AN: Sorry it took so long. School strated and everything. Anyway. Here are a few new chapters. Hope you like it. Oh and now we start coming to the important parts!
By the way: I still don't own How to train your dragon. And I never will. I think I must cry.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Derandolia
'Slim Finger' was like 'Terra Mater'. Without the crazy people that was.
Hiccup had visited one of the closest towns shortly but he was still shaken from last night events that he couldn't stay to long in other people's presence.
The villagers seemed nice. But Hiccup didn't care.
He was sitting in the sand at some vacant part of the long island, turning his sword in his hands.
He had returned to Wills boat to fetch his stuff. He had hoped to see Will healthy and drunk as usual but nothing like that. The guy was simply gone. And it pained Hiccup.
Sure, Will hadn't been very kind or polite and had always called him 'dwarf'. But on the other hand he had followed Hiccup, saved him and had cared, in his own way, for him. Never had Hiccup been treated like this. And he meant that in a good way.
He let himself fall back into the sand and stared at the sky. It was early afternoon and Toothless was sleeping in a secret cave not far away from the beach.
Hiccup was exhausted too but something kept him from sleeping.
But eventually he closed his eyes.
In his dream, Hiccup was standing on a bridge. The bridge was shimmering in all colors of the rainbow and connected a roundly golden building with a golden city several hundred meters away. Underneath him a grey river flowed harshly along and another few hundred meters ahead of the bridge to the golden round building, the river fell down into the void of the universe.
The sky was dark and the clouds swirled wildly around. The city behind Hiccup glowed in the dusk light.
Then Hiccup realized he wasn't alone n the bridge.
Hundreds of warriors in golden and silver armor and armed with blades and crossbows.
Loki stood first row right next to Hiccup.
"Loki, where am I? What is this? And what's happening?" But Loki ignored him. Instead he said: "Archers, ready your weapons. Hold."
Next to him stood a tall blond man in grey and red armor with a hammer in his hand.
"This line isn't going to hold for long. We will have to retreat at one point to the city." He had a deep voice but it was a lot colder than Lokis. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean it has to be easy for them."
Next to the tall blond guy stood a giant in golden armor. His skin was dark like burned wood and his golden eyes were narrowed. In his hand rested the biggest and longest blade Hiccup had ever seen. It seemed too big to be hold but the giant seemed unaffected by its size. "I can feel them. They entered our realm. The Bifröst is powerless. I can't control who get's in and who gets out."
With shock Hiccup realized who the other two were. The blond one was without a doubt Lokis brother Thor the Thunderer. The giant golden one was Heimdall. The gatekeeper of Asgard, the gods' realm. He looked out for Ragnarök and commanded the Bifröst, the gate to the nine worlds. He was one of the greatest fighters in the universe and when Ragnarök was to come he and Loki were to kill each other.
Now it looked like they were fighting side by side.
"Loki!" Hiccup said again but there was no respond from the god. Hiccup began to think that the god couldn't hear him.
Suddenly the bridge shook and a loud "BOOM" echoed over the sky. "Ready your weapons!" screamed Thor furiously and raised his hammer. Loki readied his staff.
Hiccup swirled around. The Bifröst, the round golden building, shook and dark tendrils crept over the sides of the bridge. They formed into monsters and humanoid shapes. Primeval weapons were hold and they hissed in an ancient language.
A moment everything was still then the three men yelled: "CHARGE!"
And Hiccup jolted awake.
Toothless stood over him, looking concerned.
"I'm fine bud." He coaxed. "Come on. Times running. We need to get to Derandolia."
It was late morning when they touched town. The capital city was centered in the inner west of the third biggest country.
It was truly magnificent. The city walls were made from light red stone with white stones then and there, forming pictures of men riding dragons and fighting battles and building the city. The gates were wide open and streams of people flowed in and out.
And everyone was accompanied by a dragon or two. It was so strange for Hiccup to walk side by side with Toothless into a city, be surrounded by humans and not to have fear for his or his dragons live.
Toothless seemed as irritated.
"Okay. Now, how do we move on with our plan?" Hiccup asked as they walked through the streets. Toothless shrugged.
"Maybe I could talk to their chief." Hiccup mumbled. "Do they have a chief?"
Hiccup felt so stupid.
This wasn't Berk. This wasn't any island in the Archipelago. This was alien territory.
They wandered through the town for a bit until Hiccup saw no point in going on anymore.
They sat on a small wall and watched the people.
Hiccup rested his chin in his hands, arms resting on his knees.
Toothless laid by his side, snoring in the warm sun and enjoying the sounds and smells all around him.
Again Hiccup began to fiddle with his sword.
Unshielded it and swirled it a bit around. The blade reflected the sunlight and the leather grip was warm.
The sword fitted just right into his hand but on the other hand it felt so alien.
Then he saw something etched into the blade just above the handle. 'Stormblade'
So that was its name.
Fitting. Whenever Hiccup had used it, it was like a storm of destruction.
Hiccup jolted upright when someone tipped him on the arm.
He looked up into the not so handsome face of a man, maybe in his late twenties. He was wearing bright blue cloth and some kind of stupid hat with yellow feathers on top. Over his shoulder hung a brown back and in his hands he had a pile of papers. He smiled widely and showed Hiccup, unnecessarily, his crooked teeth.
"Hello there lad!" he said in a too happy and cheery voice.
"I see you have a fine sword there. And you do look like a good swordfighter!" That last part was a lie. The guy would have to be blind to not notice Hiccups thin arms and slim figure as well as his bony legs and chest.
"And?" Hiccup asked. He still wasn't sure how people would react, should they find out from where he was and he was a bit suspicious.
"I thought you may be interested in this!" The man gave him one of the papers he was carrying.
Hiccup was relieved to see that Lokis gift also worked for written things.
He read: "Big sword fighting duel tomorrow. Whoever, whenever. First Prize: Dinner with the King and his family." Explained the man and pointed at the paper.
The gears in Hiccups head turned.
"Dinner with…the king?" "And his two daughters. He likes swordsmanship. He was a great swordfighter himself but because of an old injury he isn't quite the same any more. But he enjoys young talent."
Hiccup grabbed the flyer.
"Thanks! This is exactly what I needed!" The man looked irritated. "Needed for what." Hiccup shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Where can I sign in?" The guy pointed at the castles gates. "In the courtyard is a table." "Great, thanks!" Hiccup swirled around. "You heard that Toothless? This is our chance!" He jumped to his feet and began packing his things together. Toothless waved excited with his tail.
Suddenly the guy behind him cleared his throat. Hiccup had totally forgotten that he was still there.
"You named your dragon 'Toothless'?" Hiccup nodded. "Got a problem with that?" he asked and worked on Toothless' buckles.
"No…no. It's just. He has teeth…" Hiccup rolled his eyes. "That's the punching line. When I first saw him he had them rejected." As if to proof it, Toothless gave his infamous gummy smile. Then he extended his teeth.
The guy looked in awe. "He's so…different. I never seen one like him before. Where did you buy him?" Hiccup choked. "Buy him?" "Yes. Which breeder is he from?" "Breeder? What are you talking about?" "What are you talking about?" "I found Toothless in the woods. Well, not exactly, I shot him down and…" "You're poacher?" the guy asked breathless. "What? No! Where I'm from dragons are considered a pest. But we became friends." The guy eyed him and his expression clearly said 'I don't believe you'. "Then where're you from?" he asked and folded his arms. Hiccup squinted his eyes. "None of your business!"
With that he mounted Toothless and rode away from the guy.
While Toothless walked over to the castle, Hiccup thought. They breed the dragons here and sealed them! Like…slaves.
And even here Night Furies seemed to be rare if not unknown.
At the gate a guard held them back. "What do you want?" "I want to sign up for the sword fighting competition." The guard examined him from head to toe. "You?" Angry Hiccup sneered: "Yes me. You gonna see!" The guard just laughed and let him pass.
At the table sat an old man. "Name?" he asked with a bored voice. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III." The guy looked up. Many wrinkles covered his face and the skin hung loosely from his cheeks.
"And how old are you boy?" This is my fifteenth winter." The guy nodded. "And you sure you want to sign up?" "I wouldn't be here otherwise." "Do your parents know?" "I don't have parents." The guy eyed him a moment longer before he gave Hiccup a red piece of wood with a number on it. "Good luck boy." "Thank you."
They returned an hour later to their cave outside the city in the woods. Hiccup was exited. "This is perfect. I win this thing and can talk to the King. And then everything will get easier." He said excited. Then he remembered something. "Providing that I win." He looked at the sword in his hand.
'Just because you have talent doesn't make you a master.' Loki had said. Hiccup grabbed the hilt harder. "I need to train."
The next morning was sunny, when Hiccup and Toothless made their way into the city. The town seemed to be in a good mood. Even more people had gathered to watch the fighting.
There were huge tribunes and on huge fields tents were set up for the participants of the match.
Hiccup showed his red wood mark and a guy showed him to go to which tent. When he entered he faced four other guys, getting ready for the battles. Each of them had a respective area. Toothless watched from the entrance. Hiccup dressed fast in some other cloth. A black leggings and a forest-green tunic, the same color like his eyes, and then gave Toothless his back to carry, while he adjusted his sword to his belt.
He then exchanged his furry boots for some skinnier leather boots.
When he was back on the training and warming-up area, he saw that many had bought shields and that most swords were big heavy and clumsy metal blades.
He hoped his sword wouldn't break should there be a heavy blow.
And now, slowly Hiccup progressed what he was actually doing here. And what the whole problem was.
There were only men participating. And they were easily twice his height and a lot heavier. They looked grim and stomped all over the place.
Hiccup decided to stay near the referees' tent where they overlooked the fights on the sandy grounds between the tribunes.
Here he could see everything and could hear which numbers where called out.
He looked at his number. 13. Perfect. Lokis happy number.
Hiccup watched the fights with rising stress. The fights were hard and violent. Just like Berk but he always lost those fights!
Hiccup tried to think of a strategy. He was small and agile. And he was fast. Most of the time. Maybe he should just go out there and let himself flow in the battle.
Hiccup had practiced nearly the whole night. The problem was there was no one to practice with and he barely knew a thing about sword fighting.
But he had practiced his footwork and the blows of the blade and swings and movements. He was surprised how natural it all felt but then again he'd seen firsthand how easily the effects of his mother's talents could wear off in no time.
Hiccup began to walk up and down a bit and for the first time his eyes fell on the tribune ahead of him. There under a golden and red canopy sat a guy in his fathers' age with a neatly trimmed beard and hair the color of the sand. His eyes were a light, slightly pale, green. He wore dark blue robes and a golden crown on his head. Precious gems decorated it and formed symbols Hiccup didn't know.
To his sides sat two girls. They looked rather alike. But nothing like him. The right one was probably the older one. She had really dark brown hair, silky and long, dark brown eyes and a slight tan. Her lips were red and her dress had a matching color. She was wearing a golden band on her head with a small framed ruby. She sat there with straight back and folded hands.
The girl in the left had lighter hair. Somewhere between blond and brown. It went to her shoulder blades and was a curly mess. She had her fathers' green eyes and no tan at all. Her dress was green and purple. She sat there leaned back and on her lap laid a dragon the size of a terrible Terror and she petted him absent-minded.
They looked okay Hiccup guessed. The king's eyes gleamed during each fight and he was cheering and laughing and obviously having a good time.
His daughters looked bored and the right one was constantly starring ahead and the left one was occupied with her dragon.
Hiccup jolted awake from his train of thoughts, when a guy called out: "The next fight will be between the numbers 54 and 13. Welcome to the field Terrence Alfonson and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."
Up in the tribune the kings' head titles sharply towards Hiccup. Green eyes locked and Hiccup suddenly had the urge to run away.
But it was too late. The gates to the field had already closed. No turning back now.