32 I Like New Loran In The Springtime
(how about you?)
"I COMMAND YOU IN THE NAME OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF ELYDONIA; PUT... ME... DOWN... NOW!"
"Sorry Your Majesty" Astrid smiled "Stormfly just thought we were playing one of her hunting games; this is how she retrieves Little Freya too.
"Well maybe so" Joric sneered a little as the happy dragon placed him on his feet once more "but to be held up by the belt of one's pants, hardly seems dignified for someone of royal personage."
"Anything you say... Captain Thorn" Astrid smirked.
"Alright, alright; don't rub it in" Joric sighed "So then; how are we going to rescue the others?"
"It should be well underway by now, so perhaps we'd better go and join in the fun."
"Agreed; umm... can your dragon carry three people?"
"Err... no, not all the way to the capital anyway" Astrid realised.
"Its okay" Victor told them "I'll wait back at the beach while you take King Joric back to the old farm."
"But what if you're caught lad" Joric asked concerned.
"Well it is easy for me to pass myself off as a local citizen... since I am one."
"WHAT?" Joric actually reached for his sword "But you were on the Berk longship ever since we left Port Yoric; what were you up to?"
"Calm down Joric" Astrid grabbed his arm "you know the stories about our adventures in New Loran last summer; well this young lad is the same one who pretended to be my brother Ruprecht, and helped us escape."
"And one of my masters died saving Astrid and her friends from execution this very morning."
"It's true, you remember the one we called Fotherington" Astrid pointed out "he did give his life to protect us; I'm sure Victor is on our side and can be trusted."
"Well... alright Astrid, if you say so."
"I do, but I don't want to leave Victor behind anyway."
"Ah" Joric nodded "Alright then... so I'll wait here for you to get back?"
"Not exactly" Astrid grinned.
Down in the dungeon, the jailer from the outer prison door led the Elydonians in their soldiers garb and their Berkian prisoner, passed the upper cells while sounds of moaning and cries for mercy echoed along the passageway.
"What are these ones in for?" the fake head soldier asked.
"Oh some are just petty thieves" the jailer replied "but most are here because they pissed off the Emperor in some way."
The party soon reached the heavy iron door to the inner dungeon where the people Scias hated most were sent, but the sounds that emitted from within were not the usual desperate pleas from even more desperate prisoners.
"What on earth is that horrible noise?" the jailer asked rhetorically.
"We call it Gobber" Fishlegs declared "but the acoustics in here do improve his singing a bit."
The fake soldier pounded on the inner door until a face appeared in the small peep hatch with a handkerchief stuffed into each ear.
"Yeah; wadda yer want" he asked as he pulled out one of the hankies "and make it quick will ya?"
"We've got another prisoner for you" the soldier declared as he presented Fishlegs.
"What's the password?" the inner jailer asked abruptly.
"Here we go again" the outer jailer sighed.
"Pansy" the soldier said adamantly.
"Oh that's just not fair" declared the outer jailer.
"HOW DOES ASTRID DO THIS?" Joric cried out as he hung on to Stormfly's reigns in terror.
"I don't know sir" Victor replied "but she always made it look so easy."
Fortunately for the two novice riders, the Deadly Nadder had a much better idea as to what to do, than they did and they were soon coming in to land back at the abandoned farm. Unfortunately though, Joric did not know that he should lean back as the dragon touched down and so he ended up being thrown out of the saddle and onto the dusty ground.
"Hello Joric" Starkard smiled cheerfully "so glad to see they found you, but err... where's Astrid?"
"Don't worry" Victor declared as he slid off of Stormfly's back "she'll be here soon."
The young boy turned to face the dragon and ordered her just as he had been instructed "Stormfly; go find Astrid."
The dragon did not have to be told twice and she was out of sight less than thirty seconds later.
"So what have I missed" Joric asked "have you come up with a rescue plan yet?"
"Oh yes" Starkard grinned "and it's already underway. Darius Gershwin went in first and tricked those soldiers tied up over there, into coming out to help recapture some of the dragons from the ship."
"Darius Gershwin?" Joric asked.
"Yes" Starkard replied.
"The master spy?"
"Yes."
"How many New Loran spies do we have in our working for us?"
"Only two now."
"Oh yes" Joric remembered "Astrid told me about Fotherington."
"Anyway to make a long story short, Hiccup and some of your men went in dressed as soldiers with a few captured dragons and are currently freeing the others while the rest of us are guarding these real soldiers in their undies, as well as keeping anyone from the port from getting back to the city... oh... and at the same time we're attacking the city walls to keep as much attention away from Hiccup's little band of heroes as we can."
"So what do we do next?" Joric was amazed to hear precisely what was going on.
"Hiccup said he'll send up a signal when he's ready, and then we'll fly in to the palace roof to pick everyone up."
"What kind of signal?" Joric asked.
"They've got dragons" Starkard sighed "what kind of signal do you think it will be?"
"How many prisoners is this cell meant to hold?" the fake soldier asked.
"Only one sir" the inner jailer answered.
"And how many are in it now?"
"Three sir" came the reply.
"Could we squeeze in a fourth?"
"I dare say we could" the jailer declared as he turned his key in the lock.
"I dunno... it looks awfully cramped in there" the soldier declared as the door swung open "Maybe we should reduce the number in here to two."
"But sir" the jailer objected "all the other inner cells are full."
"Well let's have a look then; YOU PRISONERS, GET OUT."
"W-what are you doing sir" the jailer asked as three sailors exited the cell into the passage.
"Testing the cell; you two jailers, come with me."
The soldier stepped into the now empty cell as the jailers followed him nervously.
"Oh no... this is no good" the soldier insisted "we can't even sit down even though the doors still open; let's see how it is if I step outside."
"The first jailer began to panic a little when the soldier stepped out of the cell and closed the door behind him, but the second jailer was quite calm about it.
"Don't worry, we can't get locked in; I've still got the..." He felt the clip on his belt and found it horrifyingly empty.
"Did you get them Toki?" the soldier asked.
"Right here sir" Toki jingled the key ring brightly.
"Oh you moron" the first jailer declared to his colleague as the cell door was locked with both of them still inside.
Hiccup knew it was far too risky to open the doors to the entrance hall in order to check what was happening outside; the sound of men trying to break down those same doors was his biggest clue.
"KEEP PILING UP THE FURNITURE" he ordered "AND BRING ANYTHING THAT WILL BURN."
Some of the Palace Guards who were still upstairs, had given up protecting the Nobles as soon as they realised that the soldiers chasing the dragons around the palace were actually enemy sailors and Vikings causing a distraction; they had tried to go on the offensive but the Gronckles soon forced them to change their minds.
"There are just too few of us" one had commented as he ran away from the panting dragon.
"True; and someone has to keep the senators and their families safe" another added.
"I agree wholeheartedly" a third concluded as the men all threw themselves back into a side room on the fourth floor and bolted the door behind them.
With the piles of heavy objects growing at every entrance to the palace, the news Hiccup had been waiting for finally made its way to the main entrance hall, from where the Dragon Master had been coordinating everything.
"The prisoners are being released as we speak Lord Hiccup" one of the Elydonians happily informed him "the first ones are now coming up to the servant's area in the basement and should be here soon."
"NO, don't bring them here" Hiccup ordered "Take them straight up to the palace roof and tell Snotlout it's time to send up the signal."
"Yes sir" the man saluted before he tore off his soldier's uniform and became an Elydonian sailor once again.
"Oh Footman" Emperor Borges called out through the open grill in the back of his coach.
"You called Your Highness" the servants voice replied.
"Please have the driver take it easy on the rougher patches of the road as I'm feeling out of sorts; it must be the shock of loosing Emperor Scias to that murderous Elydonian King."
The new Emperor had not even finished his sentence when the driver pulled the coach to a complete stop.
"What's happening" Borges asked "is anything wrong?"
"Yes Emperor Borges sir" the Footman declared "the head of your personal guard has called for the procession to stop sir; he is currently talking to some soldiers."
After a few minutes, the leader of the Imperial Guards rode back to the coach to give his report.
"What has happened Captain?" Borges asked.
"It's the Dragon Riders sir; they've blocked the road with trees a few miles ahead, and are thwarting any attempts to clear them away sir. I strongly suggest that you return to the Naval Base until the road can be made safe again sir."
"Very good Captain, we shall return at once; have someone ride on ahead and have suitable accommodations prepared for me."
"At once Highness" the captain saluted and rode off.
Borges sat back and smiled to himself; it was almost as if the Dragon Riders were working for him. If they were now attacking the capital and rescuing their friends, then everyone in the city and the senate was far more likely to believe his lies about Joric murdering Scias, and then no suspicion would fall onto him whatsoever.
Several new cracks formed in the palace doors with every push from the guards outside, and Hiccup knew that his time was running out fast.
"It looks like our time is running out fast son" Stoick declared as Hiccup threw another chair onto the pile holding the door.
"Dad; what are you doing here? I told Jorics men to get everyone up onto the roof."
"Aye son, but you're not Chief yet, so I still get to do what I want."
"Yeah... okay but... I've got a schedule to stick to so if you could just..."
"I know about your plan son; Fishlegs filled me in while we were getting everyone out of the cells" Stoick informed his son "and I was told that you wanted to be informed when everyone was out."
"Yes; that's right."
"Well everyone is out."
"Oh... good" Hiccup jumped onto Toothless's back and gave his final order in the palace.
"Ruff, give me thirty seconds and then light it up; I'll meet you and Dad on the roof."
"Righto" she replied.
Toothless galloped around the lower floor of the palace to where every door to the outside had been blocked with more piles of furniture, rugs, statues and anything else the sailors could find. As the dragon passed each one, a blast of blue plasma was sent into the piles making the area unpassable. With the final retreat now commencing, Hiccup had to make sure that those who wished to follow and stop him, would have the most difficult time he could give them. Back at the front entrance, the door creaked under the onslaught of the guards outside as Ruffnut counted down from thirty to one.
"Barf, Belch... do it" she smiled when she completed her countdown.
The noxious green gas flowed around the base of the pile and soon the whole lot, including the door itself were glowing brightly as they burned.
"Shall we go Chief?" Ruffnut asked as the sound of men retreating from the flames drifted in from outside.
"Sounds like a good idea to me" Stoick agreed and they rushed off up the main staircase.
Pre-post update: I've just finished the story - 40 chapters and about 95 000 words; unless I can come up with an epilogue.