Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I only own the story and plotline.
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Chapter 5
Merida brushed Angus' fur as she waited for the Princes to arrive. "How could they be this late!? Do they think they're so special!?" she fumed, not caring if other people heard her.
"Apparently, we are special in some way, Princess," a deep voice said. Merida craned her head to look at the voice's owner which happened to be Jack, "Oh, finally, ye three decided tah show up!" she said.
"Well, good morning to you too, Princess," Jackson said, chuckling.
"G-good morning, your highness," Jamie said, bowing.
Merida looked at Jamie then nodded her head in reply, "Well, what are ye guys waitin' for? Let's just go already, we don't have all dey," she said, quickly mounting on Angus.
The two princes looked at each other then shrugged their shoulders. A stable worker brought out the Princes' horses, one in stunning white and another one in gorgeous russet. Jack took the reins of the white one while Jackson grabbed the one in russet. Both of them mounted their horses with practiced grace which made Jamie smile and think, 'Practice surely pays off.'
Jamie mounted his own horse which was not as eye-catching as the two have but pretty enough to be noticed. Merida gestured for them to move along with her pace. It was pretty evident that the Princess grudges the idea of touring for her eyebrows were knitted in the middle of her face.
"Aren't you a joyous tour guide?" Jack remarked sarcastically.
Merida glared at him and said, "Let's just stop pretendin', A clearly don't like ye two."
"Brave one, arent' ye?" Jackson said, copying her accent. Merida's frown grew longer and seemed to be fuming more and more by the minute.
"If ye are goin' tah threaten me with yer fearlin' troupe, forget it," Merida said with a scowl on her face, "As if somethin' like tha' would faze me."
Jamie sprang into the conversation, trying to diffuse the building tension among the three, "I deeply apologize, Princess. The Princes are only trying to strike a conversation…" he paused, looking at the twins before continuing his sentence, "…in their own silly way."
It was either Jamie's apology worked or Merida was just too tired to even bother because their budding fight stopped immediately. Merida led them first to the town market, which was filled with buzzing salesmen, selling their goods such as food, beverages, tapestries, and other necessities.
The townspeople would stop what they were doing to bow and curtsy before them as their way to show respect for the royalties. The Princes would nod their heads in return and would give gentle smiles to the children, who eagerly waved their hands, their eyes were filled with awe and admiration.
It did not take long for them to reach the townsquare where some performers were playing with bagpipes, causing some of the townspeople to giddily dance at the groove of music. The Princes stopped and watched atop their horses, smiling at the sight before them.
'Looks fun, it would be nice if the balls held at our castle would be as carefree as this,' Jackson thought to himself.
"Looks fun, it would be nice if the balls held at our castle would be as carefree as this," Jack said aloud, making Jackson stare at his brother in awe.
Jack returned the stare of his brother, right brow arching upward, "What?"
Jackson just chuckled and said, "It's like you can read my mind."
"Perhaps, I can," Jack smirked.
Jamie suddenly butted into the conversation, "Ahem, you two, the Princess is already ahead of us, we might want to move along." He motioned his head towards the Princess' retreating form, who did not seem to notice that she already left the boys behind.
"She must really be in a hurry…how about we end this tourture," Jack said, steering his horse to run after the Princess. His mount caught up with the Princess' Clydesdale in no time, blocking the way of the Princess which caused her to wield Angus to a rough stop. (I apologize for the lame joke. Feel free to shoot me. T_T)
"What are ye doin'!?" she shouted.
"Whoa, calm yourself, Princess. I am here to tell you a proposition," Jack said with chin high up in the air.
"Confident, aren't ye? Alrigh' lemme hear it," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jackson and Jamie galloped their horses closer to the two. Also showing signs of interest to know what Jack was about to say.
"Look, we all know that we do not enjoy this whole tour agenda so how about we end it right now and just pretend that we have done this activity until the end?" Jack suggested.
Merida skeptically looked at Jack, obviously contemplating his suggestion.
"I do agree with you on that one, we can just leisurely use up the time for things we actually want to do," Jackson seconded.
Jamie seemed displease with the idea and his reaction was seen clearly by the twins who smirked deviously at him.
"Buuut, you see, we have to make sure that Jamie sees the appearance of the Dunbroch Kingdom, he has to report his insights to Pitch after all," Jackson said, making up the story to get the Princess and Jamie have time together.
"Right, Jamie?" Jack asked with a smirk plastered on his face.
Jamie flushed and was about to deny it when the Princess suddenly spoke, "Well then, A just need tah show this lad three more places anyway, A accept yer proposition if it would make me not see yer faces for the rest of the dey."
"You must really hate us, huh?" Jack said.
"She hates us for the egg prank we pulled on her years ago, Jack," Jackson informed.
Merida's eyebrow shot up, "How did ye know?...Oh wait, don't answer tha', it is too obvious anyway," Merida added. She averted her eyes from the twins, landing on the brunette assistant. "Ye'r Jamie, righ'?" she asked.
Jamie nodded with cheeks tinted by pinkness, "Then let's get goin', A wanna have a break too," she said, moving the reins of Angus as a signal to run. The Princess took off but Jamie was left a little behind.
Jamie, as if he was in a daze, nodded his head a little too late. The twins chuckled and whispered words to Jamie, "Dude, you're so obvious!"
"Ha, you better thank us for this later, Jamie, now get going or else she'll spit fire," Jackson said, smiling like an imp.
Jamie huffed then made his horse follow the Princess.
"Atta' boy~" the two said in unison.
The sound of metal hitting metal surrounded the blacksmith's forge. The two occupants, Gobber and Hiccup, were as busy as the buzzing merchants strutting around town, trying to sell all their goods.
"Why does it seem like we never run out of things to do? We are not even at war!" Hiccup complained as he hammers down a sword.
"Stop complainin', bein' busy means we're in good business," Gobber said, waving his amputated left hand with hammer tool attachment.
"We could use a break though," Hiccup said, stretching his back, "I think I'm going to break my back before I'm even as old as you."
"We'll have our break, but now is not the righ' time," Gobber said, "we have tah prepare more of these claymore for the upcomin' fest, which reminds meh, A am plannin' tah join," he added with a smirk.
"How bout' yeh, Heccup? Aren't ye plannin' tah join?" an all-too-familiar voice said. The two blacksmiths craned their heads to look at the booth, searching for the owner of the voice which they both knew to be Merida.
"Me? Of course I would, who wouldn't battle with a body like…this?" Hiccup replied, flexing his skinny arms with the smuggest look he could put on his face.
The reply earned a snorted laugh from the Princess. She sat on the chair outside of the booth, watching the two as they work. The sound of metal against metal ensued once again for minutes then the two blacksmiths decided to take a break. Hiccup grabbed a cloth to remove the residue that the burning black coal permitted in the air. He opened the door and stepped outside of the forge, tapping Merida by her shoulder.
Merida chirped her head up to Hiccup, "Done already?"
"It's just break time," Hiccup shrugged, sitting beside the Princess, "Shouldn't you be touring the Princes, right now? What are you doing here?"
Merida shrugged her shoulders, "We just had an understandin' tha' we all hate each other so we split ways before the tour even finished."
"What would the Queen say about this?" Hiccup asked while fiddling at his apron.
"Merida, as Princess of Dunbroch, ye should know yer duties and responsibilities, decidin' not tah properly execute yer task is a failure on yer part," Merida replied, mimicking the way her mother lectures her.
Hiccup snorted and clapped, "Spot on."
"Neways', A am actually here tah invite ye tah the brawn fest three days from now," Merida said with a smirk.
Hiccup deadpanned at her then scrunched up his face, "I hope you're not being serious."
Merida giggled then jabbed Hiccup's arm, "Fishbone, ye do not have tah fight, ye just have tah be there and watch."
Hiccup raised his eyebrows, "You already know that I don't enjoy violence and brutality, Mer."
It was Merida's turn to raise her brows, "Ye make it sound as if the contestants die there…" she paused, "well, on occasions that happens but yeah…it's very rare though, A can't say the same for injuries…but ye know, those men are too prideful to show when they are hurt, so….it won't really upset ye are anythin'."
Hiccup just sighed, "If I were to go, what else would I be doing there other than watching men nonsensically hurt each other?"
Merida smiled, "Accompany me, duh? A will be bored to death, sides' A need a diffuser, the Princes are tickin' me off."
Hiccup was already dreading the Princess' insistence in tagging him along the fest, not only was he about to uninterestedly watch men brawl and mock each other's ability but he will also see the Overland twins, along with the rumored mastermind behind the treacherous attack on their Kingdom, Lord Pitch, whom he never in a million years wish to ever meet. Hiccup already knew that he had no way out once the Princess asked for a favor. Yes means yes, no means yes. Got a problem with that? Cry a river but you still have to abide.
Hiccup sighed, "Do I have a choice?"
Merida smirked playfully, "Ye know ye don't~"
Hiccup weighed over his situation for a few moments until he remembered one person who could put him in both demise and security if this particular man wanted to.
(Flashback)
Young Hakon, at the age of thirteen, was scribbling images on a pad of paper. The young prince would usually do this every night before he allowed the Sandman to will him into sleep. He was currently sketching a dragon with jet black scales that covered its whole body, which he estimated to be big enough to be mounted. He specifically designed it with the image of his bud, Toothless, in mind.
"Hmmm, so, what should I call you? I can't name you Toothless, bud owns that name," Hakon said.
He craned his neck at the scribbled images that he stuck to one of the walls in his room. This particular wall showcases different dragon designs and other mechanical equipment blueprints that the young prince created with the use of his intelligible mind and creative hands.
"Mhmm, I've given them quite a name, I wonder….," he said, referring to the dragons he sketched before. He craned his head to one side while in thought. He pictured his horse in mind then thought of the perfect name to go with his new dragon design. "Aha! You shall be named Night Fury! For your scales are black as night and my horse has been known for its bad temper!"
'If my horse heard me say that, he'll be sure to step on my foot,' he said to his self.
He stood from his chair then picked a pin to stick the new scribble on his wall. As he was digging the pin, he could not help but think how much of an outcast he is, "I really need to get out sometimes….I am starting to talk to myself."
Once he finished sticking the scribble on the wall, he touched his chin as he checked his collection of dragon designs in satisfaction. 'Should I start sculpting them? I got nothing better to do in this room anyway…'
He was deep in thoughts when a sudden loud bang from outside his bedroom doors snapped him out of his reverie. "Where in the name of Thor is that sound coming from?" he said.
His question was answered when the doors flung open and his mother frantically run towards him. "Hakon!" the queen exclaimed.
Hakon was taken aback by the urgentness of his mother's voice, which caused him to worry and think that something bad must be happening, "What is it, mother?"
The queen did not answer but grabbed his arm instead and pulled him steadfastly out of his room. The queen led him to a set of stairs, three corners away from his room's location.
Hakon just decided to follow his mother with no further questions, seemingly apprehensive that talking was not a wise move at the moment. They reached the library that no one ever seemed to use and the queen flung the door open. There, inside, stood his father who seemed calm but the fire of worry failed to stay hidden in his eyes.
The queen closed the door then the king stood by it. Queen Valhallarama dropped to her knees, facing his only son. "Mother, what on earth is going on? What is the meaning of this?" Hakon asked, his worry was growing more and more by each second that passed.
"Listen, Hakon…our Kingdom is under attack…we cannot assure your safety nor ours, you have to run and hide with Toothless and stay away as far as possible from our Kingdom until we search for you," the Queen told him in a rush which seemed too easy to understand but it failed to register in the Crown Prince's mind right away.
"Wha-what, who would attack us? And why would I run away like a coward? No, I need to stay here and fight with you," Hakon said.
The Queen shook her head, "I know that you are not a coward, Hakon. But this is a fight that a child should not be facing."
"But I am not a child!" Hakon said, "You've kept me in this castle for so long, I know that I can help, please…allow me just this once!"
"Hakon!" the King spoke with firmness in his voice, making the Queen and Prince look at him. "You may not be a child but a man does not inconvenience others, you are to be a King and a King shall think about his actions, you, acting this way would not help your people in any way. You are just going to cause more problems!"
The Queen furrowed her eyebrows while the Prince shut his mouth in a firm line then said, "I just don't want to be useless….like what you always make me feel…."
The Queen hugged his son, "No, no, it is not your father's intention to do that…," she said. The King was taken aback and pain covered the worry in his eyes, visibly shocked to know that he caused his son to feel this way when all he wanted to do was save him from the harshness of the world until he deemed his son was ready to face it.
The King opened and closed his mouth, about to say he was sorry but then he heard screams and war cries outside the castle, "Son, you have to go."
The King trotted to the series of shelves, pulling a hidden lever. One of the shelves moved, showing a hidden dark pathway, the King motioned for his son and the wife to go. The Queen took a nearby lamp then pulled Hakon, the latter seems to be quiet now for the seriousness of the situation was finally getting to him and the stung from his father's words shouted pain in his heart.
The King and Queen looked at each other's eyes, worry and fear evident in their eyes. "Take our son out, Val..." The King uttered.
The Queen let go of his son's arm and embraced the King, the latter returned the embrace, one of his hand was reaching out for his son. Hakon knew the gesture so he bounded close to his parents then joined in at the embrace. Hakon wished this moment to never ever stop for it was the first time in years that he had seen his father show him any affection and he could not shake the feeling that this would also be the last.
The King softly told them to go and be careful. The Queen pulled his son again but stopped and looked back when the King spoke, "Son, remember that I am always proud of you and it was never my intention to make you feel useless…"
The Queen smiled then pulled Hakon once again. Hakon stared at his father's figure until he was too far away to see him. And the slowly vanishing form of his father from the library door was the last image he had seen of his father.
It took them minutes of running down the stairs. Every step they took made Hakon worry that it would cause him to stumble down the stairs for he knew how clumsy his self was. The Queen eventually stopped, pulling a block from the wall, revealing a lever. The Queen pulled it then a door slid open which revealed the kitchen, she frantically trotted inside the room with Hiccup, bounding for the backdoor which leads to the stables where the royals keep their personal horses.
The Queen surveyed the area before leaving the kitchen doors. Loud sounds that describe death permitted in the air, making Hakon reel in fear. He could not help but think, 'If I were to be in battle, would I even last?'
Toothless rushed out of the stables, not needing to be called. The horse must have known the danger in his surroundings. The Queen nodded at his son, silently telling him to do things according to their plan. The Crown Prince nodded and was about to mount his horse when an ear-deafening explosion took out his concentration, making him fall harshly from the impact of air rushing out of the explosion.
He took a few moments to wake his mind. He craned his head up, fear and sadness enveloped his being. The castle…the place he always wanted to be free from was now crumbling to pieces, fire eating every single block of the once pristine walls and the workers who used to reside inside were screaming help and retribution.
Hakon's hearing slowly went back and he could clearly hear his mother wail in despair, "No….Stoick….Nooo!"
Toothless nuzzled his master's cheek to comfort the young prince which seems to be too engaged in staring at the crumbling castle. The breaths from Toothless brought Hakon out of his shock then he slowly stood on his feet. He craned his neck around to look for his mother, "Mom!"
Queen Valhallarama shouted back, "Hakon, run!"
Hakon craned his neck to where the Queen's voice came from but what he saw was a man the same size as his father with huge black mass of beard on his face and teeth tinted yellow with black decaying matter on the sides that clearly screamed foul breath. The said man swung his sword at Hakon, targeting the boy's head but fortunately, the young prince managed to duck his attack.
"You dare dodge the attacks of the General Alvin, boy!" the man said, addressing his self. The man kept on swinging until the Queen clashed swords with the man called, Alvin.
"My, my, finally decided to join, huh, your Highness?" the man mocked, chuckling. Their fight went on, the Crown Prince contemplated whether to attack the man and help his mother but the Queen gave him an order, "Hakon, go, now!"
The Crown Prince hesitantly moved his feet and whistled for Toothless, the said horse immediately bounded close to him.
"Oh no, you don't!" Alvin said, blocking the sword of the Queen then grabbing her arms painfully before wrenching the sword out of her hands. The Queen was strong but lacked enough strength to counter the man in front of her and all she could do was to attempt in keeping the man from following her son. Alvin got tired from the Queen's inconveniencing movements and did what he was ordered to do and that was to kill every single Haddock royal. He struck his sword in the Queen's stomach which made the royal stop from the shock of being stabbed. Alvin grabbed the Queen's shoulder to twist and wrench out his sword from the Queen's tummy, blood rushed out quickly from where the sword was removed.
Hakon stared at the sight before him; he could not move his two feet, his whole body and his entire mind. He felt his world stop, "Mom….nooo….no, this can't be happening," he said as he willed his self to reject the reality before him.
"It is happening alright," Alvin said, alternating his sword from right to left and left to right hand. "You don't have to be worried for you will be joining them soon."
Alvin was about to struck the prince but the horse charged violently at the General which made the latter stumble in pain, "That son of a -!" he said. Alvin quickly stood up then punched the horse at its snout, making the animal fall.
"Enough of this," the man said, clearly enraged. He urgently struck his sword at the young prince, which the latter was a little too late to dodge. Fortunately, it did not hit the head that the man was aiming for but unfortunately, it landed on his left foot.
Hakon did not even have any time to register what just happened; all the shuddering emotions and horrifying scenes occupied his mind that he was not able to feel the lost of his limb. He fell on his back, eyes looking up at the night sky with the blazing fire accommodating the corners of his vision, "I am useless…," he muttered, "my dad…mom…they're gone…"
Alvin heard the words then laughed mockingly, "Ironic, isn't it? Your name meant useful but look at you," he said, pointing the sword towards Hiccup, "You're just another piece of royal trash. But no worries, I'll end your contempt. And would you be so kind tell your father I said hi? I'm afraid they roasted him before I could skewer him."
Alvin pointed the sword at Hakon's neck then lifted the sword over his head to behead the boy. Alvin was about to bring down the sword at the boy's neck when suddenly, the swing stopped in mid-air.
"I'm sorry, mate. I can't stand to watch this after all," a voice said, coming from a very tall man, smaller in built compared to Alvin but strong-looking enough to be a beast in battle. He had tribal-looking tattoos in his arms, torso and forehead.
Alvin turned his back from the young prince to face the man behind him. Alvin's eyes widened, reaching at his back to feel the object causing him unbearable pain. He wrenched it off his back, blood rushed out the same way the blood flowed out of the Queen. Alvin looked at the weapon in his hand, it was a boomerang and he knew that there was only one person who used such weapon, "Aster! You traitor."
"It is funny coming from you, mate," Aster said with no emotions showing on his face.
Alvin dropped to his knees, "You're going to pay for this….Lord Pitch…would…know about…this."
Aster chuckled then poised his hand in attacking stance. "He is not my King," Aster finished, throwing the other boomerang at the General, beheading the man.
The man called Aster, wearing the same armor worn by fearlings, lifted his hand to catch the boomerang that beheaded Alvin. Then he bounded close to the body in order to retrieve the other boomerang.
(He is not a fearling as in a follower of Pitch, just always remember that fearlings here is the term I used for the knights of Overland Kingdom)
"Wh..y?" Hakon said, his vision was slowly blurring.
"Don't get me wrong, kid. I am not sure of my intentions as well…" the man called Aster replied.
Aster shook his head at the sight of the boy, seeing the blood gush freely from the boy's leg. He took a piece of cloth which conveniently lay on the ground and then wrapped it around the amputated limb of the prince to stop the blood from rushing out. Aster spoke as he was tying the cloth, "Listen here, kid. No one really knows what you look like and I am probably the only person left who had seen you."
He lifted the boy and placed him in his arms then bounded close to the black warhorse that now stands on its feet. Aster looked at the horse intently, wanting it to allow him to ride him, "Easy there, mate. I'm doing this for your master."
Toothless seemed to understand the notion and made no moves to disallow the man from mounting him. Aster managed to lift himself and the young prince on the horse. He placed the boy in front of him and he could clearly see that the boy was already losing consciousness, "Before you go to sleep, heed my warning, if you are to survive, do not let anyone know who you are or else it will be the death of you."
Hakon gazed at the man's green eyes then allowed the darkness envelop his vision.
(End of Flashback)
"Mer, is there a man among the fearlings with tribal-looking tattoos over his forehead, arms and torso?" Hiccup asked, looking at the ground.
Merida gave a questioning look at Hiccup, "Mhmm, A haven't, why do ye ask?"
"Uhm…nothing, I just thought someone would look like that from the fearlings," he said, awkwardly laughing and scratching his head.
"Nae, A don't think they are into tattoos, those fearlins' A mean," Merida replied, "Neways, A'll expect ye at the fest, if ye don't, A'll force ye tah eat haggis!"
Hiccup just puffed his cheeks, "Yeah, yeah, your highness," he said with a wave of his hand.
"That is the freckled boy that I was talking to you two about," Jackson said, pointing at the boy that the Princess was conversing with.
The two princes and their assistant was currently hiding behind a wall, close enough to see the two clearly but far enough to hear the conversation the two was having.
"So, you're saying that you stood up last night just to listen to these two rant?" Jamie said, "My, my, Jackson, you have so much time in your hands."
"Shut it, Jamie. For all we know, these two could be dating, wouldn't you be interested to know?" Jackson smirked.
"Why-why should I? Whoever the Princess is dating is none of my business," Jamie replied, pulling at his collar.
"Jamie, denial won't get you anywhere, we've known you for years," Jack said, shaking his head.
The townspeople who pass by would oddly stop for a minute to watch the trio from their hiding spot. The three turned their heads and noticed the increasing numbers of bystanders. The Princes smiled and said, "Good day, please be on your way."
The bystanders bowed and left. "We're catching too much attention," Jamie said.
"We can see that," the twins replied in unison.
"Let's go already, the sun is setting up high in the sky, don't you two hate the heat?" Jamie suggested, fanning his self with his hand. The twins nodded at the same time then went to grab the reins of their own horses but Jackson stood by for a moment to look at Hiccup and Merida before he mounted his russet horse.
Jack was already mounted on his own horse before he glanced at the boy, thinking and remembering the figure from the river, 'Oh boy…I think that's him.' He stared intently at the boy and then realized that he could be right.
The trio moved their horses, making their way back to the castle. "Jack, tell me, have you seen that boy before?" Jackson asked.
"Huh?" he said, pulling his self out of his thoughts, "What again?"
Jackson sighed, "I said, have you seen that boy before?"
Jack gulped, "Uhm…how did you know?" he asked, Jack thought that Jackson figured out that the kid was the one he saw by the river.
Jackson furrowed his eyebrows in question. Jack continued, putting his hands up in surrender, "Okay, I swear I did not mean to see him naked at the river at all, alright? I didn't even know he was male, I mean, you saw him, he was too lanky for a guy," Jack defensively said.
"Wait, what?" Jamie said. "Saw who in the river?"
Jackson told Jamie the story and the assistant could not help but laugh, "So, now that you found this mystery girl….err, boy, will you be free from the guilt?" Jamie asked.
Jack shrugged, not caring anymore if he was being mocked. Jackson broke into the conversation, "I did not mean that one where you met him at the river, I mean, have you seen him way before this whole trip happened? Or know someone who looks like him?"
Jack thought the question over for a moment, trying to remember if he knew someone with the boy's face. "Nah, I don't think so, Jackson. I mean, a face like that is pretty hard to forget…" Jack said then glanced to see that Jackson and Jamie were staring at him with unreadable expression on their faces, "Hey! It's not what you think!" Jack defended, doubting his words as well.
Jackson scrunched his face and averted his eyes away from Jack, showing a displeased expression. The Crown Prince wielded his horse to run faster, leaving the two behind.
Jack and Jamie looked at the fast retreating form of the Crown Prince.
"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked Jamie. The latter just shrugged his shoulders then replied, "Not a clue."
Notes: Aster is 20 years old at the time of flashback. He is now 25 years old. 5 years have passed since the night of the attack. :D