A/N: I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to throw a cliffhanger on you and then leave you hanging for so long like that! I just…life got hectic for a while: my interests shifted back to the HTTYD fairy tales and the Out of the Sea AU, and then I hit a massive writer's block, and…ugh! I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to abandon this story for so long. So here's the next chapter, and hopefully the next won't be too far behind.
Also, I should say that I've gone back and altered the timeline again. The story starts a year after the first film instead of six months. Since the new season of Dragons helped establish a sense of time and continuity, I felt I had to adjust it to fit. Doesn't really matter in the long run I guess, but I thought I'd let you know anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
Madguts the Murderous
The fight was over before it had even begun. Hiccup didn't have time to yell, "Toothless look out!" before his dragon was bound in no less than three well-aimed bolas. He made to run to the Night Fury's aid but promptly toppled as he too was captured. "No!" he cried, wriggling and struggling against his bonds in vain, while Toothless shrieked in rage, the noise muffled by the bola holding his snout shut. No! Hiccup's brain screamed. It's not possible! This can't have happened! Yet it had. He and his dragon were truly and effectively trapped.
Heather got off much easier. Stormfly took to the air before she could be caught, and the girl grabbed her spiky tail as she ascended. "Don't let her get away!" one of the Murderous soldiers barked, but by the time anyone managed to aim a bola at them, they were out of range. Stormfly whipped her tail up, flinging Heather onto her back with a shrill cry of fright, and together they flew off into the distance. The girl glanced back just once, and even from their distance Hiccup could see the pure terror etched on her pretty face. Then she turned forward again and urged the dragon to greater speeds.
Hiccup barely had time to be relieved at their escape. The soldiers parted, and two Vikings approached him. The first was short, squat, and wore a gleeful smile on his battle-scarred face. The second was much taller, coated with metal armor that covered bulging muscles. His arms – the parts of them Hiccup could see, anyway – were covered with skull tattoos, and he wore a black executioner's mask over his face.
He didn't need an introduction. He knew exactly who he was facing.
Madguts the Murderous, flanked by his assistant Gumboil.
"Well, well, well," said Gumboil, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Chief Murderous is pleased, very pleased."
Perhaps the most frightening thing about Madguts was that he never spoke a word. No one knew why exactly: some said his tongue had been ripped out, while others insisted he'd gotten his vocal cords incinerated in a fight with a dragon. Whatever the reason, Madguts had never been heard to make a sound other than a grunt, which Gumboil would promptly translate, often to the listener's knee-quaking fright.
Madguts grunted now, and Gumboil reported, "Very pleased indeed."
Hiccup looked over at Toothless, whose eyes were narrowed in fury. But with his wings bound and his mouth forced shut, he could do nothing. And Hiccup was totally unable to help him in any way.
He returned his eyes to his captors in time to see Gumboil lean in close. The repulsive odor of rotten eggs and fish filled his nostrils, and he gagged. Gumboil didn't seem to notice his discomfort, or perhaps he simply didn't care. "You must be Hiccup, son of Stoick the Vast," he observed. "Yes…you match the painting in Berk's Great Hall. Small, scrawny, and missing one leg." His eyes flitted down to the metal foot before returning back up to his face. "You know, you don't look as though you're touring the world, Hiccup," the smelly Viking remarked. "Which means Stoick told us a lie. Hmm…well, that makes Chief Murderous angry…"
As if to confirm this, Madguts grunted.
"Yes…Chief Murderous is very annoyed," Gumboil went on, nodding. "And that's never a good thing. But no matter, we will deal with the Hooligans later."
Gumboil took a step backward, and Hiccup took a deep breath of fresh air. His mind was reeling. His father had lied to the Murderous chief? To keep him safe?
Madguts grunted, and Gumboil nodded. "I suppose you know what we want with you, don't you, young Hiccup?"
Hiccup glared up at him and didn't answer. His act of defiance didn't seem to bother Madguts or Gumboil, the latter of whom went on, "We want you to train dragons for us. And we won't take no for an answer."
…
"Go Stormfly, go!" Heather cried, urging the Nadder faster across the endless span of ocean stretching out before her. She had to get back to Berk. She had to tell Stoick what had happened. Hiccup was in trouble, really big trouble. If they didn't return to Dragon Island soon…oh Thor, she didn't even want to think about what might happen to Hiccup and Toothless.
What happened back there? asked a voice in her head. Everything was fine just a moment ago. We were talking one second, and the next…
She remembered meeting the Murderous Tribe and their chief when they'd visited Berk. She'd been careful to keep her distance – the Murderous had a reputation for taking advantage of women whenever possible – but the other teens had filled her in on who exactly they were dealing with. The Murderous Tribe lived on a desolate island on the far edge of the Archipelago, amid the peaks of what was known, appropriately enough, as the Murderous Mountains. They didn't receive many visitors: if the smell didn't dissuade people from dropping in, their habit of sacrificing trespassers atop their highest mountain did.
Observing the visiting chief, Heather believed every single rumor about him and his men. He had not been happy to hear Stoick's report that Hiccup was off exploring the world beyond their little cluster of islands. He'd ranted and raved and threatened war…or more accurately, he had just grunted while Gumboil did all the ranting and raving and threatening. In the end, though, it couldn't be denied that Hiccup was indeed nowhere on the island. So they had left.
Or so they'd thought.
Apparently Madguts had not been as easily fooled as they'd hoped or thought. He must have been spying on Hiccup from afar. They must have known somehow where to look for him. After all, where better to seek out a Dragon Conqueror than on Dragon Island?
This was bad, really bad. If Madguts took Hiccup back to the Murderous Mountains, there would be no retrieving him. He would be so heavily guarded that rescue would be impossible. Which meant she had to get help back to Dragon Island as fast as possible. She hoped and prayed that Hiccup could stall their departure long enough for help to arrive. "Please, please," she moaned, "I've got to get help…please let me get help in time…please…"
Stormfly squawked, and Heather gave a small start. In her haste to return to Berk, she'd completely failed to notice that there was a ship cutting through the ocean below her. She squinted down at it, trying to determine whether the people aboard were friends or foes. Were these perhaps more Murderous soldiers, coming in to aid their brethren? But no, it couldn't be: they were sailing in the wrong direction. In fact, they were heading…
…right for Berk.
Her heart leapt into her throat. If the ship was loaded with enemy soldiers, then she ought to do something. She had to stop them somehow. She had a dragon, surely together they could at the very least slow them down…?
But maybe they're not enemies, the voice in her head suggested. Maybe they're friends. And if so, maybe they can help. Odin knows you're going to need all the help you can get.
So she directed Stormfly to descend toward the ship, tensed and ready to give the order to fire at the slightest provocation. She heard someone on board yell, "Dragon incoming!" but there was no yell to attack, no arrows shooting past her. That was good, right…?
She took a closer look at the ship, her eyes going to the sail fixed to the mast. Her eyes widened, and then she sagged with relief. She recognized the crest emblazoned on its surface.
"Hello!" she called down to the Vikings on board. "Meatheads? I need to speak with whoever is in charge of this vessel! May I land?"
"Certainly!" called one of the men, and Heather directed the Nadder to touch down gently on the deck. "I think you are looking for me," continued the man who'd granted her permission to land.
"Are you in charge?" Heather asked.
The man chuckled good-naturedly. "I should say so, lass. I'm Mogadon, Chief of the Meathead Tribe. How can I help you?"
…
Hiccup prided himself on his ability to think under pressure. He was a swift and cunning strategist, able to keep his cool even when under the direst of circumstances. He was lucky in this regard, for he would need to keep his wits if he was to have any hope of escaping his predicament.
He'd come to the same conclusion as Heather had: he could not let Madguts take him to the Murderous Mountains. If he went there he would never return to Berk. He had to come up with a way to keep the Murderous chief occupied here on Dragon Island long enough for Heather to return with reinforcements.
So he forced a chuckle from his lips. "Well, I have to say I'm impressed. You're not nearly as dim as my father led me to believe."
Madguts' eyes flashed dangerously, but Hiccup forced his fear aside. He had to keep his calm façade in place. The slightest betrayal of his fear would be the end of him.
"I hope you're not trying to anger Chief Murderous," Gumboil hissed. "Chief Murderous is not at all pleasant when he's angry."
"Oh no, not at all," Hiccup said, raising his eyebrows as if the very suggestion surprised him. "I was merely commending him on his intelligence, that's all."
Gumboil narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Madguts seemed appeased by the praise. He grunted approvingly, and Gumboil translated, "Very well. Now let's be off! To the Murderous Mountains!"
Hiccup's heart lurched as the soldiers around him and Toothless started toward them, clearly with the intent to force them to their feet. And after that, to the boats that must have been docked out of sight, and then to the Murderous Mountains…
Keep calm, he told himself. You have this one shot to escape. Don't screw it up.
He laughed. "What, no test run? No quick check to make sure I'm the real deal?"
Madguts and Gumboil both looked back at him, brows furrowed in identical expressions of confusion.
"I mean, I'm just saying," Hiccup went on, "it would be a real shame to drag me all the way out to your island only to discover I'm not the real Dragon Conqueror. That would make all this a waste: all your efforts, your scheming, your clever little ambush, all for nothing."
Madguts grunted, and Gumboil said, "You're up to something."
Hiccup forced another laugh from his mouth. "Not at all! What could I possibly be up to?"
"You're trying to find some way to escape," Gumboil suggested. "You want us to let our guard down so that you'll be able to get away from us. Then it's back to Berk so you can have your dear old dad declare war on us? Oh no, I don't think so."
Hiccup's smile slipped. "Perhaps you haven't heard, but I've had a pretty big falling-out with my dad and the rest of Berk," he said, allowing his remaining resentment toward his friends and family to taint his voice. "I have no loyalties to them. I'm merely looking out for myself. I'm sure you can understand that. I don't want you to be upset if I fail to meet your expectations when we get to the Murderous Mountains. I hear you sacrifice people who upset you, and I'd really rather not be the next one to make that little one-way trip up the mountain."
Madguts narrowed his eyes shrewdly. Gumboil looked up at him, waiting for him to make a command.
When he next grunted, Gumboil turned back to Hiccup and said, "Chief Murderous wants to know what you propose."
Hiccup smiled, sensing that he was on the brink of success. "I propose a simple demonstration," he said evenly. "You untie me and I show you how I tr-…er, conquer dragons. If you are satisfied with my performance, then I come back with you to your island. If you aren't, then we part on amicable terms."
He waited, unconsciously holding his breath.
Madguts nodded once, and Gumboil said, "Very well. Chief Murderous accepts your terms. You!" he barked to the nearest soldier. "Untie him! He will need his hands to conquer the dragon. But stay close and be prepared in case he attempts to get away."
Hiccup chose not to contradict Gumboil. Let him think what he wanted.
The soldier did as told, and Hiccup rubbed his wrists as he stood up. He half-glanced at Toothless, hoping to convey some sense of reassurance to his dragon friend. By the slit-pupil glare he received in return, he rather thought the Night Fury was unconvinced.
I'm not all that sure this is going to work, either, come to that, he thought, and his heart thudded in his chest.
No, you've got this, he tried to persuade himself. It's simple: you face a wild dragon, bungle it royally, and you and Toothless are free to leave. You can worry about where you go later. Right now all that's important is getting as far away from Madguts as possible.
"All right," he said, forcing a light, carefree note into his voice. That's it, optimistic but dim. Act like Snotlout and you'll be home free…dear gods, did I really just think those words? "Just show me a dragon, and I'll get to conquering."
Madguts smiled and jerked his head to the side. "This way," Gumboil interpreted, and Hiccup followed along behind the chief and his assistant, flanked on all sides by soldiers. Toothless tried to roar, and Gumboil called back, "You four stay behind and guard the Night Fury. Don't let him escape, or it will be you we sacrifice when we get back home!"
Hiccup forced himself not to look back at his trapped dragon. I'll be back, bud. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you. You're all I've got.
He was led further inland, away from the sandy shores and the cave he'd called home for two weeks. He soon found himself in heavy vegetation, surrounded by trees and shrubs on all sides. And half of the plants, he noticed, were heavily scorched. A dragon had been through here pretty recently. A very angry dragon, by the looks of it.
They suddenly emerged into a clearing, where a Monstrous Nightmare was pacing agitatedly. His scales were ablaze, and he roared furiously as his eyes landed on the human intruders. Well that didn't take long, Hiccup thought, his heart sinking. He'd been rather hoping for a Gronckle, or maybe even a Nadder. A Nightmare? Pretending to fail at dragon training was going to be tough with this one…
No…scratch that. Acting like he had no idea what he was doing wouldn't be the hard part. Surviving was going to be the real challenge.
"Well," Gumboil crooned. "Look what we have here." He pushed Hiccup into the clearing, which made the Nightmare shriek in rage and spread his wings threateningly. "Have at it, boy. Conquer away."
Hiccup gulped, wondering not for the first time if this plan was slightly flawed. This might just be the stupidest thing I've ever done…and that's saying something.
But he straightened his back and stepped closer to the dragon. The Nightmare seemed momentarily surprised by this puny human who dared to disregard his warning roars, but then his eyes narrowed in fury. He opened his jaws wide and advanced. Hiccup held his hands up and yelled at the top of his lungs, "STOP!"
His voice, as he had predicted, had no effect on the raging reptile, which continued to charge at him. Hiccup yelped and dove out of the way at the last moment, falling in the dirt and scrambling quickly back to his feet, turning to face the Nightmare once more.
Okay… said a voice in his head as the dragon came for another attack. It's just like that day in the arena over a year ago. It's your final exam all over again…only this time there's no Toothless to come to your aid.
The thought gave him no cheer.
He leapt out of the way of the second charge and flinched as a tree to his left burst into flame. As the dragon recovered, he took a moment to analyze what he had to do.
He had to get back to the beach, back to Toothless. He had to convince Madguts that he couldn't train dragons so that he'd let them go as promised. And then he had to get the Hel out of there before the Murderous chief could change his mind or realize what he was up to. And of course he had to do all this without getting killed by a furious Monstrous Nightmare.
All in a day's work, he thought wryly, and then he jumped aside in time to avoid a spurt of flame that shot from the dragon's mouth. If, of course, that day is the worst day of my life…
And as the Nightmare prepared to attack once again, he thought that it might just be true.
…
Astrid was miserable.
She sat on one of the cliffs overlooking the ocean, the very same spot where, two weeks ago, she had seen Hiccup kiss Heather and felt her heart shatter into a million fragments. She gazed sadly out at the sea, watching for any sign of Heather's return. She was dying to ask how Hiccup was doing, but more than that, she hoped he was actually on his way back to Berk, that Heather had somehow convinced him to return.
The two weeks' separation had almost been more than she could bear. Without Hiccup on the island, she'd been at a total loss as to what to do. She'd visited the forge almost every day of his absence, at first merely out of habit, forgetting momentarily that he was no longer there. But after a week of this, it became more of a catharsis. She had to go to the forge, had to see the place Hiccup had frequented, where he'd designed some of his greatest achievements: Toothless' tailfin, the Mangler that had shot the Night Fury down that night so long ago. She somehow felt as if being there brought her closer to him, even if just for a moment. But it never lasted, and she always departed feeling somehow emptier than she had before.
She'd been more than willing to let Heather borrow Stormfly when she'd asked, especially when the raven-haired girl had explained that she hoped to talk some sense into Hiccup, to convince him to return. She'd almost offered to go with her, and by the look on Heather's face she figured she knew how badly she wanted to tag along. But in the end she had decided it was best if she stayed behind. Hiccup had made it quite clear that he wanted some distance from her, at least for now, and she would give him anything he wanted if it would help heal the rift that had been driven between them.
But then there was the interesting bit of news Gobber and Fishlegs had brought back with them yesterday, following their trip to Dragon Island:
"He asked about you, lass," the blacksmith had told her. "He seemed really concerned for your wellbeing."
He had asked about her? He cared? Did that mean that he actually still loved her, as Heather had suggested? It was almost too much to hope for, and yet…
She sat up straighter as the sound of a Nadder's screech reached her ears. Her eyes zeroed in on a black shape that was rapidly winging its way toward the island. She felt her heart leap into her throat. It was Stormfly, with Heather riding atop her back. She looked to the left and to the right of the dragon, but there was no sign of a Night Fury around. Her heart sank like a stone.
But still, maybe Heather would have news, good news. Maybe she'd say that Hiccup was seriously considering coming back, that it was only a matter of time before he returned to Berk and tried putting this whole mess in the past.
She stood and ran back to the village, reaching the town square just as Stormfly came in for a landing. Heather slid down from the Nadder's back, and Astrid felt a thrill of horror: the girl's face was drawn and pale. Something had gone wrong.
Stoick seemed to realize it too. He was the first to step forward and demand, "What is it, lass? What's happened?"
"H-Hiccup," Heather panted. "Hiccup's been captured! Madguts the Murderous! They found him on Dragon Island! They captured him and Toothless!"
Stoick's face drained of color, his white skin contrasting starkly with his red hair and beard. "No," he breathed, and then he shouted, "No!"
"Chief," Heather went on hurriedly, "on my way back, I met a ship heading this way. It was Chief Mogadon the Meathead and some of his men. I told them what had happened, and they're on their way to Dragon Island. If we go now, then maybe we can all stop Madguts before they take Hiccup back to the Murderous Mountains. But we have to go now!"
Stoick had been shaken down to his core, but he was still a chief: he'd been trained and brought up all his life to know how to act in situations such as these. He nodded curtly. "All dragon riders saddle up!" he barked. "Gobber and I will double up with Snotlout and the twins. Heather, please stay here where it's safe—"
"No!" Heather interrupted. "I'm coming with you!"
Stoick looked as if he wanted to argue with her, but time was of the essence. "Very well," he said brusquely. "Then you ride with Astrid. Let's go!"
The teens wasted no time in obeying their chief. In mere minutes, the dragons were ready to go. Gobber mounted himself atop the twins' Zippleback, situating himself at the point where the two necks joined the main body. Stoick accompanied Snotlout on Hookfang, and Heather climbed back onto Stormfly, allowing Astrid to take the lead control.
Then they were airborne, flying at top possible speed to Dragon Island.
"Do you think we'll get there in time?" Fishlegs asked worriedly.
"Hiccup is smart," Astrid replied, fighting to keep her voice steady. "He'll think of some way to stall long enough for help to arrive."
No one countered her, but she could sense that her words did nothing to reassure them. In fact, if truth be told, she couldn't even convince herself.
Heather put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Astrid hardly noticed. Hang in there, Hiccup, she thought as she urged Stormfly faster still. We're coming. Just hang on for a little while longer…please…please…
A/N: Thank you again so much for your patience with me on this! It's almost done now, just two more chapters left! With any luck I'll have Hiccup the Useless complete in just a couple of weeks. I hope you're enjoying it, and thank you again for all the support!