Chapter 27- Trustfall
"Jack!"
The name jumped out, away from his own command.
The human-form dragon plummeting from the sky, vulnerable, frail and still yet to awaken. A small bundle of frantic scales clinging to him in panic.
He was so far away, and yet Hiccup could see it as though it were magnified by a seeing glass. The scent of rancid young terror seared up his nostrils- he swore he could hear the individual rustlings of every hair on the Sky Dragon's head, and see the churning currents of the air around them.
Because something happened he would not in thousand years have expected. Somewhere along the way, the Sky Dragon had decided that saving his life, this time, took the shape of transforming him into a dragon.
If he wasn't watching his soulmate plummet to his second death, he'd given far more attention to the new body he'd been thrown into. Forcibly adjusting to a new set of limbs was frankly debilitating at that moment. Fumbling through the air felt like he was still trapped in a dream, trying to move anywhere, as he desperately trying to find a way to close the distance between them. Every inch was hard fought and not nearly good enough- the ocean constantly loomed below, simultaneously appearing as though it could be seconds or hours from impact.
He screamed out in frustration, snatching the air in front of him as he tried to shoot himself groundward with stupidly reckless abandon. Grimmel had said the pursuit of dragons would only lead him to his own imminent early demise, and perhaps he was right. Perhaps this was a charge towards his death. This final stretch of open sky one last chance to decide… He watched Jack's unconscious face- absurdly calm for the danger he was in, entirely unaware of the choice.
This life: the dragons, the harmony, the Sky Dragon- does he pursue it all to its very end… or does he let it all go. Let them fade away into beautiful fairytales, locked away beneath the ocean.
As if that were any choice at all. Grimmel himself knew.
He was never going to let them go.
There was a whispering at the back of his mind- an itch that demanded attention. Echoes of a bitten, fractured connection reassembling itself. Something like a sleepy voice hovering just beyond his reach, searching him with just a little tendril of curiosity- and when he looked back down... crystal blue eyes, so distant, but so very, very clear, gazed back into his. Shuttered, with a whisper of uncertainty. Through their flickering, hazy connection, he saw himself in the Sky Dragon's eyes. Verdant green, with prickly spikes of earthen brown running down his back, all his limbs dipped the same earthy colour. His body glimmered with dirt-mottled emerald scales- and there, on his back, a set of ragged wings sprouted forth. Not that they were doing him much good right now.
He'd had a long held theory, that flying to the dragons came as instinct. Now was not the best time to be proven completely and utterly wrong!
Gliding was a completely different- he didn't have all these extra things attached to him then! He thought his tail was supposed to help him balance, instead of just flailing all over the place! How did one coordinate the equivalent of six arms?! He struggled and strained, thrusting his wings in roughly downwards-driving beats, clawing through every grain of sky to pull them closer together.
The baby Night Fury had calmed considerably, it's carrier cradling it in with a gentle, absent croon. He couldn't lose him like this. He couldn't just let him fall after everything they'd done- all that they'd lived through! Grimmel, Drago, the disasters and mess ups of Berk, Pitch… he couldn't just let him down. Just a little further! He'd been stupid enough these last few days- don't let it end like this! Please! Just this once- just for the hell of it- let him catch the Sky Dragon!
He didn't care what he had to fight- he'd do it all! For his Sky Dragon- for the village, and the dragons- for all that he loved and held dear to his heart, he would battle the skies and earth itself.
He lashed out with his talons, flinching as Jack yelped, and he froze with an entirely new type of worry. Misjudging the distance… even with this gap, he'd somehow grazed him. He could scarcely control himself- wasn't aware of his own strength in this form. He could seriously hurt them! For once, the giant and powerful creature was him, and feeling terrified him almost as much the thought of failing and letting them slip through his grasp.
He found himself frozen in dread. He so desperately didn't want to hurt them, but he didn't dare do nothing. With how long they'd been plummeting, the ocean had to be close now. What did he do- what did he do?!
He watched as a familiar light of soul-deep knowing softened the Sky Dragon's eyes.
He didn't know what he'd suddenly felt, or slowly realised- but the ice dragon's great inner warmth swelled around him like a wave of home. His face bloomed a familiar sight- the profound adoration that had taken only days to mourn the sight of, bringing tears to the Viking's eyes.
The Sky Dragon smiled at him… slowly… languidly, eyes shining with unwavering belief… reached his arm out, skywards, towards him. Right there for all to see, as all else slowed down around him.
Trust.
He didn't know that it had ever truly left them, but the strength of it was palpable. He didn't know if he'd ever seen it so plainly. The Sky Dragon had believed in him even when he hadn't seen much to believe in himself… and, through that faith, discovered himself far more capable and amazing than he ever imagined being.
He would follow the Sky Dragon's trust- believing not only in the playful chaos maker that kept his heart alive, but in the faith his dragon had shown him.
He could do this.
He abandoned his desperate flailing attempts at flying and falling. Calmly collecting everything that he'd learnt when he soared with sturdy leather flaps beneath his arms- recalled the feeling as he became one with the Sky Dragon's great and powerful body, feeling his wings bend and shift as though they were his own.
He tucked himself into an emerald bullet, refusing to be held back by second guessing.
He didn't think- didn't give himself any chance for panic. He simply shot down. Let instinct and faith lead him blindly- and made one final grab.
He missed, not quite.
Overshooting and pinning the Sky Dragon with a barely solid grasp around torso. The hatchling squealed beneath his too tight grip, but he couldn't risk another attempt- this had to be it! He had to stop!
He snapped back, pulling out his wings as wide, and as far, and as stretched as he dared- feeling the outraged screams of the caged winds clamouring to be let free of his straining wings.
The roaring of the waters below sprang up loud in his ears, the foam rose up to meet him, and then…
…just as suddenly as there had been chaos ruling over the air, a steady command was quickly set over it. The winds falling fast into an abrupt calm, as they gave up their rage. Steadily holding him up in a simple current instead. A steady flow of wintery air, embracing him just above the rolling waters' reach.
Jack's outstretched hand reached skyward. A steady stream of winter's breath guided by his will, allowing the freshly flown dragon to softly settle into a gentle hover.
Brisk nips of the ocean's cold snapped at his now clawed toes- its mist blowing salted drops into his face… that was close. Way too close… but they'd made it.
They were alive.
"I've got you."
The human-form dragon muttered, half to the hatchling cradled in his arm, half to the soulmate he cradled with the wind.
The Sky Dragon's dangling feet also brushed with the ocean's waves below, but with that brief touch, he lit up with that knowing twinkle that said he was about to some something quietly incredible.
With that light touch of his toes, he spun a glacial plateau. The water beneath him spiralling out with feathered frost beneath his steadying touch. Briefly rocking back and forth, restlessly, atop the water. Until he stepped down to lay upon it a single foot, and slowly… impossibly… it found a way to root itself onto the rock-bed below. Steady and secure. Enough to shelter a human-shaped dragon, a draconic-form human, and a tiny, little bundle of dark scales and lumpy limbs at least.
The Sky Dragon was the first to settle upon it. Hiccup, far less elegant, somehow face-planted stomach first, and managed to wipe out the Sky Dragon beneath him- almost throwing them both straight into the saltwater.
Waves knocked them back and forth with playful bounces as Sky Dragon laid splat underneath his weight- not seeming the least bit concerned for having lost the anchor of his raft. Hysterical laughter erupted out of him, bobbing the dragon-Viking more so than the rocky ocean itself, as he easily dragged them into another steady anchorage.
The Viking was dizzy, still trying to orient themselves with what exactly was going on. But, looking down at the giggling madman, still bouncing him up and down with rippling tickles of laughter… it settled his soul like nothing else. The new light of dawn was lighting up the sky in beautiful hues, but he was basking in the sight below. The fresh sun brought a whole new life and light to the swirls of mirth of his Sky Dragon's eyes… so bright, and full of life… and in that moment, Hiccup thinks to himself (or perhaps to someone else), loudly and clearly:
'I am never going to let you go'.
He thinks. Out-loud he says:
"We'll find a way."
It was some peculiar mix of dragon-intonated Norse- his voice not quite designed to handle human tongues. But with some bizarre combination of luck, intention, and the echoes of his emotions in his mind, he felt sure the Sky Dragon had understood.
They relaxed. A gentle wave of affection and gratitude drifting through the fresh spring dew of their reforming connection. Bowing his head upwards into the softer scales of his stomach with a deep, resonating purr of contentment- just a little glimpse into the dragon's experience.
The vibrations settled deep along the Viking's spine, releasing a tension he'd hadn't even realised he'd been carrying with him for days…
But, for all that the sensation felt like sweet balm on an aching wound… he was growing a little tired of not quite feeling like himself.
The claws, the unwieldy size, it just wasn't him. The exhaustion of having to carry an awareness of three extra limbs- on top of all of the input from the heightened senses- it was a lot… It was incredible, don't get him wrong, but he was ready to go back to being himself again.
The change was simple- he just had to want it. Feel for the sense of who he was before, and reach for that much more familiar sense of being… He remembered the gaps between his fingers and the niggling bit of skin a their base- the pad and ball of his bare foot, the feeling as it slapped against warm stone and wooden beams- the squishy skin at the end of his nub, all strange and wiggly… He thought of it all, and he willed himself back to it.
Unlike a Night Fury, who'd struggled with the shifting ability hurriedly thrust upon him, once upon a time, Hiccup held no shame or regret about his humanity. It was who he was- and he accepted, and appreciated, all of that. Scars and all. It was another something else he owed, at least in part, to the Sky Dragon, who would never fail to note the simple delights of his shed-scale form… from the ends of his hair to the tips of his toes.
With the change back, however, came the return of forgotten burns. Scorching up his raw, pink skin, as the flameproof scales of dragon-skin receded.
Searing lines burnt across his face, like a brand skimmed across his cheeks… It nearly went unnoticed, because his hands… His hands still felt like they were being plunged into red hot flames.
He'd dabbled as a blacksmith- he was no stranger to getting his hands burnt, but this was painful.
When the soothing salve of a delicate, ice cold touch reached out to envelop his scars, and douse the raging flames, he shuddered with relief. Murmured, hushing, whispering- a few tickling breaths of cooling wind blowing over them, as the hurt receded away… When it had calmed down a little, he could look it over properly. His brief stint with scales did more than just briefly mask over the damage it seemed- they weren't nearly as raw as he expected, somewhere close to scarring already. The underneath and his palms were blissfully spared, but the tops, well… if he didn't know what his draconic hands actually looked like, he might've said they looked oddly like a dragons.
The angry scorch marks bridging across his nose and cheeks could get set aside for now- they, at least, had been mostly shielded when he brought up his arms to guard himself. He had not, however, been wearing his flameproof gloves when he decided he charged at the flames, and now he was bearing the consequences.
Slowly, he managed to bring his stringent breaths to back something slightly calmer. The Sky Dragon's icy cold hands had never been such a blessing. So many times, he'd curse his Bonded for deliberately shoving an icy hand down the back of his neck… who would've thought he'd end up thanking the gods for that self-same chill.
As his breath grew slower and deeper, he started to pay a little more attention to the world around them. The ice float was still and steady amidst the rolling, restless ocean, the rescued hatchling was mouthing contently on a ball of ice as big as its head (presumably given to them by Jack to occupy them while he doled out his frosty first aid)… he couldn't help like he was forgetting something.
THE VILLAGE!
He jumped up with a start, the Sky Dragon pulling back down against any attempts to scramble upright with an immovable grip.
"Woah- it's okay.. It's alright." He reassured him. "…The Nightmares are nothing without fear- the others can easily handle the rest." He finished, filling in with his thoughts the additional bits he didn't say out loud. That the stench of terror was now noticeably absent from the Hidden World's chasm- and with Grimmel gone, the Nightmares lost both their leader and their will to fight. Those that weren't fleeing, remained lost and confused, but their numbers were already dwindling. The battle had already turned when he left to go find him- and with all of Berk and every Sky Dragon on their case, the Nightmares wouldn't be sticking around long for a battle they couldn't win.
Surely enough, if he glanced overhead, he could make out a few of their shady shadows racing away towards the horizon. They were going to be okay…
The battle was over. Grimmel was gone… They were safe.
A/N: Final chapter coming next- really hope it lives up to ending this near decade old trilogy of mine. Its a pretty long one so get ready for all of the feels. The battle is over, but they've got a whole other fight to discuss. see ya then with the last one.