The sky blushed, and the ocean glistened in the early morning rays. Astrid took a deep breath of the brisk salty air, stretched, grabbed her axe, and crossed the short bridge to Hiccup's hut.
"Hiccup?" she said, knocking on the doorframe. No response. Maybe he was still sleeping. He had taken a real beating yesterday—hence her invitation after dinner last night; it was high time he learned to fight. She promised to go easy on him, on account of his shoulder, and he had mumbled some kind of non-committal response.
Another knock. Another minute of silence. She sighed and moseyed back to her hut. She was about to take the zipline to the stables when she noticed a slip of paper tucked under a rock by her door. Unfolding the note, she scanned the few scribbled words:
Sorry, busy this morning. Will be back in a few hours.
(Toothless insisted.)
"Oh, Hiccup." She rolled her eyes then looked to the horizon where she could barely make out a Night Fury skimming the surface of the ocean.
Hiccup rubbed his eyes and yawned, slouching in the leather saddle. Salt water sprayed as Toothless dipped a wing into the icy water.
"Hey! I'm awake," Hiccup protested, wiping his face. Toothless growled lazily and slapped Hiccup with one of his large ears. "Oh, is this too slow for you?" Hiccup challenged.
Hiccup's metal foot adjusted in the stirrup, pulling a cable running the length of Toothless's tail tot. "How about NOW?" The red prosthetic tail fin flared to full width. Hiccup leaned back, and Toothless shot up into the sky. They climbed higher and higher, Toothless pumping his powerful wings.
"Woohoo!" Hiccup cried. He leaned slightly to the left, and the two of them began to spiral faster and faster, the wind rushing, the world spinning. Without warning, Toothless transitioned to a graceful loop as Hiccup adjusted the tail again. After three years of flying together, this dance had become second nature.
"Hey! Up ahead!" Hiccup shouted and pointed towards an island. "This is where you wanted to go?"
Toothless chortled.
Hiccup reached into his saddlebag for the map, but the wind caught the flimsy paper first. "WHOAH!" He nearly fell out of the saddle snatching it out of the air, which would have been a disaster since Toothless's prosthetic needed a rider to adjust the tail positions. For once, though, they managed to avert the crisis.
Even though the map was only an approximation from what they had been exploring, Hiccup could guess what Toothless was so excited about.
"Really? You want to check out the dragon nip?" The dragon raised his large ears and let his tongue hang out with what looked like a smile. "Fine," Hiccup chuckled. "I guess you deserve it."
He felt a little guilty leaving Astrid in a lurch. Really, he had wanted to train with her, but Toothless was cooing and prancing and looking at him with those great big eyes. Besides, he could always take her up on the offer tomorrow ... or next week ... or next year...
They circled over the small island. It was mostly gray rock, pocked with caves and raked with canyons. The two veteran explorers peeled their eyes for the telltale green scrub brush. After several minutes without success, Hiccup spoke up. "Maybe this isn't the right island. Let's try further east. Besides, I don't like the look of those holes." Toothless gave a disappointed growl and acquiesced to Hiccup's imperceptible nudge.
As they turned to leave, a shrill screech echoed from below. Toothless stopped short and looked down at the barren island. They exchanged glances, Hiccup nodded, and they dove down.
Threading silently through the narrow ravines, they found the source of the cries. Toothless perched on a rocky spire out of sight while Hiccup peeked around the rocks. "Why don't they pick on someone their own size," he muttered. About a thousand feet away, they spied a little dragon—a Terrible Terror, to be precise—trapped by a pack of Speed Stingers, a particularly nasty dragon species that paralyzed its victims with their barbed tails. They didn't have wings; they didn't need them. Their powerful legs allowed them to sprint and jump with deadly speed. The pack kept their distance from their target, their claws clicking on the rock as they paced back and forth.
"It's his wing," Hiccup noted, assessing why the little dragon didn't try to save itself. Every few moments, one of the Speed Stingers jabbed at the prey but retreated from the Terrible Terror's fire blast. Hiccup noticed each shot was weaker than the last. It was only a matter of time for the wounded dragon.
Hiccup leaned forward and whispered, "What do you say, bud?" In response, the Night Fury widened his stance and leapt into the air.
* * * * * *
Blood oozed from the broken wing onto the dazzling green scales of the Terrible Terror. Its disproportionately large eyes were angry slits, daring the pack to attack him again. It shot a fire blast at a sprinting Speed Stinger. The attacker took a step back and sneezed, its snout slightly blackened. The Terrible Terror wheezed and fired again, but this time, only a pathetic spark fizzled out. The predators looked at each other, their reptilian eyes blinking expectantly.
All at once, they charged, their gleaming tails raised. Then, like a rock hitting a pond, about half a dozen of them went flying into the air as a purple plasma blast fired from above. The rest of the pack looked up and hissed. The Night Fury readied another blast in warning. They narrowed their slitted eyes; they knew they were outmatched. Raising their tails defiantly, the pack scrammed over the rocks and out of sight.
Toothless landed near the still cowering dragon. Hiccup dismounted and edged forward, keeping his left palm extended.
"Hey, it's okay, little guy. We're not gonna hurt you." He stopped just short of the dragon, kneeling to be at eye level. It growled at him. Hiccup waited. After a few moments, it stopped trembling, sniffed, and hesitantly touched his snout to the outstretched hand. Hiccup sighed and smiled. Even though he'd done this scores of times with much more dangerous dragons, it was still a thrill every time.
"That's it. Now, let's see if we can get that wing patched up." Within a few minutes, Hiccup had fashioned a makeshift splint. The little dragon immediately tried to fly, flapping as hard as it could.
"Whoah, there," Hiccup chuckled. "It'll still need some time to heal, so stay out of trouble till then." The Terrible Terror stuck his nose in the air and scrambled away, knocking a few pebbles down a ravine. They echoed as they bounced down the rocky crevasse into the heart of the island.
Toothless snorted.
"It's okay, bud," Hiccup said, standing up. Dragons are just as proud as Vikings, Hiccup thought with a chuckle.
Just then, the ground began to tremble. Toothless sniffed and growled, baring his teeth at the unseen danger. "I don't like the sound of that either," Hiccup admitted. The low rumble grew more defined until it was just beneath them. Then, erupting like a sea serpent breaking the surface of the water, a dragon tore through the ground. Dirt and rock pelted Hiccup and Toothless, but they didn't need to see the long, whip-like tail, the pale bulbous eyes, or the rows and rows and rows of rotating daggers in its mouth to know that they were facing a Whispering Death.
"Out of all dragons, really?" Hiccup moaned, quickly brushing dirt out of his hair. Toothless had intentionally aimed away from the ground as not to draw the attention of any other dragons. The careless pebbles must have woken it up. Hiccup leapt into the saddle, his metal foot latching seamlessly into the stirrup, and the two of them took off.
They dove down the ravine, threading their way through the canyons. The Whispering Death stayed right on their tail. Toothless, a Night Fury, was the faster dragon, but the Whispering Death knew this island better and was gaining.
"We need to get to cloud cover!" Hiccup shouted.
Toothless pounced on a nearby rock spike and immediately changed directions, leaving the Whispering Death to run headlong into the rock. Shaking off the daze, its pale eyes refocused on the tiny black dragon escaping into the sky. It shrieked and darted up, whirling its tail like a tornado.
Hiccup looked behind at the advancing pursuer. He leaned, and Toothless banked left into the dark clouds. Within moments, water droplets were streaking off Toothless's scales. A screech behind alerted them that they weren't in the clear yet.
Hiccup pushed his dripping hair out of his eyes as he squinted ahead. "I can't see a thing. This is all on you, bud." Toothless opened his mouth and a high-pitched wail sounded. A few seconds later, it echoed back. The Night Fury leaned left and down. Hiccup instinctually adjusted the tail with his foot. Deeper into the clouds they dove. The Whispering Death maintained the pursuit.
Toothless shrieked again. This time it was less than a second before the echo returned. He spread his wings, parachuting them to a sudden stop, and then darted around a sea stack that had materialized out of the fog. He landed on a small outcropping and raised his midnight wings to cover them. Hiccup flattened his body against Toothless, forcing himself to breathe in tandem with the dragon, feeling the strong heartbeat through muscles and scales. The screams of the Whispering Death grew closer, frantic and frustrated. Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut. The wind whisked over their outcropping as the Whispering Death whizzed overhead, its cry growing distant and finally disappearing.
The Night Fury relaxed his wings, and the Viking heaved a sigh. "He was a persistent one, eh?"
Toothless didn't respond. He was sniffing the outcropping, ears low.
"What is it, bud?" Hiccup climbed off and looked around in the pseudo twilight. The rock was black, smooth, and slick from the heavy fog. Toothless, nose to the stone, wandered around a corner. Hiccup followed. They stopped in front of a moss-covered wall. Hiccup gently brushed the vegetation away to reveal etchings and drew his breath.
Runes. Not Viking ones, either. Hiccup took a step backwards and stared up at the sea stack. That distinct silhouette. He had seen it just yesterday.
"Loki's Triangle," he breathed.
A timely shiver ran under his leather tunic. Was it just the dampness or was there something else that made his hair stand on end? Toothless flexed his tail and nudged his human.
"Yeah," Hiccup said, slowly placing his hands on the saddle. "Let's get out of here." He climbed on the dragon's back, but before he could latch his foot in the stirrup, his head jerked over his shoulder, eyes alert. The sound was faint, like smoke from a distant that a voice? He leaned forward, squinting into the dark fog. Toothless pawed the ground.
"Wait, do you hear that?"
Toothless begrudgingly raised his large ears. Below the ocean crashed against the sea stack. The wind whooshed around them. No calls from birds or dragons. Toothless whined and shook his head. Then—
"There it is again!" Hiccup pointed deeper into the dense fog. "Someone's out there." Toothless pawed the ground and tugged his head away. "I think she needs help. Come on." Hiccup locked his foot in the stirrup. With a groan, the Night Fury dove deeper into the fog. Behind them, the runes on the sea stack began to glow a faint blue.
They cut through the damp twilight, the fog growing thicker as they went. Hiccup listened and adjusted the tail with his foot. Toothless occasionally sent out a shriek, but they never bounced back. Eventually he stopped, and the flap of his leathery wings was the only sound in that desolate space.
After a while, the fog thinned out, and Hiccup could see the ocean a few hundred feet below, dark and still as ice under the cloud canopy, and not far ahead lay a flat, rocky island.
They glided down, landing without a sound. Hiccup hopped off, taking in the new terrain. The island seemed to be made of the same black stone as the sea stack. If not for the large cage-like bushes and scattered boulders, it would be completely featureless. The fog, now thin wisps, floated eerily around the shoreline.
The two kept a wary eye and ear out as they began exploring. The oppressive atmosphere advised silence, and Hiccup did his best to lessen the pinging of his metal foot. Toothless kept his head low, ears up. Every few moments, he twitched and growled as whispers drifted in the wind.
"Yeah, I hear them, too," Hiccup said, rubbing his arms. A faint, cold breeze blew across the forsaken island, tickling the hair on his neck and whipping the fog into shapes. It reminded him of when he would lay on the bright, green grass back home on Berk, looking up at the shapes in the clouds. But here there was no sun, no grass, and unlike the goofy sheep and other friendly creatures he saw in the clouds, the fog almost looked like...people. He blinked, and the vision was gone.
Hiccup whispered, patting Toothless on the back, "Now's one of those times I really hope Tuff doesn't know what he's talking about."
Toothless growled in agreement.
"You're right. What am I saying? The spirits of the dead coming back to haunt the Triangle. That's just cra—"
"EEEEEEEEE-AHHHHHH!" A blood-curdling shriek shattered the stillness.
Hiccup whirled around, blood instantly draining from his face. The wind, which a moment earlier had been a listless breeze, now blew with the intensity of a typhoon. But that's not what made his blood freeze. Flying at him arms stretched forwards, long strands of hair flowing behind, eyes sunken, and teeth bared, the fog looked unmistakably like a human. A long-dead human.
Hiccup took a step backwards, but before his foot reached the ground, it grabbed him by the arms. The specter carried him up into the air, its terrifying face—the pale eyes, the sharp skull-like features, the jaw that opened a little too wide—just inches away from his own. Hiccup tried to fight back, but he found no purchase on the vaporous body.
"Toothless!" he cried, kicking uselessly at the fog. Up, up, up they went. The specter moved one ghostly hand to grasp his throat. Hiccup pulled back as far as he could. It was about to wrap its claws around his neck when it screamed. Its hollow eyes went wide as its body dissolved in a purple blast. Hiccup fell to the ground. Toothless ran up and immediately nuzzled him, his square pupils fully dilated.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Hiccup panted, and then looked up. "We're not okay." The previously empty shore teemed with flying, screaming spirits. One dove towards them, its pointed teeth reminiscent of the Whispering Death. Toothless leapt in front of Hiccup and fired. The fog exploded in another purple blast.
Hiccup jumped into the saddle. "Four shots left. Let's make them count." Toothless shot into the sky. Immediately, spirits blocked their exit, swarming and grabbing at them with ethereal hands. Toothless flailed about and blasted once, twice, three times, but for each one he destroyed, three more appeared. Toothless wheeled around and dove behind one of the large bushes further inland. The forms dissipated into fog again and seemed to keep to the shore.
"Okay. That was crazy," Hiccup gasped. He eyed the fog rippling menacingly on the shore. "If we go straight through, I think we can make it, but we'll need to be quick. You ready, bud?" Toothless flapped his wings eagerly. "Okay, let's get out of—" Hiccup sat straight up, eyes trained on the middle of the island. Toothless nudged his back.
"Don't you hear that? She's in trouble." It was unmistakable. The purity of that cry was like the worst homesickness he'd ever felt. "Come on, it's coming from up there." Hiccup peered at the shore where the fog slept. It was still there, waiting for them to return. We'll deal with that later, he thought.
They scurried from bush to bush, climbing the ominous rise that led to the center of the island. Though it must still be day, not even afternoon yet, the only sunlight to make it through the cloud bank cast dim shadows as if it were night.
Eventually, they made it to the top of the island. At the center was a wide cistern, big enough for Toothless to fully extend his wings. The hole was dark. Toothless opened his mouth wide to let out another shriek, but Hiccup shook his head and put a finger to his lips, pointing back to the beach. Toothless bobbed his head. Hiccup picked up a pebble and dropped it in. A moment later, they heard a tink. Hiccup nodded. Not too deep. Toothless nudged Hiccup with his nose and whined pitifully. This same dragon who had flown into an inferno to save him stared back with wide eyes, ears laid back, nostrils flaring and snorting.
Hiccup gently rubbed the scaly nose and smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to follow me."
Toothless moaned and shuffled backwards.
Hiccup turned around before he sighed. Ever since the Red Death, Hiccup and Toothless had practically been inseparable, jumping into danger at the drop of a hat. Correction, Hiccup would jump, and Toothless had to catch him. Now, facing the chasm alone, the unknown seemed more ominous, like the gaping maw of a monster. It seemed even a Night Furyhad its limits. Hiccup pursed his lips and took a breath.
As he was about to jump, Toothless shoved his head under him, throwing him back into the saddle. Hiccup brushed his bangs out of his eyes and grinned. "Okay, let's do this."
The Night Fury jumped in, and they landed about ten feet down on the same dark stone. In the deep shadow, Hiccup noticed an object on the ground. It seemed to be a lantern, as it had a large ring handle, and transparent liquid sloshed in the clear case, but the design was nothing he'd ever seen before. He unscrewed the top and sniffed.
"Yep," he said, pulling away quickly. "That'll burn." Toothless gave a tiny blast, igniting the caustic liquid. Hiccup held it up, rubbing his still stinging nose. The light dimly illuminated an excavated path that continued underground.
Hiccup stepped into the darkness, and Toothless followed close behind. The tiny lantern only lit a few feet in front of them. When the faint natural light coming from the cistern entrance was all but gone, they came to a narrow doorway, too narrow for Toothless to fit through.
Hiccup peered down the dark hallway ahead and heard the voice again. A desperate voice. Not anguished like the fog, but imploring and urgent, as if this was her last hope.
"She's down there." Toothless nudged him nervously. Hiccup patted him on the nose. "It's okay. I'll be fine." He strapped his shield to his arm and stepped through the doorway.
SWOOSH! From the walls, the floor, the ceiling, dozens of blades fanned out. He jumped back, bumping into Toothless.
The entire thirty-foot long hallway rang with the rush of blades, swinging and slicing at random. Or was it random? He stared at them for several moments. There was a rhythm. He hooked the lantern to his belt and studied the pattern. One, two, stop. One, two, three, stop. There seemed to be clusters or sets of blades. In between he could rest and figure out the next pattern. With careful timing, precision, and a boat's worth of luck, he could make it through.
Taking several quick breaths, he dashed to the first of the blades. One, two, stop. He held himself erect as two axes cut the air just in front and behind him. If not for his slender build, he wouldn't have fit. One, two, three. He dropped just in time as one swished over his head.
The shadows danced on the walls as the lantern swung chaotically from his belt. Jumping, dodging, ducking, it was exhausting mentally and physically, but he was almost through. Only one more set to go.
Sidestep, duck. One, two–CLANG! Hiccup tripped as a blade caught his metal foot, wrenching it off. His face hit the stone floor, but he looked up just in time to see the final blade flying towards him. Rolling to safety, it landed exactly where he had fallen.
Hiccup caught his breath and looked back at the bizarre trap he had just traversed. The blades continued to fly, cutting through the air, and about five feet from where he sat, surrounded by the whizzing blades, was his metal foot. He looked down at his stump leg, then back at the trap. He couldn't run this time, and there was no way he could get there without being cut into tiny pieces first. But he did have his shield.
He pulled the lever, firing the bola into the wall. Picking up the long rope and weights, he tested the swing. If he missed, if the rope was cut, he'd be back where he started. Swish, swish! Swish, swish, pause. That was the moment. He swung the weighted end. It hit the prosthetic but didn't catch. Hiccup jerked the rope back just before another blade sliced down.
He wiped his brow as he bit his lip. His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out the din of blades.
Swish, swish! Swish, swish, pause. He threw the rope out again. It caught! He yanked it back just in time, the metal foot skidding across the floor. He fell back on his elbow, panting. Toothless roared anxiously from the other end of the hall.
"I'm okay!" Hiccup shouted back over the noise of the blades as he reattached his metal limb. Not wanting to lose it again, he double knotted the rope around his stump. He looked ahead to where the hallway ended at a dark doorway and got to his feet. "She's close!"
Tip toeing to the opening, he peeped his head through. All was quiet. Gingerly, he placed one foot in the room. Nothing. He took a full step. Nothing. He held up the lantern and inspected. "It's a dead end!" he called back. The room was smaller than his hut on the Edge. "There's just...this pedestal." It stood like an island in the center of the cylindrical room: nothing on top, nothing on the sides. Hiccup frowned, then felt along the cold stone walls. His fingers searched for loose rocks or writing, but all he found were unlit torches, four of them, circling the pedestal. That was a bit of luck; the lantern was nearly out of fuel.
He set down the bulky shield and began lighting the torches. Here more than anywhere else, Hiccup sensed that voice. Almost as if he could reach out and—
As he lit the final torch, there was a shimmer of light on the pedestal. Hiccup gasped and flattened himself against the wall. The shadows cast by the torches vanished as the bright light coalesced into a solid object. He took a step closer. It was a leather bracer, like the ones Viking often wore on their forearms, except instead of the simple leather work and rough rope lacing, this was far more elegant. Two bands of bronze etched with tiny beautiful scrawlings circled the bracer. But the most striking elements were three large, amber gems studded into the leather.
Toothless's cries echoed down the hall. "There is something here," shouted , he set the lantern on the ground and approached. The bracer looked old, but it wasn't dusty. He reached out. As soon as he touched it, a wave of light and wind stronger than a hurricane erupted from the bracer. For an instant, it was like looking into the sun. And then, all went dark.
Author's Notes:
While I stick very closely to the HTTYD movie/TV show lore, I take liberties with the LoZ elements. Please read with an open mind, as if this were a new game.
New chapters on Wednesdays. The whole thing, 30 chapters plus Prologue, is written and will be posted!
Thanks to Ari Lewis ( /), ValientQueenLu, and Luke for beta reading!