TWENTY ONE: Choices
TWENTY ONE: Choices
The villagers who lived by the markets had directed Hiccup, Dagur and Heather towards Sniffling and the three Dragon Riders had headed out rapidly, determined to find the village that purportedly was protected by a dragon rider...and to Hiccup's mind, there was only one person that could apply to.
Astrid.
He was almost fidgeting with anxiety and it took all his strength of will not to accelerate away and leave his friends-because he had no idea what he would find. He knew the Captain was heading to the village to punish them for repelling his ally who had raided them and that thought made Hiccup angry as well. He wasn't ignorant in the ways of the world and knew that Vikings tended to be violent and cruel, taking advantage of the weak and pillaging and plundering at will. No one had really raided Berk too much because of the frequent dragon attacks though the Outcasts had raided occasionally and of course, during the war with the Berserkers, attacks had damaged the village. But by and large, the strength and reputation of Stoick the Vast and the threat of Dragons had largely protected the village. But other islands were definitely not as lucky. And he knew that Astrid was a warrior and would never stand by, no matter her condition, if she could protect others.
"Brother?"
He blinked and glanced over at Dagur, who was eyeing him with a smile.
"Hmm?"
"You kinda zoned out there, brother," the Berserker called to him. "Are you alright?"
Was he alright? He was heading out to face the Captain, the man who had tortured and pretty much broken him-physically, if not mentally, though his stomach was dancing and bubbling with anxiety and his skin was prickling with fear at the prospect. But beyond the man, there was Astrid-the woman he loved with all his heart; his future; his partner; the one person he could always rely on. And he had promised he would always be there for her.
But there were other, more dangerous things going on-the threats of Viggo, Krogan and especially Johann; the mysterious King of Dragons and the implicit danger to all dragons if the evil men got their hands on the beast that could possibly control other dragons. Heather had explained that the lens had been a gift from her father, something to be guarded carefully and more amazingly, Dagur had offered that he had one as well, though it was back on Berserk. And Hiccup knew that he had his 'special project'-a second DragonEye-that could use the lens and try to locate the creature first and keep it from Johann. Heather's information was valuable and Hiccup was torn between his duty to Berk and Dragons and his need to find Astrid before she gave birth.
"Lot on my mind," he admitted. "Viggo and Krogan have a mission to find lenses and I know we have to get to them first. I know Johann was planning on getting my lenses off me-though I concealed them before I left the Edge where no one will find them-not even my gullible but well-meaning friends. They want lenses from every class-and they needed Heather's lens. I pray to Thor that your lens will do the same, Dagur. We will have to speak to the Defenders of the Wing and I think you should be in on that as well-as I have a feeling we'll need everyone we can get together to face them. Those Singetails are ferocious and very powerful...but their riders don't have saddles and there is no bond. I guess if we unseat them, the dragons will leave them..."
"We're going to rescue Astrid and you're already planning to fight Krogan?" Dagur teased him. "Aww-my baby brother has all grown up..." Hiccup shook his head.
"No, I just know what is important," he admitted. "And though I love Astrid...I know I can't abandon Berk...no matter how stupid my father is. And if Johann gets his hands on the King of Dragons-everyone is in serious danger!"
"One problem at a time," Heather called, seeing his brow furrowed. "I think the island is up ahead..."
"And there are two ships already in the harbour...and attacking..." Dagur added. There was a pause and Hiccup felt Toothless growl under him as he snatched a spyglass from his saddlebag and scanned the little village, seeing houses on fire, villagers fighting with the Hunters and women and goods being dragged from homes. He lowered the spyglass, breathing hard.
"What do you want us to do?" Heather asked, granting Hiccup leadership. His eyes hardened, not seeing the familiar Nadder and her blonde rider and worrying that Astrid was downed or hurt.
"Nothing too complicated," he began. "Drive back the raiders and rescue the villagers..." Dagur gave a manic chuckle which Hiccup was pretty sure was put on for effect.
"BERSERK!" he shouted and the three dragons arched up-and then dived down onto the village, seeing the raiders in the black leather of the hunters that Hiccup recognised with a chill. He flipped Toothless round and smiled.
"Come on, bud-let's show them what we can do when we're not wrapped up in bolas and nets!" he murmured. Toothless gave a little snappy roar and launched a huge plasma bolt that blasted a knot of four raiders apart. There was a roar as the men looked up and Heather stitched a line of spines ahead of them, separating the attackers from a group of woman, who were screaming. Houses were on fire and Dagur swooped down, allowing Sleuther to flatten two men who were hauling a woman away. Hiccup rolled and allowed himself to aim the Night Fury at the leading group of hunters, fighting the villagers who were battered and looked as if they didn't believe they could win.
The Captain looked up and his arm stabbed at the sky.
"Ground that dragon!" he yelled and the weapons pointed skywards-allowing Heather to blindside them and impale a couple. Dagur cut off a group as men on the ship launched a brace of nets that the Dragon Riders easily dodged. Toothless roared and blasted the deck away from under the net-launchers and they collapsed into the hold. Hiccup hovered in front of the Captain, his eyes locked on the cruel face that had haunted his feverish nightmares.
"Leave," he said sternly. "This village is under the protection of the Dragon Riders."
The Captain laughed in his face.
"You don't scare me, boy," he sneered. "I've seen you cry, I've seen you whimper, I've seen you beg. I know you're nothing special. And I catch dragons for fun...and I eat dragons for breakfast..."
The image of the Nadder, dying in the cage before him flashed behind Hiccup's eyes and he flinched. "Leave!" he growled. The Captain gave a scornful laugh and gestured, showing his men holding a handful of villagers with knives to their throats.
"Surrender," he counter-offered. "Or their blood will be on your hands. Like the dragon..." Hiccup swallowed.
"Any blood is on your hands," he said tonelessly. "It is always on your hands."
"You know, when I heard tell of a Rider, I came here looking for you...and guess what? I've caught my man!"
Hiccup leaned forward and rested his hand on Toothless's head. A flutter of relief-that he didn't have Astrid-was overcome by the momentary feeling of defeat...before he made his choice. He sighed and gently rubbed the dragon's head.
"Bud," he murmured, "I'm sorry..." He tapped the head twice. There was a growl and the dragon's throat filled with purple plasma.
"Don't be stupid," the Captain sneered. Emerald eyes flicked up and Hiccup gave a grim smile.
"I try not to be," he breathed and nodded. "But surrendering to you, abandoning these people to your mercy-when you treat everything as a commodity-would be stupid. Letting you take Toothless would be stupid. And abandoning these people and my friends would be stupid."
The Captain gave a smile and he lifted his hand. An older man with greying beard, salt and pepper hair and kindly blue eyes was held firm, a knife digging hard against his throat.
"No," the Captain said. "Allowing their Chief to be killed would be stupid. So land, step off the dragon and hand yourself over or all their deaths will be your fault." Hiccup swallowed.
"Was Astrid here?' he asked the man directly and saw his eyes widen in shock at the question.
"Yes," he managed in a tight voice and hissed in pain as the edge of the knife nicked his skin. "She protected us." The young Dragon Rider nodded and then stared at the Captain. Shame curled through his chest as he recalled the Nadder...and all those agonising hours spent with the man. And Toothless's roars of pain as he was harmed to punish Hiccup...
"You had your chance," he said coldly. "Do it, bud."
The Captain opened his mouth in shock as the Night Fury fired straight at him and the detonation was still reverberating around the village as as Heather and Dagur took down the men holding the hostages. There was a staccato scream, cut short and then Hiccup closed his eyes as the dead raiders were still falling. The hostages ripped themselves free and Toothless spun, his tail swatting two Hunters aside, dumping them by the charred corpse of the Captain. There was no way that the Night Fury wasn't going to kill the man who had so badly and repeatedly harmed his beloved Rider!
The remaining hunters broke off the attack as they saw their leader fall and they backed up in shock as Toothless growled and fired another shot to warn them back. Order broke down and a few tried to fight on, though the rest surrendered or ran for it. Heather easily rounded most up as Dagur harried them, firing steadily to corral them.. The escapees headed for the ships and they pushed off, trying to escape. Hiccup stared after them and then he sighed. Without any hesitation, the Berserker siblings sunk the vessels and corralled any survivors as they scrambled to land and surrendered. Finally, Hiccup landed Toothless and dismounted.
The man who was their Chief stared at the skinny young man with the messy auburn hair, brilliant emerald eyes and the pale face with faded freckles, a couple of fresh scars marking his left jawline. Kjetil's blue eyes swept down the young man, seeing his left leg end a few inches below the knee, a fancy metal prosthetic replacing the missing flesh. The black dragon cooed behind him as the young man offered a smile.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his light, slightly nasal voice concerned. Kjetil nodded, his eyes scanning the remaining raiders and the dead attackers sprawled on his village plaza before seeing the other two dragons land. All were species he was unfamiliar with-the purple and amber dragon ridden by the buff man with cropped carrot hair, scarred face and pale green eyes and the silver dragon carrying a slender and pretty young woman with the cool face, raven hair and cold green eyes.
"We are dragon riders-and friends of Astrid," the auburn haired man said, reading the Chief's wariness. He smiled and leaned forward, offering his hand, the other subtly beckoning the black dragon forward. Crooning, big green eyes cute and wide, the black dragon approached and offered his muzzle to the Chief and recalling Stormfly's touch, Kjetil gently stroked the blunt muzzle.
"You're a handsome boy," he murmured, recalling Astrid's words. "Thank you." he looked up. "I am Kjetil, Chief of Sniffling." The young man smiled, a lopsided expression that lit his entire face.
"I am Hiccup," the young man said, "and this is Toothless, my dragon. He's a Night Fury...but you weren't afraid of him, were you?" And then he smiled. "You've met Stormfly, her dragon, haven't you?" Kjetil nodded.
"Astrid lived with us for many weeks," he revealed. "She was a brave, hardworking young woman. I respected her greatly-and yes, she and her dragon protected us from the raiders, saving many of our women from being taken for slaves." He smiled. "Despite her being..." The young man lurched a step closer, his entire face filled with urgency.
"Is she alright?" he asked in a slightly desperate voice. "And...the baby...?" Kjetil smiled at him and patted him gently on the shoulder.
"They were both well," he said and there was such a relief in the emerald eyes that the older man realised the truth. "You are her husband, the man she thought lost..." Nodding warily, Hiccup sighed.
"I was lost," he admitted. "Trapped by tradition and then by the Hunters." He lifted his chin. "You said were. Is-is she alright?" Kjetil sighed as the other riders walked closer.
"She left," he admitted. "Not all were happy at having a dragon in the village, feeling it an insult to tradition. There was an attempt to kill the dragon. She wouldn't stay after that."
"No-she would never risk Stormfly," Hiccup agreed. "Did-did she say where she went? When did she go?"
"She left about five days ago, heading for my friend, Chief Magnus of Stippling. It's three day's sail south-southeast of here through the Insanity Isles. He has promised to make her welcome, dragon and all, because she saved us." Hiccup sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily.
"Thor-every day brings her closer to having the baby-and I'm not with her," he groaned. The other Riders frowned at his expression.
"Problems, brother?" the buff man asked and Hiccup shook his head.
"Well, you know how uncomplicated and easy everything in my life is," he said sarcastically. "She's gone-but on the plus side, we annihilated the Hunters and the Captain will never hurt anyone again..." The raven-haired young woman rested a hand on his slumped shoulder and squeezed reassuringly, knowing how much pain and worry his brave words hid.
"Astrid is fierce and brave and an excellent warrior," she reminded him. "She's been taking care of herself so far..."
"But she will become more vulnerable as she gets closer to the birth," Hiccup sighed as Kijetil raised his eyebrows. Toothless crooned and nudged the auburn-haired Viking and his eyes widened as he turned to his host. "I apologise. Chief Kjetil-this is Dagur the Deranged, High Chief of the Berserkers. And this is Heather, his sister. Guys, this is Kjetil, Chief of Sniffling."
"Chief Dagur, Lady Heather-I am indebted to you for your assistance," Kjetil said honestly. "I wish I was able to welcome you to my village in better circumstances." Heather sighed.
"So do we," she sighed as Dagur looked around.
"Obviously, I can't tell you what to do, Chief Kjetil," he said thoughtfully, his cold gaze falling on the few remaining Hunters who had surrendered. "But I could suggest that you release a few of those men...to spread the word that their groups who attacked you were annihilated by the Dragon Riders and that you are now under the protection of the Berserkers and their Chief is an ally." He looked back to stare into Kjetil's thoughtful blue eyes. "You shielded and welcomed my brother's beloved and my sister's best friend-and for that alone, you have my friendship."
"Brother? Is Hiccup a Berserker as well?" Kjetil asked and Hiccup groaned.
"Oh Gods..." he muttered.
"In spirit but not in blood," Dagur admitted.
"And probably not in that either," Hiccup added. "I am just looking for Astrid, sir...and as she's not here, we have to move on..."
"I wouldn't," Kjetil advised them, pointing to the intimidating darkening sky. "Bad storm coming. If you're caught out in the open...well, it will be bad..." He gestured to the Hall-which was relatively undamaged. "Please-I have to request you shelter with us until it passes and offer you what hospitality we can muster. It is the least I can do." He paused. "And I doubt Astrid would approve of you getting struck by lightning when you rushed after her..."
"Hmm...happened before...though she was good enough not to punch me when I woke up," Hiccup admitted self-consciously, "but I take your point." He glanced at his friends and they nodded, Dagur winking at him. "Thank you, Chief Kjetil. We would be delighted to accept your hospitality..." Overhead, the first rumbles of thunder growled and the wind rose. Hiccup stared out to sea and sighed.
"Hang on, Milady," he murmured. "I'm coming..."
oOo
"Eel Pox?" Astrid's voice sounded loud in the eerily quiet village and as she listened, she could hear the faint coughs of sick people in the little cottages. "How many are ill?" The man coughed again, the hacking spasm leaving him gasping and clutching the doorpost to support him.
"Everyone," he admitted. "Some are very sick...and two have died. An old woman...and a newborn."
Instinctively, she dropped her hand to her swollen middle, feeling the flutter under her palm and she almost recoiled...but her eyes remained locked on the sick man.
"Do you have a healer?" she asked and there was an awkward pause.
"She was the old woman who perished," he admitted roughly.
"So you don't have the cure?" she asked him directly. His eyes widened.
"There's a cure?" he gasped and she nodded, throwing her mind back to that time when the Riders collected the ingredients from Healer's Island. She had carried Gothi and read the list several times, both with the cranky old woman and with Hiccup as they had organised the others to gather the ingredients. And though she wasn't the most interested in healing, she could recall the incident clearly and the recipe.
"Buckthorn root, lightly toasted...a dozen rock blossoms...one handful of goat weed...one wild dagger plant...one bloodbane eel...nightwood bark...yak grass (mashed)...three cloudberries...chicken egg shell...three cups clear spring water...a handful of dried nosewort leaves...red fang grass and one nib of mole nut," she recalled. "Our healer Gothi used it when we had an especially bad outbreak..." The man coughed painfully.
"We could never collect those ingredients in our shape," he explained and she sighed, glancing at Stormfly and fishing out the rag she had tied over her face previously.
"Do you have a Healers' Island around here?" she asked and the man nodded.
"A day's sailing north in the Lugnuts group of islands," the man confirmed. "I can give you the map..."
"Can you find Bloodbane eels around here?" she asked him directly.
"In Blue Sky Lake up to the north of the island," he answered. She tied the cloth over her face and nodded.
"Show me where your Healer lived," she said firmly. "I need to see what she has in stock." She sighed. "I'll make the cure..." Astonished, the man gave another coffin cough and smiled thinly.
"Thank you, stranger," he managed. "I am Magnus, Chief of Stippling." She smiled, her eyes crinkling with relief.
"I am Astrid Hofferson," she said. "And don't worry, sir. I won't fail you."
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