Is that chapter? Looks like it is *goes back to where my mind collapse
Chapter 19: Judgment of a dragon.
And so, regardless of the state of the world, dawn came. As soon as the first ray of sunlight hit the mountain, the Messenger, accompanied by the two Guards, appeared on top of the ten groups. Daggur, who was last shift, quickly woke everyone up.
"Hey guys, I think it's time to leave."
With diverse degree of grogginess, the rest of his group woke up. Fishleg, seeing the tired faces of his friends, asked
"Didn't sleep well?"
"How could I?" Hiccup replied bitterly.
Embarrassed, Fishleg didn't continue the conversation, knowing full well that he, in fact, had a wonderful sleep hugging Meatlug.
A roar came from above, causing every being to raise their heads, only to see the two grey dragons turning around and flying away from the island.
Quickly, all the different dragon groups took off, one after the other, hastily trying catch up the trio.
"Are we going far again? Snotlout grumbled while mounting Hookfang.
"Like any one of us will know. "Spat back Astrid, "Just saddle and keep up." She added while directing Stormfly to take the air.
The Viking group quickly came in formation, and soon caught up with the two guards. Under Hiccup's command, they kept a respectful distance from both the Messenger and the rest of dragons, while making sure to put as much distance between them and the Headless clan. Looking through their rank, he spotted Tyrad, Magnus and that unknow dragon atop of a young Rumblehorn, the Singetail with his rider and the rest of the clan that he saw last night.
"Hiccup, they are only fourteen." Alerted Heather after making a quick head count.
"Impossible." Hiccup yelled over the gushing wind, " they wouldn't put themselves willingly at an disadvantage like that. Someone must have a small dragon hidden somewhere.
Making a mental of note of watching for that missing dragon, Hiccup turned his focus back on the trio in front of him. "Now where are you bringing us?"
The Guards halted brutally above a particular island, causing most dragons following them to either completely fly past, or force to take altitude in order to avoid collision. Only the experienced Vikings managed to bring their momentum smoothly to a halt. Looking behind, Hiccup was hoping to see the Headless clan struggle, but he was met with Tyrad waving to him calmly, as if thanking the young chief of his extensive dragon riding training. Hiccup knew better to respond to such cheap provocation, but it doesn't mean he was unfazed, a clear bitterness was tattered all on his face.
After landing, the berkians realized that this island that was eerily regular. Around them stood perfectly smooth wall, and regularly space around it were five cavern entrance, and each one emitting a soft glow, indicating a fire was lit inside. Squinting his eyes, Hiccup could make out the shadows of dragons lying in each cavern.
A roar got everyone's attention towards the trio of the Messenger and the two guards. The paler one stood up, and with bodily movement and some snarls and grumbled, conveyed a message that fell deaf to the hears of the Vikings.
"What are they saying?" Asked Astrid.
"Like I would know." Snotlout cut through.
Looking around, Hiccup realized in relief that they were not the only not understanding the Guard. The Headless, more precisely, the man and women of the Headless clan looked equally clueless. However, the hooded tribesman looked unfazed. Approaching them, Hiccup asked
"You understand what's he is saying?" He pointed at the grey dragon and cocking his head in a dubitative way.
"No." The chief replied "He knows. Then we know", pointing at the Forever Wing.
"And so? What is going on?"
"Emperor should be just, here, his justice will be tested."
Joining his group after briefly thanking the chief, Hiccup was call out by Dagur.
"So, brother, anything enlightening?"
"Yeah, so apparently, this trial is to test the justice of the emperor."
"What does that mean?" said Heather while grooming Windshear scales.
"Don't know. But I don't think we are facing each other." Hiccup pointed towards the cavern.
Another roar from the Guard turned every head in his direction, and, before they could react, five groups hastily choose a cavern and went in.
"Dammit." Snotlout yelled while punching his palm, "They got in."
"It's fine." Hiccup reassure. "This gives us opportunity to see what's exactly is going on."
However, as soon as he tried to leave the center, a small purple blast detonated at his feet, making his legs identical. Turning around, he saw the pale Guard staring at him menacingly, a faint purple glow shining through his teeth. Raising his hand in forfeit, Hiccup swiftly went back to the center.
"So much for that." Astrid said, before sitting down, bored. "Let's hope it doesn't take too long."
•—0—•
The first group of dragons, mainly a group of skrills, came out when the sun finished climbing in the sky. The usually aggressive dragons gently complied before the Guard that ordered them to wait in front of the cavern. Not before long, the other four groups all came out of their respective cavern and waited patiently. The darker Guard roared, and those who waited in the middle exchanged their places with those who just, apparently, finished the first trial. Another roar probably indicated the start of the second half, making Hiccup and his group hastily choosing the same cavern as the one of the Foreverwing tribe, without being able to, as they planned before, ask some tips from them.
Walking deeper into the cavern, Hiccup's group could discern in the faint light a couple of dragons waiting for them. Nestled within the cavern was a group of speed stingers.
"Keep calm, it's Speedstingers." he whispered to his friends behind before slightly bending his legs. Step by step he overtook Toothless and approached usually aggressive dragons, but, this time, they were rather docile. With infinite precautions Hiccup closed the distance, Astrid, Fishleg and the rest of the Vikings holding their breaths in anticipation and stress. Suddenly, just as he was about the reach the muzzle of one dragon, another one hissed sharply, before striking with his stinger. With his newly honed reflexes, Hiccup jumped backward just in time, relieved to avoid the paralyzing poison. Toothless reacted in a split second as well, firing a small, but powerful enough plasma shot to cause the green dragon to back off.
"Thanks 'bud." Hiccup said while calming the Night fury down.
However, another dragon, the one Hiccup was about the touch, turned and hissed at the first one. Under the Vikings surprised eyes, the few Speedstingers quickly separated themselves in two small groups, and aggressive hisses and growls resonated in the cavern.
"Hiccup, get them to stop." Snotlout yelled, complaining about the echoes, his voice barely audible between the dragon's sounds. "Odin, this is loud."
"Gave me hand bud" Hiccup ordered Toothless, how was currently covering his sensitive years.
The black dragon roared, this time this time with his alpha authority. The Speedstingers quickly calm down, and like that they remembered something, both started to talk to Toothless. Surprised, the Night Fury looked back desperately at Hiccup.
"Sorry, bud, I can't understand them."
"So, figured anything out yet?" Astrid asked as she stood aside of Hiccup.
"I don't know, something something about they need Toothless to do something." Hiccup gestured Toothless awkwardly backing off as the two leading Speedstingers kept pressuring him more and more.
"Dumb dragons probably fighting about something." A voice chimed behind the pair. Both Hiccup and Astrid looked back and saw Tuffnut leaning against the wall.
"Wait, Tuffnut, how do you know that."
"Simple," Ruffnut chimed in. "As we walked past them, I heard them talking about dispute judgement."
"But they don't even speak the common tongue of the Archipelago." Astrid said back "And you don't speak their language."
"No, but pretty sure two being fighting is the same all over the world." Ruffnut smirked back.
"They may be right" Hiccup cut in, "I did hear their chief mention something about justice."
"So what do we do now?" Astrid questioned.
"Nothing" Hiccup smirked "we trust Toothless." Gently placing a hand on his dragon's head, Hiccup whispered gently. "You can do it bud."
The Night fury whimpered softly, reluctant to take part in the quarrel between the two Speedstingers. Said dragons were actually looking at the alpha, waiting for a decision.
"Just think about everything we saw together bud, and how we solve our conflict." Looking at the desperate dragons, Hiccup offered some advice. The young chief was cautious, since the rules of the trials were unknown to him, he couldn't be sure others could intervene or not.
Hearing the word of his best friend, Toothless steeled his resolved and walked forward. At the back of his mind, he remember how, with his best friends, never attacked first. Eyeing the first Speedstinger, Toothless let out a growl, asking him to explain what was going on.
Further back, Fishleg, seeing the interaction between two dragons, hardly suppressed his excitement, despite not understanding the exchanges between the three dragons.
"This is wonderful. Hiccup, do you see that."
"Yeah, it is, they are even more intelligent than we ever though."
"I don't get it." Snotlout chimed in.
"Of course, you wouldn't." Fishleg, irked, spat back. "This is proof that dragons are capable of morals. They can distinguish between good and bad, right, and wrong. This makes them not a subpar species to us." Almost shouting, he suppressed his voice just enough to not disturbed the conversation, that had just become heated.
In awe, the group of Viking watched the three dragons actively communicate.
"Man, I'm bored." Snotlout broke the uneasy silence that fell on the group after they exhausted every possible subject of conversation. In front of them, the three dragons are still actively dialoguing together, in both guttural sound, sharp clicks and body movement.
"Shouldn't we intervene?" Daggur asked.
"No, Hiccup responded firmly. "Our Vikings ways of thinking may be too different from the dragons."
"Then how would Tootheless know?" Didn't he spend half his life with you on Berk?" Heather chimed in, anxious.
"I know, But we just have to trust him on this part."
After an agonizing wait, it appears that Toothless finally managed to conclude his judgement as the three dragons split apart. The Black dragon bounced back to his friend, earning some head scratches.
"You did good bud." Hiccup replied as the Night Fury was rubbing all over him.
Turning around, the group left their cave, only to find out that the sun almost was down, and they were dead last to complete the trial. As soon as the they reached the center of the plateau, the two Guards immediately flew into two different caves, and came out shortly after before going into the next.
"Are… Are they grading us?" Fishleg blurted out, amazed by the level of intelligence of the dragons.
"If yes, then it's amazing." Heather quickly followed up.
The two guards swiftly leaped back into the middle, waiting for groups to gather around. Tension was palpable, rendering the air thick, and Hiccup felt every dragon's heart skip a beat when the clearer Guard stepped forward and approached the first group before roaring a very specific tone. Hiccup studied the group's reaction carefully. Did they pass? Strange, usually dragons are much more easier to read.
The grey dragon quickly went down the line, stopping before each group and letting out one of two roar, whose meaning still fell deaf to Hiccup's mind. Inevitably, the Guard stood in front of the Headless group, and let out the lower pitched roar. Scrutinizing the Headless group carefully, Hiccup clicked his tongue in frustration as they remained completely stoic.
"Did they pass?" Astrid whispered to him.
"I don't know, for some reason, everyone here seemed to shut in their emotion, let's just hope we get the same sound."
"Why, don't we want them to fail?"
"Euuh" taken a back, only the sound of hesitation came out of his mouth. "If they lost here, they will turn their focus back to Berk." Hiccup added, providing a answer that seemed satisfying to him.
"Right." Astrid asked, acting convinced. She tried to quickly step away, but Hiccup lost in his though, wouldn't have notice it either way.
Right, why don't I want them to fail? Yes, it's because they will turn around and attack Berk, keeping them here prevents that.
Blind to the fact that he only convinced himself, Astrid took this opportunity to approached Fishleg.
"Fishleg, is Hiccup acting weird?"
"You noticed it too?" Fishleg replied, trying to keep his voice down.
"Yeah, he looks like he lost his usual self, did you try and talk to him." Astrid added, not really controlling her tone
"No, I didn't dare, sometimes, he looks much more like a Viking that I would like him to be. Didn't you, you're his betrothed after all." Flipping the question back, Fishleg eyed Astrid intensely.
"No" Immediately on the defensive. "I just recently noticed it." She gave excuse that she know wouldn't convinced someone intelligent as Fishleg, hoping to end this conversation. Luckily Fishleg didn't pressed the matter. But it didn't mean that the turmoil were over. Mentally Astrid was hitting herself. What am I doing, that's it, as soon as we have some time, I'm sitting him down and asking him to tell me everything.
Walking back to Hiccup's side, as the Guard just delivered its verdict to the group just before them, not noticing the inquisitive stare that Fishleg had on the pair.
"What happened to you two?" he muttered under his breath.
"You said something?" Tuffnut asked,
"Nothing." Fishleg replied, forcing a smile on his face. Shouldn't be wise to inform the lousy twins on this matter.
At this moment, the grey dragons arrived in front of them, stopping right in front of Toothless. Hiccup immediately went up to his reptile's friend side, and starred back at the Guard. Forcing a calm look on his face, the pair patiently waited for the verdict, that was taking much longer to come.
He's enjoying this Hiccup though as he noticed the dragon's faint smirk. Gently pacing a hand on Toothless' head to calm the Night Fury down, he stared back at the Guard inquisitively. Despite his stoic expression, Hiccup was praying inwardly.
A sharp roar sounded, lifting the anxiety of Hiccup's mind. Thank Odin.
Letting out a relieve sigh, he went back to the group.
"So?" Daggur asked " What happened."
"I don't know if we passed the first trial or not, but at least, we got the same result as the Headless clan."
"Yeah! "Cheered Daggur, a bit too loud, only to cower away under Hiccup dreadful glare.
A loud, distinct roar grabbed everyone's attention. The Guard jumped back to the middle, and waited, dragging out the final verdict. Finally, the dragon roared again, and three groups of dragons all grumbled before flying away.
"Good job." The leader of the tribesmen came forward, his hand extended.
"Congratulations." Hiccup grabbed it, and shook it firmly.
"Tomorrow, we leave at dawn for the second trials." The Messenger shouted out loud, cutting off the moment between the Vikings and the Tribesman, quickly followed by a Guards roar, conveying the order to the dragons.