The Wing Maiden Pirates, their ship laden with treasures, were approaching Valkyrie Lily. The villagers, eagerly awaiting their return, could see the ship sailing towards the large gate that led to the village.
"Open the gate!"
As the gate opened, a wave of excitement swept through the villagers. Cheers erupted as the majestic Razorwhip, the flagship of the Wing Maiden Pirates, entered the village.
"The Snake Princess has returned!"
"We missed you!"
"Welcome home, Wing Maiden Pirates! We're glad you're back!"
"We love you, Snake Princess!"
"Looking good, Wanda!"
"Thanks, Daisy! We brought back lots of loot!"
A little girl, her eyes wide with awe, looked at them. "They're so awesome. I'm going to join the pirates when I grow up." Her words echoed the admiration of the entire village.
Eventually, the ship stopped, and the sea snakes lowered their heads to create a ramp. A carpet rolled down from the ship over the sea snakes and carried on across the ground. Atali then walked off the ship, followed by the Gorgons and the other pirates.
"It's the Gorgons!"
"We love you, Snake Princess!"
"Veronica! Daisy! Wanda! Winifred!"
"Welcome home, girls!"
"They're really worked up," said Nadia.
"They simply missed our fearless leader," said Minden. "It was a lengthy journey. Can you blame them?"
Atali merely smiled, which made all the girls go crazy.
"Oh, she smiled at me."
"No, she's smiling at me!"
They soon reached the end of the carpet, and a carriage awaited Atali.
"Welcome back, Princess. We have prepared a carriage for you."
"Is there anything to report?" Atali asked.
"No," she said. "Everything is fine."
Atali frowned.
Meanwhile, the rest of the pirates were now unloading all the stolen cargo.
"Gently now, it's quite fragile, so carry it slowly."
"Iron ore, gunpowder, alcohol and Northern crops," said the quartermaster as she reviewed the list. "Wow, what a truly impressive haul."
"Yeah, we planted a couple of merchant vessels and a pirate ship. Not to mention a load of cargo we claim, central government ship."
"You Wing Maiden Pirates are really a force to be reckoned with."
"Guess so."
"Are you handling the Snake Princess' gift?"
"Oh, yeah, don't worry. It's on its way to the council now."
"Veronica, did you bring any books?" said a voice.
Veronica looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't see anyone.
"Down here," said the voice.
Veronica looked down and saw Zera looking up at her. "Granny Zera… books, huh? Oh, we did appropriate a recent newspaper of the central government ship." She then looked at the newspaper and handed it over to Zera. "Here, all yours."
Zera took the newspaper, and her eyes widened when she read one of the articles. "Oh my goodness."
Atali had just reached the Palace and was now making her way to her throne room.
"Welcome back, Snake Princess," said her servants as they bowed as she walked by.
"We're so glad to have you home, Snake Princess," said her head servant.
"Me too; it is nice to be back," said Atali.
"I thought you might want to enjoy yourself with your spoils of war, so I polished the most exquisite jewellery from the batch for you."
"Oh," said Atali, looking at her.
She then presented Atali with a gleaming emerald. She looked at it and smiled, which made all the servants go crazy.
"Oh wow, no jewel in the world can compare to her smile."
However, she merely tossed the emerald aside, surprising them.
"But Snake Princess…"
"A gaudy rock like that would be an unsightly blemish upon my beauty," she said dismissively.
Her eyes then turned to what appeared to be a statue of herself.
"Samantha, what is this?" she asked.
"Oh, I forgot," said Samantha. "The children of the village lovingly crafted a statue of your likeness out of clay as a gift. It's endearing how much how much love and labour they put into its creation."
Samantha remembered the children bringing the statue to the Palace and the large smiles on their faces.
"Well…" she said.
"We made this to show the Snake Princess how much we love her," they said, smiling.
"It took them forever to bring it up to the castle because it would break if they dropped it," Samantha explained. "But don't you think it's cute?"
Atali examined the statue. "It's me… but made out of mud."
She then shoved the statue, causing it to fall. The moment it hit the floor, it shattered.
"Snake Princess!" Samantha gasped.
Then she, through the servant, immediately rushed over to the smashed statue.
"Don't bring such filth into the castle; it's so inelegant," said Atali, turning her back on them. "Throw it away at once and clean the floor."
She then continued to make her way down the throne room.
"I'm curious, Samantha," she said.
"Oh, about?" Samantha asked, rushing up to her.
"I couldn't help but notice the city defenders were absent from the wharf upon our arrival."
"Uh, actually, you see…" said Samantha, trying to come up with a good cover story. "…a ferocious and violent beast came rampaging out of the jungle. The creature's size and brute strength was truly astonishing, so everyone left for the jungle to hunt it."
"I see," she said.
Hiccup continued flying through the jungle while the woman still chased him.
"There he is," said Margaret.
Lila aimed an arrow at him. "Take this!"
The arrow flew straight towards Hiccup; this time, the arrow struck him, and he fell into the water.
"Did the beast make it end?" Penelope asked.
"Look, he's over there!" Margaret yelled.
A large fish shot out of the water with Hiccup riding on its back, and he was desperately trying to hang on.
"Are all men as stubborn as this one?" Camie asked.
Lila narrowed her eyes. "Do not think you can escape death."
Back at the Palace, Atali was still making her way to her throne, which was located in her private chambers.
"Are you still concerned?" Samantha asked. "I'm sure they'll be back shortly. I am truly sorry they were there to greet you."
"No matter," said Atali as she sat down.
"Well then, would you care for a drink?"
"The usual," she said.
"Make that two while you're at it," said a voice.
Atali glared as Zera entered the room. "Granny Zera, how nice of you to defy my private chambers."
The servants just stared at her, shocked.
"I see you coming!"
"How did you get in here?"
"Forget how you should be asking why I'm here," she said.
"Get rid of her," Atali commanded.
"Now hold on, you listen here, Snake Princess," said Zera.
There was an intense moment between the two women.
"You forgot, please," said Atali. "Now say it."
Zera growled in annoyance but cleared her throat. "Please listen, Snake Princess. I have just learned that there's a ship from Central anchored off our shores. They have come here for the express purpose of summoning you, have they not? The Central Government has ordered you into active duty."
"That's right," said Atali. "They want me to go to war."
"Then why are you still here?" Zera asked. "You must go! You must uphold the agreement, or they'll revoke your title. I know you've just returned, but surely you still have the strength to fight."
"I do, but I'm afraid to go," she said with an innocent smile.
"She's like a little puppy," Zera smiled and quickly shook her head. "I won't fall for that."
"That really got to her," said Samantha.
Zera then slammed her staff onto the ground. "Now think this through. All that is truly protecting our nation is your title as Warlord. Our greatest deterrent from outside forces is Valkyrie Lily's location. Here in the sea king infested waters of the Calm Belt, but as time marches forward, so does technology, and now the central dwellers have ships that provide them with safe passage through these parts.
"We need a new weapon to keep them at bay. Your rank as Warlord is the sole reason they avoid our shores despite the activities of the Wing Maiden Pirates. Think of your people; our island is home to helpless children and elderly. If you lost your title, Valkyrie Lily would be another nation of pirates, and the Government would bring ruin to us."
Atali just drank her drink as she talked and looked at when she finished. "Now you're the one who sounds like she's afraid."
"I am old; I could drop dead at any moment," she said. "Now, what is your answer."
Atali crushed the glass she was holding and looked to her servants. "Throw her out right now!"
"Yes, of course, Snake Princess!" they said.
They then quickly rushed over to Zera and began to drag out.
"Wait, hear me out!" Zera yelled as she fended off the servants.
"I listen respectfully, and you treat me like a little girl," said Atali, marching up to her. "Your reign here ended well over three generations ago. How dare you act like you're still the Empress of Valkyrie Lily." She then leaned her head back so she could look at the ceiling. "It doesn't matter what I do; I can waste every inch of this nation of ours on a whim, and still, I would be forgiven because I'm beautiful."
"Amazing," said Samantha. "She looks down on people so much that she looks up."
"Why on earth should I listen to the words of a disgraced ruler who abandoned her people to journey to the outer seas?" Atali asked and then grabbed Zera by her hair. "Traitor to the Wing Maidens!"
"So I live alone in penance on the outskirts of town," said Zera.
"Which is where you should be at this very moment. Do not presume to tell me what to do! I am the reigning Empress!"
She then began making her way towards the window.
"Snake Princess," the servants gasped.
"Put me down already!" Zera demanded.
"That said, I can't help but admire your overwhelming passion," Atali admitted. "You may be right."
Zera stared at her, shocked. "You agreed to my request? Thank you for understanding the needs of your people. How wonderful! So, how soon will you be leaving?"
"Never," said Atali. "Know your place, fool. Now get out of my sight!"
She tossed Zera straight out the window with all her strength.
"A curse on you, Snake Princess!" Zera yelled as she fell.
Atali rushed her hands clean, and everyone stared at her, shocked.
"Snake Princess…"
"You throw an old woman out the window."
Atali turned around and looked at them innocently. "By accident."
"Oh, of course," her servants nodded. "We know it wasn't your fault."
"Now, clean up all this broken glass," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am."
And then quickly ran off, and Atali looked through the smashed window.
"That irritating old hag," she said.
Zera was still falling towards the ground, but she nimbly landed safely, smashing procreate in the process. The girls nearby quickly turned and looked at her, shocked.
"Granny Zera?"
"I may be old, but I am still a Wing Maiden warrior," she said. "My skills haven't withered one bit."
Atali looked at her hand. "I touched her."
She then spun around and looked at Samantha. "Have you prepared my bath water yet?"
"Yes, I'll issue the advisory immediately," said Samantha.
A few moments later, an alarm bell rang across the village.
"Attention, please!" Samantha yelled. "The Snake Princess will now bathe!"
The message was heard across the entire village, and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
"You must evacuate the castle now!" said Samantha.
Everyone in the castle immediately began to evacuate as quickly as they could.
"If you're on duty today, report to your posts!" said Samantha.
Once everyone exited the castle, they immediately closed the gates. They began setting up screens so high that no one could see the castle. Guards were immediately posted in front of the screens to prevent anyone from crossing.
"For the next several hours, nobody is allowed to enter the castle under any circumstances," said Samantha.
Veronica then noticed a small girl looking at the screens curiously. "What are you doing here? You know you're not allowed past the barrier, right?"
"Yeah, but why is it such a big deal when the Empress takes a bath?" she asked. "Everyone acts like we're going to war or something."
Veronica smiled and bent down to her height. "First things first, how old are you?"
"Eight years old."
"Well, then, I think I can tell you."
The girl's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't need… the secret?"
Veronica nodded. "That's right."
In the Palace, Atali was going to the bathroom, and Nadia and Minden acted as her escorts.
"You're in charge of keeping watch," she told Minden.
"As you wish, your Highness," Minden nodded.
"Take your time," said Nadia.
Atali then entered the bathroom and began to disrobe.
Outside, Veronica was continuing to tell the little girl the story.
"You see, the Gorgon was a monster," she explained. "It stalked the tides of the central oceans. If anyone made the mistake of gazing upon this horrifying creature, they would be turned to stone. After facing countless perils along a treacherous journey, the Snake Princess and her closest friends encountered the monster and managed to slay it.
"But the screams of the dying abomination were laced with evil, and it placed the sisters under a curse. The penetrating eyes of the monster were etched across the flesh of their backs. So they remain forever staring even today, and if anyone gazes upon these wicked eyes, their body will harden into stone, and they will die."
The little girl gasped.
"That is why the Princess and the Gorgons refused to remove their clothing in front of another human. As a precaution, they always post guards when they bathe, and they secure and evacuate the castle."
The little girl then looked up at the castle.
Meanwhile, in the jungle, Hiccup was still clinging to the fish in the stream. Eventually, the fish threw him off, and he landed it in nearby trees.
Hiccup groaned but didn't have time to relax as he saw several evil-looking eyes staring at him. It turned out that I belonged to some vicious-looking snakes, which immediately pounced upon him and bit him, causing him to scream.
"It sounds like the man is over there!" said Penelope.
"He certainly got some powerful lungs," Lila noted.
"Seriously, today is not my day," said Hiccup as he ran out of the jungle.
He then transformed into his hybrid form, threw off the snakes and continued flying up towards the mountain.
"Did you see when he went?" Lila asked.
"Yeah, he flew up the side of the mountain."
"You don't think he could be heading back to the village, do you?" Margaret asked. "I thought he was bound to be determined to find a ship."
Lila's eyes widened. "What?!"
Hiccup landed on the battlements and returned to human form.
"I cannot wait for today to be over," he said. "Now I need to come up with my next move? I'm sure it won't be long until they get here. Margaret did say they had a pirate ship; I guess I could try stealing that."
He then stroked his chin. "But I still need to find Astrid, and they only said they had the one ship. First, I need to figure out when that ship will arrive; they must have a schedule for when it comes in and out. Once I know when the ship arrives, I can try to track down Astrid, and we can escape this island."
His eyes then turned to the village. "Now I need to figure out where to get this information. I guess I should look for the most important-looking building in the village and find my way from there."
He then looked across the village and saw the Palace. "That looks like a good place to start."
He then jumped, transformed into his hybrid form, and flew down towards Palace, directly below him.
The city defenders were dashing back towards the village as quickly as possible.
"We must hurry," said Lila. "By this point, the Snake Princess has probably returned. We'll be in trouble if she finds the man."
Hiccup landed on top of the Palace, but his weight caused him to fall through the roof, and everyone in the village heard the commotion.
"What was that?"
"The roof of the castle tower collapsed!"
"Oh, no," said Veronica, horrified. "This is bad. That is where the Empress is taking a bath."
Hiccup found himself landing in the water and panicked briefly until he discovered it was shallow.
"It's real shallow," he said as he sat up. "Looks like a land in someone's bathroom."
He then discovered that it was occupied by Atali, who noticed him.
"A man?" she stared with her back facing towards him.
Hiccup then noticed something on her back. "That thing on your back…"
Atali quickly covered herself up and fell into the water.
"…it looks somewhat familiar," said Hiccup.
Atali glared at him. "You saw it?"