Chapter Twenty-Three: On board the 'Vendetta'
Oh, this is bad, this is really bad!
Hiccups thought as one of the men shoved him down the stairs into a large room with a big table and a few chairs inside. The table was littered with maps and daggers and axes and swords and candles and bottles and food leftovers.
Where the hell is Toothless?
Bend over the table stood a huge man. He reminded Hiccup of his father but his hair and beard weren't red but black. He had scars all over his face and arms. He wore spiked shoulder plates and arm bracers, a heavy breast plate and a long tunic over his trousers and a fur cape. His boots looked like Hiccups feet would fit in there four times.
At his side hung a wickedly sharp ax.
One of the men that escorted Hiccup cleared his throat and said: "One survivor Alvin." The man, Alvin, looked up. "I see."
He walked up to him and Hiccup smelt the charming smell of alcohol, sweat, dirt and rotten something, coming from the man in waves.
He was already dizzy and nauseous but this made it worse.
"What's your name fishbone?" "Like I will tell you." Alvin smacked him with the flat hand in the face. "What's your name?" "Hiccup." Alvin narrowed his eyes. "And?" he asked. "And what?" Hiccup asked annoyed. His cheek was throbbing and burning hot where Alvin had hit him. "Your last name." "Why do you want to know?" "So I know who I will kill." Hiccup swallowed. "Well, if that's so…no. Go to the crows you ugly, smelly bully and let me go!" He thought Alvin would hit him again but instead the big man laughed. Loud. And mean. "Ah, 'iccup, 'iccup. You have guts. I like that. But you must understand, you killed a lot of my men, you and your dead friend." "He's not dead!" "He went overboard." "Doesn't mean he's dead." "And didn't resurfaced." "He's holding his breath." "If he's alive, why is he not helping you then?"
Hiccup wanted to reply but he couldn't. He was sure Will would help him if he could. But that would mean, that he was dead.
Hiccup didn't know that hurt him more. Knowing his friend was dead or that his friend had abandoned him.
"And not to forget your…beast." Alvin said. Something tore at Hiccups heart. Where was Toothless? Why wasn't he saving Hiccup? Had he abandoned him too?
Hiccup considered making a run for the door; maybe distract the pirates by putting the ship on fire. But up on deck he would have to face several armored pirates.
He starred ahead of him at one of the scuttles. It took him a moment to understand what he saw.
A familiar poisonous green eye blinked at him.
"Toothless." He whispered. Alvin blinked. "What was that?" "Nothing." "Nothing, sir!" You wish, Hiccup thought angrily. But he swallowed his pride and grumbled: "Nothing sir." Alvin squinted his eyes, looked behind him but Toothless had disappeared from the scuttle. Alvin turned back to him. "Well, as I said, I'm willing to spare you, if you help us get our own dragons." "What?" Hiccup asked bluntly. "Didn't you listen? I just explained it." "Apparently I didn't. Would you have the kindness to tell me again." Alvin grabbed his color. "Be careful boy." Before he let go of him and said: "For we are Outcasts, no one is willing to tell us the secret of Dragon-Training. Except now we have you. You will tell us everything you know and then we will fly for Berk and…" "Excuse me, did you say Berk?" Alvin seemed annoyed about the fact that he again had been interrupted by a minor.
"Yes, Berk. My old rivalry Stoick the Vast will finally pay. I will kill his son in front of his eyes, like he killed my son. And then I will kill him. Why else should we be this far south. We are Vikings!"
Hiccup paled.
I have to get out of here, I have to get out of her, I have to…
He repeated over and over again.
Again he saw Toothless at the scuttle. The dragons head pointed up at the deck and Hiccup nodded.
All he now had to do, was to get on deck.
"Okay!" he said bluntly. "I help you. As long as I get to live and you don't harm my dragon." He said.
Alvin seemed surprised. "You do? Without me getting to threaten you?" "Well, I have a schedule too, you know. And as soon as I get you into the air I can go, right?" "Right." Hiccup didn't believe him a second.
"Well, if you bring be on deck, I can call my dragon and we can start right away. What do you say?"
Alvin furrowed his brows.
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"Okay." Hiccup had to force himself not to sigh in relieve.
Alvin grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him back upstairs.
There, standing in the pale moon-light, the crew gathered around him. Far away, Hiccup could see Will's boat floating away.
"Well, call it." Alvin ordered, his hand never letting go of Hiccups shoulder. Hiccup nodded. "Toothless!"
Almost imminently a shadow rose from the dark waters and landed on deck next to him. Toothless growled. "It's okay bud." Hiccup said and added with his eyes: Just wait.
"This is a Night Fury. The rarest dragon of all. It's intelligent, powerful and fast." Hiccup explained.
"And like most dragons extremely sensible. A dragon will only let it ride you, when it thinks it can trust you."
Alvin's grip on his shoulder was like iron.
"Before I let you ride him, you have to know three essential rules from the dragon-riding business. Every dragon-rider has to follow them." Alvin bellowed with laughter. "We are Outcasts boy. We make the rules. But we don't listen to them." "Well without them you won't be able to fly." Alvin growled. "Okay, and those rules are?"
"Well, the first one is: Never hurt your dragon in any way. They have feelings and minds and personalities like we do. Second: Dragons are free creatures. And third" Hiccup looked into Toothless' eyes "You never, under any circumstances take a Night Fury's rider hostage, if you value your life!" he screamed, grabbed Alvin's Hand and set his own hand on fire.
At the same time Toothless pounced at the Outcast, shooting plasma-bolts and causing mass panic.
Meanwhile, Alvin was on his knees in front of Hiccup, whose hand was still on fire and slowly burning the flash away from the Outcast's arm.
"I will never show scum like you how to ride a dragon. You are not worth it."
With that he let go of Alvin's arm and jumped on Toothless' back. He clicked in his prosthetics and Toothless jumped into the air with mighty beats of his wings.
They hovered a moment longer over the pirates ship and Hiccup screamed: "And I certainly will not let you kill my Dad!" He saw the confusion on Alvin's face. "You wanted my full name? Fine! My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, hope an heir to the Hairy-Hooligan tribe in the northern Archipelago, son of Stoick the Vast and Valhallarama the Hero. And I hope you will rot in Hel one day!"
With that Toothless let go two mighty plasma-bolts that sat the ship on fire and with another beat of his wings, they were soaring through the night, away from the horrible ship.
As Hiccup turned around one last time, he saw the ships name blazing in the fire-light. 'VENDETTA' it said in bold letters. "That's for Will you son of a bi***. And don't you dare attack my father!"
Toothless, how could feel his riders distress, cooed slightly.
"It's okay Toothless. Let's get t 'Slim Finger'. I had enough for one night."