AN: Okay, I know some of you are asking me to make Hicca get kindnapped instead of Hiccup in Midnight Scum, but just a reminder that Hiccup also needs the spotlight too, because this series is about the Haddock twins, Hiccup and Hicca are a package deal, Hicca can't get all the spot light you know. Remember that okay.
Chapter 40: Defenders of the Wing
The Haddock twins and the other Dragon Riders were engaging the Hunters out in the open sea. They were stopping yet another shipment of dragons, but after they had decimated Viggo's auction he had stepped up security on his transport ships.
Astrid was flying right underneath two of them as a Hunter by the net at them.
"Stormfly, twirl!" Astrid yelled and they spun to avoid getting snagged by the net and then fired several spine shots down at the ships.
"Fire, Sparfire!" Raeda called out as Sparkfire fired her blast at the hunters, knocking them back.
Hiccup landed on one of the ships and on one of the dragon-proof cages which had a Deadly Nadder trapped inside. Toothless fired a plasma blast burning through the rope freeing the Deadly Nadder.
Hicca dive bombed towards a caged Monstrous Nightmare before Midnight pulled up and blast it free.
"Let's go." Hiccup said and soon they joined Astrid and Raeda.
"No dragon left behind, team!" Hicca told them
They were making their way to another ship and they saw that Snotlout and the Thorston twins were fighting over a caged Changewing.
"Let me handle this," Snotlout yelled at them.
Raeda and Astrid groaned. "Don't those three muttonheads ever stop thinking it's a challenge?" Raeda questioned rhetorically.
"I don't think so. We sometimes do that too." Astrid said in annoyance, while also admitting that they do make things into a contest from time to time. "Come on, Stormfly." She told her dragon.
Stormfly then fired several spines and the cage knocking off the lock and freeing the Changewing.
"Now that you three are done fighting over a cage, how about we get out of here?" Raeda said sarcastically as she flew off.
Snotlout and the Thorston twins just looked at one another, shrugged and then took off.
They managed to free all the dragons and were making their escape, but then a chain wrapped itself around Meatlug's hindlegs.
Hicca looked back and gasped, "Guys! Fishlegs and Meatluf are hooked!" She told the other riders but saw that they were heading to another ship that was on fire and still had dragons on it. "Oh of course! Just hang in there Fishlegs, we'll come back as fast as we can!" She told the Ingerman boy as she flew to help the others.
Fishlegs tried desperately to fly away from the ship as they were pulled in closer towards it.
"Come on, girl, you can do this," said Fishlegs encouragingly as Meatlug pulled with all her might.
A Dragon Hunter then approached and fired two arrows straight at Astrid and Stormfly. Astrid was able to kick one aside, but the second struck her on the leg and she screamed in pain. She pulled the arrow out and placed a hand over her wound.
"A little help!" Fishlegs yelled.
Unfortunately, the Riders were too busy escorting the dragons away from the burning ships to help.
Fishlegs groaned. "Looks like we're on our own. All right, blast it, girl. Now!" Meatlug fired a lava blast at the chain, but it was dragon-proof and pulled even closer towards the ship. "Go for the winch!" He said, remembering how they freed the Screaming Death from dragon proof chains.
Meatlug fired a lava blast at the winch knocking the Hunter backwards, but the winch was still intact.
Ryker chuckled evilly as he approached him. "Oh, I'm afraid the chain and winch are both dragon-proof this time." He said, having thought ahead after the last time they took out the winch during the Screaming Death mission.
"But that wooden deck isn't." A voice said behind him.
"Since you didn't make a dragon proof ship!" Another voice said to him.
He looked up and saw that the Haddock twins and their Night Furies were looking down at him from the mast. Toothless then fired a plasma blast that hit the deck and Ryker jumped aside just as the plasma blast struck the deck while Midnight fired at the hunters, keeping them back as they were blown away.
The explosion was powerful enough to free the winch from the deck and Fishlegs took this opportunity to fly away. Ryker quickly picked himself up and gave chase, but he missed grabbing and fell into the ocean.
Fishlegs cheered as he and the Haddock twins flew away from the ships as the Hunters fired some arrows at them. Leaving behind a furious Ryker, who slammed his hand into the water.
(Linebreak)
A few hours later they were back on at Dragon's Edge and Hiccup approached Fishlegs and Hicca were checking on Meatlug.
"How's she doing?" Hiccup asked, looking at Meatlug.
"You know, her feelings are hurt." Fishlegs pointed out. "You guys were cutting it a little too close.
"She has minor wings sprain, but she'll be fine." Hicca assured before she noticed that both Raeda and Heather were helping Astrid with walking and saw that she was limping. "Astrid, are you limping?" She asked.
"No." Astrid firmly said.
"She's lying." Raeda said to them.
"She got shot in the leg." Heather told the truth.
"What?!" Hiccup starred in shock.
"Excuse me?!" Hicca added.
"A Hunter arrow was gonna hit Stormfly, so I blocked it." Astrid explained.
Hiccup stared at her in bewilderment. "With your leg?"
"It just grazed me. I'm fine." Astrid said as Hicca frowned, walked over to give her leg a tap and Astrid hissed and toppled to the floor, "So not fair, Hicca." She grumbled.
"Who are you trying to fool, Astrid?" Hicca questioned with a brow raised as she checked the wound. "It's just a flesh wound." She assured. "But I should bandage it fast, before it gets infected."
Hicca then took Astrid so that she could do just that.
Hiccup then turned to the others. "All right, has anyone else been hurt recently? Who didn't tell me?" he asked.
Snotlout and the Thorston twins raise their hands.
"I got a thing in my eye," said Tuffnut.
Ruffnut leaned over and looked at it. "You mean that tiny little bug?"
"Hey. That bug was on a mission. A mission to be in my eye."
"Oh, gods." Hiccup moaned.
"We all know the risks, Hiccup." Heather said.
"And let's not forget we freed a couple dozen dragons this week," said Astrid as Hicca bandaged her leg.
"I should have enough medical supplies to treat everyone," Hicca pointed out. "But we're burning through our supplies from our recent attacks on the Hunters."
"My sister is right, guys." Hiccup said in agreement couldn't believe this was happening. "New rule. From now on let's try to avoid using our body parts as shields for our dragons."
Suddenly a Terrible Terror landed on his arm with a message strapped to his leg. Curious, Hiccup removed it and read it and the Terrible Terror flew off.
"What is it?" Tuffnut asked excitedly. "Lots of big words? You want me to take a look at that? Yeah, big words are my thing. Or should I say my thingy."
"Talk to us, Hiccup." Astrid said.
"What is it, bro?" Hicca asked in worried.
Hiccup looked up from the note. "It's from Viggo. He wants to meet."
The other Riders widen their eyes in surprise that Viggo wants to have a meeting with them.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later they were in the clubhouse looking over a map of Viggo's meeting point. It was a small island a few miles away from Berk, but a long distance from the Edge.
"He picked a spot in the middle of nowhere," Astrid said, pointing at the island which they had circled. "Nice long flight to tire out your dragon."
"Plenty of open water for hunter ships to catch you." Hicca added, getting the feeling what this was.
Snotlout laughed. "Trap. That's definitely a trap." He frowned.
"Could he pick a more obvious place?" Raeda asked.
"Guys, he just wants you two out there alone so his men can ambush you both." Astrid said to the Haddock twins.
Hiccup shook his head. "No, that's not his style."
"This is so not like Viggo, Astrid." Hicca added in agreement.
"Their right," Heather agreed. "Viggo likes to out-think his opponents."
"And that's his weakness." Hiccup said.
"And knowing Viggo from our encounters with him, he never shows it as a weakness." Hicca added.
"Unless he actually out-thinks you guys. Which sounds like a strength to me." Tuffnut said. Ruffnut then promptly punched him in the face with the back of her fist. Tuffnut then glared at her. "Like you weren't thinking it too." He retorted.
"Of course I was, but I wasn't saying it out loud." Ruffnut snapped.
"Sorry if my thinking comes out of my mouth. The things I think, I say out loud." Tuffnut told him
"Letting Hiccup and Hicca know how overmatched they are isn't going to help with Hiccup's obvious lack of confidence or Hicca's long standing vendetta against Viggo." She gestured to the Haddock twins, while Hiccup was now pinching the bridge of his nose as he started to feel a headache coming while Hicca just gave the Thorston twins a glare.
"Only Hiccup can find the confidence within himself and Hicca will only rest when she sees Viggo down for the count." Tuffnut stated. "Which they're now lacking. Hiccup needs to go to a seminar and Hicca should bring a spear or something."
"Viggo will come after us, whether we meet him or not," Hiccup told them, placing his fists on the table. "I'm going." he said.
"No, we're going. I've been wanting us to have a chat for a long while." Hicca said as she pulled out her staff. "Dragon Riders, let's ride!"
The Haddock Twins soon headed to Viggo's meeting point with Astrid, Raeda and Heather. As they flew over the island they saw the lone Dragon Hunter ship.
"There's Viggo." Heather said, pointing at the center of the island.
The island was small with very little cover which did not seem like the best place for an ambush.
"No place near him for his men to hide," Astrid noted.
"And I doubt he would bet all his gold that one ship could take us out," Raeda added.
"He'd be easy to pick off from here." Heather pointed out.
"I don't think Viggo would leave himself open like this just so we can have a talk." Hicca pointed out while glaring at the leader of the Hunters.
"Hicca's right. We're gonna see what he has to say." Hiccup said to them. "Keep an eye on that ship for us."
The Haddock twins then headed down towards the island while the others patrolled in the skies keeping a close eye on him, Viggo and his ship.
Toothless and Midnight were about to land when the Haddock Twins noticed some very familiar blue flowers surrounding Viggo and quickly pulled them up.
"Whoa, whoa whoa! Blue Oleander!" Hiccup yelled, pulling Midnight up as Hiccup did the same.
Hicca just scowled, "That sly dog." She growled as Toothless and Midnight landed on the edge of the flower field while she and her brother dismounted.
"You two stay here, bud," Hiccup told Toothless. "If he makes a move, you both know what to do."
"That's assuming I don't get the first crack." Hicca said as she glared at Viggo.
The two then made their way over to Viggo, who was sitting at a large stone with a Maces and Talons game board. Hiccup then placed a piece onto the game board.
"I think you're missing a piece." Hiccup commented.
"Can't play till all the players are on the board, isn't that what you say?" Hicca mocked.
Viggo smiled up at them. "You both came. I'm surprised." He said.
"No, you're not."Hiccup said as he and his sister walked around him so he was now facing him. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting in a field of flowers that are poisonous to dragons."
"Since you knew that we wouldn't let our dragons anywhere near you so you won't be getting a plasma blast today." Hicca stated.
"A man has to take precautions." Viggo shrugged. He then looked up at the three girls flying around the island. "I noticed you two arrived with your friends."
"Like you said, 'precautions.'" Hiccup said, narrowed his eyes at Viggo.
"Since we know how unpredictable you can be when trying to set us up." Hicca said with a glare. "Now, what do you want, Viggo? Why drag us all the way out here?" She questioned.
"To complement you both, Hicca." Viggo said simply. "Your little group has had some impressive victories recently. Put quite the dent in my bottom line."
"Glad to hear it." Hiccup said.
"Of course, let us not pretend you've taken some losses as well, hmm?" Viggo added, glancing at Hicca as she clenched her fist.
"We have. At least we care for our team and not treat them as expendables." Hicca said as she held back the urge of punching his lights out.
"That is so true, my dear." Viggo said with no hesitation as he then placed another piece on the board. "You are both worthy opponents. And, as such, this battle between us could continue for years to come." A small smile appeared across his face. "Or…"
"Or? Or what?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you proposing, Viggo?" Hicca questioned with the same expression.
"Or it could end today." Viggo answered.
"We accept your surrender." Hiccup smiled.
"You sure about leaving Ryker in charge?" Hicca added. "He is all brawn and no tactical brains like you in Maces and Talons. We could finish him in no time" She taunted with a smirk.
Viggo snickered. "Oh, it's good to see that both your senses of humor are still intact. And no, I am not abducting my leadership to my brother anytime soon, as you said Hicca, he's all brawn and not enough brains since he never bested me in Maces and Talons." He said with a smirk. "But I am offering a truce." He then brushed away the pieces on the board. "With very generous terms." He then placed a map on the board with a large red line across it. "You two stay on the south of this line. And my men and I stay above it."
"And any dragon on your side to be slaughtered too?" Hicca commented.
"I must keep my business running somehow, but at the very least we never have to fight again." Viggo defended as he then stood up. "My dear Haddocks, I'm not unreasonable. I have no desire to rule the world like…" He paused slightly, as if he was thinking about someone. "Some people. I'm a businessman, and fighting is bad for business."
"What about the Dragon Eye?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah. We know you still have it and unlocked it without the key when you use the Flightmare to remove the locking mechanism." Hicca added
"I see my son has divulged some of the Dragon Eye's secrets with you during your time together." Viggo said as he then shook his head. "But I'm afraid that's not part of the deal. I'm offering you two the chance to save the life of every dragon below this line, not to mention those of your fellow Riders. I am willing to memorialize this deal now and end the bloodshed." He then wrote his name on the bottom of the map with a red pencil and then handed it over to Hiccup. "Are you, Hiccup?"
Hicca looked at her brother as Hiccup started at the map and then to Viggo. "I'll need to think about it." He answered.
"Of course. Of course. All leaders should receive counsel." He then smiled up at him. "But in the end, it's up to us, isn't it?"
"You got one thing right, Viggo. It is up to us." Hicca said as she gestured only to herself and her brother.
Hiccup rolled the map and was about to leave, but Viggo added with a smirk, "Oh, how's Astrid's leg? Healing well, I trust." Hiccup narrowed his eyes and turned his back on Viggo.
"It's healing just fine, Grimborn." Hicca said while glaring at Viggo. "I patched it up myself." She finished.
"Well, great to hear from you, Healer." Viggo compliment, while still giving a smirk. "Time is of the essence, Haddocks."
Hiccup and Hicca then walked away without saying a word.
Viggo merely smirked. "Peace can be such a fragile thing."
(Linebreak)
The Haddock Twins and the others soon return to Dragon's Edge and explain the situation to them. They all then looked over Viggo's map pondering over the deal Viggo offered.
"A truce? You two have to be joking." Astrid said in disbelief.
"This is a very serious-looking map." Fishlegs pointed out.
"There's no way this is for real." Raeda stated.
Astrid then turned to Hiccup and Hicca, who was looking over a Maces and Talon game board. "You're not actually thinking of doing this, are you, guys?" She Asked but neither one said anything and just focused on the gameboard. "Uh, guys? The map is over here."
"Yeah. But the answers are over here." Hiccup said. "You see, Viggo's a game player. His moves are never what they seem to be."
"He always makes it look like he wants one thing, when really he's after something else." Hicca added.
"Unless, he knows that you two know he's a game player." Tuffnut said. "Then the deception move is to make the obvious move and what you think he's after is what he's after." He concluded.
Fishlegs was about to reply but Ruffnut beat him to it.
"But, he is also smart enough to know that Hiccup and Hicca know that Viggo knows that Hiccup and Hicca know that he's a game player. So the deceptive move is actually making the deceptive move and makes it look like what he wants isn't what he's after." Ruffnut added as Fishlegs was starting to get confused by this trail of thought from the Thorston twins.
"But, if Viggo is that smart, then you know that Hiccup and Hicca are smart enough to know that Viggo is smart enough to know that Hiccup is Viggo." Tuffnut shook his head realizing that he confused himself. "No, wait. What were we talking about again?"
Astrid groaned and turned towards Hiccup. "Hiccup, would you please tell us what you're thinking?"
"Viggo doesn't want a truce," said Hiccup. "What he really wants is to keep us away from something on his side of the game board."
"And a truce would ensure we wouldn't risk ourselves or dragons to get it first." Hicca concluded
"You might be right, but where do we find this thing?" Astrid asked them.
Hiccup got to his feet and made his way towards them. "I think we can assume that Viggo wouldn't give up any more territory than he has to. So, whatever he wants to keep us away from is going to be right on the edge of the line." He then pointed out the small island that was near the edge of the line. "Here. This is where we start."
"And if not, maybe it'll give us a clue to what he's after." Hicca added.
Raeda looked at the Haddock twins with a concerned look. "It could be a trap. This wouldn't be the first time that Viggo manipulated us in doing exactly what he wanted us to do."
"Raeda has a point." Heather said. "He did manipulate you to track down the Buffalord and us to attack that fake shipyard." She reminded them as Hicca clenched her fist at the mention of the shipyard.
"This time we'll be double careful of our surroundings." Hiccup told her, not wanting any chances.
(Linebreak)
The next morning they headed out towards the mysterious island on the map. The island was as big as Berk, but in the center it had a volcano and judging from the smoke emanating from it was active.
"There it is." said Hiccup looking up from the map.
"There's a village in the clearing to the west." Astrid noted.
"Is it a Dragon Hunter outpost?" Hicca asked her brother as Hiccup grabbed his spyglass and saw the village, but he didn't recognise the architecture. There was also what appeared to be a large statue of a dragon standing on two pillars right in its center.
"No, it's not a Dragon Hunter outpost. But there are some strange-looking buildings," Hiccup commented. "Not Viking or Hunter. And check out that statue." He then looked over towards Fishlegs. "Fishlegs, can you make out what kind of dragon that's supposed to be?"
He then shot his spyglass over to Fishlegs, who nearly dropped it. He then placed a design and looked at the statue. It had a round body and quite a long tail. Its wings are relatively small and its heads are as big as its bodies. Its front legs are very small compared to its hind legs and they have several big, spiky lobes along their backs and tails.
"Looks like a Boulder class to me. But not one I've seen before." Fishlegs told them.
"It's a little weird to put a village at the base of an active volcano," Raeda frowned. "Aren't they afraid of getting Lava flooded?"
Snotlout chuckled. "Let's go ask 'em,. he said as he and Hookfang flew towards the village.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Astrid yelled. Snotlout groaned and stopped. "We don't know if they're friends or foes."
"We don't even know what the reaction to dragons will be for these guys for that matter." Raeda noted. "And not to mention, you do always go dragon blazing when we go into new places." she added while giving a look to Snotulout.
"Shut up, Raeda." Snotlout grumbled.
"Let's do a little surveillance first," Astrid suggested.
"Astrid and Raeda have a point," said Hiccup. "We'll land over in that forest, leave our dragons behind and then try to move in for a closer look."
"So everyone, be on your guard." Hicca added.
(Linebreak)
They then flew down towards the forest and let their dragons and made their way on foot to the village. Hicca made her way up to her brother with a slightly concerned look.
"Anything the matter, sis?" Hiccup asked.
"I've had a bad feeling about this, Hiccup." Hicca said with a tone of concern. "What if these people aren't fans of dragons either?"
Hiccup bit his lip, he knew that Hicca have a point since not everyone in the world likes dragons or treats them with respect, and the Hunters are one example. "We never know once we find out." He said.
"You mean we just walk right in and hope that they won't attack or kill us on sight." She joked.
"Exactly." Hiccup said with a smile.
As they continued on walking Astrid approached the two of them. "That village didn't seem like much. Why wouldn't Viggo want us to find it?"
"We don't know yet." Hiccup said. "I'm just happy to be one step ahead for a change."
"How about we find out what he's hiding before we pat ourselves on the back. Raeda advised.
Snotlout then yawned and the Thorston twins turned around to look at him. Then to their bewilderment they found that he had vanished.
"Where did Snotlout go?" Tuffnut asked, turning towards his sister. He then noticed that she had vanished as well. "Okay, I'm pretty sure I had a sister when we landed. Or has it merely been me in girls' clothes?" Was all he could say before he felt something grab him.
Fishlegs was wandering around as if he had no worries in the world and then he saw a blueberry bush. "Oh, blueberries!"
He then reached out for blueberry and seconds later something grabbed him and pulled him into the bush.
Heather and Raeda thought they had something, but when they looked around they saw nothing. They then carried on walking, but then their legs got caught in a snare and they were whisked upside down before they knew it. "Whoa!" Raeda yelped as she disappeared among the treeline.
Heather grabbed her axe and sliced through the rope, but something grabbed them on the way down and the only thing that landed was Heather's axe.
Hiccup, Astrid and Hicca heard the movement of the trees and only saw Heather's axe and saw they were five Dragon Riders short.
"I… uh… I have a bad feeling," said Hiccup.
"I knew something bad might happen." Hicca commented.
"You two want the worst feeling?" said Astrid, who noticed something above them. "Look out."
They looked up and saw several masked men and women above them holding some sort of crossbow.
"Astrid… Hicca," Hiccup began.
Their mysterious attackers then by their crossbows and launched several darts at them. Astrid was quick enough to grab the darts and Hiccup and Hicca attempted to be diplomatic.
"Wait! Let us explain!" Hicca called out.
"We come in—" Hiccup tried to reason
Unfortunately he was caught short by a dart which struck him in the chest and penetrated his armor. Shortly after Astrid and Hicca were struck and they collapsed.
"…peace," Hiccup finished weakly before he lost consciousness.
(Linebreak)
When Hiccup regained consciousness he noticed they weren't in the forest any more. He then saw that he and the other Riders were bound and placed somewhere within the village and guarded by mysterious masked figures, the same ones that attacked them.
"What the…" Hiccup said, slightly confused.
"Great," Astrid groaned.
"And we've been captured, again." Hicca deadpanned.
Soon all the other Riders started to regain consciousness and they too were slightly worried and confused.
"Who are these guys?" Snotlout asked as the strangers glared at them.
"And what are they feeding our dragons?" Fishlegs asked if they saw one they were actually feeding some sort of fruit to their dragons and they appeared to be enjoying it.
"Aren't dragons supposed to be carnivores, why are they eating that fruit?" Raeda asked in confusion.
"I don't know," Hiccup said. "But I think we're about to find out."
He then got to his feet and looked at them. Soon moving his way through the crowd was a man, probably a few years older than they were, with red hair that was very close to the top of his head, with it shaven off all around. He wears a green shirt, with black shoulder pads and arm guards, green pants with black boots, and black armor like the rest of his tribe.
He started to walk around them and his eyes focused unblinkingly. He then approached Hiccup. "I am Throk," he said simply.
"Uh…" was all Hiccup could say before Throk grabbed his head and forced him down on his knees.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Hicca demanded. "You greeted yourself but you grappled my brother before he could even say anything?!" She questioned.
Thork then released Hiccup and then turned as did the guards. "All hail, Mala, Queen Defender of the Wing." He said as they all then placed her hands on the chests and bowed as a very short, blonde haired woman with pale green eyes approached them.
She appeared to be not much older than them and had bangs parted to the right of her hair. Her outfit was very similar to the rest of her tribe with the exception of being longer and gold lining on her tunic and shoulder guards and the ends on the front had some sort of crest that resembles a dragon statue.
They all positioned themselves so that they could get a better look at her and could tell from her eyes that she was studying every single one of them with a cold glare. Hicca also noted that her armor was in fact very similar to Henry's.
Once she stopped Throk and the rest stood up straight and turned to face them. "So, these are the Dragon Hunters your men captured, Throk?" she said in a cold commanding voice.
"Yes, my Queen," Throk bowed.
Astrid stared at her. "Hunters? Us? You gotta be kidding." She said in disbelief.
"There's gotta be some kind of misunderstanding." Hicca told her.
"We do not hunt dragons." Hiccup stated.
Mala narrowed her eyes on them. "Do you take me for a fool? You were sent by Viggo Grimborn to attack and steal the Great Protector." She said as gestured towards the statue above them, clearly it was more than just a statue for these people.
"The Great Protector?" Hicca repeated.
"You couldn't be more wrong," Hiccup told her.
"Yeah, why would we steal a statue?" Tuffnut sked, deeply confused. "To pose like it for a long period of time?"
"Silence, girl." Mala glared.
"What? She's the girl," Tuffnut said, gesturing to his sister.
"A lot of people make that mistake when they first meet us," Ruffnut said with a smile.
"Look, we don't know who you are or who 'the Great Protector' is, but if you are enemies of Viggo Grimborn, then we have something in common." Hiccup pointed out.
"Exactly what the last six sent by Grimborn said." Mala replied with a sarcastic smile.
"We don't hurt dragons. We honor and respect them." Hicca told her.
"So you say, but you shackle them and make them do your bidding." Mala stated gesturing to the saddles on their dragons.
"Those are just saddles. We ride dragons." Hiccup said.
"Yeah, Have you ever seen a saddle on a dragon before?" Hicca questioned with a raised eyebrow. "We made sure that they're comfortable on the dragons so it doesn't bother them and for us to stay with them when we travel." She pointed out.
"Not anymore, you don't. Your dragons are now free." Mala told them.
The man that had been feeding their dragons then waved his arms around. "Go, fly, fly free!" He said but the dragons didn't seem raring to go.
Mala was confused by this, "Go! Be burdened no more." Mala told them but all eight of them just sat there refusing to leave their riders.
"See? Our dragons are loyal to us," Astrid smiled.
"Especially you, Hookfang," Snotlout smiled. "Way to go, buddy!"
Hookfang just snorted, 'Yeah right.' he said then took off.
But the other dragons didn't appreciate his choice of disobedience now. 'Hookfang!' They growled at him.
Hookfang then landed quickly back onto the ground. 'I was just kidding.' He defended as they scowled at him, 'Yeah, bad time for joking, my bad.' He chuffed sheepishly.
"You do know that our dragons bonded with us over time before you met us, right?" Hicca asked with a raised eyebrow. "And not to mention, Toothless, the male Night Fury over there, has a crippled tailfin, so he couldn't fly away even if he wanted to." She pointed out as Toothless nodded as he lifted his tail, showing them his missing tailfin to prove their point.
"And if we're really Dragon Hunters, then why wouldn't our dragons leave now that you've 'freed' them?" Hiccup asked. "How do you explain that?"
"Is it not obvious? They no longer think for themselves and you crippled that Night Fury so he wouldn't escape." Mala said simply.
"Really? That's what you're thinking?" Hicca asked before turning to Midnight, "What do you think of that, girl?" She asked her dragon.
Midnight then approached them as she then gave Hicca a lick to her face as she nuzzled her.
Hicca smiled at her dragon as she turned to Mala. "So, is this proof enough for ya?" She asked with a smirk.
Mala looked at Hicca in surprise before she recomposed herself, "These dragons are just afraid that you might harm them. But we will change that." She said as she then leaned down and glared at the Haddock twins. "And you will pay for your crimes against dragons." She then turned to her people. "Take them away, Throk. Prepare for a royal trial."
"Is she stubborn to admit that she's right?" Hicca asked her brother in annoyance that Mala didn't believe a word they said.
"A little bit. But I can't say if I blame them." Hiccup said honestly. "At least we know they are no friend to the Hunters." He said optimistic.
"Yeah, but they think we're them." Hicca said as the guards picked up the others to take them away. But when one tried to grab her, Midnight rushed beside her and growled.
'Hands off, pal!' She warned.
The guard looked at Midnight in surprise as he backed away a bit, not wanting to harm a dragon as the female Night Fury kept growling.
"Thanks girl." Hicca said, rubbing her dragon's chin with her head as she purred, "You, Toothless and the others try give these guys a hard time, okay?" She asked.
Midnight smiled mischievously and nodded as Hicca stood up herself and followed the others.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, the eight of them were in a pit sealed with iron bars and guarded by two Defenders. Astrid and Heather were standing on the Thorston twins' shoulders to get a better look at their surroundings and hoped for an escape route.
"I'll take the guard on the left." Astrid whispered.
"I'll take the one on the right." Heather said. "The rest of you, head straight for the dragons while we hold off the others."
"Once you get in the air—" Astrid tried to say.
"Just hold a second." Hiccup told her. "We're not going anywhere."
"We're staying." Hicca added
Astrid looked down at them as if they were crazy. "We aren't?"
"These Defenders of the Wing clearly love dragons just like we do," Hiccup told them. "And the way they fight, they could be great allies against Viggo."
"Except for the fact that they think we work for Viggo," Snotlout pointed out.
"Which is just a misunderstanding. They seem to have never heard about us before, which explains why they weren't familiar with dragons having saddles on them." Hicca added, seeing that the Defenders of the Wings never heard about the Dragon Riders.
"That I would prefer to clear out from the backs of our dragons." Astrid said.
"If we shoot our way out of here, they'll never gonna trust us." Hiccup said.
"And that would ruin our chance to make new allies, Astrid. Can you at least think about something that doesn't mean violence when trying to make an alliance?" Hicca questioned while giving Astrid a look.
"Hey, it usually works when we're close to our dragons." Astrid said in defense.
"Actually, I'm okay with that." Ruffnut said, raising her hand.
"I also second the motion," said Tuffnut raising his hand. "There is a motion, right?" Astrid then kneed him on the head.
"Look, Viggo was willing to give up a lot to keep us away from this island," Hiccup said. "I think it's because he knows these people can help us defeat him. But first we have to earn their trust."
"And to make a truce with them so we can work together to stop Viggo." Hicca stated.
Astrid then jumped off Tuffnut's shoulders and stared at them. "By standing trial?" She asked him like he was serious.
"For being Dragon Hunters? Why not? We're innocent, aren't we?" Hiccup told them.
"They just mistook us from the Hunters from Viggo's last men who were here. So they were just being protective." Hicca added.
"Perhaps the truth will set us free." Fishlegs encouragingly said.
"That if the trial is fair," Raeda pointed out, folding her arms. "Because based on what we saw with Mala, she doesn't seem to believe a single word we say even with our dragons supporting us." She pointed out.
"She can be very stubborn." Heather noted.
"Not more than us." Hicca smirked.
Heather and Raeda thought of what Hicca said as they nodded. "Good point." They said, knowing that is true, they can be stubborn.
"What if we used the insanity defense?" Tuffnut asked.
"That would only work for you." Ruffnut said.
"True."
"We can do this," said Hiccup enthusiastically.
"All right, Hiccup," Astrid sighed, slightly concerned with this idea. "I hope you're right about this."
"Me too." Hiccup honestly said.
"We have to try, if not, then we're toast." Hicca said to them as they nodded in agreement.
(Linebreak)
Soon, they were all out of the pit and everyone would have gathered at the foot of the statue. Mala was sitting on a throne-like chair looking down.
"You stand accused of being Dragon Hunters, subjugators of dragons," Mala began. "Do you deny this?" she asked.
Hiccup stepped forward. "Yes." He said confidently.
"But you admit that you bought the dragons to carry you on their backs?" Mala continued.
"We don't force them. They willingly let us ride them here." Hicca said to them next.
"And that used them to land secretly on our island?" Mala asked again.
"Yes," Hiccup admitted. "But you make it sound worse than it was."
"We were just being cautious since this is a new island after all." Hicca reasoned. "You never know what you find when you discover a new island or if people live here." She added.
"So, you were captured by my men seeking towards our village?" Mala asked.
"'Sneaking' is a strong word." Hiccup told her.
"We were just scouting to make sure you weren't dragon haters." Hicca stated. "Because not everyone can agree with dragons, we were just making sure to not scare them or take any chances." She added.
"And you didn't come heavily armed?" Mala asked.
"We did, actually." Hicca honestly said.
"But those are for self-defense." Hiccup said.
Mala then smiled. "Oh, so you came here expecting a fight?" She asked.
"No, you're… You're twisting our words," Hiccup told her.
"You know for a queen, you're not really very fair." Hicca spoke out.
"Okay, that's it." Tuffnut said as he stepped forward. "Time for an expert to step in."
"No, don't!" Astrid pleaded.
"Don't you try it, Tuffnut!" Raeda called out.
"Let him go." Ruffnut said to the two warriors. "He knows what he's doing. He's been on trial more than anyone in Berk. Of course, he's also been convicted more than anyone in Berk. But who cares."
"Well, we're dead." Raeda said in a deadpanned tone.
"Agreed." Astrid said in the same tone.
"Tuffnut Thorston, attorney at things," said Tuffnut as he stood alongside Hiccup.
"Tuffnut." Hiccup warned.
"Stay out of this." Hicca warned as well, seeing that this might turn out badly.
Tuffnut ignored him. "For the defense, your Queen-ness." Mala just smiled, no doubt predicting that was about to go bad for them. "Did we seek your island? Perhaps. Did I eat a coconut?"
"Maybe," Ruffnut called.
"But since when is sneaking around on someone else's property without permission a trespass?" Tuffnut continued.
"For the record, this person does not represent us." Hiccup pointed out.
"He really doesn't." Hicca said in agreement.
"Not at all," Ruffnut called.
"And maybe we do make the dragons do whatever we say and we go wherever we go and want to do, wherever we want and carry us on their backs and we obviously keep them in cages and…" The Haddock twins and the other Riders, minus Ruffnut, who was smiling, knew they were about to be executed. "But does that mean that we 'subjugate' them?"
"Subjugate then we do not." Ruffnut called.
"Yeah, that's kind of what it means." said Astrid.
"It does?" Tuffnut blinked. "That's terrible. Why do we do that?"
"Tuff, we're begging you. Enough," Hiccup pleaded.
"You aren't really helping." Hicca said while getting really anxious.
"And take your leaders, Hicca Haddock and Hiccup Haddock the Third," Tuffnut continued.
Ruffnut blinked. "There's five of 'em?" She asked stupidly in surprise.
Raeda slapped her face, "Ruff, three comes before five." She told her.
"The two Vikings who shot down Toothless and crippled him so that he could only fly with Hiccup, subjugating him…" Tuffnut continues as the other Riders noticed that the Defenders were starting to get angry and Mala was clenching her fists. Hiccup just facepalmed himself while Hicca just rubbed her head, seeing that this will end badly. "Did I use 'subjugating' right? I rest my case, Your Honour."
"Oh, there it is," Hiccup groaned.
"Oh, yeah." said Tuffnut made his way back to the others.
"It is something that we want to forget and best to be forgotten." Hicca groaned as she gave a glare to Tuffnut. "But I should mention that this was years ago." She quickly added before she and her brother turned back to Mala.
Hiccup then looked at Mala in an effort to explain the situation. "Look, until a few years ago we fought dragons. But since then, we've learned to live in harmony with them. And yes, we ride them, because they allow us to. But the most important thing for you to know about us is that we hate the Dragon Hunters and everything they stand for."
"We rescue dragons from them so they can have their freedom. And we crippled Viggo's operations so that he can't kill or sell them for profits. So believe us, we are not the bad guys here and we shared the same interest with you and your Defenders of the Wing." Hicca reasoned.
There was a lot of chatter amongst the Defenses and it looked as if they got the crowd on their side as Mala then got to her feet. "We are most moved by your sincerity and passion, Hiccup and Hicca Haddock. Just one question. If you both despise Viggo as you both say, why do you hold a map written in his hand and carrying his signature?" She asked, holding out Viggo's map for all to see as the Dragon Riders panicked.
"Well, you see…" Hicca tried to explain but was cut off.
"I find you all guilty." Mala announced. "And I sentence you both to the same fate that befalls all Dragon Hunters, the Nest!"
The Defenders cheered at the top of their voices.
(Linebreak)
Soon the Haddock twins and the other Riders found themselves walking into a cave with some heavily armed Defenders at the back being led by Mala and Throk. The Defenders prevented the dragons from entering the Nest.
"So, you two still think we can be allies with these guys?" Astrid asked the Haddock twins.
"Actually, I do." Hiccup said.
"Once we break through Mala's thick skull." Hicc added.
"Hey, this is no time for optimism," Snotlout snapped.
"Guys, we need a break for it. Soon!" Heather said.
"All right, hear us out." Hiccup said calmly. "They're taking us to 'the Nest,' right? The Nest of…"
"Dragons, I assume." Astrid said, looking at the Gronckles overhead.
"Right. So, when they tossed us in this nest, instead of getting eaten, we're gonna train those dragons and prove once and for all that we aren't Dragon Hunters." Hicca explained.
"You two really think you can pull that off?" said Heather skeptically.
"We're betting our lives on it." Hiccup said.
"You're betting all our lives on it," Astrid pointed out.
"True." Hicca said, knowing that all their lives are at risk.
They soon reached a pit and Mala turned towards them. "We protect the dragons as they protect us. We accept the judgment of the dragons as they have accepted us." Mala said as she then gestured to the pit, "Step forward and receive that judgment."
"I'm the leader. I'll go first." Hiccup volunteered.
"Be my guest. Please." Snotlout said as he walked past him. "Even though you're not the leader, you should go first."
Raeda elbowed him on the side as Snotlout grunted. "Can you at least give Hiccup some encouragement for once?" She questioned as she gave Snotlout a look as the Jorgenson boy flinched in response as he backed away from her.
"Hiccup, good luck." Astrid said as Throk shoved Hiccup forwards.
"I'll be fine." Hiccup assured before Throk shoved him again.
"Try not to lose another limb, bro." Hicca advises while pointing at Hiccup's prosthetic leg.
"I'll try, but not making any promises." Hiccup said with a small chuckle as Hicca chuckled back at her brother.
Heather leaned over to Astrid and Hicca. "So, you can train any dragon?"
"Except for a few," Astrid told him. "Whispering Deaths, Changewings…"
"Deathsongs, Singetails, Scauldrons…" Hicca added.
"And Speed Stingers." Hiccup said as he looked into the pit which was full of Speed Stingers.
Throk then shoved him into the pit and Hicca and Astrid rushed over to the edge as he screamed.
"Hiccup!" They screamed as they were about to jump in after him, but Mala drew out her curved blade and stopped her. She gave them a stare that said 'don't even think about it.'
Hiccup soon found himself in the pit and traced a phrase with several Speed Stingers which was snarling at him. They then zoomed around the pit surrounding him.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled trying to jump to his aid only to be stopped by Throk.
"Hiccup ,hang on!" Hicca yelled as she tried to jump in too but Mala kept her sword to her.
"I'm okay!" Hiccup assured. "So far."
A Speed Stinger snarled at him and he raised hands hoping to bond with it. Mala and Throk were confused by this gesture.
"What is he doing?" Mala frowned.
"Perhaps he's offering himself an easy kill," said Throk.
"Perhaps." Mala said, folding her arms. "A coward's way to avoid suffering?"
"My brother is anything, but a coward!" Hicca yelled, glaring at the two of them. "You two underestimate him and you both are being unfair about this!" She added as Mala and Throk look at Hicca in surprise by her outburst before recomposing themselves.
Hiccup slowly approached the Speed Stinger. "Hey, come on, little guy, we can be friends. Let's show them how we can—" The Speed Stinger apparently didn't want to be a friend and tried to strike Hiccup with its stinger. Fortunately, Hiccup was able to avoid its stinger and quickly backed away from it.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Hiccup yelled as he dodged another sting attack.
One of the Speed Stingers managed to strike Hiccup's prosthetic, but ended up hurting itself. A second Speed Stinger rushed straight towards Hiccup with its stinger raised.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey!" Hiccup yelled as he blocked the stingers with some bones that were lying around in the pit.
Unfortunately, a Speed Stinger sliced through them and Hiccup jumped back in time to avoid getting stung by another Speed Stinger.
"Whoa!" Hiccup yelped as he dodged
Another Speed Stinger aimed its stinger at him, but he was able to avoid it. Unfortunately, this caused him to fall over and he was now the mercy of the Speed Stingers.
Astrid tried to break Throk's hold, but his grip was far too strong while Hicca is still blocked by Mala's sword at her face. They could only watch as the three Speed Stingers advanced slowly towards Hiccup with their stingers at the ready.
Then suddenly out of nowhere Toothless appeared jumping over Mala and landed in the pit between Hiccup and the Speed Stingers. One of the Speed Stingers ran towards Hiccup only to be knocked aside by Toothless' tail and knowing they were outmatched they retreated. Toothless then roared acknowledging his victory.
"Thanks, bud." said Hiccup gratefully as he mounted on Toothless.
They then flew up back to the ledge and Throk placed himself between Mala and Hiccup with his axe raised. The other Defenders aimed their weapons at them and that's when Astrid and the others made their move.
Astrid, Raeda and Heather quickly disarmed three of the Defenders and grabbed their spears. The twins did the same with two Defenders behind them by slamming down on their feet.
"Stomping!" Tuffnut cheered as they grabbed their spears.
Fishlegs then knocked a Defender with one of his large fists and Snotlout grabbed the spear.
"Thank you very much." Snotlout said.
Throk held a firm grasp on his axe and Mala looked at them in a commanding look.
"Surrender!" Mala ordered before Midnight pinned Mala to the ground, which surprised her.
"Midnight!" Hicca said with joy as the female Night Fury nodded to her and glared down at Mala.
Stormfly then flew down the tunnel and landed right in between the Riders and Mala and Throk with her spikes on end.
"Yeah, I'm thinking 'no,'" said Astrid.
Mala struggled to push her off, "Dragon! What are you doing!? They're your enemy! Not-" She tried to reason but Midnight was not having it.
'Enough out of you!' Midnight roared as Mala flinched from Midnight's outburst as Hicca spoke.
"Our dragons would choose us over any of your so-called 'Defenders' anyday." Hicca said while glaring down at Mala.
Mala looked at her and then turned to Midnight, who kept growling at her while giving her a glare for almost killing their riders as Hiccup spoke up. "Mala, you need to ask yourself, would our dragons risk their lives to protect us if we were Hunters?" Hiccup asked.
Mala just remains silent.
"Give the order, my Queen, and I shall obey," Throk said, he would always be loyal to Mala but he couldn't dare not strike a dragon.
"You said he would accept the judgment of the dragons. Well, except the judgment of our dragons. We are not the enemy." Hiccup told him.
"And if you think of even trying to give a flimsy reason to prove we are, then I can't promise Midnight will appreciate it." Hicca warned as Mala turned to Midnight.
Midnight growled at Mala, and in her eyes she could see that if this dragon did want to kill, it was entirely her choice.
Mala looked at Midnight hard, "Do you trust them, Night Fury?" She asked her as Midnight nodded. With that, Mala spoke. "Stand down," She ordered.
Throk stared at her. "My Queen—"
"The dragons judged their innocence, Throk. Release him," Mala ordered as Midnight then got off her as she got up and approached the Haddock twins. "Release them all."
"Thank you," Hiccup smiled.
"Dragons are never wrong. Isn't that right, girl?" Hicca cooed as she held Midnight's head and she let out a dragon-like chuckle.
"You both are a mystery young Haddocks. But know this," Mala said as she bent down to Toothless and scratched under the chin. "If you two are not what you both claim to be for betrayers in any way, I will end you both myself. Dragon or not."
The look she was giving him told him that she was very serious.
"Fair enough," said Hiccup.
"But if you even try to hurt us, know that Midnight and Toothless will not hesitate to blast you to Valhalla." Hicca warned as well as Midnight glared at Mala, confirming Hicca's warning, "And if you love dragons as you say, then you wouldn't dare raise your sword to one to execute an accused dragon hunter based on your opinion and disgrace yourself as queen, right?" She asked.
Mala looked conflicted for a moment before giving Hicca a frustrated look, "Not so fun when you get your words turned on you, huh?" Hicca smirked.
Mala just grunted and then walked away as Hiccup dismounted Toothless. He then looked at Astrid and Raeda, who were making their way towards the Haddock twins.
"See? Told you it would work," Hiccup said confidently.
Astrid sighed.
"Let's not count our Nadders before they hatch." Raeda told him.
"Yeah, let's not get ahead of ourselves, bro. We need to gain more of their trust if we want to be allies with them." Hicca pointed out.
"Yeah, I know, but it's a start." Hiccup said to them.
(Linebreak)
An hour later they were in the village and Mala was giving them a tour.
"That is the Temple of the Wing." Mala said, pointing to a building. "And next to it is our healing center. Where both man and dragon can be treated." She said,
Hicca looked intrigued. "You can heal dragons?" She asked.
"Some injuries, yes," Mala smiled back at her.
"I have learned a few things with treating our dragons, maybe we can share what we know," Hicca offered, even though she and Mala got on the wrong foot, she knew that she had learned to cooperate with her and she couldn't say no to learning new things.
Mala gave a small grin, "Perhaps Hicca Haddock." She said to the haddock girl.
Mala then pulled out the same strange fruit that they gave them to their dragons earlier. "We call it Sagefruit. It calms even the most aggressive dragons. Makes them easier to handle."
"Which explains why our dragons have been so docile." Hiccup said as he rubbed Toothless' head.
"Which explains why they eat the fruits since they are on a more carnivorous diet like fish or any other meat like chicken." Hicca added as she hugged Midnight's head. "But Midnight and Toothless weren't as docile as you think."
"Yes, when you two were in danger, they ignored its effects," Mala said, looking quite impressive. "That was very impressive."
"Well, they're no ordinary dragons," Hiccup smiled as Toothless nuzzled him.
'You better believe it!' Toothless warbled.
"You do have a connection with them, Hiccup and Hicca Haddock," Mala admitted. "I do not understand it, but I cannot deny it."
"Well, maybe if we took you for a ride?" Hiccup offered.
Mala looked up at the sky and then to the statue of the Great Protector. "No. Such a thing is forbidden." She said to them.
Hicca just raised a brow, "Well, I don't think Midnight or Toothless would mind too much," She told her, "To us, riding dragons isn't forcing them to take where we want, it's about them trusting us to see the world the way they do." She said as she rubbed Midnight's head.
Mala thought of what Hicca just said as she was deep in thought. "I see."
"Uh, Your Majesty?" Fishlegs asked as Mala turned to him and saw he was looking at the statue. "What is this Dragon?" He asked
"That is our Great Protector," she said proudly. "The Eruptodon, He eats lava from the volcano to keep us all safe. If not for him, all of this would burn to the ground." She explained.
"Eats lava?" Ruffnut asked as she starred. "Awesome."
"We should hook it up with Meatlug," Tuffnut commented. "You know, she pukes lava. He might be into that kind of thing."
"You may actually want to consider inviting some Gronckles here to give him a snack." Raeda commented "I wondered why you would build a village at the base of an active volcano." She said as she was folding her arms. "And this also explains why you worship him and why you're so protective of him."
"Indeed." Mala nodded. "So you understand why we do what we must do to protect not only ourselves but her as well." She told him.
"So it is a Boulder Class," Fishlegs said, pulling out the Book of Dragons and began to sketch it.
Snotlout chuckled. "I think you're Great Protector is asleep on the job." He said, pointing at the smoke coming from the volcano.
Mala's eyes widened, "That should not be," she said in a panic voice.
"Let us check it out for you," Hiccup offered. "We can be there in just a few—"
"No, Hiccup Haddock," Mala said firmly. "While you are here, I ask you to respect our ways. You may come with us on foot."
"Okay, we'll do it your way," Hiccup said.
"Then let's move!" Hicca called out as the others followed them to the volcano.
(Linebreak)
They started to make their way up to the volcano and they could see that lava was pouring down and was already hitting the far side of the island.
"The Great Protector has never let the lava get this far," said Mala looking deeply troubled.
"That is never good from what you told us." Hicca said in worried.
"I'm sure there's an explanation." Hiccup told her.
Mala turned to her Defenders. "You three, start chopping down this line of trees before the fire spreads further into the forest. The rest of you, come with me to the Den of the Great Protector."
(Linebreak)
The Riders followed Mala and her Defenders to where the Eruptodon and as they made their way up the path they noted that the Defenders had actually gifts for him as a way of showing thanks.
"Wow! Look at all these gifts they leave for the Eruptodon." Heather said as they passed the gifts.
Hookfang then spat fire at Snotlout, 'Why don't you do that for me?' He snorted.
who quickly turned on him. "What? I treat you fine," he said defensively. "You don't even like flowers. Needy Dragon."
They soon reached some sort of archway and both Mala and Throk noticed that something was wrong immediately.
"There should be guards here," Mala said in fear as they quickly ran past the archway and Hiccup follow them. They entered into the volcano itself, but when they got inside he saw no trace of the Eruptodon. "The Protector is gone!" she exclaimed.
"Could he just be on a different part of the island?" Hiccup asked.
"Maybe he just went for a little flight and got lost." Hicca reasoned.
Mala shook her head. "No, he never strays far from his food source. And the Great Protector never leaves the island defenseless." She pointed out.
"Guys," Astrid said as the two turned to the Shield Maiden.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, turning towards her.
Astrid picked up an arrow that appeared to be tipped. She tasted the liquid on it and spat it out immediately. "Dragon Hunters," She said grimly.
"What?" Hiccup stared in shock.
"And it's fresh," Astrid told them, handing Hiccup the arrow. "I think the Hunters took the Eruptodon."
Hiccup's eyes widened in horror as he realized what had just happened. "Viggo. He wasn't trying to keep us from this island. He was leading us here. To use as a diversion so he could steal their dragon. How did I fall for that?" He scolded himself.
"I did tell you, he always hides what he is really after." Hicca pointed out only to be elbowed by Heather.
"So, you were just a distraction after all." Mala said, picking up yet another arrow, "I was actually beginning to believe you two." She said before crushing the arrow.
"No, this isn't what you think." Hiccup said quickly.
"Mala please, you can't prove that-" Hicca tried to reason.
"Silence, Haddocks!" Mala roared. "You've served your master well. Without the Eruptodon to protect us, the fate of my village is sealed, but so is yours." She then pointed a finger at him and shook angrily.
"Mala…" Hiccup
"I warned you what would happen if I found out you were lying to me." She said to the Defenders surrounding the Riders pointing their spears at them. "Your people are going to die for what you've done. But first, Hiccup, Hicca…" She then drew his sword and pointed it right at Hiccup's throat. "I'm going to kill you two myself." She said as the riders backed away
Midnight then growled in warning, 'Don't you dare!' She said as the other dragons followed her example.
Hicca turned to them, "Mala listen to our dragons, they would never help anyone if it meant another dragon would be harmed!" She pleaded to them.
Mala however ignores her. "Seize them!" She ordered her men.
The other Riders hurried to their dragons but were blocked off by the Defenders.
"This is not how we thought this should go." Raeda commented as the others nodded in agreement as they just stood there as they faced the Defenders, waiting for one another to make their next move.
But just before the Defenders could close the circle a blur wizz right passed them, knocking them back. "Stop!" A voice yelled.
"What the?" Hiccup said as he looked up and saw five dragons circling over them.
The Riders looked carefully and recognized them, "Wait, Scout?" Hiccup said.
"Lockjaw?" Astrid and Raeda said.
"Sandstorm?" Fishlegs, Heather and Snotlout said.
"Sandtrapper?" the Thorston Twins said.
Hicca looked at the final dragon, "Wildstar?" She gasped before she noticed someone was on her back, "Wait, is that?" She said as the five Dragons landed before them.
Then the person on Wildstar dismounted with his back to the others as they gasped, "Oh my thor." Fishlegs gasped.
"Whoa." Tuffnut breathed out.
"I don't believe it." Astrid said.
"No way." Raeda added.
"It can't be." Hiccup said in disbelief.
The person then glanced at them with a small smile, "Well, long time no see, huh guys?" He asked.
Hicca felt as her heart itself stopped, "H-Henry?" She said to the one person she thought was gone.