Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter for this story, I hope you all enjoy this next addition!
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Brothers
Chapter 29: The Proposition
In response to the growing Berserker threat, Hiccup gathered the riders for training: namely, rescue training and night patrol.
The boy Viking explained what I had said to him regarding the Ex-Queen. Sure enough, all the other teens were on-board with the idea, and it isn't long before we all traveled to Dragon Island, in secret, once again to lay down our plans.
There, the Ex-Queen, Galadriel, is summoned along with Belin, who is unsurprisingly on her shoulder.
The riders are still amazed by the presence of such a creature as I had once been. Heck, even their dragons still felt shocked. Nevertheless, we're here to make sure the creatures on this island, especially Galadriel, are okay. It turned out that NO Berserker ship had landed again ever since…but that didn't mean they wouldn't at some point in the future.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III got off his dragon and began approaching Galadriel slowly.
"Be careful Hiccup…please…" Astrid, on Stormfly, muttered worryingly; however, the boy looks back with a confident smile on his face, "I trust WildWing with this" he looked down toward me as I accompanied him, giving a reassuring nod back.
The colossus climbs out of the broken volcano more and sat on her hind legs. No malice emanated from her large form. The brown-haired Viking gazed at her now whiter, although scarred, hide.
Suddenly, though, she lowered a paw to the both of us…startling Hiccup a bit who jumps back slightly. The human looks down at me, unsure of himself but I nudged him, as if I'm Toothless, and that seemed to help. Overcoming his fear and uncertainty, the Viking jumped on the Ex-Queen's paw while Toothless and the others watched in awe from the sidelines. The boy and I are lifted off the ground and soon meet face to face with the Fallen Queen.
Her calm breaths send Haddock into a state of awe. She brought her muzzle closer to us and the Viking, acting on instinct, reached his hand outwards toward her! Belin, me, and everyone below us watch as Hiccup made peaceful contact with her. Belin flew off her shoulder and landed on my back, "it's good you're all doing this." The Terror said.
"It took a while to convince them" I shrugged back in response. I then raise an eyebrow at the small green dragon, "may I ask why you're always riding on my back?"
"I've seen you do it with him" Belin pointed down to Toothless below us.
I sighed, "well…if you must know: it helps me feel a bit more human again, but I'm getting pretty big so I don't know how much longer I'll be able to ride on his back" I explained.
"Good thing about me is that I won't grow anymore so you won't have to worry about ME breaking your back, Flint" Belin chuckled.
"What, you want to be a human now, is that it?" I raised an eyebrow, asking quite coldly in retaliation. All Belin the Terrible Terror did was nod vigorously.
"Wouldn't hurt to be one for a day" he winked at me afterward before I roll my eyes.
Hiccup and the Ex-Queen pull away and the former is amazed by the beast's connection with him. He looks down to see his friends and their dragons down below. He catches a glimpse of an optimistic Toothless looking up at him.
Soon enough, he looks at the inhabitants of Dragon Island. Inside the Viking boy, he thought to himself: something had to be done to save the dragons on the island. He looked up and stared into Galadriel's blind eyes and with a calm demeanor said, "I forgive you. We're going to help you…we'll try our best to keep the island secure for you by patrolling the area." Hiccup had said before the Queen nodded as a show of thanks. Finally setting us down on the ground with her paw she steps away and returns to her roost.
I rejoin Toothless as Belin began flying back to rest on Galadriel. Astrid walks up to Haddock and raised an eyebrow at him, softly setting her hand on his shoulder.
"Hiccup…you do know if we do this…Dagur and the other Berserkers will find out we train dragons, right?"
He turns to face her, a serious look running down his face in response to her statement, "I know…and he'll declare war on Berk. I really want things to resolve peacefully instead, but you know Dagur..."
"I sure do" Astrid scoffed.
"Then you know he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants…and he and the Berserkers need to be stopped if they try anything...and they will…" Hiccup said, walking up to Toothless to mount him.
"I take it we'll be ready for them" Hofferson added.
"You bet!" Haddock smiled in return.
"Dagur has no idea what he's up against" Toothless grinned boldly.
"I do…he'll have to fight Berk…its dragons…and the Queen and her group. I don't think the odds are in his favor."
"You got that right" Toothless looked down at me with an impish smile.
…
And so, the Dragon Riders and I began doing patrols around Dragon Island. Most of these patrols had to happen in the middle of the night, so I started doing daytime patrols alongside Belin.
By the way: not much of the fog that once shrouded the island is left. No one knows why…maybe it's because of the change in weather. Maybe it's because the Queen's no longer evil? This place used to be lifeless apart from the dragons that roosted here and served Galadriel. Now, life on Dragon Island had prospered and unfortunately with little-to-no fog came easy access for foreign humans.
I became increasingly worried because our patrols turned out to be pretty taxing on my small body. After Toothless warned me to take it easy, I decided to only do daytime patrols from that point forward.
In the week that followed, we continued to hold on to our promise to guard the island…although today was a game changer…
After a training session on an island not too far from Berk, the Riders and I find several ships entering the vicinity. Toothless squints his eyes: he's the first to know…
Hiccup and Astrid, afterward, focus on the approaching fleet. I run up to join the trio, my ears pulling back in dread.
"Is that-"
"Berserker ships!" Fishlegs exclaimed behind us upon seeing them.
"Dagur…" Hiccup muttered under his breath.
"They're here…why…" I asked softly to no one, but Toothless is there to answer regardless, "to cause problems, I bet" he growled in a guarded stance.
"I bet they're here to try Astrid's Yaknog…" Stormfly sarcastically butted in.
Everyone seemed to ignore that from her and Toothless stomped his foot down to get our attention, "come on." A minute later we are all in the sky again. From his vantage point, Hiccup could see the Berserkers were just arriving at port.
"Come on, we need to hide the dragons!"
"Again!? Why can't we just kick Dagur's butt!?" Jorgenson groaned.
"Quiet!" Astrid retorted. We landed on Berk and zoomed down the road: getting as many of the dragons in the area indoors or as far away as possible. It takes a few minutes, but the riders (with our help) manage to hide most, if not all, reptilians in the area. Toothless takes me up on a cliff above town to observe the events as they unfold. We rest under the shadow of a tree where we blend in just enough not to be seen! The Night Fury next to me figured he didn't want to be too far away from Hiccup in case something happened…I guess he is preparing himself for the worst. I should too, honestly, because what if the Berserkers are here to threaten us? I doubt the Vikings here would respond with cries or pleas for mercy.
Anyway, Stoick the Vast and Gobber the Belch walk up to Dagur the Deranged and his lackeys to greet them.
"Stoick…your son…Hiccup…I'm…very sorry…" the lead Berserker opened with a face full of sadness. Haddock is nowhere to be seen at the moment, so I guess he assumed the boy is not here. That's right…he thinks Hiccup perished on Dragon Island…I kind of forgot about that for a bit.
"Uh, what about me?" Speaking of Hiccup: he showed up right after alongside Astrid. Dagur's eyes widened before rushing over to the boy and girl, "Hiccup! You're alive…again…that's good…the funeral I was planning would have been quite awkward…" he brightened considerably.
"What are you doing here, Dagur?" Haddock retorted, wincing slightly at the man's uncomfortable proximity to him.
"Well, I WAS here to avenge you, but since you're alive…maybe we can work together again!" Dagur suggested with arms on hips with his chest protruding out.
"Ahh…" Hiccup puts his arm behind his head, eyes shifting back and forth nervously. Astrid next to him crosses her arms in silent protest; however, before she can say a word to fire back at the visitor Stoick walks past them both with a serious face.
"Dagur, why have you come?" The Chief repeated his son's question. Unlike anyone else who would have cowered in his presence, Dagur simply grinned in defiance.
"I'm sure your son here explained everything to you…dragons still run amok, and they're still on Dragon Island. The Queen you claimed to have slain is still out there…wreaking havoc!" The Berserker said while using his usual 'animated' hand gestures…needless to say Toothless HATED this man with every fiber of his being. For the sake of everyone, though, the dragon had to compose himself.
"Dagur, what makes you think we have the resources to take on the Queen?" Gobber asked before being interrupted by the man across from him, "I'm here to propose we join forces: to finish off the dragons on that island once and for all!"
Mildew overheard everything and smiled wickedly just as Dagur had toward the Vikings across from him. He already talked to Stoick about the prospect of forming an alliance…hopefully Stoick will take my advice, Mildew thought.
"…Hiccup" Deranged suddenly turned toward the scrawny boy with begging eyes, "despite our squabbles in the past, I hope you can appreciate our brotherhood…what we've done on that island together! Think about it, we can achieve SO MUCH!"
Hiccup is sweating with effort, trying his best to come up with a plan and get the Berserker's proposal countermanded. Even so, Dagur is pacing and it's not long until the Chief of Berk had had enough, "listen here" Gobber narrowed his eyes, but unfortunately Dagur had none of it, "no! You listen here…" his mood switched almost instantly, "there are two Night Furies on that Island! Can't you all see the opportunity here!? We have all our eggs in one basket: those two devils and the Queen! We can squash them like the pests they are, reap all the rewards!"
"What Gobber here has been meaning to say: we don't have the manpower and we are NOT interested."
Dagur the Deranged scoffed madly at this, almost laughing hysterically, still pacing back and forth as if he's losing his patience, "so, you rather…sit this one out, huh?"
"You've got to listen to my father and Gobber here, that Queen is too powerful for any of us!" Hiccup butted in to try and get the Berserker to give up on the idea.
"Then we'll DIE trying…hah, hah!" Dagur snapped back, "what's the point of being a Viking if you don't like charging into battle at every chance for glory and death!?"
"Don't be absurd, Dagur…" Stoick shakes his head in retaliation, groaning the loudest he has ever made in recent weeks.
Astrid, meanwhile, looked up to see a Terrible Terror from the village was flying down to investigate the commotion. At the same time, we managed to catch her panicked state and I nodded toward Toothless when he told me to act. I jump down and hastily catch the green dragon in mid-air, just as everyone looks up. They can see that I'm nowhere to be found: they managed to just miss me!
"W-what was that!?" The lead Berserker asked, sword drawn but the Vikings across from him tried their best to defuse the situation, "n-nothing, just birds…a lot of birds in Berk this time of year usually…" Astrid lied. Her lies seemed to get the crazed man to sheathe his weapon…for now.
Phew…what a relief. Anyways, I dropped the Terror near our cliff and growled to them, "unless you want to be killed, I suggest you stay hidden!" I commanded as the small dragon nodded in fear, flying away to safety.
Toothless offered a fist bump, something he learned from me a long time ago, and I made contact with his paw in response…much to his pleasure, "great work" he applauded me.
Anyway, the humans returned to their conversation.
The Berserker ruler turned to face everyone once more with a sudden frown forming along his pale face, "listen here, Berk…if you REFUSE my offer to join forces…then you may want to consider building up your defenses."
"Is that a threat…" Stoick growled under his breath, stepping closer to the slightly smaller man who laughs back, "It's a PROMISE. I wouldn't want you to refuse this offer if it meant your lives, which it DOES."
Mildew panics and rushed down to intervene, "…wait…perhaps…we should consider his proposition, Stoick. R-remember what I told you!"
"Quiet Mildew!" The Chiefton snaps back as the older man pulls away in fear, shaking.
Deranged pulls away finally before giving a side-eye, "I'll give you all a few days to consider my proposition…I like that word…hah, haha!"
Toothless growled silently as I stopped him, reminding him that we're close enough that they can hear us.
"I should REALLY go down there and teach that BERSERKER a lesson!"
"And you will, just not right now, Toothless" I warned him, "think about the others."
He scoffed, sitting on his hind legs, "it's good you're here…otherwise, he's mincemeat!"
Dagur ordered his men to their ships to leave. He wasn't finished just yet, for he walked up to Hiccup and Astrid again, ignoring the defensive pose Stoick and Gobber had, "Before I leave, answer me this, Hiccup… it's very convenient you managed to survive a Night Fury once…but twice…not only that…but you managed to escape the Red Death on that island. I AM impressed…so…how did you do it?"
The boy shifted his eyes back and forth, trying to come up with an answer, but Hofferson next to him thankfully intervened quick enough, "maybe Odin and Thor came down and helped him out…he wouldn't be the heir to Berk if he wasn't smart or strong enough to evade Night Furies."
"I just find it…quite…odd…" Dagur then smiled wickedly before finally pulling away to join his men, "see you all in a FEW days…maybe sooner than you think…"
Hiccup and the other Vikings watch on as the Berserkers leave their port…leaving them filled with dread and uncertainty. As for Toothless and I: well…we felt the same way. Still, we had to remain optimistic…somehow.
Down below, Mildew walked toward the Berk Chief with panic in his steps, "Stoick…"
Stoick the Vast said nothing, instead choosing to silently return to the village with Spitelout.
"D-dad?" Hiccup ran up to walk beside his father as they all walked up the path leading up to Berk, "not now, son…"
Haddock stopped with Astrid and Gobber the Belch by his side.
"What are we going to do?" Hofferson asked softly and worringly.
"I-I don't know, but I'm not going to let Dagur slaughter dragons…worse: try to use US to help him do it…even if it means…"
"…going to war with the Berserkers?" Astrid added.
"yeah…" the boy sighed softly but Gobber patted him on the back in response, "you can't think it'll go down that path. Your father despises Dagur the Deranged as of late, but there's a reason your father's the Chief. He will try and resolve things peacefully as any good Chief would. Get some rest you two." The older man finished before walking away.
Toothless and I looked at one another, turning to face the Berserker armada entering open waters. Hopefully the next time they show up…it doesn't end up the way Dagur hopes it will…
…
As things calmed down in the village, Toothless and I made our way to the others as the other dragons are let out; however, on our way we are stopped by an angered Mildew and Fungus…
"Y-you…two devils…I KNOW you were the ones Dagur the Deranged saw on that island…you beasts are the reason we are in this mess! I swear…you and your…baby here…enjoy your days on Berk because they are coming to an end!"
Toothless, as anyone would, gave the hermit a harsh glare in return and I openly snarled at him as an addition. The bigger Night Fury lowered his head, giving a warning growl. Fungus yelped and hid behind his master's legs as a result. Before things could escalate, Mildew and his best friend walked away…surprisingly leaving it at that.
Toothless huffed toward them as a goodbye present, smoke exiting his nostrils, "I REALLY hate that man…"
"He's not very bright…talking to you and me like that when we can easily tear him apart."
"I thought jail time would soften him up…" Toothless darkly said as I scoffed in return, "apparently not."
"We should keep a CLOSER eye on him from now on" I suggested.
"Right" Toothless nodded.
We soon rejoin the others, and we plan our next move…but how? How exactly do we go about all this? One thing is for sure: Dagur is going to find out Berk has dragons eventually…it's only a matter of time…
That night, as Toothless and I rested upstairs Hiccup went down to meet with his father: who is resting by the fire.
"D-dad…"
"Son…" Stoick nodded, prodding the burning wood with his primitive fire iron.
Once the boy reached the bottom of the stairs, he slapped his hands against his sides as if to dispel any awkwardness that had always followed him, "so?"
"So?"
"W-what are you going to do about this…Dagur problem?"
His father laughed it off, but the boy is deathly serious, "uh…dad…seriously…what's your plan?"
"How about you let me worry about this kind of stuff and you worry about taking care of the dragons?" Stoick suddenly said.
"You know how he's like…Dagur's an irascible man…he'll start a BIG problem just because he feels like doing it. You remember what he did to me two summers ago with the knives, don't you?"
"Listen son" Stoick stood up from the comfort of his chair to rest his hands on his only child, "I have decisions to make as Chief…many of them are NOT easy, and someday you'll have to make similar choices too."
"What about the dragons…don't forget dad…you've got a dragon now too."
"I do…"
"Dagur…once he finds out we train dragons…he'll stop at nothing to destroy us…"
"And we will act accordingly, Hiccup…we are Vikings…we've been doing the same things to outside threats for generations, and I'll be DAMNED if I let Berserkers push us over."
"Which is WHY I think you should help us with the Queen…we should go back to Dragon Island…somehow…HELP her out of there…I don't know…something! Dagur wants you there with him…to KILL her!"
"Hiccup…the Queen…you know what she has done…"
"Yes, but you don't understand…the Night Furies…they…helped her change!"
Stoick couldn't help but laugh at this, "so those Night Furies Dagur spoke of…they are yours then?"
"Yes!"
"And you expect me to show mercy to a beast that caused so much pain for us…for you…my son!?" He suddenly blurted out toward the brown-haired teen who stepped back. The adult just had to brandish Hiccup's pegleg as if to get his point across; however, the tenacity shown by the boy reflected the points toward the man.
"Dad…she's…different now. I can't explain it just yet…but WildWing can! He can try and show you with his writing abilities! We can help you see just how she acts now toward everyone…please, just follow me to Dragon Island…come visit her with me…and then you'll know!"
"And you've been seeing her too!? Nonsense Hiccup!" Vast walked away to try and end the conversation.
Hiccup sighed as the air grew still for a few seconds. Finally, Haddock gained enough confidence to speak against his father again, "remember what happened last autumn…when we all went to Dragon Island…when you wanted to take on the Queen."
"I haven't forgotten, Hiccup. I thought we'd put that past behind us, but if this Queen is the SOURCE of our troubles…something must be done with her!" The Chieftain clapped back. The boy pulled back in surprise, lowering his head toward the ground slowly, "wh-who has been feeding all this to you, dad?"
"Son…I wish making decisions could be easy…but at the end of the day…we have to make them regardless. Dragon Island is too dangerous…I don't want you or the other children traveling there from now on, understood?"
"D-dad…"
"Understood?" Stoick asked with a more firm and threatening tone in his voice. Hiccup shook his head in disbelief and disapproval, "besides…we have more pressing matters to worry about, don't you think…"
"Uhh…like?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. What could possibly be more urgent than what we had discussed, dad, the teen thought to himself.
"Like Aurvandil's Fire…"
"Right…totally forgot…the Flightmare" the boy cursed silently under his breath.
"I'd get some rest now if I were you…son."
The boy finally sighed and nodded before walking up the steps.
"Goodnight Hiccup" Stoick said before returning to the fire.
"Goodnight, dad…" the Viking teen murmured.
Needless to say, none of us were prepared for what was coming in the hours that followed. Very soon, this 'Flightmare' will show itself to Berk and once again wreak havoc across the island…
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I hope you all enjoyed this recent chapter!
Note: if you haven't already, check out the Volume II cover artwork for this story by Kudrago on Instagram and my Deviant Art page: Fefe46
As always, take care and I'll see you in the next update, peace!
