Indi walked through the town. He smiled at the townspeople, and they returned the gesture in kind. The town seemed to be prospering: large homes were being built, landing areas were being made for pterosaurs on the rooftops, and the dinosaurs were being well accommodated for. Along the outskirts of the town was a small development, near where large paddocks were constructed, obviously to hold the predators away from the main town at night, as well as to keep the predators safe themselves.
The wall that surrounded the town was apparently well maintained. Elsa had informed him that there were some discussions floating around about dismantling the structure. In the end, they left it standing, as it would have been a great asset for defense should anybody try to attack Arendelle.
"I like this place," Hiccup said, looking around. "It's warmer here than in Berk around this time of year." He turned to the black dragon at his side. "What do you think, bud?" Toothless crooned in agreement, looking surroundings curiously.
Once the townspeople saw that the dragons meant them no harm, they instantly warmed up to them; especially the children, who, in their eagerness, began to climb all over each other to pet the large creatures. Some of them even wanted to go for a flight on the dragons.
"Do you guys have any objections?" Indi asked. The riders had none. Indi turned to the children. "Go ask your parents." The youths immediately ran off.
"I take it that you like kids," Astrid asked with a smile.
"Yes," Indi said. "So full of innocence and wonder. Childhood is an important stage in everybody's life."
"How was your childhood?" Hiccup asked. "Any fond memories?
"I spent most of it either in a pen or murdering people to ensure my own survival. No fond memories, except for those of my mother."
"What?" Astrid asked.
"Long story," Indi replied quickly. "Ask Queen Elsa about it."
Suddenly, a boy came scrambling around the corner, looking behind him. He soon collided with Indi, falling back on his behind. The boy looked up.
"Hey, watch- Sir Indi!" The boy stood up, dipping his head in respect. "I heard you were in town. Welcome back." The boy looked around nervously. Suddenly, Brynn burst from the same corner that the boy had just come from.
"Stop him!" she yelled. The boy started to dart around Indi, but the knight grabbed him by his shirt.
"Now hold on," Indi said calmly. "Let's see what Miss Tyrannus wants."
"Good work, Indi," Brynn said. "Hand him over."
"And what has the boy done?" Indi asked.
"That boy is a thief," Brynn said, pointing at the young male. "I've been after him for weeks."
Indi looked down at the boy, before shoving him to the female guard.
"You're making a mistake, Sir Indi!" the boy yelled as Brynn handed him over to a group of guards. "I was framed!"
Indi shook his head. "How are things, Brynn?"
"Good," she said. "The occupation is different from what I'm used to, but quite rewarding nonetheless."
"I'm sure it is," Snotlout said, tossing an arm around Brynn's shoulder. A low growl immediately began to creep from the back of Brynn's throat. Indi saw that Snotlout, being as dense as he was, did not take Brynn's warning for what it was, but instead for a flirtatious gesture. "Oh, Brynn wants the Snot Man, doesn't she?"
Brynn promptly tore away from Snotlout, punched him in the face, then transformed. In less than five seconds, Snotlout was nose-to-snout with a large, brown carnivore. Brynn's tail swung behind her slowly, and her jaws worked, opening slightly before closing.
"Oh, Thor," Snotlout whispered, staring up at the large creature. Brynn bellowed in Snotlout's face, blowing his hair backward. Snotlout stared for a moment, before turning on his heel and running for his life. "Hookfang!" Snotlout jumped on the large, red dragon and commanded him to fly. Hookfang did nothing of the sort and instead choosing to sit there like a dead fish, waiting for the large dinosaur to devour his pest of a rider.
"That's enough, Brynn," Indi said, chuckling. "I believe you've made your point."
Brynn changed back into her human form and gave a triumphant smirk.
"Wow," Tuffnut said. "First, Snotlout get punched in the face by Hiccup, then he gets completely dominated by a foreign girl."
"Nice," Astrid said, patting the fellow female warrior on the shoulder. "It was about time someone put him in his place. I've tried many times over the years, but he never took a hint."
"If he ever tries that again to you, have Indi call me," Brynn said.
Everyone in the group laughed, except for Snotlout, who was still pouting on top of Hookfang. Brynn dismissed herself, stating that she needed to get back to work. Shortly after his friend left, Indi felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a young lady, possibly several years younger than him. She wore the traditional garb that messengers of the castle usually had on.
"Sir Indi," she said, giving a small curtsy. "The queen wishes to speak with all of you."
"Of course," Indi said, tipping his head. "Tell Her Majesty that we will be with her shortly."
"As you wish," the girl said, before striding off.
"What would the queen want?" Hiccup asked.
"It could be anything," Indi said, striding off. "But it's best not to keep her waiting."
As the group made their way back to the castle, Indi noticed a number of foreign officials heading in the same way.
When they reached the courtyard, the sky was darkening. Indi saw the line of officials that led up to the doors.
"Ah, I see," Indi said. "Guys, can have your dragons stay in the courtyard? Just do what I do, alright?"
"Okay," Fishlegs said. "But what's going on?"
"Short summary is that the queen wishes to greet you all formally in front of her court." At the odd looks he got, Indi explained. "It's customary." The riders nodded in understanding. Slowly the riders and Indi inched forward. Soon, they stood before the doors in a row. The guards looked at them for a moment, before one went inside, shutting the door behind him. Through the doors came his voice. "Presenting Sir Indi Rex and the Dragon Riders of Berk."
The doors opened and the group walked inside. Seated on the throne at the in the front of the ballroom was Elsa, dressed in a bright blue gown, her hair done up in a braided bun on the back of her head. Anna stood to her right, smiling. The princess wore a deep purple gown that had ruffles on the bodice.
The riders and Indi stopped several feet from them, and all bowed in unison. Elsa rose from her seat.
"Sir Indi," Elsa said, turning towards him. "I officially welcome you back to Arendelle. May you find rest and respite now that you have returned from your journey."
"Thank you, Queen Elsa," Indi said. "It is certainly a joy to be back home."
"And I officially welcome you all, Dragon Riders of Berk," Elsa said, turning to face the addressed group. " I hope you find rest as well. Should you need anything, please let me know, and I will see to it."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Elsa," Hiccup said. "In return, if you should need anything from us, let us know and we will see to it immediately." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
The crowd in the room was silent. Indi figured that they did not expect a group of Vikings to be so generous.
Elsa nodded, smiling. Looking up, she saw the doors close. "I invite everyone to participate in the festivities." Soon, the party was underway.
The riders went off in their separate directions, and soon Indi was alone with Elsa, in a room full of people.
"Hey," Indi said awkwardly.
"Hello, Sir Indi," Elsa said.
Grateful for the reminder that they were to be at least somewhat formal in public, Indi stood straight and tall. He offered his hand to her. "May I have this dance?"
"Certainly," Elsa said, accepting the extended appendage. Indi led the queen onto the floor. Placing his left hand on her waist, he held his right hand up. Elsa placed her right hand on his shoulder and took his raised hand with her free hand. They danced, slowly turning in time with the music. Indi decided to engage the queen in muted conversation.
"It's good to see you again," he said. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Elsa said.
"You never gave me a proper welcome," he said.
"Of course I have," Elsa said.
"That's not what I mean."
Elsa laughed quietly. "I know. I'll do that as soon as we're alone."
The song ended, and the two "friends" parted. Indi led Elsa over to the group of riders, Anna and Kristoff were with them as well. On the way, Indi saw Emerald and Copal being the center of attention with a group of teenage girls, who had just become old enough to partake in the queen's formal events.
"So then Hiccup gets the idea to create a night patrol group," Indi heard Astrid say.
"Oh," Anna said. "Did you give it a name?"
"Yes," Hiccup said proudly. "The Dragon's United Monitoring Brigade."
"Yes," Astrid said, rolling her eyes. "He even abbreviated the name to just the first letter of each word, and wrote those letters on the sashes we wore while on duty."
Indi thought for a moment. "You were walking around Berk, at night, with sashes that read 'DUMB'?"
Astrid turned to Hiccup. "I told you it was a bad name."
"Are you sure about that?" Hiccup said. "Because Gobber thought that it described Snotlout pretty well." Everyone in the small group laughed heartily. Indi thought that tonight could not get any better. Everyone was safe, and Von Schwicke was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, fate can be cruel sometimes, because, at that moment, the doors flew open. A Dimorphodon flew in, and the people in the room ducked out of the way, shouting. The little creature circled around at the ceiling, before diving down at Indi. The little creature transformed into a small boy Indi new as Jacob.
"Indi!" he said. "We're under attack!"
"What?!" Indi said.
"There's a whole group of people in the aviary," Jacob said, tears in his eyes. "They're trapping us!"
"Brynn!" Indi said, locking eyes with his friend. She was chatting with Astrid and had a drink in her hand. Knowing her, it was most likely alcoholic. Brynn nodded and finished her drink in one swallow, then followed Indi out the door. Turning around, Indi saw that the dragon riders were joining them as well.
Indi and Brynn transformed as the riders mounted their dragons. Elsa ran out of the door in time to see the dragons take flight and Indi and Brynn run out of the gates. Returning from the darkness of the coming night, Toothless and Hiccup flew back and landed in front of Elsa. He offered a hand and Elsa nodded, silently climbing onto the Night Fury's back behind Hiccup. Toothless shot into the air and Elsa wrapped her arms around Hiccup's torso.
Indi led the charge to the aviary, roaring angrily. The dragons flew overhead, Toothless leading the rest of the group. Indi rounded a corner, the large dome coming into sight. He heard the screeches of the pterosaurs coming from inside.
Indi twisted his head slightly, roaring up at the dragons. Toothless shot a plasma blast at the dome, breaking a hole in the top. Indi approached the dome and, never slowing his pace, lowered his head and smashed a hole in the dome. Brynn followed him inside.
Inside the dome was chaos: pterosaurs were flying around, dodging nets and green-tipped arrows. In the center of the dome were a group of men. Some wore dragon pelts, while others wore clothes similar to those of the people of Arendelle. They were all gathered around a large pile that was covered in tarps and sailcloth. As a small Pteranodon flew in front of him, Indi watched as the little creature was caught in a net shot by one of the black-clothed men. Indi and Brynn roared angrily and charged. The men scattered, clearly unprepared for two large, ticked-off carnivores. From above, the dragon riders dove in through the hole. Several pterosaurs that had evaded being captured flew out of the holes to safety.
Indi grabbed one of the dragon hunters in his jaws and threw him against a tree. Stormfly shot a jet of fire at the group, scattering them towards Brynn, who snapped her jaws at the closest man.
The twins had their dragon release a stream of gas, which Hookfang lit with his body, which was now covered in flames. From above him, Indi saw a blast of ice come from Toothless' back, freezing some men's feet to the ground. He snarled, pleased that they had some backup in the form of the Snow Queen.
The men's self-preservation seemed to get the better of them, and they ran out of the aviary. Brynn roared, chasing after them for a hundred feet or so before stopping and turning back to the group.
Indi approached the large pile of sailcloth. The dragons landed behind him, and the riders dismounted before walking up next to him.
Indi heard the cries of pterosaurs and small dragons. He grabbed the sheet in his jaws and pulled it off, his teeth slashing into the rough fabric. Instead of finding a pile cages that were full of animals, he found crates and barrels, interlaced with a few occupied cages. Hiccup opened one and found a black powder. He pinched the top of the powder, sprinkling it back down. Elsa opened another one and found a green slime. She dragged her finger across the surface, examining the liquid.
Smelling smoke, Indi turned his head and saw several ropes that were aflame, burning their way to the substances. Indi looked at the cages, locking eyes with one of the Dimorphodons. The little creature squawked, telling Indi to run.
Indi turned and ran past the rest of the group and the riders and Elsa running to their dragons. Just as they mounted, the flames touched the Monstrous Nightmare gel, igniting the flammable substances. The resulting explosion was so loud and deafening that it shattered the ice dome, raining shards down on everything inside. Brynn roared as the dragons flew overhead. Dirt and debris flew past her, most of it flaming wood and molten metal. Indi ran out of the destroyed aviary, the dragons flying above.
After some time, the dragons landed. Indi and Brynn stopped running, their breath coming in ragged bursts. Indi looked back to where the aviary was and roared, the sound turning into a high-pitched cry.
"Indi?" Elsa said, walking up to the white predator. Indi stood still, paying no attention to the queen, only to the column of smoke that rose high into the air. "Indi." Indi glanced back at her but did nothing more. "I'm so sorry."
Indi turned to look at her, lowering his head to look into her moistening eyes. He crooned, closing his eyes.
Elsa leaned her head up against his, making Indi snap his eyes open. He raised his head and strode away, back to the town.
"Indi?!" Elsa said running after him. "Where are you going?!" Indi did not answer. "Indi, stop! Can't you see that they just want to bait you into a trap?" Indi snapped his jaws twice. "You can't do this, Indi. " Indi barked, not ceasing his motions. "I won't let you!"
Elsa threw her hands out, creating a wall of icicles that sprung from the ground like stalagmites. Indi looked at the wall, before turning to glare at Elsa.
"Indi, I almost lost you once," she said, her voice quivering. "I refuse to take that risk again." Indi growled darkly, turning to look straight at Elsa, who crossed her arms. "No." Indi snarled, raising himself up. "I'm not taking that wall down." Indi pushed his snout close to her face until it was a few feet away. He opened his jaws in a loud roar that made Elsa squint her eyes and turn her head, but did not weather her resolve. Indi snorted and walked over to the wall and swung his tail into the icicles, breaking some away and creating an opening large enough for him to fit through. He strode through the hole, stepping over the remains of the icicles that he broke, and walked on.
Elsa ran back to the dragon riders, who were staring at her in shock.
"We have to stop him," she said.
"Queen Elsa," Hiccup said. "I haven't known Indi for that long, but maybe we should let him go."
"He's angry," Brynn said, after having transformed back into her human form. "That's not necessarily a good thing, especially with him in particular."
"He just needs to blow off some steam," Astrid said.
"No," Elsa said. "He's not just angry, he's vengeful. Blood will be spilled, and that blood could belong to anyone who gets in his way. We have to stop him before he escalates any further." She ran and climbed on Toothless' back. Brynn climbed on Stormfly, behind Astrid. The dragons flew back to the town. Below them, Elsa easily picked out the white predator from beneath the canopy. Indi was charging through the trees.
Toothless roared, getting Hiccup's attention. "I see him, bud."
"We have to drive him away from the town," Elsa said.
"Riders, offensive maneuvers!" Hiccup ordered. The riders directed their dragons into a dive, and unleashed fire blasts in Indi's vicinity, trying to force him to change direction. Indi roared in defiance, sticking to his chosen path.
"Uh, Queen Elsa," Astrid said.
"I'm busy," Elsa said.
"Queen Elsa, something's going on in the town."
Elsa turned to see the streets nearly empty, except for the group of men from the aviary in the town. The were surrounding a group of civilians, pointing their spears at them. Even from this distance, Elsa could see that one of them had red hair.
"Queen Elsa?" Hiccup asked. "What do you want to do?"
"Leave Indi," she said decisively. "We have to go save my sister."
Toothless shrieked, banking away from Indi, leading the other dragons. The white hunter watched with slight confusion before stalking his way through the brush.
Toothless folded his wings in, diving down, before pulling up at the last second, landing. Elsa lept off of the Night Fury's back, the rest of the riders following. Toothless stalked forward, following the queen.
"Elsa!" Anna cried as she started forward, only to be shoved back by one of the men who wore dragon skins.
"Release the princess," Elsa said, her temper starting to boil.
"First, tell me where Indi Rex is," a man said, stepping forward.
"Hoskins," Brynn growled.
"He's not here," Hiccup said, coming to stand next to Elsa.
"I can see that," Hoskins snapped. "Where is he?"
"What's it to you?" Hiccup said.
A dragon hunter promptly grabbed Anna, pressing a knife to her throat. "This is what it is to me!"
"Release her," Elsa snarled through her teeth. Toothless growled, arching his back.
Hoskins gave a signal and armed men poured out of the surrounding buildings, each armed to the teeth.
Hiccup mounted Toothless, and all of the dragons leaped into the air.
"Now, Queen Elsa," Hoskins said. "We can do this the easy way, or otherwise."
Elsa punched her fist into the air, sending a sheet of ice at Hoskins. The man dodged it and threw a knife at Elsa just as the woman was grabbed by a particularly spiny dragon. As Stormfly lifted her away, the knife missed her chest, but instead tore through her dress and slashed her thigh.
Elsa cried out and shivered as she felt her blood run down her leg.
The dragons went into full attack, shooting fire, causing explosions. The dragon hunters shot their bows and threw spears and bolas. Calmly, Hoskins strode back to the man that held Princess Anna. He tore her away, and forced her to the ground, holding her wrists. He put his knee on her back and bent over, muttering into her ear.
"I'm going to ask you this one last time: Where is Indi Rex?"
"Anna!" she heard Elsa's voice yell from above her. "Let her go!"
"I don't know," Anna said, her voice cracking. Hoskins reached his hand behind him and took a something from his belt. He pressed it against her throat. Knife. "Please don't kill me. Please."
Indi crouched in hiding, listening to the battle. He smelled adrenaline, Elsa's blood, smoke. It began to overwhelm him. Through all the sounds of combat, almost like a whisper, he heard Anna's voice. "Please don't kill me. Please."
Indi's eyes snapped open, and he stalked forward. He roared loudly, silencing the town. Sure that he had their attention, he growled darkly.
Anna looked up at the loud roar and grinned. She twisted her head to look at Hoskins out of the corner of her eye. "You're dead meat."
Smashing his way out of an abandoned barn, Indi roared with fury. He zeroed in on Vick Hoskins, who was pinning Anna down and held a knife to her throat. Indi slammed his foot down, cracking the cobblestones.
"Ah, there he is," Hoskins said rising. Indi snarled, before charging. Hoskins scrambled away and darted back into the small crowd. Indi stopped just short of Anna and bent down. Gently, he grabbed the back of Anna's dress with his jaws and picked her up. He swung his head and carefully placed her down behind him.
The work that required caution now completed, Indi whipped his head around and roared.
"Take it down!" Hoskins yelled. "Von Schwicke wants it back in his possession."
IT?! Indi thought. I AM NOT AN IT! He lunged at the closest man and the battle resumed. A fireball exploded behind him and many men with long spears rushed forward, driving Indi away. He stumbled back, his tail swiping into a lamp post, sending the metal pole onto a man that was about to throw a spear at Toothless. He grabbed another man with his clawed hand as several arrows hit his flank. Roaring in pain, he threw the man down. Just as the man started to scramble to his feet, Indi stomped forward, hearing the crunch of bones.
Another man ran forward and jabbed his leg with a spear. Indi shrieked deeply, and another man fired an arrow into his chest. He whirled around, swinging his tail into spearman, sending him cartwheeling into the wall of a house, snapping his neck. Indi grabbed the bowman with his clawed hand and threw him into the path of a fire blast that came from Hookfang, the sticky flames gluing themselves to the man, turning him into a screaming barbecue. Out of nowhere, a dragon hunter fired a net at Indi's face, tying his mouth shut. Snarling, Indi shook his head, trying to free his most powerful weapon. Amidst his struggle, he stomped onto two men and sent a third flying onto a spear of his comrade.
Using his large hand talons, Indi tore the net off and slammed his hands into the ground, roaring. He spun, swiping his tail and breaking the ribs of two men he sent flying. With his jaws, he grabbed another man that was positioned near his head and shook the assailant like a doll, blood raining down onto the ground.
As two men started to drag one of their wounded away, a third one started walking towards Indi, releasing arrow after arrow from his bow. Each projectile hit Indi in the face as he walked towards his attacker. He opened his jaws, shrieking, before clamping down on the man around his middle, severing his torso from his waist.
Indi turned slowly as he watched as the men regroup into lines. There was now about half as many men that there initially were. The dragons hovered above Indi.
Indi roared, stamping his foot. The men's bravery started to falter, terror bleeding through their eyes. Stormfly landed, and Elsa dismounted.
"Leave now," she said, limping forward. Indi noticed her pained face and bent down, sniffing her leg. He turned towards the men, growling. One of the men fired an arrow at her, only to have it blasted to nothing in a small blue fireball.
"Leave!" Elsa yelled once more, shooting ice at the men. Toothless joined in, firing a plasma blast at the men. The men yelled in fear, before slowly inched away from the furious queen and her reptilian comrades.
Once the attackers were out of sight, the dragons landed. Indi bent down and sniffed Elsa once more.
Elsa reached up. Just as she was about to stroke Indi's arm, she felt something wet and sticky drip onto her shoulder. After identifying what it was, she looked up at Indi and saw a red liquid running from several gashes in him. Indi looked at the wound but seemed to ignore the pain.
"Indi," Elsa said softly, limping around to stand in front of him. "Come with me. You're hurt." Indi snorted before kneeling down, allowing Elsa to climb on behind his neck. As her blood ran down her leg, it mixed with Indi's, before running down his arm and dripped from his talons.
Looking around him, Indi saw that the riders seemed to also be injured, though not as much as him, thankfully.
Elsa sighed, resting her head against Indi's neck, ignoring the fact that his blood was sticking to her face. There was a lot of work to be done.
Well, everyone, what did you think. Also, I'm thinking of holding a contest. The winner will receive a signed poster by me that will have a never-before-seen story cover. I'll work out the details and give you the requirements at the next chapter.
Until then, peace!
