Chapter 10: Switching Sides and Returning Favors

Back at Drago's camp, Drago's massive flagship leads the flotilla, pulled along forcefully by whatever's at the other end of the enormous chain.

Drago whacks the chain with his bullhook, spurring it forward.

(Linebreak)

On Drago's ship, Eret, Astrid, Henry , and the Gang are escorted to the stern, surrounded by several of Drago's soldiers. Wrists bound. Spear tips pressed into their backs.

"Could this day get any worse?" Snotlout sarcastically said to their situations.

"Uh, let me see. You'll jump into freezing cold water and then die from drowning." Tuffnut pointed out the obvious of their time as Raeda rolled her eyes.

"Well then let's review our options," Dagur said before counting, "Death by Freezing cold, Death by drowning or Death by hungry Tidal class dragons."

"Or all of the above?" Valerie said sarcastically.

"Knock it off all of you! We'll be fine." Raeda said in annoyance as she looked up above her head as she looked at her Deadly Nadder who was waiting for her single, she had kept out of sight from Drago's forces from hiding in the icicles as the ships sailed by while waiting for the right moment to rescue her rider and her friends.

Raeda nodded her head, in waiting for the right moment, Sparkfire agreed in waiting for the right time to pounce.

They reach the gang plank. Eret peers overboard at the deep, icy water below. "Looks refreshing." He said casualty.

"Icy freezing death refreshing if you wanna look at it." Henry sarcastically said with a glare.

"I'm a glass half full kind of guy." Eret said with a shrug as he turned to Astrid, meeting her glare with mock chivalry. "Please, ladies first." He said to the soldiers.

A pair of soldiers grab Astrid by the arms. "You are a steaming heap of dragon -" she was cut off when Eret spoke.

"-duck." Eret finishes as he whirls around, round-housing both soldiers. They go down, heavily. He catches one of their spears with his bound hands and slices his ropes free. They fall away as he catches the other spear, twirling both in invitation.

"Warn the others!" A soldier called out as he ran to send up the alarm while the last two raised blow dart tubes.

Eret swipes the first off of his legs, sending the dart into the neck of the second.

"Get `em, you son of an Eret!" Ruffnut cheered, now having interest in him again.

As the downed soldiers scramble to their feet, Fishlegs falls over, crushing them under his weight.

Eret catches the falling tube from the second soldier and blows the dart at the fleeing third. The soldier drops, unconscious - just shy of the Captain's Quarters.

"Okay, I love you again." Ruffnut stated as she skipped past Fishlegs on her way to Eret. Fishlegs watches, crestfallen.

"Ugh. Pathetic. You can still jump." Tuffnut stated in not amusing.

A group of soldiers saw this and charge at them, Raeda sees them then did a hand single, the soldiers stop in confusing, but then Sparkfire jumps down from her hiding spot and attack the soldiers with her tail, she whips around with her claws and wings, taking them down and pinning them to the wall or ground with her spine shots. Once they were all down, Sparkfire came towards her rider and used her claws to break the riders bindings.

"Thanks, Sparkfire. Good girl." Raeda thanks her dragon as she petted her snout as Sparkfire purrs from the touch and knowing that her rider and friends are now safe.

Eret avoids Ruffnut who was held down by her brother and turns to Astrid and Henry. "So? Are we going to save the rest of your dragons and get out of here or not?" Eret asked politely as he now knows that humans and dragons can coexist with one another after what Stormfly did. Astrid narrows her eyes while Henry raises an eyebrow, not knowing what to make of him.

But it didn't last long when Sparkfire came to Eret's side. Eret turns to the Deadly Nadder as Sparkfire nudges his shoulder, as in forgiving him of the trap and for rescuing her friends. Eret responds by petting the dragon's snout as it purrs. The other watches in shock and relief, if Sparkfire forgives him, they should too.

"Well, Sparkfire trusted you. So we can give you a chance." Henry said with a small smile and s shrug.

"Check every trap. They're here somewhere." Eret told them as they went to do just that.

Before Raeda could go with them, she stopped and mounted on Sparkfire's saddle as the group turned to her. "You guys get your dragons, I'll keep watch and wait for your signal when it's time." She told them as they nodded in agreement.

"Be careful, Rae." Snotlout said in concern.

"Always, Snotlout." Raeda said with a warming smile as she and Sparkfire took to the air and hid from Drago's army when it's time.

(Linebreak)

Moments later on Drago's ship, the riders search through the ship for their dragons as they split up to check the traps. Astrid slips under a tarp and cranks open a metal trap. She peers between its massive iron teeth, discovering Meatlug and Camo inside, both bound and chained to its base as bait.

"Meatlug? Camo?" Astrid said as it got the two dragons' attention.

'Astrid! You're safe!' Meatlug growls in relief which gives her hope means Fishlegs and the others are too.

'Now quick, get us out here!' Camo growled desperately, since Drago's men tied his muzzle down tight with special metal to prevent him from shooting acid or cloaking so he wouldn't escape or free the other dragons.

(Linebreak)

With Valerie and Tuffnut, they were at another trap as Valerie turned the crank of another cage as she noticed that Tuffnut wasn't keeping watch like he should but looked concerned.

"Is there anyone close by, Tuff?" Valerie asked the Thorston boy as she kept cranking.

"Uh?" Tuffnut asked in confusion before he realized what she just said. "Oh, uh, no. And I don't think they notice us." He informed her.

Valerie could tell he was lying and smiled in sympathy, "Worried about Ruff with Eret?" She asked, knowing despite how much they fight, the Thornston Twins care deeply for each other.

Tuffnut sighed, "I will never understand how Ruff is always into big hunky handsome warrior guys who try to kill us." He said, referring to Ruff and Throk's brief romance.

"Well, Ruff can be pretty oblivious to love. And I think Fishlegs is the same way with her half the time." Valerie said with a slight chuckle as she finished cranking. "Though sometimes she can be pretty quick on romance. Which is really weird since she just met the guy." She added since Ruffnut just met Eret for like a day already.

Tuff sighed tiredly, wishing his sister would stop being so picky about men. Valerie walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry Tuff, I'm sure Ruff will find her guy eventually, you just remember to support her when she needs you, okay?" She said with a calming smile.

"Well, I'll try. But sometimes I can be pretty overprotective of her. Like with Fishlegs when he is trying to get her attention." Tuffnut stated as Valerie let out a small giggle which Tuff found cute.

Tuff darted his eyes as if struggling with something before breathing in, "Listen Val, there's something I need tell you that-"

Valerie cut Tuffnut off as she grabbed him by the chest of his vest as she gave Tuffnut a surprise kiss with her eyes closed as Tuffnut looked on with wide eyes as Valerie broke the kiss as Tuffnut just stood there in stunt.

"I already know, Tuff." Valerie said with a warming smile. "And I love you too."

"W-w-wha…" Tuffnut sputtered as he tried to make out the words. "H-h-how did you-?! When did you-?!" He tried to ask.

"Ever since we first met on Dragons Edge during the Changewing Migration, you've been pretty close to me and been defending me when others tried to talk me down for something like that time with Astrid when I pranked her." Valerie explained with a smirk. "And that, you've been pretty nervous whenever I'm around you that you sweat a lot and give shaky hands. And I know it's not the cold getting to you." She added with a chuckle.

Tuffnut then realizes that as he wiped his forehead, which showed that he was sweating, even in the cold as he looked at his hands as they were shaking like a speedstinger when it moved very fast.

Tuffnut gave a sheepish chuckle from that as he spoke. "Okay, you got me. I guess I wasn't the best Crush Concealer." He said with a slight chuckle as he rubbed his head.

"You should take notes on Raeda and Snotlout when they hid there, assuming the latter doesn't force you to pay." Valerie joked with a smile as the two gave small laughs together.

The two then looked at each other as they gave embarrassing looks as they gave a slight blush. "So, what gave you those feelings for me anyway?" Valerie asked in curiosity.

"Well you ride a Changewing, you can turn invisible, your Loki made flesh, you're super cool, you got good looks and a really cute laugh," Tuffnut counted before thinking, "Um, did I forget something?"

"No. You didn't forget anything else." Valerie said as she turned to him with a slight blush and a warming smile. "So, why didn't you say it earlier before we got caught by Drago?" She asked.

"W-well, I've been pretty nervous and to be honest, I've never really done this love thing before." Tuffnut explained with a small smile. "I mean, I saw how Hiccup and Astrid, as well as Henry and Hicca, Fishlegs and Heather before they broke up, and now Raeda and Snotlout did it, my sister went through many love fest before but they didn't work out in the end, so for me, I've never had this experience before in my life. Way before I could even walk." He added as he then looked at Valerie. "So when I first met you, Valerie, you've been pretty much all I could think about. You're funny, awesome, have some amazing Loki skills, and not to mention beautiful, pretty, and sweet, so I just couldn't figure out words to say to you before." He finished with a smile.

Valerie kept giving Tuff a warming smile as her blushed glowed brighter as she held one of her arms. "So, do you know what to say now?" She asked with a smile.

"As matter of fact, I do." Tuffnut answered with a smile. "If there's anything I would want to say to you, it would be…" He stopped as the two looked each other in the eyes for a moment as he continued. "I love you, Valerie Ragmok." He finished.

The two then leaned in and kissed each other as Tuffnut held Valerie by her cheeks with one of his hands as the two broke apart as Valerie looked down with tears of joy.

"I love you too, Tuff." Valerie said softly with a smile.

Tuffnut smiled warmly at her as he held her hand. "Come on. Let's go free our dragons." He said to her softly.

Valerie nodded as the two climbed into the trap as they saw Henry's dragons, bound and chain, in it.

"Wildstar, Lockjaw!" Tuffnut started.

"Sandstorm, Sandtrapper, Scout!" Valerie beamed as the five saw the two and growled in relief. "Hang tight, We're coming!"

(Linebreak)

In the other trap, Eret is carefully cranking another trap, wincing at the sound. The iron jaws of the trap open wider with every click while he is very careful not drawing any attention to Drago's soldiers.

"Anyone coming?" Eret asked Ruffnut, who is 'standing guard', fixated on Eret's rippling biceps.

"I don't know. You just keep doing what you're doing. Keep cranking'..." Ruffnut said dreamingly as she watched Eret's biceps.

Eret squeezes between the cocked teeth, finding Stormfly within, muzzled and chained. She looks up at Eret, calming immediately. He pauses, then approaches slowly.

Eret carefully reaches out and strokes Stormfly's muzzle. "Thank you for saving my life." He said as Stormfly purred from his touch as she closed her eyes. Eret then gives a determined look. "Now let me return the favor." He said to her as he was ready to make things right and help the riders stop Drago.