same afterlife. And if we don't, then I'll just come and find whichever afterlife you are in and after-live with you there. And we'll go after-flying, and make after-friends, and eat lots of after-fish* he declared firmly, if ridiculously. Hiccup giggled a little, which had been the idea all along. *That's better.*
"Maybe I am being a bit paranoid. Can you blame me?"
*I don't. But we still have to try. One way or another, we're going to get out.*
Hiccup took a deep breath. "Okay, bud. I trust you. What do we need to do?"
*Don't worry. I've been thinking about this already, and I have a plan…*
The moment those words left his mouth, Adulfr was slammed against the nearest vertical surface by Astrid. Her eyes were pools of blue fire as she demanded, "Your father. Where is he?"
"Aboard his ship, but you won't get to him now" Adulfr replied. Astrid was ready to strangle him until he added, "The whole armada is heading to another dragon nest to take it over. It will give you the perfect opportunity to attack."
Astrid was suspicious. "Why are you helping us?" she questioned, "You don't even know who we are! I'm warning you, if this is some kind of trap…"
A jumpy Eret hissed, "Hey! Whilst she interrogates this guy, can the rest of you do something useful and help me hide the bodies before someone finds us?"
"Good idea" agreed Astrid, "Ruff, you're on lookout. And I mean for hunters, not Eret's muscles."
"Aw, man!"
Adulfr protested, "All I need to know is that you're dragon riders. I didn't risk stowing on this ship for your sakes; I was looking for Hiccup. If you must know, I overheard my father say something…unfortunate, about me, and I have my pride. I planned to persuade Hiccup and his Night Fury to help me overthrow my father…but you clearly want him gone as well, so we should work together."
Eyes narrowed, Astrid leaned in and warned him, "If you double cross us in any way, I am going to pin you to an actual cross with knives. We're here to rescue Hiccup and Toothless; whatever issues you have with your father are gonna have to wait, and as for 'overthrowing' him…I don't give a damn why you want him dead, but if anyone deserves to end him, it's us. No, them."
"Then I'll leave his fate in your hands. Perhaps it's better that way" Adulfr reasoned. After all, if he were to kill his father, some might call him an illegitimate chief; but if these dragon riders did it, there would be no problem.
"So what's the plan?" asked Snotlout, once they were done hiding the bodies of the hunters they'd knocked out. According to Eret, since the darts were potent enough to keep dragons down, they'd last quite a while on a human.
"First we need to get our dragons" said Astrid.
"I'll help you" said Eret, "I know these ships and traps better than you do."
"Okay, I love you again" Ruffnut beamed at him. Astrid glared at her until she went back to keeping watch and remarked, "You were pretty eager to sell us out to Drago earlier. Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't feel like working for Drago anymore. Can't really figure out why" Eret replied sarcastically. "Besides, the week I spent as your prisoner…was torture, especially with", he jabbed a finger at Ruffnut, who fortunately wasn't looking, "but I saw how you and your dragons worked together. And then that Nadder of yours saved my life…I want to return the favour."
Astrid nodded. "Right. We find our dragons, wait until the fleet stops again, and then we bust out and do what we do best – take out hunters and free dragons. We'll board…what's your father's name?" she asked Adulfr.
"Hauke. His ship is called the Black Death."
"Cheery. We'll board the Black Death, take out the hunters and capture your father alive."
"There are people on that ship who aren't hunters" Adulfr pointed out, "What will you do with them?"
"Tell them to stay out of the way. As for you, find Hiccup and tell him we're getting him out of here. Try and get him out of wherever they're keeping him and Toothless yourself, if you can."
Adulfr nodded silently. They split up, wary and cautious (even the twins, which was saying something) but feeling like, just maybe, luck was on their side.
Toothless was ready. His plan was simple, but quite brilliant, if he said so himself. They already knew that Drago wanted him to fight to take this new nest. The hunters had already made Hiccup forge him a set of Gronckle Iron armour, like that worn by many of the other enslaved dragons. It was times like this that Toothless was glad of his bond with Hiccup; he knew there was a dragon alpha of this dark flock, he had felt their Will urging him to submit and obey. If he focused on the heart bind, on Hiccup, it didn't hurt so much.
All Hiccup had to do was put his armour on at the last minute, and just when the dragons were released to wreak havoc on the nest, Hiccup would leap onto his back and he would fly up as swiftly as his kind ever could. It was their best chance to get out, in the madness of the fight. Hiccup was so nervous. Convinced that somebody would spot them, call him away, that they'd be shot down and imprisoned until Drago could deal with them after the battle.
Toothless did his best to be encouraging. He understood why Hiccup was afraid, but they couldn't let this chance slip away for fear that something might go wrong. Besides, the hunters aboard Drago's cavernous ship were not as cruel or suspicious as the ones led by Hauke. They believed Hiccup to be broken in and, so long as he did as he was told and stayed quiet, they mostly left him be.
The plan hit a slight snag when Hiccup was made to put his armour on too soon, before the fleet had weighed anchor. Then the hunters led a reluctant Hiccup away. Toothless watched him leave, anxious. Their mental bond was still fragile, and he couldn't tell quite what Hiccup was thinking. Only that he feared not being able to come back in time. *You can. You have to* Toothless tried to say.
The other armoured dragons were eager to fight, snapping and snarling at each other. Toothless could feel the weight of the Alpha's will pressing down on his mind, like a glacier crushing him. Fight. He resisted the command as much as he could. It would be easier with Hiccup beside him, on his shoulders. Humans and their indomitable wills were like a shield against the commands of an Alpha.
Much to his relief, Hiccup did manage to return, just in the nick of time. He babbled apologies and excuses to the hunters, something about double checking Toothless' armour. His scent had changed, and Toothless sensed his relief. "They're alive" he whispered to Toothless, under the pretence of adjusting the chest plate. "Adulfr told me. They're still alive!"
*See? I told you they'd be fine. Are you ready to fly?* Toothless asked him, not bothering to wonder what the monsters Alphas son was doing there.
Hiccup gave him a small, nervous, but genuine smile. "As I'll ever be."
The ship rocked beneath them as it slowed and jerked against the anchor chain. "Thrall! Get out of there!" someone shouted. Hiccup stalled for as long as he could, but when the hunters began to approach Toothless snarled at them and coiled around Hiccup, keeping him where he was. He had sensed Hiccup's fear sneaking back to bite at him; if his other half retreated now it would be for real.
It would be for naught. Toothless herded him away from the hunters, using the larger, aggressive dragons around them to his advantage. He urged Hiccup, *Be brave. This is it. This is our chance!* With an ominous, creaking groan, the top of whatever it was they were hidden beneath cracked open. To see the star filled sky and the moon beyond filled Toothless with such joy he wanted to roar.
"Last chance, thrall!" the lead hunter yelled, "Get away from the dragons and come here – or there will be consequences!"
Hiccup stiffened briefly; then he blinked, and then he laughed. How many times had he said that exact thing? The memory drove his fear aside; the gap was open and already the other dragons were taking to the sky. Fly. Fight the Alpha commanded him. Not without Hiccup. Toothless braced himself for takeoff and snarled an urgent warning. *Now, Hiccup, now!*
"Don't you dare, thrall!" cried a hunter; but Hiccup dared. He climbed onto Toothless' back, clinging to the rings jutting from that wretched metal collar. The armour made for a hard, slippery, uncomfortable seat, but he held on with his knees and thighs, hunched down to keep them streamlined. As soon as Toothless felt that Hiccup was ready, he leapt with a great beat of his wings.
It was not his strongest downbeat; Hiccup was riding bareback, after all. He heard the hiss of arrows and darts, felt his rider cringe against his shoulders; but any projectiles that struck him simply glanced off the armour. The armour that the dragon hunters, that Drago, had wanted him to wear! The sheer irony of it made Toothless bellow in triumphant delight. *We did it, Hiccup! We're free!*
Best of all, as he climbed into the welcoming blackness of the night sky, Hiccup on his back where he belonged; as he banked and twisted past the other dragons, faster than all of them; he could sense Hiccup's emotions shift from fear, to exhilaration. They had both almost forgotten how good it felt to fly together, as one. He could hardly even hear the Alpha's commands anymore.
Hiccup held on tighter, and urged him, "Show 'em what you got, bud!" He folded his wings and dived upon the dragon hunters, screaming the battle roar that spiked fear into the hearts of many a Viking as his inner fire burst from his maw. The hunters scattered, shouting. The catapult exploded in a burst of glorious flames, and Hiccup cheered in excitement. "Yeah, hah! Come on!"
If the gods were on their side, then one deity must have been Loki, and only because of the chaos that was unleashed when Drago Bludvists' armada reached its' destination. Armoured dragons clashed with the wild ones, traps were heaved out onto the beach, net launchers and trebuchets were put to use battering the mountainous, icy nest and taking down the hunter's quarry.
Valka had been horrified to wake and find her greatest enemy attacking her home; but Stoick had sworn that he would help her. They were a team. She'd asked him and Gobber to help defend the nest whilst she roused the great King (an absolute behemoth of a dragon that they had briefly been introduced to earlier that night). That was exactly what he and Skull Crusher were doing.
He had already seen the bursts of purple-blue fire erupting all over the battlefield. Stoick was certain it was Toothless, if only because the blasts were being aimed at the hunters and not the wild dragons. If Drago had other Night Furies (now that was a terrifying thought), they wouldn't have turned on him so easily. He was proud of Toothless, but now wasn't the time to greet him.
Astrid and Stormfly came to fly alongside them, accompanied by a man Stoick didn't recognise. Judging by the expression on his face, he was new to flying. Astrid, on the other hand, was beaming from ear to ear. "Chief! He's alive! Hiccup is alive!" she shouted excitedly, all but jumping in the saddle.
"….WHAT?!"
"We saw him! Him and Toothless, they were on Drago's ship! Only…" Astrid's smile faded, "Chief, I don't know what they did to him, but it isn't good. They" – she was cut off by a tremendous rumble, as an absolutely massive dragon, the biggest she'd ever seen, burst out of the mountain. "What the Thor is that?!"
"The King of Dragons, apparently" Stoick answered, before pointing at Valka standing on Cloud Jumper in front of the King, "and that's my wife!"
"…What?!"
"Ha, ha! Hiccup isn't the only one who's come back from the dead tonight!" Stoick laughed. He believed Astrid, as incredible as it seemed – she would not lie to him. Not about something like this. Hiccup is alive. Hiccup is alive, alive!
"We're gonna go deal with the bastards who took Hiccup" said Astrid, before Stormfly banked away. Nearby, Stoick noticed another plasma blast destroy a net launcher, and felt he could burst with joy and pride. That's my boys.
I must be out of my mind thought Adulfr, as he climbed. He was not having a good night. Instead of being securely in his cabin, or better yet out there fighting alongside his…Adulfr wasn't sure if he could call Hauke his father anymore. Either way, he shouldn't have been out in the middle of the night, in the middle of a battle, clambering up the rigging of a ship, in the dark.
He had managed to deliver the news of the other riders to Hiccup, who had been extremely relieved to learn his friends were still alive. Adulfr had wanted to get out of there with Hiccup, but his new friend had refused. "If someone sees you with me, they'll get suspicious" he'd said. That only left Adulfr with one recourse; to get somewhere high and wait for one of the other riders to come.
They had to; they needed him! He was the only one who knew which of the many ships was the Black Death. The plan had sounded simple in his head; climb the mast, try to reach the crow's nest or failing that, a yardarm. Get the attention of a dragon rider. Unfortunately, there were also armoured dragons, wild dragons and hunters to get the attention of as well. Thus did Adulfr find himself being chased up the rigging by Drago's men.
He had no weapon to defend himself, and nowhere to go but up. Adulfr would never admit it, but he felt what must have been relief when one of the dragon riders, the stocky one called Snotlout, came flying close astride a Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon breathed tongues of fire at the hunters on the rigging below him, but that also set the rigging itself on fire. "Jump!" yelled Snotlout.
"I've definitely lost my mind" he muttered, bracing himself against what was left of his precarious perch and leaping across the gap to the Nightmare. Snotlout caught his arm, and helped drag him onto the dragon's neck. "Up, Hookfang!"
Adulfr felt his stomach flip as the Nightmare beat its – his – wings and flew out of range. The other dragon riders came to glide with them; Eret was riding with Astrid. "Which ship is it?!" she demanded.
"It's on the outskirts of the fleet! Black sail with two red crossed bones!"
They flew above the fleet, taking care to stay out of range. Soon, Adulfr spotted the familiar sail of the Black Death. "Down there!" he warned, pointing. The deck was lit with flaming torches, and there were hunters rushing about the deck, aiming net catapults at the sky to ensnare any dragon who flew too close.
"You and I will get in there and free the dragons" Astrid declared. As much as she'd love to tear these scumbags into pieces herself, it seemed fitting to let their captives have that vengeance. "Then we'll capture Hauke. The rest of you, keep the hunters busy!"
"Wait! See that hatch in the deck, next to the mast? There's two more, and they go all the way down to the dragon cages!" revealed Adulfr. "If you can get them open, that's their way out!"
"Gotcha! Fishlegs, Eret, that's on you!"
"You got it, Astrid!"
"Wait, what?! But I'm not a dragon rider!"
"You are now! This is it, guys! For Hiccup!" Astrid yelled; and with that battle cry, they dived. Fishlegs and Meatlug bravely took the vanguard, spewing globules of lava at the traps. The twins circled the ship, Barf breathing out loads of gas; Belch ignited it in a burst of fire, blinding and disorienting the hunters. Through the smoke, Astrid and Adulfr jumped down onto the deck. "This way!"
They ran for it. Astrid had her axe in hand, charging and swinging at the nearest hunter. She would not show any mercy to these wretches; they might not have killed Hiccup like she thought, but they had enslaved him, and for that they would die. The hunter went down and Adulfr snatched up his sword, rolling with it and coming up to block the blade of another, slashing his stomach open.
Adulfr led her over to the stern's pulley-cage. The first stop was the ship's armoury, with its four captive Gronckles. Nobody was there, and Astrid made short work of chopping through the chains with her Gronckle Iron axe. "I'll get the dragons out with their lava (1)" said Astrid, "you make sure everyone who isn't fighting is out of the way and safe!"
He rushed through the vessel, checking the sick bay and the barracks for non-combatants. Finally he reached the galley. Sure enough, the cooks, galley girls, cabin boys, the surgeon and Onarr were all present when he burst in. "This ship is being taken and we're freeing the dragons – if you want to survive, barricade the door and stay in here out of the way!"
They all stared at him in shock. Onarr protested, "You can't do that"-
"I will do whatever I damn well please!" Adulfr barked as he strode past them all to the pulley-cage at the prow. "And don't even think about trying to stop me" he glared at them as he stepped in and began to lower himself down. When he reached the lowest deck, he was slightly alarmed to find himself facing numerous dragons. Astrid was just opening the last of the cages.
The Gronckle with her spat lava on the lock, melting it, and she heaved the grate open. As the young Nightmare squirmed past, she looked over at Adulfr and asked, "Isn't there a way to open the hatches from down here?"
"I'm not sure – there might be a hidden lever or something" he replied. What he really wondered was how they were going to get to it with all these dragons everywhere…when there was a clanking noise, and the hatch began to open.
"Yes!" Astrid cheered, "Way to go, guys. Now let's go deal with your father."
"He's not my father anymore" Adulfr retorted. They heaved the pulley-cage back up to the galley, rushed through it (much to the alarm of everyone there), and made their way to Hauke's cabin. Astrid kicked the door in and…nobody was there. "Damn it! I should have known. He must be fighting onshore!"
"Then let's find him" Astrid said determinedly. They got out onto the top deck again, only to find Eret trying to fend off hunters from – "Stormfly!" With a roar, Astrid charged to her dragon's defence. Adulfr followed, diving into the fray, and found himself crossing swords with the ship's captain, Gunnhild.
"What – Adulfr? What are you doing?" the older man demanded, incredulous.
"Something I should have done a long time ago" he snapped back. Adulfr fought as fiercely as he could, but he was only a teenager going up against a seasoned warrior. It wasn't long before Gunnhild disarmed him, but then out of nowhere, the Captain was sent flying and slamming into the mast by a dragon's tail.
Blaze, Emrel, Libon, Topaz – all of the dragons crawled and flew out of the hatches, flaming and roaring. Eret and Astrid got the net off of Stormfly and onto the hunters fighting them; Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins had destroyed all of their arrows and catapults. "Let this be a lesson to you scum!" shouted Astrid to the deck at large, "You mess with one of us, you get all of us!"
The dragon riders flew away, leaving the hunters of the Blood Bone tribe, weaponless and stranded, at the mercy of the dragons they had captured. It was Blaze, the young Nightmare who only ever wanted to go home to his dam – it was Blaze who lunged first, body aflame, and the hunters screamed…
Drago was utterly furious. Not only had those dragon riders and that traitorous bastard Eret managed to escape, but so had the Night Fury and that thrall! When he got his hands on them, he would beat the dragon with his bull hook until it could barely move, and then he'd take the thrall away and have him flogged until he couldn't move, and throw them both in separate cages!
He was pleased when a dragon was shot down nearby – and not just any dragon, but the Stormcutter ridden by a thorn in his side. It would be good to get rid of her, and he stared at her menacingly, as she faced him with her quarterstaff held defensively in front of her. "You cannot take our dragons!" she shouted at him, defiant as ever, "They are controlled by the Alpha!"
"Then it's a good thing I brought a challenger" Drago retorted. He turned his back on the dragon woman, faced the ocean and bellowed at the top of his lungs, swinging his bull hook around above his head. If anyone else had done it, they would have looked ridiculous – when Drago made the summons, it was terrifying. Especially when it worked, and out of the waves reared…
A second Bewilderbeast, smaller than the first but not too much, flaky grey scales covered in scars and with shackles on his tusks. "Fight!" Drago screamed at it, "Destroy the Alpha!"
"No!" the woman cried, in fear or rage, it didn't matter. She tried to attack him, foolishly – he knocked her feet out from under her and put his boot on her stomach, pinning her down. She gasped as he flicked that stupid helmet off and raised the pointed end of his hook, ready to stab down and end her once and for all…when something large and heavy shoved and knocked him off balance.
Stoick helped Valka to her feet with a gentle hand, and she smiled gratefully as she rubbed her stomach. "Thank you, love."
"For you, my dear…anything" he promised. Stoick and Drago faced off, as the two leviathans amongst dragons bellowed at each other and clashed their tusks. "Hiccup is alive, Val" Stoick told her, "He's with Toothless. Watch over them."
"I will" she replied, determined not to let her son down again. "Come on, Cloud Jumper!" she urged her dragon, throwing the net off him and swinging herself up to his shoulders. Meanwhile, Stoick twirled his hammer and prepared to fight Bludvist, one on one. The madman would pay for everything he'd done.
Drago, for his part, thought he could goad Stoick into making a mistake. As they circled each other, he remarked "I have your boy, imprisoned on my ship."
Stoick wasn't buying it; he knew Drago's tactics, to prey on fear. "We'll rescue him. Your henchmen's scheme failed; my son is alive, and I'll get him back."
"He's going to wish he were dead when I'm through with the runt" Drago taunted, "As usual I have to do everything myself; but mark my words, Stoick. When I'm done breaking him, your son will be a most obedient thrall."
Stoick's eyes narrowed. So that was what they had done to Hiccup – enslaved him. He made the first move, at last. This fight was personal.
Hiccup was just as surprised and alarmed as anyone else when the second Sea-Giant (at least, that was what Toothless told him they were called, apparently they were legendary even amongst dragons) emerged from beneath the water, knocking aside ships as it dragged itself up on shore. "There are two of them?"
*Moon and stars; that is the Alpha of Drago's army! No wonder his commands were so painful to resist!*
"That explains the headache – net!" Hiccup yelled, leaning to the left. He clung on tight as Toothless barrel rolled and the net that was about to ensnare them missed. "That was a bit too close!"
*Hiccup, if that dark Sea-Giant wins this Challenge, all of these dragons will be under his command. Once Drago has this nest, he's going to attack Berk. We have to stop this, tonight!* Toothless urged him, even as they dodged fighting dragons and watched the two Alphas struggle with each other.
"How?! You told me Challenges were one on one, or every dragon could get involved!" Hiccup protested.
*Every dragon here is already involved!*
"Good point. So what do we do?"
*First we find our friends. We can't do this alone* Toothless insisted.
He could sense Hiccup's reluctance. "No…Toothless, I can't. I can't face them, not like this. Not again."
*Hiccup, we're free. And they'd help us even if we weren't! Be brave.*
Can you be the brave human I know you are?
Yeah, bud. Anything for you. Hiccup took a deep breath. "Let's find Astrid."
When they tracked her down, it took all of Hiccup's meagre confidence to look at her. He expected Astrid to look at him with pity, or worse, with scorn. Instead he found only delight. "It is so good to see you!" she beamed at him. Gods, she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Hiccup found himself smiling back.
"You too. Astrid, we need to stop that dragon!" he told her, pointing at the grey Sea-Giant. "If he wins, so does Drago!"
"So what's the plan?"
"…You're asking me?" Hiccup asked incredulously. Why would she trust him to come up with a plan? His plans recently had turned out terrible!
"Who else?"
"…Um, maybe if we work together, combine our firepower…we can distract him? The armoured dragons, I think he's controlling them – maybe we can snap them out of it?" Hiccup suggested tentatively.
Astrid gave a decisive nod. "I'll round up the others. You and Toothless start trying to distract him!" With that, she and Stormfly darted away. Toothless spotted a Twin-Head caught in a trap. *Hold on tight!* he warned, diving to the rescue. The two headed dragon screeched out a *Thank you!* after they blasted the trap off and he could fly away.
It was a wonder Hiccup wasn't deafened by the thudding of his heart and the cacophony of the battle all around them. He could hear the dragons too, their screams for help and roars of defiance, he could understand every word. He wanted to save them all but there were just too many. Toothless was right as always, the only way to win for sure was to defeat the dark grey Sea-Giant.
Speaking of the Alphas, they were the loudest, both their fighting and their thought-speak. It wasn't even words, really, but sensations, so powerful were their minds. *DEFEND!* the White Sea-Giant bellowed, *PROTECT NEST, FLOCK, SELF! COURAGE! RESIST!* He roared as he shoved at his rival and the aggressive Sea-Giant shoved at him, their tusks rattling against each other.
*FIGHT! OBEY! FEAR-OF-PAIN!* the dark Alpha screamed back. Hiccup frowned. Something didn't seem right. Before he could think too much on it, Toothless swept down and blasted the grey Alpha near the eyes. He recoiled, and the white Alpha pressed the advantage, forcing him back a step. *ATTACK!* roared the grey Sea-Giant, angry, but it wasn't his rival that he was talking to, or about.
"Look out!" Hiccup yelled, as several armoured dragons began chasing and flaming at them. Toothless dodged the attacks and circled around for another strike, but they just kept hounding him. Then out of nowhere, or so it seemed, one of the wild dragons – a huge, four winged kind – attacked their attackers, knocking one out of the sky with a powerful kick and breathing fire at the rest.
There was someone on the dragon's back, Hiccup thought, wearing a strange looking helmet. He braced himself as they dived and Toothless shot at the grey Sea-Giant again. They were little more than a fly buzzing around the face of a yak; Toothless' blasts were annoying the Sea-Giant more than anything else. He broke away from the white Alpha to breathe a torrent of ice at them instead.
Toothless dodged the frozen deluge, but only just. As he swerved, Hiccup lost his death grip on the collar and was thrown off, tumbling down. "Toothless!" he screamed as he plummeted, "Help!"
*Hold on!* Toothless dived after him and scooped him up, but they couldn't pull out of the dive in time to avoid getting hit by a net. Except that they didn't, because the Four-Wing who had saved them from the armoured dragons also blasted the net that would have hit them before they could evade it. *I don't know who they are, but I like them!* Toothless remarked as they climbed.
He flew over the white Alpha's head, where Astrid and the others had gathered. Seeing them all there, looking to him as the leader, made Hiccup feel incredibly self-conscious and right at home all at the same time. I can't let them down.
"Astrid said we were fighting that big one!" Tuffnut declared eagerly, "How?!"
Hiccup had some semblance of a plan, at least. "By annoying him until he gives up" he replied, "that's the most we can do."
"Cool!" Ruffnut grinned, "We're really annoying! It's our specialty, ask anyone!"
"We don't need to" Snotlout retorted. "So how do we annoy him, exactly?"
Just be yourself Hiccup was tempted to snark. He flinched as if about to be hit, closed his eyes and opened them again. "Same as with the Red Death. Distract him; get into his blind spot and make noise, just – anything you can think of! But err, stay away from his ice blasts, and um…Astrid, can you and Stormfly help me and Toothless keep the armoured dragons away? He'll just set them on us."
"Of course we can – you don't have to ask!" Astrid exclaimed, as if it were obvious. She was worried about Hiccup; he'd lost so much of his confidence.
"Yes, ma'am" he answered reflexively, before looking away, embarrassed. "I mean…thanks. Okay, here goes nothing." And thus, they attacked.
Stoick was giving it everything he had, but Drago was a formidable opponent. Of course, the chief of Berk would expect nothing less, but that didn't mean it wasn't inconvenient. "Give up!" Drago snarled at him, "You cannot win!"
"I was going to say the same thing about you!" Stoick retorted, bracing himself as Drago shoved at him. Any sense of nuance had been thrown aside, and now the two of them were simply trying to batter each other to the ground. Despite Stoick's best efforts, Drago forced the war-hammer out of his hands. Then he seized Stoick by his shoulders and threw him back against a mound of ice.
Winded, Stoick struggled to his feet as Drago advanced, bull hook raised to impale him…He could only imagine the warlord was just as surprised when a large, rust coloured dragon dropped out of the sky and flattened him.
"Gobber!"
"Ha! Atta boy, Grump!" Stoick's best friend beamed. "We're all helpin' Hiccup help the big white one win his fight. You coming?" he asked Stoick.
"Does Thor wield a hammer?" Stoick responded as he retrieved his own weapon and mounted Skull Crusher. Drago was actually shoving Grump off of himself before the two Hooligans flew away; he spat out snow and struggled to his feet, using his hook as a crutch, and glared furiously after them.
Stoick could see the firelight glinting off of Toothless' armour, and make out Hiccup clinging to his dragon's back. He didn't even have a proper saddle. Stoick's heart leapt to see his son for the first time in two months; he took in Hiccup's close cropped hair and plain, dark brown clothes. It reminded him of the thralls in Raudabein. When I get my hands on the coward that took him…
The more pressing concern was that Hiccup and Toothless were being harassed by armoured dragons. Skull Crusher and Stoick charged to the rescue, but before they could reach the struggling pair, Cloud Jumper and a few other of the wild dragons got there first. By the time Stoick caught up, Toothless had already darted away and flown over the white Bewilderbeast's head.
He roared, and all of the ridden dragons rallied around him. With no input from their riders, in almost perfect unison, they blasted the grey Bewilderbeast in the face. The white one kept their tusks locked together, trapping his rival. More and more of the wild dragons joined the onslaught, and as the grey Bewilderbeast was distracted, the dragons he controlled began to help as well.
Hiccup was troubled, though. He thought the grey Sea-Giant would have surrendered by now, but if anything he was fighting even more aggressively. He even breathed ice right in the King's face, nearly suffocating him if the dragons hadn't melted and blasted it off. *DIE!* he bellowed, sounding desperate, *DIE! NO SURRENDER! FEAR-OF-PAIN!* he wailed, all but deafening.
Fear of pain? Fear of…suddenly, Hiccup remembered telling Toothless to kill someone he'd never met – resisted giving Toothless food – sworn not to escape from Hauke – all for fear of pain! "Toothless! Stop! Hold your fire!"
Surprised, the black dragon did so. The other dragons nearby stopped as well, having heard Hiccup's shout. "What's wrong?!" asked Astrid.
Of course; the others couldn't understand the dragons. "It's not his fault!" Hiccup told Astrid frantically, "He's scared!"
"What, of us?"
"No, of Drago! I should've have realised – don't you get it? He's like me! He's a, a" –
"THRALL!"
It was Drago – he must have ridden or been carried by one of his army dragons, because now he was standing on the grey Bewilderbeast's crown. He looked small compared to the enormous dragon, and yet Hiccup still felt afraid. He clapped his hands over his mouth, not in shock, but to resist the urge to say "Yes, master?" He didn't want to say it, but at the same time he did. What is wrong with me?
"I warned you, thrall! You disobeyed me – now you will never see the Night Fury again!" Drago thundered. He struck the Sea-Giant with his bull hook and thrust it at Toothless, demanding "Take control of it!"
At once, the grey Sea-Giant focused his gaze on Toothless. His pupils turned to slits and his spines vibrated as he slammed his Will into the smaller dragon. *SUBMIT! OBEY!* he ordered. Toothless screamed with the effort of resisting; Hiccup screamed as well, feeling like his skull was caving in. Then the unbearable pressure was lifted when the dragons around them blasted Drago's Bewilderbeast again, distracting him. Toothless-Hiccup barely stayed in the air.
"Don't you dare talk to my son that way!"
"…Dad?"
"He is not your son, anymore! He is a thrall! He is worthless!"
"No, he isn't!"
"…Astrid."
"The boy belongs to me!"
"He belongs with us!"
That voice, he didn't recognise, but Hiccup felt his jaw drop as all his friends joined in. They defied Drago, proudly declaring that Hiccup was one of them, a dragon rider, an heir, the Hero of Berk. That he was loyal, clever, loving, brave. Hiccup was so touched he felt like he could cry. They care. They still care!
"ENOUGH!" roared Drago. "I control the Alpha! I am the god of Dragons!" he bellowed, all but frothing at the mouth. He sounded completely insane. "You useless reptile! Win!" he roared, raising his bull hook and swinging it to stab the pointed end down on the grey Bewilderbeasts scales. Instead it was shot out of his hands by a plasma blast. Toothless roared, and all of the dragons fired again, this time at Drago.
He swept his dragonskin cloak around himself as a shield, but as the grey Sea-Giant tried to retreat, he stumbled and lost his footing. His Bewilderbeast tried to catch Drago, but his tusks were still locked with the Kings, so he panicked. He breathed a burst of ice at the ground between their paws – spiked ice. Before anyone could do anything, Drago had been impaled, his bull hook buried.
Hiccup flinched and looked away from the gruesome sight; instead he looked back up at the grey Sea-Giant, who had wrenched himself free of the King and was backing away, making a terrible low wail. *KILLED MASTER. GUILT LOSS FEAR-OF-PAIN* he moaned, eyes fixed on Drago's corpse. Hiccup's heart twisted for him. The poor dragon was better off without Drago, but still…
He was determined to fix this one thing. "Toothless, get me closer" Hiccup murmured. The dragon looked uncertain, but did as he was asked. Ignoring everyone else asking what they were doing, telling them to come back, Hiccup and Toothless flew right up to the grey Sea-Giant. He looked up at them and his eyes narrowed, recognising them. *MADE BEAST KILL MASTER.*
"I know, I'm sorry. It was an accident" Hiccup apologised, holding a hand out placatingly. "No threat…we're not gonna hurt you."
*Please don't hurt us* Toothless deadpanned. The larger dragon seemed too confused to attack, so Hiccup pressed on. "I know you're scared. I know why. But Drago can't hurt you anymore. You're…you're free." He didn't know who he was trying to convince, the Sea-Giant or himself.
Beast actually whimpered. He bowed his head to them, and to the King behind, then turned and waded into the water. As he left, the remnants of Drago's army fled when they realised their leader was killed, and the dragons were no longer fighting for them. As the sun rose fully, the ships began to sail away, and Beast's wake disappeared into the waves that swept up the battered shoreline.
It was over. After all this time, their living nightmare was finally over.
(1) I know the dragon-proof metal in the show is supposedly resistant to lava, but this is the same show that makes dragons able to breathe fire underwater when it's convenient for them (wtf) so I'd like to be just a little bit more realistic about this.