Chapter 21: The Flightmare

Berk

August 18

It was a sunny, beautiful mid-summer's day, a good day to spend outdoors. The only problem was that nobody was outdoors. Not one person stepped out of their houses even once. As a result, no customers came at all to Gobber's forge and it turned out to be a very slow day for him and Hiccup.

Hiccup busied himself with some of the chores of the forge. He was currently dusting the walls with a featherduster while Gobber pressed a sword that didn't even need sharpening against the grindstone, looking very bored. Gobber lifted the sword up, looked at it, let out a loud yawn and pressed the sword back onto the round, rolling stone.

Hiccup also let out a loud yawn but as he watched the golden sparks bounce off the sword's blade against the grindstone, he was getting an idea. As soon as Gobber lifted the sword to examine it again, Hiccup said, "Hey, Gobber, what do you think of the idea of a flaming sword?"

"A what, lad?" Gobber asked, his eyes slightly lighting up in spite of his still-bored face.

"A flaming sword," Hiccup said.

He put the feather duster down and reached for his journal and charcoal stick, turned a page and began to work on his idea.

"You douse the sword with a little oil like the kind we use to light the torches, press a lighted match against the blade and it lights up," Hiccup explained. "Maybe that would be nice to use in battles and combat and such."

Gobber's eyes were lighting up even more. "I suppose that would be nice…until you accidentally light up someone's house or melt their eyes out."

"So we'll be careful," Hiccup said, finishing his sketch of a fiery sword. "Or at least we'll try to be."

"Hiccup? Gobber?" Stoick's familiar voice called out.

Hiccup and Gobber looked up to see Stoick approaching.

"Hi, Dad," Hiccup greeted.

"Hi, Stoick," Gobber greeted at the same time.

"Hi, son, Gobber," Stoick greeted. "Slow day for you, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Gobber grumbled. "Not a single solitary customer."

"But I did come up with the idea of a flaming sword," Hiccup said, holding up his drawing.

"That's nice, son," Stoick said, not even looking at the drawing or even sounding interested in his son's new idea. "Do you even know why you haven't any customers, Gobber?"

"Beats me," Gobber shrugged.

"Well, I know," Stoick said.

"I'm listening."

"It's because Aurvandil's Fire is to appear tonight," Stoick said gravely.

Gobber's eyes popped open. "Aurvandil's Fire?! You mean it's been exactly ten years…since…since…"

"Since what?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick nodded gravely.

"Odin's beard, I completely lost track of how many years have passed!"

"What's Aurvandil's Fire? And what happened ten years ago?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick and Gobber looked at each other.

"We'd better tell him if we want to prepare him for tonight, Stoick," Gobber said.

"Prepare me for what?" Hiccup asked anxiously.

Stoick nodded again and turned to Hiccup.

"Every ten years, Hiccup, Aurvandil's Fire appears in the sky for one night," Stoick explained.

"You mean there's going to be actual fire in the sky?" Hiccup asked, his eyes also lighting up.

"No not fire-fire," Gobber said. "A series of blue lights."

"Blue lights in the sky?" Hiccup muttered, confused. Then his eyes lit up again. "Oh, you mean the northern lights! But we see them every night."

"Not in a bluish-color, we don't," Gobber said.

"Oh, yeah, we see them in other colors," Hiccup said, nodding. "We see them in gold, pink, purple, green…"

"Hiccup, focus," Stoick chided.

"Sorry."

"But it's only for one night every ten years that the northern lights turn all-blue," Gobber said. "So a long time ago, we Berkians decided to call the blue lights Aurvandil's Fire. And when Aurvandil's Blue Fire appears…" He used a dramatic voice. "…so does the Flightmare Dragon."

"The Flightmare Dragon?" Hiccup asked, chills running down his spine.

"Unlike the dragons that raid us from time to time, the Flightmare only appears for one night every ten years," Stoick said.

"And from the looks of it, tonight is the night," Gobber added.

"But why does it only come here once every ten years?" Hiccup asked.

"No one knows," Stoick answered.

"All we do know is that it glows like an apparition and lets out a ghostly-like call," Gobber explained. "And anyone that stands in its way is a goner.

Hiccup gulped. "That almost makes it sound scarier than Night Furies."

Gobber chuckled. "As spine-tingling as Flightmares are, nothing will ever be scarier than Night Furies, laddie. But everyone in this village are scared of the Flightmare, hence my empty forge."

"The only one who isn't scared is Finn Hofferson," Stoick said.

"Astrid's uncle?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," Stoick said. "He's been preparing himself for weeks. I paid him a visit just a few minutes ago and offered him some help but he refused. He truly believes he's the only one who can defeat the Flightmare for good."

"Tell me about it," Gobber said. "He never even comes here to ask me to grind or polish his axe and other weapons. 'I'm a Hofferson and Hoffersons take care of their own weapons' he always says."

Stoick nodded. "He hardly asks for any help. And he won't be accepting any help in facing the Flightmare."

"Well, let's hope for his sake that he does finish it off," Gobber said uneasily.

"I'm sure he will," Hiccup said, trying to lift his father's and mentor's spirits up.

"I'm glad you think so," Gobber said. "You'd better go home early, Hiccup. You wouldn't want to be out here after dark in case the Flightmare decides to show up early."

"That's a very good idea," Stoick agreed. "Come on, son."

"Yes, Dad," Hiccup said, approaching his dad and waving good-bye to Gobber. "Bye, Gobber. You be careful too."

"Don't worry about me, lad," Gobber said confidently, also waving.

As they left the forge side-by-side, hand-in-hand, Hiccup looked up at his father.

"Dad, was the Flightmare the dragon who took Mom away?" he asked.

"No, son," Stoick said, looking down. "That was another dragon."

…..

Later That Night…

Day eventually turned into night over Berk.

In his bedroom, Hiccup crawled over to the headboard of his bed on his knees and pulled the curtains of his window aside. Now he was able to see the glowing blue lights shimmering across the black night sky.

"So that's Aurvandil's Fire," he murmured in awe.

If not for a dragon that was to attack at any minute, he would've walked out of his house to get a better view of it. But he had been given strict orders by his father to remain indoors until it was known for sure that the Flightmare was completely gone.

Hiccup understood that Stoick wanted him to be safe and unharmed but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He would have liked to have helped his father with the Fightmare dilemma. He didn't know how he would help but at least he'd be helping. Stoick assured him that remaining where he'd be safe was all the help he could offer.

"But once I'm old enough, I'll help protect the people from any dragon that would dare invade our island," Hiccup vowed to himself.

His wishful thinking was interrupted by the sound of panicked screams coming from the village followed by the sound of blaring horns.

"The Flightmare is here!" a man was shouting outside.

Over the sounds of the screams and horns, Hiccup heard a new sound: a kind of ghostly-like call that seemed to make his very heart freeze. Then he saw a glimpse of a winged creature that glowed blue like the lights in the sky swoop a little past his house – the Flightmare!

Hiccup drew back the curtains and laid down across his bed, pulling the sheets up over his head. He pulled a corner of the sheets slightly to listen to what was happening outside. They were faint of course but he could still hear the sounds of screaming people and objects being knocked over along with the Flightmare's ghostly cry.

About half an hour later, the sounds ceased.

Hiccup pulled the sheets away from his head and looked up at the window shielded by the curtains. All was silent. Was the Flightmare gone now?

He got to his knees and pulled the curtain from the window a bit. The blue, shimmering lights of Aurvandil's Fire still shone across the sky but there was no sign of the glowing Flightmare.

Maybe it was gone.

He remembered Stoick and Gobber talking about how Finn Hofferson was determined to finish it off himself. Maybe he succeeded. Maybe he managed to kill the Flightmare after all.

But something seemed off. If the Flightmare really was dead, then the people would be celebrating and cheering all around. So why was it still so quiet outside?

Hiccup had a bad that feeling something awful happened. But what?

Then there came a sound: the sound of his front door opening.

Hiccup cowered against the mattress then crawled down on the floor and made his way to the edge of the loft on his hands and knees. Peeking over the edge, he saw Stoick standing beside the open doorway.

"Dad!" he called.

"Hiccup," Stoick replied, looking up.

Getting to his feet, Hiccup ran down the stairs and hugged his father.

"Are you all right? And is the Flightmare gone?"

"I'm just fine, son and yes, the Flightmare's gone," Stoick answered but he still looked worried.

Now Hiccup was certain something was wrong.

"What happened?"

"Well, there's talk around the village," Stoick said.

"Talk of what?"

"Well, some of the people are saying that Finn Hofferson went out to face the Flightmare like he had been planning to and…"

"And he killed it?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

Stoick shook his head. "No. What really happened, according to the villagers, is that he…froze."

"Froze? As in frozen solid like ice?"

"No froze as in frozen in fear."

"Frozen in fear?"

"Yes. Witnesses say that once he got close enough to the Flightmare, he stopped moving instantly with a look of pure horror on his face."

"But I thought he wasn't scared of anything."

"That's what I thought. I don't understand."

Hiccup couldn't understand either. How could Fearless Finn Hofferson, who was one of the strongest and most determined Berkians, just freeze in fear in front of a dragon he had been preparing endlessly to defeat once and for all?

Just then another thought came to his mind: Astrid! She idolized her uncle just as much as he idolized his dad. How was she handling this?

"Anyway, I just stopped by to tell you that I'm going to check on the Hoffersons," Stoick said.

"Can I come with you, Dad, please? I wanna talk to Astrid. I'm worried about her."

"No, I think it's a better idea for you to remain here."

"But the Flightmare's gone now!"

"Hiccup," Stoick warned.

"Sorry," Hiccup murmured. "I'll stay here."

"Good. Now go back up to your room and try to get some sleep. It's been a long night for everyone."

"Yes, sir."

Hiccup headed back up the stairs and walked over to his bed and stood beside it. After hearing the door shut, he quickly but quietly descended down the stairs. He opened the front door ajar to make sure that Stoick was far enough. Then he quietly shut the door behind him and descended down the stone steps, keeping a close distance from his father.

As he followed Stoick to the Hoffersons' house, Hiccup kept his back hunched and ducked behind some wheelbarrows or barrels occasionally in case other people were outside. Luckily for him, no one was outside to stop him even with the Flightmare gone. Not even the beautiful blue lights of Aurvandil's Fire could lure the villagers out of their homes.

Hiccup looked from behind a barrel as he watched Stoick step over the threshold of the Hoffersons' front door and shut the door behind him. Then he ran over to the house and crouched down beside the window. As he did, he heard an awful sound coming up from the second floor: a little girl sobbing.

Hiccup knew all too well that it was Astrid who was sobbing. He hardly ever saw or heard the girl crying. It made him think of the time he saw his dad crying over his mom's disappearance.

"Stoick, I'm so glad you've come," came Ingrid, Astrid's mom's voice from the kitchen.

"I've heard some of the people talking about Finn freezing in front of the Flightmare and I wanted to find out for sure if it was true," Stoick said.

"I'm afraid so," came the somber voice of Einar, Astrid's dad. "I found him standing absolutely motionless with a look of horror on his face. I tried to revive him but he wouldn't breathe a breath of air and I couldn't hear a single heartbeat from his chest." He let out a sobbing sound. "My poor big brother. This is all my fault. I kept offering him help and he kept refusing. He insisted on facing the Flightmare alone. I should've gone along with him despite his protests. Then maybe he wouldn't have…."

"There, there, Einar, it's not your fault," Ingrid assured her husband. "I also offered him some help but he declined."

"He even declined my offer of help, Einar," Stoick said. "He's always been a wee bit stubborn but he was indeed very brave. And that's why he called himself Fearless Finn."

"After what just happened, no one's going to see him as fearless anymore," Einar wept.

" How's Astrid handling this by the way?" Stoick asked. "Hiccup was worried about her. He actually wanted to come along to see if she was all right but I told him to remain in our house."

"Maybe it's a good thing you didn't bring Hiccup along," Einar said. "She doesn't want to talk to anyone."

"She's taking it worst of all," came Ingrid's reply. "About ten minutes before you arrived, Gobber brought her home in tears. And she hardly ever cries."

"The poor girl is heartbroken," he heard Einar add. "She and Finn did everything together. He was her hero just as much as he was mine. Now we'll never see our hero again."

Hiccup knew just how Astrid and her family felt. Although his relationship with Stoick wasn't perfect, he still saw his dad as a hero. And he couldn't imagine what life would be like without him.

Hiccup decided it was time for him to get back to his house before his dad did. So he reluctantly pulled himself away from the window and headed for the direction of his place. As he walked farther and farther, he could still hear Astrid sobbing and his dad talking with her parents but he couldn't make out what they were saying anymore.

Hiccup made it all the way back to his house without being seen, opened and closed the front door then dragged himself up the stairs to his room and crawled into his bed. Stoick returned about fifteen minutes later.

Hiccup lay under his bedsheets and with his head against his pillow trying his best to fall asleep. And even as he eventually fell asleep, he could still hear the sound of Astrid's sobs in his mind.

…

Temporary Island #1

August 18

Toothless looked up at the bright blue lights shimmering across the night sky over his island. He had never seen them shine in a blue color before. He had mainly seen them in gold, purple, pink and green.

This new bluish color seemed very inviting and all the other dragons on the island were gliding beside it. So Toothless spread his wings and took off into the sky to join his neighbors.

But before he could go any higher, he heard a sound coming from the distance. It was a new sound: a kind of eerie cry that sent chills running up his usually heated spine.

Toothless perked his ears up and sniffed the air. Something was coming and sure enough, he could see some sort of glowing figure in the distance heading in his direction.

The Nadders, Gronckles and Terrors that were flying among the blue lights retreated back to the dirt and grass of the island in fear. Toothless did the same but he was not about to let some intruder frighten him. He arched his back defensively and bared his teeth. Whatever was coming, friend or foe, he'd be ready.

The figure came closer and closer. It was a new sort of dragon that Toothless had not seen before. None of the other dragons seemed to recognize it either. Its scales glowed blue like the lights above them. Its wings resembled flowing flames and its pupilless eyes were a pale blue in color. It opened its mouth and let out the eerie sound that Toothless had heard a few minutes before. It didn't seem to want to attack and so it just kept flying.

As though hypnotized, Toothless watched as the glowing blue dragon flew past their island and into the distance until it was out of sight. Once it seemed like the coast was clear, he took off into the air and resumed flying under the blue lights with the other dragons.

…

Three Months Later

Berk

November 18

Three months had passed since the Flightmare attacked and the people of Berk were still talking about it. Sometimes they talked about the glowing blue scales and ghostly cry of the Flightmare. But it was mainly Fearless Finn's "freezing in fear" they talked about.

The Hoffersons were in disgrace. This experience had ruined their family name forever. They had been present at Finn's funeral but after that they barely left their house. And when they did go out, anyone who was present spoke behind their backs.

None of the Hoffersons took this worse than Astrid. Every time someone spoke about her family or Finn's "freezing", she made a look like she wanted nothing more than to tear off their faces.

Not everyone spread the rumors of Finn and the Flightmare though. Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber, Fishlegs and his family still remained on good terms with her family but this didn't make Astrid feel any better.

On this particular morning, Gobber was escorting Hiccup from his house to the forge when they passed by Astrid sitting cross-legged outside her house, running a small stone on the blade of the dagger she had received from Trader Johann the previous year. The stone slipped out of her grasp and it rolled across the ground towards Hiccup and Gobber. Sighing in frustration, Astrid got to her feet and walked over to pick up the stone.

"Hey, uh, Astrid," Hiccup piped up timidly.

"What?!" Astrid snapped, looking up at him.

Her eyes were red and swollen and dried tearstains ran down her cheeks.

"Uh," Hiccup started, stepping back a little nervously. "Why don't you walk with us to the forge and we'll help you sharpen your knife."

"I don't need your help!" Astrid yelled, making Hiccup step back another foot. "I'm a Hofferson and Hoffersons sharpen their own weapons!" Tears started to leak from her eyes and she turned away so he wouldn't have to see. "Just go away."

Gobber gently patted Hiccup's shoulders and led him away from Astrid. "Come on, Hiccup. Let's give Astrid her space."

Hiccup nodded and kept on walking, keeping his head turned and watching Astrid resume sharpening her knife with the stone. He could feel her pain for the two of them had something in common: The both of them had lost someone very dear to them. He had lost his mom and she had lost her uncle.