Chapter Six: Hitch in the Plan
Five days later, Berk was still in a frenzy, preparing for the invasions of both the Screaming Death and Dagur the Deranged! With the help of Ameilianus' crew, the defenses were set-up, from the standard catapults and ballista to the newly made scorpios and onagers(1), all along the ridges and docks in the main village. The dragon patrols had increased to twice daily, just in case Dagur decided to launch his invasion early or send a reconnaissance force. Dragon training was still being done, of course, and members of Ameilianus' crew (along with Ameilianus) were allowed to observe.
Relations between Ameilianus and the Vikings could not possibly be better! Ironically, because of Snotlout's attempt to turn the Berkians against Ameilianus, Ameilianus was able to put to rest any doubt the Vikings had about the stranger. Ameilianus quickly became the object of desire for many of the female population of Berk, except Astrid for whatever strange reason. Minos quickly became popular with the younger of Berk's residents, using his vast knowledge of folk tales and legends to delight the younger generation. He was not above giving out pearls of wisdom to the riders, though some (namely Snotlout and the Twins) listened to him less than others.
Other member of the Legacy's crew met with near equal success in winning over the island's populace. Marlene, when she was not in the rigging or crow's nest of the Legacy, made a point to befriend the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut and join them on their…more mischievous adventures. On a lighter note, Berk got a first-hand look at the power of unfinished Greek fire (though that was the last anyone saw of Mildew's old house)! Marlene could also be seen stalking Astrid, or as she liked to call it 'lovingly lurking in the shadows!'
Berk got to know the other members of the crew in a variety of ways! Hiccup got to know the man Ameilianus trusted most with mixing Greek fire: Lucius Faust. An Anglo-Saxon native of the Isle of Men, he was a tall, pale, rail-thin man who wore a faded brown dalmatic.(2) He had a long pointed nose, green eyes that seemed to see the world in a way no other man did, and a mop of brown hair. When Hiccup asked Faust how he came to join the crew, he related the tale as a priest gave gospel!
"Well Hiccup," began Faust, in a nasally voice filled with unabashed confidence and mirth(3) "it all began when just a wee lad in the old monastery! My parents had left me there when I was very young. (Perhaps unable to take care of me, who's to say?) I was always a quiet boy, always studying and learning what I could, when one day I thought 'I could use what I have learned here to help other people!' When I was nay older than yourself, I set out on a journey to find a way to help others and…well one thing led to another and here I am!"
"By making weapons?! Most monks would not see that as helping other from what I have seen." stated Stoick bluntly. Despite not agree with the Jorgenson family's prejudice toward Ameilianus, Stoick could not help feeling suspicious. It started, ironically, with the speech Ameilianus gave as a rebuttal to Snotlout's accusations. It felt less like a call for peace and harmony and more like…a general inspiring his troops before a battle! And how Faust answered Stoick's query next did not help either!
Faust's expression changed from a quirky inventor to a dead-eyed soldier as he replied, "Sometimes the best way to help people is to eliminate the thing causing trouble! Like with Dagur! He's not called the Deranged for alliteration's sake after all! He's a mad dog! And dog's get put down!"
Stepping back from the fuming chemist, Hiccup and Stoick were surprising when his attitude did an abrupt 180 as he turned around and said cheerfully, "So…want to see how Greek fire is made?!"
"That's…okay. Me and my dad have a lot to do today. Maybe tomorrow!" said Hiccup nervously. Seeing Faust go straight back to work, Hiccup and his father decided it was best to leave him to his work. Exiting the makeshift chemistry hut Faust had set up on Berk, Hiccup took the moment to glare at his father and say, "What was that all about?!"
"Hiccup, I know you've…bonded with Ameilianus and his crew during their stay. It's just…Snotlout was right about their story not making any sense!" explained Stoick bracing himself for the argument to follow.
"Snotlout's problem with Ameilianus is from a hundred year old grudge!" declared Hiccup, angry that his father was taking Snotlout's claims seriously.
"Need I remind you of the trap Dagur set for less than a month ago? Or the Smothering Smokebreaths he snuck into Berk a few weeks ago! Dagur is not the type to just…boast about a plan within ears reach of a stranger! And you know that!" said Stoick angrily, before calming down and continuing, "Look…I'm not saying that Ameilianus is…working with Dagur. It's possible that Ameilianus heard some misinformation."
"If it was misinformation, than Dagur would have attacked by now." explained Hiccup, poking holes in his dad's argument.
"I am just saying…you know what happened with Heather. True, it turned out alright in the end, but Alvin had almost gotten his hands on training dragons. And then Mildew practically gives it to him! You just need to be careful of how much you show Ameilianus and his crew." explained Stoick.
Sighing, Hiccup replied, "Dad, we haven't really shown them anything involving taming the dragons. The most they get is a few facts about various dragons from Fishlegs, Astrid showing how to defend against dragons, and the Twins…doing whatever it is they do." Sometimes the Twins would get some help on their pranks from Ameilianus' crew, either Marlene or the Bludgeon brothers.
The Bludgeon brothers, aka Rigbert and Mordecai(4), were possibly the only Viking members of the Legacy's crew! Born and raised in Iceland, these two rough and tumble fighters left their homes to go on an adventure and eventually fell in with Ameilianus' group. Rigbert, the shortest and stoutest of the two standing just a bit over Hiccup's head but with the traditional Viking build, was the most like of the two to get himself into trouble. Mordecai, standing at a head over Gobber but with a straighter build, while the smarter of the two was no less likely to cause trouble. Speaking of which…
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" came two voices screaming over the roar of a Monstrous Nightmare. That's right, the Bludgeon brothers had stolen Snotlout's dragon, Hookfang! Among Ameilianus' crew, those two were the most vocal, downright pleading, for a chance to ride a dragon. But Hiccup, because of his father's orders and past misgivings, had always refused. Unfortunately, the Bludgeon brothers were not the type to take no for an answer…
"Oh, great." said Hiccup dejectedly, having an idea that something like this might happen, turn to his father and said, "Dad, I…"
"Go on, son. We'll finish talking later." replied Stoick. As Hiccup mounted Toothless, who had been waiting outside the lab, and rushed off to stop the madness, Stoick couldn't help feeling envious. After the incident with Bing, Bam, and Boom, Stoick always missed riding Thornado, whether into battle or on a leisurely ride. Turning his mind away from those thoughts, Stoick made his way towards the Legacy hoping to have another word with its captain…
"IF WE SURVIE THIS, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" shouted Mordecai against the rushing wind. Still screaming, Hookfang twisted, turned, and spins through the air, trying to dislodge the annoying pair. While Snotlout was trying to hit on Astrid and the Twins were having their daily fights, Hookfang had been trying to take a relaxing nap. Only to awake and find that a pair of strangers (the Bludgeon brothers) had decided to put his saddle on and tried to ride him! No one rode him except Snotlout (and that was conditional)!
"HOOKFANG!" Hiccup cried out to the dragon, hoping to reason with him, "Follow me back to the Academy!" Reluctantly, Hookfang followed Toothless back to the Academy (mostly to get rid of the clingy humans). Arriving and calmly landing outside the Arena, Hiccup dismounted Toothless while Mordecai and Rigbert leapt off of Hookfang, panting from the rough ride. Finally catching their breath, Rigbert cried, "That…was….AWESOME! Can we do it again?"
Hiccup stared incredulously at Rigbert, taking in every detail of the…lunatic! Rigbert was a few years old than the riders having a short, scraggly brown beard growing in that matched his wild brown hair on top of his head. His mud brown eyes had a crazy gleam in them, matching the excitement he felt. His apparel was typical of Berk, brown furry vest over a dirty yellow tunic and dirty covered brown trousers and boots. He looked like he never cleaned his clothes or even washed!
"Arrgh! I can't believe you! We almost died and you wanna go again?!" replied Mordecai in a tone of disbelief. Mordecai looked the opposite of Rigbert, with long blond hair and no beard. His sharp blue eyes showed anger and frustration at Rigbert's constant antics. He wore the same outfit as Rigbert but the tunic was still white and was nowhere near as dirty as Rigbert. This lead many people to believe they were not actually related!
"YOU!" came a shout from the entrance of the Arena. It was Snotlout, looking ready to kill someone. He was already mad that Ameilianus outsmarted him and that his crew had become well liked by the other Berkians. But to steal his dragon for a joyride?! In Snotlout's mind, enough was enough and if it wasn't for Astrid and Fishlegs holding him back, he would have started something alright!
"Snotlout calm down. I'm sure these two have a good explanation for all of this." said Hiccup, glaring at the Bludgeon brothers. He may not have wanted a fight, but he still was mad at what they pulled!
"Look, none of you wanted to show us your dragon skills, right? So me and Mordo-" began Rigbert before being interrupted.
"Don't include me in this! I told you it was a bad idea in the first place!" yelled Mordecai, not wanting to get blamed for Rigbert's stupidity.
"You still went along with it!" yelled back Rigbert before continuing, "Now where was I? Oh yeah. So, I figured it'd be easier to learn the dragon stuff ourselves! So, we snuck in while the others were distracted and tried out the Nightmare! How was I supposed to know it would go on a rampage?!"
"Man, that's stupid. Even we wouldn't have done something stupid like that…maybe." stated Tuffnut, while his twin Ruffnut nodded agreeing with him. Hiccup sighed, because this wasn't the first time the new pair to the island had caused trouble. Whether it was with the Twins or not, the Bludgeon brothers had started fights, damaged property, and snuck into the Dragon academy who knows how many times. The property and the fights could be ignored since Berk was a Viking village; stuff like that happened almost daily. This, however, was too far!
"Look…we've had trouble when it comes to people learn how to train dragons. Since the Legacy is going to be gone after Dagur's invasion, there's really no reason to teach you too much. But one thing I hope you learn today…never eversteal another rider's dragon!" declared Hiccup, causing the brothers to back up at Hiccup's resolve, "Now get back to the ship! I'll be talking to Ameilianus about this later."
As the brothers raced back to their ship, Snotlout marched up to Hiccup and shouted, "See! They're already trying to steal our dragons! You need to get rid of these…lowlifes…before something else goes wrong!"
"Oh give me a break! What those two morons did is no different than what those two morons would have done!" exasperated Astrid as she pointed to Tuffnut and Ruffnut, looking like they were about to sneak a joyride on Hookfang themselves.
"Pay no attention to the two blonde Vikings in front of the Monstrous Nightmare!" said Ruffnut, in a voice like someone trying to hypnotize another person.(5)
"And besides, other than this and Marlene's creepy stalking, Ameilianus and his crew haven't done anything remotely suspicious!" declared Astrid, annoyed because the whole week, Snotlout had tried to convince Hiccup to get rid of the crew of the Legacy.
"Speaking of suspicious, has anybody notice how few Terrible Terrors there are lately?" asked Fishlegs, genuinely concerned at this new trend in dragon behavior. But of course, no one was listening to him.
"I am sick of having to say the same thing over and over again! That Roman brat is up to no good!" shouted Snotlout, somehow hoping an increase in volume made his point more valid.
"Okay Snotlout! Just answer me one question, and I might get rid of Ameilianus: what exactly has he done to deserve getting kicked out?!" exclaimed Hiccup, finally tired of hearing Snotlout say the same thing. At this point Snotlout struggled with his tiny brain to think up a reason, when he came to a startling conclusion: he couldn't think of one! Despite the brothers and Marlene, the crew of the Legacy had been perfect guest! And even then, the antics from the three members were nothing that wouldn't happen on an average day in Berk!
Seeing Snotlout lowering his head as a sign that he had finally gotten through to him, Hiccup said, "Look, Snotlout. I get it! When your own father keeps pounding the same story in your head over and over, it starts being the truth. It was the same with me, my dad, and dragon fighting! I can only say that you need to judge Ameilianus by his actions, and not how your family judges him."
Snotlout lifted his head, looking conflicted in a way he rarely ever was. Then his face hardened and he left the Arena in a hurry. Hiccup sighed, hoping this wasn't the start of another problem. Hiccup then turned to the other riders and said, "Okay, Astrid, Fishlegs, I want you two to do a patrol around Berk. It's possible either Dagur or the Screaming Death could arrive ahead of schedule. I'll be joining you shortly."
"So, nobody is interested in the Terrible Terror shortage?" asked Fishlegs under his breath as he mounted Meatlug, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer. For the last two days Fishlegs has tried to bring it up, while doing his own investigation. As he took off with Astrid, he decided after patrol to look around the Legacy. It was the only place he hadn't looked!
"Sooo, what about us?" asked Tuffnut after Astrid and Fishlegs had left, noticing Hiccup hadn't said anything to them.
"Look just…make sure Snotlout doesn't cause any trouble today, okay?" said Hiccup hurriedly, as he and Toothless took off for patrol.
"Keeping trouble from happening, huh?" Tuffnut asked himself. It was truly a first for someone to give the Twins such a job as they were always the ones causing trouble. After making sure that Barf n' Belch and Hookfang were secure in their cages, the Twins rushed off and started following Snotlout as stealthily as they could (which truthfully meant not at all, since they kept knocking things over). Ironically, they actually succeeded in their task because Snotlout knew he was being followed!
Back on the Legacy, the Bludgeon brothers tried their own unsuccessful attempt at being sneaky. Hearing the noise, Ameilianus walked on deck and calmly asked, "How did it go?"
After straightening up, Rigbert responded, "Don't worry, none of them saw us smuggle out this!" After saying his brief report, Rigbert pulled out from his vest…the Dragon Manual!
"Ha-ha! Excellent!" declared Ameilianus, rubbing his hands with glee. Taking the book from Rigbert's hand, Ameilianus replied heatedly, "I was a little worried when I saw the out of control Nightmare though!"
"Hey that was all Rigbert's idea!" exclaimed Mordecai shifting the blame.
"I just wanted to see if I could do it! Besides it also kept that patrol delayed long enough for-" Rigbert started to defend himself before being interrupted.
"Shush! The docks have ears!" whispered Ameilianus. A sharp silence followed as the co-conspirators as they looked around for spies. Satisfied at their privacy, Ameilianus continued, "Anyway, our friend has unfortunately brought bad news. For some reason, the Screaming Death increased its pace! It'll be in Berk tomorrow!"
"What! Dagur still needs another two days to get his full fleet here!" exasperated Mordecai, knowing that their plan for Berk required the fleet and the dragon to arrive at the same time! Ameilianus wore a sullen expression, feeling similarly. Rigbert, on the other hand…
"Wait, this could still work!" exclaimed Rigbert getting puzzled look from his crew mates, "It's simple! There's no way the Riders can win without our help right? So after we help them, we convince them to give us our own dragons!"
"What?! There's no way they'd agree to that!" declared Mordecai seeing the idea as idiotic.
"I think our friend maybe onto something." replied Ameilianus, "I already had several ideas to drive off the Screaming Death. The riders will feel indebted to us afterwards. When the fleet arrives well…the plan continues…with us holding the power instead of our friend!" An evil grin began to form on Ameilianus' face, as thoughts of treachery and fire filled his mind!
Disclaimer: I don't own DreamWorks Dragons franchise or the book series it is based off of. Theses snow storms are becoming ridiculous! I hope this was the last of them! Sorry about the delay, hard to write when you have cabin fever. Also, my laptop has been acting weird, so I may need to replace it soon. The only thing I can definitely promise is that the next chapter will appear by the end of March! Anyway, I hope more people decide to read and review! I love my reviewers but I would like to hear from all of you (unless they're flames, back away!)
1 These are all siege weapons (stone throwing and arrow launching alike) prevalent during the Roman Empire to Middle Ages. You can look them up on Wikipedia for further details.
2 A long wide sleeve tunic worn mostly by clergy.
3 For Lucius Faust, Charlie Adler (voice of Ickis on "Aaah! Real Monsters!" and the "GI Joe: Renegade" incarnation of Cobra Commander and the film version of Starscream) is the voice you should picture! He is good for both unbelievably wacky and intensely serious characters alike!
4 Based partially on Mordecai and Rigby from "Regular Show." Using their voice actors would help.
5 I have no idea if there's a word or phrase for this, but please let me know!