A/N: Bare with me please as I fight my way through uni and still find time to write and edit. All of you who read "Where No One Goes" have already realised that time, for me, is scarce, and days just whoosh by without me realising how quickly it actually happens. I have simply taken the liberty today of editing this chapter and posting it for you guys, for it might just be a while before I will be able to post again.
I still hope you will enjoy this very much, and leave behind your thoughts at the end! Thanks!
P.S.: If you want to create good feels for this chapter, I recommend you listening to "Fire and Honor" by Audiomachine! (no lyrics, just epic orchestral!)
The Sacrifice Of A Battle
The first thing Hiccup realised as he exited the workshop together with Astrid in a frenzy was that everything burnt already.
Menacing sparks ignited themselves throughout the village and set it, and the heavens, alight. The soft orange and maroon hues of the descending sunlight now mixed into one cruel blend of peaceful nature and destructive war. Many voices boomed into the evening, calling commands, begging for water, roaring at antagonistic dragons which raided without remorse.
Hiccup still had the shock from all those years ago, when he had experienced his first proper raid, stuck inside his marrow. He gulped heavily, which Astrid thankfully did not hear as she clutched her axe tightly and stormed into the battle.
The young, auburn-haired boy did his best to swallow down his fear, hoping the jittery feeling within his stomach would fade as he instructed himself to observe this attack with more criticism – he had to find out what exactly allured the dragons about this place so much. Too many of his winged, reptilian companions lost their lives simply because they challenged stubborn Vikings day in day out; yet they were much more clever than that. They knew that there were other means to get food and survive without sacrificing numerous of one's own kind in the process. So what caused them to continuously return here, to Berk?
Eyebrows creased in concentration, Hiccup trudged into the scene of mayhem, inferno suddenly heavy at his hip. He might still need that weapon today, after all.
A Viking man with an overly large hammer thrust his blade at the face of a Deadly Nadder, said being attempting to grasp a frightened sheep which just hopped away down the hill. Ten or twelve Timberjacks fluttered past above, one landing like a silent breeze in front of three burly warriors. From its maw dripped flickering flames, which it spat at its foes. One man was hit, screaming and falling back. The dragon used the opening to snag a keg filled with cod, swinging it over for a horde of Raincutters to catch and fly away with.
They worked strategically, and with each other. Hiccup only ever knew individual species to cooperate, never two of different kinds, unless taught so by people such as his mother or himself (for at the sanctuary, everyone protected everyone). It gave room for two different theories to challenge each other within the vastness of Hiccup's mind; one was that these reptiles had been taught to raid by a human being, which seemed too unlikely, whilst the other offered the possibility of something else controlling them.
Reason behind that thought was the fact that, as Hiccup raced around Berk, being knocked about by larger men and women who all told him to get out of the way, he observed the agitation with which the dragons acted. They seemed to be in a hurry; as if being pursued. Their response was near to paranoid. Something or someone was inducing these animals with enough fear to call for them to sabotage and steal all they could find here in this place. But why Berk?
Other places were gradually succumbing to further dragon-raids, too, yet none were being as heavily attacked as Berk. Hiccup surmised that whatever it was that had these dragons act they were they currently were, it must be close to this island.
An ear-shattering scream echoed in the distance, Hiccup rushing towards the source. He easily avoided spewing Hideous Zipplebacks and drooling Changewings on his way, observing axes being swung, hammers coursing through the sky and swords meeting taught scales and flesh in a desperate attempt to kill. The one-legged boy tried to tune out all the horrid images that immediately flashed in front of his inner eye and burnt themselves into the deepest part of his memories, ready to haunt him at night once more.
He reached his destination near the centre of Berk, between two Viking huts, where two children lay on the floor and were trying to scuffle away from a glowering, crimson Hobblegrunt. Ethane began to leak from its parted maw, its form towering threateningly above the infants as the being began to emblaze the obscene gas.
Right at that moment, before Hiccup could come up with something quick and effective to shoo the dragon away with, an axe came hurdled towards the Hobblegrunt. It missed it by an inch, embedding itself deeply into the charred wood of one of the huts. Yet it did its job; the reptile stumbled backwards, alarmed, twisting its head to see where the missile had been launched from. With a resonating roar, Astrid came charging towards it, determination etched into her facial expression as the Hobblegrunt growled, before it dashed away.
With ease she freed her weapon from the wood, barking harshly at the children to escape further down the hill, where the fire was less and the houses sturdier and thus better for hiding. Not hesitating for long, the kids did as told.
As she observed them leave with staggering steadiness, a Gronckle came fluttering towards her, glowing embers ready in its jaw to be spewed at the next-best victim. As if having sensed the presence, Astrid twisted, anger in her stance as she smacked the handle of her weapon into its side. The boulder-class dragon crashed to the ground, motionless.
There was a fierceness in her stance that both mesmerized and shocked Hiccup. She had so much courage and strength, yet also so much aggression and remorselessness. He honestly did not know if he should admire her, or pity the lies with which she had been bought up.
It was then that Hiccup realised he had, up until then, only just stood and watched as the battle took its course. His ambition, however, was to stop war between humans and dragons. Angered at his sudden motionlessness, and remembering Astrid's words from before, he jogged across the village centre, ready to hinder everything from escalating any further. He plucked inferno, setting the contraption off, yet the swinging of his inflammable sword proved to be futile; everything was covered in flames and ash, a little, burning blade did nothing to improve the situation. Dragons and Vikings simply ignored his presence as they continued with their raid. Hiccup cursed at that; he needed a new idea – something better, something effective.
A few Nadders squawked behind him, warriors slashing and fighting relentlessly. With growing vigour, Hiccup approached, throwing his lithe body in front of the beings and the Berkians and, using his hands as means of pacification, attempted to stop the tracker-class dragons from injuring anyone else. One of the Nadders began to close into his hand, eyes large and full of interest, but just as Hiccup saw victory, another Nadder intercepted, using its spiked tail to fling it underneath Hiccup's feet and cause him to be knocked to the ground with a painful yelp.
A few Vikings stepped above him, smacking blades against the beasts to rally them off.
"Get outta 'ere lad! This is no place fer kids like yerself!" One raspy-voiced man bellowed before he joined his men.
Great. He was being considered a child. The compliment of the day.
Hiccup cursed under his breath, even though no one would have heard him had he spoken with normal volume. He clambered back onto his feet, or rather foot, and turned to see a single Scauldron spit streaks of boiling water at the face of another dragon-slayer.
'Right, I can do this!' he sprinted over towards the battle-scene, increasing his pace as he closed in to jolt onto the back of the reptile. He managed to climb in between its wings as the being shook and roared. With wavering balance, the Night Fury rider tried to find the designated spot that would cause the Scauldron to sink to the floor, thus being immobile, however, a large net was spontaneously flung at the beast and had Hiccup trapped underneath it as well.
Vikings bellowed and hollered commands, pulling the netting tight to drag the dragon along. Hiccup's fingers gripped the strings, tugging and tearing and trying to find a means of escape, yet he was utterly captured. Just as he was about to protrude a small dagger and saw through the rope, the Scauldron shook its body with hefty force, throwing Hiccup off its back and onto the slicked ground.
"Get outta there!" He heard many voices command, most likely at him, as the net tore and he was freed from his trap. Yet it also meant that the Scauldron had a chance at flying away, which it did not before throwing a few Vikings over and dragging a keg of fish with it.
"Great work, lad, whose side are yeh on?!" A burly man with a singed beard shouted down at him as he lay in the mud.
With a groan, the auburn-haired rider stood up once more, "I'm starting to really hate this..." he muttered as he tried to catch his breath.
Around him, the war escalated. Fires grew larger, dragons more in number, stock less. His men were losing this raid and it seemed nowhere near to be ending.
With another curse silently slipping from his tongue, Hiccup hobbled along, trying to figure out a new tactic. Then, out of the blue, a Changewing landed in front of him, hissing and spewing acids around as it dared Hiccup to retaliate. He was shocked at the sudden presence of the being, yet straight away got into position to trick the dragon and tame it. He crouched, ducking to the side, avoiding a few hostile volleys of green substance before he twisted his arm and signalled for the Changewing to calm down. But the being was so full of wrath and the urge to clash that it simply swung itself towards him, jaw wide open. Before Hiccup could react adequately, a fist came into contact with the sturdy skull of the red beast, which was thrown onto the floor, immediately camouflaging itself.
Once more, Hiccup was met with Astrid's critical glare. She whacked a Nadder with the flat end of her axe, turning to face the one-legged man with anything but happiness.
"Get out of here, or you'll get killed." She scolded, her eyes disapproving as she returned to clash with further reptiles.
Hiccup felt anger seep through his veins again. After everything, she was still belittling him. But of course; she believed he did not have the guts to injure a dragon. She was right about that, but not entirely. And he would show her, he definitely would, he just needed a plan.
As if a lightning bolt had struck into his head, he remembered Windwaker. His loyal Typhoomerang could help him!
Of course there was always Toothless, yet he knew getting a Night Fury involved into this fight would be the most foolish decision one could make. There were not many about; not any except Toothless, if Hiccup's unproductive searches meant anything, and Berk had not been attacked by Toothless since many years. Everyone would concentrate on the black reptile instead of the others, trying to catch him ,or worse, kill him – especially Astrid. After what Hiccup had discovered that afternoon, she was more than adamant about slaying Toothless. A thought that caused a bitterness to rise up his throat.
Yet Windwaker was a dragon not uncommon around Berk – and considering all the fire and destruction, it would not come as a surprise to the general people if they found the dragons caged within the academy to have managed to escape. It would also be the perfect opportunity to free his loyal friend, seeing as he still had not figured out how else he would have done just that without raising suspicion.
Hence, with a slight limp, Hiccup rushed towards the training arena. It was further away from the scene of obstruction, but not too far. By the time he reached the bridge, he was outside of the main circle of the melee and thus had to no longer avoid whizzing wings and slicing blades.
The academy was deathly silent, save for the distant sound of clashing metal and defiant roars. Smoke could be smelt, but nothing stirred within or around the arena. Hiccup's hand glided carefully from gate to gate, hearing silent rattling noises, squawks and grunts from within the cages. Bravely, he called "Windwaker!", hoping the cacophony of war was not too loud.
A high-pitched hiss, near to wail, told the dragon-rider that his Typhoomerang was behind the third gate to the right. He analysed the oversized log and its connection to a rope and a contraption for release, which he used to open the cage. He pulled with all his might at the thick wooden barriers, hearing flapping wings on the other side as Windwaker pressed his head through, roaring merrily.
"Windwaker!" Hiccup cheered, more than relieved to see his friend healthy and intact. Without losing anymore time than necessary, he jumped onto the huge dragon's back, who immediately dashed through the arena and took flight, "To the battlefield, Windwaker! We need to stop this war!" The boy commanded, earning an agreeing rumble from the reptile beneath him.
They closed in on the horrific brawl, Vikings and dragons still slaying each other even though the late hours of night began to settle in.
"Alright boy, you need to go down there and stop the dragons from hurting anymore Vikings. We need to scare them away from Berk." The Typhoomerang seemingly understood, stooping lowly and landing in between a few houses as Hiccup hopped off his back.
The dragon spread its almighty wings, roaring authoritatively. Many winged reptiles ducked and stumbled back, some even began to leave.
"That's a good start." Hiccup smirked, giving Windwaker a hand-signal which called for him to douse the surrounding area in flames. However, the fire did little to scare nor pacify the others.
Then, another click resonated inside the boy's head as his eyes swerved around to find a specific item. A barrel. He hoped the dragons had not already taken too many. Luck was, withal earlier it appearing different, to be on his side as he discovered a few strewn fish peeking from around the corner of a shed. He rushed towards it, peeling out soggy aquatic animals until he found a long, deeply red striped eel.
Triumphantly, Hiccup turned back towards the blue-and-purple dragon, flinging the treat towards him, which Windwaker caught with ease.
"That should teach these dragons a lesson. No one likes an angry Typhoomerang that just had a fill of eels." With a wicked grin, he observed his companion cry out loudly as red flames flickered from his mouth, shooting throughout the village.
Upon that, several dragons fled. None were stupid enough to face Windwaker and try their luck at beating the angered foe. He took his swing across the battlefield, vermilion fire engulfing the usual, amber ones.
Many Vikings were looking around in irritation, not understand where this new colour of fire came from, nor why all the other reptiles where vanishing without second thoughts. All of a sudden, many warriors found themselves to be standing there, enemy-less, as things began to clear.
Content with his work, Hiccup turned back towards Windwaker, signalling for the dragon to return home. Understanding his former rider's command, he swung himself into the sky and fluttered away within the frenzy of escaping dragons. Just then, Hiccup heard a deep, agitated roar being emitted by a specific dragon he had not seen around much. One that was quite rare. He spun on his heel, heading towards the edge of the village, where he discovered a beautiful, iridescent green-and-red Rumblehorn to be ramming its head against Astrid's blade. Relentlessly, it began to corner the blonde Viking, growling and blustering as it thrust its whole weight against her.
She clenched her jaw, yelping at one point but standing vigorously up against the oversized beast. Yet she had several scratches and burns marring her skin, her clothes being partially torn and her eyes drooping dangerously low; a sign that she was approaching her limits. She would not stand up against the Rumblehorn for long. Not like this. It was honestly no surprise to the dragon-rider; this battle had been waging on for far longer than normal.
Hiccup came towards her, ready to help her out, but she screamed at him as he neared, "Go away!" Once more the dragon bashed against her, pushing her a good few inches back into the mud, closer towards the back of a hut, "This is my fight!" She spat, grunting as she tried to press against her enemy.
Hiccup sighed, shaking his head. Pride or no pride, he would help her out; the young man was not about to watch her fall into her demise just because she was a stubborn, thick-headed warrior. Eyeing the ground beneath his feet, he searched until he found a solemn helmet in the corner. He picked it up, weighing the item made out of horn and metal in his hands before he flung it, full force, against the Rumblehorn.
Once it smacked against its head, the dragon growled, turning to glower at Hiccup with menacing hatred.
"Come on here, if you dare!" He challenged, waiting for the scarab-like brute to thump towards him, the earth shaking beneath its weight.
Slowly, Hiccup raised his hands, walking back with measured steps as he stared his counterpart down. Using a skill his mother had taught him in early years, he began to make a deep, guttural sound at the back of his throat, which had the dragon perk up. Just as the Rumblehorn seemed to be soothed, slowing down and gazing at Hiccup with open curiosity, Astrid came bellowing from behind it with her axe raised, ready to strike.
Realising what she was planning, the dragon flipped around, reading to expel a murderous, sizzling missile and ultimately end Astrid's life.
"No!" Hiccup called, his heart lurching wildly, his stomach dropping, his mind reeling.
The first shot clashed with her axe, splintering it into thousands of pieces as it exploded in her hands. She screeched, the impacting force pushing her roughly onto the ground, dirt and ash clinging to her body. Astrid had knocked her head hard, everything spinning and throbbing around her as she tried to sit up without having the urge to throw up from the pain that arose.
The dragon was once more upon her, its mouth alight with a new blast that would ultimately call for her doom. Heavy pants were leaving her lips, her arms began to weigh tonnes at her sides, her eyelids feeling terribly heavy. She had nothing to defend herself with, not the strength to knock the Rumblehorn out with her bare hands. With agonizing acceptance, she gave in to the fact that she would die any minute, that this dragon would squish the last out of her body and stop her heart from beating. It would prevent her from ever battling dragons again, from telling Toothpick off and finding out what secrets he kept, and especially, from finding her rival; the Night fury.
All the pride she had after all the battles she had won; all for nought. She saw herself as skilled enough to best any raid, but this time, this one time, fate had dealt against her favour. Would she land in Valhalla, with the other honourable warriors that Odin had elected? Or would she go to Helheim, not having proven herself worthy enough? What would it be like at either place? Astrid was not sure she was ready to find out.
Before the glowing ball of maroon and gold came into contact with her battered form, a black-and-auburn figure hurled itself against the dragon, actually managing to knock it to the side.
The Rumblehorn staggered back into balance, shaking its head, preparing to defend itself and tear to shreds whoever dared to interfere with it, yet found itself face to face with Hiccup, who had a genuine smile grace his lips. A hand was soothingly placed on its snout, viridian eyes daring those of the dragon to attack, to kill, and not to regret.
All hostility left its form as it stepped back, taking the chance to fly away and leave the mayhem behind it.
Astrid, who felt dizzy and sick, observed as the dragon simply left. Without further attacks, not even hurting anyone else, no food in its claws. The Rumblehorn was gone, and Hiccup stood up, closing in on Astrid and holding out a helpful hand towards her. Not thinking too much about it, she took it, still panting, heaving herself onto her feet, ignoring the lurching of her belly.
"You...saved me." She murmured, eyebrows creasing in realisation, "You...saved my life just now." Those words sounded other-worldly and beyond possible truth. But they were true. With each time she repeated that phrase inside her head, realisation dawned upon her.
Hiccup had saved her life.
Without fear of consequences, of death, he had intervened, despite her orders, and had saved her life. The Toothpick, the one she claimed to be a coward and con-artist.
"Are you alright?" His question was sincere; he was worried for her well-being.
Had ever any of her fellow Berkians been worried about her status of health? Had anyone, except the chief, ever questioned if she was alright? Was there ever a situation where someone had nearly sacrificed themselves to save her?
No, never. Hiccup was the first. Everyone else would have left her to fend for herself. Casualties were common; death was an occupational hazard when you were a Viking. Those who died were mourned for, but that was it. No one was saved – children, yes, defenceless women too. But not a warrior.
"Astrid, wait here." Hiccup held up his hand to signal he meant it, as he skipped away.
He had seen a solemn Scauldron still hissing about a handful of feet further back. With quick steps, he found it. It did not take Hiccup long to tame the tidal dragon, calling for it to douse the main areas of Berk with water from the bag at its throat before it boiled, thus extinguishing most fires and calling an end to the raid.
Dragons flew away; some with loot, others without; a few, Hiccup realised with sickening shock, with the corpses of fellow Berkians.
The Scauldron also decided to part, leaving behind only silence alternatively interrupted by shuffling, a few small flames that cackled, and hushed whispers. Before Hiccup fully realised what had happened, he was surrounded by a crowd of villagers who all stared at him in astonishment.
He twisted around, glancing at each one of them, trying to figure out, with a frown, why they were all so astounded by his presence. Was it really that much of a miracle that he had survived? He felt ridiculed, until the voice of Gobber intersected his further contemplation.
"Wha' happened?" The one-armed man questioned, eyes large and hammer-hand lowered.
"Hiccup..." Astrid responded near to immediately as she staggered towards him from behind, "He...he scared the dragons away. He somehow...managed to stop the raid."
A pregnant pause followed in which everyone gaped at the auburn-haired man, weapons dropping to the ground, some people stumbling back, others shaking their head in mesmerization. Everyone was openly staring at him as if he were a new dragon species.
Then, with ear-splitting resonance, the masses cheered.
A/N: I am, actually, quite happy with this raid-scene. I tried to keep it dramatical, listened to inspirational music whilst typing this up and did my best to make it intriguing and not...well, boring. I would absolutely love to hear your opinion, though. I am not sure if I am good at this kind of stuff, after all...
So please do tell me how you feel, what you think will happen next, now that Hiccup is the 'hero', and how Astrid will view him. What will their relationship be like from here on out? Has her opinion changed? Will the Berkians be suspicious, or tolerate him now? And what other surprises might be lurking at the horizon, where the ships are approaching...?
Thank you immensely again for favouriting, alerting and also, and most especially, for reviewing the last chapter. It really makes my day and motivates me to keep writing. I hope you will be willing enough to devote a minute or two to type up a word or more, because I love interacting with my audience! Thanks a lot, and just like with my other fanfiction, here are some Deadly Nadder and Bewilderbeast plushies for you to take with you on your way out! *blows kisses*